Serenade Southern Caribbean review- June 6th to June 13th

[ahawco]

Day 6 (St Croix)-

Drink of the day- Paradise Cocktail

It’s always difficult for me- that last full day of a cruise that you wait so long for. I knew this one would be even harder because we were in a port that I wanted to see, but I also wanted to spend time on the ship, one last day. We had an appt. with the Loyalty Ambassador at 9:30 to book our next year’s cruise, so we didn’t get off of the ship until close to 11:00.

 

When we were walking off there were sprinkles of rain and we noticed some getting back onto the ship that were clearly wet from running into more than sprinkles elsewhere. Our plan was to go to Sandcastle Beach for a few hours and then back to the ship early enough to have time to do more than pack.

 

While walking the pier we noticed the skies were much darker towards Sandcastle Beach, as if the storm was heading in that direction. To the left, all was clear and it looked as though that would be the way to go.

 

Although Buck Island would have been amazing to see, it was about a 45 minute drive to get to the point of pick up and we had no desire to spend the little time we had left in an automobile. So, after speaking to a taxi driver at the end of the pier, we ended up a mile down (away from the storm) at a charming little spot called Rainbow Beach.

 

Rainbow beach was fun! Rhythm’s bar/food stand is exactly what you would expect to see on a secluded little beach on a far away island. They offered a variety of food and a bar full of drinks (I would highly recommend the Bushwacker!). Chairs, umbrellas, jet skis and other water “toys” are available for rent at a table on the sand. Some items seemed pricier than others, but the atmosphere alone was worth paying some of those prices. The water, again, was beautiful and the sand was soft. We stayed in the water the entire time listening to the wonderful music played by a small band at the bar. A great time was had by all!

 

Although I swore we’d head back to the ship early, we once again waited until it was almost boarding time. We rushed back in the same taxi that dropped us off at the beach and went straight to our cabins to shower and pack. We decided to skip our last evening in the dining room and instead eat in the Windjammer. I actually like to do this at least one night during a cruise because it is very quiet and so different than it normally is throughout the day. The self-made pizzas are yummy!

 

The Farwell Show starred the comedy of Hal Spear (can’t comment on it). Also, there appeared to be a variety of “farewell” music being played at different locations on the ship. Since I was still packing at 11:00, we skipped any of the last night activities. Instead, we put our luggage out the door around midnight and went to sleep.

 

 

 

Departure day (San Juan)-

For us, the entire departure procedure has always been hassle free on Royal. A quick bite in the Windjammer, a last look at our cabin (and any others along the way that are already vacant) and we head to our “station” to wait for our color to be called. Our luggage was where it was supposed to be and we were out the door in a timely manner.

 

We were all very sad to say good-bye to the Serenade. We had a fabulous trip and we would do it all again tomorrow, if we could. When I woke up the next morning, we stayed a night in San Juan, I realized how many amazing places we were able to see because of this “port intensive” cruise. Would we book it again? In a heartbeat!

 

Lots of misc. info to follow later today……

 

Still loving your review :)) Thanks so much for the info on Rainbow Beach! I think my husband and I are going to try it - we are very much beach people. Originally I was thinking of booking the Carambola Resort day with RCI but at about $90US per person it is an expensive day and we already have a couple of expensive days planned. I bet this beach is just as nice and there sounds like there is a great beach bar and it will probably end up costing us half the day with RCI.

 

So you say there are umbrellas and chairs to rent and the restaurant takes visa/mc? I was looking on some websites trying to read up on it and I read that no umbrellas or chairs could be rented and the restaurant only took cash. I guess some of these websites are more dated and now these things are available!

[DramaBB82]

Day 4 (Antigua)-

The headliner show for the evening was The Unexpected Boys- a musical tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Most of our family went to this show and they all enjoyed it! It was an early showing for second seating.

 

The Unexpected Boys! Hurrah! One of them was a friend of mine waaaay back in High School. SO proud of him!

 

Did you do any activities on board with Omar? We thought he was so great!

