Splendour Of The Seas

[rosyclare]

I have cruised 4 times on the Splendour, first 3 cruises fabulous the last cruise was out of Lisbon 20 April this year which was quite the opposite. If your boarding in Venice I don't think you will have problems we encountered in Lisbon. Splendour has been cruising in South America during the winter and the crew on board we were told had to be 70% South American and a lot of these people left the ship before if went Transatlantic arriving in Lisbon 20 April. Comparing to past cruises on this ship we definately thought they were short of crew, after 1 1/2 hours we had only the first course in the dining room, out of 6 nights we tried the dining room only 3 nights and the food was not brilliant. We did experience various problems thoughout the ship but were told new crew were expected in Venice and if this were the case future cruises could be completely different to what we experienced.

Good luck!

[nycgirl0618]

I am cruising out of Venice on Sept 13 and I am also worried about the service and the food. The last crop of reviews have been horrible. I am hoping this is due to the South American crew and I'm sure the virus on a one particular sailing did not help matters. I have non refunable air booked so I'm all in.:eek: I am hoping the new crew in Venice is up to standards and although food is subjective, too many people have said it's okay or adequate. That is not very encouraging!! I'm going in with very low expectations and hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Let's all hope for the best.

[jbond]

The Concierge Lounge was small but adequate, and the room itself (former card room) was attractive.

Strange comment. The CL on Splendour is far bigger than the Radiance class ships and they use a conference room on deck 3 for overflow. The CL problem on our recent B2B on Splendour was that the concierge didn't check who was entering and it had many people in that were not eligible.

We just got off Splendour, 29 days, Valparaiso to Lisbon. The cruise had it's problems for us, mainly due to the ethnic mix on the second leg. The first leg was fine. Food was good, service in the cabin and dining room excellent. Entertainment was so so. On the second leg the food took a serious dump and the so so entertainment became poor. Bar service on both legs was the poorest I've experienced on RCI. Guest Relations was abysmal and Jill Tasker was very poor. Splendour is showing some signs of wear and tear, but she is still a very attractive ship.

[cruisenfever]

Strange comment. The CL on Splendour is far bigger than the Radiance class ships and they use a conference room on deck 3 for overflow. The CL problem on our recent B2B on Splendour was that the concierge didn't check who was entering and it had many people in that were not eligible.

We just got off Splendour, 29 days, Valparaiso to Lisbon. The cruise had it's problems for us, mainly due to the ethnic mix on the second leg. The first leg was fine. Food was good, service in the cabin and dining room excellent. Entertainment was so so. On the second leg the food took a serious dump and the so so entertainment became poor. Bar service on both legs was the poorest I've experienced on RCI. Guest Relations was abysmal and Jill Tasker was very poor. Splendour is showing some signs of wear and tear, but she is still a very attractive ship.

We were also on the above mentioned cruises with jb and his wife and he is spot on with his evaluation.

 

As far as the CL being small................OMG............it was huge with a wonderful wall of windows. Larger than what one finds on Radiance class and above. The only thing missing is the coffee machine and toaster for great bagels in the mornings.

 

Plans are to move it to deck 8 where the Loyalty Ambassador currently is.

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

The only thing missing is the coffee machine and toaster for great bagels in the mornings.

 

 

 

I definitely missed the coffee machine but you must have missed the toaster Patti 'cause I toasted my bagel quite often.:D

I agree with the aforementioned posts by Patti and Ray re. the Splendour. We also spent 29 days and observed the same things. The company of friends helped to pale the problems.

[cruisenfever]

I definitely missed the coffee machine but you must have missed the toaster Patti 'cause I toasted my bagel quite often.:D

 

I agree with the aforementioned posts by Patti and Ray re. the Splendour. We also spent 29 days and observed the same things. The company of friends helped to pale the problems.

Yep, I sure did................

[Krazy4Kruisin']

We are booked in a Grand Suite on this ship in 2 weeks. My husband is thinking of bringing a few movies to watch while we are resting. But only if there is a DVD player and not a VCR. Does anyone who has stayed in a suite know the answer to this? Pictures look like VCR, but they could be really old pictures.

 

thanks.

