I cruised this ship for the itinerary and also wanted to try Royal Caribbean for a change. I have been on a short RCCL cruise on a newer ship, and I knew this was an older smaller ship. The ship itself while worn, was very nice with alot of beautiful windows making it perfect for Alaska. The room attendant was amazing, the general service of the bar staff was great. The LIDO/Windjammer was better than the main dining room for breakfast and some dinners. The specialty restaurant chops was amazing. The light bites at Lattetudes and the solarium were not very good at all and the staff at the solarium at night a gentleman there was really rude to people. My biggest complaint was the main dining dinners were extremely over seasoned (salted) and any steak was just completely tough and/or over cooked. So the starters, salads and desserts were great, but most of the main dishes were barely passible. When the LIDO does a better job on the meats and breakfast there is something seriously wrong in your dining room. Entertainment was ok, and just average. The production dance/singers were given old and not to unique shows to do . The nightlife was barely there. A couple of places for music, but nothing really stood out. The magician was funnier than our comedian, the El Gaucho show was funny and very entertaining. Most of the staff were absolutely amazing and this did have one of the best guest services desks I have seen on many cruise lines. Read Less

My wife started her cancer treatments on 1 August 2018. I told her that she would be done with her treatments and well enough by next year. I booked the trip with a the 2 Aug 2019 sailing (we left the house on 1 Aug 2019). We made it!! We flew into Anchorage with a connection through Atlanta, and straight on to ACH.The flight from from ATL made for a looooong day (7 hours to Anchorage). The hotel in Anchorage (Crown Plaza, booked through Royal) and transfer to the train (transfer through Royal) went smoothly. Having lived in Alaska many years prior, I had the opportunity to drive to Seward. I much prefer the train from Anchorage, as it is very relaxing, and the narration down to Seward was first rate. Dropped our bags, and didn't see them until the ship! We were able to check in to our ship state rooms and get our SeaPass at the train station in Anchorage!!. Thought we were home (ship) free with this. However, when we arrived at Seward, we needed to stand in a long line to get photographed. It would have been nice to get all that taken care of in Anchorage, or just do it all in Seward. Would have made it quicker in Seward. I think Royal needs an embarkation software update so they can complete the ship check in at the train depot in Anchorage. We were on the ship in time to drop our bags in the room, and get to the Windjammer for a quick bite, then to our muster station. About an hour before the drill. The ship was great. Showing her age, but all in all, we were on a cruise in Alaska!! it was great. One of the highlights onboard was the Chefs Table experience. Three hours, and the food and wine parings were excellent. Was able to get the recipe for the smoked tomato soup. Just need to make it for four, not 50 :-0. Would highly recommend that, and do it again. Were with a group of 8 who do that on every cruise they are on. I can see why. The cabin was a good choice, (8598) on the bubble, and very close to the elevators. No noise. We glacier watched, whale watched, Orca watched, Eagle watched, sea otter watched, from the balcony. The day at Hubbard Glacier was nice. The wait staff brought round spiked hot chocolate! We were able to get within a half mile of the face. Those on the $400.00 excursion were able to get about a quarter mile away. Close enough for us to hear the glacier making its groans as if calved. We booked the tram in Juneau. Nice ride and sights. O did I say, the weather was fantastic. No rain until the last sea day, and the port days were in the lower 70's. In Skagway we did the requisite YWPRR train ride, then walked the town. We bused up to Frasier, then took the Train down. That was enough. Our favorite port was was Icy Strait Point. We had booked a tour on our own with Tok River Outfitters for halibut fishing. I gave this place 5 stars, but would have liked to give them 10. We shipped two fish home! Very highly recommended (at least by us, and a lot on Trip Advisor). Off the boat at 6:30, and was fishing by 7:30 am. And back before noon. The port area was also great. Had a fantastic King and Dungeness crab lunch. This port had mostly native wares, just a few "made in china" and no Diamonds International :-) (we did get the charms in all the ports). Ketchikan was a shopping port for us. From Berth 3, the town opened up to us right off the gangway. The final sea day was spent next to the pool playing cribbage and whale and orca watching (from deck 11). We pulled into port and took the take-your-own-bags-off option. Was not too bad, but make sure your suitcase tracks true, We saw a lot of the ship just trying to wrestle one of the bags.. Off in less then 20 minutes once they started the process. We grabbed a rental car, and headed south as the next stop was a family visit just north of Portland. The entire cruise itinerary was just what we had expected; a great time, and a southern Alaska experience. We would recommend this one. Read Less

We went with our daughter and her family on this Alaska cruise. Alaska was wonderful, Royal Caribbean was terrible. We have traveled on many cruises, but this was our first Royal Caribbean cruise (and Last). Royal Caribbean does their remodeling during their active cruise trips. Shocking! The carpet in our hall was torn out and replaced with new carpet. The carpet and the glue smell was so toxic our family got very sick. I had a head ache, sore throat and my eyes were burning, for the last two days of our trip. Our daughter was on this trip, in a separate room, she is a type 1 diabetic. Her immune system is already challenged, adding the toxic chemicals made her very sick. She couldn't even get out of bed. Our little grand daughter ended up in the emergency room after we got off the boat. The staff were non attentive. After the trip, numerous calls to Royal Caribbean were not answered. Put on hold and then disconnected after 30 minutes holding, this happened 3 times. I finally got thru, and was supposed to get a call back, big surprise, no call back. We were in a suite and the attention was terrible. No bottled drinking water was available even at our $1,000 per night price. I am surprised this cruise gets any positive feedback, I'm assuming the people that received free trips are the ones reviewing. Save your money and go on a different cruise line.The dining room was ok, food was edible. Not much to do as far as activities.We had 2 days at sea and would have enjoyed something to do with our grandchildren. I heard the entertainment and thought is was karaoke, but it was main singer. Shore excursions were expensive. I tried to purchase online, but Royal Caribbean site showed excursions sold out. I had to call Royal Caribbean site to book shore excursions and paid 30% high to get the same excursion. I have never submitted a negative review. This cruise line was so bad others need to be warned. I wish we had known before we spent so much hard earned money on this disaster cruise. Read Less

