Serenade of the Seas - Venice Itinerary Review (Aug 11, 2013)

[windjamming]

A question regarding the ice cream. Was it soft serve or hard? Is there hard ice cream available in bowls or cones at the buffet or only in the MDR?

 

Oh, VERY GOOD QUESTIONS that I forgot to address. The Windjammer always had soft serve ice cream, on both sides. Bowls and cones. I believe the flavors were chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. On occasion, they also had hard ice cream at lunch, on the infamous warm banana day, as well as another day when they had the world's biggest apple pie.

 

But wait, there's more. Every night at dinner, they had hard ice cream, next to the soups. One flavor every night. I remember pistachio and butter pecan, but I'm sure there were others. Given that it was sitting there, without much ice under it, it wasn't exactly hard, though.

Edited October 1, 2013 by windjamming

[windjamming]

And for the grand finale...

 

ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT

 

- Ricky Matthews from Jamaica was CD, and his ACD was Carlos from Mexico. Ricky spoke in English and Carlos translated into Spanish. Ricky had just come back from the Oasis, where he relieves the CDs when they are on vacation. They did a good job, considering it was tough to do a bilingual act. Sometimes jokes wouldn't quite translate or travel well across the pond. (Ricky introduced himself as being "from Jamaica…..Queens", which is only funny for people who know NYC. Jamaica is a neighborhood in Queens, a borough of NYC.)

 

- In the first half of the cruise, there was only one show in the theater, at 8pm. We missed most of these shows, because it was tight to go from dinner to the show. Only when they started having 2 shows did we start going to the shows regularly. The main seating shows generally were at 9pm, which gave us time to finish dinner at a leisurely pace and still make it to the theater with plenty of time.

 

- Diamond Plus and Suite guests had the first 2 rows of the balcony reserved until about 5 minutes before the start of the show. (For some reason, Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" was played right before every show started.)

 

- We skipped the production shows but went to a few of the headliners. The East Coast Boys, a Jersey Boys tribute group, were high energy and a lot of fun, and they performed all the favorites (Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Oh, What a Night). Paul Williams was a singer who did Frank Sinatra standards. The hypnotist was terrific, and a comedian with balancing tricks was very talented.

 

- Los Diablos Gauchos performed early in the cruise. I don't know how to describe them. They spun balls on a cord and were able to knock a cigarette out of the mouth of a volunteer from the audience. They were from Argentina, and one of the gauchos taught tango later on in the cruise. We saw them all over the ship.

 

- The "50 million guest" celebration happened on our cruise. There was a special celebration one evening. As much as I wanted to stay up, I fell asleep and missed all the festivities. I believe there was an aerial show and a balloon drop. We also missed the other aerial show - Jack and his Magic Beans (?) - as it was held during the day on one of the last sea days. I completely forgot about it and was somewhere else on the ship.

 

- Music in the Centrum (usually by the Liberty Hounds) was loud. Really loud. On Deck 9, it was loud, and once, when I accidentally found myself on Deck 4 near them, it was earsplitting.

 

- The Maitre d' did magic tricks one evening, in the Centrum. He was pretty good, but I wasn't able to see much. If you want to see him, go early for good seats in the Centrum.

 

- Billiards and dart tournaments almost every day. Same with trivia. Considering it was a port intensive cruise, I thought Ricky and Carlos did a fantastic job filling the days with activities. On our other Mediterranean cruises, there was almost nothing listed in the Cruise Compass on port days.

 

- Movies on the big screen poolside. One afternoon, a Bon Jovi concert was shown. This Jersey girl would have been happy parking herself poolside, but she again forgot. I need to start carrying around the Cruise Compass again. Or else RCI should figure out an app with the Compass for the iPhone.

 

- Mom and I tried the slots a few times. Nothing too exciting. The casino has a small non-smoking area, and, with the Royal Revitalization, the port side now opens into the English pub. The pub is a smoking venue, so sometimes smoke came into the casino. Not a huge deal, but something to be aware.

