Serenade New Years cruise 2013: A review

[sweetcruiser106]

Hi all,

My husband and I just returned from the Serenade of the Seas New Year's cruise. This was our 7th cruise with Royal Caribbean and our 3rd on a Radiance class ship. We have sailed on at least one ship in every class except Freedom class.

 

Pre-cruise: We drove to New Orleans from our home near Memphis (about a 6 hour drive) and stayed at the Marriott across from the Convention Center. We booked a package that included parking. This hotel is very close to the Julia Street wharf where Serenade docks. In fact, it is within walking distance of the pier as is a Wyndham, Hyatt Place, Courtyard by Marriott, Springhill Suites, and Embassy Suites to name a few. It was our original plan to walk to the pier on sail away day; however the weather was bad and we took a taxi instead. The fare was $14.00 (this is a fixed rate). In case you are interested, the fare from the downtown area to the airport is $33.00 or $14.00 per person for 3 or more people. Cruise parking in the area seems to be around $12-15 per day.

 

Cruise check-in: As I said, the weather was bad (very rainy). The area near the entrance is covered so we stayed dry. We dropped our bags at the doors and went to check in. The entire check-in process took us about 30 minutes. It would not have taken that long, but our agent couldn't find our sea pass cards (we were sort of hoping for an upgrade, but it was not to be).

 

The Ship: Serenade of the Seas is about 10 years old and was revitalized last December. She is in wonderful shape. As part of her revitalization process, Giovanni's Table, Rita's Cantina, Izumi, and Park Cafe were added. Giovanni's is located where Portofino used to be, Rita's is port side aft in the Windjammer, Izumi is where the Seaview Cafe used to be, and the Park Cafe is in the Solarium.

For those of you who care, the Windjammer did have honey stung chicken on boarding day. Everything seemed to be new and fresh. Our stateroom (1104) was ready on time and our stateroom attendant dropped by soon afterward and introduced himself. 1104 is located on deck 10 and is an aft cabin. The balcony had 2 loungers, 2 deck chairs, and a small table. The view was wonderful.

Muster drill was on time and took about 10-15 minutes tops. Members of the entertainment staff were our muster leaders and kept things light and moving along. Departure from New Orleans was delayed for about an hour due to loading of supplies and other provisions. Because New Orleans is about 100 or so miles up the Mississippi River from the Gulf, neither the casino nor the shops are open on the first cruise night and close early on the last cruise night. It takes around 6-7 hours to reach the Gulf of Mexico from New Orleans.

 

Drinks: We chose not to buy any of the drink packages; however we did consider purchasing the "Refreshment Package". This is the one that includes soft drinks, juices, bottled water, and specialty coffees. We added up how much we drink of those products and realized that we probably wouldn't be cost effective for us ($20.00 a day per person). Also, come to find out, specialty coffees at Lattitudes is not included in the package.

 

Food:

We ate in Giovanni's the first evening and Chops on NYE. Both experiences were excellent. The wait staff was very attentive and the food was warm and tasty at both venues. I think that our best service of the week was in Giovanni's and the best food was in Chops. Our experience in the Windjammer was also very positive. The service staff was very attentive and the food selection was wide and plentiful, and most importantly hot. We found that many of the items on the main dining room menu could also be found in the Windjammer. Also, finding seating in the Windjammer was never a problem and we spent a lot of time in the aft outdoor seating area. The only (and I do mean only) negative experience that we had was in the main dining room. We ate there 3 times. We had My Time Dining. The first night that we ate there was a formal night and we had one of the last reservations of the evening. The wait staff was slow and the food was cold and not cooked evenly. The staff was very apologetic about the food and service and even brought us an extra dessert. The next evening, we were earlier and were seated in a different area of the restaurant. The service was better and the food was warm; however the whole experience seemed rushed and we felt crowded. The last night that we ate in the service was almost as bad as the first night and the food was not well prepared. Service was definitely subpar. This is the first time in all of the years that I have been sailing that I recall the head waiter actually waiting tables, serving food, etc. We ate in the Windjammer the rest of the week and had a much more enjoyable and relaxed experience. Also, the food was better.

