The Radiance in Pictures - A Pictoral Review

[scotandtamcruzn4fun]

Thanks for posting the pictures. We are looking forward to our first Radiance cruise.

[Aquahound]

That was one heck of a Christmas party. Man, I can't even see straight. But I've got alka-seltzer in one hand and I'm continuing with my commitment....

 

Day 4 was Costa Maya. This is one of my favorite stops in the Western Caribbean. The day started with a bridge tour. This is a D+ perk. We met at the Concierge Lounge, got wanded, then made our way to the bridge.

 

This is standing on the starboard bridge wing looking in:

 

 

Here we have the bell:

 

 

And of course, I can't resist the opportunity to do something dumb for the sake of a photo:

 

[Aquahound]

Here are a few more pics on the bridge.

 

These are the Radiance specs:

 

 

Here are some window washers:

 

 

And here is the view from the port bridge wing. Norwegian Spirit was docked next to us:

 

[Aquahound]

and I do believe I know exactly when that pic was taken...........in Costa Maya,right?? With the NCL ship next to us??:p

 

Yes, you are correct. We had a lot of fun with that one. ;):D

 

I'm bringing the link over to our roll call cause I know Paul won't mind!:)

 

Please do. Thanks, Patti. :)

[Aquahound]

Ok, lesson time again. In Costa Maya, we decided to get away from the pier plaza and go to Mahahual. I highly recommend this. It is a beautiful beach with a large walkway and lots of shops and very friendly people. There is a bus to take you there at a cost of $3 pp. I gave the girl at the booth a $10 bill for 2 of us. She handed me back $2. See the math problem there? When I challenged her, she said she had no more $1 bills. I knew she was full of crap, so I made her give me my remaining $2 out of her tip jar. Seriously.....why did she even have a tip jar? Anyways, she did and, sure enough, as I boarded the bus, I watched her take 2 more dollars out of the drawer and put it in her tip jar. Sheesh. You gotta watch these people. :rolleyes:

 

If you walk outside the gate, you can catch a taxi for $2 per person. For the return trip, there are plenty of taxis, also at $2 pp.

 

At the beach, we grabbed a table, had a couple brews (Negra Modelo), and munched on some of the best guacamole and chips I've ever had.

 

Here are the Radiance and Norwegian Spirit. I'm proud to say we had the best looking butt ;):

 

 

Here's a shot of the ships from Mahahual:

 

 

Mahahual Beach:

 

[Wayniac]

Thanks for posting. We are cruising the Radiance over Christmas. The timing is perfect as we have booked GS 1034 and your pictures are helpful when planning the decorations and such for the little guy. :)

[Aquahound]

Day 5 was a sea day. We cruised in to a weather front and had 15' head-on seas the entire day and night. This made for a very spacious ship because more than a few seemed to be bed-ridden. It is very difficult to make it out in still photos. I should have done videos, but oh well.

 

Here is a shot from the deck 5 promenade. The waves were bigger than they look here:

 

 

We made our way to the Solarium for some entertainment. When we first walked in, we noticed the floor had an inch of standing water on it. Again, it's hard to tell from a still picture, but as the ship pitched, the water would go up over those steps in the back and out both sides. These people were enjoying the impromptu wave pool:

 

 

My only complaint about the Radiance Solarium...if you enjoy hot tubs, that small hot tub in front of the pool is it. I really think they should have made it bigger, or made 2.

[Aquahound]

Throughout this cruise, we only ate in the MDR once. We were on MTD, so I knew the servers were taken care of. It's not that the food wasn't good or anything. It was great. We were just sorta lazy on this trip. 2 nights were in the Windjammer, 1 night was Chops, and 1 night was Portofino. We took advantage of our Buy 1 Get One Free coupon the first night in Chops. As always, the filet was perfect, could be cut with a fork, and was oh so delicious.

 

Here's the MDR:

 

[Aquahound]

There isn't much more to say here. This was a fantastic cruise on a beautiful ship. We met some great new friends who I'm sure we will cruise with again in the future.