 

- We were lucky enough to go on a bridge tour. First officer Diego kept us in stitches, telling us about the Engineers in the Engine Room (never coming up to daylight), explaining how food waste was ground up (and then warning us about the soup du jour), and sharing how pilots give recommendations while entering/exiting a port, or going through the Straits of Messina (and always enjoying a free cup of coffee).

 

SERVICES

 

- We were fortunate to be able to use both the Concierge Lounge and the Diamond Lounge and generally popped in once a day for a coffee or a snack. Even in the afternoon, fruit and cookies were always available. The CL is the old Hollywood Odyssey and had an outdoor balcony. Once, we were sitting the CL in the afternoon, and a guy hopped the balcony fence, came into the CL, took a cookie, and walked out. !!

 

- The DL was a portion of the Viking Crown Lounge and had a great view of both sides of the ship. It was recommended as a fantastic place for sail away, but somehow we were always elsewhere. The CL used our regular SeaPass, but the DL had a separate key.

 

- While we liked Remi (the Concierge), we absolutely adored Nadija, the Diamond Concierge. (And although her name tag says Bosnia, she's Croatian!!) Nadija really took care of the D and D+ guests and knew us by name. She took care of everything (let's just say Guest Services is not my favorite place on earth) quickly and efficiently. I think she is my favorite Concierge, hands down.

 

- Almost every day the C&A loyalty staff sent something to the room, whether it was a plate of goodies or just a note. We were invited to a lunch with officers on the first Sea Day, which for some reason we skipped. Maybe we forgot? (I blame my lack of a phone for forgetting to go to activities, lol!) On the second to last Sea Day, they had a special C&A trivia (tip: Hotel Director's favorite port is Dubai), and we won a bottle of champagne!

 

- Mom and I went to the gym a few times. The treadmills were standard, with iPhone connectivity. Some were on the Metric System. I didn't know that when I peeked at my Mom's treadmill and saw her going (what I thought) over 5 mph like a walk in a park. After my initial shock I realized it was in kilometers.

 

- I tried to go to one of the gym classes. (Really.) Except the instructor never showed up. When the 4 of us waiting for the class called the front desk, someone came up from the Spa and said the instructor was running late from a meeting. Erm? They promised to offer a make up class and took down our names and staterooms. I never heard from them.

 

- The shops were nearly empty. Because we never left the EU, purchases made at the shops had a 21% VAT, and business was definitely affected. I was told a portion of the VAT could be reclaimed, but I didn't want to figure out which part, and, really, I didn't want anything that badly.

 

- Overall, I thought the service was uneven. I stopped going to Guest Services after it took 3 tries to get rid of an erroneous Mini Bar charge from my account. The gym teacher skipped a class because he had a meeting, and the Windjammer waitstaff looked like they couldn't be bothered to pick up plates (though the situation improved a lot mid-cruise).

 

- That said, the Concierges were top notch, and I also really liked the loyalty staff. Our dining room waitstaff team was also awesome, and the guys in the Park Cafe were always smiling. The First Officer was a riot, the Security team was great, and someone in housekeeping was always polishing the handrails and keeping the ship sparkly.

 

- The Radiance class is my favorite. While it doesn't have the Wow of the Oasis or a Royal Promenade, I love all the glass and pockets of calm. I find it the perfect counterbalance for port intensive cruises. Now with the Park Cafe, there's another nice little corner of quiet to relax in after a day in port.

 

CONCLUSION

 

This was an incredible trip, and we all agreed that it was one of our favorites. I think the key was that we didn't overdo it on the activities and made sure we had a lot of downtime. Although I didn't spend a ton of time researching, some preparation was needed, particularly when traveling with Seniors.

 

- Knowing that it was August in the Mediterranean, we got camel bak water bottles for everyone. I carried the bottles in my tote bag, and it was great to have water available whenever.

 

- Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports is great reading. Lots of insightful information and written in a humorous way.

 

- Upgrading seats on the flight is a worthy splurge. We all arrived in Barcelona feeling decently fed and rested, which was 1000% better than how we felt when we flew coach into Rome the last time.

 

- A fitbit is a great fitness motivator to keep track of just how much walking was done. Mom and Dad both walked tons, and they felt great.

