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Photo Review: RCCL Serenade of the Seas 10/9/16 New England & Canada

HeatherC430
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alainamarie

alainamarie

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Here's what you get when you put Alaina and I on a tour with over 100 kids (I couldn't resist posting). Maybe my favorite picture of the trip! lol

 

 

 

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Hey Heather! It's your cruise buddy, Alaina! I'm intervening here because this IS my favorite picture of us! I also had to save the first one you posted because I didn't have it. [emoji1]

I love re-living this cruise with you and our disliking of being surrounded by 100 kids. Your photos are fabulous and I can't wait to read the rest!

 

Sincerely,

Cruise Buddy

 

 

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Mack704

Mack704

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Hi Heather,

 

DW and I are taking this same cruise Oct. 1. We're also staying in Boston for three days prior. I'm finding your dialogue and pictures terrific.

 

In addition, I followed your link to Alaina's review and read it cover to cover. Her's was also terrific. Both are becoming important assets in researching my cruise vacation.

 

Thank you ever so much! Thank Alaina for me too, please!

 

Harvey

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madra2112

madra2112

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If you look at the inlet from the sea towards the right of the first picture from the Prudential Centre, you can see a ship. It's Anthem of the Seas! I can say that with certainty because I was on it that day! Really looking forward to the rest of this review, because I was in the exact same ports, usually a day ahead of you!

 

My picture review is linked in my sig if you're interested, but be warned, my pics are nowhere near as good as yours!

Edited by madra2112
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madra2112

madra2112

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The Skywalk Observatory was atop the Prudential Center. It was included in our Go card and had panoramic views of the city. It was great to get a birds-eye view of many of the places we had visited during our 2 days in Boston.

 

While I was a little bit skeptical at first about the Boston Go card. This one day pass for $54, really was a great value. It was a long day in Boston, but I feel we got a comprehensive overview of what the city has to offer.

 

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This is the pic I'm referring to!

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alainamarie

alainamarie

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Hi Heather,

 

 

 

DW and I are taking this same cruise Oct. 1. We're also staying in Boston for three days prior. I'm finding your dialogue and pictures terrific.

 

 

 

In addition, I followed your link to Alaina's review and read it cover to cover. Her's was also terrific. Both are becoming important assets in researching my cruise vacation.

 

 

 

Thank you ever so much! Thank Alaina for me too, please!

 

 

 

Harvey

 

 

Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm looking forward to the rest of Heather's review. I'm discovering photos of myself that I haven't seen [emoji1].

So glad we can help with your cruise because it was slim pickings when we were searching prior to our cruise.

Take care,

Alaina

 

 

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dreamer976

dreamer976

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Loving your commentary and beautiful photos. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

Late husband and I did this exact same itinerary (dark and rainy sailaway included) but on the Jewel OTS back in 2008. It was a great trip and your review certainly stirs beautiful memories for me.

 

Patiently waiting for more...

 

Ellen

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obnurse

obnurse

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Loving your review! Can't wait to see more pictures of the ports. We are doing this itinerary in September. Our advantage is that we're sailing with our son and his partner and they live in Boston, so we'll have the extra time there and be able to stay with them. Can't wait!

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HeatherC430

HeatherC430

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Agree with you on the duck tours in Boston. I did a duck tour in Cincinnati (where I live) a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised. I learned things and saw things that I didn't know about the place that I lived! I therefore had high hopes for the Boston duck tour given the history in Boston. Definitely was not worth it. I used the company has their tour guides dressed up as comedic versions of people related to Boston history. Can't recall the name.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review. Great start!

 

Glad to hear I wasn't the only one unhappy with the Duck tour! We have them in Pittsburgh (where I live) too, but I've never tried it. I think after the Boston Duck tour that might have to be my first (and last!). Thanks for reading along!

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HeatherC430

HeatherC430

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Thank you for the kind words so far everyone! I'll continue along with the first day in port (because I know that's really what everyone's anxious to read about - the ports) then I'll come back and try to respond to everyone's comments.

 

Ok, so we're up to the first day in port. One could say that on most days I'm an early bird (and well...my cruise buddy Alaina is not). Therefore, on most days I'd be up early (some days before the sun even rises) to walk around the ship, take pictures as we pull into port (provided I haven't had too many cocktails the night before), bring Alaina her coffee back to the room, etc.

