10 days and above

[tgjr]

Many of us do shorte cruise 3 - 7 days.

 

Longer cruise is a bit different - How shold you plan your long cruise to get the best experience. We will do a 10 nighter South out from San Juan on the Serinade OS and would like to get as much information as posable.

[ChipLondon]

It all depends on how you qualify " best experience" you might be a full on party animal, or sun worshipper. If you want to do everything then the cruise compass should be your bible, however if you want peace and quite, then have the Cruise compass as a bible of things to steer clear of.

[tgjr]

Understood.

 

I was more thinking of when is the formal nights - what day shold you bood table in special resturants - when is it coctailpartys and so on.

[crookedhalo]

If it's a standard route, you should be able to go to webshots and search for compass' for that sailing. Those will give you the information you want. Remember on a 9 night or longer there will actually be two formal nights;)

[KeywestK]

I love cruises longer than 7 nights. We really get into the rhythm and vibe of shiplife and relaxing. And it's nice if you have a good mix of port days and sea days. There will be 2 formal nights for a 10-nighter.....typically the 2nd night, and then another formal night later in the cruise, either on a sea day, or possibly on a day when you leave a port early. We always book our specialty restaurants for either sea days or when we know we'll be back from a port day on the earlier side. You can book your reservations online about 6 weeks prior to sailing for your specialty restaurant. If you decide you want to go on a sea day, I'd book early....;)

 

As the previous poster mentioned, you will want to use your cruise compass as your bible. Just remember, you can't ever do everything, so pick and chose what most interests you.

 

Pack light. Long gone are the days when we packed "an outfit a day," and just pack separates that mix and match. My DH no longer takes his tux, but rather, he takes dress slacks and a blazer/sports coat....and he always looks very appropriate. We see less and less tuxes anymore.

 

If you have any other questions, fire away....:)

[KeywestK]

Forgot to mention.....Your Meet and Mingle gathering will be on the first sea day, usually in the late morning, or early afternoon. You will get an invitation in your cabin.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Your key to everything will be your cruise compass as others mentioned. [google and find some old ones on web shots or other sites] There will be 2 formal, 2 smart casual, the rest casual evenings- regarding attire. There might be an outdoor BBQ one afternoon, a market buffet inside one day, there will be an assortment of funny games like a Men's Sexy legs contest, the typical belly flop, there is napkin folding, win e tasting, martini tastings. If you decide to be part of your roll call, there will be a meet and mingle hosted by RCI [hopefully you will receive an invitation card in your stateroom, lol] When you board, check your table assignment and at the same time the menu and decide when you want to make a reservation for the specialty restaurant.

 

the repeat cruiser coktailparties and captains welcome etc...you should read your cruise compass to find out, no need for any plan ning ahead on those.

 

Enjoy.

[silentbob007]

Long cruises definitely have a different feel ... you know you'll be on the ship for a while, so you don't really have to rush to try to see everything. At least IMO, the cruises tend to be a little more subdued as longer cruises tend to attract a slightly older crowd due to the length and the generally higher cost. On my 9-10 day cruises, I've approached packing and activities much like a 7-day cruise ... on a very long cruise (my longest is 17 nights), well, then I just planned to do laundry.

[cb at sea]

You will have PLENTY of time to decide what you want to do on your 10 day trip....there's truly no need to start scheduling everything in advance. Your daily Compass will tell you everything that's going on, and you can decide which things you'd like to do. Unless you have a very specific day and time when you MUST eat in a specialty restaurant, you can make reservations when you board....even on the day you'd like to eat there....they are seldom "full".

[tgjr]

Thanks for all advices - we will have a week in San Juan before the cruise so I guess we are ready for a bit of ship life. The special resturants on the Splender of the seas are they the same as on the freedom ? If so I think we will use them a lot - the food is so much nicer than in the diningroom.

[Kevin's girl]

We did a 7 night on the Serenade in '07. I checked out your itinerary and a couple of the stops are the same. The ship was wonderful ( one of our favorites ) and the Speciality Restaurants were very good. I am including a link to my Webshots album if you would like to see photos just click the thumbnail.

 

[Kevin's girl]

I meant to mention that we stayed at the El Convento hotel which is lovely and has become our favorite hotel ever. We have even returned to Old San Juan for long weekends to stay there.

[39august]

You can get a wealth of information about each of your ports on the "Ports of Call" boards. Also, the Serenade has the "Seaview Cafe" up on deck 12 aft of the children's area. There is no charge and the food includes fresh made burgers, fries, onion rings, nachos, sandwiches, salads and desserts. I love the salad topped with blackened grouper. You have to watch your Compass for hours of operation. They vary from day to day. Also, there will be snack food available in the Solarium at no charge.

[KeywestK]

The Serenade has both Chops and Portofino specialty restaurants. We enjoy both, and typically hit both on our cruises. Definitely worth the small upcharge, IMO....;)

[KeywestK]

The Serenade has both Chops and Portofino specialty restaurants. We enjoy both, and typically hit both on our cruises. Definitely worth the small upcharge, IMO....;)

[KeywestK]

Sorry about the double post.

[tgjr]

I do agree that it is well worth the extra cost, and it is easyer to have a privat dining just the family.

I do also find it more quiet, and relaxing.

[cruisenfever]

Understood.

 

I was more thinking of when is the formal nights - what day shold you bood table in special resturants - when is it coctailpartys and so on.

It appears that you have booked a 10 day cruise departing December 23 which is definitely a Holiday Cruise. The various normal events/parties may differ from a 7 day cruise because it is a holiday cruise and is 3 days longer.

 

Your first formal night will most probably be on Christmas Eve.....day 2 which would also be the Captain's Welcome Aboard Party. You will have one more formal night and I would suspect that it will be December 31, New Year's Eve....day 9.

 

You have booked a beautiful ship and a wonderful itinerary. Enjoy.:)