Carnival Splendor

Food was disgusting, service ordinary, ship itself - tacky, outdated, damaged, dirty etc. The worst of all though was that we have been charged for products we never received. We noticed the charges while we were on the ship (I'd been warned to keep a close eye on the statements in the hub). We went to guest services to question an extra $185… Read more

charge to our account when we had only had one drink each! The charge was for merch that we never received. Guest services in all of their cluelessness reversed the charge which showed as reversed on our statement. Ok cool fine. We got off the ship Sunday. Today, 3 days late they have charged us what we spent plus the $185 charge that should have been reversed. I try to call, no response. I try log into my account on the hub, kicked out because we have already sailed. I try log into my statement online, tell me page can't load due to site owner error. TRULY RIDICULOUS! Do better Carnival. This trip was not cheap.

What I wrote to carnival who emailed asking for feedback. Sharing in case you want to use some of the text. Very long winded….. Dinner bookings for our group of 13 was a nightmare. Prior to the cruise my brother called saying our family group of 13 are on the cruise to celebrate our parents anniversary and that it’s really important we can dine… Read more

together. The person on the phone gave instructions as to how we can all be travel companions. But we were not aware we have to all book the same dining time. Once we realised we are all booked into different dining times a number of us called at various time to ask to dine together. We were told to arrange once we get on board. After we got on board, the adults met up at 2:30pm we lined up to ask at customer service desk, and was told they can’t help us. Instead we need to go to the restaurant between 5 to 5:15pm in person to check in.

Tip for improvement. There was quite a bit of unnecessary stress for months leading up to the cruise, and on the day of boarding until 5:15pm, before we could be assured that our group of 13 can dine together. 13 of us booked the cruise for the goal of being able to celebrate over dinner sitting together. We were given no assurance the whole time that this could be arranged.

On the first night we checked in at 5:15pm and had to wait around 30min the first night to get a table.

On the formal night, Checking in at 5:30pm resulted in an hour wait despite the app letting us a table would be ready in 20 min. On the last night we checked in as two separate group to see if it would help in getting a table sooner. The group of 8 checked in at 5:24pm and still had to wait close to an hour.

After our group of 13 (including grandparents in their 80s) had stood outside waiting an hour for a table, and after sitting down for 5-10min, as we have received no attention and not even given water, my brother merely put up his hand and patiently waited to get the attention of service staff. The manager (Caucasian man) came and told him to put his hands down. we said we have waited for quite a while and are hoping to get some service. He said there are over 300 people to feed and you need to be patient. In a not at all friendly tone. Given he walked away with no indication of when we would get any service, one of us went over to attempt to help ourselves to jugs of water. Then the service staff said to sit down and finally came to give us water. There was another night when we waited so long for service my 19 year old son again had to go get water for ourselves, and again that seemed to be the only action that would prompt the wait staff to give us water.

On another night my brother checked in for a dinner table for his family of 4. Once he got the message that his table is ready he proceeded to the staff outside the restaurant to be taken to his table. The staff looked at her system and said he had not checked in. My brother showed her his app showing message less than 10min ago saying his table was ready. Female staff insisted her system showed he was not checked in. No attempt to problem solve or recognise his point, until he got clearly agitated and asked to speak to a manager. Then a table was available for him.

Room staff were great. We made sure they got a good tip.

On the shore day my sister’s 13 year old son was missing at around 4:50pm. We told the carnival staff who were standing at the front of the queue of people waiting to get onto shuttle. They called the ship to check and told us the boy has not been registered as having returned to the cruise. We continued to search onshore. By 5:15pm, 15 min before last shuttle, my sister was getting quite stressed. we gain told carnival staff the boy is still missing and asked what we should do. The carnival staff said go talk to local security. We said the police station is unmanned, where do we find local security. Carnival staff said in an unfriendly, agitated tone, “I don’t know. We’re carnival.” And words to the effect of “there’s nothing we can do”. The female staff next to him added insult to injury by saying “That’s why we say to keep an eye on your own children”. Given Carnival staff did not intend to help, we started to walk off, but then I turned back to ask, when it gets to 5:15pm, if the boy is still not found, will he be just left on shore? The female staff then answered, no, we won’t leave anyone onshore. This was really helpful to hear.

