On September 27, 2014 I arrived to JFK airport in NYC and headed to the ground transportation desk looking for the Carnival Cruise Lines provided transfer I purchased. After waiting for about 15 minutes, a nice lady showed up and introduced us to our driver. My very first cruise vacation was officially underway.

Not having cruised before, I purchased the Faster to the Fun for all three cabins of our group. I wasn't sure if it was worth it, but after arriving to the Cruise Terminal, it was worth every penny. We bypassed the entire line, was directed right up to a representative at the check in tables and quickly boarded the ship. We were on the ship in less than 15 minutes after having turned in our luggage to the curbside check in person just minutes earlier.

Not knowing what to expect, I was overwhelmed. Once on the Splendor, we headed to the Lido deck buffet as directed by a member of our group (an experienced cruiser). I can't say I'd recommend this in the future. It was a zoo. In fact, we carried plates of food for more than 15 minutes trying to find a place to sit. I actually ended up abandoning a burrito I had made at the buffet because it had become soggy from the salsa on the same plate I walked around so long. Finally, someone secured a table and I went to get fresh. This detail is important because even though I had gotten fresh food, it was the worst buffet food I'd ever eaten. I wished I was eating Golden Corral instead. That's how bad the food was. The desserts were horrible on the buffet. I tried the buffet 2 other times during the cruise and not once did it get better. Everything was soggy, mushy, limp, not up to temperature, or bland and tasteless. Nothing was seasoned and eggs were wet and unappetizing. Read more