Just Back From the Serenade 1/15/05 - 1/22/05

[cabanachick]

We just got off the Serenade this morning. Luckily, we left San Juan at 12:30pm and made it back to NY before they closed the airport. It was our first cruise, so we don't have anything to compare it to, but I'll give you my opinions anyway.

We flew into San Juan the night before, so no problems with getting to the ship. We met our friends in San Juan and we went to the pier at around 2:00pm and walked right onto the ship. No lines. At embarkation, everything was very well run. We were in our rooms by 2:15pm and our luggage arrived ten minutes later. We have 3 kids, so we got a Family Oceanview Stateroom. I was nervous about the size of the room, as I have always heard that rooms on ships are small. Not the case - our room was HUGE. We had a large living area with a sofa that pulled out and two desks. There was also a separate bedroom area with bunk beds and a full closet (with a curtain) and the king size bed was also set back into a separate area with a desk and a closet (also with a curtain). Our friends also had a Family Oceanview Stateroom, but it was slightly smaller than ours and had a less roomy configuration. We had more than enough storage.

 

The ship was beautiful. A lot of glass. Everything seemed very new and clean. Our cabin attendant was great. Our room was always clean and she made the cutest towel animals. To me, the food was just O.K. I'm not big on buffets, so the Windjammer did not really appeal to me. My kids preferred the Seaview Cafe. The Dining Room food was mediocre in my opinion. I really only liked my dinner one night. Everyone else in my party thought the food in the dining room was good. We ate at Chops one night. Everyone seemed to think that the food was much better than what is served in the dining room (I had chicken, so I didn't notice as big a difference). Chops was pretty empty the night we were there. I was surprised - I thought it would be more crowded. The Seaview Cafe was good, but was often pretty crowded. The room service breakfast was pretty limited and always seemed to be cold when it arrived. Breakfast in the dining room was good, but on a port-intensive itinerary, who has time for a long breakfast?? Overall, everyone in my group thought the food was satisfactory - nothing great, but not bad, either. I'm pretty picky, and I wound up losing 3 pounds while I was on the cruise.

 

The pools were very nice, but also very crowded. The kids pool and slide were closed for the first few days and then they opened up. The first day they were opened for only about 30 minutes and then closed when a child had an accident in the pool. Although children are supposed to be potty trained and diapers aren't allowed, RCI does not enforce this. There were lots of kids with diapers in the pool and people even changing diapers on the pool deck. I complained to Guest Relations and they did nothing about it. I just think it is unsanitary. My kids loved the water slide. We spent our entire sea day on the slide. We also loved the mini golf and the rock wall. The Solarium was very nice, but also kind of crowded every time we went.

 

We bought two soda cards and it was more than enough to continuously get sodas for our family. We probably only needed one. I wouldn't recommend buying them for your whole family.

 

The self-levelling pool tables were cool. It was amazing to watch the tables sway and the balls stay in place. It was a little tricky to take a shot, though.

 

Adventure Ocean was awesome. My kids absolutely loved going there. The staff was great. My kids kept begging to go.

 

The ports were good. We didn't care too much for Antigua. The town seemed very dirty and poorly maintained. We liked all of the other ports, though.

 

We even had the unfortunate occasion to test out the medical facility, which was very good. It is a huge facility which is set up for most emergencies.

 

Overall, we had a good time. To me, the ship seemed a little crowded during the day. My kids have been asking when we can go back on the Serenade, so I guess they had a good time. Disembarkation was a little more hectic than embarkation. Even though we were in the first group, we still had to wait on lines. Then, the airport in San Juan was very unorganized and crowded.

 

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

[PhoenixCruiser]

The first day they were opened for only about 30 minutes and then closed when a child had an accident in the pool. Although children are supposed to be potty trained and diapers aren't allowed, RCI does not enforce this. There were lots of kids with diapers in the pool and people even changing diapers on the pool deck. I complained to Guest Relations and they did nothing about it. I just think it is unsanitary.

 

That is just disgusting!!!! :eek: :mad: :mad:

 

Thanks for your review and I'm glad you made it home safely!

 

###

[MAGNUM PI]

CABANACHICK:

 

Interested in what entertainment was presented, on the Serenade?

 

Production numbers, comedians, etc.

 

Thanks!

[micdee]

Cabanachick....Thanks so much for posting a review. Glad you had a good time. I'm disappointed though on the food review. Was hoping things might be getting better.

Do you remember what times the Windjammer is open for lunch? How about the Seview Cafe's hours?

 

Wayne(Magnum)...how you doing, feeling better? Have you been lurking on our thread, you haven't posted in awhile? 3 more weeks to go!

[mortypro]

thanks for the review we are going on the serenade for new years can't wait

what was the decor like? what was the decor like? did you try out the spa ?

[bUU]

I'm disappointed though on the food review.

Well, keep in mind that only $11.75 (per day) of your cruise fare is for food. In that context, the review doesn't sound that bad.

 

Thanks for the review, cabanachick.

[1st time cruiser]

How much were the soda passes?

 

Did they offer adult beverage passes?

 

How dressy was formal night?

 

I'm freaking out that we leave in just 20 days on the Serenade. Can't wait to escape this blizzard.

 

jo-anne

[bUU]

The adult soft-drink package is $42 + 15%.

[Tex_Jen]

My sis and I were on the Serenade last year. Beautiful ship!

 

My two cents on the food was that it was good; fantastic, probably not, but it depends a lot on your tastes. The OP said she was picky and lost 3 pounds. I was choosy and still gained 3 pounds.

