Radiance of the Seas Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,235 reviews

First cruise is a thumbs-up

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Radiance of the Seas
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Travelin_Bear
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Dec 2010
Cabin: Large Ocean View Stateroom

My partner and I were very much looking forward to this our first cruise. This little four-day jaunt would be a "practice run" for a longer cruise booked for October 2011. I really have nothing to compare our experience with, except a Yangtze River cruise we took in May 2010.

Boarding Radiance of the Seas was very quick and easy. The friendly staff greeted us and processed us onboard within only a few minutes' time. Once on board, our large oceanview cabin was surprisingly spacious and comfortable. I was impressed with how much storage was available, some of it rather cleverly concealed. The food, both in the dining room and at the buffet, was plentiful and of good quality. Predictably, I weighed more at the end of the cruise than I did at the beginning! The only port of call on our brief itinerary was Cozumel; we elected to take the Passion Island shore excursion. We attended every show that was offered in the ship's theater. We were impressed with the high quality of the entertainment as well as the theater venue itself. This cruise was in December, so the weather was iffy, alternating between sunny and a bit warm, and gray and chilly.

Again, since I have no other cruise experience to compare it to, my report is one of first impressions. And first impressions are often correct. We found the ship to be just beautiful, and the staff was extremely accommodating. The housekeepers in particular practically fell over themselves to take care of us. My only criticism is about neither the ship nor the staff. It relates to the customers. I certainly did not expect to see tuxedos and evening gowns, but - wow - to say these folks were casual would be putting it mildly. A large percentage of those onboard were dressed as though they'd just come in from mowing the lawn. Cut-off shorts, wacky tee-shirts, a lot of skin showing, backwards baseball caps, beer bottle in-hand. And this represented all age ranges.

Cabin Review

Large Ocean View Stateroom

We had a large oceanview cabin on deck three. It was spacious, comfortable, and clean. I was impressed with how much storage space there was. There was virtually no movement felt, and the cabin was nice and quiet. The large window provided a full ocean view. The only minor criticism about the cabin is that in the daylight hours, you could see that the fronts of the furnishings were showing a good bit of wear and will soon be in need of refinishing.

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