Radiance Review - Great ship, Terrible Pipes

[Aquahound]

Solarium:

 

 

Christmas in the Centrum:

 

[Aquahound]

Radiance in San Diego:

 

 

Entry to Colony Club:

 

[Aquahound]

Tendering in Cabo:

 

 

Baja Rhino Tour:

 

[Aquahound]

Old Men in Mexico:

 

 

[Aquahound]

Colima City Children:

 

 

Colima Volcano:

 

[cruisenfever]

Well.............NO! :D I have DH to take me along for the discount.

Gina

Aren't husbands wonderful!!:p

 

 

There is good to be said though. The ship lacked excessive partiers, and the vast majority of people had smiles on their faces. All in all, it was a very well behaved crowd.

See, us old folks do know how to behave ourselves!!:D

 

I do agree with you and Gina, it was a much more "mature" crowd on this cruise.

 

BTW, your pictures are wonderful Paul, thanks for sharing.

[jonbgd]

 

I want to see whales more than anything!! Still debating on where to try to do a tour to see them. I have heard Cabo is the place and then Puerta Vallarta. Did you get any feed back about the best place to catch them?

 

We are doing an independent tour in Acapulco and going to La Perla to view the cliff divers. Have you been there?

 

We actually saw whales while deep sea fishing in Mazanillo along with turtles and dolphins One actually breached and the skipper went whale chasing for a bit while our bait was drowning we did end up catching a dozen tuna and my GF caught a 7 1/2ft sailfish great value IMHO

 

I have gone to La perla several times You can sit in the restaurant and have drinks (must get there really early or have reservation or you can walk down the stairs for a good vantage point Alot better at night as they jump with fire

They do like the tips but they are on a schedule and will dive whether they get them or not My gf wanted a photo with them in their speedos so I gave them a couple bucks for them to pose for the phot with her

If you have never seen them I do recommend

[CruiserChloe]

Thank you for this review Paul. Your pics are great!

[Aquahound]

....and just 2 quick pics of the not-so-bright side of the cruise:

 

Floor fans in the hallway and room from flooding:

 

 

and my least favorite port; Acapulco:

 

[Driftwoodgal]

We actually saw whales while deep sea fishing in Mazanillo along with turtles and dolphins One actually breached and the skipper went whale chasing for a bit while our bait was drowning we did end up catching a dozen tuna and my GF caught a 7 1/2ft sailfish great value IMHO

 

I have gone to La perla several times You can sit in the restaurant and have drinks (must get there really early or have reservation or you can walk down the stairs for a good vantage point Alot better at night as they jump with fire

They do like the tips but they are on a schedule and will dive whether they get them or not My gf wanted a photo with them in their speedos so I gave them a couple bucks for them to pose for the phot with her

If you have never seen them I do recommend

 

Doc,

 

Thanks for the tips on the whales, congrats on catching all the fish. I am green with envy..... love to fish.

 

Did you eat at LaPerla? Have several on the tour that are afraid they will get sick if they eat there. Would you say the view is better from the stairs or the restaurant, if you have reservations?

 

 

Paul,

 

Thanks for letting me highjack your thread for a question. You have some great pictures. I didn't know they changed flags when they left port.

 

What kind of camera did you use for your photos? You got some great pictures.

 

I think I had the twin of your duckbill outside my cabin :) Sounds like a plane is taking off when they are on.

 

Did they let you go at your own speed on the Baha Rhino tour? Bet there was a grin under the bandana....

[jonbgd]

Doc,

 

Thanks for the tips on the whales, congrats on catching all the fish. I am green with envy..... love to fish.

 

Did you eat at LaPerla? Have several on the tour that are afraid they will get sick if they eat there. Would you say the view is better from the stairs or the restaurant, if you have reservations?

 

No on the food but I did like their Margaritas:D Up in the La Perla you are almost level on the height of some of the divers but are alot farther away

If you are able to walk down the stairs i liked it down half way so you are closer to the divers and the water

For food there is a restaurant walking distance from the ship it has great fish tacos and cheap beer about 5 min walk just get past the pushy cab drivers

[marci22]

I was wondering why so many loungers on the deck I thought it was for the Alaska Itinary and they were storing them there

Great they donate But what would Habitat for Humanity use them for?

 

Habitat for Humanity has stores where they sell donated furniture and household goods to make money for their program. My son volunteers at one.

