Splendor Review Long (with pics) 8/21/13 - 8/29/13

[megnut78]

I started this review on the cruise and typed it on my iPad in hopes of remembering everything. I got to the first port day and forgot after that, so hopefully I will remember as we go along :)

 

I'm Megan (34) and DH Brian (also 34). Our DS Brian turned 12 on the ship and our DD Alyssa is 9. We are from Central NJ (Monmouth County). This is our fourth cruise as a family (I took 2 when I was younger). A car service picked us up at 9am, although I think they arrived a little bit early. We hit traffic right before the Lincoln Tunnel and the driver went a round about way and got us there (still going through the tunnel). Felt like forever as we sat at the light right near the ship, but we finally got there around 10:45 am. There were a ton of people outside from the previous cruise. The driver had to drop us off near Pier 88. We couldnt find a porter anywhere, so we hauled all our luggage down to Pier 90 - of course wishing he had been able to drop us off a bit closer - but it was fine, there was just a lot of conjestion due to so many people from the prior cruise.

 

As soon as we got into the terminal, someone took our luggage and made sure they put the Faster to the Fun tags on it. We went through security and then to check in. I did bring (2) 12 packs of soda and 2 bottles of wine in a small carry on suitcase. When going through security, they asked me what was in the cans and I told them soda and offered to open it. They told me it wasn't necessary.

 

Check in was easy, but later came to find out that they gave my husband my sons card and visa versa (more about that later). I'm not sure what I expected, but we were shown the same seats as everyone else, with a Priority boarding pass. (I think I had read previously from others posts that FTTF would be seated in a different lounge). Announcement came on around 11:15 am that we would board at around 12pm. A large wedding party started to board around 11:35am and then they called FTTF right after that. We took our picture and on the ship we went. I think we got on around 11:45 am. We went to our room immediately to drop our carry on luggage. We did have one steward try to stop us, but when we told them we were FTTF, they said OHH and let us go. Our room was 2372 Oceanview Room - when we got there, our luggage was already inside. The beds were split into two twin size beds (even though I requested a king). No big deal though honestly. There was a pull down bed that would be my sons and a couch that would be my daughter's bed. We dropped our stuff and headed to the Lido deck for lunch.

 

There were people already there, but definitely not overcrowded. I stood online for the Mongolian grill and (I know I'm in the minority) I was a bit disappointed that I did. The choices of sauces were mild black mean, Thai BBQ (medium) and a spicy hot one. I decided to try the mild one and I didnt like the taste at all and was a bit disappointed that they didnt have rice. But at least I know now that I didnt like it and wont have to stand in an insane line later on. The potato salad was great, the coleslaw was still frozen and then I decided since I didnt eat the Mongolian, that I would try the burritos. I couldnt finish the whole thing, but it was very good. My DH and DD got a burger and my son got the pizza. My DH tried the pizza and said the pepperoni wasn't good (he didnt elaborated on why), but said the crust was good.

 

After lunch we headed back to the room to unpack and relax for a bit as the crowds came in. The kids played cards and got the last bit of internet service they would have until Saturday. My husband and I went ot guest services at this point and did not have to wait on a line at all. Boy oh boy was it worth it to have FTTF, because the line was LONG - almost backed up to the theatre.

 

 

At 3:30 pm was the muster drill, which took about 15 minutes or so. I try to wait until the very last minute to go down there, as I hate being in the back of these crowds and normally if we wait, you can get a spot right up front, so it also means you are one of the first ones out as well. I snapped a quick shot of everyone during the Muster Drill.

 

Then we went up to Deck 10 to hang out outside and watch the Lido Party and took a few pictures as we passed the Statue of Liberty and the Freedom Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued....

[megnut78]

At 5:15pm, the kids and I headed to the Theatre for the Camp Carnival orientation and to ask if my son could start Circle C, as he was turning 12 on the ship. They had no problem at all with that, which made him very happy. He didnt want to be in the same group as his sister (arent they nice). After that we met at the dining room for dinner. I forgot to take pictures, but appetizers, I had the shrimp cocktail and for dinner the beef brisket, which was very good and very tender. Dessert was the warm melting cake of course . :) After dinner, my DD wanted to go for a swim, so we went to the pool by the waterslide, as the lido pool was not open yet. It actually opened while we were at the other pool. It was a bit windy and chilly, but she had a good time anyway, during her night swim. My DS headed off to Circle C to meet his new friends for the week. I went to Bingo by myself at 9:30pm and stayed for the show afterwards that started at 10pm - Welcome Aboard Show. I hit the casino for a very brief time after the show and then called it a night and headed back to our cabin.

