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Anyone been on the Serenade lately?

Chicagocrooza

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Chicagocrooza

Chicagocrooza

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I know there are a lot of reviews and discussion about the Allure and Oasis, I don't blame them cos' I sailed the Allure also last Aug, it was a lot of fun and very memorable.

 

Now, we are booked on the Serenade in March 2014, I had been researching about this newly refurbished ship but with not much luck. I know she will not be back in the States till Fall this year but still would like to see some reviews in her recently Med sailings. Anyone?

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Janet524

Janet524

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my DW and i are sailing on serenade in February out of nola. I am very excited as we have heard so much about these ships!

 

DH and I are also. Sailing February 8th. DH has been, but I've never been to NOLA and we'd been talking about taking a trip there. Being able to pair a few days in NOLA with a week on Serenade is great!

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JasonTehGreat

JasonTehGreat

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DH and I are also. Sailing February 8th. DH has been, but I've never been to NOLA and we'd been talking about taking a trip there. Being able to pair a few days in NOLA with a week on Serenade is great!

 

 

My cousin and I will be on the Feb 8th sailing too!

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tsi_engineer

tsi_engineer

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DH and I are also. Sailing February 8th. DH has been, but I've never been to NOLA and we'd been talking about taking a trip there. Being able to pair a few days in NOLA with a week on Serenade is great!

 

We are on the Feb 1st sailing. We will be sure and keep the ship in good shape for ya!

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renee1222

renee1222

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We are also sailing Serenade out of NOLA in January. I sailed her sister ship, Jewel, this past January. It was great and I am looking forward to the Serenade!

 

KansCocoa wrote a detailed trip report about a year ago on the Serenade in the Mediterranean. You can probably find it by searching the forum for "Middle Aged Drama Queen Serenade"

 

I'm not sure when Serenade was refurbished so it might not include any enhancements that were made.

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monn_a

monn_a

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I sailed on her the second sailing after the refurb in December (10 night Med). I didn't do a review, but if you have specific questions I will try to give you answers. A few things I can tell that you'll notice (if you've sailed her before):

 

  • Bathroom tile has been updated to a cleaner fresher look (Serenade has doors on the shower [always has])
  • Park Cafe was added to the Solarium, but it didn't seem to increase the noise level (but gone are the crepes and afternoon snacks from the Solarium cafe)
  • Seaview Cafe is now Izumi (I like both so not a problem for me)
  • Centrum stairs are gone (which I loved) and replaced by a larger Centrum area and the R Bar. This is where they held the Captains (Karin [sailed w/her three times] reception (which I didn't care for because it was hard to get a good spot- I liked it better in the theater)
  • New carpet throughout (but not really noticeable)
  • Diamond Lounge added to a part of the Viking Crown, small and over flows into the VL (movable walls) every night...
  • Concierge lounge is off of the Starquest (?) also off the VL, if my memory serves me correctly it use to be in the middle on deck 13. I could be confusing ships in this class.

Those are the biggest changes I can think of. The Radiance class is a great class of ships, a lot of glass offering great sea views. A lot of areas to just sit and relax...

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bgyoshi

bgyoshi

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Just got off the Serenade 2 days ago. In addition to the above changes posted, the rooms also have flat screen TVs, the champagne bar changed to "vintages". There's also a big screen mounted by the pool. I've been on the Vision and the Freedom, I love that there are windows everywhere, you can always see the ocean/sea. I also love the "thermal suite" inside the spa, great view of the sea while relaxing in the sauna or the tile heated beds. But I missed having a promenade on the larger ships. On the cruise days, it can get a little boring!

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Bobal

Bobal

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We'll be on Serenade later in the year - loved the Jewel and looking forward to sailing this class of ship again.

 

Did they have other additions such as ipads in the stateroom, or interactive TVs whereby you can see you account/menus/activities etc?

 

Did you notice whether they had dining packages since the have now added new dining venues?

 

They do still have the outdoor seating at the back of the Windjammer don't they? - is there also a bar out there?

 

Thanks for your help.

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bgyoshi

bgyoshi

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No iPads in the stateroom, but they did have those interactive TVs around the ship to see cruise compass, dining, activities, etc. I know they had new menus, because they announced to us that we were the first sailing with the new menu. The dining room food was delicious as usual, the Windjammer I felt quality was lower than my previous cruises. They outdoor seating is still there for the Windjammer. But one side of the outdoors seating is now the Rita's Cantina.

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CntPAcruiser

CntPAcruiser

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Just got off the Serenade 2 days ago. In addition to the above changes posted, the rooms also have flat screen TVs, the champagne bar changed to "vintages". There's also a big screen mounted by the pool. I've been on the Vision and the Freedom, I love that there are windows everywhere, you can always see the ocean/sea. I also love the "thermal suite" inside the spa, great view of the sea while relaxing in the sauna or the tile heated beds. But I missed having a promenade on the larger ships. On the cruise days, it can get a little boring!

 

Does this class of ship still have the separate saunas/steam rooms in the men's and women's locker rooms, in addition to the thermal suite?

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mjeff87

mjeff87

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bgyoshi, would you know if Alok (AL) is still on the Serenade?

 

Thanks

 

Alok is a great man. Not only did he remember me and my wife (by name, even) from a previous cruise on Serenade the year before, he remembered what I liked to drink. I was stunned....

 

Last I talked to him, he wasn't too thrilled about going to the Med this season.

 

Jeff

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krazy4cruizen

krazy4cruizen

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I know there are a lot of reviews and discussion about the Allure and Oasis, I don't blame them cos' I sailed the Allure also last Aug, it was a lot of fun and very memorable.

 

Now, we are booked on the Serenade in March 2014, I had been researching about this newly refurbished ship but with not much luck. I know she will not be back in the States till Fall this year but still would like to see some reviews in her recently Med sailings. Anyone?

 

 

Here is a great link to view photos of the new, refurbished Serenade of the Seas!! :) (comments are in German)

 

http://www.shipedia.eu/forum/7-royal...l?limitstart=0

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GP Cruiser

GP Cruiser

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Thanks mjeff87, we met Alok when he was on Monarch in LA and have cruised with him many times, hope is will be on when we sail the Serenade Oct -Nov in 2014. Yes Alok is very nice, how he remembers names and what you drink is amazing and that's seeing him once every 1-2 years.

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monn_a

monn_a

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Does this class of ship still have the separate saunas/steam rooms in the men's and women's locker rooms, in addition to the thermal suite?

Seems like I remember them being separate on the Serenade.

 

There's also the new Centrum aerial show, it wasn't ready for my sailing but they were rehearsing...

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nelblu

nelblu

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We're on the Serenade for an August 12 niter out of Barcelona. Looking forward to the refurb and the larger hump balcony on the 9th deck. We love having breakfast on the balcony as we enter the various ports and prior to the early tours.

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Cat54

Cat54

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We are also sailing Serenade out of NOLA in January. I sailed her sister ship, Jewel, this past January. It was great and I am looking forward to the Serenade!

 

KansCocoa wrote a detailed trip report about a year ago on the Serenade in the Mediterranean. You can probably find it by searching the forum for "Middle Aged Drama Queen Serenade"

 

I'm not sure when Serenade was refurbished so it might not include any enhancements that were made.

 

I was on the sailing with KansCocoa. It was before the Serenade was refurbished. I still enjoyed the ship. I love this class of ships.:)

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