1st time on Royal Caribbean Cruise line

Item: Radiance of the Seas
Rating: 3.6
Author: fhamzik

Radiance of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

fhamzik

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 16, 2023

Ship: Radiance of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7094

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

The Royal Caribbean cruise line has the embarkation and debarkation time down way better than the other cruise lines I have been on. That is a big plus for them. We will have to try a newer RC ship to see if it is really worth all of the hype.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was fast and easy.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

This was our first time on Royal Caribbean cruise line. I was always told how good the food was. I found it ok to poor. I have cruise Norwegian, Princess and Carnival. I feel the food selection was ok but the quality of the food was sub par. Buffet hours were not the friendliest and getting ice cream was not convenient. I would have prefered to be on a Carnival ship where I can at least get a great burger at Guy's burger joint. I think it will be a while before I try Royal again.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

It was nice having a pickleball court on the ship but the lines were the same color as all of the other lines. Who does that? Tournaments were fun though. Ping pong table weren't completely inside but were placed in a less area affected by the wind. This was a plus.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

We missed the dueling pianos that are on the other cruise lines but did like the comedy shows.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

The staff was very friendly, especially the washy, washy young lady at the buffet. My wife would be asked if she wanted something to drink while at the pool and she would say a coke, only never to get it. Unless it was alcohol, just plan on getting it yourself.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

This is an older ship so it was out of date but clean. The layout of the ship was good but found it interesting that the gym was lower on the ship. I usually visit the gym a couple of times while on the ship, but only went through it to get to another part of the ship.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The size of the room and balcony were nice but the location was horrible. Unless you want to listen to music every night until midnight, DON'T get this room or any room close to the atrium.