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Cruise Ship Reviews : Royal Caribbean International Reviews

Radiance of the Seas reviews


Radiance of the Seas reviews

Average customer rating:
4.25 / 5

Average Rating based on 8 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4.00
Cabin Design = 4.13
Entertainment = 3.88
Fitness Center = 4.60
Food Quality = 4.38
Ship Maintenance = 4.25
Spa = 4.50
Specialty Restaurant = 3.80
Staff and Service = 4.75
4.00
4.13
3.88
4.60
4.38
4.25
4.50
3.80
4.75







JML saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 1
Cabin Design = 1
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 1
Ship Maintenance = 1
Spa = 2
Specialty Restaurant = 2
Staff and Service = 4
1
1
2
4
1
1
2
2
4

Royal Faulty Towers on the High Sea, December 31, 2013
Reviewer: JML

Pros: Isle of Pines a must

Cons: Lack of care in addressing customers issues, Stateroom in poor condition

Departure port: Sydney Australia

Region visited: South Pacific/Australia

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 9556

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Faulty Towers on the high seas: The conclusion was that we were wanting a family vacation for Christmas but got a poor and mediocre one as well very expensive. If we had gone to Hayman island Resort in the Whitsundays for a week for the monies spent we would have had great holiday. Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas is not worth the monies that we spent: ancillary costs, onboard drinks and freshly squeezed juices costing US$12. Caf buffet food for breakfast and lunch was extremely of poor quality, burnt toast sitting under heat lamp hard as a rock, scrambled eggs pre-mixed from a large tetra pack, buffet breakfast soft boiled eggs overcooked and cold, the hot buffet most food items were not hot. Drink station in the Windjammer served juice concentrate (terrible), percolated coffee is barely drinkable, tea bags are of poor quality (Jane had to use several to get any flavor for a tea). Breakfast when open in Cascades, renamed Brasserie 30, was good at times. If you order cooked breakfast it was served hot, but otherwise of the same quality. Specialty restaurants for which we paid extra fees for three persons were somewhat better. Izumi was the outstanding one with Japanese fusion inspired. Giovanni's the Italian restaurant was second best, the food was good for Italian food on a ship. Chops Grille which they call the finest steak on the high sea in the brochure was mediocre. They were unable to cook our steaks properly. The filet mignon medium came well done, and the rare filet mignon came medium. But the least inspiring experience was the Samba Grill where the food was mediocre. We had problems with our stateroom when we first came on board, the cleanliness and maintenance was poor, the toilets were not working for three days in a row but the problem was attended promptly, fecal smells were permeating throughout most of decks. The ship Radiance of the seas is need of a good refurbishment, the only thing new in our stateroom was the flat screen TV. The experience that we had was very disappointing due the fact our concerns were not addressed straight away and the guest relations manager Shawn Jones just paid lip service to us and ignored us, the Hotel Director Alistair Burnett would not see us either and front office manager Tracey ditto. We couldn't wait to get off the ship on Sunday to get our flight back home. Spoke to several other passengers on bus for the transfer to Sydney Airport who had similar concerns and some stated that we would not cruise again with Royal Caribbean. For my viewpoint as a hospitality professional and having worked on a cruise ship, there were no standards, no discipline on board especially for safety at sea during our drill, none of the senior officers could be seen during the busy periods, service was not provided, items on menus and wine list were missing or out of stock such champagnes and wines, security was extremely poor, rowdy drunk teenagers and adults on board. If you wish further info and photos on TRAVELPOD, see link on:http://www.travelpod.com/dashboard/entry/3/13851


mojavemist saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 3
Staff and Service = 5
4
4
5
5
5
3
5

Wonderful ship, wonderful food, wonderful entertainment, BUT..., March 18, 2013
Reviewer: mojavemist

Pros: Ship, food, entertainment, waiters, etc.

Cons: Noise

Date of cruise: February 22, 2010

Departure port: LA or SAN

Region visited: Mexico

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: X01

We had a wonderful time, fabulous entertainment, great food, wonderful service, etc. BUT, the noise (teenage music) blasting out on all decks 24 hours a day was debilitating. We could find no quiet spots to have a simple conversation. That was our first and last Royal Caribbean cruise.


debbit saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 4
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 4
Staff and Service = 5
5
5
4
4
5
5
5
4
5

Fantastic ship to holiday on, January 22, 2012
Reviewer: debbit

Pros: Nothing was a problem for the staff

Cons: Proof of age for drinking

Date of cruise: January 3, 2012

Departure port: sydney

Region visited: South Pacific/Australia

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 9613

Good for teenagers: No

We had a fantastic trip on this ship...my only gripes were the fact that my son is over 18 but under 21 and had to carry proof with him to purchase alcohol drinks and not enough daily activities to choose from.


