Dec. 2-14: New Orleans Vacation and Serenade Cruise Review

[PaulInPGH]

Private lounger area at Nachi:

 

[Raxter54]

Paul - Appreciate the pictures and account of your day at Nachi Cocom. We have reservations for our day at Cozumel. Glad you liked it....

[petesweet]

It has been several years since my delightful cruise on the Serenade, and I am wondering if they have updated their photo shop to use facial recognition technology? I loved the way they did it on the Oasis and Allure, and I hope all the ships will soon use it.

 

(I have a special reason for asking:D If I have to find my boarding picture(s) by looking through thousands, I wear something outrageously distinctive upon boarding. Tip: That helps!)

 

Very nice review, Paul. Thank you for taking the time to post it.

 

Happy sails.

 

Kathy

Edited January 14, 2015 by petesweet

[mcsgabby]

Thanks for the review on Nachi Cocum! We have reservations there now and really looking forward to it. We love looking at the water and listening to the waves but neither one of us really enjoy ocean swimming so we are really glad there is a freshwater pool here too. We were looking for something quiet and free from all the relentless vendors and this sounds like the ticket! We went on an excursion in Puerto Vallarta to Las Caletas and we are hoping this will be a similar place. We still talk about that excursion all these years later!!

[PaulInPGH]

Paul - Appreciate the pictures and account of your day at Nachi Cocom. We have reservations for our day at Cozumel. Glad you liked it....

 

You will love it, I promise! I wish I was there right now, instead of being stuck in this horrible Pittsburgh winter deathscape.

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

It has been several years since my delightful cruise on the Serenade, and I am wondering if they have updated their photo shop to use facial recognition technology? I loved the way they did it on the Oasis and Allure, and I hope all the ships will soon use it.

 

(I have a special reason for asking:D If I have to find my boarding picture(s) by looking through thousands, I wear something outrageously distinctive upon boarding. Tip: That helps!)

 

Very nice review, Paul. Thank you for taking the time to post it.

 

Happy sails.

 

Kathy

 

I don't know for sure, as we never look for photos of ourselves, but I don't think they had that on Serenade yet. I believe my in-laws went to look for photos and they had to search for themselves.

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

Thanks for the review on Nachi Cocum! We have reservations there now and really looking forward to it. We love looking at the water and listening to the waves but neither one of us really enjoy ocean swimming so we are really glad there is a freshwater pool here too. We were looking for something quiet and free from all the relentless vendors and this sounds like the ticket! We went on an excursion in Puerto Vallarta to Las Caletas and we are hoping this will be a similar place. We still talk about that excursion all these years later!!

 

You'll love it, I'm sure. The pool is great, even not taking into account the swim-up bar. There's also a hottub, but we never got in since a group of people camped in it all day--I literally never saw any of them get out from 10:00-3:00, which seems a little crazy to me.

 

Cheers.

[petesweet]

I don't know for sure, as we never look for photos of ourselves, but I don't think they had that on Serenade yet. I believe my in-laws went to look for photos and they had to search for themselves.

 

Cheers.

 

Thanks. Outrageous outfit, here I come!

[petesweet]

You'll love it, I'm sure. The pool is great, even not taking into account the swim-up bar. There's also a hottub, but we never got in since a group of people camped in it all day--I literally never saw any of them get out from 10:00-3:00, which seems a little crazy to me.

 

Cheers.

Probably doubles as a toilet.:eek:

 

Kathy

[PaulInPGH]

Probably doubles as a toilet.:eek:

 

Kathy

 

Ugh, I didn't even think of that! Also, the allure of a hottub, in the sun, on an 80 plus degree day in Mexico is...odd, at best.

 

Cheers.

[CruzieSue]

Enjoying your fun review !!! We will be sailing on Serenade this March. :)

[PaulInPGH]

At about 3:00 we asked our waiter to call us a taxi and within about 5 minutes we were heading back to the ship. We got back to our room and showered and changed for dinner, which we were going to have in the MDR for the one and only time this cruise.

