Anyone sailed Radiance of the Seas Comparison to Celebrity

[gordylad]

Thinking of booking this ship but having never sailed RC we have nothing to go on apart from reviews so would appreciate any thoughts from cruisers who have sailed both Celebrity and RC

 

Cheers

[39august]

Radiance is a older, smaller RC ship. No kiddie bells and whistles, so quieter than the usual RC experience. Smoking in casino is usually heavy. 

[gordylad]

thanks for your reply......do you know if RC allow smoking in all of their ships?

[39august]

Yes.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, gordylad said:

Thinking of booking this ship but having never sailed RC we have nothing to go on apart from reviews so would appreciate any thoughts from cruisers who have sailed both Celebrity and RC

 

Cheers

We have cruised Radiance. She is an older RC ship and definitely, as another poster said, ‘without the bells and whistles’ of the mega ships. Whilst she doesn’t provide the extra activities and entertainment the larger ships have she has a nice ambiance and flow.

 

It would be useful for you to know when she last had an upgrade, both rooms and bars etc. it is quite a few years since we were on her. 

 

If you are considering suites the smaller RC ships don’t give much in the way of perks. There is a concierge lounge but that is about it.

 

If you enjoy the M class Celebrity ships you will find Radiance size fine. We would cruise her again if an itinerary tempted us. To us a downside is we always have found the food on all RC ships inferior to Celebrity. Every venue type from Buffet to MDR to specialty and suite venues…Not horrifically bad just below…

 

We have had some lovely RC cruises but in recent years, all other things being equal we would opt for a Celebrity option if available for the itinerary but for an itinerary that had a ‘pull’ I would return to Radiance…

 

 

[villauk]

Nice size ship, but we do prefer the smaller ones. We last sailed on her years ago so I would presume she’s been updated since we were on her last in Alaska. As @chemmo stated, does the itinerary grab you as that’s what makes our decisions easier.

[leaveitallbehind]

2 hours ago, gordylad said:

thanks for your reply......do you know if RC allow smoking in all of their ships?

RCCL allows smoking outdoors typically on one side of the ship on the pool and promenade decks, as well as in the casino. The outdoor locations may vary by ship. However they typically limit smoking to a section of the casino and some ships also offer a small non-smoking casino as well.  (Radiance does not have a separate small non smoking casino).

 

As to a comparison, Radiance class ships are essentially the same age and size, in both gross tonnage and length, and passenger capacity as Millennium class ships, although designed somewhat differently.

 

We have not sailed on Radiance but have a number of years ago on Jewel and Serenade, essentially her twin sister ships, and they have been one of our favorite ship classes.

Edited Monday at 03:25 PM by leaveitallbehind

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I've sailed Radiance, Brilliance, and Jewel. Definitely my favorite class of RCCL ships. Though not a fan of smoking being allowed in the casino because the stench doesn't know how to stay in the smoking area.

 

I'd say Summit felt pretty similar to me to the Radiance class of ships.

[leaveitallbehind]

13 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I've sailed Radiance, Brilliance, and Jewel. Definitely my favorite class of RCCL ships. Though not a fan of smoking being allowed in the casino because the stench doesn't know how to stay in the smoking area.

 

I'd say Summit felt pretty similar to me to the Radiance class of ships.

Very similar and have sailed on Summit several times, but given the choice, I like Radiance class ships better.  If for no other reason Radiance, in particular, has more alternative dining choices with their specialty restaurants Izumi, Chops, and Giovanni's.  Also offer Park Cafe and Dog House as complimentary options. You also can go to the helipad on the front of Radiance and IMO have more glass views from more decks of the ocean. Don't get me wrong, I like both, but that's JMO given the choice.

 

Of course RCCL caters to families with children more......

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

19 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Very similar and have sailed on Summit several times, but given the choice, I like Radiance class ships better.  If for no other reason Radiance, in particular, has more alternative dining choices with their specialty restaurants Izumi, Chops, and Giovanni's.  Also offer Park Cafe and Dog House as complimentary options. You also can go to the helipad on the front of Radiance and IMO have more glass views from more decks of the ocean. Don't get me wrong, I like both, but that's JMO given the choice.

 

Of course RCCL caters to families with children more......

 

That's fair.

 

I don't do a lot of specialty dining, so that doesn't make a difference to me. For me, the lack of indoor smoking on the Summit gives it the slight edge. 🙂

[3dog]

4 hours ago, chemmo said:

It would be useful for you to know when she last had an upgrade, both rooms and bars etc. it is quite a few years since we were on her. 

 

Just this past March there was a maintenance overhaul that included carpets/upholstery.

 

As many have indicated, about the size of M-class, lots of windows.  While they have previously allowed smoking in the casino, RCI has been reconsidering their smoking policy, and may have changed it on Radiance after a carpet update (not saying they actually have as I have no direct info, but it's been on their radar, so they might have - mostly doesn't bother me as I don't go to the casino)

[RosieRoo]

Did a B2B2B2B on Radiance in February. It is a small, older ship, but I love that class. I would compare her to Celebrity Summit, which I also love. We thought the food everywhere on the ship was much better than on the larger ships. Every night in the buffet they had someone cooking up a special treat, donuts, crepes, etc. The specialty restaurants were some of the best meals we’ve had on any Royal ships. I know she was going into dry dock when we disembarked, but not sure what was done. 

