REVISED Review of SPLENDOR Nov. 1 '13 sailing

[Linerguy]

Hopefully, this version won't get anyone's knickers in an uproar. I have also included comments about smoking.

 

My wife, brother, sister in-law and myself drove a rental car one way from the Cincinnati area to Manhattan, took the Nov. 1 eight night cruise on CARNIVAL SPLENDOR, stayed one night in NYC, and then took Amtrak back to Cincinnati. On the way to NY, we stopped at the Best Western Plus in Allentown. This was my 44th cruise, my wife’s 20th and my brother and sis-in-law’s first.

 

I have to admit: I went into this with low expectations. After a not-so-pleasant cruise on the ELATION a few years ago, I pretty much had second thoughts. But the SPLENDOR’s schedule, the price and the fact that it was out of NY made it a perfect choice for all involved. I’m happy to say that Carnival has redeemed itself – at least for us. Here’s the scoop:

 

Embarkation in NY & FTTF – About 9:30 a.m. my brother and I dropped the ladies at the pier and then dropped the rental car at an Avis location in mid-town (a 15 minute walk back to the pier). Then we all walked over to the INTREPID to meet a friend from New Jersey. It had been years since I’d been to the INTREPID, and seeing the space shuttle was pretty cool. After touring the INTREPID, we headed back to the pier, arriving at about 12:45pm. By that time the line was extremely long, but we had FTTF, so we sailed right through and were on board in less than 20 minutes. IMO, FTTF is worth every penny. When we got on board, our luggage was waiting at our door.

 

Cabin – My wife and I had a balcony room (6355), while my brother and his wife went with an inside (1397). Both rooms were in great shape, the beds were very comfortable, and, as far as our room was concerned, the balcony was clean. There were two metal chairs and a small metal table on the balcony. Only one of the chairs reclined. The bathroom was typical cruise ship size but, for some reason, the layout of the sink, toilet and shower made this one seem more spacious. I also really liked the look of the bathroom…the color scheme appealed to me.

 

Future passengers take note: this cabin – and its surrounding cabins – is right above the band playing next to the casino one deck down. For us this wasn’t a problem. We could usually hear them playing while we were getting ready for dinner, and then again later on, until about 1130pm. IF people go to bed early, I can see it being a problem, otherwise, it shouldn’t be an issue. For the most part, we were extremely pleased with our room and the service of our room steward, Panda.

 

The ship – Well, as far as décor goes, it’s typical Farcus all the way. I’m not going to go into the details of every room as there are photos of the ship all over the internet. Let’s just say that pink is the dominant color – but, for some odd reason, it really seemed to work. It was not visually offensive. In fact, some of it was pretty cool. Interior spaces were clean and, unlike the ELATION, in great shape. Because the galley is situated between the Black and Gold Pearl Restaurants, the layout of decks three and four is a little whacked- out, but, after a few days, we figured it out. Once people catch on that deck five can get you just about anywhere, it’s pretty simple.

 

While somewhat disjointed, the exterior of the ship is in great shape – with the exception of the children’s small waterpark and the ceiling out by the aft pool. Both need a good sprucing up. Interesting to note that none of the outer decks are covered in teak – it’s either steel painted with blue, speckled marine paint, or a simulated teak rubber coating.

 

Future SPLENDOR passengers take note: the forward observation areas above and below the bridge can only be accessed by walking down the FORWARD passenger cabin corridors on decks six, seven, nine and ten. For the most part, this is a secret as there were never more than three people there at any given time – even during port arrivals and departures. I just think people don’t know about it.

 

Food (Lido) – Breakfast was pretty much the same every day, but, for the most part, it was good. The only things they really changed were pancakes one day, French toast the next. They also changed one of the egg dishes: one day it was eggs benedict, the next it was deep fried whole eggs (some have suggested it was a Scotch Egg???), the next it was egg & sausage quesadilla, etc. The first day the scrambled eggs were great, and then it was like they added chalk to them. The made-to-order omelets were a nice touch and were very good. Have to give Carnival kudos for having Prosciutto on the breakfast buffet.

