The Not-So-Mexican Splendor Cruise Review - April 26 - May 3

[kelz66]

I would have never considered tides....this is exactly why people shouldn't scream, "Carnival should have.........."

There must be SO many reasons that we are totally unaware of that influence their decisions in circumstances such as these.

 

I'm sorry that some miserable folks stayed on the ship. I hope you were able to avoid them :(

 

You have no clue...hopefully someone who witnessed the "tool" in the Packers hat who threw a screaming hissy fit the next day in the lobby can post the details of that "episode". :rolleyes::p

 

You know...maybe we owe these people some thanks for all the entertainment they provided the rest of us. :D

[kelz66]

 

Kelz ~ you, behave?????

 

:D:D:D:D

 

*insert innocent angel smiley here*

 

:p

[halos]

:D:D:D:D

 

*insert innocent angel smiley here*

 

:p

here you go

 

 

[kelz66]

here you go

 

 

 

yep..thats me...LOL

 

thanks.

[bsdmhutch]

here you go

 

 

 

yep..thats me...LOL

 

thanks.

 

*cough* *choke*....

 

those of us that have cruised with you might beg to differ.:p

[Brangwen]

Morning guys :D

 

[Host Anne]

The guy in the Packers hat is the person I referred to earlier that did NOT disembark early. I was shocked to see him on the ship on Saturday night. For how angry he was at the Purser's Desk on Wednesday you would have thought he would have been the first one off. I did witness his rampage. He was at the desk on Wednesday for at least 15 minutes, pointing his finger in the face of the staff member behind the desk. We were seated in the lobby so we couldn't hear the conversation but you could tell he was upset by his actions. He kept pointing his finger and she kept nodding her head. When he finally walked away, he turned around to the long line of people behind him and started screaming about how everyone should fight this. He was so incensed that it was tough to tell exactly what he was screaming. Everyone just stared at him. The sad thing in this whole scenerio was that he had his teenage daughter with him (we saw them frequently around the ship). What kind of example was he setting for her?

 

The angel avatar looks just like Amy, Kelz!

[Winterstale]

We were on the cruise the week before...we would NOT have had the clothing necessary for SF. I checked the webcam and seen it was rainy and cold there. Basically, the GF and I would have been "quarentined" to the ship for a week, getting off in LB would not have been an option without having to pay to change our flights and hotel.

 

The Splendor is a great ship, the service was fantastic - we could have probably been okay with floating around in warmer waters for a week. There were a lot of people from CA on our cruise, how much fun is SF for them? I am also a conservative Republican and going to SF would be like going to Hell :( . I think Carnival would have had many more happy customers if they would have stayed in the warmer waters so that people could at least lay out on the deck and get sun. Might have been fun just drifting...not even anchoring.

 

Our impressions of the ports in Mexico was not that good anyway with all the vendors swarming you when you were in port. Just think of all the money you saved NOT stopping in port. :)

 

Agree that my husband and I -- both from Southern Cal -- would not have been happy going to freezing, rainy San Fran after packing for Mexico...but as a somewhat conservative Democrat (yes we exist :D), I can promise you having been there a few times? There aren't a bunch of lefties waiting for you at the airports and docks - ROFL :D:eek:

[Oppgaard]

Anne,

 

We were on the sailing directly before yours and your description of the ship was exactly what I was trying to say in my review. Your whole review was right on as far as I am concerned and had the same experiences.

 

Jery

[skidrue]

Host Anne, thanks for the low tide explanation.

I wonder if this was same guy that was running around threatening to sue CCL, he kept yelling I am a lawyer, while handing people a petition to sign.

No one took the paper a far as I could tell. Most thought he was nuts:eek:

 

Everyone have a great day! More rain here, at least it's not snow.

