New to Cruising, lots of questions...help?

[Pastormike]

My wife and I are taking our first cruise in February, Serenade of the Seas to the southern Carribean for 7 days.......I have no idea what I am doing, so I thought you might help! I hope I am putting this in the right place.

 

We need our morning coffee....is room service complimentary, can you get a pot of coffee anywhere for in the morning?

 

How important is dress when it comes to formal night? Is it only in the dining room, or do you dress the same for the buffet?

 

I drink lots of sodas, the soda card is the best way?

 

Any thoughts on whether the cruise ship excursions are the way to go? Or should we find a cab to go where we want on the islands (St. Thomas, Antigua, Babados, St. Maarten,St. Lucia)? Any suggestions?

 

We are looking forward to doing this, we mostly like to relax and come home rested, so we are not going to do any strenuous events....

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Also.....we are in room 9516.....good room?

thanks again

[dixieva]

My wife and I are taking our first cruise in February, Serenade of the Seas to the southern Carribean for 7 days.......I have no idea what I am doing, so I thought you might help! I hope I am putting this in the right place.

 

We need our morning coffee....is room service complimentary, can you get a pot of coffee anywhere for in the morning?

 

How important is dress when it comes to formal night? Is it only in the dining room, or do you dress the same for the buffet?

 

I drink lots of sodas, the soda card is the best way?

 

Any thoughts on whether the cruise ship excursions are the way to go? Or should we find a cab to go where we want on the islands (St. Thomas, Antigua, Babados, St. Maarten,St. Lucia)? Any suggestions?

 

We are looking forward to doing this, we mostly like to relax and come home rested, so we are not going to do any strenuous events....

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Room service is free and you will find cards in your room that you can fill out with what you want to order and what time you want it delivered. They'll phone your room when your order is on the way. I always tip the guy from room service $2 to $5 depending on what I ordered. Just coffee I would tip $2.

 

Formal night-you will likely see all sorts of dress from really formal to not so much. You can always eat in the buffet those nights and dress casually. Except for formal night the dining room dress is casual-slacks or sundress for women and slacks and golf type shirts for men. I've found they are pretty much not doing "Smart Casual" anymore and even if they do most folks dress casual for that night.

 

I would buy my soda at the ports. The card is expensive I think. Most ports will have some type of store near by (ask a local) and you are allowed to carry it back on the ship. I always take a few from home then stock up at the first port.

 

First time cruisers might want to stick to ship excursions. Although at most ports you can arrange for a tour with a local driver. I'd go with the ship for your first time, that way you won't have to worry about anything.

 

Have a wonderful cruise and be prepared to be addicted!!

[Pastormike]

That is good to know, thanks!

[cb at sea]

First--do try the dining room for breakfast--it's soooo much nicer than the buffet!

Your room is fairly far forward, but it'll be ok!

On longer cruises, suits or tuxes are more the norm---yes--some will be wearing less than "formalwear", but most will comply...It's fun! ( And you look great!!!) If you don't want to participate, the buffet is never formal--casual is the theme in there.

You can bring your own sodas, but if you drink more than 3 per day, a soda card is your most cost-effective way--unlimited fountain sodas. Cans are about $2 per can.

Get a good guidebook on your ports so you'll know whats up on each island. If going to the beach is your thing, you can generally do that on your own without an excursion. Get a guidebook!!!! Library's are free!

You don't HAVE to get off the ship in port, if you don't want to! The ship remains open--and without the crowds, port days are a great way to relax and use that ship!

[Pastormike]

Is having a forward room a problem? Is it better to be towards the stern?

Thanks

[emdia43]

Midships is the ideal location, although I would take an aft room over a forward room.

[J & G]

My wife and I are taking our first cruise in February, Serenade of the Seas to the southern Carribean for 7 days.......I have no idea what I am doing, so I thought you might help! I hope I am putting this in the right place.

 

We need our morning coffee....is room service complimentary, can you get a pot of coffee anywhere for in the morning?

 

How important is dress when it comes to formal night? Is it only in the dining room, or do you dress the same for the buffet?

 

I drink lots of sodas, the soda card is the best way?

 

Any thoughts on whether the cruise ship excursions are the way to go? Or should we find a cab to go where we want on the islands (St. Thomas, Antigua, Babados, St. Maarten,St. Lucia)? Any suggestions?

 

We are looking forward to doing this, we mostly like to relax and come home rested, so we are not going to do any strenuous events....

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Also.....we are in room 9516.....good room?

thanks again

 

 

We need our morning coffee....is room service complimentary, can you get a pot of coffee anywhere for in the morning?

You can have the coffee delivered to your room in the morning. If you are able to keep the carafe until the next day, you can refill it yourself at the Windjammer and that saves you the wait for room service. We take a couple of big insulated mugs and fill them in the morning. That way we can enjoy a leisurely cup....or two.....of coffee each morning.