[leaveitallbehind]

21 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

That's fair.

 

I don't do a lot of specialty dining, so that doesn't make a difference to me. For me, the lack of indoor smoking on the Summit gives it the slight edge. 🙂

I completely agree regarding the indoor smoking.  However, we don't gamble so the smoking in the casino is not a big factor other than smoke can travel - LOL. We do primarily specialty dining, so that with us is a factor.  But as I said we like both for different reasons and have cruised both.

[leaveitallbehind]

20 hours ago, 3dog said:

While they have previously allowed smoking in the casino, RCI has been reconsidering their smoking policy, and may have changed it on Radiance after a carpet update (not saying they actually have as I have no direct info, but it's been on their radar, so they might have - mostly doesn't bother me as I don't go to the casino)

The only "reconsideration" with RCCL we've seen in recent years regarding casino smoking is to have a section that is smoking and a section that is non.  The smoking section may be vented to assist that, but the smoke still "travels" and is noticeable in the non-smoking area.  On some ships (Oasis class as one) the former Comedy Club venue is a small non-smoking casino. To date is limited to only certain ships. But the main casino still provides areas for both smoking and non-smoking. Fortunately we are not gamblers so we can avoid that area other than to walk through.

 

Specific to Radiance class ships, the casino smoking criticism has been that the entrance to the casino is at the Centrum and when smoke travels from the casino the aroma occasionally will find its way to the Centrum and then up to the higher decks through that area.

Edited Tuesday at 02:23 PM by leaveitallbehind

[PhillyFan33579]

In the last six weeks I have sailed on Celebrity Reflection and Radiance of the Seas. While I enjoyed both cruises and both ships, Celebrity provides a more relaxing environment and more pampering from the crew. However, even on an older ship like Radiance, there was a lot going on every night. Radiance doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of newer RCI ships, but it is still a great ship in my book. 

[NantahalaCruiser]

And Radiance OTS still has the two gyro-stabilized pool tables.

[gordylad]

was smoking still allowed in casino ? tx

[keesar]

The Radiance is similar in size to the M class ships.  Food is fine.  I found the biggest differences were that the cruisers were generally younger and there was a higher energy level on board the ship.  More people tended to stay up later than on Celebrity.  

[leaveitallbehind]

4 hours ago, gordylad said:

was smoking still allowed in casino ? tx

As mentioned previously, RCCL permits smoking in the casino on all of their ships, although it now is restricted to a certain smoking area. This includes Radiance. (Certain Oasis class ships also have a second smaller non-smoking casino). This is a policy that is not likely to change anytime soon.

Edited Wednesday at 01:15 PM by leaveitallbehind

[ngrund]

5 hours ago, gordylad said:

was smoking still allowed in casino ? tx

I just got of Radiance Friday, yes smoking was allowed except for one area,

 

We could smell the smoke in the Centrum and pub on the smoking side. However, on the non-smoking side they did have several fans that did keep the air moving and I did not notice the smell.

[five.]

12 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

In the last six weeks I have sailed on Celebrity Reflection and Radiance of the Seas.

How many cruises did you do in 2023 and how many on tap for this year?

 

I have always enjoyed your posts, even if you're a Phillies fan.

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, five. said:

How many cruises did you do in 2023 and how many on tap for this year?

 

I have always enjoyed your posts, even if you're a Phillies fan.

I did 16 last year and 12 so far this year. I retired in December 2022 and started cruising a lot more in 2023 since I have lots of free time now. It helps living in Florida, where I can easily drive to 4 ports (I never cruise out of Jacksonville). 
 

As for the Phillies, it only matters what they do in the Fall. I still haven’t gotten over them losing 2 games in a row at home last year in the NLCS after being up 3-2. Heck, I still haven’t gotten over them losing to the Dodgers in the 1977 NLDS, to include the Black Friday loss. 

[leaveitallbehind]

13 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

As for the Phillies, it only matters what they do in the Fall. I still haven’t gotten over them losing 2 games in a row at home last year in the NLCS after being up 3-2. Heck, I still haven’t gotten over them losing to the Dodgers in the 1977 NLDS, to include the Black Friday loss. 

Sometimes old wounds are the hardest to heal...

As I think you know my biggest heartaches are with the Birds stemming from the days when winning the coin toss was considered a victory.

 

Enjoy your continued cruising!

 

Edited Wednesday at 04:44 PM by leaveitallbehind

[happy cruzer]

Also the buffet on the Radiance was not good.  Limited choices and crowded service area. 

 

And as noted the smoking policy vs. Celebrity.

 

Not a ship I would pick if another option was available.

[tangogulf]

Cruised Radiance 3 times when she came down to Australia. She was much younger then and we had a great time. Older now and has had a number of engineering issues lately so probably showing her age now. We have sailed Millenium and Solstice a few times and Solstice is definitely a favourite. Cruised Edge last summer and was not a big fan I'm afraid Lots of bells and whistles but no feeling of comfort for my taste. We do sail in suites mostly but was disappointed with Edge. Millie I found was great for the 2 weeks we spent on her post revolutionised around Asia (Hong Kong to Singapore)