jpm1919 Posted March 14, 2006 #1 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I traveled with my husband and my parents on the 3-5-06 Radiance of the Seas sailing to the Western Caribbean. Checking in was the easiest and quickest I have ever experienced on any cruise line. Don’t leave home without registering online. You need to complete the online registration 24 hours before departure. Remember to print out your Sea Pass. You’ll need your Passport (ID), and Credit Card upon check-in. Once you’re on board, take time to explore the ship. Buffet lunch is served until 3:00pm in the Windjammer Café on Deck 11. Staff Captain Hernan Zini runs a tight ship. He is extremely friendly and approachable. My father looked away while posing with my mom and the Captain during the welcome reception. My mother was quite upset, and when I explained this to Captain Zini, he posed with them again during the Crown & Anchor Welcome Aboard Party so I could take another picture. Peter, our Cruise Director, made the cruise extremely enjoyable. The staff was friendly and professional – Guest relations, Head Waiter, Our Waiter Basilio, our Assistant Waiter, Victor, our Room Steward Sharon, Windjammer Café personnel – everyone seemed to have a smile and their face and never too busy to greet or help us. I compare the staff to other cruise lines/ships, and I must say they were outstanding. Ship The Radiance of the Seas, the oldest of the 4 ships comprising the Radiance family, is a nice ship. However, it is showing wear, and RCCL should consider refurbishing it soon. Although the staff was diligently working around the clock, the carpeting in the public areas and rooms looked extremely worn. The furniture in my parent’s room was extremely scratched, faded, and worn – even the toilet seat in my room was chipped and worn. Activities Since this cruise only had 2 sea days, we couldn’t enjoy all the activities. Whether you’re interested in spinning, spa treatments, basketball, bingo, there’s always something to do. One of my favorite parts of the cruise is the pictures. Besides the traditional Formal Portraits, don’t miss the “Freestyle Black & White” Portraits. You’ll want to take them all home with you. Entertainment The Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers had 2 productions – Piano Man and City of Dreams, the latter being the most extravagant productions I have seen on RCCL cruises. I was pleasantly surprised to see BeatleMania Live. This was definitely the highlight of all nights. My husband and I had previously seen them in Ft. Lauderdale, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing them again. The weakest show was Hal Frazier. He definitely is talented, but seemed disoriented and rattled on in his monologue portion of the show. Santino & Blackjax (live band) was amazing. He had everyone on their feet in the Centrum. Rosario Strings, Lorenzo Dino, Serenade Trio, and Tom Scott all made the cruise enjoyable. Food The Winjammer Café’s breakfast was very good. The omlette station chefs were great! I had my eggs over medium every morning, and there were plenty of accompaniments to choose from – cereal bar, fresh fruit, yogurt, breads, cold cuts, pancakes, waffles, hash browns, etc. Lunch and dinner were average – probably a bit better than regular buffet food. The barbeque lunch buffet in Labadee was lacking. Dark meat – chicken legs – was the only cut available. The hamburgers had been cooked earlier on the ship, so they were dry. The pavilion was poorly positioned – too far from the main entrance. Dinner in the Cascades Dining Room was good, but not great. I can’t say it was any better or worse than any other RCCL, Carnival, or NCL cruise I’ve been on. I cannot comment on Specialty Dining. Ports of Call Labadee, Haiti Labadee is on a peninsula on the north coast of Hispaniola, otherwise known as Haiti. Royal Caribbean has cordoned off a remote portion of this island, and the totally safe and private compound provides guests an opportunity to experience the beauty of this region. You’ll find most of the information you need at the following link: http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/Labadee.htm Georgetown, Grand Cayman Grand Cayman is a relatively small island that is modern in every way. With over 500 banks and hundreds of insurance companies located in the Cayman Islands, it is the fifth largest economy in the world. Besides its economic activities, Grand Cayman offers fabulous beaches, excellent duty free shopping and plenty to do. This is a tender port. The tenders leave you right in the middle of downtown. I found the best shops to be the ones closest to the pier. After shopping in downtown, we took the $5.00 (per person) taxi to SeaGrape Beach which is part of 7 mile beach. Beautiful clear aquamarine water. White powdery sand. Bar and changing facilities just feet away from the water. Plenty of aqua sports right on the shore. Absolutely amazing. http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/GrandCayman.htm Ocho Rios, Jamaica Ocho Rios is a medium sized town with all the flavor of Jamaica. It offers a gateway to sightseeing, shopping and a good look into the Jamaican culture. To experience the Jamaican culture I used Marva Shaw. She was an excellent guide that catered to my father’s limitations. After stopping right by Dunn River Falls for a look at the crowd climbing the falls, we went through the Fern Gulley, made a stop in Spice Valley and tasted some of the native fruits and spices, and then took a tour of Coyaba River Gardens with “Happy”. “Happy” was the most knowledgeable guide I have ever had. The word coyaba comes from the Arawak name for paradise. Coyaba is a Spanish-style museum with a river and gardens filled with native flora, a cut-stone courtyard, fountains, and a crafts shop and bar. If you visit Coyaba River Gardens, please be sure to request him. Be sure to ask for the tour that includes Mahoe Falls. We paid $10.00 per person. After a swim in the falls, hunger kicked in, and we ended the tour with a wonderful Jamaican lunch at “The Ranch”. Marva arranged everything. The food was great. 