PICTORIAL REVIEW: Nicole721 Takes a JOURNEY onboard the Carnival Splendor

[Nicole721]

great review, Nicole!!

 

My wife and I were on Splendor when she was brand new and we'll be joining you on Horizon next week!

 

Thank you!! Sea you onboard! ;)

[Nicole721]

Day 5: Antigua

 

The last time I was in Antigua, I was a senior in college.

 

I remember more about our visit to Antigua than I do most of the details of my last two semesters. We were sailing through Tropical Storm Barry, so the seas were a little choppy. The weather in Antigua was cloudy until we got to the beach. I remember our tour guide telling us that Antigua had 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. We made a visit to some of the main sites, we spent a few hours at Nelson’s Dockyard and we spent the remainder of the afternoon at Turner Beach.

 

 

And ten years later, I still had 364 of Antigua’s beaches to go. Goals. They’re important to have (or so my professional mentors tell me).

 

Antigua wasn’t on our original itinerary – a late substitute for St. Maarten, which was hit hard by Hurricane Irma – but a change we welcomed. Visiting Antigua after ten years may as well have been a visit to a new island.

 

We pulled into port early in the morning, alongside the lush green hillsides, right through the picturesque turquoise waters. None of it looked familiar, but all of it was stunning nonetheless.

 

 

Mom and Stephanie wanted to have breakfast in the main dining room and I rushed to get ready so we could grab a table before they shut down for the morning, thinking we only had 30 minutes. And as we were waiting for the elevator, we noticed the clock in the lobby was an hour behind our clocks.

 

Apparently, our phones shifted back an hour overnight while the ship’s time stayed the same, and we were up an hour earlier than we needed to be. This wasn’t in the Fun Times (that I saw) or on the app, but needless to say, we had very attentive breakfast service in a very empty dining room because everyone else on the ship was still sleeping.

 

 

Breakfast was really fantastic and everything we’d tried off the new menus had been delicious. We all split an order of the pancakes to try them and they were really wonderful, with a salty sweet caramel sauce and soft whipped ricotta.

 

 

Our excursion wasn’t departing until 1:00 PM, so we relaxed back in the room with a Sex and the City marathon on TBS. Because most of our fellow cruisers were off the ship, we took advantage of the empty laundry rooms and threw in a couple of loads so we’d have some fresh clothes for the second half of our cruise. It felt like we’d been on this cruise forever, and we had just hit the halfway point.

 

[Nicole721]

Mom wasn’t feeling well – a combination of the motion from the night before and the heat – so she stayed back on the ship to try to sleep her migraine off while Stephanie and I went out into port to do some shopping before our excursion.

 

 

When we were in Antigua ten years ago, we never did any shopping in the port because we were booked on a full day tour, so exploring the shopping was new for us. And there are plenty stores, ranging from souvenir markets to high end jewelry (and a Burger King if the grill up on Lido deck doesn’t do it for you). But to get to those shops, you’ll have to navigate through dozens of people peddling tours, taxi rides and hair braiding. This was some of the most aggressive behavior I’ve experienced in any port – some of these people would literally follow us down the street, and don’t even ask me how many people yelled after us “Hey! Are you sisters?” and then followed after us trying to sell us their services.

 

 

 

Given how aggressive the locals already were, we skipped the souvenir markets and just went into a couple of shops, buying some local rums and knick knacks. We had budgeted an extra hour for shopping that we weren’t going to use now, so we went back to drop our shopping backs off back at the ship and apply an extra layer of sunscreen before heading back out to meet our tour at the dock.

 

Stephanie and I agreed that we wanted to do a catamaran tour in Antigua because, one, we love catamarans and two, the crystal clear waters of Antigua are ripe for snorkeling (not that I snorkel, but Stephanie does and traveling with your fam is all about the compromises…or so my family tells me). There were a ton of options and we ultimately settled for the most basic one – the Catamaran Sail and Snorkel, departing at 1:00 PM. Three hours with a snorkel stop, a beach stop and refreshments. The other tours sounded really nice and included lunch or a stop at Nelson’s Dockyard, but we just wanted to be on a boat, so this one fit the bill.

