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Serenade 3/30/18 10 night Eastern Caribbean


twangster

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Day 7 - St Kitts

We arrived ahead of schedule to a warm and beautiful day. 

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Today's excursion will be "St Kitts Panoramic Drive" booked through Royal Caribbean.

Our meeting point is at the end of the pier along with many other excursions starting around the same time.  We boarded our bus and met Nigel our guide and driver today.  He was very enjoyable.

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Fun fact - St Kitt's first traffic signals went into use approximately 4 weeks ago.  Our driver is not impressed.

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We drove around town and Nigel pointed out several venues such as churches, government offices and the 'hotel with the red doors'.  It's the local jail, built in 1840.  The local saying when someone is acting badly and headed to jail they are said to be "going back in time, to 1840". 

Next is a memorial to Kittitians who died in the first world war.  As a colony of England at the time islanders were called into the service of the Crown.

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Just up the road from here would be our first stop, Palm Court Gardens.  It is a small boutique hotel that also serves as a 'resort for a day'.

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It's located across the bay from the ship and it's quite nice.  While it doesn't have beach access, it is a nice resort with a pool and great views. 

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Drink prices are pretty reasonable, $2.40 for most beers.

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The resort for a day price is $12 per person which includes WiFi, loungers and umbrellas.  Our admission was included for the 15 minutes we were there.

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Back on the bus we continued our drive.

We passed the Carib brewery, the local beer made on the island.

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We stopped near an Egret nesting area where there were hundreds of Egrets.  The type of bush they nest in is full of sharp prickly branches they use to protect there nests from predators.

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We drove through some residential areas and talked about housing costs and the types of services such as education that Kittitians are provided. 

This took us to a lookout that had excellent views up and down the island.

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In the distance is Nevis which is almost always shrouded in clouds.  To the left is the Atlantic ocean and to the right is the Caribbean Sea.

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We had 15 minutes to buy a beverage from local vendors or shop in their small tents.

From here we drove down the hill and along "The Strip".  This is a beach area that is a $3-4 per person taxi ride from the ship.  Several bars and restaurants line the beach.  While we didn't stop here to explore it looked like a very nice beach.

I was broadcasting live on Periscope at this point so I didn't take any pictures.  Here is the scope:

https://www.pscp.tv/thetwangster/1zqJVrAwAonJB

Back to the ship in just under 3 hours with plenty of time to browse the shops in the port area.

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While I am not always a tour bus kind of guy I'm glad I did this tour to see more of the island and learn of its history and culture.  I'm seriously consider Palm Court Gardens for a future return to St Kitts.

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14 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I will say....Palm Court Gardens doesn't look like much from the outside but how lovely it is inside !!  I agree.  I would go there in a heartbeat.  Especially for the price !  WOW !

Agreed, very lovely once you see these photos

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Day 7 Dinner

Before dinner I slipped into the Vitality Spa for a massage.  Oh so relaxing... I feel like butter.

Dinner tonight in the MDR.

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We start with the Escargots.  Basically this is a plate of melted butter and who doesn't like butter (except your heart surgeon).

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I also had the Caesar Salad.

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For my main I had Roasted Prime Rib because Prime Rib is something I've never mastered at home, so why not?

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36 minutes ago, twangster said:

We start with the Escargots.  Basically this is a plate of melted butter and who doesn't like butter (except your heart surgeon).

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Don’t forget the snails hiding under the butter! They’re the good part! Tastes sort of like mushrooms! ?

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Day 8 - St Maarten

A beautiful day in St Maarten to start the day.  We arrived early with the sun rising but still below the horizon.

Soon we were joined by a TUI ship, the Mein Schiff 6.  RCCL owns a portion of TUI.

Not long after another ship appeared on the horizon. 

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The Adventure of the Seas joined us and we shared the pier today. 

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Still early I enjoyed a freshly made omelette and some fruit at one of my favorite WJ outdoor tables.

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I took the water taxi over to Great Bay Beach.  The round trip cost is $7 and for that you get an all day pass.

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I find a lot of value in this $7.  Amazing views of the area, the ships in port and by the way the water taxi has $2 beers.

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The beach area is great with lots of options for some time here.  Cheap chair rentals, cheap beers & frozen drinks plus great views.  What more can you ask for?

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I've captured this on a previous cruise a few months ago so I'm not going to capture it all again.

Here is a hyperlapse from the pier having just stepped off the ship to Great Bay Beach using the water taxi.  This was during peak when the most crowds were involved from all 3 ships.

