"Live" from Serenade of the Seas - December 1st

[BuyReallyLow]

BRL... Just wanted to give my THANKS for a great "week long" plus thread. We've been looking forward to it daily ( hate thats its over ).We have been imagining ourselves on the ship, as we are boarding on the 15th. This will be our first Radiance Class cruise. Your pictures were great. I'm probably not alone with the excitment one feels prior to any cruise, cause it's been 2 years to the week since our last cruise and WE CAN'T WAIT. You've pumped us up even more. There's no way I could even come close to your daily dedication to filling all of us in on your daily exploits. We plan on looking for those who made your journey so special and letting them know that many others know about them now. Were there any special Casino Dealers you'd like us to say hey to? (minus the ones of course that took your chips) We also plan on contributing our "daily allowance" after the evenings show enterainment. We have been on Mariner twice and felt the same way about their service. Hope the "shock" of returning to reality has worn off, I know it takes a while for anyone to feel normal again after breathing a weeks worth of sea air. I love dusk at the railing of deck 4, with my favorite beverage on ice, watching the beautiful blue waves.

 

We'll be looking forward to more on your web page for upcoming pictures and write-ups. :D

 

Again...THANKS, Sharon & Bruce

 

My wife contributed only $60 to the Casino - I don't gamble much - I have enought of that each and every day in my job when I'm not cruising! :p :p .

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

BRL

[BuyReallyLow]

Final Thoughts

“I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart’s affections and the truth of imagination – what the imagination seizes as beauty must be truth – whether it existed before or not.”

-John Keats, 1817

I am thrilled each time I reread the conclusion of the twelfth-century guidebook The Marvels of Rome. This book was the first of its kind to move beyond the fervid relic-hunting of the day to lead the pilgrim and traveler to the wonders of ancient architecture and history. The first sense that there may be something worthwhile to remember from the past, the creations of ordinary people, is hinted at in these lovely lines:

“These are more temples and palaces of emperors, consuls, senators and prefects were inside this Roman City in the time of the heathen, as we have read in the old chronicles, have seen with our own eyes, and have heard the ancient men tell of. In writing we have tried as well as we could to bring back to the human memory how great was their beauty in gold, silver, brass, ivory and ancient stones.”

In this way, the art of remembering, the skill with which to “bring back to the human memory how great was their beauty,” we continually reconstruct our own lives. Recollection is the final discipline of the pilgrim-poet traveler, which entails recalling the vows taken before departing, revering the idea that once we have been blessed with the gift of the journey, so now we must bless. We can continually recall beauty through the practice of memory, through daily acts of imagination that seize the moments that once seized our hearts.

And the strange thing is, once you do, you may find, as Carl Sandburg did, that

“When nothing is ahead of you, then you have come to an end.

Where nothing is behind you, then ahead of you is a beginning.”

Our journey aboard the Serenade of the Seas began with travel issues that challenged our plans. It was highlighted by memorable days in Antiqua and St. Lucia, the time spent with good friends, and a wonderful staff. We plan on wrapping up this live thread by talking about our leaving the ship and our travels home, as well as our overall impressions on the condition of the ship, the staff, and the Itinerary. We will also touch on some of the “hot” issues that populate the boards – such as the quality of the food, the entertainment, the Puerto Rican travelers, the behavior of our fellow travelers, and whatever catches our fancy.

Leaving the Ship

Our flight was scheduled at 9:45 AM from San Juan. That’s right, 9:45 AM. Many, many threads revolve around how “early” one can catch a flight. We had no trouble making our flight. Beginning on Day 2, the Compass begins to speak of “Early Departure”. If your flight is scheduled before 11:00 am, you must register with Guest Services before noon on Thursday (Day 6). You must bring your flight arrangements. They will issue you a “beige” luggage tag. You will also receive an invitation to go to the Tropical Theatre on departure Saturday at 7:15 am for early departure. You will be checked off once there, and then escorted directly to Customs for early departure. From the time we left the Theatre at approximately 7:30 to our getting a taxi was less than 15 minutes. That includes going thru customs, getting your luggage from the large wearhouse (remember the colored tags? They are important here). Once you pick up your luggage, you simply walk outside and get yourself a cab. The ride to the airport is maybe 15 minutes, and then you are at the airport. The longest lines we had were at the Continental Ticket Counter. You will not be able to use the luggage services offered onboard since the flight is before 11 AM. So we were at the gate by 8:45 for our 9:45 flight. No trouble…. No pressure! I have not mentioned that our friends had a brief panic when they were unable to find one of their bags. But since all the bags on board are in one large room, one was able to walk the rows until the bag was found. It was put in a “white” tag row instead of the beige row. It added maybe five minutes to our travels, but after the issues we had coming down…. Anything that didn’t go well added stress.

