first-time RCCL cruisers: Serenade May 29-June 5 Baltics

We were on the May 29 Serenade of the Seas cruising from Copenhagen to Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and back to Copenhagen. We were first-time RCCL cruisers, with one Carnival and two Princess cruises in the past. It was myself, DH, DS1 age 23, and DS2 age 14. We were celebrating DS1’s graduation from college a few weeks earlier, as well as our 30th anniversary last fall.

I booked the cruise over a year in advance and the fare was very reasonable. I know most people wouldn’t try this, but we had a four-person inside cabin … and it was just fine, although if the cruise had been 10 days instead of 7, we might have gone stir crazy. I always say that Rule #1 with four people in a cabin is: Don’t Leave Your Shoes in the Middle of the Floor. We were only in the cabin to sleep or change clothes, so it wasn’t a big deal.

I had plenty of time to research airfare (from Austin to Copenhagen) and ended up using ChoiceAir. We left Austin on May 27 (cruise departed May 29); first flight was on a United flight to Chicago O’Hare, then SAS overnight to Copenhagen. We had just over 2 hours to make our connection at O’Hare; I probably won’t go through O’Hare again though, if we can avoid it…more on that in a minute.

The SAS flight was an Airbus 330 and it was a comfortable plane. We were served a meal about an hour after we took off; there was also a bottle of water for each seat, and a blanket and earphones for the seat-back TVs. After the meal service, the lights were dimmed so people could sleep. As I had expected, I slept very little, only dozed periodically. About an hour and a half before we were due to land, they served breakfast, which was nice.

We landed in Copenhagen about 1:30 Saturday afternoon and proceeded through passport control and went to find our bags. We had checked one bag each, and we also each had a carry-on. I told everyone to make sure we had at least one change of clothes in our carry-on. That turned out to be prophetic because … three of our four checked bags did not show up in Copenhagen! In fact, a large number of people on our flight did not get their bags; they had never gotten on the plane in Chicago.

We spent about an hour extra in the airport, waiting to talk to the lost-luggage people. The young woman who helped us could not have been nicer, especially considering what she has to deal with every day. She gave us each an “emergency kit” which had a plain white t-shirt, toothbrush, toothpaste, a funky little plastic hairbrush, deodorant, shampoo in a zippered bag. We filed our luggage claim and went to find a taxi to our hotel.

We stayed this first night at the Scandic Sydhavnen, which is a little ways out from the usual hotel area, but the price was very good for one night pre-cruise. I had asked for a room in the newer wing, which was $30 more but well worth it. We had a room at the far end of the hotel and it even had a nice balcony, looking toward Tivoli (we could see some of the roller-coaster and other rides). I had planned to go to the Carlsberg Brewery that afternoon, but after the delay at the airport and our generally bad moods over the missing luggage, we scrapped that and hung out at the hotel. They have a 9-hole putt-putt course, which my boys enjoyed, as well as a large outdoor chess board. There is also a lovely interior courtyard with lots of chairs, tables, a firepit, and even baskets of blankets if you want to sit out there on a cool night.

We ate in the hotel restaurant for dinner, which was expensive but very good, especially the hamburgers. The next morning, we had their complimentary breakfast, which was delicious. Lots of fresh bread and rolls, cereal, yogurt, eggs, bacon, fruit, etc.

I should also say that one of the items in our missing bags was our adapter that we needed to charge our phones and laptop; the front desk let us borrow one overnight at no charge, which was nice. They also offered emergency supplies, but we told them we had some from the airline.

About 11:00 am, we got a taxi to the cruise terminal and were in line probably by 11:30 and on the ship not long after that. The line moved fairly quickly and they were very organized at getting people checked in.

Once on the ship, the rooms weren’t ready so we made our way to the Windjammer for lunch. We were fairly early getting on board, so it wasn’t super crowded yet. Because of my extensive research, I knew that if we walked through Rita’s Cantina, we’d get to the outdoor patio area of the Windjammer, where we got a table on the back rail. This area was our go-to hangout spot for the whole week.

