Radiance Review from First-Time Cruiser

TRIP:

 

Radiance of the Seas

Western Caribbean

6-night, 7-day cruise

February 10 - 16, 2008

Solo cruiser, disabled with service dog, on group cruise (one of my best friends puts together these group cruises and I am friends with the musician we had, as well)

 

 

 

 

EMBARKATION:

 

Did the luggage tags at the pier (had eDocs), which was fairly easy except the luggage guys do not carry pens on them, so be sure to bring your own pen(s)! Security was similar to that of an airport. We got to the large check-in room and I was sat down to wait for a while, during which time the cruiseline took care of whatever they needed to do with my service dog's health certificate. Eventually I was checked in and we took the elevator up to the second floor to get our photo taken (which I later bought) and enter the ship.

 

The ship tour I requested as accommodation (it was an option on the form, albeit for blind ppl but I explained my reasons for my disabilities for requesting it) was not offered to me at any time. Thankfully, I really only went between a few places (my room, the conference center, the potty box, the Windjammer, and the dining room) most of the time, so was able to get around with the lists by the elevator of what's on what floor ... with only one mishap that I recall (I swear the elevator said it was floor 10 when it opened on floor 8!).

 

 

 

 

MUSTER DRILL:

 

Quick and easy. With a completely full ship, I thought for sure there'd be somebody trying to hide from the drill and we'd all be waiting for them, but that didn't happen. It did get hot waiting outside, though, and if it had gone on any longer I would've had to sit down. Nobody else in my group was in my muster station, since I think I was the only person on the 10th floor, but a man in the row next to me offered to help me put my life jacket on.

 

 

 

 

LUGGAGE:

 

Never check a guitar as luggage!! Our musician (who has been on a few other cruises) checked her acoustic guitar on the ship. It broke. Now she has to deal with the ship and insurances to try to figure out what can be done about it. Thankfully, the group's speaker had brought his guitar with him so she was able to do her concerts using his guitar. I guess she'll have to make do with her other guitar (which was at home) while touring until the one that got broke gets fixed.

 

We got on the ship around noontime, I think, but I didn't get all my bags 'til much later (can't recall if it was after second seating dinner or not that I got the last of the three bags).

 

 

 

 

SERVICE DOG POTTY BOX:

 

Finding the potty box when we first boarded on Sunday was a trick. We were told, "Deck 5 Forward," which is really not very specific or helpful. So, we walked up and down both sides of deck 5 from the mid-point onward. Nothing. I went down to Customer Relations on deck 4 and asked again. This time I was told it was actually on the helipad (on the front of the ship), which is on deck 6 but only accessed by stairs on deck 5. Good thing I'm not in a wheelchair, though I do have problems with stairs!

 

So, I went back up to deck 5 and climbed the stairs to the helipad. The only thing I found up there was a bunch of ppl and a LOT of wind. Two of those ppl were girls from our group, so I spent a few minutes with them as we watched us sailing along the FL coastline (did I mention I missed sail-away because I was looking for the box?) and took photos of each other in the crazy amount of wind (like a wind tunnel - it was hard to walk against). It was fun. :-)

 

But there was no potty box, so back on deck 5 I asked two crew members that I saw there about it. They didn't know about it, but knew which department was s'posed to take care of it. They made long phone calls down to whoever and a while later I finally learned that nobody had put the box out yet! Grr. I was already late for the first group meeting we were having, so after the guy told me they were going to put the box out and where they were going to put it, I went to the meeting. Lo and behold, after the meeting the box was there on deck 5 in the outside deck hallway that leads to the stairs for the helipad. (Mind you our cabin is deck 10 almost all the way aft [back of ship]! That's a LONG walk of practically the whole length of the ship, waiting for and taking an elevator in the middle.)

 

They placed it too far away from our room and she ended up having two accidents (both #2) on our way walking to the potty box. One was indoors in a hallway and the other was after we'd gotten outside on the deck, but before we reached the potty box. :-P She is not used to such a long walk to get out to potty, so her body must not have been able to handle that much stimulation. She's never had an accident since potty training years ago. I also did not appreciate the long walk (and, yes, the ship knew I had mobility problems).