Giulio_Nat saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 5
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

Everything about the cruise was fantastic. Couldn't fault anything., November 14, 2011
Reviewer: Giulio_Nat

Pros: Food, friendliness of staff, activities, oportunity to relax.

Cons: Small cover charge+pay for meals at two restaurants. All in one price instead?

Departure port: Honolulu

Region visited: South Pacific/Australia

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 722

Good for children: Yes

Admittedly this was our first cruise, so we were kind of awe-struck by everything and had nothing to compare it to, but we settled down after a couple of days and saw it for what it was. And we really couldn't fault anything. The food was amazing, there were plenty of activities you could either participate in or not, and the staff were friendly and very helpful. There was a small gastro outbreak during the cruise so they went into lock down mode, understandably, but everything still ran smoothly. While this meant staff were permanently cleaning everything and everyone had to clean their hands over and over, and staff had to serve you at the buffet (Windjammers), it still ran smoothly. The alternative was to have 2,100 people with gastro! NO THANKS! We were there to relax and there was plenty of opportunity to do that. As we've touched on, there was plenty to do if you wanted, or you could just chill out...which we chose to do. We're guessing you're here because you're about to, or are thinking of, going on a cruise on the Radiance of the Seas, and are looking for tips/hints, or answers to any questions you might have. We were in the same predicament before we went on the cruise and couldn't find one place that answered all our questions. Also, I'm (Giulio) a photographer and I was annoyed that all the photos we saw weren't very good. It might be a cliche, but a photo tells a thousand words. As a result, I took tons of photos and we took note (we're both experienced writers) of as much as we could and combined it in a blog that answered questions like "How do you do your laundry and what does it cost?" We emailed the blog out to dozens of cruise/travel agents to use as a tool for their customers, and the response had been fantastic. One place we emailed was CruiseCompete.com, the sister site to this one, who wrote back to us and said "Thanks for your note. Wow, your blog is fantastic. Love the pictures and all that you wrote...Why don't you do your own review at AllThingsCruise.com and link to your blog?". So here it is - cruiseonradiance.blogspot.com/ Enjoy your cruise - we're sure you will! Giulio & Nat (if you have any further questions, our email address is on the blog)


Croozeaddict saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 5
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5

Alaska Cruise Tour #19, July 13, 2011
Reviewer: Croozeaddict

Pros: Dining, ship design.

Cons: Nothing

Date of cruise: July 1, 2011

Departure port: Seward

Region visited: Alaska

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 8594

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Tour: Jun 28 2011 Jul 1, 2011 Sail: Jul 1, 2011 Jul 8, 2011 We arrived at Anchorage at about 6pm (from N. Carolina) so it was a long travel day. The Royal Caribbean Cruise Tour folks were there at the baggage claim and all we did was point to our bags and they took it from there. Being exhausted, that service was more than welcomed. (Throughout the cruise tour, we did not have to drag our luggage around at any time. RCI picked them up at the room and they were delivered to the rooms at the next stop-over.) Denali - We arrived at about 2:30 pm and explored the town before attending Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. The show was great but the food was mediocre at best. It was cloudy so we couldn't see the summit of Mount McKinley. We missed the Natural History Tour the next day because DW was feeling queasy (suspect something she ate at Cabin Nite Theater because she was fine by noon.) The lodging at the McKinley Village Lodge was pretty rustic. Dont expect a fine hotel here. Talkeetna We arrived at about 4:30pm and our Tour Director (Andy) told us that the town shuts down at around 7pm. We asked him if we could just take the next available shuttle to town and check-in at the hotel later (we had the Flyer Tour booked for 6pm). He said no problem he would get our room keys to us later. Andy was such a fabulous Tour Director. He handled everything and accommodated everyone all the time. The town was small and quaint but very beautiful. We did a quick walk around and walked over to the K2 airline to take an airplane ride around the McKinley summit. (Good thing we did this because it was another cloudy day.) This excursion was awesome. I never realized that McKinley is surrounded by glaciers. (Photos at the link below). When we returned to the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the accommodations. The Talkeetna Alaska Lodge is outstanding! We left Talkeetna early the next morning for Anchorage to do pre-cruise check-in. This pre-cruise check-in was a total waste of time in my opinion. We all assumed that this check-in would be the same as pier check-in and our Seapass Cards would be given to us then didnt happen. We still had to do everything at the pier in Seward. Andy told us we could upgrade our transfer from Anchorage to Seward by going on a train vice a bus for $25pp. We took the upgrade and we werent disappointed. It was a beautiful trip. Seward (Embarkation) It was raining steadily. Embarkation was a breeze! From the time we got off the train to the time we were aboard Radiance was about 15 minutes. (Despite the Anchorage check-in, we still had to show SetSail Pass, Passports, and Credit Card.) Radiance of the Seas Simple beautiful! The dry dock enhancements were all up and running with no noticeable glitches. We had a center hump cabin (8594) and it was great! We had fabulous views for the entire trip! The Main Dining Room was great. Our waiters were among the best weve had and the food was nothing short of outstanding! We were assigned table # 437 (just forward and next to the Captains table). It was a table for 8 and our dinner mates were the best. It felt like we were saying goodbye to family at the end of the cruise. We also met other great folks during the cruise. Note: We did notice a very slight sewage smell in the starboard hallway forward of the centrum area. Out cabin attendant told us there were plumbing issues in a few of the cabins up there. I never noticed the dreaded fans or cabin doors open so it couldnt have been too bad. All of the public places onboard were immaculate and beautiful! Hubbard Glacier was awe inspiring! We got a good video of calving. We ran into a huge ice field while approaching it so the captain had to proceed slowly and cautiously. (See link to pictures below) God's creation is so wonderful! Juneau We did the Dogsledding by Helicopter excursion and went to Mendenhall Glacier. I never dreamed wed be playing in the snow in early July! The dogsledding was fantastic! Mendenhall was worth seeing but a guide told us that it is receding at a rate of 200 feet per year. Skagway We got here on the 4th of July and they had a very nice parade. We did the White Pass Railroad excursion to the White Pass Junction and back. It was well worth every penny! Icy Strait Point This is a very small port made up of lots of shops. We did our Whale Watching here and the Hump Backs were out in force. They took us to Adolphus Point. (Good pictures and videos in the link below) Ketchikan This is a very beautiful town with lots of old historic buildings. We went to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. This is something not to be missed. They put on a very good comedy routine in addition to the competition. Canadian Inside Passage - I was a bit concerned about our balcony being on the starboard side after reading what some folks on CC said about the "port side is a must for southbound cruises". Those statements are rubbish. I went up on deck to see both sides and I say the starboard side is best. The starboard side saw some awesome Orca Whale displays too. (see pics). Debarkation - Started about 30 minutes late ... never found out why. But once it started, it was flawless. Overall this was a wonderful vacation. Royal Caribbean truly lives up to it's reputation! Thank you RCI See pictures and videos here: http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc49/GaryMelillo/Cruise%202011%20-%20Alaska/?start=all


