Faster to the Fun: We did not use this for embarkation because we arrived later than planned. However, very glad we purchased this when standing in line for Guest Services and debarkation.

Ship: The Carnival Splendor is not my favorite ship. The décor is T-A-C-K-Y. Literally, pink zebra-striped polka dots! No joke. What decade was this ever a good idea? In the dining room there are sea-like trumpets spewing huge pink pearls. Otherwise, I did like the layout of the ship and it was kept very clean and in good repair. In fact, they were painting the ship on our cruise. On deck 5, the promenade, the smoke from the casino became a real problem and you could not walk from aft to bow without having to go through this. The filtration system needs serious improvement. Unfortunately, the ship has not been upgraded to 2.0 and does not have the latest restaurants like Guy's burger joint, etc or even an Italian specialty restaurant. So overdue for renovation.

Dining: We had early assigned seating which sometimes seemed too early. The gold pearl was a very nice dining room and we had the best wait staff, Tomi, Komang and Mikei. They helped to make this cruise so much fun and provided excellent service. They accommodated our every whim. The food in the dining room was excellent and many times outstanding. The best Jambalaya I ever had. We did eat in the Pinnacle Steakhouse to celebrate my husband's birthday. The food and service were impeccable and did not disappoint. I was finally able to try the Tandoor Indian bar and it was very good. The hours were strange for all of the specialty foods like the grill, burrito bar, Mongolian wok, etc. Not open during late afternoon/dinner, only lunch. The grill was open for lunch and from 11 pm until 1 am. Sometimes after returning from an excursion where you didn't have lunch, you want a quick burger. But this was not possible, only the lido was open. The Pizza Pirate had very good hand made pizzas and very worth the wait. Read more