ASeaPrincess1

Ohhhhhh, you are in for a treat!! I am an unabashed Radiance-class ship fan. They have always been my favorite. I call them my "goldilocks ships." Not to small, not to large--just the right size. And they are beautiful. Probably the most beautiful in the fleet. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Thank you. We have a group of us going, and for 2 couples, this will be their cruise with Royal Caribbean.

I am loving all the positive comments.

Now, to go finish packing!!! :D

I'm doing a B2B in two weeks on Serenade.

Booked in May 2012.

I got 1100 for the first leg, but someone beat me to it (by a few days) for the second leg. :(

Go figure.

It's never too early if you know where you want to go and what room you want.

Thank you for posting this! I try to read as much about Serenade of the Seas as we're doing the same itinerary in two weeks time. Can't wait! It's our first cruise and we will stay in Nola for a couple of weeks as well (we will do a bit of driving around). Seems like a really nice city.

We live in Sweden so just going to the States is big for us:) Can't even imagine how the cruise life is going to be...!

I'm glad to read that you didn't find it "annoying" being on a spring break cruise...that's one of the thing's I've been worrying about.

If you are leaving April 12, come join our Roll Call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1643506

Have you registered for the Meet & Mingle?

Love reading the reviews of Serenade.

We are leaving in two weeks for a B2B.......Western Caribbean and Bahamas.

I am so excited to sail on a Radiance Class ship. I have been on Mariner, Vision and Monarch, so this will be a new experience.

Thanks for your review. :)

I think Tulum is totally worth it. It is an all-day excursion, but it is just beautiful there. Hopefully, your guide will have a lot of interesting and informative facts about the ruins and history of the area.

I will be seeing San Gervasio next month (thanks Darkwolfe) so I can't give a comparison, but since we saw Tulum in December, I opted to do a shorter excursion while on Cozumel again.

I just love the Mayan history.

That sounds like an amazing itinerary.

In a few weeks, I will be in 1100 on Serenade.

If others chime in, I would like to know more about it myself!:)

Bob thanks for the info...will for sure post a review as this is our first time out of houston.

Cassandra, I will be looking forward to reading your review.

I hope your cruise is as smooth and uneventful as mine was. :)

Thank you, I will join the fans.:)

I know it's pretty popular.......

The thing that bummed me was that I booked this cruise as a B2B in May 2012...almost two years out.

I got 1100 for the first leg, but it was already booked for the second leg!!

I was astonished! :eek:

So, I will only get to enjoy it for one week, while my friends who are in the next couple of aft cabins will get to stay in theirs for both cruises.:(

(oh well.......moving to a GS, so it's not all bad....)

Been in 1100 on Jewel, Brilliance, and Serenade. It's our favorite cabin. The balcony is wonderful, and we love being in the back corner of the ship. The only negative thing would be that the Windjammer outdoor seating is directly above this cabin, so sometimes there's the noise of chairs being dragged across the floor, etc. But, for the most part, it doesn't bother us.

 

Peter

I have this cabin on Serenade in April. I was wondering about the noise factor and about how much (or little) privacy there is with the Windjammer being above.

Thanks! Looking forward to the pictures. :)

Darn that work, anyway.....:mad:

San Gervasio ruins are right on the island of Cozumel. There is no comparison to Tulum, which are massive and historic ruins. There is a small gift shop at SG and bathrooms.

 

It is a time and travel issue. In my personal opinion, both Tulum and Chichen Itza deserve more time than you can spend on a cruise ship day tour. San Gervasio is a small example of Mayan ruins, and fits nicely into a cruise as a cruise ship day tour. IMO. :)

Thank you for the information. I sort of expected that.....

Yes, I saw Tulum in December, and wished we could have spent more time there. Due to the "requisite" bathroom stop, our time was cut a little shorter. This is why I asked about that.

I don't mind a gift shop AT the place itself, but I do dislike having to make a "comfort" stop along the way to "shop".

