Review / pictures of Splendor Scenic Ocean View 9201

[ChrisNCruiser]

Hi All,

We just sailed on the Carnival Splendor in new Scenic Ocean View cabin 9201, and took plenty of pictures (many staged :p). We were the fourth sailing to have the room available, so everything in the cabin was basically brand new. A link to several pictures is tacked to the end of this post.

 

 

We've sailed on many carnival cruises in a variety of cabin types, so we have some experience for comparison. Here's an overview of my thoughts:

 

- The cabin was well worth the money we paid (about the same as a standard balcony), and based on the size and the view we would definitely consider booking it again over a balcony depending on the itinerary and time of year.

 

- We spent more time in the cabin than we typically would because it was so comfortable; we especially enjoyed having breakfast and late-night snacks in the room. Being on the lido deck made this easy.

 

- the room included an unexpected additional electrical outlet right below the ledge of the two large windows. That gave us a total of three 110v outlets in the room so we never had to break out a power strip.

 

- there was NO sign in this particular cabin that stated that we had to keep the lights off at night unless the blinds were drawn, and our cabin steward said nothing about it. That said, we still kept the lights to a minimum whenever the blinds were up at night.

 

- we moved the two tables and chairs around so make for more floor space, and moved it all back to the original configuration before we disembarked.

 

- My favorite area of the room was a chair we put between the fridge cabinet and the window, with the other chair used as a footrest.

 

- the room never got uncomfortably hot, but it never got as cold as we would have liked, either. There were separate controls for each of the two air ducts.

 

- We were able to briefly peek into the comparable cabin on the other side (9200) and it included the exact same furniture: the bed, sofa, two tables, two chairs.

 

- Despite our rehearsing in advance, we wussed out and only selected one of the two room service times (he was PERSISTENT), and now that it's all said and done we're OK with it, with reservations. We selected the morning time, and the latest the room was supposed to be cleaned was 12:30; he was usually finished with our cabin well before then except once. He clearly had too many cabins to service, and while the room was always very neat and tidy when he was finished we didn't get the towel animals a couple of times, and twice the bed was made kind of funky (think short-sheeting), even though it looked fine.

 

Here's a link to the pics:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM3ESTcciu97_HlJyW-Lrlo5tJrJOmaDjdyG1Jj1tmzA3d4Mutj7Ohv1zeXHnu2VQ?key=eEZDeFZ4cVA4b25Vc3lKbFJaMjY3QURTbDJtd2l3

 

Thanks for reading!

[sjn911]

Thanks for such great pics and updates.

[DenaInWyo]

WOW..I didn't even know these types of rooms existed. Going to have to look into them. Pretty impressive! Reminds me of being on the bridge.

[RiotAct]

Nice review. Not happy to hear about the once-per-day room service thing :(

[ChrisNCruiser]

Good comparison because they were built directly above the bridge. I forgot to put in my original posting that several times throughout the cruise we could hear the bridge's huge (and loud and squeaky) "Windshield wipers" cut on for about a minute at a time. Unfortunately, this typically happened at night, and even woke me once. No biggie. ...

[DenaInWyo]

I might not actually think so if it woke me up, but that actually sounds kind of cool. I did the behind the fun tour on the Liberty and my favorite part was the bridge. I could sit up there all day watching the ocean go by. Yep, gonna have to check into these rooms!

 

If you have a minute..

 

What is the cost comparison to these vs say, a balcony? Are they considered suites? Or are they more in the price range of an ocean view..just like the interiors you find that aren't actually just interiors. How far out in advance did you have to book to snag one?

 

I honestly think I'd prefer this to a balcony.

[pjinaz]

It's too bad about the once daily service. Do they still deliver the fun times at night and a towel animal? I know people say you can pick both but it's hard to ask someone who is working twice as hard to do that. Carnival raised the daily tipping charges, I wonder what percentage gets passed on to the stewrd. If the steward is cleaning more cabins aren't they making a lot more money?

 

I don't ever need a full cleaning twice a day but I do want clean towels. Do they do that or just not even enter the cabin? Does anyone know if other lines have gone to this once a day service?

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[poz222]

Looks amazing... Any you guys have the most TIDY cabin I have ever seen!! By day 3 my crap is strewn all,over the place!!

[ChrisNCruiser]

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the pictures :-) To answer a few questions....

