Boobila

On 5/25/2017 at 11:27 AM, porridgeuk said:

Lulworth cove and durdle door are beautiful on the Jurassic coast also Tyneham village is an evacuated village which still has the old school room set up and all of the empty shells of the houses and a lovely place to visit

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I am arriving there on May 11, 2022 and would like to go there from the cruise harbor and perhaps walk from Lulworth to Durdle door if that is possible????  How would I get to the point that I begin walking? Thanks in advance for the information! Helen

Can't wait to hear as well be doing it next week!

I also have acrylic nails but I use gel polish. Honestly I can go three weeks between fills, especially when I go the French route.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So is the gel polish used on top of acrylic nail? Also, doing a french manicure is a good idea as it is more natural looking but still will need it redone before our 4 week trip. Should I consider having "gel" nails done INSTEAD of acrylic or is that just polish on top of the acrylic?

I really liked the look and feel of the Casino Royale on the Serenade... and it wasn't overly smoky! I've participated in the poker tournaments and cash tables in the past, but my interests on this cruise, time in ports, and various shows/events/dancing around the ship didn't afford me any time or interest this time around to spend much time here. As normal, the Casino was a busy beehive of activity every time I passed through!

 

 

 

 

 

 

thank you for all the work and photos and esp. answering my question about the indoor steam room, ceramic chairs and spa activities.

This is a silly question but I need to know as I'll be on the ship for almost 3 weeks and will need to have my acrylic nails filled after two weeks time!!!

Has anyone used this service in the Salon to have acrylic nails filled? I do them at home every 2 weeks and will be docking in Copenhagen in between cruises (back to back) and could get off the ship and look for a place but wondered if the ship does this and do they do a good job/???

If anyone could help me that would be so wonderful. Or on the other hand, If someone knows of a place close to the pier I could take a take or shuttle to, that would be good also.

Thanks in advance!

There are free non-coed steam rooms in the fitness center.

Thanks for the info….do they happen to have windows that look out to the ocean like the Freedom of the Seas have?

We recently returned from Serenade of the Seas' Ft. Lauderdale-to-Copenhagen transatlantic, and the overall report is quite positive.

 

Who is "we"? A married couple and two female friends, all Americans in our late sixties. Three moderately experienced cruisers (6 to 13 previous cruises on five lines) and one newbie. We're all active and pretty adventurous.

 

Weather was for the most part pleasant, and warmer than we'd expected. Several foggy mornings, but the afternoons tended to be clear. We cut short our port time in the Azores to avoid a predicted storm, and the change in plans seemed to work well. We did experience some rocking, but we actually kind of enjoyed it--or at least three of us did!

 

There were signs of the ship's age if one chose to look for them, but we found all systems operating properly, cleanliness standards very high, and maintenance constantly ongoing. No sign of excessive wear or staining of upholstery, linens, carpeting, etc.

 

Because of the likelihood of cool weather, we chose ocean view cabins this time rather than balconies and were quite satisfied with the decision. We'd been a bit concerned about our far-forward, Deck 4 location near the theater, but it turned out to be a fine choice. Among the quietest cabins we've had and quite stable, probably because it was so low in the ship. Bed was surprisingly comfortable. We seldom saw our steward, but she kept the place immaculate and our ice bucket full.

 

Water temp in the cabin was, however, totally unpredictable. Sometimes cold water was warm; sometimes hot water was cool; sometimes it switched midstream. And sometimes it was perfect.

 

Food in the main dining room ranged mostly from good to very good, with a few dishes really excellent. Unfortunately a couple of them--in our opinion--verged on inedible, but those were quickly replaced. There were some problems with temperature of the food: often lukewarm rather than hot or cold.

 

We don't get particularly excited about lobster at sea, but the tails offered on one of the formal nights were surprisingly good.

 

Most of the desserts were unimpressive--too often gelatin-based and nicer to look at than to taste. But the chocolate birthday cake we ordered for one of our party was wonderful! Moist, chocolate-y, and not cloyingly sweet.

 

We had a standing my time dining reservation and were very pleased with our team of waiters--always cheerful, efficient, and quick to learn our preferences. In fact, most of the crew members with whom we had contact were friendly and welcoming. Their English proficiency was also impressive.

 

I tried the renowned Kummelweck roast beef sandwich (Park Cafe) and found it very tasty but not really a culinary highlight of the cruise. Cheesecake lollipops (Cafe Latte Tudes) also a nice treat.

