My Super long cruise review of April 17th western Caribbean on Splendor

[Jeepenfun]

Yes this is my first cruise, first review and very long winded one at that but I'm a fast typer and before I know it it's almost 6 pages in MS Word. LOL. here it is.

 

This was the wife’s and I's first ever cruise we decided to do a western Caribbean cruise after talking with a friend of mine who has been on 15 carnival cruises and said his favorite destinations were western Caribbean.

For those that just like to look at the photos here is the link to my Photobucket account that has all the photos we took on this cruise and this link is also posted at the end of my review.

http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bhugo4x4/library/April%202016%20Carnival%20Cruise%20on%20Splendor?sort=3&page=1

We did all our research for excursions weeks in advance and had them booked and reserved. Hotels night before and night after our cruise.

We flew out of Denver Colorado Friday April 15th at 11:55pm literally just hours before a massive spring snow storm hit Denver. It was raining pretty good when we left and we were just eager to get off the ground and get in the air before airlines started cancelling flights. They even had de-ice the place before we took off. Another agonizing 30 minute procedure as the snow fast approaches. Finally at 12:30am Saturday morning we lifted off the rainy runway and we were on our way now. No turning back now. It was a good thing because just a couple hours after we left the rain changed over to snow and airlines started cancelling flights for Saturday. Almost 900 flights out of Denver cancelled on Saturday.

 

6:30 am Miami time we landed and very tired as we claimed our baggage and made our way to a taxi to take us to our Hotel. Our taxi ride was more like a NASCAR ride as we made it from Miami international airport to the YVE hotel port of Miami in about 5 minutes. I looked up at the taxi driver’s dash speedometer and he was doing 95 mph swerving through the other cars on the highway.

 

Arrived at YVE Hotel to check in and they took our bags and put them in secure storage while they got a room ready for us and said they would call us when our room is ready. We asked for early check in and if a room in the category we originally picked became available we could get the room early. In the mean time we walked across the street to the Bayside shopping center to do some looking and kill some time. We found a scenic boat ride called The Thriller boat tours and they take you in a twin turbo twin 500 hp diesel engines for a total of 1000 hp out on a high speed boat tour of fisher island, star island and show you the mansions of the millionaires, ( yes they do slow down to a slow cruise for the millionaires homes) after that they crank up the speed and take you out in the Atlantic ocean and cruise up the coast a couple mile along south beach Miami playing the waves, you do get splashed a little if you sit in the back. The boat ride last a good solid hour and is $36 for adults and $26 for kids under 12. It was a deal in my opinion and worth every penny plus my wife loved it.

 

After a while we were able to check into our room at the YVE hotel and get a nap in. they put us on the top floor bay front room with a full view of the cruise ship port. This hotel was like a 5 star hotel and never had to handle our baggage ourselves from the time we got out of the taxi to the next morning when we boarded the shuttle to head for the cruise ship. Bellhops were tipped very well. Beds were very comfortable; rooms were very quiet, never had any issues and it was a very nice stay at a very nice hotel. We definitely will stay there again next time.

 

Sunday morning April 17th I wake up at 6:30am and see Carnival Splendor docked and waiting for us. Our staggered check in time was 10:00-10:30 am but we had faster to the fun. Called front desk for our luggage to be picked up and they were they within minutes. Went down to the lobby to get on the list for the shuttle to take us to the port at 9:30am

And right on time the shuttle came, loaded our luggage and off to the ship terminal we go. Arrived at 10:00 am and this is why now I swear by F2F (faster to the fun). We had our baggage checked, through the door, security and check in 15 minutes and were sitting down waiting for them to call us to board. We waited maybe an hour. They said during check in they would start boarding about noon. We were on the ship just past 11:00 am ordering drinks with the little umbrellas already and in full vacation mode.

Started exploring the ship and decided to go see where our dining room table was. To our amazement we got a table right next to a window. Dinner with a view every night.

