Anyone just off Serenade 12/5

[apk1389]

any information you like to share for those sailing soon on her

[harry0]

My son and his new wife are on the Serenade now for thier honeymoon. He called me during sail-away last night, said he was having a great time. I will get him to post on his return. They stayed at the Marriot Stellaris and said it was very nice.

[teskew65]

Since my cruise review hasn't posted, I thought I would chime in as we sailed on the Serenade the week of November 14.

 

A synopsis of our trip:

 

Arrival

Flew in the day before and stayed at the Caribe Hilton. It was fine. We (my DW and I) stayed there last year. Beach and pool area is nice. Drinks are pricey. Short cab ride to port. We left the hotel around 11:45am to go to the ship

 

Check-in

Check in was straight forward. We were in an OS along with our friends who never have cruised before. It took us about 20 minutes all told to check-in and get on the ship. The crowd was very light. Rooms weren't supposed to be ready until 1pm so we decided to grab some lunch.

 

Had lunch in the Windjammer. Since this was our 7th cruise, we knew what to expect from the Windjammer. It was good/fine. Our friends who had never cruised enjoyed it. After lunch we dropped our bags in our room.

 

Room- OS was nice. We have stayed in one previously on the AOS and Vision. The biggest difference was the deck was the full length of the suite. Otherwise it was pretty much the same. We met our cabin steward. He was very nice and did a great job the entire week. After checking out the room we decided to explore the ship.

 

Ship- The ship is very nice and I liked the feel of its size. It doesn't have a Royal Promenade like the AOS but has a smaller area for shops. Has a Chops and Portofino's. Solarium was nice. The track is shorter than the AOS (6 laps per mile instead of 5). Has a rock wall, mini-golf course. Sport court and kids pool area. Adult pool area was fine but seemed smaller than the AOS. Plenty of bars. We checked out the Schooner bar and the Safari Club (it has pool tables). We always check out our table location. We were on deck four at a table of 10. Dining room was nicely appointed. We don't gamble but walked through the casino. It looked like the others on other ships we have been on. The theatre was nice. Plenty of seats all with good views.

 

Ports- St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica, and Barbados.

 

In St. Thomas we did the Bones excursion. DW and I did that excursion last year and had fun and since our friends had never been and like to snorkel, we booked that trip. Snorkeling with the turtles and the sail to Honeymoon beach was great. Honeymoon beach was nice as well. The excursion is 6 hrs so we got back on the ship when we returned.

 

It rained in St. Croix for most of the day. We had planned to grab a cab to the beach, but since the weather was bad we hung out on the ship. DW and friend went to the spa while I got a run in on the treadmills and did some weights in the fitness center. The treadmills seemed a bit worn but functioned fine. I ran on the track the day at sea as I prefer that to treadmills anyway. The rain did let up around 2pm so we walked to the shops. Nothing special so we found a bar and had a few drinks. Back on the ship by 4pm.

 

On St. Kitts, I booked a tour with York. He took us around the island stopping at Romney Manor (very neat and pretty gardens), Brimstone Fortress, Volcano cliffs area, and a late lunch at Cockleshell beach. York did a great job and would recommend him to others. The island itself is very pretty. Having seen the island now though, if we visit again, we will just head to the beach and relax.

 

Dominica was our next stop. It was very pretty. We booked the river tubing through the ship. It's a long ride to the tubing facility. It was a pretty drive, but also pretty bumpy. The river tubing was a blast. On the way back we stopped at one of the water falls. It was okay. Back to the ship. Where we docked was away from downtown Roseau and in a fairly industrial area. I assume we were docked there because a Princess ship was docked at the main facility in downtown. Dominica is a pretty island though. We talked with some folks who did a 4 hour hike and would likely do something like that if we stop there on another cruise.

 

Barbados- We booked a snorkel cruise with Shasa on our own. There were six of us total. It was a great time. Jason and Tess do a great job. We snorkeled with the turtles and at a reef. The weather was iffy that day so we agreed to cut the sail short and not have lunch. I would definitely recommend Shasa to others. We docked at their main port which is also a container port. It was pretty busy/industrial. The ladies wandered the shops and the guys went back on the ship to relax.

