Serenade of Seas - how about her?

[gpnfish]

All - we are in the process of planning our 2017 spring cruise, and we are down to deciding between a 11 day cruise deep into the Caribbean versus a Celebrity 10 day (Equinox), what they call the Ultimate Caribbean. We have taken this trip on the Equinox before (back in 2010) and enjoyed it then, but now that RCI is offering these extended cruises it is something now to consider. Was wondering about the Serenade of the seas - what kind of shape was she in, and what people thought about the ship. I think I've been on that class before, being on Navigator and Mariner, but wondering about this one. I know I probably can't miss either way; just looking for opinions. Thanks - Gary

Edited May 4, 2016 by gpnfish

[Clarea]

All - we are in the process of planning our 2017 spring cruise, and we are down to deciding between a 11 day cruise deep into the Caribbean versus a Celebrity 10 day (Equinox), what they call the Ultimate Caribbean. We have taken this trip on the Equinox before (back in 2010) and enjoyed it then, but now that RCI is offering these extended cruises it is something now to consider. Was wondering about the Serenade of the seas - what kind of shape was she in, and what people thought about the ship. I think I've been on that class before, being on Navigator and Mariner, but wondering about this one. I know I probably can't miss either way; just looking for opinions. Thanks - Gary

Navigator and Mariner are Voyager class, which is different than Serenade.

 

Serenade is Radiance class, which is a beautiful ship, with loads of glass all around affording views outside from most public venues. The ship is still in excellent shape, however it's nowhere near as new as Equinox.

[gpnfish]

Same class as Grandeur? Been on that one as well, but that was some time ago

[Clarea]

Same class as Grandeur? Been on that one as well, but that was some time ago

No, newer and larger class than Grandeur.

 

Radiance class is Radiance, Brilliance, Serenade, and Jewel.

[traveler279]

I can't write from the perspective of having been on 47 ships but I've done 10 and 11 day cruises on Grandeur, Legend, and, two months ago, Serenade. I enjoyed all of them. Really impressed with Serenade. As mentioned Serenade is not the newest of ships. We found her to be well maintained. Lots and lots of glass. And little touches like the panel in the elevator that tells you it's Monday, Tuesday, and so on. We were sufficiently impressed we booked another 10 day for next February.

 

As with all things, YMMV.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Radiance class is NOT my favorite...the Solarium is enclosed...not suitable for tanning ....leaving you out in the masses and noise!

 

I would choose a Voyager or Freedom class ship over a Radiance class ship EVERY time!

[Grandma Dazzles]

Just returned from 10 days on the Serenade.

 

Overall, enjoyed the cruise. Food, staff, ship itself were excellent. However, I probably will not cruise again on that size or smaller ship.

 

Have been cruising Voyageur, Freedom, Oasis classes recently. Had not sailed a Radiance class ship for a few years. Really missed the promenade shops, bars, restaurants and a place to sit and enjoy a quick sandwich or "people watch." Thought the ship overall felt crowded. Many of the shows are now offered in the centrum rather than the theater. It was impossible to get a seat or watch a show.

 

Elevators were very slow and often being repaired.j

 

Casino was extremely smoky and smell permeated other areas of ship.

 

Solarium roof was rarely open so it was hot/stuffy in there. Didn't make sense in the Caribbean.

 

CL and DL in former Viking lounge were pleasant and busy, but did not feel over crowded.

 

Wrote a short review a couple of weeks ago, which should show if you search this thread. Several people commented and for the most part agreed. A couple of reviews on the review page were mixed.

 

Ports of call were new and different - did enjoy. Overall, a decent cruise, good food, drinks, staff, but not my future first choice.

[Langley Cruisers]

About the smoking issue on board Serenade: since RCI nixed smoking on the balconies, many passengers go to the casino to smoke and it gets very smoky and smelly. Personally, I would probably choose Celebrity for their no-indoor-smoking policy, but having said that, Radiance-class is my favorite size and class of ship in the Royal fleet - absolutely stunning, as others have said.

