Cool Girl & Crazy Mom do the Med-Venice: A (very delayed) review of a Serenade voyage

Nice writing style... Very addictive... Cant wait for the next episodes.

We love the review, & are so lucky to be sailing on the Serenade Aug 27th less thank two weeks.:D

Barcelona to Rome.

Julie & Bev

Melissa...where oh where are you??? It's been over a week!!!

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience. We are sailing a portion of your ports this year and next.

It has been so much fun following along on your adventure with your mom. Love your style and enjoyed what a great time the two of you had.

It reminds me of the wonderful times I had cruising with my mom - she passed away suddenly last year - and I will always cherish those memories. It is so good to read about other mother and daughter trips. Keep them coming.

Melissa...where oh where are you??? It's been over a week!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Just trying to set the mood! :)

I am so, so, so sorry for my major absence. The world was just spinning really fast last week and I fell off the planet. I have climbed back on board Mother Earth, my journal is in front of me and my Word doc open on my computer. I'm getting this show back on the road TODAY!!!!

Melissa

Nettee, Poodog, PathfinderEss and ighten.... thanks so much for your compliments on my review and for hanging in there during my most recent hiatus :eek::D

Melissa

We love the review, & are so lucky to be sailing on the Serenade Aug 27th less thank two weeks.:D

 

Barcelona to Rome.

 

Julie & Bev

Thank you so much!!! I'm so jealous that your cruise is just a few days away.... mine is still over a year away (but that gives me lots of time to plan...lol!)

I hope you love the Serenade and the ports of call as much as the Munchkin and I did!!!!

Melissa

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience. We are sailing a portion of your ports this year and next.

 

It has been so much fun following along on your adventure with your mom. Love your style and enjoyed what a great time the two of you had.

 

It reminds me of the wonderful times I had cruising with my mom - she passed away suddenly last year - and I will always cherish those memories. It is so good to read about other mother and daughter trips. Keep them coming.

Hi Gordo - first, let me pass along my condolences on the loss of your mom last year :(

I'm glad you are enjoying the review!!!

When I was a child, I spent tons of time visiting with my grandparents. We used to do so many fun things together. I cherish the memories of those moments in a similar way as you cherish the memories of the trips you took with your mom. My grandparents have both been gone close to 20 years now and I still always think about them. Anytime I see a little girl with her grandparents, I just want to take her in my arms, look her in the eye and tell her how lucky she is and to remember every single moment (of course, I would probably get arrested for suddenly grabbing a child I didn't know :eek:, so I probably won't actually do this :p... but I have wanted to on many occasion)

Melissa

Let’s get back to this (finally!)…..

Wow – What a jam packed day we already had and it was only approaching 1p!!! Up next on the agenda was the port/shopping talk. Now, I get that these are basically just sales pitches, but every once in a while I will learn something useful (or at least win a prize). This talk would cover Venice, Ravenna and Dubrovnik (that’s a lot of ground to cover in 1 hr!). Honestly, I zoned in and out during this lecture (I think I was actually catching up on my journal notes from all the day’s activities so far).

However, one thing really stood out for me…. The MAJOR scare tactics that Royal Caribbean was employing to try to get people to buy their excursions and use their shuttle in Venice. This wasn’t just your usual “our tours use the best operators… we guarantee to get you back to the ship on time or we’ll wait….blah, blah, blah” lines they usually use. No, when I say “scare tactics,” I mean just that. They basically made it sound like if you did not use one of their sponsored excursions/shuttles in any of these three cities, you were putting your actual life in danger. They made it sound like these places were full of criminals and at the very least, you would get ripped off if you booked your own tour or went DIY with local transportation…. But you might also be putting yourself in physical danger. This was just over the top for me! I mean, I get it… they are out to increase their bottom line, but the tactics I saw employed by RCCL in this particular port talk verged on slimy and disgusting. Shame on you Royal Caribbean!!!

OK, I will get down from my soap box now….

Next up, the art auction. Now, we never go to actually buy the art… we just enjoy the show. And the free champagne (let’s be honest…lol!). Sometimes we even learn a thing or two. This trip, the auctioneer was Constantine from Romania. He actually gave a lot of info on the works of art and the artists, but he took wayyyyyyy too long doing this on every single piece. It took forever for him to get to the actual bidding process. At this auction, a few folks did buy pieces (I got the impression they had bought previously and were adding to their collections), but no one actually outbid another person. Every piece went for the initial, opening bid price, so there was no fun bidding wars to be seen.

At 3:30p, we headed to the WJ for a late (and light) lunch. The “official” lunch buffet was over, but they still had a few hot items (burgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza, honey stung chicken). They also had “tea” offerings which I always enjoy. I tried the honey stung chicken which I always hear people on CC talking about…. I wasn’t impressed. But, I realize it may have been sitting under the heat lamps for a while at that point, so I wouldn’t be against trying it again on a future cruise… maybe it will be better.

The Pub was our next stop where trivia was scheduled for 5p. Here, we found our Roll Call buddies & next door neighbors, Ernie and Peggy, and joined a team with them. Not much to report other than that we lost (and I think pretty miserably….lol) but we still had fun.