 

Formal night had quite a range. Some dressed to the nines and others were a bit more understated. Do what you are comfortable with and you will be fine.

 

Stay warm all!

Jen

[cabanachick]

I tried to post a reply earlier, but was having trouble with the boards. The shows were good, not great, but good. They had a magician, a review of Broadway shows, Glenn Smith (a piano player/singer from Vegas), the Van Dells and a show with the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers. They also had the kids from Adventure Ocean come through the theater one night and do a pirate show.

 

The Windjammer was open from 7:00am - 11:00am for breakfast, 11:30-3:00pm for lunch, 3:30-5:00pm for snacks and 6:30-9:00pm for dinner. The Seaview was open limited hours - 2:00pm -6:30pm and 10:00pm - 1:00am. On the sea day, the Seaview did not open during the day (go figure).

 

On formal night, it wasn't really that formal. Most men either wore suits or button down shirts and slacks. I didn't see anybody in a tux. Women wore a wide range of things, from casual to dressy.

 

The color scheme on the ship was dark blues, beiges and there was turquoise carpeting on the staircases. The decor was beautiful. The artwork was really nice. The ship itself was stunning.

 

I did not use the spa, but the fitness center was very nice. I used it a few times and it was never crowded.

[mttk2]

We are leaving in 4 weeks!!!!! We are a group of 19 and we are all so excited... Did you do any of the shore excursions through RC? Or did you go on your own?

[cabanachick]

We did a few of the excursions through RCI. Our group had 4 adults and 5 young children, so we were pretty limited in what we chose. In St. Maarten, we did the Divi Little Bay beach excursion. The beach was very nice and they gave us drink coupons. The resort had a few pools, but we were only allowed to use one of them. It was nice, though. The barbeque lunch was lame, so we opted to eat back at the ship. In Barbados, we did the Malibu Beach Break. The beach was nice, except for the strong smell of rum if you walked down the beach a bit. Our husbands went on the Malibu Rum Factory tour and said it was pretty bad. Our favorite excursion was in St. Lucia. We did the Land Rover tour of the rainforest. It was great. The roads are steep and windy and bumpy. It was a lot of fun. We stopped and ate local fruit and crossed a river in the rainforest and then went for a swim (this was not mentioned in the RCI description - so bring a bathing suit and towel if you go on this tour). We got to see a lot of the island. I would recommend any of these tours. My husband wanted to do the rainforest hike and cave exploration in Barbados, but it was cancelled during our trip. According to RCI, the caves were flooded due to rain.

[gpepe1228]

We are going on 3/12. Cant wait. How was the weather? How was the water, smooth or rough? Did you feel the movement of the ship.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Cabana chick,

I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the land rover tour. We have that booked for next week. :D

[cabanachick]

The weather was great. Warm and sunny every day. The first night, the seas were rough. I was queasy. After that, it was fine - smooth sailing.

[mttk2]

Thanks so much!!!!! We are can't wait..... 4 more weeks!

[mttk2]

Glad to hear that you did the Divi Beach Resort and somewhat liked it... DFid they have jet skiis and other water sports? That is the one we want to do.

[lmmn]

I am so glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Serenade. We were on this cruise a year ago, and it was one of my favorites!

 

The first day they were opened for only about 30 minutes and then closed when a child had an accident in the pool. Although children are supposed to be potty trained and diapers aren't allowed, RCI does not enforce this. There were lots of kids with diapers in the pool and people even changing diapers on the pool deck. I complained to Guest Relations and they did nothing about it. I just think it is unsanitary.

This absolutely makes me crazy! This is so disgusting!!! Just remember, we can ALL be pool patrols and report this to the official pool patrol. I did this on our last cruise. There were three kids in the pool with diapers. The pool patrol immediately talked with the parents and the kids were out. Come on parents of toddlers and babys...this is so inconsiderate of others. If the kids love to swim, a land vacation might be a better choice until your child is trained.

[BuyReallyLow]

Cabanachick,

 

Do you remember which night was Caribbean Night in the main dining room?

[niugrads]

What hotel did you stay at pre-cruise?

 

What is different about the Seaview Cafe vs. the Windjammer? Do you order from a menu?

 

Thanks for your review!

[cabanachick]

Divi Little Bay did have equipment to rent.

 

Day 2 was Caribbean/Casual attire night.

 

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard the night before the cruise. It was O.K. It was clean and the pool was nice. The beach wasn't that nice, though.

 

The Seaview Cafe has a menu that you order from. They have chips with salsa/sour cream/guacamole, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, french fries, onion rings, tuna, fish sticks, etc. And they even make it to go. At the Windjammer, it is all buffet style.

[immdc]

Thanks for your review. My family and I will be staying in a family oceanview cabin this summer on the serenade. We are in cabin 8502. I was wondering if this is similar to your cabin or your friends. Thanks again!

[cabanachick]

8502 is the one we had. It's nice and roomy. You'll love it. The only thing, is that it is all the way forward, so it is a little bit of a walk to the elevators/stairs.

[starlite cruiser]

Cabanachick,

Thank you for your great review. We are booked on the Serenade the last week of February. Is the Land Rover Excursion - the same as the 4 x 4 off-road adventure? How many can go in one "Rover"? There will be six (adults) in our group & wondered if we will all get to go together. Did you pre-book the excursion or book when you arrived on the ship? Thanks for your help.

[lauren0309]

We took the Serenade's first sailing out of San Juan last November. The ship was brand new. I've been on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and it was the most beautiful ship I've been on so far. I don't know how the Enchantment will compare to it when I go on it in February.