Live from the Serenade of the Seas 1/4/13-1/14/13

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Embarkation in Barcelona was a breeze. No long line for us partly because we are in a suite but even the regular line wasn’t long when we got to the port at 2:00PM. It was a 23 Euro fare from the train station.

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that Serenade of the Seas looks like a brand new ship. It is lovely. We usually sail Celebrity and the first thing my son said was “Hey, where is the welcome aboard champagne and orange juice?”. I had to laugh but that is a nice touch and something Royal might want to consider. I notice that they don’t have a daily newspaper in the lobby, which I like to keep up with a little news each day. Minor complaint but something they might want to do. The ship is easy to navigate.

 

The interiors are very attractive in purples and gold tones. The artwork is just ok (kind of cheap looking) but this doesn’t really detract. Everything looks brand new. The ship doesn’t feel crowded at all and fellow passengers are well- mannered. No kids running around wild or drunks. It’s great! Passengers range in age from 30’s-70’s. Not a floating retirement home or anything like that.

 

The arial performers are practicing each morning in the Centrum. They aren’t sailing through the air though. They are still working with the acrobatic equipment- so there aren’t going to be any amazing feats on this cruise. I get vertigo looking down into the Centrum from deck 10 but I like the multi-story Centrum. It is very attractive and not cheesy like the one I encountered on Radiance of the Seas in 2006 (where they had bingo in the lobby).

 

We are fortunate that we were upgraded to a Grand Suite prior to embarkation and we are spoiled now! It is really nice with new carpet, linens, a marble style bathroom (shower head is kind of powerful and water gets everywhere but minor problem). There is a new flat screen but no DVD player. There is a problem with the pay movies and account information access from the stateroom (at least in our cabin). I’ve called twice about it and they claim it is an internet problem but that makes no sense at all. These are internal functions. Oh well- there are free movies throughout the day and I have my laptop to watch DVD’s.

 

There is no library onboard. Just some locking bookshelves on deck five. I guess the Kindle is taking away the lure of libraries but I really like having one and I miss that.

 

Trivia is good and meets twice a day ( 11 and 5:15). We saw the Magician last night and he was good and entertaining. My son’s mouth was gaping during his table levitation trick. It was impressive.

 

Food so far is pretty good throughout- not fantastic but tasty. We are trying Giovanni’s Table tomorrow night. The menu looks good and the surcharge is only $20 per person. Dress is always business casual even on formal nights. My favorite find is the English “Walker” crisps at the Park Cafe. Love the Cheese and Onion ones. We tried Rita Cantina today and it was a good value ($2.00 for chicken tacos, $1.70 for Corn Tortilla Cigars) My son’s coke ($2.50) cost more that the menu items.

 

Service is very good and everyone is happy and helpful.

Our Captain is Captain “Karin” and yep- it’s a woman! That’s a first for us and she is doing an excellent job steering the ship.

 

Weather is ideal here. People were actually swimming in the outdoor pool today. It was sunny and about 65 degrees outside. Nice change for us- since we live in Baltimore.

 

There is a Park Cafe in the Solarium- which offers nice salads and sandwiches. I have walked through here several times and there are no children in the indoor pool. There is a notation in the Cruise Compass- that the during this cruise (due to inclement weather) the solarium is open to children from 12-4 pm but they must be accompanied by an adult. On Caribbean cruises this will not be the case because it will be warm enough outside.

 

There are many children onboard- surprisingly. I would guess at least 100. Some are from Spain but my son, Marc (age 12) made a new friend, David. David is from Texas but is living in Afghanistan with his family. He goes to an American school there. Not sure what the Dad does for a living. I think this will be a very interesting pen pal for him. My son is home schooled and he isn’t that thrilled that we have to do schoolwork onboard but I keep reminding him this isn’t a “vacation”- it’s a field trip.

 

I think everyone will be pleased with Serenade of the Seas. I think it is very comparable to Celebrity Millennium Class ships- which are my favorite.

[OnlyMe]

Thank you very much for taking the time to post this - am loving reading your report!

Can I ask, are the Walkers Chips available free in the Park Cafe or is there a charge? Do they come in packets or bowls?

[SailingSal]

I am so happy that you like the Serenade. We sailed on it 4 times when it was in San Juan. Our last trip was in April, right before it was up-dated. There was a lot of wear and much needed repair. We love this size ship and hope that we can sail on it while it is in Europe. Enjoy your trip!:)

[carumba7]

Thanks for the information, can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. I'm a little surprised there is no DVD player in the GS. The website lists this as included I think.