Summary:
I sailed on the Splendour of the Seas, doing an Eastern Med cruise from Venice, calling at Bari, Corfu, Mykonos, Athen & Dubrovnik. I would summerise this cruise as relaxing, great weather with loads of activities. The service we recieved all over the ship was first class, even down to the waiters from the dining room, seeing us about the ship and greeting us by our names (it's the little things). The ports of call were brilliant, and the port guide recieved with the Cruise Compass each evening was very good at outlining what there was to see in each port and also how to get there from where we were docked. I travelled with my mum, so we did most ports under our own steam. Using the shore guide we managed to see everything we wanted. In Athens we did a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean to see the Acropolis. The tour was very well organised, the guide was very informative and outlined everything we were looking at, with a bit of background history. The ship itself was clean, vibrant and you could see that she had recently been through a refurb. I would honestly say the best cabins were the new balconies on desk 6, as they come out from the side of ship and actually hang over the water, offering completely clear views. We were in 6568. The food was very good all over the ship, from the Park Cafe in the Solarium, to the main dining room. There was always something for everyone and everything was very tasty. The hidden gem actually on the ship was the Windjammer cafe, which we had dinner in twice, one evening they had a speciality Indian night — which after having three courses every night made a pleasent change. The spa, solarium, and the pool deck were all good places to relax on the ship and in the evening we found ourselves in the Schooner bar — where Juanito would enterain us playing the piano and performing everything from some modern classics like Elton John, to more classically influenced pieces. Chris, the head of entertainment for all British passengers, ran trivias — some of which definitly made you scratch your head in thought! In conclusion the cruise was great, I would travel with Royal again and happily sail on the Splendour — she was a good size with 2500 passengers onboard and you never felt the ship was full. I would recommend doing the drinks packages, I dont drink a lot, but after a few they do add up. Awesome ship, awesome itinerary and an awesome cruise. Definitly worth giving this ship a sail!