Downsizing - Sailing the smaller ships?

[Ocean Boy]

We feel the Radiance class ships are the best RCL has!

The Radiance class is pure elegance with great sea views, beautiful wood interiors, and the size is just right, not too big, not to small.:)

The Radiance Class carries about 2000 less passengers then the Freedom Class!:eek:

Passenger space ratio of the Freedom class is 32.7, Radiance class is 42.9!(the higher number is better:))

So you get a better itinerary(your words), a more beautiful ship(my words), and a less crowded ship with the Radiance Class!:D

 

You can site all the ratio numbers that you want but the pool on the Radiance class ships is way too small for the number of passengers those ships carry.

[JustUs275]

We feel the Radiance class ships are the best RCL has!

The Radiance class is pure elegance with great sea views, beautiful wood interiors, and the size is just right, not too big, not to small.:)

The Radiance Class carries about 2000 less passengers then the Freedom Class!:eek:

Passenger space ratio of the Freedom class is 32.7, Radiance class is 42.9!(the higher number is better:))

So you get a better itinerary(your words), a more beautiful ship(my words), and a less crowded ship with the Radiance Class!:D

 

Helpful information - thanks! We are on the Jewel soon for an Alaskan cruise. We don't usually go to the pool when on a ship, so the smaller pool isn't an issue for us. Our first cruise was on the lovely Monarch which we enjoyed; then Freedom which we liked enough to do the opposite itinerary for our following cruise. Anxious to try the Jewel - I have a feeling we're going to love the Radiance class! :)

[jaspercat]

I'll also give a huge 10+++++++++ to the radiance-class, especially the Jewel (OK, I'm biased - have sailed her and the Serenade twice, the others 0):).

 

Absolutely love this class - sailing the Jewel again next Friday to Alaska.

 

I also swore I'd never sail anything larger than this class -- HA! Went from the Serenade to the Oasis - by-passed the voyageur-class and the freedom-class. Love the Oasis and since then have sailed on the Liberty twice.

 

My last Southern was on the Jewel and would pick her over the Adventure any day!

 

 

[TexCruise371]

We've sailed every class ship that Royal is currently sailing except Quantum. We love the Radiance class ships and would not hesitate to sail on them again. Jewel is a fabulous ship. :D

[perkli25]

I love the radiance class of ships. Honestly, it was one of my favorites! I've done some smaller and some larger and we just love exploring new ships and spaces. No really haven't found a "bad" ship with royal. And as far as public spaces... I've not really found a crowding issue unless it's embarkation or disembarkation day.

 

The San Juan route sounds great no matter which ship.

[davy jones]

I don't know your preferences, but Royal does not have a true "small" ship. It was not that long ago that 75000 ton ships were among the largest afloat. Ships this size have more than you may think.

 

Smaller ships Pros:

More intimate.

Food is usually better.

Easier to get around.

Easier to get to know people.

Service is often better

Closer to "old time" cruising

 

 

Cons

Fewer bells and whistles like flowriders, ice rinks, and ocean pods. (depends on your preferences, that's a pro for some)

Less entertainment options.

Fewer specialty restaurants and venues.

Feel the motion of the ocean more.

[shipfriend_max]

Hi,

 

although I do not know any Radiance Class ship sadly), I started my RCI experience with Liberty (Freedom Class), and this April we sailed on Vision (Vision Class), and I cannot say that it was a worse experience or many steps back - the experience was different.

While Liberty (Freedom Class) was more about activities and entertainment (surfing, ice skating, shows, etc...), Vision was more about relaxation, such as pools, bars, and just chilling on the deck - and we really enjoyed the cruise experience itself! :)

 

OK, every type of person is different, but I can well survive without bells/whistles onboard, and just enjoy the relexation aboard the ship.

 

Anyway, I choose my cruises rahter by itinerary than by ship... [emoji5].

 

So, if I were you, I won't hesitate to book Jewel after Explorer and Freedom...

Edited May 16, 2015 by celebrity_fan

[susancruzs]

I've enjoyed reading all the comments here and bottom line, still a personal choice.

 

I loved Brilliance of the Seas, awesome ship, design, all the windows. Sailing by myself, I don't need bells, whistles, extra activities and I don't go to the Caribbean. At this stage of my life, all about interesting itineraries.

 

Service onboard varies ship to ship, one cruise to the next as the crews are rotated in and out all the time. I wouldn't take any comments on service as a deal breaker. Tonnage and passenger ratio doesn't matter much either. It depends on when you are sailing and odds are a ship won't be maxed out with 3 and 4th berths filled.

[SamFritz]

I wish they would build more Radiance size and style ships. Is anyone doing new builds of that size?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited May 16, 2015 by SamFritz

[Hoopster95]

I wish they would build more Radiance size and style ships. Is anyone doing new builds of that size?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Looks like Celebrity:

http://maritimematters.com/2014/12/two-edge-class-ships-ordered-by-celebrity-cruises/

[Worn out mailman]

The outside dining as a huge advantage of Radiance Class ships.

 

The ships are gorgeous, not as shut in as many of the larger ships. Almost all venues have an outside view.

 

Yes, the pool area is wanting But if you can get up early and get a seat in the first two rows in front of the pool on your sea day, you won't notice the difference. People seem to have a problem getting up early. It's a small price to pay.

[Debde]

You can site all the ratio numbers that you want but the pool on the Radiance class ships is way too small for the number of passengers those ships carry.

 

Yes it is!!!!!

That's why Radiance class out of San Juan is OK because of all those ports. Radiance class with a bunch of sea days-oh dear!!! :eek:

[Cindy]

Our last two Royal Caribbean cruises were the Oasis in November and the Serenade in March. We loved them both, but they were very different. The pace on the Oasis was definitely faster than the Serenade. We thought the Serenade was more of a traditional cruise experience, and is a great choice if you don't need tons of things like zip lines and skating rinks.

[avazah]

I don't know your preferences, but Royal does not have a true "small" ship. It was not that long ago that 75000 ton ships were among the largest afloat. Ships this size have more than you may think.

 

Smaller ships Pros:

More intimate.

Food is usually better.

Easier to get around.

Easier to get to know people.

Service is often better

Closer to "old time" cruising

 

 

Cons

Fewer bells and whistles like flowriders, ice rinks, and ocean pods. (depends on your preferences, that's a pro for some)

Less entertainment options.

Fewer specialty restaurants and venues.

Feel the motion of the ocean more.

 

This list definitely helps. None of the cons are actually cons to me. I don't think that we went on the flowrider at all, we went to the ice show but didn't go ice skating, we started a game of mini golf but it was too windy, etc on Indy. My Explorer cruise was in terrible weather so we didn't do ANYTHING that wasn't indoors, except sit around in the covered part of the solarium with blankets. I also keep kosher, so the specialty restaurants are not at a draw at all... And neither my husband nor I get sea sick, so motion is not a problem.

 

As someone else said, outside dining sounds awesome! Jewel also has an awesome solarium. Really, what we enjoy in a ship is a lot of different comfortable places to hang out and do nothing. We didn't even really go to shows on our Indy cruise. We hung out in Cafe Promenade, the Solarium, and the upper deck. We went into the pool twice and the hot tub once. Apparently we are boring :D

 

Whew. Thanks everyone. I think that, IF we are actually doing this vacation (it's still very much a maybe, unfortunately!), Jewel sounds like the perfect bet for us.