Attn: Just back from the Serenade

[JacobOliver]

My husband and I just returned from the Serenade on Saturday. I wanted to post this review to help other fellow cruisers. I know how helpful this website was to us. Sorry it is such a lengthy post, so much to tell!

 

Friday, Feb. 10-We left one day earlier, and we were glad we did. The airports was closed down on Saturday due to a blizzard. This is a must if you travel during the winter. Also, on the first day of the cruise, we were already in San Juan, noticed others that arrived on ship were exhausted from the travel day. Stayed at the Intercontinental in Puerto Rico. Arrived early afternoon and received an upgrade from city view to ocean view. The hotel is lovely, usually $450 per night, however paid $189 on Hotwire.com

 

Ports of Call-Tours

Saturday, Feb. 11-Took a taxi to the pier, on board by 12:30, no problems at all with embarkment. Note: Royal Caribbean states that you cannot board until 2 P.M., this is not the case. However, we were not allowed in our cabins until 1 P.M. We went to the Windjammer for lunch, by the time we were finished, the cabins were ready. Spent the day by the pool and roaming the ship.

 

Sunday, Feb. 12-St. Thomas-Took the Red Hook ferry over to St. John to visit friends. Arrived back around 2:30 and did some shopping near the pier. Note: Stores in town close at 1 P.M. on Sundays, just the ones near the ship stay open until 5.

 

Monday-Feb. 14th-St. Maarten-Spent the morning shopping on St. Martin, this is the best place to shop. Booked the afternoon Beach Bash with RC. We went to Orient Beach, it was beautiful, with the exception of seeing some nude people (you know the ones that should be wearing clothing!)

 

Tuesday, Feb. 14th, Antiqua-Booked a tour through RC-Eco/kayak/snorkel tour. This was fabulous, we highly recommend it. The kayak was a two- person kayak, which made it easier. The snorkeling was not the best, most of the reefs are dead, not as many fish to view.

 

Wednesday-Feb. 15th-St. Lucia-This was by far our favorite island and favorite tour. We booked a private tour with Cosol back in April for $150. It was well worth it. Cosol went out of his way the entire day. Not only is he knowlegeable, but he is a wonderful person. I also posted this under the Ports of Call-St. Lucia. You need to be back on the boat by 4:15. Make sure of this, two people missed the boat. The itinerary states the ship sails at 5:00. The captain leaves early this day to view the Pitons from the ship. He makes a 360 degree turn near the Pitons at sunset, it is breathtaking!

 

Thursday-Feb. 16th-Barbados-Silvermoon I Catamaran-This was my second favorite. The Cat took us out to swim with the turtles, then we snorkled over a shipwreck seeing lots of pretty fish. Both were really neat, and the crew was fantastic. They also feed us a really nice lunch, and there was unlimited drinks all day. This was very relaxing.

 

Friday-Feb. 17th-Day at Sea-Just relaxed on the deck. Beware of the nasty people trying to steal your lounge seat!

 

Saturday-Feb. 18th-Disembarkment-No problems at all. Off the ship at 8 A.M. The airport was another story!

 

 

Food-The food was very good on the Serenade. Our waiter and asst. waiter were marvelous. Formal nights are Monday and Thursday. We did dine at Portofinos and Chops, worth the extra $20 per person. If I had to choose one, Chops is better. Try the NY strip steak and save room for the Mud Pie! The other nights were casual or smart casual. Tuesday night is Carribbean night, which we missed, went to Portofinos. Thursday night is Lobster night.

 

Entertainment-The cruise director, Kirk, was a hoot! Tracy, Bingo lady, was also hilarious! I really enjoyed the entertainment. My favorite was "The Temptations Tribute" and the RC dancers and singers. The Marriage Game was quite funny also.

 

In closing, we had a wonderful time aboard the Serenade. She is a beautiful ship, very easy to navigate, I'm just not sure if I will book a cruise next time with as many ports of call. It can be exhausting.

 

If you need more information, let me know.

[wrp96]

Thanks for the review. I'm doing a lot of the same excursions (Cosol, Silver Moon, exploring in St. Thomas and St. Martin). I'm glad to hear they are wonderful.

[BarbLH]

Thanks for all the info. We sail on March 4th being our first cruise. We also have some of the same excursions planned. One question came up today...do we need to take our own beach towels?

 

Thanks,

Barb

[WorkinMoM]

Thanks for the review. My daughter and I sail on April 01st. I have a tour booked with cosol too. We are so excited. I'm glad you had a good time.

[Daleed77]

Thanks for the review. We'll be taking the same cruise April 15!

 

Anything to report on the general condition of the ship? How was your room? Everything clean and ship shape? Was the pool area crowded? How about the solarium?

