Serenade - Easter Week ... A Cruise Journal

[cruzingduo]

We are really enjoying your posts. I have a question for you regarding the Meet & Mingle. It says the get together is 5 pm on Day 2 Cruise Critic. That doesn't make sense, that's Formal night. Please let us know when you M&M is held.

 

Sailing 4-24 :)

[emeraldcity]

I know it’s old news now, but our last RCI cruise was four years ago when they were rolling out the new bedding. They hadn’t gotten to the Explorer yet, so this was our first opportunity to try it out. While it’s not in the same class as the Hilton or Marriott, it is a big improvement. The first time I plopped down on the bed, I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing I struggled with was the size of the twin bed. Owing to the curve at the bottom, one side is much shorter than the other, so with my height, that meant I had one foot hanging off the bed. As for the blankets, they’re pretty narrow. Do a bit of rearranging during the night and the blanket somehow goes sideways on you.

 

I slept very well that first night and was surprised that I didn’t wake up till we were already docked. There was no indication that my DD was going to be moving anytime in the near future so I slipped out of bed and played Easter Bunny. As recommended, I had smuggled the fixings for a small Easter basket in my suitcase. I put it together and then hid 24 filled eggs around the room. Satisfied that I had honored the appropriate traditions, I slipped out of the room and headed up to the Windjammer to have some fruit and pastry.

 

Somewhere in the world there is a proud mama who brags to her friends that her kid is the watermelon carver on the Serenade of the Seas. I’ll bet when he was growing up his parents were always chiding him for playing with his food. Mama served him carrots and peppers … he made a palm tree. But it is with the watermelons that the most striking art emerges. Whoever does those melons is amazing. Today’s art likely ends up being sliced and served on the buffet tomorrow. On the first day we were greeted with “Welcome Aboard”. Today it was “Happy Easter”. Behind the greeting card melons were numerous melons of various designs. The Easter assortment even included a whole bunny, complete with tall curved watermelon rinds for ears. In my early years of cruising, you had to go to the midnight buffet to photograph food treated as an art form. Now the midnight buffets are gone, but there’s something different to photograph every day in the Windjammer.

 

I selected some fruit and a donut then sat down to enjoy it with a cup of coffee on the back deck. Many people had already left the ship and I reveled in the novelty of having booked an excursion for the first day that didn’t start until 12:30. There is something inherently wrong with having to start your vacation by watching the clock. Set the alarm, get up early, grab a quick breakfast and then dash off the ship for those early morning excursions … that rather defeats the purpose of going on a vacation to relax. I’d been so pleased when the tour operator had rescheduled my snorkel/sail so we could have a leisurely morning on board. I gave DD until after 9:00 and then decided that she was pushing the concept of “leisurely” to the limit. So I went back down to roust her out of bed.

 

My DD is a typical teen, who needs an extensive period of time in the morning before her cognizant abilities engage. Consequently, she stumbled out of bed and fumbled for her hairbrush, never spotting the first “hidden” Easter egg right next to it. It wasn’t until she opened her retainer case to put away her retainers that she spotted the egg in it and realized there were likely to be more. She seemed delighted that there was an Easter egg hunt awaiting her. All that advice I’d gotten on the boards was right … even if she’s 16, she still wants Easter treats. She happily rooted through our cozy space looking for the Easter eggs and ended up with about 18 of the 24 eggs I’d hidden. She found most of the others throughout the week. I had to unearth the last two on the final night while we were packing (can you believe she never looked under the couch cushion?).

 

We headed up to the Windjammer for breakfast and the unbeatable views of St. Thomas from the upper decks. If you’re keeping count, that makes 2 breakfasts for me in the same day … and I’m OK with that. Over breakfast she began to fill me in about her evening before. She’d had a great time, but she wasn’t giving the organized teen program high marks. They had combined the older and younger teens, which she felt resulted in the activities being aimed at the younger ones. “Lame!” was the official ruling she handed down. This is not a ruling to be taken lightly. She doesn’t suffer “Lame” too terribly long. Partway through the teen’s quest, she and her newly acquired group decided they should go elsewhere. So they went and played mini golf, as well as visited the Solarium Café once it opened after midnight for serious snacking.

 

There were some advertised morning activities, like an Easter Scavenger Hunt, which I figured would be an entertaining opportunity to watch the little kids. But I either went to the wrong venue or there weren’t enough people to stage it. We pretty much had the whole ship to ourselves. We were the lone golfers on the sports deck that morning. After which, DD went to get in some sunbathing and I decided to catch a brief nap. Gayle from the Jolly Mon called late morning to confirm our 12:30 excursion, so we got a light snack at the Windjammer, then headed for Deck 2 to connect with our afternoon tour.

