Splendour of the Seas - July 13/13 - short review - any questions??

[KiwiGal117]

My DH, DS, DF and I have just returned from a fantastic cruise on Splendour of the Seas, out of Venice, on July 13, 2013. We were in steerage (Deck 2), so if you have any questions about the cabins, dining, entertainment, etc., I'm happy to try to answer. I do have some Cruise Compasses at home that I can try to scan if anyone is interested. I apologize that this won’t be nearly as entertaining as others on here, but hopefully will provide useful info.

 

Some random thoughts:

 

1) Deck Two was great! Quiet, no movement issues, convenient for embarking and disembarking on port days. We had a Large Outside Cabin, and while "large" may be in the eye of the beholder, the window itself was a good size, and the cabin wasn't too bad. It helped that we had a connecting cabin as that gave us the second bathroom, and a bit more room for movement. We were in 2080 and 2082. Close enough to the aft stairs and elevators to be convenient to everything.

 

2) Flying in same day as cruise leaves. Lots of CCers say “what, are you nuts?” Well, let's just say that was a tad stressful. Our direct flight ended up stopping in Shannon, Ireland for refueling, which made us 90 minutes late into Venice. It was all fine, still tons of time, but I can see why people recommend flying in the day before, it would have saved a bit of stress, although we did have a big window of time between arrival and the ship all-aboard. Something to think about if you have a choice.

 

3) Splendour. I thought she looked great! We were on Legend 10 years ago for our honeymoon (sister ship for those who may not be aware), and I thought the updates were pretty good. I was surprised that the hallways on the cabin decks were still peach, and that peach/green colour scheme was still heavily used (and thus tired looking), but the cabins were clean, plenty of storage and the beds were very comfortable.

 

4) Pool deck - nice, but the pool is awfully small for a Mediterrean cruise in the summertime. It was JAMMED most of the time when we were at sea. And honestly the water looked pretty unappetizing by 2 in the afternoon, with all those bodies lolling about and all that sunscreen in the water. But, it's not a huge ship by today's standards, so I suppose that is why. The Solarium pool area seemed very underutilized, it would have been nice if they opened that up to all passengers more often. I only noticed one afternoon from 3 til 5 where they allowed children in, and oddly it was a port day.

 

More to come...

[KiwiGal117]

Review continued:

5) Service - fantastic. Other than a rather surly maitre d' at the MTD desk (partially our own fault, we showed up at the wrong time, but I did apologize for not noting the time of our reservation, but he held a grudge for the remainder of the cruise). Note to Self: make note of the MTD times that I've booked. I thought for some reason, that the info would have been available easily on board, but Guest Relations doesn't have access, and it's often hard to get the Dining Room on the phone (understandably) during opening hours. And they don't seem have anyone answering the phone when they are closed (at least when I tried).

Our room attendant, Ricardo, was fantastic! Fun, helpful, and magical in his ability to get our rooms cleaned and ready so quickly. On the last day, we’d left him an extra envelope with 20 euros and his name on it, but he was too shy to take it, so we had to press it in his hand. Very sweet man.

6) Drinks - to buy the plan or not. I AGONIZED over this! AGONIZED I tell you! Ultimately, I did not buy the plan, largely because of the poor house wine choices, and my DH and I like a decent red with our dinner. The other reason for not buying was that this is a pretty port-intensive cruise, and we figured most days during prime “fruity cocktails by the pool hour” we’d be off the ship. Our alcohol bill at the end of the cruise ended up being a bit less than it would have been had we bought the package, and we were able to have some really nice wines with our meals. We did not order the wine package, as the wines included in that package were quite limited, and I just didn’t feel it would have resulted in a huge savings to us. As an aside, I didn’t find that the prices charged for bottles of wine were particularly extortionate, but then I live in Canada, where liquor prices are, by and large, extortionate. There was an Italian chianti at around $26 a bottle, a Californian Zinfandel (red, not white) for $32 and when we went to Chops, we had two (I believe Amarone or Barbera) at $67, but we were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary that night, so felt it worth it. The fact that DH decided that this would be the trip where he'd embrace scotch on the rocks as his cocktail of choice in the evenings did increase our final tab a bit. He couldn't decide that at home for 1/10th of the price??!!! :D However, I think it was the right choice for us. I enjoyed some of the fruity cocktails by the pool, and didn’t feel the need to order for the sake of getting my money’s worth (which I may have been inclined to if I had the package).

7) Food - I was very pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting much (which helps). When they prepare and serve 10,000 meals a day (this statistic came from the head chef – a nice New Zealander), one would expect things to be a bit dry, cold, rubbery, whatever, but we had fabulous meals. I now understand why everyone makes a fuss over the roast beef on a bun offered at the Solarium Cafe (on this ship anyway, maybe found elsewhere on others). It was the best sandwich I've ever had. Truly. We lamented after that we should have been greedier and had two, as it was late in the cruise by the time we discovered this, and it wasn’t served every day.

