ckrobyn's long awaited Radiance review!

[ckrobyn]

I'm not a newbie anymore! Wooooo Hoooooo! :p

 

This is my very first review, and as I sit here at my computer, I can still feel the "motion of the ocean" ! I seem to be swaying from side to side at various times throughout the day...hmmmmm.....

 

Okay, here goes. Firstly, to Bob at Sea ; there will be no "Robyn's wrath" because we had a SUPER time! Pre-cruise we were booked at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in West Doral which is close to the airport, when we were pulling up in front of the hotel, I KNEW I wasn't going to stay there....in my opinion it looked ( and smelled) like a cheap motel. Luckily for us, there was a Marriott Courtyard right next door, so we checked into there immediately. I definitely do NOT recommend the Fairflield Inn and Suites. The Courtyard was lovely, and worked out well for us for our one night pre-cruise stay.

 

I woke up at the crack of dawn with the most incredible feeling of aniticpation and excitement, all of my planning ( 8 months worth!) was finally going to happen, I was going to board the Radiance of the Seas and actually experience cruising for the very first time! We took a taxi to the Port of Miami and arrived at 10:15 am ( was there ever any doubt that I would be there as soon as the doors opened?) We had a bit of a wait until we could go upstairs and actually check in, but we didn't care, we were WAY to excited! I should mention at this time that we were cruising with another couple ( our best friends) as well as with our 8 year old daughter. The c...ruise was also to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! Within about a half hour, we were upstairs checking in and getting our sea passes. We booked a Junior Suite and we DID receive priority embarkation, so we were waiting in the lounge until it was time to board. Boarding the ship was quick and painless, and we were in the Windjammer having lunch by 12:15pm. I have to tell you that when I saw the Radiance from the taxi as we approached the Port, I was totally overwhelmed! I had only ever seen pictures of c...ruise ships and had no idea how huge they really are...what a neat experience! Walking on board and seeing the inside of the ship for the first time was incredible, the Radiance truly IS a stunning ship. There is tons of glass and I was very impressed by the cleanliness and overall appearance of the ship considering it is in use 365 days a year by 2500 passengers! Our cruise was completely sold out, so there were no upgrades to be had even if we had wanted one.

 

After lunch in the Windjammer, we went to the main pool area where those fancy drinks with little umbrellas were being handed out ( I knew they weren't free thanks to the advice on here!) We did purchase the soda package for all of us, and made good use of it. I recommend it if you enjoy soda and aren't really alcohol drinkers, the iced tea and lemonade which were free would not have cut it for me for an entire week. Our cabin, Junior Suite 1586 on deck 10 was ready for us at exactly 1:00pm. When I opened the door to the cabin for the first time, there were streamers and balloons waiting for us ( they had been ordered by our best friends for our anniversary!) The cabin was perfect! We had tons of storage space, so much of it that there were cupboards we didn't even use! We loved the walk in closet and the bathroom was a good size with a tub and shower. I met the shower curtain up close and personal several times :eek: The tub does not eliminate the wrap around effect of the shower curtain!

 

I'm going to end here. It's 10:50pm and we just arrived home a few hours ago, so I need sleep! I will continue this review tomorrow :) Lots to tell!

[jrlaurie]

ckrobyn-So glad you had a wonderful time, Can't wait to hear the rest, nothing like starting a review and keeping us(me) in suspense. LOL:) . Ok, I understand, your tired. I sure hope your week felt like it lasted forever, because it seems like I just read that you were leaving. I can't wait for our 1st cruise in May, also our anniversary. I've been following some of your posts, as you always seem to ask questions, I'm thinking. Well, now that your not a newbie, I can look to you for advice. Again, can't wait to hear the rest, I'm sure you're dreaming of your vacation.

 

 

Jessica;)

[VABeach]

Glad you had a great time!!! Welcome home.

 

Soooo, when is your NEXT cruise???:D

[KamloopsCruisers]

Welcome home Robyn.

 

I bet the snow in Toronto today was quite shock after a week in paradise. So glad to read that you had a "fab" cruise, I knew you would - the Radiance is my favourite ship. She is so beautiful and filled with the best staff at sea (IMHO). I too can't wait to read more of your review. And yes, we all want to know .... where is your NEXT cruise?

