Not a good experience. Too many bad things happened. My cousin got sick, I fell down the stairs because of the rolling of the ship and broke my foot, people died on a tour and the excursions were not good.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Smooth embarkation.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The dining was good. By the end of the week, the food seemed to blend all together. We did the buffet almost every day and it was basically the same. Not bad, just ok.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
I thought there was going to be an adult only pool but there really wasn't. The main pool was too small and there just was not enough deck chairs. The pool was pretty but small. We did get a massage one day and it was very nice. All the spa activities were very expensive. And you had to pay for some of the fitness classes. Did not expect that.
Pool
2 out of 5
Too small for the size of the ship
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Great shows, except the theater was so cold all the time.
Children's Programs
No children in our party
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward was amazing. She had everything we asked for immediately. She was in our room several times a day making sure it was clean and we had what we needed. Her name was Gaylie Tabancay and she was excellent.
There was a guest service officer that was very helpful as well. His name was Marcos Ferreira. My son was put in the hospital while I was on the cruise and he was very helpful in getting me information I needed to communicate with the hospital so I could keep up to date on what was going on with my son. It was a stressful time and he was very kind in helping me.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Beautiful ship and very clean
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Room was clean. My cousin and I went together and we expected two twin beds but they were together. It was ok but would have been better if we had separate beds. Room was very nice and we had everything we needed.
We did the Parrot Beach resort excursion. We booked that excursion specifically because it said we could get a beach massage. But the person that was supposed to do the massage never showed up. We were very disappointed in this excursion. When we went back to the ship to express our displeasure, we were told that it was not their fault and there was nothing they could do about it. We felt we were mislead. Overall, the rest of our excursions were not good at all. The cruise ship was very uncaring that we were not pleased with what we paid for.
This was the excursion where 12 people died on a tour bus. We were in line to be on that bus and was told to come back 20 minutes later and get on the next bus. So very thankful we were not on the bus. But we passed by the tragedy and say people laying on the ground bleeding. It was horrible. We went on to the ruins and on the way back were stopped for almost 3 hours waiting while they tried to clear the accident up. We had the rest of our excursion cancelled (we were supposed to go to the beach, have a cook out, and have drinks) because we could not get through. It was completely understandable that we did not get to the rest of our excursion because of the horrible accident and we were not upset about that. It was such a sad and horrible day. We were definitely disappointed we did not get to finish our excursion but it was disappointing.
We had an excursion booked but did not go on it because it involved another tour bus ride and it would have been 2.5 hours one way. After the crash the day before, we were too concerned to get on another tour bus. We had paid for this excursion and just did not go. We did not feel it was safe to do it and so we just stayed in port and walked around.
It was long, and tiring. By then I just wanted to get off the ship and get home. The whole cruise ended up being stressful and I was ready to get home. I do not think I want to go on another cruise. This was my first cruise and too many bad things happened for me to say it was a good cruise.
I also enjoyed the Serenade, but each cruise is different for others,even if it is the same cruise. I went with a girlfriend, our bed also was together. We asked our room steward to separate them and he had it done. If you decided to cruise again, I'm sure it will be a lot better!!
We had an amazing time on Serenade of the Seas cruise we made so many new friends by the end of the cruise they become part of our family we would go back in a heartbeat we miss all our family that works on the boat so much ☺☺☺
Doesn't sound like you are too discouraged. That's a good thing. I've been on around 100 cruises-- two nighters to 14 nights. Going on transatlantic 16 night in April 2018. Just came off a 7 night carnival. All cruises are pretty much the same. No one wants a bad experience but sometimes bad/terrible things happen. My last cruise two weeks ago, we stopped 4 times to get ill or hurt people off the ship. A stroke, a broken rib, someone fell. Two people together were both taken off the ship by the coast guard as we waited out in the ocean. BUT by far, good experiences out weigh the bad. Don't always try to do everything on board. You'll wear yourself out. Relax, don't drink too much alcohol, don't gamble too much. Enjoy the sun and fun.
So sorry for your bad cruise. I imagine it was a rather somber cruise after the bus crash. Sorry about your foot. I fell during a cruise one time and broke both feet and my right leg. I was on an excursion. Spent a day in bed then my friend wheeled me all over the ship and had a nice time. I am sure your next cruise will be much better. Get well soon...Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!
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