Serenade Of The Seas

Launched in 2003, Serenade of the Seas is the 3rd Radiance-class Royal Caribbean ship, together with Jewel, Radiance and Brilliance.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is an US company, trademarked 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 number of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All Royal Caribbean liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 90,090-ton, 2,501-guest Serenade of the Seas 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.

Cabins

Serenade Of The Seas has a total of 1075 cabins (of which 60 Suites, 517 Balcony rooms) in 24 grades. Most Serenade of the Seas staterooms are 160-190-sq.foot balcony rooms and 160-sq.foot insides (249). 19 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. The largest aboard Serenade of the Seas are the Royal Suites (1155 ft2 /107 m2).

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 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 favorites 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 specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Chefs Table (12-seat gourmet dining room)
• Park Cafe (deli restaurant; complimentary - serves the Solarium area)
• Izumi (Asian specialty restaurant)
• Rita’s Cantina (84-seat Mexican specialty 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 specialty 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, jewelry, logo souvenirs, General Store/alcohol and cigarettes)
• Casino Royale (258-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online center (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.

• Royal Caribbean's Serenade is one of the line's Radiance-class vessels. Her sisters in the RCI fleet are Brilliance, Jewel, Radiance.
• Serenade was completed in 2003 - built by the German shipbuilder Meyer Werft (in the Papenburg yard). The special godmother of the vessel is the American actress and Oscar winner - the always charmingly smiling Whoopi Goldberg. The special ceremony took place at the New York cruise port on the 22nd of August, 2003. The Serenade's maiden voyage began on the 25th of August 2003.
• All ships in Radiance-Class are 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 Of The Seas refurbishment 2012 review

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

• upgraded cabin amenities (flat TVs, bathrooms with shower floors)
• poolside huge movie screen
• new lounges (“Diamond” and “Concierge”)
• new gourmet dining options at 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.