Carnival Splendor Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Some minor problems with very few staff. Very friendly and fun. very accommodating. Enjoyed myself very much. Food was decent. the pools were a little crowed, but that's to be expected. We loved the shopping on board. The entertainment staff and the shop keeper were really personable. the cleaning and wait staff were friendly and talked to us about where they were from, and we found that interesting. The only problems we had on the cruise were from our own bank, no fault of carnival whatsoever.

Our favorite part was that we could relax, play or eat any time we wanted!  We planned excursions in every port and loved it.  At the same time we could have spent our time in port on board or exploring the port area.  The restaurant was wonderful.  We loved the wait staff!  We met so many wonderful people and everyone was happy! 

Tendering back to the ship was an issue in both ports where we had to tender.  People waited in like in excess of an hour and half.  We didn't because we "parked" ourselves in the shade where we could monitor the line.  This probably cannot be avoided but there's got to be a better way than to have to stand in a line for that long.  Luckily the weather was pleasant.  I could not have done it in the heat of the summer.

The most special thing after the memories we made, is the beautiful photos we had made in the Dreams Studio.  We have gorgeous black and white photos that rival our wedding photos!

I would like to address a few inconveniences I experienced while on the Carnival Splendor. I had specifically asked for a king bed in my stateroom and was surprised to find that I had two twin beds put together side by side. Which was uncomfortable for me and my partner. I find myself as well as him falling in between the two beds in the gap. Also the air conditioning was warm inside my cabin I called guest services and they said they would send someone to check the temperature and no one came.  I then proceeded to go downstairs to guest services, to see if they could change the temperature to make it more cool. After several minutes a tech arrived and said that the temperature was at the adequate temperature for all staterooms. But me and my partner still found the room to be quite warm. I had always experienced the air conditioning in other cruises to be extremely cool.  I was uncomfortable at night sleeping with such a warm temperature.

Also I experienced another inconvenience being locked out of my cabin, both my stateroom keys would not open the door. I went down to guest services where they gave me two new keys. I tried those keys and was still not able to go inside my cabin. I used the phone in the hall and called again guest services and the young woman assured me they would send a tech to fix my door. After waiting 30 minutes no tech had arrived, so I called again guest services and she said someone was on their way.  The tech finally arrived after more than 30 minutes of me standing outside my cabin unable to get it.  It took the tech several attempts which took him approximately another 30 minutes to fix my door and have access to use both stateroom keys.

In addition I was upset to find when I arrived at 8:00 pm to the Black Pearl Dinning on Captain’s Night there was another couple sitting at my assigned table 612. The waiter came and verified with my stateroom card and the list that indeed that was my table and there was an error.  After standing for more than 20 minutes and waiting for the staff to find me an available table. I was becoming inpatient, as well as my partner which was his first time cruising on Carnival. I was appalled that there was a lack of organization and not a quick solution. The couple that was seated in my table told the waiter that they refused to get up, and became a little rude and unpleasant. After some time of me telling the staff why they couldn’t seat me in the empty table that was available next to my assigned table. They finally decided to seat me and my partner in the available table.  Due to this inconvenience my partner did not want to return to the dining room for dinner for the remainder of the week. I was very disappointed because I enjoy going to the dining room very much. I enjoy the different variety of dishes versus the buffet.  The buffet had the same food every evening which became quite boring.

I had another experience by the pool ordering a cocktail and was quite disappointed. I had asked the waiter if the cocktail of the day would come frozen. He assured me that he could bring me the cocktail frozen. I was parched after spending the afternoon in the pool. He took more than 30 minutes to return with no cocktail and no soda which I had ordered with my bubbles account. The waiter told me that the bartender said he could not make the special drink of the day frozen that it only came on the rocks. He explained that I could order any other drink that came frozen and he listed a few drinks. At this point I was frustrated and told him I no longer wanted a cocktail just my soda please. He apologized for the inconvenience and brought me the soda after several minutes.  I would think as a VIP customer (VIFP Club of Carnival that I would be able to have the drink I wanted made in any way I liked. I was evening willing to pay more to have the drink made frozen to my liking. When I go on a cruise I expect to be catered to.   On other occasions, I also was sent to order a drink at the other bar by the staff because they said that bar was closed. When there was staff working at that bar. Both bars should always be open by the pool to ensure that all guest can have their drinks in a timely manner without making a line at only 1 bar.

