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We'll be on the Serenade next month. Does the ship depart during late seating or do they delay late seating to see the sail-away? We are sailing with some first-timers and I think that watching the sail-away with them will be fun. Can't wait!

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What time was muster and early seating the day of embarkation?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Muster was at 8:30. The early seating was at the normal time and the late seating was at 8:45 the first night.

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Overall impression of the Serenade. Deciding between Serenade, Adventure or a Princess ship for Holiday '11 cruise.

 

 

We loved the Serenade. It is a beautiful ship. It was clean, not too big but not too small. The staff was the best except the cruise director. We did not care for him. I heard a lot of complaints about him but I also talked to people who liked him. We are actually looking to book the Serenade again next year.

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We'll be on the Serenade next month. Does the ship depart during late seating or do they delay late seating to see the sail-away? We are sailing with some first-timers and I think that watching the sail-away with them will be fun. Can't wait!

 

 

They delay the seating for the muster drill but the sail-away was during the late seating. We ate at Chops the first night so we wouldn't miss sail-away.

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I loved the Serenade! :) I thought Dennis was a great CD; the staff in general were all very friendly and helpful. I could sail on her every year and not get sick of it.

 

I couldn't agree more about the ship. We didn't want to leave! I guess Dennis just rubbed me the wrong way. Oh well not a big deal. We had a great vacation!

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Just returned from the Serenade yesterday! Any questions I would be happy to try to answer them.

 

We are sailing on the Serenade in October.

 

I noticed you are from Pittsburgh and we are also from the area - what airline did you fly to San Juan? did you book through RCI or do it yourself?

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Just returned from the Serenade yesterday! Any questions I would be happy to try to answer them.

 

1) Did you find any more "secluded" places on the ship to just sit in the sun and read?

 

2) Where is the best place to go on board for a chocolate fix? My fiancee is a huge chocoholic and she's afraid she'll be missing the melting cake she usually gets on Carnival.

 

Thanks!

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Along with the question where the "secluded" spots are,

 

1. how is the pool for swimming? I have a son 15 and daughter 13. Where is the best place to sit?

 

2. where is the best place to sit on the decks for reading?

 

3. recommendation of time of arrival for evening performances?

 

4. In order to bring water for a port day, is a personal water bottle allowed to get water from the "Windjammer". How about personal thermal glasses for getting beverages to bring back to the room, deck, or by the pool?

 

5. What are the must-sees on the ship?

 

6. How do the professional photographs work?

 

I probably have more but I will leave it to that for now.

 

Thanks

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Muster was at 8:30. The early seating was at the normal time and the late seating was at 8:45 the first night.

 

Did you have to put on the life preserver? I heard somewhere they did away with that part and perhaps you just had to bring it? It always seemed like the putting it on, having it checked by a crew member and having a few people who didn't put it on right always was the slow part.

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What was your favorite port? Does the ship dock in ports or tender? Also, what side of the ship faces the pier during embarkation? Thanks.

 

My favorite port was Antigua. They had the most beautiful beaches and water I have ever seen. That being said, I would go back to any of the ports again on a land vacation. They were all great. All the ports we went to we were docked. I believe the port side of the ship was facing the pier.

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We are sailing on the Serenade in October.

 

I noticed you are from Pittsburgh and we are also from the area - what airline did you fly to San Juan? did you book through RCI or do it yourself?

 

 

Thats funny I see your from Latrobe. I have some family there. I actually grew up in Hempfield. What a small world. We actually ran into a couple we know from home that we didn't know was going to be there. Lol. We flew with Air Tran and had a layover in Atlanta both ways. We booked the air ourselves. It cost us a little under $700.00 for the air.

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1) Did you find any more "secluded" places on the ship to just sit in the sun and read?

 

2) Where is the best place to go on board for a chocolate fix? My fiancee is a huge chocoholic and she's afraid she'll be missing the melting cake she usually gets on Carnival.

 

Thanks!

 

 

You won't have a hard time finding a spot you will love. The only day we had a hard time finding a spot anywhere was on the sea day. Other than that day the ship was empty. We had a spot we would go to when we got back on the ship on port days. If your on the top deck near the sky bar just keep walking to the front of the ship and you will see another set of steps. Go up the steps and you will have the entire place to yourself. We would go there as soon as we got back on the ship until sail-away. We never seen anybody else up there. As for the chocalate, you won't have any problems there either. They only serve the warm choclate melting cake one night in the dining room though. There are two big stations in the windjammer with all desserts and you can order room service whenever. They also have chocalate in the mini fridge. Just M&Ms and Snickers but thats chocalate too. Lol. Hope this helps!

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Along with the question where the "secluded" spots are,

 

1. how is the pool for swimming? I have a son 15 and daughter 13. Where is the best place to sit? The pool was small but nice. There is plenty of seating all around the pool.

 

2. where is the best place to sit on the decks for reading? There are so many places because it is so port intensive that there aren't many people on board. You will NOT have a problem finding a spot.

 

3. recommendation of time of arrival for evening performances? The shows are scheduled around your dinner. Late seating= early show and vice versa. We never had a problem getting a seat. We just showed up 15 minutes before the show was to start. The only show that was packed was the welcome aboard show. Other than that there was never a ful house. The only thing you should show up early for is Quest. There wasn't an empty seat in the room and this is something you don't want to miss.

 

4. In order to bring water for a port day, is a personal water bottle allowed to get water from the "Windjammer". How about personal thermal glasses for getting beverages to bring back to the room, deck, or by the pool? Sorry can't help you here.

 

5. What are the must-sees on the ship? The solarium pool is a must see for sure. We enjoyed the piano player in th Schooner bar. His name was Roxy and he was really good. Do yourself a favor and go to Chops. Best steak I've ever had, no joke.

 

6. How do the professional photographs work? It was okay. Nothing different from any other cruise. We bought six pictures so I guess that says something especially for what they cost. Lol.

 

I probably have more but I will leave it to that for now.

 

Thanks

Hope this helps. Any more questions let me know.

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Did you have to put on the life preserver? I heard somewhere they did away with that part and perhaps you just had to bring it? It always seemed like the putting it on, having it checked by a crew member and having a few people who didn't put it on right always was the slow part.

 

No life preserver needed! Leave it in the room. Muster took about 15 minutes or so.

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