Let me say this: Royal has THE worst pizza I have ever eaten, including frozen grocery-store microwave pizzas. It was awful, especially compared to Princess, which has some of the best pizza around. That being said, there was plenty to eat on Serenade. We ate in the Windjammer for every meal, except one night when we ate in the dining room. The boys were enjoying all the sports and teen activities on the ship and we just didn’t want to take the time to eat in the dining room.

We met our cabin attendant, a lovely lady from Nicaragua named Carol Ann. We told her about our missing luggage and she told us to talk to the front desk; we had actually already told them about the luggage when we were checking in, but on Monday, the first sea day, we went back to the front desk and filled out a form. We got emergency kits from the ship too, with white T-shirts with the RCCL logo on them, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, a razor, and a comb.

This is why you want to make sure you have at least one change of clothes in your carry-on: We landed in Copenhagen on Sat. May 28 and didn’t get the three missing bags until we were back on the ship in Stockholm, three days later. Luckily, we were given some laundry vouchers for free laundry (RCCL not having self-service laundry rooms is a major mark against them, in my book), so we were able to get the boys’ laundry done (it was their two suitcase that were missing, plus my second suitcase, which had extra shoes, jewelry, travel purse, and other extra items; my husband and I at least had our clothing). In Stockholm, my son’s cell phone rang and it was the airline telling us that our bags had been flown to Stockholm and they would “try” to get them to the ship by 4:00, when we had to be back. Thankfully, when we returned to the cabin, the bags were there. Whew.

We loved this itinerary with a sea day to begin and end the week; our sons really enjoyed the sports court, which had basketball and small soccer goals. They are both soccer players and had fun playing other kids and in the soccer tournaments. Younger son was a star on the rock wall. He climbed it many many times, and ended up spending a lot of time with the teen group, which we originally hadn’t planned on. But he had a lot of fun with them in the evenings and on the sea days.

We went to the shows in the theater on the first night and on the two nights with the production shows. The theater was very nice and we enjoyed Topi, the cruise director whose hometown is Helsinki.

Our first stop was Stockholm, which we loved and didn't have nearly enough time there. When sailing in to Stockholm, you MUST go up on deck early in the morning to watch the sailing through the archipelago. We spent at least an hour on deck before we docked and at least another hour (maybe two!) when we departed. Really beautiful.

We ended up getting the HOHO bus from the cruise terminal and since we wanted to go to Gamla Stan first, we were on the bus for the first half of the circle that it makes, listening on the headphones to the description of places that we were passing. We did some walking through Gamla Stan and got to see the changing of the guard at the palace at noon.

Then we caught the bus again to go to Vasa, which was amazing. We spent at least a couple of hours in there and could have spent a couple more.

We decided to head out to catch the HOHO bus to go back to the ship; we got on at the stop just outside the Nordic Museum -- what a gorgeous building!! Next time we visit it. I guess because it was late afternoon, the HOHO bus was PACKED!! The bus at that point makes a little loop by going down to Skansen and then turning around; right about that point, some kind of beeping noise was happening on the bus -- we didn't know what it was at first -- and then the people on the top deck said there was smoke coming out of some kind of motor up there! The bus driver made us all get out (understandable!) so we had to wait for another bus to come by. At that point, we were glad that we went out a little early to catch the bus, since we had to wait several more minutes for another one to show up! We agreed that we would definitely like to return to Stockholm some day; it was a beautiful place.

Next stop was Tallinn, which may have been my favorite stop because it was easy to walk from the ship to the town and also because it’s BEAUTIFUL. I used Rick Steves’ Northern Europe Cruise Ports book to do the walking tour; this was really an excellent resource. We saw lots of guided tour groups, but being able to do the independent tour meant you could take your time. I am not a fast walker, so I would have been worn out on a group tour.

We stopped at the Hell Hunt pub on the way back to the ship for DH and DS1 to sample some Estonian brews. DS2 and I had Cokes, which were delicious after a long morning’s walk. On the way back to the ship, we shopped briefly in the little tents that you walk through to get back to the ship. Lots of things to look at. DS2 wanted an Estonia FC soccer jersey.