 

Gayle picked us up in a speedy dingy at the end of the ship’s pier. There were 5 of us. In addition to my DD and I, there was a family of 3 from our roll call (TN_Vol). When we reached the Jolly Mon we were helped aboard by the first mate. I neglected to put his name in my notes, but I’m pretty sure it was John (forgive me if my memory is faulty … I plead advanced age).

 

Gayle advised us that the Jolly Mon is a yawl. Pressing for a definition of what that consists of, she went on to explain that a yawl is distinguished by having two masts. I was pretty comfortable with my new found knowledge till she went and muddied it up by pointing out another boat and advising that one was a ketch. It also had two masts. She launched into a further explanation about the differences, but I had reached boat construction overload and wasn’t able to absorb it. Although their web site says she’s from Texas originally, there is no trace left of an accent, which is a pity … otherwise she could greet visitors with “Welcome to my yawl, y’all.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

We arrived in the little bay off Buck Island (not the same Buck Island off St. Croix) to find that we had a treat in store for us. There was a green turtle swimming in the area. Gayle said she'd never seen one here since their food source isn't in this bay, so we were feeling particularly lucky he was visiting. As we hovered over the shipwreck, we could see the turtle resting on the deck of the ship below us. John commented with some regret that since he was out of his element, it was likely that the turtle wasn't in the best of health. The turtle eventually headed in my general direction to surface and I swam along behind him to try and get some pictures. I discovered one basic rule of oceanography … don't swim downstream from a turtle with digestive issues. I managed a quick maneuver to avoid becoming a little more "one with nature" than I would have been comfortable with. On the spot, I decided that I really wasn't that keen on a picture of that incredibly rude turtle anyway.

There were a fair number of fish in the bay, but they weren't especially colorful, nor were they terribly close to the surface. We did get a good view of a large puffer fish and a number of parrot fish. John advised that the crackling noise we heard underwater was the sound of the fish feeding on the reef. I’m not sure if that is actual fact or just something they tease the tourists with. Somehow it was hard to equate the sound with those rather small fish. Since I'd never snorkeled above a shipwreck, I was pretty intrigued by that part of the experience. We then swam closer to the shore. John dove down and returned with a spikey ball of life about the size of a rather large grapefruit (if there are any trekkies out there, picture a prickly tribble). With some badgering, Corey finally agreed to hold out his hand for it. It activated its internal sucker system and he couldn't get rid of it. "What do I do now?" With a bit of encouragement he was able to get it to disengage and slip it onto my hand. It was a bit unsettling to have the thing latch onto me, despite my attempts to cup my hand so it couldn’t easily settle into my palm. I tried to pass it off to DD, but she jerked her hand back and the prickly tribble began to sink. John dove down to catch it so he could gently return it to its seabed floor.

Our bay was soon invaded by a large boat that would shortly be off-loading more people into the water. I expected they would be snorkelers, too, but I was in for a rude awakening. A series of bouys appeared behind the boat and began to move around the bay in a group. You had to be underwater to get a view of what was attached to the bouys. It was some sort of underwater propelled vehicle that TN_VOL dubbed underwater Harley-Davidsons. While they were releasing some fish food to attract fish for their clientele, they apparently were pretty oblivious to everything else going on around them. I had never considered the ocean as a medium for traffic issues, but if these guys propagate we’re going to find we need to found an agency for water traffic control. They didn’t bother to check above them when they set their course and I found that as I tried to make my way back to the Jolly Mon I was struggling to avoid being ensnared in the lines attaching them to their bouys.

Back on the yawl, we were served drinks and a platter of light snacks. The gear was stowed and the boat began to make way again. As we headed back under sail, we chatted about life on the Islands. They shared the fact that the Virgin Islands had been originally purchased from the Dutch in 1917 for a mere $25 million. Gayle said she lived on the other side of the island and drives over those mountains every day. She said she bought her car on the mainland and paid $1800 to ship it over. That was actually cheaper than buying a car on the island, and it was likely in better shape. The island cars see hard miles, given the nature of the local roads. John said he lives on his boat. He has a hot plate for cooking, but no refrigerator. Whatever he cooks, he has to eat it all, since he can’t store anything. This was the first time that we heard about the local concern about the coming hurricane season, but it wouldn’t be the last. We heard the worry from nearly every tour operator. The winter had been unusually warm and the water was already warmer than normal for this time of year. They advised that it doesn’t bode well for the tropics this summer and fall.

