Serenade of the Seas Review And Photos - 11/25/06 - VERY LONG

*****The photo links aren't working at the moment, but they will so check back if you can't view the photos.*****

Here is my review of the Serenade of the Seas, 11/25/06 edition, and our pre-cruise hotel stay and the islands we visited. I know I’m a rather late getting this done, but after getting back from the cruise I’ve been dealing with CWD. :p

Pre-Cruise – 11/24/06

Being that this cruise was right after Thanksgiving I didn’t have much luck finding any good deals on a one night hotel stay In San Juan. I had been trying Priceline all the way up to the day before. So, we ended up staying at the Comfort Inn. What a dump. The beds were clean but the walls were water stained (I hope it was water) and we were the first room right behind the front desk. Our window was to the parking area in the front of the hotel. Basically someone could just step through our window if we left it open. Would we stay there again? No. There was a nice shopping strip up the street which also had some decent local flavor restaurants.

Day 1 (Boarding) – 11/25/06

We try to show up at the pier between 10:30 am and 11:30 am and this day was no different. We were at the Pan American Pier at 11:00 am. The line was very short with only about 50 or so people already in line. We figured the doors would already be open, but they were not. They opened the doors about 12:00 pm, so we figure we’d be onboard by 12:30. Not the case. As we were in line we noticed a sign saying they would begin boarding at 1:30 pm. We were hoping the sign was wrong. It wasn’t. We sat in the waiting area wondering why we weren’t able to board. At 1:15 pm they made an announcement that boarding was behind schedule because they were sanitizing the ship due to norovirus issues on the previous cruise. We thought that was little amusing since we’d been there for almost 2 ½ hours already and they waited 15 minutes before beginning boarding to let us know the reason.

We were on the ship about 1:45 pm or so with our photos taken and SeaPass cards ready for use. We went straight to our room to check out our Cat. D1 Aft cabin. Cabin #1604 Photos. This was our first balcony and we were happy with the size of the room and the balcony was fantastic. The aft balconies are gigantic compared to the normal port and starboard balconies. After going through the room and meeting with our room steward we were off to take photos of the ship. WOW. This ship is the most beautiful RCI ship we have been on. It was our first Radiance class ship and is now our favorite. Therefore the Radiance class is now our favorite. We really enjoy the more elegant touches this class of ship offers.

We seen as much of the ship as we could before meeting with members of our Cruise Critic Roll Call at 3:30 pm. There were about 14 or so of us who got together at the Schooner Bar. Schooner Bar Photos.We were there for about an hour so having drinks and meeting everyone. From there were began our Cabin Crawl with drinks in hand. We started at the lowest cabin and worked our way up to Deck 10 where we ended at a Grand Suite for a little get together and a few more drinks.

Here are some photos from the Cabin Crawl and the cabins we viewed.

Cabin #7638

Cabin #8592

Cabin #9586 - Not a very good photo.

Cabin #9576

Junior Suite - Can't find the room number.

Cabin #1530 - Grand Suite

Also, on the first day we made it up to see the LA to book our next cruise – Mariner 11/14/07. Usually they don’t do new bookings are the first day, but since we had everything ready to go including cabin number she got us all set up.

Day 2 (St. Thomas) – 11/26/06

This has always been one of my favorite islands. The shopping is great and the beaches are fantastic. We only made it to Coki Beach since my wife was getting scuba certified and that was where she made her first two dives. After diving we walked around the Havensight Shopping Mall looking for a little black dress for the wife and some slacks and shirts for myself. The reason we needed to shop for these things is because we left our fully packed garment bag with all our evening attire in our closet at home. We didn’t find anything there so we took a cab over to the main shopping strip. We didn’t buy anything over there either, too expensive. So, we made our way back to the ship and stopped by Al Cohen’s liquor store for some good deals alcohol. We didn’t get to see much of the island since we went scuba diving.

Day 3 (St. Maarten / St. Martin) – 11/27/06

St. Maarten is also one of my favorite islands. I actually prefer it to St. Thomas now. I must’ve forgotten how beautiful it was. Here we did a shipwreck snorkel excursion which had a good amount of sea life, but we couldn’t really see the shipwreck since the visibility was really bad around the ship. After the excursion we went to the Barefoot Restaurant which is right off the pier. The food is pretty good and the pricing is on par with other island restaurants, expensive. From there we made our way through the shopping district which has narrow, brick paved streets. Very fun little area. We made sure to walk down the beach on our way back to the pier which is just covered with sea shells which we grabbed a few of.

