Serenade to Alaska??

[crusinhokie]

Well I didn't believe everyone when they said once you cruise you will be addicted ~ we are so I'm planning the next cruise. This time to Alaska.

 

I am pretty sure we will be going on the Serenade (not until '06). Does anyone have cabin suggestions? We will def. get a balcony and I was thinking since it is very early maybe trying for a "hump" room on Deck 8 or 9. Any thoughts on these as good or bad cabins? Also, is port or starboard better for an Alaskan cruise?

 

Also, what are the negatives of doing Alaska early or late in the cruising season? Will we miss ports? Cancelled excursions? Bad weather?

 

Any other helpful hints for very early planning?

 

Thanks!!

[postalgrrl]

We were on the Serenade Sept. 19, 2004 sailing....what a wonderful ship....I can't say enough good things about it. We had cabin 8594 on the hump...great cabin...you could see all the way forward & aft from the balcony and it was close to the elevators. I would book this cabin again if I go again. My inlaws had a inside cabin on the same deck and spent most of their time on our balcony ..I think they enjoyed it more than we did. I liked deck 8 better thatn deck 7 because there is a overhang for deck 6 that obstructs your view if you cabin is on deck 7. But not a problem for deck 8. The crew said that the weather had been great up until the week before we cruised and then it turned cold....but to me it felt more like Alaska since it was cold and rainy, not 80 and sun shine. Some of the flight excursions were cancelled in Juneau due to bad weather and we could not get to Hubbard Glacier because of bad weather, but the captain substituted Sawyer Galcier and it was beautiful. Also you can get some good deals on souvenirs late in the season. we took a helicopter tour in Skagway and it was amazing.

Let me know if you have any more questions

[crusinhokie]

Thanks for the great advice! One more question (for now) - what dinner time is better for an Alaskan cruise (main or late)? I have only been on the Mariner and we did late and the blinds were always closed (it was dark), thinking that might not be the case in Alaska.

[baseballmom]

Hi Cruisinhokie,

 

I'm going to be on Serenade to Alaska this June, so I can only share what I'm going to do based in large part on what I've read here on CC. We will be in cabin 9594, a balcony cabin just on the other side of the hump. We had another cabin reserved on deck 10, but based on numerous comments re 9594, especially about the larger balcony, I feel very lucky that we were able to switch. You might do a search on here for Serenade 9594 and read the comments yourself.

 

I also selected late seating for my 15-year-old son and I. It's my understanding that it will remain light outside until 9pm or later, so we may miss a sunset but I would expect that the blinds would remain open in the dining room. We've only been on one other cruise (a 4-dayer) and I thought early seating was too early. For me, 7:30 would be perfect, but I think this will be fine, especially when we're in port -- don't want to have to rush back for anything!

 

Hope this helps a little bit:)

 

Laurie

[Honey's Gal]

Oh I am so jealous. You will love Alaska. I think that the weather issue is really a hit or miss. They do say to go in June July or Aug. We went in Aug and it was rainy and cool. This however did not make for a bod cruise. We were prepared. Bring sweatshirts, t-shirts, rain proof jackets or rain ponchos (they pack so easy), etc. Layers, need layers.

 

The Serenade is a beautiful ship. WE were on deck 9 in the middle of the hump 9584 on our last cruise and loved it so much we booked the same area on the Jewel for Sept.

 

Our only regret on the Alaska cruise was that we did not have a balcony then. It is a must. When you get to the Hubbard glacier, it is amazing how close the ship can get, and standing out on deck with all the other pax, it is very difficult to see everything. Everyone is fighting for the viewing advanatage. Plus, it was cold. If you have a balcony, you can go in an out as you please.

 

Enjoy, we can't wait to go back.

[postalgrrl]

We had early dinner on our Sept cruise....we got really lucky and got a table for 4 that was right by a window so we could enjoy great food with a great view....the sun did set a little earlier that late in the season so the sun would go down while we were at dinner..but we had some fantastic views from the dinner table. And I am not big fan of late dinner but thats what I'll have when we take a short 5 day cruise this Oct...I was out voted.

Also, if you want to spoil yourself or are celebrating a special occasion splurge and eat in Chop's...it was one of the best steaks I have ever had.

[critterchick]

We had an aft cabin on Radiance, and I highly recommend it if you can get one (all the way aft facing the wake, not along the side). We were on the corner, in JS 1100, but the folks in the D-1 next to us just raved about their cabin, too. It's quiet back there, the views are simply spectacular and you can see around a bit to the side of the ship even from the middle cabins.

[Rala]

We were on the Aug 29, 2004 cruise to Alaska aboard Serenade and were in Cabin #8594. I agree with postalgrrl that it was perfect cabin--centrally located, comvenient to most everything, very quiet, and a great view from the balcony. If that is not available, try 8596--just as good! Have a wonderful cruise!

[Rondo]

We had the corner aft on deck 9 last June on the Serenade to Alaska. It was WONDERFUL for viewing Hubbard Glacier. We went to the front of the ship as we approached the glacier and then went back to our balcony. We like the little extra walk, because we always need the excercise. It's also very quiet back there. It was also GREAT when we went into the Misty Fjords. It was one of the most peaceful moments I ever experienced. If you want the corner aft you almost have to book it as soon as it becomes available. I kept checking every day for about a month and booked the first day it was available.

