Splendor is an excellent ship.

[xkritter]

Thanks for the great, concise review. We board the Splendor on April 9th and cannot wait.

[Gallivanting Souls]

Thanks for your review. We will be trying the Splendor in January for a Panama Canal cruise. We also have a spa (inside) Glad to hear it is not bumpy. Can you tell me more about the hot tubs? Were they actually hot? We did not try to use the hot tubs on the Conquest, too many kids, but last cruise on Princess their hot tubs were just luke- warm. I am looking forward to all the different eating places. I wasn't all that impressed about Guy's, so won't miss it. I did like their toppings bar. We also will be trying out Your Time Dining. I hope we like it.

[Calibra17]

Calibra17.. you completely misread my post! I upgraded to a spa balcony deck 10 and gave up my deck 8 balcony. Guess I'm not that stupid after all! [emoji4].. happy sailing!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Sorry if it looked like I was calling you stupid. I apologize. Thought you were regretting giving up a regular balcony for a spa balcony (that would a crazy decision (better wording). Regular balcony is great but cloud 9 spa balcony really made the cruise. Extra perks and Vip access were nice. The spa is awesome. The Thermal suites and private mineral whirlpool are just fantastic. We spent alot of time there. :)

[Calibra17]

Thanks for your review. We will be trying the Splendor in January for a Panama Canal cruise. We also have a spa (inside) Glad to hear it is not bumpy. Can you tell me more about the hot tubs? Were they actually hot? We did not try to use the hot tubs on the Conquest, too many kids, but last cruise on Princess their hot tubs were just luke- warm. I am looking forward to all the different eating places. I wasn't all that impressed about Guy's, so won't miss it. I did like their toppings bar. We also will be trying out Your Time Dining. I hope we like it.

 

The hot tubs are hot. You will not be disappointed. We used the hot tubs on the lido deck aft. Beautiful views out to sea.

Highlight though is of course Splendors cloud 9 spa, biggest in the fleet i believe. As you in a cloud 9 spa cabin, you will have VIP access to the Thalassotherapy pool which is just bliss and hot! It really makes you feel refreshed and never busy because cloud 9 members only. The 3 private saunas vary in heat, mild, medium, hot and the thermal suites are great to relax after the sauna...heated beds looking out to sea! Relaxation room is on the second floor of the spa, it will have lemon water, tea and comfortable private beds again to relax and unwind.

I agree with you about Guys, IMO overrated. The 'off the grill' has great burgers, chicken tenders and a variety of toppings. Just as good if not better the Guys.

Try the BBQ on 10aft, the mongolian wok(awesome), burrito bar and of course where i lived most of the cruise( when i was out of the spa) the Tandoor!! Enjoy your cruise!:)

[WillowHaven]

Thank you for such a positive review! I am considering booking her for next year. It sounds like we will really enjoy it! And my hubby will love Tandoor as well!

[imajavalover2]

Sorry if it looked like I was calling you stupid. I apologize. Thought you were regretting giving up a regular balcony for a spa balcony (that would a crazy decision (better wording). Regular balcony is great but cloud 9 spa balcony really made the cruise. Extra perks and Vip access were nice. The spa is awesome. The Thermal suites and private mineral whirlpool are just fantastic. We spent alot of time there. :)

 

 

No worries! Sounds like I made a good decision upgrading to the balcony spa. The extra perks make it all worth it!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BarJen]

thank you for the review, we get to sail on the Splendor in October.