I have always loved cruising on Carnival because it truly is the fun ship and I have taken several cruises with Carnival in the past.  But on this cruise I was quite disappointed by the many inconveniences I experienced while on the Carnival Splendor. I had saved my money all year to be able to go on this cruise, and was so excited to have a wonderful time with no inconveniences or problems. I would love to receive a reply from your guest care department with feedback regarding this email. I appreciate your time to address my concerns while on the Carnival Splendor for the week of March 12-19 2017.  Thank you and have a wonderful day.

I have always booked through Carnival but this time I thought I was getting a great deal through because I was going to get double of on board credits which would have been $150. I filled the paperwork and had spoken to a rep the day vefore to confirm credits and all was ok so I get on the ship and something told me to go check at guest services so I get there and no on board credit was applied so I called and after 1 hour really... I get a rep and says they will take care of it by 9pm I go next day and NOTHING still I call again I speak to a rep they also spoke to a guest service rep from the ship and they saI'd they were going to send email to fix it and nothing mind you this is already day 2 of my vacation and still no credits and alway's over an hour on the phone with ...so next day...day 3 STILL NOTHING $150 down the drain at this time I'm UPSET BEYOND WORDS no $150 and 3 days trying to fix so I gave up....I am disgusted and will NEVER trust they should make this right and return $150 back on my credit card since that's what I was promised so please people be careful and if you guys at want to call me you guys have my number and I'm pretty sure you all can see the notes 

We went as a family of 5children 4-15 and six adults 35-65. I chose this cruise for the itinerary as it seemed child friendly and the Carnival line as it caters to children. I have to say that we all had a great time despite it being Spring Break busy.  The best part for me was being able to have dinner together each night. Our wait staff in the dining room were absolutely amazing. Yasa, Arya and Muryana(sp) were incredibly patient and kind with the children and went out of their way to make dinner each night a special experience. My husband and I have cruised frequently on celebrity and were not sure how the menu would compare. The quality of the food and menu options in the dining room was as good as we have ever had and loved that they had a kids menu option. We were in a Spa room and loved the convenience of the location and enjoyed the spa options. The bed was the most comfortable we have experienced. The bedding ie. duvet covers and sheets did seem a little worn. One of the sheets had a tear in it and their were visible stains. This did not detract from the vacation but just a suggestion to perhaps retire some of the linen. We all had drink packages and felt they were worth the additional cost. Appreciated that the package included premium brands as you pay extra for this on other cruise lines. Over all it was a great vacation. 

My favorite part of my cruise on the Splendor was sharing time with long time friends!!  The ship was very dated and in need of TLC.  Our room was a nice size but again in need of a deep cleaning and updating.  Carnival I guess has gone to once a day room make-up. Some days our room wasn't touched till evening. The TV was very limited. The map and weather channels did not work. The entertainment was very poor.  The same singers/dancers sang every night.  All canned music with them trying to sing over it.  The headliner Chris Tucker was fair and seemed to ad lib or mumble.   The adult only pool is only meant for young adults since you need to climb a ladder to enter.  Older adults were just able to sit on the edge due to their knee or back issues.  Food in the dining room was fair. Buffets where good.  Need for water or drink stations near pools.  Embarking and disbarkking was great!  Very smooth!!

I like the amenities they offered. However, I was disappointed because I didn't get to visit all the ports that was included in the package, that was the only reason why I booked this trip. I hope that when I decide to book such a trip like that I don't get another ports cancellation through email again. 

This was the cruise to nowhere.  So we pretty much looked at it like a boat vacation instead of a cruise.  Boat was great.  We really appreciated the extra entertainment of Chris Tucker, Miami band, and beach day.  We really liked the Miami band concert and dance party. 

Our dinner crew of Rey and Edi were fantastic and pampered us very nicely.  Only complaint I would have was the piano bar.  I love sing alongs and piano bars but your piano player was crude and rude.  constant sexual inuendo, made up crude lyrics mostly about butt sex, most requests he didn't know and made people feel bad for asking, he only had one printed book of music (arn't there computer programs for that?) all in all very negative experience and we didn't go back.

I want to first say that we did not get to take the trip we had purchased. If I would have seen where the trip was eventually going, I would not have booked the trip. I wanted to take my father on a trip of a life time to somewhere out of the country, and we ultimately did, however spending 2 thousand bucks to stay on a cruise ship for 4 days in 2 Bahamanian ports is a little expensive. We could have taken a small ferry from Miami for just a few hundred, and stayed at a resort for way cheaper.

We made the most of it, and decided that its still better than work!

The original tickets were purchased through , which was a MISTAKE. Book through the cruise line and save yourself some headache and money. sent me an updated itinerary 2 days after we got back from the vacation. (9 Days late) I still haven't received any information on the returns. 

