Radiance OTS Alaskan Cruise Review, 5/27/16-6/3/16

[barbeyg]

Impressions of the Radiance:

 

 

Arrival: We drove to the port, as I mentioned. Had no trouble locating the ship, drove over in front of it and immediately saw where the luggage drop was. Pulled up to the container and was unloaded in no time. Tipped the guys and our luggage ended up in our cabin within 2 hours. Fastest I've ever gotten it!

 

After Hertz dropped us back at the terminal, we walked in, and someone was there to direct us to the correct line. We had our Sea Pass cards within 5 minutes, walked thru security and were on the ship. Everyone was polite and smiling, and the photographers didn't push it when we said no to pics. The lady checking us in at desk told us to keep our passports out, guy at security told us to put them away, then on the ship they asked us for us to pull them again. When they asked if the desk told us to keep the out, I explained where the breakdown was, and they radioed to security to get it straightened out.

 

We were there about 20 minutes before 1:00, when the cabins were to be ready, and took the elevator up to deck 9 to wait. When the announcement was made, we went to drop our carry on belongings in the cabins. We were in Cabins 9562 and 9563.

 

 

Cabins and Cabin Steward: We loved our superior outside cabin with a balcony! Our 17 year old loved having his own cabin. Our bed was very comfortable for a cruise ship, so we figured the mattress had been changed during the short-term refurb. I have some pretty serious back pain from bad mattresses, and I suffered none on this cruise. We had adequate hangers after swiping a few from our son's cabin, and were able to store the luggage under the bed. Our gift of water was there, along with our cards for Giovanni's and Chops reservations. The Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle announcement was there as well. Chocolate covered strawberries were delivered from our TA that day, and all other deliveries were made promptly. Yes, the ship still has the dreaded shower curtain that wants to stick, for those of you wondering. We brought a bamboo air freshener, and didn't have the bathroom odor you can get on a ship.

 

One morning, the toilet wouldn't flush, but when we told our steward, he said they were working on it. We learned later that a piece of pipe had to be changed out. We had no other issues.

 

Our steward Ed was top notch. When he dropped by the first day, I asked for a corkscrew and ice bucket filled with ice daily. He not only had those items there every day, but brought fresh wine glasses and drinking water glasses daily. He (and the other stewards in our area) greeted us each day with smiles. We were very pleased with his service and tipped him extra accordingly in his WOW envelope at the end of the cruise.

 

 

Room Service: We only requested room service once, the first morning on the ship. We got exactly what we ordered. The hot foods were hot, and the cold foods were appropriately cold. The order was accurate. The gentleman who delivered it was very sweet, and made sure we had everything we needed before he left.

 

 

Windjammer and servers: We only ate lunch one day in the Windjammer. It was average food for a buffet, and we both found something we liked. We did eat breakfast a few times there, and were pleased with the choices for breakfast. I would say that breakfast was above above average for a buffet. Service was excellent. There were roaming waiters, willing to get us a drink, or offering a pastry. They were always smiling and friendly to us. The Windjammer also had several excellent offerings for dessert each afternoon.

 

 

Dining Room and Servers: Jimmy was our waiter and Ana his helper in Cascades. We only ate in the dining room 4 times this cruise, but Jimmy rose above and beyond to be one of the best dining room servers we have had with Royal Caribbean. After I told our table mates about the children's dessert menu, it was requested and someone ordered from it every night. Jimmy would raise his eyebrow and look over at me, assigning the blame in a sweet way that made us all laugh. And when certain dishes were requested 'off menu', he had those there the next night, including Cherries Jubilee for the entire table one night. Ana was attentive, and after the first night, remembered our drink and roll preferences, and always brought extra rolls for us. We saw her a couple of times in the Windjammer for breakfast or *cough* a mid-afternoon dessert snack, and she stopped to chat with us each time. Such a sweet girl.

 

The dinner food in the dining room varied from average to well above average, depending on what was ordered. We ate lunch a couple of times there, enjoying the Tutti salad very much. We had breakfast 3 times as well, and enjoyed what we ordered each time.

 

We hated to say goodbye to our dinner dining room team, and again, tipped accordingly at the end of the cruise. We grabbed our son's WOW envelope and Jimmy received that one. We wrote a note to Ana in her extra tip, letting her know her service was excellent too.