 

To be continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megnut78]

Some pictures of Camp Carnival that I got the first day.

 

 

 

 

Took this picture as we were sailing away and didnt realize until later that the Freedom Tower was in the background.

 

 

[megnut78]

FIRST DAY AT SEA - THURSDAY AUGUST 22ND

We got up and my DD and I went to have breakfast at the Lido buffet. Omlet line was way too long, so we had some potatoes and bacon and a croissant - breakfast of champions. My DH went to lay out for a little while and my DS went to find his friends and go in the hot tub. After breakfast, my DD wanted to go on the waterslide and I sat with my DH for a little while and then decided to wander around the ship for a little while. I took a brief tour of the spa and then met up with my DH and went to the shops and the casino. Later on I brought my DD to the arcade for a little while before heading back to the room to get ready for dinner - it was formal night. We got dressed and headed out. I had the Greek Farmers Salad and for dinner, I had the lobster tail and prime rib. DD Alyssa wanted to go to the Mardi Gras Party at Camp Carnival until 12am. DS headed to Circle C with his friends. DH and I sat outside for a couple of hours and then went to the adult comedy at 10:45 pm - Jerry Godspeed. He was alright, not the best I've seen, but not the worst. That was in the El Morocco lounge in the aft of the ship on Deck 5. Our DS was suppose to come back to the cabin after Circle C was over at 12:30am, but a little after 1am we started to wonder where he was. We were exhausted and not up for trying to chase him down. 1:15 am rolls around and I decide to go out (in my bathrobe and all) and try to find him. 1:45 am is when we finally found him - walking around with his friends and get got an earful from us. (I later heard from two other kids that they got in trouble that night as well from their parents for being out so late). Lots of pictures on the next two pages and hopefully you all are enjoying the review.

 

Lido buffet seating area:

 

Alyssa and I eating breakfast:

 

Here is the room service menu for anyone interested. I taped it to the wall right near the phone, so we didnt lose it throughout the week.

 

Alyssa at the first formal night dinner:

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Great start to your review, can't wait to read more! :)

[megnut78]

With a napkin on her head:

 

DS Brian did not want his picture taken:

 

Gold Pearl Dining Room view from my seat:

 

The menu on formal night:

 

Greek Farmers Salad:

 

Strawberry Chilled Soup: (I didnt get any pictures of dinner unfortunately)

[megnut78]

DS ordered shrimp cocktail:

Up on deck 10 after dinner:

 

 

 

Alyssa and me

[megnut78]

Pictures of the arcade:

 

 

[critcatny]

Hi, We were on the same cruise. We loved it and had a great time. Thanks for your review. Looking forward to the rest of it.

[eletur01]

Hi great pics. I was on the same sailing as you:) great cruise! and love the pics!

[megnut78]

SECOND DAY AT SEA - FRIDAY AUGUST 23RD

We did not wake up until 10am, after the long night we had. Late breakfast for all of us on the Lido Deck. The omelet line was not too long, so that was our breakfast of choice. The omlets were delicious - I brought bacon with me on line and they put it in the omelet - I later found out that they actually have bacon back there, so all you have to do is ask, even though it's not on the menu. After breakfast, the kids went to their program - CC and Circle C and we went to lay out for a bit. Our plan was to go to the back of the ship and go to the adult only pool. I walked around there twice and found two chairs in the entire area that were empty and they were no where near eachother. The main pool was no better. So, in all the reviews I have read, no one is exaggerating when they say the chair dogs are out in full force. Most of the chairs didnt have a person sitting in them, just a towel, a shirt or something else. We walked around for a while and finally found, what I think, is a great place - Deck 11, right near the Carnival Splendor words and near the jogging track. There was hardly anyone up there, it had a great breeze and the sound of the kids Spray Ground actually made you feel a little cooler. When I got hot, I would walk down the stairs and into the sprayground and cool off for a few minutes.

