We had a fantastic time on the Carnival Splendor. The ship was amazing. The staff and crew treated you like royalty. The food was superb. The ports and excursions were unforgettable. The cruise director kept you informed so you always knew what was happening. Best vacation we have ever had. Our weather was great too which of course helped make for an awesome vacation.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was very easy. You check your bags outside. Have your room number handy so they put it on the luggage tags they provide. Have your passport and cruise papers with you. The lines moved very fast. You are given a number and the signs and people guide you where to go. They call your number and you are ready to board the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate in the Black Pearl Restaurant every night. The hostess Duwi was so welcoming and friendly. After a few days she knew our name and room number. Our wait staff was fantastic. Francisco was our head waiter and was great. The food was fabulous. The buffets on the ship were unbelievable. There is so much variety and everything was delicious. The 24 hour pizza buffet was very yummy along with 24 hour access to ice cream or frozen yogurt!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We enjoyed the pools which are salt water. There was usually Caribbean music playing or other types of music which gives it that fun atmosphere. They had different activities such as watching a man carve an ice sculpture or they had a Mixology contest where guests made up drinks and whoever won got their drink as the special the next day.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We saw many of the musical type shows and all of the comedians on board. They were very good and the comedians were very funny!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We cannot say enough about all the staff. They work so hard to make you feel welcome and treat you like royalty. Our steward Rolan was fantastic. Our hostess Duwi was so sweet and our head waiter at the Black Pearl made us look forward to dinner along with how delicious the food was.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ships design was great. Everything was easy to get to. The common areas were always clean. We even commented how someone was mopping the floor constantly.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was a very nice size. It did not feel small at all. We had a king size bed and there was a couch, a coffee type table a full dresser in front of a large mirror with a decent amount of drawer space and 3 very large closets with tons of hangers. The bathroom was not huge, but was designed so well, it was fantastic. The water pressure was great and there was always very hot water. The balcony was awesome. It was so nice to be able to step outside and feel the breeze and watch the ocean.
Ship tip
Get ready to have a fantastic time. Everyone is very kind and they really want you to have a great vacation. Treat everyone with kindness. They work so hard for you 24 hours a day. The ship is beautiful and very well maintained.
This port was beautiful. We did the Monkey Jungle Adventure. It was FANTASTIC! Our tour guide Jose Cruz was very informative and funny. We took 1 1/2 hour open bus ride and he gave us very interesting information about the Dominican Republic. We stopped at an actual person's home to see how they live. (Much different than we live in the USA). The Monkey Jungle Adventure is something my family will never forget. There were so many of them and they were so cute and they jump all over you which sounds scary, but it was not. It was so cool. You have to experience it to understand it.
Grand Turks was beautiful. We did an All Inclusive beach adventure. It was great. They put up umbrellas for us, there was fruit punch, rum punch, bottled water or sodas included and a very good lunch. The people were very kind. We had an hour of snorkeling. The water is the blue you see in pictures. It is very rocky so you need water shoes. They had nice bathrooms. It was very clean. Great day!
This island was beautiful. You had to take a tendor to get to the island and that was very quick and easy. We did an hour bike ride tour to get to see the island. It's not a very big island. The tour guide gave us the history of the island and we stopped at different points to look around and they have us a bottle of water. The water is so beautiful. The beach and water looked like a post card. It was gorgeous. Carnival Splendor provided lunch and it was amazing.
This port was okay. The people selling things are very pushy which I knew, but I don't really like that. No one was mean, they just really keep bothering you in the stores. You can get some good deals though. We took a ferry to Paradise Island to see Atlantis. It is beautiful, but you cannot see too much if you are not staying there. You can walk inside some of Atlantis and there is a public beach. They have an aquarium to see but it was $47 a person so we took a pass on that.
We had a 12:15 flight so we needed to get off fairly early to get to the airport. We chose to keep our luggage and carry it ourselves. The other option is you put tags on and they take the luggage overnight to the port terminal, but we did not want to risk having something lost. The cruise director calls you by floor (we had to leave with a different floor because our floor time was too late which was not a problem at all). We were through the terminal so quickly we actually go to the airport way too early. Better early than late. The ship has a meeting the day before how to disembark and it is wise to go to know what to do. You have to make sure you don't owe any money, where to wait, what forms to fill out and have handy so there are no issues. Went extremely smooth!
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