Serenade of the Seas, April 9 sailing, Review

Well, here are my thoughts on the April 9, 2005 Southern Caribbean sailing of Serenade of

the Seas. I hope this provides some help and doesn’t bore you. First of all, since this is a

review it means that these are my opinions. If you do not agree with them feel free to say

so but please save the flames for another thread. Also, my previous cruises were on

Celebrity’s Horizon to Bermuda, RCI’s Explorer of the Seas Western route, and Mariner

of the Seas Eastern route. I may at times compare the four cruises but what I won’t do is

say that one was better, or worse, than the other. They were all very awesome, but very

different, cruises.

 

ARRIVAL

We flew into San Juan and the weather was great on Saturday with our flights on time and

no connection glitches. We got a great view of the port and my first look at Serenade as

we were coming in for the landing at the airport. So far a good start to a vacation. Then

came San Juan airport. I think dysfunctional describes this place on earth fairly well.

Baggage claim took far longer to get our luggage than I ever would have thought

possible. Once you get it the distance to get out of the building to the transportation area

was ridiculous. Then they had one person at the exit looking at baggage claim checks to

make sure you were not stealing luggage. The disorganization was amazing. It would be fine with

me if I am never at that airport again. We got a cab and the ride to the Pan American pier

took about twenty minutes. I don’t know if it just happened to be our timing but check in

took no time at all. We gave our bags to a porter, walked into the terminal, up to a

check-in agent, and were walking onto the ship within fifteen minutes of our arrival at the

port. RCI had its act together big time. We later went into Old San Juan and walked

around for awhile. Sailing took place exactly at 9:50PM. The ship was right on schedule

all week. Do not be late getting back to the ship because if you are she most likely won’t

be there .

 

THE SHIP

She is, for lack of a better words, beautiful and elegant. And even if she is not as big as the

Voyager sisters she is still big. But it all fits together so well. She looks very proportional

on the outside when you look at her height vs. her length. And she has a very curvature to

her bow that really impressed me. I still think RCI has the best looking ships in the

cruising business. She is incredibly stunning inside. Her Centrum is beautiful. However,

after Explorer and Mariner, the Centrum just doesn’t quite give you that “wow” factor

that you get walking into a Voyager class ship. I caution you to not let this first impression

close your mind to what this ship is all about. Great things are to come. Give yourself time

to explore her before passing judgement. She is decorated tastefully and filled with

beautiful art work. Nowhere did I see anything that detracted from the beauty of this ship.

This is in opposition to the forward stairwell on Mariner which is filled with stuff that I

would describe as catastrophic at best and has no place in a ship of her stature. I realize

that art is interpreted differently by each of us but kitchen plates and cups stacked on top

of one another do nothing for me. Neither do kitchen utensils made out of wire, a bucket

of paint with a brush in it, or a bunch of shirt collars. Not to mention the infamous piece of

sheet metal with model cars attached to it. Although with half of the cars broken off it is

more just a piece of sheet metal. Nothing like that will be found on Serenade. It is easy to

find your way around her. I loved exploring her and just roaming around. If you have not

seen the whole ship by the end of the week or do not know your way around her it is only

because you put no effort into it. And you rarely feel as if there are 2500+ other guests on

board with you not to mention her crew. We never felt crowded or stood in line for

anything the entire week. And this applies to the tendering process in St. Lucia also. And

the ship is spotless even with the volume of people aboard. There are no maintenance

issues that I could see what so ever. Sometimes the shopping area can get a little crowded,

especially after the end of the shows in the Tropical theatre as people are funneled through

the shop area. A little advice. If you want to avoid the log jam of people leaving the

Theatre as soon as you exit go outside on deck five and walk the outside of the ship down

to the Centrum entrance. You will avoid the long line of jammed up people and the

outdoor walk is good for you anyway. I went to two different rock climbing sessions. I

went up three times the first session and three the second. I never had to wait. If you want

a deck chair next to the pool you had better get up early especially on sea day. If you are

not fussy about location you can always find a chair somewhere in either the sun or shade,

whichever you prefer.

