Serenade of the Seas Review
Had a great time but the ship itself needs an update
Rating by category
Additional details
Few points to start. We had a great time. This was our second cruise, the first being on Celebrity Equinox 3 years ago immediately after it returned from Dry-dock. And I specifically chose Royal Caribbean because I understood that the entertainment and enrichment were their strong point. I understood from reviews that the ship was not at a level of what the Equinox was when we went on it, but hoped I would be pleasantly surprised and the dates and venue were what we wanted.
The ship seems a bit tired and in need of update. I understand that it will happen later this year but before that it's something to take into account. So while maintenance seems good, there are things which seem dated or appear to be fixed regularly. The multimedia is way outdated as the quality was very poor regarding movies we saw in both the cinema and large hall. Same of the TV in the room, though that didn't matter much given the time we used it.
The food is good and of course plentiful, but not great like we thought it was on Celebrity.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean View Stateroom
Nice room with enough space to put everything away and shove the suitcases under the bed.
Port Reviews
Helsinki
Here there was really the least to see. As in the case of any city you haven't been to it's interesting enough to walk through for a couple of hours. If I were to wind up on a cruise here a second time, this would be the city I may not get off of the ship for. There is a frequent shuttle (not related to the cruise) from the port to the city center and back.
St. Petersburg
Need transportation from the port to the city and back. As expected, nothing is in English and the environment isn't too friendly but it's got loads to see and this is the one place I expect to go to again for a few days because its so large and there's so much to see. Walking tour and we did one of the smaller museums and left the big ones for another visit rather than not to them justice. Euro works.
Tallinn
Here too an easy walk from the ship to the center. A good walking tour and nice to just roam around.
Stockholm
Easy 20 minute walk from the ship into the center. Another walking tour and also we did a tour of city hall which was interesting.
Copenhagen
Great for roaming around and taking one of the available free (tip only) walking tours. Easy enough to get a taxi between the port and city center. Easy to navigate between the airport and city center and from there a taxi if you have suitcases.