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We love Serenade!  Great staff, good shows, lovely dining.  For a first cruise, especially, I think you will enjoy the Centrum on this ship vs the long promenade on the larger ships.  It serves as a central hub and entertainment center and to me feels more special.  Also, since you are going with friends, it will be nice to have the various levels around the centrum to sit and socialize in the evenings.  The suite lounge is nice on this ship - if you don't have a drink package, be sure to ask the bartender to top you off before you head down to dinner, you can carry your glass with you.  
 
Have a great first cruise and when you realize you can't wait to do another, you can think about what you loved and what you wished you could have on this class ship to guide you on your next.  We've found something on each class to enjoy.

I can't speak to Norway specifically, as we are doing that cruise in 2024, but we frequently book with private companies, especially in Europe.  Good general practice is to email directly with a rep for the company rather than just booking the online form.  Often they can have a guide pick you up at the cruise port.  They will be able to advise the best time to book as well.  You will want to find out if they have a "back in time" guarantee, and you will want to read reviews on trip advisor and/or yelp to make sure no cruisers got stranded by them. 
Generally in Europe, we feel it is worth the very small risk of missing the ship (very small because cruise tourists are their life blood and they don't want to mess that up)  because it is relatively easy to get from one place to another so in theory we could meet the ship at the next call if absolutely necessary.  Obviously, we would never want to do that, and thus always book with companies that promise to have us back in time, and have the reviews to back that up.  But it is a tiny risk, versus the cruise excursion, where they will wait for you.  We don't often feel that this one thing is worth the extra cost of booking through the cruise line.  
 

We've enjoyed cruising over Christmas.  One fun thing I noticed was many families came to breakfast in the mdr in matching Christmas jammies on Christmas morning.  It felt very festive.  
I don't know if you have kids - we had a large group with some youngsters and I found fold-flat sand buckets on Amazon that were a big hit as gifts.  (We had a beach day on the 25th) Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful festive cruise!

We've enjoyed cruising over Christmas.  One fun thing I noticed was many families came to breakfast in the mdr in matching Christmas jammies on Christmas morning.  It felt very festive.  
I don't know if you have kids - we had a large group with some youngsters and I found fold-flat sand buckets on Amazon that were a big hit as gifts.  (We had a beach day on the 25th) Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful festive cruise!

We've enjoyed cruising over Christmas.  One fun thing I noticed was many families came to breakfast in the mdr in matching Christmas jammies on Christmas morning.  It felt very festive.  
I don't know if you have kids - we had a large group with some youngsters and I found fold-flat sand buckets on Amazon that were a big hit as gifts.  (We had a beach day on the 25th) Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful festive cruise!

We've enjoyed cruising over Christmas.  One fun thing I noticed was many families came to breakfast in the mdr in matching Christmas jammies on Christmas morning.  It felt very festive.  
I don't know if you have kids - we had a large group with some youngsters and I found fold-flat sand buckets on Amazon that were a big hit as gifts.  (We had a beach day on the 25th) Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful festive cruise!

Rhapsody is such a great first-cruise ship!  Don't miss the parties in the atrium in the evening.  The Beatles night and the 70s night are some of my favorites of any RC ships.  I also like the Park Cafe being in the Solarium.  A great, quiet spot to grab a quick breakfast. (They also have lunch, just not as quiet)
Enjoy your honeymoon!

Rhapsody is such a great first-cruise ship!  Don't miss the parties in the atrium in the evening.  The Beatles night and the 70s night are some of my favorites of any RC ships.  I also like the Park Cafe being in the Solarium.  A great, quiet spot to grab a quick breakfast. (They also have lunch, just not as quiet)
Enjoy your honeymoon!

You can email  the special needs department, but then be prepared to really follow up onboard.  They have a "medical cooler" they can put in your cabin that should keep the meds between 36 and 46 degrees.  However, not a lot of crew know about them.  So just requesting ahead of time may not be enough.  If your cabin steward doesn't have the cooler for you, it might be helpful to escalate to guest services or even someone on the medical staff onboard.  
We had one cruise where the cooler never was found.  We fortunately were traveling with a high quality insulated bag and plenty of strong zip locks, and our cabin steward was great about supplying ice several times a day.  She also offered to take our medical grade gel packs to the freezer for us, which was helpful when we disembarked and still had travel ahead. 
Finally, if traveling with this kind of meds is a new thing, you may want to invest in a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer that allows you to place a sensor with the meds and see the temp without opening the bag or the door.  It saves a lot of angst over if the drugs have spoiled.  
 
Good luck!

I like this !  Ordering one tomorrow.  Thanks

I can't even with the full size iron!  Who drags that around in their luggage?? I don't iron at home, let alone on vacation 🤣

I can't even with the full size iron!  Who drags that around in their luggage?? I don't iron at home, let alone on vacation 🤣

Very much enjoying your blog and wonderful photos!  Thank you for sharing!

I had same thing happen this spring.  It turned out, when I checked in, the Country of Birth somehow got dropped from the check in. I went back through on the web and added it back in, and all worked fine. Over on the cc boards, a bunch of people have complained about this glitch.  I hope this fix works for you!

I had same thing happen this spring.  It turned out, when I checked in, the Country of Birth somehow got dropped from the check in. I went back through on the web and added it back in, and all worked fine. Over on the cc boards, a bunch of people have complained about this glitch.  I hope this fix works for you!

