Rc: Serenade of the seas - never again!

[bugsy777]

To the OP,

We will sail with the Serenade next year. I have read your review with interest. Many of the things you have described were also my impression on the Brilliance of the Seas, so I know you are not inventing things. I have never sailed Carnival and I do like Royal Caribbean a lot. Despite liking Royal Caribbean I respect your opinion. Sorry that the things you have described have let you to conclude that you do not wish to cruise with Royal anymore.

Enjoy your cruises and thanks for posting here to give your opinion.

 

Thank you, I just would not want to go on the Serenade again, not necessarily RC

[bugsy777]

It is Carnival's adult only areas. It isn't covered by a glass roof, most don't have pools, and isn't decorated as nicely.

 

 

Isn't it boring compared to this...

 

 

EDIT: The OP complained that there was no Serenity. Sure, there wasn't, but there is Heaven ;)

 

Heaven for a hand full of people who have placed their towels and belongings at 6am to secure a place.... you seem to forget that there are 2100 passengers! The solarium is too hot when cruising the Med, you need an outdoor place like serenity which is for adults only.

[bugsy777]

Totally agree!

 

Everyone is allowed their opinion and if this is only a place for cheer leaders, then no one but the cheer leaders benefit.

 

This is a place to hear the good, bad and ugly so that everyone can make an informed choice realizing that somethings go wrong, some people just complain and some people are just cheer leaders. Please stop discouraging people from offering their opinions by dogging them after they say something that isn't positive. It defeats the purpose of the site.

 

Thank you for that comment. I generally don't complain, and as I said this is the first time I write anything about my cruises. Probably this class ship should be used on short cruises only, there were just too many people crammed on board for 12 days.

I must say that the there was an exceptionally kind Windjammer manager that made a real difference and made us feel very welcome. I really would like to find more "good" but in all honesty I can't.

[Folk Singer]

Sounds to me like you should stick with Carnival. Happy Sailing :D

 

 

;);)

[Folk Singer]

I have sailed both lines several times . I never noticed the decor of ships until I went on the Carnival Legend . That ship is beyond ugly with all the urns .

 

:eek: :eek:

[Folk Singer]

It is Carnival's adult only areas. It isn't covered by a glass roof, most don't have pools, and isn't decorated as nicely.

 

 

Isn't it boring compared to this...

 

 

EDIT: The OP complained that there was no Serenity. Sure, there wasn't, but there is Heaven ;)

 

 

ok. I see the difference. Perfer the RCCL.

[Folk Singer]

Thank you, I just would not want to go on the Serenade again, not necessarily RC

 

To each their own. I guess one had to been there too actually know. Sorry your experience was not great.

[iheartbda]

Thank you for that comment. I generally don't complain, and as I said this is the first time I write anything about my cruises. Probably this class ship should be used on short cruises only, there were just too many people crammed on board for 12 days.

I must say that the there was an exceptionally kind Windjammer manager that made a real difference and made us feel very welcome. I really would like to find more "good" but in all honesty I can't.

I don't understand this at all. Ships have a capacity which they cannot go beyond. They were not cramming on more people than the ship could actually hold. All lines, including Carnival, want to sail at full capacity.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I don't understand this at all. Ships have a capacity which they cannot go beyond. They were not cramming on more people than the ship could actually hold. All lines, including Carnival, want to sail at full capacity.

 

I don't understand either. We were on the Radiance in June (same class) and never, ever felt crowded or crammed.

[ryano]

And what, exactly, would be the problem with doing just that?

 

I never said there is anything wrong with doing that. It wont happen on cruise critic though. To some, you would be better off talking about their family then you would their cruise line. I have yet to see the nastiness in this thread you all are speaking of though.

 

If someone doesn't think a negative opinion is not going to be debated with others experiences, they are sadly mistaken and obviously Cruise Critic is not the forum for them :)

 

Had the OP not used such a dramatic title and at least gave a little more balanced review, they might have been met with more welcoming replies. it was pretty much a bash fest though. Those never go over well.

Edited October 10, 2014 by ryano

[nelblu]

Thank you for that comment. I generally don't complain, and as I said this is the first time I write anything about my cruises. Probably this class ship should be used on short cruises only, there were just too many people crammed on board for 12 days.