 

Lunch, for the most part, was good. There was a good selection which included the burrito bar and Mongolian Wok. As mentioned in other reviews, the line at the Mongolian Wok was usually pretty long – but if you get there right before it opens, it’s only about a ten minute wait. After that, it gets ridiculous. The problem is that people go through the line with three and four bowls of stuff to be cooked and they monopolize one of the two guys cooking the food. I did bite the bullet one day and waited about 35 minutes. It was good, but I decided it wasn’t good enough to wait that long again. The basically have three sauces to choose from: Bean (mild), BBQ (medium) and Schezwan (asbestos underwear required).

 

Just outside the Lido, by the aft pool, are the deli and Indian stations. The deli was pretty good – they would make just about anything you asked for, and it was always good. The only issue I had with the deli was when they were just about to open and the worker stood there and sprayed the Panini press with cooking spray FOR ABOUT THREE MINUTES. The people sitting around finishing their breakfast or standing at the bar were doused by this massive cloud of oily cooking spray….nice. The Indian food was very good; though I was disappointed they didn’t offer any saag dishes. The Nan bread was great.

 

Just forward of the Lido is where the grill and pizza stations are located. For the first few days they made burgers right there and served them right off the grill. Then the grill caught fire and they shut it down. From that point on, the burgers were made somewhere else and then brought there. They were pretty good. Pizza was hit or miss...lines were never really that long.

 

Above the aft section of the Lido is the Rotisserie where they served baked chicken, corn-on-the-cob, salads, mac-n-cheese, baked potatoes, etc. Oddly enough, they served gravy…but no mashed potatoes. It was okay; we only went there once.

 

Food (MDR) – To be honest, I really have nothing to complain about. Food that was supposed to be hot was hot; food that was supposed to be cold was cold. Soups were outstanding, and the entrees were reasonably portioned. One night I had the flat iron steak from the everyday menu and it was very good. The only issue was one night the warm chocolate melting cake was a bit runny. Other than that, there were no problems whatsoever.

 

Food (Pinnacle Steakhouse) – An excellent meal; well worth the $35 per person price. My only issue was the location: it seems silly to have it above the Lido and Rotisserie. The deck is open, and so you get all the noise from below. That being said, we had a great time and service was fantastic. When my brother found out that there are no sugar-free desserts on the menu, one of the wait staff actually went down to the MDR and brought up sugar-free pumpkin pie and ice cream. Well done.

 

Sushi Bar – Gone. Well, the bar is still there, but now it's the Tastings Bar. We didn't venture over, so I can't give details. I think they were just serving soups and such in the evenings on sea days.

 

Service – Unlike our last Carnival experience, service was pretty flawless. From check in at the pier to our wait staff in the dining room, to our room steward, people were extremely friendly and looked like they were enjoying themselves. We had late seating (815 p.m.) in the Gold Pearl…our waiter, his assistant and the head waiter did a fantastic job.

 

We didn’t encounter one member of the crew who wasn’t pleasant or accommodating.

 

And now a few words about Malcolm “Woo-Hoo” Burn, the Cruise Director. To be honest, I really don’t see how his saying “woo hoo” at the end of his announcements could be considered annoying or tiring. He didn’t scream it, he always said it in passing, and he wasn’t obnoxious about it. In fact, I actually found his communications to be pleasant. He was out and about the ship, was very approachable, and he even participated in a few of the shows. After reading some of the negative comments on CC about him, I was expecting the worst. I guess some people just have a wild burr up their backside.

 

Entertainment – Again, I was expecting the worst. Whoever says that Carnival has cut back on live music certainly hasn’t been on the SPLENDOR lately. The was a live band by the casino (True Identity), a guitarist in the atrium (Keith), a piano player in the piano bar (Frank), a trio that played in the atrium and Robusto Bar (Fandango), a duo (Sweet 2) – also in the atrium – a live orchestra that played in the main showroom (Steve Farlane & The Splendor Showband). True, there was a DJ out by the forward pool…but that hardly means that Carnival is doing away with live music.

 

Since it was my brother and sis-in-law’s first cruise, we went to three of the production shows (usually not our thing). Two were okay (Fiesta Latina & Vroom), one was pretty bad (The Beat). The Edge (a comic/juggler) was pretty incredible. The ventriloquist was a snoozer. Only saw two of the comics: one was good (Roman), the other one (Smiley Joe Riley) might have been a good guy, but he just wasn’t funny (saying the “F” word is incredibly funny…if it relates to the joke).