 

Activities:

Topi Ylonen was our cruise director and Chris (I didn't get his last name) was activities manager. The first thing that my husband and I noticed was the lack of announcements for bingo, art auctions, etc. They did make announcements, but not nearly as often as I recall on other ships. We grew to like Topi as a cruise director. Of course, most of our "contact" was through the morning show that all of the cruise directors seem to do now. He also did an enrichment program on a trip through the South Pacific that he took several years ago on a catamaran, and I found him to be very funny and interesting. My husband said that the slots were not very generous on our cruise and overall the casino did not seem to be crowded at any time during the cruise. Some NFL football games were carried on tv and were also televised on the big screen by the pool, as well as many of the bowl games. We attended many of the shows and one of the headliners in the theatre and enjoyed them very much. On New Year's Eve there were several theme parties around the ship. The most traditional party was in the Centrum and featured an aerialist performance, the Serenade orchestra, and, of course, a balloon drop at midnight.

 

Ports of Call: We stopped in Key West, Nassau, and Coco Cay. Key West was our favorite port. My husband is a huge Hemingway fan and we spent the better part of our morning at his house. We ate at the Blackfin Grille for lunch, and loved it. We were in Nassau on New Year's Eve. Nassau was very crowded with 5 ships in port that day and Bay Street was set up for a parade (?). We didn't stay on shore too long. The ship left the port at about 11:45 pm. The captain positioned the ship so that the fireworks display at Atlantis could be seen before we sailed for Coco Cay. Coco Cay is a very nice place to spend New Year's Day. We were on the island along with people from Majesty of the Seas. While the island was crowded, we still were able to find a nice area to lounge and watch the world go by.

 

Our fellow travelers: Of course, being a holiday, we had many families on board, but also an amazing number of older people. The kids seemed pretty well behaved for the most part, although they did seem to become a little restless toward the end of the week.

 

Disembarkation: I had heard horror stories regarding disembarkation in New Orleans and was prepared for a long process. However, I was pleasantly surprised. We left the ship at 9:00 am and were dropping off our luggage at the hotel by no later than 9:30 am (we were able to walk this time).

 

Overall, this was a nice vacation. Serenade is a lovely ship and has a friendly staff. We are concerned about the dining room service and expressed our concerns to Royal Caribbean in their survey. Like I said, much of the food items that were served in the main dining room are also served in the Windjammer, so I know that the food can be good. Hopefully, Royal Caribbean will evaluate the issues that were experienced in the main dining room and adjust accordingly. Also, this will not prevent us from sailing her again. We booked the same cruise next year.

 

Anne:)

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thank u for sharing. I am booking the serenade for our med cruise this year.

 

Thanks again:)

[Janet524]

Thank you for your very objective and balanced review of Serenade. I wonder if the issues you experienced in the MDR were because of My Time Dining? We usually always do late seating, but on a recent "last minute" cruise we had no choice by My Time Dining. We had a similar experience as yours - uneven food and service, and feeling like we had to rush our way through dinner. We're booked on Serenade in a month and I'm hoping that with late seating we may not have the same issues as you had.

[Jtd724]

Thanks for the review! We sail on the Serenade in August.

 

Did you try out at all Rita's Cantina?

[Topo Gigio]

The italian guy serving in GT is excellent. I went twice and I have tried all desserts;)

 

Ylonen is Topi's last name and indeed very few announcements.His activities manager from Brazil was also excellent, but he left on the day we arrived from the TA. I don't know if he will be back on the Serenade or another ship. They made a good team.I can't recall his name but he has worked on almost all Royal Caribbean ships. Only Legend,Indy and Brilliance are the 3 ships he hasn't worked on.

 

Only for bingo you would have Sara (the italian girl with the big glasses) announcing that bingo was to begin in like 15 or 30 minutes.

[KeywestK]

Thank you so much for your review of your recent Serenade cruise. We are booked for March, and since she has been back from Europe, there haven't been many reviews.

 

I have been pushing to have more dinners in the Windjammer, rather than in the dining room, but DH is hard to convince. Your review tells me I should continue to pursue this idea;)

 

Thank you again for your review.