As the boat made its way back into the harbor and the Serenade came into view, DD claimed the first shower once we got back on board. This little gambit is typical of our return from any activity that involves swimming. I decided to move decisively to cut the game short and announced that we would be taking turns being first during the week. She could have today, but tomorrow would be mine. There was a grudging agreement to this relatively fair arrangement. Basically, she’s a very sweet young lady, but she is still pretty much in possession of the typical teenage me-first operating mode. I know it’s been suggested that you can always go up to the gym and shower, but I have to wonder if that only works for guys. Women have to pack so many things to make that trek up there, that it’s hardly worth the effort. She should be able to clear the shower in the time that it would take me to get everything together. Notice the use of the word “should”. The reality is that she gets into the shower and her brain freezes. Despite being part of the socially-conscious generation, she can separate in her mind her proliferate use of resources from the wasteful practices of others. Mark my words … someday RCI is going to identify teenage girls as a major source of lost revenue that will result in a hot water supplement cost to the cruise fare.

 

We had plenty of time to get presentable before the Meet and Mingle. We arrived in the Hollywood Odyssey to find that there were already about 20 people settling in. I made a circuit of the room and took the opportunity to chat with as many of the others as I could. Then my DD and I joined our tablemates who were seated in the middle of the room. Dennis, the CD came in to host the event. He struck me as very personable and genuine. I’ve seen some cruise directors that are terribly cheesy. But I really liked Dennis. The last Meet and Mingle I went to would have lasted about 10 minutes flat if all we had for a program was the Cruise line’s presentation. It was a basic, “Thanks for coming. We appreciate you folks.” Then they raffled off two prizes and that was it. Dennis did a much better job. We welcomed us and talked about the value of the Cruisecritic group. He advised that he reads all the Serenade posts he can and that RCI pays careful attention to what is posted as well. When it came time to raffle off prizes, they had at least 5 or 6 things to raffle off. I was surprised to actually win something this time. I got the bottle of champagne. With her eyes sparkling as I walked back to my seat, DD reached out and quickly took possession of the prize she was too young to have. It was pretty clear that I wouldn’t have to be burdened with carrying it to the dining room. Somehow, my DD seemed to think that the champagne made a really nice complement to her formal ensemble. I told our tablemates that I hoped they liked champagne, since we’d be sharing at dinner.

 

There was a lovely fruit tray at the M&M, but I didn’t have very much. It was formal night and I didn’t want to spoil my appetite for what I expected would be an exceptional meal.

 

We arrived at our table for dinner and the head waiter offered to take our bottle and chill it until after the appetizers were served. I should have pulled off the big pretty white bow … when the bottle came back, the bow was gone. DD did save the cork, however. I noticed it disappeared into her room shortly after we unpacked at home. The foursome that had dined last night at the 4-top the Australians were getting for the rest of the cruise joined us that night. It was Matt, LuAnn, Terry and Beverly. The two women were sisters. They were a delightful group and they fit right in.

 

I was getting used to the first conversation opener people adopt when they meet a 16-yr old. “When do you get your driver’s license?” My DDs eyeballs glow and she lays out her plans. I sit silently and refuse to rain on her parade, but with the cost of insurance, she may find she’s not as close to that license as she thinks she is.

 

After dinner, DD hooked up with her friends from the previous evening and I was left to my own devices. I didn’t take in the show, since I’m not a big fan of production numbers. I poked around in the onboard shops and did some people-watching. It looked like there was a bridal party onboard and they were having a marvelous time dancing in the Centrum. Azucar, the Latin Dance Band in the Centrum was outstanding.

 

I headed for the Safari Club by 10 to get a relatively good seat for the Battle of the Sexes. Zig Zag was the band playing when I arrived. I wish I could report that I loved that group too, but they really didn’t seem to strike a chord with me. I’m sure others will have a different opinion. They were genuinely talented … I’m not sure why I wasn’t particularly taken with them.

 

At 10:15 promptly, the cruise staff showed up to host the game show. All the women were moved to one side of the lounge and the men were moved to the other. There were a series of separate challenges pitting the men against the women. They picked a new set of contestants for each challenge. We women won some of them, but the guys did better. (Note here that in the event I competed in, the women won every round.) The guys didn’t win by much … but they did win. (Sad face.)

 

I returned to my cabin, prepared to play truant officer again and found a note on the bed. DD reported that she had dutifully checked in at 11:40 and would return at curfew.

