I must start by saying that this was our 10 RCCL cruise, 2nd time on Serenade and 3rd time out of PR.

Cabin: This was our first cruise that we decided to try the aft balcony cabin..D2..Room 1104. We have always sailed in at least a balcony but mostly Jr Suites. Our group also had rooms 1102 and 1604 and an aft on deck 8 so we knew our neighbors. These views are great and the bit of a walk that it is completely worth it - not much more of a walk than the average room location on a voyager or freedom class ship. The balcony is wonderful, almost the size of the living space of the room itself. We were able to hear some noise from the Windjammer in the early morning hours, I am a light sleeper so it did disturb me but DH woke and quickly fell back to sleep:-) There was also a sewer smell in all of our Aft rooms the entire cruise, we brought room spray so it did not really bother us but our friends were all miserable. We personally would prefer to stay in a Jr suite next time for comfort (and if price is right) but would not turn down the aft if it was available!!

Ports: We had previously been to all of the ports except for St Croix. Once again we loved the ports...Barbados is a stand-out if you are a beach person...go to the Boatyard - pristine while sugary sand and crystal clear water, but a fun, party atmosphere! St Lucia is beautiful but we (group of 9) were disappointed as this was the first time that a ship had been in port since Hurricane Thomas had hit the week prior. We went to the beach and there was no running water on the island as well as no power. Needless to say it was difficult to use the restroom...as well as eat/drink. RCCL will be getting a letter from me about my concerns for bringing us here under the "do not consume water" conditions (BTW they gave each passenger a liter of water before they left the boat since we were advised not to eat or drink by RCCL on the island). Read more