 

ROOM COST / TYPE / QUALITY

We REALLY lucked out getting the cabin. Because it was a new cabin that was built during the March-April drydock, it seems that Carnival didn't open up the inventory until a few weeks before the cruise. From what we have heard and seen, it's really hard to get one of these on a ship that has them, and are usually sold as soon as Carnival releases inventory (12-18 months out). At the time we snagged it we were originally booked in one of the two over-sized Ocean View cabins in the back corners of the Main deck, but had booked it so far in advance that the price of an OV had dropped several hundred dollars as opposed to what we originally paid. Bummed about that, about a month before the cruise we were going to consider upgrading to a balcony since the cost would have been negligible from the original price of the corner OV. As we were looking, we discovered that Carnival had released the inventory on these, and snagged it. The total cost to upgrade from our corner OV cabin was only $60 total. It's NOT considered a junior suite so it doesn't come with early boarding, etc, but as you can see in the pics it's very large - at least as large as a junior suite - but the bathroom is standard size with no tub.

 

We would absolutely consider this cabin over a balcony if we were ever lucky enough to find one available again. We ended up relaxing and spending more time in this cabin than we have for the few times we've splurged on a balcony.

 

ONCE-A-DAY SERVICE:

We boarded the ship determined to get the twice-a-day service until we met our steward. I'm a pretty determined and aggressive person, and yet he still walked away only agreeing to service the cabin once a day :p I don't regret the 'decision' - our steward and his assistant worked very, very, very hard during the cruise - but I do plan on letting Carnival know how we feel about it. It does not make the stewards' lives any easier because they now have many more cabins to service. We were also wondering if they were being compensated appropriately. When we asked, the steward made it clear that we could feel free to grab whatever we wanted off of his cart in the hallway (and we did, like towels). Because we were just two people in an over-sized cabin, we were able to keep our cabin clean and tidy with a minimal extra effort - but we can see this being an issue for three or more people in a smaller cabin, especially the bathroom. Also, we had morning service, but a few times during the cruise he dropped off items at night while we were at dinner (our free Platinum laundry, past guest invitations and gifts, etc).

 

Hope this helps!

[tiggertim1]

Thanks for the review and the pictures you posted. I have cabin 9200 on the other side booked for the Feb 26 cruise . I am really looking forward to this cabin.

[FLSteve11]

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the pictures :-) To answer a few questions....

 

 

ONCE-A-DAY SERVICE:

We boarded the ship determined to get the twice-a-day service until we met our steward. I'm a pretty determined and aggressive person, and yet he still walked away only agreeing to service the cabin once a day :p I don't regret the 'decision' - our steward and his assistant worked very, very, very hard during the cruise - but I do plan on letting Carnival know how we feel about it. It does not make the stewards' lives any easier because they now have many more cabins to service. We were also wondering if they were being compensated appropriately. When we asked, the steward made it clear that we could feel free to grab whatever we wanted off of his cart in the hallway (and we did, like towels). Because we were just two people in an over-sized cabin, we were able to keep our cabin clean and tidy with a minimal extra effort - but we can see this being an issue for three or more people in a smaller cabin, especially the bathroom. Also, we had morning service, but a few times during the cruise he dropped off items at night while we were at dinner (our free Platinum laundry, past guest invitations and gifts, etc).

 

Hope this helps!

 

We sailed the first sailing after drydock (March 20th) and we did have 3 in a room. It is a bit of a pain with 3 people, particularly with a tween girl. We choose morning service as well (he didn't want to budge on us either), and there were a couple of problems with that. For one, my daughter stayed up late and slept in all morning once. We had to call to get the room done then since it wouldn't get done that day otherwise. Another issue was showers, where afternoon showers meant a flooded bathroom all evening (as those curtains might as well not be there, they don't stay in the shower). We didn't do it, but I would imagine coming back from a beach shore excursion would leave a mess all evening as well.

 

They would drop off our evening info in the little "mailbox" outside the door.

[see you at the pool]

Hello,

Thans for the review and especially the pictures! I was wondering if you spent any time on the serenity deck? Was it refreshehed during the dry dock and what did you think of it?

Thank you.

