What an amazing time we had on the Carnival Splendor (Dec 19 - Dec 27, 2013). I would certainly recommend this ship, its cruise itinerary and time of cruise departure (Christmas) for families. My husband and I traveled with our two daughters, (ages 11 and 15) and still had pockets of time to spend together alone. Our eldest enjoyed the C02 lounge and met a network of other teens from around the country. She continues to correspond with those she met. By the end of the cruise my youngest was hanging with friends from Circle C. There were over 1200 children on the ship! My husband and I spent time nightly at The Comedy Club, Dance Club and Piano Bar. The excursions were great too!! We had a beautiful tour of The Banana Lagoon (â„… Island Cruises, Cape Canaveral Florida), then on to Atlantis (Nassau Bahamas â„… Carnival Cruise Lines) and finally Snorkeled (Freeport The Bahamas, â„… Pat & Diane Excursions). While the weather was warm on the way down it was cold on the way home. This did not dampen our spirits (and it was raining outside too!). I would not linger on the lines on The Lido Deck, instead enjoy a dining experience in the Black or Gold Pearl Dining Rooms. We loved our wait staff and the food is delicious, the service is lively and accommodating. Thank you Igor! We miss you. Igor even cut up my daughters steak!!! We ate each meal in a dining room. Our dinner was scheduled for 6p and we made that nightly. It was a time to return as a family as my eldest remained with her CO2 friends. However, I would recommend that you take dinner with out a time scheduled, this way you can return to the ship leisurely, when at a port and still eat in the dining room. We raced a bit when we were in Nassau. The pizza is as amazing as everyone says (Lido Deck). We did not eat in The Pinacle but we did experience a wine/food pairing and that was really fun (The Pinacle). We enjoyed eating brunch and breakfast in The Gold Pearl with other passengers. We dined, listened to music, laughed and lingered in the lobby with passengers from Queens, NY, Pennsylvania, Syracuse, Maine, California and Kentucky -- and everyone we met was friendly, engaging and we might have lingered a bit longer than normal because we enjoyed our conversations so much. Our room was cleaned beautifully each night, new towels appeared when we needed them and guest services was friendly and helpful. We did purchase Faster To The Fun, which I also recommend so that you can use a personal phone number to contact guest services and use the same line as Diamond and Platinum guests at the front desk. FTF also gets you on board the ship and to your stateroom earlier than most other guests. Please consider renting or purchasing in advance walkie talkies as the ship is a bit big in the beginning. However, once you understand how to navigate through either the Main Deck or 5th floor you will not mind and will have fun. I promise. Great trip. Hope you experience the same. Can't wait for our next cruise with Carnival.. :-)