January cruise - Serenade / Adventure vs. Freedom of the Seas

[NYcruisefan08]

Hi -

 

My boyfriend and I are planning a 7 night cruise for the first / second week in Janaury. I'm debating between the Southern Caribbean itineraries on either the Serenade or the Adventure and the Eastern route on the Freedom/

 

We are in our early / mid-30's with no kids and are hoping for a combination of relaxtion and fun on the cruise. Ideally I'd love to lay on a beach on port days and float in the ocean...so am worried about the weather that time of year.

 

Neither of us are big drinkers.

 

I've been on the Enchantment (loved it!) - he's never been on a cruise.

 

I'm worried that the Freedom may be too big and feel like we are on a ship - like the ocean will be too "far away." I love when on the Enchantment sitting near a window in a chair and reading a book while watching the pcean go by...

 

I'm also worried that there may not be enough to do on the Serenade / Adventure (i.e. no flow rider, etc).

 

Help please! Which whould you choose? thank you!

[dcward89]

My husband and I are going on the Serenade the last of January (29th). We are 40ish, also with no kids. I really wouldn't worry about not having enough to do as the itinerary (at least the one we chose) is pretty port intensive. If you like floating in the ocean then 5 different islands in a weeks sounds perfect. From everything I've read, the weather should be fine. If you book a balcony, the ocean is never farther away than a few steps from your bed!!

[NYcruisefan08]

Thanks!

 

Yes, we are definitely planning to book a balcony room - my last cruise on Enchantment I had an inside cabin and this time and looking forward to sitting on the balcony and looking out to sea (on whichever ship we choose).

[dcward89]

I absolutely love having a balcony...so much so that I think I would rather not go on a cruise if I couldn't have one. There's just something so spectacular about sitting out there watching islands and other ships go by. I love watching from the balcony as we pull into each new port. We have our first aft balcony for our January cruise and I'm really looking forward to the large balcony!!! Whichever ship and itinerary you choose, it'll be great!

[BILL-WI]

We will be on Serenade for a B2B in January and this will be our third year in a row on the same ship...Why? Because, Serenade is a great ship with lots of glass, which gives you spectacular views of the Ocean. The weather has been wonderful in January, and the selection of Islands is great. If you want beaches, the Eastern/Southern Caribbean can not be beat!

 

BILL:):)

[AlanAllyn]

I would not worry about the size of the Freedom; it won't feel any more crowded than the Enchantment.

 

The real issue is that the Freedom spends more time at sea and less in port. That would be perfect for me, since there is so much to do on board. But if you want to spend most of your time on the beach, than the more port intensive cruises out of San Juan are for you.

[NYcruisefan08]

thanks everyone!!! This is really helpful :D

 

Do you think that the Eastern itinerary will be warm enough in Janaury to go in the water on the Port stops? How is Coco Cay that time of year?

 

Do you think Freedom will feel too big, in terms of not connecting with the idea that we are at Sea? I just am not sure - I worry that we will forget that we are on a boat - does that make sense?

 

I wouldn't mind laying by the pool in addition to the beaches - as long as it will be warm enough weather-wise on the Freedom to do that.

 

Is Southern vs. eastern a huge difference in terms of the aqua-ness of the water? I spent a week in Aruba and LOVED the water there (Palm Beach area). I'm really hoping for something like that on port days.

 

thanks again!!

[BILL-WI]

Here is my cruise video from last January (2010) on the Serenade...

 

We stopped at 10 ports in 14 days. Ports of call: St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica, Barbados, Tortola, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Grenada!

 

Part1:

 

Part 2:

 

Part 3:

 

Part 4:

 

Part 5:

 

Any questions, just ask...

 

BILL

[bmccarthy]

Since you mentioned really enjoying the Enchantment, I think you would really enjoy the Serenade of the Seas. It is only 10,000 tons larger, but with less people onboard, so it would definitely feel smaller than the almost 140,000 ton Adventure with over 3,000 people or the almost 155,000 ton Freedom with 3,600 people onboard.

 

As for weather, January could be cold leaving from Port Canaveral and the water in CocoCay might not be warm enough for you to enjoy. It will be warmer as you get further south to St. Thomas and St. Maarten. The last sea day as you get closer to Florida might be cooler as well. If you love warmer weather and beaches, then I would recommend doing a Southern Caribbean itinerary.

 

The Adventure has all the activities of the Freedom minus Flowrider. The Promenade is neat with the shops, bars, and parades. The ice show was awesome. When we went on the Mariner, I thought it was too big and didn't get to enjoy all the extra amenities as I was pregnant.

 

Our first cruise was on the Jewel (sister ship to Serenade). The Radiance class ships are beautiful with all the glass. We loved the elevators overlooking the ocean. There a lots of places on the ship that you don't want to miss out on. The Colony club has self-leveling pool tables. The Solarium is adult-only and is a wonderful place to relax and read a book. I love the fact the roof is covered so if you next to escape the sun, it's a great place to go. Seaview Cafe is a great place to grab lunch or a snack late at night. The hours are different everyday, so you have to check the compass. They serve sandwiches, burgers, fries, onion rings, etc., which are all fresh and made-to-order. Windjammer Cafe has outdoor seating at the aft of the shift. It's absolutely wonderful to eat outside for breakfast and lunch and enjoy the sea breezes. The bar up at Viking Crown Lounge rotates. What a cool feature!

