North to Alaska – Le bateau

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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14 Comments

  1. sorry that you had so many negative aspects to your alaskan cruise…
    much of what you said in that respect is good to hear and would in fact deter me from booking a cruise. i will continue to fly and drive 🙂

  2. Erin – I’d have to say the positives definitely outweighed the negatives, though. Travelling with a developmentally disabled child made it more complicated; the fact that we were able to find a ship and programs that worked for him was a HUGE plus and made the whole week much more pleasant. Had it been mon mari and I travelling alone, we probably would’ve been much happier on a smaller ship with a more laid back atmosphere.

    metscan – our cruise was seven days, round trip in and out of Vancouver. A lot of the Alaska seven day cruises are one way up to Fairbanks and then a flight back. It was very different, and I’m glad we went.

  3. You are so fair — I’m impressed by the way you balance the bad with the good. We’re not cruise people either, but besides that scenery, I’m pretty tempted by those napkin creatures . . . 😉

  4. Although not perfect it sounds like you had a good time and from the pictures I can tell that the landscape must be beautiful.
    Thank you for sharin.

  5. We don’t cruise for the reasons you cite but have friends who are dedicated to this type of travel. And if I am older with limited mobility, it will start looking more attractive.

    I get desperately sea sick, how was that?

  6. Duchesse – my tendency to get seasick or not is quite inconsistent, at least it has been on smaller sailboats. Sometimes getting stuck sideways in a swell will do it, other times we can be bouncing around all over and I’m fine. On this trip, our first day at sea was a bit bumpy, and I did get queasy that first morning. Popping the pill handed out for free by the ship’s medical staff did the trick, though I did nap afterward. The rest of the cruise was mostly quite smooth, and even when we had more motion, think I was used to it by then.

  7. Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m particularly envious because I definitely hope to one day go to Alaska…if I ever stop taking my vacations in Paris! LOL! But, yes, a trip to Alaska is a dream of mine…though not necessarily by cruise.

  8. Hi, I know that you must have mentioned it, but how long was that cruise of your´s? The pictures are stunning. Surely it was a different kind of a vacation!

  9. I don’t think I’ll ever go on a cruise because I know I’d feel TRAPPED. Interesting to read your experience…..what scenery! How about viewing it from a Harley next time?
    Must dash – off to fold my towels

  10. HHMMMM—I’ve been thinking about taking a cruise w/ my mother in the last year, due to my Mom’s mobility problems–it seemed a good way to travel without too much logistical hassle– but those lineups you describe would probably cause me to hyperventilate a bit. Don’t like moving around en masse like a lemming. But your photos!!! They are sooo beautiful! Glad you enjoyed Vancouver , though. Y’all come back, hear?

  11. Beautiful pictures..can’t wait to see more. I was laughing when I read about the “sales lectures”. I attended one on my trip to the Bahamas…and did you know the Bahamas IS the tanzanite and diamond capitol? I went shopping on one of the islands and wished I hadn’t wasted my time.

    I, like you, am not “cruise people”.

  12. For me the nature, the views and the sheer awe I felt in response to Alaska blinded me to a lot of the bad about cruising. I would love to do the Celebrity cruise to Alaska or even a smaller line. I am not a cruise person( and for reasons I won’t go into here, I have gone on a lot of them). Alaska is the only one I would do again. Also, I would love to do the cruise through the Galapagos Islands.

  13. I liked reading your comments because my in-laws keep trying to get us to go on a cruise. They LOVE cruises and go on three or four a year. They are all about the unlimited food and I think that is the main reason they go. I never shop when I travel so I can see why the shopping aspect would be annoying. It’s good to hear that they were accomodating with your son. My oldest has health issues so it’s good to hear that they work with you. Of course the glaciers are amazing! Thanks for sharing!

  14. I wouldn’t call myself a cruise person either, although I have actually been on half a dozen or so. Most of them were on small boats, with 100 to 200 passengers, with much more of an adventure empahsis, and it was on such a boat that we went to Alaska. There was less pressure to shop, with most of the excursions being of the educational variety, which was fine by us. We also had lots of lectures and discussions when we were “at sea”. But there were few options for dealing with people with limited mobility, only one dining room, and would be difficult in a situation such as yours, with a developmentally disabled child.

    I can see that the different options and ship sizes are appropriate for different groups. It sounds like the trip worked well for you.