Review: Sereneade of the Seas, 12/2/16- 12/12/16

[Sobro]

Mini review of Serenade of the Seas 10-night cruise, 12/2/16 through 12/12/16

 

I wanted to organize this review by "The Good", "The Bad", and "The Ugly" but too many items had more than one quality. So it's a bit messy but loosely arranged that way.

 

MDR food was much better than last year's 9-night cruise over Thanksgiving on the Vision of the Seas. I'm beginning to think that there's more to the food experience than the cost-cutting of the products and restrictions on the menus. It seems the head chef can do more with less if so inclined.

 

Uniquely, the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers were transitioning from old to new contractors on this cruise so we got to experience both finale and debut shows with different casts. I must say the debut show "From Stage to Film" was fantastic. The outgoing show "Vibe*ology" was meh, not great but not "I'm outta here" either.

 

The staff was wonderful, cheerful, and helpful. All around great experience besides what's in the next paragraph.

 

Our cabin was clean and well stocked, and our steward was sweet, charming, and efficient. However, our steward became ill and lost her voice halfway through the cruise. Coincidentally or not, my wife also lost her voice a few days later and continues to feel bad as of today. Perhaps ill crew should also be on restriction like the guests.

 

The stops on Tortola, St Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, and Sint Maarten were great, all but the latter were new to me and my wife.

 

Topi the cruise director was dynamic and entertaining. Captain Krzysztof was nearly indecipherable during his announcements. But he was a good designated driver to have for the 10 nights.

 

The four headliner acts I went to were half fantastic and half "I'm outta here", so mathematically I'd say all of the entertainment was good.

 

The Serenade of the Seas Orchestra was awesome. Very tight, very talented, and were good sports considering all that was asked of them during this cruise by performing two different RCI Singers and Dancers shows as well as all of their other musical duties.

 

Windjammer lunch was OK, as was breakfast. We never had dinner at the WJ. See further comment below on the WJ.

 

Giovanni's Kitchen was fantastic and I don't care if your favorite meat is now missing from the menu or that they do your favorite shrimp differently, the food was as tasty as it was beautiful and the service was excellent. Well worth the upcharge.

 

It seems that RCI shuffles the staff to different locations or different jobs after every cruise, producing confusion for everyone aboard ship for at least 36 hours after boarding. I know there's turnover at every port and that with familiarity comes complacency, but it would be nice to think that your servers in the MDR know where the kitchen is in relation to their table assignments every night of your cruise, not a day or two after the first night of your cruise (This remark is hyperbole, but describes the service confusion of first night dining on every single RCI cruise I've sailed).

 

Windjammer food was decent. It was restocked in a timely manner, but in the bad category the variety was just not there. I got really bored of WJ food, especially at breakfast. There was much more variety at lunch but it was still lacking. Again, what was on offer was decent enough food, just not enough choices.

 

MDR breakfast and lunch were fine, nothing to write songs about.

 

To the good, Pool activites were OK, even though the Officers vs guests pool volleyball game was canceled due to the awesomeness of the Officers' potential opponents. (Your not-so-humble author is a Gold medal winner in guests vs guests pool volleyball) On the bad side, I have to say that the activites lady's loud screeching Cha Cha lessons through the PA System drove me from the pool area twice. The Zumba "caller" was fine, not that I do Zumba. There were plenty of games when at sea for distraction.

 

Maria's Cantina was horrible. Only open from 6-9 PM, so nobody could just grab some guac and chips for a snack during the day, and the service was too slow and the food was not even close to worth an upcharge. On the Serenade, Rita's is NOT recommended.

 

 

As to the ugly, the ship will go into drydock next fall for its 5-year refit. It won't be a moment too soon for some areas of the ship. Huge patches of rust along the gutter of all of the starboard forward 7th floor balconies, broken shelf brackets in the bathroom medicine cabinet, and things are just tired in the cabin. Large visible patches of rust on many places outside the ship. Most of the public area look OK, though, just tired. The "up" button on the forward starboard elevator on 7 didn't work, nor did the up/down lights above the elevator opening on that lobby's port elevator. While on this cruise, the starboard forward "down" button on 11 quit. Is it Murphy's law that these were the buttons I would have used the most? I think so.

 

Now for my big complaint. And really, it's not that big. On the wall beside the cashier at the casino there is a sheet listing small prizes you may earn with casino points. Nowhere does it list what the rules are on how you earn those points, but of course everyone is encouraged to use their Seapass cards when using the machines or sitting at the tables to earn points.

