Serenade of the Seas - SHIP OF ‘NO’

[Lizzzys]

I would give one of the big RCL ships a try just like some of the other posters recommended. I think you would love Allure or Oasis. TONS to do (and eat!) at all hours of the day and late night. We are sailing on the Serenade next January and have different expectations for this class of ship. It will just be the two of us this time so we don't need a bunch of entertaining as we did with the kids onboard with us, and are looking forward to a laid back cruise to beautiful, exotic places that we've never been to before. Hopefully our service won't be bad on the Serenade. The Allure had shows each evening that were top notch in our opinion. There were plenty of kids on board as it was almost Christmas but you would hardly even know it, as they were so engulfed in their activities onboard. (and not all in OA) Try that and see!

Edited March 23, 2015 by Lizzzys

[Merion_Mom]

PORT STOPS

Key West – Nice town

Nassau, Bahamas – Nice Beach

Coco Cay (Private Island) – Nice beach, Blue water. When they say ‘Private Island’, they make it sound like it’s some super-secret exclusive place ‘EWWWWW WHOAAAA’. But, you’re herded over there in little boats along with 2000 other people. Oh yeah, and there’s another RC boat docked beside you unloading their 2000 passengers (Not so private island now, is it?). They have big BBQ there on the island with Burgers, Dogs and chicken and ribs and all the fixins’. But wait, still no BBQ grill. Yes, once again, the burgers are cooked on a griddle and kept warm under lights.

It’s their private island but you still have to pay $35 to go down their slide and play on the water park. ??

No point in comparing port stops to NCL Star as we cruised the Mexican Riviera the last time.

 

Yes tender port.

 

Just for your information, CruiserPICC:

 

CocoCay is Royal Caribbean's name for its private island. (it's private and it's an island. :rolleyes:)

 

Its actual name is Little Stirrup Cay, and it is one of hundreds of islands that make up the Bahamas.

 

Guess what is next door?

 

Great Stirrup Cay. That's Norwegian's private island.

 

They tender you over there, too.

 

And guess what else?

 

They charge to use the waterslide there, too!

[micmacmissy]

My 2 main complaints are poor customer service (not happy employees), Not much selection of food later at night.

 

From your original post:

 

The next day we talked to the Head Maître d'. We explained the situation and how the 2 cruises differed in service and he vowed to make it better. That night, and for the remainder of the cruise, we were booked into the private dining room just for our party of 24. We were given the best senior waiter staff on the ship, and they did not disappoint. Their service was awesome, and definitely on par (if not even better) than the service we received aboard the NCL Star.

 

Actually, that sounds like TERRIFIC customer service to me!

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy it more...sounds like the ship wasn't a good fit for your group.

Edited March 23, 2015 by micmacmissy

[sippican]

SCALE OF 1-5: **WENT IN A GROUP OF 12**

 

FOOD 3 (AVG)

FOOD CHOICES 2

SERVICE 4 (Some attitudes) 1st Night disaster

FOOD & ACTIVITIES AFTER 9pm 1 (POOL/HOT TUB CLOSED @ 9)

ITINERY 3 (I have been to Nassau 5 times; Key West stop is for 5 hours only; Sunset Party is where it's at it Key West)

Key West: Short; Coco Cay: Cancelled; Nassau is Nassau. They have to stop there, as it is their port of registry.

ENTERTAINMENT 3

OVERALL: 2

GO ON THIS SHIP AGAIN: HELL, NO!

 

Older subdued crowd, which is fine with me. Coldest week in February 2015. Wore pants and sweaters, not shorts and tank tops. Very little sun. The best part of the cruise, was not being in the New England or East Coast snow storms and being with friends. Beverage Pkg. helped also!

 

My Credit Card was hacked by onboard services. I personally know this also happened on this same ship to my brother-in-law on a Mediterranean Cruise August 2014.

 

We won't give up on RCI, just not this ship and using a CC for onboard sign/sail card. CASH IS KING FROM NOW ON. I RUN OUT, I RUN OUT! NO ATM's ARE SAFE EITHER!

Informed RC; Nothing done or will be done. There is a security issue on this ship! Don't know where to take this issue further, as RCI doesn't care.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Too bad you just found the forum; it is a helpful resource to aid in planning before your cruise.

