Radiance Class/Jewel Questions

[Ltvscout]

I would normally use the search function to get answers to these questions, but I get the dreaded white screen 98% of the time I try using it. I'm hoping some of you experienced RCI cruisers can answer some questions for me.

 

1. We have a D1 category room. Will there be bar glasses and stemware available in the room? If not, will our steward bring us some glasses upon request?
   
2. When we sailed on the Miracle last year we tipped our steward nicely upon meeting him the first day. We asked him for a cooler and he gladly brought one to our room and kept it stocked with ice all week long. Has anyone been able to get a steward to do the same for them on a Radiance class ship?
   
3. Is the balcony door a sliding door or is it a standard swing open door?
   
4. Are there any "secret" spots on Radiance class ships where a person can go to view the ocean or relax where there aren't a number of other PAX around?
   
5. What type of shower head(s) are in the free area spa showers? Do they just use a standard head or are they the fancy multi-directional heads?
   
6. What are the hours for the pools and whirpools?
   
7. On the Jewel Eastern Caribbean itinerary, does the ship stay on EST or does it adjust to timezones for each port? I'm trying to figure out if the port times listed in our itinerary are EST times, or adjusted to the timezone at each port.
   
8. Has anyone had luck with asking the steward to bring them bathrobes in non-suite rooms?
   
9. Lastly, we're looking for suggestions for things to do in Antigua. Can anyone recommend a good beach(es) there?

Thank you for any help you can provide us with these questions.

[Cruise Gopher]

1. We have a D1 category room. Will there be bar glasses and stemware available in the room? If not, will our steward bring us some glasses upon request?

They will have regular tumbler style glasses and a small ice bucket. I am sure you could ask for some glasses or maybe call room service to have some delivered.

1. When we sailed on the Miracle last year we tipped our steward nicely upon meeting him the first day. We asked him for a cooler and he gladly brought one to our room and kept it stocked with ice all week long. Has anyone been able to get a steward to do the same for them on a Radiance class ship?

The rooms have a cooler/fridge in them. You can keep stuff cool in there, but it doesn't get very cold. Ice would probably melt in there. Maybe ask for two ice buckets cause the ones they give you are small.

1. Is the balcony door a sliding door or is it a standard swing open door?

It is a sliding door.

1. Are there any "secret" spots on Radiance class ships where a person can go to view the ocean or relax where there aren't a number of other PAX around?

Go out to the front of the ship on the helipad! This is such a nice tranquil spot, you can sit on the bench and stare out to sea and hardly anyone will be out there. Just go all the way forward and up the stairs on the outside promenade deck.

1. What type of shower head(s) are in the free area spa showers? Do they just use a standard head or are they the fancy multi-directional heads?

They were normal shower heads.

1. What are the hours for the pools and whirpools?

They are pretty much open 24 hours a day, sometimes closed for cleaning.

1. On the Jewel Eastern Caribbean itinerary, does the ship stay on EST or does it adjust to timezones for each port? I'm trying to figure out if the port times listed in our itinerary are EST times, or adjusted to the timezone at each port.

I am not sure, usually ships will adjust their time to match the time zones. But not always. Check the Compass (Newsletter) in your stateroom to see if you have to turn clocks forward or back.

1. Has anyone had luck with asking the steward to bring them bathrobes in non-suite rooms?

We didn't ask so I don't know. They probably would, especially if you tipped them a little.

1. Lastly, we're looking for suggestions for things to do in Antigua. Can anyone recommend a good beach(es) there?

Not sure, never been there. Sorry.

[normanb]

We are just back from the Eastern Caribbean on the Jewel last Sunday. On Saturday night the clocks are set ahead one hour and stay that way until Friday, when the are set back to Eastern Standard time. Also, the fridge is really a mini-bar. We had the cabin attendent remove the items and we put soda and drinks inside. You can't adjust the temp, it does not get very cold.

[39august]

You can ask your room steward for an extra large ice bucket, or you can bring your own collapsible cooler, as we do, and ask the steward to keep it full of ice. No problem. Also, most of the time you can get robes. Just ask! See the Antigua board for tour tips. Eli's Eco (adventuresantigua) tour is fantastic! If you just want to look around the island I recommend Lawrence of Antigua. Very nice tour and he will also drop you at Turner's Beach if you wish at the end of the tour, and he will return at the designated time to take you back to the ship.

[Ltvscout]

Thank you for the replies everyone. If anyone else has any input from their own experience, I'd appreciate it.

