Carnival Splendor 2/10 mini review

[banditoo]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. Lots of helpful info.

[Keith1010]

Wonderful review.

Keith

[sgttami]

Love reading about Splendor....Thanks for sharing

 

I do wish the ship was still in New York;)

[riffatsea]

Great review!! Thanks for writing. We are in a spa balcony for our cruise right near your cabin so great info for us!!

Edited February 19, 2018 by riffatsea

[no1racefan1]

Okay, I'm back! Thanks everybody--this is my first time doing a review so I am just winging it from memory :)

 

We left off at Puerto Vallarta. For this port we booked the ship excursion, 'Exclusive Resort Getaway'. This was a great day. We went on a coach; we try to avoid tours that include coach buses for the most part, but since this was just a mode of transportation to the resort it was okay. The resort is the Hyatt Ziva, and to get there was about a 30 min. bus ride all through town. We actually enjoyed the ride since we got to see all sorts of interesting things from the bus windows.

 

They Hyatt Ziva is a pretty big resort and felt pretty private compared to the others we passed that were right next to each other. We were let off the bus and turned loose, told we can do whatever we wanted and to meet back in front of the hotel in four hours. Sounds good! We headed straight for the beach to grab a couple of loungers; there were plenty available and we managed to get a spot with an umbrella so DH could have shade and I could have glorious sun. Waiters came by right away to ask us what we wanted to drink and we asked for two waters. There were vendors on the beach but they were pleasant and left us alone after we declined what they were offering.

 

The beach was very clean and nice to walk along; there was quite a break here and although there were a few people in the water it didn't seem very pleasant for swimming, especially for somebody like me who is not a strong swimmer. This didn't matter since the resort had numerous infinity-edge pools to choose from. I took a dip in one to cool off and the water temperature was perfect and it was sooooo clean; I told DH it was maybe the nicest pool I had ever swam in.

 

We had our choice of restaurants for lunch; in previous reviews of this excursion I had read that food options were limited. This was not the case when we were there. There was a buffet, a man producing fresh chicken tacos from a cart, and several restaurants that were open during lunch. We chose Blaze Grill at a quiet end of the resort. Again, all the food and beverages were included in the excursion cost. Lunch was amazing; we had a table on the balcony overlooking the beach. Service was impeccable. I had a delicious steak quesadilla with homemade tortillas and DH had fajitas that they specially prepared without onions. They had the most amazing desserts here--I ordered a peach tart and the peach was thinly sliced and placed on top in the shape of a rose.

 

After lunch we walked the beach some more before we had to meet our bus. I can't say enough about this excursion and we would do it again; we've actually talked about booking a land-based trip to this resort. After the bus dropped us off, we decided to walk around PV a little bit since it was the last time we'd be on land for a couple of days. We thought we would get to downtown and visit some of the shops we had passed on the bus, but we were only about halfway there when we decided we were hot and tired and decided to turn back. It looked like the Rhythms of the Night excursion was just leaving when we got back to the ship. We went straight to the aft pool and got in the cold water to cool off before getting ready for dinner.

[no1racefan1]

The last two days of the cruise were sea days and those were spent reading, laying in the sun, napping, and people watching. There weren't too many scheduled activities during the day that appealed to us, but that was fine. I was worried we would be bored as we have never been huge sea day fans, but it was actually really relaxing to just have nothing to do.

 

The research I had done prior to the cruise was correct regarding weather; the first sea day was chilly and it seemed most people were in pants and long sleeves. The lido deck does have a retractable roof so that helped. The last sea day was also chilly but not quite as much as the first sea day.

 

Debarkation:

We did self-assist, which we always do. This seemed organized differently than normal. They gave assigned times to each deck for self-assist; deck 10 was scheduled last at 10:45am. We weren't comfortable with this since our flight was at 2pm from Orange County. I thought on previous cruises self-assist could start getting off at first announcement and then we just got off whenever after that. Either my memory is wrong or they changed it up because of the new Long Beach terminal.

 

Either way, we decided to head down to deck 5 as instructed to wait for them to start calling groups. DH saw that down on deck 3 there was a line of people getting off the ship, so we went down to check it out. Right as we got in line, they announced that debarkation had begun and started calling decks for self-assist. We got in line even though our deck wasn't called--yes I was uncomfortable with this since I am a strict rule follower, LOL--and they didn't bat an eye when we walked off. We were in a cab and at the airport by 9:07am.

 

Okay, that was earlier than we needed to be there, so we decided to see if there was space on the earlier flight to Seattle, which there was. We decided we would rather spend the day in Seattle airport than Orange County just because of size. The Alaska agent was super nice and said she wouldn't charge us for changing our flight. Sweet!

