My (late) Serenade Review-August 29, 2010

[caral2004]

Hi I have a question for you...I don't know if someone already asked you but I'll make a try.

Do you know if I can check in early in the morning on the ship, leave my luggabe there and then go in Old San Juan to visit?

My cruise departure is at 8h30 pm on Saturday night.

 

Thanks

[brianabrad]

Yes, we ordered room service every morning as we're pretty lazy in the mornings, lol. There will be cards on the back of your door that you can fill out and hang on your (outer) door knob the night before. There are things like eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries, fruit platters, juice, tea, and coffee. The room service is included, unless you're ordering between 12 AM-6 AM (I think those are the hours). We normally had $2 or so to tip the delivery person. If you would rather call in your order in the morning, you can. That usually took about 30 mins. Either way, they call you when they are on their way to your room, which I thought was a nice touch.

 

That sounds very nice. I assume Brad and I might want to do this one morning or two. We kind of like to stay in bed from time to time but I also know that when we port I will want to be up and doing stuff too!

 

Since you have been so great with information, do you know how buying soda works in the MDR? For example, if I want a soda with dinner will they charge me per glass I drink or do I get free refills during my meal? If so, how much is each glass?

Edited December 14, 2010 by brianabrad

[Host Faith]

Hi I have a question for you...I don't know if someone already asked you but I'll make a try.

Do you know if I can check in early in the morning on the ship, leave my luggabe there and then go in Old San Juan to visit?

My cruise departure is at 8h30 pm on Saturday night.

 

Thanks

 

 

Hi there! I think I've heard people checking in, taking a quick look at the ship, then heading back to Old San Juan for a couple hours. I believe you need to be on the ship by around 7 PM (not completely sure).

 

If you haven't booked your flights, I would recommend getting to San Juan a day or two early, so you can take your time enjoying the city. There's a lot to see, and being able to leisurely walk around the city is the best day to really get a feel for San Juan.

 

In either case, check out the San Juan ports of call board for info on what to see, etc, so you can make the best of your time there, as well as find tips on booking hotels in San Juan. :)

[Host Faith]

That sounds very nice. I assume Brad and I might want to do this one morning or two. We kind of like to stay in bed from time to time but I also know that when we port I will want to be up and doing stuff too!

 

Since you have been so great with information, do you know how buying soda works in the MDR? For example, if I want a soda with dinner will they charge me per glass I drink or do I get free refills during my meal? If so, how much is each glass?

 

You can buy a soda package for about $40 or so for the week, or buy sodas by the glass. My husband gets the package, it's just something he really likes to do. He was given a sticker on his seapass card that let the waiter know he had the package. Once in a while, I would order a soda. They would take my seapass and charge $2.50 or so per soda. They would give me a glass with ice and an actual can of soda.

[brianabrad]

You can buy a soda package for about $40 or so for the week, or buy sodas by the glass. My husband gets the package, it's just something he really likes to do. He was given a sticker on his seapass card that let the waiter know he had the package. Once in a while, I would order a soda. They would take my seapass and charge $2.50 or so per soda. They would give me a glass with ice and an actual can of soda.

 

I had heard of the soda packages but wasn't sure it would be worth it if I only wanted say one with dinner or less per day. I also have the thought that I might get some in San Juan and pack them into my luggage before we board the ship. I also thought about doing that with some bottled water for Brad and I. We are planning to fly into San Juan the day before the cruise leaves so we would have plenty of time to add some liquids to our luggage. :)

[fish6]

This was also our night for Chops by ourselves. We had a romantic dinner.

Our view from our table:

 

Later in the evening:

 

We had the beefsteak tomato and blue cheese appetizer. So good! I could have had that by itself and been satisfied!

 

 

We both had a filet, with asparagus and sauteed mushrooms on the side. All the sides are served family style, so you can try one another's selections. Delicious! We tried to eat our Mud Pie at the end but had to give up. That dessert is to die for!

 

Can you tell me what time you had reservations at Chops?

[Host Faith]

Can you tell me what time you had reservations at Chops?

 

Hi fish6! I don't remember exactly, but I normally book specialty reservations around 7:30.

[fish6]

Hi fish6! I don't remember exactly, but I normally book specialty reservations around 7:30.

Thank you for the very quick response. We are going on the Serenade in September (first time on a Radiance class ship) and I would like to book a table by the window in Chops for our anniversary. I was thinking ~7:00 pm would be OK......I was trying to set a time in order to see the sunset??

 

Thanks again,

Donna

[Host Faith]

Happy Anniversary Donna! I found this website: http://www.sunrisesunset.com/. Looks like sunset will be around 6:15 or so in September. I would book a 6:30 and get there a couple minutes early. Be sure to head to Chops when you board to confirm your reservation, and ask if it was possible to put a note next to your reservation that you would like a table by the window.