 

 

 

 

OTHER ACCOMMODATIONS:

 

The medical-purposes fridge wasn't in my room when I first got in it, but I found the room steward and told him I'd requested it at least twice (the travel agent re-faxed my paperwork after I'd already done it a few months before she did it, plus I'd checked a couple weeks before the cruise if everything was set, incl. my need for the fridge). He said it was marked down that I requested a Sharps container (for used needles), which I did not as I do not need it, but that I wasn't marked for a fridge. *Sigh* But, it was in my room later that night, thankfully. (Funny thing is, at least two of the other rooms in our group had their built-in fridge/coolers marked as "Medical Use Only". The medical fridge I was brought didn't have that distinction, but it was definitely a medical fridge 'cause it was cold enough for my needs [once turned all the way up] while the cooler was not.)

 

 

 

 

ELEVATORS:

 

Thankfully, lots of ppl used the stairs so the wait for the elevators for those of us who need them was not bad. There was maybe one or two times I had to wait because several elevators were already full, but it wasn't anything like I've read on here that it could be like. Even on debarkation day I saw a family decide to take their large, rolling carry-ons and other bags down the stairs "because [they could]".

 

Also, I didn't have any problems with ppl trying to rush into the elevator ahead of me like I have heard can happen. Everybody was nice and made room even in the very full elevators.

 

It was nice that the ship did make loudspeaker announcements when arriving in ports to ask ppl to save the elevators for ppl who need them.

 

 

 

 

ROOM STEWARD:

 

My steward was okay, but nothing to write home about. He forgot to bring the Cruise Compass on the last day. Not that it is a big deal, but I didn't get any towel animals until halfway through the cruise. Most days, I only got one chocolate on a pillow (even though I'm paying 200%) - not a big deal 'cause I didn't end up eating a single one of them, LOL. I don't know if he was s'posed to leave a comment form the last night or not (since I've heard y'all talk about filling such a form out), but that wasn't in my room, either. Only the gratuity envelopes and vouchers were in my room that night.

 

 

 

 

FUEL SUPPLEMENT LOGO GIFT:

 

We didn't get anything!! :-(

 

 

 

 

SEA MOTION/SEASICKNESS:

 

Nobody in our group got really seasick, but we could definitely feel the ship rocking all the time, especially at night. My dog seemed to do well with the sea's motion, although I did put MotionEaze on her ears every day (and I used it myself plus Bonine [which I don't recommend chewing even though it is chewable - it tastes nasty!] every day).

 

 

 

 

FOOD:

 

The food was fairly good - not exceptional or anything, at least not within the limited range of foods I can eat - but the dining room was nice and the best part was sitting with the ppl in our group. The first night we sat at the tables the cruiseline assigned us all to (four tables of only our group members) but the other nights we did round robin and sat at whatever tables we wanted within our group's tables (three oval tables of ten and one round table of six). It was nice getting to sit with different ppl like that.

 

My need was taken care of (though I don't know if the waiter was informed of it beforehand even though he should have been), but the waiter I usually had (one table had a different waiter but I only sat there once) was FAR too pushy about trying to get me to order an appetizer (there aren't any that I can eat on the menu, although the last night I did order the slice of pizza off the kids' menu as an appetizer 'cause that's what I felt like having, LOL). The waiter and assistant waiter are lucky our gratuities are pre-paid. ;-)

 

Lobster night, for those who want to know, was the second formal night. (The formal nights were fun, by the way!)

 

For those with food allergies, do ask what is in each dish, as you might get a surprise! The brownies tend to have nuts, the chocolate cake on the Web site (room gift) has a raspberry or something layer in it, etc.

 

 

 

 

WATER:

 

The ship's water did not taste good, similar to tap water on land. (I never saw anything brown in it, though.) Thank goodness for bottled water!