[cruisenfever]

We are booked in a Grand Suite on this ship in 2 weeks. My husband is thinking of bringing a few movies to watch while we are resting. But only if there is a DVD player and not a VCR. Does anyone who has stayed in a suite know the answer to this? Pictures look like VCR' date=' but they could be really old pictures.

 

thanks.[/quote']

We were in a GS cabin and unfortunately there is only a VCR there.

 

If you happen to get Wayan as your cabin steward...........he is a gem.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

We were in a GS cabin and unfortunately there is only a VCR there.

 

If you happen to get Wayan as your cabin steward...........he is a gem.

 

 

When were you on this ship and do you remember which cabin you were in? We are in 8016. Can't wait to be on the ship and not in the Arizona desert where we live.

[EmJakeBubbie]

oy, these negative comments may be opinions, but running consistent with reviews and random posts. Please to all of you with Splendour sailings, I hope you come back here for follow up comments? It does help to know what to expect. We are not traveling with any companions, so it'll just be us against whatever:rolleyes:

[jbond]

You're cruising the Med on Splendour. I think that your experience will be completely different to ours. We've sailed Splendour four times. Three were great, only the last trans Atlantic was a problem.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

oy' date=' these negative comments may be opinions, but running consistent with reviews and random posts. Please to all of you with Splendour sailings, I hope you come back here for follow up comments? It does help to know what to expect. We are not traveling with any companions, so it'll just be us against whatever:rolleyes:[/quote']

 

Bubbie: It makes me a little nervous also with all the negative comments, especially since our traveling companions are newbie cruisers. To me, any cruise is better than no cruise and we tend to overlook alot. But if we want our friends to cruise with us again, I hate for them to have a negative 1st experience. I was on Splendour 2 years ago and thought it was just fine. We seem to think that food has been better while cruising in Europe and Alaska than in Caribbean. But we'll see if this time that holds up. We also have the attitude that we are going for the ports, not just the ship. We love to unpack once and relax.

 

By the way, my grandmother was a bubbie to me; but to my kids, my mother is nana. I sort of miss using bubbie and zaida as names for grandparents.

[AF-1]

I was on Spendour last year. I posted a review under member reviews, suggest you go there and read my review. It is from May, under the name Tim Kerwin. I have nothing but praise for the ship, staff, food, and entertainment.

 

Cheers

[cruisenfever]

When were you on this ship and do you remember which cabin you were in? We are in 8016. Can't wait to be on the ship and not in the Arizona desert where we live.

We just returned from a b2b which began on March 22 sailing out of Valparaiso to Santos and then Santos to Lisbon. We were in cabin 8514 starboard side for 29 days.

[cruisenfever]

I was on Spendour last year. I posted a review under member reviews, suggest you go there and read my review. It is from May, under the name Tim Kerwin. I have nothing but praise for the ship, staff, food, and entertainment.

 

Cheers

You didn't do a Transatlantic with 1500 Brazilians on board. You might have written an entirely different review if you had.

[John Cuttino]

Will post a review. Apr 26 sailing out of Venice.

 

Re: Excursions-We took all ships excursions and were happy with them.

 

In Dubrovnik did the old town, Knovle Dori Restaurant and

cavtat. Old town was wonderful. Had enough time for shopping. Did not have enough time to walk the walls. Restaurant was nice in a garden by a brook setting. Good fresh trout. Cavtat is avery scenic seaside town.

 

In Kusadasi did the Ephesus, Mellitus, and Didyma (with lunch). Ephesus is awesome and not to be missed. Great guide (Izzie). Theatre at Mellitus is actually more impressive than Ephesus. Lunch at a place just at Didyma. Great Mediterranean fare. Trip ended in a shop in Kusadasi (that we wanted to go to anyway). Carpet demonstration. Bought a small carpet and some great leather jackets.

 

In Santorini did the Oia, wine tasting, and Fira trip. The problem with Santorini is tendering in and getting up to the top. This tour gets you off the ship first, which is impt. You are also met by guide and bus. The tender port ia not the same as to get up to Fira. Some people (doing it on their own) did not get onto land before noon. There were long waits both going up and down on the funicular. It is fast but only takes 36 people (in 6 small cars) at a time. 4 big ships in port the day we were.

Oia is amazing (where Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed). "Oh wow" views everywhere.

 

In Corfu did the Achillion Palace and old town. Fantastic views from palace.

