Radiance of the Seas.....Past - Present - Future

[Ginny Ray]

WOW....sounds like you had a horrible cruise. :eek:

 

What's really funny though is that after 12 cruises on Radiance (with 3 more booked for the end of this year) we have never experienced, in all of our cruises, what you experienced in 5 days.

 

Wonder why they confiscate curlers, but allow curling irons? Oh, and they x-ray "all" bags not most bags.

 

Would like to hear their take on Princess that is so much better!!:eek:

[cruisenfever]

Would like to hear their take on Princess that is so much better!!:eek:

LOL I think they didn't do enough research or ask enough questions.:D

 

The curlers still have me puzzled.:p

[Linda41]

Short and to the point of my personal observations:

 

No flat screen tv's.

 

While dining in the Wind Jammer, all you hear is the basketball bouncing from the deck above. While playing miniture golf, you smell the sewer gasses or the burning of sewage from the vents/stacks.

 

The ship is tired and dated. Back to Princess where I don't feel like I'm being nickel and dimed to death all week.

 

Sorry you had such a bad cruise. You mentioned you may never cruise with RCCL again because the ship is tired and dated. The Radiance is one of the older ships in the fleet and will be going into dry dock in May for refurbishing and updating, include flat screen TVs. You really should try one of their new ships before passing judgment on RCCL, although there are many, many of us who absolutely love the Radiance class ships--including me!

 

Re the basketball bouncing noise heard in the WindJammer--I've noticed this on one side of the WJ only so I always make sure we sit on the opposite side! :) Have played miniature golf on several Radiance cruises and have never noticed the smell you mentioned.

 

Linda (and C. D.)

[CVU]

LOL I think they didn't do enough research or ask enough questions.:D

 

The curlers still have me puzzled.:p

I wonder if they are plugged in electrical curlers? Worried they could over heat?

 

Yes, all bags go into an X-ray scanner at the pier, usually on the way up the moving ramp onto the ship.

[Coralc]

When did Radiance get electronic charge "coolers" ? :rolleyes::D

[cruisenfever]

Thought you all might enjoy this. Was advised on our roll call that this was over on the P&O Cruises Australia Forum about Radiance coming to Australia...... Part 2 explains some of what is going to be done while in dry dock.

 

 

[island lady]

When did Radiance get electronic charge "coolers" ? :rolleyes::D

 

That was the funniest part to me also....immediate electronic signal straight to the bar area for charges and replacement?

 

HUH?? :eek: ;)

[mommabean]

Thought you all might enjoy this. Was advised on our roll call that this was over on the P&O Cruises Australia Forum about Radiance coming to Australia...... Part 2 explains some of what is going to be done while in dry dock.

 

 

 

What FUN :D seeing Tonya, Tony, Clunis and......the WRONG Captain. ;)

 

Gina

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

Thought you all might enjoy this. Was advised on our roll call that this was over on the P&O Cruises Australia Forum about Radiance coming to Australia...... Part 2 explains some of what is going to be done while in dry dock.

 

 

 

 

Ummm ... did anyone notice the waiter walking behind that lady in the 2nd video (1:13) What was he doing with his hand? It looked like he was trying to cop a feel of her butt :eek:

 

;)

[mommabean]

Short and to the point of my personal observations:

 

