Serenade of the Seas Photo Review- Take Two: Aruba Route

[Host Faith]

Sounds like you had a great time..If you were going to stay in old San Juan walking distance to everything..what hotel would you recommend and why..Thank you so much...

 

Hi Ashland! Yes, we had a great time. Now that I've seen where El Convento is, I would consider staying there. We've never stayed in Old San Juan since we like staying close to the beach. I think if we sailed out of San Juan again, we would seriously consider El Convento. The Sheraton seems to get good reviews too, but if I could find a good rate at El Convento with AAA or a promotion, I would book there. Their reviews on tripadvisor.com are consistently positive, and it seems like you can get a better feel for San Juan by staying there.

[MikeNJ1109]

Hi Ashland! Yes, we had a great time. Now that I've seen where El Convento is, I would consider staying there. We've never stayed in Old San Juan since we like staying close to the beach. I think if we sailed out of San Juan again, we would seriously consider El Convento. The Sheraton seems to get good reviews too, but if I could find a good rate at El Convento with AAA or a promotion, I would book there. Their reviews on tripadvisor.com are consistently positive, and it seems like you can get a better feel for San Juan by staying there.

 

We hit the El Convento for Mojito's during our last cruise stop there 4 years ago ... a gorgeous hotel, very old world gracious. The public grounds are breathtaking, and you can't beat the location right in the middle of OSJ.

 

Thanks for posting the photos ...

 

Michael and Silke

[Host Faith]

Some more shots as we waited. It was a quiet, sunny, beautiful morning:

 

 

 

 

 

And I’m so sad to report that for all the pics of Spicy Caribbee that I took….we never went in. We waited until about 10:30 and the shop never opened! I have no idea why? Not that big a deal, but I was a little disappointed. I bought some souvenirs a couple shops down though. I got a nice painting and a wooden, painted recorder/flute for my godson. He’s 3 years old, and loved it!

 

When walking out of the shop Wes pointed out that there was a Piragua (shaved ice) cart on the corner. Last year I had a shaved ice with coconut milk in front of El Morro Fort, and fell in love right away. At just $2 each, it's a nice, inexpensive way to cool off in the heat. I had been looking forward to finding that same cart, but hey, one was right there so why not have one now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like how the street signs are actually on the buildings:

 

 

 

 

View of Cristo St.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2011 by Host Faith

[ldl05]

I am really enjoying your review! Great photos...ya'll are a very cute couple! Looking forward to more....:)

[Host Faith]

It was really starting to get hot, so we decided to head back to the hotel. It was about our 3rd time in old San Juan, so we figured we would explore the Condado area a little more.

 

We had the taxi drop us off at the Walgreen’s, about four blocks away from La Concha. It was nice to be able to pick up some things we forgot at home. They even had a grocery section if you wanted basics, as well as microwaveable meals.

 

A shot of Ashford Avenue heading back toward the hotel:

 

 

 

 

At the hotel, I decided to hit the beach. I couldn’t wait to lie out in the sun. The beach in front of La Concha is beautiful. Chairs and umbrellas are available for hotel guests to use, and they’re complimentary. I could see Wes hanging out on the balcony- enjoying that view again ;).

 

 

 

 

Now this is how you relax on vacation!

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, clouds can roll in pretty quickly here. I think I spent about an hour and a half on the beach before it got pretty cloudy.

 

The rest of the day was pretty lazy, lol. We napped a bit, and went out to grab some Chinese food (about a 10 minute walk to the right of the hotel on Ashford Ave), and started packing up a bit to get ready to board the ship the next day! :D

[Host Faith]

I am really enjoying your review! Great photos...ya'll are a very cute couple! Looking forward to more....:)

 

Thank you so much! Writing as fast as I can :D

[Host Faith]

Cruise Day 1 (Sunday): Boarding and Departure in San Juan

 

We woke up to a spectacular sunrise:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Called family and friends at home to check on everyone, and finished our packing. One last pic on the balcony:

 

 

 

 

We planned to leave for the ship at 11AM. I decided to check out at around 10:30, and that was a breeze. I forgot to note that I deposited cash with the hotel for incidentals ($100 per night), since I didn’t want a hold on our card. We had a “bill” from the hotel that we had to bring back to the front desk to get our cash. Using the cash was a nice option, since it was a way to hold our $$ for excursions. We didn’t purchase anything at the hotel so we got all our cash back with no issues.

 

Wes, the dutiful husband, watching the luggage as I checked out:

 

 

[donnaman43]

Great review. The Serenade is one of our favorite ships. Next you can try a b2b and extend your vacation even longer.

[knots4crewzing]

Hi,

 

So loving your review:)

Your pics are beautiful. They're bringing back fond memories of our trips to Old San Juan. Loved La Bombenera. Always fun there. Did you get a chance to see the cobble stones in the city turn blue? Only if it rains they turn that color:) Really beautiful.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do this review.

 

OH! and the last pics of the morning sunrise are AMAZING!!!!!

 

Liz

[Host Faith]

Great review. The Serenade is one of our favorite ships. Next you can try a b2b and extend your vacation even longer.