 

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On 3/31/2018 at 8:04 PM, twangster said:

Terminal 19 Photos:

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Small waiting area after check in:

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Believe me, this is good compared to Sydney!!! Just letting you know that you have to wait out in the weather in Sydney. Not fun if it's raining, like it was for us.

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On 4/1/2018 at 2:50 AM, twangster said:

It's chair hog mitigation.  Trying to out fox the chair hogs by getting one step ahead of them.  I guess instead of dealing with it once people have put down their stuff, the pool attendants went to work very early to place notes informing people you can not reserve loungers.  "No Reservation" maybe be better phrased "No Reserving" but I'll take it.  

Did it work?

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Day 8 - St Maarten continued...

This afternoon's excursion would be on the catamaran 'Swept Away' which is why this excursion was called "Swept Away Coastal Cruise".  We met on the pier and guests from both Adventure and Serenade were present.  From here it was a short walk to the boat which used the water taxi terminal at the port.

 

The boat featured both covered seating as well as mesh areas in the front where you could sit for an over water full sun experience.

 

 

We left the Great Bay area where the ships dock and headed along the coast.

 

Captain Kevin at the helm had Caribbean music playing stopping it occasionally so they could narrate and inform us of interesting facts along the way.

 

We passed Fort Amsterdam and Little Bay. The Divi Little Bay Beach Resort where the King and Queen of The Netherlands stay when they visit is one of the first and few hotels that have reopened.

 

From here we continued to the water and electric plants that generate all the electricity and water desalination for the Dutch side.  The tankers here were offloading fuel for the generators used to power this side of the island.

 

This was my view straddling the right pontoon most of the day.

 

This is the the draw bridge used for boats to enter the lagoon which is one of the largest lagoons in the Caribbean.  This is where everyone moves their boats during hurricanes.  During Irma over 300 boats were damaged beyond repair and they continue to deal with wrecks to this day.  According to our hostess no sailboat masts survived the storm including the 'Swept Away' we were on.  As a result we had no 'sailing' and our tour used engine power all the way.

 

This took us into Simpson Bay where we saw beaches lined with people and water sports underway.

 

The bay is a popular anchoring spot for many boats and yachts such as this unique craft.  It was reported the entire craft can be controlled by the owners iPad.

 

Continuing along the coast we made our way to Maho Beach, the famous beach area at the end of the runway where people go to watch planes land.  You could hear the music from the Sunset Bar located at Maho Beach with scores of people on the beach just like it used to be.

 

We hung out here for a while and watched as some airplanes landed above us.

Continuing along the coast...

 

This beach in Mullet Bay is where the locals like to spend most weekends.  The water was crystal clear and we were told it was 35' deep where we were but you could see the sand bottom very easily.

 

The spot marks the border between the Dutch and French sides of the island.  If you look very close there is a small green fence separating the two sides even though it is an open border and you can freely move between the two countries.

 

We continued sailing up the French side of the island with Sylvia our bartender keeping the drinks flowing.

 

This area Baie Longue (Long Bay in English) on the French side is one of the most expensive parts of the island.

 

At this point we turned and started making our way eventually back to Philipsburg and the ships.  A few dolphins swam near us briefly on the way back.

 

 

 

It was a very enjoyable excursion and it was great seeing the coast of St. Maarten from a catamaran.  Our hosts explained everyone on the Dutch side has power and water at this point and they were very proud of how strong and resilient the people of St Maarten have been through to this point. 

One them explained that the boat she used to work on was destroyed and she was so happy to be working again now on the 'Swept Away'.  They were all very happy to be working again and they thanked us for that.  With only one or two hotels open it really drove home the impact that the cruise industry has on the local economy.

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46 minutes ago, twangster said:

Day 8 - St Maarten continued...

This afternoon's excursion would be on the catamaran 'Swept Away' which is why this excursion was called "Swept Away Coastal Cruise".  We met on the pier and guests from both Adventure and Serenade were present.  From here it was a short walk to the boat which used the water taxi terminal at the port.

5ac891e5a6b21_SerenadeDay8SXM-19.jpg.ba33bb3ae124bace9cc2e47dbcbc30f1.jpg

The boat featured both covered seating as well as mesh areas in the front where you could sit for an over water full sun experience.

5ac8929c4138b_SerenadeDay8SXM-20.jpg.3a5aa705ed9ba4dddbc11a022904d618.jpg

5ac892ad2d9d3_SerenadeDay8SXM-21.jpg.612f9e37ee878a94e5542a0c95fb6614.jpg

We left the Great Bay area where the ships dock and headed along the coast.

