Note that each and every one of those factoids comes to you courtesy of Hugh's encyclopaedic knowledge of this boat and others.
We paid considerably more to join the 'Yacht Club' on the Splendida. This is what the brochure calls a 'ship within a ship', meaning 72 suites at the front of the boat, high up, with exclusive pool, lounge and restaurant, all meals, drinks and mini-bar included.
Oh, and a butler who delivers breakfast and the paper of your choice - we got the Age and Herald - and escorts you to dinner and shore excursions. The yacht club lounge is above the bridge, with panoramic views and great cocktails and aperitivo. The lounge was never full, and was a quiet and relaxing place to soak up the atmosphere and debrief on our day before dinner.
Yacht clubbers are a mixed bunch nationally, with Italian, French, English, Chinese and American accents overheard. We met one other Australian family who were going on to ski in France for two weeks. People kept mostly to themselves. They were mixed sartorially too, some wore evening dress to dinner each night. We didn't. We did enjoy frocking up for a cocktail party with the captain. When Hugh asked him who was steering the ship, he shot back "the cook"!
The suite is huge, with panoramic windows to the front, a separate bedroom, powder room, walk in robe, lounge area and large bathroom with bath and one of those showers that will irrigate select parts of your body at high pressure. The boy's suite was smaller, but equally luxurious.
While yacht clubbers have card access to all these facilities, they also have run of the ship, so the other pools, restaurants, banquet areas, game, gambling, dance and shopping areas are up for grabs too. The open areas of the boat are busy and a reminder that this is a floating city. The mass feeding areas are crowded and noisy, but the food is fine. The kids found that the fare there suited them.
The yacht club only restaurant L'Olivo, has outstanding table service and setting. Our waiter, Salvatore from Sorrento, was a gem. The menu changes daily and it is easy to work your way through a six course meal each night. The food reads well, but was often bland to our taste.
Each night, there is a show that goes for about an hour in the huge theatre. We went most nights and enjoyed ourselves.
Although the boat is huge, it does move on a beam sea. Hugh felt ill a couple of times. One night, steaming to Palermo, the swell was huge and the wind a moderate gale. For some reason, Hugh and I had a jacuzzi that night. It was memorable.
We boarded the Splendida in Genoa and stopped in Marseilles, Barcelona, Tunis, Palermo and Civitaveccia. We took shore excursions to Aix-on-Provence, the Medina and Rome - and self-toured in the other ports. Coming into port each morning and leaving each evening is a happy rhythm of the sea.
Is this for you? I don't know. For some cruising is a never, ever and for some it is the only way to travel. We must be somewhere in between!
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