 

I wanted to mention the smoking situation as it may or may not have any bearing on your decision. :)

[Grandma Dazzles]

About the smoking issue on board Serenade: since RCI nixed smoking on the balconies, many passengers go to the casino to smoke and it gets very smoky and smelly. Personally, I would probably choose Celebrity for their no-indoor-smoking policy, but having said that, Radiance-class is my favorite size and class of ship in the Royal fleet - absolutely stunning, as others have said.

 

I wanted to mention the smoking situation as it may or may not have any bearing on your decision. :)

 

Definitely Agee with you! As I mentioned above, the smell was very obvious and evident not only in the casino, but it seemed to drift.

 

I used to love the Radiance class too, but my recent cruise and the shift of the entertainment to the centrum and thus the crowding, along with the smell of smoke is probably enough to make me look at Celebrity for a smaller ship.

[Clarea]

Definitely Agee with you! As I mentioned above, the smell was very obvious and evident not only in the casino, but it seemed to drift.

 

I used to love the Radiance class too, but my recent cruise and the shift of the entertainment to the centrum and thus the crowding, along with the smell of smoke is probably enough to make me look at Celebrity for a smaller ship.

I have to agree about the smoke issue. We were on Brilliance recently, and the centrum acts as a distribution system for the casino smoke.

[Karma5]

Serenade is one of my favorite ships , however the smoke from the casino is horrible and

travels to the centrum and beyond. Anthem of the Seas has a different setup and no smoking odor not like the older ships………….

[cello56]

We loved our 10 night Serenade cruise last month. :) So much so that we booked it again for next February. However, I must agree with others regarding the awful smell of smoke that permeates the centrum. Such a shame. It is a beautiful public area that is ruined by the smell. If they won't go non smoking in the casino like Celebrity, I wish that they could at least install doors on the casino to keep the stench inside.

[leaveitallbehind]

Have been cruising Voyageur, Freedom, Oasis classes recently. Had not sailed a Radiance class ship for a few years. Really missed the promenade shops, bars, restaurants and a place to sit and enjoy a quick sandwich or "people watch."

 

Just curious with Chops, Giovannis Table, Izumi, Rita's Cantina, Chef's Table and Park Cafe what restaurants you were missing? There is more of a selection on Serenade than with some ships in some of the classes you reference as preferring. Not criticizing your preferences, just wondering about the restaurants. :)

[Grandma Dazzles]

Just curious with Chops, Giovannis Table, Izumi, Rita's Cantina, Chef's Table and Park Cafe what restaurants you were missing? There is more of a selection on Serenade than with some ships in some of the classes you reference as preferring. Not criticizing your preferences, just wondering about the restaurants. :)

 

Probably a poor choice of the word "restaurant " on my part. As I said, I missed the promenade with a chance to stop at the cafe or pizza shop for a quick bite to eat and a chance to have a cup of coffee and sit. I was referring to the promenade down the middle of the larger ships. Latitudes on the Serenade was more take-out, could never sit as there were only a few seats.

[papaflamingo]

As you can see, opinions differ. We did 10 Night on Serenade last month. LOVED IT! But I like the smaller ships. I think Radiance Class is beautiful. Great service and really enjoyed the ship. The larger ships don't do Southern Caribbean longer cruises. So you are going to have to go on the smaller ship. We did the 11 Night on Legend (smallest ship in the fleet) and it was fantastic too.

Serenade offers most the restaurant choices. The Park Cafe is a little inefficient as it is in the Solarium but people go up there and hog the tables to read or play cards, so if you go for lunch you can't find anywhere to sit. But that's more a "rude person" problem.

Ritas is right outside the Windjammer, on the way to the outside Windjammer eating area. So people use the tables to eat or play cards at Rita's so if you want to eat there, you might have to ask someone to leave so you can eat at Rita's. The waitress told us she used to tell people, but they ignored her or gave her dirty looks, and then after leaving, more people from the Windjammer would show up so she finally gave up. Again, "rude person" problem.

But for us, we did Celebrity Equinox, and as much as I enjoyed it, I would pick Serenade over Celebrity. Just my "likes and dislikes."

