Splendour of the Seas - should I be concerned?

[vacationdreamer2]

Hi,

 

My husband and I (both 30) are planning a Mediterranean cruise for this summer (June/July). Unfortunately due to work constraints we will have to limit our cruise to 7 nights. I love the RCCL itinerary on the Splendour of the Seas leaving June 28th: Venice, Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon, Corfu, Split, and then back to Venice, but I am concerned about the age of the ship. It's maiden voyage was 1996 and seems to be one of the smaller ships for RCCL sailing the Mediterranean. We are not by any means cruise conoiseurs, I've been on two cruises both RCCL and this will be my husbands first, but since we will be spending a lot of money I don't want to be disapointed with a run down ship. Is it better to go for an itinerary or a newer ship? Also considering 7 night Eastern Mediterranean on the Navigator (Rome, Sicily, Athens, Ephesus, Crete, Rome) but we would miss out on the Greek Isles. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[kdowneymd]

We were on the Splendour right after it came out of dry-dock in May of 2006 (in an Owner's Suite, nice but not the over the top experience I was hoping for) and were on Legend of the Seas a sister ship last summer.( a junior suite) Legend had a very bad problem with moldly carpet smells on 8 aft, even though the carpets had been recently changed. Both ships are well maintained and service was good but not fabulous. Many like them for the smaller size but I do not believe they compare to Brilliance of the Seas or a newer ship in terms of they definitely are showing their age even with the new bedding etc... Ship design has changed to accommodate different desires. We chose them for the itinerary and thus were not upset about the difference in the ships but the recreation areas are not nearly the same if that is important to you and there are no additonal dining rooms to try. For only a seven night cruise which is very port intensive, I would check out different lines such as Celebrity or Princess before booking RCCl (and we are Diamond RCCL) you may feel more pampered

[Ladyvdr]

My husband and I were on Celebrity's Galaxy in July 2006. It is an older ship, but we chose it for the itinerary, not the ship. It was my husband's 1st cruise and my 6th. We both had a wonderful time. We are planning another cruise on an "older" ship Royal Caribbean's Legend this July. For us it is the itinerary, not the ship that makes the trip. That being said, we found the staff on the Galaxy to be warm, and very attentive. We also had no problem with moldy carpet or other wear issues. If you only take a cruise to spend your time on the ship, then look for the newest, splashiest ship you can find. But if you are like us, and enjoy the ports, look for those instead.

[rebeccalouise]

I have read good reviews of the Splendor of the Seas. I had booked that cruise myself but decided on Holland America's Zuiderdam instead. It goes out of Venice also with an overnight in Venice at the beginning and in Istanbul. In the end, I thought that Zuiderdam was a better value. You might want to consider this cruise since hotels in Venice are quite pricey and the ship will serve as your hotel in Venice- with the added bonus of having the US electrical outlets- for me better than trying to find a plug for my converter and adapter. If you book a hotel- you have to be out by 12:00 noon and after doing a TA you might be up at 2PM- like I was on my last trip to Venice.

 

Anyway, if you do go to Venice you need at least one night there.

 

Decisions, decisions!:)

[lisiamc]

Hi,

 

We just finished a cruise aboard Splendour on 2nd December. While it is one of RCCL's smaller ships, it is by no means a "small" ship. It's roughly comparable to Celebrity's Millennium class in size. There are no specialty dining rooms, just the main dining room and the Windjammer.

 

All the public areas were in excellent condition - everything looked new. The only place we noticed the age of the ship was in the cabin. The desk and bedside tables showed their age, as did the carpet, but the bed and bedding were new and very luxurious.

 

The crew were friendly and did a great job of looking after us. This was our first cruise with RCCL after eight with Celebrity and one with Azamara. We enjoyed it and would cruise on Splendour again.

 

Lisa

[rebeccalouise]

I haven't read any bad reviews of the Splendor. Sounds like a great cruise.

[Kindlychap]

Eleven years is not old, at least not for a ship.

 

I'm planning to join a ship launched in 1967 next month for a crossing of the North Atlantic in winter....

 

And she's still in superb condition.....

 

Matthew

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Go for the itinerary rather than worry about the ship. Splendour is definitely not as nice as Brilliance....they were docked side-by-side in Naples when we sailed the latter a couple years ago....but the ports are most important in my opinion. Or take a look where Costa is sailing because they have a large number of cruises in the Med with many, many newer ships.

 

BobK/Orlando

[MercedMike]

Consider this -- Splendour of the Seas is undoubtedly quite a lot newer than the aircraft you will fly to Europe on!!

