SERENADE OF THE SEAS review

[suzyluvs2cruise]

On our Serenade cruise, it was port side. Don't know if cabins below would be affected. It seems that mostly the smoke blows side to side. And I certainly never saw anyone doing anything as crass and dangerous as tossing their butts overboard.

 

Thanks....and glad to hear no one threw butts overboard. On a PC cruise we had hamburgers and other "stuff" thrown down onto our aft balcony. I even had a hamburger bounce off my head! :confused:

 

 

We're on this cruise next year as well and after Serenade has been revitalised I believe they're getting rid of the outdoor seating area at the back of the Windjammer

 

Can you share where you heard/saw that?

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I believe Izumi is replacing Seaview on Serenade.

 

Darn.......I wonder why they don't put Izumi where it is on Radiance. Getting to Samba, old Seaview Cafe, in wind or imclement weather is a bit of a challenge.

[Clarea]

Darn.......I wonder why they don't put Izumi where it is on Radiance. Getting to Samba, old Seaview Cafe, in wind or imclement weather is a bit of a challenge.

I'm trying to remember a post from a couple of weeks ago, but I believe someone said there was a difference in some aft stairway between Radiance and Serenade. As a result, there would be little or no exposure to the weather when going to Seaview/Izumi on Serenade.

[Steppy08]

Interesting, I wonder if we had the same asst. waiter.... we were on the Serenade in June/July and did MTD. We had Sachin/Alma for most of the nights, though our Alma was not very good. Either she got better training in 2 months or it was a different person.

 

I agree about the Sea View, we thought it was great, it's a shame it's going away.

[Wriggler]

Can you share where you heard/saw that?

 

Hi Sue

 

I'm sure I read it on the boards - can't think where else I could have read it :)

 

Carol

[rmurray847]

Interesting, I wonder if we had the same asst. waiter.... we were on the Serenade in June/July and did MTD. We had Sachin/Alma for most of the nights, though our Alma was not very good. Either she got better training in 2 months or it was a different person.

 

I agree about the Sea View, we thought it was great, it's a shame it's going away.

 

It's probably the same Alma, from Mexico. We had her one or two months after you, and I'm guessing she grew somewhat into the role. Remember, those folks who work MTD want to KEEP that spot because of the autogratuities. Alma was quiet and shy on our first day, but what was fun was seeing how she relaxes and became more outgoing as the evenings went by. By the end, she was practically a family friend...and she knew exactly when and what kind of coffee to bring, what kind of bread my wife always chose, etc. If we had only had Alma one time, I think we likely would have felt differently, but after 12 days, we just really took to her. Myla, our Waiter, was a model of efficiency and crispness. But she too went from a bit "generic" in her friendliness to very genuine and more personal. That's what struck us as the real plus side to having the same team every night...getting to see beyond the normal barriers or reserve. That, and being catered to better and better every day!

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I'm trying to remember a post from a couple of weeks ago, but I believe someone said there was a difference in some aft stairway between Radiance and Serenade. As a result, there would be little or no exposure to the weather when going to Seaview/Izumi on Serenade.

 

Thanks...that would be a big plus.

 

Hi Sue

 

I'm sure I read it on the boards - can't think where else I could have read it :)

 

Carol

 

I hope it's not true......we enjoy the aft outdoor seating area.

[ucfknight07]

Interesting, I wonder if we had the same asst. waiter.... we were on the Serenade in June/July and did MTD. We had Sachin/Alma for most of the nights, though our Alma was not very good. Either she got better training in 2 months or it was a different person.

 

I agree about the Sea View, we thought it was great, it's a shame it's going away.

 

Steppy,

 

We also had Sachin (on the July 16 sailing)... Thanks for the reminder - it was such a great trip!

[Wriggler]

I hope it's not true......we enjoy the aft outdoor seating area.

 

I remember when I read it feeling disappointed as we've never cruised Radiance Class before and wanted to experience the outdoor area after the amount of people that mention how much they like eating there :)

[rmurray847]

I remember when I read it feeling disappointed as we've never cruised Radiance Class before and wanted to experience the outdoor area after the amount of people that mention how much they like eating there :)

 

I agree that it's a bummer. On our two cruises, one of the joys of being on the ships has been the opportunity to sit aft, outside, enjoying food & beverage while watching the shore grow further and further away. We've enjoyed so many stunning sunsets in this setting, whether at the Great Outdoors on Norwegian Jade or Sea View Cafe on Serenade. So much so, that in the future, when booking cruises, this will probably be a deciding factor on which ship to book. (Yes, there are other places to sit, but the pool deck, for example, just doesn't have the same atmosphere. It just seems like the aft areas draw folks looking for a quiet time to enjoy the view and great photo ops.)

[Coralc]

I'm trying to remember a post from a couple of weeks ago, but I believe someone said there was a difference in some aft stairway between Radiance and Serenade. As a result, there would be little or no exposure to the weather when going to Seaview/Izumi on Serenade.

 

There is a stairway in one of the side seating areas (starboard, behind the WJ) on Serenade that goes directly up to the (now) Seaview Cafe.

 

I was surprised that Radiance didn't have the stairway. They might leave that side area undeveloped for access to the new restaurant.

 

Interesting, I didn't even think about that. The weather was pleasant when we ate at Samba Grill on Radiance. :)

[Clarea]

There is a stairway in one of the side seating areas (starboard, behind the WJ) on Serenade that goes directly up to the (now) Seaview Cafe.

 

I was surprised that Radiance didn't have the stairway. They might leave that side area undeveloped for access to the new restaurant.

