Celebrity Millenium or RCCL Radiance of the Seas

[NoobCruise]

We are considering doing a 3rd cruise, 2nd to Alaska. Our 1st cruise was with Carnival. Probably won't cruise with them again. 2nd was with HAL. Loved them, but would like a little more entertainment in the evenings - not party but maybe live music while enjoying a cocktail. The Westerdam seemed to shut down between 9 or 10 pm and felt like walking around a ghost ship lol

 

We generally cruise for itinerary first, then compare cruise lines. We're down to the Millennium or RCCL Radiance of the Seas. From those who have sailed both, I would appreciate opinions on which is preferred and why. Thanks :)

[hallasm]

Based on you wishes I'll suggest Radiance - I have only one sailing with Millennium (only Celebrity cruise) but I found evening entertainment at Millennium almost non existing - after 7pm the bars were almost empty! - RCCL does offer more entertainment and dancing in the bar during the evening.

[BILL-WI]

We are considering doing a 3rd cruise, 2nd to Alaska. Our 1st cruise was with Carnival. Probably won't cruise with them again. 2nd was with HAL. Loved them, but would like a little more entertainment in the evenings - not party but maybe live music while enjoying a cocktail. The Westerdam seemed to shut down between 9 or 10 pm and felt like walking around a ghost ship lol

 

We generally cruise for itinerary first, then compare cruise lines. We're down to the Millennium or RCCL Radiance of the Seas. From those who have sailed both, I would appreciate opinions on which is preferred and why. Thanks :)

 

Been there, done that! I would pick the Radiance if you are looking for a bit more night life.

 

I love both ships, but there will more nightlife on the Radiance.

 

BILL

[Janet524]

One more vote for Radiance. Not because of the night life, but because of the design of the ship itself. With all the glass throughout the ship, the views of the Alaska scenery is wonderful.

[fleckle]

If the ship's smoking policy matters to you, be aware that the Radiance permits smoking on balconies and in the casino, while the Millennium does not.

 

We have been on both ships, enjoyed both and would go on either again, so would make the decision based on itinerary and price for equivalent accommodations.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I think that Alaska doesn't attract a party crowd. It might be slightly more energetic on Radiance because it is cheaper and will attract young families. I've sailed both ships and prefer Millennium. I love Bistro on Five, Qsine and the ambiance on Celebrity. It's just more upscale.

[kitegirl]

I have been on both ships out of Vancouver to Alaska .... I would pick Millienium over Radiance.... Reason is because of service, food, staff, and overall enjoyment on Celebrity. I would never cruise Royal Caribbean again because of the food and the service. Also the smoking policy was so much better on Celebrity....

[Desertbelle]

I love RCI and Celebrity and have been on both ships, and I would probably choose the Radiance because of the massive amount of windows. Alaska is all about the scenery. We were on the Radiance of the Seas to the Norwegian Fjords and it was a perfect ship for cool weather and amazing scenery.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I specifically sailed Radiance because of raves about the "glass". Millenium definitely has better glass because it is not tinted green like on the open decks on Radiance. For me the green glass took away from the natural colors and beauty. The buffet area on Millennium juts our over the ocean and is all glass. The elevators on Millennium jut out over the water. All the lounges on Deck 5 and 6 are glass. Bistro on Five is all glass. The Cosmos lounge on Deck 11 is all glass and a bird's eye view. I sat there sailing through Alaska (on Infinity this past summer and it was fantastic). I also sailed into Venice on Millennium in the Cosmos lounge with an orchestra playing- fantastic. The addition of Qsine on Deck 12 on Millennium is great also. If you get a table for two or four (get their early) you have a wonderful view from the floor to ceiling glass windows.

 

One thing some of you might not be aware of is that on Radiance Class ships (I was on Serenade on January 4-14) they have put a movie screen up at the only outdoor pool. It was loud and they had football games on. It was horrible and not relaxing. I usually don't mind the pool movies (in fact loved them on Princess) but we couldn't stand the loud noise sitting in the hot tubs sailing through Europe. I know football play offs are big but they were on every time I was out by the pool and they were LOUD.

