Our splendor thoughts

[hughsonb]

We just got off of the ship yesterday, we have two other carnival cruises both on the pride. This is our review........

First off we did miss the meet and great, my wife was a lil sea sick, she did not get meds from doc for this cruise, (she gets sea sick though no fault of bad weather}..

First the good,,, as always the crew rocks..... best service as always, can not say enough about what they do, or how far they will go out of the way to help you in any way... For us that was about it for the good, and plz b4 u bash hear me out lol,,,,,,,,,,

The food lines at the buffet were very crowded, and at times during cruise one line was closed making it even more crowded, and the burrito station was only open 12 to 330 every day.. We did not eat at main dining at all as we do not care for formal eating on vacation..

And b4 u bash, we are from ny, but we found a lot of the guests rude, cutting in food line ect. I actually had to tell a guy if he pushes me again I was going to hit him, and again i work law enforcement for the state of NY but that time it was that bad....

We met a lot of great people but compared to our pride cruises we were disappointed. We both said we will never sail out of NY again..

The actual public areas on the bigger splendor is smaller then the pride, granted it has a bigger pool area but leaving from the cold its a moot point.

We are going to sail again soon we hope from balt. if carnival stays , or fly to florida but not out of nyc again,, the cost and the crowd made it not so fun for a couple in mid 30s....

[hughsonb]

No biggie but i did not mention that first 2 days pipes were frozen so no pubic toilets, you had to go to your room,,, and first night heat was messed up on half the ship, {our half} I have temp gauge on my alarm clock it was 59 f when i woke up.. I did not bring it up because crap happens cant blame em for that it was colddddd out..

[Vitamin_Sea]

We were also on this cruise. Did not see many unusual big crowds at the buffet as we probably went different times then you. Yes, it was cold the first sea day on the Lido deck but not the rooms. Did not see many rude people.

 

We were happy with the cruise. :)

Edited February 7, 2014 by limoguy1

[tonic67]

Well, I am hoping that hubby will get the the days off needed for the 25th sailing. He is a corrections officer, so he has to wait 60days out before putting in and there is no guarantee he will get. Waiting for 29th 30th and 2nd. Waiting and waiting.

 

Hoping to get a current copy of the Fun Times for the Bahamas trip so I can plan it out before hand what I'd like to do.

 

Def want to try for winning the Spa Raffle and see the Vroom and Legends shows as well as do some trivia and maybe the Wedding Show. Sigh.

 

I have done so much research and looked at so many pictures, I feel like I know the ship very well already.

 

Thanks guys!

[2CoolCanucks]

We were also on your cruise and as Limoguy mentioned, we didn't notice large lines in the buffet either.

 

I actually tried to look for the lines that others had mentioned but didn't see them. Yes, there are usually people in line and the line does move slowly but I don't believe it was due to the volume of people as much as it was with people just slowly making their food choices.

 

It also did not appear that the serving staff in the buffet or the deli, tandoor, etc. were slow… In fact, I was impressed by their ability to continue to serve quickly and efficiently for their full shift and always with a friendly face.

 

 

To be honest, I figured that people were on vacation and therefore were relaxed in their meandering and strolling through the buffet. It really wasn't a fast-food service atmosphere and I don't think 'fast food' is an assumed expectation for a cruise vacation.

 

I also didn't appreciate those who would butt into line instead of starting at the beginning. However, I didn't mind if someone needed to lean in front of me to get a spoon, some butter, or other things that they had forgotten to add to their plate on the first time through. For me, life is too short to stress those kind of things. And I surely wasn't going to starve if I had to wait one minute or 5 minutes longer because there were others in the lineup ahead of me.

 

The 'polar vortex freeze' was hard on the Splendor's pipes… Our room (ocean view) was cold on the first night (so we just cuddled a little closer :D ) and the people in the room on the other side of the hallway said their room was hot. 24 hours after departure, the crew had it fixed and so it was very comfortable for our second night of sleep. Makes for some great memories. :)

 

Chillaxin' was the order of the day for me…. All 8 of them!! :D

 

Glad we could share a great cruise together. :)

Edited February 7, 2014 by 2CoolCanucks

[riclop]

We just got off of the ship yesterday, we have two other carnival cruises both on the pride. This is our review........

First off we did miss the meet and great, my wife was a lil sea sick, she did not get meds from doc for this cruise, (she gets sea sick though no fault of bad weather}..