Once on the plane, our travels into Houston, and then on to Minneapolis went well. Landing in Minneapolis was a shock – there is a foot of snow on the ground in Minneapolis, and temperatures at 4 PM were below 10 degrees. Luckily our friends had put the car in the ramp at the airport, so there was no snow to dig out. And thank God for heated seats……

Condition of the Ship

We understand from some of the staff that Serenade will be placed into dry dock for two weeks in February. They will be replacing the engines with diesels and do a little sprucing up. No work is scheduled for the insides – and she does not really need it. You will see a little wear at the bottom of stairs on the main deck, where many a million footfalls have tread. The carpets still look fresh, our Cabin (1052 – Deck 10 – Grand Suite) was just fine. The wood looks fine (a few puckers in a few corners). There has been mention of certain “smells” around various areas of the ship. We did smell the gas – the first time was before Serenade left port. We were getting in our first round on the greens of Serenade, and quite a few times we got a snootful of a smell that can best be described as sewage gas. Once the ship began to move, we did not smell it near as often. Twice I picked the scent up faintly in the hallways as one moves toward the aft of the ship. The strongest I smelled it was when I was touring each deck looking at the art on various levels. On deck 3 toward the aft on the Sea Day I smelled it the strongest – it would be a problem for me to have my cabin in that area. So at least in our experience, those descriptions of some smells on Serenade appear to be true.

The Staff

As we mentioned in our last post, the staff on Serenade was wonderful. We had a wonderfully sweet room attendant Maria, two good waiters in the dining room Savio and Wyan, a good Concierge is Rahul (you would not know he is a fill-in), an old friend as a Sports Activity Director (Essa), and good bartenders in our favorite haunts. The service in Chopps was fantastic as always. Our experience in Portofinos was a bit below our expectations, but we do have very high expectations, and when it seemed to take a bit longer to get served our courses, we were a bit surpised. We continue to be surprised by the level of training the staff receives from Royal Caribbean. They are fantastic – so good that we begin to take for granted and believe it must be easy for these individuals to produce such a high level of service. Do not ever forget that it is NOT. It is just that these staff members are that good that they make it look easy.

The Itinerary

This is a very port intensive itinerary. Visiting 5 ports in six sail days is unbelievable. You only receive one sea day. Sea days are a special treat while taking a cruise. You get excited about what you are going to “do” during your various stops in various ports. Much thought and research is put into what to “do” in each port. Sea Days are not exciting, but they are highly appreciated. Get those extra rays. Get that book read that you’ve been meaning to read. Take a nap (yeah… go ahead!). We like to have two days at sea to really relax. During this trip we found that we really wanted that 2nd day – so we created one in Barbados. Everyone is different, and we still have not given Barbados a fair shake (not a pretty port, is it?). But that extra day to relax was essential for us. We LOVE the ship – we love the Port of San Juan. I never have a concern that we will be cold out of San Juan this time of year. We would rather have the itinerary that Adventure takes. But that’s why we alternate between Serenade and Adventure most years.

The Hot Issues:

Food Quality

We thought the food quality was good – not great, but good. During past cruises, we had avoided Formal Nights by going to the specialty restaurants. This trip, we ventured back to the main dining room for Formal Nights… and were not disappointed. We had forgotten a bit of the romance of Formal Night. There is a different energy in the dining room on formal night – its different among the guests and the staff. Backs are stiffer. The Walk is crisper… and we really enjoyed it. Now…. Some of the nights that we had missed in the past we experienced this trip… and I for one wished I had. No trouble with the service – it was impeccable. But as a “solid” Midwestern boy, some of the combinations had me looking to the alternative selections… which made me think I could be eating at Chops!! And while I’m on Hot Topics…. If you don’t feel like wearing at least a Sportscoat and a tie in the main dining room on Formal Nights…. Don’t forget that you can eat at the Windjammer or at one of the specialty restaurants. No one is making you eat in the dining room – you have plenty of other choices. I know that you out there don’t want to be forced into anything. We’re not asking you to do anything you don’t want to – just to choose an appropriate place to eat in the clothes you wish to eat in. Enough said!! J