 

- Every day, I made sure that Mom and Dad both knew what was the plan for the day and how much walking/activity was required. It helped a lot that all of our excursions were a half-day, and we still had a lot of time to rest between ports.

 

In summary, YES, the Mediterranean is absolutely doable for Seniors. Dad, who prior to the trip wasn't too keen on traveling, now is talking about next summer's vacation! Stay tuned. : )

Edited October 1, 2013 by windjamming

[windjamming]

And that's a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for following along, and I so appreciate everyone's encouragement on my first picture review. I now understand just a little bit of how much time and effort go into the epic sagas that Kreuzfahrtneuling, Middle Aged Drama Queen, Radio, Trainman, and Familygoboston put together and how talented they are in their storytelling skills.

 

Hopefully this was of help to others who may be considering traveling with their older parents, and I welcome feedback and questions. Happy cruising, and looking forward to reading your reviews!!

[Ba' Datz]

Oh, VERY GOOD QUESTIONS that I forgot to address. The Windjammer always had soft serve ice cream, on both sides. Bowls and cones. I believe the flavors were chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. On occasion, they also had hard ice cream at lunch, on the infamous warm banana day, as well as another day when they had the world's biggest apple pie.

 

But wait, there's more. Every night at dinner, they had hard ice cream, next to the soups. One flavor every night. I remember pistachio and butter pecan, but I'm sure there were others. Given that it was sitting there, without much ice under it, it wasn't exactly hard, though.

 

Thanks for the Windjammer info. Do you know if they had hard ice cream in the MDR for Lunch and Dinner?

[windjamming]

Thanks for the Windjammer info. Do you know if they had hard ice cream in the MDR for Lunch and Dinner?

 

Not sure about lunch but definitely at dinner. Usually 2-3 flavors plus a sugar free option.

[kirian]

What a wonderful journey - thank you so much for taking us along! I think you did an absolutely fabulous job for your first review. Stef is trying to "encourage" me to write review on my sailing (which embarks 3 weeks from today!!!!!!!!) She's using the same tactics she used with you, so she will probably "win" and I will attempt a review :p:D It's always so interesting to read how different travelers have totally different experinces and do different things on the exact same itinerary. It will be fun to see how the trip for my mom and I differ from your's and Stef's.

 

Again, thanks so much for taking the time detail your adventure for all of us. Can't wait to read your "next" review :D

 

Melissa

[paylady]

And for the grand finale...

 

SERVICES

 

- The DL was a portion of the Viking Crown Lounge and had a great view of both sides of the ship. It was recommended as a fantastic place for sail away, but somehow we were always elsewhere. The CL used our regular SeaPass, but the DL had a separate key.

 

- While we liked Remi (the Concierge), we absolutely adored Nadija, the Diamond Concierge. (And although her name tag says Bosnia, she's Croatian!!) Nadija really took care of the D and D+ guests and knew us by name. She took care of everything (let's just say Guest Services is not my favorite place on earth) quickly and efficiently. I think she is my favorite Concierge, hands down.

 

Thanks for the info on the CL and DL concierge. I was wondering about the new concierge. I was looking forward to seeing Francois again but alas he is now with Celebrity. I will be sure to visit the DL after your good experience. I usually avoid Guest Services and let the concierge assist if I need anything so that sounds like the right tactic on Serenade.

 

- Almost every day the C&A loyalty staff sent something to the room, whether it was a plate of goodies or just a note. We were invited to a lunch with officers on the first Sea Day, which for some reason we skipped. Maybe we forgot? (I blame my lack of a phone for forgetting to go to activities, lol!) On the second to last Sea Day, they had a special C&A trivia (tip: Hotel Director's favorite port is Dubai), and we won a bottle of champagne!

 

We had a wonderful lunch with the officers on Jewel in May when it repositioned from FL to PR. It's a bittersweet memory now since Malcolm, the Staff Captain passed away weeks later. We sat at his table and really enjoyed his company.

 

- Mom and I went to the gym a few times. The treadmills were standard, with iPhone connectivity. Some were on the Metric System. I didn't know that when I peeked at my Mom's treadmill and saw her going (what I thought) over 5 mph like a walk in a park. After my initial shock I realized it was in kilometers. I hope the treadmills have the little "shelf" so I can read a book on my iPad while walking. I find the walk goes by much quicker that way!

