Serenade of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I'd like to offer you some constructive suggestions for your Customer Service personnel and your Guest Services desk. They both are in need of 'further training,' especially in the category of Smiling and Courtesy. There is quite a 'I'm better than you' attitude AND a 'you're wasting my time' air about them. They really need to remember that they are 'there for the people cruising,' not the reverse. ALSO, there was an incident that was handled VERY POORLY in the Chops restaurant.(Apparently, a person on the Cruise wasnt able to get into Multiple rooms with their room pass. Instead of asking the person to step outside the Restaurant, there was a heated exchange INSIDE!!! Three different personnel on FOUR successive visits inside the Restaurant argued with this Patron, disturbing everyone's meals! Very poorly handled!)

As well, our bed in room#4045 was extremely hard and barely usable. We could manage with the bed, and if assured that the Customer Service and Guest Relations personnel would seriously improve, we would consider returning. However, at this stage I would recommend that my friends NOT Cruise on this Ship!!

We chose this cruise for its southern caribbean itinerary to assure a warm, sunny trip. It did not disappoint. Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao delighted us.

We were celebrating our 25 year wedding anniversary, so we splurged on the superior bacony cabin. This proved to be plenty spacious and comfortable. The balcony did lack a little in privacy, since there are large gaps, allowing us to see a full reflection of the couple next door. 

This was our first time cruising with Royal Caribbean; we have always cruised with Carnival before this. So we were trying to compare everything. Being that the Serenade is a smaller, older ship probably put it at a slight disadvantage for comparison. Shipwise, it came up a bit short.

The water slide was clearly only put there for kiddies only. I attempted to go down it, only to realize that there was not enough water to slide me down.

Mixed bag on the My Time Dining. The first night, we were put at a table for two, as requested. But the tables were so close that our neighboring table decided that we should converse like we were all together at one table. We were able to move tables after that, but that zone had waiters who were very slow and inattentive. Fortunately, we met some new friends and were able to join them in a different area with friendly, jovial, attentive waitstaff for the rest of the cruise. So with My Time, if you don't end up in the right place, it was nice to have some flexibility.

We felt that the dining room food was merely adequate. The only thing that wowed us was the nightly escargots. Their desserts left me wanting for the Carnival melting chocolate souffles.

The theatre entertainment we found to be meh. The karaoke was in a fun environment in the Crown and Castle Pub. The setup seemed to contribute to not feeling like you are on stage.

Loved the Centrum area with all the views and seating on different deck levels if you wanted to just hang out.

All in all, this cruise provided everything we were looking for for this special occasion. We were in a mellow mood, looking to destress, unwind, read, sun, relax. The ports provided great diving and snorkeling opps and just enough shopping. The sun was warm, the drinks were cold and the sun set on the horizon each night after a fulfilling day. Now I am ready for another 25 years with my mate :-)

Service was very good, food and dining were good.

Entertainment was average. Cabin was very good,

Room service was excellent.

In the past we have cruised with Royal Carib enjoying the high quality food, shows and service. The food quality for Royal Carib has gone down with poor quality meats and very salty. The shows were average and several of them were the sames shows produced three years ago.  The service was average - maybe the staff wanted to be home with their families for the holidays...  And lastly I think Royal Carib had a booking fire sale with a nursing home.  Most of the passengers were in walkers or wheel chairs and were grumpy and snarly.

The staff (dining, cabin stewards) couldn't be better.  Not enough to do on ship unless you enjoy endless trivia.  Many nights, there is only one show and if you opt for my time dining- good luck on seeing the show.  Decks "roll up" at appx. 10:00 p.m..  Food is fine.  Without "flow rider" and other amenities of the newer ships,  there is much to be desired. 

This was our 2nd smaller ship experience after Allure and Oasis, the first being Independence, the second being Serenade, and all things being equal, we will stay with the smaller ships. All of the staff and crew were recognizable and available, and quickly resolved all issues. Only glitch that could not be fixed was the internet service which was very spotty and iffy, but that will take major upfitting.

