MS Splendour of the Seas

MS "Splendour of the Seas" is a Vision Class cruise ship for Royal Caribbean International. Her itineraries include European cruising in the Mediterranean and Baltic along with South America and other more "exotic" locations in Royal Caribbean's worldwide destinations. Dedicated towards an international clientele, official languages on the "Splendour of the Seas" include English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The second in the line of Vision Class ships, she features a seven-story lobby, rock-climbing wall, and a 12-hole miniature golf course. Her sister ship is "Legend of the Seas".

hip highlights

* Rock-climbing wall
* Glass-walled dining rooms
* Themed bars and lounges
* Casino
* Open atrium
* Theater
* 12-hole miniature golf course
* Indoor/outdoor pool in a Solarium with a sliding roof
* Outdoor pool
* 4 whirlpools
* youth facilities
* Day Spa and Fitness Center
* Free safes in every guest room

Layout

"Splendour of the Seas" has a total of eleven decks, the first eight of which are indoors. These decks house all the guest rooms, the theater, casino, shops, and main dining room. Decks 9 and 10 make up the outdoor portion of the ship, which includes the main pool, the rock climbing wall, and the spa and solarium with sliding roof. Deck 11 is the indoor Viking Crown Lounge atop the ship. The crew resides in quarters on Deck 1, separate from the guest facilities. The bridge is the most forward portion of deck 8, and the bridge extends out both sides of the ship several feet such that the bridge crew can walk on the extensions for an unobstructed side view. The miniature golf course is located on the aft top deck.

Electrical

As the ship services both European and North American voyages, 220-volt and 110-volt power is wired throughout the ship, with a mixture of both outlet types found in the staterooms. The 220-volt system is the primary system for the lighting.

Internet and communications

Telephones

"Splendour of the Seas" has telephones installed in guest rooms, which can be used to make satellite ship-to-shore calls, or free room-to-room calls. Additionally, the ship has an onboard cellular tower that allows some cellular phone users, notably Verizon Wireless [Verizon Wireless [http://mobileoptions.vzw.com/international/roaming/rates/Splendour%20of%20the%20Seas.html International Roaming, "Splendour of the Seas"] ] and AT&T [AT&T Mobility, [http://www.cingular.com/travelguide/coverage/coverage_details.jsp?CIDL=1526&MNC=CING "Splendour of the Seas" travel guide] ] , to make and receive calls while at sea. These calls are typically charged at lower per-minute rates than from a shipboard telephone, despite the calls ultimately being routed through a satellite network just like the in-room telephones. AT&T claims to support voice calling, text messaging, and data, while Verizon Wireless supports voice calling only - Verizon text messages and data cannot be sent through the ship's network.

Internet

Internet access is available to guests on the ship both through an onboard Internet café, as well as through wireless hot-spots available in several public areas of the ship and some of the guest rooms near those areas. ["Internet Services and Pricing" document posted and distributed on board] Access is available at all times, including at sea, and is charged at a rate of USD 0.60 per minute while connected, whether through a wireless hot-spot or through an Internet café computer. Prepaid blocks of minutes are also available, bringing the per-minute price to as low as USD 0.40 per minute.

Itineraries

During the winter 2007-2008 season, "Splendour of the Seas" was assigned South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile) routes. It will make a transatlantic crossing in early April 2008 to begin serving Mediterranean routes.

References

External links

* [http://www.RCIfan.com RCIfan.com, an RCI Fan site.]
* [http://royal-caribbean-cruise.org/ Royal Caribbean Cruise, an independent news resource for Royal Caribbean.]