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Ship comparison

American Serenade vs Viking Alruna

The verdict

Which should you choose?

American Serenade is an intimate American Cruise Lines ship carrying 180 passengers, in service since 2023. Viking Alruna is an intimate Viking River Cruises ship carrying 190 passengers, in service since 2016.

Choose American Serenade if you want a newer ship, better-rated staterooms or more cruises to choose from: it outscores Viking Alruna for staterooms (7.0 vs 6.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores, its maiden voyage was in 2023 (vs 2016) and it has 10 cruises on sale (vs 5).

Choose Viking Alruna if you want a more family-friendly ship, a lower starting fare or a better-rated spa and gym: it outscores American Serenade for family friendly (5.0 vs 2.0) and spa & fitness (6.0 vs 5.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and its cruises start from $2,499 (vs $4,255).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

American SerenadeViking Alruna
Cruise line American Cruise Lines Viking River Cruises
Ship size Intimate Intimate
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2023 (better) 2016
Gross tonnage 5,148 5,000
Passengers 180 190
Crew 43 50
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 4.2 3.8 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 28.6 (better) 26.3
Decks 5 4
Length 269 ft 443 ft
Beam 56 ft 55 ft
Speed 14 mph 17 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 9 / 10 (better) 8 / 10
Cruises on sale 10 5
Upcoming sailings 111 94
Cruise lengths 7 to 22 nights 7 to 11 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $4,255 $2,499 (better)

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. American Serenade leads on 1 of the ten, Viking Alruna on 4, with 5 level.

  • Active American Serenade: 7.0 Viking Alruna: 7.0
  • Adventure & nature American Serenade: 5.0 Viking Alruna: 5.0
  • Cultural American Serenade: 7.0 Viking Alruna: 7.0
  • Dining American Serenade: 6.0 Viking Alruna: 7.0
  • Entertainment American Serenade: 5.0 Viking Alruna: 6.0
  • Family friendly American Serenade: 2.0 Viking Alruna: 5.0
  • Party American Serenade: 5.0 Viking Alruna: 5.0
  • Romantic American Serenade: 7.0 Viking Alruna: 7.0
  • Spa & fitness American Serenade: 5.0 Viking Alruna: 6.0
  • Staterooms American Serenade: 7.0 Viking Alruna: 6.0

Questions

American Serenade or Viking Alruna?

Which is bigger, American Serenade or Viking Alruna?

American Serenade is bigger at 5,148 gross tons, against 5,000 gross tons for Viking Alruna. American Serenade carries 180 passengers and Viking Alruna carries 190.

Which ship is newer, American Serenade or Viking Alruna?

American Serenade is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2023 against 2016 for Viking Alruna.

Which has more space per passenger?

American Serenade, with 28.6 gross tons per passenger against 26.3 on Viking Alruna. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Viking Alruna, with one crew member for every 3.8 passengers against one for every 4.2 on American Serenade.

Which is better for families?

Viking Alruna scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 5.0 out of 10, against 2.0 for American Serenade.

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