Royal Caribbean International

MV Viking Serenade

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Operator: Royal Caribbean International
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1982 / 1991
Length / Tonnage: 607 / 40,132
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 757 / 1,512
Officers / Crew: Norwegian / International
Operating Area: California and Baja Peninsula
Telephone / Fax: Tel 110 3132 / Fax 110 3132

The American songwriter Harold Arlen said it in a mouthful....."You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative..." Royal Caribbean International, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, is a true success story in the shark eat shark world of modern day cruise ship operators.

It all started with a dream of some experienced Miami shipping men and it came to reality through the hard work and unchanging visions of a second generation. It's hard to imagine when you look at ships like the Viking Serenade and consider that her owners are expecting a pair of twins that will come in at some 89,000 TONS MORE THAN THIS 40,000 TON SHIP that it all began with 5000 rust buckets like the 1927 built EVANGELINE and YARMOUTH. Veterans of short haul coastal trades linking Boston and New York with Nova Scotia, these ships ended their careers in the three and four day market along with fellow veteran, the FLORIDA of 1930. These were the ships, with their $54.00 per person minimum fare for the three nighter (and actually, in terms of buying power, a three night Florida to Bahamas cruise is cheaper today!!!) to the Bahamas that began it all...the successful regular cruises from South Florida, which was and is a style of cruising fundamentally, though certainly not totally, different than routine cruises from New York, the west coast, or Europe. The idea of cruising from South Florida quickly began to attract increasing numbers of vacation seekers, happy to begin a cruise in warm weather and relieved to avoid sailing past often ferocious waters off Cape Hatteras.

Putting together a consortium of three Norwegian shipping companies, men like Ed Stephan got Royal Caribbean going in 1970, when they took delivery of the first of their new breed, the SONG OF NORWAY. She was followed the next year by the NORDIC PRINCE and their identical sister, SUN VIKING brought up the rear in 1972. Admittedly, the old guard, used to a wide range of public rooms, cabins of various sizes and decor, and European hotel crews, did not quickly take these ships to their bosom, and veteran cruise passengers fond of the stricter formality of another style stayed away. I still don't know anyone who liked their "ravioli sized" cabins.

The Viking Serenade is the only ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet that was not originally designed and built for the line. She was originally the SCANDINAVIA, built in 1981 for DFDS Lines for deployment on an unsuccessful cruise ferry service from New York to the Bahamas, where passengers and vehicles were transferred to other ship for their intended destinations, North or South Florida. She had accommodation for 1606 passengers and 530 cars....all of them looked after by a crew of 350. In 1984, following the demise of this coastal experiment, she was sent to Denmark for overnight service between Copenhagen and Oslo. That November, she was sold to Sundance Cruise Corporation for spring, 1985 delivery to California. First came an interesting refit by Blohm and Voss yards and she emerged as the STARDANCER, a replacement for the Sundance Cruises stricken pioneer ship, SUNDANCER. She was known as a deluxe alternative to the the Alaska State Ferry System.....she carried cruise passengers and autos or campers as far north as Skagway during the summer.....and as far south as Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the winter. When Royal Caribbean purchased her from Sundance Cruises in 1990, that young cruise line disappeared from the scene.... many more lines would come under the sway of the big players. Renamed Viking Serenade, the ship began 1991 at Southwest Marine Company's San Diego shipyards, being enlarged to 40,1432 gross tons.... they effected extensive renovations to her interior.....balconied cabins added aft, the line's signature Viking Crown Lounge was constructed aft of her funnel.....and the car decks were built out, replaced by rooms for several hundred additional passengers. Using every bed and berth, her capacity is now 2104, and she has a crew of 610.

It is always our intention to provide an individual review for each ship. However, there are not enough differences between this ship and her fleetmates to warrant such, and all comments made from our reviews of say, MAJESTY OF THE SEAS are equally valid for this ship....because Royal Caribbean International wants it that way. They want you to remember the company, but not a specific ship. A cruise and not a unique travel experience. That said, TravelPage readers can understand why our reviews for other new and newish Royal Caribbean ships read so similarly.

