Poor reviews of Radiance...make me feel better!!

So, I booked our northbound Alaska cruise over a year ago on Radiance of the Seas. We set sail on August 24th. As much time as I've spent planning excursions, hotels, flights, etc etc etc. I've finally sat down and started reading some of the reviews specific to the Radiance on Cruise Critic (not on the boards, the reviews on the main website).

So, please help me feel better about my completely paid for and non refundable decision, because I know there are people who love the Radiance, especially in Alaska, and maybe these reviewers are just being picky :)

I’d just ignore all the reviews and go see for yourself how it is. There will always be people that complain and are negative.... it’s your vacation and it’s going to be what you make it. Alaska is amazing and how anyone could have a bad trip there is beyond me. Have a wonderful time and forget about the negative reviews you’ve read!

I have cruised many times with various lines to Alaska (Princess, HAL, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean). No cruise is ever perfect but we don't let the little things bother us. We mainly use the ships as vehicles to get us to and from our ports --- we just want to get to Alaska and enjoy all it has to offer us. I agree with "ccndfw's" comments from above. Was there anything specific that really bothered you about the Radiance reviews?

I have cruised many times with various lines to Alaska (Princess, HAL, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean). No cruise is ever perfect but we don't let the little things bother us. We mainly use the ships as vehicles to get us to and from our ports --- we just want to get to Alaska and enjoy all it has to offer us. I agree with "ccndfw's" comments from above. Was there anything specific that really bothered you about the Radiance reviews?

It just seemed like a lot of negative about the food and crew being disorganized. I've never had a bad experience on RC regarding food or the crew, so I'm hoping it's just people who like to find something negative in everything.

I was on the radiance a few years ago and thought the food was pretty good. Good variety in the buffet. The food was better than the princess cruise that I just went on.Great viewing from this size ship.

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Just got off Radiance 2 weeks ago today. We had almost no problems with the ship & this is coming from a guy who has almost exclusively been on Voyager class and bigger.

I thought it was in fine shape for its age, only needing a touch of paint here or a new cushion there. Our stateroom could have used a new mattress but we had no problem sleeping on night one so we didn’t even bother complaining (and slept fine all week).

The staff seemed pretty similar to the staff I’m used to on the big boats in the Caribbean. Our stateroom attendant, Yoga, was awesome. He was in the hallway so often that he constantly opened our door for us when he saw us coming. If we put out the “make up room” card and went away for just an hour, the room was always done when we got back.

The DL servers were friendly & efficient. We got to know one better then the other & he asked if we wanted our usual after the 2nd night (he even helped my wife make up her own concoction). The DL concierge was also very friendly & helped us out one night with a last minute MDR reservation on a formal night.

The WJ food was similar to the other ships (which we have no problem with). The nightly themes were new to us but that doesn’t reflect on the ship or the food. We only ate dinner in the MDR once and that was just fine too.

I told my wife about the complaints people had and she agreed that people are just way too critical.

Hope that helps alleviate your concerns. I’ll also leave you with this... it’s Alaska, don’t worry about the ship, go enjoy everything Alaska has to offer (or st least as much as you can fit into your time there)!

We were on Radiance in Alaska last May and had no issues. The food and service were good, entertainment was decent and the size of the ship was perfect for Alaska. It was far above our experience on the Rotterdam with HAL this past January.

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Remember, all cruises are OUTSTANDING, some are just a little better than others.

We sailed May 18 to 25 th 2018 the first cruise of the season Northbound. I mainly wrote an itinerary review but I do discuss the Radiance in my review in 2018 reports. I have done Carnival, NCL, and Royal Carribean cruises. I have never been on one of the huge cruise ships so do not have any experience with those type ships. We loved the Radiance and had nothing bad to say about it. We thought the entertainment was good , food good for the most part, and only minor complaint that Windjammer food could be hotter. We did spend a lot of time off ship to do excursions as this is what we were there for. But our room steward was excellent and we were very happy with everything on the ship. Some staff seem more experienced than others but I feel like that is true anywhere. If you want to be happy, you will be. Have fun and don’t let the Debbie Downers bring you down. It was an amazing trip and I still am smiling about the fun we had.