Tonight was our second formal night. Prior to our late seating dinner, we went to the show (we usually missed the shows or weren’t interested, but this one sounded interesting). This evening, we would be somewhat entertained by comedian/magician Neal Austin, but we would be VERY entertained by his “helper” for one of his tricks… none other than our very own Ernie!!!

So, Neal’s shtick is that he does so-so slight of hand magic, nothing overly spectacular, but he knows that and makes it part of his comedy routine. However, one trick involved him getting out of a straight-jacket. Of course though, you can’t put a straight-jacket on yourself, can you? No (in case you were wondering). You need someone to buckle all the straps. So, Neal looks out to the audience for someone to assist him and low and behold, he chooses Ernie. There was no way Neal could have known that that his helper was about to steal the show from him.

I wish I could truly do the story justice, but it was one of those “you had to be there moments.” Let me at least give it a try though…. So, Ernie gets up on stage and gets instructions on what he needs to do. Well, let’s just say that one of the straps had to go between Neal’s legs where Ernie had to grab it and buckle it up behind his back. This was not an overly long strap, so Ernie had to get rather, ummmm… close…. to grab the strap. It was hysterical watching Ernie try to stand as far away as he could and just barely grab the strap as Neal bucked his hips forward and back to get the strap to swing threw his legs so Ernie could catch it. OMG – the entire audience was in tears it was so funny!!!

Ernie getting his instructions from Neal

Here he is fastening the last of the straps. I wish I had a photo of him actually reaching for the strap between Neal's legs, but I was laughing too hard during that time to hold the camera still....lol

Ernie, you were fabulous!!! I never laughed so hard during the entire 17 night trip as I did during your 5 minutes on stage. I think your moment in the spotlight was even better than the Quest!!!

After the show, it was time for dinner. Tonight’s selections were quite good. I started with the ceviche, then had the salmon and finished with the BBB crème brulee. Crazy Mom chose the chowder, sole and warm chocolate cake. One thing to note: I loved the description of how the sole was prepared (in a lemon buerre blanc sauce), but I’m not a huge sole fan. There was another dish with salmon and I asked if they could substitute a piece of salmon for the sole. Cleevdan wasn’t thrilled (although he rarely was thrilled about anything), but he said he would ask. The kitchen obviously had no problem doing this and I ended up having some very tasty salmon in a lovely sauce.

Finally, it was time to hit the sack. Even though we did a ton of stuff on this sea day, we still managed to recharge our very drained batteries (remember, most of the day’s activities involved us sitting in one lounge or another…. Not walking up a volcano or trekking to a train station). Still, we needed to get a good night’s sleep because tomorrow we would be sailing into the amazing city of Venice!

Cool Girl :cool:

Please help CM and I figure out what the heck this towel animal was supposed to be!!!! Is it a giraffe? A chicken with a snake for a head? What is it?????? :confused:

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Stef, this next one is for you.....

Finally, my ever changing door decorations (they changed three times during the cruise). This one was to help get us in the mood for Venice...

Melissa

More Please! I have been getting very hungry between servings.:p

We do most of the same ports next year and have been enjoying your reports.

Sheal

PS. I love those decorations, I might have to pick some up for our stop in Venice. The screaming stick figure was pretty funny too!

Looks like a dinosaur, but they got unstable and had to make it seated. I don't know; didn't somebody decide to get rid of 'brontosaurus' for some reason?

Gee thanks Melissa..now all of CC world knows about Ernie's 5 minutes of fame!!

Actually I had forgotten just how funny it was..great to reminisce..... plus I couldn't take any pics since the camera was in Ernie's pocket on stage so I'm glad you got some.

All he can say is he's glad he was able to grasp the strap so quickly!!

We are so lovin reliving our cruise through your review...great job!!

Peggy and Ernie

Hi Gordo - first, let me pass along my condolences on the loss of your mom last year :(

 

 

 

I'm glad you are enjoying the review!!!

 

 

 

When I was a child, I spent tons of time visiting with my grandparents. We used to do so many fun things together. I cherish the memories of those moments in a similar way as you cherish the memories of the trips you took with your mom. My grandparents have both been gone close to 20 years now and I still always think about them. Anytime I see a little girl with her grandparents, I just want to take her in my arms, look her in the eye and tell her how lucky she is and to remember every single moment (of course, I would probably get arrested for suddenly grabbing a child I didn't know :eek:, so I probably won't actually do this :p... but I have wanted to on many occasion)

 

 

 

Melissa

Melissa - thanks for your kind words. Every day was a gift with her, and we told each other that all the time. We were very, very lucky. Please give your mom a hug from me and it will be like I get to give my mom one too!

Your are so spot on appreciating every moment with our loved ones. And while I cheer you on for your sentiment, I would hate to see you get arrested [emoji16].

Thanks for sharing the details of your experience. We will be in Venice in 28 days pre-cruise and your information has been so helpful. We look forward to the rest of your review.

And now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Melissa, Enjoying the review. Thanks. looking forward to Venice entry as I will be there in October.

