First Holiday Cruise

Item: Serenade of the Seas
Rating: 3.3
Author: AntAndAng

Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

AntAndAng

Contributor Level: Second Mate

14 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 59

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 24, 2021

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7016

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

I do 3 cruises a year. 2 months prior, I was the MSC Meraviglia. It was amazing! Out of all the cruises I have ever been on, the Serenade of the Seas was the worst. Nevertheless, it was a vacation, I had time off, & I was with family. So, I made the most of it. Truly thankful. I am scheduled to go on the Serenade of the Seas again in September 2022 for an Alaskan cruise. I am hopeful that my experience will be better than my last experience. I will definitely plan different.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

The Tampa Port for RCL is nothing to write home about. I was assuming it would be more like the Long Beach Port, but it is not. No seating inside, a lot of waiting outside. However, I am thankful that they did do testing at the port because they rejected the COVID test we provided. I don't blame them, I blame my doctor. I had to pay $420 to re-test. Glad I have insurance that will reimburse me.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Windjammer is always my "go-to" on RCL. However, for breakfast & dinner, I go to the main dining hall. RCL must have had a bad week because I was totally disappointed with the food. Windjammer & specialty dining saved this experience.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

I don't know if it was because the Serenade of the Seas is an older ship, but I was not impressed with the onboard activities compared to other cruise lines.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

The main comedian was funny, but the entertainment was horrible & Tap Factory was confusing.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

There were a few staff members that loved their job. For this reason, I provide additional gratuity to them. However, overall, the service was simply ok. I expected more. When you have to track servers down & beg for service, then this is a problem.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

For an older ship, the cleanliness was as good as it could have been, but with more commitment from the RCL & staff, it could have been better.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

I will say that this room was better than expected. With its design & storage, RCL impressed me with this room. It was the smallest balcony room I ever stayed in, but it seemed to be the most spacious. Also, my room was an extended balcony. Love it!