5ac8931cdc734_SerenadeDay8SXM-22.jpg.5d4392b41784036da8f2a1410195b62b.jpg

Captain Kevin at the helm had Caribbean music playing stopping it occasionally so they could narrate and inform us of interesting facts along the way.

5ac8932cd9a45_SerenadeDay8SXM-23.jpg.7a5d0cb403f262129ee9b9e81dc4d4cc.jpg

We passed Fort Amsterdam and Little Bay. The Divi Little Bay Beach Resort where the King and Queen of The Netherlands stay when they visit is one of the first and few hotels that have reopened.

5ac8a455e663c_SerenadeDay8SXM-50.jpg.fd82d64b7a624b57fa17ea3cd31a065c.jpg

From here we continued to the water and electric plants that generate all the electricity and water desalination for the Dutch side.  The tankers here were offloading fuel for the generators used to power this side of the island.

5ac89378af30f_SerenadeDay8SXM-24.jpg.c8b3696b8c4ba7246722b1818f4cf4b1.jpg

This was my view straddling the right pontoon most of the day.

5ac8941aeb0e0_SerenadeDay8SXM-25.jpg.be5585b1db5b316a97a57e0f33749691.jpg

This is the the draw bridge used for boats to enter the lagoon which is one of the largest lagoons in the Caribbean.  This is where everyone moves their boats during hurricanes.  During Irma over 300 boats were damaged beyond repair and they continue to deal with wrecks to this day.  According to our hostess no sailboat masts survived the storm including the 'Swept Away' we were on.  As a result we had no 'sailing' and our tour used engine power all the way.

5ac8944687783_SerenadeDay8SXM-26.jpg.fe94432fc644e38b90e3b26dd38f826e.jpg

This took us into Simpson Bay where we saw beaches lined with people and water sports underway.

5ac8959d79865_SerenadeDay8SXM-28.jpg.1c30d1840f7008b685d234b3430f89c5.jpg

The bay is a popular anchoring spot for many boats and yachts such as this unique craft.  It was reported the entire craft can be controlled by the owners iPad.

5ac895fe9ffc3_SerenadeDay8SXM-27.jpg.022651b2d19335d18c75ab613a768fd5.jpg

Continuing along the coast we made our way to Maho Beach, the famous beach area at the end of the runway where people go to watch planes land.  You could hear the music from the Sunset Bar located at Maho Beach with scores of people on the beach just like it used to be.

5ac8965a2ca9d_SerenadeDay8SXM-29.jpg.683449a3406b6f71b46645214fce3edd.jpg

We hung out here for a while and watched as some airplanes landed above us.

Continuing along the coast...

5ac896c454738_SerenadeDay8SXM-31.jpg.c309b3230b910d642f7acb8b638e7004.jpg

This beach in Mullet Bay is where the locals like to spend most weekends.  The water was crystal clear and we were told it was 35' deep where we were but you could see the sand bottom very easily.

5ac896da41fa1_SerenadeDay8SXM-30.jpg.5d93f8530db12bd6b8339e14d5761aa4.jpg

The spot marks the border between the Dutch and French sides of the island.  If you look very close there is a small green fence separating the two sides even though it is an open border and you can freely move between the two countries.

5ac8974b15a45_SerenadeDay8SXM-32.jpg.245d8d6ddee0ddf730953c9bb1f83a6a.jpg

We continued sailing up the French side of the island with Sylvia our bartender keeping the drinks flowing.

5ac897d4c0985_SerenadeDay8SXM-33.jpg.903bd9193eb182a1f77786bd09d2a6ea.jpg

This area Baie Longue (Long Bay in English) on the French side is one of the most expensive parts of the island.

5ac897dc9bf9b_SerenadeDay8SXM-34.jpg.494f3c9cb59db62bddae1b48610fb9a9.jpg

At this point we turned and started making our way eventually back to Philipsburg and the ships.  A few dolphins swam near us briefly on the way back.

5ac8987fe4c7f_SerenadeDay8SXM-35.jpg.cf98ca110fd0fc20770c97694a9b8b6b.jpg

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It was a very enjoyable excursion and it was great seeing the coast of St. Maarten from a catamaran.  Our hosts explained everyone on the Dutch side has power and water at this point and they were very proud of how strong and resilient the people of St Maarten have been through to this point. 

One them explained that the boat she used to work on was destroyed and she was so happy to be working again now on the 'Swept Away'.  They were all very happy to be working again and they thanked us for that.  With only one or two hotels open it really drove home the impact that the cruise industry has on the local economy.

