Live-- “Eh” to “G’day” – Vancouver to Sydney on Radiance 2014

[thegima]

Your father looks to be doing quite well for 89! Thanks for sharing this review, good stuff! Have fun!

[denamo]

Thanks so much for taking time to do this review. Read your last one with your daughter and absolutely loved it! Have a great cruise!

[AussieVisi2r]

Internet packages are sorted out. The new packages start in a few days “and will be much better” so I guess that means the unlimited packages are coming in. I can only hope!

 

Sail away was lovely. The harbor is spectacular and it was great to see all of the things we saw in the last few days from the other angle. There was all the usual fun on deck with drinks etc.

 

There was a big crowd on the Lions Gate Bridge cheering us of as we went under. There really is something special about sailing under a bridge. We sailed out of the harbor, then down the bottom of the Inside Passage(?), along side Vancouver Island to Seattle, then a right hand turn out to open ocean. Pity its dark now as that would have been lovely.

 

 

 

 

We did sail next to a large snow covered mountain for a long time cannot have been much further south than White Rock, so I’ll have to look later.

 

The sunset was spectacular with great colours.

 

 

I spent the evening in the Concierge Lounge so don’t have much to report on what else was going on – but Kelly Goodridge the Piano guy from Schooners is on, and the South African guitar guy who was on the Australian run 2 years ago playing in the Quill and Compass is back. He was also very good.

There are 70 D+ and 7 Pinnacle members on board.

 

Most of you probably know that Captain Sindre has left the company and has been replaced by Captain Malcom Rodger. Staff Captain is still Wendy. CD is Mike Hunnerup, an Aussie. I went to the Welcome Aboard show for a little while but there were too many other things to see.

 

 

 

Tomorrow I shall get more Radiance stuff for you all.

Edited September 13, 2014 by AussieVisi2r

[tazza_0712]

This just makes me extra excited to board Radiance in just over a weeks time! Thanks for doing the trip report, and also excited to hear that the unlimited wifi is coming in. Definitely going to be signing up for that. Enjoy the cruise!

[PCWalton1]

So strange that we would have unlimited on Rhapsody but you don't on Radiance.

Also strange was they set our wifi package to just 7 days so they automatically shut off today. We had to sign up for a new package and the guest services credited us back for the 2nd package.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk

[GLYNAGP]

We board Radiance of the seas in Sydney on 20th October. We are doing 33 Nights B2B full circumnavigation of Australia taking in NZ as well. Thanks for the photos etc and I will keep checking out this tread for further update.

 

Yes the internet charge of 75cents a minute is outrageousness. We were on a cruise One time and a passenger asked the Captain at his question time. To explain why if Internet could be provided free on Buses is it so expensive on Cruise Ships. The Captain did a really good job of not really answering the question

 

Enjoy the cruise and keep the information coming

Many thanks

[NorbertsNiece]

We board Radiance of the seas in Sydney on 20th October. We are doing 33 Nights B2B full circumnavigation of Australia taking in NZ as well. Thanks for the photos etc and I will keep checking out this tread for further update.

 

Yes the internet charge of 75cents a minute is outrageousness. We were on a cruise One time and a passenger asked the Captain at his question time. To explain why if Internet could be provided free on Buses is it so expensive on Cruise Ships. The Captain did a really good job of not really answering the question

 

Enjoy the cruise and keep the information coming

Many thanks

 

Hi there!! How are you?? I'm on a Solstice B2B NZ/OZ in 2016.... had to book so far out to afford it!!

 

Raina, am loving the pics and the story..... great job!! :D

 

Linda

[GLYNAGP]

Hi Linda

We are good as you can see from my post we have all sorts planned over next 18months. As I keep telling Kath "you can't take it with " . Next April we have booked a river cruise on The Mekong . Siam Reap to Ho Chi Min City . I am looking forward to that it should be something really different.

 

Anyway hope you are keeping well

 

Glyn

[lakelorain]

Enjoying your "live" review. Doing a similar b2b on Celebrity next year. Looking forward to your commentary and pictures. Hope you and dad have a wonderful time!