[JenAndDan]

Thanks for the compliment!

I guess it depends on what you consider "much" time. We went out every morning to see where we were going and every night to see where we had been. Honestly, we were not on there as much as we've been on other cruises, but I would still book an aft balcony again- and anytime. :)

It was also nice to have a place for our wet clothes.

 

Your welcome!

No- finally a place that would take visa/mc! :)

 

 

Thanks! Our tour ends up there and we plan on having lunch and drinks etc. there. Between all of our excursions and reading that most of the islands are cash only it's nice to finally find a place that takes credit cards!!!

[BroncosFan2010]

Nunk, instead of having to decide which intenirary just book a B2B and do both. Thats what we are doing in Oct.

 

Ditto! We are doing that in August, although I have been to all the ports except St. Croix and Dominica (on the other week).

[nunk]

Still loving your review :)) Thanks so much for the info on Rainbow Beach! I think my husband and I are going to try it - we are very much beach people. Originally I was thinking of booking the Carambola Resort day with RCI but at about $90US per person it is an expensive day and we already have a couple of expensive days planned. I bet this beach is just as nice and there sounds like there is a great beach bar and it will probably end up costing us half the day with RCI.

 

So you say there are umbrellas and chairs to rent and the restaurant takes visa/mc? I was looking on some websites trying to read up on it and I read that no umbrellas or chairs could be rented and the restaurant only took cash. I guess some of these websites are more dated and now these things are available!

If you are looking for a pretty beach to relax at, Rainbow Beach is a great one. And, since it is the last port you will probably have spent so much money up to that point it will be nice to spend a little less.

The Unexpected Boys! Hurrah! One of them was a friend of mine waaaay back in High School. SO proud of him!

 

Did you do any activities on board with Omar? We thought he was so great!

I don't recall Omar, but perhaps someone else on the cruise did? My daughter really enjoyed the Unexpected Boys!

[nunk]

[quote name='JenAndDan']Thanks! Our tour ends up there and we plan on having lunch and drinks etc. there. Between all of our excursions and reading that most of the islands are cash only it's nice to finally find a place that takes credit cards!!![/QUOTE]
Yes, I really appreciate credit cards after this trip!

[quote name='aggie1']Nunk, instead of having to decide which intenirary just book a B2B and do both. Thats what we are doing in Oct.[/QUOTE]
Don't make me jealous!
[quote name='LABCHICK']Hi Nuck

Loved you review. We are doing our first B2B next Nov. Your cruise will be our second week. Our DD, SIL and GS (8) will be joining us on the second leg. Our SIL grandparents built a vacation home in St. Croix. It was sold several yrs ago, but SIL wants to go back to see it one more time. We are planning on renting a car and driving to see it.

Judi :)[/QUOTE]
St Croix was beautiful! I wish I was going again tomorrow.

[nunk]

[quote name='BroncosFan2010']Ditto! We are doing that in August, although I have been to all the ports except St. Croix and Dominica (on the other week).[/QUOTE]
You are so lucky! We hoped to see the rest soon.

[nunk]

[COLOR="Black"][U]Odds and Ends and In-Betweens[/U]
You may have read some or most of this info elsewhere on these boards if you read often enough. These are just a few thoughts I have about some things we encountered during our trip.

[U]Food[/U]-
We made it to the Windjammer every morning, at some point, before getting off the ship for our port day. The usual breakfast foods were found, including 2 omelet stations. Most days I would visit the Windjammer in shifts: my mom and I, hubby and I, the kids and I, etc. There never seemed to be a problem finding a seat somewhere and the wait staff was always around and helpful.

Since we were not back on board until after 4 everyday, we would miss lunch offerings in the Windjammer- no worries! The Seaview Café offers a great variety of food-to-order so we stopped there everyday. Please don’t miss visiting it at some point of your cruise. I will say there were some issues with the service on one or two days. I think they may have been understaffed when it was a very busy time (the Windjammer was closed).