 

 

Giovanni's: Oh my! We LOVED Giovanni's! So much that we plan to return on our next cruise. Our server was excellent, and when we would have passed on an appetizer, he suggested Focaccie Alla Giovanni, which was SO good. We had salads, and at our waiter's sweet insistence, an excellent shrimp and crabmeat ravioli to complement the chicken my husband ordered, and the veal tenderloin I chose.

 

For dessert, my husband chose Tiramisu and I had Zuppa Inglese, which was brandy infused raspberries topped with Italian Custard. Mama Mia!!! That little cup of custard was amazing! one of the top 5 desserts I think I've ever eaten. And I would never have selected it, but our waiter said it was his favorite. It is mine too now. 🙂

 

The atmosphere in Giovanni's was romantic without being stuffy. The service was understated, but very responsive. We loved Giovanni's and will return.

 

 

Chops: Our reservation at Chops was the last night of the cruise, and it was packed. We opted to wait for a window table rather than being at a table near the entrance. We felt it would be too busy with foot traffic for us to enjoy a romantic dinner. As soon as the window table was available, they had it cleared and we were seated in no time.

 

The food was excellent here as well. The bread received before the meal was wonderful. Ken ordered the crabcake appetizer and I opted for the Grilled Black Pepper Bacon. We couldn't finish the 'bacon'. It is a large appetizer, and excellent. We both opted for the filet with asparagus and scalloped potatoes. I ordered the Red Velvet Cake for dessert, and my sweet husband sacrificed and helped me eat it when he was through with his dessert, the Huckleberry Cheesecake. Now that I think about it, I had a 'warm glow' going from an excellent before dinner drink, and didn't even notice that he scarfed his dessert down without offering me a taste! Hmmmmm.

 

We will eat at Chops again as well. But if we can only choose one specialty dining, we will probably make it Giovanni's. It only has a slight edge, though.

 

 

Entertainment: I have to admit, we didn't make it to all the Aurora theatre shows. Some of the shows dragged a bit to start with. I think it took a while for the entertainer(s) to warm up, but this improved as the show went on. If I were grading using the scale our son had in high school, I would give an overall B. The dancers earned a B+ (some even higher) with the outside entertainment coming in at a C to B.

 

This wasn't a problem for us because we weren't there for the entertainment on the ship, but rather the majesty and beauty surrounding us practically every minute outside. And, frankly, the so so entertainment allowed us to skip later in the week without thinking we missed something important. But, for those who really enjoy the entertainment, or have travelled on the larger ships lately, they would probably have been a bit disappointed in the entertainment in Aurora.

 

 

Pool and Solarium: I can't believe we never swam this cruise. We hung in the solarium one afternoon, and enjoyed the famous roast beef sandwich at the Park Cafe there -- wonderful! We did see kids there when we were in the solarium. I think they are more relaxed about children being in the solarium because of Alaska. The day we were there, the kids were behaved. If they weren't, I would have told them to stop running, etc. yes, I am that mom. My son is usually torn between admiration and the fear of what I will do. lol it's a good place for a teen to 'reside'. 😊

 

 

Bars: We visited a few bars around the ship, and service was always excellent and fast. we found this to be in the atrium bar! the Champagne Bar and the Schooner Bar. Drinks were good and strong, not watered down or lacking something. We didn't have the same issues some had with drinks they were unavailable. It was probably what we ordered. We enjoyed the entertainment in the bars and the atrium area when we were there.

 

 

Internet: Our teenage son had mostly excellent Wifi access. We didn't fare as well. All had Apple products, so it wasn't the platform. But if one of us (hubby or me) was online and put our device down, we would have to put the access code in again every single time we picked it up to use the wifi. This may or may not have been related to using more than one device on an account for one only, but we never have this issue elsewhere.

 

Streaming sucked for us, but the reason I paid for it was for my assistant to be able to contact me if she needed to. One day that week, I was online when she texted me, and since our phones are set up for wifi calling, was able to work thru the problem she had. So, it served its purpose.