[AussieVisi2r]

Saturday 13th September

Day 5 Cruise Day 2 At Sea

 

We started off the day with the Captain’s Breakfast. This used to be the Captains reception for Suite guests and was a casual nibbles and drinks on the first morning with Captain Sindre. Now it has changed to the Captain’s Breakfast reception. We did arrive a bit early due to a technical difficulty associated with turning the clocks back and hour – or NOT.

 

 

It was a very grand affair. It was held at Giovanni’s Table and was a formal sit down meal. Each table sat with an officer and feasted on delightful treats – pastry’s, yogurt parfait, cooked to order eggs with many additions such as mushrooms (but not normal mushrooms – specialty dinning mushrooms).

 

 

We sat with Marius, head of the Hotel and a lovely guy. He runs the biggest department of the ship, 850 staff – rooms, room stewards, laundry, kitchens, bar service, medical – basically everything apart from driving the ship, keeping the ship running and security! He told some funny stories and is a lovely guy.

 

I then went to Trivia and joined up with some others. We had fun and did well. It’s a progressive trivia that will run on all sea days – so there were some very competitive groups there.

 

Then I went to a morning talk session called “Behind the Stripes”. Each day they interview an officer. Today was Captain Malcolm Rodger. He is only on the ship until Hawaii filling in after Sindre left and the new Captain comes to take over.

He told us that he is from the bottom end of Vancouver Island and he waved as he want past at 11pm last night. He did say that he DID NOT go close to land for the wave bye. (Concordia joke).

 

 

He has been with RCCL for 13 years and came from the Canadian Coast Guard where he started as a deck hand and worked his way up to Master. One of his favorite moment has been sailing a huge RCCL shop past his old boat and waving and blasting the horn to his friends on board.

 

He was the 2nd Officer when Radiance was being built and sailed it back to Fort Lauderdale. It was still being finished off on the voyage. They had one craftsman on board, the guy making the mosaic in the main dinning room. It was schedule to be finished while still in Germany. This guy was terrified of ships and suffered terribly form sea sickness. To keep him healthy enough to keep working they set up screens around the pool tables and set up a bed for him on top!!!!! For the non Radiance sailors they are gyroscopic table that self level and are worth over $100,000 each. He would sleep, then work for about 4 hours when he would became too sick to continue, then would go back to his bed on top of the squillion dollar pool table. Apparently the only ships with these tables are Radiance class and a few oil rigs!!!!

 

The biggest seas he has ever been in where with the coast guard, in a boat, where they had to do a rescue to a sinking boat in 70 knot winds (hurricane force), running sideways to the storm. They were rolling 45 degrees across the face of the storm. To put that into perspective, the Radiance puts the stabilising wings out at 1 degree of roll. Cannot quite comprehend how that must have felt – both physically and emotionally.

 

He joined RCCL as ‘he is more of a meet and greet guy”. His passion is training staff to be safe. He said that he had spent too much time cleaning up bodies and wanted to work at the other end to prevent things happening.

 

He also talking about being an inventor and that he has a few current patents and has some items in production development.

 

As a kid he wanted to be an astronaut. He is a ‘Treky' and even had a pair of Captain Kirk pj’s – and had a photo sitting in the captains chair wearing them. He thinks that it is so amazing that in the 60’s Star Trek showed us that one day in the distant future all people would have personal communicators in their pockets. And now we all do!

 

His wife and one daughter are travelling with us on this trip.

 

Great session!

 

Then I went to a food show thingo – but it was more an add for Samba grill.

 

 

 

The show was one of the productions shows and was good.

 

 

After a fun evening in the Club we went to formal night.

Edited September 14, 2014 by AussieVisi2r

[GUT2407]

He has been with RCCL for 13 years and came from the Canadian Coast Guard where he started as a deck hand and worked his way up to Master. One of his favorite moment has been sailing a huge RCCL shop past his old boat and waving and blasting the horn to his friends on board.