 

Once you start exploring Serenade she really starts making up for the initial first

impression very quickly. On deck 6 as you enter her Schooner Bar you start to realize

what this ship is about. Her Schooner Bar will knock your socks off. It is so beautifully

done and outshines Explorer’s and Mariner’s by a mile. As you walk through you arrive in

the Billiard room and then enter the Safari Club. This entire area of the ship is just

spectacular and a fun place to spend your time in the evenings. The dark woods and carpet

colors all help to create a very soothing atmosphere. The back of the Safari Club is all

picture windows where you can watch the wake of the ship disappear into the horizon.

And speaking of windows, this ship really does have glass everywhere. You can see the

ocean from just about anywhere you are on the ship and this is very different from the

Voyager ships. Her casino is notably smaller than a Voyager casino but it is also much

more classy in the way it is decorated. On deck eleven you will find the most beautiful

Windjammer of all that I have seen so far. Again, dark woods and blue carpeting create a

very soothing atmosphere. And the way it is laid out with various food islands makes lines

pretty much non-existent. Serenade had plenty of outdoor seating and I thought this

would be something that I would really enjoy over the Voyager Windjammers. However,

in reality was so hot in the Southern Caribbean that it was much more comfortable eating

inside with air conditioning therefore making the outdoor seating nice in theory but mostly

unused in reality. Serenade’s adult solarium outshines the Voyager solariums by a mile. It

is in one word- gorgeous. This is especially true at night when it is lit by lights which

change colors. It is a great place to relax. Its roof was kept closed the entire cruise and the

air was kept at a very comfortable temperature.

 

THE CREW

She has a good crew. They seemed quite friendly. This includes the painters and people

scrubbing the decks. I would say that the crew was comparable to Mariner’s crew.

However, there still was no match to the crew that was on Explorer with me. They were

just exceptional. Explorer may have had some unhappy crew members but they and I were

never in the same place at the same time. Horizon’s crew was much more aloof and often

would not speak unless spoken to first. Our cabin attendants were awesome. Our cabin

and bathroom were kept spotless. And these two folks were just plain fun to be around.

Meeting up with them in the passageway always lead to a conversation. They were just

great. Tipping them was a joy. The last morning that we were to leave the ship to come

home one of them came up to me and said to stay in the cabin as long as we wanted. It

was no bother to him. Now, could there be any better attitude than that? The caliber of

service was equal on Horizon and Explorer but I can’t say that about Mariner or

Serenade, especially when it came to the dining room. In the past our wait staff is what

always made the dining room special to us. I would describe the service this year as

friendly and efficient but also rushed just as it was on Mariner. Waiters were moving

through the dining room much faster than ever before. I still think it is a staffing issue. The

dining room was nowhere near as spectacular as Explorer’s or Mariner’s and there also

seemed to be more noise. I think that may be from the ceiling being lower. Finally, we

decided we were going to have our dinners in the Windjammer and that turned out to be a

great move. The atmosphere was very low keyed and we had the same waiter every night.

After the first night he knew all of our likes. He even remembered how many half and half

creamers I like with my coffee. We tipped him very well and again it was a joy to do so.

Even the greeter at the door learned my name and addressed me each evening. It seems

odd that it took the Windjammer to provide the level of service that we had become

accustomed to in Horizon’s and Explorer’s dining rooms.

 

A word about Serenade’s captain Stig Neilson. To me he is the example of what a ship’s

captain should be. He is a bit reserved but very approachable when you see him. On the

last sea day he takes the ship very close to islands that the ship is passing and announces

where you are and gives a history of the island and this included the devastated island of

Monserrat. What an amazing view he gave us of the destruction. As for his departure from

St. Lucia, I will only say that it was spectacular and if you want to know more go for a

cruise on Serenade’s Southern route. I could never explain in words the departure that we

had from that port. I preferred this captain to Mariner’s Capt. Johnny. Somehow, his

riding a motor scooter down the Royal Promenade was just a little too showboaty for me.

