What's with Splendor; Bad Reviews

[happy to be sailing]

What is going on with the Splendor? A lot of people are only giving it 3*.Complaints about too much pink, bad stage shows.Is it normal for a new ship?

[makeaputt]

Hopefully it is better than a 3. We are sailing on her to Europe September 11. The people that do not have a good time are usually the ones who make the most noise. I hope the silent majority are those that had such a great time they are still in awe and unable to write. We'll see in a few days.

[Sirwinston]

All ships get good and bad reviews. :cool: Depends on the perspective of the people writing the reviews. ( First time cruisers may be "wowed" while someone used to silver seas will have their "noses in the air").

Also new ships sometimes go through "theething" troubles.

 

Decor is supjective. As are the shows.

 

If I were going on her I would wait for reviews of the same itinerary before I became too concerned.

 

Tom in Long Beach

[Sirwinston]

Sorry to the O.P. I see you are going in a few weeks. I did not notice the ticker before my reply....

 

Tom in Long Beach

[big_duck]

Complaints about Decor, shows and food are subjective, and I find that the more someone complains about them the more pretentious they are and the less I pay attention to the review.

 

But then I'm pushy, assertive and rude.

 

There may be a lot of pink, put the ships layout is great and IMO the best in the fleet. Go enjoy, she is a great ship.

[astros77]

I Honestley think that the problem is the passengers that are writing the reviews and not the ship itself. Someone said that the decor ruined their vacation. To me the people giving the bad reviews are just plain snotty and rude. For some reason they are expecting the same service they would get on a luxery ship.

 

I think the kicker for me was a review where the lady was complaining that there was two charges for scotch on her final bill and she nor her husband drink. Instead of the logical answer that a bartender entered the wrong number and entered hers, instead she blames the room stewards. No reason given, no proof, just someone ordered scotch so it must have been the room steward. I personally think that her husband ordered it due to his wife's constant complaining.

 

I think the reviews will get much better once it leaves the baltics.

[juankzas]

What is going on with the Splendor? A lot of people are only giving it 3*.Complaints about too much pink, bad stage shows.Is it normal for a new ship?

 

When we sailed the Destiny we also thought the shows were really bad but we didn't cruise for the shows and our experience was great. Perhaps the people writing the 3* reviews think the shows are an important part of theirs cruising experience, are the shows so important for you??

[LHP]

I don't mind constructive critiques as long as it is backed up with detailed facts. With detailed facts, I can decide what would (or would not) affect my cruise.

 

If the "pink" ruins someone's cruise, that is their business. If they want to list that as a complaint...that is their business. I just know to ignore it because it does not affect me.

 

I realize that food is subjective. I am not a foodie. As long as I don't have to plan it, prepare it, present it and clean up after it...I am good to go!!!

 

I have not been to a show in years. Hubby goes to every one (when though he has seen them a bizillion times)....I go to karaoke. We both love to listen to the soloist on the Promenade and I love the Piano Bar.

 

But mainly we go to sit on the deck and watch the waves and the people!!

[broberts]

I read the first few 3* reviews and they seemed pretty even handed with seemingly valid complaints. out of 15 reviews 7 are 4*+, 6 are 3* and 2 are 2*-. Not great for a cruise ship, certainly poor for a brand new ship. On the other hand if one looks back through the first few reviews of other ships the pattern is surprisingly similar. Teething problems likely account for many of the problems identified.

[2TNCruisers]

I am so looking forward to our cruise on Splendor...I don't care if its pink or putrid green, I just want to be out of town and on my balcony looking at the ocean.

 

As long as the rooms are clean and the staff courteous, I can have a good time. Call me easy, but color just isn't enough to ruin my cruise.

[mom&me_cruising]

I have not been on the ship yet, but will in October. I guess since I am one of those people who pick a cruise because of the ports, I likely would not be affected by much of the bad reviews. It really all depends on if the complaints are important to you.

 

I have to agree that from the pictures the ship's decor is too pink; and I like pink. But that is not going to deter me from cruising on the ship. If decor and color scheme is important to you, then check out the ship's pictures to decide if you want to cruise it.

 

The layout of the ship seems to be similar to the Conquest class which means on certain decks you cannot get from fore to aft of the ship. Some have problems because of that, but I have adapted since I have been on Liberty and Glory -- just use the other decks that has no "obstacles".

