Radiance Cruise - 6/10/11 to 6/17/11

[duncanmaria]

Does anybody else find it puzzling that this ship just went through dry dock and the plumbing issues weren't fixed?

[rclibertygirl5]

Did you notice whether there were times that they allowed children in the solarium to swim?

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

 

Pictures are here, and include some stuff from Vancouver: http://badgerfbfantravelpics.shutterfly.com/

 

WOW!! :eek:

 

You have quite a few stunners there!! What kind of camera did you use (you sound like a guy who has the best ;) ... I am a little jealous :o) I would have never been able to capture those porpoises. (So gorgeous!)

[Rockfordcruiser]

Some further clarification and stuff...

 

Mommabean (and other posters) are correct. A portion of the Staquest was sectioned off for the Diamond Lounge. I's old school, and remember the old "Viking Crown Lounge", so that's what I was calling it (obviously, incorrectly).

 

The interactive TV did not have the ability when we were onboard to make reservations for the specialty restaurants. In fact, the channel with the map showing the ships position was not functional until the 3rd or 4th day.

 

There were some contractors on board (installing some new flat screens in some of the common areas), but that's a regular occurence on many ships. Speaking of flat screens, they have touch flat screens on each floor, with interactive maps, what to do right now, menus for restaurants, etc. Pretty cool!

 

Mostly, the venues were the only new things. Carpet, drapes, etc. in the cabins were not changed (except the new flat screens in the cabins). But nothing was really worn down.

 

The new Quill & Compass (where the old Scoreboard sports bar was) is now a dark wood English pub. One annoyance to a non-smoker: they allowed smoking in this lounge (at least while we were there). Left after one drink.

 

The outdoor TV was running all the time - sometimes with a "screen-saver" type pattern, other times with music videos. There are speakers on either side of the screen (I'd guess it's 25 feet by 15 feet or so, LED technology). But it was fun watching the Stanley Cup Finals poolside. There were a few movies, but I didn't go watch them - I went to see the events mostly.

 

Pictures are here, and include some stuff from Vancouver: http://badgerfbfantravelpics.shutterfly.com/

 

Thanks for the pics.....:)

[Coralc]

Great photos! They still have the seagull plaque...and it looks like it's prettied/painted up. :D:):D They still need to paint those eagle wings browner, instead of grayer, though.:rolleyes:

 

Question then...do they still have the totem pole in fron of the Sky Bar? We wouldn't miss it...but wondered if it is still there. :D

 

Bill thinks it's a translation thing...seagulls and eagles do sound very similar. :-) :-)

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

Where was that pic of the seal on the ice taken? (I forgot to ask before)

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

Great photos! They still have the seagull plaque...and it looks like it's prettied/painted up. :D:):D They still need to paint those eagle wings browner, instead of grayer, though.:rolleyes:

 

Question then...do they still have the totem pole in fron of the Sky Bar? We wouldn't miss it...but wondered if it is still there. :D

 

Bill thinks it's a translation thing...seagulls and eagles do sound very similar. :-) :-)

 

I'm wondering if the OP could tell us where the plaque is now.

The other thing I see in his pics is the fact that the new lights in the centrum don't look too bad. Very blue but not too bad. I wonder how other colors or multi colors look?

Thanks for the pics they are really nice.

[BadgerFBfan]

Camera we used was a Nikon D5000 with a 300mm telephoto lens. Wish I could take credit for the pics, but the majority of them were taken by my 13 year old son. Maybe a career in the making??

 

Totem pole is still in front of the Sky Bar.

 

They did have regularly scheduled swim time for families in the Solarium. Usually a couple hours late morning/early afternoon.

 

Picture of the seal was taken near Hubbard Glacier. Hope the little guy makes it!!

[Disneygirl78]

I'm curious about whether they have replaced the shower curtain with the sliding door used on other ships, like the Serenade?

 

Thanks for the review. I'm disappointed that there are still problems with the sewage/plumbing smell! In July we'll be just a few cabins down from where you were, and it sounds like that might still be an issue. I'd thought this was why they pulled the ship for dry dock in the first place.

 

Also can't believe they allow smoking in the British pub. It's not even authentic - the Brits don't allow smoking in the real thing!

[cruisenfever]

Some further clarification and stuff...

 

Mommabean (and other posters) are correct. A portion of the Staquest was sectioned off for the Diamond Lounge. I's old school, and remember the old "Viking Crown Lounge", so that's what I was calling it (obviously, incorrectly).

I am going to have to disagree with Gina and others in reference to the VCL. Up until the ship went into dry dock, there were 3 lounges on Deck 13 and they were the VCL, the Hollywood Odyssey and The Starquest.

