Having not taken an extended vacation or cruise since our children were born four years ago, my wife and I decided to check out the Carnival Splendor out of NYC based on recommendations from previous travelers and the children's programs on the Carnival ships. I first cruised on Costa in the Med in 97, and then my wife got engaged in the Cayman Islands while sailing on the Caribbean Princess, so I have some cruising experience. Having never sailed on Carnival, I read quite a bit of these reviews prior to our sailing and frankly, was a bit surprised by some of the negativity, which made me brace for some possible disappointment. However, aside from a few minor issues which I'll touch on below, the entire experience was overwhelmingly positive.

This is going to be a fairly long and comprehensive review based on our experience. I'm sorry for it being so long, but hopefully some of you will find the information useful. This review is from the point of view of a family of four, traveling with 4yr old twins.

First impressions: When driving up to the port terminal on the west side of Manhattan, I could not believe the size of the Splendor. She was mammoth. I figured embarkation would be a nightmare trying to board her with my fellow 3000+ passengers, as this cruise was sold out. Read more