And his pushing of the book he wrote and selling it in the ship’s logo shop all seemed a bit

tacky.

 

THE CABIN

We had ocean view cabins on the second deck. I am not a balcony fan so you don’t have

to worry about competing with me to get one. The cabin was good size with plenty of

room for two people as long as you like each other. It could be converted to a quad cabin

but in that case you had better make sure you are all in love with each other. That would

be too cramped for me. There is plenty of storage space. We moved right in and did not

live out of suite cases. The bathroom is small but big enough to do what you need to in

there. There is not a lot of elbow room in the shower but having a door instead of a

curtain was a real nice feature. The water stayed in the shower and there was no curtain

constantly touching you. It also keeps the mirror from fogging up. It was just like the

ocean view cabins on the Voyager ships with one exception. All the ocean view cabins on

deck two have port holes as opposed to picture windows that the Voyager ships have. If

you want a picture window get a cabin on deck three. I had no knowledge of this until I

arrived in the cabin.

 

THE FOOD

We had all dinners in the Windjammer except for one and breakfast and lunch in the

Windjammer buffet. The one dinner we had in the dining room was good but I am not a

big fan of fancy food. It was of the same caliber of Horizon’s, Explorer’s, and Mariner’s

dinners. I notices no decline in quality of food though the portions were rather small. That

is no big deal when you are already eating ten times a day. The buffets were consistently

good and also consistently better than Mariner’s. There was little day to day variation for

breakfast and lunch but I thought the food was notably better than last year. There was

much more variety on Horizon. But the quality was certainly on par with Horizon and

Explorer. Desserts on Horizon and Explorer were better than on Mariner or Serenade and

there was much more assortment on Horizon. The pizza on the ship is not the best but

there was a notable improvement over Mariner. The solarium pizza shop is open until

3AM for snacks but does not have the variety of the Cafe Promenade on the Voyager

ships. Not that the choices in the Cafe Promenade on Explorer and Mariner were all that

good anyway. However, Explorer would have ice tea and lemonade available and Mariner

had water to drink. Serenade had nothing to drink in the Solarium shop that was without

charge. Johnny Rocket’s is replaced with the Seaview Cafe which I really liked and it is

open until 1 - 1:30 Am with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and very good food.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

The production shows were much better then Mariner’s. The RCI singers and dancers

could actually sing and dance. Serenade must have some great electronics in her Theatre

as the sound quality is excellent and there is not really a bad seat in the place. Lines of site

are very good. The other entertainment was also very good. The Diamonds were aboard

and sang their 50’s songs and they were very enjoyable. After last year we were almost

going to skip the shows this year but I’m very glad that we didn’t. There, of course, are no

ice shows on the Radiance ships. The ship has a variety of venues from quiet places where

you can be almost alone without retreating to your cabin to lively night life. The style of

music is very different in the various lounges. There is something for everyone. My only

negative comment would be that sometimes the music is mixed too loudly which

sometimes makes it hard to have a conversation and on occasion it is uncomfortably loud.

I walked into the disco one night and right back out as it hurt my ears. I am not hearing

impaired and I intend to keep it that way. Activities such as karyoke are typically held in

the Safari Club. So is Quest. This year I decided to check out Quest for the first time after

reading so much about it. All I am going to say about it is.... don’t miss it!

 

PORTS...I will do this quickly...yeah right.

 

San Juan. Old San Juan is really a very interesting place to walk through. It is very

picturesque and loaded with history. The old Fort El Morro was very impressive and

worth touring.

 

St. Thomas. This is a pretty island. We were here last year so this year we took the ferry

over to St. John. It is exactly what they say it is a very unspoiled undeveloped island with

beautiful beaches.

 

St. Croix. We did stop for a few hours to take on fuel. We took a quick walk through

town. There isn’t much more to say about the place.