 

;)

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[vivian02]

The wife and I did our first Meditterean cruise in May of 2004 on Splendor. It was such a hit that we are booked for Meditteran cruise number 4 this coming August. The only problem I see is the port intensivness that you will encounter. You will have a nice cruise. Tim and Cathy

[texancruzer]

The only problem I see is the port intensivness that you will encounter.

 

Many people (myself included) cruise JUST for the ports..... the ship is not a destination but rather a floating method of transportation.

 

That said......

 

We just got off of Brilliance (11/23/07) sailing Western Med. Have sailed Rhapsody and Legend (sister ships - both smaller) and Serenade and Brilliance (also sister ships - slightly larger)

 

Enjoyed all 4 of my cruises immensely. Still havent eaten at a specialty restaurant onboard.....so havent missed those on the smaller ships. Do use the spa occasionally, the workout rooms - not as often as I should, have only used the solarium pools/spas and do enjoy those. I have found that RCI maintains their ships..... but with thousands on each one each week.....well sometimes there is a little wear..... but nothing I would find offensive. Actually while on Brilliance a few weeks ago we had a reoccuring problem with our toilet flushing (or not flushing) as well as an occasional "odor" problem. Think they just had a vacumn problem in the plumbing. No biggie. Things like that can happen on any ship.....or hotel.

 

You really need to decide if you have to have all the bells and whistles of the larger ships or if the destinations are more important.

[vacationdreamer2]

Thanks to everyone for contributing. I've pretty much decided on the Splendour and her itinerary - that's the one I'm most excited about! I imagined booking on the Navigator and I just wasn't as excited, so I guess I answered my own question...Since it is really port-intensive as everyone pointed out, I don't even think we will have time to go ice-skating or shopping at the royal promenade (I'd rather save my $$ for Venetian glass anyway)! And as for the specialty restaurant we can eat in port for specialty restaurants! I'm so excited hmmm... now, which cabin type to book!! :confused:

[Onessa]

We did the same itinerary on the Splendour over Thanksgiving this year ( Venice, Mykonos, Athens, Katakolon, Corfu, Split, and then back to Venice) -- it was a great trip (DD12, DH and I are in our 40s).

 

We've done other RCCI -- Radiance and Voyeger class ships -- and noticed the differences in the Vision class but did not really miss any of the stuff that those other ships had. There are no specialty resturants, no ice skating, no self-leveling pool tables -- but there are still plenty of things to do when on-board and the staff was terrific.

 

As others have stated, this ship gets great reviews. I'd do this ship and this itinerary again in a heart-beat.

 

FYI - we REALLY enjoyed our balconey, even in November!

[texancruzer]

Thanks to everyone for contributing. I've pretty much decided on the Splendour and her itinerary - that's the one I'm most excited about! I imagined booking on the Navigator and I just wasn't as excited, so I guess I answered my own question...Since it is really port-intensive as everyone pointed out, I don't even think we will have time to go ice-skating or shopping at the royal promenade (I'd rather save my $$ for Venetian glass anyway)! And as for the specialty restaurant we can eat in port for specialty restaurants! I'm so excited hmmm... now, which cabin type to book!! :confused:

 

You hit the nail on the head.... I would much rather do all those things in the ports I am visiting !!!!! I am excited for you :D

 

I have to agree with Onessa.....we too had a balcony on our Nov. 23rd cruise on Brilliance (Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Livorno(Florence/Pisa), Villefranche(Nice), Toulon(Provence) and ending in Barcelona. We didnt spend as much time as we do when we cruise the Caribbean but we definately used it !!

[Kindlychap]

Many people (myself included) cruise JUST for the ports..... the ship is not a destination but rather a floating method of transportation.

 

Whereas others of us find the ports just get in the way! Hence the beauty of a transatlantic - no ports!

 

Matthew

[mozfoz]

Sailed the SOS in 5/07 out of Venice. Chose the cruise by the ports rather than the ship, plus our time was limited and we could only do a 7 nighter plus two precruise nights. We were not dissapointed. We prevously sailed RCCL 8 times and Princess the last 2. This ship was in fine condition. The new bedding helped after the long days. So little time is actually spent on the ship. I am fussy and had the same concerns but you can relax. Nothing beats the Venice sail away. It was our best cruise!:D

[vacationdreamer2]

Thanks mozfoz! I love first hand experience. I think I've pretty much decided on the SOS Venice, Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon, Corfu, Split, and then back to Venice. Mozfoz - where did you do your 2 pre-cruise nights?

[mozfoz]

We stayed at the Locanda Oresela. Very popular,very clean, great location, fairly priced. Need to reserve far in advance.

 

Check out the reviews:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d256241-Reviews-Locanda_Orseolo-Venice_Veneto.html