Looked forward to this cruise as been on Radiance twice before. Easy boarding despite covid-19 issues. Just relaxing before sailing when Captain advised cruise cancelled due to NZ closing ports. Royal Caribbean were great. Really helpful and promised a full refund or 125% credit on cruise cost. Vessel was very clean, lots of people cleaning and wiping down everywhere we went to avoid the dreaded corona virus. It was very disappointing but very well handled by all crew members on board. Will definitely travel again with RC and especially Radiance. The cabin was very clean and tidy but we only had a one night stay. As we couldn't arrange to get home that night we elected to stay on board. The ship however, had to move into Sydney Harbour as the Queen Elizabeth was docking the next morning. We were taken ashore on a chartered harbour cruise ferry cat and it went really smoothly, Lots of help with baggage both getting on the tender and off at the warf. Congratulations to all staff and crew. Will definitely try this cruise again when things settle down. Read Less

We were on the 18 night Bottom end Aus/NZ 25/2. We had a great time, pity the weather was not a bit warmer. We were apprehensive about the the bushfires only to be faced with the Corona virus and travel restrictions. A stressful time. Ship and crew were great and we really enjoyed ourselves. The only thing that we did not like was the Royalup and Royaldown policy which is a waste of time and delayed the allocation of GTY cabins. Any problems on board were quickly and efficiently handled by the crew. The food and the service were good as well. Excursions were well expensive and only did 2 with RCI the other via Viator which was 1/2 the price and the same trip. You now have to pay for activities on board, which was not the case before. As usual there was a great atmosphere on board Now only need 6 more nights to reach Diamond. Let's hope we will all be cruising soon. Stay Safe and Well Read Less

This cruise didn’t meet my expectations. The menu in the dining room was very disappointing. We ate most of our meals in the buffet which was pretty good. Many people on the ship had guaranteed cabins but didn’t get it till the night before and if you were on a b2b you had to change rooms. Very disorganized. Embarkation was the longest of any prior cruise and the long delay to get off at various ports were unacceptable. The crew on board did there best but the corporate office failed on this voyage. We were on a b2b and for 30 days they only had 3 movies which they played over and over again. The floor of the balcony of the cabins couldn’t have been more filthy. They did a very good job for Diamond members for the cocktail hour. Unlimited drinks of all types. Beer, wine and cocktails. I would not recommend RC based on this voyage Read Less

This Cruise was a great Cruise Lot's of Americians and British onboard, Once you got used to them and their behaviour was a all good. we didn't stop in Bali because of the corona-virus, which was more sad for the crew them passengers because a lot had family waiting for them. We found this cabin to be a quite cabin with heaps of room and storage. Showers have old style curtains , but will probably be replaced when they do revamp in Oct 20. Deck 3 stewards have always be great we had rough seas out of Sydney and this was still a well located cabin food onboard Radiance has always been really great and this cruise was no different. We had over 400+ diamonds on this cruise, so they had the happy Hour drinks in the "Colony Lounge" which was an awesome location with heaps of seats and adequate drink stewards Read Less

We did a 10 day cruise out of Sydney Australia to the South Pacific. We chose Radiance of the Seas for the departure date and itinerary offered. Unfortunately this itinerary started changing immediately after we booked (prior to Coronavirus) and continued changing right through our cruise. Understandably we were on the ship with week Coronavirus starting making news and quarantining other ships , so I can't imagine logistical nightmare the company was living.. We were to visit Mare, Lifou and Isle of Pine (which was on and off the itinerary a couple of times since I booked)- it was first cancelled as there would be too many ships in at the same time, and then added to our itinerary through the cruise with the cancellation of other ports. We completely understood the reasons for the closures, but it led to a lot of last minute research on the ports as the original ports were easy to do on our own.. where the other stops required excursion planning. Anyhow this was a circumstance out of our control and we were very grateful not to be quarantined. Here is the review of what we did: Ship: As others have said some areas look a little tired, but I enjoyed the size, the detail (many pretty areas) and ease of getting around. Cabin: We were in 8024 a balcony room. I found the room to be small compared to other cruises I have been on, but it suited our needs. The bed was comfortable. Dining: The buffet (Windjammer) got old for us pretty quickly, but we loved our meals in the dining room. The menu could have used a little more variety but what we had was always good and the environment was great. We had a table for two that was situated close to two other tables for two and we thoroughly enjoyed our company. Entertainment and Activities: We saw most shows and I felt they were well done. The singers on this ship were amazing. The theatre had lots of seating and great bar service. There weren't many activities on this ship that we wanted to take part in..I think that was mainly due to the size of the ship (variety of activities less) Service: Here is the big reason for my rating. We experienced excellent service in the dining room by all waiters and assistant waiters. The service in the all of the bars was slow- although the staff worked very hard.. Royal Caribbean has the waiter take the drink order and then make the drink, and then deliver... it was very inefficient and the passengers were getting frustrated, which in turn, stressed the waiters out and the whole thing did not seem to run smoothly. The bars were understaffed so waiting for a drink at a bar usually had one bar tender working as fast as they could to accommodate about 10-15 people waiting. Ports: To the best of my memory with all the changes.. Noumea- and we were here twice d/t port changes.. we booked a private excursion before leaving home with Dal Ocean Charters. Do not hesitate to use this company..they were amazing with communication before hand, arrival at port and the excursion itself. The first stop we planned a trip to Signal Island. About 12 of us on an inflatable speedboat which was very fun. Skilled driver.. the island is stunning and has amazing snorkelling (bring your own). We took a picnic from the supermarket right where the ship docks and the price was right for the trip. When they heard our ship had been rerouted back we received an email offering another trip to a different island. We took the same type of boat to Largenere Island and this was a highlight of the whole trip. Only about 20 of us on this island with printine waters, excellent snorkelling, a beautiful beach and great swimming. There were huts and picnic tables for shade. We were so pleased with Dal Ocean Charters. Paid Australian cash prior to the boat ride. Port Villa Vanuatu- We had booked a private excursion with Yumi tours. Excellent communication with this company as the port date changed as we were on our cruise. The owner was at the gate and took us to our driver Moses. We had an amazing day at the Blue Lagoon, a turtle sanctuary and a cultural experience at a village. We were well taken care of throughout and again I would really recommend Yumi tours. Mystery Island: This was a tender port and we didn't have to wait too long.. the process was very efficient. A great beach/ snorkel day. lots of places to swim and a nice walk around the island. Markets on the island and a bar if you want. Luganville: This was added mid cruise d/t port closures and it was the first time this ship had been there. 6 of us hired a driver (lots at the port with air conditioned vans with seat belts) and we went to Champagne Beach (about 50 min from the port) such a beautiful drive and then to a blue hole. There are several. Champagne Beach is where cruise ships used to tender to but they have changed things so it was very quiet when we were there.. excellent swimming.. no snorkelling here. All together we had 4 days at sea and these were good. Lots of seating top deck over the pool.. most people wanted to sit in the solarium or right around the main pool but that was too close quarters for us. This was our first time cruising the South Pacific and I would go back to see the ports that we had cancelled d/t Coronavirus. The people of these islands were lovely and there are many islands to see. Let's hope the Coronavirus is contained and visits to these islands can commence once again. Happy Travels Everyone! Read Less

