Radiance of the Seas.....Past - Present - Future (Continued)

[windjamming]

My wife, son and I willl be traveling on the Radiance for the second time (our third Radinance Class ship0 voyage) and I'm hoping someone here can answer a question. One of my favorite things to do as an early riser was to Go up to the Coffee station just outside the Windjamer which had a great view of the passing scenary/ocean and start my day..... I note on the deck plan of the Rivised revilitized Radiance that that location is now occupied by the Doghouse (complementary Hot Dogs) Where, now, do I go for coffee, or did RCCL put me in the doghouse.

 

The coffee station is still there but moved towards the forward of that area. If you are going in through the double doors, it'll be on your right.

[Jasp 0401]

What I do wonder is if people ever started using that outdoor area behind the CL. It was too cold in Alaska for anyone to want to sit out there.

 

I know you didn't spend time in the CL, Patti, but do you know if anyone used this area?

 

Just what was the weather like in Australia during the time you were there?

 

Gina

 

 

We saw it being used a bit on our cruise over Christmas but not much.The weather was lovely and warm but still most people sat inside the CL.

[sparky-elpaso]

My wife, son and I willl be traveling on the Radiance for the second time (our third Radinance Class ship0 voyage) and I'm hoping someone here can answer a question. One of my favorite things to do as an early riser was to Go up to the Coffee station just outside the Windjamer which had a great view of the passing scenary/ocean and start my day..... I note on the deck plan of the Rivised revilitized Radiance that that location is now occupied by the Doghouse (complementary Hot Dogs) Where, now, do I go for coffee, or did RCCL put me in the doghouse.

 

 

The Boardwalk Doghouse just takes up a very small amount of space. The coffee station is still there with lots of seating. Our favorite spot in the morning too.

 

 

 

[travelgoddess1]

My wife, son and I willl be traveling on the Radiance for the second time (our third Radinance Class ship0 voyage) and I'm hoping someone here can answer a question. One of my favorite things to do as an early riser was to Go up to the Coffee station just outside the Windjamer which had a great view of the passing scenary/ocean and start my day..... I note on the deck plan of the Rivised revilitized Radiance that that location is now occupied by the Doghouse (complementary Hot Dogs) Where, now, do I go for coffee, or did RCCL put me in the doghouse.

 

There is also coffee at the Park Cafe in the Solarium, also Deck 11. But it might not be available before it opens. Does anyone know?

[Linda41]

There is also coffee at the Park Cafe in the Solarium, also Deck 11. But it might not be available before it opens. Does anyone know?

 

I believe it was available early at Park Cafe last fall on our Aussie/New Zealand cruises. Sometimes they change things, however, because I don't remember having the coffee available in the Dog House area then. :confused: I think it was available later maybe.

 

Linda (and C. D.)

[windjamming]

Speaking of the Dog House, I'm curious how many people actually ate there.

 

We were on the Honolulu to Vancouver 12-night sailing, and I didn't go there once. At first I figured it was because we were so busy during the Hawaii days, but even during the crossing, it never occurred to me to grab a dog.

 

On the Allure, I probably went 4 or 5 times, and that was on a 7 day sailing. It seemed just more natural. We'd be strolling on the Boardwalk, and - bam! - grab a dog. On the Radiance, it's right next to the Windjammer, so why not just go there and see what else is available?

 

I'm just not a big fan of the addition of so many dining venues. Having 10+ places to eat may make sense for a 225,000 ton, 6000 passenger ship. It spreads people out. That's smart.

 

It doesn't make sense for a ship less than half its size, with less than half the passengers. The MDR was less than half full every night we were there, and I never saw anyone go into Izumi. It just feels like they're testing out the Norwegian Freestyle route while also trying to maintain Traditional dining.

 

And that card playing area on Deck 10 is just...odd. I can see an activity temporarily being set up there, but to make it the permanent location of the games room? Is the Chefs Table that popular?

 

I used to think the Radiance class was the most beautiful and upscale of the RCI ships. Now I'm not so sure.

 

(All of this said, it was still an amazing cruise, and many, many, many good things about the Radiance.)

