Serenade of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,675 reviews

Serenade of the Seas - Hawaii

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Serenade of the Seas
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sierracruisers
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Oct 2007

This was my husband's and my third cruise averaging about 5 years apart, the last 2 being RCCL. It was our 25th wedding anniversary during our cruise. We drove down to San Diego the day before and embarkation was really uneventful. We had no problems, although others seemed to be yelling and complaining. I might have been oblivious to all the problems going on because I was so happy to be going on a vacation. We are also able-bodied with no physical limitations, so carting around our luggage was easy for us. When we arrived on the ship, the welcome committee was out offering all kinds of activities and treatments. It was nice to be greeted like that. When we headed to our cabin, deck 3 window, (3116) we noticed a sewage smell when entering the hall. The smell was there the majority of the cruise and when asked what it was, our cabin attendant told us they were working on the a/c, which shared the same compartment as the toilet waste. We didn't believe this to be true because of various passenger complaints not being able to flush their toilets and flooding showers on decks 3,4 and 9. Our room was very nice and clean and our cabin attendant, Nelson, was friendly, although I never did get my extra pillow. Our room stayed fairly clean through the cruise, with exception to the dressing mirrors not being cleaned. It did lack the storage necessary for a 15 day cruise.

Dining Room: I have a lot to say about this. Beautiful room. I think the wood was Zebra, polished to a shiny finish, which showed a build up of fingerprints and smudges near the work areas.-Never cleaned. Our headwaiter lacked attentiveness. If we asked for 2 appetizers, he'd only bring one. If you asked about the other one, he'd reply with, "I know", but we'd always have to ask or we wouldn't receive it. Assistant waiter was great. The food: For the most part, a huge disappointment. The menu read like a 5 star restaurant but when we received the food, it usually amounted to chicken fried steak, or some sort of whipped item trying to pass a cheesecake. One time I had mashed potatoes with my meal and I do believe they were made from a box, as they were still dry and crumbly. I could go on about the food but there isn't enough room. Lobster night was good as well as the flowerless chocolate cake. But to ask for 2 lobsters on one plate, they wouldn't do. Wind Jammer: We rarely ate there. The staff didn't insist on guests using antibacterial lotion before entering, and most people were not using it. I noticed a lot of people coughing in their hands, then picking up the utensils to scoop food, then allowing the utensil handle to fall into the food. It felt like a breeding ground for viruses so we mostly stayed away. By the way, many people we knew caught colds on board.

Sea View Café: What a neat little place. Great food and service. Bars: The best drinks were made by Hugo and Daniel in the Schooner Bar. This is a great place to meet new people and the people who cruised the Serenade were very friendly. The bartenders on deck 4 in the Centrum didn't know how to make many drinks. Activities: Weeks before we boarded, we went on Meet&Mingle and met many passengers. What a fun group of people. We thoroughly enjoyed the activities on board as well as the extra activities planned by our M&M friends. This was the most memorable time of our cruise. RCCL had so many fun activities. Our only regret was not having enough time for them all. Having an adult only pool was great. The areas around the pools were very clean and the service was excellent. Excursions: Great ports and excursions available. We rented a car from Hertz, in Lahaina, Maui, and it was really gross inside, and we didn't get the car we were promised. Would never rent from them again. Disembarkment: If you're not on a flight, prepare to wait a long time to disembark. We watched a movie for part of the wait, but then we sat bored for a long time after. I wished they would've offered more movies to pass the time. Overall we really enjoyed this ship with all the entertainment and activities available, and would do it again. We don't cruise to eat, we cruise to play and this ship had a lot of play.

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