Carnival Splendor is back in Australia - First Cruise, Day 3

By Cruising With Honey - 11:07

Carnival Splendor Day 3
Moreton Island

Moreton Island has always been a favourite short-cruise destination. It’s ridiculously beautiful and the set up at Tangalooma (the name of the resort on the island) is set up so well. There are a range of activities to suit all ages, from adventure to more relaxed. Or you could just enjoy the beautiful island and swim, walk around and explore.

This was my sixth or seventh time to Moreton Island – located about an hour off Brisbane, Queensland.

The tender ride WATCH HERE over is always a little challenging due to the strong current. The crew do their absolute best, but they’re not magicians. I’m happy to say the passengers on out tender gave our pilot a round of applause to show our gratitude.

I was tossing up the parasailing or the helicopter but being in an enclosed capsule rather than be at the mercy of the wind seemed the wiser choice.

There are two helicopter tours – a 6min and 15 min. There was some kind of mix-up, so I was offered to go up after my initially booked 15 mins tour to do the shorter one. What luck! I would highly recommend doing either as it’s a perfect way to see the island in all its glory and knock off another bucket list experience.

Watch me up in the sky!

What a thrill! The ride wasn’t scary as I’d assumed, and the view of the island was spectacular. We even spotted turtles and dugongs. The colours were remarkable. Elite Helicopters

I even spotted the Carnival Splendor!

Back at the beach

The water was still a bit cold for me, but after taking a leisurely walk and buying a fresh coconut (my absolute favourite), I plopped myself down on the sand and just enjoyed gazing at the beach.

Shore excursions

There really is something for everyone to do on Moreton Island. While I would highly recommend booking on board, if you want to do other things, you can book on the island (subject to availability). Activities includes snorkelling the wrecks, sand safari, quad bikes, segways and the afore mentioned parasailing and helicopter tours.

Cloud 9

I was keen to get back on board earlier rather than later, so I could head up to the Cloud 9 spa. The spa is SO nice, and has various steam and relaxation rooms, a thermal pool and other regular spa services such as a massages, treatments, hair and nail salon.

There’s also a very big gym, and great shower facilities. Cloud 9 can be accessed using a day pass or for the entire cruise. Check prices when you’re on board.

Guy’s burgers

Following all the detoxing and relaxing, I finally had a succulent Guy’s burger. Honestly, it was better than I remembered. The line had been quite long the last two days, and with less people on board, now was my chance.

Watch my Guy's Burgers experience

Wear sunscreen!

Full, and a little sunburnt, I relaxed in my cabin and did some writing, I may have dozed off and then may have woken up past 10 pm with a slight grumble in my tummy. The remedy? Pizza! Free, hot and delicious.

Slightly stinging from the sunburn (will I EVER learn?), it dawned on me that there was only ONE more day left? Sigh.

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Carnival Splendor is back in Australia - First Cruise, Day 2

By Cruising With Honey - 21:25

Most days on land, I really avoid breakfast, honestly I couldn't bothered. But at sea it’s a different story. I'm not turning down someone else preparing, cooking, serving and cleaning up. It's just another thing I LOVE about cruising - and I'll never get tired of this privilege nor be ungrateful to the crew who work so hard to give me a break. Thank you!

And, I can say that 99.99% of the passengers were polite and kind. Except one. One male, clicked his fingers at a very busy waiter. Yes, CLICKED. He wasn't even saying "excuse me", just "hey, brotha' brotha'" over and over again in quick succession. When it dawned on the waiter that this bellowing from the across the room, "brotha, brotha" was aimed at him, he quickly went over to see what this guy wanted. "You forgot my son's hot chocolate," he barked. Apologetically, the waiter sprinted off. I stared at the back of this guy's head for a minute, willing him to turn around, a steely look in my eyes and with a few choice words prepared. Alas he was too busy stuffing seven pieces of bacon in his mouth.

Don't be like this guy.

English is the second language for many of of the waiters. Please be kind. They are SO friendly and just want to make passengers happy.

Anyway...

Carnival Hub App

Things have changed a bit on Carnival since the pandemic, and one of those things is booking a table in the dining room. You simply open the Carnival Hub app and select ‘book a table’ for breakfast. You then get an alert telling you how long it will be (20-30mins). This gave me plenty of time to get dressed and ready for the day. The app gave an update every few minutes, and when my table was ready, I received another alert with my table number and a '10-minute hold’. So easy, streamlined and efficient.

As I was ushered to my table that was opposite the large aft windows, I took a long deep breath. Where else in the world can you get breakfast with a side of wake view? It was so pretty. My server explained that to order, one simply scans the QR code that’s on a little plastic thingy (look I don’t know what you’d call it) on the table and, voila, the menu appears on your phone.

Post Pandemic Cruising

Let me take a moment to address any concerns about the tech advances. We have lived through a pandemic where we have all – young and old – gotten used to checking in, scanning QR codes, using apps and the like. I also understand that not everyone has a smart phone. So, please be assured that the servers and waiters will absolutely help you and get you a paper menu or help you to order.

This is the way of the future; every single cruise I have been on this year has an app which makes things so much easier. Granted, apps don’t always work, but we all have to embrace it. Carnival is catching up and it’s great to see these advancements.

Allow me also to add other observations:

• I did not miss having a daily printed newsletter; I always found these a huge waste of paper.

• Plastic straws are definitely gone, however if you want a straw, there are ‘candy’ straws.

• While masks are not mandatory, there are signs for passengers to mask-up if they’re unable to maintain physical distance, and there are signs in the elevators to wear a mask. Every single crew member wears a mask at all times. No exceptions.

• There was constant cleaning around the ship; the food outlets, the decks, even the elevator buttons.

