Radiance of the Seas vs Serenade of the Seas

The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas was built in 2001. It's 2 years older than the Serenade of the Seas, which was built in 2003.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Radiance of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 962 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. The Radiance of the Seas and the Serenade of the Seas are in the same class, which means they're sister ships. For the most part, they're similar in terms of size and layout; although they may have different features and attractions on board.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas holds about the same number of passengers as the Serenade of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Radiance of the Seas has the same amount of space per person as the Serenade of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Class	Radiance	Radiance
Gross Tonnage	90,090	90,090
Length	962	965
Beam/Width	106	106
Passenger Decks	12	12
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,143	2,146
Crew	894	848
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.4	2.5
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	42	42

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Radiance of the Seas has 16 different dining options like Giovanni's Table, Dog House, and Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks. Of those options, 9 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.

The Serenade of the Seas has 2 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table, and Windjammer. 8 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 6 have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Radiance of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 14% more dining options than the Serenade of the Seas.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas & Serenade of the Seas

	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Cafe Latte-tudes	✓	✓
Chef's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Chops Grille	✓	✓	Learn More
Dog House	✓	✗	Learn More
Giovanni's Table	✓	✓	Learn More
Ice Cream Parlor	✓	✓
Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks	✓	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
Park Cafe	✓	✓
Samba Grill	✓	✗
Windjammer	✓	✓	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas and Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas both have 11 bars to choose from during your sailing.

	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Casino Bar	✓	✓
Champagne Bar	✓	✓
English Pub	✓	✓
Jakarta Lounge	✓	✗
Lobby Bar	✓	✗
Pool bar	✓	✓
R Bar	✗	✓
Schooner Bar	✓	✓
Singapore Sling's	✓	✗
Sky Bar	✓	✓
The Colony Club	✓	✗
The Congo Bar	✗	✓
The Safari Club	✗	✓
Viking Crown Lounge	✓	✗
Vortex Nightclub	✗	✓
Zanzibar Lounge	✗	✓

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Radiance of the Seas and the Serenade of the Seas below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.

The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 3 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 1 of the hot tubs are adults only.

The Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Radiance of the Seas and the same number of hot tubs.

	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Total Pools	2	2
Pools - General Access	1	1
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	3	3
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	1	1
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	0

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On both ships, 70% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.

	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas	Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit Royal Caribbean's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

	Royal Caribbean
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$70 - $125 Learn more
Internet Plan	$17 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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