We ate dinner in the dining room every night but the last. We had a pleasant waiter and asst. waiter, although they were both very professional and not so personal. We appreciated their professionalism, but would have loved a little more laughter perhaps. Overall, I would say the dining room food on this trip was ok. It was not great and not bad, just ok. There were some items we had that tasted great, but there were a few things we ordered that weren’t liked at all. I have always loved the dining room food so I think I was comparing this trip to those in the past, so please don’t take it as though I am saying the food was not good.

[U]Entertainment[/U]-
As I stated earlier, I personally chose not to see any of the night shows (except the Love and Marriage game which isn’t quite a show). I did listen to the music played poolside a few times and always enjoyed the nightly music coming from the Centrum. This was a very lively crowd. Everyone always looked as though they were having a wonderful time dancing. It was quite different from our cruise to Alaska last year when the music was more “low key” but still enjoyable.

The compasses were filled with usual cruise ship activities, however, there were noticeably fewer than on other itineraries. The cruise director was Simeon Baker and asst. cruise director was an adorable Aussie girl that I actually saw more than Simeon.

[U]Ocean Adventure [/U]-
My 12 and 6 year old kids have been on 3 cruises with Royal Caribbean. On each trip they have spent a large amount of time in the Ocean Adventure Club. They love all of the organized activities and always enjoyed the camp “counselors” employed by Royal.

This year, my younger daughter was 12 and age eligible for the teen club. I have seen the teen area on previous clubs and thought my daughter would miss the organized activities. I didn’t want her possibly “hanging out” with 17 year olds that I did not know. Also, if she was going to sit around and listen to music (in a very dark room), she could do that with her family instead. Honestly, the few nights I walked past the club, I was really surprised that Royal would even allow 12 year olds to be with the older teens. Again, this was my experience and if any with a “tween” asks my opinion, I will tell them to keep their kids in the younger club at least one more year.


[U]Some misc. advice or observations[/U]-
*Take lots of cash. The casino will give you cash and apply the credit to your sea pass, but they also charge 3%.
*Make sure you return any towels you check out to the pool by 10:00pm on the last night. If you don’t, you will find them charged (at $20 a piece) to your account when you wake up in the morning. You will then need to spend some of your last morning in line with everyone else, holding towels and trying to keep patient.
*You will not need all of those clothes you are packing. Nope, you won’t! You will most likely need a bathing suit (or two), cover-up, sandals and your dinner wear. I could have saved $80 in checked bags ($40 each way) if someone would have told me and I actually listened!
*Pack a snack or two for your excursions. Grab some fruit, a box a cereal, some bread/muffins, etc. If you have kids, get some chicken tenders from the Seaview the night before and put them in a baggie in your fridge for the next day. Ok, even if you don’t have kids, get the chicken tenders!
*Do yourself a favor and spend several weeks researching Cruise Critic boards before you leave. Ask anything and everything and you will be prepared.
*Last, but not least: Sea Passes [I]do not float[/I]!:eek:
[/COLOR]

[cruisefun34]

Are you signed up for the meet and mingle??

[newlifeca]

Thanks for the great review

[BroncosFan2010]

[quote name='nunk'][COLOR=Black][U]Odds and Ends and In-Betweens[/U]



[U]Some misc. advice or observations[/U]-
*Take lots of cash. The casino will give you cash and apply the credit to your sea pass, but they also charge 3%.
[B]*Make sure you return any towels you check out to the pool by 10:00pm on the last night. If you don’t, you will find them charged (at $20 a piece) to your account when you wake up in the morning. You will then need to spend some of your last morning in line with everyone else, holding towels and trying to keep patient. [COLOR=Red]Was this only by 10:00 the last night, or 10:00 each night??? I personally HATE this new policy, and just wish they would give you the towels and treat you like a responsible adult. No need for the huge hassle. [/COLOR][/B]
*You will not need all of those clothes you are packing. Nope, you won’t! You will most likely need a bathing suit (or two), cover-up, sandals and your dinner wear. I could have saved $80 in checked bags ($40 each way) if someone would have told me and I actually listened!
[B]*Pack a snack or two for your excursions. Grab some fruit, a box a cereal, some bread/muffins, etc. If you have kids, get some chicken tenders from the Seaview the night before and put them in a baggie in your fridge for the next day. Ok, even if you don’t have kids, get the chicken tenders! [COLOR=Red]You have to be careful, especially bringing fruit off the ship. There are STRICT limits because of foreign species and you can get major fines if caught. Stick with pre-packaged foods like cereal, granola bars, and bags of chips.[/COLOR][/B]
*Do yourself a favor and spend several weeks researching Cruise Critic boards before you leave. Ask anything and everything and you will be prepared.
[B][COLOR=Red]*Last, but not least: Sea Passes [I]do not float[/I]!:eek:[/COLOR][/B]
[/COLOR][/quote]