dmr64jhr saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 4
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Staff and Service = 5
5
5
4
5
5
5
5
5

Fantastic cruise: Choices in activities, food, excursions, community areas, May 26, 2011
Reviewer: dmr64jhr

Pros: Wonderful, caring staff, good food, and a variety of activities

Cons: Disembarkation not executed well on the final day. A fluke, perhaps

Departure port: Tampa, Florida

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: 3518

Our cabin was very comfortable. We chose one with a large window rather than a balcony. ALL staff members were friendly, helpful, and a delight to talk with; they couldn't do enough for us. The food was delicious whether it was in the main dining room or in the Windjammer buffet. The entertainment was generally good although we did like some night's offerings better than others. There were many choices of activities, so finding something to do was no problem. There was a wide variety of excursions available, but some were quite expensive per person. "My Time Dining" was a great way to meet people from all over and we enjoyed sitting with different people each night. We were completely pleased with all aspects of our cruise and felt that we received a good deal on the cost of it plus the $304 in onboard credits and a free spa treatment. As we paid for the gratuities ahead of time, we were given vouchers to give to those we wanted to tip. This was a tremendously efficient and helpful way to do that. We were very satisfied with the ship (Radiance of the Seas) and Royal Caribbean in general, and we will look forward to cruising with them again.


Tashul saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 4
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Staff and Service = 5
4
5
4
5
5
5
5
5

Wonderful experience for the entire family. Something for everyone aboard, April 12, 2011
Reviewer: Tashul

Pros: Dining room food and service were exceptional

Cons: One night show lacked direction - was not bad - there was nothing bad on board.

Departure port: Tampa

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: 3119

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

This was my fourth cruise vacation. The entire experience, from luggage handling and registration, to the welcome on board went flawlessly, and was exceptional. There were activities on board for the entire family. The ship was clean, and the staff was friendly and helpful. Main dining room food was exceptional, as was the service. They even cut up my wife's custom ordered salads, and hand made chocolate milk for the kids. The ship design was excellent, as were the spa services, although they were a bit pricey (but what do you expect on board). The entire cruise was a vacation to remember. Everything about the operations of the ship were professional and punctual, staff interactions friendly and competent. I would highly recommend this cruise.


caroldanny saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 2
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 3
Staff and Service = 4
4
4
2
4
3
4

Had a great time., April 2, 2011
Reviewer: caroldanny

Pros: Nice getaway

Cons: The Production show needs improvement

Date of cruise: March 24, 2011

Departure port: Tampa

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 7634

Had a great time. The main shows after dinner needs to be improved, either people were falling asleep or leaving early.

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