This was my fourth time to Alaska and my Mom's fifth. We are fortunate that we live in Vancouver which makes taking a cruise to Alaska a nice easy option. This was both our second time sailing with Royal Caribbean. This first time was on the Serenade of the Seas so it is a little ironic to me that our second time is on the sister ship Radiance of the Seas. Warning: This could become a long review.

Embarkation: Upon arrival at Canada Place, around 11:15 am or so, we quickly traveled through security. It really was simple with a minimal line. Our next check point was US customs. Again, it was simple. The officer that took our passports didn't even speak with us. He just scanned our passports and handed them back to us and we were done. There was a holding room we had to wait in before we could check-in with the cruise line. No problem. Once it was our turn to move along, there were different lines depending on which Crown and Anchor level you were. The four of us all filed into the gold line and received our sea pass cards and were ready to board.

With Royal Caribbean, the cabins aren't ready for occupation as soon as you board. They became available about 1:30 or so. We all went for lunch until the rooms were ready. We had booked an inside cabin and our friends had a balcony; both located forward on the ship. I certainly liked our location. It was convenient to the forward elevators, theatre, spa and solarium. Read more