 

We met up with MIL and FIL at 6:00 and were seated right away. Service in the MDR was excellent, though we were given a bit of grief about not coming in for dinner all week.

 

With no after-dinner trivia on the schedule, we decided to take an evening swim. Unfortunately, the seas were a bit rougher than they’d been previously, so the ship’s motion, plus the swimming, made my wife a bit seasick. We went back to the cabin so she could lie down and we spent a quiet night watching TV programs in other languages. We really enjoyed watching one of our favorite shows, Parks and Recreation, in German.

 

Up Next: the last day of our cruise.

[PaulInPGH]

Cruise Day 7: Booooooo!!!

 

The last day of a cruise can be a bit of a bummer. We’d had a lot of fun and we didn’t want it to end. The prospect of returning to a Pittsburgh December was unappealing, to say the least. That being said, we were determined to have as much fun as possible on our last day of vacation.

 

We enjoyed sleeping in one last time and ate our latest breakfast of the trip at about 10:00. Before heading up to the WJ though, we had to decide what to do with last night’s towel animal, which was a pig. I came up with a completely logical idea and we left the pig sitting on the couch, reading the room service menu.

 

We had intended to swim one last time, but the weather, for the only time this cruise, didn’t cooperate. It was overcast and cool, so we decided to skip our last swim and just enjoy some quiet reading time in our favorite outdoor seating spot behind the WJ.

 

We read and relaxed until lunch. After eating, we popped in the shops on deck five, hoping to find some last day deals on souvenirs. No such luck, unfortunately, but we still ended up buying a Serenade shot glass and coffee mug.

[PaulInPGH]

Towel pig reading the room service menu:

 

[PaulInPGH]

We had one more goal to achieve before the end of the cruise: finally win at trivia. Luckily, we had one last opportunity on the final afternoon. This particular trivia game was 80s name that tune and, lucky for us, my wife is an 80s music maven. We finally tasted sweet victory and got some RCI visors as prizes.

 

But that was only the start of our lucky afternoon. After trivia, we decided to stick around and play bingo. My wife and I never came close to winning, but MIL and FIL not only won the first game (worth about $150), but they also tied during the last game, which was for the free cruise. Unfortunately, they lost the tie breaker, but it was still a wild, adrenalin-filled ride.

[PaulInPGH]

Flushed with excitement from winning at trivia and bingo (not to mention several mojitos), we went up to the WJ for one last trip to the grilled meat station. After a leisurely dinner, we decided to head down to the theater to watch the farewell show.

 

The show was just okay. For some reason, the worst of the four singers was the one featured, but the oddest part was the Cruise Director’s strange spiel about how lucky we all are to be able to take nice vacations. He went on about how only a small percentage of people have the resources to provide for themselves and most people around the world lack healthcare and food, etc. I think he meant it to be uplifting—like, aren’t we lucky we have all those things and we should be grateful—but it came off very weird. I didn’t need to be reminded that I’m lucky enough to be able to go on vacation and that I live a good life. Just an unappealing way to end the cruise, in my opinion.

 

MIL and FIL decided to call it a night, but we wanted to enjoy a couple more last-night drinks. We headed up to Rita’s for one more margarita and then we walked up to the Vortex to say goodbye to DJ Phil. We got back to the room around 11:00 and, wanting to enjoy one last meal onboard, we ordered some room service. Reluctantly, we then got in bed, knowing we’d be off the ship and on our way home in just a few hours.

 

Up next: flying back to Pittsburgh…or are we?

[Dreamer115]

We're waiting, what happens on your trip home?

[PaulInPGH]

We're waiting, what happens on your trip home?

 

Hahaha, well we didn't decide to sell our house in Pittsburgh and move to the Caribbean or something exciting, at least not yet anyway. No, just travel-related inconveniences and delays. Life has gotten in the way of my finishing this lengthy thing, but I should have something up soon. Thanks for reading!

