Not bad for a first cruise

Carnival Splendor Cruise Review to U.S. - Pacific, Northwest

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 3

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Splendor

7 Night Pacific Coastal (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 24, 2009

Ship: Carnival Splendor

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 15 years ago

Review summary

This was my first cruise and I would say that overall it was a pleasant experience. Although I don't have much to compare it to, I would at least be able to say that I really enjoyed myself and it was well worth it

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
The food was very good. We eat at the main dinning room almost every night and the majority of our breakfast and lunches. The food was very good, service was usually quick and the ambiance was very nice. On the menu each night, there was plenty of options and the other areas on the ship for food added to the variety. The food was just plain good, although at day 7, I was looking forward to some 'normal' food.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
The ports were amazing, Astoria, Victoria, and Vancouver. All of them had something good to do and I felt there was plenty of time at each port. For Astoria and Vancouver, we just rented a car and did whatever we wanted. We saved lots of money doing it that way and had the freedom to do whatever we wanted. And not having to deal with a tour group made it totally worth it. On the ship however, it wasn't as great. They did have lots of activities listed, but most of them were pretty pathetic in my mind. Also, since we don't drink or gamble, a lot of the things listed didn't really fit our idea of a good time. But for most people, it might be just right. So for that reason, I want to at least try another cruise line, but still I was very impressed with carnival and had a great time.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The staff was very nice, again did LOTS of cleaning and I felt they made sure we had a good time. Other than the debarkation, which was a mad house, and from listening to other passengers, our debarkation was quite unique and nearly quite awful. Other than that, carnival did a very good job making it a good vacation.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
The ship itself is pretty new and I think it will stay looking that way for quite some time. I always saw people cleaning different areas, constantly. So when it comes to cleanliness, it gets an A+. However, the decor was fine, but just kind of tacky. I think they could have done a much better and simpler job with less money and made it look much more classy. Lots of pink, which is fine, but just the overall decor was a little much and seemed cheap, although it was all custom I am sure. The ship layout was ok, it was just hard to get to certain places from a given side of the ship, but once you're on the ship for a day or two, you figure it out.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We had an interior stateroom. It had plenty of room, lots of storage space and the bed was actually quite comfy. It was very clean and didn't smell like smoke at all, which I was happy about. The air conditioner/heater worked great and you would leave your room for an hour or two and come back with it being cleaned, multiple times a day. They did a great job with that.

Ports of call

Astoria, Oregon

5 out of 5

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

5 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5

Pros: Amazingly clean and pretty good food, great ports!

Cons: pre-cruise issues and debarkation

Recommends Carnival Splendor? Yes!

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