We were on same cruise as OCSC Mike, and loved Radiance - is perfect ship for Alaska!

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We were on same cruise as OCSC Mike, and loved Radiance - is perfect ship for Alaska!

 

 

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We were also on this same cruise with RSLeesburg and OCSC Mike, and did not have any issues. This was my 4th time on this ship on a Southbound routing, the only thing that stood out to me was a broken window on the elevators overlooking the water, but that would be really the only thing.

We were also on this same cruise with RSLeesburg and OCSC Mike, and did not have any issues. This was my 4th time on this ship on a Southbound routing, the only thing that stood out to me was a broken window on the elevators overlooking the water, but that would be really the only thing.

That was there to show us how safe the windows are even if they shatter. ;)

So, I booked our northbound Alaska cruise over a year ago on Radiance of the Seas. We set sail on August 24th. As much time as I've spent planning excursions, hotels, flights, etc etc etc. I've finally sat down and started reading some of the reviews specific to the Radiance on Cruise Critic (not on the boards, the reviews on the main website).

So, please help me feel better about my completely paid for and non refundable decision, because I know there are people who love the Radiance, especially in Alaska, and maybe these reviewers are just being picky :)

We just sailed on the Radiance on June 22-June 29 (five of us) and had a wonderful time! No issues at all. Enjoy your August cruise!

Hi there! I sailed on the Radiance in August of 2017 and loved it. although I am partial to the smaller ships. Everything was wonderful. Staff were friendly, food was good and ship was beautiful. We did not do any of the extra food restaurants as that just isn't what we do. Don't listen to the downers. Go with an open mind and enjoy your cruise!! Alaska is absolutely Amazing!!!! Please report back when you return so we know how it went. Happy sailing!

PS.....Hubby did a blog on our trip if you want something to read about Alaska.

Here is the link https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2613346

I just got off the Radiance yesterday. It was my 9th Cruise overall, and my uncles 11th. It was his favorite ship by far (and he’s been on more “upscale” lines like Holland American and Princess). It was the first time I’ve ever felt the need to tip extra (I hate tipping, and figure if they make you do it, that is enough for me). I genuinely felt like the crew was happy and not just faking being happy for the guests. Heck, I sought out an adventure ocean counselor after the cruise, because she made me happy every time I saw her (security lines, first day). And I don’t even have kids!! Cuddy was the first cruise director not to make my eye twitch, I thought he was genuinely adorable. I had a waiter in one speciality dining room (we had a 3 night package) that arranged waiters at all the other places for us because he could brief them on what we liked.

Basically, I’ve done several amazing trips, all over the world, and this is probably one of my top 3 (with 3.5 weeks around Australia and a week in the Galapagos). Part was the destination, but also part was the ship. Stop worrying, you’ll be fine!!

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Cuddy was the first cruise director not to make my eye twitch, I thought he was genuinely adorable.

We thought Cuddy was great as well. Genuinely funny and likeable without trying too hard.

He even personally hosted our Meet & Mingle and was cracking CruiseCritic jokes.

We thought Cuddy was great as well. Genuinely funny and likeable without trying too hard.

 

 

 

He even personally hosted our Meet & Mingle and was cracking CruiseCritic jokes.

We have had Cuddy on our past two cruises, and agree - he is great.

I caught just the end of the Meet & Mingle. I was surprised to see him there. Was nice!

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That was there to show us how safe the windows are even if they shatter. ;)

We will go with that answer... LOL

2 years ago did Alaska on The Radiance. Loved it. Been on 4 RCCL cruises and it equaled them all, including 2 of the large ones.

Radiance is still my favorite ship. Lovely to walk the outside promenade and see scenery all around, Enjoy your trip:):):)