Questions about Serenade of the Seas

[cbtengwife]

We have only sailed on Carnival but looking at sailing Serenade of the Seas in December out of New Orleans. Just have a few questions that I would like input on. How hard is it to get a table for two in main dinning? What type of food is served in main dinning? Do waiters perform? How comfortable are the beds? How are the shows? What kind of onboard activities are offered? From what I read, I cannot bring bottled water onboard, but there is a water package that can be purchased. Does anyone know how much this is?

Thanks in advance for all input and suggestions

[printingchick]

We have only sailed on Carnival but looking at sailing Serenade of the Seas in December out of New Orleans. Just have a few questions that I would like input on. How hard is it to get a table for two in main dinning? What type of food is served in main dinning? Do waiters perform? How comfortable are the beds? How are the shows? What kind of onboard activities are offered? From what I read, I cannot bring bottled water onboard, but there is a water package that can be purchased. Does anyone know how much this is?

Thanks in advance for all input and suggestions

 

Serenade is my FAVORITE ship to date! You'll love her!! I'm also a former Carnival Cruiser.

 

Best way to get a table for 2 is to utilize MyTime Dining. If you like having the same dining time and staff, just book a standing reservation. I've done this twice and we were assigned to a specific table. It was just like traditional dining, except we sat by ourselves and we could CHOOSE what time to eat.

 

Food is kind of subjective. They just updated the Royal Caribbean MDR menus. I've always found the MDR food comparable to Carnival.

 

The waiters do perform on certain nights, but primarily only on the first floor, for the traditional dining area. If you do MyTime, you'll be on the second floor. You can still see them if you wish to, by walking over to the railing. On one or two nights, they do something like a parade and they walk through the upstairs area too.

 

You'll love the beds. Very comfortable.

 

The Broadway type shows will be comparable. RCL tends to get more NAME entertainment (albeit often names that were big a LONG time ago!) than Carnival.

 

I take a re-usable water bottle and fill it in the cabin. I've never purchased the water package.

 

Activities are the main reason I prefer Royal to Carnival. There are more of them and they appeal more to a "Get Out There" type of passenger. Be sure not to miss:

• The 70s party, in the Centrum on Serenade. If you like, you can dress in retro clothing. (We always do!) It's HUGELY fun!
  
• The Quest Game (for adults). It's a kind of scavenger hunt event that gets a little off-color!
  
• The Sexy Leg Contest. (Think Hairy Chest Contest - same idea, different body part.)
  
• Crew versus passenger dodge ball or water volleyball. A lot of fun.
  

Enjoy your cruise!

[blonde1981]

We have only sailed on Carnival but looking at sailing Serenade of the Seas in December out of New Orleans. Just have a few questions that I would like input on. How hard is it to get a table for two in main dinning? If you select my time dining there is an option to request this and it should be no problem. What type of food is served in main dinning? There are a ton of threads about the new menus if you want to search back a few pages otherwise it is standard American fare - steak, fish, lamb, etc. Do waiters perform? There is usually 1 night towards the end of the cruise they sing. How comfortable are the beds? Haven't had any issues. Maybe a little too soft for some. How are the shows? Like everything else - some are better than others. I personally wanted to strangle the magician who kept pulling out umbrellas all show but others enjoyed it. I like the singing and dancing shows. What kind of onboard activities are offered? It varies. Trivia, sports tournaments, towel folding demonstrations, ice carvings, etc. Again looking at any sailings cruise compass will give you an idea. From what I read, I cannot bring bottled water onboard, but there is a water package that can be purchased. Does anyone know how much this is? Usually runs about $3 a bottle with the package plus tip. Individually I think $3.95 + tip. I've never been told I couldn't bring my own on the ship though.

Thanks in advance for all input and suggestions

 

See above. Took the Serenade last year out of San Juan and really liked her. A smaller ship but still fun. I can't see you having a bad time on her.

[cbtengwife]

One more question. How formal are the formal nights?

[KansCocoa]

One more question. How formal are the formal nights?

 

You'll see quite a variety of outfits on formal nights...men will be dressed in khakis with a dress shirt, suites & ties, or tuxedos....women tend to dress up a bit more, and I've seen cocktail dresses to long, formal gowns...

[MIcruiser99]

I have always emailed RCI dining and asked for a table for two. Each cruise, they will email me back with a confirmation.

 

We have always been given a table for two and did not need to use MTD.

 

On our cruise, the waiters only sang the last night as a good bye to us.

[blonde1981]

One more question. How formal are the formal nights?

 

Cocktail attire should be fine for your cruise.

[sonvoltken6]

One more question. How formal are the formal nights?

 

You see everything from slacks to evening gowns on formal nights and the occasional person in jeans.

[Dmom & dad]

I just call royal after im booked and request a table for two. I have never had any issue getting it! And i did do it when we sailed on the serenade.

[cbtengwife]

Another question. What deck do you debark on for ports? Looking at OV rooms and debating between 2010 and 3524. Anyone stayed in these rooms? Just wondering about noises.

Thanks for all the tips and advice....

[Ocean Spirit]

We are already booked on the 9 day out of New Orleans this December. We love the 2 days of sea returning to New Orleans... so relaxing. We have a great and very active Meet and Mingle group... come join us on the message boards.

 

We cruise several different cruise lines and enjoy them all. However, our first choice is Royal. Carnival is "fun" and great for families and singles out for a good time. Royal is a bit more elegant vs. neon lights. But is lots of fun too.

 

We are finding more and more people being more casual in the dining rooms in general. With airlines charging for bags, some folks are just going with carry-on's. (I could never do it!) I agree you will see everything from pants to super bling!

[cruiseguy1016]

Another question. What deck do you debark on for ports? Looking at OV rooms and debating between 2010 and 3524. Anyone stayed in these rooms? Just wondering about noises.

Thanks for all the tips and advice....

 

Debarkation is on deck 2, usually at the aft staircase but sometimes at the forward staircase. Which itinerary are you taking? I would stay away from 3524 if you are concerned about noise. If your itinerary includes Grand Cayman, there will be lots of noise. Grand Cayman is a tender port which means they will drop anchor. 3524 is very close tot he bow of the ship where the anchors are. If they drop anchor, you will hear LOTS of noise. Even at ports that you will be docking at there will be noise associated with the mooring lines that need to be deployed.

[cbtengwife]

Ports are Key West, Labadee Haiti, Falmouth Jamaica and George Town Grand Cayman are the ports. Will deck 2 be a problem with that being the deck for port debark? I am not as concerned with noise during waking hours, just don't want loud noises in the middle of the night. What are opinions on aft deck 3? Thanks for all the help.