Serenade of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,674 reviews

Exceeded all expectations.

Review for the Mediterranean Cruise on Serenade of the Seas
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KCinJH
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Aug 2014
Traveled with children

What an amazing trip. The itinerary was the reason we booked this voyage - with ports including Cannes, Florence, Rome, Athens, Santorini, Kudasi, and Salerno. And we were not disappointed. But even the sea days had exciting unexpected perks. We sailed past the volcanic island of Stromboli, which has been in a constant state of eruption for 2000 years, and the captain took us close to watch lava flow into the sea. We journeyed twice between the boot of Italy and Sicily twice - once during the day, and one evening with the super-moon illuminating the sky. They could not have choreographed that better.

The staff were superlative. You expect excellent dining room staff and a marvelous cabin steward. But everyone, from the bartenders to the folks cleaning up the tables in the Windjammer, was attentive and friendly. When I reported a problem with an elevator button to some important-looking crew member in a white uniform who happened to be passing by, he thanked me profoundly for brining it to his attention.

I read all of the ship reviews before the cruise, and expected mediocre food. Cruise food has been on a steady decline for decades, and I was prepared to be underwhelmed, especially at the Windjammer, which previous reviewers repeatedly classified as boring and redundant and uninteresting. We ate lunch almost every day a the Windjammer, and honestly, I though the food was good to excellent. I appreciate the regional dishes. Paella as we left Spain. Moussaka as we left Greece. Tabouli and baba ganoush as we left Turkey. And of course, many Italian favorites in the corresponding ports. The seasonings were good! You could taste the high-quality local olive oil that the regions are famous for. What looked like ricotta on some pasta outside of Greece ended up being a delicious feta, with distinctly Greek seasonings. The main dining room was decent. I would give the food a 4 on most nights, and occasionally a 5. There were generally 4 new options to chose from, and the 4 staples that were on the menu ever night. Portions were small, which was fine. My only complaint would be that they were very stingy with vegetables - often putting a single slice of zucchini or 3 small asparagus spears to accompany the main dish.

Cabin Review

Lovely, well-appointed room. Gorgeous balcony, with just the right combination of sun and shade at almost every hour. Mother and daughter traveling together. The first night the beds were pushed together, but we requested that they be split into twin beds. No problem.

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