Cheap, cheap, cheap! If you want even bottled water, pay up! You can buy different drink packages ranging from about $12-$70/day per person. If you don't, you can have water, tea, lemonade, or coffee. When disembarking on land excursions, there was a cruise employee offering bottles of water......but only if you paid extra for that package. When we were viewing Hubbard Glacier from the stern of the ship it was very chilly outside and a server came around with hot chocolate..........only for passengers who bought the refreshment package for $29/day/person. We chose not to pay these exorbitant prices, and we ended up feeling like have-nots. A person can still buy drinks per item, and my husband paid $56 for four drinks (including the mandatory 18% gratuity). We bought our own wine on board for the above reasons, and sometimes had difficulty getting wine glasses from the bartenders because they were afraid they would run out. Food in the Windjammer cafe and Cascades dining room was mediocre at best; service in the dining room was slow. The dining room employees were always working very hard, so my guess is that food services was not well run. I was told by another passenger the specialty restaurants (for an extra charge) were not very good. There was a speaker on how to get a flatter stomach, but he turned out to be selling his product, so it was really a sales pitch. The onboard entertainment was so-so, nothing great. The exercise room was ok, but some of the machines were broken and the doors to the outside of the ship were often broken. There is nothing state-of-the-art about the ship, except the prices. All of the servers and room attendants were very friendly and helpful. They work 7 days/week and many hours a day. My understanding is their wages are not that high compared to American standards. This means the thousands of dollars we spent are mainly going to the upper echelon employees and not to those doing the hard work. If you call Royal Caribbean customer service, be prepared for a different answer every time. Royal Caribbean did not communicate logistics of the land portion of our tour very well ahead of time. Every time I called to ask a question, I got vastly different answers. So Royal Caribbean is not spending money training and communicating with its customer service reps. Finally, part of our package included a transfer from the airport to hotel on the 1st night of our trip. I called and gave Royal Caribbean our flight info (several times in order to get to someone who understood what I was talking about), and called and confirmed the transfer the day of our flight. Even so, my husband and I were stranded at the airport at 11:45pm as no one showed to pick us up. When I asked the tour director, she was apologetic and called the company to see if we could be comped and was told no - we were listed as a no-show at the airport. Impossible. We looked all over baggage claim both inside and outside, and there was no one holding up a sign and no van that indicated it was part of a tour company. Our belief is that the driver didn't want to be at the airport at that late hour and didn't show, but claimed they were there. It would have cost the company nothing to comp us a couple of drinks, but they didn't. Again, cheap, cheap, cheap! Read Less

Pros: Almost everything Cons: (listed below...) luggage handling, and a couple of technical issues. We were EXTREMELY happy with our recent Alaska cruise on Radiance of the seas. We did the 3 day Denali land tour before the cruise, which was absolutely amazing with the scenery. The hotels picked for us were amazing and very comfortable. Our tour guide was very friendly, informative, and helpful. Once we got on the ship, things went overal very well, too. We had an ocean view cabin, and a week before the cruise, we were emailed a chance to bid for a balcony. We made the minimum bid, and even with an extremely low chance of getting it, we got the upgrade. The balcony was amazing, especially when we cruised past Hubbard Glacier. The cabin was small but had enough room for both of us. Jaya, our steward was amazing. Anything we needed, he was there. The ship itself is a midsize ship. It doesn't have an ice skating rink, or a wave pool, but it doesn't need it. it has plenty of activities that kept us busy for the week. The trivia was fun, the shows were good, lots of places to get something to drink, and my friend had a blast in the casino. We only ate in the buffet one time for breakfast, and the food was hot, tasty, and varied. Most breakfasts, we had in the dining room, and while fewer choices than the buffet, obviously, the choices of omlettes, fruit, breakfast meats, eggs, was plenty to choose from. For dinner, we purchased the premium restaraunt pass. We ate at Chops and Giovanni's multiple times, Samba Grill Once, and Izumi once. My friend was having mobility issues, so Izumi actually delivered room service for us. All the food was amazing. Ports were great. We did a whale watching dinner cruise in Juneau, and a sled dog ride on wheels in Skagway. I did the duck boat in ketchikan, but wasn't really that impressed with it. it did a quick lap of the city, and didn't go very far once it got into the water. Shopping and dining in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan are good. if you get a chance, take the brothel tour in Skagway. it's a fun tour that doesn't glamorize it, but tells the history. On the whale watch in Juneau, our excursion was the last one back, and my friend and I were literally the last two people on the ship. They closed the doors behind us. That's why we ALWAYS purchase the shore excursions from the ship. The few cons we had were in the way they handled things. The first day, they accidentally sent my main bag with all my clothes to the cabin we had BEFORE we got the upgrade, and I didn't get it until almost 11:30 at night. Debarkation day, we had an excursion in vanciouver. They didn't give us luggage tags for the excursion group, and we almost missed the bus. The bus was getting ready to leave, and our luggage still hadn't come out. Somehow, it came out at the last minute, and we made the bus by 1 minute, having to dash through the terminal, my friend being pushed in a wheelchair. As for technichal, my friend's internet worked fine, but mine didn't work at all over half the time. They tied to reconfigure my device, and it worked a BIT better, but overall not good. I had purchased the streaming speed internet, but they gave only the surfing speed internet. The other problem was our TV set. Sometimes our remote wouldn't work at all, other times the TV would just come back on at random. They said they fixed the problem, but they never did. We just ended up turning down the volume and using the TV as a night light. Other than the minor mis-steps, the cruise was awesome!!! Read Less

We did the 7 day Land tour before our cruise. With the exception of Denali Village which we found our room not cleaned they moved us to a new room only to open door and find it already occupied. Rooms small had no hot water just a bad experience! Our tour guide Kacie was amazing and tried to resolve everything! She took time and care with each of us and made sure we had the best time! On board the balcony cabin we had was spacious and perfect for to people. The staff from our steward to the bartenders were the best. The food not so much main dining room food was ok but nothing special! We ate at the Chophouse it was terrible both steaks were full of fat and gristle and was unedible! Thankfully the appetizers and salads were filling! The windjammer is same old same old but good for breakfast and lunch! The day of disembarking was a nightmare going into Vancouver airport is an experience let alone with the ship getting you off late shuttle bus lanes are ridiculous we got to the airport 1 hour before our flight and made it to our gate 10 minutes before boarding. My advice do not take shuttle take a taxi! Read Less