[crusinhokie]

Oh this makes me even more excited! Thanks for all the great cabin & dining room tips!

[travellady]

I now have 2 bookings for the same week to Alaska - the Sapphire Princess and now the Serenade. We can't decide and I was just able to snag mid-ship deck 7 connecting cabins on the Serenade - usually difficult to get this late in the game. We just sailed the Diamond Princess and loved her, my 11 year old wasn't quite as thrilled but still had a good time. Seems to be more for 11 year olds to do on RCCL ships. And, his best friend is coming along, therefore the connecting insides being a must. I could have had a balcony had we all decided to bunk together (budget being the deciding factor) but I really don't want to share single space with 2 almost teenage boys.

 

I'll sleep on it tonight and decide which of the 2 to cancel. I'm leaning towards keeping the Serenade. Can anyone convince me?

[TriciaAnn]

Absolutely take the Serenade! It has 5 acres of glass on the sides of the ship! We took the Radiance to Alaska(sister ship) and it was wonderful! We did not have a balcony but always found great viewing spots inside without getting cold! The Champagne bar had great seating for viewing the ice flows and there is aft section behind the windjammer that had both inside and outside seating.

[travellady]

TriciaAnn, I listented to you and just cancelled our Sapphire Princess. I actually had to talk to my son's best friend's mom as he's travelling with us and didn't want to spring this on them at the last minute. The port is now a 3 hour drive instead of the original planned 30 minute drive so needed to make sure they were OK with that. No problem.

 

I read a lot about the Radiance at one time so always wanted to go on that ship - looks like the Serenade is pretty much the same, only newer. Now I have to spend this evening researching everything I can about her.

 

We did love the Diamond Princess, felt the food was a notch better on her than the Voyager, but not enough to make a difference. But, looks like the Radiance will have more for my son and his friend to do than the Sapphire Princess and better yet, it sails the full inside passage.

 

I'll make do with an inside cabin - this time the extra space means more to us than the balcony. And I'm thrilled we got connecting cabins - I suspect somebody may have recently cancelled as when I was first looking at cruises to Alaska a few months ago, couldn't get my hands on a connecting at all.

[TriciaAnn]

Travellady, I'm glad to have been able to help you! I believe all of you will love the Serenade! The Radiance class ships are so light filled with all of the glass! Even the outside elevators offer a view!

 

The connecting cabins will make it so much better for you! Two bathrooms, and double the storage space! You may enjoy having both TV's most of all with two 11year olds boys! I've read several threads about taking video games for use in the cabin.

 

I believe all of you will enjoy the Seaview Cafe. The hours vary and it is usually open when the other dining venues are closed. It has chicken tenders, onion rings, brownies, and several other sandwiches. There is a charge for drinks. You may find the soda card is something you want to purchase if any of you drink a lot of sodas.

We made use of room service every day after returning from our shore excursions.

 

The Alaska board is a wealth of information. Budget Queen has been to Alaska many times and if you do a search for her posts she may have already answered many of your questions.

 

If you have any questions I will be happy to try to answer them.

You made a wonderful choice in the Serenade! Enjoy your cruise!

[Rondo]

travellady,

 

You will love the Serenade! As TriciaAnn said, the champagne bar has great viewing. We sat there most of our cruise. The seating by Latitudes was good, too, just one level away from the champagne bar. The Serenade is the most beautiful ship we have been on!! One thing I really like about the Serenade was that it cruised the Misty Fjords. One of the best parts of the trip. It was a short jaunt in and out, but very peaceful. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

Rondo

[travellady]

I found some good pictures of the Serenade on Cruiseclues.com so will spend some time before bedtime perusing those. TriciaAnn - I'll also spend some time looking at the Alaska boards. I hadn't focused on this until now as we did the Mexican Riviera 2 weeks ago and that's where my mind was. Now that final payment is getting close for this cruise, I'm focusing on it.

 

You can probably tell by my signature line that I'm now addicted to cruising :-) We used to spend a lot of vacation time in Hawaii, Mexico, or Florida at resorts and my son reached an age where he started to feel bored unless I was there to entertain him a good part of the day. My oldest are 26 year old twin boys so I'm not used to having an "only child". I realized after our first family cruise this summer, this is the way to go. Something for everyone.

 

Even though we had an Oceanview on the Diamond, I found I was rarely in my cabin. I loved to go sit in Skywalker's lounge (analagous to Viking Crown) and watch everything around me - people on deck and the whales and dolphins swimming alongside the ship. I suspect I'll do the same on the Serenade. I'm a tad bit claustrophobic and need to be in places where I can see out. I'm not so bad that the inside cabin will bother me but suspect I'll only be in there to sleep.

 

Oh well, time to virtually explore the Serenade. I can't wait. Thankfully my husband and I have planned a mini-cruise on the Ryndam in May as she repositions from San Diego to Vancouver, that should get us through our wait for Alaska!

[natesfirewife]

We booked a Corner Aft Cabin, 1100 for our CC Group Cruise on the Serenade 08/07/05. We sailed the Radiance in 2003 with an Oceanview and although we had no problems with it, we decided to upgrade to the JS this time. There are so many places to just hang out and watch everything go by that we only spent our sleeping hours in the cabin. I guess if we had a balcony we might have spent more time but it was our first cruise and we wanted to see everything that was going on topside. :) You won't be disappointed.

 

Misty