Splendor Review 6/26 - The Good,The Bad and The Lost Toenail!!!

[vacationmom0103]

Well I just returned today from my 8 day Splendor cruise out of New York. I will try to sum up all the good and bad for those of you who have a future cruise planned on her and also for those who are thinking of sailing on her. But let me begin with The Lost Toenail!!!

 

Unfortunately as I was walking from the beach in Grand Turk to my poolside cabana, there was a coral rock sticking out onto the walking path. My toe hit it and 80% of my toenail ripped off. There was a lot of blood and it hurt like crazy. My mom ran to get someone, but the guy who came (who apparently was a photographer for the Flowrider) said the injury was too much for him. They wheel chaired me back to the ship where I received x-rays, a pain killer injection and 2 toe numbing injections (which REALLY hurt). The doctor than ripped off the nail and bandaged me up. $235 later and I was sent on my way.

 

Sadly, I needed to avoid all sand and water so I was very upset that my day was ruined. Thank goodness for the cabana, so I spent the day there with a few choice beverages. I did speak to guest services, but they refused to offer me any compensation as Margaritaville is not their property. Luckily, I did purchase insurance so the bills will be covered.

 

OK...Now the actual cruise This was a HUGE family and fun trip, so I was traveling with many age groups...the youngest being 3 and the oldest 81! Everyone had a great time, especially the kids, who NEVER could seem to get enough of Camp Carnival. They participated in many parties, games and crafts and made lots of new friends. I have nothing but the BEST to say about the entire camp.

 

My family, which consists of myself (40), hubby (41) and two sons (8 & 9), stayed in Spa Balcony cabin 1110. Location, Location Location!!! These Spa cabins are steps away from the Deck 11 pool and entrance to the waterslide. It was SOOOOOO convenient to be able to go back and forth all day to my cabin. This rear pool is also right beside the entrance to Serenity, so even if you don't have young children, it's still an awesome location. The access to the Spa was the cherry on top. The steam rooms and Thalossotherapy pool were absolute heaven!

 

We ate dinner 7 nights in the Golden Pearl. The food was very good. I had no trouble with the temperature of the food, but the service was very slow. The drink waiter for one of our tables was so bad that my family members went out to the Robusto Bar every night to get their own drinks because if they ordered it at the table it took 30 minutes. They did complain to the Maitre 'D who apologized and they tried to do better, but the service remained extremely slow.

 

One night we ate dinner at the Pinnacle Steakhouse. This meal was FANTASTIC...except for the Lobster Bisque which no one liked. It was not thick and creamy and had way too much brandy. It didn't even compare to Lobster Bisques I have had in Rhode Island and Cape Cod.

 

Buffet lines were often quite long and slow moving. The pizza was, IMHO, much improved from the Dream last year. I did try the Tandoori and enjoyed it very much. Unfortunately I never made it to the Burrito Bar, the Mongolian Wok or the Deli (which I SWORE I wasn't going to miss this time)but friends and family who did said they were all fantastic!!! Room service was good with an average delivery time of about 20 minutes. Finally, my entire family LOVED the food offered at the Punchliner Brunch...even though we only made it there on 1 day.

 

As far as entertainment, I missed a lot this year. We did go to the family friendly comedy show which was quite good. My friends and family said the adult shows were hysterical, although I never made it to any of them. I also missed VROOM again this year (my toenail really messed me up) but again, friends and family that did go loved it!

 

Everyone's favorite port was, by far, Half Moon Cay...absolute heaven! We had rented 2 of the 2-story beach villas and they were sooo worth it. This was the day after the Toenail incident, so I bagged my foot and tried my best to hobble about the sand. I did try floating in the water with my foot elevated, but it wasn't very easy. But the beautiful cabanas eased my pain a bit. It was so nice to have all the snacks, drinks, hot tub and private bathroom. Oh and the beach BBQ lunch was delicious!!!!

