Escaping the Rat Race
Written: Mar 05 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Relaxing, Great food, Great service
Cons: Phone calls cost a zillion $$ (but who wants to call to the mainland?)
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| janesbit1's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Viking Serenade |
Say you've got a few hundred bucks to spend, and want to get away from the regular rat race for a few days … a cruise could fit the bill.
No freeway traffic, no computer staring back at you from the office, no kids (unless you choose to bring them), and no phone calls … just relaxing and experiencing the most incredible service you can imagine.
I've only gone on one cruise in my life, and that was the weekend cruise on the Viking Serenade as part of a business promotion with a few friends. I can definitely recommend this vacation. If you want to check out a pictorial representation of some of the highlights from that weekend, you can see them at http://bahai.freeservers.com/family/cruise99.html
Pre Launch
We arrived in the early afternoon and spent the time exploring the ship and eating the first of many meals. This time it was the afternoon buffet in the Windjammer Café - and it sure wasn't anything like Hometown Buffet! There was an international flair to it, and the waiting staff all were from different countries as well, just like in Moby Dick. (not really since there were young women there and the surroundings bordered on luxurious). I'm trying to remember what I had… I sampled a lot of things there and it was excellent-I do remember a Greek salad with feta cheese that was "to die for," as I returned for more of that and the best tasting grilled tuna I'd ever tasted. I wish I could duplicate the sauce since my green chili sauce over canned tuna just doesn't do the same for the palate.
* a caution: I'm not a drinker, so it wasn't a challenge to me… but anytime you are in one of the public lounging areas you will be approached to get cocktails and drinks, and these aren't free.
During the afternoon your porter or steward (not sure about those terms) will greet you and make sure all your bags arrive safely to your room and make sure that you have the itinerary of activities for the day.
To make sure that us Titanic watchers didn't get too paranoid, they had a drill on the deck where we put on life jackets and heard all the safety instructions. We looked pretty ridiculous, but it's the law I'm sure because across the way we saw a bunch of Carnival cruise line passengers all decked out with their orange swimming wear too. Be sure to show up for the drill because they take down numbers of cabins that don't show. I'm not sure what happens to the violators - perhaps a personal lecture by the captain or cleanup duty or whatever, but I didn't want to find out.
I made sure I took my Dramamine tablets before we set sail, but it was a smooth sea that evening when we took off from Long Beach. Some others on board who had had seasickness in cruises past were wearing magnets on their wrist and swore by them.
Dining
The highlight of every day was the evening meal, so don't miss this occasion. Each night has a special theme - French, Mexican, American, etc. - and the meal is an elaborate affair. You'll swear that the restaurant service you've had is really second rate after experiencing the cruise service. The waiters and assistants are beyond helpful! Where else will the waiters unfold the napkins and place them on your lap, or cut the grilled shrimp for you. They'll also exchange any food you don't like, bring additional entrees, and even make sure that you get extra matzo balls in your soup (I tested that one).
You can also try out dishes that you never have experienced before. After all, if you don't like it, they'll bring you another dish … and it's not going to cost you any more money. For me, I got to try something I had heard about in French I and thought sounded so yucky that I would never eat - escargots! They were great, and I'm looking forward to the next time I can eat them.
The waiters are also extremely friendly and make you feel like royalty with their personal service. I also recommend getting down for the regular breakfast as well; you'll find it is a bit more relaxing since many are sleeping in and you'll get to converse with your waiter a great deal more. Ours was from India and his assistant was from the Philippines-they stay aboard for about 6 months before taking a leave to visit back home.
If you miss any of the main meals, do not dismay … the Windjammer Café is open for buffets most of the day and evening. As they joke on the ship-you can come on as a passenger and leave as cargo.
And then there's the midnight buffet on Saturday evening. Get down early to take your pictures of all the vegetable and ice artistry - I especially liked the penguins they made out of hard-boiled eggs and olives. There's a long line to actually eat, but it's worth the wait.
Ensenada
On Saturday you are docked in Ensenada. You can choose a number of tours, just go into town, or stay aboard the ship. I went on the La Bufadora/Folklorico tour and am glad I did. La Bufadora is a rare blowhole phenomenon south of Ensenada that is surrounded by a myriad of flea market style shops. The blowhole is all right, but I found it interesting to view the poverty stricken countryside of the country. They have such beautiful weather with its climate very much like San Diego, but the public housing is only a step up from cardboard houses manufactured by the homeless in U.S. cities. I was also grateful to see the Folklorico dances and have the symbolism explained-there were some talented young dancers there, and they encouraged audience participation, Mexican style!
Royal Caribbean supplies you with a list of recommended shops and watering holes in Ensenada. This was very helpful. It looks like the locals are attempting to keep the area regulated, as I saw one policeman escorting a "chiclets" boy from the approved area.
Entertainment/Activities
There are several games, dances, and other activities during the cruise. Most are sparsely populated, but check out the things that interest you. Mostly people hang around the pool or on top and visit with beverage in hand.
There are also shows during the cruise of varying quality. We had two comedians who mostly joked about cruises and the tourist Mecca of Ensenada-the first guy was really good and the second had his moments. The same went for the revues. One was going through an embarrassing routine about past rock n' roll songs although I did think the guy who did the Tina Turner imitation was pretty clever.
I was hoping to do a little exercising on board the ship and was glad to learn that they had a fitness center ... until I saw it. The treadmills and machines were just in the hallway right outside the Windjammer Cafe, so all the buffet eaters could observe you before going in to gorge themselves for the next snack. How embarrassing, I thought ... so I just vowed to keep to the chicken and seafood dishes and non fatty items instead of working out.
There are also movies that run continuously. I'm not sure what all the choices were, but we did have Austin Powers II and The Matrix to watch occasionally.
Catalina Island
Some Baja cruises stop there. We just cruised around it, and around it, and around it, … and (you get the idea). It was so weird seeing the same scenery all day long. But they had told us that Sunday was our day at sea, so it was a day for relaxing. They were able to hook us up to direct TV, so we could catch a bunch of NFL games that day (sorry, any non-football fans who are reading this).
Actually knowing that we would be out to sea all day Sunday gave me the best night of sleep I've had in the past 10 years. With no concrete schedule to get to, I didn't set the alarm and let the gentle rocking of the ship lull me to sleep - it was better than a waterbed - very sound, and I slept longer naturally that I usually do and even missed the regular breakfast.
Overall
Be sure to go on top and check out the scenery while at sea. You may see a dolphin during the day, and the stars and moon over the ocean are incredible. Just one more way to escape from the regular routine.
The cruise experience on the Viking Serenade was memorable and affordable although I'm not exactly how much it does cost. The service is outstanding and everyone on the ship is doing all he/she can to make your cruise pleasurable. It's definitely a big break from the "real world."
Enjoy.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
janesbit1
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: John Nesbit
Location: Phoenix, Az.
Reviews written: 295
Trusted by: 283 members
About Me:
Watching movies and baseball, now reviewing at oldschoolreviews.com
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