Edited May 18, 2012 by windjamming

[Linda41]

Speaking of the Dog House, I'm curious how many people actually ate there.

 

We were on the Honolulu to Vancouver 12-night sailing, and I didn't go there once. At first I figured it was because we were so busy during the Hawaii days, but even during the crossing, it never occurred to me to grab a dog.

 

On the Allure, I probably went 4 or 5 times, and that was on a 7 day sailing. It seemed just more natural. We'd be strolling on the Boardwalk, and - bam! - grab a dog. On the Radiance, it's right next to the Windjammer, so why not just go there and see what else is available?

 

I'm just not a big fan of the addition of so many dining venues. Having 10+ places to eat may make sense for a 225,000 ton, 6000 passenger ship. It spreads people out. That's smart.

 

It doesn't make sense for a ship less than half its size, with less than half the passengers. The MDR was less than half full every night we were there, and I never saw anyone go into Izumi. It just feels like they're testing out the Norwegian Freestyle route while also trying to maintain Traditional dining.

 

And that card playing area on Deck 10 is just...odd. I can see an activity temporarily being set up there, but to make it the permanent location of the games room? Is the Chefs Table that popular?

 

I used to think the Radiance class was the most beautiful and upscale of the RCI ships. Now I'm not so sure.

 

(All of this said, it was still an amazing cruise, and many, many, many good things about the Radiance.)

 

I totally agree--have decided that I much prefer the Radiance class ships BEFORE the refurbishing. The card playing area is indeed odd--course the bean counters have put a "for pay" restaurant where the game room used to be. I don't like having so many extra restaurants either--and they are mostly the extra pay kind. That is one reason I cruise--meals are supposed to be included and they still are but they have taken away the free Sea View cafe which we enjoyed. Have taken away a large part of the seating area in the Windjammer for Rita's and Izumi. Really, really difficult to find an open table at noon on sea days now--very frustrating.

 

As for the Dog House, I never, ever eat hot dogs and my DH had one hot dog during our lengthy B2B2B to Australia and New Zealand last fall. So yes, we consider the Dog House a huge waste of space. Didn't really see it used much during our long cruise.

 

Linda (and C. D.)

Edited May 18, 2012 by Linda41

[travelgoddess1]

We ate at the Dog House twice, after someone mentioned their chicken sausage dog, which I liked. But they are not very hot at all.

 

The Dog House does not really take up extra space, it is very small and is lined up against the wall where the coffee used to be. The coffee moved to the opposite wall by the elevators. I didn't notice any fewer tables in that area.

 

RCI did create a big problem by carving out 2 restaurants in the WJ seating area, plus the elimination of Seaview Cafe. There is nowhere to sit. We only went to the WJ twice on our just-completed Hawaii/Alaska cruise, and only when the ship was in port and everyone was on shore. We avoid the WJ whenever possible. I spoke to our WJ Manager, a friend for several years. He admitted there was a problem, but did not offer what I consider a viable solution. And it was worse in Alaska when no one wanted to sit out back.

 

The night we went to Izumi's, it was almost full. We went early, a departure for us.

[Linda41]

We ate at the Dog House twice, after someone mentioned their chicken sausage dog, which I liked. But they are not very hot at all.

 

The Dog House does not really take up extra space, it is very small and is lined up against the wall where the coffee used to be. The coffee moved to the opposite wall by the elevators. I didn't notice any fewer tables in that area.

 

 

.

 

The problem with moving the coffee to the opposite wall is originally they were coffee machines--now it is coffee pots. Although they are insulated, the coffee still tends to get cool in them after awhile. A step in the wrong direction......

 

Linda (and C. D.)

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

We saw it being used a bit on our cruise over Christmas but not much.The weather was lovely and warm but still most people sat inside the CL.

 

We used the outside seating area very frequently on our recent 42 days on board. Of course the weather in the S. Pacific was wonderful and we saw many lovely sunsets out there. It was also much quieter and you could have a conversation. The CL tends to be a bit noisy. We were only driven indoors on the third sea day back to Vancouver when the weather changed.

