The weather was not in our favor, but a great ship

Radiance is on its last year of Alaska cruising so a few items regarding that and then some general observations. Embarkation was pretty easy. While a bit of a maze to wind through Canada Place, it was quick and we were on board in 15 minutes. In our case, only 1 other small ship was in port so could vary if larger ships were there. We left earlier than departure time and were on our way. The sailing through the inside passage was amazing to experience. The next sea day was uneventful with mild chop as we left the protection of Vancouver island. The morning of the 3rd day was gorgeous and we got our first glimpse of Alaska snowy peaks. But it did not last. Before reaching Juneau we hit clouds and rain. It was off and on so excursions still ran. The next day in Icy Strait was overcast but the rain held off and Whale watching was terrific. We were told about 80% of the people that come here only go as far as the port area or on cruise excursions. We did a private whale watch with Glacier Winds and what a great tour. We also did the zip rider which the list price was expensive in our opinion but fortunately we had bought discounted tickets and it was fun to do. The clouds and rain stuck with us in Sitka where we did the typical tour things of the Raptor center and Bears. But we didn’t get to see any of the surrounding mountains. In Skagway, the clouds lifted a bit so we could at least see some snow and it did not rain so everyone had great excursions. We were lucky to dock where we could shuttle to town but on some sailings, you will have to tender to get there. Our departure time was early in the afternoon and got some nice views towards Haines. We ran into fog by early evening. The fog persisted in the morning and when we reached Hubbard, between the fog and the ice, the ship could not proceed far enough to see it. We had booked the Wilderness Explorer and it was able to get in close enough and Hubbard was impressive despite the cold and rain. It is a very expensive option but it well worth it I think even when the ship can get closer. For disembark, the sun finally came out and the views around Seward were amazing and made us sad we had missed much of this along the way. We had booked the cruise train to Anchorage and with clear skies it was great. They send your luggage ahead and it is already at the airport or, since we were staying in Anchorage, downtown at the Eagan Center. You can either pick it up right away or leave it until your flight or hotel is ready. This was pretty chaotic and air tags were a godsend in finding our bags. As far as the ship itself, it is a smaller one but a good size. There were rarely times where it felt like there were too many people. It also handled the occasional rough water well and more movement than the larger ships but not excessive. Seating in Windjammer was a bit challenging as on every ship but with overflow area outside it would have more room if it had been warmer. All of the venues had sufficient room for the activities they ran for the most part. The exception was the centrum which while impressive across the decks did not offer a lot of usable space compared to the promenade on larger ships. The one thing that sets it apart from the larger ships is the amount of windows. Almost all venues had views. Something we miss on the big ships where you can almost go all cruise without knowing you are at sea. We ate in both the MDR and specialty restaurants. The MDR is the same as always and the new menus are getting a bit old. Service was fine although the crew dancing seems a bit forced. Chops was nice and the staff friendly but eating your steak and seeing a whale would only happen on a few ships. Samba grill was good and interesting to try since it’s only on 2 ships. Chef’s table was nice in that it had a dedicated room rather than a section in the MDR as on other ships but being right next to Colony Club, our conversation was overshadowed by (bad) Karaoke. The cabin is pretty much the same as on many of the ships we sailed. Ample closet and storage space for us. Be sure you research for larger parties as a cabin down from us had a party of 4 and the bed arrangement did not work well for them. The shower with a curtain was okay but didn’t always contain the water but the bathroom floor was designed to handle that. There are 2 US and 2 European outlets which were more than we needed but none by the beds. We had a USB charging block and charged 2 power banks that we moved bedside at night to keep our phones nearby. Royal does not allow extension cords or multi-port outlets but we never needed one. A small annoyance was a motion night light that could not be turned off. It was bright enough to possibly disturb others when making a bathroom trip in the middle of the night. We had our own dimmer motion lights so we covered the sensor with a business card. Despite being old, our balcony door was the easiest to open of all of the ships we have been on. We spent as much time as we could on the balcony but it was the cold that drove us in. Our cabin attendant was amazing and one of the best we had and took very good care of us. The entertainment was good. With so much to see and do, we didn’t do as many shows this time. The 2 headliners, Mark Preston and Randy Cabral were great (even though we had seen Randy on another ship). Comments we got were mixed on the production shows. You either love them or you don’t. The captain was very informative and I thought a bit more visible at events than on some of the other ships we have been on and even held a captains talk where he and hotel manager took questions.

Happy bday cruise!

This was my 7th cruise and perhaps most enjoyable. We found the staff to be very professional as well as friendly.Nico and Norman were our waitstaff and so accommodating to our desires. Joseph and Philip in the Quill and Compass bar were like Tom Cruise in Cocktail. All the dining coices were so well prepared from the main dining room to the pizza salad and hot dog shop. I even needed an extension cord and was provided with one in a matter of minutes. The main purpose of this cruise was my wifes bday which she was treated like royalty by the staff and Captain. After using other cruise lines Royal Caribbean was superior to them. Every day was a relaxing but fun filled adventure. We had zero issues and will continue to use Royal Caribbean as our line of choice. Thank you for a great time on th high seas.

Great Experience

The ship was very clean. Everyone was hospitable. The guests were very nice. Clean rooms. Comfortable beds. Food was delicious. Staff was amazing and fun. The excursions were very interesting and entertaining. I learned a lot about Honduras and Belize. I loved playing with the dolphins and being able to touch and learn about the manatees. I wish the windows were cleaner so you could see out them. The lady dancing and singing with us at the Wyndjammer was so much fun. The staff was very pleasant. The housekeeping made animals out of our towels. Today was a monkey. So cute. Dinner was great. I would recommend reserving a time or you will have to wait in a line every night. They have 2 pools one for family and everyone and the Solinium is for Adults. Make sure you bring cash lots of tipping. Also make sure you understand about the gratuity on the ship.

Great small ship

The cabin attendant was an experienced one. We told him we were early risers and put out a sign that we were out of our cabin. It was cleaned by the time we came back from breakfast. He did it as the first cabin. The dinning room waiter and assistant waiter learned our routine after the first night. My wife asked about turkey dinner as none was shown on the app. The assistant waiter said it was being served on the last night. Several days later she said that she still hadn't seen on the menus. The ass't waiter said he would take care of that. On Friday the posted menu showed turkey dinner and the app shortly after also showed it. The ship was well maintained. While waiting for departure they had crew in two lifts working on removing rust from the side of the ships. By the time we departed most of the rust was now gone.