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First RC, Finding many Differences...


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October 27th will be my first RC on the Serenade of the Seas. Thanks to the YouTube channel I have learned a lot? But I am already disappointed before I step on board.Can I verify the following?

1. There is NO pizza joint?

2. The last food option closes at 11 or 12 midnight? (Not including surcharge room service)

3. There is NO comedy club and appears there might be a comedian 3 nights on a 12 night cruise.

4. Chocolate Molten Cake sometimes on the dinner menu

5. I cannot order a BLT to save me life?

Sorry, I am a Carnival girl and the things I have enjoyed appear to not be present on this cruise ship. I only chose it for the itenerary. Guys Burgers, Punchliner Comedy Club, Pizza Pirate 24 HOURS, Hot Molten Lava Cake (every night), The Deli WITH BACON, trying not to be a Debbie Downer. Thanks for any confirmations?

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Go with an open mind.  We used to cruise Carnival and NCL but got a free offer on RCCL and love it.  Yes they are all a little different but you will find things you enjoy.  I do miss 24 hour snacks though.  We are planning a Thanksgiving cruise on NCL and I'm finding myself disappointed before we go because of things they don't do the same as RCCL.  I've decided to just go and be happy for a new experience.  I loved NCL when we cruised them before so hopefully I will find that love again.

 

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We spent 12 nights on Serenade last Fall.  If you go up to the Cruise Compass section of this site, you can search for the Serenade compasses and that will give you complete details on what food offerings are available and the times.

In the meantime, Park Cafe, located in the Solarium, is the late night eatery and yes they do serve pizza.  They are open well past midnight. There is not a dedicated pizza only joint. Park Cafe will offer sandwiches, nachos, hot dogs, sometimes other foods in addition to the pizza.

There is no dedicated comedy club either.  I'm not into comedians so I didn't pay attention to how often there was one, but you can see the nightly entertainment in my October 2018 12 night sailing.

Desserts vary each evening.  If there isn't something you like in the main dining room, you can hit the buffet for additional offerings.

I don't know about ordering a BLT - haven't tried it - but you can certainly make one in the buffet.  

Some of the things you are looking for Royal offers in the bigger ships.  Sounds like an Oasis class ship may be more to your liking.

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16 minutes ago, KathyC said:

We spent 12 nights on Serenade last Fall.  If you go up to the Cruise Compass section of this site, you can search for the Serenade compasses and that will give you complete details on what food offerings are available and the times.

In the meantime, Park Cafe, located in the Solarium, is the late night eatery and yes they do serve pizza.  They are open well past midnight. There is not a dedicated pizza only joint. Park Cafe will offer sandwiches, nachos, hot dogs, sometimes other foods in addition to the pizza.

There is no dedicated comedy club either.  I'm not into comedians so I didn't pay attention to how often there was one, but you can see the nightly entertainment in my October 2018 12 night sailing.

Desserts vary each evening.  If there isn't something you like in the main dining room, you can hit the buffet for additional offerings.

I don't know about ordering a BLT - haven't tried it - but you can certainly make one in the buffet.  

Some of the things you are looking for Royal offers in the bigger ships.  Sounds like an Oasis class ship may be more to your liking.

yep now i remember they did have the solarium with sandwiches salads and pizza very night late. It was very nice.

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3 hours ago, The Mistral Wind said:

yep now i remember they did have the solarium with sandwiches salads and pizza very night late. It was very nice.

I have been in the Serenade of the Seas and absolutely loved the crew and the ship. I would sail her again in a heartbeat. I am not a “foodie” (meaning it doesn’t have to be the best of the best), but the Park Cafe offered tasty late night snacks and, if I remember correctly, they offered great salads and sandwiches for lunch. It has been a few years and things may have changed though. I promise you won’t missed the things that you mentioned...pizza, molten cake etc. Enjoy your cruise!

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12 hours ago, RenCruzes said:

October 27th will be my first RC on the Serenade of the Seas. Thanks to the YouTube channel I have learned a lot? But I am already disappointed before I step on board.Can I verify the following?

1. There is NO pizza joint?

2. The last food option closes at 11 or 12 midnight? (Not including surcharge room service)

3. There is NO comedy club and appears there might be a comedian 3 nights on a 12 night cruise.

4. Chocolate Molten Cake sometimes on the dinner menu

5. I cannot order a BLT to save me life?

Sorry, I am a Carnival girl and the things I have enjoyed appear to not be present on this cruise ship. I only chose it for the itenerary. Guys Burgers, Punchliner Comedy Club, Pizza Pirate 24 HOURS, Hot Molten Lava Cake (every night), The Deli WITH BACON, trying not to be a Debbie Downer. Thanks for any confirmations?

On the smaller ships we have sailed  there is a late-night comedy show on one night and a shorter, cleaner skit usually on the farewell show, and you've already noted there is some comedy entertainment.  Ditto everything already stated; we never went hungry.  Also, on other threads there have been detailed discussions about folks who raid the Windjammer or Park Cafe before they close so they have munchies later or a snack in the early AM.  @Hoski hit the nail on the head in approaching each cruise with an open mind.  Even on the same cruise line, there are differences by ship or itinerary in food and entertainment selections.  What we try to do is to search out the unique features of the ship we are on.  For example, I love the Radiance with, you guessed it, a nice chess set and pool tables aft.   There was also a small inside cinema.  The Serenade is the same class, so have a great cruise!

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13 hours ago, RenCruzes said:

1. There is NO pizza joint?

You can get pizza from Park Cafe in the Solarium.

 

13 hours ago, RenCruzes said:

2. The last food option closes at 11 or 12 midnight? (Not including surcharge room service)

Park Cafe is open late night. 2 or 3am

13 hours ago, RenCruzes said:

3. There is NO comedy club and appears there might be a comedian 3 nights on a 12 night cruise.

No dedicated club, but comedians do perform on select nights in the main theater.