After laying out for a couple of hours, I went back to the room and got cleaned up for an appointment I had with a friend (that was also on the cruise) at the spa at 3pm for the mud rasul. She really wanted to try it and said it was the same price for one person, as it was for two people. She even convinced them to let my DD come in with us. (I guess she spent enough money at the spa that they allowed it). She is opening a Holistic Spa back at home and was trying to learn a few new things on this cruise. The mud rasul is for an hour and there are different rooms (pictures below). Made my skin feel very nice and it was a nice little treat. My daughter got bored after a little while, but she did stay in there the entire time. I found out afterwards that she was the only kid that's ever been in there.

After that was over, we went back to the room to take a shower and get ready for dinner. We chilled out for a little while, played cards and had some down time. For dinner, I had French Onion Soup and chicken quesadillas for a starter and the gourmet burger for dinner. There wasn't much of anything else I wanted. Dessert was strawberry cheesecake. That evening we went to the theatre to see an evening of Motown Classics at 8:45pm with Jerome Dabney. He was excellent. The kids went to Laser Tag at 10:30pm - $5 for 5 minutes and there was a HUGE line. 4 kids go in at a time and you have to be 6 years or older and MUST be wearing socks. After that, back to the cabin to relax, order some late night room service snacks for everyone and watch TV. While I am thinking about it, I must add how disappointed I am with the plain cheap tasting chocolate they leave at night. After missing it last year being on RCI, I had looked forward to the chocolate mint at night this time and was greatly disappointed. Oh well :/

 

First room of the mud rasul:

 

Mud rasul steam room:

 

Mud rasul rain forrest:

 

Alyssa getting ready to go in for Laser Tag:

[megnut78]

Would love to see any pictures you have if you are sharing :) I took a lot of pictures, but probably not as many as I would have liked. Glad to hear you had a great time! We did too.

 

Hi, We were on the same cruise. We loved it and had a great time. Thanks for your review. Looking forward to the rest of it.

[megnut78]

THANKS! Glad you are enjoying! If you have any pics, I would love to see them! Hope you enjoy the rest of it (Hopefully I remember everything)

 

Hi great pics. I was on the same sailing as you:) great cruise! and love the pics!

[megnut78]

SAN JUAN, PR - SATURDAY AUGUST 24th

 

We woke up around 8:30 am and decided to have breakfast at the MDR at 9:45am. In all the cruises I have taken, I have never had breakfast or lunch at the MDR. DH wanted eggs benedict, which we heard were good at the MDR. I am so glad that we tried it, because we actually decided to go there quite a few times after.

 

I really have no idea what I did this day before we got to San Juan. I basically stayed off the beaten path and walked around - tried to keep track of what my kids were doing - sat outside in the sun. Just tried to relax. I didnt go to Bingo again after the first night and I didnt do any Trivia. I did have to go to the guest services desk quite a few times during this trip. (again a WONDERFUL thing that I had FTTF). Because DH and DS have the same name, there always seems to be some sort of confusion with their cards (both times we have left out of NYC). Carnival will not put JR on my DS card. When they gave us the cards, they told us which was which, but apparently they were confused, because when DH tried to get a drink in the MDR the first night, they said DS's photo was on it. Then he tried to use it at the casino and it would not allow him, saying he was underage. They did fix it at guest services, but we had to get the stickers all over again for Circle C and Bottomless Bubbles for DS.

 

3pm and we arrived in San Juan - no offense to anyone at all that enjoys San Juan, but it's just not my cup of tea. It's a city and it was HOT. We got off the ship (FTTF got us off pretty quickly, as their was a separate line) we took a few pictures, walked down the street about two blocks, sat down to look at a map, DH had a beer, DD had a soda and we walked back to the ship. We looked around the port and got back on the ship. I'm pretty sure we were the first ones back on.

