Splendour of the Seas Reviews

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

The May 5th, 2012 sailing of the Splendor of the Seas was our first cruise on RCCL, as well as our first cruise in Europe. The cruise ports of call were Bari, Corfu, Mykonos, Athens and Dubrovnik, and we choose it for price and the itinerary. We flew into Milan and took the train to Venice. Venice is lovely, but not easy to get around since there are no roads. We took a water bus to St. Mark's Square from the train station and had to drag our bags through the very busy square and down a four foot wide "street" to our hotel. Venice was jammed with tourists since there were a number of ships in port. To get to the port the next day we dragged our bags to the Blue Line water bus which took us to the port. The walk to the check in area was long and there were no porters or luggage carts. Check in took about 45 minutes. The ship - The ship seemed in good shape but did feel like an older ship. We have been on some of the older Carnival ships from the 1990s and it reminded us of one of those. I did not see any wear or tear or dirt anywhere. We loved the solarium, although since it was chilly outside it was often crowded. Unfortunately, the no children under the age of 16 policy in the solarium pool was not enforced. The other areas of the ship were pretty standard. The interactive flat screen TVs around the ship were great and lead you to the nearest restroom and provided access to the Cruise Compass. There is no self-service laundry. Fellow passengers - The passenger makeup was about 70 percent European with a lot of Brits, Italians and Germans. The balance of the passengers were Americans, Canadians, Brazilians, etc. Most people were over 45 years old. The announcements were given first in English. Our cabin -- We had an outside on deck two forward. It was not huge but it seemed like the carpet and drapes had been replaced and perhaps the bathroom had been updated. The bed was fairly comfortable. The flat screen TV had a station that showed some CBS programs. There were no IPads, nor interactive TV. I never even knew what the room service menu was. The bathroom was nice and I loved the little drawer to store small toiletries. Water pressure in the sink was very weak but the shower was fine. There was plenty of storage and we did not even fill all the drawers. The lack of a refrigerator was a major downer and the drapes could have been more light blocking. The main problem we had with the cabin was the lack of soundproofing. We could hear the people next door, people in the hall and doors slamming all night long. On Toga Party night the people next door came in at 4am and continued to talk for over an hour! This was the day before the 8am arrival in Corfu. In another review someone said that the air conditioning was too loud. In our cabin we found the fan to be too soft to block out the noise. Thank goodness we brought a sound machine. A note about cabin locations: The cabins anywhere near the Centrum are very noisy due to the music, aerial shows and dance parties that go to midnight. In addition, they rehearsed the aerial show in the afternoons. The music was so loud it drowned out the trivia questions in the Schooner Bar. If you like to nap or go to bed early avoid these cabins. Dining -- We were so tired from jet lag and touring so we only ate in the main dining room a few times. Dinner was nothing special and the portions were fairly small. The buffet food was not too bad and they did have theme nights (Indian, Chinese, Mexican, etc.) to add some variety. As with any buffet some of the selections were poor such as the ribs I tried to eat but gave up due to the lack of meat. The problem with the Windjammer Cafe is that it was too crowded at peak times and it was difficult to find a seat. The Park Cafe was a good place to grab a wrap, salad or sandwich and we went there many afternoons to get a drink and cookies or cake. The hot dog house was underutilized. Maybe Europeans do not like hot dogs? We did not try any of the specialty restaurants. Entertainment -- I thought most of the shows in the main theatre were very good, particularly the Three Tenors and Ballroom Fever. At the end of the week the shows are at 7:15pm and 9:15pm, the earlier time is a pre-dinner show for the late seating people but we went to the buffet and attended the early show even though we were main seating. The rest of the entertainment was pretty standard. We did not go to any late night game shows or parties as touring Europe was tiring and we were asleep by 11pm. The Aerial Shows in the Centrum were not that great because the performers did not do much, the music was too loud and it was hard to see. Service and staff -- Service in the dining room was good and we even found it too attentive at lunch. The waiters tried to keep up with the dirty dishes in the Windjammer Cafe but did not succeed at times due to the crowded conditions. Our cabin steward never introduced herself the first day but kept the cabin tidy. There was a wonderful lady who was always at the entrance to the Windjammer who wore a themed costume every night and smiled and said hello to everyone. The cruise director seemed a little "too corporate" in his tone but we did have a nice conversation with one of his staff members who was from Croatia. The port lecturer had terrible delivery and it seemed like he had never even been to the ports. He kept saying the same phrases, such as "once again", over and over and gave no personal recommendations. Ports of call -- Our favorite ports of call were Corfu and Dubrovnik. I highly recommend the panoramic tour of Corfu since it is very scenic. We never saw Corfu town due to lack of time. In Dubrovnik