I must say that the there was an exceptionally kind Windjammer manager that made a real difference and made us feel very welcome. I really would like to find more "good" but in all honesty I can't.

 

I don't know what you're are talking about, we've taken 3 12 nite Med. cruises on the Brilliance and Serenade and never felt one iota crowded. the only time that it gets crowded is when they have a show or Captain's night. With regards to the programs, they are available by the towel areas, guest services and also on the interactive tv. Also, there are announcements during the day as I hear them when sitting by the pool area. Therefore, unless you stayed in your room all day, you could not have missed any of the action aboard.

[Keith Rita]

We don't agree with Bugsy777 review and opinion of the Serenade based upon our experience on the ship, however we do agree he or she has the right to their opinion and review. It would probably be a very boring world if everyone's likes and dislikes were the same!;);)

[Cindy]

I'm going to preface my remarks by saying I enjoy balanced reviews that present the good with the bad, and help me make an informed decision. Unfortunately, I didn't find your review to be balanced at all. To me, it was nothing other than a Royal Caribbean slam. I have sailed with Carnival five times, and I found many of your comment surprising and puzzling. Perhaps we have very different tastes...

 

We sailed the Caribbean with Carnival Glory in 2010. The Grand Med on the Magic in 2011. Northern Europe and Norway on the Legend in 2013 and now 17th Sept 14 on RC Serenade of the Seas, the Adriatic.

 

We were obviously spoiled by Carnival as our latest cruise did not meet our expectations at all.

 

The ship: Do not expect the grandeur of Carnival's ships. The bars on Serenade are tastefully decorated. The theatre is nothing to write home about and there is only one. The cinema is terrible. There is only has 1 main dining room for its 2100 passengers. The Windjammer is definitely much better in appearance than the Lido but that is where it stops.

There is no serenity, the deck chairs are plain plastic without any cushions, so they are uncomfortable and are crammed so close together that it is difficult to sit down on one as you have to climb onto them...difficult for seniors!

The two pools are very much over salted and hurt your eyes.

 

I find the décor on RCI both grand and creative, without being overdone. The Carnival ships I cruised on had décor that ranged from sleek and pleasing in places (Dream) to bad 60's drug den (Ecstasy).

 

I found the pools on Carnival ships WAY too small for the passenger load, and was extremely disappointed to find that they had eliminated an adult pool area on the Dream. While I enjoyed the Serenity area on the Ecstasy it was hard to access, and I thought the Serenity area on the Dream was anything but serene given its location right next to the slides.

 

The Royal Caribbean dining rooms are more than adequate for the passenger load, and in my experience tables on RCI are more spaced out than tables on CCL.

 

 

The entertainment: mediocre to say the least; some shows were not repeated to accommodate both dinner sittings, which was no great loss as they were luke warm. Do not expect illusionists, comedians, acrobats and Las Vegas style dancing. There was one decent show but it lasted only 10min in the sentrum, all this on a 12 night cruise!

 

We must have very different tastes...I think the entertainment on Royal Caribbean is one of its greatest strengths. A huge disappointment on our last couple Carnival cruises was the lack of things to do that appealed to us, and the overabundance of "passenger led" entertainment instead of professional productions.

 

 

Yep, we were definitely spoiled by Carnival, unfortunately they are no longer operating in Europe.

 

Then perhaps you should choose another line in the CCL family that is operating in Europe.

 

 

Thank you for that comment. I generally don't complain, and as I said this is the first time I write anything about my cruises. Probably this class ship should be used on short cruises only, there were just too many people crammed on board for 12 days.

I must say that the there was an exceptionally kind Windjammer manager that made a real difference and made us feel very welcome. I really would like to find more "good" but in all honesty I can't.

 

This is the one comment on your thread I find the most puzzling, and to me it casts suspicion on everything you've said. I have never felt crowded on a Royal Caribbean ship, whereas one of the main reasons we stopped cruising on Carnival was the extremely crowded ships. They sail with MANY more passengers per square foot than ANY of the other lines I've cruised with (RCI, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess). I was so tired of being squashed, pushed, and shoved that we decided it was time to take a break from Carnival and explore other options.