 

Interesting, I didn't even think about that. The weather was pleasant when we ate at Samba Grill on Radiance. :)

Thanks for confirming my poor memory. I think Gina (mommabean) mentioned this before, and I believe she said that stairway is one of the differences between the first two Radiance class ships (Radiance and Brilliance) and the second two ships (Serenade and Jewel).

 

Bob

[suzyluvs2cruise]

There is a stairway in one of the side seating areas (starboard, behind the WJ) on Serenade that goes directly up to the (now) Seaview Cafe.

 

I was surprised that Radiance didn't have the stairway. They might leave that side area undeveloped for access to the new restaurant.

 

Interesting, I didn't even think about that. The weather was pleasant when we ate at Samba Grill on Radiance. :)

 

Thanks for confirming my poor memory. I think Gina (mommabean) mentioned this before, and I believe she said that stairway is one of the differences between the first two Radiance class ships (Radiance and Brilliance) and the second two ships (Serenade and Jewel).

 

Bob

 

Thanks Patti and Bob.......

[JimAOk1945]

I soaked up your review! We are hoping to take a Med cruise in a couple of years to celebrate our anniversary. :D

 

I hope you don't mind a few questions. I'm already doing research for our cruise. :rolleyes:

 

I noticed your cruise was in August. That is when we were thinking about taking our cruise.

 

Was the weather hot?

 

Did you cruise round trip from Barcelona?

 

What deck was your stateroom?

 

Are you planning to post pictures?

[rmurray847]

I soaked up your review! We are hoping to take a Med cruise in a couple of years to celebrate our anniversary. :D

 

I hope you don't mind a few questions. I'm already doing research for our cruise. :rolleyes:

 

I noticed your cruise was in August. That is when we were thinking about taking our cruise.

 

Was the weather hot?

 

Did you cruise round trip from Barcelona?

 

What deck was your stateroom?

 

Are you planning to post pictures?

Glad you liked the review...we sure liked the cruise!!

 

Yes, August was hot. We were worried about going then, but frankly, the itinerary was so good, and my work schedule didn't really allow for another time. Highs were usually low '90s most places we went. We live in New Mexico, where those kinds of highs are not too bad, because it's dry. I also have parents in South Carolina...those kinds of highs are darn near intolerable. I felt for us, it fell somewhere in between. We were hot, but not crushingly so. But everyone has different tolerances. It IS crowded then, though...European vacation. Just get tickets ahead of time when you can (like for Sagrada Familia and even San Marco's in Venice...and it's manageable.

 

Yes, our cruise was roundtrip. We were on Deck 7, pretty far forward. We've sailed twice now, and both times we took the "guaranteed balcony" price, and both times, we've been far forward (on the Jade, it was Deck 9). But we had no issues being there, frankly. For us, the balcony is the non-negotiable, not the forward, mid-ship or aft question.

 

Hadn't thought about pictures...it's not too straightforward on cruise critic.

 

Let me know if you have other questions. Happy to help...after 2 entire European cruises, I feel like a real expert...ha!

[cubella59]

Thanks so much for posting this review. I am sailing Serenade on her 2nd cruise out of drydock on the Dec 24 Holiday Cruise to teh Med as well, leaving out of Barcelona

I appreciate the tip about MTD; I guess I will have to make reservations, which sticks in my craw given that MTD is supposed to be so flexible, but I would hate to show up and have to wait an hr for a table.

Question about the Solarium, is it open to everyone or do you have to buy a pass (SPA)?

Thanks again!

[rmurray847]

[quote name='cubella59']Thanks so much for posting this review. I am sailing Serenade on her 2nd cruise out of drydock on the Dec 24 Holiday Cruise to teh Med as well, leaving out of Barcelona

I appreciate the tip about MTD; I guess I will have to make reservations, which sticks in my craw given that MTD is supposed to be so flexible, but I would hate to show up and have to wait an hr for a table.

Question about the Solarium, is it open to everyone or do you have to buy a pass (SPA)?[/QUOTE]

I hope you enjoy your cruise! The Solarium is open to anyone under 18. This is not a spa-like situation, really. It's a separate pool under a glass cover. It is nice decorated and sometimes has bar and/or food service. During the day, it was always full but mostly with older, very mellow folks. After dark, it was mostly those skewing on the very young end of the age limit, mostly goofing around and enjoying the hottub. This was during the middle of summer, mind you. Dynamics are likely to be different in late December.

Making reservations for MTD is not too bad. My additional advice, if you like attending the big shows in the theater, would be to ask your waiter what time the shows the NEXT day are, so that you can reserve around those times. We missed a couple of shows by not doing this simple thing during the early part of the cruise.

[Coralc]

[quote name='rmurray847']I hope you enjoy your cruise! The Solarium is open to anyone under 18. [/QUOTE]

The solarium pool is available to anyone 16 and over. :D

[will773]

Thanks for the review! I would love to do this itinerary!

[mrsfecura]

You mentioned that the timing of the shows was varied and I've found that too - I'm trying to plan when to make our MTD reservations for our 12 night Med on Serenade in October...I'm sure we'll be beat at the end of each long port day too, but what time might you recommend to book reservations for to be able to hit some shows? Is it a crap shoot? :)

[drvannostrund]

Does anyone know if the Serenade offers a dinner buffet nightly? On some nights we like the informal buffet instead of sitting in the mdr? Looking at the Med cruise 7/2014.

[Clarea]

[quote name='drvannostrund']Does anyone know if the Serenade offers a dinner buffet nightly? On some nights we like the informal buffet instead of sitting in the mdr? Looking at the Med cruise 7/2014.[/quote]
Yes, every Royal ship has has a nightly dinner buffet in the Windjammer from about 6pm to 9pm.