Who has been on a Royal Caribbean cruise?

by philg

Readers:

I want to take my mom to Latvia, Lithuania, and St. Petersburg. Mom is 82 this year and she has some ancestors from Latvia for sure (originally from Spain but detoured through the Baltic countries). She is an art lover and has never been to Russia so St. Petersburg is a must-see. This is going to be added onto a July 20 wedding in Paris that I’m attending.

It turns out that Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas is visiting all of the above places (except Paris) at a convenient time. Has anyone been on this ship? Or a similar Royal Caribbean line? Mostly we just want a comfortable hotel that will take us from city to city and then let us poke around once there, ideally with good support for a person who is beyond her best walking years (but not wheelchair-bound). We don’t need a fabulous six-course meal every night or to drink more than a glass of wine per day.

I don’t think of myself as a “cruise person” and mom has never been on a cruise, I don’t think. Are we going to have a good time? There’s a crazy expensive cruise line doing a somewhat similar itinerary: Regent Seven Seas Voyager. Even if the price were the same I’m a little concerned about the smaller size of the ship. The monster Serenade of the Seas at least has enough space to walk around. Also the Royal Caribbean folks seem to have invested heavily in high-speed Internet, which is a plus considering that I will probably have to do at least some work.

Online reviews of cruises seem to include a lot of negative experiences, but I am wondering if this is volunteer bias. Or if these are people who are expecting more than we are (a floating hotel and some basic meals).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Note that my dad is not joining on this trip. He’s 86 and gets enough adventure driving around suburban Maryland…]

23 thoughts on “Who has been on a Royal Caribbean cruise?”

  1. One question is whether there is any place to sit quietly with a laptop and work or with a book and read? The web page on the ship makes it look like it is a 24/7 eating/drinking/dancing/shopping/gambling. Pictures from people on cruises 100 years ago show them sitting quietly in deck chairs reading books. Has that culture disappeared? People who want to do that have to rent some sort of huge suite with a private balcony big enough for a lounge chair?

    (what are the balconies on these ships anyway? Can you actually sit out there comfortably? Or is it just a place to stand with the cold Baltic sea air in your face?)

  2. I cannot comment on the Baltic cruises specifically, but at least until recently, getting off the cruise ship in St. Petersburg allowed one to visit it (at least for 24 hours) without getting a Russian tourist visa – a convoluted and expensive procedure.

    St Petersburg and its surroundings (not sure if they are reachable by cruise ship passengers) are beautiful in the summer and well worth the visit, IMHO. With the ruble having dropped by 50% compared to the USD, it is a relative bargain as well.

  3. Much as I’d like to read your impressions of such a cruise, since you’d need to fly Mum to Europe anyway, I’d travel directly to Vilnius, stay in a good hotel there, then proceed by first class train to Latvia (stay in good hotel there, too); onto St. Petersburg for 2-3 days. When you’re on a cruise, you have to follow their sightseeing routes and schedules at their pace. The cost ought to be about the same, and you’ll be much freer in what to see and where to eat, while of course experiencing the burden of that added freedom to choose at the same time.

  4. actually, for accuracy, Mom took an overnight cruise with your oldest nephew, then 4 yrs old, on the Nile near Cairo (and lo & behold, your brother-in-law’s boss and his wife were also on board apparently), and may also have taken a short Nile Cruise when she and her sister visited us in Cairo a year or so later. Mom was quite the intrepid traveler back in the day.

  5. I have been on Royal Caribbean ships a couple of times, although not the one you are researching. I have had nothing but great experiences with them.

    I think many first time cruisers think they will be bored on the ship, so they emphasize the activities, but if you are looking for quiet solitude, there are many locations on the ship where you can find that. There are usually quite bars with empty seating areas and many deck chairs overlooking the ocean not near the pools or entertainment areas. I often sit and read on my cabin’s balcony overlooking the ocean or port and find that peaceful.

  6. My (only) cruise experience was a 10 day Mediterranean on Norwegian last May. To your specific questions: Wifi: worked well even to our inside mid-deck cabin, but it was pricey. Floating Hotel/Food-Drink – given your modest requirements, I think you’ll be well-served there. Quiet places – there was a library, a large covered outside eating area at the Stern – which probably comes closest to your vision, and some lounge areas -but I don’t recall any chairs on the Port/Starboard decks – it definitely skews towards flashy entertainment. I would also echo ianf’s comments about the excursions – if they meet your goals, great. But there isn’t much opportunity to “go deep” if one is lacking. Typically – one port/day.

  7. You probably could concoct an alternative route with the cruise lines departing from Stockholm or Helsinki, but honestly your approach seems superior.

    Regarding the train option, I’m not sure what to expect with respect to standards. My one trip by Russian train, though so long ago that it was then known as the Soviet Union, was serviceable but rather basic. Do their trains have high speed internet these days? I hesitate to answer.

  8. My first and only cruise vacation was 6 years ago with Carnival Cruise Lines on a ship called Carnival Splendor which lasted 8 days visiting some 5 eastern Caribbean islands. It was a great experience and I would do it again. Yes, there is plenty to do on and off the ship and yes there are quiet places on and off the ship. Make sure to attend the evening shows, and the evening dinners.

    I had to use the internet few times, it was slow and pricey. Things may have changed now, but I would avoid it unless if you must.

