Radiance

[Newby58]

I am so amazed that so many people can have such differing opinions. The glass half full?

 

 

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[lyndarra]

Just like our backsides, we all have one and they're all different.:D

[NSWP]

Just had a couple of friends recently back from a Radiance of Seas 7 day cruise to Tasmania ex Sydney. They told me they were not impressed, poor food and entertainment and not enough activities. I can't really comment because I have never travelled with RCI.

 

Just passing on the intelligence. They could be glass half full people though, they complain about most of their cruises on Princess, Celebrity, P&O. and now RCI.

[gogo65]

I was on radiance earlier this month and thought the main dining room food was great ( better than solstice) however I didn't like the Buffett at all.

Service was good, room steward was fantastic.

I do like the bigger ships though!

[lyndarra]

We were on Radiance Nov last year, 16 days. MDR food was, not great but still very good. Not up to Celebrity or HAL standard but no complaints. Plenty of choice in buffet and good too, except the American style bacon was way overcooked, a bit like eating crispy balsa, and the English bacon was way undercooked.

Would agree on the activities. We're not into crafty stuff and some activites clashed with meal times. We don't mind reading but the library, what there is of it, had no books. Mrs L had her e-reader, luckily, and I had to wait until port to buy mags and a book (The Hobbit purchased at WETA in Wellington).

[GUT2407]

Everyone wants something different.

 

So some will love it others note.

 

We have friends who hated Unard.

 

Another couple thought Celebrity wasn't as good as RCCL. Others prefer P&O to Princess.

 

We're lucky we have so many options, it really is a case of whatever floats your boat.

[Cruise ship fan]

I have been on the Radiance a fair few times and lately the ship has started to fall behind, whether it be due to budget cuts or just the condition of the ship. It has been a long time since she was refurbish and is about to go back to dry dock and said dry dock is badly needed. On some floors there are 6 elevator button sets but at times the direction you want to go will only work on one of the sets.

 

The buffet has been cut back as well lately with only half of it even open most of the time. The main dining room food was nice but well below previous cruises on her. If anyone choices mytime dining. Ask to be seated with Solomon. He is an amazing waiter. We have been eating at his tables for years and he really goes out of his way to make you happy.

 

I have my fingers crossed she goes back to the standards she used to have, as she is a lovely ship.

[MicCanberra]

I am so amazed that so many people can have such differing opinions. The glass half full?

 

 

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What happened.:confused:

[MicCanberra]

I have been on the Radiance a fair few times and lately the ship has started to fall behind, whether it be due to budget cuts or just the condition of the ship. It has been a long time since she was refurbish and is about to go back to dry dock and said dry dock is badly needed. On some floors there are 6 elevator button sets but at times the direction you want to go will only work on one of the sets.

 

The buffet has been cut back as well lately with only half of it even open most of the time. The main dining room food was nice but well below previous cruises on her. If anyone choices mytime dining. Ask to be seated with Solomon. He is an amazing waiter. We have been eating at his tables for years and he really goes out of his way to make you happy.

 

I have my fingers crossed she goes back to the standards she used to have, as she is a lovely ship.

 

Nearly every regular RCI cruiser I have met all say the radiance is the best and their favourite. Perhaps it was and is losing it's favouritism.

[Sparky74]

Just had a couple of friends recently back from a Radiance of Seas 7 day cruise to Tasmania ex Sydney. They told me they were not impressed, poor food and entertainment and not enough activities...

 

Hmmm...

I wonder if they were on the same cruise as DW & I. :confused:

 

I've started to write what was supposed to be a live review and hope to get it finished in the next day or two.

[LuckiePuris]

I am so amazed that so many people can have such differing opinions. The glass half full?

 

 

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I travelled twice on Radiance with the most recent one being April 2014 and I loved this ship, cannot remember anything I didn't like, other than the loud pool deck entertainment / belly flop contests that are common on all RCI ships.

 

A little more family friendly and laid back than Celebrity however that is a difference in the cruise lines.