[Merion_Mom]

First, I would like to say this is my first review on any travel site ever on any subject.

We are a family of 4 (kids - 12 and 7).

This was our second time cruising.

Our first cruise was last year aboard the Norwegian Star. We travelled with 2 other families both with 2 kids each for a total of 12 people. It was the first cruise for all 3 families. We had SUCH A GREAT TIME and were so pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Norwegian Star that we ALL really wanted to cruise again.

This year, we decided to go with Royal Caribbean as we had all heard from EVERY single person we talked to that RC was much better in all aspects (food, service, activities, entertainment, etc…).

We travelled with the same families again, except this year, after hearing our enthusiasm we convinced 3 more families to come along for a total of 24 people. (One family had never cruised before). Kids ranged from ages 7-16. Adults were ages 38-50.

The cruise was from New Orleans with stops in Key West, Nassau, and RC’s private island CocoCay (Sounds more impressive then it was).

I will be comparing the RC Serenade of the Seas to the NCL Star throughout this review as it is all I have to compare it too.

 

THE SHIP

Embarkation was fairly quick and painless. Uneventful and uninviting. Security…Famiily photo… on the ship. Now what?

Compared to NCL Star, on the Star they were playing music and it was like a party atmosphere and was much more inviting and we felt so much welcome to be there.

The RC Serenade was newer and more modern having been renovated just 2 years ago. Although, when we first embarked on the ship, we couldn’t help but smell poop up and down the hallway to our cabin. It was only on the first day, but not a good start.

 

The ship was well setup and designed.

 

POOLS

The main pool was smaller than the Star and did not have a slide, but the adult pool was larger and better decorated. The kid’s pool was pretty much useless as none of our kids ever used it. It was too shallow and only had ONE slide that was meant for really really small kids 5 and under (WAY TOO SLOW).

Pool deck - Had two guys playing some Caribbean style music sometimes and some recorded music. Kind of just background music.

NCL Star had 2 slides at main pool and one on the smaller kid pool. All 3 slides were good for our kids and on some days, the kids never left the pool.

NCL Star had and a 4 piece band also playing same type of music but the band was much more enthusiastic and played more often and involved passengers more frequently to make it more ‘fun’.

 

FOOD

Food quality was pretty much the same on both ships. Maybe slightly better quality on RC Serenade but more selection on NCL Star.

Only one dining room and one buffet. NCL Star had 2 main dining rooms and one buffet.

 

BUFFET - Windjammer

Equal in quality, but I believe NCL Star had a bit more variety and more international items on a daily basis. The RC Serenade had the exact same items for breakfast EVERY day and NO Eggs Benedict or Crepes unless you went down to the Main dining room and order from the menu.

NCL Star had both Eggs Benedict and Crepes at the buffet, without having to go to the main dining room.

Seating during peak hours was a bit difficult on both ships.

 

MAIN DINING ROOM - Reflections

Service was just OK the first night, we had the 5:30 seating and we all felt very very rushed to get us out for the next seating by all the staff. We genuinely felt like cattle.

Maybe we were spoiled but, aboard the NCL Star, some of us were used to ordering 2 or sometimes 3 appetizers and 2 main courses and probably 2 desserts each adult. One adult loved the desserts, she would save room and not order as much of the main courses and get 5 desserts. We were actively encouraged by the NCL staff to order more items and try new things every night. We could even custom order items not on the menu. If they could do it, they would. For example, one night there was some type of Curried Prawns and rice dish on the menu and it consisted of a bed of rice and veggies with 3 or 4 prawns on top. A couple of the adults really enjoyed the dish abut just wanted to order a plate of extra prawns. The waiter said, absolutely and brought a big plate of full of prawns, and he brought it with a smile.

On the RC Serenade, when we asked for extra items from the menu, the waiters didn’t seem too thrilled about serving us more. When we asked for extra mussels from mussels item on the menu, the waiter promptly told me “No, we can’t do that, the mussels are a just a garnish”. After a moment or two, he said he’ll check with the kitchen and might be able to bring me a few extra and later brought me a small plate of mussels.

This was from the very first night of our cruise aboard the RC Serenade and I felt right from that point, this is not going to be a good experience on this ship.

