Back from Serenade 6/25 - Alaska

We just got back from the Serenade 6/25 sailing and had a great time. Here are my thoughts:

Embarking/Disembarking

US Direct is the way to go. We went from airplane to ship in an hour and 15 minutes, tops. Make sure you’ve got transfer tickets and have your stateroom tags on your luggage and you’re good to go.

Disembarking was a little more time-consuming but still easy. We went through Canada customs at the pier and then back through US customs at the US-portion of the Vancouver airport.

The Ship

The Serenade is gorgeous – the glass elevators overlooking the water are breathtaking, and the ship exudes sophistication.

We were in a D1 on Deck 9 Center, port side. Our stateroom attendant Frederick should win Attendant of the Year. We were the stateroom of broken items (2 light bulbs went out and our door lock began sticking mid-cruise), and the guy cheerfully got them all fixed within a few hours. And he put little eyes stickers on the towel animals. Everyone deserves a Frederick at least once in their lives, and we made sure to tip him extra and make note of him on the comment card.

Ports

We did RCI excursions for all 3 ports, since this is our first time in Alaska. In Skagway we did the White Pass Yukon Route railroad – definitely worth it. If you do this, sit on the left hand side, as you’ll get the best views going up. If you can’t don’t worry – they make you switch sides going down. In the afternoon we walked around downtown Skagway, which is approx 6 blocks and a Broadway. A shuttle runs from the ship to town ($1.50 one way), but it’s only a 10-15 minute walk.

In Juneau we did the Whale Watching and Wildlife Cruise, during which we saw probably 20 or 25 whales, lots of eagles, some sea lions and a strange bird that I forget the name of. They take you out to Auke Bay, where I’m assuming a whole lot of whales frequent, since the naturalist onboard recognized some of the whales from their markings. Forget about getting your if-you-don’t-see-a-whale $100 back – it’s not happening.

We only had 4.5 hours in Victoria, and we took advantage of every one of those 270 minutes. The Butchart Gardens are gorgeous, and after 4 days of gloomy weather we gleefully soaked in the 80 degree sunny weather. We left Victoria at 4 on the dot, as 3 more ships were due into port in the next hour or 2, and I have to say it was tight, with lots of people getting onboard at the last minute.

On this trip the ship docked on the starboard side for all 3 ports.

Activities/Entertainment

CD Matt Sole is a really nice guy. You know how some CDs are really fun but have that kind of smarmy attitude? Not Matt. He was out there at 8am in the pouring rain in Skagway, beaming under an umbrella, talking to people and genuinely wishing them a good time.

Matt’s TV tune trivia is a lot of fun, and if you spent the 80s watching way too much TV like I did this is your game.

The production shows are Vibeology and From Stage to Screen. If you remember Vibeology from Voyager a few years back it’s the same show. LaRaf (magic) performed one night and Colleen Austen (singer) another. Both were ok.

Overall

Gorgeous ship, gorgeous scenery. Even the rain and dreariness of our 3 days in Alaska couldn’t deter us from recognizing the beauty of the area, and I’d even argue that we simply got to see another perspective of Alaska, through the fog and clouds.

It’s not a relaxing trip, and certainly not a Caribbean cruise. Don’t expect to use the outdoor pool, and don’t expect to wear shorts all week. The day we were at Hubbard Glacier it was 40 degrees, and it was not more than 55 in Skagway and Juneau. Layering is key. I had a few t-shirts, 2 long-sleeve t-shirts, 1 zip-up sweatshirt, a heavy fleece pullover, and a waterproof windbreaker which I rotated through the Alaska days. Bring gloves and a hat.

This turned out longer than expected – any questions, let me know.

Thanks for your review. We'll be on the Serenade in May 2007. (Also a D1 on Deck 9 - Hump #9078) Wondering about US Direct. Tell me more .... where do you get the transfer tix, etc. We're doing the 7 night sailing out of San Francisco to Vancouver. We're not sure about using the Vancouver airport or Seattle for our trip back home. We just made this booking over the weekend and haven't done a whole lot of research yet so any airport/transfer info. will be greatly appreciated.

I read that you went to Victoria? That seems strange to me. We did this cruise in 04 and did not do Victoria. Would you list your itinerary? That's interesting!

Also, who was your Captain? Did you do Hubbard Glacier? Was the ship sold out?

Thanks

SeaBreezy

Hi shipknotshore,

US Direct is a program that allows cruise passengers flying into Vancouver to effectively not enter Canada (ie go through customs) while traveling en route to the ship. I am not sure it is required for you, as you'll be departing from SF.

But just FYI, passengers are segregated in a separate area of the airport and one of the big benefits is not having to pick up luggage from baggage claim. (RCI takes care of this for you and delivers it to your stateroom, as long as you've applied your tags.)

