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Serenade Secrets to Share?

teacher2cruiser
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lemonade-sails

lemonade-sails

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Will also be watching this thread. Can't wait to start seeing some reports back from the first sailings out of New Orleans.

 

I have a question - we sailed Navigator and I got addicted to the free hot chocolate in the Cafe Promenade. Please tell me if I can find this free hot chocolate on Serenade.

 

Thanks!

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Clarea

Clarea

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Will also be watching this thread. Can't wait to start seeing some reports back from the first sailings out of New Orleans.

 

I have a question - we sailed Navigator and I got addicted to the free hot chocolate in the Cafe Promenade. Please tell me if I can find this free hot chocolate on Serenade.

 

Thanks!

When we were on Serenade, they had it at the 24 drink station aft of Windjammer. I'd also check Park Cafe too.

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Clarea

Clarea

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No online menu for Park Cafe.

 

Breakfast has things like egg muffin sandwiches, wraps, oatmeal, bagels, fruit, cold cereal.

 

Lunch has roast beef sandwiches, other small sandwiches, wraps, panini, salads.

 

There are snacks later, including pizza.

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Langley Cruisers

Langley Cruisers

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While we were not huge fans of the Park Café (sorry!), we did stop by there one afternoon when we got back from port and grabbed two tuna sandwiches - they were pre-made and wrapped in cardboard and plastic wrap, just so you know the ones). Oh my gosh, they were delicious. Hit the spot!!

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TLex

TLex

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My husband and I are booked for Spring Break on the Serenade! Please share all the special things we can look forward to. We're returning to RCI after several Carnival cruises; ports are Key West, Nassau, and CocoCay.

 

Which voyage are you taking? If you're doing 7 March please check out our Roll Call with a lot of folks including the Queen of the Cabin Crawls and a ton of information on the ship (we've got veterans! :D) as well as itinerary and excursions.

 

And most are pedagogues! :D :D

 

VR,

 

T Lex

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kirian

kirian

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Posted

There is a wonderful place to eat out side in the rear of the Windjammer, but shhhhhh... don't tell anyone (I'm trying to keep it a secret so it won't get too crowded when I'm aboard :p)

 

Also, here is a "general" menu of what the Park Cafe offers (this was taken last Oct) but things basically change up a bit each day so take this with a grain of salt:

 

SAM_0233_zps9f922ba0.jpg

 

This is a photo of the salad bar in the PC:

 

SAM_0228_zps0af6600d.jpg

 

Also, don't forget that you can make your way all the way to the bow of the ship... the helipad. This is a nice spot for sail-ins and usually isn't too crowded.

 

Have fun!

Melissa

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MichaelCMTX

MichaelCMTX

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This was the itinerary we did in January. Very enjoyable trip.

 

1) Rita's on Serenade was more of a 'snacks with your Margaritas' venue than a bona-fide Mexican Restaurant. We thought the menu was missing pages.

 

2) Been told in 'livelier' seas Coco Cay is more like a Coco Maybe. We were able to get a Cabana. All those times you do an excursion or package tour and think "It was alright, but I was expecting more." I think that was the first time ever where if they'd asked beforehand "what all would YOU like on a beach excursion?" they would have delivered 100% and everything I'd have wanted.

 

3) Was not as hard getting a treadmill in the not-too-early morning hours as on other ships, but that could have simply been 'our week'.

 

4) Use the elevator button on the little ship models so you're "Centrally located." They'd never cop to it, but I think otherwise they guarantee the elevator furthest from where you stand will be the one to show. Even I'm not that fast (at least in Cruise mode).

 

5) Not sure if you're one to be on the ship soon as possible. We did a stay-n-park deal at the Convention Center Marriott. Dropped the bags off at the terminal and then goofed off on Bourbon Street and then took some of Harrahs' money. Parked at Marriott around 3, walked (yes, it's practical to do so) to the terminal and basically went straight aboard without any line of waiting, and our cabin was ready.

 

6) Those little Roast Beef sandwiches at the Park Cafe are addicting, but make sure they spread around the horseradish. Sometimes it's a bit uneven and you taste a lot more burn than you were expecting.

 

7) Stack the deck. If you do the Hemingway House tour in Key West, bring Cat Treats. You'll be the most loved humans there. Also, hopefully the pool sticks I brought along for the tables are still in good condition.

 

Happy travels. I'd do that trip again even though we're 3hrs. from Galveston and 8 from NoLa just because there's so much more character there. I'll be sad if RCL doesn't put another ship there after Serenade is gone :(

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teacher2cruiser

teacher2cruiser

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This was the itinerary we did in January. Very enjoyable trip.

