Photo Blog - Ben the Bendy Man's Splendid Splendor Adventure, July 3rd, 2014

[YankeeFan4Ever]

YES! Another Bendy Man review!!!

 

Can't wait for more! :)

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

Faster to the Balcony

After all the cheers and screams subsided, we were soon ushered out of the VIP Lounge to the gangway to board the ship. By now after the longer than usual and totally worth it wait, we were led through a masses of impatient passengers crowding in the terminal. We were waving our priority boarding passes trying to part the Red Sea and there was just enough room for us to weave through the crowd single file. (It was more like waving flags of truce and appease the masses that we weren't just cutting the line.

 

Outside the terminal, Ben stopped for a quintessential photo op while his friends continued on a bit before noticing. Surely they were looking back rolling their eyes as he perch precariously on the bannister to pose for a picture. Once on board we parted ways and our elated elastic explorer made a bee line to his cabin. His cabin was ready when he arrived and his bon voyage gifts were already there waiting - A 12 pack of bottled water, A bottle of Absolute, and some Carnival Cruise Cash (on board credit)... and a St. John Fun Times daily newsletter ::grins::

 

Finally heading toward the gangway. Yippie!

 

The balcony cabin is quiet spacious although the balcony itself just cozy. and furnished with two reclining chairs and a table. Ben usually books insides and oceanviews anyways (unless the upgrade fairy visits) so having balcony cabin was a real treat. He was lucky to book one with nice resident discount and no solo surcharge.

 

Roomy balcony cabin with LCD TV, mini-fridge, sofa.

 

Whew, finally made it. No more lugging around the big brown box!

 

Plenty of closet space.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by kylenyc

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

Faster to the Balcony, A little exploring (continued)

After unpacking some essentials (aka getting all his beverages in the fridge), he was out the door to do a little exploring and get a breath of fresh air and enjoy some sunshine. We weren't out of the woods yet and we didn't know what the weather would be like heading out to sea and in Bermuda.

 

Ben ran into his stewards Paulvic and Lastoyo (sp) who were excellent. They were friendly and helpful, and kept our plexible partier's cooler and ice bucket of ice filled and the cabin neat and tidy the cabin crawl the next day.

 

Tips:

• Ben always brings some tape to strategically stick notes for his steward. Right over the minifridge "I emptied the mini-fridge myself and moved everything to the cabinet here ---->" and "Please also keep ice bucket filled". Worked like a charm on this cruise.

• You can check your current balance on the LCD TVs on the Splendor (neat). However, you might still want to go to the self-service kiosk near Guest Services to print out your invoice. They are formatted differently and the print out is easier to read.

• The voicemail system confuddled Ben when it asked him for a password. Turns out the password is simply the cabin number.

 

No little dish of promotional toiletries?

 

 

 

Enjoy the peace of the sun deck before the remaining passenger board. Yup... Faster to the Fun/Ship/Aaaaaaah!

 

A gorgeous sunny day and beautiful skyline... Sailing out of New York is amazing and never gets old.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by kylenyc

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

Faster to the Balcony, A little exploring (continued)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by kylenyc

[Nalagh]

What fantastic pictures! :)

[rimom71]

Yay for Ben! I've enjoyed your NCL reviews and was really pleased to see one here on Carnival! We had a great cruise on Splendor this past April and am looking forward to revisiting from Ben's point of view. More please! 😁

[LOVECRUISING100%]

Loving the review so far! Thanks for posting 😞

[TVLady3]

Great review! Can't wait for your next installment!:)

[erewhon]

Thanks for reviewing your cruise and sharing your photos.

[K8S]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We will be going on the Splendor on August 12/14....your review makes the wait more tolerable.

[Nalagh]

Really looking forward to read more about Ben's and his Bultler's adventures!

[watermelonqueen99]

What a creative way to do a trip report! We're sailing on the Splendor in '16, so I'm looking forward to the rest of your review. Great start! :)

[Cyber Kat]

So glad to see a report on the Splendor's reroute to Bermuda. We're booked for 9/1 to Canada and I certainly wouldn't complain about an extra trip to my favorite place (we just got back from 10 days in Bermuda and landed there the day you were at Kings Wharf!)

