Radiance Alaska 6/18 Review

[Texasbob]

I did a review of the ports on the Alaska thread. I also panned United Airlines for their lack of customer service. Here is my review of the Radiance of the Seas.

 

In a word: wonderful!!!

 

I thought the food was excellent considering the numbers that were served. Soups were the best overall, followed by appetizers. I thought that presentation in the dining room was good. My favorites: Rack of Lamb, crab cakes, halibut, scallops with risotto. Best formal night was the first for food, last formal night the worst for food of all the nights (go figure.)

 

Windjammer has excellent variety. I loved eating the Japanese and Indian selections.

 

We went to the theatre every night for the live entertainment. "Piano Man" was by far the best show on the cruise. Also like the comedians (3rd and last night.) The other shows were not near as good, thought the magician show was okay if you like that sort of thing.

 

Loved the solarium. Adored the fitness center! I actually lost weight by using the gym each day. It was so pleasant to work out while watching the glorious scenery go by!

 

 

Ripoffs:

 

 

Wine was way overpriced. Cocktails and beer are a much better value. I bought a bottle for dinner, and nursed it for 4 days. They will hold your bottle each day until it is gone.

 

Stores. Well, that is a given. I was amazed how much junk people bought.

 

I thought the crew was excellent. Everyone was uniformly polite and pleasant. Our head waiter, Mimi, was outstanding, as were Glen and Petra, our waiter and assistant waiter. Rodney, our stateroom attendant, was also wonderful. I tipped in cash over the recommended because of their excellent service.

 

I recommend on board checkin or U.S. Direct if you fly out the day of your cruise. We were able to spend the morning seeing Vancouver without worrying about baggage or getting checked in by the airline. It made the last day much less stressful.

 

Hope you all have fun!

 

Bob

[SingBill]

So glad to hear you had a wonderful time on the Radiance. We are booked for August 13 and can't wait.

 

May I ask about your cabin? Did you take any shore excursions? How was the weather?

 

Thanks so much for your reply.

[Texasbob]

cabin 3057 (I shared a room with my son and nephew) It was inside and a little tight, but not a problem.

 

We only took one RCCL shore excursion, the undersea boat tour in Ketchikan, and enjoyed it. Most of the other tours were very expensive, so we did the rest on our own. You can catch a bus ride to the glacier in Juneau for $10 round trip. In Skagway, we rented a car from Avis for $80. This was the highlight of our trip, because we drove to Carcross in the Yukon and saw fantastic scenery, plus we could stop whenever we wanted to.

 

The weather was rainy for us in Juneau and Ketchikan. August will probably be a bit sunnier, but never assume anything in Alaska.

[SingBill]

We found the shore excursions very expensive also. So we also plan to catch a bus ride to the glacier in Juneau. Thanks for verifying that it is $10 round trip. Glad to hear your enjoyed Skagway, because we have also placed a reservation for a car from Avis. How long was the drive? Did you feel you had plenty of time to really enjoy the scenery? Did you have any problems at the Canadian border?

 

I really appreciate your feedback. It is very helpful for our trip in August.

[Texasbob]

took about an hour and a half. It is 72.5 miles from the Avis rental on 3rd Avenue to Emerald Lake. We took our time and stopped for pictures and to see historical sites. We went to Caribou Crossing and saw the museum and petted the sled dogs and goats. It is touristy but fun. They also have gold panning which is half the price of doing it in Skagway. We ate lunch at Cinnamon Cache just up the road, then did the view of Emerald Lake.

 

At the Canadian customs station, be sure to have id, and DON'T get out of your car. I nearly got fined $200 for getting out to use the restroom at the train stop.

 

One other thing: try to start by 9:00 or after 10:30. In between then, there so many tour buses going up the road, and they will sometimes crowd you out. They all stop to eat at Caribou Crossing from noon to one also.

 

On the way back, stop at Gold Rush cemetary just after you cross back into Skagway. Old graves and a short hike up to Reid Falls.

[SingBill]

Thanks for the tips. Will definitely take note of them.

[1time]

I am going alone with my children aged 4 and 7 on the Radiance on August 10. Any top tips with the young ones. Thanks