Tips for improvement: If only the staff was trained to offer that line to parents with missing children to relieve our stress without us specifically asking.

Around 5:15pm, one of the children in our family group asked Carnival staff to check if the missing boy has been registered to have boarded the cruise ship. After checking she was informed the boy is on the ship.

2nd Tips for improvement: It would be better if the Carnival staff who received our report of the missing child directly contacted the mother with the missing boy. Rather, it was left to a child in our family group who poorly relayed the message to adults that the boy is found, which still caused some stress before the adults were eventually able to ascertain the source of her info.

Third tip for improvement: now imagine if Carnival having been told the boy was missing, flagged on the system when the boy got back on the ship, and communicated to the boy to wait in his room or some specified location. This would avoid the many more minutes of stress as the adults tried to search for the missing boy once we got back on the ship.

4th tip for improvement: If only Carnival staff were trained to tell my sister at 4:50pm when the missing boy was first reported to Carnival staff as missing: we have checked and the boy has not returned to the ship, but we will check again in 15 min as he may be on the shuttle in the mena time. We will give you a call as soon as he is registered to have boarded the ship. Can I take down your name and details so that we can contact you? Don’t worry the ship is not going to leave without your son being found. That would be really helpful.

Over $12,600 in medical bills on an Australian cruise! I'm writing this review on behalf of a 90 year old Australian pensioner who recently travelled on an Australian based cruise with Carnival. The cruise was entirely within Australia. The… Read more

passenger is too old to be able to obtain health insurance (like many cruise passengers).

This elderly woman presented to the onboard doctor with acute stomach pain. She spent two days in sick bay and had some medical tests done. The cost, just for being in sick bay for 44 hours was $4620. With medical testing, medication and medical evacuation (within Australia by Australian services) the total bill was over $12,600. They even charged her for sandwiches she didn't eat! Before being allowed to leave the ship to escort his wife, her husband, also 90, was pressured to sign a "promissory note" for the cost of treatment and has since been told that if he does not pay on time there will be a $140 PER DAY fee applied.

They were not offered any partial refund on the part of the cruise they were unable to complete, nor any reduction in fees that took this into account.

No opportunity to make payment over time and this couple are pensioners. Had they waited overnight and gone ashore they could have accessed free medical care within Australia.

The couple don't want to speak to the media because they are elderly, and she remains seriously unwell. They DO want other elderly people warned about the potential cost of needing medical treatment on a Carnival cruise, even if they are within Australia. They are now facing significant financial hardship in order to pay the bill. Ironically, this couple are regular cruisers who would have spent more than the amount of this bill over the next few years on cruising, but who will now never cruise again.

Carnival's site warns travellers that medical treatment may be "expensive" and recommends travel insurance, but for those unable to obtain travel insurance the best advice it to avoid cruising and stick with domestic travel within Australia, where you will be able to access our wonderful medical system wherever you go for little or no cost.

Great food staff was excellent could not fault the ship the only thing I would recommend not to stay above the casino on level 6 but it wasn't terrible i had a great time would not hesitate to go on carnival spendlor again Show details

I enjoyed the professionalism of the staff and my children liked the children's programs. We had a great time wondering around the ship, including the shows and spas. It was a great family holiday and I would do it again. Life is cruising. Leave the negative attitudes behind on the dock. You will love life. Show details

Room 8549 Great stateroom large verandah. Nyoman stateroom attendant was wonderful. Show details

So, Sydney to Morton, ship was Splendor. The first night we were onboard there was a loud banging that woke us up, it sounded like there was a rope loose on the side of the ship and it kept hitting the side. Called up customer services who came down to check it out, twice. Finally, they stopped it at 3AM. Friday night, all good. Satrurday night… Read more

rolls around and off it goes again, all bloody night. Couldn't be bothered sending anyone down this time. Sunday night, same thing. Monday we got off. Carnival offered us a total of $75USD credit on our next trip, NOT A REFUND, but that wont be happening. There is not enough credit in the world to get me aboard one of their ships again.