Transfers are purchased from RCI directly ahead of time. I'm not sure they're available at the airport, since they had lists of passengers they were checking off.

I don't believe the same program is available leaving Vancouver, but would appreciate if someone corrects me. We also purchased transfers for the trip back but had to enter Canada at the pier and then come back into the US at the airport.

It is about a 30 minute ride to the Vancouver airport, and I would guess substantially longer to the Seattle airport. We were in the 3rd or 4th group called and we were off the ship by 8am. The woman at the guest relations desk said that their goal was to get everyone off the ship by 9:30am.

Hope this helps - enjoy the trip! The Serenade is beautiful, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the scenery as well!!

I am taking this cruise in a few weeks and appreciate your comments.

Could you tell me what are the themes in the dining room on the individual nights? I am trying to determine the best night to eat in the speciality restaurants. Thank you in advance.

Thanks Windjamming. Guess I won't need it for this trip but the info. is great for any future cruises to Alaska we may take.

US Direct is available from Vancouver. We took it on the May 28th cruise, and it was worth every penny. You receive the forms early in the week and have to turn them in by noon on Thursday. You will receive special luggage tags; and after your luggage is placed out in the corridor on the last night, the next time you will see your bags is on the carousel at your home airport. The only limitation is that not all airlines are participating in the program. We were on Northwest, and I am sure that American was also included, but I don't remember all of the others.

Windjamming -

I'd still like to know the information I asked in #3 - also the poster in #5, like to know that, too.

Look forward to your reply!

SeaBreezy:D

I read that you went to Victoria? That seems strange to me. We did this cruise in 04 and did not do Victoria. Would you list your itinerary? That's interesting!

Also, who was your Captain? Did you do Hubbard Glacier? Was the ship sold out?

Thanks

SeaBreezy

Hi SeaBreezy,

Our itinerary was Vancouver, At Sea, Hubbard Glacier, Skagway, Juneau, At Sea, and Victoria.

We heard 2 stories of why they swapped Ketchikan for Victoria - (1) RCI wanted to give passengers a new port on their HG itin and (2) the Serenade was the last ship to "sign up" for Ketchikan and therefore was not allowed access. Didn't matter to us - Victoria is beautiful.

Captain was Stig Nielsen - very professional and informative. The ship was definitely full (not sure if it was sold out but I'd guess yes). There was also a Hogs on the High Seas rally onboard (really!) but the ship never felt overcrowded or claustrophobic.

How did you enjoy your cruise?

I am taking this cruise in a few weeks and appreciate your comments.

 

Could you tell me what are the themes in the dining room on the individual nights? I am trying to determine the best night to eat in the speciality restaurants. Thank you in advance.

I'm working off of memory here and they didn't mention the theme nights on the cover of the compasses, so here's what I think were the themes-

Day 2 (At Sea) - Formal - C&A??

Day 3 (Hubbard Glacier) - Smart Casual - Venetian??

Day 4 (Skagway) - Alaska Night. You'll remember this as Caribbean Night but on our itin they had 2 or 3 fresh fish entrees so I dubbed it Alaska Night.

Day 5 (Juneau) - Formal (lobster)

Day 6 (At Sea) - Chef's Dinner??

Day 7 (Victoria) - Feast of Nations

There was always at least 1 fresh fish entree, but other than that and Alaska Night the menus were identical to the Caribbean 7-day menus.

Enjoy!

US Direct is available from Vancouver. We took it on the May 28th cruise, and it was worth every penny. You receive the forms early in the week and have to turn them in by noon on Thursday. You will receive special luggage tags; and after your luggage is placed out in the corridor on the last night, the next time you will see your bags is on the carousel at your home airport. The only limitation is that not all airlines are participating in the program. We were on Northwest, and I am sure that American was also included, but I don't remember all of the others.

That's good info Newfy Friend - did you have to do anything special to get those special luggage tags? I had gone to guest relations and even asked if there was a similar US Direct program for people flying out of Vancouver and the woman said no.

Not a huge issue - we had plenty of time but would have preferred not to have to drag our luggage around!

Thanks in advance!

Hi SeaBreezy,

 

Our itinerary was Vancouver, At Sea, Hubbard Glacier, Skagway, Juneau, At Sea, and Victoria.

 

We heard 2 stories of why they swapped Ketchikan for Victoria - (1) RCI wanted to give passengers a new port on their HG itin and (2) the Serenade was the last ship to "sign up" for Ketchikan and therefore was not allowed access. Didn't matter to us - Victoria is beautiful.