 

OK, so what is it that I would normally be unable to do if I was spending the evening with my DD? The nightclub, of course. I went up to the Vortex and found that they were playing some really great music. In all my research on the Serenade, I never encountered the interesting tidbit that the Vortex has a revolving bar. Maybe I’m getting a bigger kick out of that fact than is actually warranted, but I thought it was pretty cool to sit at the bar with the drink I had just ordered and my perspective of the room was constantly changing. I took advantage of the CC tip and asked if they had some nut mix. The bartender told me he didn’t, but he’d have somebody bring some up. Talk about service! I think I had to wait a grand total of 60 seconds and someone arrived in the bar with two containers of trail mix. The bartender slid one over to me. (Yes, that bartender got an extra tip.) I wasn’t there very long before the wedding party showed up. They were clearly having a wonderful time. The music in the disco is outstanding. I’m not sure how anyone can sit there and not want to dance. When they played “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas I slid off my bar stool and joined the people on the floor. What a perfect song for a party crowd on a cruise ship … that should be the theme song. “I Gotta Feeling… that tonight’s gonna be a good night! … Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday … Party every day!” I split my time between that revolving bar and the dance floor, until it was nearly one o’clock. Then I went back to the cabin to make sure that someone didn’t break curfew. She didn’t. I think she even arrived one minute before the witching hour.

 

We sat up and talked a bit before we gave it up for the night, since we once again had scored an afternoon excursion on the next day.

[emeraldcity]

We are really enjoying your posts. I have a question for you regarding the Meet & Mingle. It says the get together is 5 pm on Day 2 Cruise Critic. That doesn't make sense, that's Formal night. Please let us know when you M&M is held.

 

Sailing 4-24 :)

 

Yep! Formal Night. How cool is that? Instead of standing in line with all those people who are getting their formal pictures, you're lounging in the Hollywood Odyssey in your finery being told how wonderful you are for posting your opinions.

[emeraldcity]

I love how you write and can't wait for the rest! It's gonna be our first time on the serenade and it seems like one of the best of the fleet!

 

It is my new favorite ship. I had an absolutely fantastic week aboard. I wish for you as wonderful a cruise as I had!

[Tex_Jen]

Dorothy, Zig Zag didn't strike a positive chord with me either. They played at the Crown & Anchor party. One of the singers really wasn't very good. The other 3 were fine, but the costuming was a bit strange. I don't think they've looked in mirrors lately. As long as I closed my eyes and the drummer wasn't singing, I could tolerate them. Their intros for the songs were a bit cheesy as well.

 

Jen

[LDR]

Wonderful review so far! My family and I sailed with Gayle in 2007, and just loved the Jolly Man:)

[BroncosFan2010]

More More MORE PLEASE! This is making me so excited for my cruise!

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Great review, really enjoying it and very well written, Thank you.:)

[ahawco]

takevtr1......It is good finally find someone who is travelling on the Serenade Aug 1...exciting! Who are you all?

 

emerald city....keep up the great review! Are you going to go more indepth about the food on the cruise? I would love to hear alot more :)

[emeraldcity]

 

emerald city....keep up the great review! Are you going to go more indepth about the food on the cruise? I would love to hear alot more :)

 

I'll be doing a whole segment on food. Somehow I think that's more effective than spreading it out on each day. The other complication is that iI would sometimes go a day or two between note-taking, so I can't verify I put the right foods on the right days.

 

Thank you for all your compliments. I get to relive the whole thing when I do one of these. I'm amazed at the response I've gotten so far. I did this on the NCL board after my Pride of America cruise and I only totaled about 3000 hits in the three weeks it was on the top pages of the boards. I'm just starting on copy for Day 3 of this cruise and there are 2400 hits already.

[waydar]

Wow~ Thanks for all that great information. I can't wait to get on and set sail on our 1st adventure.:)

[Jaxsonbrownie]

EmeraldCity,

 

Thank you for such an amazing review. We sail in September on her, and after reading this so far, I am already chomping at the bit...:)

 

Piu` Si Prega..:) (more please):)

[adonisr]

Emerald - you didn't miss much by skipping the production shows. I comment on that in my review that I nearly have completed.

 

Donnie

[JenAndDan]

I can't wait until August!

 

Quick question - did you notice if the Schooner bar ever got loud? Our cabins are right above it and if the bar gets loud I think I might give up our side by side balconys for more quiet since we have a baby.

[ahawco]

I'll be doing a whole segment on food. Somehow I think that's more effective than spreading it out on each day. The other complication is that iI would sometimes go a day or two between note-taking, so I can't verify I put the right foods on the right days.

 

Thank you for all your compliments. I get to relive the whole thing when I do one of these. I'm amazed at the response I've gotten so far. I did this on the NCL board after my Pride of America cruise and I only totaled about 3000 hits in the three weeks it was on the top pages of the boards. I'm just starting on copy for Day 3 of this cruise and there are 2400 hits already.