First the good,,, as always the crew rocks..... best service as always, can not say enough about what they do, or how far they will go out of the way to help you in any way... For us that was about it for the good, and plz b4 u bash hear me out lol,,,,,,,,,,

The food lines at the buffet were very crowded, and at times during cruise one line was closed making it even more crowded, and the burrito station was only open 12 to 330 every day.. We did not eat at main dining at all as we do not care for formal eating on vacation..

And b4 u bash, we are from ny, but we found a lot of the guests rude, cutting in food line ect. I actually had to tell a guy if he pushes me again I was going to hit him, and again i work law enforcement for the state of NY but that time it was that bad....

We met a lot of great people but compared to our pride cruises we were disappointed. We both said we will never sail out of NY again..

The actual public areas on the bigger splendor is smaller then the pride, granted it has a bigger pool area but leaving from the cold its a moot point.

We are going to sail again soon we hope from balt. if carnival stays , or fly to florida but not out of nyc again,, the cost and the crowd made it not so fun for a couple in mid 30s....

There is a few not agreeing with your stories and they were on your cruise.

Edited February 7, 2014 by riclop

[Crusin Karen]

I also didn't appreciate those who would butt into line instead of starting at the beginning. However, I didn't mind if someone needed to lean in front of me to get a spoon, some butter, or other things that they had forgotten to add to their plate on the first time through. For me, life is too short to stress those kind of things. And I surely wasn't going to starve if I had to wait one minute or 5 minutes longer because there were others in the lineup ahead of me. Oh, I agree completely with this. I remember on the Miracle the deli was inside and the lines were always super long. Every day I'd be standing behind someone for 1/2 hour or more and just about when I was 3 people from the front to place my order, the person in front of me would do the "come on" hand motion and his 10 peeps would get up from a table they were sitting at and join him and all of a sudden I was 13 people back instead of 3. :mad:

Very interesting reading all the comments, so thank you for sharing. We usually cruise from NY in winter because we live so close to the terminal and the price is so cheap. Have done the Miracle, then did the Splendor last May and I have to agree that the staff was top notch. Very very helpful and friendly. We are going on Splendor in 2 weeks, so I have a question: the deli and Tandoor were outside at the aft pool. Do they still have it there during the winter cruises?

[Mira28]

Yes, to Deli and Tandoor in the aft. Great food, hardly any lines.

Loved this ship, crew and service!

[pecandelight]

I'll second that about the lines. I thought they were long. I'm on vacation, but I have kids with me and it doesn't mean I want to stand in line for 1/2 hour. The deli and Tandoori Grill moved quickly though.

 

 

An example:

 

the Chinese Wok station was only open a short time every afternoon. After waiting until about the 6th day since it was always so crowded, I told my husband "I am getting the chinese food today!". I waited and waited. THere are only 2 cooks doing the wokking. I moved about 3 people up in 20 minutes. There were still 8-10 people ahead of me and I said to myself that it was ridiculous to wait for this. At the rate they were (not) moving, I would have been there about another hour. I left. 8-day cruise and I never got to eat the chinese food, which looked pretty good!

 

Also, the pizza guy I saw most of the time at the 24-hour pizzeria - that is not open 24 hours: He literally moved slower than a snail. I told my husband that he looked like he was going so slow on purpose. There is no way someone could really be that slow. I often waited a long time for the pizza, but it was very good.

 

Buffet food was so-so. Fine but not great. Greasy usually. Dining rooms much better. Highly recommend the Gold Pearl Seaday brunch instead of buffet. Food 10x better.

 

Most desserts were not good. Cardboard buffet quality.

[NYcruzzer]

There is a few not agreeing with your stories and they were on your cruise.

 

I have cruised out of NYC numerous times and have never encountered rude/pushy passangers. To the OP are you from the greater NYC area or upstate ? Many upstate NY folks I have met on cruises like to make it a point to tell me that they are from upstate or western NY and are nothing like their counterparts in NYC.

[cv322]

I have cruised out of NYC numerous times and have never encountered rude/pushy passangers. To the OP are you from the greater NYC area or upstate ? Many upstate NY folks I have met on cruises like to make it a point to tell me that they are from upstate or western NY and are nothing like their counterparts in NYC.