Your excursion at St Maarten looked fantastic. What a great day out.

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

Day 8 - St Maarten continued...

This afternoon's excursion would be on the catamaran 'Swept Away' which is why this excursion was called "Swept Away Coastal Cruise".  We met on the pier and guests from both Adventure and Serenade were present.  From here it was a short walk to the boat which used the water taxi terminal at the port.

5ac891e5a6b21_SerenadeDay8SXM-19.jpg.ba33bb3ae124bace9cc2e47dbcbc30f1.jpg

The boat featured both covered seating as well as mesh areas in the front where you could sit for an over water full sun experience.

5ac8929c4138b_SerenadeDay8SXM-20.jpg.3a5aa705ed9ba4dddbc11a022904d618.jpg

5ac892ad2d9d3_SerenadeDay8SXM-21.jpg.612f9e37ee878a94e5542a0c95fb6614.jpg

We left the Great Bay area where the ships dock and headed along the coast.

5ac8931cdc734_SerenadeDay8SXM-22.jpg.5d4392b41784036da8f2a1410195b62b.jpg

Captain Kevin at the helm had Caribbean music playing stopping it occasionally so they could narrate and inform us of interesting facts along the way.

5ac8932cd9a45_SerenadeDay8SXM-23.jpg.7a5d0cb403f262129ee9b9e81dc4d4cc.jpg

We passed Fort Amsterdam and Little Bay. The Divi Little Bay Beach Resort where the King and Queen of The Netherlands stay when they visit is one of the first and few hotels that have reopened.

5ac8a455e663c_SerenadeDay8SXM-50.jpg.fd82d64b7a624b57fa17ea3cd31a065c.jpg

From here we continued to the water and electric plants that generate all the electricity and water desalination for the Dutch side.  The tankers here were offloading fuel for the generators used to power this side of the island.

5ac89378af30f_SerenadeDay8SXM-24.jpg.c8b3696b8c4ba7246722b1818f4cf4b1.jpg

This was my view straddling the right pontoon most of the day.

5ac8941aeb0e0_SerenadeDay8SXM-25.jpg.be5585b1db5b316a97a57e0f33749691.jpg

This is the the draw bridge used for boats to enter the lagoon which is one of the largest lagoons in the Caribbean.  This is where everyone moves their boats during hurricanes.  During Irma over 300 boats were damaged beyond repair and they continue to deal with wrecks to this day.  According to our hostess no sailboat masts survived the storm including the 'Swept Away' we were on.  As a result we had no 'sailing' and our tour used engine power all the way.

5ac8944687783_SerenadeDay8SXM-26.jpg.fe94432fc644e38b90e3b26dd38f826e.jpg

This took us into Simpson Bay where we saw beaches lined with people and water sports underway.

5ac8959d79865_SerenadeDay8SXM-28.jpg.1c30d1840f7008b685d234b3430f89c5.jpg

The bay is a popular anchoring spot for many boats and yachts such as this unique craft.  It was reported the entire craft can be controlled by the owners iPad.

5ac895fe9ffc3_SerenadeDay8SXM-27.jpg.022651b2d19335d18c75ab613a768fd5.jpg

Continuing along the coast we made our way to Maho Beach, the famous beach area at the end of the runway where people go to watch planes land.  You could hear the music from the Sunset Bar located at Maho Beach with scores of people on the beach just like it used to be.

5ac8965a2ca9d_SerenadeDay8SXM-29.jpg.683449a3406b6f71b46645214fce3edd.jpg

We hung out here for a while and watched as some airplanes landed above us.

Continuing along the coast...

5ac896c454738_SerenadeDay8SXM-31.jpg.c309b3230b910d642f7acb8b638e7004.jpg

This beach in Mullet Bay is where the locals like to spend most weekends.  The water was crystal clear and we were told it was 35' deep where we were but you could see the sand bottom very easily.

5ac896da41fa1_SerenadeDay8SXM-30.jpg.5d93f8530db12bd6b8339e14d5761aa4.jpg

The spot marks the border between the Dutch and French sides of the island.  If you look very close there is a small green fence separating the two sides even though it is an open border and you can freely move between the two countries.

5ac8974b15a45_SerenadeDay8SXM-32.jpg.245d8d6ddee0ddf730953c9bb1f83a6a.jpg

We continued sailing up the French side of the island with Sylvia our bartender keeping the drinks flowing.

5ac897d4c0985_SerenadeDay8SXM-33.jpg.903bd9193eb182a1f77786bd09d2a6ea.jpg

This area Baie Longue (Long Bay in English) on the French side is one of the most expensive parts of the island.

