Comparing SOS to larger ships

[obnurse]

We've been sailing Celebrity Equinox annually x 5 years, and we booked on board again for next March. Although we always have a awesome time, DH and I felt Equinox was a little too quiet in the evenings. We aren't into the casino, but we do enjoy the evening shows, movies under the stars, ballroom dancing. Now we've seen a great itinerary on Serenade. I know it's an older, smaller ship. Will we be disappointed after sailing some larger, newer ships? We have sailed mostly Princess, Celebrity, a couple on Carnival and one so far on RCI, FOS (which we absolutely loved.) Any advice, cruise friends?

[drummerdavebmth]

We've been sailing Celebrity Equinox annually x 5 years, and we booked on board again for next March. Although we always have a awesome time, DH and I felt Equinox was a little too quiet in the evenings. We aren't into the casino, but we do enjoy the evening shows, movies under the stars, ballroom dancing. Now we've seen a great itinerary on Serenade. I know it's an older, smaller ship. Will we be disappointed after sailing some larger, newer ships? We have sailed mostly Princess, Celebrity, a couple on Carnival and one so far on RCI, FOS (which we absolutely loved.) Any advice, cruise friends?

 

We loved Serenade.....enough stuff happening in the evenings for us, from shows in the theatre, ariel shows in the Centrum, live music in bars etc, etc....

 

I did a full photo review of our honeymoon cruise on Serenade (link in my signature). She's a beautiful ship :)

[39august]

Serenade does not have aerial shows in the centrum anymore. You will notice that the ship is smaller than you are accustomed to. However, I felt the itinerary made up for anything I felt lacking!

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I have cruised aboard the Serenade of the Seas as well as two of her sisters: Brilliance of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas. Also, I have cruised on many of the larger ships (Allure of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, etc.).

 

Although the Serenade of the Seas is a smaller ship and lacks some of the features of the larger ships (for example, no Royal Promenade), it is well-designed and has a lot of nice public areas. This ship has large expanses of glass and many public rooms with views of the sea. Also, there is a full promenade deck (although you need to go up one deck at the forward part of the ship) and a covered Solarium pool area. The ship also has a very attractive Centrum and main dining room. The Serenade is small by today's standards, but it is not too small (over 2,000 passengers). If you like the itinerary, I would recommend trying this ship.

 

Chuck

Edited April 12, 2016 by seacruise9

[obnurse]

Thank you, everyone. I knew I could count on my fellow cruisers to give me good advice! I am hearing exactly what I was expecting and hoping for!

[msmayor]

Serenade does not have aerial shows in the centrum anymore. You will notice that the ship is smaller than you are accustomed to. However, I felt the itinerary made up for anything I felt lacking!

 

That must be an awfully recent change then, because on our March 18-28 cruise there were definitely aerial shows.

[39august]

That is odd. There were non on our recent Feb. cruise. I would have loved to see one.

[msmayor]

That is odd. There were non on our recent Feb. cruise. I would have loved to see one.

 

How were the seas during your trip? If there is too much motion, the aerials are cancelled for the safety of the performers.

 

One of the shows on our trip WAS cancelled for just that reason, and honestly it didn't take much motion for that to happen. Their routines are precise and if the rocking or rolling of the ship is such that their wires don't swing the way they need to it can be dangerous.

 

The 7:45pm show that was cancelled on our trip was a last-minute decision. The performers were all in costume and ready to go, so they just performed the 'floor' portion of the show for all of us. They outright cancelled the full performance for the 9:45pm show