Radiance leaving??

[chester32]

Just got of the Radiance and was told by three staff members that next Aus season will be the last for Radiance not sure if this is old news or not but have to say after this cruise we certainly wont miss it

[goodycruising]

We have found the staff tell you all sorts of things about the next ship coming or those going, and some have been right, but was that just coincidence?Sometimes I wonder if it is a bit of a game for them to bait us with all the changes they say are going to happen. Many of them don't even know which ship they will go to after coming back from leave.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they are changing things around, but Radiance has been one of the more expensive ships when we have researched cruises the last few years, so it would seem they should be earning good money with it?

 

What didn't you like about Radiance on your trip?

[gbenjo]

Just got of the Radiance and was told by three staff members that next Aus season will be the last for Radiance not sure if this is old news or not but have to say after this cruise we certainly wont miss it

 

Sydney Ports Cruise schedule shows Radiance still here up to 2020 Admittedly that could change but cannot see it. Why change a winner.? Only reason the Rhapsody is going is that she does not comply with the " environment" pollution rules for Alaska so could no longer do the Australia/ Alaska rotation.

[chester32]

We have found the staff tell you all sorts of things about the next ship coming or those going, and some have been right, but was that just coincidence?Sometimes I wonder if it is a bit of a game for them to bait us with all the changes they say are going to happen. Many of them don't even know which ship they will go to after coming back from leave.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they are changing things around, but Radiance has been one of the more expensive ships when we have researched cruises the last few years, so it would seem they should be earning good money with it?

 

What didn't you like about Radiance on your trip?

 

Hi Goodycruising Basically we found the Radiance overrated and in desperate need of a refurb when you sit on your balcony and paint is falling onto to your breakfast from the rusted out ceiling and varnish from the handrail blowing into your coffee at over $500 per night I don't think this is good enough.

The bathroom is tiny as is the shower, the public restrooms were disgusting

The ship seemed very under staffed the rock climbing wall was closed as there was no trained staff to run it?

One of the glass elevators was out of order for the whole cruise I realise this can happen but there is no excuse for lack of hygiene no wonder there was a gastro outbreak

I don't understand how RCI can justify their over inflated prices for the Radiance when it is in such poor condition????

[gbenjo]

Hi Goodycruising Basically we found the Radiance overrated and in desperate need of a refurb when you sit on your balcony and paint is falling onto to your breakfast from the rusted out ceiling and varnish from the handrail blowing into your coffee at over $500 per night I don't think this is good enough.

The bathroom is tiny as is the shower, the public restrooms were disgusting

The ship seemed very under staffed the rock climbing wall was closed as there was no trained staff to run it?

One of the glass elevators was out of order for the whole cruise I realise this can happen but there is no excuse for lack of hygiene no wonder there was a gastro outbreak

I don't understand how RCI can justify their over inflated prices for the Radiance when it is in such poor condition????

 

Don't forget to mention all these things when you do your post cruise survey..... Miami will never know if you do not tell them , and if enough people tell them ,they will fix it ...yes they do read them.

[goodycruising]

Sorry to hear it was like that Chester32. We did a back to back last year with the first leg being during January school holidays, and the second not school holidays.

 

The atmosphere on the school holiday trip was very different, and the kids were just being kids. There was food and wrappers and smears on the glass in the elevators etc. which I had not seen on other Radiance trips. The staff seemed to be fed up with it all as well. I felt they had too many kids on board, and the staff focus was on keeping a lid on all the issues that kept happening.

 

That doesn't excuse the lack of maintenance on the railings and paintwork etc. We did notice a bit of that a year ago also, and if they hadn't been keeping on top of it since, I can imagine it would not be attractive. How silly to not have the rock climbing when it is supposedly one of their hyped attractions.

 

The shower! How did anyone think that a tiny space with a clinging curtain was a good idea?

 

We do love the public spaces with so much glass and views of the water on Radiance though, and it has been our favourite ship out of Australia. Each ship has its different pros and cons, but as far as sailing Christmas and New Year, that is a pricey time, and the ships will be full capacity. You would think that it would be a time when they would put on more staff as they are earning enough.

 

We found a similar thing on Qantas flying Auckland to Melbourne just before the Australian Open Tennis a couple of years ago. We didn't even get a drink after paying 4 times the usual fare! Peak times do not make for peak service!