Also being F2F our room was to be ready for us by 1:30pm and decided to go drop off our carry on's so we could eat and finish exploring the ship more. Our baggage was by our stateroom door waiting for us. We booked a Balcony room on Deck 9 forward room 9218. this I also deliberately booked as it was said to be a very quiet area of the ship plus it was steps from the forward deck above the captains bridge. Splendor went into dry dock and they added new staterooms where the deck 9 forward deck was. Well damn. Guess I’ll have to go up 1 deck to deck 10's forward deck instead for a panoramic view of the front of the ship. Anyway I can tell you room 9218 is a VERY quiet room aside from others letting their balcony door slam every now and then but we were never woke up by ships noises or side thrusters ever.

 

We pushed off shortly after 4pm, made our 180 turn in the governor’s point and off we went. Shortly after clearing the rock wall by south beach it was time to get ready for dinner as we had early dinning time.

Dinner was amazing and met 2 of our table mates that night. The other 2 table mates we never saw the entire cruise. we were seated at a table for 6. We arrived first so wife and I grabbed the 2 seats by the window. After dinner we just sat out on the deck and relaxed. While sitting on deck we got on our phones and we purchased the value internet plans for each of us. Service through out the cruise ship was pretty fast and never really found any dead spots on the ship. we did see slower speeds in areas but nothing dial up slow. Video calls with FB messenger worked sometimes, other times the connection wasn't fast enough and would disconnect the call. NEVER had any issues uploading pictures through FB messenger. it was actually very quick most of the time. We also had international calling plan from Verizon and had full strength signal most places on the ship. I did find it interesting that while my phone was in airplane mode and cell data turned off for good measure, wifi on and connected to ships wifi I could still receive regular text messages and send texts.

 

Went to bed after a while and were fast asleep with the gentle rocking of the ship.

The ship did some rocking for the first couple days but didn’t really bother me at all. Wife started to get a little dizzy and took some Bonine motion sickness pills and was fine after that.

 

Next day was a day at sea and we did the usual explore the ship, sit out on deck, eat, drink and watch the world go by. Pretty much a relaxing day at sea doing what any other person would do on a sea day. Formal night was second night and we got dressed up and off to dinner. I ordered prime rib plate and Maine lobster tail plate and ate it all. It was delicious.

 

I have to point out at this point that I’m noticing crew members cleaning, mopping, vacuuming and wiping down everything CONSTANTLY. The ship during the whole cruise was constantly being cleaned was always very clean. Past reports the ship was dirty and worn are just not true or these are people that live in a white glove world. Speaking of white glove, one night we watched a deck officer with white gloves testing areas of railing and walls. she seemed very satisfied with her findings.

 

Next day we arrived in Cozumel right on time and we got off the ship in no big hurry as we had no excursion planned as we were just going to go souvenir shopping all day in port and in town up the road. bought lots of souvenirs for family. 4:00 pm we started heading back to get back on the ship as 5:00 pm ship was leaving. Come 5:15pm there was still a streaming line of passengers walking up the dock back to the ship. We didn’t get back under way till just before 6pm.

We just sat up on deck 10 having a drink before dinner. Another night with a rocking boat but by now were used to it and just making jokes about how we and everyone else looks walking down the hallways like we’re drunk SO, we decided to see if having a few more drinks might counter act the walking problem. We were inconclusive on this after a few drinks and not sure if worked as we were felling pretty tipsy by then. LOL. All well off to bed, it’s late.

Next morning we woke up to some gentle rain as we were getting into position for tendering to Belize. By the time the tenders came it had stopped raining and we were heading to Belize for some cave tubing with Cavetubing.com also know as Butts up cave tubing.

