11/14/2022
First of all, I want to thank all the MotleyCru2 members for another great trip. We had a few new joiners and they just fit right in with our happy little bunch. We always have a lot of fun, loads of laughs, and make dozens of new memories!
Radiance of the Seas - 14 night Panama Canal Transit. Our group of 20 embarked on the latest adventure on Oct 20th from Los Angeles. Our first port, Puerto Vallarta, was in the midst of a Typhoon and had closed their port, so we spent a few extra days at sea avoiding the bad weather. The weather was perfect, little or no motion on the ocean, so we were fine with it.
Our second port was Huatulco Mexico. A lovely little city with nice people, tasty restaurants, and perfect weather. We all enjoyed our visit and have added it to our list of places we would go back to on a land trip.
Costa Rica - always a favorite stop! The majority went on a custom tour with my local tour guide Gabriel to view the countryside and walk across the hanging bridges. He always gives great tours and is very well spoken and knowledgeable about all things 'Costa Rica'. My sister and I don't do heights, so we embarked on a tour to see the birds, monkeys, etc. at a rehabilitation center. Very interesting to see all the beautiful colorful birds and other wildlife from the area.
We crossed the Panama Canal in about 8 hours and saw the new locks. The whole process still amazes me even though we have been thru it a few times - the engineering used over 100 years ago is still in use today and opened trade for the entire world.
Next stop, Cartagena, Columbia. Was very warm and humid during our stop. A beautiful city full of art and history, and of course, emeralds. Since our last visit, the street vendors have increased in both numbers and bad manners. Without their constant nagging and not taking 'no thank you' for an answer, it would be a great port.
As luck would have it, after crossing the canal, we encounter still another hurricane, Hurricane Lisa in the Caribbean. Again the captain managed to skirt the bad weather and rocky seas and get us safely to New Orleans where we all spent a few days in the Big Easy at the Blake Hotel.
The Ship: Radiance of the Seas is an older ship, launched in 2001 initially and refurbished in 2016. Capacity of just over 2,000 it is one of the smaller ships currently on the seas. It is easy to navigate, well laid out, and offers multiple dining options.
However, Radiance is in dire need of refurbishment. Worn carpets, furniture, and features are outdated. In fairness to the crew, they were only 60% staffed and are working long hours every day. The service clearly reflected that thru no fault of the staff.
The lounge entertainment was perhaps the poorest I have ever experienced. The theater productions were fair and scarce. We always look forward to the shows and lounge entertainment and were very disappointed.
Oct 31 was a fun day - there was a parade for everyone in costume. Most of our group 'dressed' for the occasion. There were many cute costumes and we all had fun with the festivities.
Food - ah yes, food! The buffet was somewhat bland and most often cold. Some items were very good of course, but the salad bar was lackluster and had limited items available to create your salad. Soups were generally good, tasty, and hot. The Dog House had good hot dogs, brats, sausages, etc. but no chips or fries. Main Dining Room - dissappointing. You often had to wait an hour for seating if you were not on the assigned seating schedule. The service was very slow due to lack of staff. They tried hard, but over 2 hours for dinner after waiting a long time was not appealing. The food was good, but again often not hot. The most disappointing menu item across both the buffet and main dining room were the desserts. Basic, boring, and not tasty.
Specialty Restaurants. We had lunch in the Italian Restaurant, Giovonni's @ $26/per person. It was very good, warm, tasty, and well presented. Service was very good (few guests at the day and time we chose). We have previously eaten in Giovonni's on other RCCL ships and know that dinner is way too much food so having lunch with most of the same food choices was not only half the cost, but gave you the rest of the day to 'take it all in'. We also had dinner in their Brazilian restaurant, Samba's. It was very good, mostly beef choices, but some lamb and pork. Again, however, the salad bar was lacking in choices, and there were no accompaniments such as vegetables, potatoes, or rice served with the meat. If you aren't a meat lover, it would not be a good choice.
Service was very good.
Internet Service. They offer VOOM which is advertised to be the best internet at sea, and an app for your phone which has the daily planners, dining times, etc. VOOM is pricey ($250+ for 2 weeks) and works perhaps 35% of the time. Connection was very undependable. The app was also very spotty and not dependable. Lots of room for improvement before they claim to be the best at sea.
Diamond Club and Concierge Club - for Diamond guests & Suite guests, nice hideaways with tasty morsels in the early evening. Drawback in Diamond Club was the size - too small, not enough seating. Good idea, nice amenity, rethink location and layout maybe.
Cabins. The balcony cabins on the Radiance are well sized and have plenty of storage and closet space. Beds were comfortable. Furniture a bit tired, in need of rehab, but serviceable. Bathrooms - terrible! Showers had a curtain, not doors, and were approximately 28-30" wide. Not conducive to shaving legs or washing feet at all. If you were a large or extra large sized man, or a size 14+ woman, it was a challenge. The refrigerators need complete redo - they didn't really seem to keep anything COLD, we were told they were coolers, not refrigerators.
We had a junior suite, and the bathroom was very nice, had a full sized tub with shower, and ample space to move in the bathroom.
The walk in closet was very ample. We enjoyed the suite space and the deck, most of all the bathroom!
Having sailed on several RCCL ships, this was disappointing. They seem to be going the way of a competitor 'nickle and diming' you at every turn with vastly overpriced drinks (Mango Daquiri with a double shot of rum - $33), add ons, and cutbacks on service and conveniences.
While I will continue to book families on many RCCL ships for the amenities they offer for the kids, I will cautiously book my older clients (60+) on the older RCCL ships that haven't been in dry dock for 2-3 years.
On to our next adventure for the MotleyCru2 - perhaps Bali in Jan 2024! or Iceland & Brugge in 2023!