we took the cruise shuttle to the old town and walked the city walls (not free) on our own. In Bari we took the ship's tour to Alberobello, which was interesting. From Piraeus we took the hop on bus to the Acropolis which was very crowded. In Mykonos we just looked around on our own. There is an internet cafe just as you enter the waterfront which we used. The end -- Disembarkation was stress free until we got off the ship. We had a late morning train ticket to Milan from the Venice Santa Lucia train station. There are two ways to get to the station; walk a mile to the people mover (1 Euro) which lets you off at Piazzale Roma then cross over an arched bridge with a number of steps, or take a taxi (18 Euros) to Piazzale Roma and then cross over that same danged bridge. We choose to take the people mover and were worn out when we got to the train station. I was longing for the easy access that the port of Miami provides at that point! Milan was buzzing with activity near the Duomo but the highlight was a trip to Bellagio and Lake Como. This was actually the most scenic location of the entire trip. Highly recommend.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

Having cruised with RCCL a couple of times before I was expecting a lot better than what we got. First the ship: Cabins are of reasonable size and have plenty of storage space, have just been refreshed with new carpets flat screen TVs etc although they don't seem to have any interactive components in them, there were also no IPADS which were supposed to have been installed during the refurb. Public areas are adequate without being anything too flash. Casino reeked of smoke so didn't go near that Service: Mostly OK apart from the Guest relations front desk staff who seem hopeless. I have read recently about the cruise industry trimming budgets for staff training and that certainly seems to be the case here. Food: Run of the mill boring menus produced by head office in Miami.Salad bar in the main dining room at lunch time is very good. Chops grill was very good. Wine is very expensive. Entertainment, Rubbish, I am sure I had seen the same shows on other RCCL boats a few years ago. The cruise director seemed to have absolutely no charisma about him, told the same jokes I had heard years before as well, the whole entertainment package seemed stale and uninviting.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We have recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise on board Splendour of the Seas. We did have an enjoyable vacation due to the wonderful ports the ship sailed to, we sailed from Venice to Bari, Corfu, Mykonos, Athens and Dubrovnik which were all fabulous places. We stayed in Venice overnight pre cruise in the Hotel Caprera which is a 3 star hotel close to the train station. It was spotlessly clean,and the front desk staff were very helpful, the room was quite tiny but was ok for one night. In Bari we took a taxi and visited the old town which is beautiful. We also did some shopping on Via Sparano which is a lovely pedestrianised street in the newer part of the city. In Corfu we took a taxi from the ship to the town which was EUR10 for 4 people and then we strolled around the town for an hour or so and then took a taxi to the beach at Dassia and paid EUR3 each for beach beds and umbrellas. The taxi driver took us to a beach club which had a lovely swimming pool and we were right on the beach, it was a little stony in the sea but lovely to swim in. We hired him for an hour and a half and he charged us EUR50. In Mykonos we took a taxi for 4 and went to Paradise Beach for the day, the taxi cost EUR20 and we took the local bus back which was about EUR3.50 each. We did some shopping in the town for a couple of hours and then walked back to the tender after watching a beautiful sunset in Mykonos harbour, it was beautiful. We stayed on board in Athens as we had been there a couple of times. In Dubrovnik we took the shuttle from the ship to town and then privately took a glass bottomed boat trip around the city walls and to a little island, it lasted 45 minutes but I would not recommend it as there was no commentary on board and we had been told there wold be. The town of Dubrovnik is extremely beautiful. Splendour of the Seas itself was a disappointment, we have previously sailed on Adventure, Navigator and Liberty of the Seas and they were much more impressive ships. The air conditioning in our stateroom could not be turned off, it was very noisy and very strong, we had a deluxe stateroom with balcony. Our stateroom attendant taped over it as it was so strong my sinuses got infected but he could not completely cover it as it would have been dangerous. The ship had been renovated last November but they did not replace the stateroom furniture, the drawers were shabby and stained on the inside. The bathroom was quite tiny and had a shower curtain rather than a door on the shower. The interactive TV did not work, we could not access our account on line or view excursion packages. Our friends had paid for a Junior Suite, it was much smaller than the Junior Suite on either Adventure of Liberty. It was also under the pool deck and the noise of deckchairs scraping the floors started at around 6am and it was impossible to sleep beyond that. We could hear the noise of the deckchairs also and we were two floors below the pooldeck. All 6 of us found the air conditioning very uncomfortable. Some of the corridors on the 7th and 8th decks smelled musty and damp and we spoke to one couple who said the carpet in their stateroom was wet and they had asked to be moved, they were reaccommodated in a suite and were very happy with that. The crew on the ship were lovely and extremely helpful, our dining