Travel Weekly Cruise Club members recently joined new ship Carnival Splendor for a three-day mini-cruise to Amsterdam.
The cruise followed a ceremony in Dover where the ship was named by its godmother, TV presenter Myleene Klass (watch a video clip from the ceremony).
Here’s what our travel agent reviewers thought…
Holly Warner
Holly-days Travel Shop, Folkestone, Kent
Overall, the cabins and balconies are of a good size. Each of the rooms has twin beds that can be converted into a king-size bed, plenty of storage, flat-screen TVs, and a minibar. The bathrooms are quite small and only have showers.
There were two main restaurants on board, the Gold Pearl and the Black Pearl. To get to the Gold Pearl, situated at the back of the ship, you either had to walk through the Black Pearl and then through a smoky bar or go up a level to miss this out.
Our meal and accompanying wine were fantastic and well presented. Halfway through the meal the waiting staff stopped what they were doing and put on a lovely dance for all the guests, which was entertaining.
There was also a self-service restaurant which had a selection of salads, pasta, Thai and French foods along with a 24-hour pizzeria and fast food stand.
Bars: There was a selection of bars for all tastes, from the Red Carpet Dance Club to the Mojito Wine Bar.
The evening shows were out of this world. They suited all tastes, from Motown to rock ‘n’ roll, the singers and dancers were guaranteed to get you up and dancing by the end of the performance.
Overall, this is a great ship with an entertainment programme that keeps the whole family entertained. But beware: the décor on Carnival Splendor is very pink!
Martin Hay
Owner, GoCruise, Ribble Valley, Lancashire
While I absolutely loved Holland America Line’s Eurodam a few weeks back, I can’t say I share the same enthusiasm for Carnival Splendor.
On the plus side, the cabins were among the largest I’ve seen, the spa was good, the entertainment varied and of a decent standard, as was the variety and quality of food, especially in the Lido (buffet) restaurant.
On the minus side, I felt the ship’s layout was poor. The positioning of one of the two main restaurants mid-ship on decks three and four caused congestion on deck five and I was disappointed by the absence of any enclosed lounge/bar like the Crow’s Nest or Royal Viking Lounge found on the upper public decks of many of Carnival’s competitors.
My kids loved the water slide, but the water park appeared to be an afterthought, not a patch on the H2O zone aboard Independence of the Seas, and the big movie screen on the Lido deck was no match for the Movies Under the Stars offered by Princess and Disney Cruise Lines.
The ship’s interior was pink – acres of it, literally everywhere – and sadly absent of any flowers or artwork, save for that available for purchase at art auctions.
Carnival literature describes Splendor as its newest, largest and most innovative ship to date. New and large it may be, but where was the innovation?
Where was the ice rink, the climbing wall, the surf park, the bowling alley, the circus school or ice bar? Forget Independence for a moment, Splendor makes Ventura look leading edge.
In the US, Carnival markets itself as having the fun ships. Some people (mostly first-time cruisers who love nothing more than to eat, drink, party and gamble) will have enormous fun on this ship. Others will not.
So does Carnival have a place in the wider cruise marketplace? Yes, absolutely. But beware: Carnival Splendor is a product that will provoke powerful reactions among your customers
Some will love it, others will be less than impressed, which will make it even more important than ever that you match up the right customer with the right ship.
Adele Parry
TR4 Travel, Holywell, Flintshire
I had the pleasure of being on Carnival Splendor for my first experience of cruising – I think this will be the first of many for my family.
The cabins were lovely – very spacious and airy with a lovely pastel decor. We were lucky enough to have a balcony cabin and the service of the stewards was exceptional.
Entertainment was very impressive and the acts at the shows were outstanding.
I liked the fact that you didn’t have to dress up all the time – it was very casual and informal. Meanwhile, the dining experience was amazing and the choice of food in the Lido bar would suit all tastes.
