Serenade Questions, Please

[39august]

I have several questions about Serenade, as we have not sailed her for a few years. 1.When the D club gets crowded, is the Viking Crown used as overflow? 2. Are there airal shows in the centrum? 3. Is there seating in Chops or Giovanni's for gold card holders for breakfast? (there was a few years ago) 4. What is the impact of the Park Cafe on the Solarium?

[Clarea]

Other than the very nice variety of food items that Park Cafe offers, there is more traffic and more kids in the Solarium.

[Langley Cruisers]

My replies in red.

 

1.When the D club gets crowded, is the Viking Crown used as overflow?

 

Yes.

 

2. Are there airal shows in the centrum?

 

Yes. They are viewable from every deck from 4 on up, with an interesting view from the very top. They also rehearse so you will have plenty of opportunity to see the performers.

 

4. What is the impact of the Park Cafe on the Solarium?

 

Well, it is a small section to the side of the Solarium with a few tables and chairs set up. We never ate there as it just didn't appeal to us, but we did grab a couple of tuna sandwiches (premade) after coming in from port one day. Because it is an added food venue, there seems to be more people around and IMO it's not as quiet anymore.

[39august]

Sounds like Park Cafe is in the space where there used to be sandwiches and pizza in the Solarium. Doesn't Park Cafe also serve breakfast and made to order salads like on Oasis? And chips? I loved grabbing a pack of chips on Oasis.

Edited June 20, 2015 by 39august

[Clarea]

Sounds like Park Cafe is in the space where there used to be sandwiches and pizza in the Solarium. Doesn't Park Cafe also serve breakfast and made to order salads like on Oasis? And chips? I loved grabbing a pack of chips on Oasis.

Yes, very much like Oasis including chips, but sometimes you have to ask for the chips. The seem to go fast.

[sippican]

2. Are there airal shows in the centrum? 3. 4. What is the impact of the Park Cafe on the Solarium?

 

There are supposed to be shows in the Centrum. The aerial show was cancelled 5 minutes before performance time due to "weather". It was as calm as glass out :confused: It was also mobbed, people waited for over an hour - very few good viewing spots. Poor venue for shows IMHO; the Bluenose Ceremony was a zoo with people pushing at the railings, chair saving, and riding the elevators to view. We never even tried to see the second scheduled aerial show.

 

The Park Cafe in the Solarium means fewer loungers, more noise, more foot traffic. We liked the food choices there, considering the decrease of food quality in the WJ, but really miss the serene atmosphere previously found in in that area.

[Richst48]

It does not look like anyone has answered your 3rd question. Breadfast for Gold Card holders is in the main dining room on the 2nd floor.

[39august]

That is disappointing, unless service is quicker than in the rest of the MDR at breakfast. Come to think of it, it was not Serenade, but Jewel, that served cooked to order breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants about 3 years ago. Thank you all for your answers.

Edited June 20, 2015 by 39august

[billsgal]

We were on Serenade in April, and gold card holders could have breakfast in Chops, cooked to order. We were on Jewel in May, and same thing, gold card holders could have cooked to order breakfast in Chops.

[ARCruisinNana]

I have several questions about Serenade, as we have not sailed her for a few years. 1.When the D club gets crowded, is the Viking Crown used as overflow? 2. Are there airal shows in the centrum? 3. Is there seating in Chops or Giovanni's for gold card holders for breakfast? (there was a few years ago) 4. What is the impact of the Park Cafe on the Solarium?

 

Question #1. Yes, if there are a lot of diamonds, there is a door in the DL that can be opened to allow direct access to the Viking Crown Lounge.

Edited June 20, 2015 by ARCruisinNana

[39august]

Billsgal: Thanks, that is good news.

[twincheryl]

How was the internet onboard (if you used it)... Wondering specifically if there was signal in aft balcony cabins. Thanks!

[Langley Cruisers]

How was the internet onboard (if you used it)...

 

Painfully slow, sad to say.

[Merion_Mom]

How was the internet onboard (if you used it)... Wondering specifically if there was signal in aft balcony cabins. Thanks!

 

Painfully slow, sad to say.

 

Painfully slow would be an UPGRADE from how bad it was, IMO! :eek:

[critterchick]

We were on Serenade in April, and gold card holders could have breakfast in Chops, cooked to order. We were on Jewel in May, and same thing, gold card holders could have cooked to order breakfast in Chops.

 

Well, that's a nice change! We enjoyed the MDR breakfast last year, but in February the quality had slipped a notch and the food didn't seem quite as fresh as before. We are looking forward to the new Chops venue.

 

And I must have been lucky because I didn't find the Internet to be that slow for a ship.:)

[mike@sea]

I can confirm breakfast at Chops for Gold Card holders. Nice touch, good service, but could definitely be improved foodwise.

No aerial shows in centrum! I think they have been cancelled for a while, probabl due to an accident or rope issue. Not 100% sure though. On our May cruise they did not even mention/plan this show and it never happened.

[FLACRUISER99]

It does not look like anyone has answered your 3rd question. Breadfast for Gold Card holders is in the main dining room on the 2nd floor.

On SR the the main dining room is on decks 4 & 5.

[jd10367]

We were on her 3 wks ago. The shows were cancelled due to mechanical problems. I will also confirm the VC lounge was open for the overflow. Park Cafe was a joke for the most part. It was packed for breakfast and they didn't have the staff to man it. Many times there was only one person handling both stations or no one was out front for several minutes at a time. The panini pressed were broken so you got old cold egg sandwiches. They don't know how to handle special requests. Not even an obscure request. I don't eat meat and all I wanted was egg and cheese. 10 min later I'm handed a cold egg with a slice of unmelted cheese on a non toasted English muffin. I must be fair even on Oasis and Allure they acted like they didn't know how to make a sandwich with no meat. God forbid you want extra cream cheese on your bagel.

[celebrity]

To me, the biggest downfall of the Radiance class is holding events in the Centrum. The venue is far too small for the number of passengers.

[Richst48]

That is disappointing, unless service is quicker than in the rest of the MDR at breakfast. Come to think of it, it was not Serenade, but Jewel, that served cooked to order breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants about 3 years ago. Thank you all for your answers.

 

It was very nice in the MDR. In fact, some mornings we were the only ones in there for much of the time. There was never more than about 10 people in there. We had the same waiters everyday and they knew how we liked our coffee and what kind of bread we liked and would bring it as soon as we sat down. But as another poster said, they were on in April and could eat breakfast in Chops so I guess things changed since we did our B2B in Dec-Jan. I prefer Chops so that is great that they changed.

[Richst48]

On SR the the main dining room is on decks 4 & 5.

 

I meant the 2n floor of the dining room which is deck 5.

[steveru621]

During a meet the stars talk one of the aerialists discussed the rigging problems. They were trying to schedule a safety inspection with an expert.

[sippican]

To me, the biggest downfall of the Radiance class is holding events in the Centrum. The venue is far too small for the number of passengers.

 

Agree completely! The Bluenose Initiation Ceremony was a zoo. People pushing and shoving at the railings; chairs being saved an hour in advance.

 

Wondering specifically if there was signal in aft balcony cabins. Thanks!

 

We were aft, deck 8. No problem with reception - just as slow as anywhere else onboard we tried, being kicked off constantly.

[Holly2]

There was an aerial show June 5.

Agree that slow wifi would have been an improvement. Had 24 hour coverage and could only connect for abour 20 minutes.