waiter Malcin and assistant waiter Mustafa in the King & I were terrific as was Carolina our wine waiter, she was fabulous, always smiling and looked after us so well. Amy in the Spa was great, I had a wonderful manicure! Yosef our stateroom attendant was also terrific, he did a wonderful job every day. The food in the Windjammer was extremely disappointing at lunchtime, there were the usual salads which were fine but the chicken was all thighs and drumsticks and extremely tough, the burgers were like frozen burgers. The catfish was inedible, cooked in a batter and tough brown fish. The selection was very poor. They did a barbecue on deck on the last day which was lovely. We were disappointed with the food in the King & I also, again the chicken was tough, the minute steaks were like cardboard, the selection was disappointing. The fish was overcooked and small portions. No lobster dinners, Royal Caribbean seem to have stopped the lobster night. The vegetable selection was good and nicely cooked. We ate in Chops Grille one night and the food there was lovely. The entertainment in the Schooner Bar was great, Anselmo was terrific on the piano and we went there most nights and had great sing songs. The other entertainment on the ship was a bit disappointing, the atrium does not have the same wow factor as the boardwalk on the bigger ships, we missed the parades. We did not get to use the casino so I cannot comment on that but it did not have a bar, we used to enjoy drinks at the casino bar on Adventure of the Seas. Royal Caribbean had a drinks package which was not offered on their website only on board, it seems to be on trial on a few ships. It was USD385 plus tax for the week per person and included cocktails, most premium liquors, sparkling wine, and wine by the glass. We thought this was good value. We did have a lovely holiday because of the ports and the crew on the ship but I would not sail on Splendour of the Seas again.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We booked this cruise because of the ports and the week my wife had off from graduate school. We have been on 4 cruise lines and previously liked RCCL for Europe. This time there was a big difference. The layout of the ship with the interactive locator screens strategically located plus the diagram of the ship by the elevators was great. The entertainment was better than average too. The balcony on the back of the ship worked out better than the small add-on balconies on the sides. The bad news is that the service and food SUCKED! Unlike Princess there are only busboys at the Windjammer which at times was overcrowded. The breakfast and lunch at the buffet was of an inferior quality. Even the cakes were made from cheap mixes.I suggest that you bring an oven glove with for the self serve hot food so you don't get burned from the heat lamps that are directly on the serving utensils. For dinner in the dining room there was no Lobster dinner or decent steak unless you wanted to pay extra. Even the extra cost restaurants have a cover charge plus ala carte pricing. For anytime dining if you have a reservation you may be seated with people who are finishing their dinners or people are added on to your table when you are ready to order dessert. bar service. If you want a drink you must go to the bar and order it. No one comes around in the theater or on deck during the day. The new I-Pads that were supposed to be in the room were not there and the TV was not interactive either.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We are a married gay couple kind of travel addicts and we love cruising. First I have to say that these Itineraries from Brazil are amazing/interesting, we visited Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Buzios, Ihla grande and Ihlabela and enjoyed every single port of call. When this ship is in its Brazilian season, of course is aimed to the brazilian market and Portuguese becomes the main language on board but this was not a problem, we could get information in English all the time. I must said that Brazilians are a very relaxed cruise passengers that really know how to have Holiday, parties until late night, late dinners, so funny the brazilian activities (in portuguese) but we could always understood a little. I would recommend to have holidays like brazilians. Having cruised in the Vision of the Seas three years ago in our honeymoon we knew a lot about the "Vision Class" ships for this reason we were so looking forward to our Brazilian/South American Cruise in the renovated Splendour of the Seas and we definitely enjoyed the Ship and the Itinerary. I just have to say that the renovation of this ship is totally successful, the new bathrooms, the renovation of the furniture in the cabins make it look like almost totally a new ship, having an Ocean View cabin, we had enough space for both of us. Also the new additions in the ship: specialty restaurants like Izumi and Chops Grill and the Chef's Table experience, the Board Walk Dog House, Cafe Lattetudes makes the dinning experience more diverse. The Chefs Table Experience is a must and is really enjoyable and the food there was amazing. The main dinning room and the Buffet restaurants were OK for the standards, but the service I would say is one of the best we have got in a royal caribbean cruise. The new Atrium in the ship and the aerial performances are really good, and there is always something happening in there, the new atrium design gives a very special vibe to this area on the ship. In general, we loved the ship after this renovation and loved the brazilian cruising style, loved the ports of call and is a good way to get an small taste of South America and a lot of brazilian culture

Hide this review