Did you find this out on purpose or accident?:D

[#1packerfan]

Thanks for the great review. We are doing a B2B on the Serenade in April next year. We have done many cruises, but this will be the first time on the Serenade. My sis & BIL are also going, they have been on the Serenade several times.

We have been to almost all the ports on the B2B except a couple, but I love the whole Caribbean experience. We love to hang out at the beach and just watch the water and the world go by. Living in WI, that is paradise to us.

[Persnickety]

[COLOR=Teal][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Thanks for the great review Nunk, sounds like you had an amazing vacation and makes me all the more
excited for my first cruise this December!!!

I will be making good use of these boards for the next 5 months in preparation and your review has inspired me
to start a blog, perhaps video blog of my trip so I never forget even the littlest of details!

Thanks again for a great read :o
Persnickety
[/FONT][/COLOR]

[nunk]

[quote name='BroncosFan2010']Did you find this out on purpose or accident?:D[/QUOTE]
It was a bit funny, actually. My mom and I were getting back on ship in St Maarten. She showed her sea pass to the first RCI staff and we were at the doorway of the part when you "insert" your card for recognition and a gust of wind came up and took her card right out of her hand into the water. Because it went down right between the dock and ship we could see it sitting at the bottom waaaaay down in the water.

[quote name='#1packerfan']Thanks for the great review. We are doing a B2B on the Serenade in April next year. We have done many cruises, but this will be the first time on the Serenade. My sis & BIL are also going, they have been on the Serenade several times.

We have been to almost all the ports on the B2B except a couple, but I love the whole Caribbean experience. We love to hang out at the beach and just watch the water and the world go by. Living in WI, that is paradise to us.[/QUOTE]
This was a great trip to just relax at the beautiful beaches! Enjoy your upcoming trip. I wish we were going again now.

[quote name='Persnickety'][COLOR=Teal][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Thanks for the great review Nunk, sounds like you had an amazing vacation and makes me all the more
excited for my first cruise this December!!!

I will be making good use of these boards for the next 5 months in preparation and your review has inspired me
to start a blog, perhaps video blog of my trip so I never forget even the littlest of details!

Thanks again for a great read :o
Persnickety
[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
A first cruise?? How exciting! Make sure you take as many notes as possible because you'll want to remember it forever! Enjoy!

[takevtr1]

Anybody on the 8/1 sailing?

We have just started a meet and mingle.

PLEASE come and join us.

Thanks,:)

[BroncosFan2010]

[quote name='takevtr1']Anybody on the 8/1 sailing?

We have just started a meet and mingle.

PLEASE come and join us.

Thanks,:)[/quote]

I am on the ship two weeks after you for a B2B. Keep the ship in good shape and don't drink all the booze!!

[nunk]

[quote name='BroncosFan2010']I am on the ship two weeks after you for a B2B. Keep the ship in good shape and don't drink all the booze!![/QUOTE]

*SIGH*
I really wish we were going, too. :(

[BroncosFan2010]

[quote name='nunk']*SIGH*
I really wish we were going, too. :([/quote]

So book it! LOL :p

[takevtr1]

[quote name='BroncosFan2010']So book it! LOL :p[/quote]

BroncosFan2010,
OK, I will save some beer for you. LOL

If you are paying, I would be happy to book another week on the Serenade.