 

It seems as though you were predisposed to dislike this cruise and ship before you even boarded. I'm sorry you spent your cruise finding fault and picking everything apart. While there are things I liked and disliked about RCI, Carnival, and every other line I've cruised on, I've always appreciated the differences, seen my cruises as an adventure, and spent my vacations making happy memories.

[judycruiser]

I do not agree with the review either. And I have traveled Carnival in the past and enjoyed it.

 

Serenade of the Seas is a beautiful ship with great crew and service. We are scheduled to do a b2b in March 2015 out of NOLA. We did this same b2b in 2014.

 

What I find really interesting is that the OP posted the same review on the Carnival board and some of those posters questioned some of his statements about Carnival and his impression of the Serenade. They concluded that he is an inexperienced cruiser. I agree with that assessment.

 

Judy

More than 100 cruises in over 40 years of cruising

[Moltar]

Heaven for a hand full of people who have placed their towels and belongings at 6am to secure a place.... you seem to forget that there are 2100 passengers! The solarium is too hot when cruising the Med, you need an outdoor place like serenity which is for adults only.

 

 

Interesting since its temperature controlled. I never sailed on a cruise on this class like you did where the majority of passengers are hanging out in the Solarium. Must have been a sight.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Moltar

[JimAOk1945]

We have cruised on both Carnival and RCI. On RCI, we always kept up with events and activities through the daily Cruise Compass received each evening at "turn down," as well as being visible 24/7 on one of the channels on the TV in our room.

 

Shore excursions options were also shown on a select TV channel as well as an insert with the Cruise Compass.

 

Having sailed on both, I can give an honest opinion on our experiences. While we enjoyed each of our four Carnival cruises, I feel we have received an overall better experience on RCI.

 

One thing that keeps us going back is the loyalty program with its array of perks. Also, since we enjoy cruising in GS and OS, there is nothing comparable with the same perks on Carnival.

 

That said, it's nice to have a variety of cruise lines and itineraries to choose from. We also enjoy Princess and have plans to try HAL and Celebrity soon.

 

Cruising is a fantastic way to explore. Happy cruising everyone!

[LetsGetWet!]

The two pools are very much over salted and hurt your eyes.

first review I've ever heard that said the were spoiled by Carnival

 

When did cruiselines start salting pools, LOL?

:D:D:D

 

Yeah, those darn salted pools. Maybe the first post I've ever seen that said Carnival was Soooooooo superior to RCCL:rolleyes:

Yep, the rant about over-salting the pools is the point where this review lost any shred of credibility it might have had. :rolleyes:

[Cruising89143]

It would have helped if the review were balanced and fair but it wasn't and I took most of it as Carnival cheerleading. The OP has every right to give their opinion but they must expect others to either agree or disagree with what is written.

 

For me I have been on both cruise lines over 40 times total with RCI edging out Carnival on the number of cruises on each line. There is not a Carnival ship in service that would make me want to board one of their ships in the future. I have found every other cruise line to be much better when all things were considered and RCI much better across the board. They are not even close in ship design.

 

To each their own and I hope the OP enjoys their next cruise regardless of line.

[Merion_Mom]

I am writing from the Phoenix airport and have not read any replies, but people are staring at me because I am laughing out loud.

 

OMG! The bars are decorated tastefully! How awful! How dare Royal Caribbean do something so heinous?

 

And they "over-salted" the pools?!?!?

 

I am gasping for breath!!!!! :D :D :D

[kwazi07]

I am writing from the Phoenix airport and have not read any replies, but people are staring at me because I am laughing out loud.

 

OMG! The bars are decorated tastefully! How awful! How dare Royal Caribbean do something so heinous?

 

And they "over-salted" the pools?!?!?

 

I am gasping for breath!!!!! :D :D :D

Hehe... I thought the same. Why is the OP complaining about nice bars?! :rolleyes:

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[crvng4mr]

So sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I was on Serenade in June for 12 nights and loved her. I had a balcony room and the closet was enough space for me and my 2 kids (one is 18) and our luggage for 22 days, as we spent many days on land before and after. I thought Serenade was beautiful! But to each their own.

