Splendor vs Voyager

[pappy1022]

Looking at 2 cruises in 2023 to the British Isles. One sails on 8/26 (Voyager) for 12 nights and the other sails on 9/12 (Splendor) for 12 nights. The itineraries are equally inviting and both work well in our schedule. Assuming that the itineraries are equal, I am asking if there is a significant difference in the 2 ships (I know that Splendor is newer) and whether the August or September sail date choices provide any significant advantage in making our final decision. Thank you in advance for your responses.

[DeepFreeze63]

YES, YES, YES - there is a difference in ships! The Splendor is a magnificent ship -there is a great blog here on CC,  done during the February 2020 initial sailing. However, much of what we love about Splendor is related to sea days. For the choice between the two cited cruises, I'd jump on the Splendor, even though it'll probably cost more.

There is a possibility of more children on the Voyager  (under 18 yrs. discount fare) but that close to the opening of school, probably not a big difference.

[pappy1022]

Thank you. Both have only 1 sea day at the beginning of the cruise as this is a port intensive itinerary.

[pappy1022]

I did notice that Dublin is not a port on the Splendor itinerary.

[Lonedaddy]

2 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

I did notice that Dublin is not a port on the Splendor itinerary.

It shows it on the map but when you click it show glasgow.  @mikemoore may want to look into the glitch.

[RetiredandTravel]

We were on the Voyager and had a great time, never on Splendor.  The Veranda rooms on the Voyager are good sized I think close to the Superior Suite on Splendor, my observation is there is usually fairly big price differences between the two.

 

Splendor has an additional specialty in Pacific Rim (Asian) and its my understanding that lunch is served at some of the specialty restaurants which the Voyager (to my knowledge) doesn't have.

 

The Observation Lounge on the Voyager was good fun a very dynamic collegial environment. 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by RetiredandTravel

[wishIweretravelling]

I have yet to sail on Splendor (I'll be correcting that omission in a couple of weeks), but I've sailed Explorer a couple of times and I understand that Splendor is much the same on each of the points below. Here's the differences I note between the two. Their importance is a matter of individual taste.

 

-Splendor has a slightly higher passenger load than Voyager (750 vs 700), but more public space to make up for it.

 

-Splendor has one more specialty restaurant (Pacific Rim) than Voyager.

 

-Table service lunches on Splendor are served in Chartreuse and/or Prime 7, whereas they are served in Compass Rose on Voyager.

 

-The entry-level suites on Voyager are larger than the ones on Splendor. But once you get to the Superior Suite level (and above) on Splendor, the suite sizes are larger on Splendor, have more storage, and have double (as opposed to single) sinks in the bathroom.

 

-There's little difference between a Penthouse and a regular suite on Voyager (other than the butler), but on Splendor there is a marked difference.

 

-The theater on Voyager has better sight lines than on Splendor.

 

-Splendor has a bar (Meridian Lounge) that specializes in craft cocktails. Voyager is more limited in its mixology.

 

-Splendor has french press coffee in Coffee Connection. Voyager does not. (Am I giving away with this and the one above what matters to me?).

 

-Splendor has an infinity pool in the aft, which Voyager does not. It also has extensive thermal features in the spa area, whereas Voyager's is more limited.

 

-Splendor's pool deck smoking area is enclosed so that little to no smoke odors filter out. Unless it was recently changed, Voyager's poolside smoking area is open.

 

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by wishIweretravelling
wrong word used

[coljack]

A couple other things.  Although the folks who answered above are right that there is a larger difference in Penthouse Suites on Splendor, the Superior Suite on Splendor is very, very nice.  Unless you want the butler, book the Superior.  We love Explorer/Splendor and prefer it to Voyager for the reasons others have listed, but IMO there is one type of itinerary in which I would go with Voyager or Mariner:  The newer ships have luxury suites stacked up fore and aft.  As a result, you cannot walk a complete lap outside anywhere and have no views fore and aft except through glass.  If the cruise is Norway or Alaska or the Panama Canal or anyplace you value those views, I would go on Voyager.

[Clutj]

While true that Splendor has no open forward views, it does have two open views aft, at the horizon pool outside the spa on 4, and the whole veranda on 11.  And while you cannot do a whole lap around the ship, you can cover 60-70% or so outside on both 4 and 5, and behind high anti-wind rails on 12 (and behind glass on 11).  It isn’t exactly a closed-in ship. 

