We selected this itinerary b/c we didn't have to get on a plane, and it was a new ship.  We had sailed the Freedom and the Liberty on Carnival's Mediterranean itinerary, and were looking forward to the same fantastic ship, food, service and experience.  We are "VIP"'s, so embarkation and disembarkation was a breeze for usno lines.We did not get off the ship, as we had been to all the ports before, so we were able to use the ship and its amenities.  First, the ship had 3500 people on board.  It was VERY crowded when a sea day occurred.  The atrium was a big disappointment, as on the other ships they were quite spectacular.  This was just a bar, and a wall.  There was also no art work as there had been on the other ships.  For example, on the Spirit or Pride, there was some beautiful glasswork.  There was just prints of paintings on the wall.  The "pink" didn't bother us.......  The cabins we found, were a bit smaller/narrower than on the other ships.   The doorways were narrower, the balconies were smaller and narrower.  On the other ships, there were other drawers and a "protruding" T.V..  This ship lost the t.v., although something must be said for the flat screen.  Also gone was the tv "stand" and some additional drawer space that the other ships had.  However, the beds and the pillows were great!  The shows were fantastic as usual.  The orchestra was great, as was the duo that probably was at the Pinnacle Supper Club played in the atrium.  There was no live music in the Pinnacle restaurant, which was excellent as usual.  Service and dining:  We had the late seating in the Golden Pearl.  I did not see a "Captain's Table" at all any of the nights.  We did not believe ther service was up to the par it was on the other ships.  On a few nights, half the table did not get served their appetizers while the other half did, i.e., service was inconsistent at the table.  On another night, the whole table got served, and then the waiter went somewhere, while my husband and I sat.  They did not come back with additional appetizers.  I politely reminded them (I had asked if they ran out of our appetizer) and still the waiter disappeared, and we sat.  The food was absolutely terrible.  As I have said, we traveled on the Freedom and the Liberty on their Mediterranean itin's.  Food was excellent.  On the Splendor, they substituted the nightly NY strip steak with a flat iron steak.  One night I had ordered that, my husband the classic chix breast, as did one of our tablemates.  The 3 of us only ate half of the entree, it was that bad.  BUT!!!  At least they didn't destroy the chocolate melting cake!!!  On the Freedom and Liberty, in the buffet upstairs, they had a Fish and Chips bar, bouillebaise, and tuna sushi on top of a watermelon block.  Excellent.  On this ship, they had rotisserie chicken.  The buffet was not up to it's usual par.  I remember for breakfast, they had a few adult cereals on other ships, such as muesli and a granola, which I was looking forward to.  Not on this one...Mostly kid cereals.  At least they had the Mongolian part, and the Indian food, which were both excellent.  Some of the workers in the buffet were lax, while others really worked.  For example, I was carrying a tray, and was about to put it down when I noticed alot of "stuff" on it.  So I politely asked the waiter to please wipe it down.  He told me he would wipe it down when he was finished sorting out his plates, food, napkins at his work station!  Others couldn't go out of their way for us enough.....On the bright side, I did walk away from the Casino with $355, and I finally took a good picture on formal night!