 

St. Martin. This is a beautiful island. It is very clean and the people very friendly. We

rented a car and drove around the island even though we had done that last year also. It

was a great day. I really like that island . We did go to Maho beach and get sand blasted

by a few planes once again. If you are the type of person that loves riding roller coasters

you will like this place. Some guy was monitoring the tower on a scanner and letting

everyone know what was going to be landing or taking off. I had seen pictures in the past

but you have to see these planes to believe it.

 

Antigua. This island is beautiful. We hired a taxi that brought us for an island tour to

Nelson’s Dockyard and Shirley Hights to the rainforest. We very much enjoyed our time

here.

 

Barbados. We went to see Harrison’s Cave which is spectacular. Bridgetown, where the

ship docks, is a very hot busy city that is not worth spending much time in. The cruise ship

piers are actually inside a working container port. Not the prettiest sight.

 

St. Lucia. Another pretty Island. We went to the volcano and it was very interesting for

me.

 

DISEMBARKMENT

This went much smoother then it did at Port Canaveral. When we left the ship and entered

the terminal we found our luggage grouped by colored tags in a huge room. We located

out luggage in just a few minutes and were out of there before you knew it. We got a cab

and went into San Juan again for a few hours before leaving for the airport. No stress at

all. Here is a tip. Get a porter to bring your luggage out. They seem to have their own

customs officer and get through real fast with no line.

 

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS

I think the Radiance class ships do have some minor design flaws that I will point out.

Firstly, there is something wacky about the Centrum elevator bank. They are spaced too

far apart or some such thing. Often, if your elevator comes and you are at the far end of

the bank it will be gone before you can get to it. Sometimes I’d run to catch it. I don’t

know what older people with mobility problems do. Secondly, the adult solarium has a

very tranquil environment but every time the doors open that separate it from the main

pool all the noise from the games and activities comes rushing in. It is a bit annoying. I

don’t remember every hearing sound from the mail pool area on the Voyager ships in the

solarium. Thirdly, the main pool on the ship is too small for the number of passengers

aboard. And fourthly, the area with the shops can become very congested with people.

Maybe it wouldn’t have seemed so bad if I hadn’t experienced the Royal Promenade. But

after Explorer and Mariner this area of Serenade seemed a bit lacking. Though the shops

themselves had everything that you would find on the larger ships.

 

This cruise seemed to be more relaxing than our previous cruises even though it was very

port intensive. At first I thought it was possibly the difference between a Radiance and

Voyager ship. But in fact I think it at least in part stems from the fact that we didn’t eat in

the dining room so we were not so tied to the clock and could do things aboard ship more

at our leisure.

 

IN SUMMARY

Serenade is a great ship. My family and I had an incredible week on her though Explorer

is still the love in my life. I was concerned about booking this ship after the Voyager girls

but I truly have no regrets about it. In fact we were in St. Lucia with Adventure and I

never once had the feeling that I wish I had booked her instead of Serenade. I did miss the

Royal Promenade a bit as I knew I would but Serenade has so many other qualities that

make up for it. I can’t say that Serenade has made me a convert and that I won’t go back

to a Voyager class ship. But what I can say is that I would have no problem with booking

a Radiance class ship again and in no way was I disappointed to be on Serenade instead of

one of her bigger cousins. Adding up all the plusses and minuses I’d say that the Voyager

class, and Explorer in particular, is still my favorite but the Radiance class is a very close

second. At the end of the cruise when I was filling out my comment card for the first time

I really could not come up with any constructive criticism to offer so I mostly listed the

names of staff members who really stood out to me. I think that statement says loads

about my level of satisfaction with Serenade.

 

Finally, I have come to realize something about myself. I am a cruise ship snob. When we

pull into a port of call I need to be on the best ship in the port. Yes, I am a cruise ship

snob. I don’t apologize for it and I have no intentions of trying to mend my ways. And I

have never been disappointed riding into port on an RCI ship. And Serenade is no

exception.

 

I’d be glad to hear other’s views of what I had to say and be glad to answer questions. I

hope what I’ve had to say is helpful and you were not too bored reading this.. For those of

you who are about to go aboard Serenade...you are about to have an experience of a

lifetime.