I think I actually prefer the Diamond Lounge for indoor seating. It is bigger and the views are wonderful. Not quite so noisy as well. There was a discussion while we were on board about the possibility of putting in more insulation and rugs in the CL to try to dampen the sound.

We did try the Dog House once. Not really a fan. Izumi was pretty busy each time we were there. There is a huge design flaw with Rita's in that the back end is open and it's drafty. I can't imagine it will be well attended in Alaska. We really enjoyed it and went back twice. It's the least used venue at this point such a shame because the servers are wonderful and so are the Margarita's. :D

[travelgoddess1]

We used the outside seating area very frequently on our recent 42 days on board. Of course the weather in the S. Pacific was wonderful and we saw many lovely sunsets out there. It was also much quieter and you could have a conversation. The CL tends to be a bit noisy. We were only driven indoors on the third sea day back to Vancouver when the weather changed.

I think I actually prefer the Diamond Lounge for indoor seating. It is bigger and the views are wonderful. Not quite so noisy as well. There was a discussion while we were on board about the possibility of putting in more insulation and rugs in the CL to try to dampen the sound.

We did try the Dog House once. Not really a fan. Izumi was pretty busy each time we were there. There is a huge design flaw with Rita's in that the back end is open and it's drafty. I can't imagine it will be well attended in Alaska. We really enjoyed it and went back twice. It's the least used venue at this point such a shame because the servers are wonderful and so are the Margarita's. :D

 

Sheila, you are so right! We tried to go to Rita's the second-to-last day before Vancouver, and it was so cold, it was like a wind tunnel. There were a few people huddled together at the opposite end of the open area. We turned right around and left. And after leaving Vancouver for Alaska, forget it! It was too cold the entire week. Such a shame.

Edited May 19, 2012 by travelgoddess1

[Linda41]

Sheila, you are so right! We tried to go to Rita's the second-to-last day before Vancouver, and it was so cold, it was like a wind tunnel. There were a few people huddled together at the opposite end of the open area. We turned right around and left. And after leaving Vancouver for Alaska, forget it! It was too cold the entire week. Such a shame.

 

We went to Rita's once on our B2B2B (Aust/New Zealand) last fall--it was sooo windy and cold that evening!!! The wind tunnel kept blowing all the baskets of chips off onto the floor and the poor wait staff was kept busy cleaning them all up! Don't know how they plan to fix the problem but it certainly does need a fix! BTW, the food really was pretty good. I couldn't figure out why refried beans was a condiment and not a side dish, however. :confused: The refried beans served to us was about 2 Tablespoons in a tiny dish. (Particularly since refried beans are about the cheapest thing around!)

 

Linda (and C. D.)

[sparky-elpaso]

We went to Rita's once on our B2B2B (Aust/New Zealand) last fall--it was sooo windy and cold that evening!!! The wind tunnel kept blowing all the baskets of chips off onto the floor and the poor wait staff was kept busy cleaning them all up! Don't know how they plan to fix the problem but it certainly does need a fix! BTW, the food really was pretty good. I couldn't figure out why refried beans was a condiment and not a side dish, however. :confused: The refried beans served to us was about 2 Tablespoons in a tiny dish. (Particularly since refried beans are about the cheapest thing around!)

 

Linda (and C. D.)

 

They also don't know what pico de gallo is - it's NOT onions, tomatoes and cilantro. If there's no jalapeno it's just a mixture of onions, tomatoes and cilantro. :)

[Jasp 0401]

Speaking of the Dog House, I'm curious how many people actually ate there.

 

We were on the Honolulu to Vancouver 12-night sailing, and I didn't go there once. At first I figured it was because we were so busy during the Hawaii days, but even during the crossing, it never occurred to me to grab a dog.

 

On the Allure, I probably went 4 or 5 times, and that was on a 7 day sailing. It seemed just more natural. We'd be strolling on the Boardwalk, and - bam! - grab a dog. On the Radiance, it's right next to the Windjammer, so why not just go there and see what else is available?

 

I'm just not a big fan of the addition of so many dining venues. Having 10+ places to eat may make sense for a 225,000 ton, 6000 passenger ship. It spreads people out. That's smart.

