Radiance Questions

[peggy1]

Hi, we will be on the Jan.14 sailing and am wondering what time they really start boarding people? Also, does anyone know if they have completed the mattress changes as of yet? I'm hoping recent passengers can let me know how the ship is, as it has been a while since we sailed on the ship. How is disembarkation? Thank you in advance for your help.

[booze brothers]

Peggy, We are also on the Jan 14th sailing. I don't know about the new bedding but it sure would be nice. We sailed on the Radiance in Dec. and the beds were terrible. We had express check out ~ carried our bags ~ and the wait was pretty bad. We probably stood in line for over an hour. Sorry, I can't tell you about the other colors. Regardless, we made our flight in plenty of time. We got to the ship at 11:30 and we usually walk right on. This time we had to wait till about 12:30 to board. Still my favorite ship!

[Lowcountrygal]

We sailed the Radiance on Dec. 17th and no new bedding at that time (we were on Deck 10).

 

Disembarkation began VERY late, about 8:45 AM instead of the usual 8:00 AM. The port was very crowded, at least 9 other cruise ships there at the same time. Disembarkation took a long time and finding a shuttle to get back to the car was slow as well. Since we drove to the port (8 hr drive) we were not authorized Express Walk Off which I believe is for those with flights only. We requested as early a disembarkation as possible and made it to our car by 10:45 AM.

 

I don't know how busy Port Everglades is normally, perhaps it was worse because it was a busy time (right around the holidays) and ships were probably altering their normal schedules to accomodate Christmas sailings. It was tedious enough that I don't want to use that Port any time soon! Even getting to the port and parking was extremely tedious although once in the terminal, check in went well.

 

Still....I'll take Port Canaveral anyday!

[elleluv]

I don't know how busy Port Everglades is normally, perhaps it was worse because it was a busy time (right around the holidays) and ships were probably altering their normal schedules to accomodate Christmas sailings. It was tedious enough that I don't want to use that Port any time soon! Even getting to the port and parking was extremely tedious although once in the terminal, check in went well.

 

Still....I'll take Port Canaveral anyday!

 

We were at Port Everglades in January last year and it was a zoo then too... it was by far the busiest port we've ever sailed from....

[Lowcountrygal]

We were at Port Everglades in January last year and it was a zoo then too... it was by far the busiest port we've ever sailed from....

 

 

I couldn't agree more! I thought Miami was easier to negotiate.

 

Port Canaveral is a much shorter drive and makes more sense for us not only in terms of time / distance....but the aggravation factor too.

 

After 3 times in a row aboard the Mariner, we opted for a new ship & port -- too bad Port Everglades is so stressful -- that's not the feeling you want before or after your vacation!

 

Happy Sails to you!

Rose

[Loucat]

Hi, we will be on the Jan.14 sailing and am wondering what time they really start boarding people? Also, does anyone know if they have completed the mattress changes as of yet? I'm hoping recent passengers can let me know how the ship is, as it has been a while since we sailed on the ship. How is disembarkation? Thank you in advance for your help.

I am just off Radiance yesterday. We sailed for New Year's. I spoke with some passengers who boarded at 11-11:30 AM. We arrived at 12:30 to a log jam. We were directed to sit in an anteroom for about 15 minutes.

According to the Day 1 Cruise Compass, boarding begins at 12 Noon. :confused:

I do know that there were significant delays getting off the ship yesterday to to immigration for non-US passengers. If that happens on your sailing, your boarding time could be affected.

We were in a Grand Suite and the bedding was not new, so the mattress change is not complete.

I suggest that you look to see how many ships are in port on your sail date and also your return. I hope this helps! :D

[wannalottadough]

Hi, we will be on the Jan.14 sailing and am wondering what time they really start boarding people? Also, does anyone know if they have completed the mattress changes as of yet? I'm hoping recent passengers can let me know how the ship is, as it has been a while since we sailed on the ship. How is disembarkation? Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Hey, we will be getting on the ship when you are getting off! I was wondering the same thing about the bedding, I heard they were scheduled to change it starting in Jan. so I'm hoping, but just in case, I emailed ahead to ask for an extra mattress because I really have a hard time with those thin mattresses. Have a great time on your cruise and please post about the bedding and the embarkation.

[Cruisin Cleo]

We were on the December 17 sailing of Radiance. It was our second time sailing on this ship.

 

a) Arriving at Port Everglades was awful. There were several ships leaving that day, and traffic was backed up. Once we got inside, though, things went a little smoother.

 

b) We were in a balcony stateroom, and it did not have new mattresses.

 

c) We were cruising the Western Carib, and had to tender in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. It was the worst tendering process we've ever experienced. It took us 2 hours to get off the ship in one port!

 

d) Our disembarkation wasn't too terrible. We were in our vehicle and on the road around 10:00. (We had a six hour drive ahead of us.)

 

e) When we returned to Port Everglades, it was a madhouse again, with several ships returning at the same time.