 

I always let the blackjack dealer have my card when I sat down and watched that person enter data into their keypad after scanning my card. I'm no high roller. I bet minimums until my huge $150 blackjack budget is gone. From gleaning CC casino forums, the casino is supposed to take the average number of hands per hour times your average bet times the hours you sat at the table. This number is your "action", and that is what your points are based upon. I figured that I had sat at least 3 hours of constant play at $6 minimum bets, one minute per hand, yielding $1000 of "action".

 

Some on CC Forums say it's one point per $5 of action, so I figured I had about 200 points. Maybe a rubber key chain or a $5 free bet were in my future! On the last night I asked the cashier for a report, handed over my Seapass card, and she said there was no report. I was not very happy after seeing all of the focus and hassle of dealers with the Seapass cards.

 

After emailing the folks onshore, ClubRoyale@rccl.com, I was assured that low rollers like me are treated equally to the high rollers who also sat at the blackjack table. I have my doubts. But of course short of going through the video tapes of the previous cruise, there was no way to verify that I had in fact even sat at the blackjack tables since there was no points report at all.

 

And who would be crazy enough to demand that the casino show that kind of evidence just for a stupid key chain? Oh wait, this is Cruise Critic, someone here would do that if they haven't already. Just not me. So the upshot is that your points are counted in the machines automatically if your Seapass card is inserted while you play, but you have to trust the casino on the table games if you are not a high roller. Buyer beware.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Sobro
Spilling

[Sobro]

Great, I misspelled "Serenade" in the thread title. Doh!

[DisneyDatknee]

Thanks for the report. Our balcony on the Radiance had a big water stain. It was unappealing and our room steward said he couldn't do anything. The Rita's Cantina was like a crab shack on the Radiance, but I never saw it open, except one time. The Windjammer never changed except for dinner on that trip. My last cruise on the Empress -- the buffet was constantly hamburgers/hot dogs, bad pizza and other entrees. I'm not sure if they were trying to appeal to the large international crowd on the boat. I would like the sail the Radiance Class again someday.

Edited December 19, 2016 by DisneyDatknee

[Sobro]

I think the Serenade after next October would be a great ship for you to try, especially if they are repeating the 10/11 night itineraries they are doing now. We all can hope that the Windjammer gets better, but who knows if that will happen.

[Clarea]

Great, I misspelled "Serenade" in the thread title. Doh!

Send a message to the moderators, they can fix that for you.

[Sobro]

Thanks Bob, will do.

[easyboy]

Thank you for your review.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[ChinaShrek]

I am sailing on the Serenade in July and I have a question about the various dining options. It seems that you like Giovanni's but thought the Windjammer was just OK. Did you try Park Cafe? Any thoughts on going there for breakfast or lunch?

[Sobro]

I had a roast beef sandwich at Park Cafe (yummy!) and my wife once had a breakfast burrito (meh). It was fine for what it is: quick snacks and not fancy at all. Premade sandwiches other than fresh cut roast beef, salads, fruit, yogurt. How can you go wrong? Well, I did hear of poor training where the counterperson couldn't heat sandwiches in the panini press correctly. Park opens 1/2 hour earlier than WJ for us early risers' breakfast. Unlike Rita's, Park Cafe is recommended, just know that this is essentially premade food only.

 

I heard bad things about Chops on the Serenade, but we quit going there on Royal ships after a bad experience on the Oasis. They also hold one night of Mystery Dinner Theater in either Chops or Giovanni's, I can't remember which, and that was reportedly a decent meal and a good time.

[Sobro]

Thank you for your review.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You're welcome!

 

Oh, and to add, this class of ship has a very small Centrum, so if you want to see the Christmas tree you have to go to the MDR and find the fancy stairs.

[ChinaShrek]

I had a roast beef sandwich at Park Cafe (yummy!) and my wife once had a breakfast burrito (meh). It was fine for what it is: quick snacks and not fancy at all. Premade sandwiches other than fresh cut roast beef, salads, fruit, yogurt. How can you go wrong? Well, I did hear of poor training where the counterperson couldn't heat sandwiches in the panini press correctly. Park opens 1/2 hour earlier than WJ for us early risers' breakfast. Unlike Rita's, Park Cafe is recommended, just know that this is essentially premade food only.

 

I heard bad things about Chops on the Serenade, but we quit going there on Royal ships after a bad experience on the Oasis. They also hold one night of Mystery Dinner Theater in either Chops or Giovanni's, I can't remember which, and that was reportedly a decent meal and a good time.

 

Thank you. Your information is very helpful. We have never sailed on RCI and Serenade will be our first RCI ship. Now, I'm thinking a specialty dining package isn't worth it (except for Giovanni's).

[Sobro]

That would be my opinion, but your mileage may vary.