 

The ship itself was beautiful with plenty of activities and also pool deck places for relaxing. Great specialty restaurants, loved the solarium cafe for a quiet breakfast or snack, great buffet layout and food, and thoroughly enjoyed the main dining room.

 

Loved the glass elevators looking out to see and a really good size of ship.

 

I do like to try new ships to experience something new, however would happily sail back on Radiance if I was cruising RCI.

Edited February 28, 2016 by LuckiePuris

[MicCanberra]

Hmmm...

I wonder if they were on the same cruise as DW & I. :confused:

 

I've started to write what was supposed to be a live review and hope to get it finished in the next day or two.

 

People can experience the same incident and still report differing accounts. Same goes for cruises.

Edited February 28, 2016 by MicCanberra

[Cruise ship fan]

Nearly every regular RCI cruiser I have met all say the radiance is the best and their favourite. Perhaps it was and is losing it's favouritism.

 

Yea, she is usually our favourite Royal ship, but the last time we were on here it was a little disappointing, with how things had slipped in quality. Hopefully it is just because things all over the ship are being run down so close to the dry dock. So fingers crossed she is back to being herself when she comes back next season.

[goodycruising]

We are debating about going Radiance again. The beautiful glass everywhere and the Park Cafe, better Schooner bar (in our opinion compared to Voyager class ships), several things that we give Radiance a tick for.

 

We have seen pictures on-line lately and it looks like a bit of rust is showing, and the rails need a varnish. Those things can leave a big impression when you are living near them every day on the cruise. These pictures were not of those issues, they were in the background of general pictures.

 

We hear a lot of complaints on all the RCI ships (not just in Aus) on cut backs in bar staff. That is an obvious area where they are balancing selling the packages against providing the drinks, and we are sad, as people that pay as we go, to not see the staff wandering around like in the old days (3-5 years ago!). But hey, it doesn't take long to wander up to a bar really. It was just part of feeling spoilt.

 

We may just have to decide to lower our expectations in some areas, balancing out the fares compared to services offered.

 

One thing they can't take away is how relaxing it is to sit and look at the seas :)

[MicCanberra]

We are debating about going Radiance again. The beautiful glass everywhere and the Park Cafe, better Schooner bar (in our opinion compared to Voyager class ships), several things that we give Radiance a tick for.

 

We have seen pictures on-line lately and it looks like a bit of rust is showing, and the rails need a varnish. Those things can leave a big impression when you are living near them every day on the cruise. These pictures were not of those issues, they were in the background of general pictures.

 

We hear a lot of complaints on all the RCI ships (not just in Aus) on cut backs in bar staff. That is an obvious area where they are balancing selling the packages against providing the drinks, and we are sad, as people that pay as we go, to not see the staff wandering around like in the old days (3-5 years ago!). But hey, it doesn't take long to wander up to a bar really. It was just part of feeling spoilt.

 

We may just have to decide to lower our expectations in some areas, balancing out the fares compared to services offered.

 

One thing they can't take away is how relaxing it is to sit and look at the seas :)

 

That is one big thing I noticed between RCI and X.

[TrilbyJane55]

We were on the radiance end of Jan/Feb. Loved it. A beautiful ship. She is showing some signs of wear and tear but hopefully they will be put right after refurb in May. the feel of the ship is lovely. Steve the CD and his team were amazing, after 8 cruises have never seen a CD out and about as much, I don't think he slept. I heard people complaining they had to wait 5mins for a coffee, where else did they have to be!!! IMHO we are privileged to be able to afford such a beautiful holiday and so what if we have to get off our bums and get a drink ourselves. 1st world problems:):):)

[goodycruising]

Good points TrilbyJane. I was just watching the news earlier and saw people lining up to get into a footy match, and it made me think. I always expect lines to get into some places. It really is about expectations isn't it?

[MicCanberra]

True, waiting 5 minutes for a coffee is nothing, I have been to Cafe's (on land) and it has taken up to 15 minutes.

