Serenade of the Seas review 4/30 - 5/7 with a couple of pics thrown in....

[Brett2657]

Let me start by saying that this is my first review. I have been on Cruise Critic now for a couple years and it has been an invaluable resource for planning various cruises. Its time that I tried to give something back. My partner and I are from Orlando, FL and as far as the Caribbean goes this is our first experience by cruise ship other than the Bahamas. Please excuse my somewhat off sense of humor and I will be glad to try and answer any questions you may have.

So Bill, Aubrey (my niece) and I take off from Orlando on Jetblue about an hour late and arrive in San Juan, PR at almost 4 pm. We take a cab for 19 dollars to the Marriott Stellaris Resort and Casino. I booked this on priceline and got a winning bid of 115 dollars which I thought was a great price. We walked in the door and were greeted with rum cocktails. I really did not know or care what was in the drink but, all I knew is it had alcohol and I was on vacation!!!:D Here is a view from our room on the 20th floor balcony....

[Brett2657]

We asked the girl at the front desk what time Fort Morrow closed and a good place to get some authentic cuisine. She told us the Fort closed at 6 pm and that she suggested we should try "Raices". We took off to the Fort at a cost of 14 dollars for the cab ride. Made it to the Fort at 5:25. We kinda got a dirty look from the Ranger at the front desk who was obviously gearing up for closing the place down but, in we went.

 

[Brett2657]

We get chased out of the Fort at closing time and proceed into Old San Juan. Let me tell you that as a first timer to this area I was in complete awe of the buildings, streets, etc. It combined old Spanish with an island feel.

We were starting to get hungry (this is a recurring theme) and started looking for a place to eat. Street signs were pretty much non existent but, we came upon a restaurant that was packed while other restaurants around it sat pretty much empty. Wouldn't you know it, it was "Raices". We got on the waiting list and while waiting for our names to be called we watched some Flamenco dancers on the street. Also on a side note I found out for any of you that may watch the program "Man vs Food" this one of the places he visited. We got called in and immediately started on Sangria.:D I have to say that the menu was a bit daunting. There were items on the menu that were named things I could not pronounce and if I did I would probably have my mouth washed out with soap. The waiter walked us through it and we did alot of sampling. The meal was fantastic. Service was a bit slow but, I chalked it up to the fact that they were on island time and I had not made the adjustment yet.

It was 11:30 by the time we were done. We were all tired from all the days excitement and went back to the hotel. I decided I had not had a Pina Colada yet so I ordered one and went into the casino to tangle with the one arm bandits. After being robbed of $40 and an empty glass I decided to call it a night.......

[Brett2657]

Day 2

We woke up about 8 am but, nobody actually started motivating til about 9. On the way in from the airport by niece pointed out to me that a Starbucks was across the street from the hotel. Now you need to understand in my family we consider Starbucks a part of the food pyramid. We need at least 3 servings from the caffeine food group to maintain a healthy balance in life. I got the speech from her that If I was a nice, loving, caring, etc. uncle I would go down 20 floors, cross the street get coffee and bring it back. I countered with a trump card. Being the good uncle that I am and since this vacation your about to embark on is melted into my credit card the least you could do is schlep you butt over and get me coffee and while your at it I will take some kind of baked good.:D I actually won that battle. I think it was because we were not on the ship yet. She trumped me at every turn from then on.

 

Coffee on the balcony.......mmmmmm!

 

We checked out of the hotel about 11 and began to proceed to Pan Am pier. Once again this being my first experience with San Juan I was kinda shocked when I saw how small the RCI boarding area was. We pulled up to a huge line out the door. Gave our luggage to the porters and the obligatory tip in the outreached hands and proceeded to the end of the line. To my surprise the line moved fairly quickly. We were on board within 25 minutes. Off to the Windjammer we went.

[GaryNFla]

awesome review so far.. I was on Serenade Apr 9-16 and thanks to your review I am back in Puerto Rico and our journey has just began..Thanks!!

[janabm81]

Awesome review so far...can't wait to read more! :)

[Brett2657]

awesome review so far.. I was on Serenade Apr 9-16 and thanks to your review I am back in Puerto Rico and our journey has just began..Thanks!!

 

Thank you Gary. What part of Florida are you from? Which group of islands did you get to visit?