[no1racefan1]

Getting home:

This post is not cruise-related so feel free to stop reading here if you like. It is more for entertainment (now that its over). So, we got on the earlier flight from Orange County to Seattle. The flight was uneventful until we approached Seattle. Apparently it was a 'little windy' according to the pilot. I was excited to have such a great view of the Space Needle since we have never flown through Seattle on a clear enough day to see the city.

Then the turbulence started. Now, I know this isn't even close to the worst turbulence a person can experience. However, it was the worst turbulence I've ever experienced. I started to feel nauseous as we bucked up and down in the wind and I was glad I had put the non-drowsy Dramamine in my carry on so I could pop one of those.

 

The runway was out the window, we were maybe a foot or two from touching down and so grateful that the ride was over, and then the plane abruptly pulled back up in the air. Holy crap, what is happening? I hope that Dramamine kicks in soon..... so we are now back up in the air, out of the turbulence. After several minutes, the pilot announces that there was too much wind shear and he was not comfortable trying to land. I appreciate that he made that call if he didn't feel it was safe. There goes the Space Needle again--not as exciting the second time, I assure you. But that of course meant we had to go through the turbulence again. It was rough. I was sure I was going to throw up and I had my bag in my hands, ready to go. When we landed, it felt like we were swerving all over the runway. Probably not the case, but that's what it felt like. Several people cheered for the pilot when we landed; a couple of people threw up; I cried. Even after we were stopped, the wind was buffering the plane so much that it was rocking back and forth and I thought if we didn't get off RIGHT NOW I was going to lose my mind. Did I mention we were in the very back row?

 

We walked into the airport, shaking like a leaf, and DH says, lets see if we can get on that earlier flight back to Billings. I think I gave him the death stare; it must have worked because he didn't put up a fight. Our next flight to Billings MT was not until 9:35pm so we had about 7 hours to recover. We splurged on comfort food in the form of grossly overpriced cheeseburgers at Anthony's Fish Bar and spent the time reading and wandering the airport. I always joke that the Seattle airport must be so cold because it's Alaska Airlines hub. I was shivering the whole time we were there and really tempted to spend $100+ on an Ex Officio jacket, but I resisted.

 

Right before we begin boarding, they announce that there is a weather warning in Billings and if we are unable to land, we will be diverted to Spokane. Which isn't even close to Billings MT but hey, you can't control the weather. I start having flashbacks to our flight a whole 7 hours prior and my anxiety kicks in so I go to Hudson News to grab something to snack on. The irony is not lost on me that my candy of choice was LifeSavers. I swear I didn't plan it that way.

 

We made it to Billings an there was some turbulence upon our approach and it felt like we spent forever in a gray, foggy, snowy nothingness, but finally we landed. It wasn't nearly as bad as the earlier flight. It was 1am and a huge snowstorm was taking place outside. DH went to unbury our truck from the parking lot while I waited for our bags. Which never arrived.

 

I went to the ticket counter to see about our missing bags; she said she was expecting me. Apparently in Seattle, our bags had been sorted and shipped to Bellingham, WA (BLI) instead of Billings, MT (BIL). She assured me that they would arrive that afternoon (Sunday). Unfortunately, we live nearly two hours away and we couldn't spent a whole day waiting for our bags when our puppies were waiting for us back home. So she said they would FedEx our bags on Monday. Which is today and I still have not heard anything about the bags.

 

We checked in to a Home2Suites by Hilton to get a few hours of sleep before the drive. It snowed through the night and was still snowing when we got up. We had breakfast downtown and then decided to get on the road. Road conditions were awful; it's amazing that the interstate was not closed. There were semis off the road everywhere. We made the 1 hr. 40 min. trip home in just over 3 hours. The whole time I was thinking, I need a vacation............

[no1racefan1]

Well, that sums up my review. Thanks for reading. DH said this was the most relaxing and enjoyable cruise we have taken so far and I would agree. We thought for the most part, the food was excellent, and the staff was an absolute pleasure. I can't wait to get the Carnival survey just so I can tell them what an amazing crew they have onboard the Splendor.

 

Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer!

[Jiminy1955]

Awesome review! Thanks for taking the time to do one.

 

We board the ship March 10th. It will be the first cruise for 4 grandkids and the first on Splendor for all the adults 8 of us.

[no1racefan1]

We were also on this cruise.

 

Completely agree with the Steakhouse wasabi mash potatoes being odd. Tasted like and had the consistency wallpaper paste.

