Alaska on the Radiance (6/15/07) - Review

[jrpjr]

Review – Radiance of the Seas (6/15/07)

 

History & Background

 

Since all reviews are subjective, some background may be helpful. My wife & I are both professionals, and we have two teenage boys (13 & 16). We love to travel, and we have been to many places (both inside & outside the U.S.). We have been on three previous cruises: Carnival (3 days to Bahamas from Miami); the Grand Princess (7 days to Western Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale); and again on the Grand Princess (7 days to Western Caribbean from Galveston). My wife & I love fine dinning and good wines. I have a wine cellar in my home, and have been buying hard to find (allocated) wines for over 10 years. In fact, I take a long weekend trip to Napa & Sonoma every spring to taste wines and eat at their fantastic restaurants.

 

General Itinerary & Getting to the Cruise Terminal

 

Our ship – Radiance of the Seas – was set to depart form Vancouver on Friday, June 15, 2007. Our cruise itinerary was Vancouver; sea day; Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Icy Strait Point; sea day (Hubbard Glacier); docking at Seward on the morning of June 22, 2007.

 

For reasons that seemed logical at the time, we flew into Seattle on Thursday (6/14/07), rented a car ($150 for a mini-van), and drove to Vancouver. Even though I had planned this out and it worked very well - the total price was much cheaper than flying into Vancouver & the car drop off in Vancouver was 2 blocks from our hotel - the one and a half hour delay at the border crossing gave me second thoughts. I was told by my “neighbors” in the slowly moving line of cars that this was about normal, so please factor this in when deciding to go this route. I would say that it took us just short of 5 hours to get from SeaTac to our hotel. I definitely would not plan to fly into SeaTac the same day that your ship is departing from Vancouver, unless your flight is arriving very early or you like to cut things very close.

 

We stayed at the Best Western on Drake St. It was a very good, economy hotel, with a free shuttle to the cruise terminal. Parking was $10 per day in an underground garage next to the hotel. The neighborhood was somewhat “interesting”, but no major issues. Plus, it was just a place for us to hang out until we could board the ship the next day.

 

Radiance departs from Ballantyne pier, which, I am told, is not nearly as nice as Canada Place. The group we were with had previously sailed from Canada Place, which they said allowed them to stay at a hotel & walk to the terminal. You definitely have to drive, taxi or shuttle to Ballantyne pier. Embarkation was a breeze. We were at the pier by 1:00pm; our carryon items were in the room & we were lunching in the Windjammer by 1:30.

 

The Cabin

 

We were in Junior Suite on Deck 10, towards the aft on the port side. I liked the configuration better than the junior suite on Princess (my wife liked Princess better). Really though, the differences were minor. I think the port side was slightly better on this cruise than the starboard side. We were glad that we had the extra room provided by the junior suite (with two teenage boys), although next time we might skip the balcony and get two insides or a smaller balcony & and an inside. The fact is, as we get older and our kids get older, we don’t keep the same hours.

 

Wining & Dining

 

Whining - This area cased me the most pre-cruise “stress”. I was very use to bringing my own wine on board Princess, and was very unhappy about Royal Caribbean’s policy. This has nothing to do with prices or saving money! In fact, I didn’t find RCCL’s wine prices out of line with our restaurants back home (the ship’s prices were, on the average, a little more expensive than our local restaurants). I was very concerned, however, by RCCL’s selection, which, according to what I could find out on-line, was pathetic. I thus took the step of buying six bottles of wine through Well Wishers, and having these delivered in a gift basket to our cabin. This was expensive to do and, in hind sight, I would not do it again, since the wine list on board was more extensive than what I could see on RCCL’s website before departing. This is not to say that it still would have been much better to have been able to bring my own wines and pay a $25 per bottle corkage fee. Let me also add that the wine glasses, lack of vintage dates on their wine list, dining room staff knowledge (or lack there of) & other factors led me to conclude, as I had with Princess, that fine wines are not anything that the cruise lines, at least at this “level”, really care much about. Frankly, thought, this is no terribly different then most moderately good restaurants in our home town. With regard to the bottles I had delivered on-board by Well Wishers, we were never charged a corkage fee, but please keep in mind that I also ordered a white wine off the ship’s wine list each night (we had 7 adults in our group). The first night the head waiter matter-of-factly inquired where I got the bottle that I had brought with me into the dining room. I told him it was in a gift basket, which caused him to nod and move on. I saw no one else bringing a wine bottle into the dining room.

