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This was myself 29 and my husband 31 fourth Carnival cruise. We have sailed on the Conquest, Pride, and Glory and have always had a great time on all of our Carnival vacations. The night before our cruise we stayed at the Hilton Long Beach and got the Park & Cruise rate. What a FANTASTIC deal! You stay one night and park your car for 7 days and they give you taxi vouchers to and from the cruise terminal. Very Easy!
Sunday morning we went first thing and checked in (9:30) and dropped off our bags. Then we went back to the hotel and got some breakfast and watched Steeler Football. Around 12:15 we decided to go back to the ship and get in to Zone 1. We were on board and drinking our DOD’s by 12:35. My husband was skeptical of us arriving so early but it worked out perfect especially when we arrived at our room at 2:00 and ALL of our luggage was in front of our door! We were happy to spend some time unpacking and getting familiar with our new home for the next 7 days. We always get a balcony room close to the elevators for easy access. Anrico was our room steward and he did a good job making sure we always had ice in our room. Also, the Muster Drill had been changed by our cruise so we no longer had to take our life vest to our muster station. It was similar to an airline demonstration.
The Splendor is a very beautiful ship, she is very PINK! It didn’t bother or affect my trip at all. The layout is very similar to that of the Conquest and Glory. On our particular cruise there were a lot of wheelchair and mobile chairs, which made it difficult to get around at times.
We eat dinner in the Golden Pearl Dinning room and had the BEST servers Lucy & Edgar. They were so funny and entertaining the entire trip. Out of all of our Carnival vacations these two gentlemen were by far the best servers we have EVER had. Well done to them. The food was great, and as always the deserts were yummy.
Because of Hurricane Rick our Ports of Call were changed. We did not get to go to Mazatlan and instead stopped in Ensanada. We have been to Ensanada so that day (Monday) we decided that we wouldn’t get off the ship but enjoyed the Lido deck. In Puerto Vallarta (Thursday) we went to Dreams all inclusive resort $45.00 pp for 6 hours and had a fantastic time. Food and drinks are included and you are right on the beach. In Cabo (Friday) we got a water taxi for $10.00 pp and then walked around downtown. We went to the Giggling Marlin and had food and drinks. I was very thankful that the weather turned around and that everything worked out and that Rick didn’t ruin our trip.
On Saturday morning we paid for the “Behind the Fun” tour. I can’t recommend this tour enough. Right when you get on board you want to go to the shore excursion desk and book this tour as it only holds 16 people. You get to go everywhere that the crew goes. The engine room, the bridge, you meet the captain, all of the galleys (crew, main, pinnacle), morgue, infirmary, freezers, crew quarters and the laundry room. It is 3 ½ hours and includes a lot of walking up and down stairs. You only get one break, so please be aware if you have a hard time being on your feet. There are a lot of perks that come with this tour like 3 (5x7) photos 1 w/the captain. You also get goodies from the head chef and also a goody bag full of stuff. My husband loved it and I’m really glad we got to do it.
A lot of people use the self assist on Sunday morning. It seemed like it took longer for us to get off but once we did we were off, found our luggage and through customs in no time.
The Carnival Splendor was one of my favorite vacations. There were a lot of great people on this trip that made it so much fun. The entertainment was fantastic; Ron Pass (Piano Man) is one of the best I have seen. The Splendor is great and Captain Salvatore Rassello and his crew did a fantastic job avoiding Hurricane Rick and making this a fantastic cruise for all on board.
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