Radiance of the Seas - 8 Night Alaskan Glacier (Vancouver round trip) ~ [our 11th cruise in 12 months] - Radiance Class views, big ship service with a neighborly less crowded pace and feel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️cruise and ship and service (bad port to sail from)
You will not need to pack your heavy coat, gloves, wool hats or scarves May15-August 15th! Alaska is gorgeous everywhere. Royal is good. Radiance is lovely and clean. Service perfect. Fine food. Itinerary wonderful. one thing though: If it is not too late (and you are not Canadian) change your plan to cruise from Seattle. Vancouver is a bad port to sail from for non-Canadians (very strict border policies & overly-listless security, inadequate waiting areas, no seating). We will cruise to Alaska any day, but never again from VC, BC.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Embarkation was bad. Because we are staying in a Balcony (non-suite) Room, we purchased 'The Key', a simple way to bundle many of the suite amenities (for when you are not booked in a Suite).
In theory: Among these purchased perks are a smooth, expedited, line-skipping embarkation and easier (priority) onboarding process.
"The Key takes 75% of the stress out of E-Day!" they say. You get to board early, right?! You get to drop off your carryon bags for room delivery, so you can enjoy a special welcome lunch in the main dining room (or Chops Grill on some sailings), at least in theory...
In reality: This port is the first one (in 10) we have experienced where none of this is true! Horrible long lines, no short line to get into, no priority treatment or early access provided in any way. In spite of arriving an hour early for our assigned boarding time of 11:30am, I find myself standing there past noon and at least an hour yet to go from remotely sniffing the gangway to board. I am realizing that we are missing our special KEY E-Day lunch... we are tired, stressed, crowded, and hungry... standing 3 hours is hard, no help from KEY despite the expense... all we can do now is ask for a refund... hope to report back on this process later.
Upon reflection, many of these issues are Customs, Security, and Port Authority inefficiencies, not necessarily any responsibility of Royal's.
No one likes to be made to stand for hours in crowded lines.
As hour four begins, it is difficult to express my feelings of how inconvenient and uncomfortable this whole process has been and still is today.
Simply put:
Vancouver just made the short list (right next to New Orleans) of ports we will NEVER ever cruise into or out of (cruising through it is still ok).
I would pay way more than The Key costs, if I could go back in time and change my Alaska cruise to a Seattle roundtrip!
not ship or cruise line's fault (captain even apologized), but Vancouver port authority is horribly inefficient and unpleasant in every way, which is a real shame, because the airport is the most clean, well-run, pleasant I have ever been in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Outstanding food and beverages performance at all venues all the time.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
One of the elevators was out half the cruise which increased everyone's waiting time by 20%. Things felt more crowded than usual on this cruise.
Let's be honest, this ship has major wifi performance issues. The TV even freezes and goes out regularly. Wifi works in most common areas and has failures and freezes in most cabins.
Casino needs another couple of waiters/servers. Was only offered a drink twice in 8 days and 10,000+ points earned playing high limit slots. Entire sections of slots were shut down. Disappointing casino payout ratio overall.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Nothing appealed to me but the juggler and I had seen him in January... so not excited about shows, but then... my wife dragged me to City of Dreams show and I got my socks knocked off. I am not even sure what I saw, as it was intentionally surreal and dreamy, almost a stream of consciousness or unconscious as it is in dreams. I wanted to keep my seat and watch it all again in the later performance. Great show that reminded me to keep an open mind and to go to the shows even when I doubt I will like them. Remember to try all the flavors in life, it may just surprise you and update your favorites list.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Perfect staff experience. Kudos to crew and officers and staff on Radiance. Great waiters, great stewards, and great guest relations peeps.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Perfectly clean, totally healthy, and well thought out design.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
great views from balcony...
but please note cabin location as this one was within speaker's distance of the Centrum, the loudest spot on the ship til about 11:30 every night.
Did not bother us, we even cracked our door on latin salsa and full jazz orchestra nights, but I could see how it could bother light sleepers or non music fans.
Ship tip
If it is just one cabin down, please just use the stairs downhill. If it is up at all or down two or more decks, please note that there are a limited number of elevators, so you will have a few frustrating waits. Note: Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you. Do not let one bad Embarkation Day or a few impatience moments or maddeningly-bad wifi connection ruin what has ended up being THE vacation of our very lives. Book excursions in advance for all four port days, save up to 25% if you watch for sales. Life is for the living! Live it up with no regrets. P S You are not in the "cool cruise club" until you cruise to Alaska! Also, do not sleep on the cruise day called Hubbard Glacier Cruising. The is no Sea Day! No, this is an onboard excursion, on any viewing deck, all afternoon long! Get where you can see the glacier! Take pictures and selfies and videos.
As previously stated, we will never again cruise to or from this VC BC port, due to mismanagement and inefficiency and lazy laughing/relaxing/chilling-out port security (who should be working hard to get people through safely).
too many bad things to say about this port, so please read my E-Day experience on that page of my review.
Quaint little village.
Excursions: Goldbelt Tram & then the White Pass Railway Adventure and Motor Coach Tour
Tram was fantastic with great views at top including information and film at top with Native interpretation.
As far as the White Pass Railway Adventure and Motor Coach Tour goes, well...
Don't even go to Alaska if you are not going to do this! Best excursion we have ever done, by far! wow!
NOT A SEA DAY, a free viewing excursion on board day.
Wow! Captain sailed us right up to the glacier and turned around many times.
Good to have a balcony. There is no wrong side on an Alaskan cruise. However, anyone onboard could find a favorite spot for a stunning view day.
Absolutely wonderful and beautiful and friendly.
Excursion: Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Phenomenally gorgeous.
Great botanical gardens with upside down tree planters! Then a glacier park with trails and viewing stands for MG and for waterfalls.
Our personal favorite, this is the wildest port, meaning you have a greater chance of success on wildlife tours from this port than others.
Excursion we did was called: Wilderness Exploration & Crab Feast
Face to face wild sea lion encounter!
Delicious crabs all you can eat!
Great views and good info about sustainable fishing and crabbing
Fun port, great views!
Excursions: Whale & Marine Mammals Cruise
followed by
SKYGLiDER Gondola to Sky Peak
We saw whales!!!
We went to the very top of a mountain!
Smooth as silk D-Day experience. Hard to believe, considering we had such a bad E-Day. I guess you never know...
one note of advice, those excursions that some people take on D-Day that end up at the airport are ONLY for people flying out 6:30pm or later due to international flights and customs rules (3pm or later is the general guideline at almost all other ports, but not this one).
Wow! What a wonderful review Mark! Thank you for the details, the great tips, and for sharing your beautiful pictures! I will be cruising in September 8th and I can’t wait to be on board. It will be my first Alaska cruise. I won’t let E-Day in Vancouver ruin it 😂🤣😂. Thanks to your comments, I will be prepared for the worse and hope for the best, hehe.. I wonder if arriving very early or very late might help.. In the Miami port, peak time is 10:30am to 1pm and it is very chaotic.
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