Poolside Pam

[ChrisNCruiser]

Hi Pam,

We walked through the Serenity deck a couple of times but didn't spend any time on it while on the Splendor. We LOVE the serenity decks on the smaller Fascination-class ships, but the locations and views don't do a lot for us on the larger ships. In particular to the Splendor (a one-off ship for Carnival), it offered poor views and ventilation. While I love the idea of peace and quiet, when we sail the larger ships we tend to stay on the seldom-used decks right out of the atrium on promenade under the life boat. Less sun, but much more scenic / airy and closer to the water.

 

[Quilcruisers]

Hi Pam,

We walked through the Serenity deck a couple of times but didn't spend any time on it while on the Splendor. We LOVE the serenity decks on the smaller Fascination-class ships, but the locations and views don't do a lot for us on the larger ships. In particular to the Splendor (a one-off ship for Carnival), it offered poor views and ventilation. While I love the idea of peace and quiet, when we sail the larger ships we tend to stay on the seldom-used decks right out of the atrium on promenade under the life boat. Less sun, but much more scenic / airy and closer to the water.

 

 

This is our go to spot every cruise. There are sometimes people out there but very seldom. Also we take great pictures out here too especially as the sun is setting.

[see you at the pool]

Hello,

With a room like yours I would never leave! My husband and I are quiet and enjoy reading and relaxing. It never occurred to me to go to the Prom deck. Thans for the tip!

[maritaysa]

What a nice surprise! Are there any other ships that will be getting these cabins in their next drydock?

[Beach_gal]

Oh thank you so much for posting pics! We booked this room on a back to back next year and cannot wait. We had this same room on the Conquest and it has been our favorite cabin to date!

 

Thanks again!!

[tropicaledrink]

What a nice surprise! Are there any other ships that will be getting these cabins in their next drydock?

 

I may be very wrong on this, but I believe most of the Conquest class, as well as the Sunshine have these cabins. I would also assume the Vista does as well.

[Florings]

Awesome pictures and a really lovely cabin, thanks for sharing.

 

I am really bothered by the insistence on the once a day service. Despite John Heald confirming repeatedly that this will not happen, twice a day if you choose, I continue to read of this happening. I don't need a twice-daily cleaning, and I prefer morning so that our beds are made and the bathroom cleaned. But I do like clean/fresh towels, turndown service, and towel animals in the evening. And I really do want both! I hope this is resolved before my next cruise in October.

[cruiselover**]

Wow, I love the pictures of your cabin! My husband and I were on the Carnival Splendor the week of April 24th to May 1st and our balcony cabin was also on Lido deck - #9292. We loved the location so much. We were very close to the mid ship pool ( and the Lido bar!).

 

Our cabin steward asked the first day if we wanted morning or evening service and I checked both boxes. He didn't really say much, but I told him I knew we could have both, so that's what I picked. He did tidy up the cabin in the morning and evening, as requested. We had clean towels once a day and the usual towel animal, etc.

 

On our cruise, we thought the crew was super! Everyone we interacted with was very nice. We had the Cheers! program, so we spent many hours on bar stools. The bartenders were just amazing - so personable and just downright nice! We also thought the cruise director, Chloe, and her group were wonderful. We had so much fun all week.

 

To anyone wondering about choosing the Splendor, I will tell you this - we have been on 20 Carnival cruises (13 ships in all) and I felt the crew on Carnival Splendor was terrific. I didn't mind the pink décor I had read about either. It's not like I am spending my life with the color - so who cares?! I thought the cruise was wonderful - definitely in my top three of all my cruises. So, go and have a great time.

[ChrisNCruiser]

Hi Cruiselover**,

We had a wonderful cruise and neither the once-a-day-service nor unavoidable pinkness of the ship were serious detractors. That pink really was excessive, though! I'm so glad to hear that you told your cabin steward "I know we can have both, so that's what I'm selecting", and it worked :-) I wish that we had taken that approach. We agree that overall, the service was outstanding - we really loved our dining room staff, and they had our preferences down pat by the second night, even though we had anytime dining.

 

That said, I'm not comfortable with Carnival cutting corners to the point that their cabin stewards are forced to be aggressive; our cabin steward was clearly overworked - he was ALWAYS cleaning cabins, regardless of the time of day - and I don't want to feel guilty about having to push the issue. Next weekend I'm going to write a very careful and professional letter to Carnival concerning our displeasure with this potential new policy. I know it's in the testing stage but we all know what that means - they're probably just figuring out the best way to put a spin on the objections. We're definitely going to let them know that it will impact our future decisions to invite (profitable) third or fourth people to sail with us in the same cabin if we all have to worry about keeping a cabin tidy.

