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Serenade - Easter Week ... A Cruise Journal

emeraldcity

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MDSue

MDSue

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still loving your review- My middle aged sister and I found ourselves seated at a table of three 20-some year old couples. For about two minutes, I felt odd and out of place, wondering why we were seated there. However, we ended up loving all of our tablemates, and if they thought we were the two old people at the table, they never let on.

I'm glad I'm not the only one on the planet that has a daughter to keep me in my place. It's terrible how we can be an endless source of embarrassment to them- unless they need something, of course.

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JerseyGem

JerseyGem

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Thank you so much for this wonderful review! DH & I and our adult DD & her DBF are cruising the Serenade on 7/18; I'm "cutting & pasting" your fabulous hints. And I love your comments about teenage daughters- I'm still critiqued frequently- but as they age, the sarcasm tapers off and they do try to be truly helpful (although frequently with heavy sighs).

 

Have you made a hardcopy of your review? If not, I suggest doing so and putting it away in a "memory" file. Many years from now, you and your DD will really enjoy rereading it! Especially when she's about to take her first cruise with her teenage DD.

 

Keep writing!

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CRUISINGCPA

CRUISINGCPA

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Loving your review, keep it coming. I too have a 16 year old DD, & a 13 year old DS. Don't know which one I embarrass more, its so much fun I can't keep track. We are on the Serenade in June. Both kids are devout band kids, hope we run into some band directors too! DD seems to always find fellow bandies from around the country to hang out with on our cruises, they must gravitate toward each other!

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emeraldcity

emeraldcity

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Thank you so much for this wonderful review! DH & I and our adult DD & her DBF are cruising the Serenade on 7/18; I'm "cutting & pasting" your fabulous hints. And I love your comments about teenage daughters- I'm still critiqued frequently- but as they age, the sarcasm tapers off and they do try to be truly helpful (although frequently with heavy sighs).

 

Have you made a hardcopy of your review? If not, I suggest doing so and putting it away in a "memory" file. Many years from now, you and your DD will really enjoy rereading it! Especially when she's about to take her first cruise with her teenage DD.

 

Keep writing!

 

I claim points off my DD whever I get the basic teenage reaction to something I do. A heavy sigh is worth 5 points and an eye-rolling is 15. It's a terribly effective gambit, as she hates to allow me to claim I've managed to get a rise out of her and so I have earned points. She argues about whether it was a true eye-rolling or just a casual stare at the ceiling.

 

I have the review in a Word doc. I work on it there since these windows are too small. The one I did of my previous cruise ran 45 pages ... this one looks like it may end up about that long as well.

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emeraldcity

emeraldcity

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Our cabin steward was warm and friendly. We didn’t see much of him owing to the curved nature of the hallway we were on, but when we did he was always smiling and made us feel so welcome. Our room was well cared for. He seemed to have our schedule down pat. We’d disappear for breakfast and the room was always made up when we got back. And he always handled turn-down during dinner. We had a towel animal every night but the first. Sunday, of course was an Easter Bunny. Thank you John for fishing out the nail polish that DD lost down the hole behind the TV. When one is 16, a lost bottle of nail polish is a major issue.

 

Our dining room waiter was Noel. He was very engaging and extremely attentive. He managed to make us feel like we were his only table, but I think he had at least two others. We quickly learned to trust his advice on dinner selection. He never steered us wrong. I came to believe that Noel was trying to fatten us up. He was only too willing to bring us multiple appetizers or desserts. It didn’t even faze him if we asked for a second entrée. My DD at one point had barely touched her cherry chocolate cake, since it didn’t really hit the spot. Noel asked if she wanted to try the Strawberry fluff thing he’d recommended earlier. Although she replied no, he responded “OK, I’ll bring you one.” He did and she dutifully ate it, enjoying every last morsel. Our assistant waiter wasn’t as charismatic as Noel. His style was more reserved and unobtrusive. He got into the swing of things as the cruise wore on. By the second night, he knew that DD and I would want to start off our bread selection with two savory bites each and by mid week, I would get an iced tea without even having to ask.

 

There’s been a huge upgrade in the service level in the Windjammer. I spoke to several other veteran cruisers and they agreed on this point. When I first started cruising again at the time my DD turned 8, you were on your own in the Windjammer. Now, it’s another story. It was nice to have someone fetch a drink for me, as has been reported on cruisecritic. There were little signs on the tables that read “My name is -----. Assistant Waiter. It is my pleasure to serve you.” We engaged several of the waiters in small talk. One waiter even remembered me the next day. He offered to carry my plate for me after I had filled it and escorted me to a table. Then he offered to watch out for my DD and let her know where I was seated. Sure enough, he spotted her before I did and told her where to find me. That goes way above and beyond anything I would have expected for a buffet. The tables are promptly cleared and cleaned. Overall, the service was unobtrusive, efficient and well-managed. Kudos to the management that oversees this operation.

 

While I don’t order too many drinks on any given cruise, I do expect those involved in bar service to be especially outgoing. A mixed drink is a vital component in a party atmosphere, so the person I order from has to make me feel like he or she is enjoying the party as well. That being said, the fellow tending bar in the Centrum the first day had the disposition of a high school hall monitor. Maybe he was married to the sourpuss I dealt with during check-in and she starched his shorts before he left for the week. In any event, I turned away and went elsewhere to buy that first drink of the cruise. I found the staff in the Schooner Bar to be wonderfully out-going and lots of fun. Ditto for the bartender in the Vortex.

