Viking Serenade Calls at Catalina and Ensenada

Three-day round-trip cruises to Ensenada aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s renovated Viking Serenade are being offered at prices as low as $315 per person, double occupancy, for inside cabins.

Travelers in the Southern California area who do not need air transportation to and from the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro can take advantage of this low price during the line’s economy season, Nov. 29 through Dec. 20. Now through late September, however, during the peak season, prices start at $345 per person, double occupancy.

But unlike many “lowest-cost” cabins on other ships, the 10 cabins at these prices are brand-new and have two lower beds, color TV sets and handsome bathroom units with showers and pastel fixtures. They have almost as much space as more expensive cabins on higher decks.

The Viking Serenade recently expanded when two decks of cabins were installed in what was formerly a car-ferry deck. The ship now carries 1,514 passengers, up from 996. Also, the ship’s present capacity is double that of its major competitor, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Southward, which carries 752 passengers.

Both ships offer the same itinerary, with three-day sailings departing Friday evenings, calling at Catalina Island on Saturday and Ensenada on Sunday. The ships return to Los Angeles Monday morning.

On four-day cruises, both vessels depart Monday evenings and add a Tuesday call in San Diego before anchoring off Catalina on Wednesday and docking in Ensenada on Thursday, with a Friday morning return to Los Angeles.

The Viking Serenade, which last year made seven-day winter cruises to Mexico and spent summers in Alaska, replaces the Azure Seas, operated by RCCL’s subsidiary, Admiral Cruises. After being based in Los Angeles for nearly a decade, the Azure Seas was relocated to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in May.

When the Viking Serenade spent $75 million for renovations this past year, construction was between January and June, it added a teen club with its own dance floor, a disc jockey booth, video games and a soft drink bar, plus a new children’s playroom decorated in crayon-bright, pint-sized furniture. Children can now travel in the same cabin with two full-fare adults for $200 each on three-day cruises, $260 on four-day sailings.

Passengers should enjoy the ultimate in a seagoing singles bar (50 feet long) on an enclosed pool deck adjacent to the sunbathing areas and outdoor bandstand, where mariachi and steel-drum bands entertain during the day.

The gym and aerobics center, located between the pool deck and the expanded indoor-outdoor cafe, is a mirror-lined and window-walled “avenue,” offering a showcase for fit and trim bodies.

Food and entertainment are surprisingly good for the moderately priced level, and the service is very attentive from the multinational cabin stewards and dining room staff. Special attention and information is given to first-time cruisers.

Five new luxury suites with private balconies on the ship’s stern were also added in space previously occupied by officers’ quarters. Prices start at $945 per person, double occupancy, for a three-day cruise.

A new two-room Royal Suite fills the space of four former regular cabins, and provides a marble bathroom with oversized Jacuzzi tub, a separate bedroom with king-sized bed, and a living room with dining area, wet bar and a TV with VCR and CD player. Prices for this suite begin at $1,365 per person, double occupancy, for three days.

The lowest-priced outside cabins, with portholes instead of windows, are also brand-new, with prices that start at $565 per person, double occupancy, for a three-day cruise, and $595 for four days.

RCCL’s distinctive Viking Crown Lounge, a 144-ton circular glass-walled observation room and disco, was prefabricated in San Diego and afterward lifted to the top of the ship, where it was installed beside the funnel.

To take care of the additional passengers, a second dining room has been added, the ship’s indoor-outdoor cafe was enlarged and the public rooms were renovated. A multiple-use conference center was also added for meetings and private parties.

The ship’s conversion, at San Diego’s Southwest Marine Shipyard, was one of the largest ship renovations ever ordered from an American shipyard by a foreign-flag cruise line. But a series of delays and a mid-April work stoppage postponed the ship’s first sailing from May 17 to June 24. We were aboard June 21-22 on a preview cruise.

The major external changes were installation of portholes along the two new decks of cabins and a 10-foot elongation of the bow, giving the boxy former ferry a slightly more streamlined look. The addition was not for cosmetic purposes, according to Rod McLeod, executive vice president of sales, but to maximize fuel efficiency and speed.

RCCL’s initial entry into the port of Los Angeles was made in January, 1990, when it took over the Stardancer, then operated by its subsidiary, Admiral Cruises, and renamed it Viking Serenade. A second RCCL vessel, the 762-passenger Sun Viking, was repositioned to the West Coast in May to pick up the Viking Serenade itinerary to Alaska and the Mexican Riviera.

The line’s 1,390-passenger Song of America is also scheduled to move to Los Angeles on May 16, 1992, for year-round, seven-night sailings to the Mexican Riviera.

By the end of 1992, according to Richard Fain, president and chief executive, RCCL will be operating 11 ships on 32 different itineraries, including three of the largest cruise ships in the world. Sovereign of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas are each capable of carrying as many as 2,600 passengers.

A $99-per-person, one-day cruise aboard Starlite Cruises’ Pacific Star is available every day round trip between San Diego and Ensenada. Included in the fare are three buffet meals, a casino, a comedy club, live music for dancing, a Las Vegas-style revue, duty-free shopping, hot tubs, a sunbathing deck, a sports bar and feature films. Cabins are available at a surcharge of $45 to $65, and sit-down, a la carte meals are also available for a $20 add-on in a formal dining room.

Unlike many day cruisers, the 10,050-ton Pacific Star is similar to traditional cruise ships in size, decor and amenities. For more information, call Starlite Cruises at (800) 488-7827. For $119 per person, a package including an overnight stay at the Ramada Hotel Bay View in San Diego is available. Call Ramada at (800) 766-0234 for more information.

In late June, Seattle-based Society Expeditions canceled the 1991 season for its new Society Adventurer, which had been scheduled to debut earlier this month. According to Malte Kluetz, director of sales and marketing, disputed contractual and technical issues caused a cessation of the contract with Finland’s Rauma Shipyards, where the ship recently finished construction.