August 2019 - 6 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Horizon
Shukonda
Third Mate
New Jersey
Joined 09/2016
3
Cruises1
Review45
Helpful VotesHello. This is our first cruise and I will be taking along my 19 yr old son and 20 yr old cousin. We are looking forward to having an adventure. We all like adventure type of things. We plan on going to Dunns River Falls in Jamaica, a Jet ski/Stingray City/Starfish beach excursion in Grand Cayman, and Xcarat in Mexico. We are excited!
Past cruises
November 2017 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Splendor
The ship was ok. I only have the Carnival Dream to compare it to. All in all I liked the Dream better but the Splendor wasn't horrible. The pink was tasteful I think. We looked the pink circles with the black zebra stripes inside. The main dining room shows were ok but again they were better on the Dream. The only main complaint that I have is that this year I bought a more expensive internet package than my $5/day package on the Dream last year and had worse internet service on the Splendor. That was disappointing but it did come thru when I needed it most for an email about my shore excursion. I enjoyed Bingo and the girl from Peru(Samantha?) She was so entertaining and needs to be a crust director! We also enjoyed Clue. I went to a couple shows that were pretty darn good in the Spectacular room. W played Digital Scavenger Hunt and that wad the most fun where we had to go around taking photos of a list of things and whoever got the most photos on the list won. We were running around skiing people to take their pictures and it was so much fun! Our ports were fun. The only problem wad in Grand Cayman it took almost 2 hours to finally get back on the tender back to the ship. I don't know what the hold up was but it was packed. We didn't have that problem last year getting back to the ship so I don't know what happened but it was long long lines wrapped around everywhere. But hey we made it back on the ship. Our room steward was nice. His name was Roland. We asked him to keep all of our towel animals until the last day so we had a little towel animal zoo to take a picture of lol. We used anyone dining so we didn't have the same waiter any of the days. The only downfall to that was that the service was kinda slow and it wasn't personal or warm. Definitely didn't feel the service was worthy of an extra tip. We did tip Roland extra. He was awesome! I liked the fact that we were able to put our cash on our still and sign account at the check in process before boarding the ship. Last year on that dream we had to wait until we got in the ship and there were long lines waiting for the kiosk so this was a great improvement in my opinion. I enjoyed the food. I tried escargot for the first time and liked it. Didn't like the frog legs too much but I get to say I tried it! The burgers on the lido deck kept being burnt and I don't like that but that burrito bar was awesome! The bbq place was very good too. I didn't find it too hard to navigate the ship and hey I won $54 in the casino lol. I stopped after that! Matey our cruise director was ok but if it were up to me again I'd prefer Samantha from Peru. She was entertaining to me! I saw her a few places and she has the attitude to get your spirits up and I think she's funny! Our cabin was fine. We were in 6424 and had no issues. Only thing is we were supposed to have twin beds and they gave us the rim South the beds pushed together but since we're sisters we just slept with them together. Getting a tender sticker was no problem. The food was all good. I really enjoyed the Hub App. We were able to bookmark our favorites for the day of the things we wanted to do and it would notify us when it was time. I didn't go to the lip sync battle but it sounded like it was fun. I have every single Fun Times if anyone wants to see them or whatever. I think that sums it all up. I chose this cruise for the ports. Oh and I did like that the part over the pool closed up if the weather wasn't nice so you can still be out on the lido deck and swim.
November 2016 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Dream
Carnival Splendor
Sail date: November 12, 2017
The ship was ok. I only have the Carnival Dream to compare it to. All in all I liked the Dream better but the Splendor wasn't horrible. The pink was tasteful I think. We looked the pink circles with the black zebra stripes inside. The main dining room shows were ok but again they were better on the Dream. The only main complaint that I have is that this year I bought a more expensive internet package than my $5/day package on the Dream last year and had worse internet service on the Splendor. That was disappointing but it did come thru when I needed it most for an email about my shore excursion. I enjoyed Bingo and the girl from Peru(Samantha?) She was so entertaining and needs to be a crust director! We also enjoyed Clue. I went to a couple shows that were pretty darn good in the Spectacular room. W played Digital Scavenger Hunt and that wad the most fun where we had to go around taking photos of a list of things and whoever got the most photos on the list won. We were running around skiing people to take their pictures and it was so much fun! Our ports were fun. The only problem wad in Grand Cayman it took almost 2 hours to finally get back on the tender back to the ship. I don't know what the hold up was but it was packed. We didn't have that problem last year getting back to the ship so I don't know what happened but it was long long lines wrapped around everywhere. But hey we made it back on the ship. Our room steward was nice. His name was Roland. We asked him to keep all of our towel animals until the last day so we had a little towel animal zoo to take a picture of lol. We used anyone dining so we didn't have the same waiter any of the days. The only downfall to that was that the service was kinda slow and it wasn't personal or warm. Definitely didn't feel the service was worthy of an extra tip. We did tip Roland extra. He was awesome! I liked the fact that we were able to put our cash on our still and sign account at the check in process before boarding the ship. Last year on that dream we had to wait until we got in the ship and there were long lines waiting for the kiosk so this was a great improvement in my opinion. I enjoyed the food. I tried escargot for the first time and liked it. Didn't like the frog legs too much but I get to say I tried it! The burgers on the lido deck kept being burnt and I don't like that but that burrito bar was awesome! The bbq place was very good too. I didn't find it too hard to navigate the ship and hey I won $54 in the casino lol. I stopped after that! Matey our cruise director was ok but if it were up to me again I'd prefer Samantha from Peru. She was entertaining to me! I saw her a few places and she has the attitude to get your spirits up and I think she's funny! Our cabin was fine. We were in 6424 and had no issues. Only thing is we were supposed to have twin beds and they gave us the rim South the beds pushed together but since we're sisters we just slept with them together. Getting a tender sticker was no problem. The food was all good. I really enjoyed the Hub App. We were able to bookmark our favorites for the day of the things we wanted to do and it would notify us when it was time. I didn't go to the lip sync battle but it sounded like it was fun. I have every single Fun Times if anyone wants to see them or whatever. I think that sums it all up. I chose this cruise for the ports. Oh and I did like that the part over the pool closed up if the weather wasn't nice so you can still be out on the lido deck and swim.
