Book on Friday, Sail on Saturday: Serenade 1/18

[lacruiser]

Ever wondered if you could book a cruise the day before? I'm here to tell you that it can be done!

 

To celebrate some wonderful news, DH and I booked Friday (1/17) about noon on the 1/18 sailing of Serenade out of New Orleans. We live about 5.5 hours from the port, so it was an easy drive for us. To our delight, we got the very last balcony GTD, which turned out to be 7070, and E category. It's smaller than our preference, but hey -- who's complaining?

 

So you know our reference points, we are D+, active late 50's. We typically cruise in Nov/Dec, so cruising in January was a first for us. We generally like itinerary-heavy trips, especially the routes out of San Juan. The Radiance class ships are our favorite and we were excited to sail on Serenade since she's gone through a refurb.

 

We drove down to the port, parked in the Fulton Street parking garage (go online and pay $7 per day instead of $12 if you just drive up), caught their shuttle over to the port. We arrived at the port about 1:30, and walked directly onto the ship with our luggage! First time for that. It was a snap, and so nice to have your bags immediately.

 

Had lunch in WJ; no better, no worse than usual.

 

One thing struck us immediately: when you cruise in January, there are virtually NO children on board. In fact, I would venture to say that a good 85% of pax were retirees.

 

The ship was in fantastic shape, and we really liked the dining option additions. Loved Park Cafe, which has been put in the solarium (very convenient), and DH liked Izumi. Rita's Cantina, not so much. Giovanni's and Chops were predictable, although we did the BOGO in Chops on Saturday night and had such slow service (from kitchen, not server) that they gave us a freebie dinner, which was perfect in every respect. Service in Giovanni's was great.

 

We were told when we booked that we had to do My Time, another first for us. This ended up being a table for 2 on the upper level. Had great service, and while we prefer the traditional, late dining experience, this was perfectly fine. Food in the MDR was what we expected; there were escargot available every night.

 

One thing this trip did for us was confirm that we never, ever want to do a transatlantic. This trip started out with 2 sea days, then Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. At the end of the 2 sea days we both felt like we'd been on board for a week!

 

Ports were ok; we had just been to Falmouth in August and did a beach day, so we decided to mosey around the port shops and then go back on board. Lovely hot sunny weather so that was a nice day. Next day we had to tender into Grand Cayman on the opposite side of the island due to windy conditions. We chose to get on a bus going out to 7 Mile Beach. Were taken to "Surfside Beach", which the driver was heavily promoting. Turned out to be an ok beach, but a really horrible DJ playing ear-shredding music. We paid for our chairs, stayed 30 minutes and left. Ended up walking down to the Westin and having a really nice lunch (excellent Painkillers!) and pirating a couple of chairs. (The RCI towels are almost identical to the Westin towels...just sayin'...:D)

 

Cozumel is a favorite stop of ours, and that was a great day weather-wise, as well. Started off overcast, but ended up bright and sunny. We started out at the Money Bar, snorkeled (saw 2 leopard eels!) and then headed over to the wild side of the island till it was time to get back.

 

The sail back to NO was not the most pleasant -- we ran into heavier seas and most outside decks were closed due to wind.

 

Entertainment on the ship followed what we've come to expect, and they have a really hard-working group on the Serenade. We really enjoyed the aerial act that takes place in the Centrum now -- it's spectacular!

 

The CL was the best I've ever experienced. Thoughtful, gracious concierge Mario knew everyone by the end of the first night and greeted you by name from then on. The bartender Martin and server Annabel ran the place like a well-oiled machine. No empty glass ever sat for more than 5 minutes! We met lovely people, and there was a most refreshing lack of the "I've been on X number of cruises, how many have YOU been on?" attitude that seems to becoming all too prevalent.

 

Debarkation was, bar none, the simplest we've ever experienced. Now, I admit we dragged our feet a bit, because we discovered we had friends in town for a convention, so we didn't walk off till about 9 am. Walked straight out, straight through customs. Incredible. Shuttle was outside waiting, went back to the Fulton St. garage and dropped our bags, then went to meet our friends for lunch. We ended up leaving the garage around 1:30 with no issues there.

 

All in all, had a fantastic time. Love the Serenade, and would happily sail her again.

[nancronin]

Sounds good - nice review - glad you enjoyed your last minute trip!

[Lionesss]

Beomg a last minute cruise did you save a lot of $$$$$$

 

Nice review

 

Thanks

 

Sea Ya

[KeywestK]

Thanks for a great trip report. I was interested in your post for a few reasons: first, we are sailing on Serenade next month, and that class is also our favorite in the fleet. So I was interested in your impressions of the ship. And secondly, it is great to know that literally last minute cruising is still an option. We are moving to FL next year, about half an hour from Ft. Lauderdale, and the idea of a last minute cruise is very appealing to us;):)

 

So glad you had a great experience!

[masspector]

What is "we did the BOGO in Chops on Saturday night "?

[Ken at the beach]

What is "we did the BOGO in Chops on Saturday night "?

 

Buy one get one free coupon for D+ and Pinnacle members.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[Royal2464]

The BOGO at Chops is a Diamond Plus benefit where if you purchase a dinner at any of the specialty restaurants on the first night of your cruise you get one free. It only applies on the first night of the cruise.