My wife and I began preparing for this cruise 5 years ago when we took our first Alaskan cruise for our 30th anniversary. We had so much fun, and it was so amazing, that we decided we'd do another for our 35th. And this time we'd do our own pre-cruise tour before sailing southbound. I would have preferred to sail earlier in the year this time, but as it turned out it was the same timeframe as the first one, which meant we were cruising over our anniversary again. So that was fine. We arrived in Anchorage on Sunday the 26th. Unfortunately, Delta had fun with our flights a few times and our original 12:30pm arrival ended up being 3pm. With a delay in landing and then waiting for the hotel shuttle, we didn't arrive to the Lakefront Anchorage until about 4pm. Only 15 hours after we had gotten up! Somehow we managed to stay awake until dinner time and we went for a short walk around the area and the lake with all its float planes. But that was the end of Sunday. On Monday we headed for Denali National Park. We made a few stops on the way for some supplies, and we also visited the Earthquake Park. It's always interesting to see something that I've read about in the History books. That Good Friday earthquake in 1964 was something else.. We spent 3 nights at Carlo Creek Lodges in one of their private cabins with a private bathroom. The cabin was cozy, and the bathroom even more so, but it was clean, comfortable and only $124/night. The location was very nice, about 15 minutes south of the park entrance. Fortunately, we had a chance to see Mt. Denalij on our drive up to the Park. Tuesday we took the hop-on/hop-off bus into Denali. The weather was not great, with scatterings of sun, rain, fog, low clouds, etc, so we didn't do any hopping off, hopping on. Wednesday was great weather when we went to the park again This time we started the morning off climbing Mt. Healy. And then it rained as we got within the last mile of the overlook, so we came back down. We went to the Dog Sled Camp later, when the sun was back out. Thursday we drove back to Anchorage. It was a rainy drive, but when we got to Anchorage the rain stopped and we got to explore more of Anchorage. We did some shopping for souvenirs. TIP- we found stuff up in Denali area just as cheap as in Anchorage, so you don't need to panic.. This time we stayed at the Clarion Suites as they had a shuttle to the train station. They take your name for it, but someone we were overbooked. Not sure how that happened, but we got everyone to the station on time. The train ride to Seward was so much fun, and the scenery was great. We paid for the upgraded Gold Star service. The breakfast was great and the dome car was so nice to really see things It helped me spot a family of 3 moose for all to see! We met some great people on the train. As it turned out, the couple seated behind us on the train, was our next door neighbor on the cruise. When we got to Seward, we stopped at Alaska Seafood Grill for some lunch. The chowder in a bread bowl is excellent! We had reservations with Body Abode for massages before the cruise. With arrival around 11, finding lunch, walking to our massages and all that, it was 2-2:30 when we arrived at embarkation. This was the first time that we were the ONLY people in line to check in. It was surreal and, as you might expect, really quick. Best boarding ever. The ship was clean and seemed well maintained. We enjoyed it alot. The Solarium is one of the best I've seen on RC and I've 9 of the ships so far. The Park Cafe was also nice, we ate their a couple of times. We split our time between the MDR and the Windjammer. The only bad time we had though was one of the last nights in the Main Dining room. Our service was just awful. It was the first time ever in the MDR that we had bad service over 10 cruises. It seemed like our waiter and asst waiter were too busy with one of the tables near us to even bother to make sure we had water. In fact, one of the couples at our table asked for water, and they got it. But the other 4 of us didn't, and my wife's glass was pretty much dry. We then had to ask the head waiter for water for the rest of us. (And I must say that the head waiter never actually introduced herself to us at all). They were slow on bringing us our food, especially our desserts. I've never complained before, but we did that night. One of the other couples actually told us that they pulled their pre paid tips from the wait staff. That might have been a little extreme but it was frustrating. The Hubbard Glacier is amazing. We got to within a half mile that day, and we able to see some nice calving. Then they came around with hot chocolate which we could add Baileys to, and that really hit the spot. Man, was it cold there! At Juneau, our only excursion was the twilight whale watch, so we explored Juneau on our own. We walked on the Seawalk to the new Whale fountain. We wanted to eat at Tracy's but the line was sooooo long. We went to Pier 49 and while the food was good, the wait was too long. Especially when people who ordered after us got served before us. Way before us. I would not recommend them. In Skagway we did the Bike ride down the mountain. We weren't able to book the one including the White Pass Railroad, but the ride was fun anyway. Plus we saved about $150. We also visited the local museum and we had lunch at Northern Lights pizza for burgers. Very good. And not an arm and a leg! The only about this soundbouth cruise is that all stops are one right after the other. That makes for some busy days. I would love a Sea Day in the middle to break it up, but that's probably not gonna happen. Icy straight Point is a Hoonah village and I've read where some people don't like it. I think it's great to see how the locals live and to share that experience. Not everything can be packaged and sold to lazy consumers. We just did a hike with a local and it was great. We learned a lot. It 's a nice island. Maybe next time we'll do something else. And finally in Ketchikan, we didn't do any excursions. In the morning it was raining, go Figure, so we walked to Creek Street, went up Married Man's way and saw the Fish Ladder. We went by some shops and we even bought some smoked salmon to send home. Later on, the rain stopped and the sun came out, so we went back to the fish ladder, and explored the city more. We went by Creek street again. We had a late lunch at the Alaska Fish House. seating was limited so we shared a table with a couple who turned out to be the owners of the Crab Fisherman's Experience shore excursion. Yeah, we were eating at a place the locals eat at. My wife had the chowder and I had the halibut fish and chips. I don't even remember the last day at sea, but I think it involved sleeping, reading, hot tubs and eating. When we got to Vancouver, we spent the day there, as we had a train to Seattle at 4:45pm. We went to Stanley Park and visited the aquarium there as well as walking around the flower garden. We spent time along the harbor as well enjoying the float planes. In Seattle we stayed at the Belltown. It was a nice hotel and located near some nice dining. On Saturday, we explored a bit of Seattle. We checked out the sculpture park, and visited Pike's Market again. (We had visited Seattle 5 yrs ago so all the regular tourist spots were already visited). We did go on the Locks Cruise and saw the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. Our flight home wasn't until 12:30am, but after a nice pizza dinner at Zeeks pizza. Read Less

