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Wellington

We have cruised multiple times, mostly with Carnival. Last year we tried Royal Caribbean. It was nice but we found we missed Carnival. I use a wheelchair full time and Carnival always provides excellent service to me.

The food was very good. We ate in the dining room (Black pearl) every night. I eat  a lot of chicken and there were 2 new dishes that I found to be delicious. We had buffet most mornings. We tried the sea day brunch. It was disorganized and slow. It took an hour to get our food and then it wasn't very good. The lunch buffet is very good. I ate Indian food daily and it was great.

We didn't do Carnival excursions because of my disability. They are lacking in accessible excursions but I understand why.

The ship is getting older but is clean and easy to maneuver. The public space in the lobby is a little small but ok.

We never felt crowded. Sea days are always busy but there were areas in which you could actually be alone or only one of a few people.

Great time back on Carnival

The crew: Wife and I, early fifties and our two adult kids 22 & 24. We have all cruised many times and my wife and I have also stayed at several all-inclusive resorts.

Like many people, we chose this cruise on Splendor for price and a couple of the ports. But price being number one.

Overall it was a very nice cruise and I am currently looking at cruises for 2019 and leaning on another Carnival cruise because of what you get for the money. I heard a few passengers complain about some issues and I believe if they go into their cruise realizing you are on a budget cruise line, it helps. For example, if you are a foodie and this is a big part of your cruise, don’t go on Carnival. Or if you like to have everyone in more formal attire in the evening, look for a different line. It is rather comical to hear people complain that Carnival isn’t as good as cruise line ____, but they took this cruise because of the cost difference. So you get more from another line that you pay more for. Makes sense right?

Embarkation was quick and easy.

Debarkation was very long in customs, no fault of Carnival since there were five ships debarking.

Our cabin was #6295. It seemed a bit bigger and certainly had more closet space. The biggest issue was noise. This cabin has the option for a joining room and through the adjoining door you could clearly hear our neighbors. And they were not being loud at all. We asked the room steward and he said he was sorry, but there was nothing he could do. So we used one of the blue beach towels at the bottom of the door and it did seem to help. There were also noises in the ceiling just outside the room, when there was any rocking movement of the ship. If you are a light sleeper, this is probably not your room. Our adult kids had room #1082 and really liked it. It was an un-needed handicap room and located just above the entertainment on the Lido deck. Very handy.

We did "Your Time" dining and the dining room food and staff was good/very good. My favorite outside the dining room was the Tandoor. The other three tried the pizza and said it was bad. I tried the Mongolian grill once and was not impressed. Based on the line of people, I’m thinking it might be an aberration. I also tried the breakfast buffet twice and again it just isn't very good. For example, the scrambled eggs are not just wet, you have to literally drain the water off. And if you like strips of bacon that are not over cooked, it couldn't be found. There are other issues, but you get the idea.

My wife and I enjoy hanging out in the piano bar in the evening.  We had been let down on our last three cruises. (We had a piano player a couple of years ago that could not sing because he had no voice. I asked him if he lost his voice and he said "No, this is just how I sound"). This year, we finally had a very good piano player in Gregg from Cali and enjoyed it every night. He is a pro’s pro.

We tried karaoke a couple of times, but the girl hosting it was not very good and let a couple of groups monopolize the evening so we left quickly the second night and never went back.

The serenity area is very nice. I would suggest if you like it quiet that you park on the non mini-golf side (I believe port side).

The staff was very good and we were amazed at how quickly they remember your name and desires. Our room steward was fantastic and quick to address any issues.

As for excursions, my daughter and I did the trike tour in Cozumel and loved it. Highly recommended. My daughter and wife did the zip-line (non Carnival) in Rotan and raved about it.

I would say my biggest complaint was how cold they kept the ship. It was not uncommon to see people sitting with blankets, INSIDE the ship. Second, the music/entertainment is way over the top loud. A few times I turned off my hearing aids, (leaving them in my ears) and it was still too loud. Trust me, I am very hard of hearing. Lastly, a sewer smell. We have had this on other ships, but unfortunately it seemed worse in the piano bar. And we loved hanging out there. 

