Your opinions please

[cegmar]

Hello,

 

Well, my wife and I have been away from cruising for about 3 and half years, and we are now in the mood to sail with RCI once again. We have done 2 cruises on Radiance class ships, and our last was on the Oasis class.

 

We are considering two cruises and not sure which to pick. It is either:

 

11 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Serenade of the Seas

 

Ports of Call:

Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua

 

OR

 

12 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Anthem of the Seas

 

Ports of Call:

Puerto Rico, Barbados, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Maarten

 

We truly enjoyed the Oasis class based on the all of the various choices of activities onboard and the beauty of the ship.

 

It would appear, at least on paper, that the Anthem has more amenities than the Serenade. But I may be over simplifying my analysis since I am not familiar with layouts.

 

Perhaps the Serenade has a better flow of activities onboard that makes it feel more comfortable.

 

I know it is all subjective, and one person's likes may not be another person's. But I was hoping that I could get some comments from people based on their experience on either or perhaps even both of these ships.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Biker19]

Having been on both class of ships, for activities the Anthem wins by quite a bit. It all depends on what are your priorities. I imagine the Anthem would be more expensive. In the same categories the cabins are nicer on Anthem. Anthem has much better and cheaper WiFi. You have traditional dining on Serenade vs. dynamic dining on Anthem. You have to make a list of priorities before anyone can give you any meaningful advice.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Biker19

[Merion_Mom]

I have done both. Well, Quantum. ;) Well, Explorer and Legend. ;)

 

But I've done the itinerary, from New Jersey and from Florida.

 

And I have cruised on Serenade, too.

 

So............

 

Compare the prices.

 

You are getting "better" ports on the Serenade, because of its proximity. IMO.

 

You spend two to three days getting to and from the Caribbean when you start in New Jersey. Can't get to the true Southern Caribbean ports.

 

You have to fly no matter what, so you can compare airfare to Newark (EWR) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

 

The Serenade is a BEAUTIFUL ship. And for that cruise, it's "all about the ports".

 

The Anthem is fabulous, too, but it will be much more about the ship. Those ports are much more "standard" cruise ports.

[Merion_Mom]

Having been on both class of ships, for activities the Anthem wins by quite a bit. It all depends on what are your priorities. I imagine the Anthem would be more expensive. In the same categories the cabins are nicer on Anthem. Anthem has much better and cheaper WiFi. You have traditional dining on Serenade vs. dynamic dining on Anthem. You have to make a list of priorities before anyone can give you any meaningful advice.

 

Anthem DOES have Dynamic Dining but it also has modified traditional dining, called Classic 1 and Classic 2. Those are equivalent to fixed time dining, but you will change dining rooms, and your servers go with you.

 

And Serenade has My Time Dining, which is like Dynamic Dining.

 

Not that much difference between the two ships on that score.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Merion_Mom

[Karma5]

Serenade is a good ship and…more ports……….you have been on the Radiance class.

[papaflamingo]

Sort of up to what you're looking for. I have done Quantum and am doing Serenade next March on the 10 night Southern Caribbean. We did the itinerary you are looking at last year on Legend and it was one of the best cruises ever. I loved all the islands and can't wait to go back. So we booked Serenade, but it is more like the itinerary that Anthem is doing. So it depends on your goals.

If you find both itineraries desirable, and the cost is reasonable, I'd do Anthem as she is a new ship and it's a great opportunity to see her. We did Quantum for that very reason. But for me, it wasn't my favorite. Lot's to do, beautiful, but too "Celebrity like" for me. Long story and just my likes and dislikes. Plus I didn't like Dynamic Dining but I believe they have changed it.

If it's only the islands you care about, then Serenade, for me, would be my choice. As I said, we loved that itinerary. I have never been on Radiance class, but hear nothing but good things. So I am looking forward to our cruise in March.

Best advice, I'd look at price, then decide. If you plan on cruising more often, then go on Anthem just so you can see what it's all about.

