Just back from the Serenade of the Seas

Like two other couples in this thread we will also be on the Serenade in about 2 days. We will be on the TA starting in Copenhagen and ending in New Jersey, via Norway, Iceland, Halifax.

 

The Serenade will be our last Radiance Class ship, we have sailed all the others and it´s our favorite class from RCCL.

 

But I also heard a lot of negative things about the Serenade, especially about the food, that was cold, vegetables to hard, meet to dry and hard, and Windjammer was the worst buffetrestaurant people have ever been in.

 

So, I thank you for your positive response and I´m now looking forward with more expectations than before. Many people are waiting for my review, because the trend in reviews here in Germany is, that RCCL is getting more and more worse reputation, especially compared to Celebrity.

 

Our last RCCL cruise was in november 2013 on Liberty and Allure and it was good. Okay, not as good as Celebrity, but good.

Bon Voyage! I spent two weeks on Serenade this past February & March, and experienced nothing negative in the Windjammer. NOTHING. Ate many meals there, including dinner. EVERYTHING was good. And service was fantastic. They couldn't do enough for me.

We just got off the ship on Sunday, August 30 after an 8 day cruise to Norway.

My DH and I mentioned several times how GREAT the ship was. We were also on a port intensive cruise so only 2 days at sea. I absolutely LOVED all of the windows. It is so refreshing after being on Voyager/Freedom/Oasis classes for the last 3 RCI cruises. There didn't seem to be as many activities at night, but we were wiped out and wouldn't have made them anyway on this itinerary.

The food in MDR was consistent with previous RCI experiences. But the WJ was FANTASTIC! I thought the layout was the best ever. It was so spacious. The food selections were much better than I have seen in the past. I'm not sure if it was because it was a European sailing or not. I hope it stays that way during sailings from the states. We ate at Izumi for the first time and it was also wonderful--we went 2 nights. Rita's was the disappointment food wise of the cruise. We enjoyed it on Allure of the Seas, but not so much on Serenade--along with the 1 1/2 hour wait to get our food when there was only 1 other table there. I felt they should have comped the food considering it was fajitas and they served better ones the next night in WJ. Oh well. The rest was great.

One last remark--I found the staff to be the BEST on any cruise (Royal or other cruise lines) we have ever had. There was not one "dud" in the bunch. The "Worst" were better than most of the "Superstars" on other cruises.

I would not hesitate to sail on Serenade again, as a matter fact, I'll probably search out cruises specifically to sail Serenade in the future.

My DH and I mentioned several times how GREAT the ship was. We were also on a port intensive cruise so only 2 days at sea. I absolutely LOVED all of the windows. It is so refreshing after being on Voyager/Freedom/Oasis classes for the last 3 RCI cruises.

Completely agreed! Our most recent RCI cruise was Explorer and although we love her, we love Radiance class just a little more. :)

The food in MDR was consistent with previous RCI experiences. But the WJ was FANTASTIC! I thought the layout was the best ever. It was so spacious. The food selections were much better than I have seen in the past. I'm not sure if it was because it was a European sailing or not.

Yea! So happy to hear this. We are taking my sister and her husband on Serenade in November - can't wait to show them a good time! And for the record, it very well could have been that your cruise originated in Europe. The BEST food we ever, ever had on any cruise was on Brilliance out of Barcelona. I mean, off the charts fabulous food. I know it is the Executive Chef and his/her staff but I would guess it's the quality of ingredients that make the difference. I had cheesecake - real cheesecake!! It was glorious. :D

.

Just returned from Fall Foliage tour on the Serenade. There was lots of foliage, but all green. Not Serenades fault of course.

GOOD:

1) We had a wonderful dining waitstaff in Lenin and Jack. They were so much fun.

2) We stayed in balcony room 9574 and the room steward Alan was extremely good.

3) most of the ports were good to great, but Rockland was a waste of time other than the fact Serenade evidently picked up lobster tails

4) Las Vegas Tenors were very good

5) Ship was very clean

The bad:

1) Our room 9574 was in horrible shape for a ship that supposedly has been refurbished. The couch was broken, the sink had deep scratches in the finish, a light did not work, and there was a knocking sound from the sliding glass door that would wake us up even if seas were only moderately rough.

2) Stage show entertainment was very bad. Singers were pretty weak and they had too many comedy acts when stage shows were not scheduled.

3) Windjammer food was average at best, but not unlike most buffets. In the snack area of the Windjammer you could get hot dog buns and hamburger buns that were dry enough to break your toes if you happened to drop them. The burgers, fries and hot dogs were decent though. You just couldn't eat the buns that had been sunbathing under the lights for way too long.

