Serenade of the Seas Review

Great, Elegant Ship. Nice size.

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Serenade of the Seas
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Philly530
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Value for Money
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Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2022
Cabin: Connecting Balcony

Cruise was used to host a reunion of U.S. Navy shipmates. 5-Day cruise was perfect for the event. Good itinerary with some at-sea days thrown in. Guest services very accommodating. Provided a conference room for meetings and a senior ship's officer to address the group. Ship arranged dinner tables clustered together. As is the custom on Royal Caribbean ships, a special veterans/first responder ceremony was scheduled. Our association's chaplain was permitted to lead all attendees in a prayer for veterans and first responders. Very moving. Ship is classy in an art deco to mid-20th century style. Lots of glass in the dining rooms, elevators and up and down each deck of the Centrum. Food was very good and plentiful with some misses (hard to please everyone). Casino is on the small side, and it would help if a row of slot machines were removed in the areas entering past the Crown & Castle Pub. Very crowded in these areas.

Embarkation was somewhat chaotic. Part of it was not the fault of RC but of the local police who did not allow vans and shuttles to pull up to the ship causing cruiser to walk long distances with their luggage to get to the terminal. Wheelchairs to assist mobility challenged guests were not available. It seemed that the ship and the port was not ready to receive passengers. I was informed that this was the first time this pier and terminal was used by the 'Serenade' after several months on the West Coast.

RC charges for Internet use, which is OK. However, there is a need for all cruisers to log on just to check into their airline flight the day before they leave the ship. There should be an allowance for this action as a courtesy. Also, complimentary texting using the RC app did not work for the second cruise in a row. Fix it or eliminate it. The use of QR codes to communicate with guest services is useless to those who can't scan the codes. This is not universal.

Cabin Review

Connecting Balcony

Size adequate. Clean and well-maintained. Storage good. Recommend eliminating the small coffee/cocktail table from the stateroom. Somewhat useless and takes up valuable space. I don't know anyone who ever uses it. Cannot hear ship's announcements in the stateroom resulting in a possible loss of important information.

Port Reviews

Cozumel

Plenty of shopping opportunities. Lots of walking to get out of port area. Taxi stand is efficient and well-run. 'Mr. Sancho's' is a great bargain at $60 per person for all you can eat and drink. Beautiful facility with beach and pools. Reserve on-line or by telephone. no-hassle refund if rained out.

Grand Cayman (Georgetown)

Tendered by water taxis from ship at anchor. Flawless procedure. Plenty of shopping, bars and restaurants. Lots to do on this island. 'Sharkeez', across the street from the pier, has free WiFi.

Tampa

Gotta go to 'Seasons 52' restaurant. Great menu, great food.

4 Helpful Votes
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