[cegmar]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

I think we are leaning more toward the ship experience as a priority at this point. Each itinerary has ports that we have been to before, and others that would be new to us, so I know both will be great.

 

We haven't been on a Radiance class since 2008, and I see that the Serenade was refurbished in 2013. Were there any significant changes that were put in that would make it different than before, or did they just freshen her up?

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

I think we are leaning more toward the ship experience as a priority at this point. Each itinerary has ports that we have been to before, and others that would be new to us, so I know both will be great.

 

We haven't been on a Radiance class since 2008, and I see that the Serenade was refurbished in 2013. Were there any significant changes that were put in that would make it different than before, or did they just freshen her up?

Serenade changes:

 

Outdoor movie screen

Centrum aerial entertainment

R Bar

Chef’s Table

Giovanni’s Table

Izumi Asian Cuisine

Park Café

Pub

Rita’s Cantina

Vintages

Digital Signage

Pervasive Wi-Fi

Flat-screen TVs

New staterooms

New Family Suite

Concierge Club

Diamond Club

Nursery

[cegmar]

Serenade changes:

 

Outdoor movie screen

Centrum aerial entertainment

R Bar

Chef’s Table

Giovanni’s Table

Izumi Asian Cuisine

Park Café

Pub

Rita’s Cantina

Vintages

Digital Signage

Pervasive Wi-Fi

Flat-screen TVs

New staterooms

New Family Suite

Concierge Club

Diamond Club

Nursery

 

Thanks! :)

[mattpro]

Personally, if I'm doing the southern Caribbean (my favorite itinerary) I'd fly to San Juan and take the Adventure of the Seas.

 

Actually have a B2B2B set for this ship and itinerary starting on 11/28/2015.

 

With a Promenade on board you can actually get a cup of coffee before 7:00 am. and after midnight without having to call room service.

 

These 7 day cruises are port intensive - 5 one week - 6 the next. If you book a B2B you'll have 11 different ports within 2 weeks.

[Hoopster95]

But I was hoping that I could get some comments from people based on their experience on either or perhaps even both of these ships.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Merion_mom hit the nail on the head with her replies, and I'd like to add to that. I've said this a many times on many previous threads so here it goes again.....

 

What kind of person are you? Do you like change? Do you like making your own decisions or do you like decisions made for you? Are you adventurous or are you more comfortable with the same thing each day? Truly... think about those questions in your daily life.

 

If you like change/choices/adventure, I feel you will LOVE Anthem

If you prefer repetition/less choice/same shows,dinner menus,venues that you are used to on all orther RCL ships etc, you may not enjoy Anthem

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45141335&highlight=thoughts#post45141335

 

I believe that a cruiser like myself, and the extremely experienced cruiser Merion_mom, are rare finds that we thrive on any class of ship. Maybe you'll fit that bill too. And I see that many of the newer Anthem reviews are coming back on the positive side.

 

For the record... my opinion is that Anthem is a bazillion times better than Serenade as a ship. Ports... that Serenade itinerary wins by a mile. So what's your pleasure: ship or ports?

 

If it's ship, hands down in my books Anthem all the way. Just my 2 cents.

Whatever you choose have an awesome cruise! :D

[cegmar]

Thanks again everyone for your comments, it is greatly appreciated. I think we are looking for a bit more adventure this time, so we decided to go with the Anthem.

 

The Serenade option looks awesome to, but I think we are looking forward to seeing the new ship and what it has to offer.

 

Time to start planning! :)

[tropiclvrs]

I personally think you are making a good choice. Of course, as everyone else pretty much said you can't go wrong with either.

 

We also really enjoy the new exciting ships and most of the time realize it's the ship and not the ports that will make the trip (the ports are a great bonus) on a Caribbean cruise. In your case, I think you are getting a great new ship as well as some great islands.

 

You will have a fantastic time!!