Serenade of the Seas - Bow Access?

[horsecrazygirl]

In the Radiance class of RCCL ships, can you go out to the bow as you can on the Voyager class? After taking 2 Voyager class cruises (EOS and NOS) I'm a little nervous about downsizing. We've also been on Carnival's Paradise, but that was our first cruise, so we had nothing to compare to. We'll be taking our 3 teens (ages 19, 18 and 16) and while they loved the Voyager class, they seem o.k. with the smaller ship, especially since the itinerary is so port-intensive. I think I'm more nervous about the change than they are. We really want to do the Souther Caribbean route, and AOS doesn't have the itinerary we want when our schedules allow us to travel. The only other alternative is Golden Princess, but my kids want to stick with Royal Caribbean - they like the food, all day ice cream (well, most of the day), and it's slightly cheaper - they're actually price conscious! I can easily give up the ice skating rink - I do love the Promenade, but can live without that too. My hustand loves the bow area & wants to be sure you can access that as you can on the Voyager ships - in the pictures it appears that you can, but I wanted to hear from you experienced Serenade cruisers!

 

Also, are there any suggestions about balcony cabins on Serenade? We have always just had a mid-ship balcony on Voyager class & that has been fine. I've read the suggestions to possibly avoid deck 7 so you're not looking directly down on lifeboats. So are the balconies on 8 and 9 o.k.? Are they all basically the same? Some of the discussions on these board has made me leary of Golden Princess because of the variety of balconies - some covered, some partially covered, etc. My husband is NOT a sun person, so an exposed balcony would not be something he'd want. Because of the many ports, we're trying to save some money, so we're considering an inside cabin for the teens - before they've had a balcony. Any info is greatly appreciated!

[Croozin Soozin]

to answer your question about access to the bow - yes, you can walk up there. great place to go when the ship is leaving port.

 

can't answer your question about cabins, but I'm sure someone else can.

 

Soozin

[Jimbo]

Radiance Class ships have a Heli-Port just like Voyager Class ships.

 

Here you can see some people on the bow as we are going through the Panama Canal.

 

[dna1990]

Helipad open most of the time, our favorite spot, especially at night. Few lights for bridge, so the stars just explode.

 

Funny, there is another recent thread: Serenade - Southern Route, talking a great deal about Deck 7 balconies. Go check it out. But yes, I would suggest Deck 8 or 9, and for my vote, choose the "thicker" portion of the ship up forward near the first elevator bank. These stick out just a little more and maybe enhance the balcony experience (I think). Each of these are "covered" by the balcony above it. But you can still get strong sun closer to rise and set times.

 

There are also many threads about good aft cabins, but with their distance from the center elevators on the Radiance class ships.

 

You didn't say if all five were heading into one room or not, but the common choice of a balcony room, with an additional inside across the hall - works well for many families with older kids.

 

The Southern route is port intensive, with many things to see and do. While "smaller" than Voyager class, I would not characterize anything small about Radiance class.

 

I know nothing about Golden Princess, but enjoyed the Serenade and saw families like yours doing the same. Here is our review from last year. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=6368

[horsecrazygirl]

Thanks for your replies! Thanks dna1990 for the link to your review! No, we are DEFINITELY not squeezing into one cabin - we did this on our first cruise on Carnival when the kids were much smaller - it was very cozy, to put it nicely. I think I will try to get cabins on the thicker part of the ship as you suggested. We usually travel with in-laws and the distance to the elevator might make the aft cabins more inconvenient. Thanks again!!

[mringenoldus]

I think you are one of the first people I've heard from that has taken the Serenade through the Panama Canal. We have relatives doing this in April. Do you have any insights in excursions, the ship. etc? Do you have more photos?

 

 

Horsecrazygirl

You might look into a D1 cabin - they are bigger than the standard and there are some on Deck 10 that have enormous balconies.

[Jimbo]

I think you are one of the first people I've heard from that has taken the Serenade through the Panama Canal. We have relatives doing this in April. Do you have any insights in excursions, the ship. etc? Do you have more photos?

 

 

Horsecrazygirl

You might look into a D1 cabin - they are bigger than the standard and there are some on Deck 10 that have enormous balconies.

 

WE were on the Radiance of the Seas, not the Seranade of the Seas, here's our review and pictures.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=75

 

Pictures........

http://community.webshots.com/user/jimbochap

 

Jimbo:)