Serenade 9/26 Review Long and Photo heavy

[flcruzer03]

We will be on this same cruise 2 weeks from Sunday!! And 2 weeks from today we will be flying to SJ and staying at the Embassy Suites...did you take a cab into SJ and if so can you tell me how much it cost?

[Robin7]

We will be on this same cruise 2 weeks from Sunday!! And 2 weeks from today we will be flying to SJ and staying at the Embassy Suites...did you take a cab into SJ and if so can you tell me how much it cost?

 

We did take a cab. I think it was around $19 each way? I'm not sure. My DH and his brother did the money, so I didn't pay a lot of attention. Sorry.

 

Robin

[socorny]

The tour was at 10:30am. It was very interesting and VERY DARK. If you’re at all claustrophobic, do not go on this tour! The tunnel was about 400 feet long, with two little slits for windows at the end of it. No air movement. The people then were only about 4 feet eleven inches tall, so it was also VERY squishy. Our flashlight didn’t work very well, and some people on the tour didn’t have one at all. I used my cell phone held behind my back to give the guy behind me a bit of light to follow. Yes, it was that dark!

 

 

Our first glimpse of our ship!

 

 

 

We were heading down into this teeny, tiny tunnel!

 

 

Thanks for the headsup on this tour. Will NOT being doing that tour..too "casket" feeling:eek:

[horric29]

Can I just say *more* *more* *more* please!!! :D

[Poorplaya]

Awesome start with the review and the pics, can'y wait to see more.

[laedw]

We are on the same route on the 24th! Cannot wait!:D

[Kim4]

Great review so far, thanks!

[CruisinRoxy]

Now I am getting all excited - we are going next August! The Aruba route. Do most people get to San Juan the day before or maybe even 2 days? We were thinking of arriving on Saturday early afternoon to do some exploring in Old SJ, having dinner there and then boarding Sunday. Or is it better to get there Friday?? Opinions anyone?

[Robin7]

Day 2: Sea Day

 

 

We are boring people. Really. We are not the types to run from ship activity to ship activity, especially on a port-intensive itinerary like this.

 

 

We slept in, had breakfast in the main dining room (our only meal there besides dinners as it turned out), and I went to our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet.

 

 

Dennis Charles, the Cruise Director, came and talked to us (he’s HILARIOUS) and gave away prizes. It was fun to meet people and put faces to the names.

 

 

We are card players, so after the M&G, we found the Serengeti Card Room and commenced playing a form of Canasta we call “Hand and Foot”. We played three games over the course of the cruise, and, unfortunately, the guys won the bragging rights this time.

 

 

We loved the card room! In fact, the entire aft part of that deck is just incredible. The Schooner Bar is probably my favorite thing on any ship we’ve been on—a ship within a ship! And The Safari Club is also very nice. Great design, in my opinion.

 

 

The guys went to a Blackjack Tournament in the casino at 2pm while my sister-in-law and I took a nap on our respective balconies. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! That is the life, I tell you.

 

 

They were giving away an Owner’s Suite for the week at bingo, so we paused our card game and went to that at 4:30pm. We didn’t win. Boo.

 

Those were the only two activities we went to the entire week. Told you we were boring!

 

 

We did attend the show after dinner. It was a men’s a cappella group (or ‘vocal band’ as they prefer to call themselves) called “Mosaic”. They were AMAZING! They have several beatboxers, and they could all seem to mimic some kind of instrument. One of the numbers, Dave Brubek’s “Take Five”, I would have sworn he was playing a trumpet. Incredible.

 

 

Dennis Charles is the most accessible Cruise Director I have ever seen. He came out before every show and talked to people, took photos of and with people, and generally got the party started. Then he would get up on stage to introduce the entertainment, and he was soooooooooo funny. You can tell that he does (or did) stand up comedy. Very, very funny man. I would have to say he’s my favorite CD ever.