 

Captain was Stig Nielsen - very professional and informative. The ship was definitely full (not sure if it was sold out but I'd guess yes). There was also a Hogs on the High Seas rally onboard (really!) but the ship never felt overcrowded or claustrophobic.

 

How did you enjoy your cruise?

I think just this sailing date and maybe a few others for the Serenade in Alaska this year were switched like that. I'm on the August 27th sailing this year and we go to Ketchikan, not Victoria.

Thanks for the review. We sailing on Aug. 6. Did anyone in your party use the spa services? How were they? Also, how croweded was the fitness center?

How was the food overall? Hoping for the RCCL norm -- good banquet food with a few standouts.

Did you go to Portofino or Chops and if so, how were they?

Thanks

The fitness center had plenty of machines. We had no problem getting one when we needed it. The Thermal Suite was another story. We were on the 6/4 cruise. A lot of folks were there from GM with GM footing the bill so maybe that was why I could never get one of the five thermal beds. Since I spent time in port on port days, I could never use the Thermal Suite.

You will love the Concierge on Serenade. Her name is Maritza and she is wonderful. This was my first cruise as Diamond and the Concierge Lounge made it very special. Enjoy!!

Windjamming, thanks for the info! We will be on the Serenade next year going to Alaska.

I read from one review that the Solarium indoor pool is open to families (kids)

between 12noon and 4pm. Did you happen to notice any kidlets swimming during those hours?

Thanks in advance!

SherriZ366, I did not use the spa services but did see a lot of specials. Fitness center was only crowded during the morning classes but there were never lines for the machines.

Food was norm but I did like the fresh fish entrees. Nice touch of Alaska. I'm also partial to the Grand Marnier souffle. No Portofinos or Chops this time.

Bump

Westcoastboy

Yes, the solarium was open for kids from noon to 4 each day but the week we cruised it was so nice LOTS of people including kids were swimming outside. The kids pool was busy on the warm days. The water was actually warmer outside than in the week we cruised (6/4). The solarium is very nice though.

Thanks for the review windjamming. We will be on Serenade to Alaska in mid- May of 2007. We may look into US Direct for our return. It was apparently rather chilly in May of last year (05). Thanks for the info.:)

As far as I know, you have to have purchased the transfer package from the cruise line and you get the luggage tags with your documents.

Put the cruise tags on your bags before boarding your plane and they will be transferred to the ship going on your cruise and to the plane returning from the ship.

You will not need to go in the Canada Customs line up arriving but be transferred to the ship from a holding area at the Van. airport.

When you leave the ship you will come by bus onto the tarmac of the Van. airport and enter an express US Customs area. You will by-pass Duty Free shopping and enter directly into the US departure gates area.

Hope this helps.

Windjamming, thanks for the info! We will be on the Serenade next year going to Alaska.

 

I read from one review that the Solarium indoor pool is open to families (kids)

between 12noon and 4pm. Did you happen to notice any kidlets swimming during those hours?

 

Thanks in advance!

Hi WCB-

Yes, the Solarium was open to families between noon and 4 - I believe most days, and yes there were kids. Nothing horribly disruptive but families definitely took advantage of the area during the family time, as it was very chilly outside.

Enjoy the cruise - you are going to love it!!

As far as I know, you have to have purchased the transfer package from the cruise line and you get the luggage tags with your documents.

 

Put the cruise tags on your bags before boarding your plane and they will be transferred to the ship going on your cruise and to the plane returning from the ship.

You will not need to go in the Canada Customs line up arriving but be transferred to the ship from a holding area at the Van. airport.

When you leave the ship you will come by bus onto the tarmac of the Van. airport and enter an express US Customs area. You will by-pass Duty Free shopping and enter directly into the US departure gates area.

 

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the clarification CVU- I will follow up with RCI, as I did purchase transfers both ways and ended up with luggage tags that made me go through Canada customs leaving the ship.

We also were on this cruise and went to Chops the last night. It was excellent but surprisingly not crowded. The food in the dining room was increasingly good ever night.

We didn't use US-direct instead we just had our luggage sent all the way through (we were on United and Air Canada). This is best if you have a late flight and want to explore Vancouver plus much easier getting through Customs. However, if you have a late flight and want to change to another or want to change for any reason, you can't. The airline staff were very strict that no changes could be made to flights. Our flight to SFO was delayed making it likely we would miss our connection (red eye to east coast) and they weren't willing to make any changes. We made the flights so no problem fortunately.

Cruise was excellent. I'll try to answer questions if I can.

Thanks for the answers. Do you know when and where they had the platinium/diamond event? And if so, was it a meal or reception? Thanks

Thanks for the answers. Do you know when and where they had the platinium/diamond event? And if so, was it a meal or reception? Thanks

It was a Portofino's brunch on Friday. Enjoy!