[Esilef]

We went on Radiance early this month and I really loved this ship. The staff were so friendly & helpful.

 

I would love to go on her again after her refurbishment and I though she looked loverly for her age.

.

I always thought that I would love the mega ships like voyager but due to how much more friendly and personable the smaller ships I am leaning towards a preference for ships the size of radiance.

 

Yep love this ship.

[The_Big_M]

I wasn't a Radiance fan, preferred Rhapsody and Voyager. After their refurbs though, they lost something, though the wider variety in Voyager class still wins out. Now I'm a Quantum fan though... that's something else.

 

Probably until they start tinkering around with it as well to 'increase revenue opportunities...'

[MicCanberra]

I wasn't a Radiance fan, preferred Rhapsody and Voyager. After their refurbs though, they lost something, though the wider variety in Voyager class still wins out. Now I'm a Quantum fan though... that's something else.

 

Probably until they start tinkering around with it as well to 'increase revenue opportunities...'

 

Agreed, the quickest way to ruin a ship's design is changing the layout to incorporate more shops or cabins.

[mr walker]

We are about to embark on our 10th RC cruise.

 

We have cruised on Rhapsody, Radiance, Voyager and soon Explorer.

Note: we have just one cruise on Radiance so far - NZ in Jan/Feb '13

 

We consider Radiance the best ship for many of the reasons people have given. We love the 'glass', the area aft of the WJ, the colony club layout, the schooner bar size and layout & it just seems very 'roomy' being that much bigger then Vision class, without that many more passengers. We also prefer the atrium style rather than the promenade style.

 

We have found food and service to be comparable on all RC ships. The only issue in that regard was on the 3N Voyager, when the drink package people put a lot of pressure on beverage service.:)

 

We would go on Rhapsody again in an instant.

[avalon007]

We have sailed on Radiance multiple times, in a variety of destinations as diverse as Alaska and Tahiti and we spent almost 5 weeks on her in 2013.

 

We have also sailed on Celebrity Solstice, Royals Rhapsody & Voyager but still find Radiance is one of our all time favourites, she has an elegance about her.

 

Glad to hear though she is getting a makeover in dry dock soon as all ships get wear & tear. It's amazing how the little things can make a big difference to your impression of a ship though, peeling varnish here, worn fabrics there, broken door handle, closed off areas etc - they can all combine to create a negative impression that can colour your view ongoing.

[Mothballs]

We are about to embark on our 10th RC cruise.

We have found food and service to be comparable on all RC ships. The only issue in that regard was on the 3N Voyager, when the drink package people put a lot of pressure on beverage service.:)

 

We would go on Rhapsody again in an instant.

 

I returned a couple of weeks ago from a 3 night cruise on the Explorer and the bar service was terrible. People were waiting up to 40 minutes to get served and apparently a lot of people cancelled their drink packages. Four of my friends joined me on their first RCCL cruise and stated it would be their last. They all had drink packages with 2 having the Ultimate package because they wanted the $14 glass of wine but were told frequently the ship had run out and this was on day 2.

I agree about the Rhapsody. I'm thinking about doing a Transatlantic on her next year.

[dazzer01]

I returned a couple of weeks ago from a 3 night cruise on the Explorer and the bar service was terrible. People were waiting up to 40 minutes to get served and apparently a lot of people cancelled their drink packages. Four of my friends joined me on their first RCCL cruise and stated it would be their last. They all had drink packages with 2 having the Ultimate package because they wanted the $14 glass of wine but were told frequently the ship had run out and this was on day 2.

I agree about the Rhapsody. I'm thinking about doing a Transatlantic on her next year.

? ? ?

I was of the understanding that Beverages Packages were only available for a minimum of 4 days ie. at least a 4 day cruise.

 

EDIT: Yup: http://www.royalcaribbean.com.au/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=336&faqSubjectName=Food+%26+Drink&faqId=5925

Edited February 29, 2016 by dazzer01