Lovely cruise but the Serenade is tired and needs a refurb

Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review to Transatlantic

noname111

Contributor Level: Captain

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 15

Helpful Votes: 527

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

15 Night Transatlantic Eastbound (Boston To Copenhagen)

Sail date: April 24, 2015

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1514

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

We chose this cruise because it was leaving our of our home port which made it super convenient. The ports of call also touched many areas of interest so it was a no-brainer.

Pros: The crew of the Serenade is fantastic. The food was top-notch and consistently served at the proper temperature (e.g., chilled soups were actually chilled). This was as opposed to the last Celebrity cruises we took where every dish and beverage was served at room temp. The itinerary was fabulous and interesting. The convenience of a 10 minute drive to the gangway for boarding is unbeatable.

Cons: #1 - Our biggest issue was the condition of the Serenade; she is tired. She needs a refurb, like yesterday. I love this class of ship but she is showing her age and really needs an update. Some of the issues include... There are many elevator buttons that do not work. There were many toilet flush buttons that were missing covers. The draw pulls and wood trim in our cabin was sticky and/or chipped. There were large (6"x6") sections of deck paint missing outside of the Windjammer. There is rust and stains on the back windows of The Safari Club.
#2 - Fellow guests were grim and often unfriendly... bordering on rude. We were not the only people who commented on this. For some reason, there were a lot of guests with their noses held much too high in the air... sad that they could not come out of their superior class haze to meet some of us nice people. It may have put smiles on their faces.

In all, would recommend this itinerary any day. The other issues are variables that you really can't account for on any cruise.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Aside from an issue with accessible seating (which was resolved quickly enough), the food and dining experience was great.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Pretty standard fare. One BIG highlight was the Master Sea Chef competition that took place on sea days. An elimination tournament featuring non-chef crew. It was lots of fun and something that everyone seemed to look forward to on sea days. Karine (Guest Relations Manager from France) was the winner.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The feature entertainers were varied and exceptional. The piano brothers were a bit schmaltzy in terms of their schtick, but their playing was great.

Children's Programs

There were very few children on this ship, none of whom was associated with us so can't comment.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Serenade needs a refurb. She is still seaworthy but is falling into a very sad state.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5