Beautiful ship, great itinerary!

Item: Carnival Splendor
Rating: 5
Author: cmliutkus

Carnival Splendor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

cmliutkus

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 38

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 23, 2017

Ship: Carnival Splendor

Cabin number: 9197

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

If you're looking for great ports and a new, updated ship, this is the cruise for you! We loved St Thomas, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Grand Turk-- but watch out if you don't take an excursion or stay at the Amber Cove resort in the Dominican Republic. All of the ports were great, and we felt safe and welcome *except* when we rented a car in the Dominican Republic and tried to explore the north coast of the country. The rental car company (National, at the cruise port) still hasn't refunded a temporary hold on my credit card (for $1000!) and once we got the car and tried to drive to Sosua (about 30 mins from Amber Cove) we took our life in our hands. There are few traffic regulations in DR, and not many follow them anyway-- we almost got hit several times, were accosted in our car, and eventually turned around and returned the rental car within 30 minutes, fearing for our safety. I am well traveled (including the remote regions of Africa) and I was definitely concerned while in DR. So, be smart and be safe, friends. Otherwise, we had amazing experiences at St Thomas, Grand Turk, and San Juan. The Carnival Splendor is a gorgeous ship-- highly recommend.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Amazing views from this cabin (with floor to ceiling windows!) but beware-- this is an adjoining room, and sound travels through the adjoining door badly. We were amazed at how loud our neighbors were and how we could hear everything they were saying next door.

Ship tip

The Gold Pearl Restaurant is extremely hard to find-- it's in the back of the ship on Decks 3/4, but you can't get there by walking to the back on Deck 4-- there is a lounge in the way. Go up to Deck 5, walk all the way to the back of the ship, then go down to Deck 4 or 3 to access the Gold Pearl.

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