 

I can't say much about Grand Turk because the Toenail incident happened at 9:45 so my entire day was ruined. I do know that the rest of my party enjoyed snorkeling off the beach, but they did say the water was a little rocky and very seaweedy. The kids actually spent a lot if time in the pool and seemed to enjoy themselves.

 

In Nassau, we took the kids to Atlantis. I booked a room at the Comfort Suites, and for the $300 the kids had full access to all of Atlantis,,,easy, breezy and loads of fun!

 

Finally, I have to comment on embarkation and debarkation...the fastest, easiest I have ever experienced. Prior to this, I have only sailed out of Florida. Compared to last year in Port Canaveral, New York wins hands down!!! Pt. Canaveral was a nightmare in comparison (and it really wasn't that bad)

 

Well, there you have it...The Good, the Bad and the Lost Toenail!! Overall, we had a great cruise and I would absolutely recommend the Splendor to anyone considering her. If anyone has any questions, I'm glad to answer them.

[092306]

Wow, sorry about your toe! Glad you managed to have some fun regardless. The villas sound great, thanks for the review!

[david_sobe]

OUCH! Sorry for your incident.

Glad you pulled through and had a great cruise!

[jaded_reckless]

I cannot believe that the Grand Turk Toe destroyer struck again!!

 

I had a similar experience when My husband and I were in port in Grand Turk 3 years ago with another friend couple. My DH found a conch in the water down away from the pier and I was SO excited about it and wanted our friends to see it so I decided I had to go tell our friends immediately. They were in loungers by Margaritaville and because I was excited I didn't watch properly will I was booking it back towards them near the pier in the wake of the waves, and low and behold, I SMASHED my foot into a hunk of coral block half buried by the sand.

 

I luckily (if you can say that) only broke my toe, didn't break the skin, but it swelled like crazy and bruised purple within Minutes. I didn't end up going to the doc on board because they don't do much for broken toes, and it was my second toe (not sure how that one took the full smash, but it did), so I just went to my GP back in Toronto when we got home. In the meantime, I just taped it to the toe beside it and took advil for the pain and swelling and tried to keep off of it.

 

My big disappointment was it happened on our final Formal Night on the cruise, and I couldn't wear my pretty shoes because I couldn't get any closed toe shoes on haha.

 

Hope the toe feels better!!

 

-Lauren

 

 

[rtn]

Sorry about your injury but glad you and your family had an enjoyable cruise. We will be on the Splendor in Sept going to GT and will definitely watch where I walk!!

[lovelearnteach]

Thank-you for your review, so sorry about your toe :(:).

[riclop]

Sorry about your toe and thanks for the review.

[mamawsnest]

I can relate about the toe-just had part of my nail surgically removed due to my 1st ingrown toenail. We're going to GT in Nov. Thanks for the heads up about the toe eating rock. Don't want to lose the other nail too. Thanks for the review also.

[dcfan08]

What a nice review! Sorry for your injury, Hopefully you're a quick healer.Could you please tell me more about booking the hotel in Nassau for Atlantis? I have heard that there was a way to get a room and you would receive passes and I was a bit skeptical. Did you book it before the cruise and how many passes did you receive? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!:)

[irishlizz]

From my experience Grand Turk = beach that requires water shoes.

[vacationmom0103]

Hey Dcfan...Yes, I booked 1 room at the Comfort Suites Nasssau Bahamas direct through their website. Total was around $325 with taxes and my AAA rate. One room is a max of 4 people, which was fine for me.

 

After getting off ship around 7:45 we got in a taxi van which cost $4 per person. It took about 10-15 minutes to drive to the Comfort Suites. We checked right in and received these ID cards which we had to bring to Atlantis. By 8:30 we were grabbing a bite to eat from the Comfort Suites continental breakfast...cereal, bagels, fruit, sausage, Danish, etc.

 

Easy, breezy we walked across to Atlantis and to their Aquaventure guest services. We showed the ID cards and received our wristbands. This gave us full access to the water park, beach, aquarium. We grabbed some poolside lounge chairs and my kids were sliding down their first waterslide by 9:30.