Great shopping in old town (olive products, leather, and Kumquat liquor, of all things.

 

General comment: well organized excursions. Met in 42nd st lounge, got sticker and sat by "lollipop" til being escorted off. For most ports we were the first off, a major plus....

[EmJakeBubbie]

By the way' date=' my grandmother was a bubbie to me; but to my kids, my mother is nana. I sort of miss using bubbie and zaida as names for grandparents.[/quote']

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=175242

[Mines]

You didn't do a Transatlantic with 1500 Brazilians on board. You might have written an entirely different review if you had.

 

We did the transatlantic last December from Lisbon to Santos. The cruise was fantastic, but the Brazilian crew were a bit new at the time.

 

As for the Brazilian passengers, we enjoyed that part - as they did not get up until midday, we had the ship to ourselves every morning ;)

[Krazy4Kruisin']

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=175242

 

Thanks EmJake's for that link. I think I may have been on it before, but can't remember. And with 377 pages to read, I gave up after a couple. Hope you had a wonderful mother's day. I know I did.

[JenC-7]

I just got back from sailing on the Splendour (sailed May 3rd). While I really enjoyed the cruise on the whole, it was mostly due to the itinerary. My husband and I are not experienced cruisers (I have only been on one other cruise...RCCL Soveriegn of the Seas), but we thought the ship was horrible. I did a longer review but it has not posted yet. The food was terrible, the service from the dining staff was bad, and the tendering procedure was a complete mess. We were also kept up several nights by very noisy pipes overhead in our cabin... finally maintenance did fix that. If they told us one more time during the cruise how much we are expected to tip everyone I thought I would pull my hair out (especially since we were not getting good service in the dining room). On the upside, embarkation was easy (except for the fact that the "free shuttle" to the ship from Piazzale Roma was nowhere to be found), the bartenders were great, and our room was in good shape and kept very clean. We only did one shore excursion (in Corfu) but we enjoyed it very much. Like I said, we had a very good time on the cruise.... but I wouldn't recommend the SHIP to anyone.

[feistytigger]

jenc - i'm sorry you didn't have the best experience. :( since your review hasn't posted yet, would you mind sharing more info about what you did in the ports? tia!

[Dot Wonder]

We were in a GS cabin and unfortunately there is only a VCR there.

 

If you happen to get Wayan as your cabin steward...........he is a gem.

 

 

I've only been on 6 cruises, but Wayan is indeed a gem. Very personable, only had to ask once for things and we had great discussions with him. He was the best we've ever had!

[JenC-7]

Feistytigger,

I just checked and my review finally did post. We did every port on our own except Corfu. In Athens we just took the metro into town and went to the Acropolis & walked around the Plaka. In Mykonos we took a ferry to Delos in the morning, then in the afternoon walked around Mykonos Town and shopped/hung out in cafes. Katakolon was the big mess, we had reserved a rental car but the company ending up giving it away since we showed up so late (due to tendering issues). We wound up paying a taxi to take us there, wait for us to visit the Olympia ruins and the museum, and then take us back. The ruins and museum were very interesting so the day turned out okay despite the tendering fiasco. On Corfu we did the ship's "Paleokatsritsa, Lakones & Wine" tour, and it was great. In Split we explored Diocletian's Palace and then took a bus to Trogir and hung out there for a few hours and had lunch. We much prefered Trogir to Split! Back in Venice at the end of the cruise we took a train to Verona (an hour and a half away). I would recommend that to anyone, it is a beautiful city!

[EmJakeBubbie]

OK, now y'all here this:rolleyes:

I am seriously concerned about the Splendour. Seems that tendering, bad weather, missed ports, etc. can be expected, yes? But BAD FOOD is not something one equates to Royal Caribbean, so What's Up, RCI? Should we cancel November 22 sailing???????

I do hope someone from RCI responds.

[goldiemom]

JenC-7,

 

I am on the the Splendour this fall. Please elaborate on where (and how) you took the ferry to Delos. Did you hire a guide? Is Delos worth seeing? Also, I have heard many people like Trogir better than Split. Did you have a hard time finding the bus to Trogir? Please give us details.

 

How long did it take you to disembark? We are taking a train to Milan that day and I'm not sure which train I should reserve. Any thoughts?