[Aquahound]

 

Paul,

 

Thanks for letting me highjack your thread for a question. You have some great pictures. I didn't know they changed flags when they left port.

 

What kind of camera did you use for your photos? You got some great pictures.

 

I think I had the twin of your duckbill outside my cabin :) Sounds like a plane is taking off when they are on.

 

Did they let you go at your own speed on the Baha Rhino tour? Bet there was a grin under the bandana....

 

No problem Colleen. This is the perfect venue for your questions.

 

The camera isn't anything too fancy. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3R. We have two of them to prevent fighting over the camera. Here's DW taking a pic with hers:

 

 

The Rhino tour was a follow-the-leader deal through trails, over hills, and across the beach. It was mostly at full speed. We went several miles. And, oh yea, there was a huge grin under that bandana!! ;)

[Cruzaholic41]

Welcome back Paul. Radiance is a beautiful ship. It sucks that there are so many problems with the piping and flooding. I realize that you are pretty laid back but if I were you, I would kick and scream for some sort of compensation. Were there no other rooms they could move you to? Chops makes a great dinner, but that is not enough compensation for having your room flood twice and your toilet not flushing. Please let us know if there is any feedback from RCI.

[Driftwoodgal]

No on the food but I did like their Margaritas:D Up in the La Perla you are almost level on the height of some of the divers but are alot farther away

If you are able to walk down the stairs i liked it down half way so you are closer to the divers and the water

For food there is a restaurant walking distance from the ship it has great fish tacos and cheap beer about 5 min walk just get past the pushy cab drivers

Can you remember the name of the restaurant? Do they use (good ice) for the Margaritas? Sorry for so many questions. I am getting slammed about La Perla on my Roll Call thread. Tripadvisor has some real negative posts, including one that mentions Salmonella.

 

If you don't use the restaurant would you be able to use their bathrooms? Some people want to do the city tour and then just go down to the observation deck and pay $3.50 and not eat or drink at La Perla. I am sure they will want to use the banos, but I have been in countries that charge you to use their bathrooms. Any information you can give me would sure help.

[Driftwoodgal]

No problem Colleen. This is the perfect venue for your questions.

 

The camera isn't anything too fancy. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3R. We have two of them to prevent fighting over the camera. Here's DW taking a pic with hers:

 

 

The Rhino tour was a follow-the-leader deal through trails, over hills, and across the beach. It was mostly at full speed. We went several miles. And, oh yea, there was a huge grin under that bandana!! ;)

 

You are a smart man!! No fighting over the camera :D It looks like your wife is capturing it all. I am looking for a smaller camera, I have an older Nikon with an incredible built in lens. It is bulky and can get in the way at times.

 

I have no clue how to post pictures on the board.......could you post the steps on how to do it?

 

If you are ever in Cozumel look up the ships ATV tour. We were allowed to ride ours without a govenor on them. If it had been muddy we would have looked like we had been to mud baths. We had grins on our faces at the end of the tour. :D

 

Thanks for allowing me to ask questions about LaPerla. This was a group of 24 that is disolving quickly because of one Trip Advisor post. I just feel for the tour operator that I have involved in this. Nuff said!!

[cruise wizard]

Hi Patti - how are you doing? It's been a long time since our Radiance Alaska Members Cruise. We will be on Radiance for a B2B on 9/10 - 10/9/10 for the repo from Alaska to Tampa. We will be in 9584 (a wet room) for the first leg and then to an aft in 8170 for the Panama Canal segment. Have a wonderful Holiday and great cruising in 2010 and beyond. We did the 2 day pre-inaugural on the Oasis - WOW. Hope that we will cruise together again - the sooner the better.

[Aquahound]

I have no clue how to post pictures on the board.......could you post the steps on how to do it?

 

I don't know how to do it from saved files. Whenever I try it that way, they only appear as thumbnails. I save my photos on Webshots, an online photo website. If you are on Webshots, there is a link on each picture that says Link To It. You click that link, choose the picture size, copy the link, then paste the link here. That way, not only does it show the picture, but you can click on the picture for the rest of the album.

 

I realize that you are pretty laid back but if I were you, I would kick and scream for some sort of compensation. Were there no other rooms they could move you to? Chops makes a great dinner, but that is not enough compensation for having your room flood twice and your toilet not flushing. Please let us know if there is any feedback from RCI.