Crap scammer They are cancelling their dine in bookings. Experienced this 3 times. Card are not working for any reason. Elevators are busy all the time. For pizza 30 mins wait For burger 40 mins wait Over crouded. Their application crash everytime. I have to login 50 times. For nightshows they run out of towels and blankets. You have to… Read more

wait for that too. They close buffets for maintenance every now and then. Lady named phun sin is verry rude.

First time cruising for myself and my husband however travelled with my sister and brother in law who have both cruised before. We travelled Sydney to Queensland 10 day cruise in May. None of us would ever cruise with carnival again, booked and paid for via phone customer service rep for carnival not on line, with an assurance we were located in a… Read more

very convenient spot to access amenities, not the case . We ate in the Dining Room most morning and most nights. Food was poor, every meal started to taste like the meal you had the evening before and I am sure it was, just with something added or removed. There were times we did not attend the dining room as we were sick of the food being served, a couple of times we tried the eatery/ buffet however it was the same , same food nightly. There are a number of free food shops but they are very slap together food, not very appetizing. Information provided by carnival prior to the cruise regarding dress codes in particular to the dining room indicated smart casual , no singlets, thongs etc. however this is not the case so if you are cruising with Carnival dont bother packing nice clothes , you can wear whatever you want wherever you choose to eat. There are minimal laundry facilities so if you need to wash , you need to find a laundry they are not on every level. There is usually a wait line and a dispenser for your detergent , use your carnival credit card to access the machine , it may or may not work but it will definitely take your money. Purchased beverages /alcohol also did not taste the same Most days we all felt sick and I did put this down to the food and beverages, Booked a state room which was fine , nothing flash but comfortable. I also found the layout of the Splendor very confusing and speaking to other guests they felt the same. Not a lot of information provided or displayed around the ship to assist in navigating.

Be warned - if you need to visit the medical centre on a Carnival Cruise you will pay more than you ever could have imagined! My husband and I both had to see the doctor on the last day of our cruise. On presenting to the medical centre we were each told that the consultation alone could cost $290. Being desperate for help, we agreed to that cost.… Read more

At no other time we were advised the cost of tests or medication (and when you're feeling ill, you don't think to ask, you're just desperate for relief). Believe it or not, for a SINGLE nasal swab which tested both Covid and Influenza, we paid a total of $295! A course of 10 Tamiflu tablets - $231.80. Bottle of cough syrup - $44.94. All up, when we received the bill the morning we disembarked, we were staggered to see a total of $1,555! To add insult to injury, my husband was taunted by the staff for not having had a flu vaccination! Another warning - be sure that your travel insurance covers medical costs. Don't be like me and trust when your insurance company tells you that because the cruise is a domestic one, your medical will be covered by Medicare. What a joke! And then when you try to make a complaint you go to Carnival's "Guest Care" page, type out your complaint, click Submit, and .......... nothing happens. It doesn't go anywhere. Never Again!!!

This company should be avoided at all costs. We just went on 8 nights carnival splendor cruise from Sydney and they put every effort to ensure we do not book them again in the future. Staff at Casino are rude and are racist especially [Name Removed] and [Name Removed]. I went second day at the poker table and the female dealer couldn’t be bothered… Read more

and actually said she is over it .Bar staff make their own rules person to person. I had full alcohol package and to get bottle of water after a drink you have to wait ten minutes. Doesn’t make sense. Bar usually runs out of salt or other ingredients to make cocktails and mocktails . The whole trip was under staffed , people on duty were grumpy and just couldn’t be bothered to provide any sort of customer service. Even the guy with mop at the pools yell at you if you walk to get your towels . Two days at the end weather was bad so they had to close pools and other outdoor activities for safety reasons but no alternative entertainment was provided so people were just stuck in cabins . In the buffet area there is may be 2 staff looking after more than 500 people. The only one good thing we found on this cruise was staff at the gold pearl Restaurant table 533. team leaders name was [Name Removed] I think . The food and service at this one restaurant was exceptional and the house keeping guys are awesome. Our kids loved the towels animal made everyday by house keeping dude . We went on Royal Caribbean cruise two years ago and carnival is at 25% of that at every aspect whether it’s staff, service or entertainment. Royal Caribbeans motto is PLEASE BOOK US AGAIN and Carnival motto is DO NOT BOOK US AGAIN so we are a group of 35 friends and will be booking Royal Caribbean next year. There is nothing to do for kids apart from a small water park. I mean nothing unless you want to drop them at onboard child care system even there if kids age gap is more than 3 years they can’t be in one area. Staff and food at Masala Tiger is also awesome. The after dinner parties at the pool area are fantastic. DJ guys are awesome. What frustrates me that the cruise itself has all the infrastructure available just the behaviour of staff / couldn’t be bothered attitude kills the vibe . It is just not planned properly.

