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

172 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 78

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!

Ship tip

Keep your expectations low for the Serenade of the Seas, IF you have been are larger & newer ships.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

1 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

4 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Smooth

Traveler Photos

9 Comments

AntAndAng 2 years ago

Replying to lloyd329...Our test results were rejected because the Dr. forgot to date one of the tests. Also, the Dr. didn't sign or put her office where the results could be verified. So, we just came back from a cruise last week. Therefore, we made sure that the date was on the results, the Dr. verification was on the results (Clinic/Office & contact information), & we received electronic copies. No problems this time.

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lloyd329 2 years ago

Why did they reject your test results? Asking because I'm getting ready to go on a cruise in 2 weeks. So I know what they expect.

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javawoody 2 years ago

Appreciate the review

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izrgreen 2 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations. Appreciate your feedback.

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cruising2004 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise was a disappointment.

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Cruising during Covid and Christmas is a totally different experience than previously.

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Curt34 2 years ago

Thanks for the review.

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