 

All in all a good itinerary. We hadn't been to many of the ports before and enjoyed them. No complaints on the excursions either.

 

Dining-

 

Breakfast - We had breakfast each day at the Windjammer. It was fine. Nothing spectacular, but fine. We did really enjoy the outdoor eating area at the back of the Windjammer though. One of the best features in my opinion.

 

Lunch- For lunch if we were on the ship we ate at Windjammer too. It was fine. No complaints.

 

Dinner- We ate in the MDR most nights with the exception of one night at Chops and one night at Portofino's. Food was good in the MDR (except deserts which were okay. I am not a big fan of deserts but even my wife who loves them said they were just okay.) Chops and Portofinos were great. I preferred Portofino's while the rest of our crew liked Chops better. In the MDR, we had great service. Our table mates were great and enjoyed getting to know them. The only thing we all agreed that we wished we had done was taken the late dinner seating. 6pm was too early and we felt rushed everyday to get back on the ship after our excursions. We also thought my time dining might be better as an alternative, but we like getting to know our waiter and assistant waiter and meeting new people.

 

Since we were in OS, we did have access to the Concierge Lounge. It was nice. The staff did a great job. It was crowded at times. We even did a little karaoke.

 

We also got a bridge tour for being in a suite. I didn't go as I was taking a nap, but DW and friends really enjoyed it.

 

We are Diamond, but didn't go to any of the Diamond activities since we were with our friends.

 

Disembarkation- It was easy. They had us in Chops where they had a light breakfast and coffee. We were the second wave to get off. All told it was about 30 minutes or so.

 

We were staying in San Juan for another day at the Caribe Hilton so we just grabbed a taxi to the hotel. Had a great day relaxing by the pool.

 

I did like the Serenade slightly better than the AOS for this type of cruise (DW and I). I liked the AOS when our daughter comes along. I also like the Southern Caribbean ports. We live in ATL so its an easy flight down to San Juan. All in all a great trip.

[apk1389]

Since my cruise review hasn't posted, I thought I would chime in as we sailed on the Serenade the week of November 14.

 

A synopsis of our trip:

 

Arrival

Flew in the day before and stayed at the Caribe Hilton. It was fine. We (my DW and I) stayed there last year. Beach and pool area is nice. Drinks are pricey. Short cab ride to port. We left the hotel around 11:45am to go to the ship

 

Check-in

Check in was straight forward. We were in an OS along with our friends who never have cruised before. It took us about 20 minutes all told to check-in and get on the ship. The crowd was very light. Rooms weren't supposed to be ready until 1pm so we decided to grab some lunch.

 

Had lunch in the Windjammer. Since this was our 7th cruise, we knew what to expect from the Windjammer. It was good/fine. Our friends who had never cruised enjoyed it. After lunch we dropped our bags in our room.

 

Room- OS was nice. We have stayed in one previously on the AOS and Vision. The biggest difference was the deck was the full length of the suite. Otherwise it was pretty much the same. We met our cabin steward. He was very nice and did a great job the entire week. After checking out the room we decided to explore the ship.

 

Ship- The ship is very nice and I liked the feel of its size. It doesn't have a Royal Promenade like the AOS but has a smaller area for shops. Has a Chops and Portofino's. Solarium was nice. The track is shorter than the AOS (6 laps per mile instead of 5). Has a rock wall, mini-golf course. Sport court and kids pool area. Adult pool area was fine but seemed smaller than the AOS. Plenty of bars. We checked out the Schooner bar and the Safari Club (it has pool tables). We always check out our table location. We were on deck four at a table of 10. Dining room was nicely appointed. We don't gamble but walked through the casino. It looked like the others on other ships we have been on. The theatre was nice. Plenty of seats all with good views.

 

Ports- St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica, and Barbados.

 

In St. Thomas we did the Bones excursion. DW and I did that excursion last year and had fun and since our friends had never been and like to snorkel, we booked that trip. Snorkeling with the turtles and the sail to Honeymoon beach was great. Honeymoon beach was nice as well. The excursion is 6 hrs so we got back on the ship when we returned.