• I did not see many passengers wear masks, but there were some who still opted to cover. Masks were still mandatory for passengers on embarkation and debarkation.

Ice, ice, baby

Every time I cruise Carnival, I never miss the ice-carving show – and today was no exception. Crowds milled around the very talented crew member who hacked (artistically) into a huge, clear block of ice. The kids ohh’ed and ahh’ed, shouting out guesses as to what he was creating. After about 15 mins, two angel fish appeared to the delight of astounded passengers.

WATCH HERE

I spent he next few hours walking around the ship, meeting new friends, but soon it was time to get ready for elegant night and the Captain’s Welcome.

Captain, my Captain

I just love seeing all the senior officers in their dress uniforms. SWOON!

Watch the Captain's Welcome

The atrium was buzzing with excited young kids dancing around, a wonderful violin trio and a general happiness. I sipped on my first cocktail – Mojito, extra sweet – and chatted to whoever was near me.

Interestingly and reassuringly, the Captain explained that the departure delay yesterday was due to the new checking-in system. I appreciated the transparency. And, you know what? Fair enough. It was the first cruise out and computers can stump us all at the best of times.

I had the chance to meet Entertainment Director Andy, I mean you couldn't miss him in that spectacular jacket! He was friendly, bubbly and very funny. I hope to cruise with again in the near future.

More food, yes please

As my dining time was 7:45pm in the Gold Pearl, I headed down to enjoy my meal. I did not have to book a table. If you forget what time you are booked for dinner, look on your cruise card – your dinner time and location is printed. Everything was delicious and I had TWO entrees. The duck potstickers were a standout. But then it was dessert time and how could I resist the Carnival Melting Cake – my first in years! It was better than I ever remembered. How was that possible?

Watch here

Feeling festive, I ordered another cocktail, this time a Tiramisu Martini ($17). SO YUMMY!

I’d watched the Epic Rock Show before, but I couldn’t help but pop in after dinner. I always marvel at the incredible talent. Carnival knows how to do entertainment.

A quick walk in the night air before bed was the perfect nightcap to end another fabulous day of FUN, FOOD and new FRIENDS.

Tomorrow, we arrive at Moreton Island!

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Carnival Splendor is back in Australia - First Cruise, Day 1

By Cruising With Honey - 19:14

Carnival Splendor - Carnival Cruiseline Australia

Day 1 – Live from Carnival Splendor
4-night voyage from Sydney to Moreton Island

I won’t lie, there were tears of joy as I took my first step aboard Carnival Splendor. The joy of the crew to welcome cruisers back on board the FUNship was electric.

It had been nearly 1000 days since Carnival had been in Aussie waters – had it really been that long?

The morning before, the Splendor’s iconic red and blue funnel glided into Sydney Harbour, cutting a bright streak in the misty grey morning air. Tomorrow, I’ll be on board – what fun!

But, before stepping aboard, I was lucky enough to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony, officiated by Carnival President Christine Duffy. It was quite emotional as this was the last re-start for Carnival since the worldwide cruise shutdown. There were cruisers in attendance who had just completed the 23-day cruise from Seattle – mostly Americans – but also some Aussies who described the voyage as “simply beautiful".

Ms Duffy was radiating joy and the Australian Carnival team were beyond excited, waving signs and smiling from widely. I felt so proud to here in this moment as I knew just how hard everyone had worked to get this point. Watch here

Ribbon cut, speeches done and soon I was Carnival-Conga-ing towards the gangway. As I inched closer, the music became louder and the butterflies in my stomach fluttered furiously.

The crew were dancing and singing and waving signs – gosh my cheeks were already hurting from smiling. And Dessi - everyone's favourite Maitre'd - was on board! I literally burst into tears. Watch here

A quick livestream with former NRL Football legend and TV personality Beau Ryan and Carnival FUN Ambassador - then straight to my cabin.

Check out my cabin tour here I’d never stayed in a corner cabin, and I admit, it was very spacious. Being on Deck 2, it was only one floor up to the dining room – very handy!

It was after 1pm and the tummy was grumbling, so next stop the Lido and the ‘design-your- own stirfry. I love this option and it’s so delicious, fresh and made to order.

For the next few hours, I wandered around the ship, thrilled to be back aboard Splendor, soaking up the atmosphere and meeting lots of people I’d only ever chatted to online.

Here’s a tip – download the Carnival Hub App as a printed daily newsletter is no longer available. I love this improvement as there is much less wasted paper and you can make all your bookings, see your account, see the daily schedule, chat and so much more on the app.

So, departure was delayed – which honestly worked in my favour - as a night sailaway was spectacular. Sydney harbour is gorgeous at the best of times, but at night lights illuminate the entire city.

Watch the sailaway here

There were very long queues and some frustrated passengers, which is totally understandable – I’m not minimising people’s valid feelings and experiences. I will say though that the checking-in system was playing up as the new system had not been used before. I’m certain this will be ironed out in time for the next sailing.

Dinner was a mouth-watering affair at 555 Fahrenheit (also known as the steakhouse). This is a specialty restaurant and there is a surcharge of $65 per person. I had a delicious onion soup (that I could not finish), surf and turf (lobster tail and filet mignon) then the utterly decadent chocolate sphere. I might need to be rolled off the ship. For $65, this is excellent value and perfect to celebrate a special occasion or just to treat yourself.

What a day! It had been an early start, lots of excitement, meeting new people and an utterly delicious meal. Completely satisfied, and exhausted I sunk into my comfy bed (the beds are SO comfortable) and dreamed the sweetest of sea dreams.

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Carnival Splendor is back in Australia - First Cruise, Day 3