 

The promenade walkway goes by the starboard side of the casino.

 

Food overall was good but we had poor service in the MDR for ATD and in the morning. Tea service was very good.

We are buffet people and were questioning why the waitstaff was using the Clean stations for the dirty plates. Dirty plates placed right next to the ketchup, mustard etc.

Our room stewards were excellent. This cruise we also met the floor supervisor, Ass’t Housekeeping Manager and the Housekeeping Manager walking our hallway.

We did have an issue with our safe. Within an hour from reporting the problem it had a new door.

 

Well I am glad I am not the only one who thought that about the mashed potatoes! I tried them based off the rave reviews on CC and I was baffled how anybody could think they were good.

 

I'm sorry to hear you didn't have great service in the MDR. I meant to try the afternoon tea but I honestly kept forgetting to go.

[Kfxduners]

That was a really wonderful review! We hope to cruise on Splendor before she leaves LB and is replaced by Panorama.

I kept reading til the end of your review... so sorry you had scary, sketchy, rocky moments flight, baggage and trip home wise. ( we lived in extreme eastern part of Oregon for a long time and did a lot of traveling in whiteout and blizzard conditions...so I know what you mean...)

Glad you have such wonderful memories of your cruise to keep you warm.... Thanks for the review!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T337A using Forums mobile app

[cvpends]

This was an excellent review. Thank you so much! And I truly felt your discomfort in the last section. What a set of horrible experiences you had to go through to get home to your puppies! I'll bet that their delight in seeing you helped, however :)

[Cruisin Suzy]

Thank you for a fabulous review! Glad you had a great time, and sorry to hear about your flying fiasco. Have had more than one experience similar to yours flying in and out of Calgary from Vancouver. Glad you arrive safely!

[no1racefan1]

This was an excellent review. Thank you so much! And I truly felt your discomfort in the last section. What a set of horrible experiences you had to go through to get home to your puppies! I'll bet that their delight in seeing you helped, however :)

 

For sure ;-)

Thanks for reading, everyone!

[Bulldogsoc]

Thank very much for all the helpful info.

 

You said you grabbed a cab to the airport.... Is there a taxi stand? We are on the March 3rd cruise on the Spendor and have a 1:15 pm flight the following week. Are there lots of cabs? THX Mark

[no1racefan1]

Thank very much for all the helpful info.

 

You said you grabbed a cab to the airport.... Is there a taxi stand? We are on the March 3rd cruise on the Spendor and have a 1:15 pm flight the following week. Are there lots of cabs? THX Mark

 

There were tons of yellow cabs lined up when we got off the ship. There was a sign directing us to walk across the road and once across, there was a taxi stand with a gentleman directing people to cabs. Super easy.

 

Also, we saw an ad while we were in the cab for $15 off if you pay with the Yellow Cab app. We couldn't take advantage of it because you have to pay before you start the ride. So, if you download the app and let the driver know you are paying that way, you may be able to get $15 off your ride.

 

It was a flat $68 far to Orange County; the driver at first said it was $72 but I pointed to the sticker on the door that said $68 and he didn't argue, especially since we gave him a good tip.

[pjb3832]

We were on the Feb 10 cruise also. Just wanted to add that everyone in our group thought the live singers were the worst we had ever experienced in 13 cruises. Not sure who hired them but they certainly were not even "average". The backing bands were good but the vocalists seemed like poor karaoke singers. The only exception was the singer with the latin music trio.....she was amazing. Piano bar singer had horrible voice and a terrible attitude. Rambled on and on between playing songs she wanted to sing, not the requests from the audience. She provided a book to choose your requests from and would often say "I know its in the book but I really don't like that one". The acoustic guitarists were proficient on guitar but certainly very lacking in the vocal category. The red headed male vocalist in the main lobby band was the absolute worst. It was truly disappointing that there was only one decent act to enjoy.

[sanmarcosman]

We were also on this cruise.

 

Completely agree with the Steakhouse wasabi mash potatoes being odd. Tasted like and had the consistency wallpaper paste.

 

The promenade walkway goes by the starboard side of the casino.

 

Food overall was good but we had poor service in the MDR for ATD and in the morning. Tea service was very good.

We are buffet people and were questioning why the waitstaff was using the Clean stations for the dirty plates. Dirty plates placed right next to the ketchup, mustard etc.

Our room stewards were excellent. This cruise we also met the floor supervisor, Ass’t Housekeeping Manager and the Housekeeping Manager walking our hallway.

We did have an issue with our safe. Within an hour from reporting the problem it had a new door.

Thanks for your review.