First up, a disclaimer. I’m more recently a solo cruiser and I choose cruises based on the ship (ambience etc), the itinerary, and mostly because I like to relax and read a book (thus quiet spaces are very important). I’m not really interested in active onboard activities (iFly, Dogems, Flowrider etc). Radiance of the Seas was my 9th cruise from Australia, and my 5th with RCI (after Voyager, Explorer, Rhapsody, Legend, and now Radiance). I wanted to travel on Radiance for two reasons; firstly, because I’d heard fantastic feedback on her, and secondly because she is going to be home-ported at my home city of Brisbane in November 2020. I also cruised on Carnival Spirit in May 2019 (which I never bothered reviewing) which is also moving to the new Brisbane Cruise Terminal in late 2020. The ship: I loved her. People have raved about the glass and lighting, and they are right. It is bright and airy. I love the fact that you can walk around the lido deck up to the front helicopter deck, and there are chairs and lounges on this level (5) to enjoy (unlike Carnival Spirit). Yes, she is an older ship, but the crew are doing an awesome job to keep her in condition. The only negative I would say is her lifts. There are two lots; one bank of three forward, and then a bank of five midships, starboard side adjacent to the Centrum. The latter were a real challenge as you had to run between each when they arrived (quite a distance). They have spectacular views of the outside, but they are a challenge. One of the comedians made a great joke about them in his performance, which brought a resounding cheer from the audience. As others have said, if you are dining in Windjammer and you need somewhere to sit, keep going aft to the “secret” location overlooking the stern. What was the Viking Crown Lounge on level 13 (now called the Star Lounge) is also a great daytime escape. The adults only Solarium is another great spot, although can get a bit hot and humid on occasions. I did a few of the speciality restaurants; Giovanni’s, Chops Grill and Izumi. All great. On day 1 you can sign up for a discounted three dining package for AUD$79, which is well worth it. I didn’t try Sumba (the Brazilian Restaurant), and I think it would struggle to attract numbers because it is tucked away on level 12 or 13 (can’t remember which). The Schooner Bar is one of the largest that I have seen on the RCI ships that I have cruised on (plenty of room) and I appreciated the Colony Club at the stern for a quiet space to take a break (except during the inevitable art auctions and bingo….) Entertainment: We were absolutely blessed to have the University of Wisconsin Blugold Marching Band with us on the cruise (https://www.blugoldmarchingband.com/). These folk performed a few times over the cruise and they were absolutely outstanding. My numbers may be wrong, but the band normally has around 450 members, however on this cruise, some 300 plus support staff and parents/guardians (around 400 all up). They are normally used to performing on US football fields, but whilst the restrictions of the Aurora Theatre were challenging, they did an awesome job. A shout-out to the parents, guardians and supervisors. To put this in context, these students are primarily aged between 18 and 21, and they have come from the US, where the legal minimum drinking age is 21. In Australia (where Radiance was home-ported at the time) our minimum drinking age is 18. You would have expected a few “challenges”, but I have to say that the young adults from the University of Wisconsin were exemplary in their behaviour. There were other entertainers as well, including an illusionist, comedian, singers, and entertainers, and whilst they were great, I have to say that they were out-performed by the Blugold Marching Band. Ports and excursions: I did a similar itinerary on Voyager a few years ago, as well as a more recent comprehensive self-drive tour of the South Island, so I wasn’t really interested in organised tours, plus I had friends to catch up with in Auckland. The Sounds (Milford, Dusky etc) are simply awesome. Although there was low cloud with limited visibility, it is a magical place. Congrats to RCI; the local guide that they engaged did an outstanding commentary all the way through. I didn’t do anything at Dunedin (I’ve been there a few times), choosing instead to take a nice walk around Port Chalmers. Nice place. There were two tender ports that I was really looking forward to exploring on foot. Akaroa was one, and it was a disaster. The ship moored at 7.30am around 2kms from the port of Akaroa, and there was another ship adjacent to us (Noordam). Radiance had four tenders running, and understandably they had to give priority to those who had booked shore tours through RCI. Four hours after tendering started my number was finally called, but all that meant was joining another queue just to get to the tender, which would have meant a departure of around 12.30pm, with a 45 minute transit to Akaroa, just in time to turn around and return to the ship. I gave up, and heard a few folk saying that the delays were exasperated by congestion at the wharf (3,500 pax from two ships) and massive delays queueing to return to Radiance. Clearly RCI had learned the lesson and at the last tender port, Bay of Islands, in addition to the four on-ship tender bats they had hired two additional tenders to get us on shore. Well done RCI. It made the whole process much more enjoyable. Would I cruise on her again? In a heartbeat. I love her mid-size and overall ambience. I’m already booked on her post-refit cruise from Singapore to Brisbane in early November this year. I’m so looking to welcoming her to her new summer home port of Brisbane. Read Less