 

Ocean Boy

OB you snob you...glad you had a good time. Hope you are relaxed and satisfied until the next cruise.

 

The elevators on Jewel were a comedy too....in the tech world they could best be descibed as not talking to one another...in the raeal world they became laughable and Vegas Odds could have been placed on whether they would hit or miss the deck they were punched in on, with the push being the deck punched in on, but too full to enter on to.

 

Forget taking the stairs, up or down, as a healthy heart alternative! ;)

Thank you for taking the time to write about the Serenade of the Seas. We are booked to go on her to Alaska in July and I was relieved to hear about your cruise. We went on the Jewel of the Seas in October and had a great time. My husband likes voyager class ships but he liked the Jewel so hopefully going on the Serenade will be a good choice.

Thank you for great review.I really enjoyed it.I definitely agree with you on the size of the Radiance class pools.I have a couple questions.I never felt crowded or waited in line on the Radiance.Did you feel crowded or wait in line on the Voyager classes?Was there much of an age difference between the 2 classes?

I know what you mean about being a cruise ship snob! I'm the same way. But I've cruised on lines like seabourn and radisson and can safely say that the RCI experience is on part in many respects.

 

I'm surprised to hear that you felt the food aboard Celebrity Horizon wasn't tons better than Serenade. This is either an indication that Serenade's food is tremendous, or that Celebrity's isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Most professionall reviews I've read of celebrity food indicate that it is a notch above RCI.

 

I take it from your review (since you didn't mention it) that you didn't eat in any of the specialty restaurants...any reason why not? I've heard Chops is tremendous.

 

thanks,

 

Corey.

OB, thanks I will be on her in 3 days! I have been on the Radiance and AOS , and I do agree about the Centrum but ther rest is also great. I am just starting to pack now ( unusual for me) and getting worked up now .:D

.I have a couple questions.I never felt crowded or waited in line on the Radiance.Did you feel crowded or wait in line on the Voyager classes?Was there much of an age difference between the 2 classes?

We never found lines or felt crowed on our Voyager class sailings with a couple of exceptions. During the parades on the Royal Promenade people are just packed together and if you don't get there early it is possible to not be able to see anything. The other place that felt crowded was on the way into the ice show. It seemed like people were packed into the foyer trying to get in. Other than that the Voyager ships are designed very well and handle the number of passengers they carry with ease.

 

As for age, and I believe you are referring to passenser mix, I would say Serenade was filled with 20-60 age range with folks on either end. There were not as many kids as on the Voyager ships. There was a group of teens that I saw hanging out together and they were very well behaved. I usually find teenagers entertaining anyway. I would not say that this ship had an older crowd on it. The night life was very active and activities like quest were very well attended with good participation.

I take it from your review (since you didn't mention it) that you didn't eat in any of the specialty restaurants...any reason why not? I've heard Chops is tremendous.

 

thanks,

 

Corey.

I did go look at both Chops and Portofino's and they are located off the Schooner Bar area. They are much more impressive looking areas than on Mariner where they are located off the entrance to the Windjammer. No we did not try them and have never eaten in the specialty restaurants. Never felt much need to.

Oceanboy,

 

 

 

Great review. I am seriously considering this for April 2006. Did this itinerary last year on the golden princess and thought it was a great one. We did, however, have alot of motion but not sure whether it was time of year or itin.

 

 

 

Just recently got back from aos - aruba itin 4/3/05 and had alot of motion also???? I know from reading reviews regarding natives of Puerto Rico. Didn't have a big presence last year on the golden or this year on aos...did you on the serenade???

 

 

 

Also, did you have alot of motion?

Oceanboy,

Thanks for your review!

You mentioned that you boarded the Serenade then you went to El Morro. How much time did the touring take? The reason I ask is that we are flying into San Juan the night before (since we don't trust unpredictable blizzards in Chicago in February) and were wondering if we would have time to check out of our hotel and tour El Morro before boarding. Did you walk or taxi?

