Background Information - We are a mother and daughter from Chicago and St. Louis and this was our first trip to Europe. My lucky mom cruises regularly, and Royal is a favorite of hers (she just turned diamond this first leg!) This was my third cruise (second aboard Royal Caribbean) so I had high expectations for great service, fun activities aboard ship, and excellent food. The Splendour didn't disappoint! It was comfortably familiar, and yet a brand new experience at the same time.

Hotel Info (if any) - We spent 2 days pre cruise at the Hotel Tritone on Mestre. The convenience of the hotel is phenomenal! Clean, comfortable, adequately sized room with included breakfast buffet offering a great mixture of English and Italian style foods. The hotel is directly across the street from the train station and bus stop to Venice (each is a ten minute ride). The bus is included in the vaporetto transportation package through veniceconnected.com making it a great value. Dropoff/pick up point in Venice is the Piazza Roma just down the block from the train station.

Ship Info - Simply the most beautiful glass-walled dining room I have experienced aboard a ship! Spectacular views! Clean, comfortable, and spacious, this ship is holding up quite well. It was a pleasant space to spend two weeks. About the only thing I would suggest is to give the wooden balcony rails a coat of varnish to protect them from the elements. Read more