Radiance of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,235 reviews

The Radiance was a big disappointment

Review for Australia & New Zealand Cruise on Radiance of the Seas
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Mammasan
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Jan 2018
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

We chose the Radiance because of its itinerary in New Zealand and Australia and because of the good experiences we have had on several other Royal Caribbean ships. Unfortunately, our experience on the Radiance fell well below our previous Royal Caribbean cruises in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Overall, the ship seemed to have many issues that need correcting, including the menu choices and food preparation in the main dining room at dinner, the boring and tasteless food in the rather small buffet and the poor condition of the ship's furnishings. The Radiance is definitely showing its age and should be brought into dry dock for a complete refurbishment or should be retired. The balcony cabin we reserved was large enough and had a much larger balcony, as we were on the hump. The bed and pillows were comfortable and linens in good condition. However, the furniture was in need of refinishing. The bathroom shower had a curtain rather than a sliding curved door, so was difficult to keep water from splashing on the bathroom floor. The shower head was difficult to move away from the front so added to the problem. When we boarded and got to our cabin, we found lots of paint chips that must have been dislodged when the ship was power washed. They were stuck like glue to the balcony decking and on the 3 chairs and large table there. I tried to get them off by wiping down with a damp towel, but they would not budge. Our cabin steward was great as was our head waiter and his assistant. The rest of the crew were very hard working and pleasant, with the exception of those at the Guest Services and combined Shore Excursion desk, all of whom were not very helpful nor very pleasant. They did not seem to know what they were doing half the time. The touted VOOM wifi was spotty and sometime nonexistent and the entertainment was not very good except for the one night when there was a great tango group. The comedians were horrible. Pools on the ship were very small and not designed to resist movement, so were sloshing a lot when at sea. The workout room is adequate, but some of the equipment needs replacing as some were difficult to change adjustments and one slipped out of the adjustment pin for several people when I was in the gym. Classes looked good, but some were designed to sell orthotics or other things. We will not cruise on the Radiance again unless it undergoes a complete overhaul and we are sure many other passengers would echo our sentiments. Many things made us wonder if RCCL is cutting back to improve their bottom line. May backfire, as lots of passengers openly expressed their dissatisfaction with cruise to everyone within earshot.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E1

Nice cabin, but needed refurbishment--new or refinished furniture and new carpeting, plus the balcony deck needs refinishing and rust areas need to be treated and re-painted. Very small shower needs a sliding panel door instead of a tacky shower curtain and the shower head needs replacing.

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