I would love to see Chichen Itza one day, but I do realize it is a longer trip on the mainland.

So SG seems like it would fit the bill for what I'm looking to do in Cozumel on this visit....short, not too expensive, and allows some time for other activities on the island.

Thanks again.:)

Have you ever been to Tulum?

If so, how would you compare Tulum to San Gervasio?

I was thinking about doing this excursion just to get around the island, but having been to Tulum, I was wondering if you think it's worth it as far as ruins go.

Also, do they take you to the "requisite" bathroom stop which doubles as a shopping stop? (I hate that)

I noticed that Oasis shares two ports, along with a few other ships here and there.

Yikes! :eek:

That's just crazy~

Tell me it wasn't so bad............

He may, but you may find yourself wishing to be elsewhere. YMMV ;) Drag him through the French Market for revenge. :D

 

 

 

All three that I mentioned are in easy walking distance from one to another, or ride the streetcar.

 

Streetcar routing- All on the Riverfront line.

Cafe Maspero- Toulouse street stop

Cafe Du Monde- Ursulines stop

Magnolia Grill- French Market stop (end of the line)

Thanks for the heads up, re: French Market. You are correct, I will VERY likely want to be somewhere besides Bourbon Street..........;):D

You will have a great time!

 

If you go wandering in the Quarter go find Cafe Du Monde for coffee and begneits (sp? A French doughnut buried in powdered sugar.. Decatur Street), the Magnolia Grill (near the French Market) and Cafe Maspero (Corner of Toulouse and Decatur). All of these places are relatively easy on the budget and have some seriously good food.

 

Seriously, get that one day streetcar pass and use it if your hotel is close to any of the routes. Makes wandering around so much easier!

Thanks. We are staying two days post cruise on Canal Street, so we will do a lot of wandering. Told DH he would like Bourbon Street....;)

Enjoying your review and looking forward to more.

Leaving in 60 days! Can't wait.

This is my first time on Serenade and to NOLA, so I am really loving the pictures.

Thanks!:)

Ditto to all you guys! Hell, they are passing the flu around like crazy at work!

Yes! So many people at work are/have been sick, yet they ask me how can I still cruise when ALL these people are getting sick on cruise ships.

It's funny.........:rolleyes:

Aren't you nice to remember? :) Yes, we did hear ..., unfortunately, he's supposed to be leaving the CB the week before we board. :( However, then we received the usual Princess email introducing our CD and Maitre'd and it listed him, so I don't know what's happening for sure, but hoping maybe his departure date was pushed back. I've messaged him back, but haven't heard anything as of yet. Fingers crossed. Thanks again for thinking of us. :D

I wanted to get back with you about this when I returned from my cruise, but I couldn't find the original thread. I figured I'd run into you again somewhere on these boards........:D

I hope for your sake that his departure is delayed and you get to see him again.

I'll cross my fingers for you, too....:)

Yup: 50s is shorts and sweatshirts weather in this neck of the woods. Love it. ;) I was mostly kidding about the temps, though I have to admit that this will (potentially) be my first Caribbean cruise where I wore anything more than shorts and a Hawaiian Shirt to board. I'm game, though! :D

A bit OT, but did Brett Siborne ever let you know if he was going to be onboard when you cruise?

I was on the November 30 cruise, and though I didn't get a chance to speak with him personally, I did message him about your question.

His answer was that he wasn't sure, as he was getting off the ship sometime this month.

He said he would message you.

On the Caribbean Princess sailing my friends and I played this game on the first night. My friend became addicted to it and actually won the bottom row prize ($100) after about 30 tries. Someone a few days later won the top row ($1000). There is definitely an element of skill because you still have to line up the key, but there are times when it is impossible to win so the key will stray upward and not fit. It's essentially a more interactive slot machine.

I guess we were on the wrong cruise, then. We were on the week before :(....guess my DH lowered the odds....?:p

As I understand it, no.

We and our friends have these two balconies reserved in April. We usually sail on Princess and are able to open our dividers.

