We went on the Carnival Splendor for one reason: The Spa Cabins for a very competitive price. I am glad we made this choice as it turned out to be a wonderful cruise.
Reading so many negative reviews beforehand and having been on other -not always so great- Carnival ships, we did not really expect too much from the beginning. After all it is not a premium cruise line so you have to adjust your expectations.
The embarkation process was a bit slow, however reading about it on CruiseCritics we came prepared. We arrived shortly after 11am and were on board shortly after 12noon.