I just returned from the Nov 29 sailing from Galveston on the Splendour to
the Panama Canal (12 days).

Overall, a very enjoyable trip. The ship is typical of the vision class.
They had just installed the rock climbing wall and it was frequently busy.
The gym seemed smaller than that on the Vision and the Rhapsody - although I
did like that they opened at 5:00 a.m. rather than the posted time of 6:00
a.m. On the second day, they added two elliptical trainers (4 in total) and
two bikes (4 in total I think). They also had two treadmills (3.5 mph limit)
and 4 treadmills (no limit). Dumbbells reached a max of 60 lbs, and they had
approx 9 machines to train bodyparts.

On the Splendour, the lounge is at the front of the ship rather than the
rear - I didn't particularly like that as the windows were quite a bit
smaller and the view less spectacular. The theatre is one level rather than
two. The entertainment was fine. They've just hired on a new entertainment
crew and we saw their first performance - not too bad. The Murder Mystery
was fun except for the always present bar staff who constantly interrupted
game play. I enjoyed dinner in the main dining room and often had seconds.
The second seating is the quiet seating - quite a few empty tables.
According to our waiter, the main seating was packed. Meals in the
windjammer were fine - long lineups though. Poor coordination by the kitchen
on early tender days would result in a depletion of either silverware or
plates. Understandably, the windjammer was packed the day we cruised the
Panama Canal. Lunch, though, was a disaster. Long lines as people had to
wait for the plates to trickle in stacks of 10 from the kitchen. I thought
the staff in the windjammer pleasant except for one or two that never broke
a smile.

The weather was great for the most part. Seas were a little rough though and
we had to miss our stop in Jamaica. One of the staff said we almost missed
the stop in Grand Cayman and an alternate daily planner was ready for that
possibility. Very sunny in Grand Cayman and Belize and Costa Rico. Humid
too! I loved it. Sunny for most of the sea days but be prepared for a bit of
a breeze to sweep across the deck - it was nice though because it kept you
cool.

I'm 38 and travelled with similarly aged people. Most of the passengers,
though, were considerably older (50's and 60's and 70's). I think I counted
perhaps 6 children and one infant. Needless to say, the disco was pretty
much a bust most nights until the crew arrived around midnight. And some of
the post dinner events had only a handful of people in attendance. Not to
say there's anything wrong with getting to bed early! I'm a big fan of sleep
myself!

I had an aft balcony suite and the view was incredible especially passing
through the canal. If you want to watch it from the windjammer or the front
decks, rise early! People were up by 7:00 to take positions. The aft cabins,
though, are a bit of a hike to the central elevator. Not a big deal though.

Any other questions, feel free to email me. I kept all the daily compasses
and port brochures if you have any specific questions.

James
Seattle, WA

"Steve" wrote in message
...

Feedback desired on RCCL's Splendour of the Seas out of Galveston. As
always
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