We booked a very needed holiday vacation on the Carnival Splendor. We have cruised twice before (both times with Carnival). We were a bit apprehensive because of the reviews we read that talked about how pink the ship is. Once we boarded, we realized that the pink colors on board were very subtle. We came to the conclusion that those who complained about the color were simply trying to find something to complain about.

We originally booked a balcony room and were called by Carnival several weeks prior to our cruise and offered a suite at a very good rate. What a glorious room we had. On past cruises we did not spend much time in our room. This time was different. We thoroughly enjoyed the very large balcony as well as the jetted tub in our bathroom. Of course, our room steward was a charm. He always knew our name and went out of his way to be gracious and spoil us. We met two wonderful families at our dinner table who we plan to visit in the future. Our dinner waiters were so sweet. They remembered our wine and drink preferences. Okay, maybe they wrote it down, but it was still nice to be called by name and have our favorite wine waiting for us when we sat down.

When we boarded, we purchased the "Cheers" program. We paid one lump sum for both of us which essentially paid for all of our alcoholic beverages as well the gratuity (up to $10 per drink). It also provided us with 25 percent off each bottle of wine at dinner. We found the buffet to be very tasty and the seating was not a problem (we enjoyed sitting around the pool). If you have a chance, have dinner at the speciality steak restaurant. For $35 per person, you will experience the most delicious meal and wonderful service. Read more