Due to time restraints the Radiance of the Seas was the only cruise available for our dates. We cruised with another couple which made the experience enjoyable however we were disappointed with several aspects including the need for the ship to be refurbished. One concern was that children were sitting on bar stools in the Champagne Bar - this should be an 18 years and over area. We felt the hard working crew made up for the lack lustre look of the ship. Our cabin attendant and dining room waiters were brilliant which did enhance our experience We only had four port days for an eleven night cruise, one of which was cancelled due to poor weather. It was disappointing that an alternative port was not offered. The alternate program offered to compensate for the extra day spent at sea was minimal. The adults only pool was depressing. The entertainment on the whole was of a high standard. We felt that responsible serving of alcohol was lacking which at times made it uncomfortable for other passengers. After experiencing other cruise lines I would be hesitant to rebook with Royal Caribbean. Read Less

The crew staff was great The captain is a rambler and does not till you the truth Food was good but the menu was not extensive changing The ion shore trips are twice the price for the same trip if you pay on board The drinks package was a total rip off as are the bar prices $15 for a beer after a 18% tip and exchange rate. The exchange rate the ship gives you is poor All expenses add 18% as a tip that is not share with all crew only senior staff. You have to pay no opt out is given The islands you visit some have deals with the cruise line and they also over charge you at pine island the menu price for a beer is $8.5 but they charged us $12 then later in the day it increased to $15 because they could. The island only has 1 pub you can get to Basically the ship will rip you off all the way through They even floated around for a day so they could make sure we spent on the ship Read Less

We had a great time on board Radiance of the Seas for 11 nights to the South Pacific islands. We found all the staff incredibly friendly and helpful especially our main dining room staff Veron & Chao. Our room was 7090 mid ship balcony, it was a squeeze for a family of 4 however once we unpacked we managed to find plenty of space in the draws so it didn’t feel too bad in the end. Room was clean, but outdated needs a renovation (the whole ship is due for this in Oct) our room attendant was lovely and on top of our every need. Some Pros Food quality at Windjammer was good lots of different choices we had breakfast and lunches here and dinner in the main dining room was delicious ! Kids club staff & rock climbing staff made our kids cruise the best fun, our son who normally has trouble transitioning to this type of program had an amazing time and wanted to go! Casino staff are good fun, cocktails very very strong ( we purchased the drinks package ) in our opinion it was worth the investment by the time you pay for a drink on board in USD, coffees, water, juices it adds up so Pre paying in Australian dollars takes the stress out of it. Entertainment highly recommend the Comedians Rusty & another bloke / guy so funny! And the magician Leo Ward very good fun! Port days, very easy process getting off and on the ship loved all the islands except very disappointed with New Caledonia = everything closed on Mondays which meant main attractions aren’t available we were looking forward to the aquarium and got off the ship only to find this out none of the ships staff informed us of this prior. Some Cons Terrible internet connection for a very expensive price. Don’t buy it, and if you do be prepared for slow connection. Room Service, we did order a couple of breakfasts to the room that never arrived so in the end we got up and went to windjammer. Waterslide was below average no water pressure needs to be updated. Overall we were happy with our experience on board Radiance of the Seas and would happily Cruise again. Read Less

We did the same cruise this time last year and are quite experienced cruisers, diamond plus. The ship is still quite attractive. Good points—- The Diamond and Concierge club benefits are still good and both hosts efficient The food is acceptable althoughMDR lunches a bit boring. Windjammer probably better for lunch. Breakfasts were good in MDR. The Filipino, Indonesian and Indian staff are great and are the best thing about this cruise line. Bad points—- The internet is slow. The activities and entertainment have gone very far downhill. There were very few headline acts on this or the previous back to back cruise we did to NZ and few were very good. Some nights there were no theatre shows, too many had old production shows which we have seen previously. One night the only show was a Love and Marriage game show. Usually the theatre was sparsely attended. The cruise director was poor, gabbled and spoke too fast. Some of her assistants doing trivia were also difficult to understand. Whether the decline in activities and entertainment were the fault of the CD or the Company cutting costs I know not. Embarkation and Disembarkation were great thanks to ship and Sydney terminal staff. Read Less

Chose this cruise line due to the port it was scheduled to visit. South pacific has always being my main destination, and it was great to be on board a vessel which was well kept, clean, in places immaculate and very attractive. At Sydney harbour, the checking in was smooth, very friendly staff, directing to the various counters and directing very sensibly. Luggages taken quickly at the arrival point and deliverd to your cabin within time allocated, no pressure or delays in that!! Upon arrival in cabin, found it very spacious, clean and well lit. Bed very comfortable, enough drawers and surprisingly enough hangers. Bathroom spacious, well lit but shower head was awful, the jet was not appropriate. Went for afternoon tea and exploring the decks, which were all well clean, well lit, no obstructions and no debris. Buffet/cafe near pool, was well stocked for teas and cakes which we took it for granted and try some delicacy. Main restaurant very spacious, warm and very friendly staff all around, welcoming and trying to please you. Restaurant a great individual which flair, friendliness and good humours. Food was good, portion sizes appropriate and if you wanted more, it was not a problem, our waiter was great Indonesian individual with great manners and knowledge of what he was selling. Breakfast buffet on the 11th floor (windjammer) very spacious, lots of seating area and well organised. Buffet was a bit of let down, with food either cool or cold.It is expected to such an operation especially when its so open space as it was. Good selection of bread and cakes available at all time. Good selection of hot dishes from various country with rice and vegetable going hand in hand. The roast was well liked, either the beef or the gammon. Ports of calls were a bit mishy mashy, not enough to see or do in each port, unless you were a lover of snorkelling. Good tendering in two ports, very efficient and professionals. Expresso bar on the 5th floor was busy most of the time, because it was the only place you could get a nice and speciality coffee, the other one was hidden past few lounges which made a mission out of nothing. Read Less

