Serenade of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

more time to explore on the shore excursions, very few stops to get out for viewing and picture taking, On the Boston tour not enough history of the city but pointing out Starbucks and Insurance buildings are of no interest to me and others when you are in such a historical place and time of our Country

My wife and I have been on this ship before to the same destinations.  This most recent cruise was no exception.  We enjoyed the cruise very much.  In no particular order, I've listed those things that I see room for improvement:

* our daily scheduled My Time dining was inconsistent.  Our requested table for two often had us assigned to a table near the kitchen.  The noise and traffic of wait staff was crazy loud and constant.

* the aerial show productions in the Centrum were impressive.  However, the area regardless of floor where viewed, were often packed with people with poor views and very little available seating.  

* the movies offered in the Cinema were not appropriate for the average age of the passengers onboard.  The majority of us were between 60 and older.  Angry Birds and The Avengers were intended for a younger audience in my opinion.

* the Art Auction solicitations were constant and annoying.

* and the ship photographers were relentless as usual.  The areas set up for picture taking were often in areas where those passengers simply passing thru had to stop and wait for the photographer to finish or pause between snaps.  Some locations posed a safety hazzard by obstructing the flow of people passing by.

This was a great way to spend our 20th Anniversary.  We've always wanted to come to the New England area, so this was perfect.  Going to Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine was awesome, as was St. Johns, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

MY FAVORITE PART OF THE CRUISE WAS THE PORTS WE VISITED.  THE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT WAS AVERAGE AT BEST EXCEPT FOR THE LAS VEGAS TENORS.  THEY WERE EXCELLENT.  THE DINING ROOM FOOD WAS AVERAGE BUT THE SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT.

Halifax, St. Johns and Portland were exceptional. Bar Harbor park tour would not be recommended to friends.

Service on board was exceptional with the exception of Bar service.

Food was not what was expected. Seafood dishes were not worthwhile.

Many items seemed to be "out-of -stock" such as skim milk at the coffee shop, and non-alcholic drinks at the bar.

It was ok, nice and relaxing. Third time going on this cruise, so no surprises.

Casino paid off. The trivia was a good. A nice way to get to Maine to see friends and Family.

One of the most important things when purchasing a cruise is your accommodations.  I asked for a balcony that did not have an obstructed view.  I paid what was asked and was excited to cruise... After a long walk down the hall to the stateroom I was very disappointed when I opened the door to the room and the Obstructed view.  It was so bad we did not even sit on it.  I will not use again because of this.  There are lots of other companies.

Loved the entertainment in the centrum plus the shows.Rooms were very comfortable. The my time dining was mixed up which was upsetting as our group leader had spent a lot of time on the phone setting it up.. we had a table for 12 which was too large for the servers and us. We were squeezed into a corner with little space to eat. This was my only complaint. Otherwise the cruise was tops!!

Smaller ship with detail on customer satisfaction. Crew was extremely friendly and leaving from Boston was easy. Only did one excursion from cruise line which was kayaking in Bar Harbour. Definitely a highlight

My husband and I took both sets of parents ages 76-81 and it was a perfect cruise for all.  The seas were calm, the weather was perfect.  The leaves had not changed yet but the warm weather made up for it.

Meals except for specialty restaurants were average at best

Cabin service was outstanding our attendant was super

We scheduled dinner for 7:30 pm and were unable to view the headline performances due to starting times. on other cruises there were shows early 6:30 and late after 9pm

I prepaid for internet service and I had to go to guest services several times to have if fixed

The casino smelled like an ashtray and I could not spend any time there

Facilities (pool, spa) were very good

The bad:

1. Shore excursion options are ridiculously overpriced.  One example was the Titanic exhibit excursion in Portland.  Royal Caribbean offered this tour (which is self-guided) for I believe $49/person.  The museum was a 10 minute walk from the port, and the ticket for an adult was $20.  Having 4 people in our party, we saved quite a lot by doing this on our own.   2. The drink packages are ridiculous.  In order to have a juice drink package we would have to pay almost $30 per person per day.  Orange juice was $3.50 per glass.  In order to make the drink package worth it, we would have to drink over 8 glasses of juice per day.  That's a ridiculous amount of juice/pop drinking.   3. Speaking of orange juice, that juice should NOT be $3.50 per glass.  It is concentrate mixed with way too much water, and tastes awful.  We did complain and got our money back, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.  If you charge money for a glass of orange juice, it better be actual orange juice.  4.  The food was not impressive at all.  I couldn't even eat some of the meals in the dining room.  There were maybe a total of 5 dishes that I was impressed with during the entire cruise.  The rest was bland and some even inedible.  It was difficult to find anything good in the Windjammer buffet as well.   5. When we mentioned the quality of the orange juice at Guest Services, the girl gave us attitude and that in itself was not a pleasant experience.  

On to the good: The head waiter took care of special food allergies and he was incredible.   The staff in Adventure Ocean (kids club) is wonderful, the kids loved going there daily and loved the whole cruise because of this.   Apart from the negative experience at the Guest Services, everyone working on the ship has been great, the service is really wonderful, and everyone is always willing to help out.  We really appreciate that.

This cruise was a celebration of our 50th anniversary. We enjoyed the many friendly workers on board. Especially were the kindness and work well done by Neil and his partner at the evening meal and John, our room steward who was respectful and diligent. The Mounties and many people we got to enjoy talking together with. The food was excellent. The entertainment in the the Centrum was very enjoyable. We did not appreciate the strong emphasis on drinking and the unfamily  friendly program in the theater.

The staff on this ship are awesome.  Bar Harbor is an awesome port but Portland, St. John and Halifax aren't quite as tourist-friendly.  The ship was in very good shape.

The cruise and especially all the crew were very friendly and accommodating.

There were some logistical hiccups that resulted in some waits in lines getting on and off the ship. 

Boston and Bar Harbor were absolutely lovely this time of year. Personally, we enjoyed the walking tours which allowed us to have the benefit of a guide giving the history of each location we visited.

Do NOT miss the trip to Peggy's Cove when you go to Nova Scotia! The view is worth the trip.

The cruise was really great the staff were superb.  The only problem we had was the waiting to get on ship and getting off for tender boat.  Loved Bar Harbor Maine.  Was very beautiful.  Looked like something you would see on TV. Nova Scotia was also very beautiful and colorful.Peggy's cove was lovely.  I must say the ocean was gorgeous.

1. Arcadia national park is great. St. Martin and Halifx are pretty too. On shore time was too short.

2. Stateroom was clean and confortable, meals were decent and services were good.

3. Embarking and disembarking need to be more organized. Staffs should be more involved.

4. The last two days, deck12 was very smelly.

The Cruise was fine but the embarkation  at Boston was a farce. The lady who checked us in could not even key in credit card numbers to her keyboard. The queues were so long that eventually the police were called to patrol. Individual checks were taking at least 20 minutes. Tempers were raising - not a good start to your holiday.

Favorite part was visiting the three ports. I wish the port stops were not three consecutive days. Also, departing the ship on a tender in Bar Harbor was difficult for an old person.