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

[Host Faith]

We took a quick taxi ride to the pier. I have to say that the check in process was very smooth this time. We arrived around 11:15 and there was a good-sized line formed already.

 

 

 

 

 

We waited about 5 minutes or so to give the porters our luggage. We waited about 10 minutes after that before the doors opened. Went through security and opened our Seapass accounts, and right away we were able to take our photos and hear that wonderful, “Ping!” when our Seapasses were swiped for the first time. I caught Wes grin when his was swiped. Something about that beeping sound confirms that the fun on the ship has begun!

 

 

 

 

Our first moments on the ship:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the navigational designs on the elevator doors. As you can see, the elevator walls are glass. It’s awesome to ride these while we’re at sea, you see nothing but ocean. Beautiful!

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

 

Right away, we made our way to the Windjammer for lunch. We didn’t have breakfast at the hotel since we knew we were headed to a buffet as soon as we got on the ship.

 

Beautiful carved fruit display at the entrance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s my first meal on the ship:

 

 

 

[slyster]

Hi Chrystal! We were on the same cruise...we had to have been very close to each other in line because we got to the pier around 11:15 as well. We waited about 10 minutes for the porters to collect our bags and we waited an additional 20 minutes or so before they allowed us through security. We waited at the end of the ropes. I did notice the lines grew quickly! But once it started moving, it took less than 15 minutes to get through the line, through check-in, and our welcome aboard photo. We had a blast!

 

Did you ever go to the early shows? My partner Cindy is deaf and she and I sat up front on the left side facing the stage with the interpreters. Anyway, can't wait to hear your take on the cruise :-)

[Host Faith]

By the time we finished a leisurely lunch, it was pretty close to 1:00. We walked down to deck 9 to wait for the staterooms to open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love all the artwork on the ship. I’ll be posting a lot of my fave pieces throughout the review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were some of the first to reach out staterooms on deck 9. Our room was #9568, midship, on the starboard side of the ship. Last year we had hump cabin #9576, and while we were a few doors forward of it, I was a little sad that we wouldn’t have the hump cabin this time.

 

…but I have to admit- this was our first non-hump balcony, and we were perfectly happy with the regular balcony. As long as we have our own little place to sit and watch the ocean go by, we’re happy campers. Another thing I like about the Radiance class is that the balconies are made of glass on the outside. That way you can sit down on the balcony and still have a great view with no obstructions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the view on the starboard side in San Juan. I always take a photo of this church across the lagoon:

 

 

 

 

Carnival Victory docked in Old San Juan:

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

One thing Wes did notice right away was the flat-screen TV in the cabin. He really liked that. It’s anchored on a sliding platform that comes forward and swivels so you can watch TV comfortably from the bed.

 

 

 

 



 

 

[Host Faith]

More pics of the room and bathroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The room category is a D1, so there was a Pullman and a sofa bed. You can see the Pullman in the ceiling.

 

 

[Host Faith]

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. :)

 

Hi lorrdean! Niice! I can imagine sailing the Serenade in the Med, it must be a beautiful cruise!

[Host Faith]

Hi Chrystal! We were on the same cruise...we had to have been very close to each other in line because we got to the pier around 11:15 as well. We waited about 10 minutes for the porters to collect our bags and we waited an additional 20 minutes or so before they allowed us through security. We waited at the end of the ropes. I did notice the lines grew quickly! But once it started moving, it took less than 15 minutes to get through the line, through check-in, and our welcome aboard photo. We had a blast!

 

Did you ever go to the early shows? My partner Cindy is deaf and she and I sat up front on the left side facing the stage with the interpreters. Anyway, can't wait to hear your take on the cruise :-)

 

Hi Sarah! I remember looking around while we were in line, wondering who was on our roll call. It was a really great cruise!

 

Actually...we didn't see any shows. While on the ship, we did a whole lot of absolutely nothing, and it was HEAVEN! LOL! We went to watch the comedian once but stood in the back, and left early. Honestly, I don't think he was that funny and I'm sure others will totally disagree, but jmho. That's one thing I like about cruising though, there are so many things you can do- or do nothing at all. Thousands of people can be on the same ship and have a completely different experience from everyone else :D

[Host Faith]

We are Gold Crown and Anchor Members, so we each got a savings booklet. A note from our TA (showing our onboard credit) and our Compass were on the desk as well.