 

Breakfast was always the same time so I have no idea what happened there, not typical. I will say I agree with you about the loungers but I just didn't use them.

 

Happy sailing!

[Spurschick]

OP, sorry you did not enjoy your cruise. Would you be so kind to elaborate what you mean by they didn't stay in port as long as possible. Did they shorten port times or were you disasstisfied with all aboard times. I am a little confused by what you are trying to convey:confused:

 

I'm still waiting for OP to explain what they mean by "didn't stay in port as long as possible". That's the one that got me the most confused:confused::confused:

Edited October 10, 2014 by Spurschick

[A2Mich]

OK, so it turns out that there are at least two threads on the Carnival board and this one. This will make 3 threads with the same review. To be fair, I will also copy and paste my comments from the other threads here as well......my comments will be in red text.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by bugsy777 View Post

This is the first time that I am writing a review but I feel compelled to do so.

 

We sailed the Caribbean with Carnival Glory in 2010. The Grand Med on the Magic in 2011. Northern Europe and Norway on the Legend in 2013 and now 17th Sept 14 on RC Serenade of the Seas, the Adriatic.

 

We were obviously spoiled by Carnival as our latest cruise did not meet our expectations at all.

For the first two days we had no idea what was happening on-board as there were no announcements in the room and somehow the daily "Compass" had not been delivered! Our first thought was, did the cruise director jump ship?

(John Heald-we missed you!) Upon enquiring we were told that they stopped making announcements in the rooms as there had been too many complaints...surely the choice should be left to the guest to opt to have the system on or off. So that was a very bad start. As stated elsewhere, you can always get an extra copy from Guest Services or your room steward, as well. I also don't want to hear about shopping talks or bingo while I'm relaxing in my cabin - this part is purely subjective.

 

The ship SERENADE OF THE SEAS: Do not expect the grandeur of Carnival's ships. I've never founnd Carnival's ships to be anything of grandeur. Nice, yes, but certainly no grandeur. The bars on Serenade are tastefully decorated. The theatre is nothing to write home about and there is only one. As do most cruise ships of this size. The cinema is terrible. There is only has 1 main dining room for its 2100 passengers.Carnival Legend also only has one main dining room. The Windjammer is definitely much better in appearance than the Lido but that is where it stops.

There is no serenity, as RCI calls their adult only area the Solarium, besides, Serenity is a newer concept for Carnival ships.the deck chairs are plain plastic without any cushions, so they are uncomfortable and are crammed so close together that it is difficult to sit down on one as you have to climb onto them...difficult for seniors! I can certainly see this being an issue, but also remember the days of Carnival ships not having padded loungers either. They do however have the Solarium which is covered and too hot on a Med cruise. There are only (guestimate) 50 to 80 chairs which are nicely padded with cushions but this is FAR too few for a 2100 passenger ship! And Carnival's Serenity area probably is not much larger than this, either. You may very well have been on a cruise with less families and more seniors than other cruises. But you are correct, that this does seem small for that number of passengers.

The two pools are very much over salted and hurt your eyes. This is not RCI's fault - to lower the salinity would require adding fresh water to the sea water used in the pools - this may not even be possible.

 

The staterooms are much smaller than Carnivals and the bathroom is minute, there is only one wardrobe to be shared (on Carnival you have his and hers) and in it are the worst shelves that I have ever encountered they were hopelessly inadequate in depth therefore whatever you packed on them fell off.RCI's and many other cruise lines do have smaller cabins. Carnival tends to have the largest standard cabins of mainstream cruise lines - this should not be a surprise, as this information is easy to find.

 

The food: RC must be on a big saving spree, to same food seems to be dished up day after day not much to choose from and is typically canteen type food.

Admittedly Carnival's food was not much better but there was FAR MORE variety to pick from.I don't doubt this one bit. One thing is to be said, the deserts at the Windjammer were very good. Now and then the Windjammer had something special on offer at 6pm but invariably when we decided to eat there after 7pm these dishes were not replaced and we had to ask the chef why, he then very kindly brought us a big plate of the missing item to our table. The cruise line is probably trying to reduce waste - once the food leaves the kitchen area, it is in the point of no return and cannot be saved for later or another meal.

