This was our first trip on a Radiance Class ship and we enjoyed it very much! Some of the bars and public areas are beautifully designed and decorated while others are a little dated. The ship has all of your favorites specialty restaurants, most of your favorite activities, and the staff and crew were fantastic as always. We grew to really like the Centrum design and enjoyed many bands and performers from this central point on the ship. Diamond members might be a little disappointed in the Diamond lounge as it was often at full capacity and the coffee machine was out of order most of the trip.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation in Vancouver was quick and easy. We arrived about an hour after our scheduled time due to a flight delay but had plenty of time to enjoy the Key lunch.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
No complaints at all. I've been trying some of the new dishes since they changed up the menu this past year and have really enjoyed many of the them!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Only complaint is not enough hot tubs for the amount of passengers. But we knew this going in since it's an older ship. Still, would have preferred more hot tubs.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The bands and performers around the ship were excellent. The production shows were pretty good as well. Overall I think 4 stars is about right.
Children's Programs
No children on this cruise
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We actually discussed this with some other frequent cruisers during breakfast. It seems like the Royal Caribbean staff really goes above and beyond to make the guest experience a special one. We had many service and staff members addressing us by name by the second or 3rd day aboard.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It's an older design but we grew to really like the Centrum experience by the end of the cruise. There are clearly some maintenance issues affecting the ship, but overall the ship is very clean and if it weren't for some of the dated fabrics and design elements you'd never guess it's age.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Only complaint about the cabin was the shower. The newer ships have a door enclosure and this one has a curtain, so the floor ended up wet just about every time. The room size is just right for two people although I think this was is designed for up to three. It would be crowded with three in the room and there is limited closet space. The bed also sits a little lower so luggage had to be stored in the closet instead of under the bed.
Ship tip
Be sure to explore the upper decks! There are lots of little of the way places to sit, tan, socialize.
We rented bikes just outside the cruise ship port area and went on a mostly flat 6 mile bike round. There are specially designated bike lines near the Inner Harbor which makes getting around pretty safe. We got a map from the bike rental place and explored on our own. So much fun!
Not a lot to do in Astoria and it was raining on this day. Since it was raining the public trolley wasn't in operation so we walked. And walked. And walked.
Too far from most of LA to do anything on our own. We walked over to the USS Iowa and did the self-guided tour. Pretty cool. then got back on the ship. Would have preferred Ensenada or Catalina over this port.
First time stopping her by cruise ship and loved every minute! The staff needs some refresher training in how the tendering process works. There seemed to be a lot of confusion on just getting people on and off the ship and the announcements were limited and not very helpful. Other than that, great port, beautiful city, and they seem to be very interested in expanding the cruise ship business as we saw several surveys taking place.
Embarkation was delayed due to fog as we were approaching the port. That, along with general misdirection from the staff around where to go and where the lines were supposed to be made the disembarkation process pretty frustrating. As Key passengers were got no priority in getting off the ship which was disappointing because that was one of the reasons we upgraded to the Key knowing we had an 11:15 flight to catch. Few announcements over the PA as well left passengers unsure of where to go and when. The crew did little to make it any less confusing.
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