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Ship comparison

American Serenade vs Viking Rolf

The verdict

Which should you choose?

American Serenade is an intimate American Cruise Lines ship carrying 180 passengers, in service since 2023. Viking Rolf 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 Rolf 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 4).

Choose Viking Rolf 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 $2,399 (vs $4,255).

Side by side

Specifications

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

American SerenadeViking Rolf
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 4
Upcoming sailings 111 87
Cruise lengths 7 to 22 nights 7 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $4,255 $2,399 (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 Rolf on 4, with 5 level.

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

Questions

American Serenade or Viking Rolf?

Which is bigger, American Serenade or Viking Rolf?

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

Which ship is newer, American Serenade or Viking Rolf?

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

Which has more space per passenger?

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

Which has more crew per passenger?

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

Which is better for families?

Viking Rolf 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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