The only reason I went on this ship was to be part of the Bravo Cruise of Performing Arts. Whilst a regular on Princess and Celebrity, this was my first taste of the Royal Carribean fleet. I had heard mixed opinions from friends, most of whom did not place the Radiance in the WOW category. So I went with less than high expectations. How wrong I was. The ship is older and smaller than the mega vessels floating around. But I was really impressed by the leadership of eh captain and officers. They run a tight ship, so to speak. Cleanliness was of very high importance. Everywhere, all day and night, crew members were washing, polishing, scrubbing. Our hands were sanitised so many times they began to be squeaky! But from the beginning. Check-in was smooth and painless. We were on board at 11 am. The upstairs Windjammer Cafe was in full swing with a really good selection of food. Alas, no cabins were open until 2 pm so there was a bit of hanging around! My stateroom was a Royal Suite on deck 10 which was all one could ask for. Well laid out, large balcony, good quality furniture and fabric, coffee machine (with poor US coffee) However, one brickbat was that there was no walk-in shower, and you had to clamber into the bathtub to have a shower. Quite an ordeal for some passengers. There were no grip rails to hang on to either. Dining was extensive. As well as the Windjammer, the main dining room was Cascades which was fine but nothing to rave about. Dining times were fixed at 5.30 and 8.30 and you could not change. The Italian restaurant, Giovanni's Table had food to die for. Faultless and the wine list was pretty good as well. Other specialist eateries were Chops Grille, Izumi Asian eatery and a host of casual cafes. For a ship this size, it had excellent choices. Bars were good too. The champagne bar was a bit of a misnomer as it served nearly everything else but. The schooner bar and colony club had great ambience. The casino was vast, but on our trip, the players were vastly outnumbered by the croupiers. Staff were obviously very well trained, friendly and genuine. As this cruise sailed from Sydney, there was no expectation of tipping, so the service was sincere and not in the quest for the dollar! Being a suite guest, there was a wonderful private Concierge club with an open bar, and special arrangements for dining in special areas. Officers were evident and approachable, not like on many other ships. As I stated before the reason we went on this ship was because it was a charter for the Bravo Cruise of Performing Arts. 35 acts, ranging from a full orchestra, string quartets, trios and duets, soloists, choirs. Music from go to woe everywhere on the ship. And what was so nice was that you could hear cabin attendants and cleaners humming opera as they went about their work. This voyage on the Radiance was outstanding., Read Less

I returned home today from a 8 night 9 day cruise to the South Pacific, on probably day 3 our living hell began, two women who myself and my children did not know only from bumping in to while I was on the smoking deck began to abuse me and stalk Harass intimidate and bully us , the women abused us so badly in the formal dining room my 12 year old daughter almost vomited all over the table she cried so hard , waiters stood and watched it took me to yell for security to drag them out , I had my life threatened. We could not attend events as the women would abuse us , my children were intimidated and bullied from enjoying activities, each time myself and my children begged security for help but only told to report in writing, staff told me to be the bigger person and walk away .. to were they followed us , these women had free rang while we were like caged rats , this abuse was constant for 5/6 days and still nothing was done , last night we had to lock ourselves in our room for 3 hours missing out on the main final party , this cruise is what my children picked for their Xmas present and all they got was a lack of duty of care to protect them from incredible abuse , this was our first holiday and the memory of it’s hell will last a life time , my children are scared to ever get on a shop or trust security to protect them from violent people, as a mother to see my children in fear and beg security for help and receive nothing will never leave me , my daughter who is 12 had a safe place the art gallery and shops but they found her hiding spot , I have spoke to royal cars Caribbean who did not care , what my children have endured and myself but certainly cared about paying our bill , I have contacted a solicitor to fight for my children’s rights because royal Caribbean certainly did not . Read Less

We’ve done many transatlantic and transpacific cruises, most of which offered many activities and good entertainment for the many sea days. Unfortunately, this 18-day transpacific cruise was sorely lacking in both entertainment and enrichments opportunities, and was a boring experience overall. This was made all the worse by inclement weather that forced us to spend a lot of time indoors. And the few entertainment events that were offered almost always conflicted with dining times. As for the ship itself, Radiance of the Seas is an older ship in great need of some basic refurbishment. The lounge chairs and theatre seating are badly worn (some with tears) and very uncomfortable. The deck floor of our balcony was all rust, and the balcony chairs extremely uncomfortable because of worn seat cushions. The ship’s cruise director was a complete amateur, curt and unfunny. He took great delight in telling us he was leaving on vacation after this cruise, and we were sorry he didn’t leave sooner. The two so-called “enrichment” speakers were equally amateurish and, no doubt, came at little cost to the cruise line. The good news: service overall and in all venues was excellent, and both the service and food in the MDR was very good. Unfortunately, the breakfast and lunch buffet were limited and mediocre at best, with many repeat offerings. Lastly, we were very disappointed at how slovenly many of the passengers were, and that the ship’s staff did not enforce their own dress codes. Men wore shorts and cutoff t-shirts at dinner in the main dining room even on evenings when “casual chic” was requested. When we complained, we were told that people interpret “casual” differently. We’ve had good experience with RCCL in general, but this sailing reflected a definite cut-back in overall quality and care. This sailing was not inexpensive, but definitely over-priced for what was provided and from a comfort standpoint, and will cause us to think twice about RCCL in the future. Read Less