Carnival decided that they would just change the itinerary to a much shorter trip and then refund 50% of the tickets (not 's fees) and then also reward each persons ship credit with $100. ($300) total for us. They also have decided to give us 50% off the next cruise we book. (Which may actually happen) Many people decided to cancel their cruise, (25-33% official numbers from cruise host) which made it much more comfortable and less crowded during spring break.

The excursions we booked (thankfully through the cruise-line) we all credited to the ship credit. Which allowed us to re-book through the new excursions. Some people booked through 3rd party companies and will have to wait 3-4 weeks for paper check. (For us that was about $900.) Since we didn't go to the original destination, the excursions we spent weeks researching were not exactly what we had planned on (clothes and money). However we were able to find some similar ones in the new destination. We tried to do things that you could only do in those destinations. (SNUBA diving in the famous wreck sites, Cave Tubing through Belize Caves, Travel to foreign civilization ruins.) We obviously couldn't do two of those but we made up for with 2 private tours. (Maybe $60 more per excursion) Our tour guides, which we locals, spent the time and energy to make it well worth our money and time. 2 of our excursions ran over by several hours, and made us feel at home. Not once did I feel that we were being pushed through. 

A cruise is your ultimate vacation cost efficiency. Though you don't have a ton of space in your stateroom, It should really only be there to hold your clothes and sleep in. There is way too much going on stay cooped up in a hotel room. Your average hotel room  Will cost you between $70 - $200 a night, So 7 nights of room alone is at least $490 (About the price one persons stateroom) Then add in all the food you could eat, the free shows, and entertainment. Seriously worth the ticket price.

This was our second cruise, and last one was more than 10 years ago. I can't really recall everything. 

Here's where to save you some money.

DO NOT BUY DRINK PACKAGES. Whether its soda or liquor. They buffets do not have the soda near by, and the waiters seem to take their time bringing drinks back. All of the bars are super swamped, and sodas are very low priority. There is now way we drank enough to make it worth it. One drink (2/3 a can) will cost you 2.77. We did the math and with 3 people paying for the tab. (Which really can't be manipulated easily) Every day costs $6 plus gratuity X 9 days costs about $60 a person. (For us 3 people cost $180) We only drank (actually tally count) 22 drinks = $60.94. (Bottles of water to take ashore cost, and are not cheap once off the boat either) So bring a case or two of soda and water with you on board, and it will really save some money. 

We cant fathom how anyone can get their moneys worth out of the liquor package either. There were a LOT of people who said they would buy 1 package for one person and share it with 2 others in another stateroom. (The cruise line eventually caught on but here's your math. Each Alcoholic drink is about $10, which means that you will need to drink at least 5-6 drinks per person every day to break even. The Cost is $50 in advance plus gratuity. (About $575 per person) I don't drink that much, but my wife, father, and I drank every night freely and only spent about $300 total.

We also saw people's drinking privileges revoked and removed from the ship. (Escorted to the airport via security back home.) Being drunk in public, is still illegal. We also witnessed a woman being escorted back onto the ship after being left in a local bar on a stretcher. They revoked her "party" privileges.

If your going to drink beer, make sure that you buy the 4 pack. It only saves a few bucks but that ends up adding up at the end of the cruise. 

Also like I have mentioned before. Do not buy your excursions online before hand from a 3rd party company. 1. If something happens to your cruise (and happens frequently) destinations, you may not be able to get your money back. 2. The cruise line will not wait for you, unless you book through the cruise line. If you ran over like we did, you will need to pay for a flight and hotel to your next port.

Overall we had an amazing time, and will most likely do it again soon! 

I'm sorry to say, that this cruise was a disaster. We found out a day before, that the cruise has a maintenance issue. They offered us a refund at no cost or the option to still take the cruise. We decided since we already took off, to still go.

Every day, the cruise captain had to change the itinerary due to the ship issue - which turned out to be one of the engines malfunctioning.

The agent I spoke to with you, at , had advised me to ask on board for a room upgrade as she was not able to offer it prior to the cruise. And then when we got onto the cruise, the guest service agents told us they don't offer upgrades on the cruise - that they aren't able to upgrade. Only the agents prior to boarding are able to offer that. I was actually pretty annoyed.

The boat was old and completely outdated looking. The food was mediocre. The service on the ship was fantastic and kudos to them for taking the best care they could with all the drama that was going on with everyone being pretty annoyed.

Never again, unfortunately.

the staff was awesome - Food was ok - birthday gift was a nice gesture.  other than missing 2 ports things could have been worst.

the accomodation was acceptable but i think cash speaks louder than words

the best part of this cruise was the incredibly attentive staff on the carnival Splendor.  They were the absolute best crew we have ever experiened.  We have sailed 13 times and can honestly say these people were the kindest, most hard working staff we have ever seen.  Kudos to Carnival for assembling such a fine group of people.  