 

~Chrystal

[fish6]

Happy Anniversary Donna! I found this website: http://www.sunrisesunset.com/. Looks like sunset will be around 6:15 or so in September. I would book a 6:30 and get there a couple minutes early. Be sure to head to Chops when you board to confirm your reservation, and ask if it was possible to put a note next to your reservation that you would like a table by the window.

 

~Chrystal

great thanks Chrystal :D

[fish6]

It’s been a few weeks since our cruise on my new favorite ship! I know most of you can relate to coming home from vacation and painfully trying to ease back into your daily routine. We cured our post-cruise sadness by planning two more cruises next year, LOL! I know this is late, however I hope this review is helpful to everyone considering or planning to sail on the Serenade.

 

About us: We were a group of 6- Me (Chrystal), my husband Wesley, our married friends Crystal and Osh, my Mother Lillie, and my best friend Janelle. We are all in our 20’s and 30’s, and my Mom is 67 (doesn’t she look fabulous? J). My husband and I sailed with NCL (to Bermuda) for our honeymoon 4 years ago, and also on the Adventure of the Seas last October on the same route. This was everyone else’s first cruise.

 

Friday, August 27: The Serenade sailed on Sunday, August 29th, so we decided to spend two nights in San Juan pre-cruise. We live in NJ, so we took a 9:50 AM flight, from PHL to San Juan. We had a limo service pick us up from our home and take us to the airport. Our limo service (John’s First Class Limos) was great. The driver arrived about 20 minutes early. Hiring a driver saved us lots of $$ and time. Here’s a photo of us in front of the limo. Not bad for 7 in the morning! DH and I are to the far right:

 

 

I love Philadelphia airport first thing in the morning. There are no crowds, it’s always a smooth boarding in the morning. Went through security with no problems. For some reason there were about 4 rows of children with no adults supervising them on the flight…and the children were pretty rowdy….some were climbing over the seats, running up and down the aisles, crying, and screaming. It didn’t seem like they were unaccompanied minors (they didn’t have the US Airways armbands on to identify them as such), but their chaperones were either in first class or near the front of the plane (we were over the wings of the plane)- or completely ignoring them lol. Note to people who travel with several children in tow...PLEASE sit with your children, and please correct them when they are not behaving in public. We could not relax on our 3 hour flight. My Mom and Crystal got to the point where they actually corrected the children when they ran up and down the aisles and climbed over the seats. flight attendants would give them warning glances which were ignored. Crystal and Osh were planning to sleep a bit on the plane, but that wasn’t going to happen!

 

We landed in SJU around 1:30 PM, about 20 minutes early. I like this airport since it’s smaller and very simply laid out. We went right to the baggage claim and had our bags within 15 minutes. Right outside the baggage claim there’s a taxi stand. We walked right up to the stand and let them know how many passengers we had, where we wanted to go, and how many pieces of luggage we had with us. They showed us our price on a sheet of paper we got to keep with us. Here’s a pic of the taxi pricing schedule (hope you can read it):

 

 

We were headed to the Caribe Hilton (Zone 4), so our price was $19+ $1 for each piece of luggage. Not bad at all split among 6 people. I love the taxi service in San Juan since all 6 of us could fit in the van with ALL our luggage. Four of us had 25’ suitcases, and two of us had 29’ cases. Of course, each lady had a carryon, and my husband had a laptop. Miraculously, everyone and everything fit comfortably.

I would say we arrived at the Caribe Hilton within 40 minutes of touching down in San Juan. We got this hotel via Priceline at a rate of $90 per night, per room (3 hotel rooms). I was so excited at this price since hotels in San Juan can run an average of $250 per night! Upon my successful bid, I emailed the hotel manager and requested 3 ocean view rooms in the Hhonors tower, with balconies. I’m a Hilton Hhonors member, and had no problem with them confirming that they would honor my request.

 

I love the open-air lobby of the hotel. It made me feel like we were finally able to start enjoying our tropical vacation. There was a water station that had large pitchers of water with melon. Photos of the open-air lobby and heading to the Hhonors Tower:

 

Can I ask how you managed to successfully get the Caribe Hilton through Priceline...any tricks...I have never used their site before :o

[Host Faith]

Can I ask how you managed to successfully get the Caribe Hilton through Priceline...any tricks...I have never used their site before :o

 

Absolutely! If you go to the San Juan port of call forum here on CC (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131), you will see a thread called Summary of Winning Bids on Priceline. Tons of great information on bidding for a hotel in San Juan. You can also check out betterbidding.com for an idea of what people are winning on Priceline. Reading those two sources will give you a good idea of what rate to begin with, and how to re-bid if necessary.