Cannot wait to try Tandoor, I am a huge fan of Indian food :)

[susan1957]

Filet Mignon in the main dinning room...since when....have ordered filet mignon before in the MDR at a cost of an extra $20,.00....they have a mediocre "FLAT IRON STEAK'.....in the MDR unless there is something I don't know about, if that's the case...guess whose ordering Filet Mignon EVERY NITE...LOL

[susan1957]

Pardon me....I do actually remember 1 night one might be offered a 2" in diameter filet with another small portion of another meat on your plate...so yes I guess they do offer it on one night during the week....you would have to order about 3 of them though :)

[DJW8385]

I love the Splendor and it's the only ship in its class which makes it unique. We sailed on her 8/13/16-8/21/16 for an exotic southern Caribbean cruise and we had a blast! I'm glad she's headed back to us on the west coast but I'm sad to see that she's leaving us late in 2019. I hope we get a Dream class or Vista class ship out here after the Splendor leaves us.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[ski_mom]

I have a question about the Spa cabins - we are booked on the July 22nd cruise and have 3 interior Lido deck rooms right now. They have always been our favorite to book.

 

Is there an age limit on using the spa if you book the spa cabins? Our party will be me, my husband, our 2 daughters (19 & 20), son (age 15) and my mom.

 

I think the girls would really enjoy the spa features, but I didn't know if there was an age limit on using them. It's about $100 more per cabin to move from Lido to Spa, so not too bad if it's something we'd get some use out of.

[Mytbbt4]

This was our 10th Carnival cruise out of 14 total. The others being with RCL, Princess, Celebrity and Costa.

Cruising since our mid twenties and we live in Florida!

After reading alot of negative reviews on the Splendor, we were a little worried especially after their mechanical issues a couple of weeks ago. I do believe however that if anything goes wrong with a Carnival Ship it is highlighted and exploited especially on the media and the reviews. Mechanical faults happen and we were kept up to date all week before the cruise.

The ship was repaired on time for our cruise and even though our itinerary was not altered, we received additional entertainment with Chris Tucker live in St Thomas. I have never laughed so much!!

 

Boarding the ship was the easiest i have ever ever experienced. They now have zones and check in times. Ours was 1230. Arrived at the terminal, short line to the check in. Showed boarding pass and passport and then to our amazement were told to board the ship!!

I asked what about the sail and sign card? Answer...it would be waiting in our mailbox outside the cabin. I love this new system. Literally 5-10 mins after arriving at the port we were on the ship! Amazing.

 

The room was not ready, so we had lunch at the Tandoor. The indian food here is delicious, i wish all Carnival ships had this. We ended up having lunch here nearly every day. I really mean it, the the food was great. Forget about greasy burgers and pizza, stop at the Tandoor lido deck aft, you will not regret it, assuming your ship has it of course. I believe only 4 ships have it, dream class and the splendor and that does NOT include the Vista to our dismay.

 

Our balcony was a cloud 9 spa balcony. It was worth every penny!! We used the VIP only thermal pool every day. It was rejuvenating. I believe again very few ships bar the dream class and the Vista have this massive Thermal whirlpool. The saunas, relaxation rooms, rooms with heated lounge chairs were amazing. This was one of the highlights of the cruise, the Tandoor came a close second.

 

I read alot of comments about the ship being old and the pink decor. What are those people on about??? Too many cocktails?? The ship is fine, modern and the decor yes its pink, its fine, its a Carnival fun ship for crying out loud. BTW the spa balcony decks are not pink if color really makes or breaks your cruise! Some people you will never please.

The deck layout was easy to navigate. I loved the open lido aft, not many carnival ships have this anymore. Nice to be in a jacuzzi looking out at the sea. The main pool area, another thing i have read negative reviews about is absolutely fine. Don't let these grumpy reviewers put you off. The main pool area is fine, nothing wrong with it. Not completely open like most ships but when the roof is open its just the same. The roof closed one day in Grand Turk when it rained so we could watch movies on the big screen, a positive thing i believe.

 

No Guys Burgers which is ok with me. The off the grill was just as good, fresher i thought and the fries were better. With the Tandoor, BBQ pit on 10 aft, mongolian wok the burrito bar we had way better food options than on our other Carnival cruises.

The Mongolian Wok was delicious. BBQ incredible and you know how i feel about the Tandoor!! Every ship has to have the Tandoor....please Carnival.