 

Hi Gina. They did offer me another room. They told me it was the only other room available. It was an aft balcony on deck 7. DW was first a little hesitant because she hates aft balconies (I know there are aft lovers gasping for breath right now ;)). We took the long hike back to the room anyways just to check it out. First off, the door handle was broken. Then, when we got in, we walked out to check the balcony. They must have been running the diesel because there was soot all over the place. Then, we checked out the bathroom. It smelled of sewage, which led me to believe the room either had a problem, or was going to. No thanks.

 

We hand picked our center hump D1 way back in January. Despite the flooding, we did not want to move unless we were happy with the new room. Besides, this was now day 8 with only 3 more to go. There were no upgrades available. Apparently, they had already been given away to others with similar problems.....and some who did not....

 

One lady brought her 18 year old son as a graduation gift. She was upset that he was not allowed to drink on board. She complained and Guest Relations upgraded her to a JS. No kidding!

[cruisenfever]

Hi Patti - how are you doing? It's been a long time since our Radiance Alaska Members Cruise. We will be on Radiance for a B2B on 9/10 - 10/9/10 for the repo from Alaska to Tampa. We will be in 9584 (a wet room) for the first leg and then to an aft in 8170 for the Panama Canal segment. Have a wonderful Holiday and great cruising in 2010 and beyond. We did the 2 day pre-inaugural on the Oasis - WOW. Hope that we will cruise together again - the sooner the better.

Hi Gary, how are you and Mary doing?

 

FYI............They anticipate that the replacement of all pipes and filtration systems should be completed before you cruise.

 

We had to decline our invite to the Oasis because of our 11/30th cruise on Radiance. Someday we may book a b2b on her.

 

Happy holidays.....................

[cruisenfever]

 

One lady brought her 18 year old son as a graduation gift. She was upset that he was not allowed to drink on board. She complained and Guest Relations upgraded her to a JS. No kidding!

OMG.......what some people won't do for an upgrade.:rolleyes:

[bajathree]

Hi Gary, how are you and Mary doing?

 

FYI............They anticipate that the replacement of all pipes and filtration systems should be completed before you cruise.

We had to decline our invite to the Oasis because of our 11/30th cruise on Radiance. Someday we may book a b2b on her.

 

Happy holidays.....................

 

 

Is this something they are doing while sailing or in a dry dock....and when is it due to be completed:confused:

[cruisenfever]

Is this something they are doing while sailing or in a dry dock....and when is it due to be completed:confused:

All work to replace all pipes and filtration systems is currently being done on all cruises until it is completed. Captain Anderson was not sure when that would be. It is a very tedious job and if they are going to do it right, it will take some time.

 

We had our water shut off one day while we were in port from 10:30 until 3:30 (we were in cabin 1066) while they replaced the filtration system on Deck 10 on the port side. Those systems are located between the wall panels in the hall ways.

[Driftwoodgal]

Paul,

 

Thanks for the photo information. I will have to try that, and yes I have a webshots account, but haven't used it in forever. I will have to see if it is still active.

 

Do you happen to remember what was served at dinner each night ( the theme) Wanting to eat at Chops at least one night.

[jonbgd]

Can you remember the name of the restaurant? Do they use (good ice) for the Margaritas? Sorry for so many questions. I am getting slammed about La Perla on my Roll Call thread. Tripadvisor has some real negative posts, including one that mentions Salmonella.

 

If you don't use the restaurant would you be able to use their bathrooms? Some people want to do the city tour and then just go down to the observation deck and pay $3.50 and not eat or drink at La Perla. I am sure they will want to use the banos, but I have been in countries that charge you to use their bathrooms. Any information you can give me would sure help.

Tacos and Beer is the name of the place near the ship not fancy but good right on the water with panoramic views of the bay You can see your ship from there

Ice is ok in the magaritas since alcohol kills all:DDont recomend the dining at La Perla

My GF did use the restroom last time and didnt have a problem I dont remember her being charged for the TP or leaving a tip to use it

I would agree with the group and do a city tour and then go watch the divers

La perla has gone down in quality over the years the first couple times I went their the food was good but they have gotten lazy about everything since then

[jonbgd]

One lady brought her 18 year old son as a graduation gift. She was upset that he was not allowed to drink on board. She complained and Guest Relations upgraded her to a JS. No kidding!

Hasnt it always been 21 and they got upgraded for that:confused:

Next time I have a complaint I want her doing my Negotiating:D