MOcruiserman

Most of the passengers are older but very few require wheelchairs and walkers. Entertainment is limited compared to the ocean going cruise ships but the quality is very good. We had a excellent pianist/singer and guitar player as well as a fine female singer. The staff may be inexperienced but I thought they did a fine job. They were also very considerate. It's an expensive cruise but keep in mind that everything is included and there are less than 200 passengers.

My wife and I are both in our 70's and she's mobility challenged. The ship (the Serenade) was very accommodating to her as they had wheelchairs and golf carts available: 1. The Intercontinental on St. Charles Street. We didn't stay there because NO was the end of our cruise and we'd already booked the Wyndham, in the French Quarter, so I can't answer your questions about restaurants close to the hotel. We ate in two excellent restaurants, Tujague and Antoine's, which were very close to our hotel and a short cab ride from the Intercontinental. Tujague had the best food I'd ever eaten. 2. We went on an excellent three hour city tour as an excursion from the ship. It ended at the Intercontinental so I assume it begins there as well. 3. Coke products. I'm not sure about the coffee drinks available other than decaf, which I drank at every meal.

I recently went on the Lower Mississippi cruise on the Serenade. It's a completely different experience than RCL ocean cruises (and I've been on three of them). I have no experience with the paddle wheel ships but I was very pleased with the Serenade, which is only a year old. The food on our cruise was good but the lunch and dinner menus often included shellfish, which I don't eat (though my wife loved it). However alternatives are always available, including vegetarian dishes. We enjoyed the cruise. The service was great and the excursions were excellent. But it's very low key, which if you're used to ocean cruises you might find somewhat boring.

Are there any free excursions on the Pearl Mist 7 night Great Lakes and Georgian Bay cruise?

I've only been on one ACL cruise so other more experienced ACL cruisers may have had different experiences. 1-We didn't tip any ACL employees but did tip non-ACL excursion guides. 2-I didn't see any tables for two in the dining room. We always sat at a table for four and there were a sufficient number of tables so no one joined us. 3-You could order beer or wine with lunch or dinner. I don't know about mixed drinks with dinner, though various liquors were available at the bar during the happy hour (5 to 6:30).. 4-Our hotel was free for the night prior to our cruise.

We greatly enjoyed our recent cruise on the ACL Serenade and are thinking of our next one. But we're torn between the Columbia/Snake River cruise and the Great Lakes cruise on Pearl Seas, the other line in the ACL family. I would appreciate any input from people who've had experience on both. Thanks.

While I loved my cruise on the American Serenade I have to admit that the evening entertainment was the weakest part. We had two performers, a pianist and a guitarist, who were excellent during the happy hour but also performed many of the evenings as well. I would have liked to have seen more variation.

No we didn't as neither of us are big fans of Elvis. The weather was good, mid 70's to 80, no rain.

My wife and I returned from my lower Mississippi cruise on the Serenade two weeks ago and I mostly agree with BaumD. I'd like to add that the crew was super friendly and were very accommodating to the needs of us older folks. Also our favorite part of the cruise was the happy hour, from 5:30 to 6:30, in the River Lounge where two excellent musicians played and sang and we were provided with an array of very tasty appetizers.