Radiance - ship condition?

[surgie]

We (family of 11) are booked in 4 cabins on a Radiance Alaska sailing in July. A question about the upcoming short dry dock of the ship in March on another travel blog brought out many opinions from recent cruisers on the condition of the ship and most were not at all favorable. Comments such as "dire need of an update", "horrible sewer smells", "worn carpets and furniture throughout the ship", "needs new AC", "Brilliance and Serenade so much better" and the list goes on and on.

 

It's too late for us to change at this point but prior to reserving I had read much more positive comments. Anyone sailed recently (I think she's in Florida now) and noticed the negatives I read about?  Or is it the people with the negative opinions that seem to speak up the most?

[steveru621]

Radiance class ships are just fine.  

 

Ask this question about your budget.  Is it worth $2,200 to change ships?

[firefly333]

I did radiance last year, 10 days out of Galveston and had a higher deck so maybe that's why I didnt smell anything. Was further forward than I expected and got some motion, but otherwise I liked radiance and thought the food was extra good. Fewer ro feed or closer to the kitchen?

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, surgie said:

Comments such as "dire need of an update", "horrible sewer smells", "worn carpets and furniture throughout the ship", "needs new

You can find these types of comments about any ship more than 5 years old.

[loeytalldog]

I heard Radiance is going into Dry Dock the end of March, does anyone know what they are going to do?

[twangster]

1 minute ago, loeytalldog said:

I heard Radiance is going into Dry Dock the end of March, does anyone know what they are going to do?

Basic maritime maintenance, the true purpose of all dry docks.

[loeytalldog]

Just now, twangster said:

Basic maritime maintenance, the true purpose of all dry docks.

 

Got it, I was hoping for them to add a coastal kitchen and do some refreshing. 

[twangster]

5 minutes ago, loeytalldog said:

 

Got it, I was hoping for them to add a coastal kitchen and do some refreshing. 

 

I was hoping to win the lottery this week.  Didn’t happen.  That’s about equal to the opportunity to expect CK added on this class.

[surgie]

2 hours ago, steveru621 said:

Radiance class ships are just fine.  

 

Ask this question about your budget.  Is it worth $2,200 to change ships?

Definitely not! We booked the day bookings opened in Nov. 2022 so we definitely won't be changing. It just surprised me to read so much negativity about Radiance. 

[steveru621]

47 minutes ago, surgie said:

Definitely not! We booked the day bookings opened in Nov. 2022 so we definitely won't be changing. It just surprised me to read so much negativity about Radiance. 

 

We have been on 29 total Radiance, Serenade, and Jewel cruises.  While that probably doesn't qualify me as an expert, I certainly have seen a lot of maintenance.

 

 

On one cruise, they reupholstered all of the Couches in the Schooner Bar; plus, one night, they replaced all of the carpets in the WindJammer, and many times, we had furniture loaded on the ship.  Painting and rail varnishing happen every single day.

 

New restaurants have opened, Izumis and Samba Grill. Some opened and closed, Rita's Cantina..

 

There are foggy windows and even some odd color carpets. The dry dock is not a tear-down and rebuild.

 

I stopped reading RCI reviews many years ago. We like the product.  That product can change dramatically with a new hotel director.  The crew will give you an exceptional experience.

 

 

[njkruzer]

Sailed her in October for Panama Canal transit.  No real problems that I recall.  Were there things that needed work? Sure, but nothing I would worry about.  Staff was great.  We enjoyed ourselves.   

[neverbeenhere]

4 hours ago, twangster said:

 

I was hoping to win the lottery this week.  Didn’t happen.  That’s about equal to the opportunity to expect CK added on this class.

So, you’re saying there’s a chance! 

[HicksRA]

3 hours ago, njkruzer said:

Sailed her in October for Panama Canal transit.  No real problems that I recall.  Were there things that needed work? Sure, but nothing I would worry about.  Staff was great.  We enjoyed ourselves.   

I was on that cruise as well. Other than some worn carpet and some banged up furniture in a few places, the ship was fine. I did notice many rolls of new carpet stored up in the bow of the ship, so it was obvious they were getting ready to install some new carpet soon. 
I love Radiance class ships. 

[wreckem2013]

Did back to back on Radiance in Alaska last summer. Also did Serenade last spring break. Didn’t have any issue on either. Comparing them to a newer bigger shop and rugs they are dated but they were well maintained and I didn’t smell sewage either.

[wreckem2013]

12 hours ago, HicksRA said:

I was on that cruise as well. Other than some worn carpet and some banged up furniture in a few places, the ship was fine. I did notice many rolls of new carpet stored up in the bow of the ship, so it was obvious they were getting ready to install some new carpet soon. 
I love Radiance class ships. 

Those rolls of carpets were there in July….

[Cherful59]

I sailed on Radiance Aug 2023 in Alaska 3rd deck mid ship.  Great trip!!!  It is the 3rd time I have sailed on her and just love this ship.  No bad smells, food was good, fantastic crew.  The ship is older with some wear which is to be expected, but the crew is always working on her cleaning/painting/varnishing. I need to clean and work on thing in my house too, so I would expect it to happen on a ship as well.  Someone is always complaining. Don't worry and enjoy your cruise.  

