This was my second cruise on Royal Caribbean and my 22nd cruise overall. I have been on Holland America, Princess, Disney, Costa, Norwegian and Celebrity also. My favorite ships are Celebrity Millenium and Constellation. Having only sailed on Sovereign of the Seas before (in 1997). I didn't care for that cruise. The cabins were really tiny, our waiter was friendly but too pushy with asking us to fill out "excellent" on the ship cruise survey. Our tablemates were young couples who didn't have good social skills and it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk. They seemed uncomfortable about sharing a table with strangers. Friends told me how much they enjoyed their recent Royal Caribbean cruises, so I decided to give them another try. I chose the Radiance of the Seas because it was similar in design to Celebrity Millenium Class ships, had lots of glass and some nice features like a water slide for my son, age 6.

The ship was fine, nothing really special. Perhaps if this had been my first cruise I would have been "Wowed" but it was pretty generic. I did like out stateroom and thought the beds with rounds corners were really neat. I also liked that the bed was by the balcony doors allowing for more space by the closets and desk. Our cabin steward Norbert was great- unobtrusive and left a cute towel animal each night ( a monkey hanging from a hanger, a stingray when we were in Grand Cayman, an elephant and bunny rabbit). The linens on the bed were white and very soft. I slept great on the ship. The ship was so smooth that this was the first time I haven't had to get my land legs. I have not experienced any of the post cruise rocking I have had in the past. So I wouldn't hesitate to book this cruise for a Pacific or Atlantic voyage. I ate all my meals in the Windjammer or the Seaside Cafe. We had arranged for the early seating but just never made it. We were too busy swimming and playing to get ready that early. So we just ate when we felt like it at the Windjammer. fortunately the food was really good and there was a nice variety. I especially liked the desserts. Only Disney and Royal Caribbean have good desserts. I had creme brulee, cheesecake, chocolate fudge tort, pies, napoleons, etc. etc. All very good. Even the sugarfree desserts were great. So no complaints in the food department. We never got off the ship because we have been to all the ports before. My son and I love staying on board when the ship is empty. The pool area was too crowded when the ship was full. It was Easter break so there were many kids and parents in the pool and hot tubs. My son preferred the kids pool on Deck 12 with the waterslide. The waterslide was only open for 2 hours a day, except sea days when it was open for four hours a day. The youth program was good but not great. You had to walk thru the video arcade to get to the Explorers Club. That was a tactic I believe to get the kids to spend money. We did. We spent over $ 100 on video games in six days! My high score on MsPacMan was 224,000! That's awesome in case you don't know. The first night they brainwashed the kids to want to stay up until 1AM and earn prizes. My six year old looked so sad when I told him that was too late. I softened the blow by letting him shop in the gift shops. 1AM is too late for young children to stay up, especially when people have shore excursions. I didn't like this ploy to get an extra $ 15 a day in babysitting. Shame on your RCL! I didn't tip the staff. I normally tip $ 100 to be pooled but not this time. There were good movies for free in the cabin and in the movie theater. Room service was good too. Drink prices were reasonable. We played board games, went to the shows. My son was a volunteer for the magician. That is always fun. Apart from the dubious practices in the youth program, I was happy with my cruise. Has RCL won me over. No, I still feel that it is just a very generic, mass marketed experience. The vessels are fine but nothing stood out. I am glad I gave RCL another try but I think I'll stick with Celebrity.