The bottom line is that we loved Alaska, loved our cruisetour, and loved the Radiance. It was a fabulous vacation! Because I was dealing with a first time cruiser and two elderly people, I wanted everything to be as easy as possible so we chose to do a pre-cruise tour with Royal Caribbean (the 1B Wildlife Express). And I'm not gonna lie, it was a great choice! Everything ran smoothly, we had great weather, a wonderful guide and driver and there was nothing I could fault. Getting there was rough (hello 2am) so I definitely recommend going in a day before the day before (we had some folks who didn't join us until Denali!). Arrival and getting to our hotel could have been better and I blame RC for not communicating with us what we needed to do even though we specifically told them we were arriving the day before. Luckily the local folks who work for the other cruise lines (and maybe RC?) were extremely helpful and got us to our hotel relatively quickly. The Anchorage Marriott is a beautiful hotel in downtown and within walking distance to pretty much everything, but wi-fi is not included and the options for food and drink are limited. Luckily, so many better options are within walking distance. I do think there are better values to be found, especially if you opt for something outside of downtown. For us, I'm glad it was part of the package. We ate a late lunch on the patio at the 49th State Brewery. The food and drink were plentiful and very good and the view was fabulous! After meeting our tour guide and getting the scoop on our land tour, we did a mini pub crawl hitting two nearby places, both of which were worth the stop. Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse had a Belgian flight with good beers and tasty appetizers. We then went across the street to Williwaw Social to sit on the top deck and watch the sun go down. The next morning we boarded a large, chartered bus and set off. I think there were about 20 of us altogether, so it didn't feel so much like being in a herd. I'm really glad we started with the bus and then got to board the train in the middle instead of the other way around. The Wilderness Express train ride was a highlight with a bright sunny day. It was almost hot in the upper deck with all that glass warmed by so much sun. We definitely got to take the "better half" of the train ride, from Talkeetna to Denali instead of from Anchorage to Talkeetna. And it was gorgeous scenery. Breathtaking. Eating lunch on the train was a plus. In Denali Park Village we were put up in the Miner's Village in relatively new rooms. Great location in the large complex. Then we opted for an excursion to visit sled dogs. The RCI tour took us to Jeff King's place and it was informative and fun. Who doesn't love active, happy puppies and dogs? The next morning was the trip into Denali itself. It was raining, but that didn't lesson our enjoyment of it, especially as it wasn't overly cold. The half day tour was plenty since the Denali buses are pretty much basic school buses and my parents really didn't need to ride for eight hours on one of those. Then we were back on our charter bus and headed back down. We stopped in Talkeetna to stay at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge which was beautiful. It's a wooden lodge with a huge indoor fireplace and large outdoor terrace with a breathtaking view. The town of Talkeetna is tiny and unique. We had one of the best meals I've ever eaten at Wildflower and I managed a very rapid shopping stop. Then we enjoyed the rest of the evening watching the sunset from the lodge. Wonderful! The next day was a fairly long bus ride from Talkeetna all the way to Seward to embark on the ship, but it was broken up with an early lunch stop in Anchorage and then a visit to the Wildlife Conservation Center which was the only place we could see bears and moose up close. Worth a stop! Embarkation was smooth and quick. Because it was already after 4pm, our rooms were ready and most of our bags had already arrived. My parents were in a balcony while my brother and I were in an inside cabin. Because I'd been on two of the Radiance's sister ships, I knew what to expect and nothing was jarring. We had anytime dining, but requested the same table every night as the service and attention we received was outstanding. We all enjoyed every meal there. I know the radiance class ships don't have all the "activities" that the larger ships do, but there's something about this class of ship that, to me, makes it almost perfect. It manages to be completely full yet never feels crowded or hemmed in. It's definitely "sea" focused with most everything having views of the water. And the service just seems to be that little bit friendlier and attentive. The Radiance's itinerary and size made it perfect for Alaska. The ports were the reason we were there, so I don't have that much to say about the on board entertainment. The disco was dead every night and a couple of the broadway style shows were so-so. I didn't really like the comedian at all. The jugglers/comedians were funny. We had nice long days at every port. And I noticed that other cruise lines would be there and gone while we still had hours to explore. That's why we came to Alaska and this itinerary really delivered. We had an incredible day to see Hubbard Glacier. It was sunny and relatively warm and we were so very close to the glacier. It was so cool to see it calving. In Juneau we took a Harv & Marv's whale watching excursion and had a fabulous day on the water. It was sunny and mild and it was a delight to see the whales and sea lions all while surrounded by mountains, sky, water, and even views of few glaciers. Then we had to eat at Tracy's King Crab Shack! It was amazing and an experience worth standing in line for. Lastly we took the tramway up the mountain to see the views. All in all, Juneau was a great first stop, with twelve hours in port and incredible weather. Skagway was the next stop and we did a Chilkoot Rail tour. We opted to take the train down so had a "short bus" on the way up. It was nice to be in a smaller group. We could stop more often and didn't have to dodge crowds for photos. Again we had incredible weather, a sunny warm day, and the train ride down was breathtaking. Plus, because it was the end of the season we made out like a bandit on souvenirs. The town itself has a lot of character with a lot of old buildings preserved for the tourists. In Icy Strait Point, the day started foggy and drizzly, but it all burned off into another beautiful day. We did a ship tour which was informative about the local culture and entertaining. This was an early departure, especially compared to any other port, but we still had plenty of time to see what we wanted to. The port was especially nice since they had these little extended golf cart shuttles for those who needed extra help getting into the port proper (which is a bit of a walk). Last port was Ketchikan and rain. But it dried out and the Saxman village was interesting and it was great to learn about the totem poles and Tlingit culture. We spoke to a famous carver a little bit before shopping, which was a great place to get Native souvenirs. Lastly, Vancouver Port was the nicest, most efficient port I've ever arrived in. Seriously, we were off the ship, turned to our left and there were our bags. A porter arrived a minute later and the next thing I knew we were loaded onto the bus for the airport! All in all it was worth every penny. Everyone had a great time and we'd definitely do it again. Read Less

We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. Everything about this trip was perfect!! We brought our 3 grown children. We had 3 days in Anchorage. We stayed at an airbnb, which was great. We did get 2 rental cars outside of the airport to save $$$. We hiked Flattop Mountain and Winner Creek Trail. We even made it to the State Fair! We took the Alaskan Railroad to Seward. We upgraded to Gold Star. I definitely recommend upgrading! Totally worth it. When we got to Seward we went right to the ship. No need to eat lunch elsewhere!!! We all got the drink package ahead of time which saved us $$$. Again totally worth it. My husband and I had an aft extra large balcony and the kids had to slum it with an inside cabin. LOL I actually loved the ship. Super clean and our service was awesome!!!! We dined in the dining room every night. Fabio and his team went out of their way for us!!! Our drinks were great at all of the bars but especially at the Champagne Bar!!!! The excursions were great too!!! I honestly do not have one negative thing to say about anything!!!! Read Less

This was it first cruise and is likely to be the last. We left 4 hours late and traveled the inner passage at night, couldn't see anything. The ship is fundamentally a shopping mall - hotel on floats with gambling room, and an incredible assortment of bars (who drinks $60/day of alcohol?) Aside from one glacier view nothing but far land on one side and empty ocean on the other. We were transported from one tourist trap to the next, with villages doubling or tripling population as the ship comes in. A hassle to get in and out with security and room card (I understand they don't want anyone left stranded, especially those who drink $60/d alcohol!!) The presentation on board were poorly presented with low quality visuals. One experience was enough. Not interested in social games, bingo, arcade game or whatever. Very few opportunity for photography. Incessant push to buy non sense watches and the likes. Too much smoking! The good thing about such an enormous ship is that it is very stable and food was good. Otherwise a miserable experience Read Less

We went with seasoned cruisers daughter and husband. This was our first and probably only cruise experience. The best scenic part of the cruise was Hubbard Glacier. The rest of the ports were sort of ho-hum and it appeared that some were trumped up for the cruise industry. We didn't go on any of the expensive tours such as a bear tour that out daughter went on in Icy Strait that was a futile experience. Our cabin was OK but showing signs of wear from the dowdy looking "sofa chair", the sagging vanity chair and the BAD BEDS with sparsely cushioned springs that guaranteed hip aches all night. Attendant did a good job and all of the help we encountered were helpful and courteous. The photographers and their helpers corny bear type costumes were very pushy and a fight to get through to the Windjammer buffet, where the food and offerings were no better than the average mass buffet outfits found around. Tricky to find seating tables if you were not innovative. We had reserved tables in the Dining Room and were seated promptly on our arrival. The staff was courteous and fairly efficient but the "recommendations" were not necessary and were hard to understand with old ears. Annoying was the added "gratuities" of 18 per cent to any wines or drinks, especially with the mandatory $150.00 gratuity included in the ticket. The dining menu was somewhat repetitious with the offerings nothing special. Most of the food was rather bland. Maybe they were designed that way to steer you to the pricey specialty restaurants where more gratuities were added. Trying to find a quiet spot to read or play cards around the central lounge was impossible because of the BLASTING noises from aspiring (but amateurish and uninspiring) musicians..The sounds resonated to the top of the ship. We enjoyed the abundant windows for viewing the magnificent scenery of the coast. We walked out of one show with amateur performers, but did enjoy the two comedy shows presented. Boarding and leaving the ship ran smoothly, including customs in to Canada. None of the activities listed seemed interesting enough to check out. All in all we did enjoy the ship, but found it rather ordinary in all respects. Best ti check out all reviews before booking tours. Read Less