 

Sue

[BobBeaSea]

Thank the cruising gods you had a great time:D . Looking forward to the rest of your trip report. I'll bet you just loved seeing the snow, such a comfort for a Canadian;) .

[emmy]

Welcome Back CKRobyn! Glad you enjoyed your cruise and look forward to the rest of your review.

 

Loved your thoughts about seeing the ship for the first time..I always tell my friends that pictures do not do it justice and the size of a ship sitting in port is amazing. I clearly remember my first time seeing the ship I was about to embark...still get that feeling .

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Emmy :)

[mringenoldus]

Although I don't get seasick, I experienced that same bit of vertigo after my first cruise (and a few others) It will go way in a few days - the cure for it is planning your next cruise!

[Happy ks]

I can hardly wait to read the rest of your review. Welcome back. After you finish your review, we'll probably start reading about your next years' cruise plans!

[ineedacruise]

Welcome home. I cant wait to read more about your cruise. I saw the ROS on the travel channel the other day and the ship looks beautiful. I may have to cruise on her myself some day.

[ckrobyn]

I am 2 days off the ship and the room is still spinning! :rolleyes:

 

Okay, on to the next part of my review: Like I said, our cabin was perfect for the 3 of us, lots of storage and a very nice sized balcony with 2 chairs and a table. I could have asked for loungers, but the chairs were fine for us. I asked our stateroom attendant Glyda for RCI robes and they were in our cabin within a few hours ( see, it never hurts to ask!) Cascades dining room was a wonderful experience, we had a table for 10 which included ourselves as well as a couple we met on Cruise Critic and another couple who were quiet, and very nice to talk to.

I should mention at this time that while we were waiting to board the ship in the Champions Lounge, we met several people from our Meet and Mingle board! It was fantastic to finally put faces with the names! One of our participants on our thread ( Chelle the Cruise Junkie) had made my daughter her very own cruise junkie junior T-shirt which she put on right away....Thanks Chelle, Love Ya! :p

Later that first evening, we did a bit of onboard shopping and exploring of the ship. I know that I talked about seasickness a lot on these boards before my cruise, and I was worried about it. One thing I will say is that you DO feel the motion of the ship, not enough to really make you sick, but you can definitely feel the ship sway at various times. I felt the motion the most when I was in the hallways and the bathroom. Having a balcony cabin was awesome, if I felt at all queasy, I would just sit outside on the balcony and felt immediately better. There was NO Norwalk or any other kind of stomach illness on the ship, and no-one even mentioned it at all. Passengers were washing their hands at the entrance to the Windjammer, and I felt it was a very dilligent thing to do even though there were no reports of any illnesses.

I loved the way the ship rocked as we were going to sleep at night......I got advice from several people on CC that I would have the best sleeps of my life onboard, and they were RIGHT!

DAY 2 -

We were very lucky to be able to make the stop at Coco Cay. Captain Darin told us we were only the second sailing this winter that had been able to tender at Coco Cay. The weather was picture perfect and 80 degrees for our day on the beach. The beach was lovely, soft sand and clear blue ocean to play in all day. The BBQ lunch was terrific, especially the ribs! I was eating lunch on my lounge chair, munching on a BBQ'd chicken leg, and up walks a live chicken looking for some lunch for himself! It was very cute, but made me consider becoming a vegetarian after seeing a chicken in real life and eating one at the same time :eek: There was shopping (of course!) on Coco Cay and hair braiding as well as all kinda of water sports and snorkeling. It was a wonderful day!

Our first formal night was after a day at Coco Cay, we had early seating ( 6pm) so we had to get ready for dinner quite quickly once back onboard the ship. It was nice to get all dressed up and have our pictures taken. There were people who were not dressed in what I would consider formal attire, but they were still allowed in the dining room. I have read so many differing opinions on dress code here on CC, and now I have my own! I think that formal night should be formal night. It is only 2 dinners out of 7 and it is noted on everyone's itinerary that that formal attire is suggested. I should also mention at this time, that I will likely book late seating on future cruises. I found it a bit rushed to get to the dining room by 6pm especially on port days. I think taking a nap and having an afternoon snack would work well for us until dinner at 8:30pm. We will consider that for next time!

