Carnival Splendor Review

Carnival Splendor returns to Mexico

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Carnival Splendor
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hennipeni
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Value for Money
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Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2011
Cabin: Cloud 9 Spa Suite

We are frequent cruisers although mostly cruise on RCCL/Celebrity/Azamara. Since we live in LA, we will drive to the port & get on a ship going to the "Mexican Riviera" occasionally. We were originally scheduled to cruise last year but after the fire, rescheduled to June 5. Carnival was very good about refunding money & giving on-board ship credits for redeployments. Based on reviews I read, I was a little concerned about the embarkation taking a long time.Since we booked a suite, we were identified as "VIP's" and had a separate check-in area. That worked ok but as soon as you left, you were told to go to the side of the line waiting to enter for regular check-in and just show your card to board. That didn't go so well because some of the people in the line just thought you were "butting in". As far as the VIP treatment past the check-in, it was non-existent. No priority tendering, no priority show seating, dinner seating, or disembarkation. Also, repeat passengers were invited to the cocktail party but instead of free drinks,received $1.00 off! However, the last night's farewell party did give free drinks to all.

The Splendor is a pretty nice ship and has high energy from the moment you walk in. This could be in part due to the big pink dots all over the entry and,in fact, all over the ship. Carnival always goes for the over-the-top decor and I think that is part of the "vibe" and fun atmosphere. We had a spa cabin (1024) on the 10th floor, port side and it was very nice. The room was large with lots of closet space and 4 chairs on the balcony. The ship itself has many bars and clubs but I had two concerns: 1) crowds gather in certain locations and stop the flow of traffic; and 2) you can't get from one side of the ship to the other easily. For example, we were on 10-forward and our dining was in 3-aft. In order to get there the easiest way was to go to 5-promenade to the aft elevator and then down two floors. After a while it wasn't so confusing but still not easy.

The staff was very friendly all over and some even remembered our names. Our cabin stewards didn't greet us in the beginning but they turned out to be very nice and thorough.

Cabin Review

Cloud 9 Spa Suite

Cabin SS

1024 was a nice cabin - large and lots of closets. Bathroom has a whirlpool tub and two sinks. Very nice and adequate. Balcony was long and narrow and fit 4 chairs and two small tables. Glass door to balcony. In addition to bed, there is a couch that makes into another bed and a chair; and a make-up/desk area. Lighting is good throughout. Main drawback in the room is the vanity area outside the bathroom door makes it almost impossible to sit at the vanity and still be able to come and go from the bathroom. Also in this area, the hair dryer is wired into a drawer and cannot be moved. You also have to continue to hold the on-button to keep it going while drying your hair.

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