Just like any vacation, go with the right attitude, right expectations, proper patience and you will be golden.

The parents and two adult kids

Check-in was smooth, no problems.

Ports: all good. Tender to Belize terminal was 20 minutes. 1st time to Belize, unless you have an excursion there's not much at the terminal.

Food: Buffet was average. Dining room was oK

Service: Excellent. No complaints here.

Entertainment , shows: the worst I've been , on many Carnival cruises. Mostly Hasbro game shows, and unprofessional productions, cheap , cheap... The comedians were not very good, too much picking on the audience and the jokes were not funny.

Cabin: TV went belly up; they changed it very quickly.The fridge made a huge buzzing  noise a couple of nights and woke up everyone; but it went away after few minutes. The TV remote got stuck on the ship account review due to dead batteries but again was replaced the next day.

Overall, Everything was good, except the shows and entertainment which were grossly lacking; Carnival should do something about that.

Disembarkation: smooth, no problems.

Carnival a mixed bag

We had a great week on the splendor. The food was excellent and there were ample activities.  We especially loved the cruise director, MarQ.  We did your time dining and only had to wait once.  Our head waiter was Mortel. Again, excellent. We chose a ocean suite which was very nice.   We noticed a decrease in cabin attentiveness over past cruises and had to ask for standard items several times, such as pool towels, room service cards, and drinking glasses. The cabin was super clean   Ports were very good and weather was perfect. We booked all of our excursions off ship and had no issues.   The comedians were very good as were all the singers/bands on the ship. We found the carnival hub app to be so helpful in communicating with the other couples we were with as well as finding out what the dining room menus were and what activities were happening each day. Embarking and debarking quick and easy. Of the 8 cruises we have been on, this was one of our best.

Excellent cruise

Service was very good, front desk, steward, restaurants, but 7 days is too much to find all perfect. We experienced some not so cool events .

Dining:

Some of the waiters are always happy, showing great service, others slow and forced. in the Gold Pearl, Enez Can Doğan was wonderful always with a smile and great recommendations. Norman always very attentive and there was a girl from Thailand but i forgot her name. The one that was not so cool was the hostess, I think I she should treat the costumers in a better way, one night we arrived at 9pm because the children fell asleep and basically told us that we could not have dinner, we had to wait to see what the maitre said , we were conditioned to only order main course and dessert. At the next day we tried to have dinner earlier  7:30 pm on the black pearl, but we were denied to. At the beginning the hostess over there said to wait 30 min to get a table but then the Maitre D said we should dinner late at the other restaurant. I understand rules but just let know you guys if you chose early you can't change to late and if you have kids and as on our family plans are more spontaneous you are kind of stuck in schedules .

We never saw the maitre D, I am a foodie and I used to work in the food and beverage industry, so I know some of the standards and I know what to expect. One time i founded in my meat a grape stem or a branch and asked them to take away the plate, nobody came to apologize just asked if I wanted something else. In 2 other occasions that we dined in the gold pearl, the terms of the meats were wrong, medium was well cooked or worse. The truth the food is made on big quantities so, not the best taste and not very good presentation was very common. The pizza place was great, best pizza ever 24/7.

Activities

Mark Q is awesome, that guy runs the ship 24/7 (i think he dont even sleep). We went to the dr seuss parade, rock and roll show, lip sync battle (awesome performance), towel show, 80's party, trivia, even he was talking with every guest at the meet and greet from cruise critic. 

Spa:

We got a gift card for a our anniversary and my wife got awesome time and service by Necia at the spa.

Is ok but need some upgrades

This was our 1st cruise and we had a great time.  Embarkation was easy, we were even a few minutes early and that was no problem.  

When we walked on the ship we went right to guest services to add our credit card to our account.  It took 2 minutes and off we went to enjoy our vacation!

Our stateroom was on the 7th floor aft.   The room was a great size for the 2 of us.  However, I could feel the boat rocking a lot and it did make me ill at times.

Marvin was our room steward and he was amazing.  I asked for ice and robes and evening service and that's exactly what I got.  Not once did we pass Marvin in the hall when he did not ask how we were, what our plans were or if we needed anything.  He was amazing!!!