[Ocean Dancer]

We were on the cruise before you and at the Captains Talk we were told that the ship will go into a short 17 day drydock next Nov, 17 for maintained engine repair only. We also saw the rust, and the upholstery in the main theatre needs updating badly. This won't be done for another five years according to the "Talk" :eek:

[sellwingri]

Thanks for your review. We were on Serenade in April and will be sailing her again in March.

 

Did you happen to notice if there was more than one Three-card poker table and if there was an Ultimate Texas Holdem table? In April, there was only one three card table and it was always full. There also was no Ultimate Texas Holdem table. The Casino Manager was trying to change this and I'm wondering if he was successful.

[Sobro]

Still just one Three Card Poker table but I just don't remember a Hold 'em table. But I think there was a Hold 'em tournament one night. The Blackjack table next to the roulette wheel is where I spent most of my casino time. Sorry.

[Amercury]

We are sailing on the SOS our first 11 day in Feb. Do you have any cruise compasses to share?

[Langley Cruisers]

How did you find the cigarette smoke situation? I have asked before of other members and they were kind to answer - just also want to get your opinion. :) We have had cruises on Radiance-class ships where the smoke was terrible, drifting out of the casino and into the Centrum, up to at least Deck 9. It's a shame. :(

[wieslaw]

We are sailing on the SOS our first 11 day in Feb. Do you have any cruise compasses to share?

 

Hi,

It seems that the OP is not on line so you are not getting an answer to your request.

I do know where you can get/view all the compasses from this cruise but I am not sure if it is 'ok' to provide the link on this thread, since it belongs to someone else.

Could you just start a new thread with the request for the compasses and I will provide you the information there.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Ocean Dancer]

We are sailing on the SOS our first 11 day in Feb. Do you have any cruise compasses to share?

 

OP did the 10 day, we did the 11 day which is different. Unfortunately we threw them out, but I'd be happy to answer any questions if OP does not mind.

[Amercury]

Hi,

It seems that the OP is not on line so you are not getting an answer to your request.

I do know where you can get/view all the compasses from this cruise but I am not sure if it is 'ok' to provide the link on this thread, since it belongs to someone else.

Could you just start a new thread with the request for the compasses and I will provide you the information there.

 

Done !

[wieslaw]

Done !

 

Done as well.

[Sobro]

Amercury: I tried to save all the Cruise Compasses but when I got home I found I'm missing days 6 and 9. Ah, buried in paper! The two sea days on the front and back ends of your 11-night would probably be the same activites as on the 10-night. If you're still interested I can post them.

 

Langley Cruisers: The smoke still drifts quite far. Only on formal nights is the casino closed to smoking and that clears the air outside of it.

 

wieslaw: And anyone else: You can post links to anything except travel agents on this thread if you wish. Please enhance the thread if you can.

 

Ocean Dancer: I don't mind if you answer questions here about the 11-night. Recent information on the Serenade "far Eastern-way Southern Caribbean" Itineraries is lacking on CC.

[blondie from arizona]

It seems like most of our experience on the Serenade was similar. We were on this cruise with you, from Dec 2 -Dec 12. We were on Serenade previously and thought something was "off" about the ship. The staff was irritable and it is the cruise that we rank as our worst RCCL cruise. I won't go into the specifics of that cruise, but I will say their were similar issues on this cruise. However, the staff was in a much better mood this time around. I will list out some of the good, bad and ugly as we saw it.

 

We were on deck 10, DH thought the rust also an issue. There was some peeling paint on the ceiling of the balcony next to ours. One or our drawers was falling apart, but it wasn't a big deal. They were switching out the mattresses in some of the rooms on our floor when we were leaving. The room steward said they had done decks 8 and 9 last cruise.

 

The Good (sort of): Loved the Christmas caroling in the Centrum. Wish they had done more Christmas themed events. The tree was hidden away in the dining room. Also the photographer lady was really rude to parents trying to take pictures of their kids with Santa. It kinda ruined the moment. Agree that the new cast of singers and dancers were very good. However, they wondered around the ship like a herd of spoiled millennials all week and they were a little much to take. They were very pushy on deck 5 of the Centrum along the railing during cast activities. Wanting to take the premium spot after many of us had been standing there for quite some time. The food in the dining room was missing stuff or of a lower quality; however, it was always served hot and there was plenty of it. Service was good. Also the bread products in the Windjammer seemed fresher and not overbaked and dry (ie muffins, donuts, and Danishes). The Windjammer also has the crepe station! The cruise director staff was very good. Topi, Aysy and especially Grant very very good. Topi's entire staff was outstanding! Also the piano music in the Centrum was wonderful. And they seemed better able to space the entertainment so that there was always something going on between major events (like dinner and the show).

