Serenade-6/5 - 11 Night Arctic Circle Trip Review

Well, I’ve been back a week and I’m just starting to get back to normal! Finally, I have some time to sit down and write about our wonderful trip to Norway.

A little background and pre cruise planning.

Although this trip has been on our bucket list for many years, we just never got around to going there. This was actually a spur of the moment trip; we had been on Serenade OTS in April on a 10 night Caribbean cruise and had just returned home when I was feeding my post cruise withdrawal addiction by surfing through a popular on line travel site.

I get a lot of vacation with my job, but find it hard to manage more than a couple of weeks off at a time and I also have a few blackout periods during the year. Most of the time, June is not a good time to travel, but this year it just happened that the first two weeks of June would be open.

At first my search was really just playing around, but then I seriously started looking at cruises to Norway. Because we had just returned from a cruise, I was really looking for something in August. I found the 11 night Arctic Circle cruise on Serenade available in June, but I wasn’t crazy about going on the same ship again so soon. I looked at all cruise lines, but because my husband is disabled, we decided cruises from Copenhagen would be the easiest for us to manage, so that ruled out many of our options. I found a few 7 night cruises, but really wanted something longer that included the North Cape, so I kept returning to the Serenade.

Suddenly, RCI offered free gratuities on the Serenade itinerary, a substantial savings on an 11 night cruise! The price remained the same, so it really was a deal. Then I found a fantastic price on RT air - $860 from Cincinnati with only one connection in Newark, Most air to Europe I had been looking at for the past year was in the $1,200 to $1,400 range. My favorite hotel in Copenhagen was available with my Marriott points, so all things came together and we felt we were supposed to go. So I booked everything!

We weren’t sure about the weather and as this was a port intensive itinerary, we decided we would be fine with an OV cabin. One of the newer cabins on deck 4 that were part of the refurb was available, so I grabbed it – more about that later.

As we only had 5 weeks between booking and departure, I didn’t have a lot of time to do research and plan, so I opted for the easy way and booked ship excursions on all ports except Bergen. From what I gathered on the roll call, most people were either doing RCI tours or just going off on their own in port. There didn’t seem to be many options for private tours on this itinerary.

The 5 weeks passed quickly. As for an Alaskan cruise, we packed with layering in mind; however, I really wasn’t sure what to expect during the days above the Arctic Circle, so I packed a few heavier things – just in case. Overall, I did a pretty good job of packing and only ending up with a few too many lighter weight tops that were never worn. We took a rolling garment bag, a 25” suitcase, which we checked in on our flights, a small carry-on and a small tote, that doubled for my handbag. My husband had his own transport chair and that always goes with us.

The airfare I purchased was on multiple airlines – United to Newark, SAS to Copenhagen and then SAS to Chicago on the return flight home and American to Cincinnati. I called all of the airlines to make sure we had a pusher for my husband so we could make it through the maze of airport terminals and customs with our bags. SAS has “ free” seats and also charges for advance seating assignments if the “free” seats are gone. I was lucky and got the last two no charge seats on the flight to Copenhagen, but all were gone for the return flight. I could have waited 22 hours prior to departure to get seat assignments at no extra charge, but I really didn’t want to sit in the middle section, so I went ahead and paid $29 pp to get window and aisle seats. Was it necessary? I’ll never know, but I ended up with what I wanted, so that’s worth something.

Next up – some pre-cruise drama, the flight to Copenhagen, and our stay at the Marriott.

Well, I’ve been back a week and I’m just starting to get back to normal! Finally, I have some time to sit down and write about our wonderful trip to Norway.

 

A little background and pre cruise planning.

 

Although this trip has been on our bucket list for many years, we just never got around to going there. This was actually a spur of the moment trip; we had been on Serenade OTS in April on a 10 night Caribbean cruise and had just returned home when I was feeding my post cruise withdrawal addiction by surfing through a popular on line travel site.

 

I get a lot of vacation with my job, but find it hard to manage more than a couple of weeks off at a time and I also have a few blackout periods during the year. Most of the time, June is not a good time to travel, but this year it just happened that the first two weeks of June would be open.

