ONBOARD THE CARNIVAL SPLENDOR -- I haven't been on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship in three years, but when I stepped onboard the Carnival Splendor, the familiar started clicking into place.
The Splendor is technically a new class of ship for Carnival, but take away Joe Farcus' over-the-top interior design and you'll see that the ship has basically the same bone structure as the Carnival Destiny; it's only a tad bigger than its Conquest-class cousins.
Unlike other lines that are now eyeing ships in the 150,000-gross-ton range and beyond, Carnival has remained committed to ships in the 110,000-gross-ton category. The Carnival Splendor is a relatively modest 113,000 gross tons and carries just over 3,000 passengers (though the upcoming Carnival Dream will top 130,000 tons).
During an inaugural cruise on the Splendor, CEO Gerry Cahill explained why Carnival hadn't kept up the biggest-ship race; a "severe" limitation on which ports big ships can use was one example. The line has instead chosen to focus on the "software," he said: "the interaction of the service, the quality of the food."
Carnival Corp. CEO Micky Arison added, "There's plenty of people who want the mall-like experience and other people who want the Fun Ships."
The layout of the Splendor is relatively unchanged from previous Carnival builds. The main change is the spa, which carries Carnival's first "thermal suite" -- multiple, mosaic-tiled steam rooms and saunas and a thalassotherapy pool. The Splendor's thermal suite is certainly splendid: Several rooms offer commanding views of the sea.
Carnival also borrowed the spa cabin concept from sister line Costa Cruises: A handful of cabins nearest the spa come with special spa privileges, including unlimited access to the thermal suite.
The Splendor added a retractable roof over the midship pool and giant movie screen. Carnival hasn't followed other lines' leads in creating multiple alternative restaurants, but on this cruise there were plenty of good food options, including a tandoor oven that produced a delicious, Indian-food lunch.