Baltic cities: Serenade o.t. Seas vs Norwegian Star vs. MSC Orchestra

[WouterC]

We're currently looking into our vacation for next year, which will most likely be to the Baltic cities & Saint-Petersburg.

 

RC has the Serenade OTS sailing there, so I was wondering how it compares to other ships I've encountered, such as MSC Orchestra and Norwegian Star.

 

Especially if you were on two (or even all) of these ships, I'd like to hear your experiences.

 

Specific questions for the Serenade:

- we sailed the Navigator of the seas before. Is the ship comparable?

- we prefer to have an adult-only area, on the serenade it looked comparable to what we had on the Navigator.

- how is the food?

- is there a spa/wellness, and what is it like?

- how are the balcony cabins: are they roomy, and how is the view?

- does the ship feel crowded, or is it calm?

[melbur]

We're currently looking into our vacation for next year, which will most likely be to the Baltic cities & Saint-Petersburg.

 

RC has the Serenade OTS sailing there, so I was wondering how it compares to other ships I've encountered, such as MSC Orchestra and Norwegian Star.

 

Especially if you were on two (or even all) of these ships, I'd like to hear your experiences.

 

Specific questions for the Serenade:

- we sailed the Navigator of the seas before. Is the ship comparable?

Serenade does not have a Royal Promenade like NAV. Ship is smaller. NCL Star is about the same size

- we prefer to have an adult-only area, on the serenade it looked comparable to what we had on the Navigator. Serenade has the Solarium, NCL Star has a lap pool in the spa and adult only hot tub

- how is the food? food in MDR on both is good, not great, but we did the UDP on Star and ate in Specialty every night - the fact NCL has far more specialty venues was appealing to us

- is there a spa/wellness, and what is it like? both Serenade and Star have spas

- how are the balcony cabins: are they roomy, and how is the view? rooms are comparable, not sure what you mean by view, it's the ocean:confused:

- does the ship feel crowded, or is it calm?

no crowded feeling on either ship, and we sailed on Star during Spring Break with lots of kids and never felt crowded

I also felt entertainment was excellent on the Star, with lots to do every evening.

[WouterC]

rooms are comparable, not sure what you mean by view, it's the ocean

 

Yes, view of the ocean and the cities; we love watching the coastline and cities as the ships sails in/out of port.

 

I also felt entertainment was excellent on the Star, with lots to do every evening.

 

Was there less, or lesser quality, entertainment on the Serenade? Or was that also comparable?

Edited April 8, 2014 by WouterC

[Boston lab girl]

I can't answer all of you question having only done celebrity and rc. But I have been on both serenade and Navigator. Serenade is a beautiful ship. It is quieter than Navigator. Other than that very comparable and in MHO nicer but that is so subjective. Serenade is smaller. I was thinking of Europe Next yearalso and would rather be on the Serenade because when you get to port there will be fewer people. The food is the same the serenade has outdoor seating in the windjammer which I always think is a plus. The adult area is comparable as is the spa. The ship feels much less crowded than the Navigator. Hope this helps.

[WouterC]

I can't answer all of you question having only done celebrity and rc. But I have been on both serenade and Navigator. Serenade is a beautiful ship. It is quieter than Navigator. Other than that very comparable and in MHO nicer but that is so subjective. Serenade is smaller. I was thinking of Europe Next yearalso and would rather be on the Serenade because when you get to port there will be fewer people. The food is the same the serenade has outdoor seating in the windjammer which I always think is a plus. The adult area is comparable as is the spa. The ship feels much less crowded than the Navigator. Hope this helps.

 

You've sailed Celebrity before? I also considered Celebrity Silhouette for a little while, since it also departs from Amsterdam (from where we live, a 3-hour trip by train). But, even with the special promotion and OBC offered, it was still a lot more expensive.

Edited April 8, 2014 by WouterC

[melbur]

Yes, view of the ocean and the cities; we love watching the coastline and cities as the ships sails in/out of port.

 

 

 

Was there less, or lesser quality, entertainment on the Serenade? Or was that also comparable?

 

In our opinion, there was far more choice on the Star, between live bands, production shows, game shows, etc. each and every evening.

[matj2000]

I would go with MSC.

Especially in Europe...

[WouterC]

I would go with MSC.

Especially in Europe...

 

We sailed MSC twice and loved it (it's definitely a lot different than Royal Caribbean, however), but what are the reasons you'd pick MSC over other cruise lines?

[matj2000]

We sailed MSC twice and loved it (it's definitely a lot different than Royal Caribbean, however), but what are the reasons you'd pick MSC over other cruise lines?

