Serenade of the Seas repositioning cruise

Item: Serenade of the Seas
Rating: 4.3
Author: G8RGRL75

Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review

G8RGRL75

Contributor Level: Second Mate

361 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 72

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

12 Night Caribbean Repositioning (Tampa To Boston)

Sail date: September 12, 2023

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1010

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overall we really enjoyed this cruise. We liked the ports of call and the crew was great,

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation from Tampa was smooth. We were dropped off at the port and was all checked in within 15 minutes.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We ate most of our breakfast and lunches in the buffet. We found that they did not change up the menu much during those two meals. It would be nice to see a bit of variety especially on a 12 day cruise. We did try to get a Kimmel wick sandwich from Park Cafe on one of the days for lunch, however Park Cafe is located in the Solarium on this ship. We were unable to find a seat to eat it in the Solarium and by the time we did find a seat our sandwich’s were cold. I think this restaurant maybe should have been placed somewhere else on this ship. We had my time dining and ate most of our dinners in the main dining room. The dining staff were great they ensured we remained at the same table with the same waitstaff the whole cruise. I like the idea of the new themed menus. As a huge Royal Caribbean fan it pains me to say the food was just so so., and could have been excited better. On British night we had the sticky toffee pudding, which was not like any other sticky toffee pudding I have ever had. It looked like a cupcake with a watery caramel sauce on it. We had a British couple who sat next to us and she did state that was not a traditional sticky toffee pudding.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

The ship was beautiful. It is a smaller ship with more of the classic ship feel. The one downfall we found was that with a full ship it was hard to enjoy the pools and the hot tubs. We found that the solarium chairs were often reserved from early in the morning which did not allow for us to utilize this space during the cruise. Some of our favorite spaces was the Safari Room and the Schooner Bar. We also enjoyed sitting in a lounge chair outside of the promenade on the 5th deck. It was often quiet and allowed us to relax and read or play solitaire while still enjoying the ocean.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The entertainment staff on this ship was amazing. They all worked well together and brought a very positive energy to all of the activities they put on. We loved the theater shows with the Serenade of the Seas Orchestra.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All of the staff were happy and friendly. They made all of the activities fun. You could tell that they all got along with each other and enjoyed their jobs on the ship.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Again the ship was beautiful. She was full of beautiful wood and had the classic ship feel that you do not get on the modern ships. It was clean and well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

We were in Cabin 1010. It is up front by the bridge. The balcony was nice and provided a great view. The room itself was smaller than the other Royal ships we sailed on but it had lots of storage.

Ship tip

The ship is beautiful and the staff are great. I would recommend participating in as many activities and shows as you can. Another tip I would recommend is to go lol the back of the Windjammer. There are tables outside that give you a beautiful wake view while you eat.

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

We disembarked in Boston. The whole process was quick and smooth. We were able to get a cab just outside of the cruise terminal and were at the airport within a half hour.