Later that night we complained to the maître d' while he was trying to get us out of the dining room for the next seating, but he seemed uninterested.

The next day we talked to the Head Maître d' (Pedro). We explained the situation and how the 2 cruises differed in service and he vowed to make it better. That night, and for the remainder of the cruise, we were booked into the private dining room (The Mirage Room) just for our party of 24. We were given the best senior waiter staff on the ship (Cleeven, Cloudeu, Rodney and Ramon), and they did not disappoint. Their service was awesome, and definitely on par (if not even better) than the service we received aboard the NCL Star.

 

LATE NIGHT DINING – Solarium Park Café

RC Serenade - Almost Non-existent. After 11 pm, good luck!!

There was one place open (Park Café) and barely had any selection to choose from (pizza, hotdogs heated under lamps and a few desserts) LAME, LAME LAME. We are all fans of late night dining, but this ship had almost nothing after the dining rooms closed, and they all seemed to close early.

The Castle pub was open until 1AM and had fun Karaoke and a live musician playing and taking requests (He was really good Aussie guy) but did not have any food at all. Just overpriced booze. What kind of pub doesn’t have any munchies to eat, not even some chips. LAME LAME LAME!

NCL Star had several places open late night, even the buffet was open later and had lots of selection. Even a late night CHOCOLATE buffet (very popular with our dessert loving friend).

Your kids could go get hot wings, chips and salsa at 1 AM if they wanted, no problem.

NO CHOCOLATE BUFFET AT ALL ON RC SERENADE.

They kept pushing to come get fresh grilled burgers on deck. But, they didn’t have a grill anywhere on the boat. There is a huge difference between a fresh grilled burger from a BBQ and a burger cooked on a griddle and kept under a heat lamp or in a stainless steel dish with a burner underneath for hours.

NCL Star had a huge PROPER GRILL on the pool deck on all cruising days. Grilling fresh burgers, chicken, hot dogs, with a much better selection of toppings and condiments. Not just the standard ketchup, mustard, mayo, tomatoes and lettuce. NCL Star also had Fajitas and Taco during the lunch BBQ.

We did not try any of the specialty dining options on either ship.

When talking with other passengers aboard the Serenade, we found they were all having the same less then great experience.

There was 3 separate occasions when we were in the buffet dining room and we overheard people complaining to the staff about the food and the service. When further discussing it with those passengers, they were experienced cruisers and have always felt RC was on the top of the list for cruise lines. And this cruise was a major disappointment. Rating it dead last.

 

SERVICE

Excellent dinner service every night (except the first).

I couldn’t help but feel that a lot of the staff seemed overworked, not that eager to please and genuinely not that happy to be working on the ship. I didn’t see a lot of smiles on their faces.

Another example, one of our passengers forgot to bring conditioner with her on the trip, she went to guest services to ask for some and she was even willing to pay for it. They told her only the Suites and the Balcony units could have conditioner. REALLY?! Even the scummiest of 1 star hotels provide conditioner to their guests. She flipped out and they eventually gave it to her.

This kind of behavior generally comes from above (supervisors and management). I heard from several of the crew that they were tired and overworked and always in a state of insecurity (unsure if their contract will be renewed for the next 3 months).

Some of the crew were very forthcoming, and told us this particular cruise did not live up to RC regular standards and other passengers were also complaining.

I did notice on the last 2 days of the cruise, we were asked many times by various crew members in dining room, if we had a good trip and if they could improve in some way. They kept offering to get things for us and trying to ramp up their service (probably trying to get some points and a good review by the passengers).

On the other hand, Most of the NCL Star staff seemed thrilled to be there and eager to please at all times.

 

CABIN

We had regular inside lower level cabin. Slightly larger than the cabin on the NCL Star. It was adequate and what we expected.

The Cabin Steward was pretty good, kept the room clean and left the occasional animal made out of a towel.

NCL Star steward made a different animal every night. The kids couldn’t wait to get to the room to see what animal was left there.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

Some nights, only one show at 6:30. Other nights, 2nd show at 10pm.

Comedian – Two African American comedians (can’t remember their names) were hilarious. They had two shows.

Magician/Comedian John Ferrentino was beyond brutal. Not funny and less magical. There was times I thought the room was empty. He should be performing at a senior care facility.