 

[Nicole721]

Wadadli Cats was the tour operator, running no less than three catamarans from the pier, and though a basic option, we had SO much fun. There had been spotty sun showers all day, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when it started raining as we walked from the pier to the catamaran. It was clearly going to pass over quickly, but everyone headed to the inside of the catamaran when they boarded. Not these girls, though – we headed straight for the prime real estate at the front of the catamaran. And just as we pulled away from the pier, the liquid sunshine stopped falling and made way for clear skies over pristine waters.

 

 

 

We had a 30ish minute ride to the snorkeling spot, with some choppy seas on the way. We were going so fast, it felt like we were flying and I was absolutely giddy – I love love love being on the water. As we pulled up to the spot, they held a safety briefing for everyone who wanted to snorkel and handed out equipment. The crew was fantastic – attentive and supportive, which was important because of the wide range of abilities and swimming levels amongst the 30 or so people on the tour. The first people off the catamaran were those who were going to snorkel a little further out with a guide. The next wave were people who felt comfortable snorkeling on their own and the last wave were people who needed a little more help and would be under the supervision of one of the crew members, where they’d learn to snorkel by holding on to the ropes hanging off the front of the catamaran. One of the crew members perched himself at the front of the vessel with a bag of bread chunks, throwing them into the water to bring pools of fish closer to the snorkelers. Stephanie went in the water, keeping close to the catamaran because the current as strong, and I sat out on the wide nets, working on my tan and pondering if the water was more cerulean or more turquoise.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

After 45 minutes or so, the crew called an all aboard and we started the next part of our tour, a ride to the beach. On the way, we passed the multi-million dollar hillside homes (including the home of Giorgio Armani!) and the crew came around with tuna sandwiches, announcing that the bar was now open. They offered a variety of soft drinks, as well as some killer rum punch.

 

 

 

We pulled right up to Deep Bay, where there was a public beach with no facilities and no people. It was almost like we pulled up to a deserted island with an untouched, white sand beach. I was enjoying my rum punch a little too much, so I just stayed on the boat, but Stephanie got off to walk the beach and look for sea shells.

 

 

The ride back to the ship was much shorter from the beach and I wish we had another few hours to just sail around the island. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend our day. We pulled back to the pier a few minutes early, a blessing for us because the Diamond and Platinum Party was also held this evening, and we had less than an hour to wash up and get ready. When we got back to the room, Mom was up and about, feeling better than she had when we left her…and she was waiting with room service for us. A gem, my mother is. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was nearing the early evening, and after an afternoon of sailing and rum punch, nothing sounded better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich washed down with some chocolate milk.

 

[Nicole721]

We had just enough time to eat our room service, get ready and watch the P&O ship we were docked with set out to sea ahead of us before we headed downstairs to the party, almost exactly on time. I’m sure this is an incredibly unpopular opinion, but these parties are far more tolerable now that they’re just Diamond and Platinum guests. When the party was opened up to all past cruisers, every seat was packed and it was near impossible to get a drink. There weren’t a ton of people at the party – under 100 is my best guess – and there were bar servers with trays of cocktails and wine standing at every row, servers with trays of sushi, shrimp tarts, rice and bean cakes and pork sliders making the rounds and at the front, there was a table with lemonade (and vodka, if you wanted) and a variety of beers that you could grab on your way in or as you were leaving to go. We quickly found seats and a server to grab us some Diet Cokes for Mom and Stephanie and a Miami Vice for me (which probably has more carbs in one drink than I’ll usually consume in an entire week at home, but you know, #vacation). MarQ took the stage to hand out awards and introduce the senior officers, and then rolled that video where you get to clap for all the ships you’ve been on. I’m being 100% serious when I say that in a party with free-flowing drinks, this video is still my favorite part.

 

 

[Nicole721]

After the party, we headed off to dinner, where we were seated with a new dining team that weren’t as funny or charming as Alex, but were certainly efficient and friendly. We all ordered the Beef Wellington, which was served in obscurely small slices, but was delicious nonetheless.