We rarely ate in the Windjammer, preferring the quiet solitude of the Solarium Cafe at breakfast. It has a more limited selection, but certainly plenty of choice with hot breakfast sandwiches, fruit, cereal, yogurt, build your own bagels, etc. It was a really nice place to sit and contemplate the arduous day ahead. We dined one night at the Chops Grille, which was delicious. The steak was tender and perfectly cooked and all of the sides were top notch steak-house style. The service there was excellent. Our waitress even cut up my son's steak for him and started to feed him (he's 9, so this was hardly necessary, but I think he was pleased by the special attention). Our MDR meals were all lovely. There was only one night where I ordered a pasta dish that didn't rock my world, but beyond that, we really enjoyed all of the choices! DS really enjoyed The Dog House, and I think DH did a few more times than he’s letting on as well;)

[KiwiGal117]

8) Ports of Call – this cruise was unique in that it stopped in Montenegro, which was a treat. However, if you ever go there, don’t take the open air hop on hop off bus. As far as I know this is not an RC excursion, as we bought tickets ourselves from just outside the main gates of the old town. It takes you to a place that receives 7000mm of rain a year… remember it’s an open air bus. Ya, once we realized that’s where we were going, the wisdom in the bus choice was questioned! When we finally did get back to the ship, after not being informed of why we sat in the rain in some sad village for well over an hour, we looked like drowned rats, and my son’s camera was floating in a pool of water at the bottom of my tote bag. Not happy. That said, it’s a beautiful spot and sailing in and out is quite special. It also saved us from the crazy EU VAT thing that would have made everything cost so much more on board. I don’t know too much about that, so can’t answer many questions, but I believe if your ports of call are all EU countries, VAT is charged on everything which adds about 13 or 15% to your bill. Yikes.

But I digress… for our second port of call we were meant to be going to Athens, but due to a general strike that day which was affecting the tourist attractions, transportation, etc., the ship ended up in Kefalonia instead. What a treat!!! This island was an unexpected jewel. We will definitely be going back for a longer holiday. The island is beautiful, really clean, and the people are friendly and nice. Go if you can.

It occurred to me when they announced the change that people who had prebooked excursions on their own may have been out of luck and out of money. All of the RC excursions were refunded to passengers. Now, those excursions can be pricey and I’m not one to buy into them generally, but it may be worthwhile in certain countries where there is known instability (Greece and Turkey come to mind). It seems to me some research into the political and economic situations in these countries prior to booking cruises/excursions might be worthwhile if you are headed over that way.

The next day we were in Corfu. Also lovely, and a good time was had by all. We didn’t book an excursion, we just took the ship organized bus into town and walked around and went to the beach. I purchased some really nice olive wood bowls and salad/pasta tongs here. I wish I had bought more as the prices were really reasonable and they make nice gifts.

Our final port of call was Dubrovnik. Unfortunately our time in port was SHORT. The ship docked at 7, and all-aboard was 12:30, with a 1:00 departure. So by the time we got off the boat around 8:30, and took the ship-organized bus into the old town, we didn’t have a ton of time to look around. It was really hot inside the walls of the old town. Dubrovnik looks like a very lovely spot to go back to. It appears to be well-kept, reasonably well-off and lots to see and do.

8) On-Board Entertainment – we did not go to the shows in the main theatre, although did see the Atrium shows which were spectacular. We watched a dance contest one night at the Atrium and also went to the Karaoke nights, the first of which was hilarious and fun. Enzo, one of the CD staff was a loud and proud queen who gave it his all! He made it really, really fun. We also watched the belly flop competition and some other pool stuff. I think they did a great job of offering lots of things to do – something for everyone. My DS LOVED the rock climbing wall – he spent many hours climbing like a monkey.

9) Debarkation – easy peasy lemon squeezy. We showed up at our allotted time and locale, exited the boat, and easily found our luggage. Very organized. We were headed to the Mestre train station as we were heading to Turin, and on to a rented villa in the tiny village of Cessole, Piemonte for a week (SPECTACULAR, btw), so we didn’t take the ship organized bus to the airport, we took a cab.

10) Post-cruise reflections. This was a short 6-night cruise. I would have preferred a longer cruise, with perhaps more time at some of the ports. However, it really suited us as we had the villa booked with family members who were traveling from all over, so we were looking for something for the week before to make airfare a bit more worthwhile. It gave us a taste of a very beautiful part of the world, and it’s certainly incentive to go back. It would be great to find a cruise that spends a bit more time in some of these ports, or perhaps we’ll just go and spend a couple of weeks noodling around the Greek Islands!:D

[carfla7]

Thanks KiwiGal - you have covered most things and as you know, any info about this ship is welcome. I would love to see the Cruise Compasses if you can be bothered. Friend and I are on similar cruise in just over 5 weeks now - not that I am counting(!) and it is great to hear from others. So pleased about the food. I was really lowering my expectations just in case.

