LIVE from the Serenade - 8/15 AK Sailing

I hope I can pick up where FOLGY left us from his cruise last week. (See his thread "Live from the Serenade" for good notes. [Folgy - Maritza (sp) in the Concierge Club smiled when I mentioned you raved about her. She was a wonderful help to my VIP and another couple in my group!]

I am a group leader for a corporate group here on an award trip (and solo since my DH couldn't come). I arrived in Vancouver on Friday, while my group arrived Saturday. We stayed at the Four Seasons (wonderful!). My personal opinion is that if you can afford to stay a night in Vancouver, do so not only because of the wonderful town, but also so you can get to the port early, explore the ship, and make reservations.

We arrived at Ballantyne at 12:10 p.m. I had warned everyone that this could be a tedious process filled with waiting in lines. However, we were all pleasantly surprised. Everyone was through security, SeaPass check-in, customs, and on-board by 12:30 p.m.! It was so smooth. I would highly recommend this early boarding to everyone. The staff said if we arrived a half-hour later, the lines would be much longer. Once on board, we learned we couldn't get into our staterooms until 1 p.m., but there's plenty to do to fill the time.

I checked on my group's reservations with the Reflections Maitre D (Leo from Ireland - very nice and handsome as well), and they were all in order. They are allowing us to rotate nightly within our group's tables so each couple has an opportunity to sit with one another. Following that visit, I received my CyberCabin cable and instructions ($100; it took me only 7 minutes to plug everything in and set up my laptop - the hardest part is trying to get the cable angled so it connects into the modem slot on the vanity).

I finally got to my room, 1056, which is a D1 room on the port (left) side. It's wonderful because it is an extended balcony since it's on the hump. Since it's the room next to the elevator and stairway, I thought it could be noisy but it is not. It has two chairs and a table plus two lounge chairs. One member of our group complained about how uncomfortable the bed is, so he is going to take a blanket and pillow and sleep on the lounge chair! I've only cruised on Disney, but I am pleasantly surprised with the amount of storage available here.

Windjammer was wonderful! The food was plentiful as was the selection, and the quality was great. Be forewarned - you have to pay for sodas in here unless you have the soda package. (If you're not a heavy soda drinker and you're in Vancouver a day prior, go to a drug store and just carry on the 1-liter bottles.)

My first piece of luggage arrived around 3:30 p.m., and the second didn't arrive until 6 p.m. One note: three of our group members each paid their attendant $30, and their luggage appeared less than five minutes later. Treat your attendant well up front, and your attendant will always be checking in on you.

We pulled away from the pier at 5:15 p.m. I was surprised how uneventful it was...I don't even recall hearing the horn blow. There was a sail away party, but I preferred being up front for shooting video and pix.

We had a nice group cocktail reception in Hollywood Odyssey. It worked well since we are a small group and it was private - until two rugrats came barrelling through. With school starting in my hometown, it's surprising to see the number of school-age children on board! Like previous posters have said, I think the parents don't know how to control their children! Quite honestly, there are more kids on Disney cruises however they're in controlled areas for the most part and you don't see this laissez faire attitude.

Spa reservations - make them as soon as you get on board! One of our couples only had a choice between 8 a.m. on Tuesday and 7 p.m., and they were making reservations only three hours after getting on board.

Same with shore exs - make them on your room tv right away. The Explorations! desk doesn't open until 6 p.m., so the only way to book exs early is via stateroom tv or concierge (if you have access).

We are on the second seating for Reflections. Our waitress is Dilek Seven from Turkey (two tables) and a waiter named Anthony for the third. One of our assistants is Mirasol from the Phillipines. Though Windjammer was great and we had seen good reviews of the food, our table thought it was just ok tonight. Those with the salmon thought it was overcooked, the ribeye wasn't what folks expected, however the shrimp ravioli and Tuscan tomato soup were excellent. Everyone seemed to enjoy their desserts as well (I had the sugar-free Key Lime Pie which was nice and light). The service was ok, and the place cleared out while we were ordering desserts. I think many people were coming from the Midwest and East Coast and were just ready for bed. The only thing I really don't understand about their dinner beverage service is they charge for everything as it's brought to you, be it a cocktail, wine, or coffee specialty, rather than waiting until you're finished with your meal. We didn't like the constant signing and completing of the charge! They recommend attire, but we had a few people in shorts and tennis shoes, but the staff won't say anything to you (unless you wear this on formal night).