 

1) Rita's on Serenade was more of a 'snacks with your Margaritas' venue than a bona-fide Mexican Restaurant. We thought the menu was missing pages.

 

2) Been told in 'livelier' seas Coco Cay is more like a Coco Maybe. We were able to get a Cabana. All those times you do an excursion or package tour and think "It was alright, but I was expecting more." I think that was the first time ever where if they'd asked beforehand "what all would YOU like on a beach excursion?" they would have delivered 100% and everything I'd have wanted.

 

3) Was not as hard getting a treadmill in the not-too-early morning hours as on other ships, but that could have simply been 'our week'.

 

4) Use the elevator button on the little ship models so you're "Centrally located." They'd never cop to it, but I think otherwise they guarantee the elevator furthest from where you stand will be the one to show. Even I'm not that fast (at least in Cruise mode).

 

5) Not sure if you're one to be on the ship soon as possible. We did a stay-n-park deal at the Convention Center Marriott. Dropped the bags off at the terminal and then goofed off on Bourbon Street and then took some of Harrahs' money. Parked at Marriott around 3, walked (yes, it's practical to do so) to the terminal and basically went straight aboard without any line of waiting, and our cabin was ready.

 

6) Those little Roast Beef sandwiches at the Park Cafe are addicting, but make sure they spread around the horseradish. Sometimes it's a bit uneven and you taste a lot more burn than you were expecting.

 

7) Stack the deck. If you do the Hemingway House tour in Key West, bring Cat Treats. You'll be the most loved humans there. Also, hopefully the pool sticks I brought along for the tables are still in good condition.

 

Happy travels. I'd do that trip again even though we're 3hrs. from Galveston and 8 from NoLa just because there's so much more character there. I'll be sad if RCL doesn't put another ship there after Serenade is gone :(

 

Thank you for all of the helpful tips! Just the kind of info I was hoping for. Keep it coming, y'all!

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Pomperaugrr

Pomperaugrr

Posted
Posted (edited)

Look for the cows! I won't tell you where they are, so you will need to find them on your own. You will know what I mean when you see them through the glass. Oops I said too much! :)

 

 

As previously stated, the outdoor seating at the windjammer cannot be beat. Most cruisers plop down at the first seats they find. Go all the way to the back and enjoy breakfast and lunch outdoors, but under cover of the canopies. This is a great spot, but does get crowded toward the end of the cruise once people "discover" that spot.

 

 

Eric

Edited by Pomperaugrr
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roysmith99

roysmith99

Posted
Posted
My husband and I are booked for Spring Break on the Serenade! Please share all the special things we can look forward to. We're returning to RCI after several Carnival cruises; ports are Key West, Nassau, and CocoCay.

 

An excellent class of ship with good venues and, in my opinion excellent staff. It's just a shame that you are cruising Spring Break, so you will also get lots of excited young people celebrating something. Oh, the ports are really very good too.

.

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tahoemc

tahoemc

Posted
Posted
This was the itinerary we did in January. Very enjoyable trip.

 

1) Rita's on Serenade was more of a 'snacks with your Margaritas' venue than a bona-fide Mexican Restaurant. We thought the menu was missing pages.

 

That's what we found, appetizers and beverages, not full blown meal. Some folks would find the appetizers to be plenty.

 

2) Been told in 'livelier' seas Coco Cay is more like a Coco Maybe. We were able to get a Cabana. All those times you do an excursion or package tour and think "It was alright, but I was expecting more." I think that was the first time ever where if they'd asked beforehand "what all would YOU like on a beach excursion?" they would have delivered 100% and everything I'd have wanted.

 

LOL, we experienced the Coco Maybe, it didn't happen due to winds.

 

5) Not sure if you're one to be on the ship soon as possible. We did a stay-n-park deal at the Convention Center Marriott. Dropped the bags off at the terminal and then goofed off on Bourbon Street and then took some of Harrahs' money. Parked at Marriott around 3, walked (yes, it's practical to do so) to the terminal and basically went straight aboard without any line of waiting, and our cabin was ready.

 

We found the cruise terminal at NOLA (last April) to be the best embark/disembark experience to date. Even with all of the Riverwalk construction going on, they did a great job getting us in and out of the terminal.

 

Happy travels. I'd do that trip again ... just because there's so much more character there. I'll be sad if RCL doesn't put another ship there after Serenade is gone :( X2!

 

 

One other thought, if you want to watch any of the activities in the Centrum, get there early!!!

 

Even though RC doesn't offer luggage valet, there is a service in the cruise terminal. As we had a 5pm flight on disembark day, we used this service and it worked out great!! Got to spend several more hours in the FQ (during the FQ Music Festival) before heading out to the airport.

 

However it goes for you, have a great time!!!

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