Great cruise and excursions
Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review by drjimlewis
- Sail Date: Aug 2016
- Destination: Norwegian Fjords
- Cabin Type: Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
We chose this cruise because we have done the Mediterranian and Caribbean and wanted something different. We actually did back-to-back cruises to the Norwegian fjords and the Baltic (see separate review).
August is not the best time of year to go to Norway, but it was our vacation window, and even though it was chilly, rainy, and windy, we still enjoyed it. The two best stops for us were Bergen and Gieranger. It poured rain while we were in Bergen but it was still fun to walk around the town and eat at the seafood market.
Gieranger was our favorite stop, and the weather cooperated that day. We took and excursion to a goat farm where we saw how they make that brown Norwegian cheese. The road across the mountain was a bit nerve-wracking for a fellow with vertigo (me), but it was well worth seeing the countryside, the waterfalls, swollen streams, and the mountain tops with newly falling snow. (Yes, it snowed that day in the high elevations.)
What was amazing was to see mountains rising to about 6000 feet directly from the fjord itself. And sailing up the fjord to reach the sea was a very peaceful and pleasant experience.
Royal Caribbean provides excellent service, and we were extremely impressed at how well organized they were for those of us who had back-to-back cruises. We took the opportunity to take a hop-on-hop-off tour of Copenhagen, and as we left the ship, we received new cards so that when we returned, we were able to go directly back to our stateroom.
It was interesting to compare the cruises of Norway and Baltic sea with the one in the Caribbean. The food was more variable, in order to satisfy a broader clientele, I suppose. Being from North Carolina, I was amused to see a German fellow loading his plate with what they called NC barbecue, and it was a reasonable facsimile to what I am used to. Overall, the food was good both in the buffet and the sit-down restaurant. We also ate in the Italian and Japanese restaurants, both of which were excellent. In fact, the sashimi was flawless, and the service was very nice. Great experience.
We had a balcony room, which was very nice.
Cabin Review
We have sailed with Norwegian and Royal Caribbean in ocean view staterooms, and this cabin was very comfortable. It had the typical layout--king bed, sofa, desk with chair, shower, and storage closet.
My only complaint is that unlike Norwegian, RC does not provide a coffee maker in any but the most expensive staterooms, and I really need coffee first thing. Our solution was to carry a small electric pot that makes two cups of hot water, plus Folger singles which are very acceptable to me. They also did not deliver wine to our room, but we ordered by the glass or bottle in the restaurants.
Port & Shore Excursion Reviews
Very easy to access the ship in the Copenhagen port. We did a hop-on-hop off bus tour of Copenhagen, had lunch outdoors downtown, and very much enjoyed seeing the city. Do be careful, there are several bus companies that provide the same service, and you have to get on the right line.
We enjoyed seeing the town. Nothing outstanding, just very pleasant.
View All 57 The Old Town ReviewsAfter walking around for a couple of hours in on-and-off-rain, it was nice to have a seafood platter. It was all shellfish, including king crab, shrimp, mussels, and a claw of some kind.
View All 13 Fish Market (Fiske Torget) ReviewsIt was okay, but it was raining, no place to stand for shelter, buses were full and we had to wait for a second bus. No big deal. Rode to top of a mountain and had a very nice view of the harbor.
Excellent tour--our favorite. Goat farm was charming, view of the Norwegian alps was excellent, and the bus ride was comfortable. Sampling the local cheese was fun.