 

Park Cafe was also a nice alternative for breakfast, offering wonderful yogurt parfaits and a variety of egg sandwiches. Unfortunately it closed at 9.

 

Chops and Giovanni's Table were not exactly disappointments--we had good meals there. But we didn't feel they were really worth the up-charge. Chef's Table, however, was excellent! We thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was definitely worth the cost. We've also experienced Chef's Tables on other lines, though, and liked the one on NCL's Epic best.

 

The Solarium was a delightful place to spend lazy sea days, but lots of other folks thought so, too. Chair hogs were out in force in the mornings, but we could usually get a spot if we were there by 9 a.m. Not too hard to accomplish. And things usually cleared out by mid-afternoon. There was such an abundant supply of deck chairs and loungers all over the ship that it was always easy to find a shady or sunny one somewhere. Solarium as also a delight in the evenings--peaceful, comfortable, and with a source of refreshments just steps away in the Park Cafe.

 

Entertainment varied widely in quality but most was enjoyable. And RCL seemed to try to offer something for everyone.

 

No experience with spa services, casino, or children's programs.

 

In short, this was a very enjoyable and relaxing cruise. Princess and Celebrity remain our favorite lines, but we would gladly sail on Royal Caribbean again if the price and itinerary were appealing.

Thanks for the update. We are boarding June 5 for Back-back cruises to the norwejian fjords and Arctic circle and THEN to Baltic capitals…Its a special celebration and so glad to hear your review! Thanks

I have been on Celebrity cruises where they have a "spa package" with a co-ed steam room, ceramic chairs, etc….

Does anyone know if the Serenade Ship has co-ed steam rooms or even nice size steam rooms in the Fitness Center?

Thanks

Ship - Independence of the Seas (IOTS)

Deck - 7

Stateroom # - 7708

Stateroom Category – E1

Starboard or Port Side - Port

 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) –Located at the very aft on the stern of the ship, it is a very quiet location with no hallway traffic.

 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

 

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Aft stern balconies give 180 degree panoramic views but are considered an obstructive view on the voyager and freedom class ships because of the superstructure on the rear of the ship. The higher the deck, the less obstructive. This deck 7 corner aft has a 6 foot side porthole that makes the covered balcony feel more open and also affords the only straight down aft water view on these classes of ships.

 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Deck 7 corner aft balconies are HUGE with 2 chaise lounges in addition to the standard 2 chairs and small table.

 

Was wind a problem? - No. Aft balconies are more sheltered from wind.

 

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - Yes, we had a major soot problem one night on the Independence.

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Aft balconies are HAUNTED :eek: so people should avoid booking them (save them for us instead :p).

 

Any other comments? - The cabin is a standard E1 (loveseat vs. sofa you would get in a D1). Some people say there is more motion being aft but we did not notice this. Some people don't like the infrastructure at the back of the ship. The balcony is not stepped but completely covered by deck 8 above. This keeps it dry in the event of rain but does limit the amout of sun it receives. There is some light pollution and sometimes noise from crew deck 5. It is a LONG walk to the elevators (which entitles you to TWO desserts!;):D).

We had this same cabin "by mistake" and I TOTALLY LOVED IT!!!! It was on the Freedom from Port Canaveral. Can you tell me what ships have that cabin and what to look for on other ships that have the same benefits? Thanks

Thanks so much for the info. I didn't even think to ask if we needed to get of the ship in-between cruises! Its great to know we can relax a bit because we have a very busy itinerary for both cruises! Thanks

Clothes and suitcases are the easy part. The safe! I don't want to carry it around and I don't want someone else to move it. So, we always contact the new stateroom attendant and arrange to place our stuff in the new safe even if the new room is not ready/cleaned. Things almost always go smoothly. On the very rare occasion that they don't, there is a person called a supervisor. Enough said.

We are getting ready to do a back -back in June - Fjords and then Baltic Capitals and are you saying we do not have to totally pack up suitcases and lock them up?

We will be in Stockholm on the Ultimate Scandanavia Cruise June 16, 2016 and have about 8 hrs. once we get off the ship until we need to go to the airport. We are wondering if anyone can tell us what we can do with our luggage so that we can enjoy the day without hauling it around? The airlines won't allow us to leave it early. Are there any storage places, etc. that anyone knows about.

Thanks