The lunch time menu was disgusting and so was the room service.This is purely subjective. The room service coffee was undrinkable. Neither is Carnival's or Princess'.

BTW do not expect a "gala" welcoming lunch on embarkation day, you will just get the same slop as any other day! Never had a gala lunch on ANY cruise

Oh and I forgot to mention that the best kept secret is when they will serve the shrimps, that day the electronic display of the menu outside the dining room, was mysteriously out of order!!!SOmetimes things simply don't work as with any technology. Ever lose signal on a cell phone? Gone are the days when they served you lobster!Caribbean cruises still serve lobster on cruises of 5 days or longer.

 

The entertainment: mediocre to say the least; some shows were not repeated to accommodate both dinner sittings, which was no great loss as they were luke warm. Do not expect illusionists, comedians, acrobats and Las Vegas style dancing. There was one decent show but it lasted only 10min in the sentrum, all this on a 12 night cruise!Again - subjective. Never been thrilled with Carnival's sad excuses for entertainment, either. Princess was not as glitzy as Carnival, but was a bit more wholesome, IMHO, if not skewed a bit British.

Ports of call: These were great, but unless you are going on the ship's excursion do not expect any information to help you find your way in and out of the port, this should be the cruise directors field but no…sort yourself out before the cruise or pay through your neck for the excursions! No different than what I've experienced on Carnival They also did not stay in port for as long as possible thereby not leaving us enough time to do all we wanted to do. ONce again, no different than Carnival - when a ship is docked, they are being charged for the time they are there. With the ship's shops and casinos closed, they are losing two large sources of added revenue, not to mention burning fuel.

 

Customer services: Poorly managed. On embarkation day in Civitavecchia we were told that all Italian passports were to be kept by them but no explanation was given. You would at least expect to receive a copy of an official letter by the Italian authorities informing you of this rule to be applied and the reason why. I would also be questioning this. The second incidence was on the last evening, we received a note saying that we were on a cash basis and had to pay our account. We had given our credit card details TWICE but they did not have it on record! So we had to stand in a queue for 40min to sort this out as they only had 2 consultants to help at such a peak time...most upsetting!Typical experience at Guest Services on the last night of the cruise for any cruise ship/line

 

The staff: They were great, well trained and very helpful, no complaints there.

 

Lastly another annoyance was that they kept on changing the meal times so you could never count on e.g. breakfast to be served until a certain time, they said it all depended on the time we docked in the port. Again, sometimes schedules have to be adjusted for shore tours, etc.

Yep, we were definitely spoiled by Carnival, unfortunately they are no longer operating in Europe.

 

I've added my .02 in red writing, FWIW. I think that some of the criticisms are rightfully justified. I think that some are no different than other cruise experiences. Others still, are purely subjective, especially if meals do not fit your particular tastes. There were a few that I feel are completely unwarranted/borderline ridiculous and not worth getting into a huff over (particularly not getting the Compass, and the in-cabin announcements. The one about cabin size is nobody'e fault other than the OP's. Not saying that the cabin size is your fault, but not knowing the difference in cabin size is. A small amount on online research would have answered that question and you could have re-evaluated your expectations. Regardless, it's still good to hear a comparative analysis, though I think that some things were judged a bit harshly. The part of having only one dining room? That would be evident by looking at the deck plans on the cruise lines' website or in a printed brochure. As I also had mentioned, the Carnival Legend has the same layout with a two story dining room. If wanting several dining rooms on a 2100 pax ship, NCL can meet that desire, though may not offer cruises in the area you're wanting to vacation in.

Edited October 11, 2014 by A2Mich

[bugsy777]

I'm still waiting for OP to explain what they mean by "didn't stay in port as long as possible". That's the one that got me the most confused:confused::confused:

We sailed a few times at 4pm which means if you don't want to take chances you plan to be back on board by 3pm. Allow 1 to 2 hours for the return trip from where ever you choose to go, that does not leave much time to visit the place..effectively you have 1/2 a day

[CVU]

This is the first time that I am writing a review but I feel compelled to do so.

