FIRST TIMERS !!!!

Any warning's !!!!!! HELP : ) anything we NEED to know?

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

Thanks Jim went to that site already! What I want is people feed back
because the site just tell's you what you want to hear. I want good and
bad (not to bad) for Splendor of the seas!

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

J Wootres wrote:

Thanks Jim went to that site already! What I want is people feed back
because the site just tell's you what you want to hear. I want good and
bad (not to bad) for Splendor of the seas!

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

You want peole feedback?

I'll give you some feedback. Others may disagree... this is my take at
it.

First... I've never been on Splendor... but from my perspective, that
doesn't matter. With Royal Caribbean it's all about "consistency".
It's all about "program". Other than one ship being bigger or another
smaller... they try to provide a very consistent product from ship to
ship. In one of my books (maybe Frommers) they mention that Royal
Caribbean wants to have the same cookies on one ship as on another.

Splendor is one of the "Legend/Splendor" cousins to the Vision ships.
They were the first 2 of the Vision ships, but are a little different in
design. They were the ships of glass. Lots of views of the sea from
everywhere, was the claim. We were on Grandeur of the Seas, which was
the first of the true Vision sisters, after the Legend/Splendor cousins
were built.

They were the class of ship where RCI started to realized that tiny
cabins don't make people happy.

Service on RCI ships is very "programmed". It's usually very good, and
it's consistent. You'll come home and understand about how it's
programmed. That's not a positive or negative, but how they keep things
consistent and fun from one ship to another. Waiters do sing alongs,
parades, etc.

Food on RCI ships is plentiful and good. Not great by any means.
Overall "good". And lots of it. Breakfasts tend to be a bit more
limited than what you find on the "premium" class ships (the next level
up in terms of ships). You may not see the same selection of fruit,
things like salmon every day, or things like blintzes that you do on
premium ships. But there will be tons of food. Expect the food to be
comparable to high end banquet food. They are, after all serving 2000
people.

RCI ships don't get the best of care from the crew. They're not
fastidious about cleaning like Celebrity and Princess are. Stained
carpets, worn hand rails, things like that will be more prevalent than
on the premium ships. Most people will never even notice it... but some
do.

We've been on 6 Royal Caribbean sailings. I like RCI, but I do prefer
the premium lines. I'm booked on RCI Navigator of the Seas for this
Dec. So I will go on Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean was our first cruise as well. We were on the small
Nordic Empress. We had such a great time, that we were forever hooked
on cruises. We just finished our 23rd. cruise this summer when we went
to Bermuda. I simply love being at sea. And I love visiting ports and
going snorkeling. Maybe I just love being around the water. To me a
cruise is a magical experience. Whether it's snorkeling in Cozumel or
just sitting on deck and reading a few pages of Lord of the Rings...
it's a wonderful vacation for me. I like being out on the deck, in the
front of the ship late at night... looking at all the lights on the
horizon, as the ship passes the various islands.

So, there you have it. Some positives and some negatives. Overall,
Royal Caribbean give a very nice cruise experience. It's not high end,
but then you're not paying high end pricing either.

To me though... the magic is being on the ship.

--Tom

J Wootres wrote:
Thanks Jim went to that site already! What I want is people feed back
because the site just tell's you what you want to hear. I want good and
bad (not to bad) for Splendor of the seas!

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~


Go to www.cruisecritic.com and then click on boards. They have a board
for each cruise line, you can search the RCCL board for information. You
can also post and people will respond. Lots of people and information there.

sue

"J Wootres" wrote in message
...
Thanks Jim went to that site already! What I want is people feed back
because the site just tell's you what you want to hear. I want good and
bad (not to bad) for Splendor of the seas!

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

After 9 cruises with RCCL, I think Tom was very accurate with his assessment
(I will disagree with the ship maintenance though). I will say however, I am
glad I had not read this news group prior to my first cruise.

My girl friend (now wife) and I new nothing of what we were about to
experience with our first cruise. We booked the Monarch in 94 out of Puerto
Rico. When we reached the pier, our chins hit the concrete. We just kept
looking up at that marvelous ship. Every day ended up being another
adventure not knowing what to expect.

I would suggest let it be a surprise, you won't be disappointed.

Jeff

Mrs. Woo,
Check out the information here;
http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/firsttime/ it should have most of the
information you want and answers many questions you might not think of.
Great advice and information for the first-timer and even the more
experienced cruiser too!
Jim

"J Wootres" wrote in message
...
Any warning's !!!!!! HELP : ) anything we NEED to know?

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

(J Wootres) wrote in message ...
Any warning's !!!!!! HELP : ) anything we NEED to know?

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

Get a copy of Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2003, or one of
the earlier versions (It is reprinted yearly). Try Amazon or your
local library. This book will give you an idea of what to expect and
how to plan. It has detailed information about all of the cruise
ships.

Ms. Woo,
Those reviews are by people just like you and I and they are not edited
for content at all. They 'tell it like it is', and not just what you want to
hear. If they were all good, (which really would be surprising since I wrote
one that was not all that complimentary), then so much the better.
Jim

"Jeff H" wrote in message
news:X15eb.9172$gi2.1900@fed1read01...

"J Wootres" wrote in message
...
Thanks Jim went to that site already! What I want is people feed back
because the site just tell's you what you want to hear. I want good and
bad (not to bad) for Splendor of the seas!

Mrs.Woo @~~~~~~~~

After 9 cruises with RCCL, I think Tom was very accurate with his
assessment
(I will disagree with the ship maintenance though). I will say however, I
am
glad I had not read this news group prior to my first cruise.

My girl friend (now wife) and I new nothing of what we were about to
experience with our first cruise. We booked the Monarch in 94 out of
Puerto
Rico. When we reached the pier, our chins hit the concrete. We just kept
looking up at that marvelous ship. Every day ended up being another
adventure not knowing what to expect.

I would suggest let it be a surprise, you won't be disappointed.

Jeff

Any warning's !!!!!! HELP : ) anything we NEED to know?

Read the ship's daily newspaper they leave in your cabin each night.
It helps you plan your activities on the next day. Pack light, most
of the airlines are now weighing your luggage.

Becca -----enjoy your first cruise!

GGC http://www.ggc2004.com/
Norwegian Dawn http://www.cruisemaster.com/dawn.htm
Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm