Carnival Splendor Review
Spring Break with the Family on the Pink Palace
Rating by category
Additional details
We picked this cruise in order to travel with 11 family members during the kids’ spring break. Some of the family lives in New York, and the rest live in California, so we spent the night before the cruise in Miami at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, which was very close to the port.
My husband surprised me with an upgrade to a suite, so embarkation was a breeze, since there is priority boarding with suites. Our room wasn’t quite ready when we got there, but we were able to leave carry-ons in the closet and went to have lunch. As previous cruisers have mentioned, the Splendor is PINK! It is on the garish side, but we were amused more than irritated by it.
It struck us throughout the week that the Splendor was very clean, with crewmembers continuously mopping, sweeping, and polishing areas. Public areas and restrooms were always clean. Our cabin was well-taken care of by Supahl, who always greeted us by name. There was ample storage in the room, and we were very comfortable. We were a bit concerned because the room was located near the Splendor Bar elevators, but since the bands stopped playing at 11:30 pm, that wasn’t a problem for us. If you like to take naps before dinner, it might not be a good location for you, because we could hear the music from the Splendor Bar in our room.
Cabin Review
Ocean Suite
This was a beautiful room, with lots of storage, plenty of room, a nice balcony, and a comfortable bed. It was kept in good order by our steward, Supahl. It was very close to the elevators and the glass elevators near the Splendor Bar, and we could hear music from the bar in the evening. The music stopped at 11:30, which wasn't a problem for us, but if you go to bed early or if you like to take naps, this might not be the room for you. Suites come with priority boarding, which was a wonderful experience!
Port Reviews
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)
All members of our group (ages 2-70) went on this excursion and everyone enjoyed it. It had a lot of variety –a VERY bumpy vehicle ride on unpaved roads, a visit to a small village where we sampled coffee and hot chocolate and walked through an area with many plants growing, a tasty lunch with entertainment, lots of beverages through the day, and a nice beach.
If you have a bad back, do not go on this trip! The vehicle goes on unpaved roads and it is very rough! My Fit-Bit registered that I walked 15,000 steps that day, because of the jolting on the bus! It rained in the beginning of the trip, so we got pretty wet until we rolled down the plastic windows. Our guide, Eddie “Murphy”, was humorous and energetic, and he gave us good information about the Dominican Republic. The driver, Ramone, deserves kudos for driving the truck – not an easy task! He also served as bartender.
Because we traveled during Easter Break, school was not in session. We brought some school supplies (pencils, notebooks, crayons, coloring books, etc. They ask you NOT to give candy or money to the children.) and we were able to distribute them in the village. The children were very eager to get the supplies. The lunch was delicious and fresh (fried chicken and beans and several salads), and there was a dance performance while we ate. Next, we drove on more rough road to a beach. There were two young ladies giving free chair massages (you’ll need one!), and there were boogie boards for those who wanted them. There were also vendors at the beach. Back on the truck for more rough riding, and back to the ship.
We enjoyed seeing the countryside and getting a better sense of Dominican Republic culture. The teens enjoyed the beach. They also commented that they were glad to see the local life and culture, so different from life in the US. It made them feel very fortunate to have what they have. We had the opportunity to buy t-shirts or hats to support the organization Outback Adventures, which provides supplies and financial support to local communities. If you go on this excursion, go to the Outback-Adventures website to see what kind of supplies you can bring to donate.
This excursion was our favorite, except for the rough ride – but even that made for a good story once we got back home.