The Radiance in Pictures - A Pictoral Review

[Aquahound]

I recently did an Oasis picture review that seemed to go over pretty well, so I figured I would do something similar with my 11/27 Radiance cruise. Please be patient. It takes a while to make a post full of pictures.

 

Here goes...

[BillOh]

Is it done yet?:D

[cruisenfever]

Oh, this should be good.:) OK, I'm waiting!!

[Aquahound]

Here it comes, Bill. ;)

 

Sorry for the dely. CC locked up on me.

 

Anywho...this was my first time sailing out of Tampa. It's nice and intimate, but the terminal is small. Parking in the garage is $14/day, but it is a little bit of a walk. I used valet parking for the ease of it. For my 5 night sailing, it was $85.

 

Not to start a tip debate....we know how those are going....but valet Shawn, if you are reading this, I would have tipped you more had you not demanded a tip before I even handed you the keys to my car. Nuff said.

 

Boarding started right at 11. Suites and P/D/D+ do get priority embarkation here.

 

Sorry folks, but the pictoral review will have to be put on hold. There is a problem with Webshots right now. In the meantime, I'm happy to answer questions.

[Aquahound]

In the meantime, I'll share a bit of pre-cruise luck. I booked this sailing 1 month out at a cost of $309 for a GTY balcony. Subract D+ discount and the price came down to $247 pp. We were assigned room 8140.

 

One week before the cruise, I received an e-mail from RCI saying my documents were ready. I opened the new invoice and to my delight, the C&A upgrade fairy visited. I was upgraded to GS 1050.

 

Add in the December event, and this 5 night sailing brought about 3 cruise credits. Gotta love it.

 

Thanks RCI!

[Aquahound]

Ok, here we go. Lunch was in the Windjammer. I love Radiance Windjammer because there are always tables open...between the inside and outdoor seating areas. This is how they greet you...with food!

 

[QTMichele]

Patiently waiting... :)

 

Looking forward to seeing your review. :D

[Aquahound]

After lunch, we walked around the ship. Here is the Centrum. They were decorated for Christmas:

 

 

Here's a picture looking up. The area at the top is the Crown and Anchor Lounge where the lovely Cecilia works. That center glass piece is interesting to look down when up there.

 

 

And here is a view looking down at the massive art piece:

 

[Aquahound]

We wandered the ship a little. Here is the Schooner Bar:

 

 

[Aquahound]

Walking through the Schooner Bar, you come to the Colony Club. This is where all the nightly non-theater events take place.

 

Here is the entrance:

 

 

And here is shot inside. On a side note, if you look at the ship's deck plans, there is a card/game room in here. During the upcoming dry-dock, that area will be the Chef's Table.

 

[Aquahound]

This was one of my favorite parts of this cruise....going to my very first GS! Here is our room (GS 1050):

 

View From Balcony:

 

 

View From bar area:

 

 

TV and Stereo set-up:

 

[Aquahound]

The balcony was narrow, but had nice furniture:

 

 

 

The lovely Mrs. Aquahound:

 

[Aquahound]

We left the dock at 5:00. I loved sailing out of Tampa because it gives a different perspective. You sail down a river before getting to Tampa Bay. For anyone wondering, leaving the dock at 5 puts you under the Skyway Bridge at 7:15. I do not have any pictures of that because we were at dinner.

 

Lowering of the RCI colors for getting underway:

 

 

Captain Ole in the starboard bridge wing:

 

 

The Radiance of the Seas mast and horns. I took this picture because I got a chuckle out of the little heads popping up on the upper decks:

 

[Puffinater]

Great stuff. Thanks for doing this again.

[Aquahound]

As of our cruise, Radiance still used a separate card for access to the concierge lounge. The very lovely and very sweet Ms. Georgina, our concierge, said they should be going to the SeaPass any time now.

 

Her is the CL. It's a bit small, but very comfortable. We always went in after 6 to avoid the mad rush. Another side note, according to Georgina, the CL is moving up to the Hollywood Odyssey int he Viking Crown. A Diamond Lounge is to be built opposite it on the starboard side of the Viking Crown.

 

[Aquahound]

Our first sea day was very overcast and there was some rain later in the day. No worries. We had no plans to lay on the main pool deck anyways.

 

 

[Aquahound]

But we did put in some time in the jungle themed Solarium:

 

 

[goouchjac]

Walking through the Schooner Bar, you come to the Colony Club. This is where all the nightly non-theater events take place.

 

Here is the entrance:

 

 

And here is shot inside. On a side note, if you look at the ship's deck plans, there is a card/game room in here. During the upcoming dry-dock, that area will be the Chef's Table.

 

 

Great photos,,brings back so many memories,,,Do they still have the floating pool table in the Colony Club???

[Aquahound]

There was a lively party on the pool deck that night with plenty of food and dance music:

 

 

 

[Aquahound]

A few more night shots:

 

 

 

[BILL-WI]

Bring it on Paul. I love the Radiance class ships and your reviews always tell a great story. Wonderful photos!:):)

 

The upgrade fairy did a very nice job for you!:)

 

BILL

[Aquahound]

Great photos,,brings back so many memories,,,Do they still have the floating pool table in the Colony Club???

 

Yes, they did. They have 2 of them:

 

 

Oh, and how can I forget the globe at the entrance....

 

 

Or the row of slanted windows at the back....

 

[ASeaPrincess1]

I love all your pictures and stories. Thank you.

See what good Karma gets you????:D

[Aquahound]

Day 3 was in Cozumel. We only got off the ship for a little while to just walk around the plaza right there at the pier.

 

I'm sure most people know that if you want to buy jewelry, you should do it at a reputable place. I have a lesson for those who don't, and don't really know their jewelry. At the pier, there is a stairway leading up to some shops. We went to the shop all the way on the left. DW found a ring she really liked. The shop owner/worker/whatever he was told us it was white gold. DW asked a price and he told us $350 dollars. DW looked at it and noticed it was stamped 925 inside. That's silver. When confronted, he suddenly no speaky. It makes me wonder how many people fall for this stuff.

 

Anyways, we took a few ship pics and got back on.

 

Here we are...a couple of dorks...posing behind the ship:

 

 

Starboard side hump and balconies:

 

 

[Aquahound]

I love all your pictures and stories. Thank you.

See what good Karma gets you????:D

 

Thank you. I hope it continues. Allure is next! :D