5ac897dc9bf9b_SerenadeDay8SXM-34.jpg.494f3c9cb59db62bddae1b48610fb9a9.jpg

At this point we turned and started making our way eventually back to Philipsburg and the ships.  A few dolphins swam near us briefly on the way back.

5ac8987fe4c7f_SerenadeDay8SXM-35.jpg.cf98ca110fd0fc20770c97694a9b8b6b.jpg

5ac8988aa8caf_SerenadeDay8SXM-36.jpg.638db22455c90954e7000ed6ec14f891.jpg

5ac89195d7bf8_SerenadeDay8SXM-52.jpg.59fe629db55cdab57badd3e53da9960c.jpg

It was a very enjoyable excursion and it was great seeing the coast of St. Maarten from a catamaran.  Our hosts explained everyone on the Dutch side has power and water at this point and they were very proud of how strong and resilient the people of St Maarten have been through to this point. 

One them explained that the boat she used to work on was destroyed and she was so happy to be working again now on the 'Swept Away'.  They were all very happy to be working again and they thanked us for that.  With only one or two hotels open it really drove home the impact that the cruise industry has on the local economy.

I am glad you highlighted this excursion.  I have it already booked for November on Oasis with some of my OBC.  DH and I usually enjoy catamaran excursions. 

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Day 9 - Sea Day

Reality is creeping in, departure tags and instructions were dropped off today.  This confirms the cruise will end soon.

Sexiest man contest today by the main pool.  

 

Not a cloud in the sky, it's hot and I'm thirsty.  The moment called for the official drink of the RoyalCaribbeanBlog... the Kraken Lava Flow.

 

A stroll around the ship to burn of 1/1000 of the calories led me to the helipad on this glorious sun filled sea day.

 

Dinner tonight in the MDR as it is formal night and that means lobster.

 

Caesar Salad to start.

 

Lobster AND Prime Rib tonight.

 

And for once I had dessert... Baked Alaska.

 

Following dinner was The Parade of the Chefs.

 

Dinner complete and with the need to walk some more I headed to the helipad once again just in time for sunset.

 

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Day 10 - Sea Day

Smooth seas mark the start of our last full day on the ship as we head back towards Ft. Lauderdale.  Our track so far:

 

A few words about Voom on Serenade of the Seas.

Voom wifi coverage has been pretty good.  There are a few spots where the wifi coverage is lacking such as outside on deck 13 forward above the gym.  For the most part wifi coverage has been good.  Cabin coverage has been fine but that will vary cabin by cabin depending how close an access point is in the hallway.

Voom's satellite connection remain on the older geostationary satellites (as opposed to O3b on newer ships).  Ping times or latency are in the 600-700ms range.  On this ship uploads speeds have typically exceeded download speeds.  That is unusual. 

I purchased Voom Surf and Stream before the cruise during a sale event.  With my Diamond status I received a free day of Surf so I took the opportunity of trying both on a Sea Day.

Surf and Stream:

Day 7

 

Day 10

 

I tried these tests numerous times around the ship, in the pub, in my cabin, in the Diamond lounge and around outside decks.   Results were occasionally better but these are the average results I observed time and again.

Surf:

 

The results that stand out here are the download speeds for Surf and Stream.  Normally on other ships, O3b or otherwise, I've experienced download speeds in the 3-4Mbps range compared to 1-2Mbps on Serenade.

What this all means - I was able to stream Amazon Prime Video but I was not able to stream HBO GO or my Slingbox.  I could broadcast on Periscope but I couldn't watch any scopes that other users were broadcasting.  Periscope is a fickle application, watching FB Live broadcast yielded better results.

Despite this unusual reversal of speeds I was able to place several wifi phone calls through the voyage.  These worked quite well.

Bottom line - if you want to stream movies or TV you may be disappointed but for general internet including wifi phone calls it worked pretty well and better than my Grandeur of the Seas non-O3b experience.

The Voom screens have been updated and the provider is showing as "Speedcast Communications" compared to "Harris CapRock" I'm used to seeing.

secure.elevenwireless.com now re-directs to secure.guestinternet.com

There is now a link to download the new Royal Caribbean App:

 

Being the curious person I am I tried this option even though I had the app already installed.

 

After filling out the form I had 20 minutes of free internet and not the slower Surf speed!

 

I tired this a second time on another day and it reported an error and directed me to stop by guest services if I am experiencing an issue.  It appears to be a one time offer.

