OK, Not what I expected from RCL

Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

rollisor

Contributor Level: Second Mate

142 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 110

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

11 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 13, 2017

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 4060

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

The pillows were awful, gave us both headaches. The beef was gelatinous most of the time. Food was good but not great. The "My Time" dining was a joke. Had to wait after reservations first two nights. Then couldn't make a reservation between 6 and 7PM.

Ship was 14 years old and showed it. The design of the ship, primarily the Centrum was limited. It was too small to hold all the passengers that wanted to be at the bar and see entertainment. This was my third RCL cruise. Their standards have slipped over the years.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Cabin was fine and efficient

Ship tip

Get the drink package if you plan on having more than 4 drinks a day. It covers alcohol, soda, specialty coffee, etc.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5

St. John's, Antigua Did not visit port

Dirty, limited town.

Thumbs Up 0

Castries, St. Lucia

3 out of 5

Bridgetown, Barbados

3 out of 5

St. George's, Grenada

1 out of 5

Dirty. Not much of a town if you don't take a excursion.

Thumbs Up 2

Kralendijk, Bonaire

3 out of 5

Oranjestad, Aruba

3 out of 5

10 Comments

jilesgulf 7 years ago

We went in Dec & really liked the ship---booked another one on her for next Jan. If you don't like the pillows, ask for more. We asked for extra pillows & blankets & got them right away. Just got off of the Allure,but my heart is with the smaller ships. This ship has it's own movie theatre & shows new ð¥ movies. Check it out.

Thumbs Up 0

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iuki 7 years ago

We're doing a B2B for the first time, for a total of 21 nights. March 26 & April 7. Hopefully we'll get a better experience. I would love to take our own pillows, but that's too much to carry with our luggage.

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islandqueen 7 years ago

Me too!! my family and I will be on this ship on 2 weeks!! There have been so many bad reviews. I'm a bit nervous as well!!

Thumbs Up 2

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pedalpaddle 7 years ago

Very interesting to see such polar opposite reviews on this ship. We will have a good time regardless, but I am a little concerned.

Thumbs Up 2

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scifiguy56 7 years ago

My wife and I were on Serenade of the Sea two weeks ago. This has to be one of the worst ships we have been on. The entertainment was awful. The food was not that good, restrooms were filthy most of the time. The waiters in the windjammer would cut you off or almost run you over while you were filling you plate. This was our 13th cruise with RC and the first time we have ever experienced this with RC. The three good things about the cruise were, the captain was super nice and very friendly. The iternerary was great and our state room attendant was fantastic. I do not think I will ever go back on this ship. We were on this ship before and it was never this bad.

Thumbs Up 0

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msgrmike 7 years ago

Was on the Serenade in January and had a great time. I agree the food in the dining room could be better and for the third cruise in a row they failed to have a table for two even tho we requested it over a year ago.

Thumbs Up 1

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johngee 7 years ago

Sailed on Serenade less than six months ago. Only observation I'd make is more use should be made of the area around the Safari Club for entertainment, there's more seating there than at the Centrium. Other than that I loved the cruise

Thumbs Up 2

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Cruiseeker 7 years ago

Is anyone else taking the transatlantic cruise aboard the Serenade on Apr. 17?

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Cruiseeker 7 years ago

Uh Oh! I'll be sailing aboard the Serenade in 49 days, and frankly, with the disparaging review, I'm feeling some anxiety here...especially since I'll be cruising as a "solo", and a mildly -disabled senior solo, at that. I've been a bit Leary of RCI since booking this cruise, since Customer Service seems rather lax, even nil...but, as a burgeoning cruise addict, I anticipate a memorable adventure, despite any minor set-backs. (I can cope a bit better with less than delightful cuisine, but I dread "bad bedding", i.e.: painful pillows. :-[ )

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picalo 7 years ago

"gelatinous", love it

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