 

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12 hours ago, KathyC said:

We spent 12 nights on Serenade last Fall.  If you go up to the Cruise Compass section of this site, you can search for the Serenade compasses and that will give you complete details on what food offerings are available and the times.

In the meantime, Park Cafe, located in the Solarium, is the late night eatery and yes they do serve pizza.  They are open well past midnight. There is not a dedicated pizza only joint. Park Cafe will offer sandwiches, nachos, hot dogs, sometimes other foods in addition to the pizza.

There is no dedicated comedy club either.  I'm not into comedians so I didn't pay attention to how often there was one, but you can see the nightly entertainment in my October 2018 12 night sailing.

Desserts vary each evening.  If there isn't something you like in the main dining room, you can hit the buffet for additional offerings.

I don't know about ordering a BLT - haven't tried it - but you can certainly make one in the buffet.  

Some of the things you are looking for Royal offers in the bigger ships.  Sounds like an Oasis class ship may be more to your liking.

Yes Kathy, thank you! I did see last years Compass and that began my confirmations of the differences. A BLT bursting with crispy bacon is amazing I am not a sandwich person, just a BLT person, lol. We'll just take this first RC cruise first before we talk about repeating. We adventured on a Princess a few years ago and have never returned. I appreciate your feedback.

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9 hours ago, Lawsmygame said:

I have been in the Serenade of the Seas and absolutely loved the crew and the ship. I would sail her again in a heartbeat. I am not a “foodie” (meaning it doesn’t have to be the best of the best), but the Park Cafe offered tasty late night snacks and, if I remember correctly, they offered great salads and sandwiches for lunch. It has been a few years and things may have changed though. I promise you won’t missed the things that you mentioned...pizza, molten cake etc. Enjoy your cruise!

I just remember our only Princess cruise and they kept telling me they did not have this or that, it left a bad impression despite us enjoying the actual vacation. Thanks for your input. We will see what we do miss but February will make up for it, sailing on Panorama so that will fix any absentees. 

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28 minutes ago, Ray said:

 

As You have already said you are dissapointed before stepping on board, are you really going to let the fact you cannot get BLT or a pizza at midnight spoil your vacation? 

If you embark with this mindset your not going to enjoy it, you will find fault with everything 

 

Ray, we will see if the BLT and 24hr pizza break the camels back. I do want to enjoy my beautiful vacation without preconceived issues. Just trying to prepare myself. It helps lessen the pain like ripping a bandaid off.

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Ive been to Paris 5 times! Why because i like it, however i went to Milan a couple of years ago, but i didnt prepare myself for a disappointing vacation just because milan didnt have the Eiffel Tower!  each city in the world is different, so are cruiseships, different crew, different layout, different ports of call, different shows etc etc etc! you make the best of whats you have and enjoy new things. 

 

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I have never seen anyone expecting to have a bad time have a good time. The bad news is, you will have a bad time, you will be unhappy and you will have wasted your money. The good news is, you know what you like and what is important to you so the next time, you can find something that matches your criteria and enjoy yourself.  Unfortunately,  that's how we all learn.

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I have always fashioned myself a Carnival girl. I've been on both their big ships and their small ships. I then tried NCL, Princess. MSC, and RCL. I love every cruise line. Yes they are all a little different. I have never gone hungry. There is always food to be found, and plenty of things to do.  With that being said, I am a little hard pressed to get back on a Carnival Ship. Best advice....Enjoy and have fun.

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13 hours ago, basil said:

I have always fashioned myself a Carnival girl. I've been on both their big ships and their small ships. I then tried NCL, Princess. MSC, and RCL. I love every cruise line. Yes they are all a little different. I have never gone hungry. There is always food to be found, and plenty of things to do.  With that being said, I am a little hard pressed to get back on a Carnival Ship. Best advice....Enjoy and have fun.

We are the same - we have more nights on Carnival than any other, but we've also sailed RCCL and Celebrity - they are all different and bring something unique to the table.  The line we cruise has less to do with brand and more to do with itinerary, price, ease of accessing the port, availability of handicapped accessible cabins.  But I will say that, at the moment, Celebrity is our favorite ; ))

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On 8/2/2019 at 9:21 PM, RenCruzes said:

October 27th will be my first RC on the Serenade of the Seas. Thanks to the YouTube channel I have learned a lot? But I am already disappointed before I step on board.Can I verify the following?

1. There is NO pizza joint?

2. The last food option closes at 11 or 12 midnight? (Not including surcharge room service)

3. There is NO comedy club and appears there might be a comedian 3 nights on a 12 night cruise.

4. Chocolate Molten Cake sometimes on the dinner menu

5. I cannot order a BLT to save me life?

Sorry, I am a Carnival girl and the things I have enjoyed appear to not be present on this cruise ship. I only chose it for the itenerary. Guys Burgers, Punchliner Comedy Club, Pizza Pirate 24 HOURS, Hot Molten Lava Cake (every night), The Deli WITH BACON, trying not to be a Debbie Downer. Thanks for any confirmations?

I think Carnival has made some really great & strategic moves in the past few years with their ships venues. I think Guys Burger Joint is simply a grand slam! Same with the Blue Iguana Cantina & Alchemy Bar. They are playing catch up with the mega ships though for the most part. I think you will be disappointed overall in the Serenade since it’s an older & smaller ship (especially since you are comparing to Carnivals upgraded ships). You might get a better idea of RC if you sailed the Oasis Class ships. IMHO across the board there is no class of ships currently afloat that surpass the Oasis Class from RC in terms of activity choices, dining options, size, stateroom categories exc. 

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