Maine and Canada-highs and lows of this wonderful cruise !
This was our fourth time on this cruise three times on Royal Caribbean. We live just 45 minutes from the port so it is an easy trip for us. We can drive to Maine and often do, cruising there is even nicer. Embarkation was very slow due to inspections that had to be carried out as the Serenade had been in Europe all summer and was ...
The cruise itself was as expected. The ports were lovely and we had fantastic weather for all ports. However, one of the very first things that I noticed was that all of the windows in the ship were very dirty and it was difficult to see out to the sea or the ports. My group of 9 friends all purchased the drink package, and found that we had long wait times to get our own drinks most of the ...
We chose the new England cruise as we have never sailed that area, with most of our cruises in the Caribbean. From the beginning, the crew appeared to be very short staffed.It was not unusual to see dirty plates left to sit forever in the buffet, and even on the pool deck. A crew member would just walk past the tables loaded with dishes and or glasses, and remove them only when asked. Another ...
Living in the northeast we never really considered sailing out of Boston. That's all changed now. Truly enjoyed this cruise. Weather in all the ports was sunny and 70 degrees. The staff was on their game and very friendly. The ship is in great shape and easy to navigate. We did the three night specialty dining special. Did Izumi two nights and Giovanni for the third night. Food and service was ...
I like longer cruises, partly because embarkation and disembarkation are my least favorite aspects of cruising, but also because it offers more opportunity to meet other cruisers. I like transatlantic/transpacific cruises, because they minimize the jet lag inherent with airplane travel. I also like visiting different ports than I have seen before, as this cruise itinerary did. I prefer staying ...
Generally we prefer the Oasis class ships due to the amazing entertainment, but we decided to give Serenade a try because of the itinerary. We did have a concern that 29 days on a smaller ship might get a bit old, but because the first two cruises (Baltic and Norwegian Fjords) were so port intensive that we never felt tired of this ship. The final cruise, a TA stopping at Iceland and Halifax on ...
OUR GROUP: Three senior couple (65-71) traveling together during Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston as we boarded (late August) and Florida as we exited in Boston. Our 3rd cruise with the same group having done a Princess and Celebrity earlier. We felt of the 3 Celebrity was the premium product. All cruises were great experiences and we are happy to have done these with good friends. Our nightly ...
We chose the cruise for the ports. Copenhagen was a great city to sail from. Tivoli Gardens is a gem. Oslo and the fiords of Norway were pleasant. Iceland is so unique that there is nothing the can be done to ruin the experience, even when the ship docks far from the city and the bus fare is very high. The Blue Lagoon was touristy and so worth a visit.
All went well up to the ...
We chose this tour specifically to see Iceland. Unfortunately, the entire first day it rained and the second day was not much better. The third day was fine. Obviously, the cruise line cannot be responsible for the weather.
The 5 days at sea were a little long, but we new that in advance.Once again, not the fault of the cruise line.
We missed the daily newsletter that they used to offer. ...
This was our 2nd TransAtlantic, our 1st was with Celebrity. Difference was striking! Royal used to be our favorite cruise line (we're Diamond Plus status) but they have really gone downhill. Cutting corners at every opportunity, even down to eliminating shampoo. How ridiculous! Waitstaff was superb, but obviously running at breakneck pace due to staffing cuts. This led to frequent mistakes and ...