My wife and I just returned from a ten-night, southern Caribbean cruise on the Serenade of the Seas. We were both shocked and disappointed, especially since we are diamond-level cruisers who remember previous cruises fondly.

The good: the ship is clean and attractive although showing its age with rust and pealing paint. But the layout is pleasant and there are vast glass windows through which to watch the sea. As always, the cabin attendant and MDR servers were great. We especially enjoyed the open fantail off the Windjammer where we ate breakfast every morning.

OK, the rest: RCI has cut the staff to skeleton levels. Most bars had only one bartender and zero to one waiter/waitress. In ten days, we were approached only one time by bar staff. Waits for drinks were excessive as there was only one bartender in most cases, Most amazing to us, one day in the Solarium bar, frozen drinks ($12) were served in plastic water tumblers without even a napkin. Made you feel special! The reduced staff was most obvious in the MDR, where dinner service took a minimum of 90 minutes, some days much more. Read more