Day 3 -

Today was our first sea day and YES there ARE chair hogs! We were up at about 6am on this day, had a nice breakfast in the Windjammer and headed out to the pool area by 7:30 am and there were already people staking their claim to deck chairs by leaving books and sandals on the chairs while they went for a leisurely breakfast. I found this totally irritating, I had gotten up early, had breakfast early so that I could sit myself in the chair legitimately and not hog one while I ate breakfast, leaving someone who wanted to tan on the deck without a chair while I ate bacon and eggs! I must add that the pool deck patrol WAS out there enforcing the 15 minute rule, so many passengers had their stuff removed from their chairs and had to go to deck 4 to retrieve their belongings.....too bad, so sad ;)

Another picture perfect day as far as the weather goes, 78 and sunny. Unfortunately we had 50mph winds on the decks so it was a touch breezy as we sunned ourselves all afternoon.

Gotta get back to work, I'll write the next part later today! :D

[mbisson]

I must add that the pool deck patrol WAS out there enforcing the 15 minute rule, so many passengers had their stuff removed from their chairs and had to go to deck 4 to retrieve their belongings.....too bad, so sad ;)

 

YES!

 

Glad you had a good time. Waiting for the rest...

-Monte

[Screwbit]

Robyn: Glad to hear you had such an enjoyable time. Every cruise is great, but there's nothing quite like the FIRST one. We 've done ten (#11 coming up in Sept. on Sapphire Princess to Alaska), and they are the greatest vacations I can find. We did the Radiance in her inaugural season, and it is still our favorite ship (and we've never sailed the same ship twice..... if we do, it'll probably be the Radiance ). Welcome Home !!

[TheWog]

Sounds like you had a great time. Keep it coming.

[ineedacruise]

Keep it coming... Do you have pictures yet?

[ckrobyn]

I have pictures, but haven't downloaded them yet! Better yet, my DH actually videotaped the entire cruise, so we have amazing live footage of our very first cruise!

 

Where were we in the review? Oh yes, our first sea day..... In spite of the windy deck conditions, being the die hard tanner that I am, I remained outside all afternoon enjoying the sunshine. The pool entertainment was a lot of fun, and the belly flop contest was a riot! I found the cruise director Gordon and his assistants to be energetic and a lot of fun with a great sense of humour! I was anxious to experience my first sea day and I wasn't disappointed, in fact I quite enjoyed not having to do much of anything! :) Dinner was in Cascades that evening and our waiter as well as assistant waiter were wonderful. The food was very good, I was especially impressed with the presentation of the plates as they were served to you, they were all very pretty with neat little garnishes etc. It is obvious that the Chef's take pride in their work to feed 2500 passengers! After dinner I went to the Casino and it paid off! I thought the slots were quite loose the entire cruise, there were lots of winners every day, including me who won a total of $1800 over the course of the cruise. My picture was on a video screen right outside the casino so anyone wanting to know who ckrobyn was, would have no problem spotting me!

I should have mentioned earlier that our Meet and Mingle was on Day 2, right after the Coco Cay stop. I didn't count heads, but I would say there were at least 15-20 of us in the Starquest Lounge meeting eachother for the first time. It was really neat to have all of us CC people in the same room, hugging and greeting eachother like we were long lost friends! You guys are all awesome :D

Day 4 - St. Thomas USVA

Up before the sun rose, so I could see us pulling into port. If you are an early riser, it's so neat to see the shore in the distance and watch as the ship gets closer and closer to the Island. I had never been to St. Thomas before, so this was exciting for me, because of that, and also because my DH was going to buy me a ring for our 10th anniversary! Disembarking at the Port was no problem, passengers seem to get off at various times so there was no congestion at all. First place we headed to was Diamonds International ( RCI recommends and guarantees the diamonds purchased here) and we bought my diamond ring, 3 diamonds symbolizing the past, the present and the future. How much happier can a woman get???? :eek: DH will be eating kraft dinner for the next year, but I have my ring!!!!

We didn't explore the island very much, the sun was shining and we went back on board to enjoy the pool and the deck for the afternoon. Part of the reason we did this is because we knew we were renting a jeep on St. Maarten so we would have a beach day then. The ship was sparse as most people were still on St.Thomas so we had choice pool chair seating!

