Wednesday 3rd December 2008
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Three Generations enjoy SERENADE OF THE SEAS! |
| Reviewed By: Smith, Croydon on 8th Sep 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Serenade of the Seas |
Sailed:
August,
2008 |
| Destination: Alaska |
Age: 65+ |
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Our family of six people (my husband, myself, our daughter, son in law and two grand children Chloe aged 14 years and Aaron 10 years) flew from Gatwick to Vancouver a couple of days in advance and enjoyed exploring Vancouver from our downtown Hotel (Howard Johnson) booked for us by Tina Williams.
We took a ride on the Sky Train to get an overview of Vancouver and then walked to Canada Place (where some of the cruise liners are based), Gas Town (with its steam clock) and China Town and gardens and took the lift to the top of the Look Out Tower to see the whole city!!
We found joining the Serenade of the Seas was easy - large welcoming sheds and friendly staff, although we found the queue to get through the US customs was long and frustrating.
Our cabins were exactly as we had expected (having previously sailed with Royal Caribbean a couple of times) and the Restaurants offered good quality food at sensible times, although occasionally being a larger group we found it difficult to get seated.
We were second sitting for dinner in the evenings, where the atmosphere was warm and friendly and the meals of a very high standard. The waiter service was second to none.
The on-board entertainment in the evenings was superb!! The Shows were all of a very high standard and the resident singers and dancers were excellent!!
We enjoyed several craft/scrap booking sessions on our 'at sea' days and at each port of call we took a tour.
At Icy Straight Point we were taken on a tour of the town followed by tribal dancing and stories.
At Skagway we took the train up to the Klondyk and gold rush area - magnificant views and commentary and a souvenir book each.
At Juneau we were whisked away in a helicopter over five glaciers to the snow plain where the teams of huskie dogs were waiting to take us on our sled ride. Our grandchildren especially enjoyed 'mushing' and fondling the friendly huskies!
The Hubbard Glacier was something you had to experience to understand. Our cruiser drifted 360 degrees for over an hour so everyone had a comfortable view wherever you chose to stand or sit to take photos of this amazing natural feature. Suddenly a gunshot sound would echo across the liner, followed by a great rumbling as great lumps of ice fell from the glacier and made great splashes into the sea!!! Cameras flashed continuously!!
Cruising is a holiday that really suits three generations. My husband and I especially enjoyed the adult only times in the Solarium, the high standard of evening Shows, the Casino and the excellent service of the waiters for evening meals. Our daughter and son-in-law enjoyed family swimming, the climbing wall, crazy golf, the laundry service and being able to eat proper meals at any time during the day. Our grandchildren took full advantage of the activies offered for their age groups, and especially enjoyed the water slide, the climbing wall, crazy golf, the Arcade and being allowed to swim in the Solarium from 12 noon - 4 p.m!!
This was not our first Royal Caribbean Cruise and I am sure it will not be our last!!!!
Many thanks to Tina Williams of www.Cruise.co.uk for sorting it all out for us
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| Quality of Food |  |
| The Evening Meals were excellent!!! Good quality and good service!!!
The Windjammer meals were of a good standard although being a family of six it was not always easy to find seating. | | Entertainment | |
| The evening Shows were of a very high standard and thoroughly enjoyed by our three generations! There was a good variety of acts and whilst the adults most enjoyed the resident Singers and Dancers, the children enjoyed the magician and acrobat. | | Shore Excursions | |
| Our best excursion was from Juneau in the helicopter to the huskie dogs and sled ride!! Amazing!!! | | Staff | |
| All staff were polite and helpful. | | Children's Facilities | |
| Our granchildren enjoyed the water slide, being allowed in the Solarium at specified times, the crazy golf, climbing wall, table tennis and the Arcade! | | Onboard Activities | |
| We walked the mile most mornings, joined with craft/scrapbooking sessions and especially enjoyed the swimming pools. | | Cabins | |
| This was not our first cruise with Royal Caribbean, so we knew exactly what to expect and were not disappointed. | | Overall Rating | |
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lauderdale
marks carribean [eastern]
Tracey and Andy`s Sugar and Spice Tour, southern caribbean January 2008
Elstree-photo