 

I also thought of a couple more questions:

 

1. What kind of "free" beverages are available on the ship? Are they only available during certain times? I can only compare to our Carnival cruise last year. There you could get water, lemonade, fruit punch and iced tea 24hrs a day.
   
2. Is there a Sushi bar on the Jewel/Radiance class ships?

[Blue Waters]

As far as what to do in Antigua, we rented a car from Hertz, went to Nelson's dockyard and then Turner's Beach. Would highly recommend this. We were a bit leary about renting the car but it was so much fun to go wherever we wanted. (You drive on the other side of the road.) The kids really had a blast as well. The island is not that large and we really enjoyed being able to stop anywhere we wanted. We met some locals who were very nice. It was our favorite excursion to date! :D

[Blue Waters]

BTW - my avatar is from Turner's Beach!

[critterchick]

Room service will set you up with extra barware.

 

Another secret spot is on Deck 11, all the way forward. You can only access it from some stairs outside the fitness center on Deck 12 - there are loungers out there and it's quite peaceful as few passengers seem to know about it.

 

The Solarium (adults only) is open 24/7, so you'll have a pool (saltwater, blech) and whirlpool available to you unless they are closed for cleaning.

 

On our cruise in November, the cabin steward told us that there was a very high demand for bathrobes. We got them because of being Diamond Plus, but I've noticed on our past several cruises (Serenade & Monarch) that we've had to ask for them instead of having them in the cabin upon arrival. But it never hurts to ask - all they can say is no.

 

There is no sushi bar. The Windjammer will have a sushi station at dinner, but it's a very limited selection of rolls. Not very good, but better than the dreck they served for a fee at Jade Sushi on Monarch.

 

There used to be dispensers in the very aft of the Windjammer (in the outdoor area) that served lemonade, oj & iced tea 24/7. It was disabled on the Jewel.:( You can get iced tea & lemonade in the Windjammer, and probably 24/7 through room service, or at any meal in the dining room. I don't know if the bars have it - have never asked!;) If worst comes to worst, you can get ice in the outdoor area of the WJ & make your own iced tea, but that's a bit of work!

 

We used Lawrence of Antigua and also recommend him. His van is sparkling clean. He's not a garrulous as some tour operators, but we were "chatted out" by the time we got there, so I was grateful for that. As near as I could tell, there are no giant busses touring Antigua, so even if you booked through the ship you'd be in a van. But the indies are just as reliable, IME, and can save you a few bucks.

[Cruise Gopher]

The Iced Tea is soooooooooooooo good on RCCL! I didn't put any sweetener in it and I drank so much of it. I can't wait to go back on RCCL just to have the iced tea.

 

If the windjammer is closed you can always get it from room service. No worries.

[zqvol]

Clock issue is a maybe, and it really depends on when you cruise. If the US is observing daylight savings time then the islands are on the same time as the mainland and clocks do not change. If not they usually do change. (DST starts mid March this year.)

[Ltvscout]

Thanks for the great info, everyone!

 

My daughter just hit me with another question. Does the ship have a self-serve ice cream/frozen yogurt station on it? If so, is it only available certain hours?

[critterchick]

There is frozen yogurt in the Windjammer, so that's only available when the WJ is open. I think it's just chocolate and vanilla. Ice cream is always available as an alternate dessert at dinner in the dining room, too. Many RCI ships have Ben & Jerry's, but the Radiance class do not (I don't think, at least I don't remember seeing it).

[cb at sea]

There are clocks all over the ship--before getting off in a port, check the ship's clock and make sure your watch reads the same! It really doesn't matter what time it is on any given island--you need to be on SHIP'S TIME--ALWAYS!!!!!!!

[Ltvscout]

There is frozen yogurt in the Windjammer, so that's only available when the WJ is open. I think it's just chocolate and vanilla. Ice cream is always available as an alternate dessert at dinner in the dining room, too. Many RCI ships have Ben & Jerry's, but the Radiance class do not (I don't think, at least I don't remember seeing it).

Thank you, Critterchick. Do you recall the hours that WJ is open?

[critterchick]

Thank you, Critterchick. Do you recall the hours that WJ is open?

 

The hours are something like 6-11 for breakfast, 11:30-2:30 (maybe 3:00) for lunch and 7-9:00 or 9:30 for dinner. There may be afternoon tea or something like that available between 3:00 and 7, but I can't be sure. I still have the Compasses at home, so I will try to remember to check later.

[bettylou5]

When we sailed the Jewel we ate at the main seating time of 6:00 pm, took in the show and then it seemed that the hot tubs were always covered with some kind of net afterwards. That was March of last year. I would have loved to have sat in a hot tub in the evening but never saw it available. ??? Can you think of a reason why this would have been the case? I just assumed it was the norm as it was our first RCI cruise.