We were told that they haven't decided if they're going to have the Chocolate Buffet tomorrow night or the Gala Buffet. We're looking forward to the Chocolate one!

One of my favorite activities is to take a post-cruise dip in the hot tub. I was disappointed that the only hot tub open for use was in the solarium. But I will say the solarium is beautiful at night with the changing color wall. Also, if you enjoy doing late-night swimming or hot tubbing as several of us did, you will need to take your own towel. There were NONE available at night!

I apologize in advance if you find me comparing to Disney as this is all I've known till now. (As a base of understanding, I like Disney products but I'm not the biggest fan in the world, and I do not choose to visit the parks. I'm 34, married, and have no kids as of now.)

I hope I can answer any questions you may have. Feel free to fire away... I'm not sure if I can answer more than once a day, but I'll try.

Jen

St. Louis, MO

Jen!!!! We have that identical cabin on the Jewel for New Year's! I want to know EVERYTHING. The balcony sounds great (though I have to admit we are spoiled having been in corner aft cabins before) - how is the view, in all directions? How about wind? sun? How many of you are in the cabin, and how is the storage? Tell me anything and everything.

Carol :D

Jen - How's the weather??? I leave Sunday, going solo on HAL...Veendam.

I look forward to journeying along with you this week :).

Marie

Hey Jen,

We are on the 8/22 sailing so I am following right along with Folgy and now with you! Thanks for the posts. Keep 'em coming! We leave for Vancouver early Thursday morning, but until then I will be looking forward to reading your on-board reports.

You said the internet connection was easy. Easy enough for a novice to do it? I am taking my laptop and debated paying for the internet connection. Did you have to have anything special on your computer or with you?

Thanks for letting us share your cruise!

Mary

Carol: The view is good but because of the hump, it's blocked a little when looking toward the front. You can see everything in the back clearly (i.e. people on their balconies and on the levels below). I'm still happy with it. I might consider getting a hump room on the forward side for our cruise in March. The wind at sailaway was about 20 mph, but it was so darn warm here that the wind was nice and refreshing. It's been very smooth sailing (my cruise last Nov. had 15-foot swells for the first two days-so it's a nice change). The sun is out but I haven't made it to the upper decks yet today to see how it feels on deck. I'm the only one in the cabin - so it's plenty of room. It can hold four, but it may be a bit crowded with more than two. The storage is great. At the vanity, there are two glass "medicine cabinets" with a total of eight shelves, there are six decent drawers plus one center drawer and a pull-out writing desk. Also with the large, one-piece vanity is a cabinet with two shelves and the small safe. There is a "bookcase" shelving area with five 1/4 round small shelves. The nightstands are tiny with a drawer on each. The bathroom has a three-shelf medicine cabinet.

As for the closet, there are two separated hanging rods plus two that can pull down to separate pants and shirts. It came with 18 hangers, and there are seven shelves between the hanging rods plus one across the top with the extra pillows and blankets. I brought a hanging accessory organizer but I'm not even sure if I'll use it.

I brought a tape measure so I can let you know the dimensions of the room (a better idea than the square footage the CS reps give you on the phone).

Marie: The weather has been great (see above). This morning (it's 7:30 right now), my guess is it's about 68 out on the balcony.

Mary: In my opinion, the internet connection was easy, but one of my executives had a difficult time connecting. I'm going to help him out later and see what went wrong. I followed the directions and they were well-structured. The reconnection wasn't as easy as it shows in the directions. I had to use the similar steps as I did to initially set up. Personally I think for a novice, it's easy enough to use with the thorough instructions provided. There is nothing special you need to have except for a slot for a regular phone jack (their special cable has a phone jack on the end that goes into your computer and an Ethernet-like jack on the end that goes into the vanity).

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for today as I didn't receive a Cruise Compass nor a towel animal from my attendant. Well, I'm off to walk the deck and hit the Windjammer. Catch up with you all later in the day!