 

MDR we had anytime seating. Service and food were great. Lobster, filet mignon, oysters, mussels whats not to like. Water filled quickly, warm bread, everything was superb. Im sorry but i read these negative reviews about the MDR and carival food and it really annoys me. Why are people so unhappy with life that even on a cruise they find something to complain about. Can you imagine those same people at home, going out to dinner giving the waiter a hard time, finding something just not right. Sad.

 

Entertainment apart from Chris Tucker Live was ok. Same 80s shows playlist etc. They should start changing them up or bring Chris Tucker on every cruise.

 

Disembarking just like arriving was a breeze. We use self assist. Up at 715am with room service breakfast. Out of the cabin and the ship by 800am and through immigration customs by 820am. Shuttle took us to our car 5 mins from port and home by 1130am in Sw florida!

 

Great cruise. Great ship. Great time. We will miss you Splendor!

Thank you so much for this GREAT review. I too have read the many negative reviews and as a result, I was reluctant to give Splendor a fair shot. But hey... I was up for the challenge so we booked the cruise:D. After all, a "bad" day on vacation is still so much better than the alternative!

 

Your review is confirmation that we made the RIGHT choice!!! Splendor... Here we come:ship:

[IntrepidFromDC]

Thanks for the great, concise review. We board the Splendor on April 9th and cannot wait.

 

We're on Splendor 4/9 too and after reading a lot of negative reviews, yours hits home more than all the negative reviews combined, and I thank you for that! I can reconcile your review vs. negative reviews much in the same way I have read negative reviews about other Carnival ships that I had previously sailed on and also thought they just may be unhappy/hard to please, particularly with the gaudy décor, which I think of as "fun Carnival décor."

 

Tip for Mongolian Wok - if you ask them not to spray the wok with the non-stick spray, the food tastes even better. And for Tandoor I'm really excited because I do like Indian food, and haven't been on a ship with Tandoor yet.

 

Thanks again, you probably brightened quite a few future Splendor cruiser spirits today. Good karma!

[glrounds]

Have cruised the SPLENDOR 3 times and have always loved her. Hoping to get one more time in when she returns to LA before going to Australia. She was supposed to be a Costa ship to begin with so she never really quite fit in here I suppose. :(

[seaoats228]

My sister and I went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Splendor 12/6 to 12/13/2-15 it was my 1st cruise my sister's 4th and I loved it. I loved the shows, the ship pool, bars, comedy food and even the decor!!! Now that I know she will be heading back to the West Coast I need to book on her again before she sails 2019. We are book on the fascination for this coming December 2017 can't wait. It's an older ship but we are flying into San Juan on a Friday don't board the ship until Sunday she departs at 10 pm. We are staying on the beach at the Tres Palmas Inn - San Juan, Guest house | 2212 Calle Park Blvd, San Juan 00913-4542, Puerto Rico.

[riffatsea]

Thanks for writing! Will be booking the Splendor for next spring when she returns to Long Beach for those Mexican Riviera cruises.

We do one every year. I am a spa lover but am a bit concerned that in the rougher Pacific those deck 10 spa cabins will feel the ship rolling more than lower decks. I don't suppose anyone can tell me about that unless they also cruised the Pacific when she was here a few years ago.

DH and I are sensitive to ship movement and always books midship suites so not sure we can go much higher than Deck 7 but don't really want to miss those spa perks! <sigh> I'll be thinking about it for a while but am looking forward to trying a new ship even if it's only for one year!

[AmberTeka]

We were on the Eurodam last week. ( Got home yesterday). We were docked by the Splendor in at least 2 ports, and I think in Three.

 

Cozumel

Georgetown

Key West

I don't know about the private island stop

 

I thought the Splendor just looked so clean and trim. I had a good time on the Eurodam. But I think I am a Carnival person. I like having lots of things to do during the day on Sea Days. And even though we are Platinum on Carnival, we have never sailed on the Splendor. That is on my bucket list now.

