Experience on Splendour of the Seas

We are thinking of doing a Greek Isle cruise this June. We are going for the itinerary but how is the boat--I see that it's being let go from RCCL next year and am worried about too much wear and tear?

Any recent experiences? Thanks!

We did the Venice-Greek isles cruise last September, and we were very pleased with our whole experience. We stayed in a balcony room that was in very good shape. (The whole shower curtain experience has been well documented, so I won't go into that.) We enjoyed the MDR, and the staff throughout the ship was very solicitous and responsive to our needs. The ship is rather intimate, so don't expect all the bells and whistles of larger ships, but because the itinerary is so port-intensive, we didn't miss that. I hope you have a wonderful time!

FirstTeacher

I will be sailing to the Greek isles in June....

Can you please make suggestions for tours/tour guides for the ports?

It appears you enjoyed the cruise so your opinion would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

Annette

Splendour is a fantastic experience. We had our first cruise on her so I suppose we are a bit biased. However we did sail on her again last year and are doing so again in August. My priority when looking at cruises is definitely the itinerary and Splendour seems to visit some special places. One criticism is that there is now an extra sea day this year which really annoys me. Say what you want about sea days but they don't compete with getting of at a new location.

We tried Liberty of the seas last year and you really can't compare them. She was huge with all the mod cons and certainly a massive WOW factor. However I did feel it was lacking the personal touch we get on Splendour.

If I had one gripe about her is the lack of seating of an evening when everyone has eaten and the show has let out. For an hour or so before people start drifting off to bed it is a bit 'manic'.

Having said all that we have just returned from P&O Oceana fly cruise and it was a nightmare. Food was awful,(frozen carrots and peas with every meal) tinned fruit? None of the fresh baked bread you get with Royal. Biggest problem was the ship lacked any atmosphere, it was like a library throughout the ship with the vast majority asleep? Never again, back to Royal for me.

We are sailing from Venice in August visiting Dubrovnik, Kusadasi (ephesus)

Santorini and Katakolin. Out of these Dubrovnik and Santorini are stunning. You don't need to book excursions either. If you get the bus shuttle to the city gate in Dubrovnik then just inside the gates is a ticket office to purchase tickets to walk the city walls. The first climb is a lung-burster but once on the walls the views are to die for. Such a pleasant trip and only about 10 euros each. Takes about two hours to walk all the way around (including a couple of drink stops of course).

Santorini is stunning. you are tendered here and then given a choice of walking the hill (not advisable through the Donkey poo), riding the donkey or getting the cable car. The cable car takes less than a minute and costs 8 euros each return. We used the cable car up to the village of Fira. Now at this point it is worth saying that the town is gorgeous in its own right with loads of shops bars and restaurants and lovely views. However if you want to see where they take all those picture perfect photos of Santorini then you need to go to a town called Oia. To do this you get off teh cable car and walk about 200 meters to the bus station (signed). The buses run every half hour and costs less than 3 euros each return. Oia is stunning and lovely to wander around. We had lunch there last year in a restaurant hanging above the cliff with views you'll never forget.

Katakalon is really a stop for Olympus which is not my cup of tea so we wander around the harbour and take part in our favourite activity, eating and drinking.

Not sure about Kusadasi yet as I have never been. We won't be doing the historical thing so hopefully the town will be ok for a stroll.

Hope that helps

Brian

Dubrovnik from the walls

Oia Santorini from our dining table.

I too did the Greek Isle cruise on Splendor. I loved it. I had an aft balcony - which for me was fantastic. I liked the ship, it was comfortable.

If you are leaving from Venice than while in Venice I just purchased a boat pass where I could get off and on at my leisure. That turned out perfect for me as I just road up and down the canal several times - including at night.

For the rest of the ports I did RCL tours.

In Dubrovnik, I did a tour that took me to the wall. But it first went up higher in the hills so that you could see the view. For me, that view was worth the tour cost. After that, it took me to the wall. Walking the wall is definitely a must do.

In Corfu, I took the shuttle to town and walked around. In Corfu my goal was to get some olive oil. It was a nice town to walk around it but make sure you don't get lost.

In Santorini, I did the tour that includes Oia. I enjoyed that tour as we were able to see several parts of the island - and some that actually did not have the beauty you expect from Santorini. We also did a little wine tasting. Our tour ended in Fira. I did a little shopping and then opted to walk down to the ship since the line to the cable car was very long. I did get all kinds of looks and comments as folks though I was trying to cut the line when in fact I was just going to the walkway. Walking down is long. I did not mind the length or steepness but what I had not expected is passing all the waiting donkeys. You get VERY close to the waiting donkeys. Fortunately none of them kicked me even when I was so close I actually brushed up against one.

Our next stop we were due to go to Athens but due to a huge strike the captain opted to take us to Mykonos instead which I was thrilled about since I have been to Athens before. In Mykonos I just wandered around. No need for an excursions there.

Finally in Katakolon I opted to not do any tours. There is really not much close to the ship but I just walked along the small strip of shops and stopped and had the best greek yogurt I have ever had in my entire life!

That is it. I think you will love your cruise!

We were on Splendour a couple of weeks ago for the TA from Brazil to Barcelona and we both agreed it was one of our best cruises ever.

There was no more noticeable wear and tear than on most of the other ships, no noticeable difference than when we were on in 2006 and certainly no signs of letting things get run down because they are selling it.

The food was really good, better than out last few RCL cruises but what we found outstanding were the crew. Senior officers were very visible and friendly and had a real pride in their ship, and the service everywhere was great.

Our previous RCL cruise was on Oasis and we honestly enjoyed Splendour much more, no gadgets and gimmicks but a really good experience overall.

Julie