    If you have not yet already found out, be aware that the price you see does NOT include a gratuities fee. They will hit you with it when you leave the ship when you get your final bill. It cost me $12 a person per night which can add up quickly if you are a family of 4 or more. Also, alcoholic drinks are expensive and not included (nor are soda or bottled water).

  9. Ianf nails a simple, far more free and easy path.

    My family did a cruise once, and meh.

    Also, there’s ‘boatloads’ of weird germs that get water-locked aboard, causing mini-pandemics.

    The main difference between a boat and jail is that you can’t drown in jail. It’s expensive to put everything you need on a floating mall. (I recently looked at what’s available for going down the mighty Mississippi; it’s ridiculously expensive)

  10. Thanks, Paul. I don’t think it is easy to change hotels a bunch of times! At least on the cruise once we are there we are there.

    I think the price is actually lower on international cruises than traveling any way other than youth hostel. The Mississippi trips are constrained because they need to use U.S.-registered boats with an American crew.

    The Royal Caribbean price for a basic cabin is less than $200 per person per day. I guess shore excursions and fees for Internet, etc., will add to that. Hotels and restaurants in most parts of Europe would cost more than that, no?

  11. What price (for the two of you)/ day + flight costs are you talking about? I’m sure top class hotels in the three cities + train travel would be less than that, and you’d be surrounded by more bohemian world travelers – perhaps not the backpack crowd, but young retiree couples. Cruise ships aren’t really meant for people intending to sit quietly aside and work in concentration on their laptops.

    BTW. The distances Vilnius to Riga, Latvia, to Tallinn, Estonia, to St. Petersburg are fairly short, and they are not in the Soviet Union, but in the Baltic republics, fairly modern cars, too (even if there is free WiFi in the first class, I wouldn’t count on having much work done while en route… there are other excitements aplenty).

    I’d go all the way by train to Tallinn/ Estonia, look around, then take e.g. this up to 72-hour visa-free cruise to St. Petersburg from there (there are both day- and overnight trips; plenty of competition), and Finnish the journey off in Helsinki – either by rail or by ferry.

    [I have not traveled on Royal Carribean, only been on one extremely soothing PRICY river cruise. I did however travel by 2nd class train from Tallin/ Estonia, to St. Petersburg – no complaints, but don’t remember about the WiFi].

  12. ianf, excellent suggestion on doing a hybrid trip – rail (or bus?) in the Baltic states to Tallinn, then a short cruise to St Petersburg.

  13. ianf: As noted above, the cruise is about $400/day for two people. The flight costs from the U.S. will be the same whether we cruise or stay in hotels and travel on land. It is tough for me to imagine how we could get to all of these places and stay in even average-quality hotels for less than $400/day. More important, executive management (i.e., mom) says that she likes the idea of unpacking once.

  15. I never did that line or Europe (although when we spoke to the crew members, they really liked working in Europe, so apparently the cruising is good there) I agree with the other posters, as long as one avoids the pool area or nightclubs in full party mode, there’s actually a surprising amount of peace and quiet to be found. Even budget cruises have pretty elaborate food available, and they’re very well equipped to deal with older passengers. (see http://www.snopes.com/travel/trap/retire.asp )

  16. I like the suggestion by ianf, but listen to your mom and do what she likes. Also, if you need to do work with wifi, then maybe the Royal Carribean will make life easier compared to running around hotels and having to deal with connection issues at each place.

    The 72 hour visa for St Petersburg sounds like the way to go. I think 3 days you will get to see most of what you want. Most important is to see the Peterhof Palace, Hermitage Museum, maybe the Amber Room, Church of the Savior and also don’t miss taking the subway at least a few times just to see how deep it goes (it is truly incredible!).

    If you need a longer visa, it is possible to do it by mail without going in person to the Consulate, but it will cost $$$ (and even more $$$$ if you want it done fast). I have done this regularly for years, but now will try with my Argentine passport (no visa required).

  17. I haven’t taken a cruise but I have seen the Baltic from the shore. In the middle of June it looked like the Atlantic on a bad day in February – angry, grey, churning and cold. I know that these cruise ships are enormous and have stabilizers, etc. but I notice that most people commenting here have cruised in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, etc. I would talk with people who have done this on the Baltic to see what they say.

  18. I don’t know about cruises, but DFW’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again is entertaining.

  19. I was in the Navy 6 years, lots of cruising. Not the same, I know. Now I’m 68 and feel 82. No amount of money could get me on a cruise ship: 1) I’m an introvert, crave solitude, 2) there’s nothing Royal about being at sea with 2,500 other passengers 3) ships are slow, airplanes are fast, there’s nothing to see at sea

    Listen to your mother. Explain the pros and cons without shading the truth. Then, listen to your mother.

  21. Cruised with my wife and two young kids several times on RC, as well as Disney and Carnival, all in the Carribean. RC was the best, a great experience every time. Great service, great kid’s club, no obnoxious drunks. Would recommend.

  22. I have taken a Baltic Cruise similar to the one you are thinking about. It was great. A cruise ship is all about herding hundreds of people around all basically wanting to do the same thing at the same time. It takes coordination, patience and the willingness to accept the fact you will feel like you are being herded at times.

    We did the St Petersburg tour through the cruise line, others booked through a local agency. No visas required if you go through a tour company. only if you go out on your own.

    You can have some solitude, but still, thre is only so much room to go around.

    If your attitude is a floating hotel with meals, you should be happy, Just remember, you are on their schedule.

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