 

It doesn't make sense for a ship less than half its size, with less than half the passengers. The MDR was less than half full every night we were there, and I never saw anyone go into Izumi. It just feels like they're testing out the Norwegian Freestyle route while also trying to maintain Traditional dining.

 

And that card playing area on Deck 10 is just...odd. I can see an activity temporarily being set up there, but to make it the permanent location of the games room? Is the Chefs Table that popular?

 

I used to think the Radiance class was the most beautiful and upscale of the RCI ships. Now I'm not so sure.

 

(All of this said, it was still an amazing cruise, and many, many, many good things about the Radiance.)

 

We were on it for 16 nights over Christmas and New Year and I saw the Dog house was very popular with the children getting something to eat and then going off again to play. As we were in a grand suite on deck 10 every time we went past the card area there was hardly a vacant table.We were glad we had packed our own cards so we could play in our room as getting a table was very hard in the card/game area.

Some past cruisers of the Radiance on our cruise did tell me .The card /game room was much better before they moved it.Now it seems an after thought on the ship.And as for the other dining option I was told they were very popular with the guest on our cruise.As this was our first cruise I can only go on what it looks like now and it is a beautiful ship and was very popular with the Australian market

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

We have not cruise on the Radiance since she got all her updates and new restaurants.

The Dog House is one place I would have to take my DH out with him kicking and screaming...he loves hot dogs! He would be there every day, perhaps a few times a day!!! :eek:

 

***

[Jasp 0401]

We used the outside seating area very frequently on our recent 42 days on board. Of course the weather in the S. Pacific was wonderful and we saw many lovely sunsets out there. It was also much quieter and you could have a conversation. The CL tends to be a bit noisy. :D

I agree watching the sunset and the view was lovely sitting outside CL. They were lovely inside too. But I must agree with you that it was quieter outside in the evening. I loved going up there at about 3pm for coffee you had the whole place to yourself.It was lovely and peaceful and those views are wonderful.:)

[Rodmanb294]

I Want to thank you all for your responses ... It's nice to be reassured that I can still perform my ritual !! As I get older I find It more and more difficult to accept change.. (smile) Really looking forward to the cruise and follow-on West Coast trip... Post cruise will be visiting Daughter for a few days in Seattle (by bus from the pier in Vancouver) and then a southbound Train ride ultimately to Los Angeles before Flying back home to New Jersey...

[cruisenfever]

Just returned from 3 weeks on board Radiance and had a wonderful time as usual. All Specialty Restaurants were quite busy the second and third weeks.

 

Had a very nice lunch in Giovanni's the last week with Clunis Daly, the Hotel Director, and found out that with the addition of Rita's and Izumi, plus the new round tables added between the WJ and the pool, the seating capacity has increased. I found it hard to believe, but I would never dispute the Hotel Director!:D I believe the number he through out was 276.

 

Rita's and Izumi offer seating during breakfast. On some days you can also have lunch in Izumi when they are not serving lunch. Rita's hours begin at 2 until 9:30 so folks are not able to take their lunch from the WJ and eat there. They can walk through to the aft section and utilize any vacant table there.

[paylady]

Just returned from 3 weeks on board Radiance and had a wonderful time as usual. All Specialty Restaurants were quite busy the second and third weeks.

 

Had a very nice lunch in Giovanni's the last week with Clunis Daly, the Hotel Director, and found out that with the addition of Rita's and Izumi, plus the new round tables added between the WJ and the pool, the seating capacity has increased. I found it hard to believe, but I would never dispute the Hotel Director!:D I believe the number he through out was 276.

 

Rita's and Izumi offer seating during breakfast. On some days you can also have lunch in Izumi when they are not serving lunch. Rita's hours begin at 2 until 9:30 so folks are not able to take their lunch from the WJ and eat there. They can walk through to the aft section and utilize any vacant table there.

 

Patti:

 

Did they open any dining venues for lunch on embarkation day other than the WJ for Northbound AK?

