Radiance of the Seas March 19-26 2006 Seminar at Sea
Flights – We flew USAir non-stop from Philadelphia to Miami. Following my own advice I arrived at the airport in plenty of time (1 ½ hrs before our flight). Our flight was a bit delayed. We arrived in Miami at 10:30 am and patiently waited for our luggage. After ½ hr we went to file a complaint with the lost luggage desk only to find out our luggage had not be loaded on our plane. They assured us it would be on the next plane and it would arrive at 1pm. They apologized and gave us a $20 food voucher. We returned to baggage claim at 1pm and there was no sign of our luggage. We made the decision that if our luggage did not arrive by 2pm we would take a taxi to the closest Kmart or Wal-Mart and get the essentials. At 1:55pm our luggage finally arrived and we headed for the ship!
Check-in was very quick, not sure if it was because of the set sail pass or because we were very late.
Ship - The ship is beautiful and in good shape. We only noticed one area (some chairs in Windjammer were worn) that showed some wear and tear. I really like all the glass and open areas. The solarium is my favorite spot on the ship. The nicely padded lounge chairs, whirlpool, adult only area and the pizza restaurant make it a great place to relax.
Cabin - Our cabin was a category H outside in the front of the ship. I was a bit concerned since I do get sea sick on occasion. For the most part we had very calm seas and did notice much motion with one exception. While leaving Cozumel the winds really picked up and we were rocking and rolling pretty well. As with all ships the cabin was compact but had lots of storage. Since we were in the part of the ship where the bow narrows our closet was a bit too narrow for our hangers. On the flip side the window was a bit inset and offered a ledge which was a good place to put bathing suits to dry.
Cabin Steward - We had some problems with our cabin steward that really surprised me. The 1st night of the cruise he did not turn down our beds or put the compass in our cabin. When I questioned him the next day he said he just forgot. Our medicine cabinet was also very dirty and I had to clean it before I unpacked. On a few other occasions he forgot to give us pool/beach towels, he never too the spreads off our beds and generally was not very attentive. On the other hand he made great towel animals!
Waiter and Assistant Waitress - Adonis and Desiree were wonderful. They had a great personality and were very attentive. It is always a pleasure to get to know the staff, I am amazed at how hard they work and still manage to keep a smile on their face.
Head Waiter – Our head waiter was very nice. He made sure to stop by every night to see that our meal was okay. He also helped us decide which dinner to skip when we decided to try the alternative dining.
Main Dining Food – The food was very good. The menu was diverse and it was at times difficult to choose. Since I was on a diet when I arrived (okay I strayed) I picked from their healthy meal selections. I did not feel deprived in the least. They offered entrees such as herb crusted halibut, chicken marsala, and of course lobster tail. I tried a lot of the sugar free deserts. They were all quite good and left me feeling satisfied. We ate lunch in the main dining room on the last day at sea. The calamari were very tender and the Thai chicken lettuce wrap was delicious. The chocolate cream brulee tasted good but did not have the crisp sugar top that I like. We at in the main dining room for breakfast one day and I had my favorite eggs benedict. The service was very good and the variety excellent.
Windjammer Buffet - Great breakfast buffet, lots of choices from made to order eggs (and egg white omelet) to pancakes, fruit, cereal, etc. We ate in Windjammer for dinner on the last night and it was pretty good. They had made to order pasta and Mongolian barbeque. We stopped by the dining room after to give out our tips and I took a look at the menu. We didn’t miss much. The deserts and salads were almost identical. We just couldn’t eat so late again.
Seaview - Tucked away in the back of the ship on deck 12 is the Seaview Café. This is a no fee snack bar with indoor and outdoor seating. They offer everything from Nathan’s hot dogs to blackened grouper caesar salad. The onion rings were fantastic and the best part is they are open till 1am, just incase you didn’t get enough to eat!
Portofinos - We decided to try the alternative dining Italian style and miss the Caribbean night. The food and service were wonderful. It was really worth the $20 per person cover charge. I had a wonderful filet mignon that was cooked just right (okay so I sent it back once). The calamari was delicious as were the deserts. They offered a fantastic desert sampler that let you try small portions of their desert offerings.
Entertainment - The entertainment was wonderful. The highlights were the Drifters, Bobby Arvon (wrote Happy Days theme) and Santino. I like the entertainment so much I bought 2 CD’s. Santino was so great he had a following and packed the lounges where he performed. My favorite Santino performance was in the Centrum lobby. Every balcony overlooking the Centrum was packed with people. Bobby Arvon was great because not only could he still sing but he did impressions of other singers performing his hit Happy Day’s theme. The Radiance Orchestra was wonderful and the singers and dancers were very good. My only negative was that the production show was a bit boring and not as exciting as I have seen on previous trips.
Ports
Labadee Private Island – We were on the 1st tender and were greeted by several of the local beach staff that walked us to our choice of beach and provided beach chairs. Tipping is not mandatory but seemed to be appreciated. The beach is very nice and the snorkeling is okay (not great). There were lots of bathroom facilities and it was very clean even after the beach was full. There were lots of bar waiters and several bars around. The lunch was very good. It was setup as a buffet with a choice of hot dogs, hamburgers, baked chicken, ribs, assorted salads, fresh fruit and of course desert. There were two things that left me feeling uncomfortable, the vendors market and the UN helicopters flying over head. The market was like running the gauntlet. They were very aggressive. Since they are I assume invited to participate in the market someone should let them know that their tactics are counter productive. If I had not felt so uncomfortable I would have spent more time and bought some gifts. I understand that this is a very poor country and their culture is very different from ours but the aggressive sales tactics is very unpleasant. The UN helicopters can’t be avoided but they were a sad reminder of the hardships the locals live with everyday.
Ocho Rios Jamaica - I think Ocho Rios gets a bad rap. I thought the people were very friendly. The port was clean and there were lots of shops around. We hired a driver for a hotel inspection tour and visited. Starfish Trelawny, Breezes Runaway Bay and Grand Lido Braco.
Grand Cayman - My favorite port if only for the snorkeling. After our hotel tours we went to Eden Rock Dive Shop and rented a locker for $5. The snorkeling was great. I saw several fish I had never seen before and the water was crystal clear.
Cozumel - We had to tender here since the pier was still damaged from the hurricane. Jeanne had arranged for us to get day passes at the Occidental Grand hotel. The hotel itself is in good shape but the vegetation is a mess. What was once a garden view is now an ocean view. We had lunch at the buffet and it was very good. The drinks were also good and plentiful. I did snorkel for a few minutes but the weather did not cooperate and the water was very murky. After about 2 minutes I found a very big conch shell and decided that was about all I would be able to see. We then toured the hotel. The rooms are very spacious and nicely appointed. I would absolutely recommend the Royal Club if only to dine in their restaurant. The menu looked great.
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