Radiance 11/21-11/28

[raydon]

Just back and lots to do....cruise was great. Stayed Sat. night at Holiday Inn, Bayside. We had room 1001 and it was very nice with a great port view.

 

Went to port 10:30 Sunday, they opened at 11 and we were on board at 11:30. Best ever. Cabins ready at 1,though some of our group on Deck 3 were in at 11:30!

 

Overall food was what I expect, some things better than others. Didn't do any specialty restuarants. Ours was a group of 16 so we wanted to be together, at least, for dinner. Early dinner, 2 tables 471 and 472, both with windows! Service in all areas is excellent.

 

Cabins all on deck 9 with balcony except the kids on 3 deck. Nice, but I think the bathroom is the smallest I've had in years. Oh well. Steward "dewey" was good however the kiddies were disappointed they only do towel animals certain nights! Once they got them tough they loved it!

 

Entertainment....piano bar just okay, though we spent most of our time at the Schooner. It is a good place for just hanging out and having fun. We saw three shows. The comedian was excellent (can't remember his name). Bands and musicians throughout the ship were good.

 

Casino....no comment!

 

Weather and seas....perfect, without exception. Kids had a ball on Coco Cay. 3 ships in St. Thomas...I've seen it more crowded. We took the kiddies to Paridise Point. They saw the parrot show and the time gave their parents a break.

We were the only ship in St. Martin and it was great. They have really done a lot of work there and the port is very nice.

 

Adventure Ocean...They all loved it!

There were 450 children onboard and you wouldn't know it unless you asked (I did).

 

Formal nights...Monday and Friday. All others were casual.

 

Debarkation..This was an all time record for us. We just checked independant Deck 9, figuring we would be last off. They started call colors at 0715 which is unbelievavle. Our kids heading to NY were at the AA gate at MIA at 0830 (for a 1230 flight which left at 2:45 eeek). They were in first group. Were were in our cars and heading to I 95 by 0845 and home in Jensen Beach at 1045. This was so nice because it really gave us most of the day to unwind!!!

 

Overall this cruise was nearly perfect. It gave us lots of time to spend with kids and Grandkids and no ne had to do all the work. Everyone did their own thing and we met up in the evening for cocktails and dinner. We were able to really have relaxed time.

 

Probably our next cruise will be on Princess..Why you ask...we love personal choince dining. Now for a large group the structure of meal times probably worked better and RCCL spans the ages in an excellent manner. So this was perfect and would do it again in a heartbeat. Any questions, just ask.

[roe2ship]

Raydon - nice review, thanks for posting. If you have sailed on a grand class ship, would you give me some comparisons between the Radiance and Princess ships. Thank you. Welcome back.

[raydon]

Sure..have sailed on Golden and Grand. The Radiance is, hands down, in my opinion, much classier in terms of the decor. The ship was very easy to navigate and the elvators were near to everyhing important and there are plenty of them.

 

The Golden and Grand are pretty, but larger and therer are 3 dining rooms so you lose the "grand staircase" effect. They are easy to get around. They have better baths in similar cabins. The Radiance though seems warmer. I like them all but there are differences and size is one. The Grand class ships are much larger.

[raydon]

Forgot for those who order wine with dinner..the wine an dine package was available $109.00 for 7 bottles. Worth it for sure!

[Gaynors]

Can you tell any more about the Kids program?? We leave this Sunday and my 3 year old is very excited. Did you have anyone in this age group (3-5)?

 

Also did any of the kids use the kids menu??

 

We were just on the Caribbean Princess in September and are curious as to the comparison of the kids programs.

 

Thanks so much!! :cool:

[raydon]

We had a 4 year old in the group and he seemed to enjoy the program and asked to go each evening because "I have friends there." All the kids ordered from the kids menus, but the 3 older ones mixed and matched with the adult menu...strawberry soup, pizza and adult desserts! They all really loved it.