LIVE-Splendor 8 Day Southern Review 12/18 Sailing

[colliece]

Currently on board the Splendor with daily thoughts.

 

First day had lots of ups and downs. Ups first:

Check in was quick and painless, the new Sail n Sign card system did save time, we had a 1 PM check in, went through security and had our picture taken as we boarded the ship, cards where in the mailbox when we got on the boat, took less than 10 minutes from drop off to first drink.

 

Welcoming crew and staff, have been personally greeted and engaged by multiple crew members from servers in the buffett to entertainment staff. Always smiling, friendly, and helpful.

 

Ship seems to be in good shape, a little gaudy with all the pink, but it blends in after a bit. Lots of pink zebra donuts all over the public spaces.

 

We purchased the cheers package and it has been great, the drinks have been mixed great, sometimes they seem seemed to be light on alcohol in the past. Coffee bar addition was worth it.

 

The food has been above average, wasn't very hungry at lunch, but tried the BBQ station at the Buffett, it was not busy as most people have no idea it is up there on deck 10. The Black Peard MDR menu for day one was good, I had the strawberry bisque and pork loin, others in our group had swordfish, sweet and sour shrimp, lasagna, and everyone was happy. Servers where fun and welcoming.

 

DOWNS:

Slow, where to start...our bags did not show up until almost 8pm. Our status rewards where not in the room, and where dropped off around 7:15pm, the muster drill was long and started about 20 minutes late, we where scheduled for a 4pm departure, bulled away around 5pm. MDR was half empty for late seating, but food was constantly late between dishes. We left dinner at a little after 10pm.

 

Beer selection, several of the bars did not have any of the craft beers on the menu, just the standard brands, very disappointed as I like to sample new options.

 

Room is noisy, some kind of mechanical noise all night, we are Forard on deck 1. I am a light sleeper so this may be a problem.

 

Elevators take forever and are always crowded, but it is day one and is to be expected, hopefully it improves.

 

Once a day cabin service, not a fan, but he did offer twice a day. Cabin steward was the only crew that was kind of glum, hope that improves.

 

Guest services line was always long, tried to use kiosk, but it would not read my gift cards when I tried to leave ad to my account. Usually we have a note from my travel agent with a cruise cash breakdown, but not this time. Lots of unhappy passengers in line. But I am on vacation so I do not like to get worked up about little things.

 

Overall we are happy, hope they work out issues we have encountered but we will enjoy ourselves anyway. Let me know if anyone wants to know anything else specific. I will post my day 2 (sea day) review tonight.

[Colbycat]

Following

 

 

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[Florings]

Looking forward to the next segment.

[colliece]

Sea day as we head to Amber Cove tomorrow. Sleep in till 7:30, then hit the coffee bar for my caramel caffeine hit. Sat on the deck for a little while enjoying the new day. Service was again awesome, very few people out this early so it could s my favorite part of the day. Had a great conversation with Anika one of the servers by the pool.

 

Meet the rest of our group for late breakfast in the MDR. Service was fast and pleasant. Much improved over last night. French test was good, overall zero complaints. Going to read and catch up on the news.

 

Not to many chair vultures yet, still plenty of loungers available, but filling up pretty fast.

 

Tonight is our first formal night, disappointed they no longer include lobster, but menu looks good.

[nunuc2000]

Following... we'll be boarding the Splendor on Dec 26th as you're getting off... can't wait!!! :D:D

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of the cruise and glad to hear the MDR has improved since last night :)

 

We're also a little torn on the twice/day vs once/day servicing of the room - the only thing we'd really want for an evening servicing is just the fresh towels. We were able to ask for that last time and it was no problem, so hopefully it will be just as easy this time around. :)

 

Enjoy the Splendor and take good care of her for us :p

 

Celine

[colliece]

We opted for morning service, but he said he would check towels and do turn down while we are at dinner.

 

Having a great time and the weather is beautiful, but it is very crowded on the deck now.

[sfaaa]

 

Tonight is our first formal night, disappointed they no longer include lobster, but menu looks good.

 

Unless the menu has changed, lobster will likely make an appearance on second formal night.

[carnivaladdix120]

Following and can't wait to hear how the ports are and formal night. :D

[colliece]

Today was a very good day, already shared breakfast thoughts. Spent the day on the Serenity deck and it was crowded and not as nice as the areas on other ships, especially the Sunshine. But great bartender keep me refreshed all afternoon.

 

Had a drink with the Captain was fun seeing everyone dressed up, we posed for a few pictures but the Promenade was packed. Dinner was great, service was much faster and our waiter and his assistants are great, they keep my son, who is 9, entertained. No lobster but I had the filet and grilled shrimp and it was pretty good, no complaints from anyone at our table. A member of our party is gluten free and the wait staff has made sure they accommodated her every meal, pleasantly surprised with the extra effort.

 

We went to see the comedian, Steve White, and he was very good, would love a longer show, but we had a great time. Then went to one of the production shows, 80's Pop, dancing and production where very well done, the singing not so much, very week sound, off key, but we still enjoyed it.

 

Tried a few new drinks, glad they have expanded the beer selection, I do miss the alchemy bar, but the bartenders have made everything we asked for, like vet my Fireball whiskey. Drink bill was over $85 today, so Cheers was covered even with a light day on embarkation yesterday.

 

Today was so much better than yesterday, looking forward to Amber Cove tomorrow, one port we have never been.

[carnivaladdix120]

Nice to hear it was a better day! Thanks for keeping us updated [emoji4]

 

 

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[colliece]

Had breakfast in the Golden Pearl MDR, service was great, food came quickly, and we had a great view off he stern.

 

We had a bungalow reserved and spent the day relaxing in and out of the cove. Had a great relaxing day even with the scattered showers every hour. The port was nic, but very antiseptic, shops kind of bland with the normal port junk and the ubiquitous jewelry shops, etc. Not all that impressed, the pool was nice, but the area outside the gates was not the greatest. We depart in a few hours so we came back for a late lunch snack and some drinks.

 

Enjoying a quite area on deck 10 under the shade overlooking the untouched jungle, our server has found me and kept me refreshed without moving.

 

Another good day, looking forward to some good comedy, piano show, and some casino time.

 

Issues we don't like, don't want to start a big smoking war, but the whole port side of the ship is smoking, and it like a chimney over there, these seems to be unique to the Splendor as other ships had a smaller area that was more separated. I miss the outside promenade deck to get away from the crowds and noise. I can only stay in direct sun for so long so finding shady areas is difficult.

 

Tomorrow we go to Santo Domingo and we have no excursions planned so just playing it by ear. Thanks for following.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review. Following.

[riclop]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[caddykid12]

Following... we'll be boarding the Splendor on Dec 26th as you're getting off... can't wait!!! :D:D

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of the cruise and glad to hear the MDR has improved since last night :)

 

We're also a little torn on the twice/day vs once/day servicing of the room - the only thing we'd really want for an evening servicing is just the fresh towels. We were able to ask for that last time and it was no problem, so hopefully it will be just as easy this time around. :)

 

Enjoy the Splendor and take good care of her for us :p

 

Celine

 

I board monday too!!

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your cruise, looking forward to more.

[drdelta]

Are their cabanas at Amber Cove to rent? If so, how do I go about renting one? Thank you!