We did your time dining and our waitress was Elizabeth and she remembered us even thought we didn't eat there every night.

We ate at the steakhouse which was amazing.  I would do that again

Never had a problem or a wait to get a drink, the deli was good, the Tandoor was too spicy for me and we did not try the pizza place.  Had a great time in the sports bar and the casino.  Comedy shows, nightclub and piano bar were all fun too.

We did not use the spa and did not go to the art shows.

The only excursion we did with Carnival was zip lining in Mahogany Bay and that was amazing. 

We never encountered any issues with the service on the ship.  The waiters on the pool deck was great, he knew I loved the puffer fish and coconut drink holders. 

I only have some minor complaints. First, the coffee is awful both on the Lido and the Coffee Shop.  At the coffee shop, they always had one lady working and she would get very backed up.  Second, the eggs on the ship are gross, they were scrambled and they were sort of laying in water.    

Disembarkation was easy and we only waited 10 minutes or so in the customs line.

Overall, we had a great time and we loved it.  Already looking for another cruise in 2019

Wonderful 1st Cruise

This was our 19th cruise and 17th with Carnival.  We have cruised two other cruise lines and always enjoyed Carnival much more than the others.  The last couple cruises we were surprised to see some changes that involved the removal of things that we liked about Carnival and unfortunately we saw more of the same on this cruise.  We are loyal platinum members and are really starting to wonder if Carnival's direction is away from the things we have enjoyed so much over the last decade. We have an NCL cruise booked in March and if it goes really well this may have been our last Carnival cruise ever.

We flew into Fort Lauderdale and rented a car before and after the cruise. We rented with AVIS before and Budget after and the rates were very reasonable.  We dropped off the car at the downtown Miami locations on SE 2nd St and picked it up in the same location with dropoff at FLL.  There are shuttles from the car rental to the port but they are VERY busy - so we just took a $12 cab ride back and forth to the port to save time.

Embarkation was AMAZING. We showed up and pretty well walked onto the boat.  We were on the ship by 11 am and didn't get to the port until 10:30 am.  The new method of just showing a boarding pass and walking onto the ship worked really well.  Our room key was waiting for us at our door.  Our luggage (and it appeared most other people's luggage) was all on the boat well before 3 pm.  The most efficient I have seen in all my years.  Since it was New Year's Eve there was plenty of champagne flowing!  We had a fantastic deck party that night.  A perfect way to ring in the New Year. 

The Splendor is very Pink but not too overwhelming.  We travelled as a group of 6 and enjoyed the decor.  There was always staff cleaning on the stairwells at all times of day - something we see on Carnival all the time but not so much other cruise lines.  The layout is a little strange and different from all other Carnival ships.  The pool area is very small thanks to a cathedral type setup with multiple layers of decks hovering over the pool.  The middle Lido deck pool has a retractable roof but space is small and busy if bad weather hits. 

The theatre is very nice as is the atrium.  The casino is very smokey and the smoke trickles into the Atrium and can be overwhelming.  To get back and forth across the boat you need to take deck 5 where the casino is and the smoke is unbearable at times.  There is a sports bar and library off the main atrium but seldomly used.  In the aft of the boat is the assigned seating dining room that is also used for breakfast and brunch.  Also in the aft is the comedy club and buffet on Deck 9.  The buffet has a BBQ pit area up the stairs that serves some great BBQ food.  The was a Tandoor restaurant at the back of the boat that had the best food every day.

There are a pool and two hot tubs on the back of the ship, on Deck 9.  These areas used to be adult only but for some reason is now open to children.  The serenity deck at the front of the ship on Deck 12 is children only but has no hot tubs or pools and is a long way from any relief and very little shade.  We the middle pool, kids club and another waterpark at the top of the ship I'm not sure why Carnival decided to remove the adults only pool area at the back of this ship and others in the fleet.  A big loss for us and others we spoke to on this cruise.

