Joe01

I do think OP is justified in saving $5k by going on Serenade, and I did mention that kids of 10, 5 and 3 should enjoy the kids slide and pool. What I was saying was that if we were talking teens or kids older than 10, Serenade would be a bad choice as it would have very little activities. The main pool is too small, and there isn't much kid friendly amenities. As OP is not taking kids older than 10, I don't think doing Serenade would be an issue, but I do think people need to do their "homework" before actually booking a certain ship so that they know it would suit them.

I suppose with kids of 10, 5 and 3, it makes less difference, but if we were talking teens or pre-teens, I would cancel the Serenade. However, the kids should like the kids pool and slide. Avoid the main pool if lots of kids are onboard.

We did Jewel as our first, but after several Indy cruises and one on Explorer, we became so used to the amenities on larger ships that we were a bit lukewarm on Serenade, and have since consigned ourselves to the Oasis Class (and Anthem last year). So, my worry would be that the kids would miss a lot of the amenities on Freedom that they would be bored on Serenade. Another issue was that the Serenade staff and crew weren't as amazing as the ones on Jewel were, but don't take that too seriously, as it was 4 years ago.

I would keep the Anthem, more to do and an extra day. Have you ever sailed a larger ship before?

That is the same Chris - Chris Hopkins from England.

What ship are you sailing on? Abe is on Harmony, Chris is rumoured to be on Vision. Had Chris on Anthem as an Assistant AM last year, much better than John and Katrina Blair who were CD and AM respectively, so would like to see him in the full AM role. Never had Abe, but he seems awesome from what I gather, so look forward to having him on Harmony in 4 weeks!

Unfortunately one of the Cruise Directors passed away yesterday, Rich Edwards. RIP Rich.

They did a good job with Majesty's pool deck. Better than that one they put on Enchantment during the lengthening. Cannot wait to be back on Harmony's waterslides in July!

Cuddy Cudworth took over until Sept 29th, then Clo O'Connor for the rest of the UK season and TA.

Could Independence get slides in her next refurb? Would be tempted to book a Summer 2018 cruise on Indy if she had a big revitalisation with the addition of slides.

I think a ship like Navigator is perfect for a first timer. Radiance Class may be OK as well (my first was Jewel), however, neither Oasis or Quantum Class ships are suited for first timers, IMO.

For Serenade in October, it might be Carly Boileau, who has rotated with Topi Ylönen for nearly 2 years on SR.

Here's an updated list for Cruise Directors: Adventure OTS - Casey Pelter April 8 for 4 months (will likely be on paternity leave early October). Allure OTS - Mitch Merucci April 23 until September 17, then Dru Pavlov September 17 until November 19, then Mitch returns November 19 for 4 months, followed by Dru for 4 months.Anthem OTS - Dru Pavlov March 12 through mid-July, then Jimmy Rhodes until November 22, then Bobby Broughton joins Anthem as November 22.Brilliance OTS - Jerome Sueur returned November 10 until May 25 then Clo O'Connor May 25 for 2 months. Empress OTS - Elvis Pinto returns April 24 for 2 months. Enchantment OTS - Michelle Pimentinha Oliveira began February 17. Explorer OTS - Graham Seymour returns March 19 through July 28 (then Graham is retiring).Freedom OTS - Michele Scarpato February 18 for 2 months thru the TA May 7 then Mercedes LaFuentes. Grandeur OTS - Paul Rutter returned February 25 for 4 months.Harmony OTS - Abe Hughes returns March 11 until July 8, then Bobby Brown July 8 until mid September, then Abe returns mid-September until after the New Year, then Dru Pavlov begins January 2018 for 2 months.Independence OTS - Marc Walker begins April 28 until May 27, then Joff Eaton returns May 27 until September 30, then Marc returns September 30 until January 30. Jewel OTS - Susan Adams began April 23 for 2 months, then Simona Ferraiuolo returns late June for 4 months, then Susan returns late October for 4 months. Liberty OTS - Jeff Arpin January 8 until late May, then John Blair late May until late July. Majesty OTS - Bobby Broughton April 17 for 2 months, followed by Susan Adams. Mariner OTS - Keith Williams mid March until mid May 10. (Replacement unknown.) Navigator OTS - Drew Devine began March 26. (Unknown for how long) Clo O'Connor begins late September. Oasis OTS - Jimmy Rhodes began March 12, then Tim Connor begins mid May for 4 months, then Jeff Arpin for 2 months. Ovation OTS - Mike Hunnerup began March 5.Joff Eaton expects to return to Ovation for the Australian season (need details).Quantum OTS - Ricky Matthews end of January until mid-to-late May, then Chris Brown for 4 months, followed by Bill Brunkhorst in September.Radiance OTS - Steve Davis March 28 until late-July, then John Blair for 2 months, followed by Steve for 4 months.Rhapsody OTS - Dan Whitney January 21 (leaving ship soon) Serenade OTS - Carly Boileau March 17 for 2 months, then Topi Ylonen should be returning from May 20 until September 17 for the Baltic season.Vision OTS - Bill Brunkhorst March 13, then Keith Williams begins May 22. Voyager OTS - Jamie Fentiman began April 6

Tanya Yates Tongue.

That's John Blair. Was on Independence until March 25, and is due back on Liberty late May for 2 months, then Radiance at the end of July. He was my least favourite CD, but each to their own. I have an updated list, which I can post here if wanted.

Adventure's CD is Casey Pelter. He is an OK CD, a bit of a dry sense of humour (which I liked), didn't enjoy his morning show, but did a reasonable job MC'ing the shows, seemed friendly enough. Had him on Serenade 4 years ago, and feel he would be a better fit for a bigger ship. A criticism was though that this was a summer holiday cruise and for about 4 of our 12 nights, the only show was at 10.30pm, which I feel was below par, maybe he scheduled more entertainment on a bigger ship. I know that he gathered a lot of fans from his time on Freedom! Thanks for the info on Abe, I know that he will be excellent. So far my favourite CD is Joff Eaton and least favourite is John Blair.

That was Rob's last Royal Caribbean cruise for the foreseeable future, per Marc's FB. Doing Harmony B2B in first 2 weeks of July with Abe first week and Bobby Brown second. Looking forward to having Abe, have had Bobby before and wasn't too impressed, nice guy, but not a great CD for Harmony, better suited for smaller ships with an older clientele.

Harmony B2B - July 1st and July 8th 2017!!!

I'm getting on as you are getting off. Need to book the B2B then.