We did book again while on the ship.

We love cruising and we love RCCL.....That said we don't plan on going on Serenade of the Seas again....The people were lovely the weather was perfect the ports were very enjoyable, we found fault with the food, it was dry and over cooked....We over looked the food because we enjoyed ourselves, it was a great ten days.

VERY POOR, SENT SURVEY TO c.e,o OF rccl. TOO MANY PROBLEMS THEY HAVE BAD KITCHEN HELP AND TRAINEES AS WAITERS. iNTERNET POOR,

ELEVATORS ARE VERY BAD. dO NOT LIKE PRECOOKED FOOD. bREAKFAST ALWAYS SERVED COLD, TOLD HEAD WAITERS THAT AND MEAT WAS EITHER OVERCOOKED OR RAW.sHOWS WERE NON EXISTANT EXCEPT FOR PRODUCTION SHOWS WHICH WERE GOOD. i AM dIAMOND MEMBER AND HAVE DONE 87 CRUISES ON ALL LINES AND THIS WAS THE PITS. COULD'NT WAIT TO DEBARK

A good relaxing time.                                                                                                                                                       

Every thing was great.  The only thing I found irritating at times, was all of your photographers blocking walkways.  One time I had to up a deck and back down to get around them, they blocked both sides of the Centrum. 

We had a fantastic time with our best friends.  The crew was great, the waiters were so friendly.  I don't know how they do it,  with back to back cruises.  We had a balcony room which we love, and they kept it clean and fresh every day.  The my time dining, (we made reservation at the beginning of the cruise) was wonderful.  We got the same waiters everynight, and we felt like we were sooo special.  Food was wonderfull, deserts to die for. 

The only complaint I have was the internet that I paid $20.00 per day for, was soooo slow, it was not worth it!  It was hard to connect, and I think it should be free!!

Good points:  Q&A session with officers.  Appreciate priest onboard.  Good job forcing hand cleaning entering Windjammer & dining room.  Good music all over.  Ventriloquist and magician good shows.  Used fitness center daily.  Card room important for us.

Not so good:  3 games of bingo? -- too much silly talk -- played once & never went back. Deck chairs too close to t-shirt sale tables created traffic jam as well as tables too close to doors to pool deck.   "Trainwreck" was a terrible movie -- get tired of constant foul/offensive language and movie themes.  "Max" and "Minions" more my speed.  Need LOUD/CLEAR VOICE on intercom for announcements to leave ship at end of cruise.

First time taking a cruise this long but it was worth it as there was plenty to see and do at all the islands visited.  Weather was perfect and there was enough time in each port to do shopping, sightseeing, or just beach relaxing.  The ship was nice but does need some updating in the furniture area.  Overall it was a good trip.

I really enjoyed the cruise.  Even though the cruise length was 11 days, the itinerary made the trip go by fast.  The food was great.  Our Waite staff was excellent.  Our cabin steward was outstanding. There were several ammenities that were missing (chocolates on the pillows, 24 hour snack bar, midnight buffets) but it's understandable in today's economy trying to remain profitable.  My wife and I did not miss any of them.  We still felt that our money was well spent.  Royal Caribbean, Thank you for a great cruise!

Our 11 day cruise of the southern Caribbean on Serenade of the Seas was one of the best cruises we have taken. The itinerary was perfext as we had the first two days at sea so we could relax and partipate in the ship's activities. The daily trivia in the Schooner Bar was so much fun. we enjoyed early dining, and Royal CaribbeN has recently updated their menu, so the food was varied and delicious. We booked shore excursions on each of the six islands we visited, and we loved all the excursions. We snorkels in Aruba and the water was beautiful. We took an island tour in Bonaiire and were impressed with the friendly people on the island. We leaned so much aboutt Grenada on an island tour there, and spent the entire day touring. Our favorite stop was Barbados where we swam with turtles and visited a beach nearby that had the clearest water we had ever seen. We hiked near the Pitons in St. Lucia and enjoyed the beauty there. We toured Antigua and again met with so many friendly island natives. This 11 day itinerary is just perfect, and the crew in the Serenade of the Seas made our vacation perfect. This is a trip to take!

