Review Splendour of the Seas April 21, 2011

[cruisinisforme]

Just returned from Splendour of the Seas leaving from Venice and doing the Greek Islands. I cannot recommend this itinerary enough, each island was more beautiful than the next.

We spent two days pre cruise in Venice. Arrival was pretty simple and the airport was easy to navigate. We were staying at the Hotel Olimpia near piazzale roma. Perfect location! When we arrived at the airport we took the #5 ATVO bus to the Piazzale Roma cost is now 5 euros pp. The bus drops you off very close to the hotel and you only need to cross one bridge to get to it. And one bridge matters, I cant imagine dragging my suitcases over another bridge!! Book the hotel early though, we paid 1/3 of what the price of the rooms were when we checked in because we booked over 10 months in advance. We all loved the hotel, everything you needed was right there or nearby. The rooms were small, we had paid extra to have a larger room since there were 3 of us..totally worth it, the extra space was great and the bed were very comfortable. But if you are going to venice don’t forget bug spray because there are no screens on the windows and mosquitos are everywhere, even in april!

 

The hotel is also very close to Grand Canal and the main vaparetto station. I found the vaparetto similar to riding a NYC bus only on water. Often times you could not find a seat and it was very crowded. Make sure you get on the correct one otherwise it will take you forever to get somewhere. The #2 vaparetto is the express and the #1 stops at every stop..takes forever. We took a water taxi a couple of times, definitely expensive but in some cases worth it just to save time.

 

While in Venice we have pre arranged a half day wine tour thru Venice events www.tours-venice-italy.com. Hands down this was one of the best wine tours ever. Every single person in my group loved it and would do it again if we ever go back. There were 18 of us, but 2 of us did not drink (one underage and the other didnt drink but came to be with all of us) They served us 28 bottles of wine, so much food you cant believe and just had a great time. No obligation to buy as they cannot ship to the US, but we did buy several bottles to bring on the ship with us. By accident I thought I was buying 2 bottles but apparently bought a box of wine, it ended up to be the perfect thing, we carried it all over venice with us and had wine all the time lol. We even brought it on our gondola ride. Gondola cost 80 euros for 6 people and we did it at night it was wonderful!

We also used the same company to tour st. marks and Doge’s Palace. The cost was very reasonable, only 15 euros pp for each tour, and totally worth being able to skip those long lines and walk right in, plus we had out own personal guide explaining everything to us.

 

Embarkation on the ship was very easy and very quick, we arrived around 2 since we did a tour first, which is kind of late for us, but still it was very quick and took less than 10 minutes. We took a taxi to the ship. There was a free shuttle bus at the piazzale roma which takes you over but there was a huge line and lot of chaos, we decided it was worth the 5 euros pp to take the taxi over and it dropped you off right where the porters collect the luggage. Most of our group was staying in JS so embarkation was even quicker since there was no line there, but the rest of the group did not take much longer to get checked in and meet us on the ship. We were upgraded to a GS, room 8012...noisy as noisy can be! It was right underneath the windjammer and they started very early in the morning, but the balcony and the view was spectacular as we sailed out of venice and went thru the canal! The large room was nice but the I could have lived without all the noise.

 

Its been a while since I have been on a smaller ship, but I have to say I still love them. I know the splendour is going in for a refurb this fall, which will add specialty restaurants and a few other things which will definitely update the ship, but we all still enjoyed it a lot. Regardless of what I had read no one in my group had any trouble bringing wine on the ship at embarkation, there were 25 of us and almost everyone in the group had a bottle or two with them either in their carry on or in the checked luggage and every bottle was allowed on, but only at embarkation, after that if you bought something in a port they did make you check it.

 

We were lucky to have really wonderful tour guides on every excursion we took, in each and every port they were as friendly and nice as could be, and would go out of their way to make you happy. I would use each of them again when I go back, and I will go back I really loved this itinerary. We had pre arrange private tours in each port and definitely feel each of them was worth it. Having a guided tour of an area you have never been to before was very imformative and after discussing the ports on the ships with people who went out on their own we definitely learned and saw more than they were able to, in my opinion it was worth the extra money to see and learn so much about the ports.

 

Our first port was Split Croatia, we used www.privateguidesincroatia.com. This guy was wonderful, everyone in my group loved him and only had good things to say about the tour. His prices were very reasonable and the tour was fantastic. Split was a beautiful port, I wasnt sure what to expect but I have to say it really was a beautiful port with lots to see and do, and we all said we would love to come back and actually stay, and having a guide made a difference. Later on the ship someone said to me they didnt think there was anything to do there, well we found plenty thanks to our guide.

In three of the ports, Athens, Santorini and Corfu we used the same tour company www.santorinitravel.com At the bottom of the page you will see the additional ports they service. All wonderful tours, we had 3 guides that everyone loved and our excursions were personalized to just what we asked.