 

I agree with you. I've cruised 25 or 26 times out of NYC, & have never run into rude people. I'm not saying it can't happen...but in alot of cruises, I've never seen it.

[nybumpkin]

I hesitated a bit before posting, but we've done 9 cruises out of New York (7 Canada cruises, 2 Caribbean cruises) - and yeah, we've seen worse behavior on NY cruises than our other cruises. I live Upstate, but I'm not a native (South Jersey originally) and I'm in NYC on a regular basis - regular enough that tourists ask me for directions on the streets and the subway.:p The guy at the Purser's desk who, upon being shown the alcohol policy that explained why his bottles were taken, crumpled up the paper and threw it at the Assistant Purser? Carnival Glory out of NYC. The woman who cut in front of me at the breakfast buffet, explaining that "all she wanted was scrambled eggs"? Another Carnival Glory cruise out of NYC. (BTW, all I wanted was corned beef hash.) The woman who stood on the Promenade Deck, bellowing for all the world to hear to summon her grandkid for a picture? Carnival Victory out of NYC. It's certainly not the case that I'll avoid NYC cruises (I really wanted to book a Canada cruise for this summer after our Alaska cruise, but it just didn't work timing-wise), but I certainly understand OP's point of view.

[hughsonb]

Like I said we still had a great time and meet many great people, I love carnival, so I was not bashing.. IMO lines at times were wayy too long, (25 mins for a burger) ect.. And was not happy with the hours or lack there of that stuff stayed open... I will say and stand by that some not all guests were very rude, I personally would never just cut in line and that happened mannnnny times, almost daily..

Like I said not trying to ruffle feathers lol just our opinion.. still had great time.. Ohh and too the question of where i am from,, I am from south of buffalo not nyc but in my opinion where you are from does not justify being rude.. I hate that "ohhh thats just how they are" excuse...

Hats off to the staff, great crew......

[djhsolara]

Like I said not trying to ruffle feathers lol just our opinion.. still had great time.. Ohh and too the question of where i am from,, I am from south of buffalo not nyc but in my opinion where you are from does not justify being rude.. I hate that "ohhh thats just how they are" excuse...

 

 

Manners and geography are not related. I agree, it is no excuse.

[Budget Queen]

I too was on this cruise. ;) For me, it was just fine and rock bottom cheap. It is a crappy itinerary, and the buffet is so so.

 

But, I was surprised by the multiple people who cruise out of NYC so frequently, and seem almost drone like??? Some don't fly. Well one trip, for this itinerary, infrequently, is enough for me, as my preference is where the cruise takes me. I do cruise frequently, 8 cruises booked, so far, this year, and no more out of NYC.

[xitappers2bx]

I hesitated a bit before posting, but we've done 9 cruises out of New York (7 Canada cruises, 2 Caribbean cruises) - and yeah, we've seen worse behavior on NY cruises than our other cruises. I live Upstate, but I'm not a native (South Jersey originally) and I'm in NYC on a regular basis - regular enough that tourists ask me for directions on the streets and the subway.:p The guy at the Purser's desk who, upon being shown the alcohol policy that explained why his bottles were taken, crumpled up the paper and threw it at the Assistant Purser? Carnival Glory out of NYC. The woman who cut in front of me at the breakfast buffet, explaining that "all she wanted was scrambled eggs"? Another Carnival Glory cruise out of NYC. (BTW, all I wanted was corned beef hash.) The woman who stood on the Promenade Deck, bellowing for all the world to hear to summon her grandkid for a picture? Carnival Victory out of NYC. It's certainly not the case that I'll avoid NYC cruises (I really wanted to book a Canada cruise for this summer after our Alaska cruise, but it just didn't work timing-wise), but I certainly understand OP's point of view.

 

I too have cruised out of NYC, and will be again next month. south jersey native, now living outside of philly in PA... and let's go with, the people on board are a different shade of colorful. better than when on the Pride though, and people who had booked for 199$ person demanded suites because the weather turned sour and they were sea sick or wanted their 1200$ bar tabs erased... but the NY people... and this is NYC/Long Island NY people... theyre rude, crass, they will pick your stuff up off your lounge chair when you go to the bathroom and dump it in a wet pile, and then take over said lounge chair without thinking twice. my then-6 year old (well, a few days before she was six) had a grown man in a yankees shirt call her a word that you don't say in polite company, and certainly not to a child, in reference to her phillies shirt. i had a guy in the sports bar spit in my direction after my team beat his team (mets guy that time). they're a different breed... but you're on vacation. and it's best to not let them ruin it. when my stuff got dumped in a pool of water by a selfish long islander i repaid the favor and when she tried to make a stink about it to carnival i produced my soaked stuff, and she went and sulked in a corner where she belonged. it's best to take it with a grain of salt.