 

Grilled Beef Skewers

 

Asparagus Cream Soup

 

Flatbread

 

Chilled Bing Cherry Soup

 

Beef Wellington

 

Vanilla and Chocolate Tres Leche

[Nicole721]

We walked off our dinner a bit, lingering on the promenade on deck 5, where there was some primo air conditioning and a live reggae band playing my favorite Bob Marley songs. A day in the sun was taking its toll, but the cool air near the casino was the best antidote.

 

There were no production shows this evening – the entertainment was the Hasbro Game Show and the Love and Marriage Show. We skipped both and took a siesta in the room before the 9:30 PM showing of Wonder Woman.

 

 

We barely made it through Wonder Woman before crawling back to our beds. We’d dock in St. Kitts early in the morning and we had a full day exploring Nevis on the agenda.

[breezy270]

Loving your review!!! I’m sailing on the Splendor for the first time in October for a girls trip!! This will be my first cruise on carnival in five years and the first cruise ever for my sister!!! I can’t wait to see her become addicted to cruising like me!!!

 

 

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[Nicole721]

Loving your review!!! I’m sailing on the Splendor for the first time in October for a girls trip!! This will be my first cruise on carnival in five years and the first cruise ever for my sister!!! I can’t wait to see her become addicted to cruising like me!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

How exciting!!! Have SO much fun!!! :)

[Nicole721]

Day 6: St. Kitts

 

We were already docked in St. Kitts when I woke up, and I was ready to get up and get out: we had a big day planned.

 

 

This was our third visit to St. Kitts, and our first time not going to the Brimstone Fortress and the batik studio at Romney Manor. We loved the excursion so much we did it twice. We were ready for a change, though. We contemplated just doing things on our own – the downtown area was full of shopping as we remembered it – but it’s a good thing we didn’t, as there were three other ships in port, which meant we didn’t dock at Port Zante like we had in our previous two visits, but rather, across Basseterre at another berth – one without shopping. And after contemplating another catamaran tour, we booked a tour to Nevis. We’d never been to Nevis before and since the tour would bring us there by boat, we’d get the boating thing in, too. What can I say – I just can’t get in enough time on the water!

 

 

Our tour didn’t depart until 10:30 AM, which gave us plenty of time for a normal wakeup time and a leisurely breakfast up on Lido. Mom was still getting over her bout with seasickness, so it would just be Stephanie and I making the journey over to Nevis. Mom got off the ship with us to check out the shopping, but other than a few vendors selling under some tents, there was nothing – she immediately circled back to the ship. Stephanie and I found our tour under a shaded tent and we grabbed some seats to wait for it to depart.

[Nicole721]

The tour departed promptly at 10:20 AM, one of the port operators walking us over to a private water taxi, for the 45-minute ride over to Nevis. The water taxi was plenty spacious for our small, 24-person tour group and the crew was really fantastic, pointing out all of the major sites (like the new Park Hyatt hotel right on the water). The topography of both St. Kitts and Nevis is really stunning to take in from the water, with craggy, imposing hills that slope dramatically from the sea up to the sky, lush greenery covering every peak as far as the eye could see. From the water taxi, with St. Kitts behind us and Nevis ahead of us, we basically sat there with our jaws dropped the entire ride. It was absolutely stunning. The waters were a little choppy as we moved into the space where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea, but other than a little extra motion, the ride was nice and peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Once we got to Nevis, two vans with tour guides were waiting for us. Stephanie and I were in Ellory’s van, and he wasted no time in getting us on the road (first of many fun facts about Nevis: there is only one main road called Island Main Road that goes around the entire island…21 miles around). There are no stop lights in Nevis and very few traffic signs (to the point where they’re largely considered suggestions, at best). Ellory was a treasure chest of Nevis facts, which he regaled with for the entire time we were together. Did you know that Nevis only has a population of 12,000 people? That’s crazy to me. My high school was over 4,500 students and the town we’re from just outside Chicago has a population of nearly 50,000 people. Nevis covers just around 36 square miles, but has more than 70 churches. The island is obsessed with cricket and everything will stop when there’s a big match. They like soccer, too. Interesting, huh?