 

- The Radiance class is my favorite. While it doesn't have the Wow of the Oasis or a Royal Promenade, I love all the glass and pockets of calm. I find it the perfect counterbalance for port intensive cruises. Now with the Park Cafe, there's another nice little corner of quiet to relax in after a day in port.

 

 

Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us!

Edited October 1, 2013 by paylady

[windjamming]

What a wonderful journey - thank you so much for taking us along! I think you did an absolutely fabulous job for your first review. Stef is trying to "encourage" me to write review on my sailing (which embarks 3 weeks from today!!!!!!!!) She's using the same tactics she used with you, so she will probably "win" and I will attempt a review :p:D It's always so interesting to read how different travelers have totally different experinces and do different things on the exact same itinerary. It will be fun to see how the trip for my mom and I differ from your's and Stef's.

 

Aww, thanks Melissa! You are in the homestretch!! I think it would be so cool if you wrote a review. The itinerary is rich with so many different possibilities, it's like we're getting bonus cruises with every review. Plus, it will be really interesting to hear what it's like in October. And as much as we joke about Stef's "tactics" (just kidding, Stef), it's actually been a ton of fun writing the review.

 

Have a SUPER time with your mom!!!

[windjamming]

Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with us!

 

Aww, thanks paylady! You've been so encouraging throughout the review.

 

We were also on the Jewel repo cruise in May! I'd be very curious to hear your comparisons between the 2 ships. For some reason we kept finding ourselves comparing the Serenade to the Jewel, with the Jewel crew coming out ahead. It seems a number of the Serenade crew were on the ship only because they spoke Spanish.

 

You'll love Nadija. She's just a really nice person who enjoys being helpful.

 

Have a great time!!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Windjamming!

 

Thank you for a wonderful review! (told you it would be fun, didn't I:D?)

 

You did a fantastic job and I enjoyed it immensely. Especially the pictures of Venice blew me away! I totally agree that with every new review of "our" cruise it's like scoring a new cruise alltogether! Thank you for that!

 

Oh, the song in the beginning of each show -- that's the "personal" song of the cruise director. They each have a separate one...Our CD had some rock theme from Black Sabbath... I forgot which one it was....it was hard to recognize anyway the way the orchestra played it:o.

 

Thanks for putting my name next to Sherrys... I felt like I grew another inch just that second:cool:.

 

I seriously hope you'll keep on writing reviews? I definitely look forward to the new ones! Thank you again! You rock!

 

Stef

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

stef is trying to "encourage" me to write review on my sailing (which embarks 3 weeks from today!!!!!!!!) she's using the same tactics she used with you, so she will probably "win" and i will attempt a review :p:d

 

melissa

 

yay!!!!!!!!

[paylady]

Aww, thanks paylady! You've been so encouraging throughout the review.

 

We were also on the Jewel repo cruise in May! I'd be very curious to hear your comparisons between the 2 ships. For some reason we kept finding ourselves comparing the Serenade to the Jewel, with the Jewel crew coming out ahead. It seems a number of the Serenade crew were on the ship only because they spoke Spanish.

 

You'll love Nadija. She's just a really nice person who enjoys being helpful.

 

Have a great time!!

 

I'll let you know. Thanks to you, I will avoid the temptation to compare the two crews. Mpho was managing Guest Services on Jewel at the time we cruised. I'm sure that made a big difference for me with the Jewel Guest Services team. He is such a nice man. I've now been on three cruises with him and he is aways so gracious.

[windjamming]

Thank you for a wonderful review! (told you it would be fun, didn't I:D?)

 

You did a fantastic job and I enjoyed it immensely. Especially the pictures of Venice blew me away! I totally agree that with every new review of "our" cruise it's like scoring a new cruise alltogether! Thank you for that!

 

Oh, the song in the beginning of each show -- that's the "personal" song of the cruise director. They each have a separate one...Our CD had some rock theme from Black Sabbath... I forgot which one it was....it was hard to recognize anyway the way the orchestra played it:o.

