Julie Power's Trip Report

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2012-06-08 07:26
Ship: 
Serenade of the Seas
Duration: 
12 nights
Cabin: 
7118

Our whole trip from start to finish.

This was our first ever cruise and we loved it.

The ship is beautiful, the staff are hard working and very friendly, the food was excellent, we couldn't have asked for a better holiday.

What was your motivation to take a cruise?: 
It was our 30th wedding anniversary so wanted to do something special.
What was a highlight of your cruise?: 
Sailing into Venice, it was absolutely stunning.
What did you dislike about your cruise?: 
I thought it was a bit much of RCL to charge $20pp for the water boat into Venice and $15pp for the coach to Ravenna. After talking to other guests we found if we had gone a bit further along the quayside in Venice we could have got a transfer for 1 euro each!!! They weren't organised trips just transfers. Also the bar prices were way too much and they automatically add on gratutities even if you go to the bar yourself! The shipwas quite cold too,the air condiotioning was on in the public areas all the time despite the weather not really being that warm, I've actually come home with a cold/cough!
Did you do any excursions?: 
Yes, we did a number of excursions which we found were all very good and the tour guides were knowlegeable and interesting. Again though on talking to other guests we could have done them cheaper. I am aware you are paying for peace of mind too, if anything happens to delay your return to the ship you are guaranteed that the ship will wait.
How was your cabin?: 
We were really surprised at how comfortable our cabin was, it was much bigger than we thought and we loved having the balcony.
How was the food on the ship?: 
Loved the food, didn't really have a bad meal at all. We enjoyed the main dining room more than the Windjammer and used it for breakfast and lunch too. We tried the Seaview Cafe which I liked more than my husband. We didn't really think much of our breakfast we ordered on room service, it was cold and they didn't really provide enough even though we stated it was for 2 people. We did however love the fresh fruit platter, cookies and tea we ordered every afternoon to have on the balcony.
Would you cruise again on this ship?: 
Yes