[Brett2657]

Awesome review so far...can't wait to read more! :)

 

Your very kind. Thank you very much :D

[Host Faith]

Yay! I get to re-live cruising the Serenade:D. Can't wait to read more, thank you for sharing!

[TxStacey]

SO excited there is a NEW Serenade review!! I will be on her in about 40 days! Cant wait to read more!! Thanks for the pictures too!

[Brett2657]

Thank you Faith. I thoroughly loved your review a little while back. You did a great job.

[Brett2657]

SO excited there is a NEW Serenade review!! I will be on her in about 40 days! Cant wait to read more!! Thanks for the pictures too!

 

I love the Serenade. I really wish I would have done a back to back on this one. Do you have any extra room for a stowaway in your luggage? :D

[Brett2657]

I have to admit I did not really take any picture inside the Serenade for the fact that she is identical (for the most part) to the Brilliance of the Seas which we took out of Barcelona to see Egypt in 2009. On a good note it did not take me 2 days to get my bearing correct (3 if I had been drinking :D). The prices were extremely good on this voyage and with 3 of us I booked a Junior Suite. We had an aft balcony 1602 deck 10. Let me tell you I loved the huge amount of room on that balcony!!!! That being said I don't think I would ever book one again for the following reasons. The Windjammer was directly above us and there was always a noise level of scooting chairs, etc. When they hosed down the Windjammer we always got a deluge of water on our deck. The final reason was the vibration from what I would guess was the propellers. The unobstructed views were absolutely amazing though. I loved seeing Fort Morrow all lit up at night as we passed by.

Here is a picture of Old San Juan taken from my balcony.

The mandatory emergency drill was at 8 pm. Being that it was barely after 1 pm we had alot of time to kill. We wandered the ship in search of different shaped drink glasses so my niece could have some souvenirs. So not wanting to be classified as a non-team player I had to drink several drinks with some kind of fruit or umbrella garnish (ssssshhh, don't tell the vodka martini drinkers union. I will be banished and stripped of all honors). After checking my reservations for MTD, Chops, Portofinos, the poker tournament and the spa I decided a nap would fit well into my days itinerary. I woke up around the time the loud speaker was blaring about finding your deck for the emergency drill. The emergency drill is what it always is mandatory and boring. Went up briefly to the sail away party. Went back to my room to get pictures of the Fort that did not turn out (on this note I finally have a valid excuse for buying another camera):D. Milled around the ship some then all went back to the room turned on a movie around 11. End day 2.

__________________

[subtchr]

Thanks for the review - we LOVED our Serenade cruise in December!

 

And I totally agree about Old San Juan. We did not tour it until the last day, before our flight, but I thought it was wonderful. Such a unique combination of the old and new, and so many beautiful sights and vistas.

[Brett2657]

I thought I would throw in a copy of the first days cruise compass....

 

[Brett2657]

Thanks for the review - we LOVED our Serenade cruise in December!

 

And I totally agree about Old San Juan. We did not tour it until the last day, before our flight, but I thought it was wonderful. Such a unique combination of the old and new, and so many beautiful sights and vistas.

 

Thank you Sue. What was your itinerary on your sailing? When we go back to sail out of PR again I really would like to spend more than one day. We just did not have enough time to even begin to scratch the surface.

[subtchr]

Thank you Sue. What was your itinerary on your sailing? When we go back to sail out of PR again I really would like to spend more than one day. We just did not have enough time to even begin to scratch the surface.

 

Ours was St. Thomas, St. Croix, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada. I did photo review as well, linked in my signature.

 

Looking forward to more of yours!

[Brett2657]

Ours was St. Thomas, St. Croix, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada. I did photo review as well, linked in my signature.

 

Looking forward to more of yours!

 

What a great review! I do love the space that comes with a JS. I see our itineraries were just about the same except that you went to Dominica instead of St Lucia.

[BellaBaci4]

Thanks for taking the time to review The Serenade. We will be on the ship in three weeks.

I have a question on the Mariott Stellaris, which we also won on Priceline. Did you upgrade to get an oceanview room? I love priceline, but feel you don't really get a good location.

Thanks again, and keep the review coming.

Bella

[GaryNFla]

Thank you Gary. What part of Florida are you from? Which group of islands did you get to visit?