 

I could have gone to the desk and asked for a reset or something, but didn't care enough about the wifi access to waste my cruise time doing that. Others didn't have this issue, so it could have been the location of our cabin on the vessel, or a myriad of other things. Either way, this wasn't a deal breaker for us. We don't like to be plugged in all the time, so weren't too bothered by it.

 

 

Service in general: We never ran into a server with a bad attitude. All were pleasant, all accommodating. I was really impressed with the staff on the ship. We had to go to Guest Relations once to get a card key for our son's cabin (he kept locking himself out), and the line was short, the service very pleasant. We saw long lines at other times,especially in Skagway where they can't get wifi service from the satellite.

 

 

Departure: We opted to walk off with everything, since we were just walking over and down into the Pan Pacific at the end of the cruise. There was a bit of confusion about where to go. We were told to meet at the Aurora theatre, but not told by anyone there to simply exit out the doors next to it. Once we figured this out, we had a 10 minute wait while a group that just had their number called exited. When they were off, we walked out and went swiftly thru Canadian Customs. Very easy, and several people were there to direct us.

 

 

Final thoughts on the ship:

 

Radiance is not the newest ship, nor does it have all the bells and whistles newer vessels have. But, I believe it is perfect for Alaska. All the glass on the ship affords great views from just about anywhere. And for those of you who are looking for the wildlife and don't want to be on deck all the time, check out the Starquest Disco. During the day, unless there is an activity going on, it is open for viewing, and high enough on the ship for a great starboard view.

 

The captain is younger and has a great sense of humor. If you sail this season, go to the cake decorating contest between the captain and the cruise director. It is not to be missed.

 

While there are activities on an Alaskan cruise, it is more laid back than the Caribbean. The entertainment is probably not top tier either, since the main draw is the scenery and wildlife. I left this cruise feeling rested, even though most days we hiked 5 miles and climbed at least 20 flights of stairs.

 

We did meet some people who had issues on this cruise, from uncomfortable beds, to problems with customer service, etc., but for the most part, we avoided those. There are a couple thousand people on a ship at one time, so results will vary. Most people we ran into we're having a good time, though, despite any problems.

 

We will sail Alaska again, and if Radiance is still doing this itinerary, we will book on her again.

 

If there are any questions, please feel free to ask. If I didn't mention something you are interested in, fire away. 😊

 

I will write about Vancouver and our overnight stay there next.

[island lady]

Thanks again for a wonderful review and great pictures! I was a joy to relive

so many great memories of our last Radiance Alaska cruise, and making me even

more anxious for our return trip this August! :)

[Efty]

Thank you very much for your review and the great photos. We will go on this cruise on 9/02 and are really looking forward to it.

[LABCHICK]

Thanks for the wonderful review. Made me more excited for our on June 24, 2016 cruise. We are doing a land tour before the cruise. Booked everything on the land tour ourself. Will be traveling with DD, SIL and 13 yr old GS.

[barbeyg]

Thank y'all for your kind words. I hope you each have a wonderful cruise too! [emoji846]

[barbeyg]

Vancouver

 

We had a wonderful experience in Vancouver!

 

Well, the boys might say we walked a bit much (9 miles that day), but I know we all enjoyed the day there.

 

We walked off the ship, then down to the hotel where we opted to store our luggage. The porter suggested we take our ticket to the front desk and attach it to our room, so that when it was available, they would text us. We did just that, and the desk informed us that our room was available! Up we went, to drop off anything we absolutely didn't need to carry, and our luggage was there within 2 minutes. So, we had our room by 9:00 am that morning. Sweet!

 

We walked the sea wall walkway all the way to Stanley Park, enjoying the views along the way. Lots of people out and about, and a nice slightly overcast day. We were a bit tired when we got to the park, so opted for a horse drawn ride around the park. The driver was entertaining, and he educated us about the park and Vancouver in general. One of the horses pulling the vehicle is the white horse Prince Charming rides in the tv series, "Once Upon a Time". Both horses were beautiful, but this one was the best behaved. An old pro at these tours. [emoji4]

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hiked a bit of one trail afterwards and walked back thru town toward the Pan Pacific, checked out the Olympic Torch, and stopped off at Mahony & Sons (near the hotel) for lunch. The lunch was excellent. I've heard it can be hit and miss, but this was hit for us. We sat outside and watched everyone go by.