We arrived at Ballantyne at 12:10 p.m. I had warned everyone that this could be a tedious process filled with waiting in lines. However, we were all pleasantly surprised. Everyone was through security, SeaPass check-in, customs, and on-board by 12:30 p.m.! It was so smooth. I would highly recommend this early boarding to everyone. The staff said if we arrived a half-hour later, the lines would be much longer. Once on board, we learned we couldn't get into our staterooms until 1 p.m., but there's plenty to do to fill the time.

Were there many people that had already arrived on the ship before you embarked? We would like to go earlier than 12:00 noon. Thinking more of 10:00 - 10:30.

Also, if you enjoy doing late-night swimming or hot tubbing as several of us did, you will need to take your own towel. There were NONE available at night!

You always have to bring your own towel from the room. Towels are no longer available up on deck.

Thank you for the updates. :)

Sea Island Lady: We were previously told that you could not board before Noon because the customs station does not open until then, but I thought people had boarded prior to Noon on other cruises. I'll check with Guest Services later to see what their answer is.

I am sure that guest relations will say the same as you have reported. What is suppose to be done and what others do is a different story. However, we will have my parents with us and there is no sense rushing to get to the pier if we will not be allowed to board. Thanks for any information you can find out.

It's sunny and has warmed up a little (probably about 75) since this morning. I had breakfast this morning in WJ; the food was slightly on the cool side but it was later. If you want fresh food, my recommendation would be to order either room service or off the menu at Reflections. Lunch at WJ was excellent. There are just so many choices; if you can't find something to eat on this ship, it's sad.

I went to the Napkin Folding class today - Lulu from Trinidad & Tobago was a very fun social hostess! There's and "advanced" class that will occur on Saturday. We had several people enter the Blackjack Tourney. The last I had checked, one of my cruisers was the leader in the tournament. I believe if she held on to win, she'd gain about $600! They're very relaxed in Casino Royale-you can take still pictures unlike in Vegas. I went up for the mini-golf tourney but it was WAY crowded so I didn't participate.

Now for the new disembarkation option that is available only to US residents who are returning to the US on disembarkation day. If you're flying Alaska, American, Air Canada, United or Continental, you can pay $15 per person to have your baggage checked all the way to your hometown and to receive your boarding pass on board. This is a very nice option so you don't have to handle your baggage when getting off the ship. After leaving it outside your stateroom on Saturday evening, the next time you see it is on the baggage carousel at your home airport. There is a $5 fee for each bag over 2 per person.

Boarding passes are issued by the airline representative who boards the ship on Sunday morning. All folks choosing this option report to the Tropical Theatre around 7:30 on Sunday morning, where you receive your boarding pass. They then call folks off alphabetically to disembark and you're off no later than 8 a.m. All but one couple in our group is doing this option (they're not able to since they fly out on Monday), however the couple that is not able to choose this option will be assigned the color tags for the 8 a.m. disembarkation. So after it's done, you get to go straight to your gate at YVR airport. Our group was very excited about this new option. This is only available at YVR. We're on a cruise next year out of Ft. Lauderdale, and I was told they don't have that process as of now.

Tonight is the Captain's Reception/formal night. They have also switched the buffet nights on this cruise - we are now having the Gala Buffet tonight, which after the photo sessions, you can't start dining until 12:30 a.m. I'm looking forward to the chocolate buffet!

Hi Jen,

Your posts are GREAT!!! Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us! I won't be on the Serenade until next June, but thanks to generous CC'ers like you and Folgy, I'll be more than ready!

I'll be interested in reading your comments re excursions -- there are so many to choose from that it will take me forever to decide!

And yes, we will also fly up the day before. I'm looking forward to having even 1/2 a day in Vancouver.

Thanks again, and keep those fabulous posts coming!!

Laurie

As of now, I'm not signed up for an excursion. I'm considering kayaking or mushing but I'd rather experience excursions with my hubby down the road. However, since I do have a group of 27, I should have a lot of feedback on these. Some of them that I know they're doing include: kayak/scenic rail combo, bike ride, bear adventures, whale watching, White Pass Rail, nature adventure.

You always have to bring your own towel from the room. Towels are no longer available up on deck.

To our surprise, towels were actually available during the day at the pools on our August 1st cruise on the Serenade- they were never in our cabin.