 

The new Diamond Lounge was incorporated into part of the VCL that has the revolving bar. The Starquest Lounge is much smaller room and is not located in the VCL.

 

All the old deck plans and new deck plans and even the credit card fold out map that I have all identify VCL and Starquest as separate lounges.

[BadgerFBfan]

They still have the anoying shower curtains (with water ending up all over the floor if you're not careful!).

[cruisenfever]

I'm curious about whether they have replaced the shower curtain with the sliding door used on other ships, like the Serenade?

 

Thanks for the review. I'm disappointed that there are still problems with the sewage/plumbing smell! In July we'll be just a few cabins down from where you were, and it sounds like that might still be an issue. I'd thought this was why they pulled the ship for dry dock in the first place.

 

Also can't believe they allow smoking in the British pub. It's not even authentic - the Brits don't allow smoking in the real thing!

Replacing the shower curtains was never in the dry dock budget. Just adding flat screen TVs which was probably less expensive as well as quicker to install.

 

Repairing the plumbing problems on Radiance has been an ongoing project for the last 2 years while she was in service and that was not the main reason for her recent dry dock.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Camera we used was a Nikon D5000 with a 300mm telephoto lens. Wish I could take credit for the pics, but the majority of them were taken by my 13 year old son. Maybe a career in the making??

 

Totem pole is still in front of the Sky Bar.

 

They did have regularly scheduled swim time for families in the Solarium. Usually a couple hours late morning/early afternoon.

 

Picture of the seal was taken near Hubbard Glacier. Hope the little guy makes it!!

 

 

Your pictures are fantastic! Your son definitely has a talent in photography.

 

***

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Showers still has the shower curtains! Unbelievable!!!

 

What did they do to the Centruim? Neon lights? :eek: To me it looked a bit on the gaudy side!

 

Edit to add.....also hard to believe they didn't change out the drapes, most are sun dried out and even have holes in them. Our last cruise the drapes had such a terrible odor.....like an old smoke smell...the sheers were shredded in places. They need to be replaced. Hopefully thats something they can do soon!

 

***

[CVU]

Some further clarification and

 

The new Quill & Compass (where the old Scoreboard sports bar was) is now a dark wood English pub.

 

One annoyance to a non-smoker: they allowed smoking in this lounge (at least while we were there). Left after one

 

Pictures are here, and include some stuff from Vancouver: http://badgerfbfantravelpics.shutterfly.com/

 

Very disappointed the pub is off limits due to smoking.:(

 

It is an inside venue that all paying passengers should be able to enjoy too! Mariner made their pub non smoking when we were on West Coast but I hear

it is back to smoking.....

 

We do not want to change cruise lines, so that is not the answer.

[Disneygirl78]

Are there any good ways to let RCI know that a number of people would prefer the pub to be nonsmoking? Or are they not generally responsive to that kind of feedback?

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Do you think they will have just part or half of the pub smoking?

BUT it will still effect the entire venue, the ceilings are low and unless they installed some kind of ventilation I will not be able to enjoy this area.

 

***

[mommabean]

I am going to have to disagree with Gina and others in reference to the VCL. Up until the ship went into dry dock, there were 3 lounges on Deck 13 and they were the VCL, the Hollywood Odyssey and The Starquest.

 

The new Diamond Lounge was incorporated into part of the VCL that has the revolving bar. The Starquest Lounge is much smaller room and is not located in the VCL.

 

All the old deck plans and new deck plans and even the credit card fold out map that I have all identify VCL and Starquest as separate lounges.

 

Where is this small room? The dance floor is in Starquest? The stars in the ceiling are in Starquest? I've never seen anything other than 1 large room - Starquest and the smaller Hollywood Odyssey. I never saw a 3rd lounge. Viking Crown Lounge encompasses the whole. There is a seating area on the other side of the revolving bar that has a picture that changes from day to night. You can even take a picture of it at night with a flash that makes it appear different than how it appears to the naked eye. But this area is still part of the entire Starquest area that people will refer to as the Viking Crown Lounge. I suppose I have absolutely no idea what 3rd room you are refering to up there. The door on the right of the stairs or to the left of the elevators all lead into the larger Starquest. That's all I've seen.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

There is a pretty sad review under the northbound June 10 roll call.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=29526246&postcount=209

 

Gina

[cruisenfever]

Where is this small room? The dance floor is in Starquest? The stars in the ceiling are in Starquest? I've never seen anything other than 1 large room - Starquest and the smaller Hollywood Odyssey. I never saw a 3rd lounge. Viking Crown Lounge encompasses the whole. There is a seating area on the other side of the revolving bar that has a picture that changes from day to night. You can even take a picture of it at night with a flash that makes it appear different than how it appears to the naked eye. But this area is still part of the entire Starquest area that people will refer to as the Viking Crown Lounge. I suppose I have absolutely no idea what 3rd room you are refering to up there. The door on the right of the stairs or to the left of the elevators all lead into the larger Starquest. That's all I've seen.

