Carnival Splendor - Just Back Today - Quick Thoughts

[MattnTricia]

The Good

Pinnacle Steakhouse - amazing service, food and experience

New Comedy experience - Family Friendly - 10 year old loved it as did we

Retractable dome during sea days with moderate weather

Buffet -Burrito Bar - Omelet Station - Pizza(Wow from entire Family) - Soft Serve Ice Cream - Fresh Fruit

Stateroom Steward

Balcony Stateroom - closet space and overall size

Waterslide

Marriage Game

Outdoor Movies on Lido - enjoyed this 2 nights

Dining Room Deserts - qualtiy and selection excellent

Games like Hairiest Man and Trivia pretty entertaining

Past Guest Party

 

Could Be improved but OK

Non cooked to order Buffet Food

Dining room attn to detail - Inability to get iced tea first 2 nights- Streak cooked incorrectly-Blah food on formal nights but Filet on a regular night - Broad Menu with lots of choices

Ship Layout - have to agree with most - a little choppy - inability to traverse decks from one end to the other without changing floors - overall pretty easy to find stuff

Gym - quality equipment and good sized but no ocean view without staring down while doing cardio

Drink Prices - more happy hour type specials

 

Bad

Pictures - $20 and only available in 8 x 10 - We would have bought 8-10 if priced reasonable ($10) or if they were made available in smaller sizes without spending $20 first on the 8X10 - What happened to the old multi picture packages :(

Room Service - Missed sons activity due to non delivery - was told it was on its way 30 minutes after we ordered only to be told we canceled supposedly at the smae time we order 45 minutes after were told it was on its way - dismal - no apology - very disappointing

Kids Club - 10 year old had an awesome cruise however kids club was dismal for the 9-11 group - same room as 6-8 - activities geared towards younger kids - not much to keep them entertained - most 9-11's just signed themselves out or didnt go back - compared to Royal Carribean and past Carnival Cruise we were severely disappointed.

 

Overall we enjoyed cruise and the rest was much needed although Not sure if Carnival will be our first choice next time.

 

I will work on a review with pictures and funtimes when times allow

[smilegirl07]

Wow, thanks for this, I am going on the splendor on July first. This helps a lot.

 

I am excited to read your review soon.

 

would you say over all it was a good cruise??

 

Did it feel over crowded at times??

[vivavegas]

Welcome Back! Thanks for taking the time to share your review!:)

[MattnTricia]

My impression was that the Ship was sort of full - It was 95+% capacity of cabins

 

However, because it was not quite summer there were about 600 fewer kids on board that would have been 3rd/4th occupancy

 

The lines at the buffet were a little rough in the morning especially on sea days - It was also log jammed on the Lido from time to time

 

Overall I would say that their are lots of quiet places on the ship that are hardly used and you will be able to find quiet space if you need it.

 

We took this cruise specifically to unwind and relax. We stayed on in port and I can honestly say it was everything we expected. If you don't let the minor annoyances bother you will have a great cruise. The people that complain do so IMHO because they want 5* service and quality at 3* prices and their expectations are a little unrealistic. My family likes Carnival and every cruise we weigh their cost/features vs other vacation opportunities. We have always had a good time on Carnival although it is not our first choice in cruise line.

[RMLincoln]

...........Overall I would say that their are lots of quiet places on the ship that are hardly used and you will be able to find quiet space if you need it. ............

 

 

Thanks for the quick thoughts. We're booked on the South American repositioning cruise next year and one of our big concerns is finding quiet places on board. Carnival is not our first choice either but we have enjoyed them if there was a special reason to book on this line. We're really excitied about it and looking forward to it now. m--

[RMLincoln]

Question? We're you able to find outside lounge chairs in the shade? I'm thinking aobut the exterior deck off of the atruim or other deck but not around the pool area. I'm told there is a Serenity area but not to plan on getting a dck chair there becasue it's all reserved from 6 am on. Was this true for you? Thanks for the help and glad you enjoyed your cruise. m--

[MattnTricia]

Every day we got lounge chairs on the Lido about 9-10 AM in the shade. One day we sat 1 chair apart for a couple of hours but overall it was no problem.

[willyguy]

Every day we got lounge chairs on the Lido about 9-10 AM in the shade. One day we sat 1 chair apart for a couple of hours but overall it was no problem.

Hi do you know how to get to the secert door?

[Markmom18]

I'm looking forward to your review too.:)

[candigirl]

The "secret doors" are at the very front on deck 6,7,9,and maybe 10...don't remember for sure about 10. Too windy to enjoy while underway, but nice view while in port.

[willyguy]

The "secret doors" are at the very front on deck 6,7,9,and maybe 10...don't remember for sure about 10. Too windy to enjoy while underway, but nice view while in port.

So not on deck 8?

[CurlyCali8]

Cruising the Splendor soon with my 10 year old. Glad yours had a good time, not so glad to hear that Camp Carnival was a let-down. On the other hand, maybe it's good that she'll be in the same space as her 7 y.o. brother. :cool:

 

What activities did your 10 year old & other children find entertaining/fun?

 

Thanks for your quick thoughts, look forward to some photos!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Sounds like you had a good time.

[candigirl]

Deck 8 has the bridge, so no....no secret doors on deck 8.

[cruiseclues]

mattnday, a lot of good details, especially those relating to food, thanks :)

[YoungGangMom]

Thanks for the scoop on Splendor. Looking forward to more details and photos.