LOL, growing up my mom always said 'Go to Naples and die:D' There was a trash strike when my parents where there (probably in the 70's)and all she remembers was the stink, dirt and dog p@@ and they were there a few days:D

This phrase is actually meant to be complimentary to Naples, as in, once you've seen the opulence of the palaces there, nothing will compare, so you can die happy.

The phrase is similar, but, not to be confused with the Italian curse that I grew up with that mentions Naples. It translates to just 'Go to Naples' and was used like go to he!! amongst my uncles.

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This phrase is actually meant to be complimentary to Naples, as in, once you've seen the opulence of the palaces there, nothing will compare, so you can die happy.

 

The phrase is similar, but, not to be confused with the Italian curse that I grew up with that mentions Naples. It translates to just 'Go to Naples' and was used like go to he!! amongst my uncles.

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I agree Steeler. My family also used that phrase. Fa Napoli. I always thought it meant worse than hell. It was always said with such passion.;) As opposed to that other phrase which I won't repeat.:o

Desperately waiting to hear about Venice, my most favorite city that I've ever visited.

Melissa, this continues to be such a fun review. Thanks for coming back after what sounds like a crazy week!!!

You and your mom look stunning in your formalwear!

I love how quick thinking and creative you are with the menu options. Great idea to ask to substitute salmon. It never occurred to me to do that, but now I've learned it's possible! I'm sure Cleevdan thanks you.

Holy cow, I laughed out loud at that broken ice dispenser. The search for it needs to be a pilgrimage for anyone sailing the Serenade.

I wasn't there, but I can just imagine what was happening on that stage! Poor Ernie!

Keep it coming - this is bringing back wonderful memories of our cruise at exactly this time last year!!

More Please! I have been getting very hungry between servings.:p

 

We do most of the same ports next year and have been enjoying your reports.

 

Sheal

 

PS. I love those decorations, I might have to pick some up for our stop in Venice. The screaming stick figure was pretty funny too!

Hi Sheal - glad you're enjoying the review :) Just as an FYI - I got most of my door decorations at the Dollar Tree (if you have those where you live). Only paying a dollar for something I may or may not use (and don't feel bad ditching to make room for souvenirs) fits into my budget perfectly....lol!

Looks like a dinosaur, but they got unstable and had to make it seated. I don't know; didn't somebody decide to get rid of 'brontosaurus' for some reason?

Hmmmm.... dinosaur. Never thought of that. Could be.... It certainly sounds better than a chicken with a giraffe head :D

Gee thanks Melissa..now all of CC world knows about Ernie's 5 minutes of fame!!

Actually I had forgotten just how funny it was..great to reminisce..... plus I couldn't take any pics since the camera was in Ernie's pocket on stage so I'm glad you got some.

All he can say is he's glad he was able to grasp the strap so quickly!!

We are so lovin reliving our cruise through your review...great job!!

 

Peggy and Ernie

I think Ernie should consider getting a part-time job as comedian on board... you guys could sail for free that way :D

 

Thanks for sharing the details of your experience. We will be in Venice in 28 days pre-cruise and your information has been so helpful. We look forward to the rest of your review.

 

And now back to your regularly scheduled program...

28 DAYS!!!! How amazing! You will have a blast.

Melissa, Enjoying the review. Thanks. looking forward to Venice entry as I will be there in October.

 

 

Thanks Steeler (go Black & Gold!). You will love Venice (seriously, how could you not). I am just about to post the 1st day's adventures, so stay tuned :D Plus, if you are actually from The 'Burgh, you will appreciate one of the food porn photos.... :D

Desperately waiting to hear about Venice, my most favorite city that I've ever visited.

Ask and ye shall receive :p... coming up in just a few minutes (just finishing choosing the photos)

Melissa, this continues to be such a fun review. Thanks for coming back after what sounds like a crazy week!!!

 

You and your mom look stunning in your formalwear! Thanks Windjamming!

 

I love how quick thinking and creative you are with the menu options. Great idea to ask to substitute salmon. It never occurred to me to do that, but now I've learned it's possible! I'm sure Cleevdan thanks you Oh, I'm sure he is still cursing me to this day....lol.

 

Holy cow, I laughed out loud at that broken ice dispenser. The search for it needs to be a pilgrimage for anyone sailing the Serenade. AGREE!!! For those of you on the Serenade in the near future, please report back and let us know if the ice dispenser in the Windjammer (outside area) is still out of service a year later... somehow, this wouldn't surprise me :eek:

 

I wasn't there, but I can just imagine what was happening on that stage! Poor Ernie!

 

Keep it coming - this is bringing back wonderful memories of our cruise at exactly this time last year!!

I think Ernie should consider getting a part-time job as comedian on board... you guys could sail for free that way :D

Well we're doing the Med/Greece next September on the Vision so I guess he's be taking the show to the high seas!!!

Peggy

28 DAYS!!!! How amazing! You will have a blast.

 

 

 

Thanks Steeler (go Black & Gold!). You will love Venice (seriously, how could you not). I am just about to post the 1st day's adventures, so stay tuned :D Plus, if you are actually from The 'Burgh, you will appreciate one of the food porn photos.... :D

I am from the actual 'Burgh, and now I am very intrigued!