Radiance of the seas

It may be asserted confidently that in design concepts, the modern cruise liner is a clear generation or two away from the gentle old 1950s and -60s Orcades and Otranto. The Royal Caribbean liner GTV (Gas Turbine Vessel) Radiance of the Seas is typical of this new breed of luxurious behemoth that entered service in 1988, yet they have a planned life of only 25 years.

The 90,000 tons of Radiance of the Seas are dwarfed by the mountains around Sitka.

 Built in Palemburg, a small town of 40,000 people, 27 miles south of Emden, Germany, Radiance was completed in 2001, the lead ship of four in her class. Radiance displaces a whopping 90,000 tons, but she was by no means the biggest ship in a cosy group of four or five cruise liners recently playing leap frog up the Alaskan coast. One Holland American Line ship and another Princess liner overshadowed Radiance when they shared berths at one port or another. Freedom of the Seas presently holds the house displacement record at 160,000 tons.

Three super-liners gather in Juneau (left). The relatively small Radiance is in the stream. Six glass-sided lifts service 12 guest decks in Radiance‘s main amidships atrium.

Old cruise sailors will be pleased to know that Captains still try to educate passengers in the difference between a boat and a ship, and the Cruise Director still tries to get people up and out on deck playing sport. Instead of dodging soot in a single add-on swimming pool, Radiance has four large pools (one indoors). One outdoor pool has two big spas attached and another has a long water slide plus a tangle of other child-related gizmos. Radiance also sports a fully outfitted gym, a basketball/volleyball court, a mini-golf course, two billiard tables and even a three-deck rock climbing wall, to list just a few of the sports-related facilities that go with these ships.

“Guests”, not “passengers”

Instead of carrying 800 or so “passengers”, Radiance hosts no fewer than 2500 “guests”. This huge number presents inevitable problems getting people to and fro, especially when finely tuned programs change, to cope with a medical emergency, for instance. The larger number aboard plus the availability of helicopter support also makes it more likely that there will be a medical emergency. On the other hand, big numbers make alongside berths easier to obtain and shore tour managers vie for the attention of the bigger ships.

One minor disadvantage of mega-passenger ships is hanging around for specific tenders to go ashore (left). On the other hand, the cabins are luxurious.

The broadcast system remains basically unchanged. Voice quality is clearer, but only when the speaker uses clear English. One bridge circuit used by the captain blasts 80 decibels or more into every nook and cranny. Tour organiser babble can be almost constant sometimes in the tour-holding spaces, but it might only be an indistinct mumble in the cabins. To ensure the shore tender is not missed for a prepaid tour, passengers must therefore hang around a central area near the “Guest Relations” (read Purser’s) desk, with frequently nothing but each others’ laps or the floor to sit their sit-upons on.

Infomercials

Another feature that remains unchanged is the supercharged eagerness of the concessionaires to part passengers from their money. Some seminars are excellent, but a good percentage of the listed talks are poorly disguised infomercials. For instance, one session touted as an arthritis and pain update was merely a mumbo jumbo hard sell for an on board $200 plus “seaweed wrap” that had no hard data back up whatsoever. Maybe snake oil would be just as effective. Other items, like oil paintings and diamond bracelets might well be bargains at “$100 off for two, no tax”, but only an expert could be sure.

Another major difference is the choice and variety of eating venues. In Radiance, they range from the traditional first and second sittings in the main (two-storey) dining room to a similar-sized chef-manned cafeteria that offers an amazing variety of self-serve and order-to-taste dishes. There are also a host of nightclub and grill restaurants, some of which might charge an extra $20 or so a meal. Both food quality and food variety have improved considerably since the 1960s. Two nights a week, guests might break out the old black tie (optional suit) for formal dinners.

Luxury and comfort

There is no doubt that Radiance was built with luxury and comfort in mind. The 90,000-ton ship is 293 x 32 x 8.5 metres (962 x 106 x 28 feet). Nine passenger lifts serve her 12 guest decks. Two 34,000 hp General Electric LM2500 gas turbines (derived from those mounted on the ill-fated DC-10 aircraft) generate electricity to power two ABB azi-pods that drive five-bladed 5.5 metres diameter propellers. The soot-free exhaust gases from the main engines produce steam for another 12,850 hp of electricity. Two Alpha Laval 650 tons/day evaporators and a 350 tons/day Desal reverse osmosis desalination plant provide fresh water. Normal cruising speed at maximum gas turbine rpm is listed as 25 knots.

Gone are the days of wheel spanners and greasy overalls. Second Officer Monev administers the engines from remote monitor screens (left). One of the outdoor pools features a couple of spas and water slides.

Radiance reduces all waste water to a potable quality before discharging it overboard. Food waste is macerated and discharged at sea. Solid other waste is discharged via contractors ashore.