Can you remember how much the shuttle was to get to Corfu town and is it just put on to your account? Do you have to pre-book it?

Get ready for the other questions now .... BTW your villa sounds great too.:)

[KiwiGal117]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful. The shuttles are US$12 per adult, free for children. You do have to buy tickets at the shore excursion desk, although in Dubrovnik I did notice some people just signing up at the bus, although I'm not sure if that's because they didn't make any kind of announcement about needing bus tickets in that port.

 

I am very jealous that your cruise is still ahead of you! I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time. I'll try to scan some Compasses tomorrow and post them.

[hipster1]

Hey Kiwi!

Great review..we were on her last September. We did the other itinerary stopping at Santorini. She is a beautiful ship!

 

 

Ali

[gtg122a]

Thanks for the review.

 

I was on this same cruise and posted my review a couple of weeks ago. It's buried a few pages deep in the RCCL forum. I posted some pictures from the ports, too.

 

I second your comment regarding Athens/Kefalonia. We were disappointed with missing Athens, but Kefalonia and the beaches were a jewel. We really enjoyed the port area and the short day trips offered by the local companies.

[PCWalton1]

Hi,

Thanks for the view. We enjoyed sailing out of Venice on Splendour last year and I just love to read anything to remind me of the fun times we had. :)

Thanks

Bill

[Estealvarado]

Thank you for the review. Do you remember how much the alcohlic drinks are? Like the mixed drinks

 

Also what thpe of breakfast food did they serve in the windjammer? If you remember by chance

 

Thank you

[ms8654]

Were you originally scheduled for Montenegro or was that a substitution since Croatia joined the EU?

[KiwiGal117]

Thank you for the review. Do you remember how much the alcohlic drinks are? Like the mixed drinks

 

Also what thpe of breakfast food did they serve in the windjammer? If you remember by chance

 

Thank you

Drinks were about $7 to $10 depending on what it was. I like Mai Tai's and I think they were about $7.75. The drink of the day, which was generally very good, is $6.75. I never bothered keeping the souvenir glasses though!!

 

We only had breakfast at Windjammer on the last day, but they have everything from cereals, yogurt, fruit and pastries to a full array of hot items, and, in a nod to the European location, served a variety of cheeses, cold meats, etc. Really, anything you could possibly want. There may have been an omelet station, but I can't say for sure.

[KiwiGal117]

Were you originally scheduled for Montenegro or was that a substitution since Croatia joined the EU?

 

No, Montenegro was always part of the itinerary... not sure why they don't go there more often. Kotor is a bit tricky for a big boat to get to, but it's a fascinating arrival and departure. They should consider it more often!!

[KiwiGal117]

To echo gtg's comments, Croatia does not take Euros, but we found that there are currency exchanges handily located every few feet (!!) inside the old city walls, so it was simply enough to exchange some other currency for enough Kunas to buy souvenirs and a gelato or two.

[KiwiGal117]

Hi,

Thanks for the view. We enjoyed sailing out of Venice on Splendour last year and I just love to read anything to remind me of the fun times we had. :)

Thanks

Bill

Thanks! I read your review very greedily when planning this cruise! Nothing like extending the fun and excitement of the vacation!

[wales4ever]

We are on the ship in a few weeks time. What is the entertainment like? Bands. music, shows etc?

 

Many thanks

[gtg122a]

We are on the ship in a few weeks time. What is the entertainment like? Bands. music, shows etc?

 

Many thanks

 

Entertainment was pretty good.

 

The aerialists did nightly shows in the atrium that lasted 15-20 minutes.

 

They had a couple that specialized in magic and dancing. They did some neat ballroom-style dancing and some quick-change and sleight-of-hand magic. It was pretty neat.

 

The band played your normal classics from rock, country, etc.

 

Trivia was really fun. They usually did 1-2 games per day. Bingo was your standard cruise-style, but pretty expensive ($12 per card per game), if I remember correctly.

[gtg122a]

Drinks were about $7 to $10 depending on what it was. I like Mai Tai's and I think they were about $7.75. The drink of the day, which was generally very good, is $6.75. I never bothered keeping the souvenir glasses though!!

 

We only had breakfast at Windjammer on the last day, but they have everything from cereals, yogurt, fruit and pastries to a full array of hot items, and, in a nod to the European location, served a variety of cheeses, cold meats, etc. Really, anything you could possibly want. There may have been an omelet station, but I can't say for sure.

 

 

This is very accurate.

 

Cocktails at dinner were pretty small and had high prices, but bar service during the day was very good.

 

Breakfast at the Windjammer was better than any other cruise I've been on. They had a great mix of European and American-style breakfasts with eggs, meats, cereals, and cold meats/cheeses, pastries, etc.

[Spicester]

Thanks for your lovely review. We are on the Splendour in October..can't wait:) Final payment time tomorrow!

[ms8654]

Thank you!