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Great Vacation by
A Traveler from Missouri Sailing date: May 2010Pros: Food, accomodations, friendly staff Cons: Constantly on the go, little relaxation, being nickled and dimed for everything This was my second cruise and I was very concerned with getting motion sick. I took Bonine which helped greatly but made me tired most of the trip. Ship is large with many places to eat, drink and just hang out. Staff is extremely friendly, always remembering your name, and very helpful. We chose to plan our own excursions which worked out well. In Barbados we spend $25 pp+ for a tour around the island, and a 2 hour stop at a beach. In St. Lucia we spent around $33pp for a tour as well as going to the volcano. The driver was not talkative and drove like a mad man. I might suggest going through the ship for that island. In Antigua we took a cab (14 round trip) to Jolly beach and had a great time. St. Martin we also took a cap to Orient beach for 12 round trip.
Food is great on the ship, and there are alot of things to do is you can be as busy as you want. Internet is EXTREMELY slow so I wouldn't plan on writing alot to your friends. All in all I thought it was a great value and would go on a cruise again. Ship Quality
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St. John's, AntiguaLoved it! Probably everyone's favorite. Beach was clean, and uncrowded. Shelling was really good as well.
Bridgetown, BarbadosBeautiful island with crystal clear water and white/pink beaches. We did not shop and only ate at one restaurant. Loved it
Castries, St. LuciaYou definately want to hire a driver or go on an excursion. Our driver was not helpful although the tour around the island was beautiful. We stopped several times on the way to the volcano, but none on the way back. I had to ask to stop because I was getting sick. the guy drove like a madman. We did not eat on this trip either which was quite disappointing. The island is beautiful and is a must see
Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.Get on a tour ASAP. There is NOTHING in Frederiksted! Christensen is where you want to go, or take the Buck Island tour which is great!
Philipsburg, St. MaartenWent to Orient Beach which was interesting. Very crowded beach, but this allowed everyone a variety of places to eat and drink. Island was similar to Antigua/St. Croix
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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  A most enjoyable cruise... by
A Traveler from Nashville, TN Sailing date: Dec 2009Pros: The servers and stateroom attendant service Cons: Guest relations personnel were abrupt. Excursions were not of the same caliber (i.e, choices and professionalism of tour operators) experienced in the past. Serenade of the Seas is a beautiful ship. The layout/location of lounges and other locations for activities was not passenger friendly, however. The lounge areas and theater were top notch in appearance, decor and comfort. Ship QualitySee comment above. Dining/FoodThe food on the Serenade was the best cruise ship food that my husband and I have experienced to date -- this was our 4th cruise with Royal Caribbean. Stateroom QualityStateroom attendant was excellent. Comfortable and spacious balcony. The bed was comfortable, too. Ship Staff QualityThe majority of guest relations personnel had, suprisingly,a curt demeanor. All other staff and crew were gracious, attentive and helpful when asked. Entertainment & Activities
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Great First Cruise by
A Traveler from Southern CA Sailing date: Oct 2008Pros: Good Value, relaxing, all inclusive trip to Hawaii, good food Cons: low energy, bad entertainment, activities skewed to very old demographic This was our first cruise so we had no preconceived ideas of how it should by or what to expect. My first thought when boarding the ship was that the demographic of the other guest was very very old (80-90+). The first few days out at sea we were somewhat disappointed with the energy level of the cruise given the older audience, especially the activities and entertainment. We knew they should cater to this audience since that was the majority on board but felt that very little effort was made to please younger people. The majority of the activities were bingo, trivia, crafts, you get the idea.
One thing to note is that most aspects of cruising seems to be tailored to a 7 day cruise, the menus, activities, entertainment, etc. so for a 15 day cruise like this it really felt like the staff was 'treading water" trying to spread out their pre-determined agenda with lots of filler.
Another small nit-pic for me was that "free" drinks like lemonade and ice tea are only available in the buffet, so if you're lounging at the pool you have to walk all the way to the back of the ship to get a drink you don't have to pay for when there are two bars right there. That felt a little like we were being punished for not getting paid drinks.