 

 

 

 

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL MEALS:

 

For $65 or $70 (depending on which restaurant) per couple, you can have a special five-course (or was it six-course?) meal at Chops or Portofino on Valentine's Day. I thought that was very nice for the couples on board.

 

The captain always wished everybody (in his loudspeaker announcements) a happy Valentine's Day, as did the Cruise Compass, that day. One could get a special Valentine's Day border for their purchased photos (it automatically came on the dinner table photos for that night). Otherwise, you wouldn't know it was Valentine's Day.

 

 

 

 

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER:

 

This was available one night, I think in Portofino, but I did not attend.

 

 

 

 

KEY WEST, FLORIDA:

 

In Key West (first port) a new friend and I went to the butterfly conservatory. It was really great and the scenery and butterflies were beautiful. We even had some butterflies land on us. Of course, I took LOTS of photos! The prettiest ones were hard to photograph 'cause they flew around so fast, but when they landed they closed their gorgeous blue wings to show only the ugly brown undersides of their wings. Thankfully, we were able to find a couple landed blue butterflies that had kept their wings open - they were both on white pillars for the structure rather than on nice foliage, though, so the pix of them aren't as nice as the ones of other butterflies. Oh well!

 

We also shopped in the conservatory's gift shop, where I found a gorgeous necklace that was great to wear to formal night on the ship that night. It came with matching earrings, too, but I didn't wear those. The price was really great for the set - only $30 (usually necklaces like this one I've seen for a lot more - when I saw the necklace I expected the price to be $70 or more). I love it. :-)

 

Then we joined a bunch of others in our group, who came from various tours and activities, for lunch at Margaritaville. That was fun. (No, I didn't get a margarita - I got a Rum Runner, one of my favorites, which was very good!)

 

My new friend used a rented wheelchair in order to be able to walk the distances in ports, but the Key West sidewalks were not easy for her to push herself on, as they tilted towards the road for water runoff. (So, the chair kept trying to roll towards the road!)

 

 

 

 

COZUMEL, MEXICO:

 

In Cozumel (second port) I went to Playa Mia beach with four others from our group. The water was a set of gorgeous blues and greens. I took lots of photos, of course. I got a good sunburn, too. One of the girls and I ate lunch together there before heading back to the port to do some shopping. I got souvenirs for myself and gifts for others (yes, I got some vanilla as gifts). I shopped a T-shirt shop inside the building you go through to get to the port area and then shopped Los Cinco Soles, which I had been under the impression was far from the port but it was right there, so I was glad.

 

 

 

 

GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS:

 

Grand Cayman (third port) was a tender port, so I didn't get to take any photos of it from my balcony (though I did get shots of some of the other ships anchored next to us, especially the other Royal Caribbean ship - Liberty, I believe it was). (Dogs coming from Mexico aren't allowed to enter Cayman, but if we were coming from the States, it'd be far too expensive in vet bills, anyway, for what they require to enter - I estimate around $400. Not worth it for less than a day!) Two of the girls in our group brought me back a little stuffed animal turtle from the turtle farm they visited 'cause they felt bad I couldn't leave the ship. (I didn't feel bad - after coming back from the morning session our group had [the only morning session we had, since getting to port was late morning to late afternoon unlike the other ports, which were early morning to early afternoon] I went back to sleep, which I really needed! That's why I didn't get out to the helipad to take photos of Grand Cayman.)

 

Others in the group had good tours and enjoyed their day at Grand Cayman.

 

 

 

 

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA:

 

I did get to take photos from my balcony when we docked at Montego Bay, Jamaica (fourth and final port). (I also took photos from my balcony at Key West, by the way.) I was glad of that because the ship's purser had called that morning to say that the Jamaican officials said my dog couldn't go outside while docked there! Thankfully, I already had plans to be in the cabin that morning preparing something for the group event that afternoon.

 

I did have lunch indoors in the Windjammer. I tried the cheese pizza, which wasn't all that great. I had to use my hands to pick up my slices (I didn't touch any other slices or the tray, of course!) because there was parts of a meat pizza on the tongs, so I couldn't use them, and the man behind the counter didn't do anything when I mentioned the problem.

