Radiance Dec3-16 Pacific: My best cruise yet! Questions welcome

[Haoie]

[this is also posted to the main RCI board]

 

We went as 2 friends in our early 30s. My 4th cruise, his first ever. Both first time with RCI and we were very impressed. Here are some general overviews of the highlights, various observations, and with tips on how to get the most out of the ship. Longer sailings are just better!

 

 

 

 

Demographics: Full sailing of around 2200 guests. Probably 80% Australian, 10% New Zealand [like myself], 10% all other nations. A few dozen each of Canadians, Americans, British, Japanese. Age wise, skewed to the 55+ owing to the length. Also a good number of families with children/teens as summer break has started down under. A very well behaved crowd; I didn't see any drunks or disorderly conduct.

 

Schedule: 13 night South Pacific with main hightlight being the inaugural visit by RCI to the Kingdom of Tonga!

 

Sea day

Sea day

Island of Pines

Lifou

Sea day

Suva

Lautoka

Sea day

Vava'u

Nuku'Alofa

Sea day

Sea day

 

 

 

Embarkation: From Sydney's overseas passenger terminal. Easiest way is to take the airport train to Circular Quay with a 5m walk afterwards. There's a Cole's supermarket nearby to get essentials; a liquor store is also nearby. Give your main luggage to the porters and get your card upstairs. We came at 2PM and were onboard in less than 20m. Remember not to store your card near anything magnetic! Learnt that the hard way, especially with very long lines at guest services the first 2 days.

 

Stateroom: We had interior 3075 to save money. Quiet area. Well kept but the bathroom was rather cramped. Room attendant Diez was good and we saw him on the first day. Make requests when you meet them initially - writing it down or a typed note is best. Ice you do need to request. I'd recommend an oceanview or above.

 

Ship status/general amenities: All decked out for Christmas! The tree was up and there was a lighting ceremony. Radiance is the perfect size - not too large or small. She's been well maintained; her last drydock was in May. Smoothest ride I've ever had as we didn't encounter any rough seas, and she handled herself well at 18-19 knots during sea days. The busiest area of the ship is of course the centrum; everyone uses the elevators or stairs here and several parties are held here. Lido deck was quite packed on sea days, as was the solarium. Interestingly the big screen was never used to broadcast news etc. Smoking areas were on an area of the lido and promenade [note due to Australian law, even the casino prohibits smoking]. Best place for sailaways that avoid the crowd is the helipad, accessible from the forward promenade. Minigolf, video arcade, and the climbing wall were sparsely used. A lot of glass, perfect to watch the sea from - even better in Alaska I hear.

 

Dining/drinking: We had the 8PM late seating; this is on Cascades deck 5 [4 being reserved for MTD guests]. Waiters Wit and Nova were excellent. Service was fast and efficient - we were generally done by 9:15. It seems the early seating was much more popular by my observations of the theatre shows. Lunch and breakfast in the MDR were also good - the lunch menu in particular impressed me. Other than a few dishes everything was to my liking - I'm not a picky eater. Dress codes were rather relaxed [shorts were allowed]; most did dress up for formal nights. Pepper mills not on the table, haha! If there's sufficient interest I'd be happy to post menu/food pics in a few days time. Windjammer food was largely unremarkable. There are 2 duplicate serving stations for mains and desserts as well as one for deli/salads, pizzas, and burgers. Sometimes there'd be a chef serving made to order items in the center. My advice is to head to the aft tables thru Rita's and dine al fresca. There's a single chokepoint for WJ entry but you can get in thru the back on deck 12. For snacks, head to Lattetudes on 5, the hot dog place, or the park cafe. Didn't do any speciality dining [Chops, Giovanni's, Izumi, Chef's Table], but I'll note that Rita's Crab Shack was closed the entire journey. I'm not a drinker so I've got limited advice in that field. Beverage packages seemed popular on this sailing. The drink of the day was $12. Wine bottles around $40 and up?

 

Theatre entertainment/music: Most shows had an early and late seating, although a few had a single show at 7:15 or a late late show at 10:15. No problems with saving of seats, at least for the early show. 3 production shows [City of Dreams, Pianoman, Tango Buenos Aires]. Live orchestra - much better than canned music! Other entertainers were mostly Australian [and told Australian jokes]. There's usually other live music happening in the evening, be it at the Schooner bar or Starquest. Karaoke was on every other night approximately at the pub. Our cruise director was Steve Davis and he was excellent! A singing/dancing machine. Other members of the CD's staff were highly enthusiastic as well. Theme nights included disco, tropical, rock & roll, and Australian. The guest talent show was very well attended.

 

Shops/casino: Selling the usual overpriced goods. The liquor duty free selection is quite small but reasonably priced [a better deal can be had if you visit Port Vila, this sailing didn't]. Casino is of course the best place to lose money. Photos were $20 apiece [packages were available].