There is a Taster Bar on Deck 5 but it was NEVER open the entire cruise.  This is one of our favourite Carnival features and was shocked to see it NEVER open.  We would often come by the Taster Bar on other ships for a nibble before dinner with a drink and some music/dancing at the nearest band.  So sad to see this closed with no explanation.  Not sure if this is happening fleetwide.

My wife and I went for a massage.  It was amazing and we paid $109 each for a 75-minute treatment that involved a facial and full body massage. I was super happy to not be harassed by the masseuse to by products after the treatments!  On other Carnival cruises, we did massages for a substantial price, only to be pitched to spend even more on products we 'need' in the masseuse's opinion. Nice to see a relaxing experience that ended well.

We only had one excursion booked and it was cancelled.

Our ports were Princess Cayes, Grand Turk, San Juan and Amber Cove.

At Princess Caye, we tendered to a little port that had beach chairs and a sandy beach.  The water was cool and there was a decent amount of rock under the water.  The water itself was disgusting with floating debris including band-aids, cigarettes, straws, etc.  Too bad cause it was a nice beach.  If doing it again we would have turned right instead of left off the tender to go to a quieter beach.  There was a free lunch offered on the beach by Carnival with plenty of food options like you would find on the ship.

This was our third trip to Grand Turk and was shocked at how different it was because of the Hurricane earlier this year.  The old beach with chairs spread around under palm trees we now a sea of chairs with umbrellas with a few palm trees to the rear held up by two-by-fours.  The beach was still nice but there were a lot of chairs and umbrellas that were now being rented by locals at the water's edge.  This was never the case before and ruined what used to be a tropical oasis.  You could see many trees in the distance that were stripped of their leaves.  The Margaritaville seemed different and doesn't have the all-inclusive drink/eat option anymore.

We made our fourth trip to San Juan.  Old San Juan was just as we remembered.  The weather was great and we spent the day exploring the city.

Our last stop was Amber Cove.  The rain pounded down all day.  We couldn't even get off the boat.  It looked like the beaches were beautiful and quiet with scenery that looked right of Jurassic Park all around the cove.  A real shame that we didn't get to enjoy a great stop.  We hope to get back here again!

We ate in the dining room for all dinners and breakfast.  The menu is new for the last couple cruises.  I'm not a big fan of seafood and red meat and found the changes now really restrict my choices.  We had a child with a peanut allergy with us and we had to be on guard all the time. In past cruises, the waiter would come up to her each meal and point out what items were not free but this didn't happen even after we spoke to them about the allergy. This is a little thing but very important for us to avoid a potentially deadly situation. They have finally stopped doing the 'apple bottom jeans' dance but did the other usual ones.

We were unhappy with the overall Entertainment and 'fun squad'.  Carnival continues to try and market the Cruise Director and team as 'celebrities'.  The Welcome Aboard party was extremely amateurish with tacky towel animal videos that reminded me of something someone would do for a high-school project.  The cruise director really did think he was the reason we were at the shows -  not realizing we came to see the actual entertainers. The grand big shows with dancing girls and quality singers are gone.  There are 6-8 singers/dancers now that struggle to do either one well.  Most shows had obvious off-tune moments. The theatre shows were always a highlight of our cruises but the impression we have now is that head office just lets the cruise director do what they want - making it all very immature and downright embarrassing to sit through.  Thank goodness there is still comedy because high school variety shows are not to the standard of what we have come to expect and falls well short of other cruise lines.  The musicians that played throughout the ship were really good and saved the night sometimes after a bad show.  Too bad some of the best acts were stuck at the smokey casino stage.  I feel bad for the entertainers having to suck in the second-hand smoke all night and not being able to have even more people around to listen and dance. 

Disembarkation was seamless and we were off the boat by 9 am - and we took our time.

