Serenade of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Showed up at the port in New Orleans at 9:30 a.m., all excited to be sailing on RCL, and out of New Orleans, for the first time. After about 3 hours, I was told that my cabin was on a list that had been damaged the night before. I would not be able to sail. Spent another 2 hours being told by 5 other people who worked for RCL, that I was unable to sail. My bag was on the ship and took quite awhile to get it back.  I have not gotten any information, no phone calls, no emails, no regular mail, no apologies from RCL. I have not gotten a refund from RCL or an explanation, no nothing, not even a go fu-- yourself from RCL. Not very good customer service.  I was to spend my 68 birthday on that cruise. Was to be in Key West on the 26th of January, for my first time to visit, and celebrate my birthday.  WooHoo! Thank you RCL!!

Been on quite a few cruises in the past 30 years or so and this one was above most.  The food was as good if not better than NCL and much better than Carnival.  The ships layout was convenient for most activities and the cabin was small as expected but clean and very nice.  What made this cruise better than most was the entertainment on board.  The staff were professional with good voices and could dance very well as does those on the other cruise lines.  What set this cruise apart were those that came on for a 1 night stand as they had a comedian, a singer/entertainer and a ventriloquist who were above the type of entertainment usually provided as per my experiences.  This was my 1st cruise on Royal Caribbean and I must say, I was impressed and would return.

I had sailed on Freedom of the Seas 18 months ago, the only Royal cruise I've tried.  I have sailed on Carnival once.  I will start with the CONS- so I can end on a good note- This ship badly needed a reno, especially in the Reflections Dining Room which had brown paneling on the walls.  There was an odor from the carpet around some of the elevators.  The food was mediocre in the dining room, a real disappointment compared to the food on the Freedom.  The entertainment also was not as good as on Freedom, only because the cruise director seemed bored, the Centerum which hosted many continual events often reeked of smoke from the casino on the middle floor, and the comedian was NOT funny.  However, the singer/dancers were top notch, the orchestra fantastic, and the ventriloquist they had made us laugh until we cried.  (I can't remeber his name) 

The PROS- The service, however, was excellent in all areas of the ship.  Our waiter was so willing to make everything a great experience for us even doing "tricks" at the end of some of our meals (balancing acts, "magic" tricks).  Our stateroom attendant was also super, actually calling each of us by our first name everytime he saw us in the hall (and sometimes we were with 2 other couples)!   The rooms were clean and we got an excellent rate for our room that had an oceanview.  The bathrooms on the ship were also clean.  Some of the entertainment was superb as mentioned, others not so much.

I would not give up on Royal, but I would not sail on this ship again.

The entertainment was excellent.  Especially Ronn Lucas the ventriloquist. Mr. Turner was also very good.  The waiter and assistant were excellent!   Friendly, humorous. and efficient.

The dance floor in the Centrum was terrible.  Sticky and unclean.  Dancing was likely to cause falls, and damage to ankles and knees.  Dancing should be done in the Safari Lounge.

This was the first cruise my boyfriend or I had ever been on and it was a great experience. We are both 30 years old and looking for a cruise to relax/unwind. It was easy to get overwhelmed at first but once we settled in, everything was wonderful. If you haven't cruised before & you're reading this review, GREAT! It felt a little silly doing so much research before our first cruise but I'm so incredibly glad that I did.

We had an oceanview stateroom on the 3rd floor which truly was perfect. Our location kept our "seasick" feeling to a minimum and the room was just the right accommodation for a couple. We benefitted greatly from having a window for 2 reasons: 1. the view over the ocean was incredible- providing beautiful scenery during the say and a really unique view of the ocean lit up by the moon at night. 2. a window allowed us to acclimate to time changes and be aware of the time of day much more easily than if we'd just been looking at a clock.

The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Any issues we had were minor and painlessly remedied. Moving a shipload of people from place-to-place went smoothly and it was obvious the staff had every scenario well in hand. I think we made the right choice by starting with a smaller ship. At times, the "salesman" aspect can feel pushy & be a little exhausting but I assumed as much. 

We opted for an upgrade to the Thermal Suite which was on sale for $198/couple on Day 1. It was money well spent and we both enjoyed the luxury of the aromatherapy room and hot stone beds thoroughly. We also managed to go to the suite on off-peak times (like during the first dinner sitting) and we had the suite all to ourselves. 

Our only real complaint would be the room service food. It was often late (sometimes an hour late) and not worth the wait. I'd imagine the system will be remedied in subsequent cruises. Whatever the challenge is that the kitchen is facing, it wasn't worth any effort put forth on our part. A few tupperware containers and some planning ahead at the buffet made up for the lack of room service food. The food on the rest of the ship is really spectacular by comparison so focus your dining efforts in the restaurants instead.

