Rain, drinks, smokes and fun on Radiance! Pictorial review, 2/10/11.

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

How on earth did you manage to get photos of so many areas of the ship when they were deserted???? You must be very clever (or sneaky)! Tell (and show) us more!!!

 

I was wondering the same :D

 

Quick question - I heard the cookies etc at latte-tudes cafe is free (just $ for the special coffee) is that true?

[klingoncruiser]

Nice pictures! Thanks for posting.:)

[LBumb]

great job

[Merion_Mom]

How on earth did you manage to get photos of so many areas of the ship when they were deserted???? You must be very clever (or sneaky)! Tell (and show) us more!!!

 

I'm guessing: Staying on board in a port when everyone else is off!

 

Am I right? ;)

 

By the way, your pictures are great. I love the new digital cameras - we can all be regular Ansel Adamses!

[SamFritz]

I'll be leaving Buffalo for Tampa and the Radiance in 65 hours! :D Your pictures are the perfect final tease for this much needed get away! Thank you so much.

[DarthGrady]

How on earth did you manage to get photos of so many areas of the ship when they were deserted???? You must be very clever (or sneaky)! Tell (and show) us more!!!

 

I just try and pick my moments, and get as many as possible the first day while the ship is still loading. Most folks head right for the buffet, so thats when I get the majority of them.

 

There are a few you'll see later where I couldn't avoid getting people in. Like with the Windjammer, it is closed off when its not serving.

[DarthGrady]

I was wondering the same :D

 

Quick question - I heard the cookies etc at latte-tudes cafe is free (just $ for the special coffee) is that true?

 

Yes the little snacks are free. You just have to pay for the premium coffees.

[DarthGrady]

I'm guessing: Staying on board in a port when everyone else is off!

 

Am I right? ;)

 

By the way, your pictures are great. I love the new digital cameras - we can all be regular Ansel Adamses!

 

Exactly. Quality through mass production. Shoot enough pictures, you're bound to get some of them right.

[DarthGrady]

Casino Royale

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Aft of the atrium in the gem of the entire deck, a multi purpose area that contains the Schooner Bar, Chops Grille and Portofino’s Italian Restaurant. The entrance to the Schooner Bar is made to resemble the keel of a sailing ship, completed with restored antique cannons and nautical mural work. The real surprise though comes when you take your first breaths while walking in. Taking a page from Disney’s play book, the faint aroma of wood smoke hangs in the air. The pleasant aroma was obviously being piped in to complete the rustic tone of the room, and it worked. I looked forward to entering the Schooner Bar just to enjoy the theme of the entrance.

The Schooner Bar itself resembles its contemporaries on other RCI ships. The nautical theme of the room is replete with faux sails, ship models, and a large lighted globe. Chops Grille and Portofino’s are both accessible from the Schooner Bar. I did not eat in either one of them during this cruise.

 

 

The entrance to the Schooner Bar, I wish I could transmit the smokey smell over the internet.

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

More Schooner Bar

 

 

Chops

 

Portofinos

 

[DarthGrady]

Aft on deck 6 is the Colony Club complex. This area is really a unique multi use zone made up of two bar areas (Singapore Slings and Jakarta Lounge), a lounge area with a stage (The Colony Club), a board and card game area (Calcutta Card Room) and a small billiards room (Bombay Billiard Club). It is interesting that the area is divided so that each area can be used independently, or as a whole for large events. The two pool tables probably inspire the most surprise. While they appear to the naked eye to be run of the mill billiard hall pieces, they are far from it. The tables are actually gyroscopically controlled to self level regardless of the ship’s movement. This allows for play regardless of the water conditions.

 

 

 

 

Never seen a Surgeon General's Warning actually mounted on the bar before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

More Colony Club

 

The Gyro Tables

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Decks 7-10 are mostly cabins so there is not much to report. Deck 9’s portion of the atrium is where the ship’s small library is located. One deck above that is the “Yacht Club”, a small sitting area that I could not determine a use for. The Concierge Lounge is also on deck 10, which makes sense as most of the ships suites are located on that deck.