Jen,

Glad to hear you're having a great time on the ship! Sounds like the good weather is continuing to hold. (We were on the August 1st cruise)

We had turn-down service and chocolates on our pillows the first night, but no towel animals until Wednesday, I believe.

Who is the cruise director this sailing? We had Tim Sievert, and he was o.k. If they're having the 70s night up in the disco tonight, you should go check it out as the RC dancers do a short tribute to Mama Mia (Abba) and the men on the cruise director staff dress up as the Village People- they're a hoot!

Who are the headliners this sailing?

You'll probably spend a lot of time viewing the glacier from your balcony tomorrow, but if you happen to be up on deck at all, get a shot of the glacier from deck 12 (overlooking the outdoor pool) shooting across the ship to the other side with the glacier in the background. The size of the people on the other side of the ship will put the size of the glacier in perspective. The Viking Crown Lounge also makes a striking image against that beautiful scenery!

Continue having a wonderful time, and keep those reports coming! :) :) :)

Jen,

Have you had your Meet and Mingle yet? If not, say hi to Barbara (bdoster) for me. Hope she's having a wonderful time, too! :)

Thanks, Nancy! I finally had a chance to read your review and took note of your photography tips - thanks! We're trying to do a group photo on the helipad at the glacier. I'm going to snag a bunch of hot chocolate packets at lunch so I can enjoy them on my deck tomorrow.

We have Tim also. We have Capt. Nilsen (from Sweeden) since the previous one went back to Greece (I think for the Olympics). Tonight is the Village People performance, so I'm trying to stay awake for that and the buffet. Our headliners so far have been Bruce Gold (comedy) and Tribute (Temptations salute). Gold's performance was one show only for both dining groups, so we missed it due to our cocktail event. I might catch the first part of Tribute's performance tonight, though it really is not of interest to me.

Until later...

I missed the Captain's Cocktail Reception tonight - overslept while napping so I could be awake for the festivities tonight. Dinner was wonderful tonight. All but one at our table had the beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes. The lone odd soul had the tagliatelle (cajun-flavored pasta with chicken), and she enjoyed it. The flavoring was on the mild side for her, but they brought her additional sauce to spice it up to her pleasing. I also had the shrimp cocktail. Menu offerings tonight:

Apps: Grilled Marinated Vegetables (served cold style) (V-vegetarian), Shrimp Cocktail (HH-heart healthy), Escargot Bourguignonne, Lobster Bisque (very good I learned), Oxtail Broth, and Chilled Golden Pear Nectar.

Salad: Traditional Caesar

Entrees: Tagliatelle, Teriyaki Glazed Fresh Alaskan Salmon (HH), Duck a l'Orange, Beef Tenderloin, Vegetable Strudel (V).

Alternatives: Tagliatelle w/ Marinara Sauce, Broiled Ling Cod, Chix Breast w/ Rosemary, Grilled Steak w/ Herb Butter, Baked Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Rice, Veggie of the Day.

Desserts: Grand Marnier Souffle (I tasted this and it was wonderful!), Double Strawberry Cheesecake (regular and low-fat versions - awesome!), Cherries Jubilee, Triple Chocolate Layer Cake (lowfat).

(I have the first night's dinner choices except for desserts if anyone wants to see it.)

Immediately after dinner, we went to see Tribute perform the salute to the Temptations. They were very good. Let's just say that the male audience participation portion was hilarious! I was surprised by the size of the theatre - it seems small when watching a show. Empty, it seems larger.

There was a printing error in the Cruise Compass, so that is why we had the Gala Buffet tonight. After the show ended, I went straight back to Reflections (entry on Deck 5 for the gala) where I joined the large throngs of people for a walk through the buffet line for photos. Many people brought their videocameras, which held up the process. It's amazing what they can do with food and ice! I believe there were 20 ice sculptures on display that were so amazing! The food looked too good to eat. Since I had a late seating, I didn't return to partake in the food. We do a lot of fine dining with our group, and if you're a "meat and potatoes" eater, the food on this buffet is probably not for you - except maybe the desserts. It's clearly frou frou food, but excellent I'm sure.

