Serenade of the Seas Aft?

[Inspiresome1]

Hi everyone,

My DH and I would like to know what you feel makes the aft rooms more special than regular balcony rooms. If you have cruised SOTS or any other RCCL ship, please advise. We are looking at booking a seven night Alaskan out of Vancouver.

Thanks much!

[serene56]

If i was to book an alaskan cruise that is where I would want to be.

 

I wouldnt have to worry about being on the wrong side of the ship for scenery. I can see both.

[lobstertail]

I think my former response was incorrect. Serenade of the Seas is like the Jewel - not the Explorer - sorry. Explorer is a bigger ship. We have been on Radiance - like the Serenade - but we were not aft. However, we do have the Jewel booked in March of '09 and we are aft

(1100) on that ship. So, I guess I can't really help you and I will be interested in other responses you get. I always book aft when I can get it in the category room we want. It's quiet and the view is wonderful. Sorry for the mistake.

[lobstertail]

I think my former response was incorrect. Serenade of the Seas is like the Jewel - not the Explorer - sorry. Explorer is a bigger ship. We have been on Radiance - like the Serenade - but we were not aft. However, we do have the Jewel booked in March of '09 and we are aft

(1100) on that ship. So, I guess I can't really help you and I will be interested in other responses you get. I always book aft when I can get it in the category room we want. It's quiet and the view is wonderful. Sorry for the mistake.

 

I tried to cancel this reply as well as the one before it. I see they cancelled the first one, but not the second - so my response makes absolutely no sense at all. The gist of the first one was - I thought Serenade was like Explorer - it is not - so my first reply was based on my experience with the Explorer aft - not the Serenade aft. Anyway, I would almost always take aft when possible - didn't notice any problem with rocking, noise or anything annoying. On Explorer, it was a long way to the elevator, but probably better on the Serenade - smaller ship. Sorry for the confusion.

[alcpa1]

We have been on the Serenade [and will be sailing her again in the fall.] We did not have an aft but we sailed on her sister Radiance in an aft to Alaska a couple of years ago.

We have also sailed to Alaska with a starboard cabin and there is no comparison.

The experience of sailing the Inside Passage between the island and coastal areas with whales swimming behind the ship was priceless. We started our Hubbard Glacier watch on deck but returned to our cabin when we started the turn and the crowds on deck blocked our view. We could not have asked for a better location. The majority of aft cabins were home to CC members from our post and every day we gathered at our rails to bird and animal watch together. That was one of the most memorable cruises we have taken in the last thirty years.

I used the cabin's location as weight control and was more than happy to hike back and forth.

I happen to like the size of the ship. I am not a fan of the mega ships and the Radiance class is about as large as I want.

Take the aft and join your sailing group on CC.

Have a wonderful memorable cruise.

[greatdanemom]

We had an aft on Jewel (Serenade's sister ship) for a Transatlantic and we really enjoyed the deeper balcony and great views. Sailaways were especially nice out of every port because we got to wave to the dockwatchers and enjoy the receeding views.

 

We have an aft booked for Alaska (not RCCL, though) because we want to be able to watch the wake again and enjoy the views. The bigger balcony is just a bonus!

[grannynanny]

Two words to decribe the aft cabins THE BEST. We had aft on Serenade in Alaska and aft on Radiance in Hawaii...the corner aft is the best is available, otherwise, any aft is our favorite.

Nancy

[tomko2]

Love the aft cabins on the Radiance class (Brilliance, Jewel,etc).

Very spacious balconies providing wonderful views. We have stayed in D1 9256 and 7172 and my sister in 8168. Photos of the cabins and balconies in the link below.

Kathy:)

[critterchick]

A cabin on the stern of a Radiance class ship is the best there is, IMHO. We've stayed in 1100, 1602 and 1600 and loved the experience. I did think that 1100 and 1602, which are junior suites, were a far better value than 1600, which is a grand suite. The layout is odd and the cabin's a little dark for my liking because the suite is missing a panel of windows.

 

I love those cabins for the views off the stern - even if you're not in a corner cabin you get a wonderful panoramic view of the scenery. You may hear a bit of noise from the Windjammer outdoor seating area, but it's not a lot. You'll also likely have a couple of lounge chairs to relax in on a nice day without having to deal with any crowds at the pool or in the Solarium. The walk is fine as long as you're not challenged by walking - it takes an extra minute to get there, but is well worth the walk.

 

If you want pictures of any of them, click in the link in my signature.