 

Entertainment, well, usually I'm so tired from touring in port that entertainment is not that important. When I was on the Liberty, there was no main shows the first night since most guests from America/Canada (which is a good majority) would be tired if they flew in on embarkation day, which I can understand. Then if the ship is at a port overnight, no main stage shows because the CD would figure many would be at port and not attending the show. If shows had been offered, I can imagine somebody else complaining that there are shows and they could not attend because it's the first night and they are too tired or they are at port.

 

Now as to services and food. I do like to have decent services and food, but I it seems like it is luck of draw as to room stewards and waiters. And there are enough food offerings that I cannot imagine I would starve.

 

Overall, Carnival still provides the best value, so I factor that into my expectation of the cruise.

[epixx]

My family and I sailed on the Splendor in the Baltics 8/6/08. It was definitely one of the best cruises and best vacations we've ever taken. The itinerary was unbeatable and the weather was great for that part of the world. We arrived at each port on time or early. We found the service to be excellent, the food good to very good (and with lots of variety), and the nightly shows to be fantastic. My girls actually liked the pink! Furthermore, the ship was perfectly suited for the Baltic intinerary, since it had the sliding glass dome over the central pool and big screen area. We enjoyed watching the Olympics on the big screen during sea days, with the glass dome open or closed depending on the weather. Lastly, we met many fantastic people, including those from this message board.

[LHP]

I am so looking forward to our cruise on Splendor...I don't care if its pink or putrid green, I just want to be out of town and on my balcony looking at the ocean.

 

As long as the rooms are clean and the staff courteous, I can have a good time. Call me easy, but color just isn't enough to ruin my cruise.

 

I know what you mean. We sail on her in November and the upgrade fairy gave us a SPA BALCONY (complete with the SPA benefits~ which usually does not come with free upgrades) woo hoo!!!!

[BusBoy]

I think the kicker for me was a review where the lady was complaining that there was two charges for scotch on her final bill and she nor her husband drink. Instead of the logical answer that a bartender entered the wrong number and entered hers, instead she blames the room stewards. No reason given, no proof, just someone ordered scotch so it must have been the room steward. I personally think that her husband ordered it due to his wife's constant complaining.

 

I agree! I liked where she said that was two charges for 7.13... the "equivalent to 2 bottles of scotch" ??!! Now I'm not Scotch connoisseur but to me a bottle of Scotch better cost more than $7 or im using it to clean paint brushes!!:rolleyes:

[ashefrog]

One man's trash is another's treasure.

 

We were on the Liberty back in 2006 after the transatlantic stomach virus that ravaged the ship. Our cruise was cut from 7 days to 4, with different ports (ones my husband and I had just done in 2004). I picked the cruise for two reasons: new ship & ports.

 

The ship was sanitized for the first 3 days of our original cruise. All staff was struggling with new procedures for passengers using sanitizer before entering food places and handling food. We were not allowed to self-serve on Lido.

 

Needless to say there were many passengers complaining the ENTIRE time but I tried to be positive, see it from their point of view(the cruiseline not the passengers) and go with the flow.

 

I guess it comes down to:

 

When handed a bowl of lemons are you going to be stuck with a bowl of lemons or are you going to make lemonade.

 

I will be on Splendor in Nov and am so excited to go.

[CarnivalPride]

I have seen interior shots of the Splendor, and I would agree that it isn't a bad ship, however, it still fails against the Spirit Class ships for one reason: layout. The Spirit Class ships have the galley below the dining hall on the Riviera deck, while the Splendor has the dining hall divided by the galley. Also, the Splendor only has extended balconies in the back of the ship, while the Spirit Class ships all have extended balconies on the sides.

It is sad to see the Pride leaving Long Beach in favor of the Splendor.

I would rate it a 4 out of 5. The Spirit Class ships all get a 5 out of 5.

[happy to be sailing]

Or should i say Splender. You know you all are right. We are easy to please no matter what. My wife loves pink & that is good enough for me. I usually am too tired to stay awake for the shows or is it the drinks that cause this?We are going on her soon & we are going to love it. We booked last Nov & have not had a holiday since Jan.Nothing is going to ruin this Holiday. Especially Pink.See all you Splendor fans on board Sept 23.

[big_duck]

I have seen interior shots of the Splendor, and I would agree that it isn't a bad ship, however, it still fails against the Spirit Class ships for one reason: layout. The Spirit Class ships have the galley below the dining hall on the Riviera deck, while the Splendor has the dining hall divided by the galley. Also, the Splendor only has extended balconies in the back of the ship, while the Spirit Class ships all have extended balconies on the sides.

 

It is sad to see the Pride leaving Long Beach in favor of the Splendor.