 

I know it was a type I but I love the "sailing a huge RCCL shop" as some ships seem like huge shops.:rolleyes::D

[teachergal29]

QUOTE from Raina:"I priced a few airlines and eventually got onto a few of the discount business seat sellers that advertise on many places. This one has a name that talks about first class discount air. I knew I would never get to travel first class. I was after affordable business seats. They eventually got back to me with Global First class tickets with United for around half the price of Qantas. So we grabbed them."

 

I would be very interested in the 'Discount site' where you got a good deal on flat bed Business seats. I know you cannot say it here, but could you please email it to me at psd354 at embarqmail dot com.

We are going to be sailing from Australia to LA (28 days) in April 2016. I am doing research now on flying the one way into Sydney or Melbourne.

Thanks so much for the great review and photos. :)

Edited September 14, 2014 by teachergal29

[impatientlywaiting]

I would be very interested in the 'Discount site' where you got a good deal on flat bed Business seats. I know you cannot say it here, but could you please email it to me at psd354 at embarqmail dot com. We are going to be sailing from Australia to LA (28 days) in April 2016. I am doing research now on flying the one way into Sydney or Melbourne.

Thanks so much for the great review and photos. :)

 

We are doing the same b2b in 2016 that Raina's doing now and I, too, would be interested to know the website she used. If she emails it to you, would you pass it on to me as well? Thank you in advance! I'm at: amg underscore 42 at yahoo dot com! :)

Edited September 14, 2014 by impatientlywaiting

[teachergal29]

We are doing the same b2b in 2016 that Raina's doing now and I, too, would be interested to know the website she used. If she emails it to you, would you pass it on to me as well? Thank you in advance! I'm at: amg underscore 42 at yahoo dot com! :)

 

Will do, Anita! :)

[karen1821]

Will do, Anita! :)

 

I am interested also. My email is karen1821@comcast.net Thanks so much.

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

I'm so excited you're doing a live thread! I love your Europe review! I'll be following!

[teachergal29]

I am interested also. My email is karen1821@comcast.net Thanks so much.

 

Got your email down. Once Raina sends it to me, I will forward to you all that asked for it.. I have a list going of emails to forward the link to. :)

Edited September 14, 2014 by teachergal29

[kftw]

We are doing the same b2b in 2016 that Raina's doing now and I, too, would be interested to know the website she used. If she emails it to you, would you pass it on to me as well? Thank you in advance! I'm at: amg underscore 42 at yahoo dot com! :)

 

Me too!

 

karen underscore kirk at m s n dot com

 

Thank you

[AussieVisi2r]

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone!!!

 

 

I have sent an email with the flight broker I used. I think one may have bounced so please pass on to Kirk.

 

Cheers all.

 

Off to the gym now :mad:

 

Raina

[teachergal29]

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone!!!

 

 

I have sent an email with the flight broker I used. I think one may have bounced so please pass on to Kirk.

 

Cheers all.

 

Off to the gym now :mad:

 

Raina

 

Got the email with everyone's address there. Thank you so much!

[flifish64]

Hi,

I am also interested in the discount air broker.

I am carburpo at aol dot com.

 

Thanks so much.

 

carol

[Realtor at Sea]

I am srroberts5 at aol dot com. Thanks ever so much!

[musicorn]

Got the email with everyone's address there. Thank you so much!

 

Can you forward please to my username at iprimus dot com dot au

 

I am loving this review as I get to live both my cancelled trip and get hints for my next one too.

 

Thank you

[teachergal29]

I just sent emails to musicorn, Realtor at Sea, and flifish64 with the link that Raina sent us..

[thetexasaggiecruiser]

I just sent emails to musicorn, Realtor at Sea, and flifish64 with the link that Raina sent us..

 

 

If you are still forwarding, that would be so helpful for our cruise out of Sydney on the Explorer in 2016. Thompson Staci at sbcglobal dot net.

 

Loving this review.