Carnival Splendor vs Carnival Spirit? - Compare and Contrast

[Maddle]

I am trying to choose between Splendor for 7 days vs Spirit for 8 days; essentially the same Mexican Riviera itinerary for both. ....and I will have to drive just a little further to the Spirit. I've sailed on the Miracle and the Legend (same class as Spirit, I believe.) The Splendor is a new class of ship for me.

 

I've also done a few Princess, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and PG...and I've been on the inside and outside, top and bottom, back, front and midship....for cruising I am open to all possibilities.

 

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

Maddle

 

PS - any advice on Spa Cabins?

[onthehighseas606]

SO and I prefer the Spirit. It's a smaller ship than the Splendor. We weren't that impressed with the spa and felt it to be a rip off on the Splendor. You can easily sneak into the spa area without paying, just wait for someone to open up the door and you're in. They do a big up sell the very first day. They have it smelling all fresh and clean, but two days later, it begins to smell bad. Just hype IMHO. We had a balcony on both ships and it's comparable to each ship. The Spirit has more shops on board than the Splendor - shopping was a big disappoint on the Splendor. We ate in the Steakhouse on the Splendor and found it to be very good. We haven't tried the Steakhouse on the Spirit and probably won't eat there. Food is comparable on both ships. We won't cruise on the Splendor again, and this is our 4th cruise on the Spirit. We're not fond of going to Acapulco, so we won't get off the ship. JMHO.

[Rosefloater]

I've been on both and prefer the Spirit.

Splendor pros: Burrito bar at the buffet; outdoor theater

Cons: Small public rooms; NO leg room in the upper level of the showroom (& I'm only 5' tall!); sound quality of the outdoor theater; Most of the cabin decks are either above or below public areas.

 

For the extra day, I would go on the Spirit.

[grak]

I've been on the Pride (like the Spirit) twice and the Spirit twice (3rd time coming up in December) and the Splendor once. I wouldn't go on the Splendor again. It was big, hard to navigate, not a lot of quiet sitting areas. I just didn't like the layout at all! I did like their "Vegas type" shows a lot.

 

I loved the Spirit!! My favorite ship and I've been on many different cruise lines so I can compare.

[Fazzdaan]

Which December cruise?

 

Edit: Never mind. Just make sure you get her back on time!!

[CupKayke]

Which December cruise?

 

Edit: Never mind. Just make sure you get her back on time!!

 

 

Fazzdaan ~ I sure hope you come back and do a review ~ everyone taking the Spirit actually, I'd love to hear some news about your trips this year ~ we are booked for 3 nights next year from Vancouver, BC down to LA and then it looks like we are adding another 9 nights from LA to the Mexican Riviera and back now!!! A 12-night total B2B! YAY!! Anyway, I don't know much about the Spirit and can't wait to read some good reviews on her!!!

[Fazzdaan]

We love the Spirit. We have done Alaska and Hawaii trips on her already. The Spirit-class ships are what I consider to be a perfect size for relaxed cruising.

[Kurbanfan]

I believe the Spirit sails back to back to Cabo and also goes to La Paz?

If so then the Spirit:D Not to mention that San Diego is far better to sail out of........

[cruizinator]

Even though the Splendor is relatively "new"...I still prefer the Spirit! Will be sailing on her 2-11-11...9 day to Mexican Riviera. It will be our 5th time on the Spirit. She's a beautiful ship and like all "spirit class "ships EASY to get around on and much less "crowded" than any other class of ships in the fleet.

[mom2boys97]

If you wait til Next Sept it looks as though the Spirit is moving to Long Beach to do there Mex Riviera Intin... Just noticed this the other day as i was scoping out another cruise but i have been on the Splendor and the Pride and getting readt to leave on the Spirit in 3 weeks and so far although the Splendor is a beautiful ship it is hard to navigate and loved the Pride, so i am sure i will love the Spirit...

[cruisinthemed]

There has been some really great reviews on the Spirit. I tried finding some I thought I had subscribe to, and can't find them. Go to the top of the page and search Carnival Spirit...not just spirit, since NCL has a Spirit ship also. There are a lot on the Alaska cruise, from the summer sailings. We will be on her in Nov. & Feb. I have heard nothing but good about her.

[cruizinator]

Fazzdaan ~ I sure hope you come back and do a review ~ everyone taking the Spirit actually, I'd love to hear some news about your trips this year ~ we are booked for 3 nights next year from Vancouver, BC down to LA and then it looks like we are adding another 9 nights from LA to the Mexican Riviera and back now!!! A 12-night total B2B! YAY!! Anyway, I don't know much about the Spirit and can't wait to read some good reviews on her!!!

 

Cake&Tea,

DW and I are "seriously" considering the same B2B you're talking about. We'll know the last week of this month if we're going. If so..maybe we can get together and tell each other how lucky we are..... to be on such a fun B2B!