[sweetcruiser106]

Thank you for your very objective and balanced review of Serenade. I wonder if the issues you experienced in the MDR were because of My Time Dining? We usually always do late seating, but on a recent "last minute" cruise we had no choice by My Time Dining. We had a similar experience as yours - uneven food and service, and feeling like we had to rush our way through dinner. We're booked on Serenade in a month and I'm hoping that with late seating we may not have the same issues as you had.

 

I had done MTD on Radiance and Allure before and didn't have these problems. I really don't know what the problem was. The MTD tables really seemed to be spaced close together and I was thinking that perhaps the problem was too many tables, too little staff.

[sweetcruiser106]

Thanks for the review! We sail on the Serenade in August.

 

Did you try out at all Rita's Cantina?

 

No, we ate there on Allure and really liked it and had planned to on this sailing. But since then, they have changed the menu and it seems to be more appetizers than entree type menu items, and we decided to skip it. I will tell you that the margaritas that we got in the other bars were very good. To be honest, we never saw many people in Rita's. I don't know if the menu or the location was the reason.

[Jtd724]

Thanks for the reply :) I hope you don't mind a few more questions :)

 

What were your thoughts regarding the aerial shows in the centrum and the crowd (view problems)? Also, were these shows nightly or only certain nights?

 

R Bar, is it just a name or do they really try to get a new vibe down there?

 

Since you have been on Radiance class ships before, did anything really standout to you after the refurbishment?

 

Did you notice anything in regards to the new Babies n Tots 6-36 month old dropoff nursery?

 

Last one! The movie theatre, did you happen to watch a movie or just check it out while walking by and if so, anything new?

 

I just have the cruise itch and want to know as much as I can about the refurb before boarding and it will be my son's first cruise :) He'll be 8 months old.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Jtd724

[Longhorn82]

We had a nice NYE cruise on the Serenade as well. After the horrible service in the main dining room the first night, we stuck with the specialty restaurants and the Windjammer. Quality of food in the specialty restaurants was way above the other venues, as was the service.

[momof4_tn]

Thank you for your review. We leave on Serenade in 5 days and most of what I've read has been very negative. We'll see if any of the MTD MDR issues are ironed out by then. We did about half our dinners In windjammer last year on Navigator.

 

 

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[MichaelCMTX]

Thank you for a very helpful review

 

We leave on Serenade in 5 days and most of what I've read has been very negative.

 

As do we, and as we've read as well. This review is a bit more encouraging.

 

This is close to me because it's what my employer does: Did you visit the pool tables? I know on Radiance on May the balls and cues were both a bit worn and tired, and anticipating a similar situation I'm seeing what I can scrounge up as a peace offering.:D

[sweetcruiser106]

Thanks for the reply :) I hope you don't mind a few more questions :)

 

What were your thoughts regarding the aerial shows in the centrum and the crowd (view problems)? Also, were these shows nightly or only certain nights?

 

R Bar, is it just a name or do they really try to get a new vibe down there?

 

Since you have been on Radiance class ships before, did anything really standout to you after the refurbishment?

 

Did you notice anything in regards to the new Babies n Tots 6-36 month old dropoff nursery?

 

Last one! The movie theatre, did you happen to watch a movie or just check it out while walking by and if so, anything new?

 

I just have the cruise itch and want to know as much as I can about the refurb before boarding and it will be my son's first cruise :) He'll be 8 months old.

 

I felt that the best view of the aerial shows was from the forward side of the Centrum. They had shows on the first formal night, New Years Eve (in reality, the 2nd formal night, and on the last night of the cruise). You could also watch the rehearsals earlier in the day.

 

R Bar was located in the Centrum on Deck 4. I didn't really notice anything special about it. Every now and then, I saw some of the bartenders doing tricks while preparing the drinks (think Tom Cruise in Cocktail), but other than that, no difference.

 

We sailed on Radiance right after her refurbishment in 2011. They had added Giovanni's, Rita's, Izumi, Samba Grill, and the Boardwalk Dog House Hot Dog stand, and Park Grill. With the locations of Rita's (Windjammer aft port side) and Izumi (Windjammer aft starboard side), there was no real way to access the outdoor seating area on Deck 11 aft. This made the Windjammer at times seem very crowded. We spoke with one of the officers on this cruise who said that Royal may have been a little too ambitious in there refurbishment of Radiance, and they took that into account on Serenade and the other Radiance class ships. Other than that, I didn't notice any significant changes.