 

As many are already aware, they are getting ready to go through a major refurbishment. Do not bank on this, but here are the changes I was told would happen:

 

-Chops will be Sambas

-Portofino will be Giovanni's Table - Didn't get an answer if they would be open for lunch.

-Sea View Cafe will be Rita's (Mexican)

-Park Cafe will replace the Solarium Bistro (no charge)

-Hollywood Odyssey will be the new CL

-DL will be built opposite CL in Viking Crown (both will have balconies)

-Flat screen interactive TVs will be put in every room

 

Entertainment - A brand new cast of singers and dancers started on this particular cruise. They needed time to rehearse, so there was not a production show until the last night. The show was Piano Man, and I think they did a great job with it.

 

Here are just a couple more random shots.

 

Looking through a large porthole in the Port of Tampa:

 

 

Wall Art...or as the previous Radiance Activities Manager (Mario) used to say in his accent...."piece a fart" (Patti...I'm sure you'll like that:D):

 

[MrsB05]

A few more night shots:

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Paul! We'd enjoyed your reviews/pictures of Enchantment before we sailed on her this past May. Now, we'll be sailing on Radiance in January!

 

What a deal you ended up getting! I guess it does go to show loyalty counts!

[Aquahound]

Hey Paul...Great stuff....we were on the Radiance last Christmas time...like you had a killer deal.....500.00 PP Balcony but ours was for 10 nights....

But I am wondering if you get the Deal on Cruise Credits...Like last year...You had to start your cruise in December....Not just be on the ship when the calendar changes. Maybe this year it is different...but for sure last year you were SOL if you started on November 30th and ended Dec 6th. Looking forward to more pictures...brings back lots of great memories.

 

Mike

 

BTW....Love Key West....you guys are lucky to live there...I have the COLD Pacific Ocean across the street....BRRRRRRRR!

 

Mike, I know what you mean. Last year, I did an 11 night Radiance cruise that started on Nov 30 and ended Dec 12. We got the Diamond Event pins, but that was about it. No extra credit. :(

 

When I booked this cruise, I did not know it would qualify. It was a pleasant surprise when I saw that it did. Sure enough, my cruise history on the RCI site has been credited with 3 credits for this cruise.

 

Thanks for the kudos about KW. It's a warm, sunny 70 right now, but a front is supposed to come through tomorrow dipping our temps down to overnight lows in the 40s.

[cruisenfever]

Mike, I know what you mean. Last year, I did an 11 night Radiance cruise that started on Nov 30 and ended Dec 12. We got the Diamond Event pins, but that was about it. No extra credit. :(

 

When I booked this cruise, I did not know it would qualify. It was a pleasant surprise when I saw that it did. Sure enough, my cruise history on the RCI site has been credited with 3 credits for this cruise.

 

Thanks for the kudos about KW. It's a warm, sunny 70 right now, but a front is supposed to come through tomorrow dipping our temps down to overnight lows in the 40s.

Didn't you say you were coming north for Christmas? Better bring your boots, heavy winter coats (do folks in Florida own heavy coats :D) and long johns. If you want snow, you're gonna get snow.

[MrsB05]

In the meantime, I'll share a bit of pre-cruise luck. I booked this sailing 1 month out at a cost of $309 for a GTY balcony. Subract D+ discount and the price came down to $247 pp. We were assigned room 8140.

 

One week before the cruise, I received an e-mail from RCI saying my documents were ready. I opened the new invoice and to my delight, the C&A upgrade fairy visited. I was upgraded to GS 1050.

 

Add in the December event, and this 5 night sailing brought about 3 cruise credits. Gotta love it.

 

Thanks RCI!

 

Still trying to understand how all this pricing works. We are not, yet, Diamond Plus or anywhere near it, but still, to get a balcony for $250 per person (we paid CONSIDERABLY more for an aft balcony) seems unreal! What does GTY mean? And, for those of us who are NOT Diamond members, what is the best way to get the best deals? We'd love to sail more, but, it can be cost prohibitive!

 

Thanks!

[Aquahound]

Didn't you say you were coming north for Christmas? Better bring your boots, heavy winter coats (do folks in Florida own heavy coats :D) and long johns. If you want snow, you're gonna get snow.