Serenade of the Seas - great captain, great cleaning staff and food staff - went above and beyond to make voyage experience a great one. The ship is clean with some surface rust - in anchor area.  The crew were performing painting of exterior hull surfaces while in ports.

The ocean days were full of activities - as much or as little as one wanted to participate in.

Ports of Call were interesting - comments noted were:

Aruba - berthed in port - so the environment was full of containers. Gave feeling of 'mini-Miami

Bonaire - great atmosphere and environment

Grenada- great environment - pretty island - enjoyed the spice island specialty

Barbados - great environment

St Lucia - very pretty island - seemed most visible with security

Antigua - jewel of the Caribbean

had a great time !!

I don't know how to start but when I got to the port to check in my first disappointment was that I was taken the my time dining that I was originally given and was told to take matters when I enter the ship.  When I spoke to the head person at the desk for reservation was spoken to as if so what deal with it, flat out I was told that my dining was for 5:30 and that nothing could be done about that.  That night trying to get some answers at guest services I was sent me back to dining room to speak with the same person I had the bad experience with I was given a really hard time and was sent to talk to the head person in charge, he then assured me my reservation was set for 6pm and even wrote it on my seapass, well you think that would have set things for a relax and enjoyable dinner.  every night was an issue and for me it was very upsetting that at the beginning you go through hell to be seated.  The good part was that once at my table the service with the waiter was superb and the best anyone could ask for. But I ask myself why something so simple at the beginning had to be so horrible.  The first night I felt so bad that while talking to the head person my tears just came out, this is how bad I felt.  Will I allow this bad experience stop me from cruising with royal Caribbean, no, because the rest of the crew was awesome and the service everywhere else was great. One night after sitting at the dinner table I felt so bad I got up and left to the windjammer.  This has never happen to me in all the other cruises that I have been with Royal Caribbean.

My husband and I went on this 10-day cruise because the price was too good to pass.

It was only our 2nd cruise (of 21 total) with Royal Caribbean having been disappointed with the first one.

But this one was really quite better: the staff was very well trained and the food first class especially in the dining room.

I am not sure that the added cost we paid for "a better cabin" higher up was worth it since closer to the pools and one was filled up during an entire night after repairs: one sleepless night hearing water running in the walls. Had it not been for that one incident, I would certainly rate this cruise a 10/10. The entertainment was superb except for that one free evening, boring without a show in the theatre. We also complained about the football game being shown on the large pool screen but WITHOUT sound. What impressed us most was the willingness of the entire crew to go out of their way to serve us.  The ship is not new and maybe a bit outdated but of the perfect size to not have to walk miles to every destination and with fast elevators for a change. Also very clean. All in all, we will not hesitate to go back on the same ship, especially if a different itinerary is offered, for a bit of variety.

Very Good Value.  Really good ports.  Superior staff.  Very energetic entertainment staff. Good food in the main dining room - exceeded our expectations.  The ship felt  more crowded than the Allure, a much bigger and newer ship, which was able to spread around  its 6000 passengers better.  

The atmosphere of the ship was laid back and relaxing. We enjoyed the ports, especially Domenica where  we went to the  Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls.  The food was good.  My husband had three lobster tails on the second formal night while I had prime rib.  Mini golf course was fun,  Billiard tables were awesome and the basketball courts were good. Shows were entertaining with three different comedy venues...don't miss these. Our balcony stateroom was quite large with good closet space. Express departure got us off the ship before 8 am, even though we really didn't want to go. 

trfa