Another comedian on the last night was pretty funny. Used a funny slide show.

Broadway type shows were just OK.

3 Las Vegas Tenors were really good.

Disco – was pretty quiet most nights, music was good.

All our kids were not too interested in the kids club on the ship. They tried it out the first day or two but not impressed.

They ended up playing hide and seek late at night until security told them to stop running around. Some of the older people were complaining.

They did have a 70’s dance party in the center of the ship on the second last night of the cruise, which was a blast. But Party was over at 11pm. Everybody to bed. BOOOO!

 

NCL STAR had really good acrobatic artists (Cirque type show) from France that were awesome.

Broadway type shows were very entertaining and dancers were awesome.

Really good Italian Magician/Comedian with a huge Albino snake.

Overall, NCL Star had better entertainment and more shows (early and late shows).

 

PORT STOPS

Key West – Nice town

Nassau, Bahamas – Nice Beach

Coco Cay (Private Island) – Nice beach, Blue water. When they say ‘Private Island’, they make it sound like it’s some super-secret exclusive place ‘EWWWWW WHOAAAA’. But, you’re herded over there in little boats along with 2000 other people. Oh yeah, and there’s another RC boat docked beside you unloading their 2000 passengers (Not so private island now, is it?). They have big BBQ there on the island with Burgers, Dogs and chicken and ribs and all the fixins’. But wait, still no BBQ grill. Yes, once again, the burgers are cooked on a griddle and kept warm under lights.

It’s their private island but you still have to pay $35 to go down their slide and play on the water park. ??

No point in comparing port stops to NCL Star as we cruised the Mexican Riviera the last time.

 

Special shoutout to excellent friendly staff on RC Serenade of the Seas:

Cleeven, Cloudeu, Rodney, Ramon, Pedro, Michelle Gallagher, Marco Aerelio

 

Ship of ‘NO’

NO, we cannot bring you a plate of mussels.

NO, you cannot enter this buffet line up, it is closed, go to another lineup. (Even though it was not roped off yet).

NO, we cannot toast your bread at midnight, the toaster is not working (It was only turned off).

NO, your child cannot go up the rock climbing wall. Free climb is over at 5pm and it is 5:05 pm (It was still open for adult speed climbing).

NO, we do not serve any food in the pub.

NO, we do not have Eggs Benedict here, you have to go to main dining room (After I was told they did by another crew member, and waited in line for 5 minutes)

 

Sorry you didn't like your cruise. Our experience on the Serenade two weeks ago couldn't have been more different. I hope your next cruise doesn't have so many disappointments.

 

By the way, as I re-read your original post................which week were you on the Serenade? I believe that Cindy and I were on board with you.

 

While some acts stay on board for two weeks, your description of the entertainment is identical to March 7.

 

The comedic duo were Alfred & Seymour.

The last night comedian was Jim McDonald.

 

It is SOP (standard operating procedure) on Royal Caribbean ships that there is ONE show on Day 1 (the Welcome Aboard Show) and one on the last day (Farewell Show). Every other night, there were two shows.

 

BTW, are you aware that there is a curfew for those under 18?

Edited March 23, 2015 by Merion_Mom

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

From your original post:

Actually, that sounds like TERRIFIC customer service to me.

 

 

How nice is that. A private dining room for your party of 24.

great stuff, which included the best waiters in the restaurant.

Oh and a personal pastry chef for your friend you eats five desserts per meal:D

Ha ha

 

 

 

 

.

Edited March 23, 2015 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn is funny

[tiessa]

CruiserPICC, I totally agree with you! We have only cruised Royal Caribbean, except for a very small ship (80 passengers) in Alaska, so we have nothing to really compare it to.

 

We've been happy with Royal Caribbean until we sailed on the Serenade in January. The dining room staff was OK, the room steward was very good, the customer relations counter left a lot to be desired. The food was hit or miss. I had the best meal on a cruise on this ship and the worst...and they were both steaks! Go figure. Even when the Park Café was open it was hard to find something to eat or even someone to help us. Forget getting anything to eat late. We couldn't even get coffee or tea late as the Park Café wouldn't even have cups or hot water or coffee out. It was ridiculous.