Other interiors

 

 

 

 

 

[Buccaneergirl]

Thanks so much for the wonderful review and pics. It's like I am back on board! I have to say that Alaska on Radiance is unbelievable!!:)

[ryano]

do you mind if i ask what kind of camera you are using? your pictures are wonderful and make me shameful and want to throw my SLR out the window :o:D:p I think I need to go back to a simple point and shoot.

 

very good job Darth....your pictures make me miss her even more :(......I too took most of my pictures either first thing on boarding day while everyone was stuffing their face in the WJ or real late at night after everyone went to bed.

[wolfcathorse]

Grady!!! You got our room when we left it! We had 1602 for the 2-5-11 sailing. And on Day 3 the tub drained v-e-r-y slowly and the carpet was wet by the bathroom door to the closet. My asthma kicked in big time as I detected mustiness in the closet as soon as we boarded. We told Minette, the cabin stewardess for us that sailing, and she called maintenance so we had a blower in the cabin drying the carpet. Nobody offered us a discount on a future cruise! Loved the balcony, we only had 2 days of sunshine that voyage and aft was the only place out of the wind on the sunny sea day we had.

 

Love your picture of Deck 5 at night with the Sunshine Skyway bridge in the background...were you able to be outside when the ship passed under it?

[DarthGrady]

Deck 11 is the ship’s lido area. The lower level of the Shipshape Spa is on this deck. It features treatment rooms, steam/sauna rooms and the beauty salon. The Solarium area is for adults only and has its own pool and Jacuzzi tub. The lounge chairs are much nicer than those by the main pool. A jungle theme with large sculpted elephants, tweeting birds and a bronze tiger lounging by the pool set the mood. The area also has a retractable glass roof and a small snack bar. Although I missed the cantilevered whirlpools, a lot more effort seems to have been put into creating the Radiance’s Solarium than it’s counterpart on Freedom. The forward walls have flat glass fountains that empty into a small stream (with real river rocks) that runs behind a small bridge.

Spa entrance

 

Beauty salon

 

 

 

Steam room

 

[DarthGrady]

do you mind if i ask what kind of camera you are using? your pictures are wonderful and make me shameful and want to throw my SLR out the window :o:D:p I think I need to go back to a simple point and shoot.

 

very good job Darth....your pictures make me miss her even more :(......I too took most of my pictures either first thing on boarding day while everyone was stuffing their face in the WJ or real late at night after everyone went to bed.

 

Thanks! I'm using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28.

 

[donnaman43]

Wow, great review.

[DarthGrady]

Grady!!! You got our room when we left it! We had 1602 for the 2-5-11 sailing. And on Day 3 the tub drained v-e-r-y slowly and the carpet was wet by the bathroom door to the closet. My asthma kicked in big time as I detected mustiness in the closet as soon as we boarded. We told Minette, the cabin stewardess for us that sailing, and she called maintenance so we had a blower in the cabin drying the carpet. Nobody offered us a discount on a future cruise! Loved the balcony, we only had 2 days of sunshine that voyage and aft was the only place out of the wind on the sunny sea day we had.

 

Love your picture of Deck 5 at night with the Sunshine Skyway bridge in the background...were you able to be outside when the ship passed under it?

 

We had Minette too, she was very nice.

 

Yes, I was out on the heli pad when we passed under, it was very cool. Too bad it was too dark to get a good shot.

[DarthGrady]

The Solarium

 

 

 

 

 

[tanner150]

Love your pics...I just realized we missed the Colony Club while on board 1/31...guess we will have to book her again. :)

[DarthGrady]

More Solarium

 

 

The Stream

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

The main pool area is just aft of the Solarium. It is uncovered, but does have two covered hot tubs. There is also the obligatory pool bar nearby. Aft from the main pool is the Windjammer Buffet. The food was good as usual, but the attraction of this area had nothing to do with what was being served. I loved the outdoor seating areas that flank the buffet. There is an enclosed verandah on the port side of the buffet which connects to the main pool area. At the very aft end of the deck was yet more outdoor seating. Some featuring low slung patio style furniture, and the rest with typical upright tables and chairs. Having the option to dine outside is a real treat, and I wish it would have been included on later RCI designs.

The main pool