 

We had our same taxi driver meet us back in front of Atlantis at 3:00, as the ship was departing at 4:00. We did not need to return to the comfort suites for any reason.

 

I figured my total for the hotel room and taxi to be around $465. If I had purchased the excursion through Carnival I think it would have ran me around $600. I also kind of liked being on our own and not having to wait for other guests. Like I said, it really was super easy. Have fun!

[mephistoles]

Hey Dcfan...Yes, I booked 1 room at the Comfort Suites Nasssau Bahamas direct through their website. Total was around $325 with taxes and my AAA rate. One room is a max of 4 people, which was fine for me.

 

After getting off ship around 7:45 we got in a taxi van which cost $4 per person. It took about 10-15 minutes to drive to the Comfort Suites. We checked right in and received these ID cards which we had to bring to Atlantis. By 8:30 we were grabbing a bite to eat from the Comfort Suites continental breakfast...cereal, bagels, fruit, sausage, Danish, etc.

 

Easy, breezy we walked across to Atlantis and to their Aquaventure guest services. We showed the ID cards and received our wristbands. This gave us full access to the water park, beach, aquarium. We grabbed some poolside lounge chairs and my kids were sliding down their first waterslide by 9:30.

 

We had our same taxi driver meet us back in front of Atlantis at 3:00, as the ship was departing at 4:00. We did not need to return to the comfort suites for any reason.

 

I figured my total for the hotel room and taxi to be around $465. If I had purchased the excursion through Carnival I think it would have ran me around $600. I also kind of liked being on our own and not having to wait for other guests. Like I said, it really was super easy. Have fun!

 

 

We are really thinking about doing this for our upcoming cruise. At what point did you "check out". One of my co-workers told me that some friends of his did this and they basically checked in, got their passes and then checked out. Another told me that their group did the same thing but didn't check out until around 2 or 3. Does it matter when you check out?

[Jamman54]

Well, there you have it...The Good, the Bad and the Lost Toenail!! Overall, we had a great cruise and I would absolutely recommend the Splendor to anyone considering her. If anyone has any questions, I'm glad to answer them.

 

Thanks for the share, and sorry about that toenail!!

[Can'tWait2SetSail]

Thanks for the review. Sorry for all of you who have had toe issues! I lost a toenail last year, trust me, it will come back! Maybe rather than water shoes, we should consider steel toe boots!

[Cyber Kat]

So sorry to hear about your toe! Glad that you took it in stride. These things happen says the person who went on vacation 2 days after getting the cast on my broken ankle removed (that was a close one!)

 

I'm also happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed your cruise. I was a little apprehensive about the Splendor - some of the reviews out of Long Beach were less than flattering - but I LOVED that ship! I hope she stays in NY for a long time.

 

I LOL'd at your swearing your would do the Deli - I had a bunch of things I swore I was going to do and didn't - all the more reason for another cruise!

 

I had also been wondering about how they did the MDR assignments. We had an aft wrap and we lucked out and got the Gold Pearl - very convenient. You would think they would assign those in the forward part of the ship to the Black Pearl. That was a hike with your poor toe :(

 

It's great how efficient the Manhattan Cruise Terminal is with Embarkation and the ship with debarkation. Ours was a breeze on both ends as well.

 

So sad that both of our cruises are over :( - I don't know about you, but I need another (and I'm making a note about that rock at GT - perhaps you should contact Margaritaville or the Cruise Center there - they should at least remove the hazard and give you some compensation.)

[vacationmom0103]

Hi Mephistoles...I never actually "checked out" of the room. When we checked in and the girl said the room wouldn't be ready until 3 I just laughed and told her I wouldn't be back at all, unless of course we missed sail away...LOL!