[no1racefan1]

We were on the Feb 10 cruise also. Just wanted to add that everyone in our group thought the live singers were the worst we had ever experienced in 13 cruises. Not sure who hired them but they certainly were not even "average". The backing bands were good but the vocalists seemed like poor karaoke singers. The only exception was the singer with the latin music trio.....she was amazing. Piano bar singer had horrible voice and a terrible attitude. Rambled on and on between playing songs she wanted to sing, not the requests from the audience. She provided a book to choose your requests from and would often say "I know its in the book but I really don't like that one". The acoustic guitarists were proficient on guitar but certainly very lacking in the vocal category. The red headed male vocalist in the main lobby band was the absolute worst. It was truly disappointing that there was only one decent act to enjoy.

 

Wow, interesting. We did not feel this way at all. I agree about the piano bar singer; I didn't mention her in my review because I try not to bash performers too much. We saw her at the pre-show for 88 Keys and she really was just not a good singer at all.

However, we felt the 8 main performers were excellent. There were a couple who stood out more than others and a couple who weren't as strong singing-wise, but all in all we felt they put on enjoyable performances.

[kapcruiser]

Thank you for the great review!

[Clarea]

Excellent review, thanks much!

[IDKaren]

Thank you so much! We will be on the Splendor March 24. Question please... we have a special request due to husbands deafness wanting only a small table. How did you email the maitre d please? Welcome home to the COLD! Idaho is FREEZING!!

 

 

Dinner--we ate dinner every night in the MDR, except for Valentine's Day which we had in the Steakhouse. Dining was another experiment for us. We are long time ATD people. I was really not sure we would like having traditional dining. We decided to try it because of DH's food sensitivities. He has developed several as he has gotten older, the worst being onions. Although medically it is not considered an allergy, we find its easier just to say its an allergy because if he eats anything with any trace of onion he will be curled up in a fetal position with stomach cramps.

 

Our last cruise, they were able to accommodate his needs but it was tricky because we had ATD and we had to go over it with every server, every meal. That's why we decided to try traditional dining. All I can say is, we are officially converts and we will always do traditional dining from now on!

 

Our serving team was Theresa, Victor, and Pariana (sp?). They were spectacular. We looked forward to dinner every night just so we could see them. Theresa brought the next night's menu and the breakfast menu every night so DH could choose his meals. He was able to order everything he wanted except for soup--which makes sense that they wouldn't be able to prepare a special batch of soup for one person. What an amazing job the staff did creating alternatives so he could still order whatever dish he wanted. One example is that the stuffed mushrooms have spinach in them which is prepared with onion. So, they diced up some broccoli and stuffed the mushrooms with that. DH loved it. If you are traveling with any kind of food restrictions, I would strongly suggest traditional dining for the ease of ordering--and this is coming from a die hard ATD diner!

 

Highlights from the MDR menus included the filet and short rib duo on the second elegant night, the mango cream soup, the white chocolate banana bread pudding, and the coconut lime cake. We both ordered the flat iron steak a couple of nights. Obviously we come from the heart of steak country and we are big steak fans. We have a favorite local steakhouse that we compare all steaks to. The flat iron steak in the MDR is not as fabulous as that place; however, it was still a really solid option and tender and flavorful. I would give it a B+ in the world of steaks. DH had the salmon fillet and thought it was fantastic. I had a roast chicken dish the first night that was delicious and set the tone for the whole trip. I can't say enough good things about our experience in the MDR.

 

Oh, the maître d, Amith, came around every night to greet everybody. I had emailed him 5 days before the cruise to request a table for two, and he responded within 5 minutes that he received the request. It was a fabulous table right in the middle of the restaurant--not a foot away from other 2-tops--and he stopped the first night and thanked me for emailing him our request in advance. He seemed genuinely pleased that he was able to meet these kind of simple requests. He was so great and he made us feel like we were his special guests the whole week. I bet he made everybody feel that way.

[no1racefan1]

Thank you so much! We will be on the Splendor March 24. Question please... we have a special request due to husbands deafness wanting only a small table. How did you email the maitre d please? Welcome home to the COLD! Idaho is FREEZING!!

 

I emailed slmaitred@carnival.com. Per suggested on CC, I waited until 5 days before we sailed so that he had time to work out all of the requests for the sailing before ours. I included our booking number and sail date. Amith was a really exceptional Maitre D; I am sure he does his absolute best to meet as many requests as possible.

[Jiminy1955]

When and where did you get your Sail and Sign cards? On the Vista in December they were in our cabin mailbox.

[Keith1010]

Terrific review.

Keith