I'm so sorry - a phobia can be frustrating to deal with if it gets in the way of something we want to do!
I'd start with breaking down what exactly you are nervous about.  Is it the plane in the air?  Is it the small spaces?  Is it being out of control?  Knocking yourself out completely once you're on the plane is only helpful if none of the pre-seat stuff bothers you.  There are podcasts and you tube videos you can search that offer meditations for nervous flyers.  Maybe you would find these helpful.  If it's an information issue, you can watch videos of someone going through all the steps of boarding and sitting on a plane.  If it's general nerves, maybe meds to take the edge off without actually rendering you insensible would be the answer.
Of course, throwing money at the situation might help too.  A flight across country is always going to be more pleasant in the front of the plane.  
I hope you are able to find something that works for you!

I'm so sorry - a phobia can be frustrating to deal with if it gets in the way of something we want to do!
I'd start with breaking down what exactly you are nervous about.  Is it the plane in the air?  Is it the small spaces?  Is it being out of control?  Knocking yourself out completely once you're on the plane is only helpful if none of the pre-seat stuff bothers you.  There are podcasts and you tube videos you can search that offer meditations for nervous flyers.  Maybe you would find these helpful.  If it's an information issue, you can watch videos of someone going through all the steps of boarding and sitting on a plane.  If it's general nerves, maybe meds to take the edge off without actually rendering you insensible would be the answer.
Of course, throwing money at the situation might help too.  A flight across country is always going to be more pleasant in the front of the plane.  
I hope you are able to find something that works for you!

I'm so sorry - a phobia can be frustrating to deal with if it gets in the way of something we want to do!
I'd start with breaking down what exactly you are nervous about.  Is it the plane in the air?  Is it the small spaces?  Is it being out of control?  Knocking yourself out completely once you're on the plane is only helpful if none of the pre-seat stuff bothers you.  There are podcasts and you tube videos you can search that offer meditations for nervous flyers.  Maybe you would find these helpful.  If it's an information issue, you can watch videos of someone going through all the steps of boarding and sitting on a plane.  If it's general nerves, maybe meds to take the edge off without actually rendering you insensible would be the answer.
Of course, throwing money at the situation might help too.  A flight across country is always going to be more pleasant in the front of the plane.  
I hope you are able to find something that works for you!

I'm so sorry - a phobia can be frustrating to deal with if it gets in the way of something we want to do!
I'd start with breaking down what exactly you are nervous about.  Is it the plane in the air?  Is it the small spaces?  Is it being out of control?  Knocking yourself out completely once you're on the plane is only helpful if none of the pre-seat stuff bothers you.  There are podcasts and you tube videos you can search that offer meditations for nervous flyers.  Maybe you would find these helpful.  If it's an information issue, you can watch videos of someone going through all the steps of boarding and sitting on a plane.  If it's general nerves, maybe meds to take the edge off without actually rendering you insensible would be the answer.
Of course, throwing money at the situation might help too.  A flight across country is always going to be more pleasant in the front of the plane.  
I hope you are able to find something that works for you!

We split our cruises between Royal and Princess.  Each has something I like.  I feel entertainment is much better on Royal.  Also, we often book suites and I like the suite lounge atmosphere (and the fellow cruisers) much better on Royal.  The suite cabins themselves are much nicer on Princess.  Except for Junior Suites, which I feel are better on Royal.   Our main decider though is usually itinerary and length of cruise.  

I totally agree about tipping cabin steward on first day.  They've worked hard to turn that room over in a short time.  I always say "Thank you for having everything so perfect for me" and tip about $20.  I think this lets them know their efforts are and will be appreciated over the rest of the cruise, which in turn seems to lead to wonderful service.

I totally agree about tipping cabin steward on first day.  They've worked hard to turn that room over in a short time.  I always say "Thank you for having everything so perfect for me" and tip about $20.  I think this lets them know their efforts are and will be appreciated over the rest of the cruise, which in turn seems to lead to wonderful service.

I noticed all the unbooked CLS for our April cruise on Harmony so had our TA check.  She was able to switch us for under $300 total from a GS.  Now I will never go back!  We loved the two bathrooms, the spacious feel of the room, and that the bedroom is upstairs, so there is no hallway on that level.  No one walking by to disturb sleep.  Also, the location cannot be beat.  
We had a side view, which I chose for all the reasons above.  Very quiet and lovely.  We especially enjoyed the balcony at night, with beautiful views of the stars.  I will say, it was shaded most of the day, so my visions of sunbathing there instead of on deck were dashed.  But it's such an easy walk over to the suite sun deck, I got over myself very quickly.
I think a lot of people just assume the CLS is much more expensive than the GS so don't look into booking it.  I would definitely upgrade if I were you.  The only downside is you will be spoiled for other cabins ever after!

I noticed all the unbooked CLS for our April cruise on Harmony so had our TA check.  She was able to switch us for under $300 total from a GS.  Now I will never go back!  We loved the two bathrooms, the spacious feel of the room, and that the bedroom is upstairs, so there is no hallway on that level.  No one walking by to disturb sleep.  Also, the location cannot be beat.  
We had a side view, which I chose for all the reasons above.  Very quiet and lovely.  We especially enjoyed the balcony at night, with beautiful views of the stars.  I will say, it was shaded most of the day, so my visions of sunbathing there instead of on deck were dashed.  But it's such an easy walk over to the suite sun deck, I got over myself very quickly.
I think a lot of people just assume the CLS is much more expensive than the GS so don't look into booking it.  I would definitely upgrade if I were you.  The only downside is you will be spoiled for other cabins ever after!

If you like to snorkel at all, do not miss Woodwind drift snorkel in Bonaire.  Totally awesome experience