The Entertainment

Let me be honest – I have never been a real Entertainment guy. My wife and I go to New York to catch Broadway shows on a regular basis. The production shows on board most ships don’t really get us going. Not from lack of effort – the staff obviously works very hard. But I don’t know…. It just doesn’t work for us. The comedians…. Can it be any tougher than not knowing your audience… or your audience not knowing you!!?! It has to be very tough. We did take in Abbacadabra, since we are in our 40’s and remember that super group. Sound quality was great – stage presence…. Well, it ain’t broadway! The live bands around the ship, especially when they did Latino music, were very good. We sat many nights in the Champaign Bar and listened to the Centrum band play. They were probably the most popular group on the ship.

The Puerto Ricians

We don’t have any numbers to back this up, but we believe that over 50% of the ship was from Puerto Rico – or at least spoke Spanish as their primary language. Here are other observations:

- The average age of the guests was in the 50’s. No matter what the ethnicity. We saw a large number of family units that appeared to be Grandma/Grandpa, children and grandchildren. At NO time did we notice any behavior that we have not observed on the other ships we have been on. As a matter of fact, I would put this trip at or near the top in terms of civilility and manners demonstrated. We were on Adventure this last fall (one year ago), and the group on Adventure is younger, with younger families. That brings with it its own share of challenges. Serenade has not had that problem, and the reviews on the various boards appear to back it up. But the idea that the ethnic differences make it difficult to enjoy your trip – we believe that is foolish. Be open to new ideas, thoughts, and cultures. The dining room on Adventure was much more empty and it was never a challenge to get a reservation at Chops or Portofinos. That was not the case on Serenade. The dining room (we were late seating) was quite full – and I would highly suggest getting your reservations on the first day at the specialty restaurants– we ate at 6 PM in Chops one night – it was the last slot available. In our opinion, way too much energy has been given to this topic – so let it go and enjoy. You are doing yourself harm if you don’t allow yourself to experience the Southern Caribbean and San Juan if you choose to avoid traveling with members of a different culture.

“If a man set out from home on a journey, and kept right on going, he would come back to his own front door.”

- Sir John Mandeville, fourteenth century.

Final Conclusion

We enjoyed our time onboard Serenade. She is a fine ship, with a fine crew. She visits wonderful ports that will be burned into your memory for the rest of your life. We traveled with wonderful, fantastic friends. It is this traveling that enhances our lives. Our thanks go out to Scott & Amy, who have been frequent travel partners. We get each other – we understand that we don’t need to spend every waking moment together – we must be given time to find our own journies. We thank you again and again. We were joined this year for the first time by our friends Victor and Cheryl. It is always wonderful to see our cruise adventures thru the eyes of first timers. Your enthusiasm was infectious – we truly hope you had a life-changing experience and we look forward to traveling with you both again. Our adventure was a satisfying one – we were challenged (thank you Continental Airlines), we were stimulated (thank you Eli and Cosol), and we were satisfied (see our waist line! J). Our traveling companions, the guests onboard the Serenade of the Seas, were there for the same reasons we were – to relax and enjoy oneself. From all appearances, all were successful. Thank you to the people of Puerto Rico for having us as your guests. We promise next time to stay longer, and maybe get outside that stretch of concrete that is San Juan (kudos to my airmate on the flight in).

Our old world will appear changed and strangified in proportion to how much we changed on our journey. If indeed it was a soulful journey, our former life may be nearly unrecognizable. Old friends may be genuinely interested in the tale-telling and not just the clichés of the journey, or they may react with envy, jealously, or resentment.

Celebrate your journey with a ritual feast. Bring family and friends together to ceremoniously mark the time and the passage. Sacred meals are a way to show gratitude and express joy, which are hallmarks of the well-lived life and the soulfully completed journey. We have a post-cruise gathering already planned after the holidays – we look forward to it – to share laughter when reviewing the pictures everyone took, to “savor” the food made from the Royal Caribbean Cookbook, and maybe have a frozen drink. A grand way to break up the depth of winter.