 

We sailed the Caribbean with Carnival Glory in 2010. The Grand Med on the Magic in 2011. Northern Europe and Norway on the Legend in 2013 and now 17th Sept 14 on RC Serenade of the Seas, the Adriatic.

 

We were obviously spoiled by Carnival as our latest cruise did not meet our expectations at all.

For the first two days we had no idea what was happening on-board as there were no announcements in the room and somehow the daily "Compass" had not been delivered! Our first thought was, did the cruise director jump ship? Upon enquiring we were told that they stopped making announcements in the rooms as there had been too many complaints...surely the choice should be left to the guest to opt to have the system on or off. So that was a very bad start.

 

The ship: Do not expect the grandeur of Carnival's ships. The bars on Serenade are tastefully decorated. The theatre is nothing to write home about and there is only one. The cinema is terrible. There is only has 1 main dining room for its 2100 passengers. The Windjammer is definitely much better in appearance than the Lido but that is where it stops.

There is no serenity, the deck chairs are plain plastic without any cushions, so they are uncomfortable and are crammed so close together that it is difficult to sit down on one as you have to climb onto them...difficult for seniors!

The two pools are very much over salted and hurt your eyes.

The staterooms are much smaller than Carnivals and the bathroom is minute, there is only one wardrobe to be shared (on Carnival you have his and hers) and in it are the worst shelves that I have ever encountered they were hopelessly inadequate in depth therefore whatever you packed on them fell off.

 

The food: RC must be on a big saving spree, to same food seems to be dished up day after day not much to choose from and is typically canteen type food.

Admittedly Carnival's food was not much better but there was FAR MORE variety to pick from. One thing is to be said, the deserts at the Windjammer were very good. Now and then the Windjammer had something special on offer at 6pm but invariably when we decided to eat there after 7pm these dishes were not replaced and we had to ask the chef why, he then very kindly brought us a big plate of the missing item to our table.

The lunch time menu was disgusting and so was the room service. The room service coffee was undrinkable.

BTW do not expect a "gala" welcoming lunch on embarkation day, you will just get the same slop as any other day!

Oh and I forgot to mention that the best kept secret is when they will serve the shrimps, that day the electronic display of the menu outside the dining room, was mysteriously out of order!!! Gone are the days when they served you lobster!

 

The entertainment: mediocre to say the least; some shows were not repeated to accommodate both dinner sittings, which was no great loss as they were luke warm. Do not expect illusionists, comedians, acrobats and Las Vegas style dancing. There was one decent show but it lasted only 10min in the sentrum, all this on a 12 night cruise!

 

Ports of call: These were great, but unless you are going on the ship's excursion do not expect any information to help you find your way in and out of the port, this should be the cruise directors field but no…sort yourself out before the cruise or pay through your neck for the excursions! They also did not stay in port for as long as possible thereby not leaving us enough time to do all we wanted to do.

 

Customer services: Poorly managed. On embarkation day in Civitavecchia we were told that all Italian passports were to be kept by them but no explanation was given. You would at least expect to receive a copy of an official letter by the Italian authorities informing you of this rule to be applied and the reason why. The second incidence was on the last evening, we received a note saying that we were on a cash basis and had to pay our account. We had given our credit card details TWICE but they did not have it on record! So we had to stand in a queue for 40min to sort this out as they only had 2 consultants to help at such a peak time...most upsetting!

 

The staff: They were great, well trained and very helpful, no complaints there.

 

Lastly another annoyance was that they kept on changing the meal times so you could never count on e.g. breakfast to be served until a certain time, they said it all depended on the time we docked in the port.

 

Yep, we were definitely spoiled b

y Carnival, unfortunately they are no longer operating in Europe.

E

Just off b2b serenade. In Rome airport now so not easy to type on iPhone.

On this cruise and Sept 29

 

There were some cases Norovirus on the cruise so electronic touch boards have been turned off Still off today.

 

We thought the food was the best of almost all rcl ships we have been on. Sorry you were not happy

 

A new CD came on for sept 29. Entertainment was better for our second cruise.

There are always different opinions of a cruise. We enjoyed the ports very much. Because of weather you did miss Split though but we went there the next cruise.