Cruising north through the Inside Passage was one of the most magical experiences I've ever had. The beauty of the snow covered mountains that surrounded us was unsurpassed and experiencing all of the aquatic wildlife was unforgettable. Radiance of the Seas was a very enjoyable way to experience Alaska and, I've determined that my "perfect cruise/Alaska vacation" would now be: 7 days northbound from Vancouver to Seward, 14 days in Alaska - Seward, Homer, Anchorage, etc., then 7 days southbound from Seward back to Vancouver. But, don't forget to pack that wallet and some backup credit cards!!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Royal Caribbean embarkation was multi-level but still much easier & quicker than Carnival experiences.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Main dining room was excellent. Great quality food with numerous options. Buffets were plentiful with many options available for food restricted guests. Surprised there wasn't a great pizza offering regularly but when available it was delicious.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools were warm after the second day. Hot tubs were covered and readily available. Music availability was decent and the showband, Vybes 4 were AWESOME! Fancy pool tables didn't work at all (or at least they weren't working the six times we tried to play...) Movies on the big screen at the pool were nice.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Bill Cook the magician/comedian was Amazing! (He made me say that...!) So was the other comedian, Alvin Williams. Unfortunately his show was very short. The musical performances in the Aurora Theatre were okay/a little messy but the small music performers like Mikhail the cocktail piano man, Extravaganza Duo - guitar/violin combo, and Vybes 4 showband were excellent.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent service from our room steward, head and assistant waiters - Socorro and Prakash, dining room supervisor and every single other person I encountered on Radiance of the Seas EXCEPT that the guest services/excursion desk is SERIOUSLY understaffed. One-two representatives to handle a ship full of passengers is ridiculous!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Radiance of the Seas is a beautiful ship with so many awesome features but it does show its age with water damage around some of the windows of the Colony Club and peeling laminate wood trim along those windows.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin 7168 is a balcony cabin. We freaking loved this cabin! We had an extended balcony and were traveling with our adult daughters who had the adjoining room next door, also with an extended balcony. Our balconies were double the size of the regular, small ones and held two chairs, a table and a chaise lounge. We spent almost as much time out there as on deck because it was absolutely perfect the entire cruise. Bottle of champagne and cheese plate while cruising by a small pod of orcas? Check! Mimosas and pastries while admiring the Hubbard glacier? Check!! Even sunbathing was awesome on the balcony because the sun shines until very late in the evening keeping it warm as toast! The only thing some might consider a downside to cabins 7168 & 7166 is that the stage for the Colony Club is directly underneath and you can definitely rock along with whatever band is playing that night. Fortunately the shows are usually 45 minutes long and end by 11:30 pm. We actually missed the vibrations the evening our favorite band took the night off beneath us and didn't sleep as well! Our cabin steward, Prihanto, was excellent also!
Ship tip
My biggest piece of advice is "get a room with a balcony if you can possibly do it!" Doesn't matter which side of the ship. Inside passage cruising has interesting land/water on both sides of the ship and you will see AMAZING things!
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and yet inaccessible by road. That should say a lot. The downtown was really a cruise-run strip of stores but once you get past that, the Juneau people are some of the nicest folks we encountered. Mendenhall Glacier is an absolute MUST DO! There are plenty of tours available once you get to Juneau but all you really need is transportation to and from the glacier. The site itself is free.
Icy Strait Point is "the cruise line's 'private island' experience" on an Alaskan cruise. We went whale watching here with a local group but book your tours early for this port because availability was definitely limited. The zipline is billed as the largest and longest and, quite frankly, looked a little terrifying as it zooms from the top of the mountain downward toward the sea.
We enjoyed strolling around town in Sitka, enjoyed lunch at a local brewery and hiked through the totem park. Overall it is a beautiful, perfect, little town.
In Skagway we hiked the Lower Dewey Lake trail on the advice of locals. When they say "there's a little (500ft) incline" they fail to mention that it's up and down that 500 feet a couple times over the course of the three mile trail. It is a breathtaking hike (both because it was exhausting AND provided gorgeous scenery) and we all agreed that we would absolutely do it again but we were not prepared for the strenuousness of it. Loved lunch and drinks at the Red Onion Saloon! Overall the town was really cool.
This was only a cruise-by visit for us although the ship did offer excursions to go closer. According to the Captain, we sat in the harbor about 4 miles from the glacier (although it felt like we were much closer than that) and the ship rotated several times so that everyone could get great views. We enjoyed the entire two and a half hours on our balcony with mimosas and pastries from the buffet. It was absolutely a wonder to behold and mind blowing to think it's over 75 miles long.
We disembarked in Seward and stayed there for two additional nights. Seward is the perfect port town. It is surrounded by snow covered mountains and natural beauty and hiking trails are abundant and easy to get onto, almost in the middle of town. The locals are wonderful, the food is great (expensive...) and the beer was delicious too. Walking along the waterfront and hanging out on the rocks was a daily occurrence. We hiked the Exit Glacier Overlook trail and Two Lakes trail and enjoyed both. Exit Glacier's retreat was (sadly) well marked. Alaska Railroad is located here and is the perfect way to get to Anchorage!!
Thank you for your insights! I have been wanting to plan for an Alaskan cruise for a long time and your review has piqued my curiosity and desire to go there… 😁
Just the review I was looking for. Thank you so much. I'm taking this ship up and back in September and learned some good tips. Taking inside cabin though. Did the balcony last time and it was good but not worth more than double the cost. I would rather view on deck anyway, where you can see the glaciers well the whole time rather than the short time it is in front of you as the ship rotates.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