[mjl1960]

Agree that my husband and I -- both from Southern Cal -- would not have been happy going to freezing, rainy San Fran after packing for Mexico...but as a somewhat conservative Democrat (yes we exist :D), I can promise you having been there a few times? There aren't a bunch of lefties waiting for you at the airports and docks - ROFL :D:eek:

:DI was actually being sarcastic when I wrote that. We actually met a nice couple from Sacramento area (Yeah...I know - a good 50 miles away from the insanity) that were our age that shared our conservative values. In an email this past week they said they wouldn't have liked going to SF just because it is so close to home. I think if I was them, and this all went down while I was on the ship, I would have just stayed on the ship by choice. I really enjoyed the Splendor, the people working on the Splendor, and the food and drinks (NO MORE LONG ISLAND ICED TEAS!).

 

I never "got" the cruises to no where...but I think I could do one on the Splendor.;) As long as it wasn't a "Gay Cruise" like we witnessed on a NCL ship in Puerto Vallarta...that would just be pushing my limits a little too far.

[aggieastrosfan]

Morning guys :D

 

 

LMAO!!!

 

The guy in the Packers hat is the person I referred to earlier that did NOT disembark early. I was shocked to see him on the ship on Saturday night. For how angry he was at the Purser's Desk on Wednesday you would have thought he would have been the first one off. I did witness his rampage. He was at the desk on Wednesday for at least 15 minutes, pointing his finger in the face of the staff member behind the desk. We were seated in the lobby so we couldn't hear the conversation but you could tell he was upset by his actions. He kept pointing his finger and she kept nodding her head. When he finally walked away, he turned around to the long line of people behind him and started screaming about how everyone should fight this. He was so incensed that it was tough to tell exactly what he was screaming. Everyone just stared at him. The sad thing in this whole scenerio was that he had his teenage daughter with him (we saw them frequently around the ship). What kind of example was he setting for her?

 

The angel avatar looks just like Amy, Kelz!

 

What did the Packers hat guy look like? I wonder if he was our pool yelling dude on Friday night. That guy was stocky and bald, appeared to be early 40s?

[AllenF]

Very Nice review Anne I agree with alot of your comments. We supported the call of not going to Mexico and understood. The ship is very nice and the crew was outstanding as usual and I tipped them extra. But we found many things starting to add up over our past 3 cruises on Carnival that are pushing us to try other cruise lines. They are not major but just annoying.

I needed to rest after lots on work the 1st 4 months of the year and this cruise let me do that. I must say the Casino was very good to me this cruise :).

[luv2cruise777l]

Just think of all the money you saved NOT stopping in port. :)

 

It would have cost us more if we decided to stay on the ship! The drinks cost more on the ship then in Mexico and the entertainment we were left with after the itinerary change (and that was just on Wednesday) caused us to spend more time in the casino. I know the choice for the casino is on us, but there just wasn't enough to keep us busy. Too cold to swim, too cold and windy for golf, to cold to spend time on our balcony (that I wished I never got)! It would have been cheaper to go to the ports! ;) So our decision to get off the ship in Long Beach saved us money.

 

I was more than a little disappointed with this cruise. While I understand why they had to cancel the ports, the CDC put them in a real bad spot, what I don't understand was the decision to head to SF. Everyone on board chose the Mexican Riviera for a reason...warm weather and beaches so why on earth would you turn the ship around and purposely head into cold, wet weather. That was a horrible decision; I'm sure most people would have been happier to just sail around the southern waters. I was also really floored by Carnival essential rescission of there cruise guarantee. Since you could not get off the boat in Cabo you could not take advantage of their guarantee and they made sure of it.

 

StevieG.....I agree with you 100%! They could have stayed down in the warmer climate and I am sure that they would have had fewer unhappy people then making the decision to go up north where it would have been colder. As far as the "Vacation Guarantee" they made sure we weren't able to utilize it. I had asked them to disembark in Cabo and they said no! I was held by "Carnival Pirates!"

 

Do I sound bitter? Yes, I am bitter! I booked a vacation to Mexico and went nowhere. No refund for anyone on board the Splendor but now they are giving the option to cancel for those sailing after us. What, don't we matter? :mad:

[TortieGal]

Great review Anne! :)

 

I completely support Carnival's decision. However, you raise a completely valid point that the ones causing the most trouble were rewarded. Two hours of open bar just didn't cut it for me. And before people want to start flaming, I know the fine details of the contract. I'm not expecting to be reimbursed for my cruise. I know nothing is guaranteed. But this situation really could have been handled better. Royal Caribbean had a tiered system of OBC that they gave to their passengers. Given the amount of people who had to buy warm weather clothing, a little OBC would have been appreciated.

