Radiance class is our favorite and we wanted to see Alaska. The land trip was wonderful...all hotels were nice and the tour guide, Lynda, and bus driver, Ashley, were better than amazing! The ship staff were wonderful! The only reason for taking a star off is the main dining experience has gone down a bit. It was very clear that the wait staff and chefs are not able to handle milk ...
In 2015, we spent the entire summer touring the interior of Alaska in our motor home and vowed to come back on a cruise to enjoy the seaboard side.
Thus the booking of this southbound cruise starting in Seward on June 9-16, 2017. Although the weather was cloudy and rainy most of the time, we still got to see most of the beautiful scenery and enjoy a wonderful time on the Radiance of the Seas. ...
This cruise went on sale in March, 2016 for solo travelers. I got an ocean view cabin to myself for about $75 a day. That's a deal! Flying into Anchorage, AK, and flying home from Vancouver, BC, Canada made the air fare cost almost as much as the cruise.
I picked the shore excursions I wanted, although a lot of them seemed pricey.
My cabin was great. My cabin steward, Michael, was ...
Pre-cruise tour to Denali
Our vacation began with a pre-cruise tour of the Alaskan interior. We used Alaska Airlines which has a monopoly on Alaskan flights. We enjoyed extra legroom in comparison with other airlines, and the flights left on time or early. We were met in baggage claim by Karen and quickly whisked off to Pike’s Lodge ( a rustic motor inn with stuffed animals in the lobby who ...
We chose this cruise because it fit our schedules, was during the school year, and was a one way trip. We figured it would maximize our viewing of scenery and port visits.
We flew into Anchorage and stayed overnight. Hampton Inn picked us up and also took us to the train station early the next morning. In fact, they called a cab because the shuttle was on an airport run. They also paid for ...
The Alaska ports of call were amazing! Fabulous views, breathtaking scenery, exciting wildlife....a trip to remember! The cruise ship itself was compact and a bit tired/worn - could use a facelift. But the crew were attentive, and the Cruise Director (Jamie) was lively and fun! The evening shows were sufficient but not outstanding - best nights were the two shows with the RCI orchestra and ...
We took this cruise with 5 other friends (all of us 35-40). Alaska itself is amazing, and I now understand why everyone has this on their bucket list. Go on this cruise for that reason alone.
However, if I compare this cruise to other RCCL I've taken in the Caribbean, New England, and more, it was meh. The theater entertainment was overall not appealing - the theater was never full. The main ...
A cruise and pre-cruise land tour was a great way to experience the vastness that is Alaska. Unfortunately the weather was not ideal but that is uncontrollable. The meals in the Cascades dining room were very well prepared, although sometimes not as hot as they should be served. Although some appetizers and entree portions were small, you were free to order as many as you liked. They were ...
We booked this cruise only two days before departure and had relatively low expectations (given that neither of us had been on a cruise as adults and the age/past reviews of the ship). Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the cruise overall and in spite of the somewhat dated decor and facilities on the ship, found it be be quite well-maintained very clean. Far and away, for us, the ...
The stateroom attendants and dining staff were wonderful. Our only issue with Royal Caribbean was the lack of experience with those in charge of transfers and lost luggage.
We paid for a seat for a 20 month old, then found out when we arrived that there was no where for a carseat anyway on the train or on the large bus (which we were told would be a shuttle service....so I expected a smaller ...