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Name: Suzanne Pech
Email: PechFamily@aol.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Homemaker
NumberOfCruises: 02
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-VikingSerenade
SailingDate: May 25, 1998
Itinerary: San Diego, Catalina, Ensenada
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 85
CruiseStaff: 85
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 85
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 70
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 75
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 05 Jun 1998
Time: 00:10:02
Remote Name: 152.163.205.237
Remote User:
Comments
This was a great cruise to get acquainted with cruising. My husband had never cruised
before, and my last cruise was in high school, so we were both relative
rookies.
We were pleasantly surprised by the quick service at check-in, and were thankful to the
veteran cruiser who suggested that we carry on our bags rather than
waiting for them to be brought to our stateroom. A few hours later, as we saw the bags
piled 8 high in the hallway, we knew this was the way to go.
The ship is very attractively decorated and the only place that I really noticed any wear
and tear was in the stateroom, where the bedspreads were getting a little
thin and the bathroom needed some serious updating. We saw these as very minor, however,
in light of the entire vacation.
We ate in the Aida dining room, which was beautifully decorated. We were main seating and
really enjoyed the people that were at our table. Kudos to the cruise
staff for the table placements! Our waiter, Porciano, was very attentive and friendly, and
contrary to other reviews that I had read did not push for the excellent
rating on the end-of-cruise comment card. We had a lot of fun with him and he seemed to
take our table's goofy humor in stride. When my husband's steak was
under-cooked, he corrected it immediately. Otherwise, the food was wonderful. We
especially enjoyed the Mexican Night, with some of the most delicious bread.
We didn't eat in the dining room regularly for breakfast, preferring to have a more
leisurely room service breakfast, but on Wednesday morning we did make it
out and about and really enjoyed the meal. We also enjoyed the lunches and getting the
opportunity to sit with other people (lunch seating is not assigned).
In San Diego, we took the Waterfront Bike Tour. It was a great trip, although quite a bit
longer than was advertised in the excursion listing. It was to be 8:30 to
11:30, but didn't actually get finished until 1:15. It was fine with us, because the
weather was great and we had some time to take a few short shopping breaks,
but one of the couples on the trip were quite upset by the schedule change.
In Catalina we didn't take a shore excursion, but rented a golf cart ($30 an hour) to
drive around the island. It was very fun and also a little more laid back and
relaxing than being obligated to a tour. We actually only spent about half of the time in
Catalina and chose to return to the ship for some poolside relaxation. It
was a great day.
Ensenada was an experience. We thought we were being quite clever by to take a cab to la
Bufadora (the blowhole) and shopping at the flea market, rather
than the inflated prices of downtown. After much haggling, we briefly returned to downtown
to find that the prices there were actually lower than what we had
paid. Ah Well! It was an experience in itself heading out to the market, and the blowhole
was beautiful. Ensenada is very poor, though, and I wouldn't want to
spend more than a day there.
After the Mexico experience we returned to the ship to play some bingo, going for the
jackpot that was close to $4,000. We didn't win, but had a great time
doing it.
All in all, this was a wonderfult trip and gave us the bug to continue cruising. I can see
that it is a fever, because many of the couples we met have gone on 10,
20 or 30 cruises. I think that this was the perfect trip to see how things work on a
cruise, learn what to pack (we packed WAY too much) and to see what
activities to look for on future trips. I would highly reccomend the Viking Serenade.
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