[surgie]

15 hours ago, Cherful59 said:

I sailed on Radiance Aug 2023 in Alaska 3rd deck mid ship.  Great trip!!!  It is the 3rd time I have sailed on her and just love this ship.  No bad smells, food was good, fantastic crew.  The ship is older with some wear which is to be expected, but the crew is always working on her cleaning/painting/varnishing. I need to clean and work on thing in my house too, so I would expect it to happen on a ship as well.  Someone is always complaining. Don't worry and enjoy your cruise.  

Glad to hear a good report on the ship. We are taking our adult kids and grandkids ages 5-11. None have been to Alaska. They know Radiance won't have all the bells and whistles (unfortunately they have seen the Icon commercials LOL) but I think for their ages and being new to cruising plus the port excursions, they will have a great trip. 

[Needz2Cruise]

We're doing Radiance in Alaska in May. I was going to ask if they had added Coke Freestyle machines yet, but from everything I've seen so far, it sounds like it does not. I've signed us up for the soda package,  but might cancel it as my wife likes some flavors in the machine that they certainly won't have cans for at the bar. Might revisit this topic after the drydock in March so see if they get installed.

[mandersen12345]

Just off Radiance this morning.  Sailed in a 2br Owners Suite.  Felt like a lot of the suite needed to be changed:  A/C didn't pump out cold air, drapes were worn and had visible stains, mattress toppers were about as thin as a few pieces of paper, carpets were a bit worn, "cold" water faucets dished out warm water, and so on.  Outside of our cabin I saw a ship that the crew was constantly cleaning and trying to maintain but obviously was not brand new.

 

We decided to sail again on RCL thanks to a casino offer, but only if on a fairly new and big ship.  The cruise we had on Radiance was fine and out of Tampa was easy and convenient, but it wasn't a wow experience by any means.  Plus the food was meh overall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FSU1991]

Radiance class does not have a promenade correct?

[Rock1t]

1 minute ago, FSU1991 said:

Radiance class does not have a promenade correct?

That's correct. It has a Centrum (atrium) which spans roughly 7 decks vertically.

[UnclePaco]

We just got off Radiance end of January with a large family gathering of about 40 total.  This was the first time cruising for most of them.  I have been onboard Royal probably 70 nights since covid including a 12 night voyage on Grandeur in November/December which I believe is Royal's oldest ship in service.  Is there some wear and tear in some areas?  Absolutely.  Did it distract at all from the cruise or vacation?  No way.  I am actually surprised at how many of the family are eager to go on a cruise again and not just for a family gathering, but for their own personal vacations as well.  The staff was amazing.  We noticed no smells anywhere, and I have smelled the sewage smells on other ships that I will not mention here.  There was a small leak from the roof in an area of the windjammer, but honestly did not think much of it or even care when I saw it.  It rained pretty heavy our entire trip and barely saw anything from this leak.  The only reason I bring it up is that I have read several people mention it as how deplorable the conditions were in reviews before I boarded.  I was actually worried that I made a huge mistake while reading reviews leading up to the cruise date as many mentioned the rough shape of the ship.  I loved the ship and the facilities.  I think it was perfect for our mostly 40+ age demographic.  We did have a couple small children(that absolutely adored Adventure Ocean and associated kids areas).  Does it have all the bells and whistles of a new ship?  No, but that is exactly why I think I loved it.  My wife and I are at the age of being empty nesters now and the thought of vacationing with entire armies of children on board is not appealing at this time in life.  The facilities take care of the kids on board and offer plenty of fun options for all ages, but it is not "family-centric" like the new mega ships being rolled out year after year these days.

 

I think people just have to know what they are looking for in a cruise and adjust expectations accordingly.  The food and wait service in the MDR was amazing.  They catered to our family and put us all together without us even asking.  We were kind of scattered amongst an area in the MDR and in the first 15 minutes of day 1 dinner, they realized we were a large group and arranged 4 large tables for us to be together every night.  I did not think this was even going to be possible so did not attempt to ask, but they went above and beyond accommodating.  The MDR staff even took care of us during a night where we opted to take the whole family to Samba Grill.  For those who do not know, Samba grill is normally only accessible through an outside passage on deck 12.  When the weather is bad and the winds are high, it is actually quite a precarious adventure as we found out lol!  Well our MDR staff found out and specifically requested and met with some of the elderly from our group to give them a special access point through the windjammer area of the ship that is normally crew only I guess.  I was amazed when the Head Waiter arranged all of this for a few of our special family members, I mean it is not even their area or close to it.....MDR and Windjammer were 8 decks apart.  For her to escort them to the destination really touched our family.  

 

So in closing, I am a huge fan of Radiance of the Seas.  Was it it shiny and new?  No, but neither am I any more.  I like to say I have more character as I get older, and liken the Radiance to the same philosophy.  

[OldCaver]

1 hour ago, UnclePaco said:

Was it it shiny and new?  No, but neither am I any more.  I like to say I have more character as I get older, and liken the Radiance to the same philosophy.  

Now see, that is the attitude that virtually guarantees a great, enjoyable cruise. We, the passengers, are the single most important factor in whether a cruise is good or bad.