Well, first off, it was only two days - but it seemed longer, as I wasted very little time sleeping.

The Carnival Splendor is an absolutely beautiful ship. Much of the commentary has been about the "Pinkness" - personally, thought it was okay, mostly a soft pink, and with complementary colors that toned it down...and it is far from Joe Farcus' (Carnival's long-time Architect, responsible for some of the boldest and glitziest ships at sea) wildest interior. The layout of the Splendor would be familiar enough to anyone who has cruised the Conquest Class ships of Carnival - with some elements added. The most noticeable being in the Lido Deck "buffet" area. I use quotes because this section has gone beyond any traditional definition of "buffet", having a pretty vast array of food available. Unique to the Splendor is an Indian Tandoori line, which was quite good. There is also a Deli for cold sandwiches/salads, a Burger Grill, Pizza, the Taste of the Nations (ethnic food that changes daily), Mongolian BBQ, all on top your normal buffet lines. Oh, and for some reason the Fish and Chips area on the Conquest class ships has been replaced by a rotisserie....Guess you can't have everything - but they are definitely trying.

While the Buffet area on the Lido is, I think, a step up, the Pool area is a step back. Instead of Carnival's typical tiered levels of seating rising up from the Pool on Lido deck, which leaves most of the loungers in the open sun, the Splendor has, basically, three levels, straight up. This leaves not only half the Lido deck seating, but ALL of the middle deck basically shaded all day. This area is also enclosable by a sliding Magradome, and was obviously designed with inclement weather cruising in mind. However, with her home ported in Long Beach for the Mexican Riviera 7-day run, I think there is too much shade. My sense (and the observation of the veteran California cruisers with me) is that the Mex Riviera crowd much prefers to lay out in the sun and get that tan going. We shall see, but I suspect sun-drenched middle of the deck loungers will be at a premium, with chair hogs having to hit the Lido by 5 in the morning to get a spot, and LOT's of unhappy passengers forced to sit in shaded areas. And I, personally, was not thrilled that they were using the Big Screen all the time, including showing CNN News while I was trying to relax in the jacuzzi - I think the screen should be reserved for evening movies and special events, like Football Games and Concerts and such...but, while mildly annoying, it was not overpowering, and could be ignored, mostly. Read more