Need some more people on the 8/1 sailing. Trying to hit that 25 person minimum for the M&M.
Mitch....

[MJN]

Wonderful description of your cruise. So excited we will be on this ship one of the same weeks that BroncoFan10 is on in August. Our cruise leaves August 23 and I was happy to read you enjoyed your aft balcony. We are in 1104 and although we have had several aft balconies, which we love, this will be our first time on this class of ship. Sounds like your cruise was incredible!
You say you stayed an extra night in san Juan, which we are doing as well, which facility did you stay at. Thanks for all your information, we are so excited about our upcoming cruise!

[nunk]

[quote name='MJN']Wonderful description of your cruise. So excited we will be on this ship one of the same weeks that BroncoFan10 is on in August. Our cruise leaves August 23 and I was happy to read you enjoyed your aft balcony. We are in 1104 and although we have had several aft balconies, which we love, this will be our first time on this class of ship. Sounds like your cruise was incredible!
You say you stayed an extra night in san Juan, which we are doing as well, which facility did you stay at. Thanks for all your information, we are so excited about our upcoming cruise![/QUOTE]

Thanks for reading- We stayed at the Caribe Hilton

[BroncosFan2010]

[quote name='takevtr1']BroncosFan2010,
OK, I will save some beer for you. LOL

If you are paying, I would be happy to book another week on the Serenade.

Need some more people on the 8/1 sailing. Trying to hit that 25 person minimum for the M&M.
Mitch....[/quote]

Unfortunately, all my vacation money has gone for the B2B. I appreciate you leaving me some beer, but I am more of a wine drinker! LOL

Good luck getting 25 for the M&M, if not, you aren't missing much. Just plan an informal get-together with others on your roll-call. Probably will be more fun!

[takevtr1]

[quote name='BroncosFan2010']Unfortunately, all my vacation money has gone for the B2B. I appreciate you leaving me some beer, but I am more of a wine drinker! LOL

Good luck getting 25 for the M&M, if not, you aren't missing much. Just plan an informal get-together with others on your roll-call. Probably will be more fun![/quote]

OK, I will leave you some wine instead. We like a nice bottle during dinner. During the day, I try and stick to beer. I think the mixed drinks like Mudslides etc are too sweet for me.

For the M&M, you are correct. We are having trouble getting the 25 (so far). We do have a very nice roll call going. We do plan and meeting either the first or second day of the cruise. It seems we have some very nice people. We have been chatting for about 3 months now.

Mitch......

[BroncosFan2010]

[quote name='takevtr1']OK, I will leave you some wine instead. We like a nice bottle during dinner. During the day, I try and stick to beer. I think the mixed drinks like Mudslides etc are too sweet for me.

For the M&M, you are correct. We are having trouble getting the 25 (so far). We do have a very nice roll call going. We do plan and meeting either the first or second day of the cruise. It seems we have some very nice people. We have been chatting for about 3 months now.

Mitch......[/quote]
Have you been to an official Meet and Mingle? I don't think it was all that great. We had more fun at our informal meet with those on our roll-call. The CD spoke most of the time, and the food was not very good. I signed up for the M&M for both weeks of our B2B, but may only go one of the weeks. We have informal events planned, and we will definitely go to those.

[takevtr1]

[quote name='BroncosFan2010']Have you been to an official Meet and Mingle? I don't think it was all that great. We had more fun at our informal meet with those on our roll-call. The CD spoke most of the time, and the food was not very good. I signed up for the M&M for both weeks of our B2B, but may only go one of the weeks. We have informal events planned, and we will definitely go to those.[/quote]

Actually, this is the first time on RCI. We have been a Carnival group for the last few years. We picked the Serenade due to the great itinerary.

On Carnival, we have attended many "past guest" parties. Now were too die for, but it was nice to spend an hour or so with people who are also past guests.

The free drinks and snack did not hurt either. LOL.