I recently returned from a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the Splendor during Thanksgiving week. I went with my husband and 2 children (ages 10 and 12). We had a good time but I wouldn't say it was great.

Embarkation: We arrived at the port at 11:00 and checked in quickly and easily. We were in boarding group 2 and were on the ship by noon. Our rooms was ready so we were able to drop off our carry on bags and head straight up to the Lido for lunch. I had received an email asking me to board after 1:30. I was glad I ignored that advice. From the Lido deck, we could see long lines waiting to board after 1:00. We were happy that we chose to arrive early rather than wait until later. Our luggage didn't arrive to the room until after 5:00.

Ship: I have been on several cruises with different cruise lines and I have to say that this was by far the hardest ship to navigate. Many floors don't have through access from front to back. We ended up using deck 5 a lot to go from one end to the other. The bad part of this is that it takes you through the casino which can be smoky at times. I finally went down to guest services and got a little deck plan map which I carried with me to help me figure out how to get to wherever I was going. This helped a lot. They have the deck plan maps out right in front at guest services. If you are directionally challenged like me, I recommend getting one of these on Day 1. Read more