Cruise Screen

This was our 11th cruise and first on Royal Caribbean. Our other 10 cruises have all been on Princess. First let me say that the Radiance of The Seas is a beautiful ship and even far exceeded my expectations. We liked the public rooms on the ship and even felt many were more attractive then Princess[the Schooner Bar, the 10 story Atrium, the Sports Bar, and the Movie Theatre were great] I also liked the way the Centrum shops were displayed. The dining room was a pleasant surprise as I thought it was quite beautiful for being so large. I didn’t care for the pools as compared to Princess. The Solarium was quite pretty, but had salt water and was always crowded and the outdoor pool and bar area looked old and tired. The lounge chairs also looked old and needed to be replaced. I also felt that there was a definite lack in number of lounge chairs on the Radiance compared to Princess Ships. I also prefer the fresh water in Princess Pools compared to salt water in the Royal Caribbean pools. The ship has been well maintained and for a 6 year old ship in most areas looked new.

EMBARCATION: We showed up at noon expecting a large crowd but were pleasantly surprised that the cruise terminal was almost empty and we were on the ship in 10 minutes.

STATEROOM: We had a Grand Suite 1554 in the middle of the ship. We loved this room, the configuration, the size, the new beginning [the best of any ship we have been on] the couch and chairs were all very comfortable. The bathroom was great had 2 sinks bathtubs/shower and lots of room. Every part of this room looked new. It was good that we had an over sized closet, since our luggage was too big to fit under the bed. The only disappointment was the balcony. We had very little sunshine due to the overhang from the pool deck above and the narrowness from being located on the bump out. The lounge chairs also looked very dated.

DINING: We had first seating and really enjoyed our 2 table mates. The service was outstanding, but the food was the worst of any cruise we have been on. [Bland and poor selection] On a 8 day cruise and I only gained 1 1/2 lbs. and I ate more steak in this one week than I do in a year due to the poor selection. The Windjammer Cafe was a beautiful room, but we did not care for the food and the selection remained the same for breakfast and lunch all 8 days. We ate one night at Chops Grill and it was just a little better.

ENTERTAINMENT: I like the main theatres on Princess better and feel there singing and dancing troops are better. However we did see 2 great shows [The Diamonds and El Gaucho] were excellent.

PORTS: We both really enjoyed the ports of call. We walked San Juan Puerto Rico and loved the El Morro Fort and felt that much of the town looked like New Orleans; we took the Tram in St. Thomas and had a great overview of the ships and town. In St. Maartin we took the shopping and Yacht tour visiting the French side St. Martin and taking a Catamaran cruise of Simpson Bay which was great fun. Antigua we took the Island tour visiting Shirley Heights and Nelsons Dockyard which I enjoyed. In Nassau we took the tour over to the Atlantis to see the resort and aquariums and had a great time.

GENERAL INFORMATION: We loved the Captain on this ship; he is funny and the most personable of any we have met in the past. Has anyone been on a ship where they called out names of passengers that were not back on at sailing time. Well this happened to me, but I was on the ship and in bed. We made a short stop in St. Croix 8PM-11PM, so I boarded at 10PM, but they did not log me back on. We retired around 11:30 and at midnight Security knocked on our door asking my husband if he had seen me. He said I was in bed when Security asked him again if he had seen me well they needed to see me so there I was in bed saying here I am. I am not upset that they held the ship for me or questioned my husband of 25 years if maybe he had hurt me, but I sure was upset at the guy responsible for checking passengers back on the ship. There were also over 500 children on the ship with some ringing door bells and knocking on doors at 1:30AM and the ships staff did not seem to care.

Summary There were things that I really enjoyed on this ship [the service was outstanding], but unfortunately there were things that I did not care for[the food, not getting a lot of down time, and the pools]so back to Princess I go. Alaska in July on the Sapphire and the Caribbean Feb.2008 on The Emerald.
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For years, Pamela C. Conover has been one of the go-to executives that Carnival Corp., the giant cruise holding firm, has relied on.

On occasion, a photographer stationed inside the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal hawks his services to passengers wanting their photographs taken in front of a backdrop — a tranquil painting of a cruise liner docked at the pier.

Reviewed by : paris
Sailing Date : 5/26/2006
Review Date: 4/29/2007
Destination: Southern Europe/Mediterranean

This “Wine and Romance” 12 day cruise had stops in Cannes, France; Cadiz, Spain; Gibraltar, U.K.; Lisbon, Portugal; Le Verdon, France; Bordeaux, France;. It is truly difficult to describe any negative aspect of this cruiseship, its staff or the administration of procedures. From embarkation to the end, we were treated incredibly well and we were called by our names by much of the staff.

SHIP–The design allowed for easy walking from bow to stern and port to starboard. The ship was spotless and kept that way from start to finish. ROOM– A spacious 8th deck room with verandah had a double sink bathroom with tub and shower; plenty of closet & cabinet space; stocked fruit basket and refrigerator with free refills of water, perrier and sodas. The bed had rounded corners and selection of linens. Room service was prompt and the food delicious.

FOOD: great taste, great variety in the main dining room, lido buffet deck, specialty restaurants, and grill-BBQ & ice cream stand on the pool deck.

ENTERTAINMENT–The shows and music were plentiful and full of energy. The talent was Las Vegas quality or better.

The cruise director was great. Also, a 50’s-60’s theme night was a big hit with all passengers and crew.

EXCURSIONS–reasonably priced and a good selection. Also, Crystal supplied free transportation to city centers in ports where docks were distant. They also always had a representative on tours and they provided water.

STAFF– sincere and happy employees that went out of their way to insure that we were happy. There were no loud announcements, no pushy bar staff or photographers.

OVERALL– Crystal both earned and deserved their “six-star” rating on this cruise. If you are seeking a semi-personalized and relaxed atmosphere with great food, people and amenities, we can recommend Crystal.

http://www.cruise-reviews.com/

Juneau’s downtown dock is deserted on a recent sunny spring day but for the noisy ravens perched along the railing and a couple teenage boys on skateboards launching off empty park benches.

The president of the line touts a hassle-free trip that delivers what families want. On a recent morning, Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin stood in front of 20 new recruits from across Europe and tried to explain why they are spending three days in a building in Central Florida, 60 miles inland and nowhere near a ship.

Q: I’m interested in seeing the Panama Canal, but don’t want to do a lengthy cruise. Are there any cruise lines that offer a segment of a cruise through the canal?

Juneau’s downtown dock is deserted on a recent sunny spring day but for the noisy ravens perched along the railing and a couple teenage boys on skateboards launching off empty park benches.

The Day Cruise Casino Industry will start to flounder if Florida expands video lottery terminals at every pari-mutual facility in Florida. (PRWeb May 5, 2007) Post Comment:Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/SGFsZi1TcXVhLUNyYXMtUHJvZi1NYWduLVplcm8=

The Day Cruise Casino Industry will start to flounder if Florida expands video lottery terminals at every pari-mutual facility in Florida.