[Boatmans Lady]

On 8/17/2022 at 5:06 PM, wishIweretravelling said:

 

-Splendor has french press coffee in Coffee Connection. Voyager does not. (Am I giving away with this and the one above what matters to me?).

 My husband asked for a French press coffee in the mornings when we were on the Voyager in March and our butler informed him that they didn't have any on board,  but on our third day,  she appeared with a French press coffee pot and each morning after that. 

Fantastic service and hopefully they brought more than one. 

[Ladys Mom]

For anyone who has been on the Mariner lately, do they now have French press coffee in Coffee Connection?  They didn't when we were on in April and I asked for it frequently.  I am about ready to take my own on our cruise in September, unless they now carry them.

Norma

[SWFLAOK]

Our favorite cabin ever is the Penthouse B on Voyager. It has a layout with a side by side bedroom and living area. The bedroom area has a large desk with a window for a view. Perfect if one of you spends a lot of time at the desk on their laptop. Next to the bedroom is a living area with a small couch, table, and chair, with a sliding glass door to the balcony. There's a huge walk-in closet on the living room side, and a large bathroom on the bedroom side off the entry hall. We loved this layout. We enjoyed 34 nights on back to back cruises on Voyager, and would have no trouble spending way more time than that with this layout. We have a Concierge E next month on Splendor, for our 3rd attempt at Southampton to Southampton to Barcelona. We'll see how that works, but it's hard to beat the Voyager Penthouse B.

[wishIweretravelling]

5 hours ago, Ladys Mom said:

For anyone who has been on the Mariner lately, do they now have French press coffee in Coffee Connection?  They didn't when we were on in April and I asked for it frequently.  I am about ready to take my own on our cruise in September, unless they now carry them.

Norma

They did not have them in May. Interestingly, it was on the Coffee Connection menu, but when I asked for it they said they no longer had them.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 8/27/2022 at 7:40 PM, SWFLAOK said:

We'll see how that works, but it's hard to beat the Voyager Penthouse B.

I'm with you on that.  Lots of folks will be quick to say that Voyager PH's are only 50 sq ft bigger than standard suites, but the layout we found to be brilliant.

[dvalentine823]

Been on both, and while Splendor is newer, Voyager's atrium is much nicer. The food on Voyager was better then Splendor, hands down. But that could be that we were on the second sailing of Splendor after COVID, and the kinks were not yet worked out.

 

Splendor does have Pacific Rim, which adds to the meal choices. We have been on Voyager for 21 nights this cruise, and we would love to have another venue at which to eat. That being said, we could have had a different dinner every night, if we chose to shy away from our favorite menu items.

 

I do like the ability to do a full circle of the promenade deck on Splendor, and was disappointed that the Voyager's deck does not fully wrap around.

 

Staff on both are excellent; so no complaints there. 

 

Gym on Splendor is much bigger, better and more of a pleasant experience. On Voyager, it is a little claustrophobic.

 

Venues (lounges, theatre, casino, etc. ) are pretty much the same. Splendor's are probably larger, but they are never even near capacity.

 

That is all I can think of.

 

I will be posting videos of our latest Voyager cruise starting this Friday. Internet on board is horrible, so I am waiting to check into our post cruise hotel before posting.  Look for videos every week at:

 

YouTube: Travels with Daren and Johnetta

 

 

 

[kjbacon]

We just put a hold on our first cruise on Voyager. While there isn’t a dedicated Pacific Rim restaurant, are there ever any of those great PR dishes served in Compass Rose? The duck and watermelon salad and the Korean lamb chops are always a favorite!

[SWFLAOK]

3 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We just put a hold on our first cruise on Voyager. While there isn’t a dedicated Pacific Rim restaurant, are there ever any of those great PR dishes served in Compass Rose? The duck and watermelon salad and the Korean lamb chops are always a favorite!

On our last Voyager cruise from December 6, 2019 to January 7, 2020, there were definitely selections on the Compass Rose menu that were from Pacific Rim. I ordered them a number of times, and was looking forward to trying Pacific Rim on our September 2020 back to back cruises on Splendor. We will hopefully be taking those Splendor cruises on our 3rd try in less than 2 weeks. I already have my dinner reservations made.

[HotRoot]

5 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We just put a hold on our first cruise on Voyager. While there isn’t a dedicated Pacific Rim restaurant, are there ever any of those great PR dishes served in Compass Rose? The duck and watermelon salad and the Korean lamb chops are always a favorite!

They will make any of the Pacific Rim dishes on the other ships with 24 hours notice.