Carnival Splendor - Photo Tour and Commentary

Overview...........................................................Page One

Pools, Spa, and Outdoor Facilities.....................Page Two

Shops, Children and Other Public Areas............Page Three

Bars, Lounges, Nighttime Entertainment.............Page Four

Dining.................................................................Page Five

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OUTDOOR AMENITIES IS NEXT

Carnival

OVERVIEW

“We cater to all age groups. A whole family can come onboard - -
grandma, grandpa, all the way to pre-school. We have many
activities for all age groups. That makes a big difference. Everyone
is taken care of. People do not get bored when they come onboard,”
explains Carnival Splendor’s Hotel Director Guna Chellam
Carnival Splendor was built to facilitate this approach to cruising.
There are 22 bars and show lounges but there are also extensive
facilities for children including a 5,500 square foot Camp Carnival
play area. It has a wide variety of casual dining venues but also an
elegant, sophisticated supper club. There are sports facilities but
there are also trivia contests, wine tastings and afternoon tea. She is
a very well-rounded ship.
The passenger body is similarly diverse. It is mostly composed of
middle class Americans but with a wide range of ages and ethnic
backgrounds. This is consistent with Carnival founder Ted Arison’s
goal of providing quality cruise vacations to mainstream America.
The basic design underlying Carnival Splendor can be traced back to
Carnival Destiny. However, in the 12 years between the time
Destiny entered service and the time Splendor entered service, the
design evolved with additional decks and amenities being added.   As
a result, while those who are familiar with Destiny could easily find
their way around Splendor’s lower public decks, the upper decks
would be something of a mystery. In fact, Splendor is closest in
design to the Costa Concordia and the Costa Serena of sister
company Costa Cruises.
Splendor, however, has a number of features which are new to
Carnival. Chief among these is the retractable glass roof covering the
midship pool area. This feature protects not only the pool from the
elements but turns the area into a balconied-courtyard where movies
are shown on a giant LCD screen. There is also the two-deck Cloud
Nine spa with a collection of new amenities as well as associated spa
staterooms. Along the same lines, there is the adults-only outdoor
Serenity relaxation area. But, lest one think that children were
forgotten in creating new features, there is a new water spray park
play area.
As Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill has described it, the
ship has “a relaxed, unpretentious shipboard atmosphere.” Like all
Carnival ships, Splendor has its own unique interior decoration
scheme - - “Splendid Things.” All of the public areas reflect the
superlative from the great ocean liners of the 1930s, to pearls, to jazz
legend Miles Davis, to name a few examples. With a few exceptions,
this tends to lead to the spectacular in decoration, which makes for a
more exciting environment.
  Indeed, in an interview with John Heald, ship designer Joe Farcus
said: "I choose the color scheme not be bold per se, but rather to
create the emotion of the experience of the cruise and the particular
public space itself. . . . I think that the act of taking a cruise already
tells me that the guest is looking for something different. When
people book the cruise they are buying into the romance of the sea in
my view and therefore the design has to take their feet off the land,
the normal, and take them out to sea in a very special world designed
to enhance that initial romantic and nautical desire. The Splendor
does this I believe."
   Cruise Director Gustav "Goose" Neumann agrees. "A ship like this
is exciting. The ideas are endless, the venues are different. We have
so many great people here who come up with things. You just think
'wow.' It is always evolving and changing. But the idea that there is
spontaneous fun, the fun for all and all for fun, is an exciting
direction that we are going in."
After entering service, Splendor went on something of an odyssey.
She left the shipyard in Genoa, Italy and sailed to Dover England
where she was named by British musician Myleene Klass, assisted by
Royal Navy diver who climbed the side of the ship from the sea to
break a bottle of British sparkling wine over the ship's name. Her
first summer season was spent doing cruises in Northern Europe.
Then, after some cruises in the Mediterranean, Splendor crossed the
Atlantic and did a series of Caribbean cruises. Too big to transit the
Panama Canal, Splendor sailed around the tip of South America to
the Pacific. Her itinerary calls for her to do weekly cruises to Mexico
from Long Beach, California in 2009.

CARNIVAL

SPLENDOR

CARNIVAL
SPLENDOR
PHOTO TOUR
AND
COMMENTARY

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TOUR 1

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TOUR 2

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TOUR 3

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TOUR 4

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TOUR 5

Captain Giorgio Pagano

Hotel Director Guna Chellam

Above: Looking up towards the glass
dome covering the central atrium.
Below: Looking down the smaller
Golden Atrium.

Much of the decoration on Splendor recalls the 1930s
and the era of oceanliner travel in partcular.
However, the art work decorating the stairways is
mostly absract and colorful.

Above left: The Shore Excursions Desk where guests can purchase tours for the ports of call and post-cruise transfers.
Above right: The Information Desk is the ship's general reception desk.
Below left: The Port Shopping Guide's desk where guests can get information about shopping ashore.
Below right: Passengers can book future cruises through The Cruise and Loyalty Desk. It is also onboard headquarters
for Carnival's past passenger society.

There are 1,503 guest cabins on
Splendor ranging from penthouses to
interior cabins. Each cabin has a flat
screen television as well as the line's
specially-designed Carnival Comfort
bed. Also, each cabin comes with,
amongst other things, a basket of
toiletries and name-brand samples,
terrycloth robes (for use during the
cruise), and a telephone. In general, the
cbins are larger than the industry
average.

Cruise Director Goose Neumann leads
crew members in a farewell presentation
at the end of a cruise.

Cruise ship photo tour and guide - - Carnival Cruise Lines - - Carnival Splendor - - page 1