VIKING SERENADE
January 2001 | Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
We sailed aboard Royal Caribbean’s Viking Serenade on a three-day cruise from Los Angeles to Ensenada in January 2001. These photographs show the ship docked in Ensenada during our visit, capturing a familiar part of Southern California cruising before she left Royal Caribbean’s fleet the following year.
Viking Serenade brought an unusual background to Royal Caribbean’s fleet. Built in France in 1982 as the cruise ferry Scandinavia, she combined passenger accommodations with vehicle decks before a later conversion turned her into a dedicated cruise ship. Her broad hull and distinctive upper decks reflected those origins, while the addition of Royal Caribbean’s Viking Crown Lounge gave her a recognizable feature of the line’s ships.
Information List
Ship Name During Our Visit: Viking Serenade
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International
Year Entered Service: 1982, as Scandinavia
Former Names: Scandinavia and Stardancer
Later Names: Island Escape, Ocean Gala, and Ocean Gala 1
Shipyard: Dubigeon-Normandie, Nantes, France
Original Ship Type: Passenger and vehicle cruise ferry
Length: Approximately 608 feet (185.3 meters)
Beam: Approximately 89 feet (27 meters)
Gross Tonnage After Conversion: 40,171 GT
Passenger Capacity: 1,512 passengers at double occupancy
IMO Number: 8002597
Cruise Ship Conversion: 1991, Southwest Marine, San Diego, California
Homeport During Our Cruise: Los Angeles, California
Final Fate: Scrapped at Alang, India, in 2018
History and Features
Construction and Early Service
Built for DFDS, the ship entered service in 1982 as Scandinavia on a route between New York and the Bahamas.
Her original design combined the accommodations and public rooms of a cruise ship with the vehicle capacity of a ferry.
She later operated on DFDS’s Copenhagen–Oslo route before moving to North American service as Stardancer.
Her ferry origins would remain visible in her proportions throughout her subsequent cruise career.
Conversion to Viking Serenade
A major conversion at Southwest Marine in San Diego was completed in 1991.
Former vehicle areas were converted to passenger accommodations and facilities for dedicated cruise service.
Deltamarin contributed engineering and design work for the conversion.
Changes to the upper decks included the addition of a Viking Crown Lounge and alterations to the funnel.
The conversion prepared the ship for Royal Caribbean’s short cruises from Southern California.
Design and Onboard Features
Her broad hull distinguished her from ships originally built solely for cruising.
The elevated Viking Crown Lounge became one of her most recognizable features.
Cabins and public spaces were adapted and expanded as part of her transition from ferry to cruise ship.
The resulting ship combined Royal Caribbean amenities with a layout shaped by her earlier service.
Service
Viking Serenade operated three- and four-night cruises from Los Angeles, with Ensenada a regular destination.
She became a familiar ship for travelers taking short cruises from Southern California during the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2002, she entered service with Island Cruises as Island Escape.
She later operated under Thomson before leaving mainstream cruise service.
Following further ownership and name changes, she was scrapped in India in 2018.
Our January 2001 Cruise
We traveled aboard Viking Serenade on a three-day cruise from Los Angeles to Ensenada.
The photographs in this post show the ship docked during our January 2001 visit.
Our cruise took place near the end of her Royal Caribbean career, before her move to Island Cruises in 2002.
Legacy
Viking Serenade demonstrated how a cruise ferry could be substantially rebuilt for a different market.
Her short itineraries offered many Southern California travelers an introduction to Royal Caribbean cruising.
Her career connected transatlantic ferry service, Scandinavian routes, West Coast cruising, and later European cruise operations.