I had been suffering from allergies for several weeks prior to the cruise, which included a cough from the drainage; it was almost gone, but in Tallinn, it came back with a vengeance. Different foliage, different dust, not sure what, but I had a bad night, coughing a lot and sleeping propped up on our little couch in the cabin. The next day was the long day of St. Petersburg; at one point during the night, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to go, having only slept a couple of hours, but I pushed on. I’m glad I did, but I was very slow during the tour.

We had arranged a tour with TJ Travel through our roll call; we had 14 people total on a bus. Our guide was Dina and our driver was Leo, and they were both great. Dina kept us moving! We saw the usual places: the Hermitage, Church on Spilled Blood, Catherine Palace, Peterhof, and the hydrofoil back to town. It was a lonnngggggg day and I was exhausted, but what amazing places!!

I should also say that we lined up about 7:30 to get off the ship; the line started moving about 7:45 and we were off to Russian immigration. It only took a few minutes, but both ladies – going in and coming out – were VERY serious-faced, no “good morning” or “have a good day” from them. Just stern looks and WHAM WHAM stamping of our passport. We went through some doors into a large room where all the tour group reps were holding signs; we found ours and she directed us out the building and to the parking lot, where we found our guide. We would certainly book with TJ again; I emailed several times during our booking process and always had a reply by the next morning, with all my questions answered.

Our last stop was Helsinki; we got the shuttle from the cruise terminal into town, which was a reasonable price. We walked several blocks down through the market and to the pier area in town, where we got the ferry to Suomenlinna Fortress. The ferry ride was about 15 minutes; the Fortress island was really amazing. It is a World Heritage Site and if you are interested in history, it is a cool place to see. I was still operating at about 50% so I took a break in a shady spot while DH and DS’s explored around, saw the artillery tunnels, the big cannons, the barracks, etc. There is a small charge for the ferry but the Fortress itself is free. Because we had a short time in Helsinki, we ended up heading back to the shuttle bus to go back to the ship. Sailing out from Helsinki was pretty too; there are some little rocky outcroppings that you sail past; some were big enough to have houses on them.

We enjoyed our last sea day and rested up for our extra two days in Copenhagen. This time, we stayed at Hotel Nebo, which is a funky little hotel, probably not for everybody, but fine for us. We stayed two nights. This is not a polished, "decorated" hotel but it is cute and superbly located just steps from the train station, Tivoli Gardens, etc. Proceeds from the hotel go towards helping the homeless in Copenhagen, a worthy cause. We had a family room for four people and the large window overlooked the lovely courtyard. With no air conditioning, the front desk offers small fans for a fee; we ended up getting two of them. The bathroom is tiny but perfectly functional. The breakfast (which you pay for ahead of time) was very nice --- fresh-baked bread and rolls, sliced meats, boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, coffee, juices. It was delicious and we enjoyed sitting out in the courtyard to eat one morning.

We arrived before our room was ready and were able to leave our luggage in their storage room; there is a restroom available in the lobby as well. We would definitely stay here again, but probably not in mid-summer due to the lack of air conditioning (which I know is common in Europe). It's just something to be aware of. The location couldn't be beat.

After we stored our bags there, we went off exploring. We walked to Christianborg Palace, walked through the grounds but did not pay to go inside, then to Amalienborg Palace and the huge domed church nearby. The church is beautiful and there’s no charge to go inside; however, there are signs that say “Silence” so no talking is allowed inside. It was very beautiful and calming to be in such a large space that was perfectly quiet.

We also did a Netto boat canal tour from Nyhavn; this was about an hour and it was nice to be out in the canals and the harbor, seeing sites from a different perspective … including the Serenade, waiting to sail with its next group of passengers.

We got hot dogs for lunch from a polske wagon; it was a couple of blocks north of the Netto boat launch, a blue and white stand. They were delicious, completely unlike American hot dogs. Really good, cheap lunch.

We returned to the hotel, checked into the room, and went to Tivoli. I had planned to go there this afternoon/evening to see the lights come on as it got dark. It was really beautiful. DH and both DS’ got the unlimited rides ticket and had a blast. We ate schwarma at one of the stands; it was okay, but I’ve actually made better at home.