  The Splendor is a 2006 model ship that can hold about 3,000 passengers. The burst of personal technology in the past decade has already rendered the ship somewhat obsolete. We needed extensions on extensions to keep everything charged in our cabin. There is only 1 specialty dining plus you can pay $20 extra for a fancy fixings at a regular dining room. On board shopping is limited and the casino is smoky and somewhat unavoidable as you move about the ship. 

  The personnel, however, are great and the shows are entertaining.

   This ship developed an engine problem which resulted in 2 of the stops being cancelled. Because we booked tours through Carnival, the ones we would miss were immediately cancelled with the costs replaced in our on-board accounts. In addition we recovered some unused port fees and got $100 per person added to our accounts. We also will be reimbursed 50% of our cruise cost + a like amount deducted from a future cruise. I considered that fair under the conditions. 

we loved the cloud 9 spa.  Spent a great deal of time there.  So relaxing.   The dining room food was delicious. The sea day brunch amazing.  Wow.    

My favorite part of the cruise was the food and sitting on the balcony.  Unfortunately we were on a ship that had an engine problem and we missed 2 of the ports.  After reading the history of the Splendor I would not recommend this ship to others. 

Considering we missed half our ports, I know that anything that is mechanical can have issues.  However they need to try to not be too fast to talk about compensation until they have really discussed with Home office and have a serious plan.  Also if part of the plan is to give everyone inernet then they need to have the bank width and equipment to handle it.  Once they decided to open the social and other internet up to everyone it was unusable.  I could not upload any pictures and barely could access FB.  Also even though they did offer a $100 room credit that was not enough to offset the extra 2 days on baord and drinks.  Also they only offered wine or sodas one night for free at diner and since I don't drink either I go no benefit from that.  They would nto give me a mixed drink for free.  I am also tired of my benefit for being patinmum for my free drink that I have to be in dining room or at buffet.  I should be able to use that one free drink anytime - anywhere.  Since becoming Platinium, I have been disappointed in the the very few benifits and that I am not offered any reduced rates for cruising.  I went on 8 cruises last year to secure my Platinium status and now that I have it I find it is not that big a deal.  I am not sure how much more I will cruise with Carnival, if I get so few benefits  for being frequent cruiser.  I find other cruiselines give me free dinners at steakhouse and other things and I have only cruised a couple times on them.

But overall, I enjoy the Carnival Splender, it is the third time I have been on that ship and the staff and cast are great,  I am booked for next year on there for the Panama transit.

I am going to be on the Dream a bit this year and then I think I am done if there is no real benefits to being loyal to one cruise line.

Let's start with the positives, the staff was amazing and very nice for all they had to put up with on this cruise! Outside of them it wasn't a good time, It was pretty horrible! The decore that was in the ship was from the 90's, you could tell none of it had been upgraded. That alone would make you sea sick and want to throw up. None of the shows started until 10p.m. unless you wanted to play bingo or join in on the kids fun. The ports were good... except we only saw two of the four ports we were supposed to. That left us stuck on the water from Wednesday all until we docked on Sunday! Nothing like a really expensive boat ride! We paid to use the internet while on this ship too and as soon as the "technical difficulties" kicked in they completely shut down their internet, yet another waste of money. All in all for what the cruise cost it was an utter disappointment! For my first cruise experience I can say I will never go on another cruise with Carnival again! 

One of the engines went out on our boat So we missed half the portsa. It was my fiancée's first cruise. It was also his birthday which was forgotten. We were suppose to get married in the port we missed..

 Carnival did give us 50 off so this made it better for sureveryone

 Glad they stepped it up. The room crew and wait staff did make up forgetting his birthday so all these things made it better for sure. Hope to try again and book another this week

Our cruise on the Carnival Splendor was almost perfect.  The staff were attentive, the ship was clean, the entertainment was great. The locations we stopped at were interesting.  I highly recommend this cruise!

My favorite part was the Outback tour at the Dominion Republic.  The Outback crew did an excellent job.  

The tour of St. John including the national parks was lacking.  Could not hear or understand the driver.  Just didn't see much of anything & heard nothing. 

Each Carnival cruise shows the  dinner selection becoming becoming smaller and smaller.  Food was good, but after seeing the same menu on the seventh day, it felt monotonous.

Room clean and room stewart, Enrico did an excellent job.  

Lots of very loud music.  Too much for my likes.  

Tom Boss, comedian, was excellent.  

Getting on and off the ship was easy and uneventful.