 

Also we were fortunate to be able to upgrade to a grand suite but late at night our neighbors smoked Cigars and that made it not fun to have the door open or sit on the balcony.

[Northern Aurora]

A quick question for those who have taken the Radiance to Alaska -- does the Radiance also have on-board naturalists on Alaskan cruises? Despite the fact that we live in Alaska we've done two Alaska cruises on Celebrity (and have a third one scheduled for September), and I've thought that the naturalist on each cruise was excellent.

[tserface]

You won't go wrong with either of those ships. We've done both and they are both equally wonderful for different reasons. I don't think you can lose.

 

Tom

 

We are considering doing a 3rd cruise, 2nd to Alaska. Our 1st cruise was with Carnival. Probably won't cruise with them again. 2nd was with HAL. Loved them, but would like a little more entertainment in the evenings - not party but maybe live music while enjoying a cocktail. The Westerdam seemed to shut down between 9 or 10 pm and felt like walking around a ghost ship lol

 

We generally cruise for itinerary first, then compare cruise lines. We're down to the Millennium or RCCL Radiance of the Seas. From those who have sailed both, I would appreciate opinions on which is preferred and why. Thanks :)

[jackdiamond]

We have cruised both many times; and, they are both nice ships. However, we prefer Millennium.

[rae8836]

Re: Naturalists on Radiance of the Seas - In 2009 we did a northbound Alaska immediately followed by a southbound Alaska on Radiance. Absolutely loved the ship and the trip - will do it again for sure. However, the only time we got any type of Naturalist commentary was the day at the glacier. That was a Park Services Ranger who did a pretty good job. Could have changed by now........

[c-legs]

A quick question for those who have taken the Radiance to Alaska -- does the Radiance also have on-board naturalists on Alaskan cruises? Despite the fact that we live in Alaska we've done two Alaska cruises on Celebrity (and have a third one scheduled for September), and I've thought that the naturalist on each cruise was excellent.

Yes, they do.

As both itineraries are 100% identical, I suggest the naturalists are of the same calibre as they are both hired by RCL. in fact.

[subtchr]

I can't answer your specific question, because the only X ship we have been on is Solstice. We are booked on Radiance southbound in June. We had sailed a sister ship on a previous cruise and loved it.

 

One consideration about the nightlife is that although many people adjust quickly to time zone changes, and being from CA it won't be much of an issue for you, remember that those of us from the Eastern time zone will start a southbound cruise four hours "off". I know that for us that will mean early to bed (and early to rise), at least for the start of the vacation. I've learned my lesson from previous vacations - we are not going to fight it! But that means we won't exactly be closing down the bars at night!

[vermonter16]

DH and I will be sailing Millie in May so I haven't been on her yet but I have been on the Serenade of the Seas which is a sister ship to the Radiance and we absolutely loved it! I don't think you can go wrong with either. I'd look at the itinerary. We chose Celebrity simply because we had such a great experience on our first Celebrity cruise on the Solstice last year.

[gelo7]

Another vote for Radiance.

[NoobCruise]

Thank you everyone for your input! Both ships sound great :) I'm leaning towards the Millennium because of the smoking policy, the *green* glass on the Radiance, and the big screen on the pool deck. I haven't been on a ship with the big movie screen yet, but the Golden Princess was docked next to us in several ports and I think it would really annoy me lol

 

The itineraries are identical and port times pretty similar. Since both ships sound terrific, I think the deciding factor will probably end up being price and the best deal we can find. Thanks again for all of your responses!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Having sailed Radiance (4/07) and more recently Serenade (1/13)- and also having sailed Millennium (5/05,7/07) Infinity (7/12) and Summit (8/12) I can tell you that Celebrity Millennium Class ships are fantastic and I know you will have a wonderful time. The photos below show the Radiance pool with the movie screen and the Millennium pool outdoor pools. Millennium also has a heated therapy indoor heated pool, whereas Radiance has an indoor pool (slightly heated but still cold). I also included the view from Cosmos on Millennium and the Chocolate Tombstone from Qsine.

 

I didn't have a bad time on Royal- just not as great as on Celebrity. Food is much better on Celebrity. I especially like Bistro on Five and Qsine.

 

Alaska is a fantastic voyage.