The next morning, we had breakfast and headed off to see more of Copenhagen. I’ll have to say the city was absolutely gorgeous but we were shocked at the amount of trash littering the streets; that seemed to be very out of character for the city. We went to Rosenborg Castle and paid to go inside; it was not the largest castle but had some pretty impressive stuff inside. Be sure you go down to the Treasury, which is underground and where the crown jewels and other “expensive” one-of-a-kind stuff is found. The grounds around Rosenborg were really beautiful; we got lunch at the small café there on site and had delicious paninis and ice cream.

We headed back to the hotel because I wanted to get a head start on packing; DH and DS1 ended up renting bicycles and biking to the church tower that had the spiral staircase on the outside of the spire; they climbed up 400-plus steps and got some amazing pictures.

The next morning, we took a taxi to the airport and boarded our SAS return flight; we landed at Washington Dulles and had 2 hours and 20 minutes to get through customs and to our gate. That was cutting it close, because our gate was probably three miles away! Well, that’s what it felt like, anyway! And then, of course, our flight to Austin was delayed, so we had more time than we thought. We landed in Austin about an hour and a half later than expected, but at least our luggage was all there!

One other thing about credit cards: I have a chip card but didn't have a PIN. I was able to use it everywhere, including taxis, and just sign the receipt. The only place we used a debit card was at the Copenhagen airport to get some DKK from the money machine.

We loved the Serenade; all the windows everywhere, including the elevators, makes sea views possible from lots of places. We loved the Windjammer patio area and our boys really enjoyed the rock wall, gym, and teen activities. Our cabin was 4547, which was just off the centrum area; when I saw where it was, I was afraid it might be noisy, but with the cabin door shut, you couldn’t hear a thing from the lobby. This was our first trip to Europe and the first time we had flown anywhere in five years, so the flight portion was exhausting and expensive. But, with no way to drive to Europe, I guess flying is the only way. I did tell DH that next time, I might look at a transatlantic cruise, so we’d only have to fly one direction. 

Princess is still our first choice when it comes to cruising, but we’d certainly cruise RCCL again with the right itinerary and price. I’m not sure I’d choose one of the newer larger ships, where you have to make reservations for everything; the Serenade was definitely more our speed.

Thanks for the report. Nice to hear that a PIN was not needed for your chip cards.

Thanks for your review.

Thank you for your review. We are doing a Baltic cruse on Serenade next month worth two teenagers (in one room). It's 13 days. I hope we survive each other!

Thanks so much for your review. We will be on this cruise in August and this was a big help.

Thanks.

If you have time before you go, get Rick Steves' travel book, Northern European Cruise Ports. The newest one is the 2015 edition. I got it from Amazon for less than $20. He has lots of helpful info about currency, transportation, etc. as well as do-it-yourself walking tours in every city. We followed his walking tour in Tallinn, and sort of hopscotched around with it in the other cities (except St. Petersburg, where we had the tour).

If you have time before you go, get Rick Steves' travel book, Northern European Cruise Ports. The newest one is the 2015 edition. I got it from Amazon for less than $20. He has lots of helpful info about currency, transportation, etc. as well as do-it-yourself walking tours in every city. We followed his walking tour in Tallinn, and sort of hopscotched around with it in the other cities (except St. Petersburg, where we had the tour).

Thanks. We've already been using this book in our planning, but your comments and experience will be helpful too.

Thanks for taking the time to share your review.

Serenade obviously didn't have the individual pizza station set up in the Windjammer otherwise you wouldn't have said their pizza was awful. The size is about 6 or 8 inches, you pick your toppings and they send it through the cooker while you wait (just like Mod Pizza). It's very good!

We have cruised twice with Topi as CD and love him!

Thank you for your review. I did a Baltic tour in 2013 - yours brought back happy memories :) I know what you mean about Russain immigration ! Stereo typical stern faces ! Lol

@impatientlywaiting, I must have missed the make-your-own pizza station; if it's like MOD Pizza, it's definitely delicious. We have three MODs that have opened in the last year or so in the Austin area, one very near to our house. Our oldest son visited Seattle a few years ago and had it there and raved about it; we just tried it about a month ago for the first time and loved it so much, we went back two days later! It is excellent.

If we're on the Serenade again, or another RCCL ship, we will be sure to look for the pizza station.