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Welcome home Patti. :)

I hope you had some good weather...sounds like you surely enjoyed the dining options and H.D. Clunis, he has always been one of my favorite senior officers.

Always a pleasure to talk with him.

 

How were the seas?

 

Will be looking foreword to all your news and updates! ;)

 

***

[cruisenfever]

Patti:

 

Did they open any dining venues for lunch on embarkation day other than the WJ for Northbound AK?

The only places opened on embarkation day were the WJ and Park Cafe. I believe Boardwalk Dog House was also opened.

Welcome home Patti. :)

I hope you had some good weather...sounds like you surely enjoyed the dining options and H.D. Clunis, he has always been one of my favorite senior officers.

Always a pleasure to talk with him.

 

How were the seas?

 

Will be looking foreword to all your news and updates! ;)

 

***

Thanks Linda, it's always good to get home. We had a glitch yesterday with our connection in Chicago due to an equipment malfunction in Cincinnati, but we finally made it to CLE AT 2:30AM! All part of the adventure.:D

 

Being from Ohio, where you wait 10 minutes for the weather to change, the first week in Alaska made us feel like we had never left home. Rain, cold and some snow. Our cabin attendant was from Trinidad/Tobago and had never seen snow, so when we got to Juneau he took the tram up to Mt. Roberts and was able to play in the snow, have a snow ball fight and make snow angels. Hearing him describe the event was like listening to a young child getting his most wanted gift at Christmas.

 

The second week it improved each day. In Juneau it rained in the morning and then the sun came out in the afternoon. The temps were still on the coolish side, but not bone chilling.

 

The third week was absolutely perfect with temps about 55-60 and the sun out every day with a few clouds thrown in to keep us on our toes.

 

Seas were very calm as we were mostly sailing the Inside Passage. You do go outside the IP but not for long, so if there are some swells, you don't experience them for any great length of time.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

The only places opened on embarkation day were the WJ and Park Cafe. I believe Boardwalk Dog House was also opened.

 

Thanks Linda, it's always good to get home. We had a glitch yesterday with our connection in Chicago due to an equipment malfunction in Cincinnati, but we finally made it to CLE AT 2:30AM! All part of the adventure.:D

 

Being from Ohio, where you wait 10 minutes for the weather to change, the first week in Alaska made us feel like we had never left home. Rain, cold and some snow. Our cabin attendant was from Trinidad/Tobago and had never seen snow, so when we got to Juneau he took the tram up to Mt. Roberts and was able to play in the snow, have a snow ball fight and make snow angels. Hearing him describe the event was like listening to a young child getting his most wanted gift at Christmas.

 

The second week it improved each day. In Juneau it rained in the morning and then the sun came out in the afternoon. The temps were still on the coolish side, but not bone chilling.

 

The third week was absolutely perfect with temps about 55-60 and the sun out every day with a few clouds thrown in to keep us on our toes.

 

Seas were very calm as we were mostly sailing the Inside Passage. You do go outside the IP but not for long, so if there are some swells, you don't experience them for any great length of time.

 

 

LOL about waiting 10 min for Ohio weather to change...being from Chicago, you only have to wait 5 minutes!

 

Getting home at 2:30 am isn't the most fun, (been there - done that) I can relate how comfy your bed and pillow was that night!!

 

As for your 3 weeks of weather, at least it improved as you progressed each week, rather than going down hill from good to bad.

 

Welcome home...I'm sure that the mail, laundry and granddaughter are calling you!!! :)

 

***

[mommabean]

Patti, How crowded were the CL and the DL during your time on board?

 

Gina

[cruisenfever]

Patti, How crowded were the CL and the DL during your time on board?

 

Gina

We did the DL on the first cruise because we wanted to be with our friends Chris and Martha. It was not crowded at all........but it was freezing in there.

 

The second two weeks we spent out time in the CL and it was also not crowded at all.

[mommabean]

We did the DL on the first cruise because we wanted to be with our friends Chris and Martha. It was not crowded at all........but it was freezing in there.

 

The second two weeks we spent out time in the CL and it was also not crowded at all.

 

Sounds good, except for the freezing part. Was the heating system broken?

 

Gina