GREAT review OB. Thanks for taking the time to write in such detail and for answering all my questions. I'm getting pumped. Just need to convince my DH :)

OceanBoy - thank you for coining the term "cruise ship snob"! I am the same way!! Having been on both the Voyager and Radiance class ships, you provide a unique insight. We are planning on a Southern Caribbean cruise next year; what would you say were the best things about being on a Radiance class vs a Voyager class on a Southern Caribbean route?

 

K.

I know from reading reviews regarding natives of Puerto Rico. Didn't have a big presence last year on the golden or this year on aos...did you on the serenade???

What does this mean?You know what from reading reviews?

I mean't that in reading some previous reviews and threads that there were comments regarding ships that depart from puerto rico having the majority of passengers from puerto rico. Some threads complained about behavior, entertainment being geared to Puerto Ricans, etc.

 

 

I am not saying anything more than comparing my cruise to that of other people who have cruised from Puerto Rico.....relax

Oceanboy,

Just recently got back from aos - aruba itin 4/3/05 and had alot of motion also???? I know from reading reviews regarding natives of Puerto Rico. Didn't have a big presence last year on the golden or this year on aos...did you on the serenade???

Also, did you have alot of motion?

We had almost no sense of motion on Serenade the entire week. I rather like feeling the ship move a bit but it just wasn't there.

 

I wouldn't say that I noticed a big presence of locals aboard the ship. However, I never encountered any of the locals of Puerto Rico, or non- locals, to be in any way rude or pushy. There were some latin themed musicians aboard but there was plenty of variety. I would also say that when touring Old San Juan I found the local people to be very polite and nothing like some of the comments that I have read on this site before. If fact, San Juan turned out to a great place to visit as opposed to just a port of embarkation.

I am cruising the southern on serenade on 12-03-05. I am taking my 82yr. mother and 85yr. dad. I 'm hoping by reading your review that I made a good choice as far as elderly people using this ship. It seemed by your review that it is a very easy going ship. I too have been on the Explorer and fell head over heels with her. I know I will miss the promenade but my charge card will not be as high as on the Explorer. Oh well i can make up for it another way. Glad you had a great time. Till december.

 

just linda

Great review!!

 

Did the Diamonds have their original lead singer, Dave Somerville, with them?

OB!!!! I am so glad you enjoyed the Serenade!!! I am off to the ugly art ship in 2 days!!!

We have capt Tor Olsen this time around..should make for a different trip!

Thanks so much for the review!

what would you say were the best things about being on a Radiance class vs a Voyager class on a Southern Caribbean route?

 

K.

That is a great question and I've been thinking a bit about how to answer it. On Explorer and Mariner we so much liked the Royal Promenade and sitting there at night listening to the music that I think we didn't take advantage of experiencing some of the other night life. On Serenade we had to find a new routine as there was no Promenade and I think that was a good thing. I think we had more of a "total" experience of the ship's night life if you understand what I'm trying to say.

 

Also, with this cruise not leaving until 10PM the first evening, and stopping in St. Croix the second evening, having only one sea day, and there having been no rain the entire week, I think the Promenade became much less important than it was on Mariner where we had three sea days and much more ship time to walk around and take advantage of it. I think the Radiance class works well for such a port intesive itinerary.

 

I also very much liked having the enclosed air conditioned solarium. Coming from New England and not having had much sun exposure since last summer the last thing I wanted to do was end up sun burned and uncomfortable for the cruise. Serenade's solarium was such a beautiful and tranquil place to go to when it was time to get out of the sun. And trust me that southern Caribbean sun is strong and hot.

 

Those are the things that come to mind right now. But I will give this question more thought and add to it if I can.

Oceanboy,

You mentioned that you boarded the Serenade then you went to El Morro. How much time did the touring take? . Did you walk or taxi?

After we checked in we took a taxi from the Pan Am pier to Old San Juan. It is not reasonably walkable. We then walked around Old San Juan but we did not go to El Morro because it closes at 6PM and we would not have had the needed time to see it. On our return to San Juan after we disembarked we took a taxi back into Old San Juan and that is when we went to El Morro. Plan on about an hour to check the fort out well. I love exploring forts and this is one of the best I've been to. Fort Hamilton in Bermuda was another great one.