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your very creative review!

[sparks1093]

Woo-hoo, another Ben review! Can't wait to read the rest:)!

[Susiecruisey]

More please

[slybear]

Queenie salutes you. Cant wait to read more. I love how we can get these humans to document our travels. (Mine takes alot of photos) LOL

Edited July 21, 2014 by slybear

[gapearl]

Very fun review so far! Please come back with more soon. I'm sure Ben LOVED Bermuda. :)

[sshs]

Just saw this - thanks for sharing your great pics and for all of your work to make it such a fun cruise! Of course, going to sunny Bermuda helped! Hope to see you on another cruise soon!

 

Vicki & Bill

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

The (Un)safety muster drill

 

At around 3:45 pm, announcements began for the mandatory (un)safety drill. This was one of the more unpleasant and unnerving safety muster drills our slender slinky seafarer and his friends have had to endure. Ben's friend Cherie was subjected to standing over 45 minutes in the July sun. Meanwhile, Ben was in a station that was sheltered from the sun but it was hot and humid with people eventually standing shoulder to shoulder 6 rows deep. It took approximate 30 minutes just to wait for all the late arrivers.

 

The crowded conditions did not make us feel "safe" at all. We also observed some crew member going around ridiculously with a clicker counting passengers all the while people were still arriving late. Presumably, the long delay we suffered was because the crew would not start the muster drill until everyone was present (and crew members relayed counts and checked cabins). This makes no sense as people continued to arrive late walking past the counter. Also, during the drill there's no way for people standing up to 6 rows deep can see the life vest demonstration.

 

Photography (and food, drink, electronics) are not allowed during the muster drill, here is a picture immediately after it was over. Attentive mindful people arriving early are penalized by having to standing longer in crowded stuffy conditions.

 

There is no possible way crew members can be taking accurate counts of passengers even if Carnival has been hiring idiot savants. Carnival seriously needs to have hand scanners that scan passenger cabin key cards instead. People should be instructed that if they arrive late, they will be penalized by being required to attend a make-up muster drill the next day or risk being disembarked.

 

Presumably the muster drills are executed differently on different ships due to the differences in design. For the Splendor, Carnival seriously need to rethink their drill. It is crowded, unsafe, and inefficient.

 

Rather important tips:

• Standing room only - Anyone with mobility issues or difficulty standing in place shoulder-to-shoulder and less than arms length from people in front and behind you should immediately bring this to the attention of the crew before entering your muster station. Ask for the muster station designated for people with mobility issues.

• Arrive early and be penalized - The sooner you arrive at your muster station the longer you stand in a very crowded muster area with no room to stretch or move, or place to sit.

• Exposure - If your cabin is starboard and it's a sunny day, you might be standing in the sun for the duration of the muster drill. Be prepared for the day's weather conditions. If you have difficulty tolerating the sun, do not enter the muster station before speaking with the crew. Ask for the muster station designated for people with mobility issues.

Edited July 23, 2014 by kylenyc

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

Informal Sailaway Meetup, New York City Sailaway

 

After the conclusion of the (un)safety drill, Ben waggled his way following the crowds to the exit and made his way slowly up to the Lido to deck to meet up with his new Cruise Critic friends. Our amarillo adventurer quickly turned his attention to the Informal Sailaway Meetup he had planned at the Liner Bar.

 

Despite all the many distractions people would be subjected to (finding their cabin, unpacking, finding their way around, exploring, ship activities etc), there was a surprising good showing. (Thanks everyone for attending!!) It was fun meeting everyone and relaxing over drinks as we enjoyed on of the best ports to sailaway from. The views of the Manhattan Skyline, the Palisades, Lady Liberty, Ellis Island, and Verazano Narrows Bridge were fabulous. This was Ben's 10th Sailaway from New York City and it was as beautiful as ever.