“True pilgrimage changes lives,” says Martin Palmer in Sacred Journeys, “whether we go halfway around the world or out to our own backyards.” What matters is whether we go in as we go out. Naturalist John Muir evoked the heart of the journey in his description of a single day’s hike through a grand wilderness: “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found was really going in.”

The challenge is to learn how to carry over the quality of the journey into your everyday life. The art of the journey is the craft of taking time seriously, elegantly. What every traveler confronts sooner or later is that the way we spend each day of our travel… is the way we spend our lives. Inspired by our journey, perhaps we can learn the “true life” we were searching for is here, where our travels and our home life overlap.

For only then shall we know that the end of our explorations, as T.S. Eliot wrote,

“will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.”

Until our next cruise,

Buy Really Low (Bill & Jackie)

[Radio]

Bill and Jackie. . . Thanks so much for posting this "Live" trip report !

 

Your words make me want to book a Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Serenade of the Seas Today !

 

I had a GREAT time sailing with you this last week (sort of) , and I can't wait until I am on board a ship again (in the Caribbean)

 

Thanks again ! Your report has been one that I couldn't wait to read evry day !

 

Radio

;) ;)

[CLQ]

Bill--

I've tuned in everyday to read of your latest adventures. Thanks for your vivid and insightful descriptions. We have 3 months left until our chance to experience Serenade for ourselves. Your detail has encouraged us to reconsider plans for a couple of ports of call. We're excited.

[Bargeo]

Enjoyed every minute of this journey with you. I felt as though I was reading a novel, and couldn't wait to get to the next chapter. Sorry it's over........for you and me. We will be traveling on the Empress next month, 11 days.....also out of San Juan. Hope we can pace ourselves so we are not exhausted from so many ports. I tend to want to see and do it all, so we tried not to preplan too much in the way of shore excursions. We did schedule a trip with Cosol in St Lucia, and was glad to know that you enjoyed his tour so much. We will be on the Silvermoon in Barbados. The rest of the ports......we'll see when we get there. I definitely want to have your wonderful, positive attitude if there are any glitches in our trip. Thanks again for the amazing journey!!!!!

[Mach1]

Bill ~

Thank you so much for your great live thread on the Serenade! I looked forward to it everyday. Really gave me some great port ideas. I was fortunate to have been on her before and after reading about your adventure I can’t wait for my turn again in April! I agree with you about all your final comments! She is a great ship with great people! A very port intensive cruise – but the places you get to visit are all so beautiful as well as the people you get to meet there. ;)

I’m going to have to re-read again & share with my DH and get the excitement going for our trip & I’m so happy to hear you had no problem catching a 9:45 flight! Ours is early as well and I’ve been a little stressed over it – but not any more – thanks for the tips. :)

Having lived in MN & now in MT I feel your pain with the snow and cold!! What a nice treat to come home to! :eek: :D :rolleyes:

 

I wanted to ask if the ship still stops and fuels in St. Croix? It was an extra added port bonus for us as we are able to spend a few hours there as well. I think (at least in ’06) it was every 3 weeks they stopped.

[BuyReallyLow]

Bill ~

Thank you so much for your great live thread on the Serenade! I looked forward to it everyday. Really gave me some great port ideas. I was fortunate to have been on her before and after reading about your adventure I can’t wait for my turn again in April! I agree with you about all your final comments! She is a great ship with great people! A very port intensive cruise – but the places you get to visit are all so beautiful as well as the people you get to meet there. ;)

 

I’m going to have to re-read again & share with my DH and get the excitement going for our trip & I’m so happy to hear you had no problem catching a 9:45 flight! Ours is early as well and I’ve been a little stressed over it – but not any more – thanks for the tips. :)

 

Having lived in MN & now in MT I feel your pain with the snow and cold!! What a nice treat to come home to! :eek: :D :rolleyes:

 

I wanted to ask if the ship still stops and fuels in St. Croix? It was an extra added port bonus for us as we are able to spend a few hours there as well. I think (at least in ’06) it was every 3 weeks they stopped.

 

No - at least not this past week. I have been on it when it did stop - we never left the ship for this short stop, but I remember doing it.

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

BRL

[BuyReallyLow]

Bill and Jackie. . . Thanks so much for posting this "Live" trip report !

 

Your words make me want to book a Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Serenade of the Seas Today !

