Carnival Splendor - West Coast Cruise Fun!

We cruised 2 nights on the Carnival Splendor out of San Francisco in March 2009. We sailed out and back under the Golden Gate bridge. This was a FUN cruise on a FUN ship!

Carnival Splendor Review and Photos. The Splendor was launched on July 2, 2008. Here are the key stats. The Splendor's Gross Tonnage is 113,300 tons. Her length is 952 feet There are 13 passenger decks on the Splendor. Cruising Speed is 21 knots. Guest Capacity is 3,006 (double occupancy). There are 1503 Guest Staterooms. Total staff is 1,150. The Carnival Splendor is registered in Panama.

 

 

Carnival Cruise Line: Founded in 1972, Carnival Cruise Line is the one of the oldest, largest and best known cruise lines. Carnival calls its cruise ships the Fun Ships. Carnival has 23 ships currently sailing worldwide. We were lucky to join a 2-day Funship cruise on the west coast inaugural voyage of the Carnival Splendor. The voyage was arranged exculsively for Carnival's travel agent partners. They took wonderful care of us on this March 2009 sailing. We sailed out of San Francisco on March 21 and returned to port on March 23.

Overall. Carnival prides itself on making cruising fun. For us, this was definitely a FUN cruise! We really enjoyed the food, service, cabin, ship, entertainment and port of San Francisco. We are excited that Carnival has moved this beautiful new ship to home port in Los Angeles. The Mexican Riviera will be a fun itinerary for those of us on the west coast.

This was our first cruise in an Oceanview Cabin since our first cruise in 2006. We prefer a balcony but this was a very comfortable cabin for a short cruise.

Our cabin was on Deck Number 1 - cabin number 1354. We had close views of the waves passing by and a great view for both sunrise and sunset on this particular cruise.

Our oceanview cabin had a double bed, a small couch and sitting area and a small bathroom with shower. This was a comfortable cabin for us on the short 2-day itinerary.

Our cabin steward was Acil. He did a great job taking care of us.

Our oceanview cabin on deck was accessed via a very wide cooridor. This is the widest hall we've seen on any passenger cruise ship!

Getting There from the San Francisco Airport.

TIP 1: Save money on transfers or cabfare and take the BART light rail directly from the airport to your hotel or to the cruise terminal. The cost is $5.35 per person versus a $45 cab ride. It is cheap, quick and easy - even with luggage.

Airport to Cruise Terminal or Hotel. Our flight arrived at the San Francisco airport. We decided to arrive a day early and stay at the InterContinental Hotel at 888 Howard Street. We saved money (and time!) and rode the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART).

BART: For $5.35 per person you can ride directly from the airport to your downtown hotel or to the cruise terminal. That compares to a $45 one-way cab fare. We left the airport at 4:50 PM and came out of the BART station a few blocks from our hotel less than 30 minutes later.

Check the BART price before you travel. It will be much easier at the ticket machine if you know how much you need to pay. Also, each person needs his/her own ticket even if you are traveling together

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TIP 2: It is always safest to arrive a day early for your cruise. If you cruise out of San Francisco, the InterContinental Hotel on Howard Street is very convenient to the cruise terminal. It is also centrally located with easy access to the Embarcadero with its Farmer's Market, to China Town and to Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 39.

InterContinental Hotel on Howard Street. We decided to arrive a day early and stay at the InterContinental Hotel at 888 Howard Street. The concierge staff helped us choose a great dinner and helped us get to the Farmer's Market, Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown before and after our Carnival Cruise

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At 888 Howard Street, the InterContinental Hotel is a great central location for your cruise debarkation and for exploring the popular areas of San Francisco - Farmer's Market, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Public Transportation on BART and Trolley Cars make everything easily accessible from this home base.

Room 2021. This is the view from our room which was on the 20th Floor.

Here is a closer look at the city from the window in our room # 2021.

TIP 3: If you cruise in or out of San Francisco on a Saturday or Tuesday, make some time to visit the Farmer's Market which is only open on Saturday and Tuesday.