[AmberTeka]

Thanks for writing! Will be booking the Splendor for next spring when she returns to Long Beach for those Mexican Riviera cruises.

We do one every year. I am a spa lover but am a bit concerned that in the rougher Pacific those deck 10 spa cabins will feel the ship rolling more than lower decks. I don't suppose anyone can tell me about that unless they also cruised the Pacific when she was here a few years ago.

DH and I are sensitive to ship movement and always books midship suites so not sure we can go much higher than Deck 7 but don't really want to miss those spa perks! <sigh> I'll be thinking about it for a while but am looking forward to trying a new ship even if it's only for one year!

 

 

We were on the Eurodam last week. We had booked a guaranteed balcony and were upgraded to a mid ship balcony on the Navigation Deck. One deck below the Lido Deck. On two nights, I was sitting on the rim of the bathtub, by the potty. I was that sea sick. I took pills and they worked except for those 2 nights.

We sail a good bit and I have never been sick like that. I had tubes put in my ears due to allergy issues and drainage, etc. and I blamed it on that.

 

I also wonder if Being that high up on a mid sized ship triggered part of it. It was most unpleasant.

We are booked on the Magic in a Cove Balcony for our next cruise. And I don't think I am going any higher than the Upper Deck on any Carnival Cruise.

Ask around. See what experience others had before booking a cabin that is high.

[seaoats228]

My sister and I went on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Splendor 12/6 to 12/13/2-15 it was my 1st cruise my sister's 4th and I loved it. I loved the shows, the ship pool, bars, comedy food and even the decor!!! Now that I know she will be heading back to the West Coast I need to book on her again before she sails 2019. We are book on the fascination for this coming December 2017 can't wait. It's an older ship but we are flying into San Juan on a Friday don't board the ship until Sunday she departs at 10 pm. We are staying on the beach at the Tres Palmas Inn - San Juan, Guest house | 2212 Calle Park Blvd, San Juan 00913-4542, Puerto Rico.

Well I guess I can't edit my post I talked to my sister and we changed our hotel based on other reviews and on Trip Advisor we changed our hotel from the Tres Palmas Inn to the almost new Hotel Hyatt House closer to the port and the amenities look awesome! We will be there the Fri and Sat before our cruise on Sun Dec 3, 2017.

 

Oh and I see that the Splendor will sail West in 2018...just maybe we will fly to CA and do a Mexican cruise on the Splendor :D

[ShellySea]

Great to hear this, my wife and I will be sailing out from Ft. Lauderdale in July on Splendor. After coming off Breeze last year I was worried about the choice this year. Now seeing your review, I'm more please I did take the choice. We also have a Spa Cabin!

 

 

 

I have a ? with regards to booking. When traveling with other family members is it best to let Carnival choose your cabin or should you pick? If you allow Carnival to choose will they put you side by side or at least close together?

Thank you

[riffatsea]

We like to pick our cabins.

You can never tell where you'll end up if you go the cheaper route of letting Carnival pick for you.

[isaiahsnana]

I'll never get my wife near the Tandoori anyway. If you go by yourself and bring her back some fresh naan bread and a couple of skewers of the grilled chicken - she will change her mind!!

Edited March 28, 2017 by isaiahsnana
add info

[larronry]

We were on the Splendor during it's inaugural season and it's still my favorite ship. I like the cover over the main pool when it rains or if it's cold (we had both issues) and I like the movie screen reverse from the other ships so that you can sit in the shade on the deck above Lido and see the movie. I too heard a lot about the color theme before sailing but it didn't bother me (and I'm not a pink lover).

[threadcrapper]

Just ate At the tandoor it was great! No line either. The buffet was packed.

 

Thanks for the tip!

[cherrilips]

This was our 10th Carnival cruise out of 14 total. The others being with RCL, Princess, Celebrity and Costa.