We also had several reservations for the sushi restaurant, Izumi, for the cruise. I was under the mistaken impression that the specialty restaurants required reservations and a cover charge ONLY, not a cover charge in addition to paying full price for your meal. The menu at Izumi is geared toward diners that are new or possibly unfamiliar with sushi and most of the food is cooked. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal we had at Izumi but the menu wasn't diverse enough to tempt us to pay for another meal on an otherwise all-inclusive trip. It really was some of the best sushi we've ever had so if you're interested in trying something new, by all means make a reservation. The prices were very reasonable so that alone was not a deterrent for us.

The ports were all really interesting and varied. We had a fabulous time and we can't wait to cruise again. If not for our own curious nature and desire to experience new things, we would book on the Serenade again in no time.

We left a day late because of a broken water pipe on the inbound cruise. Stuff happens. The problem is the way the situation was handled in MSY, and then onboard. Basically, we got zero, nada, nothing, for missing a day at sea enjoying our cruise. We stood in line for SIX HOURS to get onboard! Yes SIX HOURS! Cold pizza, hamburgers, were sent into the terminal for approximately 10% of the guests. Nothing to drink.......nothing. No chairs for the elderly, nothing. Eventually they threw off about 500 guests to make the cruise work. Bad for them, bad for us. No open bar, nothing. We then could not get on the private island due to winds......it happens. We then received a $100 per person credit for our inconvenience.......sorry not near enough. They of course charged me for a loss  day my drink package. No credit there...........Very very bad decisions in MSY by local mgt. We could have cleared security earlier, and waiting in the designated "waiting area"!!!!! What a concept! Chairs and everything! Showed up a 10:00am........got on at 7:00pm........you decide.

amazing and looking to book the next trip already. the staff was wonderful and our waiter was amazing. there are not enough good things I can say about this trip

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise, especially the entertainment provided by John and Katrina, the cruise directors.  The shows, ventriloquist, comedian and more shows were over the top in quality of talent and quantity of offerings.  The disco night was really fun with John being part of a YMCA group.  And the Neil Diamond show was awesome.

Cabin service excellent.     Windjammer food not so good. Anytime dining food ok with great waiters.  Limited menu at Reflections.   Needed more variety daily of food selection.   Ladies restrooms needed cleaning more frequently.  

My wife and I just returned from our first cruise on RCB's Serenade of the Seas.  Overall, the ship, service and value were excellent however there is definitely areas of improvement.  We had a balcony room in the front of the ship (8th floor), and since this is not a very big ship, it took us a little while to get adjusted to our sea legs. 

Here are some of the pros: Stateroom (We got spoiled by the service provided by our stateroom attendant), the features on the ship itself such as the common areas, the Solarium (It gets crowded easily), fitness area and the centrum (Truly a sight to behold). Cruise ports were good and Royal did a good job on managing the entry and exit in the ports of call.  We booked our own excursions independent of the cruise line, and saved 25-30% from the cruise line prices.

Cons: Food choices and quality ranged from poor to excellent.  The options were limited in the main dining room, however the food selection in the Windjammer was excellent.  Complimentary beverages only included water, tea, fruit juice and coffee.  The quality of on-board entertainment also varied from average to excellent.  On our first two days at sea, they only showed one movie and none in the outdoor screen.  The movie choices and selections vastly improved towards the end of the cruise, which was very puzzling.

For a first cruise, we definitely had a good time and learned a lot about cruising in general.

I REALLY LIKED THIS SHIP. THE FOOD WAS GOOD AND LOTS TO DO. THE HELP WAS VERY GOOD AND WE ENJOYED OUR OCEAN VIEW BALCONY. I DEFINITELEY LIKED IT BETTER THAN MANY CARNIVAL CRUISES I'VE BEEN ON.

The casino area was partially non smoking but the smoke permeated every area so we did not enjoy that area as much as we would have liked. The food was good not great but it takes a lot to beat New Orleans food. The service and cleanliness was excellent. We are sorry the ship is leaving our port as we would have taken another cruise on it next year.

The entertainment was good not great. The staff were very congenial in all areas.

all in all this was a very good cruise and we would recommend it to anyone considering a relaxing week. I would skip the port in Jamaica unless you travel to Montego Bay. Falmouth had little to offer.

The trip to Stingray Bay was awesome. Cozumel was of course just made for tourist shopping but all the vendors were very pleasant and buying the vanilla is worth the stop.