4) Internet was pretty much what we used to get way back in the days with dial-up. It is amazing that people continue to pay for a service that is so bad and even more amazing that management would even attempt to charge for such a poor product.

5) Television. While one foes t cruise so they can watch television, I do like to keep up with the news. We had a choice of two ESPN stations and a couple of stations that replayed the same episodes of Castle, Big Bang Theory, etc. over and over or the same cartoons over and over. The rest of the stations were devoted to Royal Caribbean sales.

Would I recommend Royal Caribbean? Yes.

Would I recommend Serenade of the Seas? Absolutely not.

Just returned home Wednesday from a wonderful 22 days on board Serenade.

The highlight for us was the made to order Crepes that were available every night during dinner in the WJ. These are the crepes that many of us, who cruised on Radiance class many years ago, remember from the Solarium Cafe.

There is a "Gold Card" Breakfast each morning in Chops. 7:30 - 9:30 on port days and 8-10 on sea days. Made to order omelets and egg dishes were available served with hash browns, bacon or ham. A buffet with pastries, fruit, yogurt, cold meats and cereals was also available. Waffles and French Toast were brought down from the WJ.

The Staff & Crew made every effort to ensure that everyone on board had a wonderful cruising experience. In our opinion, their efforts were more than successful.

Glad to read all of the positive (mostly)reviews as we're sailing on the Serenade next month!! Last time we sailed on SOTS was about 5 yrs ago out of San Juan and we loved it!! Sounds like the staff is very good, and even though we usually don't eat in the WJ will make a point to try it out.:cool:

Hi, I've noticed a fair amount of negativity about the Serenade of Seas recently and for what it's worth having just returned from a cruise around Scandinavia and Russia I thought that I would post a few of my observations.

 

Firstly, I liked the size of this ship. The cruise was quite port intensive with only two sea days (one at the begining and one at the end) and so I found that there was enough to keep me occupied. As the weather was good I was happy to grab a coffee and watch the world go by.

 

I travelled with my husband and 15 year old son and I did have concerns that my son might be bored on the ship. We encouraged him to go to the teen club on the first day and after that only saw him at meal times! The activities that were organised by the club were varied and he made a great set of friends from all over the world. Since returning he has said that it was the best holiday he has ever had (even better than our trips to Disney World).

 

I found the food to be varied and of a good quality. Both my son and I are vegetarian and we never found it to be a problem. Our serving staff in the MDR were attentive, friendly and very professional. The Windjammer had a great selection at all meal times, it did get a little busy on sea days but that is to be expected.

 

My husband and I aren't a fan of the caberet style productions and found them a little dated but I realise that the shows have to appeal to a broad range of ages and nationalities so accept this. There were a couple of acts that we really enjoyed though, a pair of Russian acrobats and a juggler from the Netherlands which were really entertaining!

 

The cruise director was Topi, he was brilliant. I liked his sense of humour and if you happen to have him as a CD while you're onboard you're in for a great time.

 

So, for what it's worth these are just a few of my observations. I must add that I don't go on holiday looking for problems so maybe my opinion is a little one sided:) If anyone wants to know anymore please feel free to ask.

We also love Serenade (but we love the "smaller" ships versus the bigger ships). We've cruised twice with Topi and think he's exceptional as CD (he's extremely hilarious during Quest)! I have to admit I was turned around the first part of the cruise with the Windjammer being at the back of this ship but once I figured that out it all made sense (we just got off Jewel so I was ready and we'll be on Radiance for 30 days next year - woohoo!!!)!

Lets hope the food improves but we always avoid the American fare any way.

In a recent survey 100 people were asked to name a world famous American dish.

40 said Mac n Cheese and the other 60 said Tupperware

My husband and I have been on three of the Radiance class ships including a transatlantic on the Jewel, plenty of time to get to know the ship. We are not fans of the new “enhancements”. We just got off the Brilliance of the Seas two weeks ago. We took the 9 day cruise to Canada. The centrum’s new look is full of neon lights, no library, and the sitting area’s are much smaller. Cabins have been put into all the niches. The few shelves of books in Latitude’s is a poor substitute for the library. The new decor is the champagne bar is garish, compared to the old look. Instead of jazz and classical piano in the centrum during the day there was a 70's rock group. The ariel show in the Centrum is very difficult to see unless you are on the lower levels, and only on one side. We attended one night, we didn’t bother for the second show.