 

The entertainment was pathetic. There was very little to do. It was quite disappointing. We've been on the Brilliance and enjoyed it so it's not the size of the ship. It's the Serenade itself.

 

I was excited for our cruise on the Serenade because so many people had raved about her. I failed to see anything worth bragging about unfortunately.

 

We are taking our next cruise on Princess. I'll not say I'll never cruise Royal Caribbean again because I'm sure I will. I won't cruise the Serenade again, I'll assure you of that! I just think it is time to try a different cruise line. I'll try to do a comparison of the two after that cruise.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I wanted you to know you are not alone in your thoughts about the Serenade. I think Royal Caribbean has some work to do on that ship. Hopefully they can get it up to the standard we are used to.

[Cruzin-K]

By the way, as I re-read your original post................which week were you on the Serenade? I believe that Cindy and I were on board with you.

 

While some acts stay on board for two weeks, your description of the entertainment is identical to March 7.

 

The comedic duo were Alfred & Seymour.

The last night comedian was Jim McDonald.

 

It is SOP (standard operating procedure) on Royal Caribbean ships that there is ONE show on Day 1 (the Welcome Aboard Show) and one on the last day (Farewell Show). Every other night, there were two shows.

 

BTW, are you aware that there is a curfew for those under 18?

 

I think the OP's kids are a great example of why I cruise when school is in session. :rolleyes:

 

RUNNING around late at night, or at any time of the day is unacceptable behavior on a ship. I'd report them to security as well, and I'm hardly what you'd consider "old". There are safety concerns.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Cruzin-K

[jd10367]

The only thing I want to add to this is times are posted in the compass everyday. Why did you get to the rock wall 5 min late? And why would you expect or want your child climbing up the wall when you have adults there for fast climb? Sorry but some things you need to do better research and others I agree some NOs aren't the ships fault.

[A2Mich]

Just for your information, CruiserPICC:

 

 

 

CocoCay is Royal Caribbean's name for its private island. (it's private and it's an island. :rolleyes:)

 

 

 

Its actual name is Little Stirrup Cay, and it is one of hundreds of islands that make up the Bahamas.

 

 

 

Guess what is next door?

 

 

 

Great Stirrup Cay. That's Norwegian's private island.

 

 

 

They tender you over there, too.

 

 

 

And guess what else?

 

 

 

They charge to use the waterslide there, too!

 

 

Ha love it!!!

 

I also know that a private island is for the use of that company's own ships--not everyone's ships. Didn't understand the complaint here either. The only "private islands" that I'm aware of that have a pier are Castaway Cay and Labadee. Not sure about HMC, but do know that Princess Cays (not an island though) is also a tendered stop.

[denatravels]

I don't know when you were on NCL but they no longer have the chocolate Buffet.

[Mystaken]

I'm not surprised they moved your party of 24 to a private area. Hope you tipped well!

[bigeagle12]

Where did you expect to be served eggs benedict other than the main dining room?.

 

 

On Carnival, Celebrity, HAL, and Princess they serve eggs benedict in the buffet.

[Cindy]

I also know that a private island is for the use of that company's own ships--not everyone's ships. Didn't understand the complaint here either. The only "private islands" that I'm aware of that have a pier are Castaway Cay and Labadee. Not sure about HMC, but do know that Princess Cays (not an island though) is also a tendered stop.

 

 

Half Moon Cay is also a tendered stop.

 

 

The Norwegian Breakaway was at their private island the day I was at Coco Cay on the Serenade. This should give you an idea how close the islands are:

 

[A2Mich]

Half Moon Cay is also a tendered stop.

 

 

 

 

 

The Norwegian Breakaway was at their private island the day I was at Coco Cay on the Serenade. This should give you an idea how close the islands are:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks. I thought it was a tendered port as well. I knew that Great Stirrup and Little Stirrup were very close to each other, but not that close.

[mkmom514]

We just got back from the Serenade. It is not a ship I would sail on if I had kids the age of yours. Perhaps a little more research next time would be good. I would recommend the Oasis class or Freedom class.

[Paul65]

On Carnival, Celebrity, HAL, and Princess they serve eggs benedict in the buffet.