The Farmer's Market. Open on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Located on the Embarcader, you will find both indoor and outdoor booths selling fresh food, baked items, coffee, candy, flowers and more!

The Farmer's Market is chock full of specialty cheeses, chocolates, coffees and more! We even found fresh truffle mushrooms at Far West Fungi - The San Francisco Mushroom store.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. If you like chocolate - especially dark chocolate, you will LOVE Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker in the Farmer's Market.

You can find good coffee everywhere. Dan found an espresso and Janean found a Chai Black tea at Peet's Coffee & Tea.

Boccalone. Tasty Salted Pig Parts. See, I told you there is everything here!

TIP 4: If you cruise out of San Francisco WRITE THIS DOWN! The Port of San Francisco Cruise Terminal is at Pier 35 just north of the popular Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. We were surprised that many locals (including our cab driver) did not know that the Cruise Ships leave from Pier 35

Cruise Terminal. The Port of San Francisco Cruise Terminal is located at Pier 35 - only about 100 yards north of Pier 39 & Fisherman's Wharf. We arrived at the dock at about 12:30 PM. You take your bags inside the terminal where you pass through check-in and then security.

Alright - let's get on with the CRUISE report!

By 1:30 PM we were onboard. We were early and our cabin wasn't quite ready, but we dropped our bags and started our tour of the Carnival Splendor Funship. Our cabin was on deck 1 - the Riviera Deck. Our oceanview cabin number was 1354.

We sailed out of the San Francisco harbor at about 5:30 PM on March 21..

Here is the Splendor sailing back out of San Francisco passing under the Golden Gate bridge. We watched our crew head south for their next port of call after our cruise.

We sailed out on a rainy afternoon heading right under the Golden Gate bridge

It was cool and rainy but there was alot of fun to come!

Carnival opened up Show Cabins for all to see. Pictures of our Oceanview Cabin 1354 are above. We visited 7 diifferent cabins in categories from Inside up to a Penthouse Suite. Here are some of the photos we took of the show cabins.

This is an Inside Cabin. The Inside Cabin was not as spacious as our Oceanview Cabin and of course it did not include the Oceanview window. The cabin looks cozy and comfortable

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Here is the view from a Balcony Cabin. We love Balconies!

Who are we kidding?? We all want to see the Penthouse Suite photos!! Here they are:

This the Penthouse Suite, Cabin number 7291. The suite is very large. There is a very large entry way and living room. There was a sofa, an entertainment center and a bar in the entry way.

Straight through the living room you find this oversized balcony. There is room enough for a chase lounge out here!

How about a nice big queen sized bed?

This is a private dressing area between the bedroom and the huge bathroom.

The bathroom is spacious with 2 sinks, a full-size jetted bathtub and a separate bidet.

Check out the jetted tub!

What a bathroom & what a sweet suite!

Ok, let's take a walk around the Carnival Splendor funship. Carnival provided us an Open Bar on this cruise, so with drinks in-hand we made our initial rounds onboard the ship!

Ah, yes... we are cruising now. This is the trademark Carnival Funnel! Top deck on the Splendor.

Breezy and cool but away we go!

How much fun would this be on a hot day in the Mexican Riviera? This is Splash Park on the top deck - cool fun for kids!

Speaking of fun, how about some Wii Bowling in the Circle C. This is the club room for the kids from 12-14 years old. The kids enjoy video games, dance parties, late night movies, Karaoke and more. What fun!!

Camp Carnival. The fun area on the ship for 2-11 year olds.

This is a great area with plenty of activities for the young kids.

In Camp Carnival, everything is customized for the kids including the kid-sized sinks and bathrooms!

Club O2 is the place to be for teens 15-17 aboard Carnival Splendor. They can enjoy their own cool parties, movies and shore excursions.

TIP 5: Don't miss the views up on the Sky Deck next to the Carnival Golf Course. The view is especially wonderful when in port or when sailing in/out of a port!

Up on the top deck - the Sky Deck at the Carnival Golf Course, the views are spectacular.