[Liffey]

I've been on both and of course they both have their pros and cons, depending on what you like. There is no right answer here.

 

Me, I prefer Splendor. More areas to explore. (My husband and I both do the RCA dog head-tilt when people say Spirit is "easier" to navigate - it seems comparable to saying that pudding is easier to eat than yogurt. Neither is rocket science.) I loved our spa balcony because the Spa deck is so small and intimate and right up top. We loved the spa itself, although neither of us are spa people by any stretch. (We had zero issues with smell/cleanliness/unethical people.) It was so wonderful being able to spend time with my husband in the co-ed spa facilities and something I really missed on Spirit. The pizza on Splendor was much better (didn't congeal before it hit the table) and the deli people were far more competent. (However, I maintain that food quality is a cruise-by-cruise thing. not a ship thing.) Splendor has more dining options (rotisserie, burritos, and Tandoor, such that the latter is). Splendor has the smoke-free piano bar and dance club. Splendor has the beautiful Serenity area. Splendor has nicer booths looking over the water in the Lido buffet area, and many more booths overall.

 

But mostly I love the spa (esp. the thalassotherapy pool and aromatic steam room) and the way things are spread out across the ship.

 

However, I do like Spirit. In fact, our next cruise is on Spirit again, just because we want to go to La Paz soon. Spirit has excellent extended balconies. (7258 for the win!) Spirit's buffet fare tasted better to me (but again, could have been the cruise). Spirit's MDR has more interesting tables for two. Spirit's Camp Carnival is more tucked away.

 

That's all I can think of to recommend Spirit, but it's enough to get us to book again. However, if the two ships were doing the same itinerary, it would be Splendor for us, no question. To each his or her own. :)

[Maddle]

Until someone mentioned it, I had not noticed that Spirit went to La Paz, and not to Puerto Vallarta. I have not been to La Paz, and wonder if it is an especially nice port? ...but that is somewhat off topic.

 

The Spa and spa cabins are an interesting touch on the Splendor...plus the "no smoking" aspect of those cabins. Thanks Liffey for the excellent points on the Splendor having more options since it is the bigger of the two.

 

I am curious about the shows - are they about the same or different? Anyone been on both in a close timeframe to compare?

 

Thanks for all of your thoughts...I'm still on the fence so any other input will be helpful.

 

Maddle

[azpilot]

Spirit actually comes to Los Angeles (San Pedro) Sept 2011 for a few 5 day sailings to Cabo San Lucas only. We booked this on the Splendor a few weeks ago and are very curious to compare the two ships. We found at times the Splendor to be difficult to get around since some of the decks are split but once we worked that out we where fine. We found the food very good on the Splendor and the steak house just outstanding. The best part I thought was the self serve ice cream, it was great to bring on a 6 pack of root beer and have floats almost every night!!

[Nemspy]

Spirit is a nice ship - I pretty much agree with Liffey's assessment of it, but Splendor is in another league. Bigger ship = more nooks and crannies to explore, more dining options and (in my opinion) more fun.

 

Being close to the west coast, Spirit and Splendor are my two major options and I have enjoyed both. If they were both doing the same itinerary I would choose Splendor every time. While the "Pepto Bismol" colour scheme jars at first, it's overall got a lot more personality than the "two gun-barrel straight drags down decks 3 and 4" of the Spirit class and the spa facilities are wonderful.

 

I agree that Spirit's buffet food was slightly better, but Splendor makes up for this with other options that the smaller Spirit doesn't have, like Mongolian Grill, Tandoor, Rotisserie, Burrito station etc. All Spirit really has besides the main buffet is an "Asian station" which isn't particularly different from the standard Asian fare you find on buffets anyway. Both ships have Pizza, sandwiches etc.

 

Another area I prefer Splendor in is the configuration of the Lido deck. Splendor's is large with a sort of upper Lido for extra outdoor dining, fun etc, while Spirit's is a bit skinny and divided into two sections. It can be unpleasant to walk through. You really feel loss of the extra few metres on each side of the ship. This narrowness becomes even more obvious in the buffet area. Down one side there's barely room for one person to pass at a time in certain spots.

 

Sorry if this post seems like a "Spirit bashing" post. I still like Spirit very much with the exception of its Lido deck.

 

So if I had to rate various aspects:

 

Food Overall - A narrow victory to Splendor because of all the options.

MDR Food - Dead heat

Buffet Foot - Spirit's seemed better to me

Pizza - Splendor's is better (yes, it really is slightly different on each ship)

Room Service Food - Spirit's seemed prepared with more care.

 

MDR - Spirit has a nicer layout than either Splendor MDR.

 

Casino - Splendor's is much nicer.

