My lady and I took our 4th cruise together, this year coming back to Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. We are in our late 30's/ early 40's respectively, from southern New Jersey, directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, PA. There must be something anti-Winter about us, because each year in March we are extremely ready to venture south for a cruise. Such was the story for us this year. As the travel planner, I booked this cruise for us back in May of 2009, during a RCCL Wow sale. In booking during this sale, a cruiser is able to put down half the typical payment as a deposit (normally $500.00) and is given a stateroom credit ($50.00 pp for our stateroom category). The prices for our balcony stateroom (9576, a D-2) were reasonable, especially when compared to our alternative choice for a cruise (Princess's Southern Explorer). We waited to see if the airfare from PHL to SJU would come down, at least a little, for our choice flights, but that was not to be. So, I reserved our flights down to San Juan, and we waited excitedly for March 19. As Serenade almost always cruises Saturday to Saturday, we flew down the day of embarkation. The flight down was uneventful, albeit the security checkpoint line moved slowly enough that we didn't have to wait at our gate. We got through security, and walked directly onto the aircraft. Upon arrival at San Juan, we took a cab to the port. The fare was $20.00 plus a dollar for each of our large bags. We arrived at the Pan American Pier sometime shortly after 12pm, and before long we were onboard. We had immediate access to our stateroom, which had a larger than typical balcony (due to the curve of the hump) but the usual two chairs and small table. The stateroom, as we'd grown accustomed, was clean and nice. Through the week, our stateroom attendant (whose name I never learned) did a fine job, though it took asking to get an extra towel for my lady to dry her hair. My guess is that is cruise line policy. The shower had a solid door, with shampoo in a dispenser, and had tremendous water pressure (a nice surprise). The vanity had basic soap and ample storage for travel size toiletries. There was also a full sized hair dryer in the stateroom.We enjoyed a terrific buffet lunch at the Windjammer, and found a shady spot by the main pool (to avoid using sunscreen the first day). After a while, we got cold in that spot, so we went up one deck to deck 12, and roasted for about a half hour. We then went to our stateroom and prepared for our first dinner in the MDR, and contemplated our muster drill.As for dining, it was the absolute highlight of this cruise for us. One of the reasons we enjoy this class of ship is the outside dining behind the Windjammer. There's something special about dining outdoors in the morning sun. For post port day snacks, we loved the Seaview Cafe on deck 12. For dinner, we chose My Time dining, as we enjoy the flexibility. Unlike our previous two cruises, we made reservations on a night to night basis. We were seated in the same general area each night, and had the same waiters. We loved this. On our previous two cruises, Princess sat us against a wall, and rushed us through dinner. On Serenade this cruise, we were treated like the set time diners. It was much more relaxed, and our servers knew our needs and preferences, and didn't mind giving us extra even when we didn't ask. We were treated very nicely for our 5 year dating anniversary; they brought us a special extra dessert to share. Our waiter was Royston from India, and our assistant waiter was Ericson from Asia (not sure which country). They each gave us the impression that they were genuinely glad to serve us. They each received something extra from us in their tip envelopes.On Monday, we dined at Chops. We love the alternative restaurants on all the cruise ships we've been on, and to us Chops was well worth the $50.00 we spent.It was a 5 port itinerary, and we had good weather at all 5 ports.St. Thomas was looking bleak when we arrived. After a few hours, a ferry ride over to St. John and a cab to Trunk Bay, the sun shone brightly. We decided last minute to take the 3pm ferry back to Red Hook, and were given the fastest, funnest, and most hazardous taxi ride of our life to Cruz Bay. In St. Croix, we ventured to a beach in Fredricksted, left immediately because we didn't like it, and ended up in Christiansted. While there, we ferried over to Hotel on the Cay, which was nice. Next time we're in St Croix, I'll do more research so we don't waste any time. In Antigua, we shopped a little, then ventured to the bus station and took a bus to Darkwood Beach. It was as gorgeous as we remembered it. In the surf, however, my lady lost her sunglasses, and I lost my Seapass card. Luckily, I was allowed back on the ship since I had photo I.D., and the card was replaced very easily. In Dominica, we went on an excursion I purchased from an independent company. It was the rain forest aerial tram, and ti-tou gorge swim. From the vantage point of the tram, the rain forest is lush, peaceful, and beautiful. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Swimming in the gorge was awesome, though we weren't taken to the point where we could jump 12 feet into the water like advertised. We were then driven down the mountain to pass through the botanical gardens. This excursion was definitely worth the $300 after tip.In Grenada, on the advice of a co-worker who vacations there, we took a cab to an eatery on the beach called "Umbrellas". It was on a nice spot on the beach, but we had to venture down a hundred yards or so to rent loungers. As it turned out, we were on Grand Anse Beach all along, and could have taken a ferry, or bus for less money. We'll know for next time. The beach itself is spacious and nice, with soft sand and crystal clear water. At Grenada, the port is right alongside a military fort, and a narrow tunnel that was carved out of a mountain in the 1800's, so it's an interesting place.Day 7 was a sea day. It was fun with good weather, and the usual kill or be killed attitude about beach chair saving. I must mention that about noon when the sun was straight overhead, the Solarium pool area was positively gorgeous. The blazing sun made the pool water too warm for me, though.We went to the theater to see the headline entertainers, but not the production shows. The headliners were good, though we were tired by that time each night, and didn't make it all the way through any of the shows. The farewell show was nice, as usual. The pool band was good, and the band that played in the Centrum and at the welcome back reception was good as well. We also lost a little money to the slot machines, which aren't as loose as the slots in land based casinos (in the U.S. anyway).Disbarkation, though sad as always, was fast and easy, and we were given a nice breakfast in the main dining room to send us off.I was happy to meet some people from our roll call here on Cruise Critic. We missed the actual Meet and Mingle, but were recognized by my avatar photo, or in one case I recognized someone from their photo. Anyway, it was great talking to all of you, in the months approaching the cruise, and on board. Kudos as always to Cruise Critic, for enhancing the cruising experience for us.Both my lady and I were very, very pleased with this cruise. We say it was our best yet, and even booked our cruise for next year while on board.