 

How important is dress when it comes to formal night? Is it only in the dining room, or do you dress the same for the buffet?

"Formal" does not have to be a tux and/or long dress....it can be a suit for a man (with a silk t-shirt) and a nice pants set (I prefer black) for a man. If you don't want to dress up, you can still eat in the dining room (lots of debates about that!), but you may prefer really casual dress in the Windjammer (buffet).....or room service (not a full dining room menu).

 

I drink lots of sodas, the soda card is the best way? I think so....but if you don't want to spend the $$, theN you can carry on as much as you want. Your room steward will provide ice and glasses.....but bringing an insulted mug is a great idea. If you buy the soda card, I think you get some sort of insulated mug.....someone may be able to answer that!

 

Any thoughts on whether the cruise ship excursions are the way to go? Or should we find a cab to go where we want on the islands (St. Thomas, Antigua, Babados, St. Maarten,St. Lucia)? Any suggestions?

Since our first cruise, we always do LOTS of research and plan our own shore excursion.....ship excursions are only OK.......

 

We are looking forward to doing this, we mostly like to relax and come home rested, so we are not going to do any strenuous events....

 

Any help would be appreciated!

[Retired LEO]

Keep in mind that if you do your own excursions and you run into a problem (Cab breaks down, Traffic jams, Etc.) the ship will not wait for you. If you do a ship excursion you'll be covered. Just something to keep in your mind.

[lablvr2]

Definately stick with the shore excursions offered on the ship until you have a few cruises under your belt. Less worry for you all.

Enjoy your cruise and let us know how it goes!

[Pastormike]

Thanks for all the help!!! We are getting exited!

[cruisePRN]

I use room service every morning for both a wake up call and (my &DH) coffee. They call about 10 minutes before they arrive. I tip $1 and put the dollar on the mirror so I don't have to find my wallet or open the safe when they knock with my coffee.

Formal has changed over the years to anything from tux's and suites and sports coats to just collared shirts and slacks.

An unlimited soda sticker costs $6.90 per day and you must buy it for the whole seven days. That may be a way to go if you drink quite a bit.

ways taxi's and tours at the dock which charge way less then the ships excursions. It's your call what to do, we seldom pay the cruise ship prices anymore.

[karena1]

Really depends on whether you want to do some research on you own and how adventurous who are. If you like beaches - we have been on this route many times, so I can give you some ideas:

 

StThomas - If you like to snorkel - Coki Beach. Many will tell you to take the ferry to St John and go to Trunk Bay, but we think Coki is just as good and a lot less time/money to get there. If you just veg, then Magens Bay. both beaches are beautiful

 

St Maarten - without a doubt - Orient Beach. Will see some nudity, but if that doesn't bother you, it is one of the best people watching beaches around. Lots of shops, etc to go through, lots of restaurants/bars. Very comfy beach chairs. Beautiful beach and gorgeous water. Lots of water sports available.

 

St Lucia - this is one place that the ship offers a great "all day" trip - part land, part sea. We have done this and it is fun. If you want to go on your own, there is a guy that comes highly recommended on the boards - if you go to the port section for St Lucia, you would find his name. My nephew has booked with him for his trip in Jan on Serenade. Beaches - Reduit is gorgeous - lots of water sports, beautiful beach. Best parasailing ever.

 

Barbados - we have done some tours here, there is a lot to see. But rather than pay for an excursion, get off the ship and hire a cab for the day. you will see more for your money. Go to the old churches, Signal Hill, rum factory, etc. Harrisons Cave has gotten really expensive - IMO.

 

Antigua - gorgeous beaches. We like Dickenson Bay. Again though, there is one excursion we really enjoy which is a Cat trip out to snorkel.

 

Anyway, hope this helps a little. One last thing - honestly, the island cabbies are very, very safe and you will have no issue with any of them. We use them all the time and just go and do our own thing. So if you do like to do things on your own time, then go and explore by yourself and skip the excursions where someone else tells you what to do when.

 

Have fun. Serenade is gorgeous and we cannot wait to go on here again in April.

[wrp96]

You have plenty of time in port on Serenade's itinerary. I would feel extremely comfortable booking independent excursion OR if you just want to go to a beach grabbing a cab when you get to port. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship (I plan to be back at the ship 1 hour before the ship is scheduled to depart).

 

My recommendations for your ports:

 

St. Thomas - go to Trunk Bay on St. John. To do this get a taxi to Red Hook, take the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John, take a taxi to Trunk Bay. Beautiful beach with nice snorkeling. They have stuff available for rent like beach chairs and snorkel equipment plus there is food/drink for sale there. You can sign up for a ship excursion, but you'll have more time (and freedom) if you just do it on your own.

