I have taken numerous cruises before, and was very disappointed with the Splendour of the Seas. The food and service on the ship are sub-par, with the food being a major disappointment. The quality rarely got above "Coffee Shop" standards, and was extremely unimanginative. Basically, every meals was chicken, beef, or salmon, and was usually only lukewarm. The ship looks dated, and one should avoid any cabins below the swimming pools, as the noice will keep you awake all night. The constant "nickel and diming" buy the crew gets annoying. You are always being hustled to buy a cocktail, a picture, etc. Also, RCCL is not charging for espressos and other coffee drinks, and has the nerve to charge for cold, inedible "Tapas" at the pool side bar.

The itinerary is very good, and I would definitely recommend taking the trip to Avignon on Sunday when the ship docks in Marseille. (Otherwise, there is very little to do in Marseille, and the city is not very attractive.) Also, Florence is very crowded in summer, and be forewarned that you will not get into any major attractions unless you are on a tour, or you book your museum reservations in advance on the internet. We would definitely take another European cruise, but not on RCCL.