[chester32]

I understand what you are saying Goodycruising about kids we had 700 kids on board and to be perfectly honest did not worry us at all , on the whole they were very well behaved and just being kids and was nice to see them enjoying themselves

Besides the ships condition we did still enjoy the cruise just not our favourite

also maybe because our last trip was on the Solstice and we were told that the Radiance was comparable to the Solstice nothing could be further from the truth the only comparison is they both float.

But I am not telling anyone not to go on the Radiance but just letting them know what they can expect we certainly wont go on it again

[goodycruising]

Yes, they are very different ships. We found the Solstice very clean, and well maintained. We liked their shower with the glass doors much better too :)

 

One thing that really got us on Solstice was the was the way the doors were positioned for both the cabins we were in, with the door right next to the door of the neighbouring room. We just found they slammed a lot when our neighbours came in and out, but others have said they have never had issues with this on their trips on Solstice. We just seemed to have neighbours that had a lot of visitors and were up early and late. We have never heard neighbours doors making noise on Radiance (four cruises in total on Radiance). Noise from above when under the pool or food areas, but never neighbours' doors.

 

I would really struggle to decide personally if I had to choose between a trip on Radiance or Solstice if it was the same price and itinerary. The maintenance issues would be a consideration, but facilities and layout of the ship are very different on each. There are a lot of things we like on Radiance too. :)

[cheznandy]

Hi Goodycruising Basically we found the Radiance overrated and in desperate need of a refurb when you sit on your balcony and paint is falling onto to your breakfast from the rusted out ceiling and varnish from the handrail blowing into your coffee at over $500 per night I don't think this is good enough.

The bathroom is tiny as is the shower, the public restrooms were disgusting

The ship seemed very under staffed the rock climbing wall was closed as there was no trained staff to run it?

One of the glass elevators was out of order for the whole cruise I realise this can happen but there is no excuse for lack of hygiene no wonder there was a gastro outbreak

I don't understand how RCI can justify their over inflated prices for the Radiance when it is in such poor condition????

 

Chester my Aunty and Uncle just came off Xmas/New Year cruise, they had the same complaints understaffed, in need of maintenance, rude staff.

She has done a review on another site;)

We are on the Radiance over Easter for the first time,......a few other friends who have cruised on Radiance a few times noticed a deline on the Hawaii to Syd repo.

 

Anyway, we are booked and paid, got a bargain through a US TA months ago, paid in full before our $$$ dropped, so less than half of what it is now, we will have a great time either way. Will let everyone know what we think when we get back:p

 

By the way, my Aunty also said that the staff on board were not sure if the Radiance will be returning, most of their contracts are up in March and they did not know if they will be back:confused:

 

Chez

xx

Edited January 14, 2015 by cheznandy

[The_Big_M]

Wouldn't be expecting Radiance to leave either.

 

It certainly could be something they're considering though, with extra capacity added to our market, if that isn't necessary and they can get better yields elsewhere they'll make the move.

[chester32]

Hi Chez I am sure you will have a great cruise and don't let our experience deter you as I said before maybe it was because of our previous trip on Solstice by the way when we got off yesterday we noticed about 30 or so new crew members boarding so it might be better as far as the staff or lack off

[mr walker]

.... the staff on board were not sure if the Radiance will be returning, most of their contracts are up in March and they did not know if they will be back:confused:

 

In my experience & as others have said on here, the crew are not normally very aware of future deployments etc. On our recent repo from Vancouver to Sydney on Rhapsody, many/most of the passengers were aware that that voyage will be the last repo down to Sydney as Rhapsody is going to Europe etc after this summer.

Very few of the crew knew anything of that. Most were finishing their contract either around now, or around the seasons end in April & that was as far as their knowledge extended.