 

Best wishes with your decision! Have a great cruise!

Beth

[frommichigan]

We went on the Independence of the Seas which is the Freedom of the Seas sister ship in January of 2010. We did the Eastern route and the weather was amazing. Florida was extremely cold when we arrived, so the first night was a little chilly. Once we got out of the Florida weather system the weather was in the 80's and I believe a couple of days it made it to the low 90's. So if weather is your concern I wouldn't worry about it. As we went during the coldest winter in years for the States and had no problem. Good luck!

 

 

Amanda

[msakmom]

I highly recommend choosing the Serenade or the Adventure. I have been on both. As a matter of fact, DH and I will be on the Serenade again in March. She is our favorite ship. The itinerary for both are great. Plenty of beach time to be had. Some of our favorite islands are..... Barbados, Antigua, St Marteen (just to name a few). I don't think you will be disappointed on either of these ships.

 

Whichever you choose, happy cruising!

[NYcruisefan08]

Wow - thank you everyone. This is definitely helpful.

 

I'm still really undecided - but this is really, really helping!!

[cookie225]

Funny how i was going to post this same question :p, trying to decide which of these 3 ships in march 2011. We have 8 carnival cruises and one Royal on the Explorer to Bermuda. We sailed out on San Juan on the Destiny in 2000 ut now would like to go Royal Caribbean again, and between the Serenade & the Adventure....I think Serenade is winning:D

Can anyone tell me if there is latin music/dancing on any of the lounges on the Serenade?

[melbur]

Funny how i was going to post this same question :p, trying to decide which of these 3 ships in march 2011. We have 8 carnival cruises and one Royal on the Explorer to Bermuda. We sailed out on San Juan on the Destiny in 2000 ut now would like to go Royal Caribbean again, and between the Serenade & the Adventure....I think Serenade is winning:D

Can anyone tell me if there is latin music/dancing on any of the lounges on the Serenade?

 

They usually have a latin band onboard and they change around venues where they play.

Having been on all three ships, hands down winner for me is the Serenade.

Very open feeling with lots of places to view the sea. You don't get that on Freedom or Adventure. Also my preference is departing out of San Juan, and the southern caribbean - pretty much guaranteed perfect weather!:)

[mikepmcm]

The Itinerary on the Serenade has only one sea day, so for the most part all of the cruising will be in the evening during dinner & shows. You'll probably only sit poolside on the last day at sea which is when most of the shipboard activities are planned.

 

Here are some pics from our Serenade cruise:

 

Solarium window seats great place to watch the sea go by & read

 

Covered solarium pool adults only

 

Outdoor eating area at rear of windjammer, great spot for breakfast in port,

Stairs are decending from Seaview Cafe below:

 

Note that the Serenade does not have a promenade like in the Liberty or Navigator instead it uses the Centrum for party & entertainment.

[cookie225]

THANK you Mikepmcm & melbur;) love the pics! Its really great you told me about the port intensive part because i was debating taking a balcony but i'll probably be so tired from the ports & dancing at night, i probably won't miss it!

Thank You

[cookie225]

Wow Melbur, i just saw ur signature LOL ..can we say you like the Serenade:D

Im going to be asking you questions soon....i"m really liking the Serenade but some of our friends want the Adventure, we'll see what the vote says once we settle on a date!

[DCwom]

I believe that the Adventure with the Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, St Thom itinerary will take you furthest south improving your warm weather odds.

 

We were on the AOS last year and the Aruba stop was until 8PM so we had a long time in port. Also the pier is directly across from the bus terminal where you can catch a bus to Palm Beach.

[cookie225]

I believe that the Adventure with the Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, St Thom itinerary will take you furthest south improving your warm weather odds.

 

We were on the AOS last year and the Aruba stop was until 8PM so we had a long time in port. Also the pier is directly across from the bus terminal where you can catch a bus to Palm Beach.

 

why??? is it cold on the other route, i already went to aruba (not that i wouldn't do it over & over:D) & curaco, so wanted to try the barbados route.

[BroncosFan2010]

Serenade may be more relaxing for you, out of all the other ships you mentioned. However, our B2B on her in August was PACKED with people and kids. It will probably be much less packed with kids in mid January, but if you really want relaxation, try Celebrity (we made the switch!).

[cookie225]

RELAXATION:eek: i don't realx when im on vacation, i drink.party harty, eat, dont visit the gym & drink & sleep late so im not ready for celebrity:D

[mikepmcm]

RELAXATION:eek: i don't realx when im on vacation, i drink.party harty, eat, dont visit the gym & drink & sleep late so im not ready for celebrity:D

 

Here's to harty partys!

 

 

 

 

[cookie225]

what ship is this? I was told Celebrity was dead after 10 pm :o

Nice pics!

[mikepmcm]

what ship is this? I was told Celebrity was dead after 10 pm :o

Nice pics!

Pics are of the RC Serenade.

[Debde]

Pics are of the RC Serenade.

 

Great pics

and a nice reminder of a great time on the Serenade and our friend Ricky-AKA-the cowboy!!!

 

Ricky ws our suite attendant on Enchantment and then years later was nice to see him with the activities staff!

 

NY cruise fan

Both of all of our sailings have been in January. Both Serenade and Adventure were great ships. January is a time where less kids are sailing but still were enough for mine to find buddies. Won't tell you which one to pick because of the two I have sailied-you won't make a bad choice!!;)