bcarney

Killing the hours until I sail on Serenade on Monday...  Was wondering if those that have sailed on her in the past have any secret "must do or see" things on the ship that aren't really popularized?  Thanks for any intel you can give me.
 
Bill

Thank you, and I'm from Michigan - we already have snow, about an inch on the ground today.

Thank you, and I'm from Michigan - we already have snow, about an inch on the ground today.

We have always done the MDR, they do a nice "holiday menu addon".

PM me your info.  I'm on Adventure on the 19th of this month and can pick one (or more) up for you.  

We usually just eat in the MDR for Thanksgiving.
On our upcoming Serenade cruise, Giovanni's Table was booked up for Thanksgiving over a month ago.

You see what's happening here?  I'm "stalking" your posts/questions about the Serenade cruise.  Saves me the trouble of having to ask the questions myself. 
 

I would consider it...but there are no casinos on those river ships, if I'm not mistaken.  Can't be bothered with a ship with no casino !

JLMoran, thanks for this post!  I just booked Chef's Table for my next cruise, and I can't wait!!! ?

I just realized I'm way overdue for writing this. But that's good, it gives me a chance to remember what was easily the most amazing meal on my recent sailing on Freedom of the Seas!
I booked this dining experience on the Cruise Planner, about 2 months ahead of our sail date, for $89. I got to choose from any night of our sailing, so I chose our third night (second sea day), figuring it would be better to enjoy this on a day when I wasn't completely worn out from a port day excursion.
I did not receive a confirmation of this booking when we boarded. Instead, I had a paper delivered to the cabin on Night 2 noting to meet in Bolero's Lounge, where we would all be escorted to the actual table once everyone had arrived. Oddly, the invitation said to dress in Smart Casual style, where the Cruise Planner indicated Formal. I don't know if this was a glitch in the on-board system or if Royal is moving yet another dining venue to less formal wear, but I decided I was going to ignore this and dress as if it were formal night. And it was a good thing, as everyone else who showed up for the meal was also in their fancy dinner best!
The experience actually started while waiting for everyone to gather, as we met the gentleman who would be our waiter, sommelier, and host. His name was Mario, and he came out dressed in a very formal charcoal gray suit and white gloves. If this wasn't an indication for everyone attending to be dressed formally, I don't know what is! That made the invitation's suggestion of Smart Casual even more inexplicable.
Mario had a tray of champagne glasses waiting for us, and we were welcomed to enjoy a glass while we waited for everyone to gather.

As I usually do on events like this, I showed up about 10 minutes early and ended up being the first one there. Mario and I chatted a bit, and he told me his nickname among the crew was "Super Mario" because of all the jobs he has to manage among the dining staff, including his role in the nightly Chef's Table experience. No, he's not that "Super Mario", but they actually do know each other and get along very well.
The other guests arrived, and it turned out we were a small group -- only 7 total (I was the only solo guest, as I was never able to convince my younger daughter to join me). Two of the three couples were also from NJ, but much further south than me; the third couple were from Texas. We were told that normally they have between 12 and 15 guests each night, but for whatever reason this particular night had only about half that.
Now the second discrepancy from the printed invitation came out – While the invitation said that we would be dining in Giovanni's Table, it turned out that our group was so small that evening that we would be dining in the MDR, on a small balcony towards the top of the staircase that's located between decks 4 and 5. This was kind of amusing, since we had the My Time dining folks on deck 5 and several of them walked down the stairs and past our table to leave; we got more than a few stares as they looked us in our finery and dining on food that was definitely not the same cut as what they had on their menus. I'm undecided if I preferred actually eating in the MDR, with the elegant decor all around us that I felt fit the theme of the night better, or if it would have been a little better to eat in Giovanni's just for a chance at fewer bystanders walking by.

The view of the MDR from our private table / balcony, taken after the meal had ended
Speaking of menus, we had our planned menu for the evening waiting for us at our places:

We were told by Mario that the order of the menu was being adjusted slightly, so as to work better with the order in which the wines were being served. It was also explained to us that the menu was a little misleading in terms of the Entree selection, as there were really only two choices; the branzino or the filet mignon. The Truffle Tagliatelle was a Pasta course that would be served before the entrees, and have its own wine pairing.
Finally, Mario pointed out the dessert – Yes, you're reading that right; we were going to be served the same dessert that is offered in Wonderland on the Quantum and Oasis class ships! All of us were super-excited when we saw this!
Our scallop carpaccio was the only course served without a wine pairing, as it was intended as a palate cleanser. It was absolutely delicious, and as we ate the chef came out to tell us about the dish: what carpaccio meant (a dish of raw meat or seafood that was sliced very thinly), how the dish was prepared, and why each ingredient was chosen / how it enhanced the desired flavors; this would be repeated for each course, and I was really wishing my younger daughter was there as I know she would have absolutely loved this facet of the experience.



