tvalentine513

My husband and I are in our late 50s and our 2/26/16 cruise on Serenade was wonderful, although the ship is looking it's age in places and the entertainment was just OK.  

The ship is showing signs of rust and peeling paint in places, yet very clean. The crew was polite, friendly and helpful.

Giovanni's was a highlight and so good that we went twice during our 10 night sailing.  The MDR food was adequate.  There were some highlights, but other nights not so much.  I continue to believe that RCCL understaffs their MDR on all their ships.  It's just too many diners for the number of wait staff available, particularly on formal nights and lobster/prime rib night.  

The entertainment was hit or miss.  A couple of the headline shows were awesome!  A gentlemen that played violin was oh so much more than you could have imaged.  He played pop, classical, and blue grass while dancing and strolling through the theatre. Also The Alleycats, an acapella doo wap group were outstanding.  

As for the 2 production shows, the 1st one was satisfactory, but the second, a retrospective of hits from the 60s-90s, was pretty horrible.  Although the singers had good vocal skills, with the exception of the nasally tenor, I didn't understand the singing assignments.  They just weren't singing the pieces that could have been performed much better by different cast members.  The dancers looked confused and out of sync.  Very disappointing.

I do wish there had been more activities on the ship with 4 sea days.  There are only so many trivia contests and towel and spa demonstrations that you want to attend.  

The usual deck chair saving issue was very bad.  My husband and I arrived in the Solarium (a wonderful spot to be) at 11:00 AM one morning on an in port day and found a couple of vacant chairs.  Next to us were 4 chairs with towels on them.  At 1:30 we had yet to see anyone show up there, when a couple of ladies looking for seats asked out the space.  They proceeded to claim 2 of the chairs with their personal items and went off to the pool.  10 minutes later the group of 4 arrived and threw those items on the deck and reclaimed the chairs.  Well, a real shouting match began and the pool attendant arrived, only to allow the group to stay and assisted the 2 ladies in finding alternate seating. I thought that was terrible.  The 30 minute rule was clearly posted but I guess that doesn't mean much.  

All in all we enjoyed our 10 day vacation, but probably would not sail on Serenade again.