They xray most all bags and confiscate all illegal items brought on board. Booze, travel irons, curlers etc. Even if you pack bottled water, you have to prove that it really is water! All the water faucets on the ship "sprinkle" water and you can't fill up a sink if you want to. Shower water will leak big time onto the bathroom floors. Bed side night stands are so small they hardly hold a pair of socks! No flat screen tv's. I complained my refrigerator wasn't cold enough and was told they are "coolers" not refrigerators! And when you remove a pay item from the "cooler" the ships bar service is electronically notified to re$tock your cooler. I had a Hump cabin and my balcony was very large! While dining in the Wind Jammer, all you hear is the basketball bouncing from the deck above. While playing miniture golf, you smell the sewer gasses or the burning of sewage from the vents/stacks. No more free celebration cakes in the dining room. You have to pay for them as well as fresh squeezed orange juice. On a 5 day cruise, the entire ship ran out of butter on day 4. No 2nd serving of (very small) lobster tail in the dining room. The coffee was like mud in the dining room. Not 1 person at my table of 8 drank their coffee on night 1. They played the same endless audio track from Titanic every single night in the dining room. No more chocolates at night on the pillows. Cabin attendants don't work after 8pm. Breakfast room service was 45 minutes late on the 2nd day of the cruise. I never used them again. $20 deposit to get a pool towel. The Centrum elevators are designed very poorly. Everyone accidently leans against the side wall mounted buttons and the elevator doors won't close. It takes everyone 4 days to figure this out! While the live music in the lobby/centrum is nice, you can never hear the elevators arrive on any/all the floors. Hundreds of people missed elevators all week because of this. Disembarkation took forever which was a direct result of only one row of people can exit the ship gangway. Think about this for a minute.... handicap, walkers, disabled....you just had to stand and wait! Once you got into the main terminal building with the luggage, everything is ok. You just can't get there!

 

Solarium pool was great. Lobby bar & night club was great as well as Schooner Bar and had excellant entertainment every evening. I enjoyed the cruise with my friends, but I'm not so sure I'll ever cruise with RCCL lines again. The ship is tired and dated. Back to Princess where I don't feel like I'm being nickel and dimed to death all week.

 

About 25% of my cruises have been on this ship and like any ship - being in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the right time makes a difference.

 

I'm glad they take passenger's irons. They don't take curling or straightening irons...not even the extra hot, illegal in Canada, chi hair appliances. Book a GS and up and you get a full flowing sink. The others are just like the faucets in every hotel I've been in in California...water flow restrictors which the "green" minded should love. :rolleyes: Book a suite, get a flat screen TV. Although why anyone cares is beyond me since a flat screen is a wide screen made for HD TV which NO ship has that I know of. Everyone seems to like looking at regular TV stretched to fit the wide screen - making everyone look fat. :eek: Nightstands DO hold more than Carnival which I've only had an inverted U for a nightstand. What more do you need in a nightstand than socks, books, condoms...whatever. :rolleyes: All ships have "coolers" as opposed to refrigerators. Again...going "green". Line the outside of your shower with a towel - or book a JS or better. Sit on the left side of the Windjammer or don't go on short cruises. The older people on the longer cruises don't play basketball. :cool: The dining room will put a candle on any dessert you want for a celebration - even a piece of cake. The coffee isn't the same in every venue. If you don't like it in one place, get it somewhere else. Juice is fattening, don't even drink the free juice which is just as good as fresh squeezed anyway. I take a tiny thin roll up beach towel I bring from home into ports because it's not as bulky as a ship towel. I have no trouble figuring out which elevator will come first. Look at where they are, which direction they are going, and monitor it visually - you don't need to hear it. People ARE rude when you ask them to get their butts off the buttons. I've found that when I nicely mention that on "this ship they are called buttoffs, rather than buttons, they laugh and get that huge thing away from the wall. What's worse are the people who hold their elevator spot by going the wrong way first so those who are waiting for elevators can't get in. Am I the only one who has waited for an elevator on deck 13 to find those coming up do NOT get out? This happens on all ships and I do NOT like it. I've had no problem getting off this ship except for my very first Panama Canal cruise on her in 2008. BTW - they always try to make me take a lobster even when I don't order it. They keep bringing them to DH, too.

 

Most of these complaints could be found anywhere on any ship and are easily remedied.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I admit that I'm pretty tired of having to go to the naughty room to retrieve my water.