 
Next up was the salad, a Maine lobster salad served with hearts of palm of and pineapple, and paired with a Chardonnay named Ausièrres Blanc. I never would have thought that pineapple and lobster would work, but it did and very well! And the Chardonnay was also very good; it's actually one of the few varieties of white wine that I like.


 
Next was our soup course. This was a smoked tomato soup that had been in the smoker literally overnight; the soup actually smelled like barbecue sauce, the smoke flavor was so strong! It was served with a crouton, a slice of fresh parmesan, micro greens, and creme fraiche; the wine pairing was as rosé wine named Whispering Angel. All of us were quite surprised that a mildly flavored, more fruity rosé would be paired with something as bold and strongly flavored as this soup; many of us asked how the wine would not be overpowered by the soup, but Mario assured us that it would balance surprisingly well. And wouldn't you know it, he was right! I'm not a real fan of rosé wines, but this worked remarkably well and the wine itself was quite palatable for me. And the soup itself was amazing! Every one of us was gushing to Mario about how great it tasted; it may have smelled like barbecue sauce from the intense smoking, but the flavor was not at all overpowering, just this rich and intense flavor of the roasted tomato blending beautifully with the smokiness. We all were wishing there was some way to get some to take home and enjoy after our trip.


 
Next we had our pasta course, a truffle tagliatelle. The pasta was freshly made, and the black truffles gave it a really distinctive flavor; not the same as truffle oil, though similar; it was much more intense and I found I much preferred it. The butter was very light, just enough to keep the pasta from sticking. And it was served with what was my favorite wine of the evening – a Tuscan red named Lucente LaVite. I ended up having 3 glasses of this!


 
Next, our main entree was served. I chose the branzino, along with about half of the table, and it was served with a Pinot Grigio named Danzante. This white I wasn't as fond of, but the branzino was quite good. I'd never had it before, and the main reason I ordered it is because of all the seasons of Master Chef that I'd watched, where the restaurant takeover episode would have the contestants serving a branzino appetizer; I wanted to know what the heck this fish tasted like that was such a standard! ?


 
Those who ordered the filet mignon had their entree paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon named Sequoia Grove. Each of us was allowed to try the other's wine to see how we liked it; I've never been a fan of Cab, and I found this one to be no different. I don't know what it is about that variety vs other reds, but I haven't yet found one that I don't wrinkle my mouth at after the first sip.
 
Finally, it was time for dessert. Before we were served, Mario poured each of us a small glass of a late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc named Errazuriz. This was definitely a dessert wine, very sweet and not something to have with an earlier course. With the wine poured, each of us had a plated chocolate globe placed in front of us; not one who knew what this dessert was failed to take a "before" picture:

Mario then went around the table with a gravy bowl filled with melted caramel, which was poured over the chocolate until the surprise inside was revealed. And again, not one of us who knew was this dessert was failed to have our phones out, ready to take video as our turn came to pass:
 
We all agreed that this was one of the best desserts we'd ever had, whether we'd already gotten to enjoy it on a previous Oasis / Quantum cruise, or if it was the first time we'd had it. And the wine worked very well with this; I will have to remember to see if this wine or a similar one is offered when I sail Anthem in October, as my wife and I agreed we would like to try Wonderland during that trip.
After dessert was done, we were allowed to enjoy another glass or two (or three!) of whichever wines we particularly enjoyed. Mario had multiple bottles of each one available, and we all stayed at the table for maybe another half hour while the plates were cleared and our chef came out one final time. We all thanked him heartily for one of the best meals we'd had, and each of us took our photos with him to remember the experience by.