 

Activities: Plenty to keep everyone occupied during the days. The usual art auctions, trivia, etc. Dance classes [leading up to the guest performance] were good. The discussions with the staff heads was enlightening. The Radiance has a cinema showing quite recent films which was quite busy especially sea days. Quite a few Christmas activities as well, like Santa photos or storytime with the Elves. I kept all the Cruise Compasses and can scan the activities sheet later on if there's sufficient demand?

 

Shore excursions: Didn't take any ship ones excepted the much lauded All Access Tour - which was unfortunately disappointing for $150 and lasting 2.5h. It was my understanding that our group would meet/chat with the captain and get a photo op [Captain Tyrm FYI] - that didn't happen. We also didn't visit the theatre at all. So all you get out of it is the lanyard with AAT on it. Can't recommend this at all! I can provide more detail on what was visited if requested. As for the port stops, it's easy enough and much cheaper to arrange tours independently, especially in Fiji. I'll keep this topic short as my review pertains to the ship.

 

Disembarkation: NZ sends customs/immigration agents onto the ship to screen you onboard on the 2nd to last sea day. Have your passport, card, and immigration forms when you meet with them [time varies by deck]. This means you can walk off the ship in Auckland quickly.

 

 

 

Happy to take any questions or expand on areas I've covered.

And if you were on this sailing with me, a big hello to you!

 

Haoie

[thistledoo]

We did a 12-dayer on the Radiance last year to the islands. We just loved the ship and hardly saw any of the supposed 500 children on board.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks for the great review.

Radiance seems to be a very popular and happy ship .It gets the best reviews.:):)

[Mr&MrsCookie]

Glad you had a good time. I've been doing my research and after this first cruise on Celebrity, I think Radiance will be the next one. Just seems the right size and really don't hear anything bad about it.

[easyboy]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the feedback.

 

 

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[cheznandy]

Thanks for your review, we loved the Radiance too, I agree a lovely sized ship.

Our favourites were the aft seating area outside Windjammers, had to walk through specialty restaurants to get there.

And the aft lounges near the Schooner bar, Singapore Slings etc, liked the Soloarium with the Park Cafe too, great spot for Brekky and lunch as they had the Salad bar there when we were on:)

[Dizziedi]

Good review - we were also on board and I have to agree it was a great cruise and have booked it again for January 2018 - Tonga was beautiful. Steve Davis brought a lot of new activities to the ship.

 

It's no secret, Radiance is our favourite ship.:)

 

Cheers

Di

[tazza_0712]

I just love Radiance! Thanks for the review. Even more excited (if possible) for my upcoming cruise on her :D

 

 

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[aussiescouser]

Radiance is my fav ship! just a beautiful ship and beautifully set out! think i need to get my self on her again real soon:D:D

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the detailed review.:D

[orangestreet]

Wonderful review! Thanks for that. Would love to see menu pics please.

[Dizziedi]

The OP said he/she will post later but if he/she doesn't we will be on the Radiance again next week and I will take some and post for you.

 

There is no Murder Mystery Night at the moment so they held a Celebrity Dinner which was in Giovannis. It is $45pp and was a set menu, including wine (very nice menu) and two Officers at each table.

 

They also introduced a Surf-n-Turf menu in Chops which was superb. It was also $45pp (wine extra). I am about to run out of battery but here is a photo of the Lobster salad and the Fillet Mignon with Lobster Tail, Scallops and Prawns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Di

[tazza_0712]

The OP said he/she will post later but if he/she doesn't we will be on the Radiance again next week and I will take some and post for you.

 

 

 

There is no Murder Mystery Night at the moment so they held a Celebrity Dinner which was in Giovannis. It is $45pp and was a set menu, including wine (very nice menu) and two Officers at each table.

 

 

 

They also introduced a Surf-n-Turf menu in Chops which was superb. It was also $45pp (wine extra). I am about to run out of battery but here is a photo of the Lobster salad and the Fillet Mignon with Lobster Tail, Scallops and Prawns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Di

 

 

 

Thanks for the information.

 

Could you elaborate on the Celebrity Dinner? Is the only point of interest that officers dine with you, or is there something else to it?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

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[Haoie]

Heya folks, thanks for reading! I've submitted this as a formal review as well.

 

Once I get thru work I can begin sorting the food/menus photos, and also the Compasses too [those need to be scanned. Give me a few days, cheers.

 

As before, any questions are most welcome!

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the photos Dizziedi, they look great and now I am hungry for surf and turf.

[Brisbane41]

I did Radiance of the Seas roughly the same time last year and had a great cruise and found the ship perfect.

 

My only complaint was that early December for 8 nights there were far too many children there who should have been in school which I thought was wrong. It impacted on the dining as anyone not in a large family group was shafted to small tables while families got priority. I think school children should be banned from cruise ships when it is not school holidays.

