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Great Mexican Family Cruise

Carnival Splendor Cruise Review to Mexico

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 78

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5
Carnival Splendor

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 30, 2019

Ship: Carnival Splendor

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Had a blast spending time with the family. The ship was not updated with all of Carnival's newest amenities and decor. I do wish the food options were a bit better, but still made the best of the situation. The Pinnacle Steakhouse was phenomenal both in quality of food and service. The grill was a savior for late night snacks. Burrito bar, omelette station and deli were one my favorites. I do wish the aft pool (18 and over) had more space because on sea days it was hard to get a chair and hot tubs were filled to over capacity. I also wished the entertainment was spread out a bit more, so I can go from one event to another; as opposed to having to make a choice because they were at the same time. Once the ship is updated, it will be magnificent and I'll sail on it again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Quick and Easy

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
We were assigned to the Black Pearl for "Anytime Dining" and the food was okay, but Freddy our server was excellent. We ate at the Pinnacle Steak house on our first night and the food was EXCELLENT! Buffet was our savior on days we did not want to eat in the dining rooms, but wish they had more selections and variations day to day. The sandwiches and burgers were good.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Pools and hot tubs were always full of kids. It was nice to see that many people used the fitness center, but it was not fun waiting to use equipment. Did not use the water slide or mini golf, but the kids seemed to like it very much. Did play in the casino and had fun, just wished it was nonsmoking. Comedy shows were ok, but not as funny as I would of hoped.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Didn't catch all the shows, but was so happy I made it to the Lip Sync Battle. That was a GREAT show and so funny.

Children's Programs

4 out of 5
My daughter was signed up at O2 (Teen club) and she made so many new friends, she just wished they were open more often.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Staff was very friendly and attentive

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
they layout is a bit outdated and not as clean as I wished. It wasn't filthy or disgusting, but when I used a wipe in my stateroom it caught dirt.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
Small bunk cabin. Not much storage and not able to watch TV from bottom bunk, because the TV was placed in the wrong space. Located next to the press room, so lots of traffic and could be noisy. Elevator was on the other side of cabin.

Ports of call

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

4 out of 5
This is my home port, so did not sightsee
Thumbs Up

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

4 out of 5
Did a snorkeling adventure, but the waters were so cold I could not really get into it. Cabo Expeditions was great. They took us to the Sea of Cortez and Chilean beach to snorkel, even joined in to show us the wildlife.
Thumbs Up

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5
Did the Extreme Canopy with lunch with Vallarta Adventures. I booked this excursion through Carnival and it was so much fun. It was a very intense excursion and you should be physically fit to hike, and ride the mules. This is a long excursion more like 8 hours when you consider transportation time. This was an overnight port, so on the 2nd day we explored the Malecon, shopped and ate tacos at this wonderful little hole int he wall called Pinatas Tacos. The tacos were delicious and the margaritas are to die for.
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Very quick and easy
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4 Comments

cruiseplanner1    5 years ago

We ate in gold pearl on deck 4. We always went down to steps at end of deck 5 and walked down to entrance. Easy!
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cruiseplanner1    5 years ago

We ate on deck 4
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Summerholiday    5 years ago

Second mate .. The Splendor was one of the first ships we went on from Long beach to Mexico it was fine and we had no problems getting around and find dinning room etc .. however it is going in for a total refit as u know they are not only adding food outlets but quite a few more cabins so will need to wait and see I guess we have booked from Long beach to Singapore leaving long beach on 5th Oct 24 nights to Singapore then she stays in Singapore for one month for the refit the Splendor is 50,000 tons bigger than spirit and a lot more decks but a nice ship .. guess she’s showing her age now but aren’t we all lol looking forward to our return to check her out should be an awesome cruise..
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mbbarnes80    5 years ago

At least you had a good cruise. When the splendor comes to Australia later this year it will have some newer eating options. Can I ask you though, is it confusing figuring out the best way to get to one of the dining rooms? Looking at the deck it looks like a tough maze to negotiate.
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