 

I do not drink ship water or city of Mount Dora water either on a routine basis. Once in a while, yes. But my routine water is spring water or purified water.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

Ummm ... did anyone notice the waiter walking behind that lady in the 2nd video (1:13) What was he doing with his hand? It looked like he was trying to cop a feel of her butt :eek:

 

;)

 

LOL He's too far back. He just sort of flipped his hand out to the side like he's talking to someone with his had.

 

Gina

[cruisenfever]

What FUN :D seeing Tonya, Tony, Clunis and......the WRONG Captain. ;)

 

Gina

I think the first video was shot during an interim period between the Captains rotating schedule. I remember the Captain on the video just stepping in for a few weeks.

 

Yes, it was fun seeing so many familiar faces. September can't come soon enough. Let's hope they are all there.

[The Grumpus]

Thanks for the pic Fred, I was on the Radiance in December and was not aware of any azipod problems as well. Did not see a tug either, but I did not get down to the stern during sailaway.

You're welcome BB. I actually took that picture on the way back into port. We were lucky enough to get an extra 8-hours on the ship due to heavy fog closing the port the morning of our return day. I happened to be having breakfast at the outside Windjammer area and noticed the tug back there. I was able to get some pretty good daytime shots of the bridge too.:)

 

 

[canucks4]

I am so hopeful that the Pacific-Australia-New Zealand cruises on the Radiance are successful.

 

Next October, 2012, DH turns 60 and intends on semi-retiring (self employed). In order to be retired and collect benefits (in Canada), one must cease working for 28 days - and the first thing he said was "let's do a cruise to Australia or New Zealand". I raced to the computer only to find the schedule for 2012 won't be out until a little later this spring....but fingers crossed we can do the Radiance.

[mommabean]

I am so hopeful that the Pacific-Australia-New Zealand cruises on the Radiance are successful.

 

Next October, 2012, DH turns 60 and intends on semi-retiring (self employed). In order to be retired and collect benefits (in Canada), one must cease working for 28 days - and the first thing he said was "let's do a cruise to Australia or New Zealand". I raced to the computer only to find the schedule for 2012 won't be out until a little later this spring....but fingers crossed we can do the Radiance.

 

Book it the day they release the dates. That's what I did when 2011/2012 season was released. Prices have done nothing but gone up since then AND I got the room of my choice. :D We can't wait.

 

Gina

[canucks4]

I'm hoping to book anything while on board Liberty next month and then simply transfer the booking when they are announced. I'm hoping this way I can get a great cabin and the added benefit of C&A D+ on-board booking. (I think it works that way)

[cruisenfever]

Book it the day they release the dates. That's what I did when 2011/2012 season was released. Prices have done nothing but gone up since then AND I got the room of my choice. :D We can't wait.

 

Gina

Absolutely agree with this. Book the day the itineraries are released. I am so glad that we did book when we did. Even though the 3 cruises are going to be pricey............they certainly weren't as pricey back on April 16, 2010 when we booked as they are now.

[mommabean]

I'm hoping to book anything while on board Liberty next month and then simply transfer the booking when they are announced. I'm hoping this way I can get a great cabin and the added benefit of C&A D+ on-board booking. (I think it works that way)

 

Or you can just book an open "next cruise" and you'll have the same benefits without having to book a dummy cruise. You can book one without an appointment, too. There is a card you can fill out and drop in a box and the loyalty ambassador will take care of it. If you feel better about it you can book it face to face, too.

 

I always keep one "next cruise" on hand just in case.

 

Gina

[island lady]

Or you can just book an open "next cruise" and you'll have the same benefits without having to book a dummy cruise. You can book one without an appointment, too. There is a card you can fill out and drop in a box and the loyalty ambassador will take care of it. If you feel better about it you can book it face to face, too.

 

I always keep one "next cruise" on hand just in case.

 

Gina

 

Works for me too! :)

 

I loved being able to fill out that application in my cabin, drop it off in the box, and my certificate was in my room that night. Very easy.

I try to keep at least one, if not two on hand all the time now.

