Background Information This was my fourth cruise, second time on Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas. We selected Royal Caribbean primarily because we love Celebrity and since Celebrity owns Royal Caribbean, we notice many of the similarities but picked Royal Caribbean due to itinerary and availability and that we had a wonderful experience on this ship previously in April 2007 as well. Arrival/Travel to Port of Embarkation/Actual Embarkation This cruise was to the Southern Caribbean and departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We did not fly in a day early or stay longer due to work but would like to in the future. We landed in San Juan around 2pm on Saturday and made our way to the taxi station at the airport. We paid $26 dollars for two people, much of it I believe was our luggage they seem to charge by piece of luggage and I am a heavy packer. We arrived at the ship around 3pm and it was a breeze. The luggage tags were plentiful we tagged our bags and walked right to the front desk, no waiting no lines. As always it was efficient and we were on our way up to the ship within 10 minutes. Stateroom We choose to be more efficient on our room (Oceanview Stateroom) because we love to splurge on items at the ports of call. I do want a balcony in the future to try it out, but the Oceanview Stateroom was great, view of the ocean and plenty of space for two people. We booked room 3586 and I want to add there are no sewer smells as many of you might have read but I know that varies on many factors whether there are odors or not in various hallways. The ship was immaculate and smelled fine on all the floors we went on. The room is equipped with refrigerator, hairdryer, shampoo, soap, room safe etc. Service This cruise provided us with spectacular service. We encountered multiple things the embarkation day - safe was malfunctioning, refrigerator wasn't cold, Crown & Anchor gifts were not in the room. We make one call to guest services and then talked to our wonderful stateroom attendant, Ken Phillips, and in all seriousness, in 5 minutes, a maintenance worker with a NEW refrigerator arrived at the door, then 5 more minutes later the Crown & Anchor representative arrived with our bags and other items and lastly the carpenter arrived and recoded the safe. All this took place in 30 minutes. It was an excellent display of customer service and tending to things in a quick fashion. Our stateroom attendant as previously mentioned was great and always went above and beyond, to name one thing, in Barbados we dove down for Conch Shells (only if they are not occupied by any living creature) and we bring them back and they smell. Our stateroom attendant, Ken, as we asked poured bleach on them each day to kill the bacteria. Our waiter, Mimi and assistant waiter, Julio were hilarious. I have never had a waiter/assistant waiter team work so well together and efficient. Again incredible service. Dining The dining experience was again excellent. We planned to dine in Chops during the week but were so pleased with the menu selections, we ate in the dining room every single night. I am also here to say the Lobster is still around and plentiful. The NY strip steak that is an alternative selection is among my favorites. Desert was elegant and light - never when I left the dining room did I feel stuffed or full. I am a huge fan of the Seaview Cafe, when returning from port each day, we ate a small lunch there, my favorites are the Grouper Salad which is incredible and the Cuban Sandwich. All fresh and made to order. We enjoy a simple breakfast in the Windjammer daily to maximize time in order to get off the ship as soon as possible.

Children's Clubs/Entertainment/Activities I cannot comment on the Children's Clubs as I do not have children but can comment on Entertainment and the Activities. There is a new magician on board, Chad Chesmark (http://chadchesmark.com/) who is not only talented but hilarious. He is a comedian with a great stage show. In the theatre, one night he puts on a comedy magic show combination and the theatre was packed and it was a great show for all ages. Also in the theatre is the regular Love and Marriage show which is also hilarious. We didn't make the actual shows with the dancers but heard those were nice. There were many activities around the ship regularly as always. Among the ones we enjoy attending are the adult events in the Safari Club like Men vs. Women games, Karaoke show, Ballroom Dancing lessons and more. The day at sea, Friday was packed with things to do - we relaxed by the pool and then attended the magic lessons with Chad Chesmark. Ports of Call/Shore Excursions Ports of call on this cruise in order visited were: St Thomas; St Maarten; Antigua; St. Lucia and Barbados. Here is a recap of what we did this time and I'll also touch on what we did on this same itinerary same ship this past April 2007 as well: St Thomas: When we arrive in this port which we have been to 4 times, we like to walk the coastline to downtown to shop. If you arrive in St. Thomas on a Sunday, those shops close at 2pm so head there first. There have been many road improvements and landscaping improvements on the walk along the coastline so it's a beautiful mile or so walk. You will also pass the new and wonderful Yacht Club which is a huge shopping plaza with high end shops, Louis Vuitton, Coach etc. That was not finished when we were there in April, and it was nice to go to this time. The landscaping they did is simply beautiful. When arriving downtown, there is an open air area with vendors loaded with replica items (purses, watches, sunglasses etc). After that area you reach all the downtown shopping which is plentiful. After shopping a few hours we depart around noon to the beach. You can catch a ride on a Safari bus which seems to be a truck with open but covered built in bench seating for at least 15-20 people. You will see these constantly, they are everywhere. From downtown, per person, the Safari Bus to Coki Beach is $9 per person, to Sapphire Beach is $10 per person. The last 3 times we have been to St. Thomas we have visited Coki Beach, it is renowned for Snorkeling and as a scuba diver, it's is incredible. Coki Beach has chairs for rent, water sports equipment, snorkeling gear, food and drink all available. The beach at Coki Beach is very small and not long, but most of the people are in the water from my experience. This time around we decided to try Sapphire Beach. Sapphire Beach is one stop past Coki Beach. The beach is incredible. You arrive at a resort and walk to the right which is the public access area. The hotel on the premiss was Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. (http://www.sapphirebeachstthomas.com/) This beach was beautiful and long. White sand and a huge span of water to swim or snorkel in. The beach also has a restaurant, bar, water sports and gear rental and anything else you many need. I preferred this beach over Coki Beach since it's was more beautiful and is longer with more room but the snorkeling as we knew was not as good. A note about peddling/soliciting - very minimal here at Sapphire Beach, I was only asked once to buy a hat made out of palms. At Coki Beach I get harassed quite a bit, the locals are nice but really want you to buy their items. The cabs wait right outside the resort and are easy to get, again $10 per person back to the ship.

St. Maarten: When we arrive in this port the shops aren't open yet so we hightail it straight to the beach on the French side, Orient Beach. When you get off the ship walk past the St. Maarten sign and on the right is a taxi station. You sit on these benches depending on the area you want to visit and all the prices are posted. The cab ride per person to Orient Beach varies based on people in the car. The more people, the cheaper the rate. We didn't want to wait so we paid $10 per person to the beach. Orient Beach is huge so when you arrive the cab can take you to multiple areas. We love KON TIKI which is a incredible span of Tiki restaurants, shops, bars and water rental items. The chairs are red and the cushions are so thick and comfortable. The beach here is so beautiful, long and white. This is not a snorkeling beach, more of a lounging and laying on the beach kind of a beach. When you are ready to depart, taxis are available everywhere. We normally stay at the beach until 1pm and then venture back into the Dutch side shopping area downtown. There is virtually no soliciting on this beach, I might get asked once to buy one of those beach towels that roll up into a bag and that's it. The shopping in St. Maarten is amazing, there are more shops than you can visit in one short day. We pick our favorites and then when done, take the water taxi back to the ship, if you buy it one way its $3 per person, if you buy a round trip all day ticket in case you want to go to the ship eat and come back its $5 per person all day. Antigua: Like St. Thomas, we have been to this port multiple times and thoroughly enjoy it every time. The locals are very nice and helpful - be prepared when you get off the ship there is what seems like 200 cabbies waiting to take you somewhere. Upon arrival, we choose to go straight to the beach, it seems to get really hot in the day here (we have been April and November and it's very warm). The past few times we have taken a cab which is $8 per person one way to Long Bay. Long Bay is on the opposite side of the island. This beach is very quiet and secluded. This beach has two main resorts on it, Long Bay Hotel (http://www.longbayhotel.com/) which is beautiful and a Pineapple Resort I am not sure which one but its at the other end of the beach and always seems to be terribly crowded. At the Long Bay Hotel side, there is a wonderful area with blue chairs for rent, umbrellas as well and a great restaurant and bar. The sand is immaculate and white and the snorkeling here is wonderful, I highly recommend it. This time around, we visited Darkwood Beach. Darkwood Beach, like Long Bay is also $8 per person one way, the cab fare does not decrease when more people pack in the cab, for us it always is the same. This beach is also quiet and long but you can still see both ends. There are chairs for rent for $5 each and a shade cover cabana type structure for $5, so total for two people is $15. The water is simply beautiful. Behind the chair area is a full service bar and restaurant. The beach was quiet and relaxing until about 12-1ish and then it was packed, I attribute this to there being 3 other ships in port. I can't imagine it's like that on a regular basis. We stayed at this beach until 1pm and heading back downtown for shopping which may I say is excellent. There are blocks and blocks of shops. We visit our favorites and then head back to ship. St. Lucia: We do not book excursions at this port while there are many to do. We are adventurous so when we were here in April, we booked with a man named JUNIOR when we arrive right off the ship under the covered area where the tourism board has St. Lucia materials available about the island. JUNIOR'S excursion is $55 a person and includes the following: power boat ride (with shade) which goes up the gorgeous coast of