 

 

[vickiw0318]

The best sound in the world is the first "ping" - the worst one is the last one....

 

Seriously, love your review and your philosophy. One cruise critic buddy and I have noted that it is possible to check "did not use" on most every category on the comment card and still have a marvelous cruise.

[Host Faith]

The best sound in the world is the first "ping" - the worst one is the last one....

 

Seriously, love your review and your philosophy. One cruise critic buddy and I have noted that it is possible to check "did not use" on most every category on the comment card and still have a marvelous cruise.

 

I agree with you completely! I was so sad to give them my card to swipe for the last time. I got sad when I heard the pings ahead of me as we left the ship!

 

...and we did actually check "did not use" on just about everything. Still had a fabulous time. :)

[Host Faith]

So Wes knew leading up to this trip that there would be an Eagles game airing at 1:00. Such a nifty gadget-guy, he linked his iPhone to his laptop so he could watch the game while we were on the ship. So this was my last view of him before I went to explore the ship for a while lol.

 

 

 

 

I opened the door to leave (it was about 1:30), and our luggage was outside the door. That was fast!

 

I went to deck 6 to check out Chops and Portofino. We received a free specialty dinner from our TA and I was excited to book Chops. We already booked Portofino online about two weeks before the cruise, so I just confirmed our reservation.

 

Deck 6 contains the Schooner Bar, which you have to walk through to get to the specialty restaurants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruiseboomer]

 

 

 

I was surprised at how empty it was…but then again it was still early on a Saturday morning. The last time I was there, it was total pandemonium, in a lively, wonderful way. We had to wait for someone to seat us that time, and it was about a 10-minute wait. This time, the hostess encouraged us to choose wherever we wanted to sit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm staying on Cll San Francisso at Da House week from Saturday. Plan on eating at La Bombonera for late lunch. So it was great I assume? My cruise heads out on Sunday, Serenade of the Seas.

[Host Faith]

Another pic of the Schooner Bar:

 

 

 

 

After confirming our ressies, I went past Portofino and took a look at the Safari Club. Really nice in there with lots of mahogany furniture, seating for small groups to watch flat screen TV’s, and the famous Gyro Pool Tables. They remain level no matter how much the ship rocks. Pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

I'm staying on Cll San Francisso at Da House week from Saturday. Plan on eating at La Bombonera for late lunch. So it was great I assume? My cruise heads out on Sunday, Serenade of the Seas.

 

Hi Barb! Yes, it was good! Not fancy at all, but I like to look for locals to be sure we're in the right spot- and there were lots there.

 

The service was quick, and portions were reasonable. Don't forget to try a mallorca! We had ours toasted with butter. Very good.:)

[Host Faith]

Took some more photos of the dining room and the centrum of the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never noticed this picture (near the Guest Services desk)- she’s the godmother of the Serenade!

 

 

[Ashland]

Enjoying your posts/pics so very much...Any idea what is going to be happening with sailing out of San Juan in 2013..ship/itinerary etc....and when will we find out ?? Info on the El Convento..have you stayed there ? Which ports are your favorite in the southern caribbean...Thanks so much :)

[Host Faith]

Enjoying your posts/pics so very much...Any idea what is going to be happening with sailing out of San Juan in 2013..ship/itinerary etc....and when will we find out ?? Info on the El Convento..have you stayed there ? Which ports are your favorite in the southern caribbean...Thanks so much :)

 

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the review. I'm not sure what's happnieng in 2013? This thread seems to give the latest info on the deployment schedule: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1355193&highlight=2013&page=19.

 

I've never stayed at El Convento. There are lots of reviews on tripadvisor.com though, and they should give you a pretty accurate idea of the hotel. I think we would stay there if we sailed from San Juan again.