 

As you can probably tell by now, DH does not like his picture taken, but I promise that at some point, he will show his face in the pictures. I'm not huge on my picture taken either, but I let it slide for our annual cruise :)

 

Picture of me and the kids in the port of San Juan:

 

 

 

 

[megnut78]

After we got back to the ship from San Juan, we decided to take advantage of not many people in the pool. So we went to the main pool on the Lido Deck and then made our way up to the pool on Deck 11, so the kids and DH could go on the water slide.

 

No idea what was for dinner that evening, guess I should have taken pictures and then I would remember. That evening was The Game of Love in the theatre and Redfrog's Caribbean Beach Party (neither of which we attended). I'm unsure why I missed the Game of Love, as I like to go to that, but normally after dinner, we would sit outside for awhile on Deck 10 and chat with the smokers (DH smokes). Even when he wasn't smoking, I think that's where he spent the majority of his time, getting to know all the people there. :) On the next page there will be some pictures of San Juan at night from the ship. There was a concert of some sorts off in the distance that we could hear. It was beautiful seeing the city at night.

 

San Juan port:

 

DS sitting by the pool:

 

The waterslide:

 

The pool Deck 11:

 

San Juan at night:

[megnut78]

SAN JUAN AT NIGHT:

 

The Lido deck before the sail away party:

 

 

 

 

[megnut78]

Picture from The Gold Pearl from Formal night:

 

 

[megnut78]

ST. THOMAS SUNDAY AUGUST 25th

Sunday morning we got up early, as we were docking in St. Thomas at 7am and we all had an excursion. I was excited to be here, as the last time I was here, was when I was 11 and I absolutely loved it at the time. We got up, got dressed, had breakfast and was ready to head off the ship around 8am. I had booked an excursion through Carnival for DH and DS for the Coral World Helmet Dive and I booked the Turtle Encounter at Coral World through Shore Excursions.com They did not offer that one through CCL. We got off the ship quickly again and we were directed to the same place, but would up going separately. We left first and were the first people at Coral World that morning. There was a bit of confusion about when we would be picked up to leave. Turns out my excursion was to leave back for the ship at 1pm. DH's excursion was scheduled to go back at 11:30 am. DH and DS got there shortly after and they immediately sat down to go over the things they needed to know about the Helmet Dive. We all did a private excursion last year in Bermuda with the Helmet dive and loved it, but I just didnt feel like doing it again. DH said this one was even better. DD and I walked around Coral World for a bit and watched in the underwater observatory while they were underwater. They went down around 9:30 am and ours was scheduled for 10am. So as soon as they came up, we went over to the turtle area. We were in the water with the turtles for about 30 minutes. If you are not a huge turtle person, I wouldnt recommend it, as it was a little boring at times. I am a HUGE turtle person, love them to pieces and all we could do it stand there against the wall. When they come by you, you can touch their shell or their fins, but nothing else and your hands need to go back to your sides immediately. There was no sun where we were standing, so with a little breeze, even on a very warm day, we were a bit chilly. Dont get me wrong, I loved that I did it. But it turns out that we lost all the video we took from the Helmet Dive and the Turtle encounter. DH has a GOPRO camera and you can use it underwater. He was using the same SD card in the camera and apparently when we used it in the GoPro, it didnt retain the video. So we were both really upset about that when we got home and realized it.

After the turtle encounter was over, we decided to walk over to Coki Beach. We had planned on staying until 1pm and I told the driver from my excursion I would give him a few dollars if he would bring DH and DS back with us. It was really croweded at this point - it was probably around 10:45 am and more and more people were coming onto the beach. It's not a big beach at all. There are vendors that rent you lounge chairs, but we just wanted to use our towels. Needless to say, we basically had no place to sit, as the lounge chairs just kept invading our space. We had other kids sitting on our towels and all and all around 11:15am we decided we had had enough and we were ready to leave. We knew we would be spending the day on the beach in Grand Turk. So we asked Dh's excursion driver if we could go back with him and he had absolutely no problem with that. We got back to the ship close to 12pm and I was not in the best of moods, being covered in sand and just hot. We got back on the ship, all showered and changed and we decided to get back off the ship and walk around for awhile.

We walked around the shops for a couple of hours in port and then made our way over to Senor Frogs. We had never been to a Senor Frogs and they kids were pleasantly surprised to get balloon hats and they were thrilled that dad ordered the tall glasses and that they could keep them. We went to the gift shop and it started to rain a little - sorta like a FL afternoon shower. We made our way back to the ship not too long before we had to be back on board.