[masspector]

The BOGO at Chops is a Diamond Plus benefit where if you purchase a dinner at any of the specialty restaurants on the first night of your cruise you get one free. It only applies on the first night of the cruise.

 

TY, Long way from D+

[lacruiser]

Actually, we've found that they are usually fairly lenient about letting you use your second BOGO another night during the cruise. After all, a couple receives 2 coupons (1 each), and unless you are taking guests you have one left over after the first night. We did that on Serenade and used our second BOGO in Giovanni's. We did this on OA back in August and on Adventure in December.

 

We were delighted that we were able to get on. The rep we booked with told us that 3:00 pm that day (Friday before sailing Saturday) was the deadline to get on the manifest.

 

I would love to say that we got a super cheap deal, but sadly not. I think we paid about $1400 (includes gratuities). We had a $100 deposit for an open booking and the $225 D+ discount. So -- $100 a day per person.

 

We talked to quite a few people who were sailing Serenade regularly. One couple was doing 2 weeks on, then 2 weeks off, and then back on!!:eek: Just like working offshore!:eek::eek:

[stones902]

Ever wondered if you could book a cruise the day before? I'm here to tell you that it can be done!

 

 

 

To celebrate some wonderful news, DH and I booked Friday (1/17) about noon on the 1/18 sailing of Serenade out of New Orleans. We live about 5.5 hours from the port, so it was an easy drive for us. To our delight, we got the very last balcony GTD, which turned out to be 7070, and E category. It's smaller than our preference, but hey -- who's complaining?

 

 

 

So you know our reference points, we are D+, active late 50's. We typically cruise in Nov/Dec, so cruising in January was a first for us. We generally like itinerary-heavy trips, especially the routes out of San Juan. The Radiance class ships are our favorite and we were excited to sail on Serenade since she's gone through a refurb.

 

 

 

We drove down to the port, parked in the Fulton Street parking garage (go online and pay $7 per day instead of $12 if you just drive up), caught their shuttle over to the port. We arrived at the port about 1:30, and walked directly onto the ship with our luggage! First time for that. It was a snap, and so nice to have your bags immediately.

 

 

 

Had lunch in WJ; no better, no worse than usual.

 

 

 

One thing struck us immediately: when you cruise in January, there are virtually NO children on board. In fact, I would venture to say that a good 85% of pax were retirees.

 

 

 

The ship was in fantastic shape, and we really liked the dining option additions. Loved Park Cafe, which has been put in the solarium (very convenient), and DH liked Izumi. Rita's Cantina, not so much. Giovanni's and Chops were predictable, although we did the BOGO in Chops on Saturday night and had such slow service (from kitchen, not server) that they gave us a freebie dinner, which was perfect in every respect. Service in Giovanni's was great.

 

 

 

We were told when we booked that we had to do My Time, another first for us. This ended up being a table for 2 on the upper level. Had great service, and while we prefer the traditional, late dining experience, this was perfectly fine. Food in the MDR was what we expected; there were escargot available every night.

 

 

 

One thing this trip did for us was confirm that we never, ever want to do a transatlantic. This trip started out with 2 sea days, then Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. At the end of the 2 sea days we both felt like we'd been on board for a week!

 

 

 

Ports were ok; we had just been to Falmouth in August and did a beach day, so we decided to mosey around the port shops and then go back on board. Lovely hot sunny weather so that was a nice day. Next day we had to tender into Grand Cayman on the opposite side of the island due to windy conditions. We chose to get on a bus going out to 7 Mile Beach. Were taken to "Surfside Beach", which the driver was heavily promoting. Turned out to be an ok beach, but a really horrible DJ playing ear-shredding music. We paid for our chairs, stayed 30 minutes and left. Ended up walking down to the Westin and having a really nice lunch (excellent Painkillers!) and pirating a couple of chairs. (The RCI towels are almost identical to the Westin towels...just sayin'...:D)

 

 

 

Cozumel is a favorite stop of ours, and that was a great day weather-wise, as well. Started off overcast, but ended up bright and sunny. We started out at the Money Bar, snorkeled (saw 2 leopard eels!) and then headed over to the wild side of the island till it was time to get back.

 

 

 

The sail back to NO was not the most pleasant -- we ran into heavier seas and most outside decks were closed due to wind.

 

 

 

Entertainment on the ship followed what we've come to expect, and they have a really hard-working group on the Serenade. We really enjoyed the aerial act that takes place in the Centrum now -- it's spectacular!

 

 

 

The CL was the best I've ever experienced. Thoughtful, gracious concierge Mario knew everyone by the end of the first night and greeted you by name from then on. The bartender Martin and server Annabel ran the place like a well-oiled machine. No empty glass ever sat for more than 5 minutes! We met lovely people, and there was a most refreshing lack of the "I've been on X number of cruises, how many have YOU been on?" attitude that seems to becoming all too prevalent.