 

For my own sanity, I'll be posting pictures in the same order in which they were taken so I can keep track of what I've posted and what I haven't. Here are some pictures from our first morning in port in Portland. Lucky for us, the weather outside (while pretty windy) appeared to be significantly better than the day before in Boston. We were just happy that it wasn't raining!

 

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As you can see, it looks like I was the only one on the ship up and moving that morning!

 

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HeatherC430

HeatherC430

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We finally headed off the ship for our excursion we booked through the cruise-line. The tour was scheduled to last from 11:15-4:15 (5 hours). The cost was $65.75 per person. We were in port that day from 7am through 6pm.

 

After we waited for the tour group to assemble at the end of the gangway, we loaded into our coach bus. At that time we were informed that the scenic cruise portion of the excursion was cancelled due to sea conditions (small vessels were not permitted to be out that day). We were told we could get off the bus for the full refund or stay and receive additional time in Kennebunkport. Everyone stayed for the tour. We knew the duration of the tour would be on the bus, and while slightly disappointing, I'm sure the scenic cruise wouldn't have been enjoyable in that weather. It was pretty windy that day just being on the top deck of our ship that morning. Also, Royal had given us each a 20% credit of the cost of the tour on our shipboard account for our inconvenience which was nice. Afterwards, we were really happy that we had some extra time in Kennebunkport. Both Alaina and I really enjoyed the quaint and charming town!

 

Here is the overview from Royal's site with the excursion details.

 

Kennebunkport and Scenic Cruise - PW18

 

Departing Portland by motor coach, enjoy a scenic drive in route to the historic and charming coastal village of Kennebunkport and embark on a 50 minute scenic cruise to enjoy panoramic views of Walker's Point and Maine's famous rocky coast as few people have experience by sea. Guests will have approximately 1 hour of free time in Dock Square of Kennebunkport.

 

Enjoy beautiful views of Maine's famous rocky coastline, a scenic ride to Kennebunkport and a relaxing 50-minute cruise. You'll pass stunning Federal and Victorian style mansions during your drive to Kennebunkport's Dock Square where you'll board your boat to experience panoramic views of Walker's Point and Maine's rocky coast. Afterwards, enjoy one hour exploring shops, galleries, restaurants and pubs in Dock Square. See the Bush Estate and former Summer White House on the return route.

 

Highlights:

• Cruise Maine's Coast: Embark on a 50-minute cruise and enjoy panoramic views of Kennebunkport, Walker's Point and the rocky coastline.

• Dock Square: Shop and dine during your one-hour of free time in the center of Kennebunkport.

• Kennebunkport: See Walker's Point, the Bush Estate, and 18th and 19th century mansions built by wealthy merchants and sea captains.

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HeatherC430

HeatherC430

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I think we ended up with about an hour and a half (vs. the hour we should have had if the scenic cruise wasn't cancelled). This was just enough time for us to have lunch in the town and browse some of the shops. I think it would have been challenging to get to everything in with only an hour of free time.

 

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HeatherC430

HeatherC430

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Before we got off the bus, our tour guide had recommended a bunch of places to grab a bite for lunch most of which featured lobster rolls. As you'll be able to tell from some of the upcoming pictures the town was busy that day and one of the outdoor eateries had a long line of people off the side of the street. Since we didn't have much time to waste, we noticed the Ports of Italy restaurant didn't appear to be too busy and had a sign outside for their lunch special. Lobster roll, corn chowder and fries for $19.50. And it was one of the places our tour guide had mentioned so we figured we'd give it a shot.

 

Let me tell you this lunch deserves it's own post, because the lobster roll was THAT good. I have to say, for me, this was the best meal that I had during the week of the cruise (both in port and onboard the ship). Alaina and I still talk about that lobster roll! lol

 

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HeatherC430

HeatherC430

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My only criticism of this tour was that it was a lot of time spent on the bus getting to and from Kennebunkport. It's well worth a trip, don't get me wrong, but it would have been nice to get out of the bus here or there for a photo stop (or otherwise). There was a lot of great scenery along the way, but it's difficult enough to get pictures through a bus window, let alone when you're in motion. Here's the couple pictures I took on the bus. They're awful pictures but it'll give you an idea that there were other things. I believe the first picture is the Bush estate off in the distance.

 

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