This was my second time on the Carnival Splendor. Traveling with me was my mom, my son (12) and his friend (13)We sailed on 5/29.Before our cruise we did Disneyland and Universal Studios, great fun at both. On Saturday night we stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites on East Willow in Long Beach. I heard of this hotel on these reviews. I will say, we loved this hotel, nothing fancy but it was clean and cozy. Not quite sure about the neighborhood around the hotel at night. And it is a distance away from the cruise terminal, however I would definitely stay there again. I wrote a review about this hotel on another site.We had a great time on the cruise. Love the ship, love the decor.Embarkation was fairly smooth. We checked in, got zone 3 and headed over to the Queen Mary for coffee. I think about 12 or 12:30 we headed back and they were already on zone 6. So my mom pushed through everyone and we were let in front of zone 6. Don't quote my times, please, I'm remembering. :)We got the boys their soda cards right away and then headed up to the Lido. The boys ate a couple of bites and were off to explore the ship. At about 2 or 2:30 our cabin was ready. Our bags were there. We were in Cabin 2408.Carnvial called my mom the week before and offered an upgrade to a balcony for $400, we passed it up. We unpacked and settled in for muster and for sail away. Woohoo.The muster was the same ole, no lifejackets. I made the boys put theirs on to make sure they knew how. Should have put mine on because I'd probably be the one fumbling with the strap around me. Our cabin, 2408, was an oceanview with the two twin beds, sofa and a pullman. Our steward did not introduce himself after I went out to ask him something. I think he finally told us his name but cannot remember it. He was a little cranky and obviously did not like to be asked or told about things. We noticed that first night our bolt lock would not lock, we also had a light out over the vanity in the cabin. And our shower and sink did not drain well. Told our steward about these issues. Finally on day 3 of our cruise, I called guest services, they sent some people up to fix the bulb and lock. The drains were not taken care, sorry next people in this cabin, I tried.Our steward did clean the room great and always put ice in our bucket.One thing that drove me crazy, every morning I flooded the bathroom. I have no idea why, maybe too many buffets in the past? :)We ate in the main dining room 5 nights. We were waitlisted for any dining but the maitre d found us a table. My mom was thrilled he remembered her from her March cruise, including details.The first night the seas were a little rough and I was not hungry. But on the other 4 I had plenty to eat and enjoyed most of what I had ordered. For dessert, I could not make up my mind about the warm chocolate melting cake or the children's banana split, so on the last two nights I ordered both along with a cappuccino. Delicious. Our waiter and assistant waiter were wonderful. Very nice men. The Lido buffet was good, always found something tasty to eat. One of my favorites was the shrimp and calamari fritters, I ate them with a jerk sauce. Could have eaten them everyday. I noticed on the buffet were items that were also in the main dining room. I didn't mind the coffee in the Lido.My favorite thing on the chocolate buffet was the rice pudding. Room service was great and fairly fast when we ordered.Visited the casino quite a bit, had some ups and downs, finally won a good size of money on the last sea day. Won a bingo for $120. Hung out on the back of the ship on Deck 10, nice smoking area with some tables and chairs.The boys were so so on Circle C, they did do some activities with them. One of their favorite places to hang out was the upper pool by the slide and the arcade. Their Circle C area was not impressive and small, considering the older group has it's own nightclub area. One day we played ping pong and watched Harry Potter on the Lido Screen.Settled in for the night by watching one of the movies offered in the cabins.We did see a couple of the production shows, they were pretty good. I love the costumes.It was a great trip overall. I will say Mexico was a bit to hot for me at this time of year.