MS Serenade of the Seas

MS "Serenade of the Seas" is a member of the Radiance class of ships, belonging to the Royal Caribbean International fleet. The Serenade sails the Southern Caribbean during the winter and spring and cruises in Alaska during the summer.

Serenade of the Seas is a cruise ship that is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is registered in Nassau, Bahamas, and is a gas-turbine vessel. This system produces higher efficient speeds than other cruise ships, and emissions to the air are much lower than cruise ships powered by diesel engines. Serenade of the Seas is a sistership of the Radiance class, which includes Jewel of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas.

Serenade of the Seas was built at Meyerwerft Yard in Papenburg, Germany and completed her maiden voyage on August 25, 2003. The ship is 965 feet (294 m) long, 106 feet (32.3 m) wide, has a 28 foot (8.5 m) draft, and has a cruising speed of 25 knots (46.3 km/h). There are 12 passenger decks, serviced by 9 passenger elevators (6 of which are glass and either look over the Centrum atrium or outside the ship through a glass wall). The ship holds 2 490 guests and 891 crew. It is powered by two smokeless gas turbines, each able to produce up to 25.25 megawatts (33 860 horsepower) of power. There are a total of 1 055 staterooms aboard, 829 of which are ocean view, 589 of those have balconies.

Many services are offered on board. The ship has eight restaurants and eateries: Reflections, Illusions, and Mirage Dining Rooms; Windjammer Café (buffet style); Seaview Café (cook to order); Portofino Italian-style Restaurant; Chops Grille Steakhouse; and Latte'tudes coffee and snack bar. On the top decks are other services and amenities available to guests: the Day Spa and Fitness Center, Beauty Salon, Solarium (indoor, adults-only, pool area), half basketball court, rock-climbing wall, nine-hole miniature golf course, golf simulator, jogging track, three pools, and three whirlpools.

The ship hosts a 915 person theater (Tropical Theater), slots and table casino (Casino Royale), 15 bars (including one non-alcoholic bar in the teens-only Fuel Disco), the Safari Club, a library, two nightclubs (Fuel Nightclub for teenagers, Vortex for 18 and older), a cinema, and an arcade. For children there is a day camp, a small pool area with a water slide (Adventure Beach), and the Adventure Ocean Youth Area.

On board there is a conference center, and the ship hosts wireless internet connectivity at a charge of 55¢ per minute in most public spaces. Guests can also access the internet through the "royal caribbean online" Internet Center or through a cable connection in their state rooms. The ship also contains many shops, a photo and art gallery, business center, and medical center. [ [http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/pdf/fastfact_sr.pdf Serenade of the Seas Fast Facts; retrieved 14 January, 2008]

References

ee also

* Royal Caribbean International
* Radiance Class of Ships

External links

* [http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do;jsessionid=00003zbl9tgnVSvuVl7SMpolKUK:10ktmeta1?br=R&shipClassCode=RD&shipCode=SR Official Serenade of the Seas page] on RoyalCaribbean.com
* [http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=282 Cruise Critic review]
* [http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals/savvy_ship_visits/2008/rci_serenade_of_the_seas_alaska_508 Serenade of the Seas ship photos and menus] from May 2008