 

Thanks, Cybercat...It really was a great cruise and the toe is already beginning to heal. I just keep putting on different colored, funky band aids so my pedicure doesnt look so bad! I too was surprised about being in the Golden Pearl. My party had 5 Spa balcony rooms, 2 aft balcony rooms and 3 midship rooms on deck 7 so I guess it really was a tossup. It definitely was a hike but I liked looking out at the wake every night during dinner.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

We had forward rooms but were assigned to the Gold Pearl. I have never figured out the MDR assignments. Our service was the slowest in 25+ years but the food was great. We all liked lemonade but only got it 2 nights of the 8. Water was only given to us at the beginning of the dinner , which lasted almost 1 1/2 hours each night as dessert was always served at least 20-30 minutes after dinner and service was so slow.

We loved the rest of the cruise however. We found NYC to be the best embarking and debarking port ever! I never made it to Tandori or the Wok but really enjoyed the burrito bar. I did not find the lines to long in the buffet as I have on some other cruises and all but breakfast the food was hot. If you want good food for breakfast eat in the MDR or Punchliner. The food in the punchliner is amazing, but it is only open on sea days.

Hope your foot is healing. I had my foot in a boot for several months this winter and was a little leary of the beach in GT as I remember it being very rocky. My youngest Grandson cut his foot by the shower in GT. It was kind of deep(not enough for stiches tho), but we just cleaned it and put liquid bandage on it and he went on his merry way--Oh to be young. I have learned that liquid bandage is worth it's weight in gold on a vacation.

GT still is not my favorite port-the boys loved the flo rider and we rented a golf cart there , but I think if we go next time I will treat the port the same as I do Nassau and stay on board.

I probably will never get to cruise on the Splendor again as I doubt we port from NYC again. My husband felt that getting there and the expensive hotel rooms before and after were not his cup of tea and that he was not willing to do it again. No one was interested in sight-seeing so being stuck in a small hotel room was not as fun as other places we cruise from. I would love to pack the port of NYC's efficiency and the Splendor and move it to a Florida base, more convenient for us. sorry Kath- I know that would make you unhappy as it is so close to you, but really enjoyed both.

[Cyber Kat]

We had forward rooms but were assigned to the Gold Pearl. I have never figured out the MDR assignments. Our service was the slowest in 25+ years but the food was great. We all liked lemonade but only got it 2 nights of the 8. Water was only given to us at the beginning of the dinner , which lasted almost 1 1/2 hours each night as dessert was always served at least 20-30 minutes after dinner and service was so slow.

We loved the rest of the cruise however. We found NYC to be the best embarking and debarking port ever! I never made it to Tandori or the Wok but really enjoyed the burrito bar. I did not find the lines to long in the buffet as I have on some other cruises and all but breakfast the food was hot. If you want good food for breakfast eat in the MDR or Punchliner. The food in the punchliner is amazing, but it is only open on sea days.

Hope your foot is healing. I had my foot in a boot for several months this winter and was a little leary of the beach in GT as I remember it being very rocky. My youngest Grandson cut his foot by the shower in GT. It was kind of deep(not enough for stiches tho), but we just cleaned it and put liquid bandage on it and he went on his merry way--Oh to be young. I have learned that liquid bandage is worth it's weight in gold on a vacation.

GT still is not my favorite port-the boys loved the flo rider and we rented a golf cart there , but I think if we go next time I will treat the port the same as I do Nassau and stay on board.

I probably will never get to cruise on the Splendor again as I doubt we port from NYC again. My husband felt that getting there and the expensive hotel rooms before and after were not his cup of tea and that he was not willing to do it again. No one was interested in sight-seeing so being stuck in a small hotel room was not as fun as other places we cruise from. I would love to pack the port of NYC's efficiency and the Splendor and move it to a Florida base, more convenient for us. sorry Kath- I know that would make you unhappy as it is so close to you, but really enjoyed both.

 

You can't have MY Splendor! :D

 

You did early seating, right? The MDR had lots of empty tables, so we had great service! Water glasses were filled right away and topped off when needed. We were offered second rounds of bread. The women at our table got lemon slices for their water - and some other special request - I forget what it was. Perhaps they requested sauce or salad dressing on the side. It was something like that.

 

I was amazed at the short lines - except for the Mongolian Wok and the Chocolate Extravaganza, I don't think I waited long for anything.

