Serenade of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I took this cruise because it went where I wanted to go.  It did that so I had a good experience.  There were several things that could use improvement.  The food quality did not seem up to par, and it wasn't just me who had this opinion.  I heard numerous complaints from others on the cruise.  In addition, it was not an enjoyable experience to stand in line past my scheduled dining time before the doors to the dining room were opened.  On another dining room, the buffet did not open for breakfast until 7, so there were a lot of people waiting in line there, too.  Although they decorated the centrum for the holidays, it still was not all that impressive.  I enjoyed the live musical groups that I saw and appreciated the tropical duo that played "island" tunes out by the pool.  The pool bar staff left something to be desired.  I would tend to purchase the drink of the day and I was overcharged a time or two when they rang it in wrong.  I just don't like to bother with negative experiences like that while on vacation, so I wouldn't take the cruise again.  I'd try another way to go where I wanted to go.

This cruise was mostly enjoyable, the cabin staff and dining room staff was great. The buffet seemed to serve the same food daily with only a couple of items changed up. There was no place to get food over night except through room service. the live shows in the theater were nice but just not enough of them. this review is based on other cruise lines we have cruised with. We would most likely cruise with royal Caribbean in the future. 

I loved Key West, but I am tired of Nassau, Bahamas. Ship didn't make it in to CoCo Key and this seems to be a constant problem for Royal Caribbean. Other cruises refund part of the trip costs when they get you into the port, but apparently not RC. I really enjoy cruising, and RC tends to provide the best service, however, I think I will try something different and a cruise that actually makes it to the places I pay to visit.

Our ports were Key West, Nassau and Coco Cay.  Due to weather, we were not able to make Coco Cay because they could not tender us to the island safely.  The problem with this, after talking to others on the ship, is that this happens often.  One person we spoke with has taken this same cruise 4 times and they have never made it to Coco Cay.  If it's that unpredictable, at least have a back up plan.   It made for a long 3 days at sea, which became monotonous since nothing extra was planned or no special activities. 

While the bedding was good, they definitely need to update to new pillows and mattresses.  

And as most cruisers know, cruise ships have been cutting back.  Many were disappointed that there was not a lobster night, even on formal night.  Now, you can purchase a lobster in the main dining room for $25 or so any night that you choose.  With that said, we did upgrade to the specialty restaurants 4 out of 7 nights and really enjoyed those.  It's just sad, that you have to pay extra to get a great meal when that used to be the norm. 

Overall, we had a wonderful cruise.  The staff was wonderful, the ship was beautiful and always immaculately clean, the food was good, etc.  This was a fun time and a really good cruise. 

Our room was a little dirty when we arrived (mold in shower, dust on shelving). It also smelled musty.  It took a few phone calls and it was resolved but not a nice way to start out! The housekeeping manager was wonderful to work with.  The snorkeling tour at Key West should have been canceled due to high waves since no one could stay in the water for more than 10 minutes. The catamaran crew were very rude (they probably do better with college students that are half drunk!) The RC cruise tour director had many complaints and did credit our account but we missed a nice day in that port. The weather was actually good just too windy for snorkeling. We did the Atlantis aquarium tour in Nassau and it was great. Apparently access to Coco Cay has been a problem repeatedly and if we had known this we would have selected another cruise since the private island tour is one of our favorites. The crew said they haven't been able to go to Coco Cay for the last 4 or 5 trips due to problems with choppy waters and tethering. I understand this can happen but there was no back up plan. We could have stayed in Nassau an extra day or came back home early but we ended up on the ship for 3 days!! No special perk to make up for that disappointment. They should have at least given you free wifi or a movie in your room or even a complimentary drink but NOTHING!  For some reason they couldn't get the lobster for formal night so that was another disappointment. (Food overall was ok but nothing special) The specialty dinner at Chops was fantastic!

We visited amazing ports of call.  The service on board the ship was fantastic.  We were indeed treated like royalty. I felt like the queen visiting a proud old town that pulled out there best linens that were very clean but a little tattered, I was given the best room that was very well cleaned but the paint was peeling in the bathroom and the rust was breaking through. The food was just ok but the table service was excellent.  The ship procedures for getting on off the ship were top notch.

This was our family honeymoon - the trip we always dreamed of!  It celebrated a long awaited honeymoon, and we had the opportunity to do it as a family!  It was a dream come true for ALL of us!