 

Dining – There were 11 of us in our group (4 boys and 7 adults), and we were seated at one oblong table on the top floor of the main dinning room. We had the early seating (6:00pm). I definitely liked the look and feel of the dinning room more than the ones on Carnival or the Grand Princess. The ceilings seemed higher, and you could see throughout the dinning room much better. My wife and I thought the food was slightly better on the Radiance than on the Grand Princess, and that the service was slightly better on the Grand Princess. Once again, however, the differences were around the margins. Our waiters, who were very friendly & helpful, also seemed very rushed. I almost felt sorry for them at the beginning of each meal. We ate in one specialty restaurant – Chops – where the service was outstanding. The food was good; although I can’t label the steak I had – the NY Strip – better than at an upscale steakhouse at home. It was “thinner”, did not have the nice “crust” on the outside, and did not seem to be of “prime” quality. Nonetheless, I would have eaten there again (if our group had had voted to do so). Everyone in our group who had been on Princess before gave the Windjammer the thumbs up over the Horizon Court. I also liked the Seaview Café, although it would have been much nicer in the Caribbean (particularly the outside seating!)

 

Bars & Public Places

 

We were told that “the ship was full”, but, except for the Windjammer at peak hours, the ship never seemed crowded. At times, it almost seemed eerie. Does everyone stay in their cabin until dinner time? A coupe of quick notes: Late-tudes on Deck 5 – friendly staff and a good view to enjoy while sipping my morning cappuccino; Champagne Bar on Deck 6 – friendly bartender and a limited selection of bubbly by the glass; and Hollywood Odyssey on Deck 13 had great jazz & a good atmosphere in the evenings (I discovered this late into the cruise; I should have listened to my spouse earlier). I went to one show in the Aurora Theater – Piano Man – which was well done. I spent about 45 minutes in the Casino losing $50 bucks at roulette. Seemed nicer than Princess (but it’s really not my thing).

 

Kids Programs

 

My youngest son said he preferred RCCL’s program from that on the Grand Princess, but would not, or could not, give me specifics, so it might just have been the other kids or the staff (as opposed to the program itself). My oldest son (who mainly hung out with his cousin who is his age) thought that the counselors in their program were “cool”. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

 

Formal Nights & Other Outfitting Issues

 

I’m glad I did not bring my tux. There were a few, but definitely in the minority (I think I could count the tuxes I saw without taking off my shoes). I wore a dark blue suit, which fit in quite well. I have to say, however, that even suites were in the minority on the formal nights. This was the most casual cruise of the 4 we have been on. None of this bothered me in the least. Regarding other clothing issues, everyone that says “layering is your friend” is correct. Except for standing on the helo pad at Hubbard Glacier and on the forecastle on the whale watching boat (while at full speed), I was never really cold. I would start out in the morning in a long sleeve t-shirt, polartec vest and light, rain resistant jacket, each layer of which I could peal off as the day went on.

 

Ports of Call

 

Ketchikan – We docked here. My sons, their cousin & I did the zip line excursion, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Other than a quick walk around early in the morning (while everyone was waking up), I didn’t see much of the port. The weather was overcast and misty. I was not overly impressed with this port, although the lack of sunshine (which is its usual state) and my failure to walk around when everything was open probably contributed to this.

 

Juneau - We docked in the morning, then tendered in the afternoon. Weather was, once again, overcast and misty. We took one of the shuttle services available at the pier and did a 3.5 mile hike at Mendenhall Glacier. Nice “self-made” excursion that cost nothing more than the $12 shuttle service. Beware, however, that the buses going back, in the mid-afternoon, are a lot more crowded than the buses going to the glacier in the morning, and it was about an hour wait between each particular tour company bus. Two suggestions (both untried by me): (1) only buy a one way ticket going there, so then you can buy a ticket back from a different shuttle service (I read somewhere that the drivers can sell you a one way ticket); or (2) take a taxi (I saw several coming and going from Mendenhall), and make an appointment to have the driver pick you up at a certain time? Once again, I did not spend much time in the port itself; once again, not overly impressed.