We were on a pre cruise and post cruise trip for the Alaskan trip. The ship was average, dining room service was awful. The waiter constantly brought the wrong food, under cooked food or failed to bring the items we ordered. Everyone we talked to on this cruise said they had same issues with the dining room service. Each night there were only two optional entrees to order, the rest were the same items every night. The room was fine, everything worked properly Room steward was good, nothing above average.Entertainment was average. The captain did a great job communicating and showing us an awesome view of Hubbard Glacier. Embarkation and debarkation was average.We generally like the larger ships but we took this cruise for the itinerary. We took a Baltic cruise in May on the sister ship Brilliance and found everything on that cruise to be exceptional. The friendly staff added to the cruise. Can't say the same for the Radiance Crew. Read Less

Always wanted to go to Alaska, so when our first cruise to Puerto Rico got cancelled due to hurricanes, we decided to go to Alaska instead. Now mind you, RCI was not too easy to get them to change our cruise even though our flights and hotel were cancelled but eventually we managed to get them to see it was impossible to get to Puerto Rico in Oct 17. We went to Alaska for a few days early and traveled around and the sights are breathtaking. We boarded Radiance and were immediately treated like royalty. If you have been on a few cruises then you qualify differently (i.e. Gold, Platinum, etc). You then can skip the line on boarding and they get you right on the ship. The people complaining about the ship being old..... If I'm going to spend more than a couple hundred dollars I'm usually going to at minimum do a google search. Right there pops up ship was built in 2001 on Wikipedia. Ship is 17 years old, I also learned it was dry docked in 2016. We had an extended balcony oceanview. The views are amazing, the balcony was decent sized for two people and includes chairs and table. The inside of the room has been updated, with new TV's and some cabinetry but the bathroom, couches and beds do not appear to be replaced. No matter, they were okay. The beds arent the most comfortable, which is my only gripe of this trip. My wife loved them as they were very supportive, however I want to sleep on a cloud. We did all sorts of different dining; Giovanni's italian which was absolutely amazing. We did Chops Steakhouse which was again off the charts. And our waiter told us about a package they do three of the restaurants for a deal. Normally its around $30 a person extra for this but they did three for $74/person. So our third we did a galley tour where we see everything behind the scenes and they feed you. Word of the wise, get the picture package. They have photgraphers EVERYWHERE. Take a bunch of pictures and spend the $225 on the package. Youll have well over 100 pictures if you spend 10 minutes a day taking them. It sure beats spending $15 per picture and having to decide on 2-3. Just figure out when the pictures are being taken and follow them for 10 minutes before dinner. Boom, done. Casino wasnt a big hit on this cruise, dont think anyone won. I was out a few hundred and started to look around and didnt see many people winning. But, thats whats it there for....to make money. The dining room staff was very good. They are polite, very well trained and can answer any question about your meal. My wife has an odd allergy and they were able to answer questions about everything and if they didnt know a head waiter would come over and make everything so easy. The ship appears to have the main public bathrooms redone, some of the public areas, etc. It really is a beautiful ship, some parts are older but its so well kept its insane. Every port you stop at before your even off the ship there are people already working on parts of it trying to keep up with upkeep. The cruise director was okay on this ship, he was fun and outgoing. Not the best for sure we've definitely had better on Enchantment of the seas but he was still good. I get the drink package and wasnt charged for anything, 15 year scotch, frozen drinks, beers, etc. Its worth it in my opinion. I tipped a bartender $5 on the first day (even though tipping is already included, this was extra) he couldnt do enough for me the rest of the cruise. And they move around (i.e. in the day he was at the pool at night hes in a bar). Was a great guy was nice to hear about his home and family. The ports are amazing. They get you right up to the glacier, there was one port that was boring but we just went back on the ship and had a blast. Its their rainy season, but in the two weeks we were there it rained once, Im told the weather we got was unheard of. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we were going with friends and we wanted to travel to new places. We had a great time at all the ports! They were so nice to see and explore! However we didn't just enjoy the ports. We spent lots of time on the ship taking fun classes, relaxing in the hot tub, watching movies by the pool, and playing lots of games! We enjoyed playing mini golf and ping pong on the ship, as well as exploring the ship. The cabins were very nice and clean. The staff was great, they were always kind and considerate. I am allergic to gluten and I was very well accommodated. Our waiters got me very good food and they entertained us with magic tricks. We all really liked our waiters and we often talked to them while we waited for our food. They did not try to sell us stuff like waiters on other ships. I even celebrated my birthday on this cruise and they made me a special gluten free cake. I have read reviews that say service on Royal Caribbean is bad, and I completely disagree, I found everyone on board to be kind and helpful. The entertainment on this cruise was very good, we watched lots of shows and movies while onboard. We traveled with children and they really enjoyed it. We would definitely go again because the experience was amazing! Read Less

We’ve sailed with RCI many times before and have never been so disappointed.The land portion of our package was awesome. Unfortunately the moment we got to our room on the ship the dissapointments started. The beds were falling apart (you couldn’t even close the sleeper chair..it had to stay open all the time because the sides were barely hanging on. We were constantly tripping over it), the bathroom floor felt like it was going to collapse into the floor below, one of the balcony glass walls had a side that was not attached to anything (not good for our grandkids!!), the intercom in the room did not work (the stateroom person verified it did not work), the list goes on and on. The “my time dining” staff was unorganized to say the least. We were told to call but they did not answer the phone. We went to the restaurant and We were told to sign up for our dining time and table but when we tried we were told we couldn’t. That’s ok because we walked out the first night because the waiters were condescending and didn’t take our orders. Too bad, we’re usually really great tippers!! The entertainment was what I would expect on a less expensive trip. We didn’t stay for the first performance in the theater as it was boring and the kids didn’t like it at all. We didn’t bother going to any others. The singers in the main lobby were off key. Bless their hearts they tried but it sounded like bad kareoke (not that there’s anything wrong with that but the main lobby performers are usually fantastic singers). Love you RCI but you need to treat your Alaska cruisers like you treat your Caribbean cruisers! Next time we’ll take another cruise line. Read Less

Overall great experience...excursions were fantastic! Juneau...walked off ship and used a blue bus to go to Mendenhall...easy ride...wonderful short hike out to Nugget Falls and the glacier...nice visitor center. Skagway...ship excursion on the White Pass and Yukon Route Train...breathtaking views and good narration by staff...water and bathrooms available in each car...train located adjacent to pier...enjoyed a walk into town, lots of fun shops. Icy Strait Point...ship excursion...whale and mammal quest boat trip...loved the entire trip...saw whales, otters, seals, eagles..really nice crew...bathroom and snacks available onboard. Ketchikan...ship excursion...snorkeling...wow, great fun and very easy...good group of participants of all shapes, sizes and ages (i am 63)... close to ship...getting into wet suit was biggest challenge but worked great...very comfortable on a 56 degree day in 55 degree water...maybe not what you might think of for an Alaskan adventure but well worth it...highly recommend. All the ports were an easy walk from ship and had a little something different to offer. Read Less