St. Lucia on the way to the famous Pitons. You can email or call him in advance at the following contact information - Synergy Charters, Junior, Telephone 1-758-715-3484, Email - synergycharter@hotmail.com. The powerboat ride goes up the coast and they will stop to let you see the villages, they go into the coves, we got to see Marigot Bay up close, Anse Cochon which is where the Tikaye Resort is and then you also visit Anse Chastanet which is where the Anse Chastanet resort is (http://www.ansechastanet.com/). After stopping by those areas, we stop at the town of Soufriere - home to the Drive in Volanco and the Torialle Waterfalls. These are the two places all the cruise ship excursions take you to. Admission into these two parks is included. When you get off the power boat, you load into vans and they take our up the scenic drive to the Drive in Sulfur Volanco and the Torialle Waterfalls. We stay at each location for somewhere between 30-45 minutes give or take. After visiting those sites, you head back to the power boat. When back on the boat, you are taken to Anse Cochon which was visited earlier in the day but this time they let you off and you get to enjoy the beach (sand is almost black from the volcanoes), restaurant, water sports and beach. This beach has phenomenal snorkeling. When we were here last in April 2007, they took us to the other beach referenced above, Anse Chastanet, snorkeling is great too - both beaches are amazing. After an hour to an hour and a half at the beach you head back to port. They ensure you are back with at least an hour or hour and a half to spare. I HIGHLY recommend this excursion with JUNIOR. Barbados: Like the other islands, we have also been to Barbados multiple times. We have done something different every time so Ill recap those few things. First time we did the Atlantis Submarine tour. It took up most of the day and is very fun but not for anyone that is or even is remotely claustrophobic. Its is definitely one unique experience. The next time we visited, this past April 2007, we booked through the ship, the Shipwreck, Snorkel and Swim with the Turtles power boat excursion (not the catamaran one). The company that runs it is called Ocean Adventures (http://www.oceanadventuresbarbados.com/oai/). I believe this was around $50 a person. The boat has a lot of shade and is great but also they provide drinks and small food items all day. You head up the west coast to the shipwreck, then the bay with the turtles (which may I say were everywhere and come right up to you) and then the swimming on the beach. This excursion is fun but has about 50 people on it and I felt crowded and wished I had more time to enjoy the turtles without all these peoples arms in my face battling to see the turtles. This time around, we researched to death were the turtles are and they are at the BLUE MONKEY resort. I cannot believe we actually figured out the beach but that's where all the ship boat excursions take the people to see the turtles. How we got there- you can pay $10 per person to get there from the port but we are so familiar with Barbados, we walked out the causeway and onto the main strip headed downtown, about a half mile then when you get past the Pelican Craft Center, you take a left, there are the busses. We paid $1.50, yes one dollar and fifty cents per person to get to the Blue Monkey and we were there in 10 minutes. I recommend this unless you want to spend $20 for two people to get to the beach. While I was at the beach, the Blue Monkey Beach, I saw more than 20 boats that were catamarans and also the Ocean Adventures boat from the excursion we did months prior. The Blue Monkey area is immediately to the right of Sandy Lane (yes where Tiger Woods got married) and is amazing. The restaurant and bar is great. There are tons of chairs, umbrellas, snorkeling gear, jet skis etc for rent, anything you need is there. We really enjoyed this beach but some of the peddling was annoying, I finally bought the homemade aloe just so I could say I already have some. To each his own. We stayed at this beach and then headed back around 3pm. We shopped a little but headed back to the ship. In my experience, the shopping is not the focal point in Barbados the beaches and water is. Disembarkation and Spending the Day in Old San Juan Because we were unable to get an early flight we and two of our tablemates decided to go to Old San Juan for the day. Our flight was not until 5pm back to Atlanta so we maximized the day. While I have been to San Juan multiple times, I have driven through Old San Juan but never actually walked through it. It is a shoppers haven and I was elated. When we disembarked, which went very fast and smooth, we told the cab driver to please take us to BARRACHINA. The cost to do this with all our bags (we had 11 between the 4 of us) and 4 people was $15. When we arrived at BARRACHINA which only took 10 minutes from the ship we unloaded. A bit about BARRACHINA - Royal Caribbean partners with/recommends a restaurant and bar call BARRACHINA. The website is http://www.barrachina.com/. It is the birthplace of the pina colada. They literally hold your luggage with a ticket all day long and tally up the bags and hold it all day in a secure area in the stage section for $5 overall. We had 11 bags between the 4 of us and it was $5 total - amazing. This was a great way to spend the day without sitting in the boring airport. Summary I rate this cruise and the overall experience an A or a 5. I base that on overall service, great port of call selection, clean and well maintained ship, wonderful staff, and superb customer service.