 

 

It was the first formal night. My husband has owned a tux for years, but we’ve noticed that the number of men wearing them on cruises has decreased dramatically. In fact, on a HAL cruise in 2007, a fellow actually made fun of my husband for wearing one! Grrrr. So he didn’t take it on our Carnival cruise last year, but his brother wears a tux so he took it this time. I was surprised at the overall dressiness of the crowd. We saw A LOT of tuxes! Plus the women, even on casual nights, were very dressed up. I liked it.

 

 

Our only Sea Day photo, taken in the show lounge (with red-eye to boot):

 

 

 

 

But here would be a good spot to put in a photo or two of the card room and the Schooner Bar area:

 

 

 

 

This is taken from the window side of the room back toward the interior of the ship. It had really nice windows so we could see the ocean as we played.

 

 

 

Dennis, at our M&G, said these pool tables cost $60,000 each! Whoa.

 

 

The Safari Club. Many activities were held here, including Bingo. We heard several Spanish language activities held here too as we played cards.

[Robin7]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later: Day 3 in Barbados and sailing with Shasa.

[frommichigan]

Loving the review! Can't wait to hear more.

 

Amanda

[Sandy Sails]

Great review and great pix, thanks! Question regarding cabin #9586 - I have booked #9584 next door. Did you (or your in-laws) hear any noise from the Royal Suite above? I've heard they have marble floors and a piano so am a little concerned about excessive noise.

 

Thanks and am anxious to read the rest of your review! Carry on...:p

[waterbugohio]

We were in 9584 three years ago, our first ever cruise. While I don't sleep well in hotels and don't like noise, I was a little worried. We heard NOTHING, maybe it was the rocking of the ship, being tired from the ports, or to much wine, I'm not sure but it was great sleeping.

 

I never realized the royal suite was above us but still amazed at how quiet the rooms are.

[angel258]

I recently completed the Curacao/Aruba route about 2 weeks ago and would love to do the Barbados route in the near future. Reading your review and seeing the photos brings back so many memories.

[ggroup]

Hi-

 

we will be in 9584 and 9586 on our upcoming Serenade cruise. Were the pix on page 1 of 9586? Did you like this cabin and how was the view?

Thanks!

[chef_christoph]

Thanks for taking the time to write this!

 

Seeing all of your pictures put a smile on my face as I remember many of the same sights from around San Juan and Serenade.

 

I can't wait to read (and see) the rest!

[Robin7]

Hi-

 

we will be in 9584 and 9586 on our upcoming Serenade cruise. Were the pix on page 1 of 9586? Did you like this cabin and how was the view?

Thanks!

 

No, those are of 9246, but I do have pix of 9586, and specifically the view. I'll see if I can upload them soon. Can't access them on this computer. The inlaws were in that stateroom. They liked it A LOT. It's a nit picky complaint, but I did not like how our view straight down to the water was obstructed by the life boat deck covering thingy. The hump cabin was much nicer as far as the view, it was exactly the same as far as everything else.

 

I also have pix of the Royal Suite. I'll make note to upload those as well. We *thought* we had time to wander the ship before disembarkation (a subject for the review, some things on RCI did NOT impress me), so we wandered in there and took photos. Incredible.

 

Robin

[Disneyjunkie]

Your pictures are great! Thanks for sharing.

[LBumb]

awesome job

[Robin7]

Day 3, Barbados:

 

Good morning, Barbados!

 

 

 

 

 

In my Book of Life, our day in Barbados will be noted as among my favorite days EVER. I had read good reviews (both on here and on tripadvisor) for Shasa. Jason runs a 12-person catamaran. We wanted to sail on a smaller boat than what was offered by the other private vendors and certainly smaller than the ‘cattlemaran’ excursions offered by the ship. Shasa fit our requirements perfectly.

 

We were to meet our driver at Gate 2 at the pier at 9:30am, so we disembarked about 8:30am, not wanting to be late. (After a quick breakfast in the Windjammer, of course.) Disembarkation was easy. No wait at all.

