i am so happy about my cruise and would recommend anyone to go. service was professional and all staff knows your name. the ship was clean and i loved my room with balcony. there were a lot of activities and it was always easy to get a chair at the outdoor pool (hard to get chairs in the solarium). great food. the ports were all really fun. definitely get a pocket guide to find out what the different ports have to offer and where to go and what to do when you get there. my other cruise mates were so mature and fun and we made lots of new friends.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Long lines but got through smoothly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The main dining room had great food options and fantastic service. the windjammer buffets had everything you could imagine and the dining themes offered nice selections. the chef's table was amazing! and the food bar in the solarium (park cafe i think it was called) offered wonderful small sandwiches, fresh meat and hot snacks. and desserts and sandwiches at the coffee bar were delicious as well!
Chef's Table
5 out of 5
fabulous food and service. great wine pairings. highly recommend for a wonderful dining experience and meeting new people.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
i attended the bridge lessons every sea day! i loved learning the game. i also loved the disco party but wish it lasted longer. there wasn't enough live music or even taped music being played at the pool and there weren't a lot of pool activities. i wish the gym had offered a running group when we got to the ports. the art auctions are always fun. would have loved some discussions on the ports we were going to and the histories of some of the places we visited. i did watch a movie in the cinema one day. wish more movies and movie times had been available.
Jewelry Shop
2 out of 5
i was very unimpressed. service was not great and the store looked very junky. i usually buy a piece of jewelry from the ship and i didn't because i was worried about authenticity and i just didn't love the feel of the store.
Solarium
3 out of 5
this was a warm and comfortable room but unless you were willing to get there early, seating was non-existent. so my review is based on the annoyance of not being able to get a lounge chair. the room was clean and bar service was fast. also loved that there were tables along the windows for playing cards or eating.
Bridge
5 out of 5
i attended every sea day and learned to play the game! received great lessons from a great instructor and made many new friends by going to the classes.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
the tango show was the best show of what was offered. the bands were just ok. the magician was just ok and the hypnotist was just ok. i have seen better entertainment but it was nice having something to do before or after dinner.
Cinema
4 out of 5
loved the stadium seating and the intimate setting. sometimes noise from the casino would trickle through but it wasn't too bad.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
this was the best service i have ever received on a cruise ship and i have cruised a lot. i loved not having a receipt or having to use my card every time i went up to the bar. it was remarkable how all staff remembered my name! my room was cleaned every day and my towels replenished and i just thought the room stewards did a great job. the waiters and bartenders were really quick with orders and gave exceptional service. and guest relations and the internet staff always had someone available to help.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
i was very impressed with how clean the ship was, considering the number of people. dirty dishes were immediately picked up from tables and there was never trash or food on the carpets.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
i got really lucky when i booked this room. i was worried with it being on the corner that it would be loud with foot traffic but apart from some occasional music sounds that ended at 11pm the room was perfect. i had a bigger balcony since i was at the end and the room was big enough for 2 people to comfortably get ready and walk around in. loved it.
i loved tahiti and wish the stay had been longer. i went scuba diving but could not do it through the ship since it wasn't offered so i booked on my own. it was nice being docked and being able to go off and on the ship. it was easy to walk around the town since it was right there.
i thought it was a relaxing port. i did scuba diving here but booked on my own since the ship did not offer it. i think you had to drive to get to any of the beach area. the island did not have a ton to do and i don't think there was a downtown area.
beautiful island. i went scuba diving but not through the ship as it wasn't offered. you had to take a bus for $5 to get to the beach which wasn't too far away.
this was a fun city to visit and easy to get around. we did a tour excursion but not through the ship since it was cheaper. we drove around the town, went to the botanical gardens, went to mt. victoria and rode the cable car. then we did some brewery hopping. there are stations around the town to take you back to the cruise ship.
loved picton! i did an excursion but not through the ship. paid $60 instead of $200 to rent bikes and go winery hopping. so fun! a bus picked us up from the ship and took us back. very nice little town with a small shopping area.
sydney just plain rocked. stayed here for 4 days after the ship dropped us off and the cruise ended. did all excursions on my own. stayed in chinatown, got an opel card to use for the trains, busses and ferrys which were super easy to use to get around town. went to the taranga zoo, did the bridge climb, did a tour of sydney opera house, went to manly and bondi beach and did some hiking in the blue mountains.
Thanks for your detailed review! We have this exact room booked in November 2020 (after refurb), are there doors that close off the noise from the centrum? Any room pics? Thank you again!
Looks like you had a great time... I'm going on radiance in January 2020 I'm just wondering if they offer the photo packages on this ship like the explorer?
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