Having done a back to back cruise last year on the Harmony of the Seas I can say without reservation the Radiance was a far more enjoyable experience for two experienced cruisers in their mid(ish) 60's that don't relish being around over 1,000 kids. We tried the "mega ship as the destination" thing and the" ship within a ship suite level" thing, and it left us wanting. A lot. Then a destination wedding of friends on the Big Island made us reexamine RCI. This was a ten day cruise Vancouver to Honolulu (5 sea days then stops in Maui, Kauai, Hilo, Kona, Honolulu) with 18 more days to Sydney Australia for those doing the complete journey. We disembarked a day early in Kona since we would have had to fly back there for wedding the next day. Perfect timing. We'd been on the Radiance 10 years earlier and enjoyed her, so off we went. What we loved: The size of the ship and the number of passengers (just right) The orientation to the sea from almost all the interior spaces and the beautiful atrium One of the handsomest lounges at sea (Colony Club) Lots of seating inside and out at the Windjammer buffet The crispy lobster rolls at Izumi (and almost everything else!) Lots of deck space and loungers. Automatic leveling pool tables. The friendliness crew, officers and cruise staff. The excursion to Lanai....off the beaten track with a 5 star guide! What we liked: The food in the Windjammer and and main dinning room. The food in the specialty restaurants The musicians and lounge acts. Plenty of activities for the number of sea days (special shout out to the egg drop) The art deco vibe of the stateroom Cleanliness of stateroom and public spaces in general. The excursion to Hanelei on Kauai...(with scenes from movies shot on Kauai on the ride back to the ship, crowd favorite Dinocroc Vs. Supergator) Enough elevators for the amount of guests (contrasted to the Oasis class horror) What we weren't crazy about: Embarkation slow and disjointed....you go through US customs when you leave BC, slowing down the process. Stateroom bathroom tired, dated and exorbitant amount caulking used to fill in the gaps. Internet amazingly slow....(think dial up speed if you are old enough to remember) The floor in the Windjammer often very slick from as the signs say "condensation", like walking on ice in street shoes. Evening entertainment limited. Would we do RCI again? As long as the Radiance class ships exist, doing longer itineraries, we will. Read Less

Disclaimer - We would like to pass on our impressions and thoughts of our cruise experience to anyone planning for or getting ready to participate in a similar Itinerary. Everyone knows that reviews are subjective. One person’s gold is another’s trash. That said please remember this is our personal impressions and yours, of course, will vary. We ignore postings that are made in response to our reviews that merely seek to flame. We will review subsequent posts in order to provide answers to questions asked. We appreciate this understanding. Please ignore any spelling or grammar errors – we want to get this posted swiftly before we lose focus on our experiences. Thank you. Travel and Embarkation - We are a semi-retired American couple (both 66 years of age) living as expats in an Asian country. This was our seventh cruise (3 on Princess and 3 on Norwegian, and now 1 on Royal Caribbean). We made all our own arrangement for this trip including direct reservations with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, air travel, and hotel, (we did a RCCL transfer from the ship to the airport in Honolulu). We flew in one day ahead of the 10 September sail date so we could enjoy some time in Vancouver without the stress of trying to make a flight on cruise day. This was a good decision in retrospect as our experience in the Vancouver airport was one for the record book. We were queued up three times in multi-hundred person lines before we got to immigration. The airport appeared to be completely overwhelmed with passengers. It literally took three and a half hours from exiting the airplane to getting to the point of retrieving our baggage. We took the light rail line from the airport to the Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. The train was very easy to negotiate, quick, and inexpensive. Our pre-cruise stay was as the Exchange Hotel located a couple of blocks away from the cruise port at Canada Place. The weather was typical Northwest – cloudy with a couple of periods of heavy rain. Vancouver is really a beautiful city. On boarding day we took the short 5 minute walk from the hotel at just after 10:30. We were in a Grand Suite for this cruise so dropping off our bags we walked directly to security and then to the express check-in without waiting in a single line. The Ship – It is small as ships go these days. The Radiance was launched in 2001 but had come out of renovation in May 2016. The ship looked to be in generally good condition. There are numerous areas around the ship that could do with a little paint and rust removal but overall the ship is well maintained, clean, and free of obvious neglect. Our Grand Suite was Port Forward on the 10th deck and we generally walked the stairs and rarely took an elevator so crowded elevators were not a concern. We did notice that often there were many waiting to ride. We did not use the casino but we did walk through the area a couple times and noticed a very heavy tobacco odor permeating the area. We decided that after the first day when walking from the front to the rear of the ship we would simply walked up or down a flight of stairs, crossed over or under the casino and walk back up or down the stairs on the other side. The odor, while evident, is not in our opinion, something to get upset about after all it is a casino. There is a rock climbing wall, 9 hole golf putting course, and basketball court. The weather was agreeable most days. There are two swimming pools on deck 11 (one adult only and one open). Both are small and busy on the Hawaii itinerary. Our Cabin – We had a Grand Suite with balcony on Deck # 10 Port Side Forward. Our cabin steward was very intuitive and was always available but never intrusive. He was very friendly and always helpful. Towels were replaced almost as soon as used and the room serviced regularly. The room was kept very clean. The grand suite has a large sitting area with full sofa and two easy chairs and a coffee table. We had a king sized bed located in a separate area of the suite. The bathroom was very large and had a big bath tub with shower. As suite guests we were provided upgraded amenities (soap, shampoo, rinse, body wash, etc.). The bathroom was spotless. Storage area was more than adequate. Even with three large suitcases we did not even filled up one closet with two to spare. We had a large flat screen television. Channel selection was non-existent but useful for checking your shipboard accounts and reservations. Ship announcements were not broadcasted into the rooms so you had to listen from the outside if you wanted to hear the public announcements. We had an unlimited Voom Surf and Stream Wi-Fi package. While billed as the “fastest at sea” that was not our experience. It was the slowest and most prone to disconnection of any service we have every had on any ship. There was a water pot and coffee maker with free coffee provided in our cabin but we did not use them as the coffee available at many locations around the ship provided plenty of very satisfactory coffee. Dining - We ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet on deck 10. Breakfast was the standard fare with omelets made to order and a wide variety of breakfast foods to choose. In our opinion the buffet was well designed with adequate seating. The staff was very fast at removing plates and silverware and cleaning tables as people left. If you meet Jade in the buffet say hello to a wonderfully upbeat and kind young man. Since we were suite guests we never had a difficult time finding a seat because there was a reserved dining room just off the buffet. We found the food in the buffet to be generally good but somewhat repetitive. There is a self-serve soft ice cream machine in the buffet area. We had dinner twice in the Main Dining Room. Both were excellent meals. Having reservations we were seated immediately. We did notice a slight lag in service but the menu items were always appropriately hot, warm, or cold. We also dined in our room twice with selections from the main dining room menu which was delivered hot and quickly from room service. Extra Fee Dining - On our second sea day we ate Izumi’s sushi restaurant. The food was well presented and very tasty if not quite as fresh as we would have liked. On our fourth sea day we ate at the Samba Grill a South American Churrascaria concept venue. The food and service were excellent. Come hungry as portions are large and filling. On our sixth sea day we ate at the Italian themed Giovanni’s restaurant. Again the food was wonderful and the service attentive and friendly. Entertainment - The one area for which we would like to see change is more entertainment in the theater. We enjoyed the one revue show we saw as very entertaining and well done but other evening entertainment presented appeared to be filling an otherwise empty evening. Tours – We booked all our tours through Royal Caribbean. As most everyone knows this is a more expensive option but the benefits of ease of booking, guaranteed return to the ship, and tour operator vetting are hard for us to ignore. We did not want to take any risks getting back to the ship on time. Maui Hawaii (Lahaina) – Hana & Haleakala Helicopter Exploration. We had a wonderful time during this just over one hour aerial tour of Mt. Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano. We were picked up at the port and escorted to the Blue Hawaii air terminal located at the Maui airport. Our pilot was personable, knowledgeable and gracious. The views are indescribable. While costly, this tour is well worth the money. Upon completion we were again picked up and returned to the cruise port in a comfortable van. Kauai Nawiliwili – Grove Farm and Kilohana Plantation Railway. A short drive from the deep water port of Nawiliwili the Kilohana Plantation harkens back to Kauai's Golden Age of Sugar with a four-hour tour of the Grove Farm museum and a narrated railway ride around the former plantation plus free time at Koloa Rum Company and other artisan shops. Rich in history and slow in pace this tour is a relaxing stop on the Garden Island. Of all our tours during this cruise we found this to be our least favorite and not worth the cost and would not consider it worth repeating. Hilo Hawaii (Big Island) – Zipline through Paradise and Waterfalls. A total of eight zipline runs follow the Honolii River high over thundering waterfalls and deep gorges. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and obsessed with our safely. We were given three rules to remember and were quizzed repeatedly concerning them. The three rules were 1) don’t adjust or handle your harness, 2) don’t put your hands on the cable, and 3) have fun. Some zipline runs were tranquil and easy and some were quite thrilling. We had a great time and would have liked to have gone back up and done it again if possible. The light rain throughout our tour did little to dampen our enthusiasm. Highly recommend this tour if physically able. Kona Hawaii (Big Island) - Atlantis Submarine. We rode a large comfortable boat with around 70 other guests from the cruise terminal out into the ocean where the submarine was waiting. Boarding was done via gang plank from the boat to the submarine under the watchful eye of the crew who stood by to assist if needed. All went well. There were two entrances into the submarine (one on each end) so boarding went quickly and easily. The interior of the submarine has individual seats (two rows facing back to back) and each passenger has her/his own designated port hole through which to view. The nearly hour long dive visited two ship wrecks and numerous coral formations. While many fish were in the area none were large and the light filtering effects of being under up to 100 feet of water drained most of the colors leaving the viewer seeing mostly in gray shades. The submarine is well lit, clean, ventilated, and large enough to eliminate any possibility of Claustrophobia. This tour is very interesting and well worth the cost. Overall we had a wonderful time and would recommend the Royal Caribbean and the Vancouver to Hawaii itinerary. The Radiance of the Seas is a great ship for a relaxing cruise. Younger cruisers with families may want to consider larger ships with more traditional entertainment venues (water parks, rope courses, flow riders, etc.). Read Less