 

St. Maarten - if you are into adventure, the America's Cup Regatta through the ship is extremely popular, in fact it's one of the few ship excursions I recommend. If you just want to go to a beach, you can easily get a taxi to a beach at the pier. Or you can take the water taxi into downtown Phillipsburg for shopping (there is also a beach there).

 

Antigua - One of my favorite excursions of all time is Eli's Eco Tour www.adventureantigua.com You have the option to do as little or as much as you want - it stops at Bird Island where you can hike to the top for a fabulous view or just swim in the ocean or relax on the boat, a nicew lunch, goes to Hell's Gate which is a rock formation on the edge of the reef which you swim out to from the boat and climb in and around, and then snorkeling. If you just want a beach, you can get a taxi to a beach (make sure to make arrangements to be picked up for your return).

 

St. Lucia - Cosol tours is my recommendation www.cosol-tours.com For a lot less than what the ship will charge, Cosol will take you all over the island - drive in volcano, botanical gardens, banana plantation, a beach for swimming/snorkeling, etc. Very friendly and knowledgeable guide.

 

Barbados - if you are into water activities, Silver Moon www.oceanadventures.bb is the best option for swimming and snorkeling with the sea turtles. They take limited numbers of people and provide a nice lunch and unlimited drinks.

[mikepmcm]

You might want to check out the roll call for the week that you're on here's where you can find all of the Serenade Roll Calls: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=271

 

Here's some of the recommended tours that many on this itinerary are recommending:

 

• Sunny Liston Tours St. Thomas http://www.sunnylistontours.com/
  
• Bernards St, Martin http://www.bernardstours.com/
  
• St. Martin info http://www.sint-maarten.net/
  
• Cosol Tours St. Lucia (must do) http://cosoltours.com/
  
• Eli's Eco Tour Antigua http://www.adventureantigua.com/tour.html
  
• Silvermoon Catamaran Barbados http://www.oceanadventures.bb/oai/silvermoon.html
  

I did notice you call yourself PastorMike so a warning that Orient Beach in Sint Maarten (French side) is clothing optional. All of the ports have great beaches and most of the tours spend only 2-hrs at a beach so if you want more, get a taxi to take you to one of the beaches on your own. Your best port for shopping is probably St. Martin.

 

Also the Serenade has a Murder Mystery dinner theater:

"Join our cast of characters for a night of mystery, intrigue and lots of laughs. Our professional cast will host an evening of theater where you are the detectives. Solve the crime in Portofino, our gourmet Italian specialty restaurant, over an exquisite multiple course dinner paired with fine wine and fun for all. There are limited spaces available for this exclusive event held once per week, so book early to reserve your night of Royal Caribbean International's, Mystery Dinner Theater. Dinner will include a full 4-course meal featuring Portofino's most popular items. Portofino proudly features Seattle's Best Coffee Fresh Roasted Blends and Specialty Beverages, served at current bar menu prices."

 

I believe that it is on the night while in Antigua, $49.50 per person including wine. Potofino (Italian) and Chops (steak-seafood) are the ships specialty extra charge restaurants $20-$25 per person and require advance reservations. You can make these reservations online on the RCL website several months in advance fo your sail date.

 

Don't forget to explore San Old San Juan, many arrive a day or two early to do just that. Here's a few San Juan links to check out:

 

• Explore San Juan http://www.sanjuan.com/
  
• Puerto Rico Day Trips http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/
  

 

Mike

[mikepmcm]

Here's some pics from ShipCafe.net & ShipParade.com to get you in the mood:

 

 

 

 

Solarium Adult pool

 

View down the Centrum

 

 

[MDSue]

Welcome!

You picked a great ship and great itinerary for your first cruise. I did this cruise in April and it was my favorite yet. The Serenade is a beautiful ship, with a great crew and restaurant. There are some great things to do on each island. Take some time to read the boards on each port to get some ideas of what you want to do. Also, join the roll call for your cruise, there will quite likely be alot of veteran cruisers to chat with that may be familiar with the ports. Even if you don't do the meet and mingle, you will make some great cruise friends online. Once you have read everyone's suggestions, you may feel confident enough to book tours with outside vendors. On some islands like St. Thomas and St. Maarten, it is very simple to grab a cab if you just want to do a beach day on your own.

Here are a few more ideas.

Fly into to San Juan a day early and enjoy a visit to Old San Juan. It is a great walking town, beautiful cobblestone streets, old forts and unique architecture. It's like getting 6 ports for the price of 5.

The cruiselines sell Coke products, so you won't have a problem buying them onboard, but if you like other sodas, you may want to bring some of your own. There is no problem carrying your own sodas onboard, but it's a bit of a hassle along with the rest of your luggage.