[bl262000]

[this is also posted to the main RCI board]

Didn't take any ship ones excepted the much lauded All Access Tour - which was unfortunately disappointing for $150 and lasting 2.5h. It was my understanding that our group would meet/chat with the captain and get a photo op [Captain Tyrm FYI] - that didn't happen. We also didn't visit the theatre at all. So all you get out of it is the lanyard with AAT on it. Can't recommend this at all!

Haoie

 

Thankls Haoie,

Interesting you stated the above re the AAT. We sailed Radiance in Feb 2015 and like you enjoyed every bit of the 16 night top end cruise.

When we did the AAT at $160 AU it was about 3hrs with meeting and getting pics with the captain on the bridge. We ended up having 2 security checks as we first went to the control room and while there the ship went condition yellow (heavy fog) and so couldn't go straight up to the bridge. After visiting other places we then got searched again and headed to the bridge where the captain met us later.

We also visited the theater but due to rehearsals for the premiering show that night could only enter the main viewing area, However a couple of days later we recieved an invite to view the back end of the theater as an extension of the tour.

 

Am now interested if it was a one off or has your experiance become the norm in the last year if other recent cruisers could post.

 

cya

bl262000

[Haoie]

Yes the AAT was a huge let-down for me. FYI it was held the 2nd to last sea day.

 

No captain at all - only the 2nd officer.

 

If anyone else does this recently I want to know as well - was mine a 1-off poor performance?!

[messej01]

Thanks for sharing your review. I'd love to cruise on Radiance.

 

My husband and I went on Voyager, which was great, but we didn't use many of the facilities i.e. flowrider, iceskating, rockclimbing etc etc - so I think a smaller ship would be ideal.

 

Unfortunately Radiance only seems to be doing Sydney to NZ sailings which don't interest me (I'm cold blooded). I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for any South Pacific ones.

[messej01]

I did Radiance of the Seas roughly the same time last year and had a great cruise and found the ship perfect.

 

My only complaint was that early December for 8 nights there were far too many children there who should have been in school which I thought was wrong. It impacted on the dining as anyone not in a large family group was shafted to small tables while families got priority. I think school children should be banned from cruise ships when it is not school holidays.

 

I would fully support that ban!

[MicCanberra]

Why stop at children, I think we should ban old people as well.

NOTE: Old person being anyone older than 70 for the next 15-20 years and then we can re-assess the age limit to see if it get s pushed out by another ten years.

 

We should also ban people who drink more than me as they obviously cannot handle their alcohol.

 

How about we ban Bingo players as well as they really are quite loud and have their secret codes for when numbers get yelled out.

[tazza_0712]

Thanks for sharing your review. I'd love to cruise on Radiance.

 

 

 

My husband and I went on Voyager, which was great, but we didn't use many of the facilities i.e. flowrider, iceskating, rockclimbing etc etc - so I think a smaller ship would be ideal.

 

 

 

Unfortunately Radiance only seems to be doing Sydney to NZ sailings which don't interest me (I'm cold blooded). I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for any South Pacific ones.

 

 

 

You'll love Radiance!

 

I believe there is a South Pacific/Fiji cruise next year, but it begins in Sydney and ends in Auckland.

 

 

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[makawe]

Why stop at children, I think we should ban old people as well.

NOTE: Old person being anyone older than 70 for the next 15-20 years and then we can re-assess the age limit to see if it get s pushed out by another ten years.

 

We should also ban people who drink more than me as they obviously cannot handle their alcohol.

 

How about we ban Bingo players as well as they really are quite loud and have their secret codes for when numbers get yelled out.

 

Ha ha classic....while we are at it....I remember something coming up from another thread....what was it...ah yes people with tattoos....we should ban those too....oh wait, darn that means I would have to ban myself!

 

December sounds like a great time to go cruising with my loud, raucous grandchildren and Radiance sounds like the perfect ship.

Edited December 20, 2016 by makawe
spelling correction

[MicCanberra]

Ha ha classic....while we are at it....I remember something coming up from another thread....what was it...ah yes people with tattoos....we should ban those too....oh wait, darn that means I would have to ban myself!

 

December sounds like a great time to go cruising with my loud, raucous grandchildren and Radiance sounds like the perfect ship.

 

Better do it before the ban gets endorsed.;)

[mrs and mrs]

Why stop at children, I think we should ban old people as well.

NOTE: Old person being anyone older than 70 for the next 15-20 years and then we can re-assess the age limit to see if it get s pushed out by another ten years.

 

We should also ban people who drink more than me as they obviously cannot handle their alcohol.

 

How about we ban Bingo players as well as they really are quite loud and have their secret codes for when numbers get yelled out.

 

wondered who was going to be first to comment, on that gem.

 

Ha ha classic....while we are at it....I remember something coming up from another thread....what was it...ah yes people with tattoos....we should ban those too....oh wait, darn that means I would have to ban myself!

 

December sounds like a great time to go cruising with my loud, raucous grandchildren and Radiance sounds like the perfect ship.

 

DO IT YES