 

 

Your welcome! You definitely have a knack for the writing thing. We are all enjoying it by the sounds of things!

 

I look forward to the food review...don't worry I won't fault you if I get on the cruise and the food you specified for one day was wrong...lol ;)

 

I am sure it must be fun for you to write these reviews...it must feel like you are re-living your trip as I feel like I lived it and I wasn't even there :)

[WifesChef]

I am a non smoker, and when the smokers are out on break, I am reading your inputs. I think I am coming out miles ahead.. And probably spending a whole lot less.

 

I will be glad when school lets out at the end of June, I know our cruise will be officially around the corner.

 

Keep writing, because I plan to keep reading.

[cruiseguy1016]

I can't wait until August!

 

Quick question - did you notice if the Schooner bar ever got loud? Our cabins are right above it and if the bar gets loud I think I might give up our side by side balconys for more quiet since we have a baby.

 

I can't speak for the Schooner bar on Serenade but we were above Bolero's on Majesty and it was loud. My guess would be that any bar playing music, even if it's only the piano, would have the potential to be loud. We could hear the noise from Bolero's every night. We could actually feel the thumping of the bass. I thought it was going to keep us up every night but fortunately it didn't. We got in bed every night and commented on the noise and then fell asleep. I think we were just so tired from the days' activities that we just fell asleep. You know best how your baby sleeps when there are noises so you can decide for yourself but, I will never book a room above or below a lounge again.

[BroncosFan2010]

I can't wait until August!

 

Quick question - did you notice if the Schooner bar ever got loud? Our cabins are right above it and if the bar gets loud I think I might give up our side by side balconys for more quiet since we have a baby.

 

We will be on a B2B just before your cruise... I will try to leave the ship in good shape for you, but no promises! :D:D

[emeraldcity]

I can't wait until August!

 

Quick question - did you notice if the Schooner bar ever got loud? Our cabins are right above it and if the bar gets loud I think I might give up our side by side balconys for more quiet since we have a baby.

 

I'll touch base on the noise issue at the end of my Day 3 review, but I can really only speak from my particular vantage point (Cabin #7608). The thing you have to be aware of is that you can pick what seems to be a likely quiet spot and then end up with noisy folks in the cain next door. At one point we had our balcony door open and somebody decided that they needed some serious surround sound to sooth the savage beast. My DD and I froze and stared at each other in shock ... afraid that it would plague us all cruise. We shut the door quickly to muffle it, but it only happened that one time.

[Demeko]

Hi mom (emeraldcity)! I'm creeping on your board. You're putting as much fun into the review as we had on the trip. Anyway. You still need to post the pictures on fb. I love you. :)

[Tex_Jen]

I can't wait until August!

 

Quick question - did you notice if the Schooner bar ever got loud? Our cabins are right above it and if the bar gets loud I think I might give up our side by side balconys for more quiet since we have a baby.

 

I've personally had a cabin above the Schooner bar in the past (not this cruise) and it was not an issue. I did have concerns before we left, but we never heard a thing.

 

Jen

[aggie1]

I love your review. Wish I could write like you!!. We are doing a B2B on the Seranade Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. I love the Seranade. Did a 14 night cruise on her in apr. of 07 from San Juan to San Francisco. Seranade is my favorite ship.

[cruzingduo]

Yep! Formal Night. How cool is that? Instead of standing in line with all those people who are getting their formal pictures, you're lounging in the Hollywood Odyssey in your finery being told how wonderful you are for posting your opinions.

 

Thanks, still seems like a strange time to have a meet & mingle.

 

We are just anxious to hear more :) Great review!

[emeraldcity]

I love your review. Wish I could write like you!!. We are doing a B2B on the Seranade Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. I love the Seranade. Did a 14 night cruise on her in apr. of 07 from San Juan to San Francisco. Seranade is my favorite ship.

 

Previously the Splendour was my favorite, but the Serenade is my favorite now.

 

Thank you for the lovely compliment. Writing is fun. It gives you a chance to pull out a memory, turn it over a few times in your mind until it settles into the best viewpoint; and then you just try to present it in such a way that it comes off on paper the way it seems in your mind.

[Tex_Jen]

Thanks, still seems like a strange time to have a meet & mingle.

 

We are just anxious to hear more :) Great review!

 

I agree that it is not necessarily an optimal time. The trick is that this is a port intensive cruise so they try to make sure it is still early in the cruise, but not during the day when you are likely to be out and about.

 

Dorothy, I'm loving your review. Helps me relive my cruise. :D

 

Jen