Arrived at the port of Belize and found our shore excursion and we were off in no time with our tour guides. We must have gotten the best guides the cave tubing company had to offer. These guys, Jimmy and Speedy, were a riot, we were laughing all the way to the park and that was almost an hour drive. We get to the park and get ready with getting our tubes and a lesson on how we will being proceeding along the trail hike to the river where we get in our tubes to float through the caves. Speedy was our guide for taking us down the river and he was very well knowledged in the rain forest plants and trees and really was interesting in everything he had to say and teach us about the rain forest. We get to the river were he ties all the tubes together in a 2x8 configuration and he pulls us and guides our tube raft down the river through the caves. Again he was very well knowledged in the stalagmite and stalactite formations and other formations inside the cave. The water temperature of the river was very refreshing not too cold but not warm. It was perfect for a hot humid day in the sun. After coming out of the caves about 40 minutes later Speedy said those that can swim well can jump out of their tubes and swim the rest of the way down the river to the point where we get out. I choose to jump tube and swim. The water id very clean and clear as the river comes from a underground spring. Once back to the trail head we drop off the tubes and head to the tour guides company place just down the road for lunch and drinks. After a while we get back in the van and head back to the Belize port. We arrive about an hour before last tender boats leaves for the cruise ship so we do some more shopping and get something to drink. Get on a tender and back to ship. By this time it’s time to get ready for dinner and shower and clean up. As we are eating dinner, an hour and a half after setting sail, a small boat pulls alongside the ship to let someone on board. Apparently someone didn’t make it back to the ship in time and had to hire a boat to catch up to the ship and get on. The ship does not slow down for this. It’s a transfer while moving. I bet that boat ride had to cost them some bucks.

 

Next morning we pull into Mahogany bay Roatan at 6:30 am ship time, 4:30am local time, its still dark outside. Sun doesn’t rise for another hour. We get some quick breakfast from lido buffet and make our way down to the gang way and head out to find our driver for the day. We hired a driver from Victor Bodden to take us on a tour of the island and then to Bodden monkey business to see the spider monkey and white faced monkeys along with the parrots.

After that we still had about 5 hours before needing to be back on the ship. This day the ship was leaving at 3pm ship time. We had our driver take us to Bananarama beach resort to have some beach time on the famous West end beach. Snorkeling here is AMAZING. TONS of colorful fish and coral. Wife and I spent some time on the 82 degree ocean water. It was very nice. The sand on this beach is like walking on powdered sugar the sand is so fine. Probably the most amazing beach I’ve ever been on and I’ve been to Hawaii beaches. About an hour an half before needing to be back on the ship, our driver meets us out front right at the agree upon time. Roatan Island is a very hilly island and very dense vegetation and trees. This place is perhaps my favorite port of the cruise. Best snorkeling, white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and the our Victor Bodden driver was awesome.

Back at port and we made some quick looking through the shops and then boarded the ship. We still got a full 8 hours on the island but it wasn’t long enough, but it never is. LOL. Ships leaves right at 3pm to head for Grand Cayman as it’s a pretty long cruise between Roatan and Grand Cayman. We order the drink of the day and have some lunch/snack because it’s still 3 hours before dinner. Best part of all there is always something open serving food on this ship. Dinner, sit on the deck and enjoy the full moon with some clouds. I did some creative shooting with the camera with the moon and clouds. Look at day 5 photos in the link at the end of this review. By this night the ocean was flat smooth, no waves or swells at all and you could not feel any motion in the ship and the rest of the cruise was like, flat smooth waters.

Next morning we wake up and were getting close to Grand Cayman as were not supposed to pull in until 10:00 am ship time. We take our time and eat breakfast and get ourselves ready for our Stingray city shore excursion. We pull into George Town Grand Cayman right on time and once ship is in position the tenders come out to transport everyone to shore. F2F we get right on a tender and 3 minutes boat ride to the dock and we are heading for Captain Marvin’s Stingray city tours which is right across the street from the cruise port. We check in and we have some time before our tour starts. Van picks us up and they take us out to their boat dock to get on their boat that takes us out to a sand bar in the middle of the bay where stingrays gather. All the other tour boats from other companies anchor their boats around this sandbar and everyone gets into the water on the sandbar and its waist deep to chest high water depending on tide.