 

I didn't see the toddler nursery (my babies are 25 and 21 years old and stayed home to baby sit the house). The teen lounge seemed full when we passed.

 

We didn't go to the movies, however according to the Cruise Compasses that we brought home, "Fast and Furious 6", "42", "Admission" among others were playing. They did show a lot of movies with a holiday theme.

 

Hope this helps.

[sweetcruiser106]

Thank you for a very helpful review

 

 

 

As do we, and as we've read as well. This review is a bit more encouraging.

 

This is close to me because it's what my employer does: Did you visit the pool tables? I know on Radiance on May the balls and cues were both a bit worn and tired, and anticipating a similar situation I'm seeing what I can scrounge up as a peace offering.:D

 

I didn't, but my husband did. He said that the condition of the pool tables was better on Serenade than Radiance. He did say that the long shots were not as straight as he would have liked.

Edited January 7, 2014 by sweetcruiser106

[impatientlywaiting]

Thanks for the review! We sail on the Serenade in August.

 

Did you try out at all Rita's Cantina?

 

We were on the Serenade for Christmas and while we didn't eat at Rita's, they make AWESOME margaritas!

[impatientlywaiting]

Thank you for your review. We leave on Serenade in 5 days and most of what I've read has been very negative. We'll see if any of the MTD MDR issues are ironed out by then. We did about half our dinners In windjammer last year on Navigator.

 

 

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I was shocked after I read the negative reviews. I was on the same cruise as those "negative nancies" and the only negative I can find to say is that I was disappointed that the parents with younger children didn't keep tabs on them in the Windjammer -the kids would pile their plates so full of food it would spill all over the floor - and those kids were too young to be at the buffet without an adult.

 

We only eat in the Windjammer (did the MDR for several cruises and decided that wasn't our thing) and always had a good selection and plenty to eat. We were surprised to see the Windjammer in the back of the ship but there's a nice area behind the Windjammer with tables/chairs to eat and drink coffee in the morning. Oh yeah, and to have drinks during sail-away (happy hour starts at 4:00 to 6:00 and drinks are 20% off). Rita's makes awesome margaritas! ;)

[momof4_tn]

Is the Happy Hour in the WJ bar?

 

 

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[momof4_tn]

Sorry, one more question. You said you did Chops and Giovanni's at first of cruise. Did you book online in advance? Or we're they offering discounts once on board?

 

 

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[lauriekop]

Thank You for your review! Sailing on Serenade for my first cruise the end of next month and doing a lot of reading :)

[Langley Cruisers]

Thank you! Looking forward to our B2B cruises next month.

[amallison]

Thank you for posting this, I sail on the Serenade at the end of this month and it'll be my first cruise with RC.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I was on the Serenade transatlantic and there were over 140 crew members ending their contracts in NOLA the day we disembarked. The uneven service in the MDR could be a result of a crew change where many staff may be unfamiliar with how the ship and kitchen is laid out (coming from other ship classes perhaps). Our sailing only had 1800 passengers and late dining was less than half full. We did MTD and ate around 8pm every night, never had to wait for a table and the MTD section was rarely more than half full. By contrast the early dining was completely full and MTD filled up between 5:45-6pm every evening. I did hear complaints about service from people who ate early. Perhaps we were lucky but our service on MTD was excellent, the meals well paced and food hot every evening.

[Janet524]

I didn't, but my husband did. He said that the condition of the pool tables was better on Serenade than Radiance. He did say that the long shots were not as straight as he would have liked.[/QUOTE]

 

They never are!;)

[TheSweetPotatoQueen]

sweetcruiser106- I'm jumping into your review because I noticed that you, too, are a 'fellow Mississippian'! I've never encountered anyone else on CC from our great state. We're from Booneville, which is in the northeast corner.

I'm enjoying your review. We've been contemplating cruising out of NOLA in April. It seems so easy to do.

Can't wait to learn more!

Thanks!

[Sherlock43031]

tip.. if you are doing MTD on the Serenade ask to be seated with the waiter combo of Carlos and Joesph.