I love the sea days found on Transatlantics and many of the ports on their itineraries are wonderful, too. As the Radiance class ship is unquestionably my favorite class of ship, I was pleased to give the Serenade of the Seas a try on a recent Eastbound Transatlantic.

The Fort Lauderdale boarding procedure was perhaps the worst or nearly worst I have ever encountered. Loved the layout of the ship as I had expected. Was very disappointed that as a diamond plus, I was unable to use the concierge lounge as I had been able to use on many of the ships before this trip. Do understand that there were a large number of high level loyalty members aboard so I understand the numbers factor but the concierge lounge was frequently nearly empty. As a solo traveler (now a widow) I appreciate having a bar seat available to use...It is daunting to enter a room with groups and couples and have to ask if you can join a group. A lounge with bar seats is much more relaxing way to meet unfamiliar people than seats around a small table. The Diamond plus "spill over lounge" in the Vortex had a bar but it was not available to the Diamond plus members unless we used the voucher system so very few of us used it. Also there were not enough available seats in the designated roped-off area. Very poor advanced planning by the Royal corporate staff that is aware of the ever growing Transatlantic loyalty lemmings. I did use the diamond lounge in the Safari Club as it had 2 bars - a great and welcoming staff of bartenders and waiters - as did many of the diamond plus cruisers. The venue certainly lacked the ambience of the water views that the upper decks hold, but it was an enjoyable and spacious room.

The lowering of a once-quality food standard in dining room is certainly noticed and frequently discussed. Very few seeded rolls available, quality of the meat selections has dropped significantly, soups once a source of pride is now only passable - watered down versions of the past delicious varieties. So many once enjoyed amenities are now history. There is no lack of money to publish fancy ads for art auctions, future cruise bookings and shop promotions, however, to keep the trash can overflowing. Read more