 

I do believe that there were many people who behaved completely inappropriately. Having been on this sailing, I certainly don't condone their behavior but I completely understand why people were so frustrated. I think one of the biggest issues with West Coast sailings are the number of cruisers from California. I couldn't imagine being from San Francisco, leaving for my Mexican cruise and finding out I'm sailing to where I live.

 

We did our best to make lemons out of lemonade and if not for the great CCers that we got to meet, this cruise probably would have been a total bust. We had the best dining staff of my 5 cruises and they definitely were a highlight. Loved them! :D

[kelz66]

It would have cost us more if we decided to stay on the ship! The drinks cost more on the ship then in Mexico and the entertainment we were left with after the itinerary change (and that was just on Wednesday) caused us to spend more time in the casino. I know the choice for the casino is on us, but there just wasn't enough to keep us busy. Too cold to swim, too cold and windy for golf, to cold to spend time on our balcony (that I wished I never got)! It would have been cheaper to go to the ports! ;) So our decision to get off the ship in Long Beach saved us money.

 

 

 

StevieG.....I agree with you 100%! They could have stayed down in the warmer climate and I am sure that they would have had fewer unhappy people then making the decision to go up north where it would have been colder. As far as the "Vacation Guarantee" they made sure we weren't able to utilize it. I had asked them to disembark in Cabo and they said no! I was held by "Carnival Pirates!"

 

Do I sound bitter? Yes, I am bitter! I booked a vacation to Mexico and went nowhere. No refund for anyone on board the Splendor but now they are giving the option to cancel for those sailing after us. What, don't we matter? :mad:

 

How could they let anyone disembark in Cabo? We were not allowed off the ship for safety's sake...that would make no sense to let people disembark.

:confused::confused:

[voyagefiend]

ok, one of the whiners here, still p.o.'d about a ruined vacation!

Princess Sapphire gave a 50% credit on future sailings ---

Carnival $40 ???

That's customer goodwill. . . (sarcasm)

 

Any news from folks if Carnival has budged from their hardline stance?

[Stallion]

My weekend in Dallas was ruined by 8 straight hours of thunderstorm squaws moving through town. Where do I send my bill for ruined weekend?

[TortieGal]

I was more than a little disappointed with this cruise. While I understand why they had to cancel the ports, the CDC put them in a real bad spot, what I don't understand was the decision to head to SF. Everyone on board chose the Mexican Riviera for a reason...warm weather and beaches so why on earth would you turn the ship around and purposely head into cold, wet weather. That was a horrible decision; I'm sure most people would have been happier to just sail around the southern waters. I was also really floored by Carnival essential rescission of there cruise guarantee. Since you could not get off the boat in Cabo you could not take advantage of their guarantee and they made sure of it.

 

We rode Super Shuttle from LAX with a couple on RC and ended up seeing them at the airport yesterday. They said they asked their captain why they couldn't just sail around down there and he had said it was an option they had considered. However, if there was a medical emergency, they would not have been able to dock at a port to get the person off. :confused:

 

I'm not familiar with how medical emergencies are handled so I'm just the messenger here. :)

[voyagefiend]

Consider sending your bill to mother nature. ??Weekend in Dallas compared to Mexican Riviera??

As far as Mexico closing -- no, Carnival wasn't to blame. What they could have done was secure SD, Catalina like the other cruiselines and offered (some) goodwill gesture line the Princess and RCCL. They have not as yet. . .

[kelz66]

We rode Super Shuttle from LAX with a couple on RC and ended up seeing them at the airport yesterday. They said they asked their captain why they couldn't just sail around down there and he had said it was an option they had considered. However, if there was a medical emergency, they would not have been able to dock at a port to get the person off. :confused:

 

I'm not familiar with how medical emergencies are handled so I'm just the messenger here. :)

 

That makes total sense.

