We are in our early 50's and we traveled with 2 other couples. We flew into Vancouver, BC and cruised northbound on Radiance of the Seas. To start with, Vancouver airport is under construction and was completely disorganized. It took over 3 hours to get from airport to ship with the worst bus driver in the world. But once we got to the pier, it was easy sailing from there. The pier is very organized and we went right through with no delays at all and were in our cabins in just a few minutes. Our luggage arrived while we were getting a quick bite to eat in the Windjammer. We were in a balcony cabin 8568(E-2) on the starboard size and the room was comfortable, clean and perfect size for just the 2 of us. There are definitely signs of wear and tear but it does not take away from the beauty of the ship at all. Our first day was at sea and cruising the inside passage. We all needed the day of rest but enough things to do to keep you busy if you preferred. It is not like the Caribbean with belly flop contests and horse racing, it is much more subdued and we loved it. There is a 12:00 midnight curfew for under 18 years of age and no drinking at all under the age of 21. The pools are heated but they allow family time in the Solarium from noon to 2:00 and again from 4:00 to 6:00 and they did enforce the rules. It is really so nice in there, we actually went swimming a couple times.

Our first stop was Ketchikan. We did not do any excursions from the ship, but we did do the DUCK tour and walked all over the town. We did some shopping there and watched people fishing for salmon as they swim upstream. It was a clear sunny day with temps in the 70's.

From there we went to Juneau and again the skies were sunny and temps around 70. There my friend and I went on the bus trip to Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Gardens. I highly recommend this tour as the gardens are worth going to see as was the glacier. The gardens are all designed and built by one man and it is incredible what he did there...I don't want to give too much away but he has a trail up the mountain (go up in large golf carts) and a greenhouse with snacks and gifts and extremely knowledgeable college age kids telling you all about the plants and vegetation in Alaska. Meanwhile, our husbands did the helicopter ride to the glacier and my husband says it was the highlight of the whole cruise. Read more