 

Overlooking the Liner Bar, Lido Deck 9 Aft

 

Informal Sailaway Meetup, Liner Bar

 

Aft from the Liner Bar

 

Lido Deck 9 Aft - Pool, Hot Tubes, Loungers

 

Manhattan Skyline and the Freedom Tower

 

Ellis Island and Strike a Pose

Edited July 23, 2014 by kylenyc

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

New York City Sailaway (continued)

 

Ben was busy enjoying the company of his new Cruise Critic friends and forgot to poke his photographer to go snap pictures of the Statue of Liberty but he did manage to sneak away for pictures of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

 

 

 

 

[kylenyc]

Thursday afternoon, July 3rd, 2014

New York City Sailaway (continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up... Pinnacle Steakhouse

[grancayman]

Hi Ben and Kyle!

I'm so glad you posted this about the muster on this cruise...I thought it was just me! They actually tried to move my friend closer to people (physically)

To make more room for late arrivals! They should have the people that are on time on the front and the late ones to the back! Of course my solution is they should buy a drink for everyone on the station that is 100 percent there first!

Talk about some peer pressure!!! By the way, did you realize that there has to be complete quiet for them to count!!! :-)

[kylenyc]

Hi Ben and Kyle!

I'm so glad you posted this about the muster on this cruise...I thought it was just me! They actually tried to move my friend closer to people (physically)

To make more room for late arrivals! They should have the people that are on time on the front and the late ones to the back! Of course my solution is they should buy a drink for everyone on the station that is 100 percent there first!

Talk about some peer pressure!!! By the way, did you realize that there has to be complete quiet for them to count!!! :-)

Sorry about your friend :(. I felt bad for the early arrivals and anyone who had to stand in the packed in close in rows of people unable to move, sit, or stretch. A friend had difficult standing in the hot sun and brought the issue to a crew member who refused to let her move. People having difficulty standing around me were also were not allowed to move. We also had to pack in even further back due to late arrivals. Yeah, I lost count after 6 times the announcer repeating telling people to be quiet for the counters. :(

 

Hopefully this will help folks prepare and hopefully find shelter at an indoor muster station designated for those with mobility and health issues. And hopefully the feedback will reach Carnival decision-makers. Considering this affects every single passenger and will leave a lasting impression throughout and after the cruise, they really must do better here.

 

Here are some comments from Ben's Facebook page. This appears to be a fairly common experience.

 

"We had something similar on Triumph out of NOLA in August. Brutal is an understatement."

 

"Our muster drill on the Valor wasn't much better. I have to say, I really prefer NCL's muster drills"

 

"Experienced the same thing the 7/7 sailing. People were passing out. It was the worst run muster drill we have attended."

 

"I remember that from my one and only Carnival cruise experience. :\"

 

"Wow!!! Had I had to suffer through that and had it been in the sun, I would have been in a huge amount of trouble. I would have had serious burns before the trip even started. Hopefully they can figure out a better system."

 

"Similar poor experience in the heat and humidity on the Carnival Legend in Tampa."

Edited July 23, 2014 by kylenyc

[kylenyc]

Thank you so much for your comments and helping Ben relive his adventure Nalagh, rimom71, LOVECRUISING100%, TVLady3, erewhon, K8S, zumbagirl78, sparks1093, and Susiecruisey.

 

Queenie salutes you. Cant wait to read more. I love how we can get these humans to document our travels. (Mine takes alot of photos) LOL

LOL. Yes Queenie and Ben sure aknow where to find free help to document their adventures. :D :p.

 

Just saw this - thanks for sharing your great pics and for all of your work to make it such a fun cruise! Of course, going to sunny Bermuda helped! Hope to see you on another cruise soon! Vicki & Bill

Thank you!. It was great meeting you and everyone on this cruise and hope to sail with you again too! We had a really nice active roll call and turnout considering it was a less than 7 day "mini cruise". Great memories.

 

 

Very fun review so far! Please come back with more soon. I'm sure Ben LOVED Bermuda. :)

Thank you! Ben just loves being at sea on a cruise ship and being diverted to Bermuda was a big bonus! Thanks Carnival!