Carnival Splendor Cruise Review: Our honest opinion on this Aussie Favourite
Welcome to our detailed Carnival Splendor Cruise Review!
In this video, we share our honest opinion on this Aussie icon, covering the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whether you’re planning your next cruise or just curious about the Carnival Splendor, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know.
From the ship’s dining options to its vibrant decor, we’ll dive into the highlights and lowlights of our cruise. We’ll discuss the food, fun activities for kids and families, and all the entertainment available on board as well as useful information to make planning your holiday as easy as possible.
Join us as we explore what makes the Carnival Splendor unique and whether it’s the right cruise for you and your family. And don’t forget to stay tuned to the end where we breakdown the costs.
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00:00 Intro
01:29 First impressions / ship’s interior
03:00 Cabin
04:00 Dining and food options
10:50 Bars and Entertainment
15:50 Kid’s Clubs and Family Entertainment
20:06 Cloud 9 Spa
21:37 Shopping
22:05 Serenity Adults Only Area
21:40 Tenders and Moreton Island
24:14 Technology and the Carnival Hub App
24:59 Disembarkation
26:05 Costs
26:50 Our Verdict
38 Comments
Was the $118 thermal pass just for the length of the cruise, or just a day? I'm on the Splendor later this year and am wondering if booking before departure is cheaper than on board.
Thanks for the detailed video 👍
A fantastic review. You two create fantastic reviews and videos.
As someone who's 16 (going to be 17 by the time of the cruise), I'm so glad they have options! I remember I went on a carnival cruise back in 2017 or so and they had no options for people between the ages of 15-17, was seriously worried about that
our first cruise was on our honeymoon cruise on the Splendor out of Long Beach to Mexico back in 2009 – she was a great ship
Really interesting and comprehensive videos. Love your enthusiasm and honesty ❤
I wae on this ship 2 weeks ago never again food cold too many people kids riped of 2 ilands 4 days at see bull sh/t dont go please
$12 beers
My mums on there.
Cold food apparently
Not a big selection foodwise
Got a baked potato for breakfast
Cold shower in the morning- working on the pipe apparently.
Had to get the drinks package because other room-mate wanted the drinks package, it go's to the room not the person. Doesn't make any sense.
30 people got off at Brisbane and told them to get f.ed
Such horrible decor. It's a real stumbling block for me…😬
Bigist ripper off ship out there not happy /never again on internet $280 call home
Can I ask how many days your cruise was for?
My wife and I have just returned from a 10 day cruise on Carnival Splendor. I think it was the same cruise as this one. New Caledonia was ruled out due to the recent political upheaval. In past times, they would have diverted to Suva to make up the difference-no more of that though. Overall, I would give it an 7/10 value for money but only if you skip the extras and specialty meals (lamb chops $38 (!), a steak over $70, a beer $12-a total rip-off, a cocktail, $18, Chef’s special $155 a person). Beer/alcohol used to be wholesale/duty free once you exited The Heads-not any more! Carnival go to extremes to extract every cent they can from you as quickly as possible but I am not against that. It’s a personal choice. Make sure you take your own tea and coffee like many do. Theirs is battery acid! Carnival want to steer you to their $5 coffee shop. If you want good tea you have to buy a Tetley’s tea bag from them-$4 thanks. Talk about penny pinching! Good fish in the buffet? Expect Basa and Tilapia-both at the bottom of the taste scale. Not even a salt water fish! Ham, Corned beef in the buffet? No way-Devon! Butter? No. Some creamy concoction instead which tastes nothing like butter. Live music and bands have been downgraded to backing tapes in the auditorium. That said. Very enjoyable but imbibe in the complimentary fare which is quite good. The move to 'specialty everything' is a con job. $75 for a steak is just crazy. We cruise regularly and probably would have spent $120-$150 on grog if the prices were fair. We are reasonably well off but I refuse to be ripped off. It is the principle so they got Zilch out of us for drinks. They must have some weird bean counters at Carnival/P and O. They probably get their grog wholesale and duty free anyway. I noticed hundreds of people in the auditorium-mostly drinking water! Photographs will cost you a fortune. We always tip but on my next cruise I am thinking of handing letters to the Purser, Head of Housekeeping and the Maître D explaining we are not tipping anymore but using our tips for things that used to be complimentary but now they charge extra for….. And the staff-Fantastic!
In my opinion that ship is quite tacky but still great info guys
Where on the ship would you recommend to settle in for several hours of relaxing with a view and a book? I was planning on going back on a p&o again but now that's not going to be an option. I'm suspecting this ship will be what i end up on. Would appreciate your suggestions so i can look them up on the ship map. Cheers
Really useful video guys thanks for sharing its really helped us
My family and I had a great time, brings back memories.
I'm 40 and I've NEVER gone on a cruise before but my dad and I are about to take this exact trip, 4 nights, to Moreton Bay in January.
This told me a LOT of what I want to know!👍
I just want it on the exact same cruise yesterday for 9 days and it went up to Cairns
Great review, thanks 👍🏽
NEVER GO With Carnival my last cruise on the splendour was cheap and nasty, everyone got coved 🤮
Overall the Splendor does reasonable job as a cruise ship but the decor is hideous beyond belief. It's not groovy or funky it's just bad. God knows what they were thinking with this ship. Apparently it's a one off in the Carnival fleet. I think they didn't know what to do with it so they hid it down in Australia.
Dont go on this ship, its cheap and nasty.
You have been warned.
Can we eat at multiple restaurants for the same meal or do we need choose one only?
I cruise Jan 2025 and my daughter (11 years) and I can't wait!! 🥳 This video was heaps helpful. Thank you 😃
Hey guys what an awesome video. My wife and I have cruised on the spirit seems there is a lot similar but your video has sealed the deal for our trip next year Dec 2025. Thanks so much…not sure about an internal but.. thanks again
Very informative! My husband, myself and our three year old will be going on the ship very soon, we have booked in for the Fahrenheit 555° restaurant as a family for one of the nights as we have on board credit to use.
The kids club for her age looks amazing too!
I'm from the East rennell World Heritage area, solomon Islands. Want to know more information about the company.
Was your cabin loud with the engine sounds ?
Great ship but i really would like to see an interior update & renovation. There are a lot prettier ships these days. The pink circles everywhere were hideous 😅
Cruising Feb 2025 – first time with Carnival – you gave a lot of great info 🙂
Thank you so much for the thorough tour. You’ve whetted our excitement tenfold as we’ll be flying into Oz next month to experience Splendor, and then Holland America Westerdam. It looks like there isn’t a Blue Iguana Burrito Bar (pout).
Thank you so much for this in depth review! I have seen so many reviews of cruise ships from other countries, but never Australian cruise lines! It's great to see what's included in this one.
Comprehensive review..
Cruising on 20 January 2025… thoroughly enjoyed the video.
Thank you 🙏🏻
We're trying to figure out which family cruise to take for the first time, this was incredibly helpful. Thank you!
Am I the only one that finds carnival ship interior tacky???
Which room did you book? This is my first time, please advice
would the drinking age on an australian carnival cruise be 18 (i’m coming from america)