Wife and I jumps in and at first the water was a bit cool but once in it was very nice and began to warm up. There are about 100 stingrays cruising through the sandbar between people’s feet and brushing up against them. Tour guides were handing out squid to feed the stingrays. Hold the squid in your hand or fist with part of it sticking out and the stingray will come up over your hand and suck it out of your hand. Tour guides would catch and hold the stingray so people could feel how slimy they are and then let them hold them so you could get pictures. The squids do not mind this at all cause the tour guide is constantly feeding them squid so as long as they were being fed they were just content being held.

After spending time with the stingrays we got back on the tour boat and headed over about a mile to a snorkeling spot so we could snorkel for a while. TONS of tropical fish here too. Coral and soft corals were not as good as Roatan but it was still pretty cool. There were also several stingrays swimming here too.

Back on the boat and back to shore we headed. Once off the boat another van came to pick us up and we headed off to a little town called Hell. It wasn’t much but some interesting rock formations and a gift shop. Back in the van and heading to the Sea Turtle Farm to see and hold some sea turtles. Its pretty amazing how big sea turtles get when they are full grown. They have holding ponds were you can get in with the sea turtles and hold them. Spent about an hour there looking at the turtles and then back in the van where they took us back to the cruise port in plenty of time to spend some time going through the gift shops and get a couple souvenirs.

Back on the cruise ship and this port was our latest departure time of 6pm which is usually when we’re having dinner so we decided ahead of time this would be the night to eat at the Pinnacle steak house.

This restaurant is an extra $35 per person and they serve you a full 5 course meal. They start with a chefs sample appetizer and then you have a full appetizer followed by a soup or salad. By then they are working on the main entrée. I ordered the 18 oz cowboy cut steak cooked medium. I like my steaks pink in the middle. This steak was the tenderest steak I have ever had and one of the best tasting steaks I’ve had. Wife had the same steak also. After main entrée came desert. We had to have our desert to go because after all the food we had already eaten we were stuffed. We head back to our room to change cloths because steak house dress attire is elegant. We change into our t-shirts and shorts and go out on deck to take in the nice breeze and enjoy the night sky.

Next day we can sleep in again as its sea day today. We eat in the main dining room for breakfast. Had some of the best French toast this morning. Spent a lot of time out on deck just watching the world go by. Wife crocheted some things and I did some photo editing on some of the picture I took on my Nikon.

Last night on board the ship and you can tell the mood of passengers of the cruise coming to an end in the morning. It was a 7 day cruise but it was over too fast. Wife and I had a blast though. Everything went so smoothly and well.

Sunday morning we pulled into port of Miami at 5:30 am and dock. By 8:30am were heading down to Lido for some breakfast and kind of lollygagging around because we didn’t want to get off the ship. But after a while we diced it was time to head down to deck 3 and debark. Got our luggage from baggage claim and then get in the line for customs. That went quick and fast and within 30 minutes we had our luggage and were through customs and outside looking for a taxi ride to our hotel on Miami Beach.

 

Some things to point out about the ship. Its clean, crews were always cleaning, vacuuming, scrubbing and wiping down things. Staff is always helpful and asking if there’s anything they can do for you. I especially loved the waiters walking around on the decks taking drink orders from people who are in deck lounge chairs. Half the drink I had while on board I never had to get up and go to the bar. A server took my order and within minutes they brought it right to my deck chair.

Our Dining room waiter and staff were the best. Our waiters name is Fernando and his helpers were AWSOME. Always smiling, having fun and enjoying what he was doing.

Never really talked to our room steward that much but we never had any complaints about him. Our room was always cleaned every morning and fun times in our room everyday. Anytime we passed him in the hallway he always said hello have a good day or asked if we needed anything. Even if he was in another room cleaning he would wave or come ask us if we needed anything.

We saw Chloe the cruise ship director all over the place. She’s a small woman but always was out in the crowd making her presence there.

As far as I know there was no ship problems and things ran smoothly the entire cruise.

I cannot think of ANYTHING that happened on this cruise that we didn’t like, didn’t care for or negative experience. If you get on the ship and just go with the flow and enjoy yourself you will never have a bad experience let alone notice anything bad. We didn’t.