 

Thanks in advance!

[El Tipo Calvo]

Thanks for the review. We'll be taking the same cruise April 15!

 

Anything to report on the general condition of the ship? How was your room? Everything clean and ship shape? Was the pool area crowded? How about the solarium?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

We were on the same cruise as JacobOliver, so I feel I can answer your questions, at least from my point of view.

 

I'd say the general condition of the ship was excellent. It's a beautiful ship and they keep it polished and sparkling.

 

Our stateroom was in good shape. The only real dirt I could find in the room was around the telephone buttons. :D Not many hotels think about cleaning the phones anyway.

 

With such an intense itinerary and everyone on such different schedules with early and late dinner seating, the pool was rarely crowded. Except on the only sea day. And even then, it wasn't too bad.

 

We found the Solarium very quiet most the time and the hot tub seemed to be free often.

 

JacobOliver, we were on the Silvermoon in Barbados, too! We were on the afternoon excursion and stopped at the shipwreck first and turtles second. It sounds like maybe you were on the morning sail? I hope so, otherwise we would've enjoyed meeting you.

 

We enjoyed St. Lucia the most, too. We took the catamaran to Soufriere and did the volcano and sugar plantation tours and swam at Anse Cochon. It was a great day. St. Lucia is beautiful. We'd like to go back and stay for awhile.

 

Thanks for the review!

[justwaiting]

Thanks for the great review. We leave March 4th and really am getting excited. With the weather here in Minnesota freezing, what was the weather like for your week? Also wondering in the casino if they had nickle slots (thats where I win most of my money)?

Justwaiting

[tortugas]

I have a question... do the ships that sail out of san juan have a different demographic mix, ie: more latin passengers? I love to have the chance to practice my semi-awful (yet passable!) spanish, but my husband cannot get past "cervesa" and I am afraid he'd be overwhelmed if he didn't have other gringos to chat with!! Any input? Also wondering if there is a latin-themed club, ala Boleros?? We loved Boleros on Navigator!!

[lil nemo]

We are from Mn sailing on march 4th also!!!

[golfer1966]

I have a group of 4 on this cruise as well. CANT WAIT !!

[El Tipo Calvo]

Oh... pooh on all you March 4th-ers! :D

 

I noticed alot of different languages being spoken onboard. Plenty of espanol, but also plenty of french, german and brooklyn onboard also. :p Plenty of gringos, too.

 

You'll have more opportunity to practice your spanish to and from the airport and actually on Puerto Rico than onboard the ship. I don't think there was a latin themed bar or club, but there were plenty of places onboard that we didn't get to see. Such a big ship and so little time!

 

Someone asked about nickel slots earlier... yes, I believe there are nickel slots. DW can confirm this, though.

 

The weather we had on the Feb. 11th sailing was exceptional, I think. Every day and night was clear, except for the last two days it got a little cloudy and rained in the evenings. Don't worry about the weather. No matter what, it's going to be beautiful.

[heartofamerica]

Someone asked about nickel slots earlier... yes, I believe there are nickel slots. DW can confirm this, though.

Yes, there are certainly nickle slots on board. Since Monserrat erupted a couple of weeks ago, does anyone know if they still get as close as they did when we went over Thanksgiving? It looked like we were close enough to swim to shore...incredibly beautiful.

[Alwaysonvacation]

We sail on Serenade on March 11th! We can't wait!!!! Is it really true that all of the stores downtown close at 1:00 pm in St. Thomas on Sunday? We have our favorite store there and want to visit for sure. We also wanted to go over to St. John, but we were going over to St. John first and then shop downtown in the afternoon. We may have to switch things around which makes me uneasy. Please confirm.

 

Alwaysonvacation.

 

So glad you had a great trip!

[love2vacation]

JacobOliver- Can you tell me what nights were the formal nights on the Serenade?

 

We are sailing on March 11th:D :D Can't wait!

[El Tipo Calvo]

does anyone know if they still get as close as they did when we went over Thanksgiving?

 

Yes, Capt Stig got very close this last week. He did mention that the week before, must've been Feb. 10th, the volcano erupted as they were pulling up to Montserrat and he had to cut the tour short and put the pedal to the metal. Apparently the volcano launches large chunks of rock into the air for miles.

 

Montserrat was briefly mentioned in the National Geographic program about "Yellowstone: Super Volcano." Great footage of the island. Not sure when it will air again.

 

Is it really true that all of the stores downtown close at 1:00 pm in St. Thomas on Sunday?

 

Yes, most stores downtown will close by 1:00 pm on Sunday. The strip malls on the pier stay open until 5:00 pm.

 

Can you tell me what nights were the formal nights on the Serenade?