Day 4 (Antigua) – 11/28/06

On Antigua we decided to do an island tour. This island is very flat, but beautiful none the less. They are actually going to host the 2007 Cricket World Cup. During the tour we passed the stadium that is still under construction. We made our way up to some cliffs which made for some fantastic photos. This island has a great history which includes the Dock Yards. Here you can find shopping, a museum, a hotel, a beautiful harbor and free rum punch if you are in a tour group. Can you really go anywhere in the Caribbean without rum punch being involved? After the tour we did some shopping right off the pier. You can find a decent amount of trinkets here, but the shopping is nowhere as good as other islands.

Day 5 (St. Lucia) – 11/29/06

St. Lucia has become my new favorite island. I’ve never been to Hawaii, but those who have been to both say St. Lucia is the closest Caribbean island to Hawaii. The island is absolutely beautiful. The coastline, the water, the villages, the trees, the sea life and of course the people are the best I’ve experienced. St. Lucia is where my wife completed her open water scuba certification and it was the best scuba experience I’ve ever had. We did a wreck dive first which was just awesome. I thought we would probably dive around the wreck, but we were able to go through the ship which was fantastic. We used Dive Fair Helen for our dive professionals and they were a great group of people, lots of experience and lead great dives. Once we got back to the pier we picked up a few items at the small shopping area. Not much there, but good for small items.

On our way out of St. Lucia the captain took us right by the Pitons. It seemed he took us close enough to reach out and touch them.. When we reached the Pitons the captain basically brought the ship to a halt. This made for some breath taking views.

Day 6 (Barbados) – 11/30/06

I really can’t tell you much about this island since we went straight from the pier to the Jolly Roger Pirate Cruise which was so much fun. Rum punch or draft beer were the options for free drinks which were available the moment we stepped onboard. To say the least I don’t think any of us were feeling any pain by the time we got done. They had someone walk the plank, my wife was the first to demonstrate the use of the rope swing and the music was keeping the party going. They also brought out another boat which would take people to the beach if they didn’t want to stay on the Jolly Roger. There is a shopping area at the pier, but you have to take a shuttle from the ship to it. Barbados had by far the most unattractive pier. Construction everywhere and you are right in the middle of where all the cargo ships come, so you have containers surrounding the area.

Day 7 (Day at Sea) – 12/1/06

With as busy as we had been throughout the cruise, we definitely were happy to enjoy a day at sea without an agenda. After sleeping in a few hours more than we had been able during the cruise we headed out for breakfast in the Windjammer. We had setup a time to meet with some other members of our Roll Call group for some putt-putt. On our way to putt-putt we noticed a game of dodgeball going on which I had just had to join. That was an absolute blast! Another Roll Call member was already playing and had been playing for about 1hr and a half already. That was a good workout. Everything we did on the ship had a little more sway to it then we had experienced the other days. The winds about 20-30 knots with 10 - 15 foot swells and it was only getting worse.

Day 8 (Departure) – 12/2/06

What a mess! I have never stood in a line to get off the ship for this long. Everything started out normal as we waited for our deck to be called. When they called our deck we went down another couple from our Roll Call group and got in line. The line started at the elevators in the middle of the ship, went all the way forward to the Tropical Theater then and out the doors there. Then it went out on deck and back to another checkpoint. We got through all those checkpoints only to wait at another checkpoint at the top of the escalators. From there we got to wait in a customs line that wasn’t moving at all. There lies the problem. Customs was a mess. They ended up opening additional US citizen lines which barely did a thing. I don’t what problems they were having, but we stood in line for over almost two hours. What a joke.

Serenade of Seas

What a wonderful ship. The décor of the ship is absolutely beautiful. The Safari Club and all the areas surrounding it are gorgeous. The woodwork there and in the Schooner Bar is very elegant. The Schooner Bar was our favorite spot for drinks. Joann at the Schooner Bar makes the best chocolate Martini’s we’ve ever had. She had most of our group drinking them and feeling great. :p

Service

There was only one person on the entire we ever had an issue with, the drink runner in the dining room. We always had to ask for him and even then he was very slow to show up.

Our room steward was great. She was always around and always asking if anything was needed. She replaced one of our deck chairs which had a rip in it. That did take her till the third day to get done, but we had lounge chairs too, so we didn’t worry about it.

Our waiter and asst. waiter were great. They always remembered our preferences and also kept up with our multiple entrée orders, especially on lobster night.

Room service always had our breakfast to us by 7:10 and our late night orders never took any longer then 30 minutes to get to our cabin.

