Radiance of the Seas October 2014 - South Pacific Cruise
Having waited for over a year for our cruise we were super excited to finally be boarding. Even though the Sydney passenger terminal is still under construction boarding did not take too long at all. We were told our cabins woud not be ready until 1.00pm so took the time to explore the ship and have lunch outside with food from the Windjammer restaurant.
The ship's atrium is simply beautiful, light and airy. The many bars and restaurants are nicely decorated and spacious, even though our cruise was completely sold out we never felt over crowded at all.
To save money we opted for an inside cabin, I have been on many cruise ships and the Radiance cabins would have to be some of the biggest I have seen. With four of us in there I was fearful we would all be cramped and have no space for our belongings. There was more than enough storage for our clothes and shoes and once bags were unpacked they slipped under the single beds easily. We also had a small lounge area where you could watch TV if you wanted and a curtain separated this area and the beds. The bathroom was small but thats to be expected, shower flow was good and water temperture was always perfect.
The children's club was awesome, it ran from 9.00am until 10.00pm with breaks for lunch and dinner, often I was told off by my 9 year old for picking her up too early from the night session. My children thoroughly enjoyed their time in the kids club and still talk about the friends that they made.
Food and Beverage:
Overall I found the food to be of a very good quality. We chose to eat mainly in the main dining room and the MYTIME dining option is great for those that do not want a set dining time and or table each night. The waiters were both attentive and friendly with one more than happy to perform magic tricks for the children in between courses. One night my husband and I booked the Chef's table, a delicious 5 course meal matched with their recommended wines, although there was a lot more wine poured than food served so be careful! We also enjoyed a night at the Japanese restaurant called Izumi, again the food was sensational. Drinks were all in USD and all had a 15% surcharge, although this is added into your bill bar when you sign for it so there are no nasty surprises on your tab at the end. Average beer prices were $6.25 for a Corona, wine a bit more expensive at $8.00, the cocktails of the day at $8.50 were good value as you were able to keep the glass that is was served in. If you are a coffee connoisseur forget it, the coffee in the restaurants is just awful, nearly everyone I talked to about coffee agreed. I do not understand why they cannot cater more for the Australian taste when they are based here 6 months of the year. There is one cafe on board where you can order cappacinos, lattes etc, there was always a long queue and then the coffee was very average when you got it so I didn't bother after just two tries.
Shore Excursions:
Having read the list of shore excurions before we embarked on the cruise I had decided most of them were too expensive, this is all too common with cruise companies. We did go ashore at each port but just did our own thing, Noumea, Lifou and Vila were all well catered for with local taxis and information people ready to help you.
Onboard Activities: On our way out to the islands we had 3 full days at sea, it was easy to keep entertained with activities from the daily program or just lying around the pool drinking the cocktail of the day. The children loved the pool, spa, basketball court and rock climbing wall - I even had a go at this and reached the top, I would recommend that you don't do this after cocktails though!
Showtime Entertainment:
This was probably the biggest letdown, I walked out on two shows. The singing was very "High School Musical", the dancing was Ok but when accompanied by the singing I just couldn't stay. Thank goodness we had a comedian on half way through the cruise.
This was my 4th cruise and my first with Royal Caribbean, overall we had a really great time, its the ultimate family holiday, plenty to do for everyone or absolutely nothing for those that really need to recharge. We can't wait for our next cruise!