 

 

 

Debarkation was, bar none, the simplest we've ever experienced. Now, I admit we dragged our feet a bit, because we discovered we had friends in town for a convention, so we didn't walk off till about 9 am. Walked straight out, straight through customs. Incredible. Shuttle was outside waiting, went back to the Fulton St. garage and dropped our bags, then went to meet our friends for lunch. We ended up leaving the garage around 1:30 with no issues there.

 

 

 

All in all, had a fantastic time. Love the Serenade, and would happily sail her again.

 

 

Thanks for your informative review. We are sailing the Serenade in a couple of weeks.

 

We did the Serenade B2B a couple of years ago. One reason we booked this time was to see our friend Mario Reyes again. What a fantastic guy!

 

I noticed a post today on another thread that the Serenade is late in coming in today due to propulsion issues. Did you have anything of that sort on your sailing? I was happy to hear that they are back to serving escargot and the relatively older clientele on board. Do you know if they are doing a nightly cigar event per se? I know it has been moved outside fleetwide (previously the Hollywood Odyssey) but I was hoping they would offer something with an open bar?

 

Thanks again for taking the time to share.

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[riclop]

Ever wondered if you could book a cruise the day before? I'm here to tell you that it can be done!

 

To celebrate some wonderful news, DH and I booked Friday (1/17) about noon on the 1/18 sailing of Serenade out of New Orleans. We live about 5.5 hours from the port, so it was an easy drive for us. To our delight, we got the very last balcony GTD, which turned out to be 7070, and E category. It's smaller than our preference, but hey -- who's complaining?

 

So you know our reference points, we are D+, active late 50's. We typically cruise in Nov/Dec, so cruising in January was a first for us. We generally like itinerary-heavy trips, especially the routes out of San Juan. The Radiance class ships are our favorite and we were excited to sail on Serenade since she's gone through a refurb.

 

We drove down to the port, parked in the Fulton Street parking garage (go online and pay $7 per day instead of $12 if you just drive up), caught their shuttle over to the port. We arrived at the port about 1:30, and walked directly onto the ship with our luggage! First time for that. It was a snap, and so nice to have your bags immediately.

 

Had lunch in WJ; no better, no worse than usual.

 

One thing struck us immediately: when you cruise in January, there are virtually NO children on board. In fact, I would venture to say that a good 85% of pax were retirees.

 

The ship was in fantastic shape, and we really liked the dining option additions. Loved Park Cafe, which has been put in the solarium (very convenient), and DH liked Izumi. Rita's Cantina, not so much. Giovanni's and Chops were predictable, although we did the BOGO in Chops on Saturday night and had such slow service (from kitchen, not server) that they gave us a freebie dinner, which was perfect in every respect. Service in Giovanni's was great.

 

We were told when we booked that we had to do My Time, another first for us. This ended up being a table for 2 on the upper level. Had great service, and while we prefer the traditional, late dining experience, this was perfectly fine. Food in the MDR was what we expected; there were escargot available every night.

 

One thing this trip did for us was confirm that we never, ever want to do a transatlantic. This trip started out with 2 sea days, then Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. At the end of the 2 sea days we both felt like we'd been on board for a week!

 

Ports were ok; we had just been to Falmouth in August and did a beach day, so we decided to mosey around the port shops and then go back on board. Lovely hot sunny weather so that was a nice day. Next day we had to tender into Grand Cayman on the opposite side of the island due to windy conditions. We chose to get on a bus going out to 7 Mile Beach. Were taken to "Surfside Beach", which the driver was heavily promoting. Turned out to be an ok beach, but a really horrible DJ playing ear-shredding music. We paid for our chairs, stayed 30 minutes and left. Ended up walking down to the Westin and having a really nice lunch (excellent Painkillers!) and pirating a couple of chairs. (The RCI towels are almost identical to the Westin towels...just sayin'...:D)

 

Cozumel is a favorite stop of ours, and that was a great day weather-wise, as well. Started off overcast, but ended up bright and sunny. We started out at the Money Bar, snorkeled (saw 2 leopard eels!) and then headed over to the wild side of the island till it was time to get back.

 

The sail back to NO was not the most pleasant -- we ran into heavier seas and most outside decks were closed due to wind.

 

Entertainment on the ship followed what we've come to expect, and they have a really hard-working group on the Serenade. We really enjoyed the aerial act that takes place in the Centrum now -- it's spectacular!

 

The CL was the best I've ever experienced. Thoughtful, gracious concierge Mario knew everyone by the end of the first night and greeted you by name from then on. The bartender Martin and server Annabel ran the place like a well-oiled machine. No empty glass ever sat for more than 5 minutes! We met lovely people, and there was a most refreshing lack of the "I've been on X number of cruises, how many have YOU been on?" attitude that seems to becoming all too prevalent.

 

Debarkation was, bar none, the simplest we've ever experienced. Now, I admit we dragged our feet a bit, because we discovered we had friends in town for a convention, so we didn't walk off till about 9 am. Walked straight out, straight through customs. Incredible. Shuttle was outside waiting, went back to the Fulton St. garage and dropped our bags, then went to meet our friends for lunch. We ended up leaving the garage around 1:30 with no issues there.

 

All in all, had a fantastic time. Love the Serenade, and would happily sail her again.

Glad you enjoyed it.