 

 

We headed back to the hotel for a quick afternoon nap, since we awakened so early. We could have run all over town in the afternoon, but had already decided we would return for a long weekend, so were saving some of the other spots we want to see for that visit. While we were at the hotel, our son teased Ken that maybe there was a Tesla dealer nearby since so many of them were on the road, and when he looked it up, there was! lol After years of Ken following/studying Tesla, we ordered a Model 3 for delivery late next year (or early the following), but he had yet to visit a dealership since the closest one is 3 hours away from home. So, after going to dinner, we decided to check out the dealership. I didn't think Ken could be so close and not stop by. lol

 

We stayed at the hotel long enough to watch the Radiance leave. We were in a 17th floor harbor view room with an excellent view of sea planes taking off and landing, so we're sadly able to watch as the Radiance left for her northbound trip.

 

We opted to go to the Cactus Club for dinner. We didn't make a reservation, since their website says that they hold the majority of their tables for walk up guests. If you don't want to wait, make a reservation. We waited 45 minutes for a table, but found this to be reasonable considering it was 5:30 on a Friday. The food was excellent! We started with a calamari appetizer, and I opted for the filet, which I do have to admit, was slightly superior to the Chops filet. Ken chose the Soy Dijon Salmon, and it was excellent as well. We had drinks with dinner, and those were outstanding. So much that I can't even remember what our son had for dinner. We were all stuffed, and didn't even consider dessert. Even the teen. After a week of countless desserts, I think he had finally reached his limit.

 

We then walked up to the Tesla dealer, and enjoyed checking out the city as we walked. It was probably half a mile there, and another half mile back to the Pan Pacific. Ken was in his element, hands-on with the vehicles on site, and I enjoyed seeing his childlike wonder. We went back to the hotel around 9:30 pm, and crashed, knowing we would be getting up very early the next day.

 

Check out from the Pan Pacific went very smoothly, we had a taxi in no time, and were headed to the airport within 10 minutes of leaving the room.

 

We really loved the Pan Pacific and will stay there again.

 

That covers it all for us. We hope to return in the next 3 - 5 years.

 

If you have any questions, let me know.

 

 

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[barbeyg]

A few more pics of Stanley Park, Vancouver...and the Radiance leaving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Missusdubbya]

thankyou for posting a wonderful review. I am looking forward to Radiance southbound next year

[Blufin]

Thanks for the review. I took some notes as we will be doing the Southern route in 3 weeks. Going a day early.

[barbeyg]

thankyou for posting a wonderful review. I am looking forward to Radiance southbound next year

 

 

 

Thanks for the review. I took some notes as we will be doing the Southern route in 3 weeks. Going a day early.

 

 

Have wonderful cruises, both of you!!!

[dixielady]

Great review and loved your pictures....Bucket list trip.

 

We were on Radiance just got off May 1st, we were on the Hawaii into Vancouver trip right before referb. (Great cruise)

 

So you mentioned the captain and cruise director. We had Captain Trym and Steve was our cruise director, they did the cake decorating in the lobby also and poor Steve.....it was a good time.

 

Thanks for your review and the great pictures.

 

Denise

[ms8654]

Thank you for the review.

[barbeyg]

Great review and loved your pictures....Bucket list trip.

 

 

 

We were on Radiance just got off May 1st, we were on the Hawaii into Vancouver trip right before referb. (Great cruise)

 

 

 

So you mentioned the captain and cruise director. We had Captain Trym and Steve was our cruise director, they did the cake decorating in the lobby also and poor Steve.....it was a good time.

 

 

 

Thanks for your review and the great pictures.

 

 

 

Denise

 

 

Same captain and CD. [emoji4] People lined up for the captain's liquor drenched cake. lol

 

Thank you for the review.

 

 

[emoji846]

[fischymom]

:rolleyes: Oh how you made me miss my last trip on Radiance to Alaska! We had taken a private tour to Emerald Lake the first time we went up there and it is beautiful. We had stopped at Bove Island, and Carcross Desert on our way up there to Emerald Lake.

The pictures were amazing thanks for taking me back to our vacation!