 

At first my search was really just playing around, but then I seriously started looking at cruises to Norway. Because we had just returned from a cruise, I was really looking for something in August. I found the 11 night Arctic Circle cruise on Serenade available in June, but I wasn’t crazy about going on the same ship again so soon. I looked at all cruise lines, but because my husband is disabled, we decided cruises from Copenhagen would be the easiest for us to manage, so that ruled out many of our options. I found a few 7 night cruises, but really wanted something longer that included the North Cape, so I kept returning to the Serenade.

 

Suddenly, RCI offered free gratuities on the Serenade itinerary, a substantial savings on an 11 night cruise! The price remained the same, so it really was a deal. Then I found a fantastic price on RT air - $860 from Cincinnati with only one connection in Newark, Most air to Europe I had been looking at for the past year was in the $1,200 to $1,400 range. My favorite hotel in Copenhagen was available with my Marriott points, so all things came together and we felt we were supposed to go. So I booked everything!

 

We weren’t sure about the weather and as this was a port intensive itinerary, we decided we would be fine with an OV cabin. One of the newer cabins on deck 4 that were part of the refurb was available, so I grabbed it – more about that later.

 

As we only had 5 weeks between booking and departure, I didn’t have a lot of time to do research and plan, so I opted for the easy way and booked ship excursions on all ports except Bergen. From what I gathered on the roll call, most people were either doing RCI tours or just going off on their own in port. There didn’t seem to be many options for private tours on this itinerary.

 

The 5 weeks passed quickly. As for an Alaskan cruise, we packed with layering in mind; however, I really wasn’t sure what to expect during the days above the Arctic Circle, so I packed a few heavier things – just in case. Overall, I did a pretty good job of packing and only ending up with a few too many lighter weight tops that were never worn. We took a rolling garment bag, a 25” suitcase, which we checked in on our flights, a small carry-on and a small tote, that doubled for my handbag. My husband had his own transport chair and that always goes with us.

 

The airfare I purchased was on multiple airlines – United to Newark, SAS to Copenhagen and then SAS to Chicago on the return flight home and American to Cincinnati. I called all of the airlines to make sure we had a pusher for my husband so we could make it through the maze of airport terminals and customs with our bags. SAS has “ free” seats and also charges for advance seating assignments if the “free” seats are gone. I was lucky and got the last two no charge seats on the flight to Copenhagen, but all were gone for the return flight. I could have waited 22 hours prior to departure to get seat assignments at no extra charge, but I really didn’t want to sit in the middle section, so I went ahead and paid $29 pp to get window and aisle seats. Was it necessary? I’ll never know, but I ended up with what I wanted, so that’s worth something.

 

Next up – some pre-cruise drama, the flight to Copenhagen, and our stay at the Marriott.

Looking forward to your review. We are empty nesting and are looking forward to more of these iternaries since we won't have to pay for the 3 kids.

Did you book through Choice air or how did you find the different options for your flights?

Looking forward to your review and going down memory lane. We did this cruise last year and it is, without a doubt the best one we have ever taken.

Looking forward to your review. We are empty nesting and are looking forward to more of these iternaries since we won't have to pay for the 3 kids.

 

Did you book through Choice air or how did you find the different options for your flights?

No, I booked with a poplular on-line travel site starting with "E." I checked Choice Air, but they wanted $1,250 pp and the flight had a connection in Paris. I've had luggage lost in Europe with connecting flights, so I try to avoid that if possible and go non-stop from the US.

Awesome! We did this a couple years ago on Visions. Same time of year. What is your itinerary.

Looking forward to more of your review!

So here is the pre cruise drama! (And our flights and hotel information.)

As previously mentioned, our air was on several carriers. As soon as I booked the flights, I went to the web sites to get seat assignments. The process on SAS for the international flights was a little more complicated than when I book with Delta,(not sure why, just was), but I had seat assignments and thought I was good to go.

Flash forward five weeks and the day before flying, I went to check in on line and confirm flight times. All was OK for the United flight from Cincinnati to Newark, but I ran into a “snag” with the SAS flight. It was a total oversight on my part because I should have double checked the week before but I simply got busy and hadn’t done it.

As I was checking my SAS flight, I noticed a registration link that when clicking on it stated that registration had to be completed within 72 prior to departure or boarding could be denied. I thought I had completed all of the necessary information way back when I got my seat assignments – yikes – but it was showing up as incomplete 24 hours before our flight departed.

I tried calling SAS, but they don’t have 24 hour customer service, so I had to sweat it out until 9 am on Friday morning. As it turned out, all was OK and my information was in the system, but it made for a restless night and lots of drama for my poor husband.