 

Itinerary – Port Canaveral, Nassau & Freeport. In PC we rented a car and drove to Camp Hollie (Holly?) Lake Airboat Tours about 40 miles away in Melbourne. Normally it’s about $49 per person, but I found a Groupon for $22. It was very cool, we saw a ton of gators. In Nassau, the ship pulled into the harbor, spun around, and then headed right back out again. Apparently the wind was too bad to dock the ship safely, so the captain decided to skip the call. The next day in Freeport was surprisingly nice. The last time I was in FP, they had not yet built the village of shops and restaurants……it’s really done well. After some shopping, we took a cab to Taino Beach ($7 per person each way) and had a great time. Got my waverunner fix ($60 for 30 minutes).

 

Fellow passengers – Have to say, most people were courteous and well-mannered. I saw no obnoxious drunks, no one passed out, no hogging of loungers, etc. The only issues I saw were with a small group of people who were pushy and rude. In another post, someone mentioned that, because of cultural differences, some Asians don’t do well with lines. I agree. The first day, as we were going through the line at the Lido, an older gentleman was behind me in line, and kept pushing my tray with his tray. Instead of waiting until he got in front of an item, he would reach in front of me, actually to the point of reaching past me. I finally put my hand up and told him to back off. They would also storm elevators, not letting the people inside get out before they barged in. During the sail out in NY, several times they would walk right in front of people while they were trying to take a photo so THEY could take a photo of the same thing. Please understand, I am not berating an entire community of people – in fact, I'm not berating anyone – I’m simply reporting my experience.

 

Smoking – We are not smokers, however, we do understand that some people do smoke. On the SPLENDOR, Carnival is VERY generous with the amount of exterior deck space they’ve allotted for smokers. In a nutshell, smoking is permitted mostly on the starboard side of the top two decks, and the entire aft end of decks, I believe, ten and eleven (future passengers will want to verify that). For the most part, smokers were respectful and adhered to the rules. I did see three people throw lit cigarettes off the side of the ship – a major fire hazard – while they were in a non-smoking area. I guess you’ll always find someone who thinks the rules don’t apply to them. The only criticism of Carnival I have is the lack of fixed smoking receptacles in some areas. Some areas have those long, black and chrome canisters attached to the rail that people drop their ashes and cigarette butts in. They apparently work great. However, some areas just have regular, small plastic ashtrays and, as we were watching the ECSTACY leave Port Canaveral, the wind kicked up, and over-loaded ashtrays went flying, blowing ash and butts down on people on the deck below. No fault of the smokers, just not a good solution on Carnival’s part.

 

We did have a smoker (or smokers) in the room next to ours. I knew they smoked because the one time we were both out on our balconies at the same time, I heard one of them light up and could smell the smoke. I just went inside and that was that. No confrontation, no scene. We had plenty of opportunity to use our balcony…like I said, that was the only time we were both on the balcony at the same time. It was never a problem. In fact, since we love to hear the ocean while in bed, I kept the balcony door slightly ajar with a can of peanuts we brought from home. Not once did we smell smoke from our neighbor.

 

They do allow smoking in the casino and a few of the lounges. Didn't spend much time in the casino, and just opted to go to the lounges that didn't allow smoking.

 

Disembarkation – Pretty flawless. We were off the ship by nine or so, grabbed a couple taxis right outside the terminal and were at our hotel (Holiday Inn Lower East Side….not recommended) by 930 a.m.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise, with very little to complain about. If you've never sailed out on NYC, it really is a wonderful experience that sailing from Miami or Lauderdale can never match. I've done it about a dozen times and it never gets old.

[ndeneef]

Thank you we sail the Splendor 12/3 the review was very helpful

 

 

First cruise 12/3/2013 can't wait!!!

[Linerguy]

Have a wonderful cruise! Of all the Carnival ships I've been on, she's my favorite so far.

Bon Voyage!

[champagne123]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed and precise review. There was nothing that I would disagree with. Looking forward to our second Splendor cruise next October.:o

[PortSideCruzan]

Hi Linerguy :)

 

Thank you for such a thorough review! Well done!