 

It rained in St. Croix for most of the day. We had planned to grab a cab to the beach, but since the weather was bad we hung out on the ship. DW and friend went to the spa while I got a run in on the treadmills and did some weights in the fitness center. The treadmills seemed a bit worn but functioned fine. I ran on the track the day at sea as I prefer that to treadmills anyway. The rain did let up around 2pm so we walked to the shops. Nothing special so we found a bar and had a few drinks. Back on the ship by 4pm.

 

On St. Kitts, I booked a tour with York. He took us around the island stopping at Romney Manor (very neat and pretty gardens), Brimstone Fortress, Volcano cliffs area, and a late lunch at Cockleshell beach. York did a great job and would recommend him to others. The island itself is very pretty. Having seen the island now though, if we visit again, we will just head to the beach and relax.

 

Dominica was our next stop. It was very pretty. We booked the river tubing through the ship. It's a long ride to the tubing facility. It was a pretty drive, but also pretty bumpy. The river tubing was a blast. On the way back we stopped at one of the water falls. It was okay. Back to the ship. Where we docked was away from downtown Roseau and in a fairly industrial area. I assume we were docked there because a Princess ship was docked at the main facility in downtown. Dominica is a pretty island though. We talked with some folks who did a 4 hour hike and would likely do something like that if we stop there on another cruise.

 

Barbados- We booked a snorkel cruise with Shasa on our own. There were six of us total. It was a great time. Jason and Tess do a great job. We snorkeled with the turtles and at a reef. The weather was iffy that day so we agreed to cut the sail short and not have lunch. I would definitely recommend Shasa to others. We docked at their main port which is also a container port. It was pretty busy/industrial. The ladies wandered the shops and the guys went back on the ship to relax.

 

All in all a good itinerary. We hadn't been to many of the ports before and enjoyed them. No complaints on the excursions either.

 

Dining-

 

Breakfast - We had breakfast each day at the Windjammer. It was fine. Nothing spectacular, but fine. We did really enjoy the outdoor eating area at the back of the Windjammer though. One of the best features in my opinion.

 

Lunch- For lunch if we were on the ship we ate at Windjammer too. It was fine. No complaints.

 

Dinner- We ate in the MDR most nights with the exception of one night at Chops and one night at Portofino's. Food was good in the MDR (except deserts which were okay. I am not a big fan of deserts but even my wife who loves them said they were just okay.) Chops and Portofinos were great. I preferred Portofino's while the rest of our crew liked Chops better. In the MDR, we had great service. Our table mates were great and enjoyed getting to know them. The only thing we all agreed that we wished we had done was taken the late dinner seating. 6pm was too early and we felt rushed everyday to get back on the ship after our excursions. We also thought my time dining might be better as an alternative, but we like getting to know our waiter and assistant waiter and meeting new people.

 

Since we were in OS, we did have access to the Concierge Lounge. It was nice. The staff did a great job. It was crowded at times. We even did a little karaoke.

 

We also got a bridge tour for being in a suite. I didn't go as I was taking a nap, but DW and friends really enjoyed it.

 

We are Diamond, but didn't go to any of the Diamond activities since we were with our friends.

 

Disembarkation- It was easy. They had us in Chops where they had a light breakfast and coffee. We were the second wave to get off. All told it was about 30 minutes or so.

 

We were staying in San Juan for another day at the Caribe Hilton so we just grabbed a taxi to the hotel. Had a great day relaxing by the pool.

 

I did like the Serenade slightly better than the AOS for this type of cruise (DW and I). I liked the AOS when our daughter comes along. I also like the Southern Caribbean ports. We live in ATL so its an easy flight down to San Juan. All in all a great trip.

 

nice review.. curious.. any favorite staff members bartenders anyone to you that stuck out i love getting to meet people.. I know you wont be able to answer this as well as CD mike got off when you did but

Harry0 when they post can they mention who the new CD is

[teskew65]

Keith our cabin steward was great as well as our waiter and assistant waiter but don't recall their names.

 

We didn't hang out much in the lounges so can't say about the bar staff. They were all nice.

 

Concierge Lounge staff were very nice especially Gilbert and the Concierge who I can't remember his name.