I enjoyed Splendour of the Seas very much. This ship is a perfect size where you get to know the staff and fellow passengers over the 12 days you are on the ship. Last year we sailed on Allure and it was an entirely different type of cruise. Allure is a fascinating ship that you never want to leave. However, it is the ship that captivates you more than anything else. On Splendour, you get involved and meet the people and staff through the excursions, the activities and your eating experiences. There were approximately 2,000 cruisers on board and, of that amount, less than 100 children. My daughter, who is 16, was a bit disappointed with the activities - it was obvious from the activities, the ship accommodated the older crowd. The food was ok, the entertainment was ok (not like Allure were you are blown away with the entertainment!) However, I felt that the staff was excellent. They work very hard every day to make it the best experience - from the activities staff to the cabin staff to the food staff!

I had done a great deal of research for the ports of call and was glad I did. I booked everything on line. I enjoyed every port and didn't waste time on the cruise deciding where I wanted to go the next day. However, the problem with the excursions was you never had enough time. You were constantly hurrying from one site to the next, with little time to actually take in what you were seeing nor enough time to take pictures. An example was when we went from Florence to Pisa. First the bus broke down and we had to wait on the side of the highway for another bus. The new bus took an hour to arrive. The new bus had no air conditioning and it was 98 degrees outside. It took us one and half hours to get from Florence to Pisa, with no air conditioning and when we arrived in Pisa, we had a half hour to use the facilities and see Pisa (Leaning Tower).

Also, I took too many clothes for "Smart Dress" for dinner. They had 3 formal nights and almost every other evening dinner was casual. I did use the laundry services twice that Royal Caribbean provides and it was great and only cost $25.00 a bag. Read more