[barbeyg]

:rolleyes: Oh how you made me miss my last trip on Radiance to Alaska! We had taken a private tour to Emerald Lake the first time we went up there and it is beautiful. We had stopped at Bove Island, and Carcross Desert on our way up there to Emerald Lake.

 

The pictures were amazing thanks for taking me back to our vacation!

 

 

You are too sweet! [emoji846] We really loved the drive to Emerald Lake. And I miss it too, even though it's only been two weeks.

 

 

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[MM Montoya]

I am enjoying your review Barb, I just started mine this morning. I truly wish we would have made it to the meet and mingle so Monte and I could have met you, your husband and son. Oh well, maybe one day we will cross cruise paths again!

[barbeyg]

I am enjoying your review Barb, I just started mine this morning. I truly wish we would have made it to the meet and mingle so Monte and I could have met you, your husband and son. Oh well, maybe one day we will cross cruise paths again!

 

 

Me too! I really wish it had been at a time that was not during Hubbard Glacier. [emoji846]

 

Hope to have our paths cross again in another roll call.

[Clownfish Cruiser]

I am researching Alaska for 2018 and just read through your very informative review. Thanks so much!

 

We are also Tennesseans!

[barbeyg]

I am researching Alaska for 2018 and just read through your very informative review. Thanks so much!

 

 

 

We are also Tennesseans!

 

 

Thank you, and hello to a fellow Tennessean!

 

It was truly one of the top vacations we've ever taken. You won't regret going. We love our gorgeous Smoky Mountains and they will always be home. What we couldn't get over with Alaska is the sheer beauty in every single place we visited. Even the industrial areas of Anchorage were surrounded by breathtaking mountains. [emoji846]

 

We will return.

 

 

 

 

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[kac911]

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us all. I'm finding Alaska a bit confounding to plan and this was very helpful, as we are doing the northbound with the same ports. You certainly convinced me in Skagway to rent a car, which is something we usually do in at least one port, but I hadn't really thought about it in Alaska. Now I just need to decide where to do my flight seeing and how to get in some time with sled dogs!

[barbeyg]

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us all. I'm finding Alaska a bit confounding to plan and this was very helpful, as we are doing the northbound with the same ports. You certainly convinced me in Skagway to rent a car, which is something we usually do in at least one port, but I hadn't really thought about it in Alaska. Now I just need to decide where to do my flight seeing and how to get in some time with sled dogs!

 

 

We had friends who did flight-seeing out of Ketchikan to the Misty Fjords, and they were so pleased with it. Next time, we will flight-see there, and try to plan time over by Denali so we can flight-see from there.

 

While we enjoyed our flight-seeing from Anchorage, we would like more time over Denali the next time. There are so many great opportunities, you will love whatever you choose. We used CC and TripAdvisor for choosing who to go with. AK is the one cruise I would def book excursions independently as much as possible.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

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[1threadshort]

thank you for the beautiful review. photos were amazing made me feel as if I were there. what camera did you use.

[barbeyg]

thank you for the beautiful review. photos were amazing made me feel as if I were there. what camera did you use.

 

 

Thank you! I used a Sony A6000 mirrorless camera, mostly with the zoom lenses, AND my iPhone 6.

 

I know fixed lenses usually take the best shots on a mirrorless, but I wanted to be prepared to zoom quickly, especially when we were driving to the Yukon. Never know what you are going to see.

 

We want to go back, hopefully for 2020. Seems like a long time away right now.

 

 

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Edited March 26, 2017 by barbeyg

[md13]

We are considering a cruise to Alaska summer of 2018. It will be our 2nd cruise (first was Bahamas last week). We are thinking July as it will get us out of hot humid Florida! What is the best time of year?

 

 

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[barbeyg]

We are considering a cruise to Alaska summer of 2018. It will be our 2nd cruise (first was Bahamas last week). We are thinking July as it will get us out of hot humid Florida! What is the best time of year?

 

 

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July is the high season, but really, any time is good during the season. Even the end of the season is good, but some things (tours) may not be offered. In July, you may see salmon spawning, and are able to get in the lottery for flying out to see the bears 'fishing' for the salmon.

 

We went the end of May, and it was gorgeous then too. Of course, you can always run into rain, but that is anytime during the season.

 

 

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