Overall we enjoyed the cruise but the loss in quality for entertainment, the loss of the Taste Bar and the lack of adults only pool is really cutting into the perks that we have come to enjoy with Carnival.  Carnival used to kill NCL on entertainment and atmosphere but with the changes that gap is closing.  The crazy drink package price on Carnival and NCL offering it as a perk on many cruises for free could be the deciding factor. We are looking closely at jumping ship to NCL and leaving our Platinum status behind. Very sad because Carnival has given us so many amazing memories. :(

17th Carnival Cruise May Be the Last

I had always wanted to sail on New Year's, but always found the cruises to be too expensive at this time.  Instead for the past two years, I have sailed the week before Christmas which is a lot less expensive than when I usually sail in the summer.  This year I decided that I was going to do a New Year's cruise just to try it out.  I kept checking the prices for the Vista which is their newest ship, and I have sailed on it twice, but it was too expensive.  When I finally decided to book it two weeks before sailing, everything was sold out.  I found the last cabin available aboard the Splendor which was an ocean view, and being older than the Vista, it was a lot less expensive. 

Having sailed the week before Christmas the past two years, I was hoping that the ship was still beautifully decorated, and to my surprise it was.  They took down all of the Christmas decorations the last day at sea. 

I usually sail with my nephew and mom, but they couldn't make it so I went by myself.  

I drove to The Port of Miami since I live 30 minutes away.  Embarkation was a breeze. The ocean view cabin was beautiful and so spacious. 

I then went to lido to have lunch, and they were giving out free champagne and there was a big champagne float in the pool.   

The first night, I ate on lido.  I have been falling asleep before 10pm lately on all of my cruises so at 9:30 pm, I took a nap until 11pm so that I could be awake for the New Year's party.  It was unbelievable, so crowded, and so much fun.  This was the first night aboard the ship and also happened to be formal night. 

The next day was a day at Princess Cays. It was a very relaxing day by the beach. 

Our next Port of Call was Grand Turk.  It was nice and breezy and not too much sun.  I always go to the MargaritaVile pool, but decided to lay out by the beach this time.  The water was too cold for me, but I enjoyed the amazing weather. 

Then it was off to San Juan Puerto Rico the next day.  This port is always absolutely beautiful.  There wasn't visible damage at the tourist area from Hurricane Irma. 

The last port of call was Amber Cove.  I was so excited because I had never been to this port.  It poured all day, and the weather got worse as the day went by.  Many people stayed on the ship, but I got off for two hours around the port area and shops.  Carnival was selling ponchos for $3 because the rain was super heavy.  Most tours were cancelled.  My coworker was aboard the Vista, and they went the day after.  The weather was perfect for them. 

The entertainment, service, and food were top notch.  This was my second time aboard this ship.   MarQ Anthony is a brilliant cruise director.  He is so much like Matt Mitcham.

A NEW YEAR'S CRUISE IS A MUST!

Needed a cruise that left after Christmas and this fit the bill and was longer than other companies offered.  The ship looks like it needs an update.  The decorations are outdated and very pink, seats are cracked and it needs a facelift.  Not much to do on the ship in terms of activities.  Two waterslides and mini golf did not hold my children's attention (ages 10, 12) and they did not want to go to camp since we were traveling with extended family.  Cruise director, MarQ was excellent - maybe the best that we've experienced on 9 cruises with varying companies.  The music was good - more appropriate for the age of the crowd - there was an 80's show, trivia, 90's music and some 70's.  Dance party on the deck was lively.  Food was good but service only eh. Room size was great for a family of 4 and more spacious than most other ships.  Needed more activities to do during the day since the ports were shorter days or people didn't get off.

Fun entertainment, but not the ship.

Five of us went on the Splendor the day after Christmas.

We had a great time!

We jet skied on the private island which was just beautiful!.

We enjoyed the ports but especially loved the beach at Turks & Caicos.

Nassau was not as pretty but still had fun shopping at the straw market

The specialty steak house restaurant  was very good!

The staff were polite and courteous 

I would suggest buying the faster to the fun pass as we got priority boarding

Getting back on the ship at each port was a breeze we did not have to wait on the long lines

We used the spa which was very relaxing !

We took a hop on hop off bus tour in Miami after disembarking because our flight home was not until later in the day.  This was so much fun and our tour guide Byron was sofunny and knowledgeable. Great way to end our cruise.  We were able to book it right at the pier and saved $$ by doing it this way.

All in all a great time!

Post Christmas Cruise

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