The Serenade of the Seas is an older ship that is definitely showing some age in spite of the recent upgrades. The furniture in our balcony stateroom showed signs of wear, but it was kept spotlessly clean by our steward. The entertainment was O.K., but could have had more variety, like a Broadway type of show. The downer for us was all the additional charges, exorbitant alcohol and drink prices/packages, very expensive wifi charges, and not many interesting free activities. I am glad that the itinerary was changed from the hardest hit hurricane Islands to ports further south: Martinique, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbados. St. Thomas USVI was the only port that remained on the itinerary. We enjoyed seeing these islands, but would have liked more time to explore. The main thing that made the Serenade special was the staff. Without a doubt, they were exceptional: friendly, professional, humorous, knowledgeable, attentive, and most of all, eager to please.