We traveled with a group of 8 to San Juan to begin our adventure on the Serenade of the Seas. This was our 8th Royal Caribbean cruise. Overall, our experience was fantastic. The embarkation process was quick and smooth and we were on the ship in a very short time once we arrived at the terminal. Our cabin was well maintained for the duration of our cruise and cabin steward was attentive and quickly responded to any of our requests. The ship was beautiful, very clean and people were always working on it to maintain it. The food was probably the worst we have had on RCCL. Overall, it was just average food-the first two nights in the dining room it was actually bad, but it did get much better as the cruise went on. Our waiter and assistant waiter were top notch.

We loved the port intensive itinerary and had a great time at each port. Antigua was probably our least favorite. Some of our group played golf there through the cruise line and found the course to be subpar. Others of us went to Jolly Beach which was nice but the ocean was filled with seaweed and the vendors were aggressive. We had a great cab driver who made the 20 minute trip fun and entertaining.

Our favorite activity was a sailboat we chartered just for the 8 of us in St. Martens. The boat was called The Random Wind and it was a great day. We did a half day sail and Diane, the owner and hostess, as well as the captain, Larry, made our trip so much fun. We sailed around for quite awhile among beautiful scenery and enjoyed the complimentary beer, soda, and rum punch. After a while we dropped anchor and were able to snorkel and swim-it was a blast and the crew was so friendly and hospitable. After swimming we enjoyed more drinks as well as snacks. There is also an option where you can do lunch and/or a full day sail. We are getting brave enough now to venture off of the cruise ship itinerary and were so glad we found this. If you go to St. Martens you have to do it. You can book on line at www.randomwind.com. You will have fun. Read more