Having said all that, the ports and excursions were amazing and the trip was amazing value. We still had fun and relaxed a lot. We would probably do it again. Ship QualityThis is a newer ship. I felt like the size was perfect, not too small and not so big it's overwhelming. Some of the decor seems dated for a ship that is only a few years old but everything on board is still shiny and new-ish. Dining/FoodThe food on board was really good and the dining staff were great. The only thing that was kind of bad was that the menu for the buffet lacked variety and got old half way through the trip, again because I think it's based on a 7 day cruise and this was twice the length. Stateroom QualityWe had an interior room, we didn't mind that since we didn't plan on spending a lot of time there. It is quite small but comfortable. It is pitch dark in there though with no windows which is kind of disorienting when you wake up with the motion of the ship, you don't know if it's 2am or 12pm. The TV channels leave a lot to be desired too. Ship Staff QualityAll the staff were great and friendly. Entertainment & ActivitiesAs I said before it was all skewed to a very old demographic. Activities were trivia, lots of bingo and bridge and crafts. The night clubs and bars were deserted by 10PM most nights. The energy level was pretty low. The live music around the ship was great thought, they did an excellent job in that department. The stage shows that were produced by the ship's entertainment were also pretty good but there were only three of those in 15 days. The other days the entertainment was ridiculously bad, we were rolling our eyes at most of it.
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Ensenada, MexicoEnsenada is like someone took Tijuana and moved it by the ocean. The only things to do there are shop for cheap crap or viagra and drink at a cantina if you want to brave it. We got off the boat for like 30 min and headed right back. So did most everyone else.
Don't Miss: Just miss the whole port Honolulu, OahuWe had been to Honolulu before. Waikiki is very crowded and touristy as is Pearl Harbor and Honolulu is basically like most major metropolitan cities. We opted to do the "LOST" tour since we are fans of the show, there wasn't a lot to see since the tour only stays within Honolulu but it was still really cool. Then we headed down to Waikiki to see the beach and do some shopping at the International Marketplace.
Don't Miss: If you haven't seen them before: Pearl Harbor, Waikiki beach, International Marketplace Hilo, HawaiiHilo is not very touristy from what I can tell. We took this opportunity to visit Volcanoes national park which was very interesting. We opted for the tour that did NOT include food and we were glad we did. The food is served in an old lodge that hasn't been remodeled since the 1940's and the food is terrible there. Also, don't buy macadamia nuts at the Mauna Loa factory, they're much cheaper at one of the thousand ABC stores you'll see walking around anywhere in Hawaii.
Don't Miss: Kiluea volcano and tour Kailua-Kona, HawaiiWhile we were there the course for the Ironman was set up and people were training, there was lots of activity due to the event being that weekend. We rode on the Atlantis submarine which was really amazing and worth the price. The town itself is nice to walk through and take pictures. We had the most amazing shaved ice of all time at this place: http://www.scandinavianshaveice.com/, we had shaved ice at other places in Hawaii on our trip and compared to this place those are just snow cones!
Don't Miss: Scandinavian Save Ice, Atlantis Submarine ride, site seeing, lava rocks on the shore line, tide pools, photos Lahaina, MauiMaui is beautiful and being there two consecutive days gave us the opportunity to rent a car and drive around. There is lots to do there. We went snorkeling at black rock and then drove on the road to Hana stopping to hike to a waterfall and swim. A word of warning: most of the "deals" you find in town for activities like snorkeling, surfing, etc. are tied to time share condo sales. Just stay away from all of them.