Speaking of the app it is enabled for Serenade of the Seas but I found it lacking a lot of events that are listed in the cruise compass.  Quite a few were missing actually, like 75% of events going on around the ship.  I learned early to use the paper cruise compass left in my cabin each day. 

My experience using the app on board was identical to that I observed before sailing when I used the app to preview the cruise.

Unfortunately the app has stopped working all together around day 6. After a couple of minutes of the blue background with the white polka dots this is what I receive now.

 

Trying again yields no better results.

 

I did try uninstalling the app and reinstalling it which led me to the free 20 minutes of internet discovery noted above.  Side note - 20 minutes was not enough to load the app from the app store (due to the slow Voom speeds).  My free session ended and I had to reconnect to my paid Voom plan to reinstall the app.

My theory is that the app is a really a type of a browser that pulls content over the internet within the app.  It seems the Voom speeds are too low or the latency too high for the app to work properly on Serenade.  I guess it remains a work in progress and this is possibly why they are testing the app in the real world on an older ship like Serenade.  I can only guess that better times are in store for the app in the future.

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Earlier I mentioned my slow dinner in Chops Grille. 

I ran into the Revenue Manager in an elevator and he asked about my cruise experience.  i reported I was having a great cruise but took the opportunity to mention my Chops Grille experience as the only outlier.  He mentioned he would talk to the restaurant manager. 

My phone rang last night and it was the Chops Grille manager.  He defended his team and expressed surprise that anyone would have issue in a fine restaurant with relaxed service.  After I explained about the gap between appetizer and entree of over 45 minutes without seeing any wait staff including no water or wine refill being offered his response was he "...would talk to his staff and have them ask guests if they were in a hurry at the start of dinner".  It was rather condescending implying it was my fault for being in a hurry.  He expressed no surprise or concern over the long periods of nothing but did explain it takes a long time to cook a steak to order unlike in the main dining room. 

At home on my grill I cook steak all the time and even manage to pull together a complete dinner with salad and asparagus much like I had in Chops.  I've eaten in steak houses around the country, I think I understand how a cooked to order steak dinner can go.  Apparently in Chops it does take a full 90 minutes to cook a steak.  I can only assume they must thaw each steak from frozen before grilling them.  

He said he saw that I would be in the MDR for dinner tonight and offered a glass of wine for my troubles. 

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12 minutes ago, twangster said:

Earlier I mentioned my slow dinner in Chops Grille. 

I ran into the Revenue Manager in an elevator and he asked about my cruise experience.  i reported I was having a great cruise but took the opportunity to mention my Chops Grille experience as the only outlier.  He mentioned he would talk to the restaurant manager. 

My phone rang last night and it was the Chops Grille manager.  He defended his team and expressed surprise that anyone would have issue in a fine restaurant with relaxed service.  After I explained about the gap between appetizer and entree of over 45 minutes without seeing any wait staff including no water or wine refill being offered his response was he "...would talk to his staff and have them ask guests if they were in a hurry at the start of dinner".  It was rather condescending implying it was my fault for being in a hurry.  He expressed no surprise or concern over the long periods of nothing but did explain it takes a long time to cook a steak to order unlike in the main dining room. 

At home on my grill I cook steak all the time and even manage to pull together a complete dinner with salad and asparagus much like I had in Chops.  I've eaten in steak houses around the country, I think I understand how a cooked to order steak dinner can go.  Apparently in Chops it does take a full 90 minutes to cook a steak.  I can only assume they must thaw each steak from frozen before grilling them.  

He said he saw that I would be in the MDR for dinner tonight and offered a glass of wine for my troubles. 

Gee he sure was rude!! I'd love to hear what his excuse was for no water refills.  I guess they pull in seawater, desalinate, and treat it to order as well?  LOL 

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56 minutes ago, twangster said:

A few words about Voom on Serenade of the Seas.

Voom wifi coverage has been pretty good.  There are a few spots where the wifi coverage is lacking such as outside on deck 13 forward above the gym.  For the most part wifi coverage has been good.  Cabin coverage has been fine but that will vary cabin by cabin depending how close an access point is in the hallway.

 

I have an idea for a video, for a day that you are looking for something to do or the weather is not cooperative.  You can do a ship tour, noting placement of these access points in the stateroom areas.  Then we can all choose rooms with that in mind!  LOL  

Or...I can give you my room number for later this year and you can tell me if there is one near my cabin.  That works too. :D  

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30 minutes ago, KathyC said:

I have an idea for a video, for a day that you are looking for something to do or the weather is not cooperative.  You can do a ship tour, noting placement of these access points in the stateroom areas.  Then we can all choose rooms with that in mind!  LOL  

Or...I can give you my room number for later this year and you can tell me if there is one near my cabin.  That works too. :D  

I tired mapping them on Grandeur using some software one time but it became too much like work so I stopped.

