Ship was great, Royal Caribbean was terrible

Item: Serenade of the Seas
Rating: 3.5
Author: beckilove8

Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

beckilove8

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 25

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 26, 2022

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2009

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

I love to cruise, but will never sail with Royal Caribbean again.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Terrible. The ship was delayed due to fog, which wasn't Royal Caribbean's fault but they closed the Port Terminal so everyone that had taken a flight had no restroom to use and there was nothing within walking distance to use facilities. We did finally board at 10 pm ate dinner but no entertainment for that night. We were charged gratuities for the day we were onboard but for a couple hours, the ship sailed at 11:55 pm instead of 4 pm as expected. I was refunded my gratuities when I complained but when I received my statement emailed to me they had charged them again. Mother nature wasn't the issue, the way guest were treated by Royal Caribbean was terrible and I will never sail with them again.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Staff and food was good.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Not a whole lot of activities, the cruise director was horrible.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

The quality of entertainment wasn't as good as other cruise lines I have been on.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Staff and service was wonderful. Very good staff.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Very clean

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Very small but easily accommodated us.

Ports of call

Tampa, Florida

1 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

1 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

3 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Carnival, Norwegian and Holland America are much more organized.

10 Comments

Mmh1964 2 years ago

I was on that sailing as well. My issue was lack of communication from Royal. Our boarding time was 11 am, we arrived at 1030 am, no notice from Royal not to arrive at the port. My mother is 83 and could not walk 2 miles for a restroom. Poor planning on the port of Tampa, but once we were on we made the best of it.

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kellies26 2 years ago

I would assume any other ships sailing, meaning other cruise lines had the same situation that day so it likely wouldn’t have mattered what cruise line you were sailing. Safety is their priority.

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TXatsea 2 years ago

The terminal being closed had NOTHING to do with Royal Caribbean

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cruisingcindylou 2 years ago

Serenade was my least favorite ship. I love Royal, but learned I like the big ships. More activities and they have bigger budget so the shows are incredible on the big ships. Sorry you had such a bad cruise.

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RoyalCruzer 2 years ago

Royal Caribbean does not own or control the port so your premise that this is their fault is severely flawed. Even though you didn't board the ship until later, the crew still worked hard to clean and sanitize the ship and prepare your room. If you are complaining about the extra $16.00 you need to choose another type of vacation.

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Interesting

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willwork4cruz 2 years ago

I would have only been upset that they put the gratuities back on that you told them to take off. That's theft. I wouldn't have had the removed cause it's not the crew's fault but if I did, they shouldn't charge me anyway.

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Dadm 2 years ago

I did read about the Fog Delay. Yes, that was unfortunate but your location was the Ocean. Fog is common. I do agree that Gratuities should not have been taken by the cruise line for that one day. That is like asking house guests to pay for their dessert.

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CruzeFan 2 years ago

Always had a great experience on Royal Caribbean and in the ports visited.

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bubbles60 2 years ago

I agree royal has limited activities especially on sea days. We are not pool people so day time activities would be nice. Sorry you did not a great time.

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