Ship Ruined Good Time

Item: Carnival Splendor
Rating: 1
Author: marc4ljr

Carnival Splendor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

marc4ljr

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 51

Overall rating:

1 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 24, 2016

Ship: Carnival Splendor

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6461

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The layout of this sister ship to the Costa Concordia (sank off Italian coast after hitting rocks) is awful. The ship is not digital even though it launched in 2008. Most notable is the Lido deck buffet, going port to starboard instead of bow to stern as other ships do. This led to a much smaller space for everyone to get food, as well as a lower variety of dishes. After 10 cruises, this was a first (and a last). 3 separate dining room areas made walking the ship good excersize I didn't bargain for. decks 3 and 4 (usually just 1 deck) don't pass through, making getting to these dining rooms difficult at times. But, the food was very good everywhere. Dining room service mixed. I asked for a bagel not toasted and was told not possible because they are frozen. (?) A heavy handed waiter poured coffee continuously thru my coffee cup onto the table and he was not trained well. The temperature on the ship was very cold, and I went to the outdoor pool to warm up. Very long lines at the Deli on the Lido deck (because of the lack of food). Two middle nights there was no entertainment but for the marriage game (ugh!) and Hasbro game. The comedy night club had too few seats and folks stood 6 deep at the back of the room for a comedian. Several elevators did not work throughout the cruise. The night table next to the bed had a large door; no top drawer. The huge "Robusto Bar' on deck 4 was never used! Could have had entertainment there. ANYTHING! Narrow doorways everywhere made passage of 2 folks a challenge at times. The central Atrium area was underwhelming at best. To finalize, I got a 1 liter bottle of water as a gift by being a returning traveler (I used to go to a Captain's party, get a cocktail & snack). I paid $$$ and got a plastic bottle of a liter of water. What a diss! The ship was just plain awful. the ports of call were fine.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Not too bad. No top drawer to the night tables...no place to put condoms or personal items.

Ship tip

Sail on a different Carnival ship.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Private Island)

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

The huge Robusto Bar facility was never used on this cruise.

No Captain's party for repeat guests; just a plastic bottle of water! OUCH!!!

Long lines didn't move well at the Deli. 20-30 minute waits common.

Narrow doorways made passage difficult throughout the ship.

Room for chairs but folks had to stand in the back of the El Morocco night club.

Room OK but only a door; no top drawer for condoms or personal items.

19 Comments

ctav 7 years ago

wow... was there any thing that you did enjoy about the cruise?

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flabreezy01 8 years ago

@doug520 did you enjoy your cruise?

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Julie267 8 years ago

This is a great ship.. I'm leaving in 6 days for a 9 day journey cruise. This will be our 4 time on the Splendor, she has great food and excellent staff. A cruise is what you make of it. Just go and have fun, make up your own mind. ⚓️

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doug520 8 years ago

Thank you Carol!!

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carolinan8iv 8 years ago

doug520 please don't worry. There's someone to complain about every cruise. If you line up 100 ppl on the same boat at the same time every single one will have a different experience. Much of it is what YOU make it. Make it fun. Be positive.

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bellagray3 8 years ago

If you're complaining about a night stand I would say you are really reaching. We got off the shop May 7th and we loved it. I never really noticed the pink decor. I was always able to find a seat on the lido deck and put by the pool!! You can't walk the length of the ship on a couple decks but you get use to it pretty quickly. I would definitely sail on her agaon.

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Suescott 8 years ago

Just got off the splendor on Sunday. Had a great time. Would suggest that you bring a sweater for the evening as they seem to crank up the air then. Most nights we went back to change into warmer clothes to watch the shows as we felt it was to cold. I do agree that they didn't seem to clear the tables on the Lido deck all that fast.

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gary1827 8 years ago

Petty much?

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aprilkimbrell 8 years ago

I went on the ecstasy in February. Wasn't my favorite ship but I still had a good time. 👍

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doug520 8 years ago

Thank you so much Flabreezo01, I love you!!! Lol. Thank you for your comment. I wish there were more like you. Many rip the Ecstasy and I was on it last year and had ZERO problems. I was just never on Splender before and kind of tough to read such a bad review just days before a cruise. If you ever have any questions for me, don't hesitate.

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flabreezy01 8 years ago

Doug520 don't worry, I felt the same way after the negative reviews, and I just got off splendor and I had an amazing time! I honestly believe that people that write reviews about the size of the door are looking for something to complain about. Some of the negative reviews I read that were completely untrue was that the food was bad, lies! The service was bad! Lies those people work so hard and were polite. People said the tables were always dirty, lies the crew was constantly cleaning up. So go relax and don't look for all the trivial things you could complain about and just enjoy.

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cland674 8 years ago

Remember the sister shop sank due to operator error. Not the ships fault. The cruise will what you make it. If you go in looking for faults that is all you will find. I choose to go in expecting a great time.

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Shelbel71 8 years ago

Doug520 don't let the few bad reviews scare you. For every bad review you can find several more good reviews. It's a cruise ship that has thousands of people on board. No way everything is perfect for everyone. This will be my second time going on the Splendor. It isn't a crappy ship, you will have a great time!

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doug520 8 years ago

I am going on the Splender this Saturday and now very worried???

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banaford 8 years ago

Robin..we were on the splendor with you this yr. Yes the decor is very pink. Shades of pink I didn't know existed. Still fun!

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robinwilliamsnichols 8 years ago

The door way going out on the lido deck is narrow. No way 2 people can pass through at the same time. The pink decor was weird and the water was so bad that we had to buy water or soda the whole trip

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layne1000 8 years ago

I was on the spendor last jan it is a different layout but as with any ship you can look at the layout and i would suggest you do my wife and i had agreat time but we always do

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banaford 8 years ago

Aprilkimbrell...I was on Splendor 2 times since Jan. It is a funky laid out ship. Most of what the poster complains about is stuff carnival used to do. Over yr ago they changed the perks. I think he is used to a higher end cruiseline. Do not worry, it will be a great trip!

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aprilkimbrell 8 years ago

Wow. I hope this isn't the case when I go In July !

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