The Radiance was absolutely the most beautiful ship I have been on. Understand that I have a preference for small to mid-size ships, and haven't been on RCCL's larger ships, but I found the common areas of the Radiance to be nicer than even the few luxury ships that I have been on. Of course, the cabins remain small and a bit cramped...but I don't take a cruise to spend much time in the cabin. The center elevators are all glass, looking out to the mountains gliding by or to the beautiful Centrum. The Schooner Lounge was extra nice, and the additional lounges (English pub, plus a lounge with pool tables and chess boards, and the Centrum, with early evening entertainment) were so nice. Large windows in the main dining room provided great views of the scenery (as it doesn't get dark in Alaska in mid-summer!). We sailed south on the Inside Passage, and the itinerary was perfect. We enjoyed all of the ports, with our favorite being Skagway. We took the White Pass Mountain Train excursion which was excellent. We were a little surprised that once we got to the top, we had no time to enjoy it, though, just got into a bus for the much quicker ride down. The town was adorable. We enjoyed lunch at a local bistro, shopping, and then the Ghost & Good Time Girls tour was so much fun! Ketchikan is the best place to buy a fleece-lined, rain-resistant jacket so necessary in AK, but when going south it's the last port, so not so helpful. We loved the float-plane flight-seeing experience there. We booked that one ourselves, and it's very easy to do if you do your research, and can save a bit of money. In Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier is a must-see...but there are many ways to get there, so explore your options (we rented a car, which had pros and cons.) Icy Straight Point was our second favorite port, My husband and daughter LOVED the Ziprider, and learning about the Hoonah people was delightful. My only regret on the cruise was missing the Bear experience there...should have booked that excursion. Of course, experiencing the Hubbard Glacier and watching it calve is what makes traveling to Alaska an incredible experience (and we were lucky to have the best weather for it!). The food on the ship was the very usual RCCL good food...but it's pretty much the same menu as the Caribbean ships and I was disappointed that there was not more fresh local seafood served. I usually have a hard time understanding why people pay to eat at port restaurants when there is so much good food available on the ship...but this time, I did eat locally wherever possible to enjoy the awesome fresh Alaskan seafood. The Showcase Lounge in Seward had the best seafood chowder imaginable! The Casino was decent, with at least half of it non-smoking (if only all of it was!). The craps table, though, was very small (didn't know they made miniature ones!), and allowed only single-odds the entire cruise...which was a bit disappointing. The entertainment was not really up to RCCL standards, but okay. The two production shows were good. I only heard one comedian, which I did not care for. The piano player in the Schooner lounge was subpar in our opinion (having heard some amazing ones over the years). But the theme parties held in the Centrum were a wonderful and super-fun addition I hadn't seen on RCCL previously (enjoyed especially by my 20 year-old daughter). Speaking of her, she felt that this cruise was particularly exclusive for the 18-20 year-old young adults. She has aged-out of the kids and teen groups, but was unable to partake in adult activities. In the Caribbean, as with most other itineraries, at 18 they are allowed to gamble in the Casino. On other lines, they are often allowed alcohol as well. But not in Alaska (or Hawaii) as the ship does not travel in International waters. We had not realized that when we booked, otherwise we might have waited another year for this trip. The last tip I will give is to take the Alaskan Railroad Gold Star domed car between Anchorage and Seward either on the front-end (if you are going southbound) or the back-end (if northbound). That was, definitely a highlight of our whole trip. You can stand outside and take such amazing pictures! It included a very good breakfast, two drinks, amazing views (inside or out), and your luggage is taken directly to the ship for you (if southbound).