We sailed on the Radisson Seven Seas Mariner from Seward to Vancouver in mid-June, timed for the summer solstice. This was our fourth cruise, having experienced a Royal Caribbean megacruise to the Eastern Caribbean, a Renaissance 14 day cruise in Europe and a Victoria cruise of the Yangtze River. We chose Radisson because the ship description reminded me of the Renaissance R7, which we loved, but we were somewhat taken aback by the cost differential between this cruise and the megaships. Because of the premium fare, we had high expectations, and in short, they were exceeded - enough so that I think we got more for our money.

We arrived at the port in Seward in a typhoon that had rained on our pre-cruise Kenai Peninsula excursion, early for check in. We were whisked through security, given large umbrellas and sent onboard. Formalities took less than ten minutes, and we went to the lounge where our champagne glasses were refilled. There were snacks and drinks available and we were told we could go up to the pool deck for a meal. About an hour later, we got access to our rooms - still well before the check in time. Very different from the queues at Royal Caribbean.

The public rooms on the ship were decorated with a variety of art - something to please everybody, and everything was spotless. The ship looked new. It took only a little exploring to get the lay of the ship. There are three lounges, a cigar room, a casino [off to one side, so it is not necessary to pass through it], four restaurants and the pool snack bar, and a very nice auditorium. Everything bigger ships have except the climbing wall. The restaurants ranged from casual to elegant. Read more