When we arrived in Anchorage the transfers to the Marriott downtown were right there waiting on us. We settled in our room then went downstairs to meet with our tour guide, Debbie. After receiving our tour packet and luggage tags we were off to find something to eat. We found dining at 49th State was a good choice. The next morning my group of 14 (family & friends) was off bright & early on the Wilderness Express train to Denali. Our bus driver, Crystal, had taken everyone’s luggage to the lodge. Our guide on the train, Mark, was very knowledgeable as well as comical. We were on the train long enough to have breakfast as well as lunch. The menu was short but what everyone had was good. Upon arriving at the Denali Park Village, the only issue I had with this stop was what we did upon arrival. Instead of going right to the lodge we were told we could spend time at the Visitor’s Center. The bus was already there as well as our luggage was in each room. By the time we got into our rooms, we wanted to find some dinner. Because of the delay in checking in, getting the next shuttle into Denali would be too late. So, we went back to the lodge and found something. As everyone says, food in Alaska isn’t cheap. Our room at the lodge was overlooking the river so we left our window open to hear the river during the night. The next day we got up even earlier to make our 4:55am tour. We were told by the coffee shop they would open at 4:30am so we were there at that time. The people working at the coffee shop had no idea that the workers from the previous evening had told us they would open at 4:30am. So, it was a hustle to get something to eat before our tour bus left. We had a box snack which was included in the tour but that wasn’t enough to hold us until we met for lunch several hours later. Being so early, we were the first bus into the park where we beat the crowds. This cost us an additional $70 pp but it was well worth it. The bus had a top-notch camera and the driver was able to project it onto the screen on the bus. We saw foxes, bears, moose, caribou, Dal sheep, ground squirrels and snow-shoe rabbits. We had an amazing view of Mt Denali. The day was sunny, and it wasn’t that cold. On our trip in 2006 we didn’t go in as far, but we did go in further than what the Denali Natural History tour does now unless you pay the extra money. At the end of the tour everyone met for lunch then hopped on the bus for Talkeetna. The Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge was better than lodge in Denali. The view from our room was of the Denali mountains. We could see the peak of Mt. Denali as it looked like it was floating on a cloud. The next morning, we had breakfast in the dining room of the lodge. Then our bus was bound for our next stop. We stopped in Anchorage for a couple of hours. Being short on time, I chose to eat again at 49th State since I knew the food was good. After lunch I found a liquor store to purchase my 2 bottles of wine. The Hotel Alyeska was better yet. After settling in our room, several of us took the tram up to see the sights from there. We chose to dine at the lodge dining room which the food was very good. It seemed like all we had done since arriving in Anchorage was eating so that night I just had soup. The next morning, several of our group went to the dining room and some went to the coffee shop for breakfast where they served Starbucks. Then we were off to Seward. It was a cloudy rainy day, but we were on the bus. We first went to the Alaska Wildlife Center and saw rescued animals to be nursed back to health if necessary then released back into their habitat if they could be. We saw bears, caribou, a bear cub recently found, an eagle missing a wing and a lynx. Off to our last stop in was Alaska Sea Life Center. This had all sorts of water creatures. Sea lions, puffins, octopus’ and more. Then off to Seward for our home for the next 7 days. Looked forward to being able to unpack everything. Embarkation was a breeze, I believe due to the hour of 3:00pm rather than earlier in the day. Our group then became 16 as my cousin and her husband joined us for the cruise. Leaving at 8pm wasn’t too bad since it was still very light outside. Our group had MTD and I was only allowed to make reservations for no more than 10 at a time before the cruise. So, I went to the reservation person to see if I could get all 14 of us at the same area in the dining room. I didn’t think it would be possible for a table for 14 people, but the manager said if we went at 8:15pm the next night on we could all be seated at the same table. The next night came and they had us seated at a table of 10 and one for 6. OK, we weren’t that far from our group, so I let it ride. Upon leaving the dining room, I stopped to ask, again, if we could have tables closer to together. First day was sailing all day then Hubbard Glacier. I guess it was because there were so many ice chunks in the water that we couldn’t get as close as we did last time we did this cruise. This made going to Mendanhall all that much better. Juneau wasn’t a very pretty day. We chose to do the Whale Watch, Salmon Bake & Mendanhall Glacier. I’ve been on this excursion before and wanted to do a smaller vessel, so it was easier to see a whale instead of trying to look through several people at the window. But I was voted down. Not caring for fresh salmon, I chose the chicken at the Orca Lodge. Some in my group liked the salmon and some didn’t. The vegetables were bland and cooled off quickly. The slaw was dry as we couldn’t tell if there was any dressing on it. But the brownies were good. Then off to the small gift shop where we purchased the smoked salmon they gave us on the whale vessel. They took us back to the dock where we boarded a bus to the Mendenhall glacier. It was windy and a drizzle rain, but the sites were so beautiful. I wish we had had more time to walk to the glacier, but it was too far for our hour stop allowed. Sunday night we were at a table for 14. My nephew’s dessert cookie was so hard, the ice cream on top didn’t affect it at all. The waiter knew it was hard because I saw him smiling when my nephew was making his comments. Skagway was the next stop. Seven of my group chose to take the White Pass Railroad up to Emerald Lake where they met their guide from Dyea Dave’s. They sang the praises of Dyea Dave’s. They had lunch at The Bistro in Carcross, then stopped at Tutshi Sled Dog Tours to play/visit with the sled dogs. The pictures they took looked like they had a wonderful day. They saw 7 bears along the roadside with 2 of them being cubs. I chose horseback riding in Tongass National Forest. I normally don’t have the opportunity to ride so this was my highlight. The trail guides gave us history of the park and took photos of us on our horses. Monday night we were seated at 2 tables of 8 next to each other. Eduardo was by far the best waiter we had so far. Tuesday night we planned to go to Chops Grill, so I requested that Wednesday night could we have those same tables with Eduardo. Next stop, Icy Strait Point. I remembered why I didn’t get off the ship when we visited in 2006. My daughter-in-law and I paid $5 each for a shuttle into town. There wasn’t really anything to see or do. Although, I thought the colorful houses there were pretty. Back on the shuttle, we browsed the shops before boarding the ship. I was really looking forward to our dinner at Chops for $41 pp which included gratuity. I had the filet and it was SOOOO good. My husband had the NY strip, son had the rib eye as well as others choosing the same items from the menu. They accommodated us on Wednesday night in the dining room at Eduardo’s tables. Ketchikan was our final stop. Some of us went on the Duck tour excursion. I had been on a duck before, but this was different scenery and our guide was very knowledgeable of Ketchikan since he was a native. Upon getting into the ocean, there were eagles just sitting on rock formations. Seeing eagles like we see birds every day at home was spectacular. We had a couple of hours before our next excursion, so we found someplace to have lunch. Ten of us stopped at Pirates Edge/. The waiter told us that due to the number, 18% would be added on each bill. Six of us were seated and we waited for the rest of our group to arrive. Due to some of us being on a time restraint we told our waiter that we’d go ahead and order. His response was, “what do you want?” He didn’t come down to our end of the table, he just stood at the end and took orders. My husband and I ordered the halibut & fries, one soda, crab cake appetizer and everything came to $56. There was a kitchen fee added also. The waiter reminded us of the 18% gratuity added but we could always add more. We all heard him mention he was part owner. When we left I told the hostess that he was lucky he added the 18% because he wasn’t a very good waiter and his attitude was very poor. Especially for being part owner. She was surprised at this statement. I found out later he told the remaining people in our group that there was miscommunication and he wasn’t part owner. The last excursion was the lumberjack show. It was cute but so rehearsed. We did enjoy their chopping and log climbing. Then back to the ship. Thursday was our last sea day and it wasn’t very nice outside. Really windy, cool, foggy and cloudy. So most of our day was spent inside the ship. Since some of us didn’t want to eat so late, we chose to have dinner in the Windjammer on Thursday evening. It was seafood night and things were very good. Then off to finish packing. Since we needed to disembark early, we set our luggage in the hall and went to bed. We chose to pay $30 pp and get the transfer to the airport. Our departure info was to be turned in by Monday at 9:00pm. My cousin asked guest services and was told she could set her luggage out and not see it again until she reached the Vancouver airport. This was not a choice we were given. She just happened to ask about it. Of course, we were too late turning in our forms so all we could get was the transfer. So we had to look for our luggage when we got off the ship. They had numbers on the tags, so it wasn’t as bad as I had remembered in the past of the warehouse with luggage as far as the eye could see. Then loaded on the bus and off for a 45-minute drive to the airport. After going thru both Canadian and US customs we were ready to find food and wait until our flight was ready. The SHIP: I was worried that it had shower curtains rather than a door but that really wasn’t as big a deal as I had expected. I wish I had known that balcony cabins on deck 7 you could converse with your neighbor without a divide between them. This would have been good for our group having many cabins in a row. Too bad I didn’t know, I would have reserved on deck 7 instead of 8. The Quest was fun but not as much fun as on the bigger ships, where having it in a bigger area or showing it on the big screen, where there is more room for people to run with their items. There wasn’t much room for sitting so people were standing and you couldn’t see much. There was a musical band playing right across from Guest Services where it was hard to talk or hear them. Our first time traveling as Diamond members. We were the only ones in our group so it was nice to be able to get our 3 drinks each at most bars to enjoy with the rest of our group. Wasn’t a big fan of the way they did table reservations. The comedian on the first night was probably the best. Choices for entertainment wasn’t the best. The impressionist was pretty good as well. The food quality and service in the dining room just wasn’t up to par. The windows in The Colony lounge had lost their seals and it was hard to see the view out. Read Less