 

I was Fort Lauderdale but now live in Asheville NC... We did St Croix, Barbados,Tortolla, St Marteen,St Kitts and Dominica.. I so loved St Marteen and will go back soon to spend a few days there..

[Brett2657]

Thanks for taking the time to review The Serenade. We will be on the ship in three weeks.

I have a question on the Mariott Stellaris, which we also won on Priceline. Did you upgrade to get an oceanview room? I love priceline, but feel you don't really get a good location.

Thanks again, and keep the review coming.

Bella

 

Bella I had a huge concern about location when I got the Stellaris on Priceline. I actually called the Stellaris 3 weeks before we left to see if I could upgrade. I was given a canned response that if I had any issue that I need to take it up with priceline. This made me even more nervous. I just knew I was going to get a parking lot view with one bed. For 3 people this would have been a daunting situation. When we finally got to the hotel I laid on the charm and asked if it was possible to at least have a double. Then asked if I could possibly get an ocean view. She was very accommodating and gave us a beautiful room on the 20th floor. I actually kinda sweated it out thinking how much extra this was going to cost me. When we went to check out I was told that there were no charges and have a great cruise. I love Marriott!

[Brett2657]

I was Fort Lauderdale but now live in Asheville NC... We did St Croix, Barbados,Tortolla, St Marteen,St Kitts and Dominica.. I so loved St Marteen and will go back soon to spend a few days there..

 

Gary that is a great itinerary. I really want to go to St Marteen really bad. I have heard nothing but wonderful things.

[Brett2657]

Day 3, St Thomas

At this point I am going to give a little background information before I continue. To those that know me it will come as no surprise that I am a Type A personality. I plan, research and micromanage things into the ground. In the case of my family it prevents or at the very least minimizes the endless questions of "What do you want to do today?" I don't know "What do you want to do today". At least if I have a guideline for the day I don't care if we stray from it and it prevents me murdering someone at 9 am in the morning. This day I had planned for a beach day and bought tickets to go up the cable cars to paradise point for the view and drink a "Bushwacker".

At this point in time I want to put in a disclaimer that I am not a shopper. I tend to pace, grumble and generally get put off by large amounts of shopping. I in no way mean to offend any shoppers but, its just not my thing. That being said I was with 2 serious shopaholics. Bill and Aubrey hear the words deal, sale or half price and their sweat glands go into overdrive and I swear they both begin to salivate.

Well in the milling around yesterday I was dragged to the "Shopping Seminar in the Safari Lounge (Shoot me!). We were presented with all the glorious deals that could be ours (Please shoot me!). Then was told of all the free trinkets and discounts that could be ours (Why haven't I been shot yet??). Needless to say our Beach Day for St Thomas became a shopping day (God protect me an my credit card).

Arrival in St Thomas

St Thomas shopping district

 

It actually was raining off and on all day so the thought of missing a good beach day subsided. We went running around picking up the free charms and such to the excitement of Aubrey (my niece) and Bill. Bill actually won a 5 carat sapphire at one of the endless raffles. We found a great little restaurant on the water and had some wonderful seafood for lunch. Around 2 we made our way to the cable car to paradise point.

Views from Paradise Point...

 

[Brett2657]

St Thomas cont...

After looking around a couple shops and taking pictures from various vantage points we sat down to drink the infamous frozen concoction that is a "Bushwacker". To say these drinks were strong would be a gross understatement. If you did not have hair on your chest you would after one of these. If you did have hair on your chest it would have vaporized. I will swear that it took the nail polish off one of Aubrey's fingernails. We then had to head back down and head towards the ship. 5 pm sail away with a 4:30 everyone back on board.

This night was a formal night so I had made reservations in Portofino's. We made it about half way through the meal when my niece had the distinctive green glow that is called sea sickness. Seas were actually a little rough. So she got up and went back to the room half way through the meal. The chef came to the table to chat with us and he focused on me because he thought I was the spitting image of "Anthony Bourdain" (for those of you who do not know who that is, he is an accomplished New York chef that now had a travel show on the travel channel tasting local cuisine.) After dinner we went to the casino and I used my free slot pulls from the coupon book. Used my match plays at the black jack table and finally got robbed again of 40 bucks from those dam blinking one arm terrors before calling it a night.

Next St Croix

[DolphinSmile]

I was hoping tohear more about the poker room and tourneys. We are going on first cruise in september on the serenade and are avid poker players :)

thanks!