 

I had a GREAT time sailing with you this last week (sort of) , and I can't wait until I am on board a ship again (in the Caribbean)

 

Thanks again ! Your report has been one that I couldn't wait to read evry day !

 

Radio

;) ;)

 

Thanks again Radio!! I wish I could figure out how to post pictures in the thread - I even copied your instructions so I could do it - just could not pull it off. I am also disappointed that I could not get the audio recordings to work well. I purchased a Zoom H4 to record various sounds and actually interviewed some staff members - it just did not work out. I'll have to work on it for our next cruise in June.

 

Thanks Again!!

 

Bill

[perlgirlnj]

Thank you so much for your poetic and thoughtful story. We are on this cruise in 2 weeks. As a new cruiser, I have been so caught up in all the wonderful advice that everyone has to offer that I've felt like I'm planning a military operation, not a vacation! Your thoughts have really helped me to remember the "why" of the vacation, rather than the "how" of the vacation!

 

I especially liked getting "permission" from your post to go with my instinct which tells me not to pre-plan anything for Antigua, which for us will be New Year's day. I think that will be a good day for us to fit in an extra sea day, like you did in Barbados. And who knows? If we're feeling up to an outing, we can always catch a cab to a beach.

 

Your pictures are gorgeous as well. I'm feeling in the mood for a cruise!

[BuyReallyLow]

Thank you so much for your poetic and thoughtful story. We are on this cruise in 2 weeks. As a new cruiser, I have been so caught up in all the wonderful advice that everyone has to offer that I've felt like I'm planning a military operation, not a vacation! Your thoughts have really helped me to remember the "why" of the vacation, rather than the "how" of the vacation!

 

I especially liked getting "permission" from your post to go with my instinct which tells me not to pre-plan anything for Antigua, which for us will be New Year's day. I think that will be a good day for us to fit in an extra sea day, like you did in Barbados. And who knows? If we're feeling up to an outing, we can always catch a cab to a beach.

 

Your pictures are gorgeous as well. I'm feeling in the mood for a cruise!

 

Thank you for your kind words. It is your Vacation - give yourself permission to do what your heart tells you to do. When speaking with crew members about what piece of advice they would give all us cruisers, the #1 response is "Don't try to do too much. Slow down and relax."

 

Good advice.

 

Be well,

 

BRL

[BuyReallyLow]

Sitting on the couch one week after returning from Serenade, watching football and trying to keep warm. If only one could live on a cruise ship.....

 

I had the time today to analyize our Guest Folio Summary. There have been questions in the past on how much one should budget to spend. Keeping in mind that everyone is different, I am happy to share our summary.

 

Total - $1134.51

 

Subtract:

 

$100 Platinum Credit for booking on-board.

$100 for Shareholder Credit

 

$934.51

 

Breakdown:

 

$172.60 - Champagne Bar

$169.40 - Gift Shop

$168.00 - Gratuities

$135.99 - Internet

$95.78 - Chops

$75.85 - Photos

$52.34 - Wine/Water

$48.30 - Soda Package

$40.00 - Portofinos

$29.86 - Mini Bar

$23.00 - Laundry

$22.14 - Schooner Bar

$19.43 - Pool Bar

$9.20 - Seaview Cafe

 

Not shown on Guest Portfolio. Additional Tips for Room Attendant, Concierge. Total additional tips - $60.00

 

I have no idea if this would be considered the Normal Amount. For us, it is a bit lower than normal, but probably within $200. The surprise for uswas how much our Kir Royals cost before turning in for the night cost us. $170+. Also, it always irritates me how much I pay for Professional Photos. But I guess they are permanent memories. Also notice how little time we tend to spend by the pool - this was a port intensive itinerary which means only one seaday.

 

Numbers vary - but after reading our trip review one should be able to determine if we are more like how you see yourselves cruising or drastically different.

 

Food for Thought,

 

BRL

[njmelis24]

Bill,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about every part of your trip. Having already sailed the same itinerary on AOS, I am really looking forward to sailing on Serenade next Dec. I almost wish I could go now and actually, felt like I was already there through your posts.

 

The information you provided was extremely helpful and I am certain we are going to book a tour with Cosol when we visit St Lucia. It sounded extremely interesting and less touristy. Also being that it is $50pp, it can't be beat!

 

Thanks again for letting us experience your trip with you! I can't wait for your next trip! ;)