 

Skagway – We docked at Skagway, and the weather was gorgeous. My sons, their cousin & I did the rock climbing excursion, which was outstanding. The town was small and a lot of fun to walk through. However, there were way too many jewelry shops (which seemed the same as the other way-too-many-jewelry shops in Ketchikan & Juneau). Shopping is not my thing, but it seems to me that more specialty shops with upscale & unique items (of quality) would serve everyone better than 20 jewelry shops and 20 t-shirt stores. Oh well, I guess that’s why I’m not in retail.

 

Icy Strait Point – This is clearly a stopped created just for cruise ships (like Costa Maya in Mexico), and I loved it! Only one cruise ship is allowed in port at a time (all ships tender). Nice, short nature trial. Nice (rocky) beach. We did the whale excursion, which also was great. We were lucky and saw several humpback whales (including a mom & calf).

 

Hubbard Glacier – Arrived at 7:00am. It was really spectacular. We also saw a black bear and a brown bear, on the shore of a nearby island, as we exited the bay.

 

Disembarkation

 

We arrived at Seward very early. In the past, my biggest problem with cruise line procedures (or the lack thereof) is when it comes time to get off the ship. Their time estimates are always off. They don’t have anyone on the ship to whom you can address questions (“Has Red 4 been called?”; “Why was Red 4 skipped?; etc.). We were Red 4, which was supposed to get off the ship at “6:25pm”. They call “Red 1”. Then they call Lavender this, Brown that. I go to find someone to ask if we have missed “Red 4”. No one new anything. Then, “Last call for all Reds”. I swear, on the souls of my (future) grandchildren, that we went from “Red 1” to “Last call for all Reds” with nothing in-between. Luckily we were in no hurry, so I was more amused than anything else. However, on our last cruise, this lack of correct information was more aggravating since we had an early flight. The three hour bus ride to Anchorage was pretty, but I was the only one that enjoyed it, since the rest of my family slept most of the way. One thing to keep in mind: Anchorage is a long way away from the eastern part of the US. It took us two travel days to get back to our home town, although this is partially due to my reluctance to have tight “connections”, particularly when traveling with the boys. This is one trip, if I ever did it again, that I might bight the bullet and buy the air component through the cruise line.

 

Summary

 

Radiance is a beautiful ship; the best we have been on. An Alaskan cruise is a must do; however, for me, once will do.

[RC of NC]

Thanks for the review, Jrpjr. We're leaving on the same ship in three days. Can't wait!

[cajun-crazy]

You said in your comment regarding formal attire that even suits were in the minority. What were most of the male passengers wearing? Shirt & ties? Blazer and khakis?

 

I enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[jrpjr]

To cajun-crazy - Let me clarify a little. On the formal nights, I would say about half of the men wore a tie and jacket of some type (sports jacket w/ tie; suit; tux; western string tie; etc). Everybody else wore everything you can imagine: khakis & a polo shirt; sport jackets without ties; jeans & t-shirts. It was a very casual cruise, which no one seemed to mind. I certainly didn't. I did see one gentleman being asked by one of the head waiters to remove his baseball cap. The women were much less dressed up than on our previous cruises (very few "formal evening gowns") - which I missed a little, I must admit.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for sharing your review! I'm glad you had a great time.

[stjohnrocks]

Nice review.

[Bucky3]

Thanks for the review. Brought back memories of our Alaska Radiance cruise a few years back.

[ecpc1302]

Thank you for posting, I enjoyed reading your review. We are sailing the Radiance SB on July 20. and I have a question: Do you recall what time the gym opens? TIA.

Elsie:cool:

[jrpjr]

To ecpc1302 - I am embarrassed to say I was in the gym only once, on my initial "walk-around". My sixteen year old says that it was open “early”; however, we have drastically different interpretations of what is early. I have every reason to believe that it would open up early. Sorry, that’s the best I can do.

[ecpc1302]

Please don't be embarrassed, it's your vacation. I've been reading these boards for months and haven't seen any talk about the gym. I really enjoy working out on my vacations, but I always feel torn because my husband waits for me to go eat breakfast. Thanks for checking with your son - I understand "early" to a teen can be quite different than to his parents.

 

Elsie:cool:

[qiangf2]

To ecpc1302 - I am embarrassed to say I was in the gym only once, on my initial "walk-around". My sixteen year old says that it was open “early”; however, we have drastically different interpretations of what is early. I have every reason to believe that it would open up early. Sorry, that’s the best I can do.

 

You are not alone.. I only hit the gym once on the second day when there is no port of call in open sea... after that, all the weight control resolution prior to cruise is gone.. :)