 

 

Ellory kept the facts coming, but I was fascinated by the landscape outside of my window. Tourism is the main standard of industry in Nevis (and while the government is the largest employer, the second largest employer is the Four Seasons resort), but as we drove through the streets, we didn’t see any tourists. In fact, nothing seemed built up specifically for tourists the way it is in St. Kitts and in that sense, the island felt relatively untouched. As we drove through the town center, it was bustling with people walking around, hanging outside their storefronts and chatting, while live music played jubilantly in the background. Nevis may be the sister island to St. Kitts, but it’s like, the cool, more laid back sister. Everything felt a little more peaceful in Nevis, a little more deliberate.

 

Fun fact #2: Nevis is the birthplace of the man who inspired the greatest modern musical -- Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was born on the island and lived there until he was nine, and the house where he was born still stands, now as a museum. We didn’t get the chance to go outside, but Ellory drove us past for a quick photo op from the van, giving a brief history lesson on Alexander Hamilton to those on the van who hadn’t yet seen the musical (…twice).

 

 

We continued our drive through Nevis, making our first stop at the geothermal hot springs. The hot spring is a natural phenomenon where naturally hot water (really hot – it averages 104-108 degrees Celsius) flows down from the ocean and into this spring, where a manmade pool has been built for people who want to bathe in it. The water has a high sulfur content (which makes it smell…not so great) and contains over 70 minerals, which give it healing properties. Ellory urged us to stick our feet in or go up to our knees. The entrance to the pool was slick (an older woman fell all the way in when she slipped on the stairs) and the water was boiling hot to the point where I couldn’t imagine getting my whole body in that hot of water without feeling like I was being made into soup, but my feet felt amazing when I got out.

 

 

Ellory continued our drive, telling us about the school system and the socioeconomic dynamics of Nevis, before coming to a quick photo stop at a vista that overlooked Nevis Peak, a 3,000-foot high volcano that is visible even from St. Kitts.

 

 

[Nicole721]

The next part of our tour had us driving through some old plantations that have been turned into hotels. We got out of the van to do a quick walking tour at the Hermitage Plantation, which happens to be the hotel where Princess Diana took Princes William and Harry for a two-week vacation after she divorced Prince Charles. If it’s good enough for Lady Di, it’s certainly good enough for us, and I could see why she was drawn to the property: it’s private, peaceful and absolutely beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

Nevis fun fact #3: on our way up to the plantation, we passed numerous herds of goats and sheep. The sheep don’t have any wool because of the climate, so they look like goats. The only way to tell them apart is their tails – the sheep’s tails point down and the goat tails point up. The goats are set free every morning to graze by their owners, and are trained to roam home in the evening. Oh, and Nevis also has a monkey problem. Apparently the French brought them over as pets and they overpopulated. As we left the plantation, Ellory pulled over on the side of the road to pick a leaf off a tree to lead us in a game of guess-what-this-leaf-smells-like (spoiler alert: it was a cinnamon tree) and we saw a monkey sitting under the tree. As it ran away, five other monkeys appeared and dispersed as quickly as they appeared.

 

We continued on towards our next stop, and Ellory pointed out how many businesses were using solar panels. The government wants the island to go green by 2022, and with so much sunshine (rainy season lasts from April through November and more days than not are full of pure sunshine), it makes sense to leverage those bright Caribbean rays for clean energy.

[Nicole721]

As we reached our next stop, Ellory dropped my favorite Nevis fact on the group. Nevis fun fact #4: swearing is illegal, and the first time you’re caught and cited can land you with a $500 ticket. Subsequent offenses can land you in jail for up to two months at a time, so leave those four letter words in St. Kitts. Oh, and it’s considered a diss if someone wishes you a Good morning or a Good Day and you don’t respond in kind.

 

Our final stop on the tour brought us to the Lime Beach Bar, where we were greeted with punch (with rum or without) and led to tables where a server took our orders with a choice of barbecued chicken or grouper fish with pesto sauce. Stephanie and I both opted for the chicken and it was absolutely delish, grilled to perfection with a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce. Oh, and the bar had primo Wi-Fi that was infinitely faster than the internet we had on the ship (where it may or may not take over an hour to post a single picture to Instagram).