After all of that was settled, I was able to relax a little, take my cat to the “kitty spa”, where he stays when we are on vacation, and finish packing.

I thought I was out of the woods, but wait, there’s more!

Our flight to Newark was scheduled to leave at 8pm and arrive a little before 10 pm. The flight to Copenhagen was scheduled to leave at 11:30 pm. We arrived at the airport 3 hours prior to departure , quickly made it through security, and were just relaxing when a little before 7 pm, we were told our flight to Newark would be delayed and not leaving until after 9 PM. United must have been having some other issues because suddenly there was a LONG line at the two United ticket counters. In addition, a flight was getting ready to leave, so they were busy with that also.

When my turn finally came, instead of trying to find a way for us just to get to Newark, the guy was telling me my option was to go to Chicago, then Munich, then Copenhagen – arriving at 8:30 PM the following evening. I was losing my patience at that point but I tried very hard to stay calm – lol! I really shouldn’t have had to tell him the easiest solution to my problem was to get me to Newark in time for my 11:30 flight. His response was,” Oh, is that what you want?” So sad.

Fortunately, a Delta flight was leaving and had seats available, so off we rushed to terminal B to catch our flight.

We made it to Newark; however, we had to go back through security with SAS, so we didn’t have any time to spare. I did check to make sure that our bags had made it over to the Delta flight and were on the SAS flight. The last time we cruised out of Copenhagen our bags had been lost because of a flight delay, so I wasn’t taking any chances this time.

At this point, all was good to go for the overnight flight to Copenhagen and we were able to improve our seats without an extra charge.

We settled into our seats for our 8 hour red eye flight.

This was the first time we had ever flown SAS and it was a pleasant experience. The seats were comfortable with an adjustable head rest that kind of wrapped around the head. Each seat had a personal viewing monitor, with a very good selection of movies, TV, programs, music, games, etc.

Even though this was a midnight flight, dinner was served and although we arrived in Copenhagen at 1:30 pm in the afternoon, we had breakfast toward the end of the flight.

Overall, I would fly SAS again. No problem at all with the flight or service.

Upon arrival, we were met at the gate with a transport car that whisked us to baggage claim and quickly through customs. We caught a cab and were at our hotel after a short drive. The entire process was fast and efficient. We paid cash for the cab, but credit cards were also accepted.

We have stayed at the Marriott Copenhagen preciously and love the hotel. We were able to use my Marriott points and received an upgrade to a water view room that was lovely. It was a Saturday and everyone was out enjoying the sunshine and beautiful weather – we people watched for a while, but then took a long nap to catch up on some sleep.

The Executive Lounge at this location is one of the best we have ever experienced. Tea with desserts was offered in the afternoon and then a wonderful buffet with complimentary beer and wine was available in the evening. It was the perfect light dinner for us and we enjoyed chatting with fellow travelers.

The next morning the lounge had a very nice breakfast and we were able to sleep in and didn’t have to rush. We ordered a cab for 11 am and were at the pier within 45 minutes.

Check in was fast and efficient - it probably took less than 20 minutes to be on the ship.

Next - the ship.

Enjoying the review so far.

Following along.

Looking forward to your next post.

Keith

Following along. :)

Did you find that US dollars were accepted everywhere or did you need Euros or local currency?

Did you find that US dollars were accepted everywhere or did you need Euros or local currency?

In Norway you should have Kronor and a Credit Card. They sometimes take Euro in shops and randomly even USD but at a very bad exchange rate. CC is no problem at most places.

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In Norway you should have Kronor and a Credit Card. They sometimes take Euro in shops and randomly even USD but at a very bad exchange rate. CC is no problem at most places.

Thank you Saab4444.

The Ship

I like big ships.

I enjoy all of the entertainment and food options offered on the very large ships. With the exception of playing cards with my husband, I don’t enjoy entertaining myself on a cruise. Occasionally, I will take something to read before going to bed, but generally have no desire to read on a cruise. I can read on my patio, but there are so many things to do on a large ship that I can’t do at home, it seems a waste of time to get absorbed in a book. I’m also not good at sitting still. I get really fidgety after an hour - just me.

We also like to switch cruise lines, so last fall after several Princess cruises, (our favorite line), we decided it was time to switch back to RCI and for a change of pace, we thought we would try a few smaller ships. We sailed on Grandeur last fall and Serenade in April. All cruises are great, but I will never go on anything as small as Grandeur again.