 

It's hard to pick my favorite ports in the Southern Caribbean! Well, it's hard to narrow it down. I think my favorites have been (in no order):

 

Antigua- gorgeous beaches. Creole Cruises is one of my favorite excursions so far

 

St. Lucia and St Kitts (tied)- lush foliage, incredible views, beautiful mountains that stand in stark contrast to the ocean

 

St. John (St. Thomas, USVI)- hands down the best beach I've ever seen at Trunk Bay. May favorite spot on Earth so far.

 

Aruba- love the contrast of the desert and ocean next to one another.

 

I really like islands that offer dramatic views, and have a lot of areas that aren't completely run over with resorts, etc. I really like seeing contrasts in nature (mountains/ocean or desert/ocean). If we can find spots on islands that make us feel like we're some of the only people there for a few moments, I really enjoy that.

[Host Faith]

I visited the pool deck (deck 11) to check out the scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was plenty of space available for lounging, so I ran back to the room to change into my bathing suit. I took note of the items available in the fridge, FYI:

 

 

 

Another shot of the church from the balcony- I think I’m obsessed with getting just the right shot of it lol.

 

 

 

[Host Faith]

Since the Eagles game was still on (LOL), I knew I had some time to get some sun on my own. I grabbed some magazines I’ve been saving just for the trip (National Geographic Traveler and Travel and Leisure), as well as a new book I’ve been dying to read (Forbidden by Ted Dekker), and skipped my way up to the pool deck. I spent about an hour here. This was my view:

 

 

 



 

 

 

…then got hot and went into the Solarium to enjoy the loungers behind the Jacuzzi:

 

 

 

 

 

The Solarium is completely enclosed in glass, and they pipe in the sounds of birds chirping. It’s a nice place to take a nap- I saw lots of people doing this throughout the week. It’s adults-only, a nice quiet spot to relax.

[Host Faith]

After my time at the pool, I went to the main dining room to request a change to My Time Dining. We booked about a month out (waiting for a promotion to book), so we could only secure the 8:30 seating initially. I had no problem switching us to MTD. I noticed that the prepaid gratuities weren’t charged to our Seapasses until about Friday night.

 

I went back to the room to rest, shower, and change. We unpacked as well. Our luggage fit under the bed fine, and we brought all the extra wire hangers we didn’t want in our closet at home, so we could hang most of our clothes instead of folding them. We left the hangers in the stateroom at the end of the cruise.

 

We went to dinner around 6:30, since the muster drill was going to be at 8 and the sailaway at 8:30. We instantly recognized our waiter, Peter, since we had him last year! It was nice to see him again. He is a great waiter; always kind, courteous, and calm in the midst of the chaos that can occur in the dining room.

 

I tried to get the right settings on my camera during dinner. I think Wes was amused:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had been looking forward to this dinner for a long time, since one of my favorite RCCL dishes is the truffled wild mushroom linquine alfredo. For the appetizer, I tried the watermelon gazpacho…..not a fan! Peter noticed that I didn’t like it (I wasn’t going to say anything), and offered to bring me another. I went with my always-yummy chicken tortilla soup. Wes had the prime rib, and he was happy with his meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muster drill was very efficient. It was so HOT, I was glad we were near the front of the line. I can’t imagine how stifling it must have felt to be in the back. We decided after the drill to head back to our room for sailaway. We thought about going to the pool deck, but decided it would be nice to relax and enjoy sailaway by ourselves on our balcony.

 

I don't remember what else we did that night. We mostly settled in and got ready to enjoy our week of cruising. Next up- our day in St. Thomas!

[parddr]

Loving your review. we r going to be on her on March 2012. Just a quick question - does the solarium get hot since it is enclosed with glass.

[Handsome58]

So far. Please tell your husband that the Redskins this weekend will try not to kick the stuffing out of the Eagles too much!!!!! LOL!!!!

[Host Faith]

Loving your review. we r going to be on her on March 2012. Just a quick question - does the solarium get hot since it is enclosed with glass.

 

Thanks! Actually, it's air-conditioned so no worries about it getting too hot. :) I've never seen them retract the roof either, so it's always enclosed and cool.

[Host Faith]

So far. Please tell your husband that the Redskins this weekend will try not to kick the stuffing out of the Eagles too much!!!!! LOL!!!!

 

HA!!!! I'll pass the message along to him, lol!!:D