Not so long ago a ship's uniqueness was best identified by the crew......notwithstanding the occasional eccentric passenger or those who stood out in the crowd, the crew brought their home countries with them....so a Greek crewed ship made you feel as if you were in an Athenian taverna, an Italian ship sent your mind off to enchanting Venice, and a French crew had you humming La Marseillaise. The Viking Serenade has a international crew....so there is no pervading atmosphere at all. It's a modern hotel, nothing more, nothing less. So benign is the ambience that most of your fellow passengers will not remember the name of the ship within two years of taking the cruise.

Given the right cabin location, you'll sleep comfortably. If you have a choice, avoid cabins too far forward and too far aft, as they have a tendency to vibrate or waddle in a rough sea. Consider that the Viking Serenade is very light in the water, considering her size, and a few large waves or deep swells will have her moving like a pig. Cabins just below or adjacent to public rooms with musical entertainment can be noisy.....and there's no way to turn off the music until the performers are done.

The entertainment is Las Vegas style.....and it's probable at least one of the musicians will appeal to you. Much of it is digitally enhanced, on occasion lip synced, and in some lounges just too loud....but it's professionally choreographed, it's pretty to look at, and if you're not in the mood to gamble, shop or watch a movie, it's something to do at least. But for the most part, you won't come away from it thinking "Gee, that was really special....I'll never forget it".

The food is banquet quality.....reasonably good ingredients, but prepared en masse and designed to appeal to everyman's taste.....so if excellent food is your priority, try to choose items that sit well on steam tables for hours on end.....the simpler, the better. You can still order anything you desire, and if you don't like what was served the first time around, your server will get you something else. But notwithstanding medical dietary needs, special orders may be more nuisance to you than they're worth.

She looks like a giant shoe box.....she was the first apartment block at sea I'd seen. We used to watch her make her turn south after clearing San Pedro's breakwater.....she would list heavily to port....we'd giggle. But that observation isn't enough to keep me from sailing on her.....because for a three or four day getaway from Los Angeles, she's great! She has comfortable accommodations, capable food and friendly service, and she gives that seven day cruise feel.

The lounges and bars on the Viking Serenade aren't spectacular, but they serve their purposed capably. Large windows to either side and facing aft are a bonus, as the cruises on Viking Serenade rarely venture from sight of land. All the public rooms are located aft, stacked wedding cake style.....hopping from one room to another is easy with strategically placed elevators. As with Royal Caribbean's larger ships, Viking Serenade has a show lounge, a large night club, a well equipped casino, the popular intimate Schooner Bar, and the Viking Crown Lounge. In fact, Viking Serenade has, on a smaller scale, most everything the Royal Caribbean megaships have except the "requisite" atrium, or as they have dubbed it, the Centrum.

Because space on board has been used effectively, with no gaping holes from deck to deck, Viking Serenade seems, on first sight, more cramped than her fleetmates.....but once at sea, you'll notice you'll get by just fine without the shopping mall look. Because you'll be on a short cruise, you may find more line ups......more crowding for shows, casino seats, and deck chairs, than on a more leisurely seven day run. In fact, Viking Serenade has just barely enough outside deck space to accommodate everyone. During balmy weather, sunseekers are advised to hope that fellow passengers will find bingo and indoor activities more intriguing....either that or be prepared to homestead outdoors early in the morning!

The dinner service was leisurely, personable, and a pleasure. Though not a concern to everyone, the quality of the food has slipped......all of it was edible, but exciting it was not. The sommelier we had deftly navigated us through the wine list. Given the choice, opt for the smaller Aida Dining Room. The food there is the same as what's served in the Magic Flute Dining Room, but the atmosphere is quieter. The Windjammer cafe offers a limited but capable breakfast and lunch.... During lunch, there's a choice of five hot entrees with a "roast du jour". .From 6:30pm to 9:30pm, the cafe offers casual dinner dining. Much of the limited outdoor deck space has been given to the Windjammer....al fresco dining is great option on this ship.