We chose RCI because we have sailed on them before and generally have good experiences. This however was not the case on the Radiance. From the time we got on the boat things were awful. The boat smelled like raw sewage when we first got on. I thought that it might have been Seward but as the cruise wore on I would still occasionally smell raw sewage. State room attendant was good. Main dining not so good. First day I had to ask for tea three times and bread twice. When I mentioned it to the head waiter he took care of the problem. Our waiter, however, had about 15 guests to serve and he was always behind. Most of the other tables had dessert before we had our entree. Not his fault he just had too much to do. The Radiance is an older and smaller boat and doesn't have the amenities of the larger ships, no promenade, very few, if any after hours dining like the bigger ships. They did, however, have a lot of specialty dinning that they pushed at you from all directions. I believe they had five specialty restaurants, and one after hours snack station. Windjammer was always crowded as usual. Always hard to find a seat during peak hours. On most of the ships we have been on dining is at 6:30 and 8:30 with shows at 8:30 and 10:30. On the Radiance the dining is 6 and 8 with shows at 7 and 9. 8:00 diners have to go to the show at 7:00. I prefer the old way with dining at 8:30 and the show after. On the Radiance it would not make much difference because the shows were pretty bad anyway. We walked out of two of them. They have self leveling pool tables on board, which seems kind of nice until you tried to play on them. Most of the time they were broke, balls were missing and the tables locked in one position. We did the cruise tour with 5 days in Alaska before the cruise. The tour part was far superior to the cruise part. We both decided that we would never said on the Radiance again. Read Less

The itinerary was great. I enjoyed Alaska, but I was disappointed in RCI. Yes Radiance is old and small but I expected that. I didn't expect a poorly trained crew. Outside of food service, I had to ask for assistance twice. I found it difficult to make someone understand because they were too busy arguing with me. There only excuse was that it was a small ship. It was not the ship it was the attitude of the crew. Entertainment was disappointing as well. People walked out of CITY OF DREAMS. I went to sleep. The cruise director staff was hard to find. I have been on smaller ships with many more activities. The compass was poorly edited. It referred to the northern route so it wasn't fully updated. Hallways were blocked with steward carts all day long so it was difficult to navigate the small hallways. Shore excursions staff were poorly trained and rude. The guest services were rude. My roommate and I had seperate sea pass cards but they put everything on hers. I asked them to reverse some of them and put them on mine, they gladly did that but they went ahead and put them right back on hers instead of mine. They said they did not understand. I just gave up and reimbursed my cabin mate. I was disappointed. When I asked about the arrangements and reservation that I made on the RCI website prior to departure, guest service said they did not see them and told me to speak with my travel agent. I told them they were my travel agent and they told me if I paid for things ahead of time I needed to prove it. I understand the need for the that. I showed them my receipt and they then told me they didn't see it so it must be a banking error. I had to call my bank and have them fight with them. This was my vacation that I paid a lot of money for. Read Less

I was so excited for this cruise. To see Alaska to explore all that was offered on this ship. Alaska was awesome beautiful wonderful sites to see. The ship it's self was a little disappointing. The crew seem to be a little confused uninformed maybe not well-trained on their ship. The food in the wind jammer left a lot to be desired. The main dining room food for the most part was excellent. The service in the main dining room The first night was horrible. The food we ordered was not what the menu said. It took the manager over 45 minutes to solve the situation. Then we were switched to another set of waiters Anwar & Barton, the rest of the cruise, they were awesome! We were in room 8010 and our room attendant was great. He took care of our room and anything we needed. Our neighbors and their kids were very loud! Read Less

