My sister and I, who have taken over 150 cruises (together or with our spouses) over the years, just returned from a 10 night cruise to the Greek islands out of Venice. We sailed on the RCCL Splendour of the Seas.

I had read reviews from others about the state of the ship and knew it would be going into drydock in November for refurbishment. You could see the signs of wear and tear but it has been well maintained so there were no problems. They are apparently adding some additional staterooms and changing the uppermost lounge into two restaurants (Chops and a Japanese restaurant) which will be nice. They are also upgrading the computer system, etc. There was only one dining room and the buffet on this ship, so it will be nice for future cruisers to have more choices.

The food in general was okay, but not great. However, the service was excellent throughout the ship. Constantin, the gentleman who seated us in "anytime dining" each night, was gracious, kind and helpful. We had several different waiters, but thought that Awa (pronounced Ava) and Samantha were wonderful and very efficient. Awa always took the time to give advice on the upcoming port and transportation choices, etc. But the most impressive person in the dining room was Hans, the Head Waiter. In all the years we have been cruising, we have never seen a Head Waiter who does more or cares more about his customers. He was constantly moving around the room, taking orders if needed, busing tables, making sure you had everything you needed, and if time permitted, telling a joke or doing a magic trick. We learned that he has been working on cruise lines for 28 years, and that he loves what he does -- you can certainly see that is true. We are leaving on another cruise next week (I know -- two cruises back to back -- but that is the way it worked out this year), but I doubt there will ever be another Head Waiter as efficient, helpful and considerate as Hans! Read more