 

The food at the Punchliner Brunch was really good. I would have eaten there every day, but DH wanted his bacon sandwich for breakfast and he didn't believe me when I told him that he could most likely get it in the MDR. They had a side of bacon that looked pretty generous and I'm sure he could have requested his white bread slices.

 

The couple next to us had a French press for their coffee and the waiter brought them the water and what ever else they needed. They seemed pretty accommodating.

 

If you do consider a NY port cruise again, and you don't want to explore the city, you could look into hotels in NJ. They are much cheaper and then you could do the ferry.

 

I think the hotel my sister was staying in with her friends was under $100 a night and it was very close to the ferry.

[ALEX122495]

What a nice review! Sorry for your injury, Hopefully you're a quick healer.Could you please tell me more about booking the hotel in Nassau for Atlantis? I have heard that there was a way to get a room and you would receive passes and I was a bit skeptical. Did you book it before the cruise and how many passes did you receive? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!:)

 

I have booked rooms at the Comfort Inn twice and gone to Atlantis. They give 4 passes per room (exchange at Atlantis for wristbands ) when you check in . The first year we had time to go up to the room an shower and change before grabbing a cab back to the ship. The second time the people at the desk allowed us to check in/out at the same time so we didn't go back to the hotel at all and left right from Atlantis. It was a great money saver for us. Dh is retired military so used that for a discount, other CC people have used other codes. I book online and print it out ,so easy !:rolleyes:

[gusandgidgetsmom]

Ok Kath, I won't steal your ship, but why don't you come and join us from a port in Florida sometime!

Yes we had early seating and someone on the other unmentionable site we are on said she had been in the same dining room for early seating the week before on the same level and had slow service.

You can't have MY Splendor! :D

 

You did early seating, right? The MDR had lots of empty tables, so we had great service! Water glasses were filled right away and topped off when needed. We were offered second rounds of bread. The women at our table got lemon slices for their water - and some other special request - I forget what it was. Perhaps they requested sauce or salad dressing on the side. It was something like that.

 

I was amazed at the short lines - except for the Mongolian Wok and the Chocolate Extravaganza, I don't think I waited long for anything.

 

The food at the Punchliner Brunch was really good. I would have eaten there every day, but DH wanted his bacon sandwich for breakfast and he didn't believe me when I told him that he could most likely get it in the MDR. They had a side of bacon that looked pretty generous and I'm sure he could have requested his white bread slices.

 

The couple next to us had a French press for their coffee and the waiter brought them the water and what ever else they needed. They seemed pretty accommodating.

 

If you do consider a NY port cruise again, and you don't want to explore the city, you could look into hotels in NJ. They are much cheaper and then you could do the ferry.

 

I think the hotel my sister was staying in with her friends was under $100 a night and it was very close to the ferry.

[Cyber Kat]

Ok Kath, I won't steal your ship, but why don't you come and join us from a port in Florida sometime!

Yes we had early seating and someone on the other unmentionable site we are on said she had been in the same dining room for early seating the week before on the same level and had slow service.

 

Sounds like late seating is the way to go! It's a bit later than I'd like to eat - 7-7:30 would be my choice. I suggested ATD - but got shot down!

 

I'd consider a cruise out of Boston or Baltimore - if Carnival ever gets those issues straightened out, but I really don't want to fly to cruise. It's such a hassle! And I have to use up 2 more vacation days because I'd never fly in or out on the same day as embark/debark. So there are hotel rooms to consider as well.

 

I guess I'm spoiled living 45 minutes from the port. I actually have 3 ports because we're not far from Bayonne/Cape Liberty or Brooklyn.

 

Sorry, but if I'm getting on a plane, that plane better be going to Bermuda :D - or possibly a port that handles cruises to Alaska. I really want to do that one day.

 

Perhaps we'll get to sail to Alaska together some day!

[cruizinnj]

Hello! So glad to hear you had such a good time on your cruise! we are going this fall. Do you, or someone in your group, happen to have the schedule for the 2-5 year old kids club? Thank you!!