An Alaska cruise... another item on our "Bucket List" and we found a great price for the "first sailing of the season" on Radiance of the Seas. The flights from Tennessee to Vancouver were long but we were filled with high anticipation of a great trip. Our flight into Vancouver actually arrived thirty minutes early but we were surprised at the lengthy process of getting off of the plane and going through customs, immigration, and long and winding lines to finally be able to retrieve our luggage. (That was the hardest part of the entire trip!)

A taxi took us to our hotel for the night prior to our sailing on Radiance and we enjoyed that evening even though we were very tired. The following morning the hotel provided us a free shuttle to the port where we were quickly checked in and "on the ship" and headed to the Windjammer for a delicious lunch.

Rooms were ready by 1pm and we were delighted to find that our Oceanview stateroom on Deck 3 was very nice. The large window afforded us a great view to the outside and the water that was only a short way below us. We ordinarily get a room with a balcony but for this trip we chose the Oceanview stateroom as we expected it to be cold and rainy in Alaska since it was so early in the season. We were surprised that all seven days were comfortable with temperatures in the upper 50's and low 60;s and absolutely NO rain all week! Read more