Great Time! Five night cruises are too short.
Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 20
5 Night Canada (Boston Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 29, 2023
Ship: Serenade of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 8548
Traveled as: Singles/Friends
Reviewed: 6 months ago
Review summary
I over scheduled myself, so my cruise wasn’t as relaxing as it could have been. It was only five nights, so I’ll avoid such a short cruise moving forward.Embarkation
From the time I parked my car, waited for the shuttle and entered the ship was 45 minutes. I arrived at 10:01 am for a scheduled 11:00 am appointment, went through customs and was sitting on Deck 5 by 10:46 am. There are people standing right there to help with connecting to the ship’s wi-fi. There are places to sit in the cruise terminal for everyone so you’re not standing for too long. I parked at the Fargo Street parking lot, in Boston, though they have shuttle be prepared to wait especially after the cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Not sure about all the complaints I’ve read the food was just fine. I’m not sure what anyone expects when feeding 2,100 people all day. Windjammer buffet had too many options, just grabbed a burger and fries, fruit punch. There was carving station, baked chicken, pork chops, pasta, etc. There were salads, fresh baked rolls, and desserts.
The MDR also had food that was filling and hot. I uploaded a few pictures of my dinners. My dinner reservation was at 6:45 pm, Singh and Oni were awesome! My food was delicious. I highly recommend the Seafood Linguine and Braised Lamb.
I ate the Chops Grille which also delicious, though I didn’t care for the Gruyère Tater Tots. .
The late night pizza at the Park Care was okay. Not like MSC’s late night pizza
Onboard Activities
Had a great time making Sushi, the hosts included the head chef of Izumi who was our instructor. They took the time to explain the history and background of sushi before and during the class. We made quite a bit of sushi, and it was delicious. Well worth the $35 that I paid. I will take the class again if ever offered on an RCL ship.
I’m disappointed that the cupcake decorating class was rescheduled on me to the same time as the Sip Tour Luncheon, where we went on nice tour of the ship’s galley, sipped Momosa’s then had a really nice lunch. Had a great time! The ship refunded my fee for the cupcake class, but I wished I could have taken the class.
I have pictures of the sushi making and sip tour lunch eon
Entertainment
The entertainment was entertaining. Had a great guitarist at the Schooner Bar, Don Gavin, the comedian was hilarious! I never got a chance to go to the cinema because I booked so many activities. I’ll never do just a five-night cruise again. I need more time, so it’s seven nights or more for me.
Service and Staff
AMAZING!! Let’s start with Dexter, my room attendant. I booked through AAA’s online website who dropped the ball with some promised amenities. I gave the confirmation to Dexter, who took it to his leadership, and RCL pursued it with AAA, and I came back from my excursion with the sparkling wine and chocolate covered strawberries in my room.
Singh, my MDR waiter and his assistant, Oni, were awesome! They made recommendations and got me in and out in 45 minutes, from appetizers to dessert.
Mila the bartender at the Schooner Bar, and the young woman who came to help at the casino bar, were also awesome! Everywhere I went staff greeted me. I never waited for drinks.
Mila the
Ship Quality
I’m completely done with mega ships! I peaked with Oasis of the Seas. The Serenade was very easy to navigate and didn’t wear me out! The ship was clean and comfortable.
Cabin / Stateroom
My balcony cabin was very small, and the shower is the tightest on any ship I’ve been on. The bed was very comfortable. However, lots of visible rust around the balcony, it was rather unsightly. They should paint this before the around the world cruise. Otherwise, it was a neat and adequate cabin.
Ship tip
Don’t overdo it! Relax.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Saint John is very hilly, just walking around the port gives you quite a workout. Excursions are well-managed.
I grew up in MA, you’ll love Boston! Great place to visit a couple days before or after the cruise.
Disembarkation
Because CBP made everyone come through and review passports and birth certificates in Portland ME for some reason, we didn’t have to show our passports in Boston. I was a self-assist/walk-off, so it took all of 15 minutes to clear the ship.
What took another hour was the shuttle to the Fargo Street parking lot. There was ONE shuttle, just one, and hundreds of people parked in their lot. There was quite a wait in the freezing cold (which may not be an issue on a nice, balmy summer day, plenty of shade), but you’d think the company would have at least two shuttles knowing so many people were returning. If I ever park there again, I’ll reserve the energy to walk to the lot or pay the extra to park at the other two lots that were nearby.
Traveler Photos
