AOS or Serenade?

[newcruiser30]

Which ship do you like better? Unfortunately we started off cruising with the Freedom, and were told it can't get any better. We spent alot of time on the pool decks and in the promenade on the Freedom. Also enjoyed the alternative restaurants as opposed to MDR. Now we are considering a Southern itinerary - which ship might suit us better? It would just be my DH and I, we are in our low 30's. We are a bit afraid of getting bored on one of these ships.

Thank you for your feedback!

[ken_nyc]

We are going on the Barbados itinerary on the AOS...even though we only experienced the Voyager Class ship, I probably would of opted to cruise on the Serenade instead of the AOS.

[karena1]

The Adventure is almost the same as Freedom, just a little smaller. Still has the Promenade, the specialty restaurants, etc.

 

Serenade is smaller, but so gorgeous. We love her and love the southern itineary. But no promenade or ice rink ect like on the Voyager and Freedom classes.

[cb at sea]

I love the open-roof solarium on the Voyager class ships...The Radiance Class ships have an "enclosed" solarium. (Actually, the roof is supposed to be retractable, but it's seldom, if ever, open!) That means, no tanning in there. I never got to use the adult-only area on the Radiance class because of that....

[KuffMUp]

I'm not sure why you would feel bored if you hung around the pools a lot. Hey, they all have pools. On the Serenade, you have no promenade but do have Chops and Portofino. Also, self leveling pool tables, basketball and volley ball, rock wall, and a golf simulator. On AOS you have an ice skating rink, in-line skating area, golf simulator, 9 hole mini golf, full size basketball court, rock wall, Portofinos, and a Promenade.

[Sue L]

I love the open-roof solarium on the Voyager class ships...The Radiance Class ships have an "enclosed" solarium. (Actually, the roof is supposed to be retractable, but it's seldom, if ever, open!) That means, no tanning in there. I never got to use the adult-only area on the Radiance class because of that....

 

 

too bad as you missed out on a beautiful spot. And yes you can tan through the glass . If the weather is inclement your open roof solarium means NO pool at all. I love the Serenade and her sisters, and felt very clautrophobic on the Explorer (same as AOS)

[elleluv]

We very slightly prefer Serenade (she's actually our favorite ship). The Radiance Class doesn't have a promenade, but we love all the glass and the Solarium and Thermal Suite on the Radiance Class ships.

 

The Voyager Class ships, which includes AOS, are really very similar to the Freedom Class. They are just a bit smaller, the biggest differences IMO is they don't have the flow rider, the water park or the cantilevered hot tubs. Voyager's promenade is smaller, so it doesn't have Sorento's, but it does the Cafe Promenade and they have pizza.

 

I really think you'd enjoy either ship, but you'd see much smaller differences between Freedom and AOS than Freedom and Serenade.

[elleluv]

I love the open-roof solarium on the Voyager class ships...The Radiance Class ships have an "enclosed" solarium. (Actually, the roof is supposed to be retractable, but it's seldom, if ever, open!) That means, no tanning in there. I never got to use the adult-only area on the Radiance class because of that....

 

 

and I absolutely LOVE the enclosed solarium... I really wish they would have included it on the Voyager and Freedom Class ships. If they included the covered solarium and the thermal suite on the bigger ships, my personal preference would probably go to them instead of the Radiance Class.

 

For those that haven't seen the solarium on a Radiance Class ship, this is a picture of the solarium on Serenade, one of the most beautiful, peaceful places on the ship...

 

[bplazo]

We have done both and I preferred the Serenade because of it being a smaller ship. However, you cannot go wrong on either one.

[Smileeface]

With RCI I have only been on Liberty Of the Seas, Freedom's sister, so I know what you mean. I'm going on AOS this July on the Barbados route. I've heard the ship can be very lively, and that the voyager class ships are a smaller version of the Freedom class, as others have stated here. With the Barbados route, you have 5 islands/ports and only one day at sea. I can't imagine you'd have time to be bored or to have time to be anywhere on the ship too many times. If you take the Aruba route I believe you get 2 days at sea, a little more down time. Hope that helps to narrow it down for you :)

[lurkernomore]

We have done both - the Serenade is a port intensive cruise, which was a blast. We did excursions early and then relaxed on the ship in the afternoon. We loved the AOS because there was so much to do on board. My husband prefers the larger ships and missed the Promenade, me, not so much, I loved waking up every morning in a different port. Both ships are amazing...

[Daycare Provider]

We have done both...and we've done the barbados route as well. I would stick with the AOS...you can't beat the promenade...who cares if the solarium can be clsoed. You are in the southern carib where the weather is at it's finest.

[lovemylab]

We did the Serenade two years ago and loved it. We have the Adventure booked for this November. The only reason we booked the AOS this time was due to the itinerary/ports. Had the Serenade offered the Aruba route we would have booked her again in a heartbeat.