First Royal Caribbean Cruise

We had 11 am embarkation time. Arrived about 10 am. There were about 30 non suite/Gold level (steerage) passengers ahead of us. Check in super quick. Onboard about 11:20.

I was really looking forward to an RC cruise as so many "Loyal to Royal" swear they are better than the other lines. In my reality, the food was definitely the worst of any line I have sailed on. It was not bad, but the quality, variety, and availability were noticeably lower than any other line. I was thinking they may still have supply issues but we cruised with friends who had been on several pre-covic RC ships and they said the food seemed typical for RC. Breakfast buffet was the usual fare. The biscuits and gravy were good. Lunch buffet always had a couple different dishes including a different Indian dish (that always tasted like curry to me) but always a letdown. I usually peruse the food in a buffet to make sure I see all the dishes before narrowing it down to the best ones. On RC I walked the whole buffet without seeing anything that excited me, then I settled for what sort of looked appetizing. The buffet pizza was pretty good and that often won out. I had hopes that maybe RC put all their effort into the MDR dinner but again was disappointed. Several nights there was nothing that excited me and although a few dishes were really good, nothing memorable. Fortunately, they always had the NY Strip steak and that was good most of the time. I had a lot of NY Strip steaks. The other issue was inconsistency, the first night I ordered Prime Rib, it was thin with lots of fat but the flavor was maybe the best I've had on a cruise and the medium-rare temp was perfect, the last night I ordered the same but it was basically raw, tough, cold and inedible. Definitely the biggest disappointment was the deserts. Unimaginative cakes, mouses, and pies were just plain tasteless. Ironically the "no sugar added" deserts were pretty flavorful and sweet. There were some notable exceptions, the Apple Blossom (apple pie) was great, the Key Lime pie didn't look like a Key Lime pie but the strong lime flavor was refreshing. The Coconut cookies were also a big hit. The MDR times for breakfast and lunch were so limited that we never could get there in time. The short buffet times were also annoying. They did have snack/light foods in the Solarium when the buffet was shut down. The room service menu was great for a cruise but came with a price, unlike most cruise lines. It was $8 plus %18 mandatory tip, then they ask for an additional tip when you sign the bill. Luckily the cost covers whatever you order. I ordered a burger and wings and it was good. For me, food is a big part of the cruise so I wouldn't eliminate RC in the future but I would have to really lower my expectations.

They had plenty of scheduled activities all day but most of that was trivia games. This Alaska cruise is where I really noticed a difference from our previous experience on an Alaskan cruise with Princess. Princess had daily lectures on ports, wildlife, etc, they had a Native Alaskan on board all cruise carving a totem pole and he would explain what he was doing, his people's history, etc while he carved. They invited local guests onboard like Native dancers, an Iditarod musher with puppies, Naturalists and Rangers with exhibits during the glacier viewing, special Alaskan dishes like reindeer chili. The onboard RC experience could have been the same for anywhere in the world other than some Alaskan merchandise for sale in the stores. I felt RC really was just lazy in preparing a quality experience for guests.

The shows were pretty good. The orchestra was top-notch. The big production was a Tango show with dancers and musicians from Argentina. They were very good. The show was all about the history of the Tango and its development in Argentina. The comedian Bruce Gold was clean enough and funny. Entertainment was on par.

No complaints really, they did a good job and kept things clean. I am sure many of them are still new and will only get better. I don't know how many tables the waiters had at dinner but a little slow on filling water and switched meals around the table a few times. When I hardly touched my Prime Rib, the waiter did not question if it was not acceptable. But overall great service. We were asked to fill out the survey and give a great review numerous times by staff which was getting annoying. Also giving us envelops in our room for extra tips above the mandatory tips was a surprise.

I know some of you will comment that I did not sail on the Oasis class, so I didn't get the full RC experience. I agree. I want to sail on the mega/glitzy RC ships someday but I truly love the smaller older ships as did many Loyal guests I talked to onboard. This ship is 22 years old but in near perfect shape. You had to look hard to find rust. I never saw a worn carpet, etc. Some have said the Radiance is showing its age, unless they are referring to 20-year-old design and decor, I challenge anyone to find something that needs repair. I loved that I could get to anywhere on the ship within 5 minutes even taking the stairs. Despite the poor food and lackluster activities, I may sail RC again just to take this class of ship.

We bought a Royal Upgrade from inside to balcony. Minimum bid was $200 pp. I bid $215 so for an extra $430 we got a nice large balcony. The room itself is the same size as an inside cabin. Great storage space, bathroom small but functional. No complaints.

All those going back-to-back waited in the theater. They gave us new cards then told to wait if we were going ashore. Then after 30 minutes announced "last call to go ashore". Not real organized but fine.