Cruise tips
We booked a jet ski tour to Stingray City, starfish beach, and snorkeling with Fat Fish Adventures. They were very nice when booking and answered any and all questions we had beforehand. The day of our excursion, they emailed me nice and early to tell me they unfortunately had to cancel the excursion because it called for rain most of the day. A little while later while we were still on the ship I got another email saying it looked line it was going to clear up and the tour was still on. We were happy. The guy met us at our meeting place on time. He talked to us on the way to the start of the jet skis. They gave us our instructions and we were off to Stingray City. The water going was way calmer than it was last year but when we got to Stingray City the water was kinda high and the water was not that calm. We got to touch and feel them but not like last year. The guy was young so I'm not sure if it was his inexperience or the water. After that we went snorkeling. I saw a nice reef with a lot of fish so I was happy. From there we went to starfish beach. Stayed a few minutes and we were off back to the beginning because we were late. He didn't rush us at all and all in all we had a good time and we were glad we were able to do the tour. The weather held out and we had a beautiful day. After that they took us to Margaritaville where we ate and drank and walked back to the ship. We had a good day. Just being out on the jet ski was the thrill we wanted and needed.
We went to Goffs Caye thru shoreexcursioneer which hooked us up with ecotoursbelize. We had an awesome time. We had a couple hours before our excursion started and shopped and looked around at port. Inside the port someone gave my son a price of $40 to twist his dreadlocks. We went right outside the gate and a lady named Ruth gave us a price of $25. We couldn't do it right away because by then it was time for our tour so we went back in to our meeting place. They gathered everyone up onto the boat. Gave safety information and off we went on our 30 minute boat ride to the island. Claudius was very informative on the boat ride there and answered every question he was asked. I didn't want to go on the snorkeling part of the excursion so Claudius left someone on the island to be our personal guide when we were ready. Markus was our guide and led us to an awesome beautiful reef. He kept us safe, pointed out so many things and even went down and got this brittle starfish that was climbing all over us. He was so informative and patient. He even took us out further than he was supposed to and had boats beeping at us! It was awesome! Then we went back and relaxed with free rum punch. We ate lunch when we got there which was ok. Just relaxing out there was amazing. The day was beautiful. Then it was time to load back up for the 30 minute boat ride back. We got back to port with plenty of time. We went outside the gate, found Ruth and she did my son's hair right there for $25. We bought some souvenirs right out there too for a good price. Inside the gate a lot of things said made in China. I bought a beautiful Wilks shell that they engraved with Belize on it and a wooden shot glass that they personalized then burnished right there in front of me. I would definitely go there again and I did feel safe. Our best time was in Belize.