 

Heavy coat and long johns? What are those? No, I own nothing like that. But hey, it's only a week. I'll go out in 15 layers of t-shirts, make a snowman, a snow angel, and spell my name in yellow, and then I'll come in, get over my cold for the next few days, then fly back down to the warmth. Good times.

[Aquahound]

Still trying to understand how all this pricing works. We are not, yet, Diamond Plus or anywhere near it, but still, to get a balcony for $250 per person (we paid CONSIDERABLY more for an aft balcony) seems unreal! What does GTY mean? And, for those of us who are NOT Diamond members, what is the best way to get the best deals? We'd love to sail more, but, it can be cost prohibitive!

 

Thanks!

 

No problem. GTY means Guaranteed. If you look at the room categories on the website, it's at the bottom of each pricing category and is almost always cheaper. It is not always available. When it is available and you choose that option, you are just booking a guarantee and they assign you in any room of, at least, that category. The category I booked was a guaranteed balcony.

 

The advertised price for the GTY balcony on my cruise was $309....but that was also with a Florida State residency discount. You have to just play with it and make sure you check any discount that applies to you....whether it be military, police/fire, 55+, or your particular state. The discount for balconies starts at the Platinum level with Crown and Anchor.

[MrsB05]

No problem. GTY means Guaranteed. If you look at the room categories on the website, it's at the bottom of each pricing category and is almost always cheaper. It is not always available. When it is available and you choose that option, you are just booking a guarantee and they assign you in any room of, at least, that category. The category I booked was a guaranteed balcony.

 

The advertised price for the GTY balcony on my cruise was $309....but that was also with a Florida State residency discount. You have to just play with it and make sure you check any discount that applies to you....whether it be military, police/fire, 55+, or your particular state. The discount for balconies starts at the Platinum level with Crown and Anchor.

 

Ah, thanks! Got it now!

[Aquahound]

Here is the hump:

 

[SamFritz]

OK, now Diana and I can't wait for February 19! We especially loved the solarium on the Jewel. This looks nearly the same. And I remember how nice the Windjammer was too.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Paul....hope the Alika Seltzer is working, it must be because part 2 is almost better than part one! ;) :D

 

Snow.....Living in AZ, I know what you mean about snow...whats that???

We do get cold and sometimes a freeze warnings at night. We were forced to buy winter coats last year when we drove to IL for DH moms funeral and were there for two weeks. So now they are in the back of the closet and will stay there!!!! :D

 

Thanks for all the great pictures, it's a beautiful reminder of our favorite ship!!!

 

***

[burnsie]

Thanks for the review we sail on her at the end of January, can't wait!!! The pictures are amazing and she looks beautiful. Any secrets, must do's, see that you care to share? This is our first time on this class and trying the MTD.

 

Thanks again!

[klingoncruiser]

Thanks for all the wonderful pictures. I love this elegant ship.

[flames]

Paul, thanks for this great review and great pictures now I can't wait to go on her again, but it will be awhile yet:D:cool:

 

Carol:)

[Aquahound]

The pictures are amazing and she looks beautiful. Any secrets, must do's, see that you care to share? This is our first time on this class and trying the MTD.

 

The Sea View Cafe is probably one of the biggest secrets right now. It is upstairs from the outside portion of the Windjammer, just aft of the kid's pool area. They make great sandwiches and food baskets....and it's free. The only thing I noticed was they kept odd hours. I walked up there one day at lunch and they did not open until 2. I just wish it would stay open similar to Johnny Rockets hours on other ships.

 

If you are poolside and want a quick snack, just dip in to the Solarium, starboard side where they serve hot dogs, pizza, wraps, and cookies.

[CruiserChloe]

Paul, I do not have any plans of cruising the Radiance soon, but I have to say you had me literally laughing out loud on some of your comments.

 

Yes, I did know the Chamillionaire tune on the guy outside your balcony. That one was a snort laugh for me. :D:D

[BillOh]

And of course, I can't resist the opportunity to do something dumb for the sake of a photo:

 

 

 

I wouldn't have been able to resist saying, "Engage!"

 

But it will be a long time before we hit D+