I headed straight up to Vortex to see the Mamma Mia tribute by the RCCL dancers which was followed immediately by the cruise staff's tribute to the Village People. That was a hoot and not to be missed. The rest of the time was spent dancing. It was supposedly '70s night, but you couldn't tell by the music after about two songs.

Tonight is the time we set our clocks back an hour to Alaska time - yeah, an "extra hour" of sleep! Tomorrow (or rather later today) - Hubbard Glacier!

Sounds great! This has been like sailing over and over again on the Serenade. Please eat some flourless chocolate cake for me :D and let me know how I liked it. ;)

Also, say hello to bdoster for me as well if she is at the M&M.

Great to see the 'Live from Serenade' thread is continuing. We're on board in less than 2 weeks :).

Hi Jen,

I'm lovin' your posts!!! Thanks especially for the news about the disembarkation option for those flying back to the U.S. on the same day. Hope they still have that policy next June -- I will gladly pay $15/pp to not have to schlep my luggage through to the airport!! That will be fantastic!

Question: Are teens allowed in any of the lounges during the evening? It really didn't come up during our first 4-day cruise (my son went to the shows with me and then went to the teen center while I gambled a bit), but on a longer cruise he may want to see the other shows or listen to music, too. I wasn't sure if there was an 18 and over rule in the lounges. Chances are he'll make friends through the teen program and will NOT want to hang out with his old mom, but I thought I'd check anyway. Thanks!

Laurie

Hi Jen,

Question: Are teens allowed in any of the lounges during the evening?

Laurie

Laurie, according to the Cruise Compass, the answer is no. I know they're not allowed in Vortex because the doors were guarded. Here's what the CC says: To comply with itinerary specific laws, the legal drinking and gaming age onboard is 21 years old. Photo identification will be checked. Minors are not allowed in bar areas.

I slept in a tad today since we gained the extra hour last night and it was a party night for our crew. As I was getting ready this morning, I kept an eye on the bridge camera shot of the Helipad and discovered that there were several people going up as early as 11 a.m. So I headed up to try to reserve spots for my group of 27 so we could take a group photo when we got to the glacier. Well, we had a nice big space saved on the starboard side until everyone ran over to the port side to see the seals on the ice floes. (Note to future cruisers - keep spots at either the front of the ship or on starboard side - do not give them up!) As we got closer, the folks nearby were nice enough to move temporarily so we could take our picture. We also gave up spots because it was VERY windy if you were alongside the railing. I had on a l/s t-shirt to start, and I had to add a layer every half-hour (windshirt followed by heavy sweatshirt, followed by gloves). It was very sunny and warm, though, if you moved to the center of the helipad as our group did. It was very odd. It wasn't bad once we reached the glacier and slowed down the ship speed to just under 2 knots.

What an amazing feat of nature! It really didn't calve (sp) as much as we thought it would due to the warmth. During the 1.5 hours we were there, we probably only heard about 10-15 instances. It is definitely a reason to have a camcorder with you! The powerful thundering of the ice breaking off is very jaw-dropping! I didn't get any still photos of the calving, but bought one in the photo shop. I was quite mad at myself b/c I waited patiently for a good 20 minutes and there was no calving, but when I stepped away for a drink, it calved three times consecutively! (One of my group members was nice and bought me the $8.95 mug filled with hot chocolate and amaretto. The nice feature is they give you a 15-minute coupon for internet access, so the cost seems a little more reasonable.)

Well, I have to head back to the theatre to see the Love & Marriage show. As Arnold says - I'll be back...to finish this and give the menu for the day.

The ship pulled in straight ahead toward the glacier until we started angling so the starboard side was parallel with the glacier. After we were at the glacier for about 1 hour 15 minutes, we started turning and they had made an announcement that it would turn throughout the visit 360 degrees and you would be able to see the glacier from either side. When I realized we were turning, I headed back to my stateroom to watch from my balcony and order room service. Well, we turned and just headed straight out, so I hardly had a view from my balcony on the port side. I was disappointed about this. By 2:30 we were away from the glacier and en route back up the bay. We had several people say that it was worth the days at sea to get to see the glacier, and they also said that they would be fine if the cruise only took them to see that natural phenomenon.