36 minutes ago, KathyC said:

Gee he sure was rude!! I'd love to hear what his excuse was for no water refills.  I guess they pull in seawater, desalinate, and treat it to order as well?  LOL 

I think some people spend a decade or more on ships growing into a position of manager and their only basis of reality is how it works on a ship.  This becomes their normal and they can't see how it compares in the bigger picture.  They don't feel the price increases or understand how spending extra money for specialty dining is special to us cruisers.  I'm guessing he is under pressure to produce ever increasing revenue numbers while most likely being told to it with fewer staff.  All assumptions on my part.  After a long day having the revenue manager come down on him probably didn't make his day.

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50 minutes ago, twangster said:

I tired mapping them on Grandeur using some software one time but it became too much like work so I stopped.

I'll have seven days at sea on Serenade later this year...I can only do so much trivia and poolside sitting; may be something I take on.  I can print out deck plans and make little marks where they are.  It's like the Small Wonders hunt on Harmony!  :D  Now I only need to know what to look for...

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Day 10 - Sea Day - On my balcony and then this happened...

Don't you just hate click bait titles like this?  :3_grin:

I was out on my balcony contemplating how much I enjoy this extended balcony.

 

I was concerned about privacy but I love being able to get out in the sunshine or having a panoramic view of the stars at night looking straight up to watch some shooting stars (or Chinese space junk) in the night sky.  I'd definitely do one of these deck 7 balconies again.

 

In the distance I had been watching some ships as they approached heading the opposite direction. That's the Tugboat Vista and to far right as a tiny speck on the horizon is the Harmony of the Seas.  Out of Port Everglades yesterday the Harmony is on her way to St. Thomas.

 

There she is, the second largest cruise ship in the world!

 

 

It's just past noon so you know what that means...  Kümmelwecks are calling my name.

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1 hour ago, twangster said:

I think some people spend a decade or more on ships growing into a position of manager and their only basis of reality is how it works on a ship.  This becomes their normal and they can't see how it compares in the bigger picture.  They don't feel the price increases or understand how spending extra money for specialty dining is special to us cruisers.  I'm guessing he is under pressure to produce ever increasing revenue numbers while most likely being told to it with fewer staff.  All assumptions on my part.  After a long day having the revenue manager come down on him probably didn't make his day.

That phone call was just plain rude.  There's no real excuse for that.

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Day 10 - Dinner

Reflections Dining Room

 

 

 

 

Crispy Coconut Shrimp and I think I'm seeing double.   Richard my waiter brought two as they are small.

Earlier I mentioned the Chops Grille manager offered me a glass of wine for my issues in Chops.  That turned into a bottle.  A "good:" Chianti.  It was actually a nice wine and I shared some with the couple at the table next to me.

 

The Braised Lamb Shank was very good.  The meat was very tender and fell off the bone with only a touch of my fork.

 

Richard and Christian were excellent wait staff and I was lucky to have them all but one night in the My Time MDR.

Dinner complete and with the remainder of my wine bottle in tow, I headed to my balcony for a final sunset.  This cruise has had many great sunsets and while not as dramatic as some, the pastel colors tonight were fantastic.

 

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On 4/8/2018 at 11:59 AM, KathyC said:

I'll have seven days at sea on Serenade later this year...I can only do so much trivia and poolside sitting; may be something I take on.  I can print out deck plans and make little marks where they are.  It's like the Small Wonders hunt on Harmony!  ? Now I only need to know what to look for...

This is an access point:

 

Its the small square thing mounted on the ceiling in the hallway in this case it says Cisco on it.  Sometimes they are painted over with no words visible.

This one is in between cabins 7028 and 7030.  Every four cabins there is another mounted between the doors of those cabins.  This small survey I did show where they are in the forward area of deck 7 port side (green stars):

 

On 4/8/2018 at 9:09 PM, KathyC said:

Thanks for the amazing pictures and scopes from the trip!! 

 

 

 

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Day 11 - Disembarking

I woke at 5:30am, showered and headed to the WJ at 6am when it opened.  The WJ normally opens at 7am but on this day it opened at 6am. 

I ordered my regular omelette and had a normal WJ breakfast with lots of fruit.  Breakfast complete I headed back down to my cabin to finish packing.

