Adventure vs. Serenade

[gopgal]

My group is trying to decide between these two ships. There are pros and cons to both. We are planning our trip for March 8 -15 of 2008. The Serenade has more ports but the Adventure is a bigger ship. I have also heard that the Serenade will be in dry dock in Feb. 08 - I have a concern that there will be delays. Can anyone give me some feedback and opinions? This will be my third cruise and the second for the rest of the group.

[bobbie0253]

Wow that's hard. I have done the Adventure twice and the Serenade once.

 

I have always said I loved the Radiance class ships, but I think I would pick the Adventure.

 

We loved the Serenade, but in some areas the ship was lacking. Like the entertainment. And late night food choices (room service was pretty bad).

 

This last cruise we missed having the ice show and Promenade. We love strolling that part of the ship and getting pizza at 3am.

 

Either way you really can't go wrong though....both ships are great overall :)

[EggDropErin]

I have only been on Adventure out of the two you have listed. We loved it! I have a review posted in my signature. I would highly recommend her to anyone. :)

[Cassandra]

Well, Adventure is only bigger by 58 feet. That's not much bigger to me. They hold 2 more lifeboats than Serenade, big deal.

 

Adventure has an ice skating rink, Serenade doesn't. Adventure has the indoor mall-type shopping, Serenade doesn't. Again, no big deal to me.

 

Food on Serenade was excellent! There was a pretty large menu for room service so I don't know what the other poster is saying. PLUS we had Turkey for lunch one day at the Windjammer - I mean an actual turkey was being carved with all the sides. It was like Thanksgiving in April! Bet Adventure didn't have that on their ship! LOL

 

There is a TON of entertainment & activities on the ship. If you aren't into any of it, of course you aren't going to like it. We didn't get to do 1/2 the stuff they offered because there was so much to do.

 

Your best bet? Find someone on here who as the daily cruise compasses & see if they can email you a copy. You be the judge of your journey...:D

[lmmn]

My group is trying to decide between these two ships. There are pros and cons to both. We are planning our trip for March 8 -15 of 2008. The Serenade has more ports but the Adventure is a bigger ship. I have also heard that the Serenade will be in dry dock in Feb. 08 - I have a concern that there will be delays. Can anyone give me some feedback and opinions? This will be my third cruise and the second for the rest of the group.

I think it depends on your group. The Serenade has a more intimate feel, so I would recommend it if you are all adults. If you are going with families I would recommend the Adventure. Lots of activities for families and children on the Adventure. I think you would enjoy either ship. I would take another look at the itinerary and possibly that will help you decide.

[mjyanne]

My group is trying to decide between these two ships. There are pros and cons to both. We are planning our trip for March 8 -15 of 2008. The Serenade has more ports but the Adventure is a bigger ship. I have also heard that the Serenade will be in dry dock in Feb. 08 - I have a concern that there will be delays. Can anyone give me some feedback and opinions? This will be my third cruise and the second for the rest of the group.

 

I've done both (and both itineraries). I usually base my selection on ports (first), ship amenities (2nd), and finally cost. Pros and cons for each ship as you already stated. Adventure has a promenade mall, Serenade doesn't. Adventure has an icerink (ice show is something different to see); Serenade doesn't. Pool tables on Serenade not on Adventure. Covered Solarium on Serenade (adults only area). Adventure has SeaTrek (Water Sports Shop) (if you dive or wish to purchase dive/snorkle equipment. If you want to get yoru PADI certification you can on Adventure not on Serenade). Serenade has both Chops and Portofino; Adventure only has Portofino. I thought Serenade was more relaxed and Adventure more active.

 

AS you can see from my signature below I have no problem sailing on either ship. Either way I think you'll enjoy the ship you chose.

[gopgal]

Thank you all so much for the info!! The decision makers of the group are meeting for dinner this evening and you have all given some great info!!

[gopgal]

I forgot to mention in my last post that we are all adults who have enjoyed all the bars, lounge entertainment and silly shows we saw on other cruises. We like to have fun - nothing outrageous but as an example, we had a great time on Sovreign with the dueling piano players. Can anyone tell me about that type of entertainment on both ships??

[Sue L]

I forgot to mention in my last post that we are all adults who have enjoyed all the bars, lounge entertainment and silly shows we saw on other cruises. We like to have fun - nothing outrageous but as an example, we had a great time on Sovreign with the dueling piano players. Can anyone tell me about that type of entertainment on both ships??

