 Expert Review |  | | | | |
| | | | | Overview
The first of a new class of ship for Royal Caribbean (middle of the road between the 142,000-ton Voyager-class and the 78,491-ton Vision of the Seas), Radiance of the Seas is a classy, savvy lady. It incorporates the best features of its predecessors: the variety of activity and entertainment options of the Voyager class (like rock climbing), the sleek profile of the Sovereign class, and the global itineraries and wealth of windows, glass doors and canopies of the Vision class. Royal Caribbean's loyal following will feel right at home in this ship. Plus, the ship offers some surprises of its own. We were particularly impressed by the first self-leveling pool tables at sea. And we're sure that all ocean lovers will welcome the spectacular use of glass -- half the ship's exterior is glass, and there are even outside elevators spanning 12 decks, an innovation first seen at sea on sister line Celebrity's Millennium-class vessels. | | |  top | | | | Dining
The main dining room, Cascades, is an elegant, two-level restaurant featuring a grand staircase, impressive columns, and true to its name, a cascading waterfall. Two smaller dining rooms, Breakers and Tides, perfect for private parties, adjoin Cascades. Service by the smiling international staff was attentive. Breakfast and lunch are open seating. At dinner, Cascades offers Royal Caribbean's flexible My Time Dining program. Passengers can choose between assigned early (6 p.m.) or late (8:30 p.m.) dining, or opt for flexible dining, in which you pick a preferred mealtime (anytime between 6 and 9:30 p.m.), but can change your reservations on a daily basis. ShipShape selections (less than 30 percent of calories from fat) and vegetarian dishes are offered for lunch and dinner. Alternative restaurants include Chops Grille, which serves premium steaks, chops and other grilled entrees from an open kitchen; and Portofino, an upscale Euro-Italian restaurant with a decor inspired in Tuscany and Italian specialties. Reservations are required for Chops Grille and Portofino (fee is $20 per person at Portofino and $25 at Chops). A casual, no reservations, no-fee dinner alternative is served in the Windjammer Cafe where breakfast and lunch are also served buffet-style with a choice of indoor and outdoor seating. The Seaview Cafe offers fast food with no reservations or fees. Royal Caribbean's room service options are available around the clock via 24-hour menus that offer a range of snacks and sandwiches. At breakfast, continental dishes, along with a handful of egg entrees, are available both in cabins and suites. Items off the main dining room menu can be ordered at dinner. There is no charge for room service between 5 a.m. and midnight (though a buck or two gratuity is recommended); late-night orders incur a $3.95 fee. | | | | top | | | | Public Rooms
If these glass walls could talk... Wait, they can! And they speak volumes as they reveal the beauty of Alaska, the Southern Caribbean and other destinations. Glass is the dramatic, defining element of the elegant public rooms throughout the vessel including floor-to-ceiling windows in the nine-deck Centrum atrium, ShipShape Spa, Solarium, Seaview Cafe, the Colony Club (secondary, multi-purpose lounge), the Windjammer Cafe, Portofino and Chops Grille (alternative restaurants), the Schooner and Champagne Bars, Viking Crown Lounge, upper level of the Cascades dining room (the lower level has large windows) and the Concierge Club. So literally every time you turn your head, you are very likely to see the sea. The heart of the vessel is The Centrum, an RCI signature feature, a dramatic, airy atrium decorated in light tones of sand, coral and aqua, and spilling with greenery, a waterfall, and a colossal abstract sculpture (part of the $6 million-plus art collection onboard). Intimate spaces include the restful library, reminiscent of a traditional English study; Books, Books & Coffee, a book retail outlet featuring some 200 titles and serving them up along with cappuccino, pastries and pizza. The Champagne Bar and Lobby Bar, both with a capacity for 50 guests, are perfect spots for a cocktail before dinner. Other public areas include Royal Caribbean Online (the Internet center with 12 stations) and the nautically-inspired Schooner Bar (hey, is that the scent of real gunpowder in its antechamber decorated with cannons and galleon art? Yep!). The Viking Crown Lounge, another RCI hallmark, is perched 11 decks above the sea with two nightclubs: the Starquest, a futuristic dance club with a revolving bar; and the Hollywood Odyssey, a more intimate, relaxed lounge, featuring Hollywood memorabilia - including a Bob Hope commemorative plate and Lucille Ball's makeup mirror. Scoreboard is a baseball-themed sports bar. Like on other RCI ships, there are no self-service launderettes; laundry/dry cleaning is available. | | | | top | | | | Cabins