Looking outside we were making our approach to terminal 19 in Port Everglades at 6:16am (scheduled arrival was 7am but that includes securing the lines and deploying walkways).

 

I spotted a Big Lift ship loaded with pleasure craft.

 

Sometime around 6:45am I headed down to the Tropical theater on deck 5 to join the self-assist line.  I was number 8 in line.

A couple of days ago I spotted someone with a luggage valet envelope in an elevator.  The program was not offered in my cabin but I planned to self-assist anyways so I didn't bother to inquire about it.  I've often wondered how the valet luggage is handled.  As I was waiting for customs to begin accepting us I saw a forklift ride by with a couple bags with the familiar fluorescent luggage valet tags.  Waiting at the end of the pier was a cargo truck they were loading the valet luggage into.

 

At 7:30am they began letting us off.  They had two customs agents this morning but one was occupied servicing crew including the Staff Captain leaving one agent for guests.  I couldn't get the Mobile Passport app to accept my submission as I waited this morning but there was a line with a dozen people who had the app ready to go.  Unfortunately they didn't have any equipment or lines ready for them so they ended up waiting longer than I did.  It went pretty quickly and I was in a taxi by 7:40am on my way to FLL airport, $14.10 before tip.  

Bag checked at 7:52am and through security by 7:58am.

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I haven't written about the last couple days of Voom.  It became slower and slower.  Yesterday on day ten I was getting 0.5Mbps down but the normal 2Mbps up.  I've never experienced this before.  Normally if satellite coverage is an issue due to weather or position then both the up and down speeds are impacted.

I stopped by the Voom desk yesterday.  The girl there reported everything was fine and showed me her phone getting 3.78Mbps down, the normal Surf and Stream speed.  "Everything is working normally" she reported.  I showed her my phone getting 0.5Mbps down.

Over the next hour she went through the usual IT explanations such as too many apps open, satellite coverage, wifi coverage, slow processor in my iPhone 7 Plus compared to her new Samsung S8 and so on.  As we progressed I could she wasn't buying her reasons any more than I was.  She closed all my apps, restarted my phone, reset my code, replaced my code, changed my plan to a maximum 8Mbps doubling it from the normal 4Mbps limit, she even tried raising the limit to 20Mbps.  None of it explained why her phone could pull in normal speeds while mine was clearly capped at 0.5Mbps.  Then she logged in on her phone using my code and she got the same 0.5Mbps download speed on her phone.  At this point she should have been getting 20Mbps down. 

The hour was pleasant and we talked about various IT things and the change to Speedcast from Harris even though they are both part of the same larger company.  She told me my usage to date was 6.8GB over the ten days which in her opinion was above average but not nearly the highest and not extreme in any way.

In the end she was powerless to resolve the issue or explain it other than saying she would report it to Speedcast.  She offered a 20% discount but since I had purchased Voom in the cruise planner she would have to refund that back to my credit card then charge my SeaPass account with the 20% discounted amount.  This on the last day late in the afternoon made me nervous it wouldn't get straightened out or I would never see the refund to my credit card and I would end up paying twice.

My best guess - the recent contract with Streamcast announced a few weeks ago is more than just a contract renewal.  The sign in screens have changed and it seems as if the technology used has also changed on the ground within Streamcast's domain.  It's not O3b and still uses the higher and slower geostationary satellites.  Something was throttling my account.  She confirmed Surf and Stream is supposed to be unlimited yet clearly my account was not being allowed to stream despite purchasing that option.  Whatever was doing it wasn't within her power to change, I suspect it lies within the Streamcast technology or platform.

This morning my SeaPass account statement was on my door and the full cruise planner Voom purchase had been refunded to my onboard account creating a small balance due mostly from gratuity.  It pays to remain calm and be nice while working through these issues.

Posting and writing this blog is mostly about upload speed much like broadcasting on Periscope.  Since my upload wasn't throttled in the same manner I was able to continue blogging and scoping however loading websites was very slow and trying to watch scopes was impossible.  In the end they refunded my Voom purchase so all is well that ends well but it pays to keep an eye on your Voom performance and politely discuss it with the Voom specialists on board if you suspect you are having issues.

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27 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

thank you for another fabulous blog!  I also followed your scopes as well.  It looks like the weather gods were very good to you! Can't wait for your Adventure Blog in May as I am on her next July! Safe home @twangster 

Thanks but I may skip an Adventure blog.  @mpoole3 will be blogging on the main RoyalCaribbeanBlog page like Matt does. 

It's a short 5 night cruise.  I plan to travel light without checking any luggage and I'll be leaving my DSLR at home. 

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