The accomodations were wonderful - our cabin host, Diego, always way over the top for us!  Our room was always in excellent condition, with new towel "guests" to greet us each day.  We developed a great relationship with him, and became friends.  We plan to keep in touch even after the cruise was over.  He helped make this trip feel like "home away from home".  Dinners were excellent, and again we were gifted with the most outstanding servers we ever could have expected - Melbert and Erhan!!  They caught on to our sense of humor, and without losing their professionalism, brought our friendship to a wonderful, new level!  Every night, our family looked forward to dinner, now knowing what the "surprise" of the night would be.  We joked and teased with Melbert and Erhan each night, and they with us in return - each time, trying to surprise each other in a new and different way.  On the last night, we worked with two other tables, and all switched seats.  When they saw our plan, we had half the area laughing along with our joke!  It was wonderful!  Extra special thanks to Ms. Anna (guest relations - an exhausting job!), Mr. Anthony Fernandes (Dining Room Director - excellent job in Reflections!) and Ms. Nicole (Cruise Program Administrator - whose compassion was openly evident).  These people watched and listened to how they could improve each guest's visit, and did so in a manner that we still find incredible!!  Never once did they ever drop a smile, (well, except for Nicole, who diluted hers with tears), lost patience (yes, I think I saw Ms. Anna several times each day with a million questions - and she ALWAYS had the answer!!!), or hesitate to reach out to help us (Mr. Anthony's couldn't have been more eager to help people!), than anyone could have hoped for.

We cannot tell you how this was a dream, a wish, a gift that none of us could ever have imagined, that has left us with the most incredible feeling and memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.  Thank you, everyone, for a trip that exceeded ALL expectations - you have made so many dreams come true without even realizing it - just by being who you are!  Kudos!! 

I am not a big cruising person, but since my husband and parents had never cruised before, we decided to make a family trip out of it.  We have young kids, so a kid area/pool was essential. Since we were taking the grandparents, I didn't want them to be overwhelmed with kids or other passengers on one of the newer, massive ships.  Consequently, I chose Serenade of the Seas-- as a good mix.

I was very disappointed in the Kid Aventure Park/swimming area.  It had one little water slide that barely even worked-- not enough water pressure for my 40 lb. child to make it down without pushing herself. The kiddie pool itself was also very small, and there were hardly any chairs surrounding it for parents to sit.

I was also disappointed by the food in the main dining area.  I'm sure I expected too much (because we live in Las Vegas and frequent some of the finest restaurants in the world), but I wasn't impressed with any of the entree's in the main dining room.  While some of the appetizers were fantastic, the same cannot be said for the main courses or desserts.

Aside from the friendly and accomodating staff, the staterooms were the next best thing about Serenade of the Seas.  For staterooms, they utilized the limited space well, and the beds were very comfortable.

Had a wonderful time on our trip.  Lots of entertainment, excellent room service, excellent bartenders, excellent waiters.  Everyone was very polite and we were made to feel very welcome.  I would definitely recommend this cruise to all my friends!  Fun, fun, fun!!!!

We have taken several cruises. But this was the most relaxing of all. Staff could not have been more accommodating, and we met some wonderful people. Loved watching activities, especially the trivia games. Nightly entertainment was good - loved the Tribut to the Temptations!

This was our third Royal cruise. Service was exceptional. Food choices were very limited. After 10 pm. there was almost nothing to eat. Rooms were great, new bathroom showers are very nice.

As the headline states we couldnt have been happier with the ship or the crew except for cruise director staff.  The ship was always clean, our porter, waiter, assistant waiter and every single bartender(except 1 in the casino) were the best.  They went out their way to learn your name and your drink, fast & courteous from day 1 on.  The cruise director/activity staff did not thrill us, I didnt even see/hear from them until half way through day 2.  Amount and quality of activities including entertainment was fair at best and poor usually.

Don't get me wrong, excellent experience but after hearing from alot of people that "Royal is a step above", I just dont see compared to Princess, Holland America or even some of the Carnival I have been.  Overall food was mediocre.

If you're looking for an entertaining, relaxing vacation, look no further. This cruise was We cruise about every other year as a couple, so when our friends and we decided to go together, we were really excited to share our past experiences.  It was all we hoped for, and in fact cruising with friends was even more fun!  It was very convenient to park and depart from New Orleans. From the boarding to shore excursions, everything on the Serenade went smoothly.   The crew, entertainment, and especially the food were magnificent.  We have always enjoyed cruising, but it was fun to watch "newbies" discover all the benefits of cruising.  All the ports were welcoming with neat excursions, especially Cozumel's Salsa & Salsa experience.  We personally don't like "My Time" dining.  We enjoy building a relationship with the dinner servers, so we won't do that again.  The only one improvement: we should have booked a 14 day cruise! 7 days wasn't enough!  We would repeat this cruise again, especially on the Serenade and will definitely cruise Royal Caribbean again.  Oh! I don't want to forget the great fare we got from ""......no better price anywhere, including the week before departure.  It was easy to book and we received excellent service from our Travel Agent, Becky Mulvey.  

