Can you compare Radiance vs. Grandeur for me?

[jana616]

My husband and I took a 7 night cruise in January 2006 on Radiance of the Seas, and absolutely loved it. We are looking for a steal of a vacation for this summer, and have found a good price/airfare on a 5 night cruise on Grandeur of the Seas for mid-May. I am wondering how the two ships compare?

 

We loved Chops, which I understand is not on the Grandeur. We also loved the solarium, which I know is a little different (less pretty) on Grandeur. What else is different? Is anything better?

 

We are in our mid-thirties, mostly looking to relax and have some time away together away from kids. Will we be happy on Grandeur?

[cb at sea]

You'll find that most of the cabins on Granduer are smaller than on Radiance class...and you won't have all the "bells and whistles", but it's still a nice ship!

 

Personally, I prefer an "open roofed" solarium....I was never able to tan in the solarium on Radiance class as they kept the roof closed!

[CruiseCrazyCouple]

Although the main areas of the radiance class ships feel a bit bigger with all the glass, you will not regret sailing Grandeur. We have sailed her twice. Once in '03, Western Caribbean 7 nights, and again in '07, New England and Canada 9 nights. We got an amazing deal on the 9 night cruise for me, DH and 5 kids. The layout is really nice. It doesn't feel crowded at all. I heard that the ship was max capacity that time but we did not feel it whatsoever. If you're a coffee drinker, the coffee bar is in a perfect spot. There's a really nice seating area with lots of glass, great views, right there by the bar. On other ships I've had the thought that the seating areas near the coffee can be really congested. This was our first sailing for our youngest son, so we had a stroller and all the junk you have to pack for toddlers. Plenty of room for everything. We didn't find the halls to be to tight, or anything like that. Also, one of our kids (who was 8 at the time) said he liked that it was smaller because he didn't feel so intimidated. All the kids really felt at home on that cruise. We also found that she was really clean and the upkeep was right on, which we haven't seen on some of the other ships. Lastly, I remember having the thought that it was TOTALLY worth it to sail an older, smaller ship, given the deal we got. The price was perfect. You're still on an RC ship, with all the great service and amenities. You won't be sorry. I don't know if this helps at all, just my opinion. Have a GREAT trip!!

[jana616]

You'll find that most of the cabins on Granduer are smaller than on Radiance class...and you won't have all the "bells and whistles", but it's still a nice ship!

 

Personally, I prefer an "open roofed" solarium....I was never able to tan in the solarium on Radiance class as they kept the roof closed!

 

Thanks for the reply! As long as it's still nice, I'm sure we'll be fine. I looked at video on youtube (since I think seeing that gives you a way better idea than photos), and it looked nice.

 

Although the main areas of the radiance class ships feel a bit bigger with all the glass, you will not regret sailing Grandeur. We have sailed her twice. Once in '03, Western Caribbean 7 nights, and again in '07, New England and Canada 9 nights. We got an amazing deal on the 9 night cruise for me, DH and 5 kids. The layout is really nice. It doesn't feel crowded at all. I heard that the ship was max capacity that time but we did not feel it whatsoever. If you're a coffee drinker, the coffee bar is in a perfect spot. There's a really nice seating area with lots of glass, great views, right there by the bar. On other ships I've had the thought that the seating areas near the coffee can be really congested. This was our first sailing for our youngest son, so we had a stroller and all the junk you have to pack for toddlers. Plenty of room for everything. We didn't find the halls to be to tight, or anything like that. Also, one of our kids (who was 8 at the time) said he liked that it was smaller because he didn't feel so intimidated. All the kids really felt at home on that cruise. We also found that she was really clean and the upkeep was right on, which we haven't seen on some of the other ships. Lastly, I remember having the thought that it was TOTALLY worth it to sail an older, smaller ship, given the deal we got. The price was perfect. You're still on an RC ship, with all the great service and amenities. You won't be sorry. I don't know if this helps at all, just my opinion. Have a GREAT trip!!

 

Thanks for the reply! I think you are exactly right, almost any cruise is a good cruise, and as long as the service, food, and activities are there, we'll be fine. I think this is an excellent deal, compared to what else I am seeing. And for us, we were trying to decide whether to take a vacation at all this year, so doing this would be great. I just hate to spend money and find ourselves disappointed or anything, esp. when my husband would rather not spend anything (men!). This is probably a dumb question, but I am assuming they have the midnight buffet, Quest, and (Not So)Newlywed Game, right? We really enjoyed all of those last time.

[Aquahound]

You'll find that these two ship classes are actually very similar. They both have adults-only solariums. The dance club is in the Viking Crown. The centrums and shopping areas are similar. The dining rooms are 2 stories. I'm not sure what "bells and whistles" were referred to earlier, other than the pool tables and specialty dining. Obviously one class is just newer and bigger than the other. Just think of Grandeur as an older version of what you already love.

 

By the way, you can tan (and burn) just fine through the closed solarium ceiling.

[CruiseCrazyCouple]

I think I've seen Quest and the (not so) Newlywed game on every sailing. RC just loves those and the crowds aren't thinning yet so, you can probably count on that. My DS says he and DH overdosed on shrimp at the midnight buffet. Gotta love it! Don't forget to check out the coffee bar and if you don't drink coffee you still have to stop by and see the desserts there....yummy!!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

We have been on both ships. We absolutely love the Radiance, been on her 5 times...that's not to say we didn't like the Grandeur....we also liked it, only cruised on her once in her inaugural year. We had a balcony cabin

I liked the layout of the balcony cabins on the Grandeur (Vision class) because the sitting area is next to the balcony door and the desk/make up area is across from the sofa which gives you more room.

 

As to compare the 2 ships, you already know the major differences...no Chops/Portifinos...I thought the Solarium was nice, just not as decorated as the Radiance.

 

So to answer your question.....a five night cruise beats staying home any day!!! :D :D :D

 

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[printingchick]

How about the 70s party? Do they also do that on the Grandeur?

[rreulbach]

How about the 70s party? Do they also do that on the Grandeur?

 

Was on the Grandeur last week. Are you talking about the 70s theme-night in the Casino? I know that was going on one night, but I don't recall seeing a 70's party (could have missed it). The Toga Party on the deck was great though.

 

Quest and the Not So Newlywed Game are definitely on and they were great. We were a spring break cruise so you can imagine how much fun Quest was. There was only a midnight buffet one night on the ship, but the food in the Solarium is served until well past 3 am. My only complaint on the ship was the late night pizza, hot dogs, and burgers in the Solarium were not very good.