 

Gina

You're right...........I was thinking of something else.:o You just kept referring to the VCL as the Starquest, when it is marked VCL in all the brochures and on the website. All ships in the fleet have a VCL even Oasis and Allure..........maybe Starquest is just something unique to Radiance class making it part of the VCL.

 

There is a pretty sad review under the northbound June 10 roll call.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=29526246&postcount=209

 

Gina

I would never do the first cruise after a ship comes out of dry dock. Doesn't sound like they were happy.

[Disneygirl78]

There is a pretty sad review under the northbound June 10 roll call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showp...&postcount=209

Gina

That's too bad. It sounds like it confirms my worst fears...that the main "refurbishment" is to add more dining areas for which you need to pay extra, while the original beautiful parts of the Radiance have not been spruced up.

 

But I think the Radiance is still the ship with the best views of Alaska and the most sense of being "out there," and we booked not even knowing it would go into dry dock at all, so perhaps it's best to keep our "refurbishment" expectations in check.

 

Still...I hope someone posts a good review soon!

[mommabean]

You're right...........I was thinking of something else.:o You just kept referring to the VCL as the Starquest, when it is marked VCL in all the brochures and on the website. All ships in the fleet have a VCL even Oasis and Allure..........maybe Starquest is just something unique to Radiance class making it part of the VCL.

 

 

I would never do the first cruise after a ship comes out of dry dock. Doesn't sound like they were happy.

 

That's what makes RCI ships recognizable - we see the Viking Crown Lounge from a distance no matter what they call it inside. Serenade of the Seas has a different name for the VCL, too, but I can't remember what it is. It's something along the space type theme I think like Starquest, only different. I could probably look it up....later. :)

 

I haven't been on any other Radiance class other than those two, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were all named along those lines. But we know what it really is - The Viking Crown Lounge. :D

 

Gina

[mommabean]

That's too bad. It sounds like it confirms my worst fears...that the main "refurbishment" is to add more dining areas for which you need to pay extra, while the original beautiful parts of the Radiance have not been spruced up.

 

But I think the Radiance is still the ship with the best views of Alaska and the most sense of being "out there," and we booked not even knowing it would go into dry dock at all, so perhaps it's best to keep our "refurbishment" expectations in check.

 

Still...I hope someone posts a good review soon!

 

For what it's worth, I saw pictures of the Champagne bar in the middle of the refurbishment. It appeared to be getting a redesign to a degree. The walls along each side, where booth type seating had lined up along the back side, was removed. I don't think it's likely they put it back after tearing it out. So maybe there will be some updating in that area.

 

I have still heard that Lattetudes is going to be turned into Starbucks but that it hasn't happened yet. Why? I don't know. But I was told it may happen soon. That won't be a big deal though - a sign change. :rolleyes: If it happens at all.

 

I bet the pool deck looks great with the new decking that was laid out. The astroturf used to detach and wash around during rough seas when the water sloshed out of the pool. The fake teak deck ought to stay put.

 

I'm not crazy about the big screen being by the pool.

 

And the wayfinder touch screens around the ship sound like they are right up there with the elevator buttons and the windjammer serving utensils for spreading GI. :eek: ;)

[cruisenfever]

That's what makes RCI ships recognizable - we see the Viking Crown Lounge from a distance no matter what they call it inside. Serenade of the Seas has a different name for the VCL, too, but I can't remember what it is. It's something along the space type theme I think like Starquest, only different. I could probably look it up....later. :)

 

I haven't been on any other Radiance class other than those two, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were all named along those lines. But we know what it really is - The Viking Crown Lounge. :D

 

Gina

It's still the VCL on Serenade and Jewel, but the Vortex Night Club takes the place of the Starquest.

 

Brilliance has neither. So it looks like Starquest is unique only to Radiance.

[mommabean]

It's still the VCL on Serenade and Jewel, but the Vortex Night Club takes the place of the Starquest.

 

Brilliance has neither. So it looks like Starquest is unique only to Radiance.

 

Oh yeah...Vortex, that's the word I remember from Serenade. Thanks. Maybe I'll get to go on Jewel out of Tampa this winter.

 

Gina