I'm a man who thinks that a great dinner party is one with 50 Benedictine monks who've pledged silence, so I wasn't looking forward to an RCI dining tradition....singing waiters...but I've been foiled again....because on this cruise ship, the singing works, and in fact, it's a welcome vote of good cheer to all....there were no sappy speeches coming from a lounge lizard cruise director, inviting us to drown ourselves in overactive tear ducts for our cruise had come to a close.....there weren't any cues to put our arms around our table companions and pledge eternal friendship....and blessedly, there were no insistent instructions to clap ourselves silly for waiter, busboy, pastry chef.... their parents, grandparents, and so on and so forth. And when the waiters did sing, it never disrupted the service...it was cute, quick and lots of fun.

The cabins.....all eleven grades of standard rooms.....are identical except for size of window, porthole or lack of any view. Each cabin has two twin beds, set side by side but separated by a small dresser, a television, and phone. Of course, each comes with a private bathroom with shower. The cabins are "cozy".....they're but a place to sleep. Whether you select an inside or outside cabin, it's a waste of money to consider any cabin type other than the minimum priced.....some of the highest priced standard cabins are located over a dance floor and bandstand....the Royal Suite is underneath the Windjammer Cafe....so shelling out the big bucks will not ensure quiet.

Category "D", a superior ocean view "stateroom", has significantly more space....but your choice of view is limited to the promenade deck or lifeboats. There's something wrong with the location of almost all the premium accommodations on the Viking Serenade....category "C" suites have lifeboat views, category "B" suites, recommended for their private balconies, are situated aft.....a bit of a vibrating ride may jar the occupants....and the Royal Suite, a pleasant enough nest with a living room, wet bar, bedroom, walk in closet, and whirlpool tub, has a most unfortunate location, as previously noted. Only the category "A" owners suites have a good address....as STARDANCER, these were the only two suites on board, and have a living room, king size bed and large windows.

Anyone who wants lots of action, good night life, and doesn't mind living in a shoe box of a cabin....should be pleased with the Viking Serenade. I saw all age groups, many nationalities, many income brackets....everyone seemed to have a great time. It's my opinion that whenever a ship carries this many passengers, you're bound to find pleasant company. I do offer this caveat....if your primary concern is formal service, you should consider looking elsewhere....pretension does not go over well on this ship.

Year round three night cruises depart the port of Los Angeles on Friday evenings for Ensenada, Mexico and a day at sea. Monday sailings, four nighters, have no sea day, but call at San Diego, Catalina and Ensenada. Oh yes....a word about Royal Caribbean's "recommended" shops in port....in Catalina, anyway, shopkeepers pay the line about $125.00 a week to be included in this select group.

Los Angeleans love the Viking Serenade....and for good reason....during the off season, Royal Caribbean often offers attractive rates and these cruises are a terrific weekend getaway. Four day cruises are sometimes less money than the three day trips. There's even parking at the pier to eliminate the fuss of getting to and from the ship. For out of towners, Viking Serenade can be a fun part of a week's trip to the Southland. Royal Caribbean offers a number of hotel packages to combine Hollywood, Disneyland or Long Beach visits with your cruise. The downside of a Royal Caribbean cruise (or most any other cruise nowadays) are the extras.....casino, bar, shopping, spa, tips......what might begin as an affordable weekend jaunt can end with a jaw dropping tab. And if it's not something you're willing to pay for, it's unlikely you'll find someone willing to bring it (outside of the dining room). Even in the cabin, should you order continental breakfast, the room service gang expects at tip.

During the off season, deals are also out there for seven night cruises from Los Angeles....and you'll find, in many cases, the difference in price between a weekend three night cruise and a seven night cruise to be closer than you'd imagine. So shop around a bit.....but if you make Viking Serenade your choice, you ought to be satisfied.