 

There is a hotel / restaurant in Old San Juan called Burrichina (my spelling could be wrong) that allows you to check your luggage so you can leave it there and go exploring with out having to worry about it.

 

I was really glad that I had decided to book a later flight home as the extra time that we got in Old San Juan was worth it and there was no rushing or stress that morning. That is one of the great things about a Saturday-Saturday cruise. There is no work the next day so it doesn't really matter how late you get home that night.

Did the Diamonds have their original lead singer, Dave Somerville, with them?

I am not sure what his name was but they sounded great.

I don't remember the names either, but they had this old lady dancin in her seat. It was a very fun night as they don't just sing, they really entertain. They had the joint jumpin!!!

We ate in the dining room every night and frankly, there was just no reason to go to the specialty restaurants. Entrees included rack of lamb, filet mignon, lobster tail, braised lamb, shrimp scampi, and wonderful meals across the board. There was a fantastic comedian, Tim McTigue???? Had everyone hysterical. Agree on the Windjammer being wonderful. I checked out the Seaview Cafe and did not think much of it. There is also a beautiful game room off the Safari Lounge with many games and decks of cards.

They were wonderful to Platinum and Diamond C & A members. There was a private cocktail party with canapes and drinks; a lovely brunch in Portofino's with musicians playing lovely background music; on the day of debarkation, we were invited to a private area and once we were docked, a concierge came and led us off the ship first. Very impressive, I must say. Got the usual toiletry bag, and all in all it was a great cruise. I thought one of the highlights was the opportunity for passengers to ask questions of the capt. and several crew members in the centrum. Live music at all times in the centrum was lovely as well.

Another thing that I thought I would add, on our sea day they had a pretty big sale of tee shirts and other things as they usually do on cruises. If you had seen something that you were interested in buying get there fairly early in the day. There were some things that I wanted to pick up and by noon time all of the sizes larger than medium were gone. I had my eye on something and by the time I went to buy it I was fortunate to find the very last size large. And that was at 11AM.

 

This happened on Mariner last year, too. But they seemed to have a very limited inventory of larger sizes all week. I don't understand why the ships seem to stock so small an inventory of the larger sizes.

Sail date: April 9. 2005- Serenade of the Seas

 

I have a completely different view from Ocean Boy. I am totally turned off by Royal Caribbean. First of all, there were NO SINGLE PEOPLE aboard.

Not one!! All families or older passengers. Very boring!! No one was ever in any of the bars. And not one person who signed up for Meet/Mingle even showed up. Lame!

 

The food was a joke. Rotten fruit, moldy jelly. I was in shock. The dining room was pretty bad. The shrimp cocktail was the size of a quarter. Embarrassing for a "captains dinner."

 

The ship overall was pretty but a bit small. The pool had SCUM floating it in and was WAY too tiny. Unsanitary and gross. Never again!

 

I also got a lot of whiffs of sewage around our cabin (deck 3) and onaboard various decks. I remember smelling it more around the pool area. And this ship is fairly new? PU!!

 

Housekeeping was fair at best. I felt as though I had to BEG for a clean towel. Finally, by day six, she knew what we wanted.

 

On top of having a so-so time, they lost my luggage at the pier.

In fact, I was one of at least 8 or 9 other passengers. No one was very helpful. That's for sure! Thank godness Jet Blue stepped in.

They are the best!

 

Ten years ago I sailed the Norweigan line and it was special. Very good food, great service and extras. I think that cruising is now too common.

Way too many people can afford it. It's obvious to me, even the "better lines" like Royal Caribbean are penny pinching.

 

Funny thing is my friend just got off the Carnival Destiny and had equally as horrific experiences. I thought cruises were suppose to be fun!?

My wife, my SINGLE brother, and my wife's sister were also on the April 9th sailing of the Serenade. IT was a celebration cruise for my brother's 40th birthday. He and I shared a cabin, and my wife and her sister shared a cabin.