 

I have no knowledge on the future for Radiance, apart from she will be back downunder for 2015-16 season. Based on a recently advertised co-charter for another RC vessel, it may well be that Radiance is not back here for 2016-17 season. That will be sad as she is my fav

Edited January 14, 2015 by mr walker

[Grey Nomad]

We were also on Radiance for the Christmas/New Year Cruise and we did really enjoy our cruise being with my 2 adult daughters and son-in-law. BUT we also found that they need a rocket up them by a supervisor as far as cleanliness is concerned. It was much different from Jan 2014 when we were on board. We always had breakfast out on the area on the back of Windjammers and were generally one of the first arrivals of a morning. We went in behind the service counter and got a clean chux and spray bottle and wiped our table clean and then dried it off with another chux. Otherwise tables are smeary and sticky always. We also found it absolutely amazing that most entertainment was held in the Centrum. On New Years Eve all entertainment was there and you couldn't fit in. A lot of guests that we spoke to ended up going to bed early. We were going to bed at 10.30pm and wanted a bottle of water so I went up to Deck 11 and Pool Bar was closed, Sky Bar was closed and Windjammers was closed, so went to Starquest where there was 2 waiters and 6 passengers and no music. Apparently the party started at 12.30 am on Pool Deck and most passengers in bed, But I believe it was well attended by staff.

[allyman]

We just disembarked from the Radiance for the second time. I agree the showers are tiny but otherwise we were very happy with our cruise.

 

However the coffee at the cafe was hit and miss and they definitely need more staff, or a second coffee shop.

 

With so many kids on board this time we never got to use the whirl pools which I found annoying. Actually one comment I heard a lot was how small and inadequate the main pool was.

 

I haven't cruised on the Solstice but would love to try it next and compare the two.

 

I would sail on Radiance again if the price was right.

[avalon007]

We have sailed on Radiance 4 times, 3 in 2013 almost B2B2B in Alaska, Hawaii & Repo, we had no issues at all, we found her in good nic.

 

I do agree that the shower curtains are awful design wise, but after more than a month on her I mastered the don't let the curtain touch me technique! :D

 

But my mum went on her a month ago & this was her 2nd on Radiance & she did say there was some sewerage smells about this time?

 

Also we were told that Radiance requires a different sort of fuel than the rest of the Royal ships over here & that it costs more - this may be why she is priced higher & could lead to her being taken out of the Australian run?

 

She is one of my favourites because of all the glass & also because of the décor, which is so much nicer than the some of the tizzy décor on some of the others. For example the casino on Radiance must be one of the nicest with it's more tasteful Art Nouveau design compared with the disco glitz of Voyager. The Colony Club with it's beautiful woodwork, rugs & floral arrangements on Radiance is one of my favourite areas & so much nicer than some of the equivalent venues on the other Royal ships IMO.

 

I will be on Solstice though in 2 months or so & will be able to compare. From what I've seen of Solstice she looks sleek, although some of the décor looks a tad minimalist for my tastes - but I go aboard with an open mind.:)

[cassamanda]

I agree with the previous posters. Radiance is our favourite.

 

I also agree that there has been some wear and tear since her last refurb when she was Oasisised. But she is not in poor condition. Also not uncommon to sea varnish coming off a ship (any ship/boat). The timber rails are subjected to extreme weather/salt conditions and these can only be painted when in port on a dry day.

 

Radiance has to burn low sulphur diesel or fit scrubbers to the exhaust that eliminates the Sulphur. This is a new EPA requirement for ships sailing to Alaska and other USA ports. This is why Rhapsody no longer can go to Alaska until she has scrubbers fitted.

 

Bathroom smells can happen on any ship at any time and us generally caused by people flushing the wrong things or too much paper down the plug hole and thus blocking the shared plumbing.

Edited January 19, 2015 by cassamanda

[The_Big_M]

Radiance did have an ongoing plumbing problem a few years back. However, after a number of significant efforts, that was resolved, so it'd be surprising if that's returned.

 

Regarding engines, Radiance was built on the same base as Millennium so uses the same model technology at that time, COGAS (gas turbines). They're very low polluting but do cost more to run.

 

However, as you see Millennium still sails through this part of the world annually so I also don't see that that of itself is a reason to stop coming.

[cassamanda]

Latest rumour in the travel industry is that Quantum of the Seas will be visiting Australia as part of her China deployment rotation. In which case this could well be the replacement for Radiance.

 

Whats the bet?

 

From reading the USA threads, she is Not that popular with lots of whinging going on. Prices i imagine would be similar to Radiance - slightly above the rest if the fleet.

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Latest rumour in the travel industry is that Quantum of the Seas will be visiting Australia as part of her China deployment rotation. In which case this could well be the replacement for Radiance.