We like Royal Caribbean cruise line and this specific trip included all the things we wanted to see and do. The excursions we took we fantastic especially the white water rafting in Juneau. Suspension bridge and train in Skagway was also excellent. Saw some whales on our excursion at Icy Strait and the excursion-"Lighthouse Totem Poles and Eagles" in Kitchikan was lots of fun especially when one of the crew members broke out in song-A Drunken Sailor". The evening entertainment was way above what we had seen in the past, with the shows in the theater top notch and the performers in the various venues being wonderful. A big plus for us was the offering of pickleball that we got to do three times while cruising. Seeing the Hubbard Glacier with perfect weather was a huge event for us.The land part of our trip was just as good with a most interesting tour guide(Michelle) who kept us entertained throughout our journey. She went out of her way to take my wife and some other other guests on a late night adventure to see the northern lights. We saw Mt. Danali fully which makes us 10% of those that go to see this magnificent mountain. In conclusion I will say this probably was the best ever trip we have taken. Read Less

Arrived one day early in Vancouver. (Make sure you use a no foreign trans. fee credit card. (USA exchange rate automatically calculated.) Took the taxi (2 couples) and fare was $30.00 US currency to Blue Horizon Hotel. Boarding was fairly quick but did involve a lot of walking, but there were no long lines. Only did the dining room once and had no complaints. Regarding formal night - not everyone dresses up and it seems to be a more laid back dress code. We personally preferred the windjammer with all the different choices. All the food in the windjammer was great. Loved the ice cream machine. Make sure you enjoy the windjammer on the last night- Alaskan seafood was fantastic. Pools were heated and were used by many, especially since we encountered no rain during our whole cruise and temperatures were in the 60s and 70s. Solarium does need updating (if they would just get rid of all the fake greenery). All employees were very nice and quite attentive. Evening entertainment was very lacking and mediocre. Most ships have karaoke (which can be quite enjoyable), but not this ship. Be prepared for oldies music sung in the centrum which is ok but not for the whole week. The casino was awful with cigarette smoke, there seems to be no ventilation. The highlight of the cruise was Hubbard Glacier. The captain did an amazing job to steer the ship so everyone had an awesome view. Read Less