Yeah, I definitely look like I've been enjoying the La Volte Toscana by this time!
Each of us was presented with a check showing a zero balance, but all of us wrote in an additional tip to cover the service and meal prep that went far above and beyond the price that we paid. I learned afterward that the tip was recorded in the final bill as a charge to Giovanni's Table, which makes sense since that was the originally planned venue. Keep this in mind should you decide to do Chef's Table yourself and also give an extra tip to your waiter and chef. Because believe me, after that meal and the wine, you may not remember doing it by the time you see your final cruise bill! ?
That wraps up my review of Chef's Table. This is definitely a must-do experience at least once in your cruising life. And I have to say, the price is unbelievably reasonable considering typical on board prices for high end wines like the ones we were served. The Toscana that I enjoyed so much was over $30 a glass in Vintages, and even when I found it in my local wine store it was over $60 a bottle! Considering we were served 5 different wines, that's at least $90 in onboard pricing right there, considering that not one of the wines we were served would be an "average" wine found on the MDR menu or in the lower-priced section in Vintages; on land it would still have likely been at least $40 or $50 for the wines. And the food itself was easily a $125 affair if I had anything similar at a local land restaurant, keeping in mind that I'd likely have to travel to Manhattan or one of the more popular culinary hubs in northern NJ like Montclair, Ridgewood, or Morristown. For only $89, this meal was an absolute steal and one of the few true bargains I would argue you will find on board without buying a package of some sort. This is true fine dining and 
And don't feel that you can't bring your kids to this. I know I had asked about this months before my cruise and was told the same, but I want to just offer my own confirmation now. As long you have kids with an adventurous palate or who enjoy gourmet cooking, they'll be fine with this. And while they can't drink the wines offered, as I noted the meal alone is easily worth more than the price you're charged.
On the other hand, it also makes for one hell of a date night with your SO if you can arrange for the kids to be left at Adventure Ocean or the nursery.

Looks like we're in the same class...

? ?? Taking full use of that drink package i see.

If you are a water snob who requires your water be poured into a plastic bottle, sealed and then handed to you to open ... nope ... you either buy it or carry it on board.
If you are a rational human being, the ship's water is made on board and is basically the same thing as distilled water that you buy at the store ... available for free throughout the ship.
 
I am one of these two types of people, my wife is the other , this does not make for happiness ;)
 

When you get to the airport don't forget to go through the agricultural inspection process before going to the airport checkin section. When you enter the main airport, immediately to the right and left of the doors is some x-ray machines. Run your luggage through those, get the "inspected" sticker, then go to check in with the airline.  So many people don't know to do that, and they go stand in line just to find out they have to go back and get the luggage inspected.  

I second that motion.  I used to dislike Italian food, then I ate there, and everything changed.
But still, Giovannis > Chops ?

I second that motion.  I used to dislike Italian food, then I ate there, and everything changed.
But still, Giovannis > Chops ?

I really wish they would bring back these shirts for the bar staff on the pool deck.  I don't know, it was just one of those symbols that you relate with a vacation..... plus, it made the ones walking around the pool deck a lot easier to spot.

I wish they would cancel formal night altogether. We mostly ignore it anyway, but do bring dressy casual for formal night. The big issue is the cost of paying for baggage fees if you have a heavy suit and dress shoes etc. that make you go over the limit. I know they make a lot of money on photographs on formal night, so I am sure it will go on.

I would try the Schooner Bar. In addition to the Old Fashioned, they have a drink menu with several variations on the Old Fashioned.
Schooner has been one of our favorite bars in general on board Royal ships.

Yes, they follow the same scheme as the other specialties, but pasta at Giovannis is considered a side so you can get pasta plus a main (read that as “meat”) course.  On our recent Liberty cruise Dan asked for some chicken parm as a “side”and even though it was listed a main course, they brought it as a side without any hesitation.  It is my opinion that the progression of Italian restaurants from Portofinos to Giovanni’s to Jaimie’s has gone steadily in the wrong direction.  While I think that Giovanni’s is definitely better than Jaimie’s, I think Portofinos was better to either of them.  I wish they would bring back Portofinos !

Just off the Harmony.  Our Headwaiter said that there is nonpublished Indian menu nightly with a vegetarian and a meat entree.  They were getting so many requests for different Indian dishes this was a compromise.  Anyone can request either entree 24 hours in advance.  Their Butter Chicken was great and the chef wasn't afraid to use chile pepper.

That seems to be the key.  What's exotic to an American might be some chef's family recipe s/he cooked as a youngster.  I'd bet regional US specialties wouldn't go over as well even if the ingredients were in stock ( e.g. a Horseshoe or Jambalaya).

When you get to the airport don't forget to go through the agricultural inspection process before going to the airport checkin section. When you enter the main airport, immediately to the right and left of the doors is some x-ray machines. Run your luggage through those, get the "inspected" sticker, then go to check in with the airline.  So many people don't know to do that, and they go stand in line just to find out they have to go back and get the luggage inspected.  

For an FYI.  It pays to grab a porter and have them handle your bags.  The porters have a separate line through customs and you can save an incredible amount of time waiting in line.
We did this last time we were at San Juan and got to the airport pretty early.

Were doing a land vacation there during that time, just checking to see if someone was going to be there and if they wanted to meet up or use the Resort facilities while we were there.