The Loyalty Ambassador was great. She was always around and as mentioned before she booked our next cruise on the first day of the cruise which they normally don’t do. She also tracked down the person in charge of the Meet & Mingle since we never got our invitations. Evidently the Miami office hadn’t sent the list, so it was held on Tuesday evening instead of Sunday evening.

Food

The food was on par for RCI. Nothing great, each dinner was hit or miss and there was not a meal where each item was great.

Windjammer

It had a good selection, although I almost always ate the same thing everyday and it was also hit or miss. Same item day to day could be good or bad. This is the way all food on every RCI cruise we’ve been on has been so we enjoy what is good and don’t worry about what we don’t like.

The Seaview Café

It has a pretty good menu and it’s made to order so you do have to wait a bit, but in general it is worth the wait. Their sandwiches are very good.

Solarium

It has the normal snack selection of pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers and fries. Never ate there, but that’s what I’m pretty sure I saw there.

Entertainment

We made it to the Love & Marriage show which is always a good time. The newlywed couple actually won it this time. First time we’ve seen that happen. Quest was a riot. We hadn’t done that before and it was crazy. Bras flying around, men’s pants coming off, men dressing up in women’s clothes and parading around the Safari Club…etc. etc…LOL We also went to the karaoke competition which had some pretty good singers there.

Public Areas

Bar and Safari Club

As I said before, this area was our favorite to be in. It was just so well done. There are some many little things that make the area nice and relaxing. The color used, although there is rainbow neon lighting on the Schooner Bar ceiling. It doesn’t make sense to me to have that since everything else is dark colored wood and leather chairs. The billiards room is really nice too. You can really see the self leveling pool tables work in rough seas. The Safari Club doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. If you do Quest make sure you are towards the dance floor though.

Pit Stop Sports Bar

We only made one stop here. The bartender was fine in service, but terrible at making drinks. Wasn’t very lively when were there and Monday Night Football was one. I guess there weren’t too many people worried about Green Bay and Seattle. There are plenty of televisions there including a few big screens.

Casino

This is one of the nicer casinos I have been to on a cruise ship. Very well spaced out as I didn’t see any spots where people were crowded. It seemed you could always find a table of any sort with an open spot. I don’t remember the exact amount of tables as somehow I didn’t manage to get any pictures of the casino.

Centrum

Very beautiful area, all the way from Deck 4 up to Deck 12. They always have a band of some sort on Deck 4 in the Centrum. Most night’s Latin music was being played. On the starboard side of the Centrum there is a screen that covers most decks where they display some lighting effects. Photo. On the port side of the Centrum is where the glass elevators are allowing you to see outside of the ship while getting around.

Solarium

This is another one of my favorite areas of the ship. The Radiance class really does a great job with this area. The Solarium is very classy with a nice pool. There is only one hot tub which wasn’t too big of a deal since we were in there during a port days so it was generally empty.

Gym

The gym definitely has enough machines to keep you in shape while at sea if that’s what you want to do while on vacation. There is also a large floor for classes and the such. I don’t think I ever noticed any more than a few people in there at a time when there wasn’t a class of some sort going on.

Spa

Very nice area with a ton of things to offer. We did a tour of the spa when we first got onboard just because we were there taking photos and they were doing tours. You can get to the gym from there also. They have so many types of rooms that I can’t remember them, but I did take a good amount of photos of what they have. I didn’t know their spa was so large. They have couples only rooms, different types of massage rooms, hair salon, etc.

Pool Area

As mention by others, the pool is rather small for such a large ship. I will say though that it was never crowded. The pool side band was always good and the bars were in general quick to get your order and drink. We actually used this pool more than the Solarium pool, because the Solarium pool was about 20 degrees cooler or so it seemed.

Tropical Theater

We only visited the Tropical Theater once for the Love & Marriage Show. I was setup pretty much like all other RCI theaters. It was on two levels, but I don’t think you would have an issue regardless of where you’re seated. We sat on the second level towards the back and had no trouble seeing at all.

Putt-Putt Course

The putt-putt course was a fun 9-hole course. It actually had some relatively tough holes.

Rock Climbing Wall

We didn’t ever do this, but the time we were by it was never busy.

Adventure Ocean

There weren’t many kids on this cruise, but the ones who were there probably had a good time there. It had decent water slide, a pool and some water toys.

Sports Court

This is where you can play basketball, volleyball and even dodgeball. There wasn’t really anyone ever here except for planned events. The dodgeball game was the only thing I took part in and it was a blast.

