Sailed on the with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' "Radiance of the Seas" from Sydney to Perth via Bali on a 16 day cruise departing on a sunny Saturday afternoon from Circular Quay Sydney, 15 October 2011. This was the first cruise of Radiance in Australian waters however its sister ship Rhapsody of the Seas has just completed its third season.

Cruise overall was very enjoyable but I cannot let it pass without first commenting on the booking in procedures.

Put simply the embarkation was a complete debacle. RCCL will need to get their act together on this matter before their next cruise in Australia. It was so bad the Captain made the decision to delay the mandatory safety drill till the second day at sea due to the number of elderly passengers distressed by the process. A number actually collapsed while sweltering it out in the lengthy queues. In fact the elderly couple in front of us on the queue were very distressed and needed assistance from my wife during the ordeal. Read more