 

Port Everglades Pointer: When you park, find out which parking garage your vehicle is in. There are at least 2, and I believe they have names like Midport and Northport, or something like that. The Radiance did not return to the same dock we left from, so we got confused about which garage the shuttle needed to drop us off at.

 

We enjoyed our cruise, and the ship. We actually found a spot we didn't know about on the first cruise - the Seaview Cafe (all the way at the back on Deck 12, past the kiddie pool). It's a great alternative to the Windjammer, and unlike Johnny Rocket's on the other ships, the Seaview Cafe is FREE. The food's good, and the waitstaff is really nice. (They have onion rings, and Nathan's hotdogs, amongst many other good things.)

 

Sorry for being so longwinded.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise. We soooo envy you. =^..^=

[dougp26364]

As mentioned, port Everglades is extremely busy and congested. We arrived very early (about 10:30 AM) and just found a bench and waited. As soon as the porters were accepting luggage, we dropped ours off and went in to wait. We did not have a long wait, maybe 30 minutes once inside, were processed and on the ship around noon. So long as it's not raining, I don't mind sitting on a bench outside with our luggage waiting for the disembarking passengers to clear the ship.

 

Disembarkation wasn't a big deal to us. We were in no hurry as we were spending a week in the Palm Beach area post cruise. We did have a 30 to 45 minute wait for the rainbow bus to take us to the rental car agency area. By the time the bus arrived, there was a pretty large crowd and it was more like a mob scene trying to get on the bus.

 

Next time, we'll just take a taxi. On the day we disembarked, the taxi line seemed to be moving easily and quickly. Live and learn.

 

If you want to know how the ship is, follow the link in my signature and you can see some of the pics I took while onboard our Dec. 3rd cruise.

[lovethesun58]

Hi dougp26364

" If you want to know how the ship is, follow the link in my signature and you can see some of the pics I took while onboard our Dec. 3rd cruise. "

:) Thanks for sharing the photos!

[BabySam99]

One more thing...I was also on Radiance last Oct. and I asked our room steward for egg crates for our matresses and I slept fine after that...just a thought. :)

[Lowcountrygal]

We were on the December 17 sailing of Radiance. It was our second time sailing on this ship.

 

a) Arriving at Port Everglades was awful. There were several ships leaving that day, and traffic was backed up. Once we got inside, though, things went a little smoother.

 

b) We were in a balcony stateroom, and it did not have new mattresses.

 

c) We were cruising the Western Carib, and had to tender in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. It was the worst tendering process we've ever experienced. It took us 2 hours to get off the ship in one port!

 

d) Our disembarkation wasn't too terrible. We were in our vehicle and on the road around 10:00. (We had a six hour drive ahead of us.)

 

e) When we returned to Port Everglades, it was a madhouse again, with several ships returning at the same time.

 

Port Everglades Pointer: When you park, find out which parking garage your vehicle is in. There are at least 2, and I believe they have names like Midport and Northport, or something like that. The Radiance did not return to the same dock we left from, so we got confused about which garage the shuttle needed to drop us off at.

 

We enjoyed our cruise, and the ship. We actually found a spot we didn't know about on the first cruise - the Seaview Cafe (all the way at the back on Deck 12, past the kiddie pool). It's a great alternative to the Windjammer, and unlike Johnny Rocket's on the other ships, the Seaview Cafe is FREE. The food's good, and the waitstaff is really nice. (They have onion rings, and Nathan's hotdogs, amongst many other good things.)

 

Sorry for being so longwinded.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise. We soooo envy you. =^..^=

 

Hi Cruisin' Cleo:

 

My family and I were aboard the Radiance during the same week you sailed....W. Caribbean on the 17th of Dec. I couldn't agree more with everything you mentioned about the Port Everglades experience both coming and going. It was our first time there and we have no desire to go through that mess again unless there is a solution to the problems associated with congestion!

 

Good point about mentioning the parking lots. We had to park WAY OVER by the Convention Center and shuttle in...and then during disembarkation, we had to find a shuttle willing to go to that parking lot as some were serving only the immediate area of where the ship was located.

 

Yes, the tendering took forever in both Cozumel and Grand Cayman, and our worst experience too! We went to obtain our tender tickets for Grand Cayman as instructed....when we were ready to leave.....and it still took over one hour for our ticket to be called. It makes you want to get a tender ticket first thing, (when you are not ready) so that you can shower / eat breakfast because you know that you will have to wait anyway! The tendering was just another frustration.

 

SeaView was a nice treat. We enjoyed their Grouper Caeser Salad, the Rueben sandwiches, Fish & Chips, and Cheeseburgers! A little something different from the Windjammer and not too crowded at all. For us, it was even better than Johnny Rockets.

 

I missed the Promenade as well as the scale & amenities of the Voyager class ships. I didn't find the Radiance as well suited to Teen passengers either.

 

Rose