Afternoon snacks were great in the Windjammer, and of course I had to try the world famous onion rings in the Seaview Cafe! My daughter did not take part in Adventure Ocean, although she did hang out in the kids pool and really loved the water slide! There were many kids that were not in adventure ocean, but rather with their parents the whole week. Personally, I did not witness any rowdy or obnoxious behaviour by any kids, the parents seemed to keep a watchful eye on their kids at the pools and in the dining rooms.

I have to give a big "hats off" to all of the crew on the Radiance, they were spectacular in attitude and service. The Radiance crew won the "best crew in the RCI fleet" award while were onboard, and we were able to cheer them as a group while in the dining room! Thunderous applause from 1250 people! There is no question that they deserved this award, the service was excellent anywhere onboard :D

Our stateroom attendant gave my daughter a private lesson on how to make towel animals one evening, it's those added touches that really make a cruise memorable!

More later!

[ckrobyn]

Day 5 - St. Maarten

 

Awoke at 5:00am, just in time to see the island coming in to view. This was a very special port for us as it was the location of our honeymoon 10 years ago. Dh has been dying to go back for all of these years, but this was our first trip back and we were both very excited to see the island once again. We rented a jeep and drove to Orient Beach ( yes, the naked beach where things are swaying in the wind that really should be kept under wraps :eek: ) after Orient, we drove to the magnificent Mullet Bay Beach where the ocean is so clear and blue it feels like you are in a swimming pool, the water is unbelievably clear! Our best friend went para-sailing and the rest of us played in the warm water and laid in the sun. Beware of using a lounger at the beach, someone will walk up to you within 2 minutes with an outstretched hand wanting $10 ! Worth it if you are planning to spend the whole day there, but not if you are only staying an hour or so.

 

We drove through downtown Phillipsburg and the streets are lined with wall to wall duty free stores, especially jewellery! I bought the famous Guavaberry and Papya BBQ sauce, can't wait to try it!

 

Day 6 - At Sea

 

Another breath taking day in terms of weather, and more chair hogs! uuugh! This time I took matters into my own hands and removed someone's hat that was on a chair for an hour so my DH could sit down :mad: If you can't already tell....I despise chair hogs! Spent this sea day lounging around the pool and drinking daquiris etc. I liked the clothing and jewellery sales on the pool deck on sea days....pretty neat to shop while getting a suntan, and the deals were pretty good too! 2 t-shirts for $20 - great souvenirs!

 

The second and final formal night was that evening but we didn't go , I was feeling a tad unwell......I had been taking my bonine religiously every day, but I still managed to get a little queasy so I wasn't able to enjoy the much anticipated lobster on the menu....oh well, at least later in the evening I was feeling okay again, so I went to the Midnight Gala Buffet instead!

 

A word on seasickness: As a first timer, I was really nervous about it. There were a few days when it affected me enough that I wanted to stay in my cabin for a few hours, but for the most part the bonine worked fine and I was able to be out and enjoying the cruise. I did try the sea bands on a few evenings and they seemed to help too. My DH was pretty good the whole cruise, only one rough evening where he felt queasy for a few hours. My DD did just fine! NO issues with her at all. Given the fact that there were times when I felt a bit sea sick, it would NOT deter me from cruising again!

 

Day 7 - At Sea

 

Awoke to incredible sunshine and conditions that mirrored the day before! Spent the day on deck at the pool enjoying a relaxing afternoon and sipping tropical drinks.....can life get any better than that? Dinner was in Cascades again, and it was our last night. I had already prepared our tip envelopes for the waiter and assistant and it was sad at the end of the evening to hand it to them and say good bye :( I should also mention that the waiters put on 2 little shows for us through the week, they would march through the dining rooms and line up on the staircase and sing for us, it was wonderful to see!

 

The Grand Midnight Buffet was a sight to behold! There was tons of food presented beautifully amidst extraordinary ice sculptures. It was 12:30am and I didn't eat anything, but it was worth it just looking at all the terrific samplings!

