Serenade review, 1/6/06 - long

[mitaxi]

You'll love it! Seems you've got to book over a year out to get these cabins anymore, the best we could do a year out (we're booked for 1/5/08) was a deck 9 aft.

 

And I just noticed that the link I typed into my original review turned into ****'s, for some odd reason. For anyone who cares, it was http://www.**********/

 

Jodi

 

I had D1 1604...... but the JS 1602 is available ...is it worth it...i ask because you stated in your review that a member of your group had that cabin..

 

Michele

[mitaxi]

You'll love it! Seems you've got to book over a year out to get these cabins anymore, the best we could do a year out (we're booked for 1/5/08) was a deck 9 aft.

 

And I just noticed that the link I typed into my original review turned into ****'s, for some odd reason. For anyone who cares, it was http://www.**********/

 

Jodi

 

I have D1 1604 booked.. but JS 1602 is open.. is this worth changing.. I ask because in your review, one of your group I believe had this cabin...

 

Michele

[Cheryl H]

[quote

 

Oh, and about your internet coupons. We finally figured out the best way to use them. Turn them in BEFORE you first go in the internet. They then show up as a credit on your account, which they debit against as you use the time. Otherwise, getting credited is hit or miss - we had to go back twice to get the first coupon credited properly when we tried turning it in against time we had already used QUOTE]

 

Did you mean turn them in before booking? I was thinking I had to book, then mail the coupon in. When you say you turned it in against time already used, were you sending it in for a cruise you already completed?

 

Thanks for the info.

[erniesband]

Bubby, is that a nickname, or are you a Jewish grandma :D ? Eileen actually booked the cruise we took last year, and we enjoyed seeing them on stage in 2006; that's another show we missed this year - we'll definitely catch them next year!

 

Eileen, I had friends that grew up in the Claridge Oval area - of course, UH is so small, it would have been difficult to miss any part of the city. Claver is off of Washington, just east of John Carroll University. And both my husband and I, and our son, graduated from Heights. You're getting out of here just in time - maybe this snow will stop falling by the time you get home!

 

Mitaxi, to us it wouldn't be worth it. We're plenty comfortable in the D1, and the JS was quite a bit more expensive. We don't really need the bathtub - shower's fine with us.

 

Cheryl, sorry for the confusion. I meant the free internet time coupon you get in the C&A booklets on board, not the internet dollar off coupons. As Diamond members, we each had a coupon for 20 minutes of internet time. You're right about how to use the coupons you're talking about.

 

Jodi

[HeavenlyCruiser]

Jodi,

I wonder if your son graduated with any of our children from Heights High?

Eileen

[erniesband]

Eileen,

 

Cory graduated in 2004. He's a junior at Kent now. When did your kids graduate?

 

Jodi

[mamaday]

Thanks for all the great info! We leave on the Serenade 2/10. Doing some of the same excursions. Trying to decide on St. Lucia - poss. sea/land tour. Any input on these excursions. Thanks for all your help.:)

[mamaday]

Thanks for all the great info! We leave on the Serenade 2/10. Doing some of the same excursions. Trying to decide on St. Lucia - poss. sea/land tour. Any input on these excursions. Thanks for all your help.

[HeavenlyCruiser]

Jodi,

Even though my husband & I aren't older than you & your husband, my children are definitely older than your son. They graduated in 1993, 1995, & 1999.

[erniesband]

Eileen, we started with a kid on the late side - but that's a whole 'nother story - perhaps when we get together. Have a great cruise (if you're still home and reading this!)

 

Mamaday, we did the ship's Land and Sea to Soufriere excursion our first time in St. Lucia. It's a pretty good excursion, actually. You get to see all the St. Lucia "highlights" (the Pitons, a couple of fishing villages, waterfalls, the "drive-in" volcano, Morne Fortune, go past banana plantations, etc.), and you get to see the coast and Marigot Bay and yacht anchorage, and spend some time swimming. And we got a pretty good Caribbean lunch at an interesting old mill. It's a long day, but we enjoyed it. Downside? Sitting on a packed bus with bunches of other people. You might have to do the water part first, in the morning, rather than in the afternoon - half of the people do it one way, half the other. If you're looking to snorkel, there really wasn't much of an opportunity for that - the place where we stopped to swim wasn't a particularly good snorkeling location, and there wasn't much time.

 

You can see many of the same things booking independently with Frank or Cosol, and I believe they'll each take you someplace to snorkel, if you want and have time, as well. You're with a smaller group, get a good guide, it's less expensive than booking with the ship. We've used Frank and highly recommend him. They both have great reputations. You don't get a boat ride, but if that's not important, it's a good alternative to the ship's Land and Sea excursion.

 

Jodi

[mamaday]

Jodi - Thanks for your input. Now we just need to decide which tour to take.:o

[HeavenlyCruiser]

Jodi,

Yes we're still home. We decided to take a calculated risk this time & leave on Saturday. We usually leave a few days early, but Continental only has non-stop flights from Cleveland to San Juan on Saturday & Sunday. Being that it's February, we were afraid to make connections in Newark which can be very risky during the winter months. We travel quite a bit & have had bad experiences flying to Newark. Taking a non-stop out of Cleveland sounded good when we made our plans. Hopefully the weather here will be cooperating when our flight is supposed to leave tomorrow morning.

 

Can't wait to meet with you when we return.

 

Eileen