Need Help Deciding- Freedom or Serenade?

[Host Faith]

DH and I are planning a cruise with my parents. We are trying to decide between the Serenade and the Freedom in August 2010. We were originally planning to sail the Oasis, however cost has become a factor. We plan to take a couple other trips next year, so we can put the difference between prices toward another short vacation. There is a $1000 difference between sailing the Oasis and sailing on one of the other two :eek:, hence our dilemma.

 

My husband and I loved the S. Caribbean Itinerary this past October, when we sailed the Adventure of the Seas. We flew in one day early to tour OSJ (staying at the Ritz), however we didn't get a chance to see much of it since the flight and travel took a lot of energy out of us. The hotel was beautiful, we would stay there again if in the area.

 

We really enjoyed the AOS, especially the entertainment, MTD, open-air solarium, and Portofino. We had a 7th floor hump cabin on the starboard side, and loved its size and location. One of our favorite things to do was have breakfast on the balcony and enjoy the view. We love comedy, and the comedian on board was great! The Royal Promenade was nice, but I'm not sure if we would really miss it. Our favorite ports were Barbados, Antigua, and St. Martin. We fell in love with an excursion in Antigua and want to go back as soon as we can! We did wish there were more sea days, however if we sail that route again we probably would stay onboard at St. Lucia and St. Croix. We wouldn't mind going on the same route again.

 

My parents are in their 60's and 70's and very active. They love to travel, however have never been on a cruise before. They enjoy shows, casinos, and people-watching. Mom and I love to visit a good spa too. I know we would all enjoy the views from the Serenade, as well as the various islands, however I think the Freedom's features and amenities would be great to experience.

 

I'm anticipating that we would all love the Freedom for the ship itself (hence our original booking on the Oasis), however the itinerary isn't too intriguing to us. It seems like the Serenade is a little more reserved than the AOS or Freedom, but the Southern islands are a major draw to us.

 

So basically I'm asking those of you who have sailed on these ships: should we sail on the Freedom and enjoy the ship itself, or should we sail on the seemingly more subdued Serenade for the port stops? If we sailed on the Serenade, would we miss the activities and features we enjoyed on the Adventure? If we sailed the Freedom, is the ship itself worth missing the S. Caribbean ports? We've been going back and forth between the two for some days now, so any input you could provide would be greatly appreciated. :)

[Sea and Me]

I'm around the age of your parents. When choosing a cruise we look for the ports rather than the ship. We sailed the Serenade twice and love the ship and the crew. It has outstanding views from all the glass around the ship. The glass elevators are really nice. I don't think you would be disappointed in choosing her. We found the entertainment to be good. The food on our past cruise in Oct. was excellent!! Never being on the Freedom I can't really give an opinion but have been on the Adventurer and it really is too big for us. The size of the Serenade is perfect for our liking.

 

Good luck with your decision. It is all about what you would like to see and experience.

 

Carol

[waterbug123]

DH and I are planning a cruise with my parents. We are trying to decide between the Serenade and the Freedom in August 2010.

 

So basically I'm asking those of you who have sailed on these ships: should we sail on the Freedom and enjoy the ship itself, or should we sail on the seemingly more subdued Serenade for the port stops?:)

 

I've been on Serenade's sister, the Jewel, and though I haven't been on Freedom (yet) I've been on 2 Voyager class ships as well as Oasis.

You said yourself that you didn't think you would necessarily miss the Promenade. Other than that, the key amenities Freedom offers that Serenade doesn't are the ice rink and flow rider. If you and your parents can live without those 2 things, I would absolutely choose the Serenade. It's a beautiful class of ship! You mention it being more "subdued" but I'm not really sure what you mean. I think your general experience of dining, pool, spa, shows etc. would be more or less the same on either ship, and since Serenade offers the itinerary you want, I'd go with it.

[Desert Cruizers]

The Radiance Class offers such a fantastic view of the ocean with all the Glass. It may not have a Royal Promenade but we are in our mid + 60's and believe me , 962 feet is a big ship yet easy to get around. One of the favorite areas for relaxing is the Schooner Bar if not out by the pool. I am always outside during the day. I am sure you will enjoy the Serenade.

[Jt4428]

I think if you're going to take advantage of the flowrider and rock climbing, go on the Freedom. I feel there's more to do on this ship. If you're looking for more out of the ports, do the Serenade. We just sailed on the Liberty the beginning of November. Didn't love the itinerary, but we sailed on it more for our 2 kids. Alot more to do. We were on the Freedom twice already and they loved it, so we took the sister ship.

[Host Faith]

Thanks everyone! We're leaning toward the Serenade. I'm thinking they would really enjoy the ports on that sailing.

[fridaythe13th]

We planned a cruise with my parents (in their early 70's) and I knew they would love the Radiance class. I would prefer a pool table over a flow rider any day. I really like the Schooner Bar much better on the Radiance than the Voyager class (sorry, haven't been on Freedom). Our upcoming cruise is another Voyager class but only because of the itinerary. I would like to experience the Freedom class in the future. I would pick the Serenade for your parents' first cruise for the ship and the itinerary.

[Papa T]

Freedom class ships are great multigenerational family cruise ships if you have small children or teens. I think you have gotten good advice from the posters above.