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

After lunch, we had two and a half hours to spend at the beach across from the bar, where complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas would be waiting for us. We had the option of walking down to the Four Seasons Resort, but the day was too gorgeous not to spend it at the beach. The water was pristine and the shore was filled with seashells. There was a nice breeze coming in over the water and even though this was a public beach, there was no one else but our group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sunlight was intense and we headed back to the bar (our designated meeting place) a half hour early so we could browse our social media feeds before heading back. We had a departure time of 3:30 PM and the bus arrived early. Stephanie went back to the bus early while I checked my work email, only to text me moments later that I was the last person and everyone was waiting on me. It was early, but I was that person. Oops. Sorry, everyone. But you know. Wi-Fi calls and the ship clearly wasn’t answering.

[Nicole721]

Ellory drove us back to the pier to meet back up with our water taxi and we parted there, with him asking us to leave reviews online if we enjoyed our tours (so, consider this that!). And as we began the 45-minute ride back to the ship, with a reggae version of Baby I Love Your Way playing on a speaker and the sea spray misting my face as the bow of the boat plowed through the waves, I could not have been happier or more at peace. Nevis and this entire excursion was beyond any expectations or hopes I could have had.

 

 

 

 

We got back to the ship at 4:30 PM – just when all aboard was scheduled. There were dozens of people standing around the deck three promenade watching for pier runners and as Stephanie reminded me, we were the people we’re always watching for!

 

 

Back at the room, Mom was literally sitting at the door, waiting for us to get back. She may or may not have called guest services twice to make sure the ship wouldn’t leave without us. And she had room service peanut butter and jelly sandwiches waiting for us so we’d have a snack when we got back. I love those room service PB&J’s. They’re the perfect post-excursion snack.

 

[Nicole721]

We took turns showering when we got back, getting all that sand and sunscreen off, and started getting ready for dinner, where we reunited with Alex, our favorite server on the Splendor. Every night he served us, he made sure we had everything we could want or need and was just so happy and jovial and funny. He’s dream team material, for sure.

 

Asparagus Vichyssoise

 

Fried Shrimp

 

Marinated Chicken Tenders

 

Mixed Greens

[Nicole721]

Braised Short Ribs

 

Chicken Milanese

 

Cheesecake

 

Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake

[Nicole721]

The evening’s entertainment centered on a Playlist show of Epic Rock, which is another one of the better Playlist shows. The Splendor Playlist cast really did a fantastic job, too – this was their best performance of the four we saw over our cruise.

 

 

 

 

After the show, we headed back to the room to relax for a bit before the late night 80s Rock and Glow Party. I don’t know where MarQ finds the energy: up early in the morning to deal with guests, standing over my shoulder watching me filter my Instagram pictures at the Playlist Shows (he sat in front of us before Epic Rock began and he literally had a never ending receiving line of people wanting to chat with him and take pictures) and then leading high energy dance parties into the night. We barely lasted through Thriller before we dragged ourselves back to the room and into bed. The next day would bring us into San Juan, and after the hurricane, we were eager to see what the reality of the situation in Puerto Rico was.

 

[Nicole721]

Day 7: San Juan

 

If you asked me to list my favorite Caribbean ports, San Juan would be towards the top. To be fair, I’d probably have more than a few at the top, but San Juan would be up there.

 

There’s so much I love: I love that every building is a different color and I love the way the colored buildings are punctuated by cobblestone streets. I love the immense pride Puerto Ricans take in their country and their culture. I love San Juan. I love the coffee. I love love love the language. I can’t speak Spanish as well as I used to, but anytime I’m in a Spanish speaking country, it just comes back, rolling off my tongue the way it did when I was still in school.

 

When the hurricane hit Puerto Rico in September, every news report was like a bee sting to my heart. The vibrant island I’ve fallen in love with over the past ten years was so damaged and we didn’t really know what the reality of the situation was. When I visited Cuba in September, the Cuban people we met and conversed with had mentioned they were frustrated at how the damage to their island was misrepresented in the American media and how worried they were it would hurt tourism. And the same goes for Puerto Rico – we didn’t know if (and how much) progress had been made towards recovery. We didn’t know if the state of San Juan was as bad as the rest of the island. But what we did know was that in order for the country to recover, it needed to reopen to tourists as soon as possible.