 

I group all the mainstream cruise lines together as very similar.

MSC stood out as the most different from the rest.

I really liked the European style they had and I think it would be more authentic sailing in Europe.

You can do the RC & NCL all the time in the states.

Plus we really liked the Orchestra.

I want to book the Divina, but the weeks we go the itinerary is not very good.

[WouterC]

I group all the mainstream cruise lines together as very similar.

MSC stood out as the most different from the rest.

I really liked the European style they had and I think it would be more authentic sailing in Europe.

You can do the RC & NCL all the time in the states.

Plus we really liked the Orchestra.

I want to book the Divina, but the weeks we go the itinerary is not very good.

 

matj2000: does the Orchestra have an adult-only pool? In the virtual tour of the Musica class ships, there was a covered pool, but I'm not sure if the Orchestra has it and also not sure if it's an adult-only pool or a 'regular' pool.

 

We sailed the Divina last year (eastern Mediterranean route sailing out of Venice), it's a beautiful ship. Design-wise, it's a lot more understated than ships of similar size. It was probably our best cruise so far (very nice balcony cabin as well) and given the right itinerary, we wouldn't hesitate to sail it again.

Edited April 8, 2014 by WouterC

[ann1bell]

We have been on the Serenade and loved it. We have not been on the Star or MSC. Also, if you are interested in St Petersburg for more than one night, rccl has one cruise in mid June that stays in St Pete an extra night. This would give you three days there. Most Baltic cruises just stay overnight there.

 

Also, I am sure you know that the Baltic cruise is very port intensive so you might not get to relax much during the day.

 

We are scheduled to go in June and hope the political situation in Russia does not cause any problems getting into all our ports.

 

Have fun planning your trip!

Edited April 8, 2014 by ann1bell

[WouterC]

Questions about the adult pool on the serenade:

 

is the pool heated?

does it offer protection from the wind?

was it crowded in the pool and whirlpools in your opinion?

 

Reason I'm asking is, Scandinavia can be quite cold with icy winds, and for my DW a big part of the holiday is swimming in the pool and relaxing in hot tubs/whirlpools.

[Clarea]

Questions about the adult pool on the serenade:

 

is the pool heated?

does it offer protection from the wind?

was it crowded in the pool and whirlpools in your opinion?

 

Reason I'm asking is, Scandinavia can be quite cold with icy winds, and for my DW a big part of the holiday is swimming in the pool and relaxing in hot tubs/whirlpools.

The Solarium pool on Serenade is enclosed in glass. The roof can be opened, but will likely be closed for Scandinavian cruises. I don't know if the pool itself is heated.

[melbur]

Questions about the adult pool on the serenade:

 

is the pool heated?

does it offer protection from the wind?

was it crowded in the pool and whirlpools in your opinion?

 

Reason I'm asking is, Scandinavia can be quite cold with icy winds, and for my DW a big part of the holiday is swimming in the pool and relaxing in hot tubs/whirlpools.

 

We did the Baltic on the Jewel, Serenade's sister ship, and we used the Solarium pool frequently due to the cooler weather. It was warm and comfortable in there, but yes it tended to get crowded as it was the only one in use.

[WouterC]

Additional question to the people who did they sailing and booked a balcony cabin: did you use it a lot, or was it too cold and you didn't use it? (we'd probably go somewhere between mid July en mid August).

[WouterC]

Royal Carribean's "2nd person 50% off" promotion closed the deal for us. So we'll be on the Serenade next year.

 

We were able to book a Balcony (D2) cabin for less than what we payed for our Mediterranean cruise coming summer.

 

Happy! :)

Edited May 20, 2014 by WouterC

[Miaminice]

Serenade would be my first choice. Radiance class ships are very nice - cosy but not small.

 

Norwegian Star would be second, MSC is a personal no go for us...

 

Here are tons of pics of Serenade. They are all taken on the second cruise after the refurb December 2012 (Holiday cruise in the Med). Three months later we sailed on her again out of Dubai. Loved both cruises...

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/115329951158712806430/albums/5997009520346948657?authkey=CJjxhIT47YPhGA

[Aquahound]

RC has the Serenade OTS sailing there, so I was wondering how it compares to other ships I've encountered, such as MSC Orchestra and Norwegian Star.

 

I haven't cruised the Serenade or Star, but I have been on their sister ships. The Star would have to have one helluva better itinerary for me to book that ship over the Serenade. Radiance Class ships are gorgeous and well designed, especially with the covered adults only pool. Dawn (Star's sister), on the other hand, was poorly kept, ill designed, and I wasn't a fan of having to wait 30 minutes every night for dinner.

 

Can't help with MSC.