Vortex

This is pretty cool dance club. It has a rotating bar and the service is good, but sometimes it’s hard to get their attention since your rotating around so the people waiting keep changing their position. Seems like whoever ended up in front of them when they were done making the last drink got service. The dance floor is kind of small, but it did the job.

Summary

Overall this ship is by far my favorite of the RCI ships that I have been on and it is obviously in the most elegant class RCI has to offer. The only complaint about the ship experience was the departure and that was more a customs issues. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of Cruise Critic members to enjoy this cruise with. Everything about this ship has got us ready to book another cruise in the Radiance class. The staff was very friendly and helpful and they really have a tough job when they are dealing with all the issues that come from norovirus. They are constantly cleaning and sanitizing. A great ship indeed and we can’t wait to make it back.

Thanks for the detailed review! I was hoping you would post one because a while back I remember you saying that it would be your first balcony (my boyfriend and I go on the Serenade on Feb 3rd and it's our first balcony...aft:D ). Was there enough time to sit out there and enjoy it? I know there's alot to squeeze into 7 short days! The jolly roger pirate cruise sounds like fun, I think we might have to try it! Heeeh. Thanks again!

Laura

There was still a good amount of time to enjoy the balcony. We ate breakfast on it almost every morning, made a stop there before dinner and before bed. Really almost everytime we went to the room we took time to enjoy the balcony.

I did forget to mention Chops and Portofinos.

On Monday while I was at the Schooner Bar I stopped by both Chops and Portofinos and was able to get reservations.

Portofinos was ok. Nothing to spectacular. We both had the Seafood Skewer which had lobster, scallops, shrimp etc. It was cooked perfectly but really didn't have a lot of taste. Needed some seasoning. The environment wasn't kind of bland.

Chops was fantastic. I had a 16oz T-Bone and a 10oz Filet. They were both cooked perfect with just the right amount of seasoning. The side dishes they bring are family size, an entire table can share them. We really enjoyed the setting. We had a table by the windows.

Great pictures! Glad to hear you loved your balcony. We have had one on our last 2 cruises, but are back to an inside on our NCL Pearl cruise for 3/2/07, 9 night to the southern caribbean. We do have an aft balcony on the Serenade for the 3/2/08 sailing cabin #1104! Can't wait to have the aft. We have heard such good things about them. How much noice did you hear from above? I know some people have complained about the noise from the movement of the tables in the early morning, however, I am an early riser, so not really concerned with that.

Nice review! Sounds like you had a great time on a beautiful ship.:)

Thanks for posting your review.

In March we had a very 'busy' seaday. We saw a lot of islands very close to the ship. The ship made 360 degrees turn at Saba and Montserrat. Is this still the case, because I don't read anything about this in your very nice review.

We did the cruise you were on last year, and we agree with you, Serenade is a beautiful ship. We have just returned from the Western Caribbean cruise on Mariner calling at Labadee, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Another splendid ship, but much bigger than Serenade. Have a look on deck six in the Future Cruise Advisor office when you are onboard, there is a huge model of Serenade. I prefer Serenade of the Seas and may very well do the Eastern Carib cruise again next year, after all there is too much to see in one day at most of the ports of call

Great pictures! Glad to hear you loved your balcony. We have had one on our last 2 cruises, but are back to an inside on our NCL Pearl cruise for 3/2/07, 9 night to the southern caribbean. We do have an aft balcony on the Serenade for the 3/2/08 sailing cabin #1104! Can't wait to have the aft. We have heard such good things about them. How much noice did you hear from above? I know some people have complained about the noise from the movement of the tables in the early morning, however, I am an early riser, so not really concerned with that.

We only heard noise one morning and that was the day we slept in. It was rather loud and annoying. Every other day we were up early so we never had to deal with it. But if we planned on sleeping in everyday I wouldn't book aft. The other annoyance was the lighting from the Windjammer was always on and was rather bright.

In March we had a very 'busy' seaday. We saw a lot of islands very close to the ship. The ship made 360 degrees turn at Saba and Montserrat. Is this still the case, because I don't read anything about this in your very nice review.

With such rough seas and high winds the captain never took us close enough to see any islands.

Thanks for the detailed review! We are in 1604 on the 1/6/07 sailing...now I'm even more ready to go!

John

Very nice review - thanks for posting it. I loved the cabin pictures.......especially GS #1530......that was our exact cabin on our Oct. Serenade cruise. Brought back some great memories!

Thanks for the great review. We leave in 18 days (no, not counting down or anything) and it was great to read your review. Also thrilled you had a good diving expereince in St Lucia. We are diving with Dive Fair Helen as well!

