Brief Review: Serenade, Dec. 14-23

[LovesToRead]

DH and I are in our mid-60s, both retired. We’ve cruised quite a bit, on lines that include Cunard, Crystal, Regent, Holland America and Oceania. This was our third RC cruise; our first was on the Oasis in October 2010 and our second was on the Serenade in 2012 (Mediterranean). We choose our cruises by itinerary and price.

 

The Ship

The Serenade was as lovely as we remembered. We again enjoyed the amount of light that flows throughout and the ability to see the ocean from so many vantage points. We loved the Safari Room and enjoyed the unusual and surprising artwork. The ship seemed immaculate.

 

Our Cabin

We splurged and booked a Grand Suite. It was terrific! The layout and amount of space were wonderful. We especially liked the large balcony and, with four sea days, took advantage of the comfortable lounge chairs. Cecilia, our cabin steward, was wonderful and Mario, our concierge, was friendly and accessible.

 

Dining

We had MTD, which worked out fine. We'd made reservations before the cruise and, on the three nights we dined in the MDR, had just a short wait to be seated. The service was efficient. Even on the one night that our section was especially busy, the waiters apologized and did what they needed to without fanfare.

 

Of course, food is subjective. We had somewhat low expectations, after reading CC comments, hearing from frequent RC cruisers that the food was not as good as in the past and our knowledge and experience that the quality of food seems be declining on a number of cruise lines. In general, we were pleasantly surprised.

 

Here are the hits and misses:

-Chops: Disappointing, both in food and service. (We'd had good experiences with Chops on the Oasis and our previous Serenade cruise.) DH ordered the strip steak. He found it too chewy and sent it back for the filet. He found the replacement filet poor and his requested side of mashed potatoes never came. I had the small filet, which was just OK.

 

- Giovanni's: We had two excellent meals there. The first was outstanding; we both had the lamb chops. The second was very good; DH especially enjoyed the osso buco.

 

- Izumi: We dined there twice. Both times, we found the servers to be extremely helpful. They suggested selections we would like and encouraged us to begin with appetizers and entrees so that we didn't order too much food. The food was consistently excellent. The first night, we had the seafood hot rock dish; the second night we had two sushi dishes for our entrees.

 

-Dining room: We had three dinners, two breakfasts and one lunch in the main dining room. For dinner, the quality varied depending on what you ordered. DH particularly liked the salmon and the moussaka. Due to a recent health issue, I was on a blander diet than usual. I had a fish dish that seemed overcooked and thought the chicken cordon bleu was poor. We both liked the pasta dish. I had an excellent steak sandwich for lunch. We also had dinner in our room one night. While the service was good, the buttermilk fried chicken was not good.

 

-Windjammer: We had lunch there most days. Even though the selection was unremarkable, we always found enough for a meal and especially liked the chicken, pasta and brisket. I really liked the bread pudding.

 

-Breakfasts. We ate in a variety of locations: MDR, concierge lounge, Chops (for concierge guests), Park Café, cabin. All breakfasts were fine; I generally had oatmeal or muesli and DH had eggs. The French toast was delicious.

 

Ports

We took tours in Aruba and Bonaire and were on our own in Curacao and Key West. In Aruba, we took the ship's "land and sea" excursion and enjoyed it. In Bonaire, we took Bonaire Vista's island tour, based on CC recommendations. (Thank you, fellow CC'ers!) The tour, with Brian as our guide, was excellent and an amazing value.

 

Entertainment

We rarely go to the shows when we cruise, as we've found that they're not to our taste. Sometimes we'll stop in for a few minutes but will always leave quickly. However, for this cruise, we attended two shows, which we really enjoyed: the 'Stage to Screen" production and the Beatles tribute show.

 

Quiet spaces

We did notice something that seemed to be a result of the last drydock and change in venue usage. We found it hard to find quiet indoor spaces where we could just sit and read. With so much going on in and around the Centrum and nearby lounges, there was rarely a moment not filled with an activity or music. Often we returned to our cabin and spent some time on our balcony.

 

All in all…

We had a good, relaxing cruise, which was exactly what we wanted. Were there some quirks? Of course (including several instances where guest services seemed uninformed or unhelpful). However, we continue to love the Serenade and feel that this cruise was an excellent vacation choice.

[Clarea]

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise.

[WVUGammy]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Looking forward to our turn on her in the spring.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing.

[Langley Cruisers]

Hi there. I agree with your comments about the Centrum activity - there always seems to be something going on there (well, it is the center of the ship, so to speak), and it's always noisy and congested. I actually think it's quite brilliant because no matter what deck you are on, all the way up you can still pretty much see and hear what's happening.

 

Glad you enjoyed, overall.