Serenade of the Seas Reviews

Author: Chris B

Summary:  Just returned from an 11 day fly cruise up the the North Cape and Fjords. The destination and Itinerary was fabulous and the reason for picking this cruise especially during early June which gave a truly land of. The midnight sun experience. Its a while since we cruised with RCI having previously sailed on the sister vessel Jewel of The Seas and the larger Independence. The ship itself is a fine sea vessel withn Yacht like lines and well thought out although it is in need of a refit in certain areas with carpets and furnishings beginning to show signs of wear. First the good points Topi the Finnish Cruise Director was perhaps the best of all we have encontered in twenty or so full cruise holidays with his unique styles and genuine involvement. If you like a ship with a covered Pool this is a big plus feature if the ship although don't expect the solarium area to have readily available loungers at busy times. RCI is losing its way in my opinion with its central atrium 70s night, as an example featuring on all three cruises we have taken with the line over the last 10'years and needs variation. Yes they have a modern innovative fleet the Serenade is not one of the latest megaships but I suspect the rip off hard sell is common accross the fleet. When I go on a cruise holiday I do not expect to be accosted to buy something wherever I move aboard the ship. The Shuttle bus transfers were poorly organised as was our shore excusion to the North Cape where coach boarding can only be described as disorganised chaos. The dining experince in the buffet restaurant at breakfast and lunch time was poor with very average service and lack of seating. There was little in the way of healthy food options offered on say P&O or Cunard . Food was also cleared away half an hour prior to published opening times and on occasion sweet trays removed before our very eyes as we walked up for deserts. Even in the main dining room where our table staff were attentive things like tea or coffee spoons did not exist which is poor. Whilst I liked the ship and the destination and must give credit to our cabin maid who really made an effort I will think long and hard before choosing RCI for a future cruise as poor customer service and a rip off attitude is not why I go cruising.

Author: Neil Thomson

Summary:  Rooms, food,service,evening entertainment all excellent. Daytime activities had little cultural or geographical content.

Author: Melanie

Summary:  Just returned from 11 night Med cruise on Serenade of the Seas. This is our 3rd cruise (2nd with RCI). I read numerous reviews before booking our holiday, mixed good and bad. I must say that I really can't fault this ship at all. Little niggles like dining tables not cleared immediately, and a bit disorganised on first day with a few queues here and there but so what! Passengers behaviours at times are far worse than any issues with the ship. Fantastic food, great stateroom service, good entertainment and friendly staff everywhere. Lovely clean ship and a real feeling of fun onboard just typical of RCI " your on vacation ". I loved the idea of the Centrum being the focal point of the ship. This brought everyone together. We have been spoilt by cruising on Independance of the Seas previously with its west end shows, chocolates on the pillow etc etc.....but this is a much smaller ship and more friendly in my opinion. Would recommend to anyone.

Author: K. Gaspard

Summary:  This was our seventh cruise with Royal Caribbean. I have never left a review before as it's just not my thing. First, let me say our previous six cruises with Royal Caribbean have been great. However, I just couldn't let our recent experience on Serenade of the Seas pass without a review. Short and sweet of it, Serande of the Seas has endless problems. We could have overlooked the lack of activities and terrible shows along with the rude ship staff. But when the food is terrible it is impossible to make the best of it and rack it up to just a bad week. However we did a nine night with a consecutive seven day Christmas cruise back-to-back on this ship, and we couldn't get off this ship fast enough! Even the staff told us this ship had problems, so this review should not be a surprise to Royal Caribbean. It's hard to find a fault with a cruise, as its a cruise for goodness sake - make the best of it, right? Well, we failed miserably at trying to make the best of this ship. I guess it helped by us overhearing many other cruisers during our sixteen days onboard complaining about the bad quality of food, shows, and activities in that we knew we were not alone and big complainers. Wow, did I just have the put that in a review for a cruise? Long complaint short - Choose a different Royal Caribbean ship for your next cruise other than Serenade of the Seas!