 

There is an enclosed shopping area, and some of the shops were open, so we wandered until about 9:15am. Shasa sent a taxi driver named Tony who was there right on time. There was one other couple from the ship as well as the four of us.

 

Tony told us a bit about the island as we drove to the pick-up spot. (Be prepared! They drive on the other side of the road there.)

 

We met the catamaran down a lane and on a beach. Jason motored up, we removed our shoes and put them away for the day in a basket, and then turned around and boosted ourselves up onto the cat and made our way across the trampoline. Three other people met us there so there were nine of us plus Jason. It wasn’t too crowded even though the cat is small.

 

 

 

 

My Jackie O. impression. Heh.

 

 

 

Captain Jason

 

Jason motored out and then hoisted the sail, and we were off. It was sooooooooo peaceful sailing along instead of motoring. He offered us soda and water to drink.

 

The three people not with the ship moved out onto the trampoline, and the rest of us were under the shade. (Jason put a covering up at our first stop to provide even more shade, but he had to take it down to sail.)

[Robin7]

We made our way to an area where Jason knew there were turtles. We were the only boat there. He passed out masks and snorkels but not fins so we couldn’t accidentally hurt a turtle. (There was no current, so fins weren’t needed anyway.)

 

Jason had bought some bait fish from a guy who brought his boat right up alongside the catamaran. At first, no turtle appeared, but finally one came and then a second. Jason told us they had been tagging turtles the week before so they were still shy. The site he took us to usually had six or seven turtles, but only two came on our day. Still, they were beautiful, and we got to spend quite a long time watching/photographing them. They seemed to get less timid the more time we spent there. Jason actually got one to eat right out of his hand before we left!

 

 

 

Jason preparing the bait fish.

 

 

 

 

Trying to get the turtle to eat from his hand.

 

[Robin7]

 

 

 

 

Mask faces!

 

 

More soda and water, and we then motored to another area and snorkeled on a reef. Saw many interesting fish, including some sparkly Damsel fish and some trumpet fish and an interesting fish that lay on its side and looked just like part of the reef! We also saw several kinds of coral: brain, fire, and green. (And probably a few more I can’t remember.)

[chef_christoph]

I love those sea turtle pictures! Great job!

[Robin7]

Then it was lunch time. We motored to yet another beach where his wife, Tess, and their little girl met us with bags containing a nice, home-cooked lunch—flying fish (really yummy and really ‘Bajan’), chicken, macaroni and cheese, rice and beans, and a couple of salads. Jason started serving rum punch, and the four of us who don’t imbibe got all the soda we could drink.

 

Jason then took down the shade, put up the sail, and we were off on our way back to the ship, the wind in our hair, the sun on our faces, and a storm whipping up in the distance. Words cannot do justice to the peace and beauty of that afternoon.

 

We arrived back to the beach, retrieved our shoes, and shuffled our barefooted way over to the taxi where Tony washed each foot off before he’d let us inside. We retraced our way back to the ship, and he dropped us off about 3:30pm. Sigh. Such a wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason's wife, Tess, and his little girl head back down the beach after dropping off our lunch.

 

[Robin7]

We headed immediately back to our cabin for showers and balcony sitting until dinner. The inlaws did some shopping first. (We did almost no shopping on this trip; we were too lazy.)

 

The show after dinner was “Stage to Screen,” starring the RC singers and dancers. We’ve seen A LOT of these production shows, and this was our least favorite, by far. Not because of a lack of talent by the performers (they all seemed to be great at their jobs) but because the musical choices were not from shows we enjoy: Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, Hair, and some others. We were not the only ones who felt this way. Our dinner companions were first-time cruisers, and they hated it. I advised them to reserve judgment until they’d seen the second show (which they ended up enjoying) because we usually enjoy them, and this was an unusual one.

 

More card playing followed, then bed because the next day was another early excursion in St. Lucia.

 

 

 

Next up: St. Lucia, but I have to feed a marching band today, so it won't be up until tomorrow. :D