 

The Bad and Ugly: I will save the worst for last but the other stuff was annoying too. This ship is just missing something. ALL the staff seems like every day is their first day. Room steward, dining staff, Windjammer staff, coffee staff. It was like Groundhogs day!

 

Also, on this cruise the ship parked at the Commercial docks at 2 of the ports. St Kitts (required to take a shuttle to the regular pier) and Dominica (our tour guide was smart enough to know we were there). The walk out of the port at Dominica was the worst we have ever had to do. I think Royal needs to do a better job of telling people which pier they will be docking and in these countries they are not right next to each other.

 

I also wish Royal would send out a fun e-mail before the cruise if they are going to be having fun themed shirt night. Apparently we don't cruise enough as we did not know that they have multiple days of goofy Caribbean shirt night.

 

They have stepped up their efforts to make Formal dining more fun. I don't know when Royal decided it wanted to be like Carnival. :mad: I do not like swinging napkins, singing, dancing and all that crap in the dining room. On formal night they had the kitchen staff come out and dance on the stairs. There was not enough room as that is where the Christmas tree was. It was just tacky. And DH really hates all the crap about washy, washy and then everyone is told to fling their napkins around in the dining room. Doesn't make sense.

 

The seating in the Windjammer was horrible. And on the last morning the passengers over ran the place. It was completely wiped out when we got to breakfast. It was a mess. Plus, the waiters had a hard time keeping up all week, cleaning tables. Only one time were we offered a drink and the lady never came back with them. The BBQ is gone, no ribs or party on the deck.

 

There are also multiple things missing: no fruit carvings, no ice carvings, no enrichment lectures, no Captain vs CD cake decorating. There was no written invitation to the Cruise Critic meeting, so we missed it. There was no invitation to the C&A Backstage tour. It was in the Compass, but no one ever showed up to give the tour. I understand there was a change in staff, but they shouldn't have put it in the Compass then. There were a couple other things, but I can't think of them right now.

 

Now the REALLY UGLY! The Diamond Lounge was completely over run EVERY night. Granted there were a lot of us on board, but they know that before we board. One of the waiters even told me that there would be 70 less next week, so they are aware how many people will be there. They did also say that it is like that every week. Chaos! Not enough staff, no drinks, wrong drinks, no clearing of the tables for at least an hour, and sometimes stale appetizers. It was not just us either. There were LOTS of complaints. When the first thing you have to chat about with others is the fact that the service is so bad, it really sets a mood for the evening. EVERY EVENING! One of the waiters even told me that the other waiter was hiding in the back, which seemed pretty obvious when he was missing for extended periods of time and only bringing out 1 or 2 drinks at a time. We had to get our drinks from the bar most nights, which was fine but he was very busy up there and the seats at the bar are uncomfortable and spaced too far apart.

 

I did complete the midcruise survey, but the only department I heard from was the dining room. No one else bothered. I also completed my end of cruise survey. I am not looking for anything here other that to give others an honest assessment of our vacation. Love Royal, but there is just something wrong on the Serenade. I would not choose Serenade again if I have another option.

Edited December 21, 2016 by blondie from arizona

[ONECRUISER]

It seems like most of our experience on the Serenade was similar. We were on this cruise with you, from Dec 2 -Dec 12. We were on Serenade previously and thought something was "off" about the ship. The staff was irritable and it is the cruise that we rank as our worst RCCL cruise. I won't go into the specifics of that cruise, but I will say their were similar issues on this cruise. However, the staff was in a much better mood this time around. I will list out some of the good, bad and ugly as we saw it.

 

We were on deck 10, DH thought the rust also an issue. There was some peeling paint on the ceiling of the balcony next to ours. One or our drawers was falling apart, but it wasn't a big deal. They were switching out the mattresses in some of the rooms on our floor when we were leaving. The room steward said they had done decks 8 and 9 last cruise.

 

The Good (sort of): Loved the Christmas caroling in the Centrum. Wish they had done more Christmas themed events. The tree was hidden away in the dining room. Also the photographer lady was really rude to parents trying to take pictures of their kids with Santa. It kinda ruined the moment. Agree that the new cast of singers and dancers were very good. However, they wondered around the ship like a herd of spoiled millennials all week and they were a little much to take. They were very pushy on deck 5 of the Centrum along the railing during cast activities. Wanting to take the premium spot after many of us had been standing there for quite some time. The food in the dining room was missing stuff or of a lower quality; however, it was always served hot and there was plenty of it. Service was good. Also the bread products in the Windjammer seemed fresher and not overbaked and dry (ie muffins, donuts, and Danishes). The Windjammer also has the crepe station! The cruise director staff was very good. Topi, Aysy and especially Grant very very good. Topi's entire staff was outstanding! Also the piano music in the Centrum was wonderful. And they seemed better able to space the entertainment so that there was always something going on between major events (like dinner and the show).