[*CENSORED*]

The larger ships don't do Southern Caribbean longer cruises

 

Adventure does 10 day cruises to Southern Caribbean out of San Juan. Actually, I should say does A cruise, as I see only one date. Same with Navigator out of Miami.

 

 

 

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Edited May 4, 2016 by *CENSORED*

[tip]

We sailed the Serenade on a 13 day repositioning cruise in April of '15 and a southern Caribbean in January of this year and had a great time. While it may not have all of the bells and whistles of some of the larger ships, it met our needs quite nicely.

 

I would have to agree with those who have commented on the smoke issue. As a result we avoided the casino with the exception of participating in one slot pull. We found that a larger problem with the Centrum is the lack of sufficient seating for any entertainment located there. We loved the food in the Park Café, but others are on target with those who choose to hog tables playing cards and the like during peak times. It was certainly inconsiderate to say the least. On the other hand, Rita's Cantina was a ghost town most of the time.

 

Our biggest disappointment was the library. It was moved to make way for more space to sell future cruises and is now just a shelf or two. Some of us still like to read real books!:eek:

[Surfguyxxx]

We got off the Serenade in January doing the "Southern Caribbean Holiday Cruise". Fantastic time. Great crew and entertainment. The ship's size was great. Heading onto Allure in August and almost dreading it because the ship is so large but it's been a while since we've done this class. If I had my choice, I'd take this class or a Freedom class any day.

[sully108]

We are just off the 11 night trip to Southern Caribbean and I must say I was terribly disappointed in the cruise. The Ship had a horrible mold smell on Deck 9 Port side aft and in fact we had to deal with huge blowers on the floor for 9 of the 11 nights.

 

I agree casino was very smoky but compared to mold smell it wasn't that bad throughout the ship.

 

The food however in the MDR was not at all up to par this trip. We made several complaints to the staff. In fact we had to upgrade to the 5 night plan for specialty restaurants from the 3 we had planned. Lack of variation in the Windjammer at lunch was also an issue.

 

The ship was set to go Transatlantic after our sailing and we had all new crew on board which I think led to some of the problems. It does need a new overhaul and I agree the Solarium gets hot when the top is closed. They close it while at sea to help with fuel consumption we were told.

 

As mentioned by someone else, each line, restaurant, entertainment is subjective. For my part we have decided that after years of sailing RCI we are done. The decline in service and food and entertainment on the smaller ships is the deal breaker.

[leaveitallbehind]

Probably a poor choice of the word "restaurant " on my part. As I said, I missed the promenade with a chance to stop at the cafe or pizza shop for a quick bite to eat and a chance to have a cup of coffee and sit. I was referring to the promenade down the middle of the larger ships. Latitudes on the Serenade was more take-out, could never sit as there were only a few seats.

 

Understood and agree completely regarding the Royal Promenade. Thanks for clarifying.

Edited May 4, 2016 by leaveitallbehind

[cruiselvr04]

Planning on trying her out next spring with a longer cruise. I love all the windows and feeling of being at sea with this class of ship but the DH prefers voyager class and above. Once every few years I can talk him into it. The ship is of course more intimate being smaller.

[mek]

I was on Serenade three weeks ago on a 10 night Caribbean. I didn't have any problems with the condition of the ship and the entertainment was very good, but I thought the food was just OK. I agree with the previous comment that the food in the Windjammer was monotonous. Movies were good, but TV was terrible.

 

I thought I was through with the smaller RCI ships, but now I find myself going back on Serenade in 4 weeks on a cruise to Norway - it was the right cruise at the right time and price.

 

I'm going on this cruise almost 100% because of the itinerary, not the ship. If I had the choice to go on another ship in the Caribbean where there are so many choices that is what I would do.

[debshomespun]

We did the 11 night Serenade this past February and have her booked next February for the 10 night cruise. Price and itinerary were my deciding factors. Food has definitely gone down in the MDR, especially compared to Celebrity quality in MDR. Crew were outstanding. Park Cafe food was very good. Depends on what type of cruise experience you are looking for. Celebrity is a more refined experience.