Honestly, after our April cruise on Serenade, I thought I was through with that size ship also, but the itinerary for Norway won out and we found ourselves back on the ship 8 weeks later. There are are things I liked about Serenade and things I didn’t.

The ship’s condition and general comments.

Serenade is a lovely ship with lots of glass and open spaces. I especially liked the outdoor dining area aft of the Windjammer that is missing on many of the RCI ships. I found the ship to be well maintained and laid out for easy navigation, which is important for my husband.

Our Cabin.

In April, we had a balcony on the hump, but for Norway we decided that we would go with an OV. We had no idea what to expect with the weather in Norway, especially north of the Arctic Circle and since the itinerary was port intensive, we weren’t even sure if we would have any opportunity to use a balcony. The difference in price was significant also.

When Serenade was refurbished a few years ago, a small section of the MDR was converted to cabins and one of them was available. They are on deck 4 and accessible from the atrium. Because they were once part of the dining room, the windows are very large and afford a great view. It’s also possible to sit in the ledge to look out. The view from the large window was great for this scenic itinerary and made the cabin feel much larger than a normal OV. The location was convenient – just a short walk to the MDR and elevators. I would highly recommend one of these cabins to anyone interested in an OV on Serenade – just a little bit better than most OV’s.

The Centrum

The hub of the ship and the venue for many activities. Not much to say about this area other than it is a congested mess when something is going on, so get there early for a good seat. It is a pleasant place to sit and play cards, which we did on sea days.

The Windjammer

Laid out well for a ship of this size and the food islands are designed for a good traffic flow. Seating was at a premium, especially at breakfast on port days and with only one exception, people were nice about sharing a table. On the day in Bergen, it was packed and we approached one of the large round tables by the window where a couple was seated facing the window. Politely, we asked if anyone was sitting in the vacant seats and were told “no”, but we couldn’t sit there because we would block their view. Well, guess who promptly sat down in two of the seats. Actually, I said we would be happy to sit along the side and wouldn’t be blocking their view at all, but they thought they owned the table and got up in a huff and left. Some people! A couple at the next table said they had tried to sit there and were told the same thing – I just laughed and said I’m not easily intimidated.

The Tropical Theater

We like to sit in the balcony and generally were able to get good seats up until 20 minutes before show time and then suddenly it got packed and people ended up standing. Good views were available from most seats with only a few obstructions.

Designated Movie Theater

We really like this feature. The theater is on the small side and the most evenings we would leave the show in the Tropical Theater and go directly to the 10 PM movie. It really filled up fast, so it was important to go immediately when the show was over.

Outdoor Movie Screen-

A great place in April, but not in Norway. I don’t think any movies were shown on the screen during the cruise.

The MDR

Nicely laid out and never felt crowded. We requested and were assigned to one of the large oval tables. We had an interesting mix of people from England, Israel, Romania, and the US.

Diamond Lounge

On the small side, but part of the adjoining Vortex lounge was used for the overflow. This was a wonderful place to sit and watch the spectacular scenery during the day. As it never got dark for a good part of our cruise it was always the perfect place to have a front row seat without having to be outdoors. The continental breakfast was nicely presented and the coffee machine worked every time I was there. We enjoyed pre and after dinner cocktails in the lounge on several nights. The only drawback was it was located on deck 13, so depending on the time, there could be long waits for the elevator.

The Elevators

They were a problem in April and were a problem in Norway - slow and inconsistent. They seem to have a mind of their own especially those in the Centrum – many times an empty elevator would pass by without stopping. Frequently, we would ride down to go up or up to go down just to be sure we could get on – especially if we were using my husband’s transport chair.

Overall impression of the ship – nice.

Coming next – Ports of Call.

Looking forward to reading more!

I would appreciate more information re your husband's transport chair. This is something we are considering for my husband.

I am currently debating between the Norweigan Fjords cruise or the Arctic Circle for next year so I am so excited you are sharing!

Thank you for taking the time to post. We are heading to Copenhagen for the first time in August and staying at the Marriott so I appreciated reading your perspectives.

kccrzr, we will be following you to Copenhagen for our August 26 TA and looking forward to it.Tell Pat & Tom hi from John & Gay.

^ Oh! This thread is a year old. I guess OP won't be back.