 

Spa - Splendor's is incredible. Spirit's is meh.

 

Cabins - Pretty much the same. Bed was a bit better on Splendor (newer ship = newer beds?). Spirit cabin seemed in need of some minor maintenance.

 

Lido Area - Splendor by an absolute country mile.

 

Ship - If you're intimidated by having to change decks to move around and want a "simple" layout, you'll prefer spirit. If you like to "explore" a bit and want more facilities, you'll prefer Splendor.

 

Colour scheme - Spirit's is more tasteful, Splendor's is a novelty :)

[NvCruisers]

Until someone mentioned it, I had not noticed that Spirit went to La Paz, and not to Puerto Vallarta. I have not been to La Paz, and wonder if it is an especially nice port? ...but that is somewhat off topic.

 

The Spa and spa cabins are an interesting touch on the Splendor...plus the "no smoking" aspect of those cabins. Thanks Liffey for the excellent points on the Splendor having more options since it is the bigger of the two.

 

I am curious about the shows - are they about the same or different? Anyone been on both in a close timeframe to compare?

 

Thanks for all of your thoughts...I'm still on the fence so any other input will be helpful.

 

Maddle

We too have been on cruises on the Spirit(3x) and Splendor(1). We are booked on another Splendor cruise in January 2011. The Spirit is by far our favourite, but here is nothing wrong with Splendor. Both have pluses and minuses.

We have been on 2 cruises where Spirits iteniery(sp is very questionable :p) was Mazatlan, La Paz and Cabo. Once it was Acapulco, Zihuatenaco and Manzanillo. It does the La Paz ones when getting ready to repossition from San Diego to Seattle or vice versa with a couple of Hawaii cruises thrown in. La Paz is very quiet, but does have a nice beach close, but also has nice museums. Should see it at least once.

[Maddle]

These comparisons are VERY helpful....but now I am nowhere closer to choosing! I may have to do both. Funny how people have very different senses of what recommends one ship over another. (Hubby is in the Splendor Camp.)

 

Here are some of my considerations -

 

** Spirit 8 nights, Splendor 7 nights. The eighth night puts us home on the last day of my husband's vacation....if we take the seven nights, he has a day to unwind and settle in. Less rush. If we take the 8 nights, I have on more day to be waited on and keep the fantasy going.

 

**Despite being one night longer, the fare on Spirit is lower.

 

**We live about 35 - 40 minutes from Long Beach Pier, but over an hour from San Diego. Since they both depart on a Sunday, that doesn't seem like too big a deal, but Hubby is not keen on the drive...especially since we would come home on "work day" highways.

 

**Can we expect about the same age group on both? How about entertainment?

 

Any other input or things we should consider will be appreciated.

 

Maddle

[big_duck]

The Splendor has the outdoor big screen which cam be seen as a positive or negative depending on your point of view.

[cruisinthemed]

As far as the ride goes...My DF lives in Huntington Beach and we will be moving to Irvine. We take the train to San Diego...No driving in traffic, the cost is less than the price of parking. We have done it a couple times. The train stops right across the street from the pier. It is no farther than walking through the parking lot and it's a nice ride. We already have our tickets for next month.

[AQW]

I have sailed the Pride (Spirit's sister ship) and the Splendor and prefer the Splendor by far. With that said, given your parameters, I would sail the Spirit. Lower fare and one more day? Sold. :)

 

I agree with a pp; take the train down to SD. We did that when we sailed the Elation and it was *so* easy and convenient.

[cbsorenson]

As you can see below I have only sailed on the Splendor, so my opinion is a little one sided. With that being said, I loved the Splendor. The Splendor started this addiction they call cruising.:D It was such a great experience and we had a wonderful time. I am thinking of booking her again for next Aug/Sept.

 

In regards to the layout of the ship. I never had a problem however I did my homework before so I knew in advance where everything was and how to get there.

[CRUZBUDS]

As you can see below I have only sailed on the Splendor, so my opinion is a little one sided. With that being said, I loved the Splendor. The Splendor started this addiction they call cruising.:D It was such a great experience and we had a wonderful time. I am thinking of booking her again for next Aug/Sept.

 

In regards to the layout of the ship. I never had a problem however I did my homework before so I knew in advance where everything was and how to get there.

 

This doesn't count -- we all love our first ship -- like your first kiss -- you don't forget it ;) Wait a miniute -- so far we've loved every ship we've been on :rolleyes:

[Rosefloater]

 

**We live about 35 - 40 minutes from Long Beach Pier, but over an hour from San Diego. Since they both depart on a Sunday, that doesn't seem like too big a deal, but Hubby is not keen on the drive...especially since we would come home on "work day" highways.

 

 

Maddle

 

But you would be driving after the rush hour traffic. You will have a good time on whichever ship you decide on.