I have been ab avid cruiser on Carnival and people that were also cruisers told me i had to try Royal Carribean. So we did and the food was horrible. I got food poisioning first day. Stuck in my cabin for two days on the rockiest boat i have ever been on. That definately did not help my sickness. I was planning on having a good time and drinking and relaxing so i ordered the premium beverage package which i had to cancel on the third day. So they charged me for two days. At least they did that for me. On the fourth day my boyfriend had food poisioning and we had an excursion that day in Cayman Islands for the dolphin encounter and stingray swim. I went to the man at the excerscion counter to explain how my boyfrien was very ill, everyone knows what you do when u get poisioned, if we could please plan another type of excersion for next day in Mexico. He said he could refund only his because medical, mine was a no. I thought that to be totally unacceptable, this was OUR vacation. Not just my vacation. So my boyfrien not wanting to waste $89 said he was going to tuff it through. He was miserable, the whole time we were supposed to be with the dolphin he was in the bathroom puking. The boat ride to the stingrays he was turning green. I just feel like Royal could care less about our experience with them. Also the entertainment was mediocre. Bands were just ok. Cruise director was alright. I am now burned from cruising which is something i do every year for my birthday.

This set sail out of New Orleans and we spent 3 days at Sea before landing in our first port.   The overall experience was good.   I did find the food in the buffett lacking.   If there was something I would suggest is having a juice bar.   For those of us that juice the constant array of fried foods, hambugers, hotdogs, etc......   really not appealing. 

Once we were able to get off the ship and enjoy local foods.....   much better! 

The ship was very nice. The cruise ship staff and the entertainment on board ship were fantastic. The only thing we were disappointed in was the food quality at the Windjammer (buffet) and in the dining room. The quality of the food seems to have come degraded from our last Royal Caribbean cruise which was about 5 years ago. The other disappointment was that we could not stop at the private island because their were 10 foot waves that day which precludes tendering into the port.  So we had a sea day that day and the scheduled next two days were sea days as well. Three sea days back to back to back was a little boring. It would have been nice if RC stopped again at either Nassau or Key West on our journey back to New Orleans.

The ship was nice and clean. The hospitality was great. I felt that if you are going to show movies we should've show experience with the popcorn. I was surprise that you had to purchase a pop package. Pop would have been better than the water down tea and lemonade. Otherwise great cruise.

when we got on the ship my son, daughter in law and grandaughter was issued anouther sea pass for soft drink cards. The person that issued it did not cancell out the frist sea pass their for they were being charged twice on there purchases. Due to that the bank would freeze the acount and every day we were called to the desk because they said we could not use the sea pass because we didn't have the funds to cover their charges. Guest relations called the bank and they told them what was going on and guest relations would not fix the problem.We were so embaresed anh upset we couldn't enjoy our trip there were things we would like to have done  but we didnt because Royal Caribbean  was not doing ther job. We would get letters left on the door,phone messagesin room to go to guest relations every day. I will not recomend royal carribbean to any one that is going on a cruise. And to top it all off we were carted off at the end of the cruise by security and questioned for over a hour on how we were going to pay and they found out what had happen.  VERRY SORRY WE TOOK THIS CRUISE AND IT COSTED ME NEARLY 10,000 DOLLARS. AND ALL I GOT WAS IM SOORY!!!!!!! 

We had a suite, which is the only way to go and the service was superb.  The suite entitles you to the Conceirge Bar (free drinks from 4:30-8:00)

and many other services.  The headliner shows were not so great.  We saw 2 good shows during the entire cruise.  Adventure Ocean for the kids is great.   The food was above average for a cruise ship.  I would go on this cruise again.  Boarding was a breeze and disembarkation also.

The room steward and diining room service people were very good.  The food was disppointing and lacked imagination.  This was felt by our teenage grandchildren as well.  The ship had just been refurbished but it still felt dated to us.  Balconey rooms are tight especially the bathrooms. The nightly entertainment was just okay.  The teen program also was just mediocre and lots of the teenagers were just walking around the ship and making their own entertainment at night.  The gym equipment was also dated.  Overall the cruise did not leave us with a feeling of excitment about RCCL.  We do cruise regularly and did not feel this cruise measured up.