 

I went to the Name Your Own Price section, and started bidding at $80, then $85, and finally $90. Hope this helps! :)

[du4mch]

Were leaving for the AOS this Friday. Staying at the Caribe Hilton also. Can you walk to old SJ from the Hotel or is to far?

[Host Faith]

Were leaving for the AOS this Friday. Staying at the Caribe Hilton also. Can you walk to old SJ from the Hotel or is to far?

 

From what I saw, walking to OSJ is doable, but it's a long walk. I would rather take a quick taxi there to have more time to enjoy the city.

[du4mch]

Thanks, BTW love the Beagles, we have 2

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Faith413:

 

I just read through your review now, but I wanted to say thank you for such an awesome review. So detailed and well-written, it obviously took lots of time. Also, you and your friends and family all looked so nice each day and night, like you were having such a great time. Would love to cruise with people like you!

 

Thanks again for sharing, I've never been to the Southern Caribbean but hope to someday!!

Stacy

[Host Faith]

Thanks, BTW love the Beagles, we have 2

 

Gotta love beagles! I love my doggie's bark. Can't imagine life without him now :)

 

Faith413:

 

I just read through your review now, but I wanted to say thank you for such an awesome review. So detailed and well-written, it obviously took lots of time. Also, you and your friends and family all looked so nice each day and night, like you were having such a great time. Would love to cruise with people like you!

 

Thanks again for sharing, I've never been to the Southern Caribbean but hope to someday!!

Stacy

 

Thank you so much Stacy! We had a wonderful time. Planning to take a cruise with Mom and Janelle next month, I can't wait. Perhaps we'll see one another on a roll-call for the S. Caribbean in the future, you never know! :cool:

[lalacruizin]

Do you have to have reservations for Lobster Alive? I looked at the website and they had a reservation form.

[Host Faith]

Do you have to have reservations for Lobster Alive? I looked at the website and they had a reservation form.

 

hi there! No need for reservations if you're just going to the beach. We even walked up and had lunch without having a reservation. I think that form is likely for people going there for dinner :)

[Host Faith]

Hi Faith413,

Thank you for the wonderful review!

 

We sailed on the Serenade of the Seas during Thanksgiving week. Based on your recommendation, we attended the Pasta Making Demonstration in Portofino's. We thoroughly enjoyed it...very informative and of course the food is delicious!

 

Thanks for the recommendation....by the way, the Serenade is now my new favorite ship! We loved it!

 

Pambo, I just saw this comment and noticed I never responded. Thank you so much for the compliments. So glad you enjoyed the demonstration. I drool every time I think of the truffled ribbon pasta in Portofino :D. Can't wait to sail the Serenade again this October!

[ankorway]

Wonderful review. Loved the pictures too. We will be on the Serenade in August --this gives us an idea.

When you purchased the rum samples--were they taken away for the last night packing? Just wonderin'

[Host Faith]

Wonderful review. Loved the pictures too. We will be on the Serenade in August --this gives us an idea.

When you purchased the rum samples--were they taken away for the last night packing? Just wonderin'

 

Thank you! Glad the review was helpful. Actually, they didn't take the rum away from me when boarding in St. Croix. I was surprised. I figured perhaps it didn't matter much since it was the last night on the ship?

[Host Faith]

Hi Everyone! Just reading through this thread again since my husband and I are sailing the Serenade again in October. We just love this ship. We're celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary, and it's the first time we've sailed alone since 2009, lol! Looking forward to it. :D

Here's what we're planning to do on each island:

Saturday: Fly into San Juan. Staying at La Concha Resort. Dinner at Latin Roots.

Sunday: Board the ship

Monday: St. Thomas: Day sail with Rumbaba

Tuesday: St. Kitts: Island Tour with Thenford Gray, dinner at Chops

Wednesday: Day at Sea, dinner at Portofino

Thursday: Aruba: Sightseeing tour with Ivan (do a search on him in the Aruba board) from 9-12 with another couple from our roll call :). Drop off at Amsterdam Manor for beach time afterward.

Friday: Taxi to Blue Bay Beach resort. Noon pickup from Curacao Actief for 2.5 hour tour of the city. Free time to wander Oranjestad on our own.

Saturday: Day at Sea

Sunday: 10:30 AM flight

I can't wait to post my review after we return. Trying to buy a better camera this time for great photos. Anyone have suggestions for cameras they take when traveling? It would be great to find one that has underwater capabilities but still takes awesome regular photos.

[Darkingnj]

Thanks for a great post. We too are from NJ and appreciate your post. We sail on Serenade beginning August 28th.

[Host Faith]

Thanks for a great post. We too are from NJ and appreciate your post. We sail on Serenade beginning August 28th.

 

Thank you for reading! Enjoy your cruise, you're so fortunate to be leaving next month. I can't complain though since we're leaving in three months :).