Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review by apollobeach

Arrival into Vancouver was uneventful, until Immigration. There were over one thousand passengers in the arrival terminal, and -four- immigration agents. It took over 2-1/2 hours to get through immigration, then another half-hour to finally find our bags that were in several big piles. Hope Vancouver gets its act together before the Olympics!

Vancouver is an absolutely gorgeous city - we also took the train to Whittier, site of the ski events for the 2010 Olympics.......another beautiful town. If in Vancouver, look into The Whistler Mountaineer....well worth the trip.

Now, to The Serenade.......oh, so much to say. Embarkation was effortless......we received a most friendly and warm welcome. Upon entering the ship the first thing Rick remarked was....."the ship is so clean". And, she is. We had a Grand Suite on Deck 10, port side. The cabin was very tastefully furnished; bed comfortable; cabin steward of the highest caliber. Very nice indeed.

The Serenade is in fantastic condition, and the crew works tirelessly keeping her that way. Everything is in working order. The ship invites you in and wraps herself around you. The Centrum, going 13 decks high is just spectacular and adds much spaciousness.

Dining was very good. In the Windjammer there was the usual fare for breakfast and lunch - the salads were exceptional. The dining room was wonderful for dinner, with a great variety of dinners. The waitstaff was second to none in service and friendliness, and the meals were presented tastefully and were delicious.

Overall, our experience on The Serenade was second to none.....the ship and her crew were, in a word, outstanding. We even had the honor to be one of the few invited to a private chat with The Captain; a very nice experience indeed.

Alaska was its usual wonderful self. From Tracy Arm to Ketchikan we met many wonderful people and had some fantastic experiences. Yes, we had rain the entire time in Alaska, and more than half the ship came down with colds! The Tlingit people in Icy Strait Point/Hoonah were some of the warmest and welcoming people one could encounter. Skagway was very crowded, with three ships in, and it was the last day of the season. We highly recommend the White Pass railroad excursion, going to Caribou Crossing, Yukon, Canada. We saw numerous whales and other wildlife, right from the deck of The Serenade.

Seattle - we visited the usual sites from Pikes Market to The Space Needle - in Seattle Gray Line is absolutely terrible, so don't book a shore excursion using them. Our driver on the city tour said little or nothing the entire tour. Very disappointing, although seeing the city was great nonetheless.

Ah, Astoria.....lovely city; not too much to do, and the people welcomed us warmly. And, yes, we had SNOW SQUALLS the afternoon in Astoria.

What to say about San Francisco - we sailed under The Golden Gate Bridge at 6:27 a.m. and what an absolute thrill....something I always wanted to do and will always remember. The decks were packed with folks that just wanted to savor the experience. We did dim sum; rode the cable cars; street cars and had a fantastic time.

The only downside to the entire trip was the concierge assigned to the suites. Quite frankly he was totally worthless. He totally dropped the ball on Rick's Birthday celebration, and was totally rude and nasty. Despite his unprofessionalism the cruise was a wonderful experience.

The Serenade came highly recommended to us, and we would highly recommend a cruise on her. She will be repositioned to San Juan starting in November for Caribbean cruises.

RCL did a great job with The Serenade of the Seas. She is a clean, modern ship with an outstanding crew.

The entertainment was also outstanding. The Serenade's own singers and dancers were some of the best we've seen. The crew talent show blew everyone away. Haven't heard Memories(from cats) done on a piano so spectacularly in a very long time.

This was our first cruise on a RCL ship; it certainly will not be our last. Total satisfaction, except as noted above.