Thanks.

[hithere]

We just got back from a six day Jewel sailing. We found it VERY difficult to get something to drink with your snack if you weren't willing to pay a bartender. Ice tea, lemonade and coffee were only available for free in the windjammer. If the windjammer was closed you were out of luck. Even if it is open who wants to travel to the windjammer from the solarium cafe for a small glass of lemonade or a cup of coffee?

 

If you go to the solarium cafe you have to make a second trip to the solarium bar to get even a glass of water. The same goes for the seaview. In the seaview coffee was available for around $2.00... the same coffee that was free one deck down in the windjammer.

 

They haven't started charging for glasses of water yet but based on our experience it probably won't be long.;)

 

We found the experience of "snacking" not fun. Also the seaview and the solarium cafes are open varying hours so you needed a cruise compass from day to day to determine what was open when. There are no 24 hour venues like there are on Voyager/Freedom ships. There aren't even any 18 hour venues. :eek:

[Lowcountrygal]

Thanks for the great info, everyone!

 

My daughter just hit me with another question. Does the ship have a self-serve ice cream/frozen yogurt station on it? If so, is it only available certain hours?

 

Just sailed the Radiance on the Dec 17th sailing (W.Carib). Yes, you will find self-serve yogurt in the Windjammer. You will have choc, strawberry, and vanilla and swirls of van/choc and van/strawberry. Different flavors on different days.

 

Windjammer hours:

6:30 am - 10:30 am -- breakfast

11:30 am - 3:00 pm -- lunch

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm -- snack

6:30 pm - 9:00 pm -- dinner

 

Have a great time!

Rose

[Ltvscout]

Thank you for the info on "free" drink availability and for the WJ hours.

 

I'm curious if anyone else has found the Whirlpools to be closed at night on the Jewel? On Carnival, they always drain the pools/whirpools each night. It would be nice to be able to take a nice, late night soak in the hot tub.

[rwillis9]

For those of you that tip your steward extra when you first arrive. What amount do you usually tip for a cruise? I tipped an extra 10 on our Victory 7 day cruise. We are going on the Splendour 5 Day this time. Thanks.

[rwillis9]

The Iced Tea is soooooooooooooo good on RCCL! I didn't put any sweetener in it and I drank so much of it. I can't wait to go back on RCCL just to have the iced tea.

 

If the windjammer is closed you can always get it from room service. No worries.

 

Is there any charge to get Coffee, Cold/Hot Tea, Water from Room Service? We usually just got Coffee and Hot Tea on Carnival and were not charged. I was not sure about RCI though. Thanks in advance.

[Ltvscout]

For those of you that tip your steward extra when you first arrive. What amount do you usually tip for a cruise? I tipped an extra 10 on our Victory 7 day cruise. We are going on the Splendour 5 Day this time. Thanks.

We had a Cat 11 suite on the Miracle last year and I tipped our steward $20 when he came to introduce himself right after we got in our room. He took GREAT care of us the whole cruise.

[Ltvscout]

Is there any charge to get Coffee, Cold/Hot Tea, Water from Room Service? We usually just got Coffee and Hot Tea on Carnival and were not charged. I was not sure about RCI though. Thanks in advance.

There's no charge for that, but it's good practice to give the person delivering the food/beverage a couple dollar tip, adjusted up or down per your preference.

[rwillis9]

We had hot tea every night before be on the Victory and I always gave a couple of bucks. I did tip some more one night when my wife and I could not decide what we wanted for desert, so the girl sent up one of everything (we did not have a menu in the cabin and I did not think to ask for one.) They poor guy could not see over the tray it had so much. He got tipped well. :)

[blazer10]

We were on the Jewel last year - Cat. D-1 , with our friends next door in an adjoining room and are returning this year - same rooms - we will be going with you on March 24th - we loved the Jewel - it was a great ship - we have sailed Disney Wonder before and loved everything about the Jewel - I am trying to think of anything the others missed - you have to go to the sea view cafe for lunch - upstairs on the other side of the mini golf- our kids loved the rock climbing - we loved the food in the dinning room and had great service - the windjammer cafe was great to - we starting going down earlier since it was taking everyone so long to each (pigs but your on vacation) - ice cream dispensers are in the back corners of windjammer by the deserts and the doors to the outdoor sitting area - the room is bigger than you think the luggage can go under the bed. Any questions let me know and I will try to answer - we will probly be flying with you out of milwaukee -we leave friday the 23rd on Midwest.

Happy Sailing - and sunny - warm weather