5 of us ate jerk chicken, had a juice or Red Stripe, and the bill was $53.00. For more information on Marva’s tours, please visit http://www.knowjamaica.com. You’ll be happy that you did. Suggestion: Please remember to get change before you get off the ship. It will be a lot easier if you have exact change with smaller denomination bills. Vendors can be very, very persistent, and you will find them at every stop. If you have a few souvenirs to purchase, pace yourself so you’re able to help multiple vendors. Remember to be friendly and respectful and you will have a great time. http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/OchoRiosJamaica.htm Cozumel, Mexico Cozumel is a small island off the east coast of Mexico in the Caribbean Sea. Although it was hit really hard with last year’s hurricanes, the locals worked extremely hard to get the island ready for visitors. It is the proverbial fishing village in paradise with all of the creature comforts that anyone could want. If you go to “Discover Shopping Show”, you’ll get lots of information and advice. Plus, you’ll get a voucher for a taxi ride to The Forum. You’ll have great shopping and can work yourself down the street. After lunch, we took a $12 cab to “Paradise Beach”. The sea was rough that day and the beach was not particularly good for swimming, but I understand the beach is usually beautiful, http://www.caribbeanportreviews.com/Cozumel.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sally r Posted March 14, 2006 #2 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thank you for posting your review. I really enjoyed reading. My next two cruises are on the Radiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KamloopsCruisers Posted March 14, 2006 #3 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks for taking the time to provide such a good, honest review. I believe the Radiance is either now in dry-dock, or has just come from dry-dock, or she'll be in dry-dock soon. All I know is that she'll have recently been in dry-dock before we cruise April 23rd. I agree that her staff are some of the finest as sea. I'm getting more excited now that I've read your review. Thanks again, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megessey Posted March 14, 2006 #4 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks for taking the time to provide such a good, honest review. I believe the Radiance is either now in dry-dock, or has just come from dry-dock, or she'll be in dry-dock soon. All I know is that she'll have recently been in dry-dock before we cruise April 23rd. I agree that her staff are some of the finest as sea. I'm getting more excited now that I've read your review. Thanks again, Radiance was dry docked in february actually-- sounded like they only did technical maintenance this time around. I'll be on the Radiance in 3 1/2 weeks (Yeay!) .... Thank you jpm for your review-- great to hear about Beatlemania, my fiancee will be thrilled to know this! Also, you know they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day--good thing it was the best too huh? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megessey Posted March 14, 2006 #5 Share Posted March 14, 2006 jpm-- any word on the Norovirus bugging the Radiance? Hearing alot about other ships, just wondering about this one..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBeaSea Posted March 14, 2006 #6 Share Posted March 14, 2006 jpm1919, which pier did you tender to in Cozumel? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm1919 Posted March 14, 2006 Author #7 Share Posted March 14, 2006 jpm-- any word on the Norovirus bugging the Radiance? Hearing alot about other ships, just wondering about this one..... I didn't see any Norovirus problems on the Radiance. The ship that experienced some problems the previous week was "Explorer of the Seas". What I did see was most passengers taking advantage of the numerous sanitizing stations coming on and off board, going into the dining areas, etc. I also carried an extra bottle of Purell with me at all times, and tried not to touch the bannisters or any other areas where many hands may have touched. It's especially important to wash your hands before and after you go through the buffet line. Remember, lots of hands touching the serving spoons. Take the extra precautions, and don't worry too much. You'll have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm1919 Posted March 14, 2006 Author #8 Share Posted March 14, 2006 jpm1919, which pier did you tender to in Cozumel? Thank you. We tendered into "International Pier". You'll walk right through the shops at the Pier and there are plenty of taxis waiting for you. Our Cruise Director said this is the Pier that's regularly used by the Brilliance. Have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm1919 Posted March 14, 2006 Author #9 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks for taking the time to provide such a good, honest review. I believe the Radiance is either now in dry-dock, or has just come from dry-dock, or she'll be in dry-dock soon. All I know is that she'll have recently been in dry-dock before we cruise April 23rd. I agree that her staff are some of the finest as sea. I'm getting more excited now that I've read your review. Thanks again, You guys are going to have a great time. Although I mentioned the wear, it is not going to be a deterrent for you to enjoy the overall beauty and world-class service you get on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBeaSea Posted March 14, 2006 #10 Share Posted March 14, 2006 We tendered into "International Pier". You'll walk right through the shops at the Pier and there are plenty of taxis waiting for you. Our Cruise Director said this is the Pier that's regularly used by the Brilliance. Have a great time! Thank you, BTW I had thought I had an earlier post about your review-I didn't, it was the other Radiance thread...so I'll say it here...GREAT REVIEW! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachlady58 Posted March 14, 2006 #11 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks for the great review - sounds like you had as good a time as we did on the 2/19 sailing I wanted to mention that the comment about the worn carpets - they just replaced all the carpeting on the ship and it looked great! The cabins were worn looking however. Peter the CD was awful and so was the entertainment - we got Piano man and that was it except for lousy comics. Food fair- Windjammer actually really good. I agree the Captain was great and very friendly - as were all the staff.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm1919 Posted March 14, 2006 Author #12 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thank you, BTW I had thought I had an earlier post about your review-I didn't, it was the other Radiance thread...so I'll say it here...GREAT REVIEW! :) Thanks to all that liked the review. I find that the information on these boards to be invaluable when I travel. We all help each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.