 

Thanks for putting my name next to Sherrys... I felt like I grew another inch just that second:cool:.

 

I seriously hope you'll keep on writing reviews? I definitely look forward to the new ones! Thank you again! You rock!

 

Aww...I'm so honored, Stef! And HUGE credit to you for bringing together a wonderful, encouraging, engaging community of past, present, and future Venice cruisers. (Yes, you did!)

 

Our next cruise will likely be on NCL, so it'll be a different type of review. I'm already thinking about how to frame it. : )

 

Thanks again, and looking forward to your MSC review!

 

PS: I need a "personal" theme song, to be played whenever I come into work!

[kirian]

PS: I need a "personal" theme song, to be played whenever I come into work!

 

OMG! Almost spit my coffee all over my keyboard when I read this :eek::p Wouldn't that by hystical (and loud) if we all had a personal theme song to greet us when we walked in the door...lol :D

 

Melissa

[wnycruisefam66]

Hi:

 

I just wanted to post & say how much I've enjoyed your review! I'm not traveling with seniors next year, instead with teens, but I enjoy reading trip reports from all perspectives & love the pictures! You're so lucky to be able to travel with your parent. Mine are gone now, but I would have really enjoyed doing a trip like yours.

[windjamming]

OMG! Almost spit my coffee all over my keyboard when I read this :eek::p Wouldn't that by hystical (and loud) if we all had a personal theme song to greet us when we walked in the door...lol :D

 

LOL, that would be AWESOME. I'm envisioning this for tomorrow morning. Why does Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" keep popping up in my mind? : )

[windjamming]

I just wanted to post & say how much I've enjoyed your review! I'm not traveling with seniors next year, instead with teens, but I enjoy reading trip reports from all perspectives & love the pictures! You're so lucky to be able to travel with your parent. Mine are gone now, but I would have really enjoyed doing a trip like yours.

 

Thanks wnycruisefam66! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's fun traveling with my parents, and I really do feel lucky to see and experience all these wonderful places with them. It's so wonderful your teens are getting to travel at such an early age, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Have a wonderful time on your cruise, and thanks again for posting!

[EMED2010]

Excellent review! Loved your pictures! It was great to hear about some different tour options and your bathroom info is priceless:p:

[windjamming]

Excellent review! Loved your pictures! It was great to hear about some different tour options and your bathroom info is priceless:p:

 

Thanks for the nice words, EMED2010! It was a fun trip. I'm guessing from your screen name that you are a fan of this (or similar) itinerary!

 

I also loved your Explorer review, with all the pictures! I am from NJ but don't go on the Explorer as much as I'd like. :)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[EMED2010]

Thanks for the nice words, EMED2010! It was a fun trip. I'm guessing from your screen name that you are a fan of this (or similar) itinerary!

 

I also loved your Explorer review, with all the pictures! I am from NJ but don't go on the Explorer as much as I'd like. :)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Yep, you are correct about the screen name. I loved that itinerary and cruise. We overnighted in Venice too. Venus was SO incredible!

 

Thanks! I feel bad- I never finished the last two sea days. I got so busy that I ran out of time.

[cruiseclues]

Really great photo review...enjoyed it very much. :):):):)

[ms8654]

Not sure if the red question regarding hair versus wine was answered since I have three more pages to read.

 

Hair in Italian is always referred to in the plural; therefore, the color is also plural - i capelli rossi (the hairs red). Wine in the singular is il vino rosso (the wine red).

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[windjamming]

Not sure if the red question regarding hair versus wine was answered since I have three more pages to read.

 

Hair in Italian is always referred to in the plural; therefore, the color is also plural - i capelli rossi (the hairs red). Wine in the singular is il vino rosso (the wine red).

 

The question wasn't answered..until now! Thanks ms8654 for the useful info and finally helping me understand what I said wrong. I'm claiming credit for at least getting the right root word, if not the correct form. :)

[ms8654]

You're welcome. Happy to put those Italian lessons to good use.

 

Marie

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[denisey]

Great review!

 

I'm caught up in all g here reviews of the Serenade in the Mediterranean. And even though each is different, I've learned a lot from each one.

 

Thank you for all your time and effort to do this review!