Wonderful Christmas on the Serenade

Item: Serenade of the Seas
Rating: 4
Author: sglaskey

Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

sglaskey

Contributor Level: Cruise Director

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 212

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 20, 2014

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

The Serenade of the Seas is a beautiful ship. It doesn't have all the new bells and whistles that many look for, but she is only 2500 passengers big and full of glass to watch the scenery go by. The crew was amazing - they work hard yet had smiles and "Merry Christmas" every time we encountered them. Even the officers got into the act by judging the belly flop competition. The food was very good to excellent and our Christmas Eve dinner in Chops was simply amazing for food and service. The magic of Christmas was everywhere, from ship decorations to staff wearing Santa hats to officer and guest caroling to Santa's visit on Christmas morning. The reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars? Some inconsistencies in service in the main dining room; port selection (can we PLEASE get rid of Falmouth Jamaica? although it left us with the ship on a beautiful day to ourselves!); internet connectivity is extremely expensive and very slow; small cosmetics of the ship (e.g., balcony rails, peeling mirror in cabin bath) should be taken care of. Overall I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this beautiful ship if you are looking for the feel of a cruise and not looking for an amusement park at sea!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Chops was AMAZING! Main dining room was very good to excellent.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Many things to do during both at-sea and port days. But I miss the old horseracing activities! I rated this "ok" as Serenade doesn't have all the new whiz-bang things that the other ships have.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Two comedians, Horizon motown singers, and RCCL singer/dancers - all very nice but nothing "glitzy." But on a small ship, perfectly understandable.

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

We didn't have kids but met families and all of the kids (all ages) raved about the kids programs. Several stayed with the groups instead of going to dinner with their parents.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The crew, from officer's down, were amazing. Very friendly, smiles, always chatting with you. Among the friendliest I have ever encountered.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

You cannot beat the Radiance class for its design and use of glass - allows constant view of the scenery.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Balcony statement was very nice. A few signs of wear / cosmetic like mirror in bath peeling and balcony rails that need a little TLC.

Ship tip

Reserve your My Time Dining online in advance - expect the first night to be very crowded. We reserved 8 PM and ended up going about 7:40 each night without waits after the first night. Visit the Park Cafe in the solarium area for the most amazing roast beef sandwiches!!

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