In Corfu we not only went to the Paeleokastritsa beach, but we actually took a boat tour of the grotto caves, something not to be missed. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the caves were beautiful and just being out on the ocean in those blue waters made it even more worth it. We then went to a lunch at the top of the mountain that overlooked the whole island, the view was spectacular. We heard the ships excursion just did a drive by of the beach so having the opportunity to get out and be on the ocean was definitely a treat, and some of my friends even went swimming was just wonderful.

 

Santorini was spectacular, I think it is impossible to take a bad picture in that port. Most of us rode the donkeys up the mountain, the rest took the cable car, but the donkeys should not to be missed in my opinion. It was definitely the highlight of the entire trip (besides the venice wine tour lol) We then went to oia where we were able to walk around and do some shopping and then some sightseeing and then headed down to another wonderful lunch right on the black sand beach. We loved it, eating and then swimming was the perfect combination for the day. We ended the day at a stop at the local winery where we were able to taste several wines.

 

Unfortunately it was raining the morning we arrived in mykonos. It was the only rain we saw on the whole trip and it cleared up by 1pm or so, but it made for a very wet trip to Delos. Although once we got back to mykonos the weather had cleared up and its such a fanstastic port to explore, it was fun just making your way thru all the streets and seeing all the wonderful sights. Not a lot to do in mykonos, but wandering the streets and having lunch was fun for all of us.

 

 

In Crete I used a guide which I had found recommended on cruise critic, www.greecetravel.com Another wonderful tour guide and day. He took us to a little town, where by that time we were pretty exhausted from a very port intensive trip, so we all asked for coffee, he took us to this wonderful café where we had local coffee and he bought all of us some local pastries which really perked everyone up. Then we went on to a tour of a local olive oil place, where we all bought olive oil at some fantastic prices, later on we saw the same brand in town at higher prices. We then toured the island and went down to the city where the shopping was fantastic, lots of good things bought that day! We ended the day with another treat from Lefteris, more local treats! His site says he only does small tours, but he went out of his way to help my group of 25 and everyone loved him.

 

In Katakalon we opted for a short 4 hour tour of olimpia and the local town, which gave us plenty of time to go back and enjoy the port, shop and have a great lunch right on the water. It was a great way to end the week since we were all so tired by then.

 

Being some of the few diamond plus on the ship, instead of a bridge tour we were invited to the captains quarters for brunch, it was actually a nice change and were able to discuss many things with him that you do not normally get to do. When he asked us all what could be improved, without hesitation we all said the same thing at once...the coffee!!!! lol

Debarkation was quick and simple too, several of us had flights that day and just got off the ship, collected our luggage and went right to the taxis waiting outside. Cost was 40 euros for 4 people in a taxi with luggage. Venice airport was a nightmare! They would not allow you to check in until 2 hours before you flight which made for a huge crowd waiting around the check in area. Then the line for security was huge, definitely get there early, we saw a lot of people missing flights because they did not allow enough time.

[NEWCRUISER176]

Janet thank you for an excellent review, we are doing the same cruise on the 13th May and are soooo excited after seeing your photos and reading the review. The last Splendour review was awful and having sailed on her 4 yrs ago we have very fond memories and were expecting to be disappointed in the ship, but as the cruise is port intensive thought it wouldn't really matter. Lots of useful info about the ports thanks again.

Marylyne:)

[MJDMV]

Thank you for a great review of a fantastic ship! The tours sound really good but I don't think I could do one every day though - am especially interested in the beach at Paleokastritsa. Who was the Concierge by the way?

 

Thanks again.

[emmy]

Thanks for the review Janet..enjoyed it very much. The donkey ride up the mountain..okay I am getting a Mama Mia wedding scene visual there:D

the wine tour in Venice now that is a wine tour. LOL the coffee needs improvement. Glad you had a wonderful time and thanks for sharing.

[LBumb]

good job

[cruisinisforme]

It may be an old ship, but its still fun! I can defintely see where the improvement was needed, but its coming, its not like they are ignoring it..so we were ok with it!

 

Not overly impressed with the concierge on the ship at all, we were the people with the highest cruise credits on the ship, and mostly the only ones in the concierge lounge every night...yet he never came over and spoke with any of us once in 10 nights, he spent almost every night talking to some other folks who I know were just guests because we had made friends with them out of the lounge. I went and asked him to get us our tender tickets for santorini and he told me he would, but the next morning he never showed up and I had to call guest relations to go them for us. And, while I know he was doing the right thing here, sometimes doing the right thing isnt always right. The last morning several us had our meeting place there because we all had flights around the same time and since we were DP we were assigned the CL...well one of our friends were not and he would not allow her in and made her stand outside...the room was far from full and there were plenty of seats, letting one person in to wait the 15 minutes until we were due to get off the ship would not have hurt anyone.

 

anyway...we had an awesome time..emmy some of my friends were signing that song as they were riding the donkeys it was quite funny!