We were due to sail to New Caledonia on 16/1/26. On the evening of 15/1/26, after travelling to Sydney for our cruise, we were informed that due to weather, the cruise to New Caledonia was cancelled - this weather system had been predicted for weeks. We were offered cruise credit, or a cruise to Queensland. We rejected both the cruise credit and… Read more

QLD cruise, and requested an immediate refund. Carnival said that under their terms and conditions, they were not required to refund our cruise. Carnival is still holding on to thousands of dollars of ours, and will now not respond to emails regarding the matter. I requested that Carnival confirm that they received our legal documents and they still have not responded. They have not issued a refund or cruise credit, stating that we rejected the credit. Carnival's conduct constituted a major failure in the supply of services under Australian Consumer Law.

Please don’t waste your money on a holiday that is terrible and disappointing. The food was terrible unless you paid a lot extra. Everything needs a booking with long queues and wait times despite paying for the cruise with the assumption you would not need a physical credit card or you would be cut off. I’ve been on holidays all over Australia and the works this is the worst and has put me off cruises forever . Show details

Our cruise was paid for by my daughter as a gift. A few days before we were due to sail I had a fall and fractured the neck of my femur. I called Carnival to postpone our cruise and was told that I could not and in fact I would have to pay a hefty penalty to cancel.

We took our two grandchildren on a 4 day cruise out of Sydney. It is fair to say that a cruise spent mostly at sea with another 3800 passengers is not one we would normally select, but our grandchildren wanted teen clubs and waterslides so we headed… Read more

from Sydney to Moreton Island and back. We had balcony suites on deck 10 which were relatively spacious although the decor was tired and worn and there was considerable noise from our neighbours and from the corridors. Priority boarding and disembarkation was a real godsend and the meals in the dining room were good but not great. The staff were efficient and very accommodating. The focus for many in board was drinking and gambling but that had little impact on us. One incident however really spoiled the cruise for us. Whilst my wife was in the Spa she handed in her cabin folio card at Reception was is required and it was then used by someone to purchase a $535 Seiko watch. It took nearly an hour to settle the dispute ant disembarkation even though the ships cameras could have proven it was not my wife who made the purchase. No apology was received and it took four days for the charge to be reversed.

ZERO STARS HONESTLY My daughter just got back from NZ 10day tour-FIRSTLY-hardly ANY VEGAN FOOD-even though the cruiseline was informed SEVERAL TIMES leading up to her holiday-THEN her wildlife tour was cancelled and they werent told-until the day -and THIS was her main reason for going- they ALSO arrived at most cítíes at 6am- THEN they made them… Read more

pay for a shuttle -to the CBD- where ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is open for 3-4hours! ALSO be warned you may NOT even get to SEE the fjordlands at all-OR even be informed by the cruiseline if they have decided NOT to go there -AS this happened to my kid too-which sadly was her other reason for going -NATURE AND WILDLIFE-she got neither

Very disappointing. The food was appalling and the ship is so over populated you can’t get a seat anywhere and feel like you’re in stampede whenever you go anywhere.

If I could give a 0 star I would. I booked my cruise, left a $400 deposit and due to medical reasons my doctor advised I couldn’t go. I contacted the Cruise Line 2 days after leaving my deposit, as well as my medical report. They said because I was outside of their 24 hour cooling off period, they wouldn’t be refunding me. My friend was going on… Read more

the same cruise, same dates, different booking. I asked if my deposit could be transferred onto their booking since they hadn’t yet payed the balance. The answer was no. No leeway. All this cruise line are, are money hoarders. I do not recommend.