That evening for dinner, unfortunately I dont recall again what I had for dinner. We went to the evening show with the singers and dancers called The Beat. We honestly didnt really enjoy it at all. I have seen much better shows and this was not one of them. We had planned on going to Carnival Quest that night at 12am, but we were too tired from the long day we had. I really wish they had Quest on a different night.

 

 

Turtles that we swam with:

 

Underwater Observatory:

 

Alyssa visiting Stingy, her new Stingray friend:

 

More pictures on the next page of St. Thomas

[megnut78]

More pictures of St. Thomas and Coral World

 

 

Stingy:

 

 

Brian going down the ladder to go on the Helmet Dive

 

Brian and Dad underwater:

[megnut78]

 

Looking over towards Coki Beach:

 

Coral World:

 

 

Finally a picture of DH at Senor Frogs:

 

Alyssa at Senor Frogs:

[megnut78]

DS at Senor Frogs:

 

 

 

 

 

[megnut78]

Towel Animals near the Lido Pool and our Towel animal for the evening:

 

 

NEXT DAY IS DS's 12th BIRTHDAY AND GRAND TURK - MY FAVORITE DAY!

[megnut78]

GRAND TURK - AUGUST 26TH

Our DS Brian's 12th Birthday today! We pack his cards before we leave, so he has them to open on the cruise. We celebrate his birthday when we get home.

Awful that my memory is so bad, but again I'm not exactly sure what we did this morning. I know we went to the MDR for breakfast, but not sure what else we did before getting off the ship - probably a lot of nothing. I think the ship docked around 1pm and we had to be back on board by 6:30pm. DH did inform me that he hates how little amount of time we spend at the ports and would like to be there longer and less time out to sea. I told him we have to be out to sea for a few days at a time if we want to leave out of NYC and go down to the Caribbean. He has decided he wants to go back to Bermuda next year and stay for a couple of days. Unfortunately when I got home, I found out that Carnival is not sailing to Bermuda next year at all - soooo it's either RCI, Norweigan or another destination.

When we docked, the Carnival Liberty was docked at Grand Turk as well, but they were leaving at 2pm. The lines were massive for them to get back on the ship, as we were getting off. At first they made us go to the right side of the pier (if you are walking from the ship). They said Liberty guests were on the left and Splendor guests were on the right. Shortly after, we walked over to the other side. I have read a lot of people say that you should wear water shoes in Grand Turk because of how rocky it is and how people cut their feet. I purchased water shoes for this one reason and I never wore them once. Maybe other people have more sensative feet or maybe I'm just use to the water - but yes it was rocky, but it was not sharp or hard. It actually was pretty soft. Loved how you could see everything under the water. We rented one of those cabanas that goes over two lounge chairs for $20. We spend the majority of our time in the water. When the Liberty was leaving, everyone had to get out of the water until it was gone. After dad pointed out a sea urchin, the kids decided to go over to the pool in Margaritaville and they watched the Flowrider. After being there a couple hours we decided to grab a late lunch at Margaritaville - we sat upstairs out on the balcony - with a great view. It was pricey, so we shared a few appetizers and had a couple of drinks and got more tall glasses to bring home. After lunch, a little more swimming and then walked around to two of the shops and then back on the ship around 530pm -enough time to get cleaned up and get to dinner. I think the island is absolutely beautiful and is probably my new favorite. I love how the beach is right there as you get off and there are plenty of free lounge chairs. I would have liked to walk around the shops a little more, but that goes back to having more time. If I have a say so, this will definitely not be our last time in Grand Turk.

A few pictures from dinner will be posted below. After dinner was The Edge - Edge presents the Evolution of maniuplation. It says: He offers an energy packed adventure full of spontaneous improvisation and mind bending skills. He was a comedian and juggler and he was excellent and every funny!

 

My favorite picture!

 

 

 

[megnut78]

MORE PICTURES OF GRAND TURK DAY:

 

 

 

 

Brian's birthday pie

 

Tandori Chicken Starter

[megnut78]

FRIED SHRIMP

 

 

THE EDGE