Author: J Baughan

Summary:  Although we had a good holiday, was a bit disappointed with this ship. It was our fifth cruise, first with Royal Caribbean, and thought this cruise line was at least up there with the other big players, if not slightly bettter, but was wrong. The food was not as good as other cruise companies, the staff in dining room although very pleasant, were so slow. The excursion team were not very helpful and could not be bothered to help. The Guest Relations desk were excellent though. Then we come to the entertainment, worst I have ever encountered. No West End/Broadway type shows in theatre, like advertised on RC web site and TV adverts! On other cruises, there has always been two shows a night, for first and second dinner seating guests. There was two shows, and for second seating guests these were at 6.30pm, and first seating shows were 8.30pm, but it wasnt a problem as the shows were really rubbish.The entertainments team working in bars etc, were not at all up to scracth and mostly it was guest participation that was the entertainment, there was a couple of trio bands/singers that were ok, but just ok. Then we come to the gratuities - what is going on with these cruise ships, they charge $24/day to your account per two person cabin, then on top every single drink is charged 15%. Even the spa, the stone massage started off $149 but ended up $175 when you come to pay account, with yet again gratuity added. We are all paying part of the staff/crew wages on top of paying for cruise, why dont they just put up cost of cruise, then we would all know what the cruise is going to cost up front. I have been on Carnival Cruise which was excellent, Holland America which was excellent and twice on Thompson Cruises - whilst the staterooms were not as good as the larger cruise lines, the food and especially entertainment was excellent. Would think very hard before chosing a RC cruise again.

Author: Susan Hope

Summary:  Just returned from a lovely cruise to Dubai and the Arabian Gulf. It was it was our first time with Royal Caribbean and we would definately consider going again with them. All the staff on board were extremely polite, friendly and eager to help. The ship was very clean and very well-equipped. The entertainment was a bit repetative, but that could be just our taste. All the meals we had on board were lovely - we didn't try any of the specialist restaurants as we were more than happy with the 'general' eateries. Drinks were quite expensive - 31 dollars for the cheapest bottle of wine so we didn't see anyone 'over the limit!'. We had pre-paid the gratuities and couldn't understand why we had to pay 15% extra for every drink we bought and then to be left an envelope in our room for our (excellent) stateroom attendant. It just seemed a bit too much. We booked two excursions - the hop on, hop off bus in Muscat and the city tour of same city which included the Mosque which was absolutely fabulous and definately worth a visit. Special thanks must go to the Tailor-made team at Iglu Cruises. Everything went according to plan including three private pick-ups/drop-offs and two nights in separate Dubai hotels- the Holiday Inn Express at Dubai Airport and the Arabian Courtyard and Spa beside the creek. Both were excellent. A great holiday all-round!

Author: M A Pitman

Summary:  Loved the ship everything was great except the gratuities that were added on. Would have been better to add this on to the holiday price because we were not expecting to have to pay these extras.

Author: Dawn

Summary:  We have just had the most amazing time on Serenade of The Seas. This was our first cruise and we really did not know what to expect, but we have now caught the bug and will definitely be cruising again. The staff were exceptional, they cannot do enough for you. We ate in the main dining room every evening, as we did not feel the need to try anywhere else as the food was so good (contrary to some reviews I have read!). Our waiter Alrick was most attentive and every evening he would give us information on the port we were visiting the next day, offering hints and tips on the best way to get around the island, etc. We drank in The Schooner Bar most evenings as we found this really relaxing and we were pleasantly surprised by the price of drinks on the ship - about the same (if not cheaper) than we would pay in the UK. We saw 3 shows - 2 by the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, which were very good and we saw a Temptations Tribute act who were fantastic. We didn't bother seeing the comedians, as this didn't really interest us. We didn't pre-book any trips because there was nothing that we really wanted to do, so we just got off the boat and did an island highlights tour with one of the many people who are waiting when you get off the boat. We always went in one of the little mini-buses and for about $20 each you get a 2 to 3 hour trip, showing you the main points of interest, stopping for photos etc. I would definitely recommend doing this, as it is far cheaper than booking it through the ship. One thing I would recommend is that in your hand luggage you pack your swimming gear/sun lotion, as it can be quite late by the time you get your main suitcases delivered, and this means that you can take advantage of the sun/pool in the meantime. Also, I would pack something to wear that evening, as we didn't get our luggage until about 7.45pm and we had to be at the muster point safety meeting at 8.00pm and dinner at 8.30 - so it was a bit of a rush. All in all we had a fantastic time and would definitely cruise with Royal Caribbean again.