 

Thank you! I like how you think! Hehe. Wes and I were thinking about that. I think we might give that a try sometime soon, especially if we try a new ship.

[Host Faith]

Hi,

 

So loving your review:)

Your pics are beautiful. They're bringing back fond memories of our trips to Old San Juan. Loved La Bombenera. Always fun there. Did you get a chance to see the cobble stones in the city turn blue? Only if it rains they turn that color:) Really beautiful.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do this review.

 

OH! and the last pics of the morning sunrise are AMAZING!!!!!

 

Liz

 

Thank you Liz! I didn't know the cobble stones turned blue when it rained! Sorry I missed that. :( Actually, we've been pretty lucky since I don't recall any rain during our times in Old San Juan.

 

I couldn't believe the colors in clouds during that sunrise. I guess it pays to wake up early on vacation! :D

[Host Faith]

Still working on the review, I'll likely post more tonight or first thing tomorrow. Thank you for reading!

 

Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the ship or the ports. I'm happy to help if I can :)

[Conanc]

Still working on the review, I'll likely post more tonight or first thing tomorrow. Thank you for reading!

 

Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the ship or the ports. I'm happy to help if I can :)

 

I am really enjoying your review!!! I will be on the Serenade in January and can't wait! We stayed at LaConcha last year and it is our favorite hotel, too! :)

[Alayne]

I can't wait to read the next installment to see what I missed since we had to cancel. I started to check next year's cruises for the southern route but they aren't offering the same islands. I think that we would be in Antigua today on the second half of the B2B so I've been dreaming of warm sunny weather. I'm sorry that I never got to meet you, maybe next time.

Cyndi

[mimi'sgirl]

Wow! Absolutely beautiful pictures. So glad you had a wonderful pre-cruise. Can't wait to hear about your onboard experience!

[4everafter]

I can't wait to hear about your cruise!!!

[Darkwolfe]

I had to laugh.. Every single time I go to San Juan I see blue cobblestones because every time I go it's raining! Can't figure that luck out for anything!

 

Great review Faith, did a run on Serenade in '06 before my (hopefully) last life reset. Be watching for the rest of it. :)

[isabela]

I have been looking every day to see if you posted your review. Nobody explains a cruise the way you do.:p You cover everything. I love to see a young couple that shows all the love like you and Wesley. Blessings from the Lord. My sailing on the Serenade is for the 13th of November. Isabel PD. I'm from Puerto Rico but living in Fla. for the last 25 years

[Host Faith]

I am really enjoying your review!!! I will be on the Serenade in January and can't wait! We stayed at LaConcha last year and it is our favorite hotel, too! :)

 

La Concha is a great place, perfect for a quick getaway. We're looking forward to staying there for a land vacay in the future.

 

Lucky you! Enjoy your cruise! :)

[Host Faith]

I can't wait to read the next installment to see what I missed since we had to cancel. I started to check next year's cruises for the southern route but they aren't offering the same islands. I think that we would be in Antigua today on the second half of the B2B so I've been dreaming of warm sunny weather. I'm sorry that I never got to meet you, maybe next time.

 

Cyndi

 

Hi Cyndi! Thanks for stopping by :). It would have been great to meet you, maybe our paths will cross on another cruise!

[Host Faith]

Wow! Absolutely beautiful pictures. So glad you had a wonderful pre-cruise. Can't wait to hear about your onboard experience!

 

Thank you! Yes, we were laughing on Sunday morning because we would have been quite happy if we had to head back to the airport at that point. It was kind of hard to believe that we had a whole week of cruising ahead of us! :D

[Host Faith]

I can't wait to hear about your cruise!!!

 

I can't wait to share! Typing away right now.

 

I had to laugh.. Every single time I go to San Juan I see blue cobblestones because every time I go it's raining! Can't figure that luck out for anything!

 

Great review Faith' date=' did a run on Serenade in '06 before my (hopefully) last life reset. Be watching for the rest of it. :)[/quote']

 

That's hilarious! It's pretty ironic that we haven't experienced rain there because we've always been there during hurricane season. Can't really avoid it since we got married in October!

 

Thank you for the compliments! You all are encouraging me to keep writing :)

[Host Faith]

I have been looking every day to see if you posted your review. Nobody explains a cruise the way you do.:p You cover everything. I love to see a young couple that shows all the love like you and Wesley. Blessings from the Lord. My sailing on the Serenade is for the 13th of November. Isabel PD. I'm from Puerto Rico but living in Fla. for the last 25 years

 

Aww Isabela thank you so much! I'm glad you like my reviews! One of the things that is important to us is to encourage married couples to keep having fun together and enjoying their time together. Life can get so busy and stressed, and sometimes we can take one another for granted. Purposely setting aside time to spend together is a great way to "keep it all together." :)

 

Blessings to you as well!! Enjoy the Serenade! Every time we cruise, we think of how nice it must be to live in Florida, with the great beaches there and the cruise ports so close by. :D

Edited October 14, 2011 by Host Faith

[lorrdean]

can't wait for your review of the ship, we go on her next June when she is the Mediterranean. it's nice to read of places that hopefully I will visit in the not too distant future. :)