The golf course is great fun!

Argh! You'll have fun on the Carnival Golf course matey!

TIP 6: The specialty pizza mid-ship at the Pizzeria on the Lido Deck 9 is a must. Dan tried 4 of the 8 flavors in our 2 days aboard.

Here is the Splendido Lido Pool on the Lido Deck and the Carnival's Seaside Theatre on the Panorama Deck. Watch movies, concerts, news, sporting events, and parties on the Seaside Theatre. A 12'x22' jumbo-sized LED screen with a crystal-clear picture and a 70,000-watt, easy-to-hear sound system.

Here is the Splendido Lido Pool on the Lido Deck and the Carnival's Seaside Theatre on the Panorama Deck. Watch movies, concerts, news, sporting events, and parties on the Seaside Theatre. A 12'x22' jumbo-sized LED screen with a crystal-clear picture and a 70,000-watt, easy-to-hear sound system.

PinnacleSupperClub Mmmm... Here is a sample of foods you can have cooked to order at the Pinnacle Supper Club on the Spa Deck #11. This is reservations only, $30 per person gourmet delicacies & steakhouse favorites menu.

This is the fish I caught on this cruise - at the California Roll Sushi bar.

This was a fun hangout for us on the Promenade Deck #5. It is the Grand Piano bar..

The bar was closed while we were on this cruise but we still had fun making our own music.

Oh crap! They left the microphone on! (Keep your day job Dan...)

This is Dan on stage at the Spectacular, Spectacular. Fortunately there was no microphone and no crowd!

The Royal Flush Casino wasn't open during our cruise. You can find it mid-ship on Deck 5.

Gaming tables and slots in the Royal Flush Casino on Deck 5.

Tip 8: For a relaxing breather, grab a drink and a window seat just outside the Casino near the Oceanview Bar on Deck 5. Your cares will float away with the ocean waves.

Ahh! When you want to relax with a view, find a window seat watching the sea just outside the Oceanview Bar in the Casino on Deck 5.

The El Morocco is a fun bar aft on the Promenade Deck 5.

The COOL is another bar right next to the El Morocco Bar. The COOL has fun views to the sea below.

The COOL is a smaller bar aft on Deck 5 - the Promenade Deck.

A couple took their wedding vows while we were onboard on Sunday, March 22. Congratulations!

Sadly, all cruises come to an end. The seas were a bit rough for our overnight return to the Port of San Francisco on Monday morning.

Tip 9: At the beginning of the cruise and at the end of the cruise go up to the top deck - the Sky and admire the views. They are spectacular. The pictures below show views from the top deck of the Splendor.

The views of Alcatraz from the ship in harbor are great!

The views cruising past Alcatraz are great also!

Enjoy the views of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Here is a shot of Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge - a 2-for-1 Photo Opportunity.

Another view of Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Here is a great view of San Francisco.

Tip 10: Arrange a couple of hours before or after your San Francisco cruise to visit Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 39. It is right next to the cruise terminal and is pedestrian friendly even if you have bags.

Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 39 is just a few hundred hards south of the Port of San Francisco Cruise Terminal at Pier 35. This is the view of Carnival Splendor from the street in front of Fisherman's Wharf.

Here is another shot of the Splendor from the heart of Fisherman's Wharf.

Fisherman's Wharf is a great add on either just before or just after a cruise from the Port of San Francisco cruise terminal.

Captain Jack "Sparerib" is one of the street performers we found at Fisherman's Wharf on Monday around noon.

Don't miss the sea lions if you visit Fisherman's Wharf.

The sea lions have found a comfy home on the docks at Fisherman's Wharf. TransAmerica

We also walked to China Town and passed the TransAmerica building on our way.

China Town is a great place to visit if you have time while in San Francisco.China Town is a great place to visit if you have time while in San Francisco.

There are some great shops, great food and great souveneirs in China Town.

China Town was a great addition to our trip.

So long Carnival Splendor. We'll see you soon in the Mexican Riviera!