Almost LIVE Review-- Splendour of the Seas-- Greece & Turkey-- Oct. 12, 2013

[Loyal2RCCL]

In 6 short hours I'll be leaving for the airport to fly to Venice, Italy where I'll be embarking on the Splendour of the Seas 7 night Greece & Turkey cruise, beginning Saturday, Oct. 12th.

 

I'll be sailing with a few of the RCCL Sales Reps, and I'm also escorting a small group of family and friends who decided they wanted to tag along. :)

 

My group was lucky enough to score all aft Junior Suites at a price that was $65 pp lower than our initial E1 balcony cabins which were ridiculously inexpensive at the time we booked.

 

I'll be flying to Venice from Seattle via Washington, DC and Brussels on United Airlines. I was able to upgrade to First and Business Class using miles, so hopefully I'll be able to sleep on the way to Italy since I won't be seeing my bed tonight.

 

I've pre-arranged private guides and drivers in Split and Kusadasi and we will wing it in Venice, Mykonos and Argostoili.

 

I plan to post daily (depending on the speed and reliability of the onboard WiFi) and will try to include pictures as well.

 

Stay tuned....

[peteukmcr]

Have a good journey over the pond and make sure you leave Splendour in good shape, we board on the 19th:D

 

Although our itinerary is different to yours, I'll be subscribing to hear your thoughts of the ship.

 

Have a great time.

[Loyal2RCCL]

Have a good journey over the pond and make sure you leave Splendour in good shape, we board on the 19th:D

 

Although our itinerary is different to yours, I'll be subscribing to hear your thoughts of the ship.

 

Have a great time.

 

Thanks Pete... If you have any specific questions or you want me to find out anything for you, let me know.

 

I promise to leave the SP in good shape for you. :eek:

 

One thing.. In case you're not aware..there's supposed to be a 24 hour transportation strike in Italy, beginning on Oct. 18th. I hope it's over by the time we return and the port will be open for us to dock. The strike is supposed to affect air, rail, ships and all public transport. If you plan to fly in on the 18th, you may want to look at arriving a day earlier.

[yolanda1]

Looking forward to following your review :) We will be sailing on Splendour in a few weeks time, but on a different itinerary. Will be very interested to read your thoughts on the entertainment and dining in particular. Thanks.

 

Have a wonderful time! :D

[Loyal2RCCL]

Looking forward to following your review :) We will be sailing on Splendour in a few weeks time, but on a different itinerary. Will be very interested to read your thoughts on the entertainment and dining in particular. Thanks.

 

Have a wonderful time! :D

 

Thanks Yolanda.. let me know if you want me to check out anything specific.

[peteukmcr]

Thanks Pete... If you have any specific questions or you want me to find out anything for you, let me know.

 

I promise to leave the SP in good shape for you. :eek:

 

One thing.. In case you're not aware..there's supposed to be a 24 hour transportation strike in Italy, beginning on Oct. 18th. I hope it's over by the time we return and the port will be open for us to dock. The strike is supposed to affect air, rail, ships and all public transport. If you plan to fly in on the 18th, you may want to look at arriving a day earlier.

Thanks for the heads up, but we're not flying in until the 19th as we have flights with RCI and it's only a short trip of just over 2 hours for us from the UK.

 

The only thing I'm interested in is the addition of 21% Italian tax as we're not visiting a non EU port. I doubt it'll affect you as you're visiting a non EU port.

[A&L_Ont]

I look forward to the review.

 

Thanks those points for the flight upgrade! After I read your flight path my legs were starting to ache and I am not the one flying.

 

Have a fun and safe trip with your group.

Andrew

[Loyal2RCCL]

I look forward to the review.

 

Thanks those points for the flight upgrade! After I read your flight path my legs were starting to ache and I am not the one flying.

 

Have a fun and safe trip with your group.

Andrew

 

 

Thanks.. You have to love those airline miles. My flight path is worse than you might think... I fly from Seattle to Washington DC, layover for 2 hours, then fly from DC to Brussels, 2.5 hours layover there and then Brussels to Venice. :eek: On top of that I've not been to bed today.. so at least I'll get to sleep on the flights and not be a total zombie by the time I meet my group in Venice. Fortunately I need very little sleep.

