Radiance vs. Navigator

[bravjd]

My DH, 7 year old DS and I sailed on the Navigator this past June. We have planned an Xmas cruise for '06. We currently have the Mariner booked but it's the same intinerary we did in the summer. I started researching other cruises and I really like the itinerary of the Radiance 8 night cruise.

 

I'm just wondering if we will be disappointed in the Radiance vs. the Navigator? We really loved the Voyager class ship.

 

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[wcal]

I never cruised on the Navigator but have on the Radiance. It is the most beautiful ship I was ever on. Good size with enough activities for all. Am looking forward to our cruise this February on her sister ship The Jewel.

[cmason]

I just got off of Jewel, and have sailed both Navigator and Explorer before. I still prefer the Voyager class ships. They are noticably larger: the Windjammer is more spacious, the pool deck is much larger, and I prefer the Solarium are better. I really missed the Promenade, esp the Promenade Cafe. You could always go there for food, but on Jewel, different venues were open at different times, and it was just not convenient. For example in the evening, the Solarium cafe and the Seaview were open, meaning you have to go to Deck 12 for any food.

 

I also prefered the flow of the Voyager class. It has elevators on both sides of the ship, whereas Radiance has them only on one side (port). In addition, the elevators at the bow are rarely used, as there is much poorer flow from aft to bow than Voyager. About the only time I found myself using the bow elevators was when I was in the Theater. On Voyager, the Promenade made it very easy to get from one end of the ship to the other, using the bow elevators if the others were crowded or if you were going to the Solarium. Doing this on Radiance class ships just is not pratical.

 

On the other hand, Jewel has a water slide and kids pool on the back deck, and my kids enjoyed that. Seaview cafe replaces Johhny Rockets...the burgers are not as good as JR in the Seaview, but I liked them fine (better than Windjammer), and they are free. The Windjammer is smaller, and there is far less inside seating, but unlike on Navigator, there is covered outside seating as part of the Windjammer, which we really enjoyed at breakfast. Windjammer on Jewel was made up of many "stations", unlike the buffet line on Navigator, which was great in that it cut down on lines significantly. There isnt a "Jade" specifically on Jewel, but they do serve asian selections and sushi. Schooner Bar was much larger and better on Jewel, and it was part a larger area that included other clubs, including the area where the pool tables were...this was fun. The Pit Stop, a sports bar on Jewel, was very well done, far better than on Navigator...much larger with some 20 TVs showing different games. In addition, Jewel had an amazing Cinema (once I found it), with theater seating and a large screen. Much better than the small room with a large TV as was on Navigator.

 

In the end...all the things you likely enjoy about your cruise and RCCL are there: Adventure Ocean, sports, rockwall, minigolf, pools, hottubs, shops, entertainment, etc. The Radiance are nice ships, smaller, and the glass in the Centrum is wonderful. I would sail them again, but my preference will remain Voyager class

[PAGA]

We have sailed on the Navigator (Thanksgiving '04) and Radiance (Thanksgiving '05).

 

These are my 2 favorite ships in the RCCL fleet. You can't go wrong with either. That being said, here are some considerations:

 

Radiance has a children's pool and water slide that your 7 year old can enjoy...Navigator has no children's water play area.

 

Almost the entire Adventure Ocean facility on Radiance can fit inside the 6-8 year old Adventure Ocean facility on Navigator. But we saw no difference in the hours/activities/dining opportunities.

 

I love the Vintages Wine Bar in the Promenade on Navigator -- they have a much wider selection than the dining room and you can pre-order wine from Vintages to be delivered to your table at dinner.

 

I prefer the Windjammer on Radiance. I never had to stand in line (other than for made-to-order eggs) and never ever had to wait for an empty table (which we had to do everytime we ate in the Windjammer on Voyager-class ships) -- other than for special activities in the Colony Club (e.g., karaoke, Quest, C&A repeat guest events) we never felt crowded on the Radiance and often felt like we had the ship to ourselves (e.g., pre- or post-dinner martinis during "happy hour" in the Starquest lounge we were usually the only ones there!). The exception would be pool chairs -- I had just as much trouble finding one of those on Radiance as on any other ship!

 

Our teen daughter strongly prefers Voyager-class ships. Radiance provided inadequate facilities and activites for her age group (15-17) in comparison to what she experienced on her previous 4 cruises.

 

In my opinion, unless you're traveling with teens you'll have a great time on either ship (our 7 year old son didn't have any complaints about the smaller facilities on Radiance); if there are teens in your party, then I definitely recommend a Voyager-class ship.

[logan1_2000]

that's an eastern itinerary, correct? I love those islands, have been back many times and going back to st. maarten and st. thomas again in '07. I've looked at the very same cruise for that week. I say go for the Radiance.