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Item: Radiance of the Seas
Rating: 5
Author: cruiselife1234

Radiance of the Seas Cruise Review to Alaska - Gulf of Alaska

cruiselife1234

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 58

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Hubbard Glacier Southbound (Seward To Vancouver)

Sail date: June 21, 2019

Ship: Radiance of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Despite the age and size of this ship it was one of my most favorite cruises. The Alaska itineraries and the fabulous ship created this wonderful experience. The smaller size of the ship was a plus: getting around to various venues was fast and easy, ship never felt crowded, more personalized interactions with crew members. Overall Radiance is a wonderful ship - I would definitely sail on again!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Shortest embarkation of any cruise. Had pre-cruise bus transfer from Anchorage to Seward. About 10 minutes from the time we got off the bus to the time we were onboard the ship. No sitting around in the Seward terminal at all. Totally painless embarkation!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The Windjammer was outstanding. The food was varied and excellent. The decor was upscale for a buffet. The food “stations” were so much better than the cafeteria style lines on other ships. Themed dinner nights were great too!

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Adult Karaoke was a blast. Musical trivia was awesome with Isaac from the Cruise Director’s Staff.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Entire staff were friendly! The cruise director staff was the most interactive I’ve ever seen. The 70’s theme party was AMAZING. The Village People got the crowd so pumped! Especially loved Isaac from Spain - “Talk to the Fan!” - he was so much fun. Rockin’ with the Captain was so much fun - Captain Marek Slaby was a rock star singing Bon Jovi!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Layout of the ship was great. I love the small size - makes getting places fast and easy. Didn’t take anytime to get a handle on where everything was located. Loved the days of the week on the floor of the elevators. Despite the age of the ship I thought it was in great condition - always clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Balcony cabin was spacious with lots of storage. Check out the side mirrors at the vanity in the room - there is hidden storage behind both mirrors. Bathroom was slightly smaller than on newer ships but it was adequate. Had a shower curtain but since it was on a curved track, there was no “clinging” problem. Plenty of hangers and shelf space. Location of cabin was perfect - situated close to elevators. I was afraid that since the cabin was located above the casino that it would be noisy - but we didn’t hear anything. The room was silent. Would definitely book this cabin again. Truly enjoyed having a balcony for the magnificent views and spectacular scenery.

Ship tip

Don’t let the age and size of this ship discourage you. This was one of my favorite cruises. The food was outstanding, the cabin was perfect, the staff was wonderful.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Seward (Anchorage), Alaska

5 out of 5

Cruise Hubbard Glacier

5 out of 5

Prepare for a cold day - it was windy and spitting rain. But it did clear up. We were able to get within 1/2 mile of the Glacier. It was amazing - we heard the “white thunder”!

Thumbs Up 2

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5

Did a Royal Caribbean whale watching excursion. We saw lots of humpback whales, seals, eagles and even sea otters which are unusual in this area. Fantastic weather - sunny and clear and warm.

Thumbs Up 6

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5

Most picturesque town! Such a fun place to walk around. Definitely take the White Pass and Yukon railway excursion. Spectacular scenery. Make sure you buy the White Pass cap that can only be bought onboard the train.

Thumbs Up 5

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

5 out of 5

Royal Caribbean Whale Watching excursion. Saw lots of humpback whales and even a couple of Orca whales off in the distance.

Thumbs Up 2

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Another picturesque town. Fun shopping downtown. Royal Caribbean Ketchikan cultural discovery tour was really neat and educational.

Thumbs Up 5

Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska

5 out of 5

Beautiful and breathtaking scenery from everywhere on the ship. Truly enjoyed having a balcony for this reason.

Thumbs Up 1

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

5 out of 5

What a beautiful city - nestled among mountains. We did the Sea to Sky excursion through Royal Caribbean. The gondola ride up the mountain was spectacular.

Thumbs Up 2

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Very quick and easy and organized.

Traveler Photos

4 Comments

cruiselife1234 5 years ago

GDS55 Thanks for the compliment! Wish I’d had a larger lens though.

Thumbs Up 0

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cruiselife1234 5 years ago

@angiep we actually were brave or stupid to fly in the day of the cruise! We booked the bus transfer from the Anchorage airport to Seward through Royal Caribbean. It took about 2 1/2-3 hours to get to Seward. But the bus ride was a tour itself! Unfortunately we did not do anything pre-cruise. Next time I’d love to do a few days in Denali.

Thumbs Up 0

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angiep 5 years ago

Wonderful, helpful review! Did you do anything precruise in Anchorage/Seward? Was your transfer to the ship via hotel, or how did you arrange that?

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GDS55 5 years ago

Great review, and your pictures are awesome!

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