You can be about as casual or dressy as you wish. Most everyone will be dressed nicely for formal nights [there are plenty of picture opportunities if you want a formal portrait]. Not everyone wear tux's, but most will dress formally for these nights. Other nights are usually a dress casual with many interpretations. They will usually have a themed tropical night.

For the island of St. Lucia- I highly recommend that you do a tour. This is a tropical paradise, but you need to get away from the port area to enjoy it. In the evening on your way out of port, you will sail along the coastline for a few hours and get a beautiful view of the Pitons along the way. This is a good night to sit on your balcony if you are on the right side of the ship [port side for us], or up on the deck.

Antigua is known for it's hundreds of beautiful beaches, but we choose to splurge on an unforgettable helicopter tour over to the island on Montserrat. It was well worth the investment for us and we still had time left to enjoy the island.

Barbados is known for their sea turtles and many people take boat or catamaran trips to snorkel with them. While I enjoyed this excursion it was quite crowded with many boats.

Just remember that this is your vacation and the wonderful thing about cruising is that you can do as much or as little as you want. You'll get alot of great advice from these boards. Enjoy:)

i

[Pastormike]

You folks are amazing and very helpful. I am learning and thinking about a lot for this trip....I think we will do our own thing in some ports (even as a pastor, lutheran by the way, as long as I don't have to participate in the clothing optional part, Orient beach would still be okay......no one would want me to have an option when it comes to clothing! :)) and in others we will look at tours.

 

Thank you all for all the help!!!!

[Prphan2]

Here's some pics from ShipCafe.net & ShipParade.com to get you in the mood:

 

 

 

 

Solarium Adult pool

 

View down the Centrum

 

 

One look and I instantly decompressed and felt very relaxed! Thanks for posting these.

[Darkwolfe]

Nice choice for your first trip out. We'll be doing the same itinerary in January.

 

BTW, Pastormike... By chance would you be a frequenter of a certain KC Chiefs site sometimes reffered to as "The Planet"?

[Pastormike]

No, sorry, BIG Atlanta Falcons fan here!!!!! Although did like the Chiefs alot in Hank Stramm's days!!

[Langley Cruisers]

I think we will do our own thing in some ports (even as a pastor, lutheran by the way, as long as I don't have to participate in the clothing optional part, Orient beach would still be okay......

 

Not judging and this is only for Pastormike (please :)), but seriously wondering if you would really consider going to a beach you know is clothing optional? I think the Word is clear on issues such as this and just wondering why you might choose this beach as opposed to the many others?

 

Thanks.

[whitneygirls]

I hope this gets to you because I'm not sure myself how to go about it. I really can't answer your questions but I was wondering when In Feb are you and your wife going? I am going on Serenade with friends in Feb also.

[Pastormike]

We are going on the Feb. 14th cruise. Like I said, this is a first for us......

(oh, and I am not responding to the previous question about a clothing optional beach, this isn't really a place for religous discussions....but thanks anyway:))

[MDSue]

Not judging and this is only for Pastormike (please :)), but seriously wondering if you would really consider going to a beach you know is clothing optional? I think the Word is clear on issues such as this and just wondering why you might choose this beach as opposed to the many others?

 

Thanks.

Although this wasn't directed to me I'd like to respond. Orient Beach is a beautiful beach with alot to see and do [besides observing the clothing optional beachgoers]. Honestly there are just not that many people here minus bathing suits other than certain areas which are easy to avoid. I went to this beach with my teenage children and do not consider myself an immoral person. It just wasn't really an issue. I think for many people they can just choose not to pay attention to the limited strollers if they wish and enjoy everything esle this beach has to offer.

[ILoveScotland]

Pastormike, I've been on the Brilliance and Radiance which are also Radiance class ships. They are my favorite of the ships I've been on so far. There is lots and lots of glass which allows you to look out to sea.

 

Being forward is not a problem for DH (that's Dear Husband) and me, but some people prefer to be midship or even aft.

 

We have room service breakfast every day as I don't want to face the world until I've had my coffee. I take enough $1 bills to cover the tips and put them in the cabin's safe so I won't spend them elsewhere.

 

Is there a Roll Call for your cruise? And have you joined it? Also, have you signed up for Meet 'n Mingle? I've enjoyed getting to know some other people prior to our sailing together.

 

I can't say much about your itinerary except to reiterate what's been said about the ship not waiting for you if you go out on your own or with an independent company. We tend to do independent tours now but only after I've vetted them.

 

The main thing is to go and enjoy yourselves away from the stresses of being a pastor. And, that I do know about since I'm one, too, but of the United Methodist variety. I've found cruising to be a wonderful way to relax as well as see the world.