 

Some of you may have already heard that there was a power failure on the Radiance that night. I was in the casino when the ship went into total darkness! The slots all shut down and the entire ship was black! To say I wasn't petrified would be an understatement....I ran up 4 flights of stairs to my cabin and on the way saw people with life jackets looking for their muster stations! There was smoke in the hallways and no-one, including crew seemed to know what was happening, I was scared. Once I reached my cabin, I woke DH up and told him what was going on ,he went out into the hallway to see what he could find out. In the meantime a security guard came down the hall and told us that the smoke in the hall was caused by the emergency generator kicking in. 10 minutes later Captain Darin came on the loudspeaker and told us that everything was fine and that he was sorry for the inconvenience.....we still don't know what the cause was :confused:

 

The last night of the cruise was a sad one for me....it was the culmination of almost a year of planning , and I knew in the morning I would be leaving the Radiance and some really great friends and memories. Many of you will, and have already asked when I will cruise again? All I can say is that I will definitely cruise again, but I have nothing booked right now. I enjoyed the cruise experience, and felt in awe of the ship for the whole week! I met many interesting people from all over the world, and got to sail on one of the most beautiful ships in the RCI fleet......why wouldn't I do it again?

 

All in all, I had a great time. Honestly, I have no complaints at all, about anything. I am truly amazed how the crew can keep all of the passengers fed, cabins cleaned, and happy for 7 days......what a job! Royal Caribbean lived up to everything I though it would be, I did not meet one single RCI employee that was not smiling and helpful, Thank You!

 

I didn't see any of the big production shows, a few nights I fell asleep early ( bonine can do that for you!) but I did take in some of the smaller venues, piano players, karaoke shows, game shows etc, and thought they were great!

 

If you have any questions ( it feels great to FINALLY be able to say that!) please feel free to ask and I will reply as soon as I can!

 

A special thanks to all those CC people that were as excited as I was to experience my first cruise, and for all of your support and kindness over the past few months.....you all know who you are ;)

 

Lotsa Hugs,

 

ckrobyn - the not so newbie cruiser !!!!

[over the edge]

Robyn, Over the months I have appreciated all your questions and now I want to thank you for a great cruise review. I have read it with great interest and will print it out and put it in my "Radiance/06" folder to read again and again. I am grateful to Cruisecritics for being a part of a new friendship! I look forward to seeing your pictures and hope that this isn't the end of "ckrobyn" now that your cruise is over. ;)

[judyinar]

Thanks for your report. We cruised on the Radiance Jan. 2 of this year for our "nearly" first time experience and loved it as much as you. I can't imagine sailing on any other ship, but I'd love to find one that didn't involve having to fly halfway across the country. For us, that would mean New Orleans or Galveston, and I don't want to go to any of their ports.

 

It's been a joy revisiting our trip through your words.

 

Thanks again, Judy

[roe2ship]

Thanks for your review, see you had a great time. Is there a wading pool area anywhere near the pool with the water slide? Thanks

[ineedacruise]

Robin, it was so great to hear all about your cruise. I felt like I was right there with you.

 

You did better than me in the casino. The most we ever won was $175.

[nikki303]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[ckrobyn]

Thanks for your review, see you had a great time. Is there a wading pool area anywhere near the pool with the water slide? Thanks

 

Roe2ship: Yes, there is a wading pool directly beneath the water slide, it is about 2 feet deep, so perfect for the little one's to splash around :)

[ckrobyn]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write it.

 

Nikki: You're very welcome! It is my way of saying thanks to everyone on CC that was so helpful in the months and weeks leading up to my first cruise ;)

[dondiane]

continue taking the Bonine, I suffer with the dizziness once back home also.

Have found taking the Bonine for the first few days home really helps with the swaying and dizziness. Nice review!

[Twaincruisers]

Robin, thanks for the review! Glad you had such a great time and even a little adventure. My DW gets a little seasick sometimes, but I can hardly get her to take a land vacation. We have had a few adventures on our cruises, too. On one of our first cruises the ship had boiler problems and arrived and left late...the next day we found ourselves heading in the opposite direction and later watched as a woman was lifted from the bow to a helicopter (no helicopter pad). On our NOS cruise in December we had to change course to have a helicopter pick up an injured crewman.We have even gone dead in the water a couple times. Interesting adventures and the reports were the people came out OK. So when is that next cruise?! My DW and I are planning to celebrate our 25th anniversary on a December cruise..that is such a long time away!

 

By the way, my DW has probably barely come out ahead in the casino over the years; the next time we visit relatives in Michigan may we shoot over to Toronto and rub elbows for luck?