To assist berthing, the azi-pods rotate 360 degrees and these are backed up by three 2730 hp bow thrusters. Should full astern power be required at cruising speed, for instance in response to a man overboard, the pods are flicked to just 90 degrees, all in a few seconds. Any more deflection causes cavitation and is less efficient in stopping the ship. Radiance takes about one nautical mile to stop.

Two 18 square metre stabilisers extend 7.2 metres from the hull amidships and fold back into the hull for berthing. They keep the ship rock steady enough to allow billiards playing in a moderate swell. In the event of really rough weather, such as a hurricane, passengers are landed while the ship rides out the storm at sea.

The Radiance‘s engine room complement nowadays runs to about 80 personnel among the 900 crew aboard, with most of the engineers looking after the huge number of separate electrical systems. “Kettle watchers” are still required, but all the engine and other major systems are easily monitored by computer screens and push buttons located at one station, with essential duplicate controls in a damage control headquarters. The requirement to heat the boiler tubes and funnel uptakes slowly means that the main engines require about 20 minutes to flash up from cold to full power.

Floating dock

Radiance has a huge central open space in the ship, 13 decks high, with open balconies on three sides at nearly every deck level. Glass-sided lifts run up and down the fourth side, beside an artificial waterfall that spills out on to equally artificial life-sized palm trees and orchids below. This huge luxurious chrome and glass atrium looks as though it has potential to be a damage control nightmare, but it is protected by automatic and remotely actuated swing doors that can seal off the four large cabin access passages that run fore and aft on each deck from this space to the rest of the ship.

The ship had recently been dry-docked in Bermuda, using a mammoth floating dry-dock. She had her starboard propeller removed before repair to an azi-pod azimuth bearing.

No tug required

The ship either came alongside or anchored nearly every day on the Alaska cruise run, but tugs were irrelevant. Coming alongside looks relatively easy but it’s a very gradual process. Paint dries faster. It might take 20 minutes or so between the bow entering the berth area and the ship finally coming to rest alongside, even in nil wind. The three bow thrusters and the two swivelling main propellers allow the captain almost infinite manoeuvring capability, even in moderate wind, but the ship has considerable inertia and windage.

Philosophically, it’s great to know that the ship requires no tug for berthing or similar duties, but this raises another question. If big tugs are not required for berthing, where will the tugs come from when a ship breaks down at sea and requires towing?

Medevac chopper

One medical emergency requiring a helicopter lift off was an interesting manoeuvre. There is a designated helicopter area forward, and only a little time is required to de-rig the dress ship lines, a stump mast and even a radar aerial. The RCAF Merlin class medevac helicopter was not cleared to touch down, so a doctor and an assistant winched down while the chopper hovered above the big painted “H”. After a short period, probably enough for fellow medics to confer over a glass or two of medical stiffener, the chopper made another approach and picked up the patient and his escort. The whole evolution required a 100-mile backtrack and 30 minutes stopped for the helicopter to do its stuff.

Another irksome problem of a large passenger list is the increased probability of a medevac delay.

Good duty free prices seem a thing of the past on board. Bargains are constantly claimed, but the “save $100 for two” sale seems a little shaky when comparable goods can be purchased for similar prices ashore. Liquor seems to cost as much if not more aboard as it does ashore. In the dining rooms, corkage for privately supplied wine was an outlandish $25 a bottle.

As ever, cash is rarely seen at sea, except in the huge casino. Chits remain the chief method for recording debt, which is settled, along with inordinate “suggested” staff gratuities, as usual at the end of the voyage.

Be careful not to elect the “pre-paid gratuity” system when booking. This might be non-refundable and if alternative eating sites are preferred, the large food steward plus assistant food steward plus head waiter component might be wasted.

Security rears its ugly head nowadays every time a passenger leaves or rejoins the ship. On Radiance, a “SeaPass” plastic card with a magnetic strip not only opened cabin doors, but also triggered an automated ashore/aboard system when inserted into a gangway machine. Returning aboard, the SeaPass card swipe brings up the pass holder’s stored photograph for the gangway staff. Then, all packages are x-rayed and passengers pass through a metal detector before boarding.

Balconies versus portholes

No longer are portholes the prized cabin accessory. Any modern cruise ship worth her salt has deck upon deck of balcony-fitted cabins with sliding glass doors leading outside to a couple of chairs and a table. Be careful when booking that the expensive balcony does not open onto a blank wall of a lifeboat or other obstruction.  Radiance also has special cabins designed for the mobility handicapped. Wheelchair access is guaranteed throughout the shared passenger spaces, and this includes loading and unloading into 120-passenger tenders alongside.

Modern cruise ship travel is a highly organised and obviously lucrative business. The bigger ships are amazingly stable and comfortable. Expect luxurious cabins, restaurants and other services equivalent to at least four star hotel standards.