 

Whats the bet?

 

From reading the USA threads, she is Not that popular with lots of whinging going on. Prices i imagine would be similar to Radiance - slightly above the rest if the fleet.

 

There has been quite a few rumours about the Quantum of the Seas visiting Australia, but most of the rumours don't last long.

 

I for one hope the Radiance does NOT leave any time soon as I would like to do our first Royal Caribbean cruise on her :).

[megsie]

Latest rumour in the travel industry is that Quantum of the Seas will be visiting Australia as part of her China deployment rotation. In which case this could well be the replacement for Radiance.

 

Whats the bet?

 

From reading the USA threads, she is Not that popular with lots of whinging going on. Prices i imagine would be similar to Radiance - slightly above the rest if the fleet.

 

According to a fairly recent Radiance Captain C&A session, it was mentioned that it would be sooner than later that a ship of Quantum size/class would visit Aus. I think he was just tempting us as he didn't say when or for how long it would be here. But we had also been told by an officer at Captain's table a year ago that Radiance was to leave here. She is due for refurb, supposedly in 2016. No time given as to when she would leave and who knows RCI may have changed its mind already!

Edited January 20, 2015 by megsie

[Grove family]

Having just returned today off radiance according to several crew members she will leave after our 2016 summer season.

She is undergoing a drydock in the northern hemisphere spring 2016 after which she will be redeployed.I personally think the main reason may be the larger fuel cost running the gas turbines.

According to the captain radiance class ships use 1/3 more fuel than equivalent diesel powered ships.

Another reason may be australians reluctance to use specialty restaurants of which radiance has plenty.One night while dining at giovannis over a 2 hour period only 4 tables were occupied.The only time I noticed a full restaurant was during the murder/mystery theater dinner.

[cassamanda]

Having just returned today off radiance according to several crew members she will leave after our 2016 summer season.

She is undergoing a drydock in the northern hemisphere spring 2016 after which she will be redeployed.I personally think the main reason may be the larger fuel cost running the gas turbines.

According to the captain radiance class ships use 1/3 more fuel than equivalent diesel powered ships.

Another reason may be australians reluctance to use specialty restaurants of which radiance has plenty.One night while dining at giovannis over a 2 hour period only 4 tables were occupied.The only time I noticed a full restaurant was during the murder/mystery theater dinner.

 

Almost the entire fleet has been revitalised to Oasis standards with the additional speciality restaurants. Rhapsody has them and is probably the favourite amongst Aussies. So i dont think that is the reason.

Radiance was one of the first to be refurbished in 2011 so she would be about due again.

Anyway we should know sometime between March and May when the next deployments come out.

[The_Big_M]

Latest rumour in the travel industry is that Quantum of the Seas will be visiting Australia as part of her China deployment rotation. In which case this could well be the replacement for Radiance.

 

Whats the bet?

 

From reading the USA threads, she is Not that popular with lots of whinging going on. Prices i imagine would be similar to Radiance - slightly above the rest if the fleet.

 

I'm a bit skeptical of that changing. But they look at bookings for the current China season and if they're not pulling their weight (which happened with Voyager), there's more support for a tactical deployment here, which could appear in the next season.

 

As for Quantum a lot of the dissatisfaction is coming from dynamic dining. This is to the extent they've put a hold on the roll out of that to other ships for now. I'm sure they'll work through those issues and once sorted, get things back on track.

 

There are almost always issues on the early sailings of each new ship.

[MicCanberra]

Anyway we should know sometime between March and May when the next deployments come out.

 

Yes, looking forward to them.:D

[Miamia65]

We were on voyager in November 2014 and both the captain and C&A ambassador announced at several events that radiance will not be back after may 2016. They did not say where she was going.

 

The ships in Australia will be voyager and explorer sailing from sydney and legend sailing from brisbane.

 

We got the impression that they hope to fill the bigger ships because the Australian cruise ship industry is booming.

 

Voyager also has a sewerage smell at the aft area of the ship and whilst we cruised straight after dry dock the renovations were not finished.

 

It was a good cruise with insufficient staff but given it was post dry dock and low cost I didn't have high expectations. We have cruised on oasis of the seas so it's hard to compare it with the older ships even after they have been renovated!

 

 

 

 

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