 

Being that there were only Mexican ports in the area and they were closed to us.

 

Unlike the Caribbean, there are not many options on the west coast. :(

[CruisefromNY]

We too supported Carnival's decision. We had a great time no matter what!

 

However, we do feel somewhat ignored as we did not complain, we thanked every staff member in sight as their time off was impacted and they worked very hard to make our cruise experience terrific,

The open bars did not work for us either as we are not big cocktailers.

We met some really wonderful people and it was great to put faces to names and to cruise with some folks we had cruised with before.

 

We were lucky as we had some warm clothes with us because it was chilly in NY before we left.

 

I was cornered a few times in the Ladies Room :eek: by some who wanted a ear, (why do they choose the bathroom??) just listened, did not try to justify it, and walked away.

 

Jeff on the other hand, wanted to throw a guy off the top deck upon our entrance to SF. Young and Dumb, all he keep saying was how stupid the captain was, etc. We had to move as this guy was definitely uninformed.

 

We hope to sail with many of you again!

[kelz66]

Consider sending your bill to mother nature. ??Weekend in Dallas compared to Mexican Riviera??

As far as Mexico closing -- no, Carnival wasn't to blame. What they could have done was secure SD, Catalina like the other cruiselines and offered (some) goodwill gesture line the Princess and RCCL. They have not as yet. . .

 

Ya think that those ports could handle more ships than they already had?

 

We were not the only ship in San Fransisco.

 

Princess is owned by the Carnival corp. Did they do something different?:confused:

[mjl1960]

It would have cost us more if we decided to stay on the ship! The drinks cost more on the ship then in Mexico and the entertainment we were left with after the itinerary change (and that was just on Wednesday) caused us to spend more time in the casino. I know the choice for the casino is on us, but there just wasn't enough to keep us busy. Too cold to swim, too cold and windy for golf, to cold to spend time on our balcony (that I wished I never got)! It would have been cheaper to go to the ports! ;) So our decision to get off the ship in Long Beach saved us money.

 

 

 

StevieG.....I agree with you 100%! They could have stayed down in the warmer climate and I am sure that they would have had fewer unhappy people then making the decision to go up north where it would have been colder. As far as the "Vacation Guarantee" they made sure we weren't able to utilize it. I had asked them to disembark in Cabo and they said no! I was held by "Carnival Pirates!"

 

Do I sound bitter? Yes, I am bitter! I booked a vacation to Mexico and went nowhere. No refund for anyone on board the Splendor but now they are giving the option to cancel for those sailing after us. What, don't we matter? :mad:

I am not going to blame you at all for sounding bitter, and until I am put into your shoes, it is really hard to know how I would react. I know that we planned for over a year pulling some real strings to get that much time off together (GF and I - and as a group of 35 others) to go spend time in the sun. Going to SF would not have made any of us happy, especially since most were from Nevada and have been there before.

 

I also believe that Carnival should have done more for those that either chose to stay on board, or were forced to because of airline tickets/hotel reservations that they already had.

 

However, also hearing about the passengers that were unruly to Carnival employee's, I was shocked. They forget that the employees on the ship don't make any real decisions, they come from corporate.

 

If I were on the Splendor last week, I would write a thoughtful letter to Carnival expressing your feelings and describing how it was inconvenient to you and those you were with. You might just get some kind of credit towards a future cruise. But also keep in mind, that for large part, Carnival had no control over this because they would have really caught heck if they had gone to port and all the passengers come up sick. What I would have been upset about most is the decision to go to SF, when they could have sat in warmer waters down south - and saved the money on fuel for that matter, possibly even giving the equivalent amount to fuel savings back to the passengers in onboard credit rather than hauling a ship load of passengers to SF that did not have the necessary clothing for the climate.

[voyagefiend]

Yep, Princess and Carnival are owned by parent CCL. They don't act like they even talk to each other. Nonetheless, Princess went to San Diego and Catalina AND gave a goodwill gesture of 50% credit on a future cruise. Carnival appeared to fumble around until the ports were filled, then gave the passengers $40 OBC. That doesn't sound like the same management style or customer service approach to me.