[cruisenfever]

What's worse are the people who hold their elevator spot by going the wrong way first so those who are waiting for elevators can't get in. Am I the only one who has waited for an elevator on deck 13 to find those coming up do NOT get out? This happens on all ships and I do NOT like it.

 

Gina

I'm sorry that you don't like elevator hogs, but sometimes the only way down is up and vice versa.:D And this is especially true at 5:55PM and 8:35PM when people are try to get to decks 4 and 5 for dinner.

 

What I dislike is seeing people in the elevator that has just left deck 13 with drinks in their hand going to dinner. :mad:

[Duffysmom]

We're on the Jewel's TA May 6, 2011, the first cruise after drydock. Since the drydock is only one week long, is it possible to do all the changes in that short time period. Some have speculated that they will be doing a quick mechanical drydock. I'm a major fan of the Radiance class ships and have done several TA's on the Jewel and Brilliance and I'm sad to see the changes take place. I'm not particularly happy with the upcoming changes since the new venues are in areas that I've loved. I've been on the Oasis as well as Celebrity's Soltice as well as many other cruise lines and always find myself comparing them to the Radiance class. We've had many wonderful sea days on TA's playing MahJongg in the beautiful card room as well as lounging in the large banquets in the outdoor Windjammer. I know, change is inevitable but it makes me grumpy. :(

[mommabean]

I'm sorry that you don't like elevator hogs, but sometimes the only way down is up and vice versa.:D And this is especially true at 5:55PM and 8:35PM when people are try to get to decks 4 and 5 for dinner.

 

What I dislike is seeing people in the elevator that has just left deck 13 with drinks in their hand going to dinner. :mad:

 

If you wait, it will come. :)

 

Another one ALWAYS comes and it makes it easier for everyone if they wait for an elevator going in the direction they are going.

 

Why can't people leave deck 13 with a drink to go to dinner?

 

Gina

[Linda41]

We're on the Jewel's TA May 6, 2011, the first cruise after drydock. Since the drydock is only one week long, is it possible to do all the changes in that short time period. Some have speculated that they will be doing a quick mechanical drydock. I'm a major fan of the Radiance class ships and have done several TA's on the Jewel and Brilliance and I'm sad to see the changes take place. I'm not particularly happy with the upcoming changes since the new venues are in areas that I've loved. :(

 

The drydock for the Radiance is for 2 weeks, I believe. So, I think they can handle the changes they have planned. But, like you, I'm not fond of doing away with the game room and putting in the extra-pay restaurants. Looks like they are going the direction of "dinner is an extra charge unless you want the Windjammer for dinner.". An exaggeration, of course, but there are more and more extra pay dinner options all the time.

 

Linda (and C. D.)

[cruisenfever]

We're on the Jewel's TA May 6, 2011, the first cruise after drydock. Since the drydock is only one week long, is it possible to do all the changes in that short time period. Some have speculated that they will be doing a quick mechanical drydock. I'm a major fan of the Radiance class ships and have done several TA's on the Jewel and Brilliance and I'm sad to see the changes take place. I'm not particularly happy with the upcoming changes since the new venues are in areas that I've loved. I've been on the Oasis as well as Celebrity's Soltice as well as many other cruise lines and always find myself comparing them to the Radiance class. We've had many wonderful sea days on TA's playing MahJongg in the beautiful card room as well as lounging in the large banquets in the outdoor Windjammer. I know, change is inevitable but it makes me grumpy. :(

Jewel is not have the same reconstructive surgery like Radiance is. Jewel is basically going in for azipod repair/maintenance. And possible a quick spit shine of the brass and silver.:D

 

They could never do to Jewel in one week what they are planning to do the Radiance in 3.

 

If you wait, it will come. :)

 

Another one ALWAYS comes and it makes it easier for everyone if they wait for an elevator going in the direction they are going.

 

Why can't people leave deck 13 with a drink to go to dinner?

 

Gina

I think it looks tacky, but this is just my opinion.