This was my first cruise on Royal Caribbean, and I think it's now my favorite cruise line.  I've sailed on several others, but RC was a notch above the others. From the roominess of the cabin (sofa in even the smallest cabins) to the quality of the entertainment to the value of the items in the on-board shops, RC impressed me with their quality.  And the service was excellent.  Sailing from New Orleans was very convenient.  The vistas of the Mississippi delta as the sun set were outstanding. And New Orleans is a great city to begin or end your cruise.  So much to see and do there.   I'll definitely choose RC again.

Overall very good experience, fast check in!

Fast check out!

"Variable dining" (always 8pm) choosen, caused seating on different tables. And causes waiting times...!

The Serenade of the Seas is a beautiful ship. It doesn't have all the new bells and whistles that many look for, but she is only 2500 passengers big and full of glass to watch the scenery go by. The crew was amazing - they work hard yet had smiles and "Merry Christmas" every time we encountered them. Even the officers got into the act by judging the belly flop competition. The food was very good to excellent and our Christmas Eve dinner in Chops was simply amazing for food and service. The magic of Christmas was everywhere, from ship decorations to staff wearing Santa hats to officer and guest caroling to Santa's visit on Christmas morning. The reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars? Some inconsistencies in service in the main dining room; port selection (can we PLEASE get rid of Falmouth Jamaica? although it left us with the ship on a beautiful day to ourselves!); internet connectivity is extremely expensive and very slow; small cosmetics of the ship (e.g., balcony rails, peeling mirror in cabin bath) should be taken care of. Overall I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this beautiful ship if you are looking for the feel of a cruise and not looking for an amusement park at sea!

Excellent, helpful staff; food inconsistent--better @ dining room than in cafeteria; entertainment inconsistent--good Olympic gymnast, poor comedians, good dancers, poor movie selection--repeated same film in theatre several times; dance lessons poor--nice instructor but didn't spend enough time on each step before moving to the next one, tiny dance floor; major safety issue--corridors & stairways blocked at peak times by photographers causing back-ups and crowding--escape routes, when available, required crossing over wires.  Food & entertainment better on Carnival, Norwegian.

need another cruise but prices are getting to high ................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Beware of the purchase of the little extras they sell, ie the Romance Package of Champagne, cupcakes, and breakfast in bed.  Ordered it in advance for a surprise for my wife.  It was to be in the room when we first arrived onboard the ship.  Well, it was there, but was sitting in a bucket of warm water.  Nothing like warm champagne.  Anyhow, we weren't going to drink it right away anyhow.  So I asked the housekeeper, to get some ice, and we would be back later to start our festive cruise with a bottle of the bubbly.  Got back to the room approx. 8PM, and the bottle was still sitting in the bucket of warm water.

Cupcakes were there!  Call the front desk, and had them remove the bottle, and the cupcakes.  Never did see the menu for the "Breakfast in Bed" part of the deal until like Friday (6th day of the cruise)  It mysteriously appeared on our desk.  Royal was good about refunding the money but that's not what I was after.  Royal should have a person that follows up on all there little extras that they sell.  Especially if someone complains they should follow up on this.  It made for a very poor start to the cruise.  Royal did compensate us with extra fine dining, and complimentary champagne, but that's not my point.  I lost the first 2 days of the cruise dealing with this unnecessary ordeal.  But, be Leary of those packages.  Thanks for listening! 

Food average to below in taste variety and quality, food often not warm. Too few areas available for snak food or in-between eating. The gymnest was exceptional, otherwise the entertainment so-so.The cabin and attendant were above average. The restrooms very well maintained. The desk personnel very accomodating. The general 'tone' of the servers was not one of pleasure toward their passengers.

This cruise was just my pace, the ship so nice, over the top for the money. The sailing was just dreamy, the food choices and entertainment on board was wonderful. The choices for shopping and learning about jewelry and home items and other fun stuff tax free and not found in the states make you feel like a celebrity. I learned so much and am so happy I chose this cruise. Jamaica was a new port to shop at, nice and clean. Grand Cayman Islands was so dreamy, finest shopping for distinct diamonds and watches. Cancun Mexico's food was so fresh and very historic with the Aztec and Maya ruins, just the best. I liked the cruise because it included people that have worked hard and or wanted to spend and invest their money wisely. This was my first cruise so I have nothing to compare it to, but I don't no what could have been better. Specific features include the ship it self, so nice, clean, every where you were on the ship was great for taking pictures a dream hotel on water. Honestly, if you are close to retirement and a baby boomer or older the entertainment on this ship will make you glad you were a part of it all. The entertainment was in good taste, decent nothing vulgar implied, everyone of the wait staff at every level were concerned with pleasing and ensuring satisfaction with everything served. I am so blessed to have experienced something so wonderful, cruising with Serenade of the Seas is the best way to go if you have to get there. I am taking my husband on the next one, can't wait.