 

Interesting. I never really gave it much thought, as I'm not a big fan of eggs benedict, but it doesn't seem like a dish that would lend itself well to a made-to-order egg station. But I suppose it would be doable.

[Merion_Mom]

We just got back from the Serenade. It is not a ship I would sail on if I had kids the age of yours. Perhaps a little more research next time would be good. I would recommend the Oasis class or Freedom class.

 

I saw LOTS of very happy kids on board.

 

:)

[A2Mich]

Interesting. I never really gave it much thought, as I'm not a big fan of eggs benedict, but it doesn't seem like a dish that would lend itself well to a made-to-order egg station. But I suppose it would be doable.

 

 

The most difficult part would be keeping the hollandaise sauce in a usable condition. That sauce does not hold well. An electric egg poacher would take care of the eggs--a toaster for the English muffins, and a steam table for the Canadian bacon. Now that we're out of room at the made to order egg station......

[CruiserPICC]

By the way, as I re-read your original post................which week were you on the Serenade? I believe that Cindy and I were on board with you.

 

While some acts stay on board for two weeks, your description of the entertainment is identical to March 7.

 

The comedic duo were Alfred & Seymour.

The last night comedian was Jim McDonald.

 

It is SOP (standard operating procedure) on Royal Caribbean ships that there is ONE show on Day 1 (the Welcome Aboard Show) and one on the last day (Farewell Show). Every other night, there were two shows.

 

BTW, are you aware that there is a curfew for those under 18?

 

Yes, it was Mar 7th cruise.

Thanks, I could not remember the names of the good comedians only the really bad one (John Farrentino)

The 3 Las Vegas Tenors were really good but only had one show at 6:45 on night 6 I think.

I was comparing our cruise aboard the NCL Star last year, they had a different act for 2 shows every day except 1st and last night (early and later show every night) And the quality of the entertainment on NCL was better.

 

We realize there was a curfew for the kids and had to have an adult supervise after that time. They just had nothing else to do on this ship.

Some of them just had to play basketball on deck until 2 or 3 AM.

[CruiserPICC]

I think the OP's kids are a great example of why I cruise when school is in session. :rolleyes:

 

RUNNING around late at night, or at any time of the day is unacceptable behavior on a ship. I'd report them to security as well, and I'm hardly what you'd consider "old". There are safety concerns.

 

 

I would have to agree with you, I hate kids running around too. But there was really nothing else for our kids to do later at night. We complained to the activities desk and front desk, and they said they would work on something, but nothing happened and our kids continued to run around playing hide and seek.

IF they played hide and seek on one of the newer huge ships, they would never find each other.:D

[JasonTehGreat]

I was on last February and had a decent cruise overall, but was very disappointed with handling of a Chef's Table reservation. That being said it was the best meal I've ever had (once we got there).

[CruiserPICC]

The next day we talked to the Head Maître d'. We explained the situation and how the 2 cruises differed in service and he vowed to make it better. That night, and for the remainder of the cruise, we were booked into the private dining room just for our party of 24. We were given the best senior waiter staff on the ship, and they did not disappoint. Their service was awesome, and definitely on par (if not even better) than the service we received aboard the NCL Star.

 

Actually, that sounds like TERRIFIC customer service to me!

 

Yes, the dinner service was great, but that was only 2 hours of our day. The rest of the time, the crew just seemed uninterested to serve or be there.

[CruiserPICC]

I don't know when you were on NCL but they no longer have the chocolate Buffet.

 

 

March 2014

[Merion_Mom]

Yes, it was Mar 7th cruise.

Thanks, I could not remember the names of the good comedians only the really bad one (John Farrentino)

 

I agree with you about him. I don't like the magicians in the first place, and I really didn't enjoy his show.

 

The 3 Las Vegas Tenors were really good but only had one show at 6:45 on night 6 I think.

 

Nope, 6:45 and 8:30.

 

I was comparing our cruise aboard the NCL Star last year, they had a different act for 2 shows every day except 1st and last night (early and later show every night) And the quality of the entertainment on NCL was better.

 

We realize there was a curfew for the kids and had to have an adult supervise after that time. They just had nothing else to do on this ship.

Some of them just had to play basketball on deck until 2 or 3 AM.

 

Or GO TO BED?!?!??!