 

It was raining when we pulled into San Juan, and we took our time getting ready to leave the ship with no real rush: our only plans for the day were to walk around Old San Juan, maybe pick up the trolley to El Morro or Castillo de San Cristobal. We had a nice pre-cruise stay in San Juan a few years ago, and I spent a long weekend on the island with one of my friends last year, so there isn’t much in San Juan I haven’t done, seen or taken a picture of. As we were getting ready, Stephanie saw a picture on Instagram of a rainbow on the other side of the island. This day also marked the sixth anniversary of our grandma’s passing, and we knew the rainbow was a sign that she was with us. Two years ago, the last time we cruised on this day, the exact same thing happened as we docked in Bonaire: a short rain shower followed by intense sunlight and a rainbow on the opposite side of the island. I like to believe that there are signs that our loved ones are looking out for us after they leave us, and this was our little sign that she was still cruising with us.

 

We missed breakfast in the dining room, so we had a quick one up on Lido deck before we stepped to the outside deck to survey the island. If we didn’t know a hurricane tore through the island three months prior, we would have never known: San Juan is up and running, and aside from the replanted palm trees, from the cruise ship, everything looked as we had left it.

 

 

[Nicole721]

As we left the ship and began our walk, the damage became a little more obvious, in the form of crumbling facades and blown out windows that hadn’t yet been replaced. But San Juan is fully functional, with power restored and running water.

 

 

 

It was a scorcher outside, with temperatures in the upper 80s, so as we left the ship, we ducked into a nearby Walgreens to grab some coconut water to hydrate with before we continued on our walk through Old San Juan.

 

A short walk from the Walgreens was Cuatro Sombras, a highly rated coffee shop not far from the pier. We stopped in for some coffee and a sandwich and it was packed, but lucky for us, we followed the signs through the courtyard to a coffee lab in the back of the building, where there were plenty of tables, no lines and a charming view of the colorful building across the narrow cobblestoned street.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Hydrated and caffeinated, we set out to walk around and explore as many of the side streets as we could. I’m obsessed with the streets in Old San Juan. The colors, the narrow streets, the way every building is different and unique. I can’t get enough. This was my fourth visit to San Juan and I still walk around with my jaw dropped to the ground. Every corner we turned brought something new into view, and the longer we looked, the finer the details were. We spent an entire morning just walking around.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Our time in port was short – we docked around 8:00 AM and our back onboard was at 2:30 PM – so by noon, we were ready to start our walk back to the ship. As we were walking, we spotted a Starbucks and I just had to make one more stop. The Puerto Rico Starbucks locations have a pastry called Quesito con Nutella, which is like a flaky Danish filled with Nutella. It’s delicious and it’s not a proper visit to San Juan until I have one.

 

 

 

With the obligatory Quesito con Nutella checked off the list, we made one more stop at the Walgreens to stock up on Diet Coke (for Mom and Stephanie), coconut water (for me) and snacks for the airplane ride home. A Holland America ship was docked with us (with a Royal Caribbean and a Celebrity ship at a pier across from Old San Juan), and Walgreens was packed with hundreds of ship workers and tourists stocking up on the essentials. Walgreens also had a large selection of souvenirs, but there are also plenty of booths along the pier where you can pick up t-shirts, beach towels, magnets and all kinds of jewelry.

 

 

We dropped our bags back at the room and headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. I was still stuffed from the delicious PBJ sandwich I had at Cuatro Sombras (…and the Quesito from Starbucks) so I picked at a plate of hacked nachos we put together with chips from the burrito bar and chili, cheese and pico from the grill. Lido hacks are fun, aren’t they? On a ship without the 2.0 upgrades, the nachos were just about as good as it got.

 

[Nicole721]

Instead of hitting the pool deck, we lounged out on our balcony, where we left port a little later than scheduled. The views of El Morro and La Perla as we sailed out towards open waters were spectacular. Sailing out of San Juan, the best views are from pure aft, with second best being the starboard side of the ship.