We have booked another cruise on the Serenade for next year. Boston, is a port we can drive to so we have tried just every cruise that includes it as a starting or stopping point. I have heard it is very similar to the Brilliance in the changes made. They say they are trying to make the Radiance class more like their other ships, but that is the reason we like it because it is not like the other larger ships. It seems they are trying to appeal to a younger crowd also. Does anyone else feel this way, do you like the new enhancements?

We have been on the Brilliance once, Radiance 4 times and will be leaving for our Serenade Quebec 14 day cruise, on the 16th to spend a couple days precruise in NYC before flying to Quebec on the 18th and looking forward to the trip. I pass the negative comments, and will judge for ourselves yet board with an open mind. Each ship & crew are different so a problem on one doesn't mean it will be the same on all.

OP thank you for sharing your experience with us. Very interesting thread, because of the varying opinions.

Thanks for the review! We will be on this ship in April in Hawaii :)

Glad to read all the positive reviews on the Serenade. We board her on Nov.13th to the 23rd out of Fort Lauderdale doing the eastern/southern route.

Bob The Villages, Florida

Lets hope the food improves but we always avoid the American fare any way.

 

In a recent survey 100 people were asked to name a world famous American dish.

 

40 said Mac n Cheese and the other 60 said Tupperware

Yeah, hard to beat those mushy peas.

:D

and that fine British beef!!! Oh and let us not forget Bangers and Mash -- it is a very subtle and complex taste fest

Lets hope the food improves but we always avoid the American fare any way.

 

In a recent survey 100 people were asked to name a world famous American dish.

 

40 said Mac n Cheese and the other 60 said Tupperware

So where do you eat when you are in Orlando?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Glad to read all the positive reviews on the Serenade. We board her on Nov.13th to the 23rd out of Fort Lauderdale doing the eastern/southern route.

Bob The Villages, Florida

We're right behind you Bob as 12 of us Villager's from Pennecamp take the same itinerary.

Skip

Just returned from Fall Foliage tour on the Serenade. There was lots of foliage, but all green.

 

Looks like you cruised a week too early for the fall colors.

 

My sister got off of Serenade on Mon., Oct 19. On FB she posted lots of pictures of the beautiful trees.

Just returned from Fall Foliage tour on the Serenade. There was lots of foliage, but all green. Not Serenades fault of course.

 

GOOD:

 

1) We had a wonderful dining waitstaff in Lenin and Jack. They were so much fun.

 

2) We stayed in balcony room 9574 and the room steward Alan was extremely good.

 

3) most of the ports were good to great, but Rockland was a waste of time other than the fact Serenade evidently picked up lobster tails

 

4) Las Vegas Tenors were very good

 

5) Ship was very clean

 

The bad:

 

1) Our room 9574 was in horrible shape for a ship that supposedly has been refurbished. The couch was broken, the sink had deep scratches in the finish, a light did not work, and there was a knocking sound from the sliding glass door that would wake us up even if seas were only moderately rough.

 

2) Stage show entertainment was very bad. Singers were pretty weak and they had too many comedy acts when stage shows were not scheduled.

 

3) Windjammer food was average at best, but not unlike most buffets. In the snack area of the Windjammer you could get hot dog buns and hamburger buns that were dry enough to break your toes if you happened to drop them. The burgers, fries and hot dogs were decent though. You just couldn't eat the buns that had been sunbathing under the lights for way too long.

 

4) Internet was pretty much what we used to get way back in the days with dial-up. It is amazing that people continue to pay for a service that is so bad and even more amazing that management would even attempt to charge for such a poor product.

 

5) Television. While one foes t cruise so they can watch television, I do like to keep up with the news. We had a choice of two ESPN stations and a couple of stations that replayed the same episodes of Castle, Big Bang Theory, etc. over and over or the same cartoons over and over. The rest of the stations were devoted to Royal Caribbean sales.

 

Would I recommend Royal Caribbean? Yes.

Would I recommend Serenade of the Seas? Absolutely not.

I agree I would not recommend the Serenade of the Seas, either - I agree with numbers 2, 4 and 5 of the bad parts of review. Carly B cruise director was great as was a lot of her staff. I like the officers taking part in different events with the passengers. I do feel sorry for the wait staff think they have way too many people to serve and I do think that some think because they payed for a cruise they purchased the staff (wait staff just to serve them)..It seemed like the food in the Windjammer was the same every other day and mostly cold. I have sailed on many Royal Ships before but this one just didn't have a good fit for me.