 

Formal nights were Monday (St. Maarten) and Thursday (Barbados).

[El Tipo Calvo]

Oh! I just remembered a little tip for you future Serenaders...

 

Sunday night, after St. Thomas, the Serenade stops in St. Croix around 9pm or so for fuel. Apparently you can get off the ship there and have a few drinks in a small designated area. They won't let you go far, but you can get off at St. Croix.

 

We noticed we had stopped for fuel, but were on the opposite side of the ship from the pier and didn't know people were disembarking. Later that week, we met a man who had disembarked there to explore a little. We were jealous we didn't get to set foot on St. Croix, even if it was just for a little bit.

[JacobOliver]

The formal nights are Monday in St. Maarten and Thursday in Barbados. I was a little disappointed with the professional photos taken on board, we did not end up buying any from RC. A couple sitting next to our dinner table took better pictures of us on Thursday evening. Thursday is Carribbean lobster night, we ordered extra lobster, and my husband asked for a piece of prime rib too. The food in the dining room is really good, considering the chef prepared 14,000 dinners during the cruise! As mentioned before, Chops was our favorite. We had no problem getting reservations either. It's a nice change of pace from sitting in the main dining room each night. Also, we loved the Seaview Cafe on Friday while we were at sea. The roast pork or rueben sandwich were delicious.

 

El Tippo, we were on the morning sail, swam with the turtles first. It rained for about 30 minutes, but it was warm rain and felt good. Don't worry about the weather, it is always beautiful in the Carribbean, that is why it is so lush!

 

I do want to go back to St. Lucia, it is gorgeous......reminded us of a mini Hawaii. One thing I forgot to mention, the ride over to the other side of the island is very windy. However, Cosol is a good driver, not to worry. My hubby and I bought him a Red Sox cap, he wore it the entire day! We also met his brother, Yellow Bird, he is a really nice guy, both easy to talk to.

 

Beach towels are given to you by your steward every day. We brought them with us on each shore excursion. Each night he replaced them.

 

We stayed away from the casinos. Played Bingo one day, but never did it again. It cost us $70, thought that was a bit ridiculous!

 

You will have a blast. Have fun on the Serenade, she is beautiful and the staff is wonderful.:D

 

If you have any more questions, please let me know. I'm sure El Tippo will agree, it's nice to have some feedback before you depart.

[Sheffie]

Oh! I just remembered a little tip for you future Serenaders...

 

Sunday night, after St. Thomas, the Serenade stops in St. Croix around 9pm or so for fuel. Apparently you can get off the ship there and have a few drinks in a small designated area. They won't let you go far, but you can get off at St. Croix.

 

We noticed we had stopped for fuel, but were on the opposite side of the ship from the pier and didn't know people were disembarking. Later that week, we met a man who had disembarked there to explore a little. We were jealous we didn't get to set foot on St. Croix, even if it was just for a little bit.

 

This sounds great, but we eat late dinner. Bummer. :(

[El Tipo Calvo]

This sounds great, but we eat late dinner. Bummer. :(

 

We had late dinner, too, and I think we still could've gone ashore. Refueling will take a good 3+ hours.

 

Ask guest relations about it when you board.

[El Tipo Calvo]

I just got our photos online. Still have yet to develop our underwater photos of our sea turtle excursion. They should be up by next week.

 

SERENADE OF THE SEAS – February 11, 2006 – PHOTOS HERE

[Sheffie]

Love the rainbow! Oh, and the volcano! Thanks! It makes me even more excited, if that is possible!

[heartofamerica]

We had late dinner, too, and I think we still could've gone ashore. Refueling will take a good 3+ hours.

 

Ask guest relations about it when you board.

 

I don't think this a regular event...the Serenade didn't stop at St. Croix over Thanksgiving.

[Alwaysonvacation]

Another question about St. Thomas. In the past we have always stayed on ship time when we are on the islands. For you very recent Serenade people, was the local time different than ship time? If so, what was the difference? We are supposed to dock at 8:00 am. Is that 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 local time? We have so much to do in St. Thomas, I want to make use of all possible time.

 

Thanking you in advance!

[volleymasha]

El Tipo Calvo, thanks so much for posting your pics. We are on the March 25 sailing and if I thought I was ready to go before, WOW! Your photos really put me over the top!

 

Thanks!

 

volleymasha

[heartofamerica]

Another question about St. Thomas. In the past we have always stayed on ship time when we are on the islands. For you very recent Serenade people, was the local time different than ship time? If so, what was the difference? We are supposed to dock at 8:00 am. Is that 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 local time? We have so much to do in St. Thomas, I want to make use of all possible time.

 

Thanking you in advance!

Ship time is island time.