Thanks for the great review. We leave in 18 days (no, not counting down or anything) and it was great to read your review. Also thrilled you had a good diving expereince in St Lucia. We are diving with Dive Fair Helen as well!

You will love Dive Fair Helen. We dove with Andre, the owner. He's a really great guy. I don't remember the names of the other guys, but they were great as well. Andre's wife makes the lunch that he serves after your dive. She makes some great chicken. I would assume that they will be taking you to same the dive spots, but maybe not. Make sure to ask about doing a wreck dive, it's beautiful.

Thanks for the detailed review! We are in 1604 on the 1/6/07 sailing...now I'm even more ready to go!

 

John

Hi John! For a moment I thought I had found someone new. Duh!

Jodi

I also wanted to mention that our CD was Ashley Kerr and I in general could care less who the CD is, but I did notice that she was always around. On one of our formal nights I left our cabin and she was right there, we were aft mind you. We had just a short conversation, but the point is more so that she was very much a part of the cruise and involved on many levels.

We are diving with Dive Fair Helen next week. Do you recall what dock the Serenade was docked at and how difficult it was to get to the pick-up point? Any details on how you did this would be most helpful!

Thanks

Heather

We are going at the end of the month. Can't wait. Reading a great review makes you really look forward to it. THANKS.Have not been on RCI for 12 years. Looking forward to it again. How was the late night scene? We don't always check out the shows but the love and marriage shows are really fun. Heard Quest is hilarious. Thanks again for all the info.

Hi.. thanks for your review... really loved your pictures. We're going on the Serenade March '08... sooo excited! Anyways, I wanted to ask about the Jolly Roger Pirate Cruise. Was this booked through RCI?? If not, where did you book it??? Sounds like so much fun.

Thanks!

We are diving with Dive Fair Helen next week. Do you recall what dock the Serenade was docked at and how difficult it was to get to the pick-up point? Any details on how you did this would be most helpful!

 

Thanks

Heather

We were told to meet them at the Point Seraphine Dock. Which is the lower point in the image:

Dive Fair Helen Instructions.

But when we walked out to that area someone had told us to wait and they will find the person who meets people there. He came back and we ended up waiting in the center of the shopping area until a bus came and picked us up. So, I don't know if this how they do it now or if it changes each time.

We are going at the end of the month. Can't wait. Reading a great review makes you really look forward to it. THANKS.Have not been on RCI for 12 years. Looking forward to it again. How was the late night scene? We don't always check out the shows but the love and marriage shows are really fun. Heard Quest is hilarious. Thanks again for all the info.

We also do not go to the performances, but we do hit the fun shows. Love and Marriage is always fun and Quest was a blast. It was some of Roll Call members that joined together for this. It gets crazy. Vortex, the club, is also a good time. There are always late night bands playing too.

Hi.. thanks for your review... really loved your pictures. We're going on the Serenade March '08... sooo excited! Anyways, I wanted to ask about the Jolly Roger Pirate Cruise. Was this booked through RCI?? If not, where did you book it??? Sounds like so much fun.

The Jolly Roger is something I've wanted to do for years and it was soooo much fun. We drank the moment we got onboard till we got off. Great group of guys running the show. The rope swing really gets you flying. :p We booked it through RCI. I think it was about $69 p/p. They have a little shop to buy some pirate type fun things too on the ship.

Do you happen to remember what night was lobster night? I want to be sure we're in the main dining room that night on our Serenade cruise in February.

Thanks!

Do you happen to remember what night was lobster night? I want to be sure we're in the main dining room that night on our Serenade cruise in February.

Thanks!

Thursday night - Barbados

Do you happen to remember what night was lobster night? I want to be sure we're in the main dining room that night on our Serenade cruise in February.

Thanks!

I was on board for the NYE cruise 12/30-1/6 and lobster night was Thursday. To be honest the food was not that great on this cruise. I was very disapointed.

We have cabin 1604 booked in May, 2007. I am interested if we will have any weather protection from overhang of deck 11. In other words, is part of the balcony covered?

We have cabin 1604 booked in May, 2007. I am interested if we will have any weather protection from overhang of deck 11. In other words, is part of the balcony covered?

My friend just booked yesterday, for us and themselves, the Serenade for Feb.3 and forgot to ask which pier it sails from. Looking at www.gotopuertorico.com/Calendar/calendar it shows Pad W which is the Pan Am terminal. I though The Crown Princess sailed from there but it shows it to be at Pier 4-E.

Where did you save from on your Serenade cruise?