I am just back from a truly wonderful week aboard Serenade. It was overall a great trip and my comments follow. I am not your average cruiser, I believe, as I do not go to shows, eat rich food or desserts, etc., so may not address everything that is important to you.
I am an avid cruiser and this was my 45th RCI cruise and my 102nd lifetime cruise.
Embarkation: Extremely easy and we had pier pick up. We were aboard by 12:45 and arrived at the pier at 12:30pm. Luggage was to our cabin by 2pm.