 

We had a wonderful time. I didn't see any of the moldy food referenced above, nor smelled any of the odors also referenced above. I think the shrimp cocktail is small - but that's not too surprising.

 

In general, we thought the food was very nice. Nothing you would be happy about if you were spending $50+ at a restauarant, but certainly good food. Our server was a lot of fun - and our tablemates at dinner were enjoyable.

 

We ate at Portofino's one night and were very impressed with the food and service. Other than that - we ate at the dining room every night.

 

Ports:

 

St. Thomas - We all did a sailing charter aboard High Pockets. Kathleen was a great captain and we enjoyed our sail to St. John's and the snorkeling with her first mate, Bill. I, in particular, loved the Rum Swizzle!

 

St. Maarten - America's Cup Regatta was a blast. We didn't win (little pout) but it was fun. The girls rented a car that day and drove to Marigot and did some other island exploring.

 

Antigua - Eli's Eco-Adventure. Another wonderful excursion - great information even though Eli was sick the day we went so we had others leading our tour. We snorkeled in a couple of places and lunch was delicious.

 

Barbados - Went to Malibu Beach trying to find a small sailboat to rent - didn't have much success. Then went downtown and explored a little. The harbor is very nice and we had lunch at Bagel and something. The girls did the kayak and snorkel excursion and were very disappointed.

 

St. Lucia - went golfing. Enjoyed - but you have to plan on nearly an all day event. Not the 5 hours listed. The girls did a bicycling excursion and enjoyed.

 

On board, we loved the view from deck 11 at the front of the ship. You get there via deck 12, and then going down the stairs. The helicopter pad on deck 5 is also a nice place to watch.

 

Safari Club nice area - especially the Serengeti Lounge, where we played cards.

 

Dining - Our first table was located right next to a server station, so we asked to be moved and were accomodated. We ended up right by a window on the starboard side - so we watched the sunset every evening during the early dinner. Suggest going to the dining room as soon as you board so you can check your table location and move if needed.

 

Wine - I brought 5 bottles along and had one with dinner each night - $12 corkage. No problems

 

Quest was a lot of fun - and if any of you bought the cruise video - I'm the one taking off my gray pants!

 

Really enjoyed Stage to Screen. Also saw vibeology, the opening night show, and the magician. Thought the magician was pretty good technically - but needed work on his presentation.

 

Our cabin was forward port, right near the elevators on deck 3. No complaints at all. No balcony - but not sure we needed it. I suppose if we'd had one - we might have had drinks out there before dinner - but there were plenty of other places to do that.

 

Embarkation/disemark - smooth as can be. Flight landed at 2:00 - and we were on the ship by 3:30. We were in flight departure group 2 - and the lines moved quickly. We went into Old San Juan for a couple of hours and did a horse-drawn carriage tour. Cab to the airport - and got on our 1:20 flight.

 

The art auction is a joke - more of a slick way of selling art.

 

For those of you that are reading many of these reviews - janep was our table mate - and her family was a joy to be with. We would run into each other on excursions or on the ship or at the games. Hi Jane!

 

I think there were other singles on the ship - but it was certainly not a mix and mingle atmosphere. There were opportunities to meet people, but not a focus.

 

The health club was nice. I took a spinning class - my first - and was completely exhausted by the end. Glad I made it through - but wow! Many machines there - and good views.

 

We did miniature golf, shuffleboard and participated in the long drive golf contest. My wife won it with a 217 yd drive. My sister-in-law loved the Seaview Cafe - grouper salad, onion rings, etc. I got a great piece of Key Lime Pie one night.

 

The fancy midnight buffet was fun to see and to eat! Desserts were incredible and the presentation of everything else was something to see. Silly to be eating at 1 am - but we did it anyway.

 

We loved the trip - our first cruise. I suppose the circumstances made it easier to live up to expectations - we wanted to "get away", explore, have fun, and just enjoy. I hope I go into every cruise that way!

 

Mark