Well I enjoy Cozumel. Today we went on a private ATV to Jade Cavern and cenote booked thru shoreexcursioneer. The actual tour was with Wild Tours. The ATVs looked used but ok. They stopped me because my wheel was so wobbly so he have me his to ride and rode the wobbly wheeled one. My sister's ATV stalled twice. Once we got to the cenote, thru did have Someone come and change the tire on 2 or Our ATVs. By tiger time we were done at the cenote the tires were changed. The cenote was a nice site. Out of 7 of us, 4 jumped. My son jumped 3 times. Back on the awesome muddy trail we headed back. Another ATV stalled and they had to come bring another one. We got back and I said we never ride thru jade caverns which I was most excited to do. Oscar tried to say it wad flooded. I demanded some of my money back thenand lo and behold he took us back out thru a lot more muddier awesome trails and down this hole that had a sign that said coral cave. It sufficed. We rode back and rinsed off. Our tour came with a couple free things that they tried to sell us but luckily I had them write it in my paperwork. I did buy the flesh dive that had over 170 pictures for $90 which included our free printed picture and another printed picture. I did not do the tequila tasting. I paid the driver a little extra to drop us off at Sky Reef. At Sky Reef they tried to also get over on us and would let us but different packages that suited each individuals needs. 4 of us went. My 1 sister wanted to buy the $15 plan, My other sister was buying the $50 plan and I And my son were buying the $60 plan. They told my 2 sisters they have to both buy the $50 plan which in the end they obliged. Then when we ordered the waiter tried to tell us we basically couldn't order how much ever we wanted from our specific packages menu. It did not feel all inclusive at all. Did not have that problem at Mr. Sanchos last year. They took a picture and we did buy it with the frame. Wet snorkeled. There was fish but the reef is just about gone. On the left we found live reef but it was so shallow I didn't want to ruin it. It had nothing on Belize and Honduras. Overall it still didn't ruin our day but I did have to put my foot down on some things to get what I rightfully paid for. Would I come again? To Mexico? Yes but if try another place and go on another tour for a different experience. The ATV experience was good and Oscar was nice but the ATVs should have been checked Abe serviced already because we were booked for 2 weeks already. It's not like it was last minute. All in all we still enjoyed ourselves.
Well I enjoy Cozumel. Today we went on a private ATV to Jade Cavern and cenote booked thru shoreexcursioneer. The actual tour was with Wild Tours. The ATVs looked used but ok. They stopped me because my wheel was so wobbly so he have me his to ride and rode the wobbly wheeled one. My sister's ATV stalled twice. Once we got to the cenote, thru did have Someone come and change the tire on 2 or Our ATVs. By tiger time we were done at the cenote the tires were changed. The cenote was a nice site. Out of 7 of us, 4 jumped. My son jumped 3 times. Back on the awesome muddy trail we headed back. Another ATV stalled and they had to come bring another one. We got back and I said we never ride thru jade caverns which I was most excited to do. Oscar tried to say it wad flooded. I demanded some of my money back thenand lo and behold he took us back out thru a lot more muddier awesome trails and down this hole that had a sign that said coral cave. It sufficed. We rode back and rinsed off. Our tour came with a couple free things that they tried to sell us but luckily I had them write it in my paperwork. I did buy the flesh dive that had over 170 pictures for $90 which included our free printed picture and another printed picture. I did not do the tequila tasting. I paid the driver a little extra to drop us off at Sky Reef. At Sky Reef they tried to also get over on us and would let us but different packages that suited each individuals needs. 4 of us went. My 1 sister wanted to buy the $15 plan, My other sister was buying the $50 plan and I And my son were buying the $60 plan. They told my 2 sisters they have to both buy the $50 plan which in the end they obliged. Then when we ordered the waiter tried to tell us we basically couldn't order how much ever we wanted from our specific packages menu. It did not feel all inclusive at all. Did not have that problem at Mr. Sanchos last year. They took a picture and we did buy it with the frame. Wet snorkeled. There was fish but the reef is just about gone. On the left we found live reef but it was so shallow I didn't want to ruin it. It had nothing on Belize and Honduras. Overall it still didn't ruin our day but I did have to put my foot down on some things to get what I rightfully paid for. Would I come again? To Mexico? Yes but if try another place and go on another tour for a different experience. The ATV experience was good and Oscar was nice but the ATVs should have been checked Abe serviced already because we were booked for 2 weeks already. It's not like it was last minute. All in all we still enjoyed ourselves.
Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
We booked Little French Key thru shoreexcursioneer. We made arrangements with them to also go to Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hangout. OMG the monkeys were hilariously mischievous and the sloth was so lovable! One monkey used his tail and stole my sister's cigarettes! The other monkeys were all over my other sister because she had coconut oil in her hair so if you want them to be all over you wear that! We didn't want to leave there! Our driver to the Hangout was very nice and informative. Then we had another awesome driver named Orlin who took us to LFK. LFK was not all that I thought it was going to be. The presidential people were there and they took all the attention from our waiter and all the employees. It was an hour wait for lunch. The water wasn't clear because it was overcast and did rain a few times. We paid to hold the jaguar which was awesome! We also did the banana boat and paid a little extra to snorkel and it saved the whole day! That reef was amazing! Dark bright blue water is how I can describe it. The pictures underwater doesn't do it's beauty justice. I would give LFK another try only because apparently they didn't know all these presidential people were coming. Thru Saud it was s surprise so I'll give them that. Big French Key was right across the water. We were not allowed in their shore and they weren't allowed on ours. Kinda weird lol but everyone could swim in the water. Going back Orlin even stopped to take our picture at the LFK sign. He was so nice and calm. The ride back was congested but that was not our drivers fault. All in all the banana boat and snorkel saved our trip. My son did the key ski tour at LFK and enjoyed it.
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