 

i've only seen passengers worse than the ones from NY/long island once... and they were a tour group from China on our alaska cruise last year, it was beyond disgusting. so i guess that'll put this next cruise we have coming in perspective.

[Love my butler]

You know what they say when you sit down at a poker table, if you can't spot the fish, then you are the fish......

[pecandelight]

I'll add my 2 cents about NYers - one specifically - I didn't notice an abundance of rudeness any more or less than anywhere else you go in public.

 

But a bit of advice about the buffet breakfast on disembarkment morning....

 

The dining area was freezing cold...yes,now that your cruise is pretty much done, we will shut the heat off and you will freeze your ass off before you disembark.

 

Because it's disembarkment day, everyone is eating breakfast at the same time - very crowded.

 

There will not be enough coffee cups. You will run all over looking for cups to have a freaking cup of coffee. You will not find any. Then you will spot some at a different coffee location and you will stand in line and wait and hope there's enough left for you. Then you will see a NYer walk up, butt into the line, reach over and take 4 cups and say "we just need the cups....". She obviously took the cups and went to another station and filled them.

 

And then you are left standing in the line for a cup of coffee and there are no cups left.

 

What the F did she think we were all waiting in line for? To put our lips up to the coffee urn and slurp?!?!

 

And yes, I know she was a NYer because of her voice. I can't forget it.

 

My advice? Bring coffee cups from your cabin if you have them or go super early. Can't stand the line crashers. I will only go around someone if they are taking their time at say, the salad area, and I am not getting any. I will go around them. At no point do I ever have to say excuse me or bump into anyone - there is plenty of room b/c they are still at the salad area....people are amazing.

 

Oh, and I believe the quality of cruisers is much different than in the past. In the MDR a family came in with the guy in a gansta style baseball hat (sideways) and the woman wearing skin tight hot pink velour sweat pants with something written on the ass. And no, she was not hot.

 

My husband who doesn't usually notice stuff like this even said something to me like "I can't believe they are dressed like that and nobody said anything". I wonder if CCL will say anything to their passengers about rules unless they are murdering someone.

[Linerguy]

The problem with the Mongolian Wok is not the crew or the set up, it's the people who load up four bowls of "fixins'.....it's like waiting in line before four more people. I saw this time and time again. One time I decided I'd give it a go and, before I got in line, I looked at what other people in line had on their tray. Three people in a row had four bowls of stuff....that essentially added 12 more people to the line.

 

Now THAT's rude!

[Linerguy]

Oh, and the Asians on the SPLENDOR were far more rude than anyone from NY.

[jimbo5544]

The problem with the Mongolian Wok is not the crew or the set up, it's the people who load up four bowls of "fixins'.....it's like waiting in line before four more people. I saw this time and time again. Three people in a row had four bowls of stuff....that essentially added 12 more people to the line.

 

Now THAT's rude!

Not sure that rude is the correct word, but I do agree it makes the line a heck of a lot slower.

[pecandelight]

Oh, and the Asians on the SPLENDOR were far more rude than anyone from NY.

 

I would agree with this, but sometimes it's a language or cultural issue. We don't understand them and some of them don't speak English, so the result is a lot of misunderstanding and annoyance.

[Crusin Karen]

I would agree with this, but sometimes it's a language or cultural issue. We don't understand them and some of them don't speak English, so the result is a lot of misunderstanding and annoyance.

This is very true. :o A question: do they still have trays at the buffet? I know some ships have started using the big plates in place of the trays. We had this on Crown Princess years ago and I hated it. :mad:

[falkcor]

This is very true. :o A question: do they still have trays at the buffet? I know some ships have started using the big plates in place of the trays. We had this on Crown Princess years ago and I hated it. :mad:

 

no trays, they moved to the 'big plates'. ::sigh::

[Vitamin_Sea]

They probably got rid of the trays due to wasted food. Many people have big eyes on the buffet line and load the tray up and left to much when done.