Radiance of the Seas Review
Great Route, Friendly Service, Avg Food - Indian Vegetarian Perspective
Rating by category
Additional details
Alaska exploration is more about the destinations than cruising itself. You spend significant time off the ship so keep your expectations low vis-a-vis other cruise ships that are more focused on the cruise experience itself. The ship is certainly not state of the art in terms of interior decor but nevertheless clean. Facilities are average - Table Tennis OK, Basketball good, mini soccer field. Swimming pool, sauna, spa. OK. Billiards room with chess, checkers etc. 2 cinema rooms - one big and one small.
Windjammer is good for breakfast with a wide variety of items. One item is Indian - Poori masala, chana masala, semiya, upma.
Main dining hall is pretty good. They have 1 vegetarian item for starters, main course every day. If you prefer Indian you need to let the waiter know and they will make sure to prepare that everyday - it will not be listed on the menu. Typical Indian fare includes - Starter: Samosa - below avg (frozen small samosas), Onion pakora - very good, Aloo Bonda - excellent, Bhel mix. Main course is typically rotis (below avg - frozen square pieces), one dal (rajma, chhole, masoor dal, etc.), one veg dish (aloo, bhaingan, mixed veg) and plain rice. Some days they give you seasoned rice (Jeera pulav or Plain basmati rice - other days it is not basmati rice). Ask for regular yoghurt (not greek) as it is not served by default. Dessert selection is really good. In addition they offer ice creams (butter almond is great).
Cabin Review
Family Ocean View Stateroom
This room is really good for a family of 4. You could certainly accommodate additional 1-2 kids. The room is quite spacious and neatly laid out. It has flat screen TV. Make sure to get multiple-outlet adapters for power to plug all of your gadgets. There is enough storage space and cupboards. The additional sleeping area is great if you want undisturbed sleep. It has a bunk bed. The main room has almost a king bed. Pillows and comforters are excellent. Bathroom is small esp shower area. Toilet is regular sized. Sink is a bit small. The porthole is great for outside viewing. Considering how cool it gets in the inside passage (even in summer) the porthole room is better than balcony room for this trip. You can always walk up to the deck area or Solarium to get a super view of the outside. The inside passage is absolutely beautiful both portside (left) and starboard (right). You will not go wrong with such a larger room like this one. Also being in the front does not make any difference - the ship hardly shakes so it will not make it worse if you are prone to motion sickness.
Port Reviews
Icy Strait
Nothing much to do. Don't waste time booking tours. You can see whales from the port or even the cruise ship itself.
Juneau
Booked car thru Avis. The only pain is you need to walk almost a mile to get to the car rental in rain. They don't pick you up or drop you off. Drive up to eagle beach and mendenhall glacier. It is the best part of the entire cruise.
Skagway
Rented a car from Avis. Drove up to Emerald Lake in Yukon, Canada. It takes 5-hours round trip at a good pace not hurrying up too much. Take pictures during your drive into Canada vs return. Couple of places road is pure gravel and may hit your car tires hard - drive carefully. Make sure to take your passports. Allow enough time at the Canadian customs (up to 30 min). Factor this in your driving plan. You can have lunch at Carcross - it is a bit expensive but decent. The train route is the same - driving gives you more freedom.
Vancouver
Great view as you pull out of the port