 

Most of the others in the group had good tours, although one of the tours got pretty scary when the bus got into a car accident and the bus driver and driver of the other car pulled guns on each other! On another tour, the tour guide gave a nice tour of a carefully planted marijuana crop while explaining the benefits of it and best ways to consume it (make tea, cook it in rice, sniff it, etc.), LOL.

 

 

 

 

SHOPPING ON THE SHIP:

 

$10 for 100% silk ties isn't bad, so I got a few as gifts. I bought a pair of titanium sunglasses (Maui Jim) for myself. I got a few other things, as well, like a Radiance of the Seas T-shirt.

 

 

 

 

INTERNET CAFE:

 

The speed of the connection was not as slow as I thought it would be, given the posts that have said as much on this board. It was almost broadband speed, with pages loading fairly fast. I do believe we were anchored or docked at the time (don't recall which day I went online), so that may have helped with the speed. I got a kick out of seeing the Cruise Critic logo for a link to the site on the bottom of the home page of the computer (before you log on to use any minutes). :-)

 

 

 

 

PRE-CRUISE GIFT REGISTRY:

 

I made a registry on Royal Caribbean's Web site for my parents, as they still always get Valentine's gifts for my brother and I (LOL). I figured they could get me something on the ship this year instead of the typical gift bag. I had my mother give me a sealed envelope with her receipt inside so I could check the gifts once I got them to make sure they got it right. They did. The gifts were in my room when I first arrived there after lunch on embarkation day. They got me a chocolate cake (it was so-so, I wouldn't ask for it again) and a bottle of wine (Rosemount Shiraz, one of my favorites I've had on land before) and the set of bags/towel (tote bag, water bottle carrier, fanny pack, and Royal Caribbean logo towel - these are nice quality).

 

 

 

 

SHIP-RUN SHOWS/QUEST/BINGO/CASINO/CLASSES/MINI GOLF/ETC.:

 

I didn't do any of these, so can't comment on them.

 

 

 

 

CHAIR HOGS:

 

I didn't use the pool, so don't know about this, sorry.

 

 

 

 

DEBARKATION:

 

Waiting was a drag, as was getting to the potty box one last time (they used that hallway to line up to get off the ship). I found some friends to wait with, though, and we talked with a lady who was sitting next to us. Once I got off the ship, finding my luggage was easy - I spotted it right away from across the room (LOVE my new, uniquely-patterned suitcase!). My three bags (my suitcase, my dog's bag, and a bag I'd brought dog water and paper towels in [and left with things misplaced from my bag due to souvenirs *grin*]) were sitting together, so it was easy to find them all. Of course, since I had a sunburn on my shoulders, I couldn't wear my backpack carry-on so had to carry the stupid thing all day! :-P So, don't get a sunburn if you plan on using a backpack at some point!! ;-)

 

The Royal Caribbean transfer from the pier to the airport was pretty good, although I think the guy we had was on his first day at work (he parked in the wrong area at the airport and a guy told him next time not to park there, plus he wasn't the most confident about driving a bus!).

 

 

 

 

OVERALL:

 

The cruise was fun, being with the group of ppl I was with and all, but I prefer land vacations for many reasons (incl. longer stays in each place so can do more things, bigger rooms/bathrooms, bigger choice of where to eat, etc.). Will I ever cruise again? Not unless it is a cruise with this group. I won't be doing next year's cruise, since it is just a three-day cruise to the Bahamas (I'll have been in the Bahamas for two weeks just before that cruise happens), although I'll prob'ly do the land portion of that trip (Disney). After that, we'll see - the price would certainly have to be really good for me to want to go again (like this cruise, $950 incl. the single supplement [not incl. port charges and gratuities] for a D1 balcony room).

 

 

 

 

--> Anything I forgot/left out, just ask about it! :-)

Thanks for the review! We will be going on a Radiance Class ship (Brilliance) for the first time in a few months and are looking forward to it!