 

 

Both ships will have similar entertainment as far as Love and Marriage, Quest, etc. While the Adventure does have the ices skating and the promenade, I personally prefer the open views and glass everywhere on the radiance class.

 

On the Explorer (sister to the Adventure) I felt very closed in as the only places you could really see outside was to go to a door or out on the outside decks. On the Brilliance (sister to the Serenade) the views were magnificent where ever you looked. We enjoyed the Schooner bar and watching the sunsets with our pre-dinner drink. We loved the glass elevators that you could view outside.

 

Now though I am and equal opportunity cruiser and have one booked on the Serenade for Alaska and another on the Explorer (no driving to port) I go more for the itinerary though then the ship.

[Worn out mailman]

 

AS you can see from my signature below I have no problem sailing on either ship. Either way I think you'll enjoy the ship you chose.

 

Damn, back to back, Serenade then Adventure. That sounds awesome. You're bringin' in the big big ugly (50th) and a wonderful milestone (30th ann) with a bang!!!:) :) :D

[bobbie0253]

Well, Adventure is only bigger by 58 feet. That's not much bigger to me. They hold 2 more lifeboats than Serenade, big deal.

 

Well, that's longer....but the AOS is 157 across while the SOS is 105. (I think...I am going from memory here). I personally like the feel of the wider ship. It really is noticable in public areas to me ;)

 

 

Anyhow.... to the OP....I have the Compasses for the Serenade in the link in my signature. That should give you a good idea of the activities on the Serenade.

[Bonnie Voyager]

Just wanted to point out that I just celebrated my 50th birthday in March (3/22/07)and my 30th wedding anniversary in April (4/22/07)! We also celebrated the big events on a cruise. We were on Freedom of the Seas. Next year on 3/22/08 we will be boarding Serenade of the Seas to celebrate my 51st birthday. We also had to choose between Serenade and Adventure. We have been on many Voyager-class cruises and absolutely LOVE them. We loved Freedom even more. But, we've never tried Radiance-class so we thought we'd give Serenade a whirl as we LOVE the itinerary and we wanted the Saturday to Saturday schedule. I think it's a win-win decision no matter which ship you choose! Both are great!

[mjyanne]

Just wanted to point out that I just celebrated my 50th birthday in March (3/22/07)and my 30th wedding anniversary in April (4/22/07)! We also celebrated the big events on a cruise. We were on Freedom of the Seas. Next year on 3/22/08 we will be boarding Serenade of the Seas to celebrate my 51st birthday. We also had to choose between Serenade and Adventure. We have been on many Voyager-class cruises and absolutely LOVE them. We loved Freedom even more. But, we've never tried Radiance-class so we thought we'd give Serenade a whirl as we LOVE the itinerary and we wanted the Saturday to Saturday schedule. I think it's a win-win decision no matter which ship you choose! Both are great!

 

Bonnie,

 

Congrats on both milestones. I've thought about sailing on Freedom or Liberty. Not thrilled so much with the itinerary. What about Freedom did you like better than the Voyager class ships? I think you will love the Serenade. As i've said it is a different ship but has one of the best crews we've encountered. The itinerary is one of my favorites too.

[mjyanne]

Damn, back to back, Serenade then Adventure. That sounds awesome. You're bringin' in the big big ugly (50th) and a wonderful milestone (30th ann) with a bang!!!:) :) :D

 

Actually, my DW is bringing in the big FIVE OH:eek: . Mine isn't until the end of 2009:D . Not sure what I will do for mine but I'm sure it will involve a cruise to somewhere (maybe Australia?).

[Bonnie Voyager]

Bonnie,

 

Congrats on both milestones. I've thought about sailing on Freedom or Liberty. Not thrilled so much with the itinerary. What about Freedom did you like better than the Voyager class ships? I think you will love the Serenade. As i've said it is a different ship but has one of the best crews we've encountered. The itinerary is one of my favorites too.