 

Doing tours every day took a toll on all of us, so I get what you mean, but with all new ports no one wanted to miss anything either! I cant recommend the beach enough, its an additional 12 euros to ride the boats and worth every penny

[Jimnbigd]

The Splendour of the Seas is a really nice ship. I miss it. It used to sail 4 & 5 day cruises from Galveston. My only complaint was no restrooms on deck 4. My wife uses a wheelchair and it was a little inconvenient going down to deck 3 or up to deck 5 (or to our cabin) to use the restroom.

[cruisinisforme]

The Splendour of the Seas is a really nice ship. I miss it. It used to sail 4 & 5 day cruises from Galveston. My only complaint was no restrooms on deck 4. My wife uses a wheelchair and it was a little inconvenient going down to deck 3 or up to deck 5 (or to our cabin) to use the restroom.

 

I have to agree about the restroom situation..we had a joke going because whenever someone asked where one was it always seemed to be one deck down! No bathroom on the same floor as the viking crown lounge, the CL, or even the casino! Every time we needed a bathroom it was one deck down and it is inconvenient. I made a joke saying I hope they add more bathrooms in the refurb

[leeselee]

We were upgraded to a GS, room 8012...noisy as noisy can be! It was right underneath the windjammer and they started very early in the morning, but the balcony and the view was spectacular as we sailed out of venice and went thru the canal! The large room was nice but the I could have lived without all the noise.

 

 

 

How noisy is noisy?

We are interested in this cruise and need a GS for the space. GS are only on deck 8, so it's under the Windjammer or nothing!

Should I reconsider the cruise on this ship?

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review, we also loved that itinerary!

 

Kirk

[MJDMV]

Pity about the Concierge and his attitude. I've been fortunate and never known this in the CL - I've even taken (my) guests in who aren't D+. Did you catch his name by any chance?

[Fozzycat]

Sounds like a great trip. We are on Splendour later this month for the 11 night - slightly different itinerary but hopefully same experience.

 

Can you tell me what entertainment was on board - shows, etc.?

[bionicman97]

Thanks for sharing, looks like an awesome trip :)

[cruisinisforme]

I would not reconsider the cruise just be prepared for the noise. I emailed you back, like I said, thankfully you are up early most mornings anyway and out most of the day, then dinner, so you are not in the room enough to let it bother you that much..unless you are trying to take a nap!

 

I cant remember the Concierges name, Ill have to ask my friend I know she knows it. I am DP and have been on many cruises I know its his discretion about who can come in. He also kicked my sister out one night, she was staying in a room with another DP and said she could not stay, I get that dont get me wrong, except we were the only ones in the lounge!!!! No one else was even in there with us its not like it was overcrowded or anything and she was in a room with another DP member.

 

As for entertainment, I am sorry to say I dont really go to shows anymore unless they are new, but a lot of the people I was with went every night and loved every show but one. They even managed to get themselves up on stage for one of them lol, i was sorry i had not gone to see it.

[klingoncruiser]

Nice review, thanks for posting.

[Judge_Mental]

Hope to follow in your footsteps in August and had a few more questions-

 

Did you use a tour company in Mykonos or are buses easy or walking?

 

For the tour to Olympia in Katakalon, did you use a tour company- bus trip doesn't seem feasible.

 

We were thinking of doing Verona day trip but now you have me wondering about the wine- not big drinkers but it sounds like so much fun.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheers,

 

Sue

[cruisinisforme]

We used private tours in every port, I prefer them, because you set the rules and can change your day if you want to, like in Corfu we werent supposed to have that lunch stop on the top of the mountain, we decided on it that day, something you cant do if you use a ship tour.

 

In katakalon it is pretty easy to get there yourself, but I personally at least recommending a guide while you are there to explain everything to you. We used Hop In private tours there, it was the perfect 4 hour tour and we were there well ahead of any cruise ship buses and back at port by noon so we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves in the port

 

In mykonos we used http://www.greece-travel.gr/mykonos_tours.htm. Our guide was very good and really knew her stuff it was just a shame it rained the whole time we were in delos.

[jclinard]

I'm doing this trip on August 26th, going solo (as usual)... is there anything you can tell me about Athens and getting to the Acropolis that would make it easier on me?

 

Also, did you notice if all the hot tubs were working?

[cruisinisforme]

All the hot tubs were working...my friends were in them almost every night!!

 

We had a tour in athens so they picked us up right at the ship, but the entrance fee tickets included tickets to almost everything you want to see when you are there, then we went down to the plaka for lunch and shopping!

[Judge_Mental]

Appreciate all the additional info. on the island tours.

 

Great tip on wine tour in Venice. Turns out they have a Verona AND wine tour which is perfect for us.

 

Cheers,

 

Sue

[heathermk57]

Thank you for the review. Splendour is one of our favourites, we have fond memories of Greek Isles and Turkey out of Venice some years back. Going on Voyager next, again out of Venice so will investigate the wine tour I think! :)