But on Serenade, there are no dividers that open.

If you sail before me, let me know.........

I have a crystal block of Mariner are they still giving those out?

Do you have one? Maybe I can use that as a bargaining tool too;)

 

Going on a shorty the 24th? Actually, these short cruises are what brought me back to ocean cruising...I booked one on thanksgiving week when I heard about them in August.

Ah, a Mariner crystal block.............sigh.........that might just work! :D

I did a B2B on Golden in November; I hadn't been to Catalina in several years so that was the main draw . But, you can't just do a 4 day, right? Especially when your friends are doing B2Bs......

I wasn't planning on doing this cruise. In fact, I was trying to get a co-worker to book it. I was even going to give him the coveted E 731.

When he hemmed and hawed about it, I gave up. Then Jeanie suggested looking at the 01/24 cruise, and the cabin was still available :D:D............and the rest is history. Or will be shortly. :);)

I took this cruise last May and paired it with a 7 day Alaska cruise from Seattle.

I "accidentally" took this itinerary in 2009, due to the Swine Flu re-routing all the Mexico cruises.

I liked the ports so much, that I jumped on the Wine Country Coastal to get me to Vancouver.

We did miss Santa Barbara due to fog, but had glorious weather in just about all the other ports.

A little rain in Astoria and Victoria, but, who cares?

We just went around San Francisco by bus, cable car and foot.

Astoria, we went to the Flavel House and the Astoria Column as well as the maritime museum.

Seattle...........love that town. We had lunch with friends at the top of the Space Needle and then went to Pike Place Market.

Next time, I want to see the Underground City.

In Victoria, of course, Butchart Gardens.

It's a port intensive itinerary to be sure, but I enjoyed it enough to want to do it again. Maybe in reverse next time.

I had forgotten about that rainy holiday cruise....that was when I had all the TUXED men with me.....and my family followed the Princess cruise with our last on the Mariner...:( Yes, I remember we were both with men...on that cruise:D

 

 

Vision bag?, I had forgotten about that I m sure I still have one some- where....that has your name one it.....

 

Maybe next time you have cabin E731, I can use the Vision bag as a bargaining tool.....

Mom hates cruising, so I won't be taking her anymore.....:cool:

As for E 731.........January 24.........:D

to the last several posters thanks for making me smile......

 

Everyone has good insight and ideas....

 

What I find interesting is

Not one person has responded to my original question.....

 

Has this happen to any of you?

 

It appears no one that has viewed the title post has had a desired cabin taken from them after final payment.

 

So my situation, is out of the norm and should be treated by princess as such in MHO...

The closest I ever came to losing my cabin (E 731) after final payment was the downsell call from Princess 2 days before the cruise.

But, no, I have never had my cabin taken away from me.

Oh, and note that my avatar is Mariner! Love that ship!

Well Michele, we have visited before a cruise long ago............Pacific Northwest,

Mariner...Wayne,Lori ...you and your Mom......whenever the news speaks of Palmdale weather I think of you.

Yes, and we spent a very long night chatting in the casino on Sapphire........'til they booted us out.

SO, IF you ever get on a ship with me again..........you may come visit my balcony ;):D........because that's the one I'll likely have.

Also......I seem to recall a Vision of the Seas bag that I would gladly pay you for.......:)

Still, I'm sorry you got a cruddy deal. I'd be very unhappy......

I don't blame you for being upset.

I have had Sapphire E 731 before, and have it again for my short coastal next month.

(Had to check your sailing....hoped I wasn't the one who got your cabin......:eek:)

I always try to get the extended balcony mini suites, love being able to see the wake. But I sure wouldn't like the Dolphin Deck.

If you were on our sailing, I would definitely let you come over and visit...;):D

I think Princess should give you a Vista Suite at the very least..............JMHO

A $25 SBC is a slap. When I had E731 before, they called me two days before and offered me an Aloha Deck balcony and $1,000. Said NO~

So sorry for what happened to you.......