 

The Bad and Ugly: I will save the worst for last but the other stuff was annoying too. This ship is just missing something. ALL the staff seems like every day is their first day. Room steward, dining staff, Windjammer staff, coffee staff. It was like Groundhogs day!

 

Also, on this cruise the ship parked at the Commercial docks at 2 of the ports. St Kitts (required to take a shuttle to the regular pier) and Dominica (our tour guide was smart enough to know we were there). The walk out of the port at Dominica was the worst we have ever had to do. I think Royal needs to do a better job of telling people which pier they will be docking and in these countries they are not right next to each other.

 

I also wish Royal would send out a fun e-mail before the cruise if they are going to be having fun themed shirt night. Apparently we don't cruise enough as we did not know that they have multiple days of goofy Caribbean shirt night.

 

They have stepped up their efforts to make Formal dining more fun. I don't know when Royal decided it wanted to be like Carnival. :mad: I do not like swinging napkins, singing, dancing and all that crap in the dining room. On formal night they had the kitchen staff come out and dance on the stairs. There was not enough room as that is where the Christmas tree was. It was just tacky. And DH really hates all the crap about washy, washy and then everyone is told to fling their napkins around in the dining room. Doesn't make sense.

 

The seating in the Windjammer was horrible. And on the last morning the passengers over ran the place. It was completely wiped out when we got to breakfast. It was a mess. Plus, the waiters had a hard time keeping up all week, cleaning tables. Only one time were we offered a drink and the lady never came back with them. The BBQ is gone, no ribs or party on the deck.

 

There are also multiple things missing: no fruit carvings, no ice carvings, no enrichment lectures, no Captain vs CD cake decorating. There was no written invitation to the Cruise Critic meeting, so we missed it. There was no invitation to the C&A Backstage tour. It was in the Compass, but no one ever showed up to give the tour. I understand there was a change in staff, but they shouldn't have put it in the Compass then. There were a couple other things, but I can't think of them right now.

 

Now the REALLY UGLY! The Diamond Lounge was completely over run EVERY night. Granted there were a lot of us on board, but they know that before we board. One of the waiters even told me that there would be 70 less next week, so they are aware how many people will be there. They did also say that it is like that every week. Chaos! Not enough staff, no drinks, wrong drinks, no clearing of the tables for at least an hour, and sometimes stale appetizers. It was not just us either. There were LOTS of complaints. When the first thing you have to chat about with others is the fact that the service is so bad, it really sets a mood for the evening. EVERY EVENING! One of the waiters even told me that the other waiter was hiding in the back, which seemed pretty obvious when he was missing for extended periods of time and only bringing out 1 or 2 drinks at a time. We had to get our drinks from the bar most nights, which was fine but he was very busy up there and the seats at the bar are uncomfortable and spaced too far apart.

 

I did complete the midcruise survey, but the only department I heard from was the dining room. No one else bothered. I also completed my end of cruise survey. I am not looking for anything here other that to give others an honest assessment of our vacation. Love Royal, but there is just something wrong on the Serenade. I would not choose Serenade again if I have another option.

 

There was 2 different Backstage tour as you are refering too. The one in the Compass was for anyone to talk to cast in the theater, wasn't a whole backstage tour. Second one is one you normally receive card in your room, pick the Backstage, Kitchen of Bridge tour. Can't remember if that one is Diamond or Diamond plus and above only which I am. I took the second tour backstage at 11:30, 2nd to last sea day... I've been on Serenade B2B2B2B, from BOS/FLL repo to now getting off Dec 23. They have been slowly doing lot of up keep since getting to FLL, must have been waiting til got back from Europe and Boston color tours. They are almost done now replacing/refinishing all the wood railings and there's lot of them, replaced tons on mattress, touching up paint around ship more each week. Salt water over 13yrs some is deep that would need lot of work most is normal surface. Unless they totally replace everything on ship, which they won't some parts of ship will look little worn after 13yrs. Unfortunately dry dock next yr is short mechanical one. There's been lot of change over as there is this time yr from Capt, stage cast, concierge... I agree about all the singing/dancing, flinging napkin in dining room, but thats just me and they been doing that since my first cruise in 1980's... I can say the ship is starting run smoother this week.

Edited December 21, 2016 by ONECRUISER