This was my sixth cruise; my other cruises have been on NCL Pearl and Disney. This was a twelve day Northern Europe cruise out of Dover, England on Carnival's Splendor. I booked this cruise for the itinerary that included St Petersburg, Russia. I have been to Europe but had never visited the majority of ports of call on this itinerary. Added to the great itinerary is that the ship is the new Carnival Splendor.

I originally booked this cruise as a solo with an ocean view cabin. About a month before final payment, I added my twelve year old grandson to the cruise. This made the cruise even more special. At the time I added my grandson, I changed to a balcony cabin.

I booked the cruise directly with Carnival and made my own flight and pre-cruise hotel arrangements. Except for private tour in St Petersburg, I booked all Carnival excursions and Carnival transport from ship to Heathrow. From Heathrow to London, we used Dot to Dot and were very pleased with the service. Read more