Of the 1,050 cabins, 813 are outside and more than 71 percent of those have balconies. This makes Radiance of the Seas the verandah champ among Royal Caribbean's pre-Voyager-class ships. The most lavish accommodation is the Royal Suite -- a palatial 1,034 square ft. suite with 172 square ft. of balcony and such amenities as a baby grand piano; wet bar; entertainment center with 42-inch flat screen TV, stereo and VCR; and bath with whirlpool, bidet and steam shower. Good middle-of-the-road choices in a balcony cabin are Categories E1, E2, and E3 measuring 179 square ft. with a 41 square ft. balcony (though still on the small end of industry average). These are situated on Decks 7, 8, 9 and 10 with the ones on Deck 10 closest to the pools and other outdoor amenities. Thriftier accommodations are Category Q inside cabins measuring 166 square ft. All cabins have Internet ports. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are available in a variety of categories. | | | | top | | | | Entertainment
The three-level Aurora Theatre is themed to the Arctic - with sculptured balconies, sidewalls and parterre divisions resembling glacial landscapes, and its dazzling stage curtain inspired in the Aurora Borealis. In the Hollywood Odyssey nightclub, comedians, jazz ensembles, pianists and vocalists take turns entertaining. Other evening pursuits include movies in the Cinema, dancing the night away in the Starquest disco; an interactive game based on the sports game called the Pennant Race in Scoreboard; a game of pool in the Bombay Billiard Club (one of the lounges in The Colony Club, with its high-tech self-leveling pool tables); and a pop song piano player in the Schooner Bar or Singapore Slings with its floor-to-ceiling windows with great views aft. The Casino Royale, with a French Art Nouveau design, features 211 slot machines and tables for blackjack, craps and roulette. | | | | top | | | | Fitness and Recreation
Destined to become one of the most popular spots on the ship, the African-themed Solarium boasts three life-sized stone elephants, a waterfall, greenery, and stone relief art panels depicting gazelles and antelopes. The Solarium's raised pool (featuring a counter current) two whirlpools, and relaxation areas are covered by a retractable glass roof. A bar and pizzeria are located within the Solarium. The 15,500 sq. ft. ocean view ShipShape Spa is divided into three sections: beauty and health center with 12 treatment rooms including Rasul and thermal suite (fee is $15 for a half-hour); aerobics area with mirrored wall and wood-suspended aerobics floor; and the gym with 18 treadmills, 10 Reebok Recumbent Cycles, eight Reebok Body Peaks, four Reebok Ridge Rocker Cycles, four Reebok Body Treks, free weights and multiple benches. There is a stereo sound system and television monitors throughout. An array of fitness activities including stretching and aerobics classes, aquadynamics, and sports tourneys are scheduled. Other challenges await at the Rock-climbing Wall, rising 200 feet above the sea with five separate climbing tracks. A Sports Club & Country Club has golf simulators, ping-pong, a basketball court, and deck games; and there is a 9-hole miniature golf course and a jogging track (6.3 times around equals one mile). | | | | top | | | | Family
Free, supervised activities for children 3 to 17 are featured (offered by age group: 3-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-12 years, and 13-17) in age-appropriate activity centers. Facilities include a Computer Lab, outdoor area, play stations with video games, and Adventure Beach with splash pools and a water slide. Kids earn coupons for participation in activities that can be redeemed for gifts. A children's menu with games and crayons, not to mention kids' favorites like pizza, burgers and macaroni and cheese is also featured. Group babysitting is available for $4/hour per child; in-stateroom sitting, booked through the Guest Relations Desk at least 24 hours in advance, is $8/hour for one or two children in the same family or $10/hour for three children in the same family. Teens have their own coffeehouse/disco with flat-screen televisions and soda bar. | | | | top | | | | Fellow Passengers
Royal Caribbean typically appeals to couples and singles in their 30's to 50's as well as families of all ages. The median age is in the low 40's on seven-night cruises and in the 30's on three-and four-night cruises, passengers 50-55 and over tend to dominate ten day and longer cruises. Royal Caribbean attracts passengers that are looking for an affordable, active vacation. | | | | top | | | | Dress Code
Two formal nights are scheduled on seven-day voyages. About half the men opt for dark suits instead of tuxedoes. Daytime wear is casual. Bring layers and rain gear (just in case) for Alaska. | | | | top | | | | Gratuity
Royal Caribbean recommends $3.50 per person, per day to the dining room waiter; $3.50 per person, per day to the cabin steward; $2 per person, per day to the assistant waiter. Royal Caribbean also recommends $0.75 per person, per day to the headwaiter, but we don't necessarily unless the service was special. A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to bar tabs. | | | | top | | | | | Expert reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community. This objective information can help you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation. | |  | |
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