Rosaly G.

Splendour of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
Trans-Atlantic (4/00)

This, our 28th cruise, was a really pleasant surprise. I balked at going on a Royal Caribbean ship as I recalled the miniscule cabins on the Nordic Prince and the Song of Norway. However, although we had an inside cabin, it was quite adequate. Plenty of storage space and very good bathroom. The shower was comfortable and the fixtures were all state of the art and quite efficient.

The ship is magnificent. Beautifully decorated (not glitzy) and the atrium is a sight to behold with waterfalls, etc. There is music being played (piano) almost constantly and the only thing I objected to was the constant Art Auctions - What a ridiculous display - can you imagine someone paying $11,500 for a picture there? I wonder if they use shills??

The dining room is two tiered and really lovely as you can see out on all sides. The waiters and assistants were cheerful and helpful and the maitre d' was so charming and attentive that I must admit it is the first time I felt the necessity to tip him.

Of course they have the waiters give the "begging for a good review" on the next to last night which bothers me and he seemed embarrassed to do it. There is music also in the dining room, either a pianist or a violin and accordion - sometimes a little too loud but it may depend where you sit. They do the usual baked Alaska, and Italian night songs, and patriotic night but it is all in good fun.

We embarked in Miami after a night at the Best Western Marina Park Hotel which turned out to just lovely. and the best part was, we could see the ships coming into port the next a.m. Also, it was across the road from the Bayside Market which turned out to be a great park. They had upscale stores there and also lots of eating places and we could sit on a bench and watch musical events and boats in the basin and it was just delightful.

We taxied to the pier in the morning and that was easy - but the ship itself damaged two pieces of my luggage which they fixed but I think they will have to replace one of them.

The shows on this ship were exceptionally good. I had seen two of the acts years before but they were great. Benny something an his wife Shirley Harmer - he is a very funny comedian and she sings well. Also an Italian tenor (Renato) who we saw years ago but very entertaining. The WAVE REVIEW of singers and dancers in production numbers were absolutely sensational. Also, several other good acts.

The food was adequate, but although presented nicely and of course the descriptions on the menu made you expect better - it was not 4 star by any means. The beef was good - and they served rack of lamb (a little tough) and we had lobster l/2 one night but you could have seconds.

They charge extra if you order espresso at the table which I think is pretty chintzy. They have a nice cafeteria style room (Windjammer) open all the time for ice-cream and snacks.

The pools are nice. One has a retractable roof and was warm but although the weather was lovely, it was quite windy - so much so in fact that the captain announced it was holding us back and we were late arriving in the Canaries.

There is no movie theatre on board - you have to watch in your cabin and I don't like that. Once there was a James Bond picture shown in one of the theatres. Also there is no laundramat which is certainly a nuisance.

There is an Internet room on board which I used daily but the price is 50c per minute and I had the feeling that they had it slow down as they charged for many more minutes than I felt I used. There is an excellent library on board too.

Our ports were St. Thomas, Tenerife (Canary), Funchal (Madeira), Malaga and finally Barcelona. The embarkation and debarkations were comfortable. We took a ship's 4 hour tour of Barcelona which was wonderful. I had booked our hotel (St. Moritz) through the internet and saved a bundle - but they dropped us off there with our luggage at the end of the tour. The hotel was wonderful and centrally located. I fell in love with Barcelona - It is probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. very clean, friendly and the architecture is great. There is a Turistic Bus for which we bought a l day ticket and you can ride it all over town and get on and off when you please. We spent all of Saturday on it, except when we walked Las Ramblas and stopped for a meal. The meals at the places we picked were very good and inexpensive. You get the menu of the day which is about 4 courses and delicious.

Now we are home and exhausted from the jetlag. Delta is to be commended for on time flights and they have more legroom and fed us all the time. 

If there are any questions, I will be glad to answer them.

Rosaly G.; rosaly@fast.net

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