First off, let me say I have only been on one other Carnival ship before, the Carnival Magic. Great ship! Most of my cruises have been with NCL. That being said, the Carnival Splendor is in need of it's retrofit more sooner, than later if it wants to compete with the newer market of cruise ships.

To begin the review, embarkation wasn't too bad, considering it's N.Y.C. Yes, they are rude at the port. Being originally from California, the first time I went through this port I was surprised at the surliness. Now after 8 years here, I'm getting used to it. Once you get on the ship, well, it was nice to have someone holding those big drinks to buy. My friend purchased one for each of us. It was nice to feel on vacation, but looking around, I felt like this was not a cruise for anyone generation X, or Y, or single. The ship was 80's, and tired looking. Lots of pink. I had been warned on CC. We headed off to the buffet, and it was so small. Not many choices. The crew was nice, though. We finished our food, and drinks, and headed to our room. I will say the rooms on a Carnival ship are bigger than on a NCL ship, however, yes it was pink! More of a coral color, but yup, 80's decor! We had reservations for dinner at the steakhouse that same night. Yes, we got a nice, free bottle of white wine, and the steak was really good. Dessert, too! The included dinning rooms also have good food, and great service. I liked the running track on top the ship. Plenty of room for my jog. The gym is alright. The casino, and kids' game room were lackluster. The shops were a bore. The entertainment was novice. The dance club, well, let's say I do enjoy listening to the oldies, but dancing to them?! They had the right music for the couples dancing, though. Everyone was 55+. No dancing for me, and I usually love to. Pretty much, all I did was eat, work out, listen to music by the pool, and sleep. Most boring cruise ever! So unless you are a 55+ couple, I don't not suggest a fall time cruise to Canada on a tired ship like the Splendor. Not even for the kids. All you have is the kids club, and a water slide, or two. Not much fun when it's starting to get cold out. I will give Carnival props for their disembarkation process. Way much smoother than on NCL. We were off the ship in record time.