Don't Miss: Seeing the country side and beautiful vistas on the road to Hana, lots of beaches for snorkeling, surfing etc. 12 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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Ship Review by
A Traveler from North Carolina Sailing date: Oct 2006
Entertainment & Activities
Entertainment: The entertainment exceeded our expectations. 3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Fantastic experience by
Sara A from Toronto, Canada Sailing date: Feb 2012Pros: The food was wonderful, the service was out of this world, staff were funny, friendly, and super accomodating. Cons: the show times needed to start later we missed a few because of our late dinner seating, not long enough on each island, the the ship was spotless at all times, everyone was fantastic, we had such a great time and as soon as we docked the last day, my husband and I were already planning our next trip. Ship Qualitythe ship was huge, so much to do decor was modern and apealing, restautants very elegand decor, and very very clean Dining/Foodomg, food was fantastic, you will gain weight at all the options and availablility/ Stateroom Qualityit was a nice set-up but i would have liked a bigger stateroom, we have an oceanview but i think next time i would like a suite. Ship Staff Qualityfantastic, everyone is so friendly and seem like they really care about you. Entertainment & Activities
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Better then I had hoped by
valerie thornton from california Sailing date: Nov 2011Pros: the service for sure Cons: pushie people at some of the ports, and my stomach being to full from aqll the food. Nice ship, even better food, great service, what's not to like? Ship Quality
Dining/FoodGreat food, buffet was awesome, dinner at the sit down was even better, very personal wait staff. Stateroom QualityWent with my mother, twin beds, wish i could have taken one home. Ship Staff QualityThese people really know there job. AAA service at all times. Entertainment & ActivitiesGreat fun I had. My mom won $ 500.00 at bingo. Watched a super good magic show among others. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Living the Dream! by
A Traveler from New Jersey Sailing date: Apr 2011Pros: I liked NOT thinking of anything else but having a good time. This cruise helped me do that. Cons: There was nothing I didn't like. The people on the ship were professional, yet very friendly. In spite of all the people they take care of, they all remembered our names. We felt bad when we left and hope to see them all again. We also enjoyed the cleanliness of the ship, the beauty of the ship, and all the wonderful entertainment they provided. They were a CLASS act! Ship Quality
Dining/FoodEverything was delicious!! I enjoyed the variety they provided too! Stateroom Quality
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St. John's, AntiguaWe enjoyed a day at the beach in Antigua.
St. George's, GrenadaWe enjoyed this island, although we didn't do much but go to the beach and do a little shopping afterwards. Still, it was beautiful from what we saw. The people were lovely and very accomodating. It was a very nice day!
Don't Miss: Grand Anse Beach Castries, St. LuciaSeeing this island made us want to go back for a air/land visit. It was beautiful!! We took a boat ride to the pitons and got a chance to see the beautiful fishing villages and beaches on the way. They stopped at a black sand beach which was awesome, and let us take a swim. It was not to be missed!!
Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.We went horse back riding on this island. It was awesome! The people are very nice on this island too.
Don't Miss: Paul & Jill's Stables Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.The shopping was the best of all ports. It's a lovely island and has a ferry service to other islands if you'd like to explore more.
Don't Miss: The shopping 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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An awesome experience by
A Traveler from Mpls. MN Sailing date: Apr 2011Pros: Great people Great crew and accommodations. Starting with the captain all the way to the asst waiter, they took great care of us. Ship Quality
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Ship Staff QualityThey made it special for us. Entertainment & ActivitiesRicky our Cruise director is a special person.
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Bridgetown, Barbadoscatamaran snorkel was fantastic
Roseau, Dominica
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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A Very Relaxing Cruise by
Felix A. from Bayamon, PR Sailing date: Mar 2011Had a very relaxing and esciting trip, enjoyed all the activities. Food was exceptional . Will recommend ship to my family and all my friends. Ship Quality
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Bridgetown, Barbados
Roseau, Dominica
Basseterre, St. Kitts
Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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The entire cruise was great by
Elaine B from Chesnee, SC Sailing date: Nov 2010Pros: Service Cons: too long a wait to get off ship We had a wonderful time. The service was fantastic especial Faneli, our waiter. Dining/FoodThe food and the service were exceptional Stateroom QualityAlways clean Ship Staff QualityThey were the best Entertainment & ActivitiesSome of the comedians were not so good
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Oranjestad, ArubaOne of my favorite place
Don't Miss: beach Roseau, Dominicawould not go back
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.Plan to go back and stay a week at Megan's Bay
CuracaoGlad I went, but would not wan to go back
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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