Always wanted to see Alaska and the scenery didn't disappoint. Took the Grand view train down from Anchorage to Seward which was a highlight of the trip. Embarkation process was fast and easy. The shore tours were also fantastic. The White Pass train excursion was excellent and our favorite shore tour. The Radiance of the Seas on the other had was a bit of a disappointment. This was my 10th cruse on Royal Caribbean and this ship was not up to my expectations. The activities & entertainment was lackluster at best. The ship looked tired and in need of a makeover. Lots of rust on the exterior especially on the balcony area. Some of the public rooms had a musty smell. They also had computer problems the first two days with made using the sea pass difficult & we had to go to guest services three times to get the issue resolved. We took advantage of the beverage package which worked out nice once we got the issues with the sea passes straightened out. The service at the shore excursion desk was poor. We had an issue with one of our prepaid tours and the staff at the shore excursion desk basically couldn't care less. The debarkation process ran a little behind schedule but we were able to make our 1:00pm flight out of Vancouver OK. If I do Alaska again I would most likely choose a different ship. Read Less

The hunt for bears...2 Brits in Alaska .... We booked this cruise the day it went on sale, wanting to get the coveted aft 9256. We then spent 2 years planning our trip. First lesson Alaska is very very expensive. What ever your budget is... double it! We flew from London to Seattle, spent just over 24 hours there. Hyatt House Hotel is right opposite the space needle and Chihuly. Ask for room 811...fabulous views. We loved Chihuly and we loved Pike place market and generally we loved Seattle. Given our 8 hr time difference we were still up early the next day. Breakfast in Pikes market with wonderful views, a quick emergency tee shirt buying trip as the weather was shaping up to be much warmer than we expected, then an Uber to the airport and ready for the next part... Tip: go up the Columbia SkyView 73rd floor observatory instead of the Space Needle because it’s cheaper at $14.75 ( also offers an over 55 for under $10) it is taller, and your photos will have the Space Needle in them! We flew Alaskan up to Anchorage. They charge $25per bag in addition to the air fare. You pay this at the kerbside. Stayed for 2 nights at the Ramada. In desperate need of renovation, but comfortable beds and friendly staff. A few blocks from the centre. Free shuttle from the airport and to the train station. Had a super meal at Tequila 61. Tip: Hire a car via Enterprise on E 5th - it was only $160 for 3 days ( cheaper than hiring at the airport.) Drove down to Girdwood, the Wildlife centre and Whittier on Sunday. On Monday we drove up to Denali, via Talkeetna for lunch. Quaint little town. We stayed 2 nights at the Home Dome in Healy. Ate at Prospectors Pizza and 49th brewing. Did the transit to Eielson. $50pp. Not much success on bears....the van behind had a mother and 2 cubs lie in the road in front of them! Tip: We had bought The Milepost beforehand. I wouldn’t say it is a must have though. Viewpoints are well signposted on the road. Back to Anchorage and one more night in the Ramada. Then early start for the 6;45 train to Seward. You must be at station about an hour beforehand and you have to go into the office to collect your tickets. No one tells you that on the paperwork. Suitcases checked through to our Hotel in Seward which was unexpected and efficient. If you can afford it, pay for the Gold service, fabulous glass domed railcards, breakfast included and 2 free alcoholic beverages. Yes I know it was only 6:45 but free champagne is good at any hour right?. $212pp Seward: stayed at Harbor 360. Nice views but very basic breakfast included on paper plates. DIY bagels and some yoghurts. At $339 for one night I expected more. Dinner at Chinooks... another $120 meal... Northern Latitudes Whale watching.. small boat and only 4 of us. Superb experience and highly recommended $163pp. Hotel transported our cases to the cruise ship for us. Easiest check in ever. Muster was at 6 and sailaway was at 8 FYI: When the ship was docked in Seward there was an additional 7% tax added to the bar bill. Random ship thoughts: Wi-fi is $12.99 or $17.99. With careful use of our D+ perk we were able to get 2x 24 hr free and then a 3 day package free ($38.98 was the D+ allowance) Have not even seen the CD -apparently he’s called Ken Jones. Have not been to any shows as they are at 7 ( clashes with CL drinks) and 8;45 ( clashes with dinner) so cannot comment. Steve Mudflap Mcgrew City of Dreams PengFei The Long Run ( Eagles tribute) Piano Man Movies shown included: Greatest Showman Pitch Perfect 3 Justice League 15:17 to Paris Wrinkle in Time Peter Rabbit Star Wars Jumanji Formal nights were Hubbard Glacier and ISP days. 1 hour clock change between Ketchikan and Inside Passage Food I’m afraid was totally unforgettable, bland and the poorest I have ever had on any RCI cruise (and I've done 30). Lobster tails last night served with Read Less

We had been to Alaska 6 years ago on an 11 night land and sea. We wanted more time on land so we booked additional nights on land this time. We also were now Diamond status on Royal so we chose them over Princess. We truly had a wonderful time on land with the additional days and tours. Breaking up the travel with shorter intervals on the train were good as well instead of the all day train with Princess. The disappointment truly was the Radiance which is an aging ship that has not been well maintained. Sewage smell from day one in stateroom bathroom. One day the sewage line was totally blocked on our side of the ship on level 7. Rust on our balcony and dirty sliding glass door windows as well were a disappointment. Wait staff was friendly but not always attentive (Linda the assistant waiter was the exception in the Main Dining Room). The food, including the lobster, truly was mediocre with no assistance to remove the meat from the table. We barely saw the assigned head waiter and did not see him perform any hands on assistance at all. The entertainment was mediocre (even the headliners). The shore excursions truly made this cruise acceptable. The casino had outdated slots and roulette tables with no towers or nonfunctioning towers. The Park Cafe was poorly staffed on several days as well. Forget the Windjammer since food selection was mediocre at best also. Read Less

We very much like the Radiance class of ships. And have taken the Brilliance many times. There are a lot of windowed public areas- which works great for the Alaskan weather. The Diamond Lounge and the host JD were fantastic. And the cruise, the crew and the views were wonderful. Our room steward was Ery, and hewas attentive and caring. Chops Grill is first class and a super food. The Windjammer dining room was very disappointing. As the food was very mediocre, not a big variety, and seemed no where as good as on the Brilliance of the Seas. The Windjammer staff did not seem engaged. The Balcony room on the port side was great going south as seeing the view was amazing. Also ask to go on the "behind the scenes entertainment tour" on the last sea day...and the entertainers are very nice and accommodating. Also would recommend that you take the Wilderness Express train from Anchorage to Denali on the way up and spend a few days at the Denali Bluffs Lodge. Read Less

This cruise was one of the best I have been on! Although the ship itself is smaller compared to the newer Royal Caribbean ships, it was in great condition and was a wonderful home away from home. I have sailed on several Royal Caribbean ships before and I have had amazing experiences on all of them, but the staff on this ship really made my experience exceptional! The service was always fast and accurate, and the friendly personnel made a lasting impression! My family and I attended dinner at the main restaurant practically every night and were served by two amazing employees (our waiter Reymil and our assistant waiter Lalramdinliani). They both went above and beyond to ensure that our dinner was to our liking and that our vacation was as pleasant as possible. Our waiter in particular asked us every evening if we preferred a quicker dinner service in order to catch a show or attend other onboard activities, or if we preferred a more relaxing, slower dinner service. Overall, this was a cruise I will never forget and the staff really made a great first and last impression! Read Less