My wife started her cancer treatments on 1 August 2018. I told her that she would be done with her treatments and well enough by next year. I booked the trip with a the 2 Aug 2019 sailing (we left the house on 1 Aug 2019). We made it!! We flew into Anchorage with a connection through Atlanta, and straight on to ACH.The flight from from ATL made for a looooong day (7 hours to Anchorage). The hotel in Anchorage (Crown Plaza, booked through Royal) and transfer to the train (transfer through Royal) went smoothly. Having lived in Alaska many years prior, I had the opportunity to drive to Seward. I much prefer the train from Anchorage, as it is very relaxing, and the narration down to Seward was first rate. Dropped our bags, and didn't see them until the ship! We were able to check in to our ship state rooms and get our SeaPass at the train station in Anchorage!!. Thought we were home (ship) free with this. However, when we arrived at Seward, we needed to stand in a long line to get photographed. It would have been nice to get all that taken care of in Anchorage, or just do it all in Seward. Would have made it quicker in Seward. I think Royal needs an embarkation software update so they can complete the ship check in at the train depot in Anchorage. We were on the ship in time to drop our bags in the room, and get to the Windjammer for a quick bite, then to our muster station. About an hour before the drill. The ship was great. Showing her age, but all in all, we were on a cruise in Alaska!! it was great. One of the highlights onboard was the Chefs Table experience. Three hours, and the food and wine parings were excellent. Was able to get the recipe for the smoked tomato soup. Just need to make it for four, not 50 :-0. Would highly recommend that, and do it again. Were with a group of 8 who do that on every cruise they are on. I can see why. The cabin was a good choice, (8598) on the bubble, and very close to the elevators. No noise. We glacier watched, whale watched, Orca watched, Eagle watched, sea otter watched, from the balcony. The day at Hubbard Glacier was nice. The wait staff brought round spiked hot chocolate! We were able to get within a half mile of the face. Those on the $400.00 excursion were able to get about a quarter mile away. Close enough for us to hear the glacier making its groans as if calved. We booked the tram in Juneau. Nice ride and sights. O did I say, the weather was fantastic. No rain until the last sea day, and the port days were in the lower 70's. In Skagway we did the requisite YWPRR train ride, then walked the town. We bused up to Frasier, then took the Train down. That was enough. Our favorite port was was Icy Strait Point. We had booked a tour on our own with Tok River Outfitters for halibut fishing. I gave this place 5 stars, but would have liked to give them 10. We shipped two fish home! Very highly recommended (at least by us, and a lot on Trip Advisor). Off the boat at 6:30, and was fishing by 7:30 am. And back before noon. The port area was also great. Had a fantastic King and Dungeness crab lunch. This port had mostly native wares, just a few "made in china" and no Diamonds International :-) (we did get the charms in all the ports). Ketchikan was a shopping port for us. From Berth 3, the town opened up to us right off the gangway. The final sea day was spent next to the pool playing cribbage and whale and orca watching (from deck 11). We pulled into port and took the take-your-own-bags-off option. Was not too bad, but make sure your suitcase tracks true, We saw a lot of the ship just trying to wrestle one of the bags.. Off in less then 20 minutes once they started the process. We grabbed a rental car, and headed south as the next stop was a family visit just north of Portland. The entire cruise itinerary was just what we had expected; a great time, and a southern Alaska experience. We would recommend this one. Read Less

I cruised this ship for the itinerary and also wanted to try Royal Caribbean for a change. I have been on a short RCCL cruise on a newer ship, and I knew this was an older smaller ship. The ship itself while worn, was very nice with alot of beautiful windows making it perfect for Alaska. The room attendant was amazing, the general service of the bar staff was great. The LIDO/Windjammer was better than the main dining room for breakfast and some dinners. The specialty restaurant chops was amazing. The light bites at Lattetudes and the solarium were not very good at all and the staff at the solarium at night a gentleman there was really rude to people. My biggest complaint was the main dining dinners were extremely over seasoned (salted) and any steak was just completely tough and/or over cooked. So the starters, salads and desserts were great, but most of the main dishes were barely passible. When the LIDO does a better job on the meats and breakfast there is something seriously wrong in your dining room. Entertainment was ok, and just average. The production dance/singers were given old and not to unique shows to do . The nightlife was barely there. A couple of places for music, but nothing really stood out. The magician was funnier than our comedian, the El Gaucho show was funny and very entertaining. Most of the staff were absolutely amazing and this did have one of the best guest services desks I have seen on many cruise lines. Read Less

We went with our daughter and her family on this Alaska cruise. Alaska was wonderful, Royal Caribbean was terrible. We have traveled on many cruises, but this was our first Royal Caribbean cruise (and Last). Royal Caribbean does their remodeling during their active cruise trips. Shocking! The carpet in our hall was torn out and replaced with new carpet. The carpet and the glue smell was so toxic our family got very sick. I had a head ache, sore throat and my eyes were burning, for the last two days of our trip. Our daughter was on this trip, in a separate room, she is a type 1 diabetic. Her immune system is already challenged, adding the toxic chemicals made her very sick. She couldn't even get out of bed. Our little grand daughter ended up in the emergency room after we got off the boat. The staff were non attentive. After the trip, numerous calls to Royal Caribbean were not answered. Put on hold and then disconnected after 30 minutes holding, this happened 3 times. I finally got thru, and was supposed to get a call back, big surprise, no call back. We were in a suite and the attention was terrible. No bottled drinking water was available even at our $1,000 per night price. I am surprised this cruise gets any positive feedback, I'm assuming the people that received free trips are the ones reviewing. Save your money and go on a different cruise line.The dining room was ok, food was edible. Not much to do as far as activities.We had 2 days at sea and would have enjoyed something to do with our grandchildren. I heard the entertainment and thought is was karaoke, but it was main singer. Shore excursions were expensive. I tried to purchase online, but Royal Caribbean site showed excursions sold out. I had to call Royal Caribbean site to book shore excursions and paid 30% high to get the same excursion. I have never submitted a negative review. This cruise line was so bad others need to be warned. I wish we had known before we spent so much hard earned money on this disaster cruise. Read Less