Cruising since our mid twenties and we live in Florida!

After reading alot of negative reviews on the Splendor, we were a little worried especially after their mechanical issues a couple of weeks ago. I do believe however that if anything goes wrong with a Carnival Ship it is highlighted and exploited especially on the media and the reviews. Mechanical faults happen and we were kept up to date all week before the cruise.

The ship was repaired on time for our cruise and even though our itinerary was not altered, we received additional entertainment with Chris Tucker live in St Thomas. I have never laughed so much!!

 

Boarding the ship was the easiest i have ever ever experienced. They now have zones and check in times. Ours was 1230. Arrived at the terminal, short line to the check in. Showed boarding pass and passport and then to our amazement were told to board the ship!!

I asked what about the sail and sign card? Answer...it would be waiting in our mailbox outside the cabin. I love this new system. Literally 5-10 mins after arriving at the port we were on the ship! Amazing.

 

The room was not ready, so we had lunch at the Tandoor. The indian food here is delicious, i wish all Carnival ships had this. We ended up having lunch here nearly every day. I really mean it, the the food was great. Forget about greasy burgers and pizza, stop at the Tandoor lido deck aft, you will not regret it, assuming your ship has it of course. I believe only 4 ships have it, dream class and the splendor and that does NOT include the Vista to our dismay.

 

Our balcony was a cloud 9 spa balcony. It was worth every penny!! We used the VIP only thermal pool every day. It was rejuvenating. I believe again very few ships bar the dream class and the Vista have this massive Thermal whirlpool. The saunas, relaxation rooms, rooms with heated lounge chairs were amazing. This was one of the highlights of the cruise, the Tandoor came a close second.

 

I read alot of comments about the ship being old and the pink decor. What are those people on about??? Too many cocktails?? The ship is fine, modern and the decor yes its pink, its fine, its a Carnival fun ship for crying out loud. BTW the spa balcony decks are not pink if color really makes or breaks your cruise! Some people you will never please.

The deck layout was easy to navigate. I loved the open lido aft, not many carnival ships have this anymore. Nice to be in a jacuzzi looking out at the sea. The main pool area, another thing i have read negative reviews about is absolutely fine. Don't let these grumpy reviewers put you off. The main pool area is fine, nothing wrong with it. Not completely open like most ships but when the roof is open its just the same. The roof closed one day in Grand Turk when it rained so we could watch movies on the big screen, a positive thing i believe.

 

No Guys Burgers which is ok with me. The off the grill was just as good, fresher i thought and the fries were better. With the Tandoor, BBQ pit on 10 aft, mongolian wok the burrito bar we had way better food options than on our other Carnival cruises.

The Mongolian Wok was delicious. BBQ incredible and you know how i feel about the Tandoor!! Every ship has to have the Tandoor....please Carnival.

 

MDR we had anytime seating. Service and food were great. Lobster, filet mignon, oysters, mussels whats not to like. Water filled quickly, warm bread, everything was superb. Im sorry but i read these negative reviews about the MDR and carival food and it really annoys me. Why are people so unhappy with life that even on a cruise they find something to complain about. Can you imagine those same people at home, going out to dinner giving the waiter a hard time, finding something just not right. Sad.

 

Entertainment apart from Chris Tucker Live was ok. Same 80s shows playlist etc. They should start changing them up or bring Chris Tucker on every cruise.

 

Disembarking just like arriving was a breeze. We use self assist. Up at 715am with room service breakfast. Out of the cabin and the ship by 800am and through immigration customs by 820am. Shuttle took us to our car 5 mins from port and home by 1130am in Sw florida!

 

Great cruise. Great ship. Great time. We will miss you Splendor!

 

Thanks for the thorough review! I will be on her in September to celebrate my birthday, which will be my 12th cruise on Carnival. I also read other's reviews and was a little skeptical but, thanks to you, I have a much different outlook.