[NoobCruise]

I can't answer your specific question, because the only X ship we have been on is Solstice. We are booked on Radiance southbound in June. We had sailed a sister ship on a previous cruise and loved it.

 

One consideration about the nightlife is that although many people adjust quickly to time zone changes, and being from CA it won't be much of an issue for you, remember that those of us from the Eastern time zone will start a southbound cruise four hours "off". I know that for us that will mean early to bed (and early to rise), at least for the start of the vacation. I've learned my lesson from previous vacations - we are not going to fight it! But that means we won't exactly be closing down the bars at night!

 

I had not thought of the time zone change for many people. We only changed 1 hour as we sailed to Alaska so it wasn't really noticeable, but I imagine it hit pretty hard on those from back east. Thanks for pointing that out :)

[Kathie44]

I have cruised Summit ('03) and Millenium ('12) to Alaska and had wonderful cruises both times. Celebrity is my first choice for cruising for many reasons, not the least of which is the almost total absence of smoking areas. I disagree with those who say that there isn't much nightlife on Celebrity ships. They must be staying in their rooms the whole time, lol.

There is a theme party every night in the Cosmos (or Revelations, depending on the ship) nightclub. The DJ plays after and sometimes before. The party band plays in different areas, as does the guitarist, Dance Quartet, A Capella singers, piano player and the string trio. The shows are very good. Sometimes the comedian, singers and dancers and other artists do mini-shows in the afternoon or after the big show. They've been doing a "White Night" party with a special buffet one evening after the 2nd show, usually on the pool deck, but in Alaska it was in the Grand Foyer due to the colder temps outside. The party band plays and there is lots of dancing.

The "Dancing with the Stripes" (as opposed to stars) dance contest is hilarious and lots of fun. Officers (stripes) dance with passengers. A 3-judge panel consisting of 2 other officers and often the comedian decide who stays until the last round. Their droll comments are so funny. Then the spectators are asked to vote with their applause.

I sometimes have to drag myself and my cabinmate out at midnight so we can be up in time for morning excursions.

I do trivia and was happy to see that they had resurrected the Battle of the Sexes game. On the Summit Feb. 2 cruise we played 5 nights at 8-8:30, between the dinner seatings. The women took a 7 pt lead the first night and eventually won by 10, despite the host helping the men as much as possible. Cheating never pays! :D

Bottom line for me--you would have to be comatose not to find plenty to do every evening.

[fleckle]

For those who care about the naturalists on the Alaska cruises, I don't think you can beat Celebrity.

 

On different cruises we had Milos Radakovich and Brent Nixon, both of whom are excellent and provide top-notch presentations.

[phoenix_dream]

I have sailed both ships, and for me Celebrity wins hands down, but to be fair there were two major issues on my Radiance cruise (which was several years ago): 1) at the time (I think it is all fixed now) the ship had severe plumbing issues - we had brown water in the sinks, hours of not working toilets, and our travel partners had backing up toilets and 2) we were thrilled to get an extra large balcony only to have a chain smoker "cabin rat" next to us so that we could never use our balcony. Until RCCI changes their smoking policy they would need to practically be giving the cruise away before I would book with them. Other than those two issues, the ship itself was beautiful, the food was decent, and so was the service.

[jackdiamond]

While we prefer Millennium, we still were very pleased with the evening buffet on the Radiance. That is one area where it presents a much nicer place to dine when we did not feel like dinner in the main dining room.

[IMNiles]

Wow, tough choice! We've sailed both ships (but only radiance in Alaska) and love them both - it would be tough to go too wrong. The atmosphere aboard millennium will be a bit more "refined" but this could translate into quieter at night. One big plus on X, though, is the "no announcement" policy that means you don't get all those bingo announcements (I'm sure this doesn't apply to the naturalist). The glass on radiance - whatever the color - certainly does contribute to the "I'm on a ship" feeling. I've always considered millennium class, though, to be spiritually similar to radiance. They're mid-sized (2000ish pax), gas turbine (no soot on aft cabins) and relatively open to the sea.

 

I would take either of these trips in a heartbeat, and much as I love radiance class ships, I would probably take Millie.