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Tex_Jen

Tex_Jen

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Hey, Dorothy! Great review. Didn't realize that you were so close to ML and me ( Guess I didn't check Alan's spreadsheet very closely). We had John as well for a stateroom attendant. He was quite personable whenever we saw him, but he did play the part of being a stealth attendant quite well. We also had Noel for our waiter (late seating). He certainly was efficient and entertaining. That skinny little thing must take great joy in fattening us all up. I must say he was quite attentive and noticed immediately that my steak one night was a bit too well done. Seemed like only a few seconds before a properly cooked steak was set down in front of me after the first was taken away. Dhanesh was the assistant waiter and found ML and I in the WJ at lunchtime. He would go out of his way to help us out even though we weren't sitting in his section. I miss him, Noel, and John. They just weren't going to fit in the suitcase.

 

As for bartenders, I found Alok in the Champagne bar and he became my favorite for the rest of the week. Seems he has quite a following here on CC. Wish I had your gift for writing. You are definitely doing a great job!!!! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

 

Jen

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swanny70

swanny70

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We were on the Serenade the week before you.....you must've had a different bartender than we did in the Centrum. The bartender we had was awesome, so friendly, he remembered our names right away. His nick-name was "Do-Run"...he told us "as in the song".LOL! We met the rest of our party in the Centrum each night before dinner and "Do-Run" knew what we wanted before we even ordered it. He entertained me with some card tricks too. We also had a great bartender in the Vortex, Jennifer. She took care of us every night. I love reading your review....the week went so fast!

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maxs mom

maxs mom

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HI! .......Enjoying your review! We'll be on the Serenade for a back 2 back in June! Can't wait! Especially the sleeping in part on Day 7! Can you tell me what time the Muster Drill is? From your review it sounds like it's after first seating and before second seating? That seems odd.

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ahawco

ahawco

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Still loving your review! You are going to be the standard to which we all be looking to when it comes time to write our own reviews!! I look forward to hearing all about the food and your experiences in each port! Reading this review makes me so excited to be on this ship in August!! Keep up the good work!!!

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Miss Vickie

Miss Vickie

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Our cabin steward was warm and friendly. We didn’t see much of him owing to the curved nature of the hallway we were on, but when we did he was always smiling and made us feel so welcome. Our room was well cared for. He seemed to have our schedule down pat. We’d disappear for breakfast and the room was always made up when we got back. And he always handled turn-down during dinner. We had a towel animal every night but the first. Sunday, of course was an Easter Bunny. Thank you John for fishing out the nail polish that DD lost down the hole behind the TV. When one is 16, a lost bottle of nail polish is a major issue.

 

Our dining room waiter was Noel. He was very engaging and extremely attentive. He managed to make us feel like we were his only table, but I think he had at least two others. We quickly learned to trust his advice on dinner selection. He never steered us wrong. I came to believe that Noel was trying to fatten us up. He was only too willing to bring us multiple appetizers or desserts. It didn’t even faze him if we asked for a second entrée. My DD at one point had barely touched her cherry chocolate cake, since it didn’t really hit the spot. Noel asked if she wanted to try the Strawberry fluff thing he’d recommended earlier. Although she replied no, he responded “OK, I’ll bring you one.” He did and she dutifully ate it, enjoying every last morsel. Our assistant waiter wasn’t as charismatic as Noel. His style was more reserved and unobtrusive. He got into the swing of things as the cruise wore on. By the second night, he knew that DD and I would want to start off our bread selection with two savory bites each and by mid week, I would get an iced tea without even having to ask.

 

There’s been a huge upgrade in the service level in the Windjammer. I spoke to several other veteran cruisers and they agreed on this point. When I first started cruising again at the time my DD turned 8, you were on your own in the Windjammer. Now, it’s another story. It was nice to have someone fetch a drink for me, as has been reported on cruisecritic. There were little signs on the tables that read “My name is -----. Assistant Waiter. It is my pleasure to serve you.” We engaged several of the waiters in small talk. One waiter even remembered me the next day. He offered to carry my plate for me after I had filled it and escorted me to a table. Then he offered to watch out for my DD and let her know where I was seated. Sure enough, he spotted her before I did and told her where to find me. That goes way above and beyond anything I would have expected for a buffet. The tables are promptly cleared and cleaned. Overall, the service was unobtrusive, efficient and well-managed. Kudos to the management that oversees this operation.

 

While I don’t order too many drinks on any given cruise, I do expect those involved in bar service to be especially outgoing. A mixed drink is a vital component in a party atmosphere, so the person I order from has to make me feel like he or she is enjoying the party as well. That being said, the fellow tending bar in the Centrum the first day had the disposition of a high school hall monitor. Maybe he was married to the sourpuss I dealt with during check-in and she starched his shorts before he left for the week. In any event, I turned away and went elsewhere to buy that first drink of the cruise. I found the staff in the Schooner Bar to be wonderfully out-going and lots of fun. Ditto for the bartender in the Vortex.

 

Lovin' your review! We're Serenade vets (5 times, with a 6th booked for next January). Noel was our waiter on a previous cruise and we thought he was terrific. He was the waiter at the table next to ours this previous January and remembered us. We had good wait staff and a great headwaiter this time around, but next January we're going to request one of Noel's tables.

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emeraldcity

emeraldcity

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HI! .......Enjoying your review! We'll be on the Serenade for a back 2 back in June! Can't wait! Especially the sleeping in part on Day 7! Can you tell me what time the Muster Drill is? From your review it sounds like it's after first seating and before second seating? That seems odd.

 

The dinner times were 6:00 and 8:45; muster drill was at 8:00. I suspect that's to make sure they have as many arriving passengers (and crew) as possible.

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