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

Day 12: A Long Day of Going Nowhere

 

Debarkation was a bit of a mess the following morning. We got to our waiting point (the tropical theater) and about halfway through calling the numbers they decided to just send everyone. This seemed a bit counterintuitive, since there was still a large crowd of people waiting to get off the ship. So instead of waiting in seats, we stood on a pretty lengthy line of people all exiting at the same time.

 

Once we finally got off the ship things went very smoothly. We picked up our bag and were through customs in less than five minutes. Having reserved a shuttle back to the airport the day we arrived, we simply walked to the line of airport shuttles and were able to get right on.

 

When we got to the airport we had to go through some of the longest check-in and security lines I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t a big deal, as it was only about 10:00 and our flight wasn’t due to leave until 2:00, but it took us almost an hour and a half to get through security—not the most fun way to end your vacation.

[PaulInPGH]

Having stupidly skipped breakfast, I was feeling faint with hunger by the time we got to our gate. Luckily, even the airport food in New Orleans is excellent and we were able to dine on gumbo and shrimp po’boys while we waited for our flight.

 

We boarded our flight at about 1:30 and made it as far as the runway before—wait for it—a mechanical problem! Now, I don’t like to fly, so the thought of flying after a mechanical problem had been discovered did not fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

We returned to the gate and waited for maintenance for what seemed like hours. Oh right—it was hours. We eventually were forced to head back to the gate, where we were forced to stand in line while only one gate agent tried to sort out everyone’s missed connections.

 

We eventually found out that there was no way to get to Pittsburgh that night, so we’d be overnighting in New Orleans and leaving the following morning. Unfortunately, they don’t put you up in a hotel near the French Quarter. Instead, we ended up in a generic airport hotel. They also did not give us a food voucher for dinner, which used to be common. Now, unless your flight was one that offered meal service, you’re on your own for dinner and breakfast—at least on U.S. Air/American.

[Dreamer115]

Not the best way to end a great holiday. Hope the next day is better.

 

connie

[teacher2cruiser]

Thanks for your review. Can't wait to be on the Serenade in six weeks! We also loved Nachi Cocum when we visited there on a previous cruise.

[PaulInPGH]

Thanks for your review. Can't wait to be on the Serenade in six weeks! We also loved Nachi Cocum when we visited there on a previous cruise.

 

I told my wife that we'll likely never see any more of Cozumel, as Nachi will be very difficult to pass up whenever we visit.

 

Cheers.

[PaulInPGH]

By the time we got to our hotel at around 6:00 we were ravenous, having not eaten anything since lunch at 11:30 that morning. While we were getting our hotel vouchers back at the airport, one of the gate agents told us there was an excellent Mexican restaurant near our hotel. We looked it up on Yelp and it looked great, so off we went.

 

Unfortunately, according to the person behind the desk at the hotel, it was not possible to walk to that restaurant. When we went outside we found out why: it was on the complete opposite side of a very large, eight-lane highway. There was a pizza shop right next to the hotel, but—really wanting Mexican food—we decided to take our lives into our own hands and cross the very busy highway. We stood on the smallest median strip known to man, but we did eventually make it across, proving that guy back at the hotel quite wrong. The food was great—though I’m not sure it was worth risking our lives over.

 

After another death-defying highway crossing, we stopped at a New Orleans specialty: the frozen daiquiri bar. We picked up a drink that—for only $5.50—got me more drunk than anything I’d had on the trip thus far. We finished our drinks back in our room and promptly fell asleep.

 

Up next: home sweet home.

[PaulInPGH]

Day 13: Back to Real Life

 

Luckily, our rescheduled flight left at 9:30, so we didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. We skipped the overly-expensive hotel breakfast (no free breakfast at these airport hotels) and headed right back to the airport.

 

We breakfasted at the same place where we ate lunch the previous day, hoping the feeling of déjà vu would not continue once we boarded our flight.

 

Things went much more smoothly this time though and we were back in Pittsburgh—cold, cloudy Pittsburgh—by about 4:00 that afternoon. We arrived home and found our house intact and our dog alive—way to go, house-sitter. We unpacked in record time and, while it definitely was nice to be home, we reluctantly came to grips with the fact that—sigh—vacation was over.