Reflections Dining Room Menu tonight - Italian Night:

Bread: Focaccia Bread & Garlic Rolls

Apps: Capiese Salad, Antipasti (V), Scallop Risotto, Roasted Garlic Soup, Minestrone (HH), Chilled Strawberry Bisque

Salad: Insalata (V)

Entrees: Rigatoni Pasta, Shrimp Scampi Imperiali, Chicken Marsala (HH), Lamb Roast, Eggplant Melanzine Ripiene (V)

Desserts unknown since I was not in there.

Tonight was the "show" by the wait staff. It occurs approximately an hour into the dinner seating. We missed it since we had a group dinner at Chops.

We were all very pleased with Chops! Many said they could eat there or Portofino's every night. It was nice because the food was much more fresh than in the main dining room.

Chops Grille Menu:

Apps: Shrimp Cocktail, Portobello Caps, Maryland Crab Cake

Soups: Cheese & Onion, New England Clam Chowder

Salads: Chop's Salad, Beefsteak Tomato, Traditional Caesar

Entrees: Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Signature NY Sirloin Steak, Veal Chop, Colorado Lamb Chop, Royal Pork Shank, Rotisserie Chicken, Mesquite Grilled Salmon

Desserts: Chocolate Mud Pie, Raspberry NY Cheesecake, Warm Brioche Pudding, Apple Pie a la Mode

The food was just excellent! We had a few people who had three appetizers before dinner! Everyone seemed to be very happy with the way their meats were cooked. I had the clam chowder, which was probably one of the best ever; 7 oz. filet (a 10 oz is available also) that I couldn't finish, and choc mud pie that was presented beautifully and too rich to finish!

Afterwards, I took in the last half of the Vibeology show. The RCCL singers and dancers are good (better on Disney), and it was a little odd seeing my muster drill captain is one of the dancers. His dancing is very good but his style reminded me of Jack's from Will & Grace. The Love & Marriage show was great fun! They had a honeymooning couple, one that's been married a while with kids, and a couple in their late 80s who were just a hoot! The older couple ended up winning, matching all of their answers. I think there were some guys in hot water after this show! Tonight is Country Western night in the disco, but our group decided tonight is our "off" party night and we'll get back at it tomorrow.

Good night!

A couple more notes before I forget...

One group member was able to get cell service (Verizon) yesterday when we were between two islands while out at sea. We all were surprised by this. Nextel has NO coverage at any of the ports. Verizon and Sprint have coverage in Juneau and Ketchikan.

A few of us couldn't log on while we were departing Hubbard Glacier. We understand there's virtually no connection while in Skagway.

Shore excursions - like everyone mentions, BOOK THOSE EARLY ONLINE OR RIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU GET ON BOARD VIA STATEROOM TV. I'm actually a little bummed that I couldn't get into an excursion for Skagway since I waited. On our cruise, nearly all "adventure"-type excursions have sold out for all three ports (i.e. bear, biking, glacier flights/floatplanes, kayaking, eagle watch, dogsledding/mushing, and sportfishing).

Good morning, Jen -- your posts are fantastic! It sounds like you're having a great time. Thanks for checking on the lounge rules. I thought they might be the same as on land. My guess is that by next year it won't even be an issue -- if there are other teens on board, that's where my son will be and I can enjoy the lounges on my own.

Thanks, too, for the hints re Chops, Hubbard, and booking excursions ahead of time. We're not big meat eaters, but we may need to give Chops a try. As for Hubbard, I figure I have 10 months to learn how to use my camcorder! I believe our stateroom is on the starboard side (I freely admit to being a navigational nimrod), so if it gets too crowded on deck hopefully we'll be able to see from our own balcony. I work with a woman who just moved to CA from Alaska, so she's advising me on excursions and I'll book them as soon as I get my RCCL confirmation number.

When we were on Monarch our tablemates (married 54 years) were on the Love & Marriage game. They came in last, but became instant celebrities for the rest of the cruise.

Thanks for sharing all of this info. I'm copying some of your advice into another "checklist" and I know that my cruise experience will be better because of your help!!

Laurie

clocks change mid cruise?? i thought they went right to alaska time as soon as you left the dock?

I slept in a tad today since we gained the extra hour last night and it was a party night for our crew.