 

What we enjoyed about Freedom was the fact that it was everything we loved on Explorer/Voyager only more of it! Our favorite part of the Voyager-class ships is the Royal Promenade and on Freedom it was wider and longer which was wonderful. They also had added a few venues in that extra space which we enjoyed (Sorrento's Restaurant was a plus). For us the Royal Promenade is the heart of the ship. We love to stroll the Promenade, sit at a cafe and enjoy a glass of wine, or a cookie and a cup of coffee, listen to whatever entertainment happens to be performing on the Promenade, watch others stroll the Promenade, visit with our new friends, make new friends, etc... Our Son LOVED riding the Flow Rider. We LOVED watching people on the Flow Rider. It will be hard now for my Son to sail on a ship without a Flow Rider, but we will be so busy on Serenade's full itinerary that he would not have had time to ride the Flow Rider anyway! But after Serenade, we are already booked to sail on Liberty! I know we will love Serenade, but Freedom-class will be #1 for us....that is, of course, until we find out more about "Genesis-class"! :eek:

[Tex_Jen]

Curious to know the decision. :) I have been on both and like both. I know my signature is Adventure "heavy", but the reasons are more than liking the ship. I like the Radiance class ships, but they don't have a Promenade so if you really like that feature, you will miss it. What I liked was the views available no matter where you went on the Serenade.

 

We went on the Adventure the first time to check out the Voyager class on an itinerary identical to the Serenade. We found that each ship has its charms and it really doesn't matter to us. Decided to do the Adventure again, though, so we could check out Aruba and Curacao. Going again as my friends that I met on the first cruise already had it booked and I have found that you can't see everything there is to see on one trip so why not?

 

Also, if you look ...the Serenade is always rated fairly high on this site.

 

Enjoy no matter what you choose!

 

Jen

[Ocean Boy]

What we enjoyed about Freedom was the fact that it was everything we loved on Explorer/Voyager only more of it! Our favorite part of the Voyager-class ships is the Royal Promenade and on Freedom it was wider and longer which was wonderful. They also had added a few venues in that extra space which we enjoyed (Sorrento's Restaurant was a plus). For us the Royal Promenade is the heart of the ship. We love to stroll the Promenade, sit at a cafe and enjoy a glass of wine, or a cookie and a cup of coffee, listen to whatever entertainment happens to be performing on the Promenade, watch others stroll the Promenade, visit with our new friends, make new friends, etc... Our Son LOVED riding the Flow Rider. We LOVED watching people on the Flow Rider. It will be hard now for my Son to sail on a ship without a Flow Rider, but we will be so busy on Serenade's full itinerary that he would not have had time to ride the Flow Rider anyway! But after Serenade, we are already booked to sail on Liberty! I know we will love Serenade, but Freedom-class will be #1 for us....that is, of course, until we find out more about "Genesis-class"! :eek:

 

I was looking forward to you posting your response. I, too, love the Promenade and you describe it perfectly. Not to mention the fact that it is always changing. There is something different almost every time you walk though. I have been thinking of booking Freedom. Unfortunately, doing so would mean not visiting even one new port.

 

I think you will like Serenade very much. I was not disappointed in her at all and it was nice to experience a Radiance class ship. They have some nice features that the Voyager ships do not. However, we did miss the Promenade when we were aboard Serenade just as I new we would!

[maggieq]

I have been on both. I love both itins. and each ship had it's own good and bad.

 

I really like the "voyager" size. Seemed like there was alot more to do than the Serenade.

 

I liked the decor on the serenade and the fact that it was a sat to sat cruise. Also, loved the schooner bar...we never used this bar on the voyager size.

 

I say try the adventure first and then do the serenade next.

[gopgal]

Thank you all for responding! I think we're leaning toward Adventure this time around - althoughI would prefer a Sat. to Sat. cruise. We decided that while the Serenade has lots of great ports, we would like to have an extra day at sea to relax and veg out on board! Besides, Adventure goes to Aruba, so I can got El Gaucho for a terrific steak!! I noticed some posts about Freedom - I will be on a Freedom cruise in Nov 07 - can't wait! I've never been to Grand Cayman so I am really looking forward to that port!! One more question - since the Adventure trip will be in march 08, do cruises get many spring breakers???

[mjyanne]

Thank you all for responding! I think we're leaning toward Adventure this time around - althoughI would prefer a Sat. to Sat. cruise. We decided that while the Serenade has lots of great ports, we would like to have an extra day at sea to relax and veg out on board! Besides, Adventure goes to Aruba, so I can got El Gaucho for a terrific steak!! I noticed some posts about Freedom - I will be on a Freedom cruise in Nov 07 - can't wait! I've never been to Grand Cayman so I am really looking forward to that port!! One more question - since the Adventure trip will be in march 08, do cruises get many spring breakers???

 

I've done Adventure 3 times suring spring break. There are a lot of kids on board but I never noticed any problems with them. You did point out one thing I forgot. The port intensive itinerary can be draining, especially if they shift the sea day to the first day instead of the last. Some people use Antigua as a sudo sea day on that itinerary.