Cheap, cheap, cheap! If you want even bottled water, pay up! You can buy different drink packages ranging from about $12-$70/day per person. If you don't, you can have water, tea, lemonade, or coffee. When disembarking on land excursions, there was a cruise employee offering bottles of water......but only if you paid extra for that package. When we were viewing Hubbard Glacier from the stern of the ship it was very chilly outside and a server came around with hot chocolate..........only for passengers who bought the refreshment package for $29/day/person. We chose not to pay these exorbitant prices, and we ended up feeling like have-nots. A person can still buy drinks per item, and my husband paid $56 for four drinks (including the mandatory 18% gratuity). We bought our own wine on board for the above reasons, and sometimes had difficulty getting wine glasses from the bartenders because they were afraid they would run out. Food in the Windjammer cafe and Cascades dining room was mediocre at best; service in the dining room was slow. The dining room employees were always working very hard, so my guess is that food services was not well run. I was told by another passenger the specialty restaurants (for an extra charge) were not very good. There was a speaker on how to get a flatter stomach, but he turned out to be selling his product, so it was really a sales pitch. The onboard entertainment was so-so, nothing great. The exercise room was ok, but some of the machines were broken and the doors to the outside of the ship were often broken. There is nothing state-of-the-art about the ship, except the prices. All of the servers and room attendants were very friendly and helpful. They work 7 days/week and many hours a day. My understanding is their wages are not that high compared to American standards. This means the thousands of dollars we spent are mainly going to the upper echelon employees and not to those doing the hard work. If you call Royal Caribbean customer service, be prepared for a different answer every time. Royal Caribbean did not communicate logistics of the land portion of our tour very well ahead of time. Every time I called to ask a question, I got vastly different answers. So Royal Caribbean is not spending money training and communicating with its customer service reps. Finally, part of our package included a transfer from the airport to hotel on the 1st night of our trip. I called and gave Royal Caribbean our flight info (several times in order to get to someone who understood what I was talking about), and called and confirmed the transfer the day of our flight. Even so, my husband and I were stranded at the airport at 11:45pm as no one showed to pick us up. When I asked the tour director, she was apologetic and called the company to see if we could be comped and was told no - we were listed as a no-show at the airport. Impossible. We looked all over baggage claim both inside and outside, and there was no one holding up a sign and no van that indicated it was part of a tour company. Our belief is that the driver didn't want to be at the airport at that late hour and didn't show, but claimed they were there. It would have cost the company nothing to comp us a couple of drinks, but they didn't. Again, cheap, cheap, cheap! Read Less

This was the first and last cruise I will do with Royal Caribbean. On formal nights very few dressed up mostly people just dressed in jeans and hoodies, one person looked like she had just come from the gym in her workout clothes. We did My Dining, big mistake. I have done a similar dining on other cruise lines and it was a lot better than this ship. My advise do not do My Dining go for the set times of either 5.30 or 8.00. The food in the main dining was awful, it tended to be the same food every night with a couple of variations and it tasted like mass produced frozen food that you can get in frozen food shops. I have been on cruises before the food on those cruises were al a carte and was the best food I have had. Some of the waiters in the main dining room were awful, rude and pushy. The entertainment was diabolical, the production shows were really poor and unprofessional the worst I have seen on cruises. The cabin we had was on deck 7 and was lovely and our cabin woman Maria was lovely and nothing was too much trouble. The excursions were amazing this was the best part of the cruise. Embarkment was a nightmare, it took an hour to get on the ship which was surprising since everything is done online before hand. Once on the ship everything seemed disorganised, no clear instructions on where to go. Everyone just seem to congregate around the centrum and as everyone was sitting around with their hand luggage we assumed we could not get into our cabin as no one had instructed us otherwise. With other cruise lines this was made clear as we embarked the ship. On this ship I had to find someone and ask and this would have been nice to have found out this earlier. Our disembark was good as we had an excursion booked. Read Less

Really like Royal Caribean, only natural to go with what you know. From the moment we entered the ship we were showered with attention, service, courtesy to say the least, our luggage were taken to our cabins right away, we felt like we owned the ship. Food was amazing as well as service throughout, you were greated with a very cute frase WASHI WASHI, quite cute, it became my grandsons favorite the entire cruise. An amaizing experience throughout the whole cruise. Alaska breathtaking place to say the least, all the places we visited were so historic, pleasant lots of stores scenery was gorgeous a must do again cruise in the future. The glaciers were so incredibly beautiful hard to explain, whale watching awesome experience. Overall an incredible time , would do it again as soon as we can. If you have not done it, plan it you will be glad you did. Be Blessed. Read Less

Overall, the trip was great. I'm going to talk less about the excursions (which was awesome), and more about the ship. The cabin was nice. Super small, even for a single person. I had a balcony which was nice as I was able to sleep with the door open for some nice Alaskan air. Service on the ship was spectacular as well. Big shoutout to Vasile (guest services) and the bartenders at Quill and Compass. The gym was old, and dated - some of that equipment could use some attention. From the outside, the ship appeared to be pretty dated. There were visible signs of rust, age... But that's to be expected with a ship quickly approaching 20 years old My biggest gripes with the ship are the following: One - It is impossible to find nutritional information anywhere. I am actively counting calories and macro-nutrients in an effort to lose weight. It is very frustrating not being able to even hazard a guess with some of these meals that were served in the buffet lines. As more and more people are doing specialized diets (paleo, keto, low/high carb, etc), it would be nice to know what we're working with. Two - The late-night entertainment was awful outside of Jack the guitar player. As a single male in his late 20s old traveling with older family, there was not much that catered to my age range that was well attended. I went up to the "nightclub" each night around 11 PM, and there was never anyone else up there. Additionally, the DJ "Bam" appeared to just turn on some Spotify playlist and walk away from his computer for what appeared to be 25-30 minutes at a time. No real mixing or DJing was happening. Maybe that's just my experience being young on an Alaskan cruise. Overall I had a great time. My trip was largely "saved" by the excursions I participated in. The ship-experience left a lot to be desired. I ended up spending most of my time on-board clicking the 'activities right now' button on the screen hoping to find something free that was enjoyable. Read Less