Carnival Splendor vs Carnival Spirit

The Carnival Splendor was built in 2008. It was renovated in 2024. It's 7 years newer than the Spirit, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2025.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Splendor is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 116 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 13-story building. Compared to the Carnival Spirit, the Splendor is 28% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Splendor holds 42% more passengers than the Spirit based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Splendor has less space per person compared to the Spirit.

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Splendor has twelve different dining options like The Chef's Table, Carnival Deli, and Guy's Burger Joint. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.

The Spirit has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Pizza Pirate, Carnival Deli, and The Chef's Table. twelve of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.

The Carnival Splendor has about the same number of dining options as the Carnival Spirit.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Carnival Splendor & Spirit

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Splendor has 4 more bars than the Carnival Spirit.

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Splendor and the Spirit below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Splendor has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.

Carnival Spirit has more pools than the Splendor and fewer hot tubs.

Looking to get away from the kids onboard? Try relaxing in the Serenity Adult-only area, for guests 21 and older only. Both the Splendor and the Spirit have full-depth adult-only pools in the Serenity area. The Serenity Area on both ships is unenclosed and open to the elements. They’re both located in the back of the ship.

Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Carnival editions with featuring places Pizza Pirate and mini-golf.

Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Carnival Edition

Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Carnival Edition

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Splendor. Only 69% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Spirit, 71% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

Cruise Costs

Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Splendor will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Spirit.

The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.

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