Serenade Of The Seas

The 2003-built Serenade of the Seas cruise ship is the 3rd Radiance-class Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Jewel OTS, Radiance OTS, Brilliance OTS.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 2500-passenger ship Serenade OTS fits just within the Panamax measurements (with one foot on either side to spare). That means she, like her Radiance-class sisters, has maximum geographic versatility and might sail to and from just about any area. The versatility extends to the atmosphere onboard. The greatest strength of Serenade of the Seas is that the ship offers lots of options, from dining to amusement, and still remains a medium-sized vessel. Royal Caribbean carries through the layout of its Radiance-class ships approximately 3 acres of exterior glass, including glass lifts with ocean views.

Cruise itinerary program

Serenade of the Seas itinerary program is based on roundtrip Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale FL for the most of the year. RCI Serenade ship also sails in Northern Europe on Baltic Sea cruises from Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. Serenade of the Seas visits the Scandinavian countries and Russia, with Transatlantic repositioning crossings between Europe and Florida. Another destination is Canada with Fall Foliage voyages to New England from Bayonne, New Jersey.

Decks and Cabins

Serenade Of The Seas staterooms (1074 total, in 32 grades) include 61 Suites, 517 Balcony, 247 Oceanviews, 249 Inside (3 Single). Most cabins are sized 165-190 ft2 (15-18 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 45 ft2 (4 m2). The smallest is Studio Interior (110 ft2 / 10 m2). The largest is Royal Suite (1000 ft2 / 93 m2 plus 105 ft2 / 10 m2 terrace). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 19.

The boat has 13 decks, of which 12 are passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Reflections is Serenade's 2-deck high formal dining room. The focal point of its decor is the cascading waterfall. For dinner, guests can choose between assigned early or late dining, or opt for My Time Dining, in which you pick anytime between 6 and 9:30 p.m. Those passengers who opt for My Time Dining have to pre-pay gratuities. The Reflections restaurant operates under an open seating policy for breakfast and lunch. Food is delicious and offers a pretty good variety, including alternate menu items for guests on restricted diets.

Windjammer Cafe is Serenade's main buffet venue. It is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and informal dinner. Numerous stations serve up pasta, burgers, salads and sweets. Portofino and Chops Grille are ship's alternative restaurants. Chops is a steakhouse venue with an open kitchen. Enjoyable as Chops is, the real highlight of Serenade's onboard dining is Portofino with favourites including tiger shrimp risotto and spaghetti with lobster sauce. Both Chops Grille and Portofino levy a per-person service fee ($30 in Chops and $20 in Portofino).

Follows the complete list of Serenade of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Reflections Restaurant (1096-seat aft Dining Room, with two smaller private dining rooms: 30-seat Mirage and 102-seat Illusions)
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (638-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7:00-11:30 a.m., Lunch 11.30-3:30 p.m. and Dinner 6.30-9:00 p.m.)
• Chops Grille (95-seat speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Chefs Table (12-seat gourmet dining room)
• Park Cafe (deli restaurant; complimentary - serves the Solarium area)
• Izumi (Asian speciality restaurant)
• Rita’s Cantina (84-seat Mexican speciality restaurant).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

There is no shortage of entertainment onboard Serenade of the Seas. Cultural and educational courses like digital photography and wine tasting seminars are offered, along with horse races, blackjack tournaments, elaborate production shows in ship's Tropical Theater, and informal dancing in the atrium lobby. Those looking for more excitement have to visit the Vortex Disco on deck 13 (featuring a bar which spins), the spot for singles to congregate. The DJ plays everything from Top 40 rap hits to the Village People till late each evening.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Serenade of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Tropical Theatre (915-seat, features grand production shows with dance, acrobatics, comedy and games)
• Vortex Disco and Nightclub (126-seat; revolving bar)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery
• The Centrum (social hub, offers aerial acrobatics entertainment); Card Room; Next Cruise Lounge; Safari Lounge (320-seat, hosts religious services and auctions); Diamond Club and Lounge; Concierge Club (suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Nightclub
• R Bar (59-seat cocktail bar); Cafe Latte-tudes Bar (46-seat speciality coffee bar, Starbucks Coffee); Crown and Castle English Pub (sports bar); Vintages Bar (wine bar); Schooner Bar (74-seat piano bar); Sky Bar
• Centrum Boutiques (duty-free; clothes, perfumes, accessories, jewellery, logo souvenirs, General Store/alcohol and cigarettes)
• Casino Royale (258-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online centre (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 3 jacuzzis; 2 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Cafe Bar, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen; Cinema (53-seat)
• Video Games Arcade; Fuel Teen Disco club; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Beach; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Fairways of Serenade Mini Golf Course.

Serenade is one of Royal Caribbean's Radiance-class liners, with sisterships Brilliance, Jewel, Radiance. Serenade was completed in 2003 - built by Meyer Werft (Papenburg Shipyard). Vessel's godmother was the always charmingly smiling Whoopi Goldberg (US actress, Oscar winner). The naming ceremony was held in NYC on August 22, 2003. The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on August 25.

All Radiance-Class ships were constructed in compliance with Panamax standards allowing marine vessels to transit through Panama Canal. Serenade, along with all her sisters, has gas turbines instead of diesel engines. This makes them more fuel efficient, also reducing the emissions of harmful gases.

Serenade OTS refurbishment 2012 review

The list of deckplan changes after ship's drydock refurbishment in 2012 included:

• upgraded cabin amenities (flat TVs, bathrooms with shower floors)
• Jumbotron (huge poolside LED screen for movies / located close to the main pool on Lido Deck)
• new lounges (“Diamond” and “Concierge”)
• new gourmet dining options at an additional charge (“Giovanni’s Table”/Italian Trattoria, “Izumi”/Asian, “Rita’s Cantina”/Mexican, “Chef’s Table”/5-course dining)
• Nursery
• upgraded “Centrum” entertainment options (acrobatic shows, LED screens)
• “R Bar” (retro 1960s-themed, replacing the old Lobby Bar), “Vintages” Bar (wine), an English pub
• Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded to shipwide.
• Digital signage boards were installed.