Carnival Splendor Cruise Reviews - Reviews

For my first cruise, it was everything I expected and more. I will most definitely recommend the splendor to anyone that's planning on going on a cruise.

Been on other Caribbean cruise but this is a great cruise  - very diverse - party if you want or go to a secluded area on one island then choose to explore caves or go snorkel/scuba on another or ride horses or go shopping - little bit of everything available - would definitely do it again

Excellent Cruise: Thank you all Carnival employees, who brought a lot of happiness and joy to our trip. The staff was friendly and very helpful. The ship was nice and clean. The embarkation and disembarkation were very well organized and smooth. There were a lot of interesting events during the cruise. Big Thank You, Carnival! 

We had a great cruise.  The food was very good with a nice selection every night.  The waiters were there for any request we had.  The cleaning personnel were always there for extra towels.  The shows were fun and so was bingo.

We love a cruising with Carnival! The ship was great and the entertainment was amazing! The cruise director was also awesome and hysterical! The only things  we didn't care  for on this cruise was our room location 2nd deck rear and also the small pools. It is summer time so it is hot and there were a lot of people trying to cram in the main pool. Other than that we had a great time and enjoyed it! 

This was my first cruise..the price was reasonable. Checking in went smoothly but checking out was a mad house trying to find our luggage. There was always plenty of food! The food was good but it was never excellent. We purchased the bottomless bubbles package and it was very inconvenient to get a soda! (VERY) I was very impressed with our dining room service. Jose was excellent! He always went above and beyond and knew us by name! The entertainment was ok. I felt like there should have been more stuff to do on sea days. We ended up staying in our room on the last night because there wasn't anything to do except the casino or the repeat comedy show. I enjoyed the ports and the excursions! Our room was always clean even though I never got to meet our room Stewart. 

Had a wonderful time on the cruise.  Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel were all wonderful ports of call.  There really wasn't anything that I would recommend changing.  My daughter and her friend had a blast (17 and 18 years old) and the adults equally had fun. 

The 3 islands were so much fun for the whole family. Jamaica, Cayman and Cozumel   Yeah Mon! 

We stayed in a cabin with a balcony and it was breath taking. The food was great. Our waiters were so friendly, they made us feel comfortable and offered suggestions to do in the islands. The shows played great music and songs. The embarkation and debarkation process was great and not time consuming.

The Lopez family- Clearwater Florida

Passengers in room 0910 were smoking on balcony. People were smoking at non-smoking slot machines, you could not get away from the smoke in the casino.

Diner meals were always late, steaks were over cooked, and drinks were never right.

 

Ship photographers were always blocking walk ways on deck 5, their attitude was that this was their space and we were intruding. 

 

I have now now crossed off both Carnival and Princess cruise lines from my list of preferred cruise lines.

The Splendor seemed understaffed.  The steward only wanted to do day OR night room cleaning, not both.  Dinners took a very long time.  We missed almost every early comedy show, since our 6 PM seating dinners didn't end until almost 8 PM. 

 

Our Carnival Dominican Republic excursion was completely mis-advertised. The Excursion description stated 6 hours, with difficult jungle walks.  It specifically said people with back problems. heart issues or asthma should not attend.  In reality, the excursion was 4 hours, including a two-hour bus ride, and the walk was 20 minutes each way on a path. Carnival did refund us 33% after we complained.

 

Also, other cruisers said that La Romana, Dominican Republic, was dangerous.  Shop owners had shotguns, and cruisers were constantly accosted by locals trying to sell them stuff.  Even on open-air buses, the locals would pull up on bikes and try to get you to buy something.  Very rude and intrusive.  This has never happened on any other island I've been on.

 

Aruba, Curacao and Turks and Caicos were excellent.

 

The layout of the Splendor is great for walkers, and there is a moving canopy that can close over the Lido deck. 

Best part of the cruise was Lucas Day.  He is very talented and great entertainment.   We were disappointed in the food choices,  the menu in the dining room seemed less spectacular than on past cruises.  Our cabin Stewart was wonderful, as was all the staff we encountered.   The sales pitch to purchase products in the spa was very aggressive.   I use the spa for relaxation, then they hit you with the hard sales pitch, it ruins the experience.   Aruba and Caracus were wonderful, could have pasted on Dominican republic.