 

A weird thing about the cruise director and entertainment staff: Chloe was absolutely fine - but one of the Entertainment Guys was the cruise director on our previous September cruise on the Sunshine, and we thought he was a lot better, so we couldn't understand why he was relegated to 'Happy Guy Who Dances on the Lido Deck' on this cruise. (He was known as 'Chris from Connecticut' on the Splendor but 'C-Luv' on the Sunshine.)

Edited May 9, 2016 by newpherchris

[missholly24]

Awesome pictures and a really lovely cabin, thanks for sharing.

 

I am really bothered by the insistence on the once a day service. Despite John Heald confirming repeatedly that this will not happen, twice a day if you choose, I continue to read of this happening. I don't need a twice-daily cleaning, and I prefer morning so that our beds are made and the bathroom cleaned. But I do like clean/fresh towels, turndown service, and towel animals in the evening. And I really do want both! I hope this is resolved before my next cruise in October.

 

I've completely become a crazy person about this topic and I'm not afraid to admit it. HAHA.....The service was offered as a once daily option (Splendor April 10, 2016) period. So then however after day 3, I had to change it to twice daily like the good old days. The cabin steward was very nice and did not appear to be upset. I made my husband do it because I couldn't stand to ask for more than what Carnival asks of him. We doubled his tip. Its annoying all the way around too that J.H. LIES about it. Ok, I think I am completely done talking about it forever. lol!! The good thing is I won't have to worry about it in 9months and 9 days.....

Edited May 9, 2016 by missholly24

[DenaInWyo]

Newpherchris thank you so much for all the information. I'm pretty well convinced I am going to try to snag one of these rooms on the Conquest for the cruise after the Magic.

 

I did try a mock booking on the Conquest for 2018 and they allowed me to book for two people. That's so far ahead in the future though I have no idea how many people will actually be going. Chances are excellent it'll just be my mom and me. She's retired and I have more vacation time than I can ever use. The rest of the gang..not so much.

 

The Splendor was my first cruise. While not a deal breaker..holy cow..how did someone not tell that designer the pink was too much? I mean, it'd be like telling someone they had spinach in their teeth. Psst..too many pink circles dude. :D Out of the measly three I've been on, that was definitely my least favorite ship decor wise.

 

Anyway, thanks! I now have another cruise goal :p

Edited May 10, 2016 by DenaInWyo

[Cushing985]

Hi Cruiselover**,

We had a wonderful cruise and neither the once-a-day-service nor unavoidable pinkness of the ship were serious detractors. That pink really was excessive, though! I'm so glad to hear that you told your cabin steward "I know we can have both, so that's what I'm selecting", and it worked :-) I wish that we had taken that approach. We agree that overall, the service was outstanding - we really loved our dining room staff, and they had our preferences down pat by the second night, even though we had anytime dining.

 

That said, I'm not comfortable with Carnival cutting corners to the point that their cabin stewards are forced to be aggressive; our cabin steward was clearly overworked - he was ALWAYS cleaning cabins, regardless of the time of day - and I don't want to feel guilty about having to push the issue. Next weekend I'm going to write a very careful and professional letter to Carnival concerning our displeasure with this potential new policy. I know it's in the testing stage but we all know what that means - they're probably just figuring out the best way to put a spin on the objections. We're definitely going to let them know that it will impact our future decisions to invite (profitable) third or fourth people to sail with us in the same cabin if we all have to worry about keeping a cabin tidy.

 

A weird thing about the cruise director and entertainment staff: Chloe was absolutely fine - but one of the Entertainment Guys was the cruise director on our previous September cruise on the Sunshine, and we thought he was a lot better, so we couldn't understand why he was relegated to 'Happy Guy Who Dances on the Lido Deck' on this cruise. (He was known as 'Chris from Connecticut' on the Splendor but 'C-Luv' on the Sunshine.)

 

You shouldn't have to! This is a major failing of Carnival's communication system.

 

John Heald insists if you want both servicings you can have both. Unfortunately, the word isn't getting to the stewards and now passengers are made to feel guilty when they request both.

 

On the Dream the new card was being used by the stewards and they added a new box you can check that says "Both."

 

Nice cabin though!