
Our ship was Royal
Caribbean's "Serenade of the Seas." This was the first time on a cruise for
mon mari et moi, and my
MIL's first time on a ship this size (approx. 2,100 passengers, 1,100 crew). We had some idea what to expect, and some expectations were exceeded. Still, we came away not sure that we are "cruise people," at least not on a ship this size.
The Good: Food was excellent, especially dinners in the main dining room. The portions in the dining room were also on the smallish side, which we welcomed as it is quite easy to overeat when one is surrounded by seemingly limitless food. There was a casual buffet in another area where we had most of our breakfasts and lunches, also excellent. We were pleasantly surprised at the availability and good quality of fresh fruits and veggies, which made it easy to eat more healthfully.
Service was also excellent. Everyone was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. If they didn't know an answer to a question, they would find out or find someone who did know. They were very open about answering questions about what it's like working for a cruise line. All of the staff were graciously accommodating toward our son with special needs, especially at the Adventure Ocean children's program. They allowed him to participate in groups at his cognitive level rather than age level, and he seemed to have a blast. He was always asking to go hang out there.
Our balcony staterooms were quite nice, and although smallish were intelligently laid out. There was plenty of closet and storage space but the highlights, of course, were the amazing views right outside.

The Bad: Boarding and disembarkation, although quite organized were still way too frenetic and involved lots of standing in lo-n-n-n-g-g-g lines with pushy, cranky people. It took almost two hours from the time we pulled up to the dock until we were actually aboard the ship, and getting off was almost as bad. Once aboard, there was a crush at the few elevators, and it was a bit of a free-for-all (this occurred during return from some of the land excursions as well). Once everyone settled in, the herd energy was less intense, though it ramped up again around mealtimes.
My MIL had talked about how the cruises she'd been on had offered some great lectures and cultural activities during the "at sea" times, but there was only one lecturer on on our cruise (a Geology professor who talked about the glaciers, and sounded a bit like a Global Warming Denier™) and any other workshops were about trying to sell you something.
The So-So: Most of the organized activities were designed to further separate one from one's money. There were jewelry sales and [airquotes]Art[/airquotes] and rug auctions. Every single piece of printed information available about our stops was focused on the shops on shore selling "Real Diamond and Tanzanite Jewelry!" You'd think from the literature available that it was Alaska and not Antwerp at the epicenter of the diamond business.
We had too little time in each location to really explore beyond the tourist trap stores near the waterfront, especially if we'd booked an excursion.
I'd signed up for a facial at the spa on our last day at sea (more about this in another post) and while the facial was great, I'd decided to try a "microcurrent" treatment which is supposed to firm the skin. They scheduled that portion after the facial, and the guy administering the microcurrent treatment used some kind of goopy gel that he didn't wash off afterward and which dried to a crusty film, ruining the effect of smooth, glowing skin I'd had after the facial.

But the scenery really did make up for all of the negatives. I can't say that I'd never go on a cruise again, but I might pick something a bit more mellow on a smaller ship. And there were some cute touches...
Towel critter enjoying a coffee on the balcony.
Towel critter just hanging out.
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