 

need to improve to get in to the cruise , to much time outside before getting to at AC room and wait to process all documentation if we pre register need to be more

faster

There were so many different places to eat and my daughter loved the camp carnival! She had a blast and all the ports were beautiful my favorite was Cozumel. The sit down dinner was very nice and our waiter Roby did magic tricks for the kids which they enjoyed! Highly recommend for a family trip

Loved the ship.  Nice & clean, smelled good.  Well maintained.  Loved the dining & pools, water slide, Comedy Club and night club.  Had a great time & will go again! I have been on several Carnival Cruise ships & this is one of the nicer ships that's not brand new. 

Getting on broad the line to longs no chair while you wait out in the hot sun.GREAT

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a great time! Everyone was very nice and always had a smile and helping hand. Everything was easy from booking to checking in and tting off the boat. There was always someone there that could assist you if you had no clue what you were doing, and believe me, we didnt. Can not wait to go on another one. 

My favorite part of the cruise was the awesome service provided by the wait staff and stateroom staff.  I also enjoyed the various shows offered aboard the ship. 

Enjoyed hanging out on 7 mile beach in Cayman Islands.  Don't pay for an excursion unless you do the sting ray experience.  Dove off the beach and saw a small green turtle, moray eel, and lots of tropical fish.  In Ocho Rios, climb the falls but don get a "guide".  You can walk around the area where guides are and walk/climb up the falls yourself without holding hands with strangers.  If you don't dive in Cozumel, rent a car and go to Chakanab (sp?) Park and dive off the shore.  You can swim over to the Dolphin cages and they will come right up to you. Take a ziplock baggie full of cruise ship sausages from breakfast to feed the tropical fish. When you leave, drive around to the other side (windward) of the island and stop at the various bars along the way.  Save time to let the women shop in town for Silver jewelry and barter as low as you can. Start to walk out of the store to get them to give you your price.  If you run out of "libations", buy a bottle and empty it in a ziplock baggie (not the one you used for the sausages) and place it in your shorts.  Don't buy anything in Grand Cayman - too expensive for EVERYTHING.

we are platinum members with carnival cruise lines and I will say this so far has been the most disappointing cruise yet.

disembarking was a nightmare

dinner for anytime required long waits

steakhouse service not top notch

not angus beef anymore

still nice atmosphere in there

no towel service at back of ship on lido by tandoor grill

food never impressive

we will still travel carnival cause of the platinum

ship needs to be moved far far away

 

What was good?

The La Romana Ziplining excursion...very professional, great super swing & ziplines, and everyone working each zipline was focused on SAFETY FIRST!  I checked every line we were connected to, so I felt confident that they were all properly attached and appropriate for the loads being held (construction experience). The beaches of Aruba...the softest white sand and bluest, most calm waters I've been on since Grand Cayman.  We got our tan on while we enjoyed some buckets of their cute little home brew (Chill Lager). The 70’s Show, from the Carnival Troupe…a perfect blend of dance and song, covering all the best funk & disco we could remember. Consuela Ivy…WOW…that’s the best way to describe how fantastic a singer she was.  Not only did she have a great range, she had an uncanny ability to sing like the the artists she covered…Diana Ross, Patti Labelle, Donna Summer, & Whitney Houston for the finale…finally, she was SUPER funny, which made for a very complete show. The Spa…the most redeeming factor of this older ship is the spa, which is the biggest of all that Carnival offers, plus a very relaxing Thalassotherapy tub, Lancomeum, and Aromatherapy Steam room!

What was Bad?

The 80’s Show, from the Carnival Troupe…everything that the 70’s Show brought, this show failed to do.  The dancing wasn’t as good, and it seemed like these songs didn’t fit most of the singers…to top it off, this show failed to follow any theme, besides being music from the 80’s. The Service…besides our room steward, and one Dining Room Head Waiter, this ship’s service was just not that spectacular...it looked like everyone didn’t really want to be there, and it showed in their service.

What was Ugly?

The City of La Romana.  The port looked fantastic, all segregated from the rest of the world.  The city beyond the gates, however, looked like the remnants of a world trying to exist in desperation…trash and crumbled buildings everywhere.  A couple we talked to said that they went on a market excursion, and had to be escorted by Dominican Police…the police then set up a perimeter around a market circle to make it safe for them to shop?!?!  So sad.

Just Meh…

The Food…hit and miss all trip. Grand Turk…just nothing there, and what was there was dirty.

Conclusion

This was our 2nd Carnival cruise.  My wife and I enjoyed our time, for the most part, but feel that we would like to try another company…one that would step it up a bit more on the overall package.  Even though this was a tamer cruise, kid-wise, we would also like to try something out that was cater more for adults.