 

I would rate it a 4 out of 5. The Spirit Class ships all get a 5 out of 5.

 

Spirit class ships were designed by someone on drugs, there isn't a straight corridor anywhere and the clubs are scattered all over the ship, you need a map to figure anywhere you are going.

[snl]

We are going on her in December. As long as we are not at home and at work, who cares what color the decor is.

 

If someones cruise is ruined because of the color scheme, that seems a little childish to me (imho).

 

We were on the NCL Sky in August...our stateroom did not have a working toilet or a/c. They did finally change our stateroom because they couldn't fix the problem. That would be something that would be a little upsetting. Not the color of a ship.

_______________________________________

 

Carnival Splendor...Dec 08

NCL Sky...Aug 08

RCCL Liberty OS...Dec 07

Crown Princess...Dec 06

Carnival Liberty...Dec 05

RCCL Mariner OS...Dec 04

RCCL Radiance OS...Dec 03

Carnival Imagination...Dec 02

[azbaby8062]

Spirit class ships were designed by someone on drugs, there isn't a straight corridor anywhere and the clubs are scattered all over the ship, you need a map to figure anywhere you are going.

 

I have to agree that the zigzag of the hallways was interesting. However, it was not that difficult to navigate.

[CarnivalPride]

Spirit class ships were designed by someone on drugs, there isn't a straight corridor anywhere and the clubs are scattered all over the ship, you need a map to figure anywhere you are going.

Um, you gotta be kidding me. The Splendor has a design flaw where the dining hall is divided by the galley, requiring people to traverse floors to get from one side of the dining hall to the other. The Spirit Class ships smartly places the galley below the dining hall on the Riviera deck.

The Spirit Class ships also have extended balconies on the side of the ship, while on the Splendor, they are only in the back of the ship. Yes, I know the hallways on some decks of the Spirit Class ships go inward and out, however, that wasn't much of a problem for me.

If you have seen polls on this site in the past, the Spirit Class ships always win. I don't see why anyone would prefer the layout of the Destiny/Conquest/Splendor Class ships.

[big_duck]

Um, you gotta be kidding me. The Splendor has a design flaw where the dining hall is divided by the galley, requiring people to traverse floors to get from one side of the dining hall to the other. The Spirit Class ships smartly places the galley below the dining hall on the Riviera deck.

 

Never had an issue with it, I guess I'm not spatially challenged.

 

I'm sure the people of Baltimore will be very pleased to have the Pride, however.

[Lori29]

Every cruise ship, old and new has good and bad reviews. For people stating the ship decor impacted their vacation....they must be pretty boring people to say the least. The first thing i look at when I go somewhere is the cleanliness of the place i'm staying, the food and the weather! The rest of the fun is up to me! I'm sure every cruise ship is a wonderful experience it is up to every passenger to embrace their vacation, relax and have a great time! For those that think the decor impacts the quality and service of the ship should probably stay home and enjoy their fine home decor since that may give them a good time!

[lyrical2520]

I'm sorry to be harsh but people, does your enjoyment of a cruise depend upon what color was painted on the walls? Perhaps all cruise lines should send every perspective customer a paint chip sample book along with carpet samples, miniature samples of the artwork and let us not forget the miniature replica furniture, built to scale of course! Oh, but there's more. Are the towels fluffy enough? I've heard people complain about "unfluffy" towels. We better get towel samples! Oh and my favorite! The complaint about the toilet seat that was too small! It would be costly for a cruise line to send out a "practice" toilet seat to all perspective passengers but gee, we would hate for someone to have a toilet seat ruin their entire vacation.

 

As my very wise Mother used to tell me, YOU make YOUR experience, no matter WHERE you are or WHAT is going on. What or who is around you does not decide what your experience will be. MAKE A CHOICE to ENJOY YOUR LIFE, regardless of your circumstances. It can be done. You will be so proud of yourself for taking the power away from those paint colors and that toilet seat.

[southbayer]

Spirit is still in San Diego.

I have seen interior shots of the Splendor, and I would agree that it isn't a bad ship, however, it still fails against the Spirit Class ships for one reason: layout. The Spirit Class ships have the galley below the dining hall on the Riviera deck, while the Splendor has the dining hall divided by the galley. Also, the Splendor only has extended balconies in the back of the ship, while the Spirit Class ships all have extended balconies on the sides.

It is sad to see the Pride leaving Long Beach in favor of the Splendor.

I would rate it a 4 out of 5. The Spirit Class ships all get a 5 out of 5.