[swfc]

hello mate,were on the splendour next year heard a few different reports on the drinks package. I like a good drink on holiday but the wife only drinks soda .Would like to know if I can get the drinks package & the wife can get the soda package ?? ..Have a great cruise :):)

[Clarea]

hello mate,were on the splendour next year heard a few different reports on the drinks package. I like a good drink on holiday but the wife only drinks soda .Would like to know if I can get the drinks package & the wife can get the soda package ?? ..Have a great cruise :):)

That would be against the rules as published. I'd wait until you are onboard to purchase and see if they interpret the rules differently.

[Loyal2RCCL]

hello mate,were on the splendour next year heard a few different reports on the drinks package. I like a good drink on holiday but the wife only drinks soda .Would like to know if I can get the drinks package & the wife can get the soda package ?? ..Have a great cruise :):)

 

One of the requirements for the alcohol packages is every adult in the cabin needs to purchase it. The only way around this would be if your wife's doctor wrote a note saying she can't drink alcohol. The soda package can be purchased by an individual.

[runningaway2]

I look forward to your review. We'll be doing the same itinerary in 2 weeks.

[yolanda1]

Thanks Yolanda.. let me know if you want me to check out anything specific.

 

 

 

If you spend time in the Schooner Bar, could you give your thoughts on the singer/pianist there please? The guy who was there a couple of years ago was great and it we thought it was a fab evening's entertainment (can't remember his name though).

 

Thanks, and have a great time! :)

[PCWalton1]

Thanks for posting during your cruise, looking forward to your reports. Seeing Splendour and some of those ports will bring back memories from our cruise last year.

Thanks again.

Bill

[maggieq]

Thanks.. You have to love those airline miles. My flight path is worse than you might think... I fly from Seattle to Washington DC, layover for 2 hours, then fly from DC to Brussels, 2.5 hours layover there and then Brussels to Venice. :eek: On top of that I've not been to bed today.. so at least I'll get to sleep on the flights and not be a total zombie by the time I meet my group in Venice. Fortunately I need very little sleep.

 

Oh my! And to think I complained about how long my direct flight to Bcn was

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks.. You have to love those airline miles. My flight path is worse than you might think... I fly from Seattle to Washington DC, layover for 2 hours, then fly from DC to Brussels, 2.5 hours layover there and then Brussels to Venice. :eek: On top of that I've not been to bed today.. so at least I'll get to sleep on the flights and not be a total zombie by the time I meet my group in Venice. Fortunately I need very little sleep.

 

Hopefully there is some free wireless internet at those stops. Or better yet, first class lounges that have showers. That should freshen you up during the long haul.

[CruisingRoute66]

Hi, I was on the Splendour July 2013 and spent most nights in the Piano bar.

 

Great atmosphere and the singer, Ansolm,is a mature man and looks very much like a previous contestant from the X factor , Wagner !!

 

He sang a huge selection of songs and I am sure you will not be disappointed:)

[yolanda1]

Hi, I was on the Splendour July 2013 and spent most nights in the Piano bar.

 

Great atmosphere and the singer, Ansolm,is a mature man and looks very much like a previous contestant from the X factor , Wagner !!

 

He sang a huge selection of songs and I am sure you will not be disappointed:)

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the info :) I think he may actually be the same guy who was there a couple of years ago when we were there too, and we loved to hang around there as he was so good! I hadn't actually thought of him looking like Wagner, but you're right, he did!! :D

[FLACRUISER99]

 

I plan to post daily (depending on the speed and reliability of the onboard WiFi) and will try to include pictures as well.

 

Stay tuned....

I must not be to fast or reliable.:rolleyes:

[Loyal2RCCL]

Sorry everyone... I had technical issues while on this trip and was not able to post live as I had planned.

 

I have posted a full review here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1934075

 

Pictures and video to come soon.