The ship see’s over 3,000 people every day and a whole new set of passengers every week every day of the year. I tell you the ship is in amazing shape. Don’t go looking for issues, rusty spots on the paint, worn out things or problems with the ship, just enjoy your time away and relax and you will have a perfect cruise while on Splendor. We did.

We are already looking at our next cruise for Alaska and planning on booking Carnival.

Here is a link to the photos we took on this cruise. Each album is for each day of the cruise.

http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bhugo4x4/library/April%202016%20Carnival%20Cruise%20on%20Splendor?sort=3&page=1

[MsVulcan]

What a refreshing review! I am on the Splendor in January and I just texted my son that Cozumel sounds like the best place to watch for pier runners. I told him we'll have to get a drink and watch. :D

 

I love that you had so much fun and you enjoyed your first cruise. I'm sure we'll see you on more ships in the future!

[DebbieMo]

Questions: Do you happen to have copies of the funtimes? I looked through your pics but didn't see them. Also what camera are you using? Loved the underwater pics.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Jeepenfun]

Questions: Do you happen to have copies of the funtimes? I looked through your pics but didn't see them. Also what camera are you using? Loved the underwater pics.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Yes I have the fun times and will scan them in tomorrow on the flat bed scanner and get them up. I will leave them at full resolution too so when you zoom in to read the small print you will be able to read it clearly. Or even print your own.

 

The underwater camera is the Olympus TG-4 with the lens cap and lens filter adapter. Most of the photos out of the water I used a circular polarizer filter. Underwater shots the filter is taken off. This camera is well worth it's weight in gold, it worked flawlessly and took way better shots then I expected. Best of all you can record pictures in JPG and RAW.

 

 

BTW Spledor is still on the old dinner menu and is rumored it may not switch to American Table because it's going to China in less then 2 years.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Jeepenfun

[NotVeryCreative]

Did you check out the piano bar?

[SOPHIHEYY]

Thanks for the review! Sailing for 8 nights on the Splendor in a week!

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[DebbieMo]

Yes I have the fun times and will scan them in tomorrow on the flat bed scanner and get them up. I will leave them at full resolution too so when you zoom in to read the small print you will be able to read it clearly. Or even print your own.

 

The underwater camera is the Olympus TG-4 with the lens cap and lens filter adapter. Most of the photos out of the water I used a circular polarizer filter. Underwater shots the filter is taken off. This camera is well worth it's weight in gold, it worked flawlessly and took way better shots then I expected. Best of all you can record pictures in JPG and RAW.

 

 

BTW Spledor is still on the old dinner menu and is rumored it may not switch to American Table because it's going to China in less then 2 years.

 

 

Thank you in advance for the funtimes, I've been looking for them for weeks!

 

The pics came out great! I was looking into getting an Olympus. Tried out the TG-870 but didn't like the pic quality. Saw the TG-4 but for the same price went with the GoPro Hero 4 silver (delivers Thursday). If the pics don't look as good as yours once I get it I'll def return it for the TG-4.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Jeepenfun]

Thank you in advance for the funtimes, I've been looking for them for weeks!

 

The pics came out great! I was looking into getting an Olympus. Tried out the TG-870 but didn't like the pic quality. Saw the TG-4 but for the same price went with the GoPro Hero 4 silver (delivers Thursday). If the pics don't look as good as yours once I get it I'll def return it for the TG-4.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Your welcome. Funtimes are now uploaded to a separate sub-folder under the cruise pictures album like each days photo albums. These are full resolution scans of the full outside funtimes and inside for each day. Please feel free to download the full resolutions if you want for printing or your own copy.

 

Here is a direct link to the sub-folder they are located under.

http://s3.photobucket.com/user/bhugo4x4/library/April%202016%20Carnival%20Cruise%20on%20Splendor/Carnival%20Splendor%20Funtimes?sort=3&page=1

Edited April 30, 2016 by Jeepenfun

[Jeepenfun]

Did you check out the piano bar?

 

 

 

It was only open during the evening and night and were not much of bar scene people but i did walk by it a couple times at night it was always packed. very popular place on the ship at night.