My wife & I enjoyed our last voyage aboard the

Splendor, she's a fine ship with a terrific crew.

 

Looking forward to our next voyage on her,

especially the itinerary.

 

Thanks for your review!

 

:)

[retiredgram]

Thanks for taking the time to repost your review.

[LALAFRANCE]

What was the price for a car rental in F.L.?? was the traffic ok?

[nycmedic]

Very nice review, we were on the same cruise and agree with your review. Carnival really does a great job and you can't beat the price.

 

We enjoyed all the comedians and the shows. We tried the brunch in the MDR and even had the afternoon tea. Loved it all and can't wait to do it again.

[Linerguy]

What was the price for a car rental in F.L.?? was the traffic ok?

 

Full-size car was $39 for the day ($49 w/tax)...traffic was no problem whatsoever. Used the GPS on my phone – no problem. For four people, Carnival was charging $288 for the same type of excursion. We did it on our own for only $137.

[ViolaSwamp]

Thanks for the great review!

[~Jo~]

Thank you for your review... I came back today (Splendor) and my review would sound just about the same. I was pleased with our cruise experience. We did stop in Nassau but had heard that it didn't stop the prior week. It was still extremely windy in Nassau. We like Freeport, went back to Grand Lucayan Resort. We had a great time in the dining room (8:15) with our team of servers, we were always the last table to leave. Their names were; Joseph, Alvin and Gerry. It was my brother's first cruise on Carnival (he's done 7 cruises on Norwegian only) and he was pleasantly surprised. As far as the "pink color", I'm not sure I would have noticed that it was everywhere if I had not read it here... And Malcolm was fine... I read negatives comments about him but really I don't see a problem... He did his job! And the "woohoo" was not annoying at all.. It is his signature I guess. I've done 16 cruises so far, on different lines and they are all comparable. I choose a cruise for either convenience of home port or for the islands I want to visit or for price... Never had a bad cruise!!

~Jo~

[4merlurker]

Read the 1st review - Loved it! Loved this one too! Thanks Linerguy! :D

[s_klugh]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I will be sailing on the splendor in just one week, I do have one question. Would u happen to have the fun times from your cruise? Just wondering haven't seen any for the Bahamas itinerary.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Linerguy]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I will be sailing on the splendor in just one week, I do have one question. Would u happen to have the fun times from your cruise?

 

Yep, got 'em all....

[Vitamin_Sea]

Hey..Thanks for the review. We sail the Splendor In late January.

[disneylynn]

I just got off the Splendor this Sunday and I totally agree with everything you said.

The crew was amazing, We had a fantastic time. We also had a pushy group on this cruise

One lady pulled a ring right out of my hand during one of the special sales that they have in front of the duty free shops. I didn't get mad, After a few days watching them we couldn't help but laugh.

Thanks for your review I enjoyed reading it

Lynn

[KillaFee]

Thanks for your review! We'll be hopping on the Splendor next Monday and we can't wait!!!!!!!!! Where did you get your rental car? Was it near the port? I really like the idea of driving to the airboat place instead of booking through Carnival. :D

 

Laura

[Maraprince]

12/3 sailing with same ports.

 

Did they provide any digital camera classes (free) or any free arts & craft classes? My June sailing listed arts & craft classes but they claimed that it applied to the prior sailing and should have been deleted from the daily schedule.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Linerguy]

Thanks for your review! We'll be hopping on the Splendor next Monday and we can't wait!!!!!!!!! Where did you get your rental car? Was it near the port? I really like the idea of driving to the airboat place instead of booking through Carnival. :D

 

Laura

 

I got the car from Avis. They'll pick you up at the terminal and take you to the rental location about four miles down the street. When we arrived, we were the only people there, and the guy gave us a really good upgrade for free.

[Linerguy]

12/3 sailing with same ports.

 

Did they provide any digital camera classes (free) or any free arts & craft classes? My June sailing listed arts & craft classes but they claimed that it applied to the prior sailing and should have been deleted from the daily schedule.

 

MARAPRINCE

 

Looking at the Funtimes, I only see Arts & Crafts, in the morning, in the atrium. Don't really see anything about camera classes...but, while I have all the Funtimes, I only have a few of the tear-off sections that list everything.