Radiance of the Seas

This was our first cruise ever and I felt the need to review this so that Unilocalers can see what they are getting themselves into. This was an eight day trip & felt that was long enough.
We travelled to Alaska from Vancouver, via Skagway, Juneau & Ketchikan. We did have an easy checkin due to the fact I booked a Grand Suite which is not cheap whatsoever. I thought for what you pay for you would get more as we have travelled to a couple areas of Mexico before & have been on all inclusive trips there that have included food, drinks & tours too!
We were able to eat at the Concierge Lounge but didn’t go right away so we were only able to take advantage of the complimentary drinks when we went only a couple times. They weren’t opened the first day nor the last due to the jazz entertainment that was going on at the time. In fact we cruised with Dave Koz & all of the entertainment that came with it which was close to 20 entertainers & that was the highlight of the trip! There were concerts throughout the day except when we were in port so as not to miss these entertainers. We can see the entertainers themselves out in port enjoying the sights too.
We found ourselves eating mainly in the Windjammer restaurant which is a buffet; they were pretty good in covering a variety of foods. There was a hot dog area and my HB tried it only once. I skipped it totally. We did go to Park Café numerous times due to the fact that they had good salads, desserts. They also had sandwiches & wraps but they were unfulfilling. We are soda drinkers so we did have to pay extra but it wasnt too bad.
We didn’t pay extra for the other more expensive restaurants as we were able to eat at 4 different places. We didn’t even eat at the Main dining area as they had our time to eat as much later and we’re in bed by then although 2 nights I did stay up late for the entertainment!
The Grand Suite was by far a large room with queen size bed, sitting area that entailed a sofa & 2 seating chairs. There was a large size bathroom with tub/​shower option & decent toilet. We also had a good size balcony that a table with 2 chairs & chaste lounge can fit. We had plenty of areas to hang our clothes & place our belongings in the drawers. I highly recommend getting a place with the balcony because the Alaskan scenery is breathtakingly beautiful beyond words!!!
Besides the jazz entertainment, there was a movie theater but we did not use it at all plus we love watching movies. There was no need to this entire week. There was an area for shopping, a gym and indoor/​outdoor swimming pool & hot tub. I think there was a movie theater outside but it never was in use due to the entertainment.
Dave Koz definitely spoiled us with gifts each night that I was so glad to bring an extra empty suitcase! I would have given 5 stars but I am only rating the cruise ship which really only earned 3 stars due to less areas of food that were inclusive as well as the drinks. If one wanted to do the excursions they were very costly. The one day we were not at port but sailing we saw the blue ice glacier and it was gynormous! On the way back to Vancouver which was the next to the last day, we saw a school of dolphins and that was so cool! I know on the excursions people had paid big bucks to see these things.
Luckily had a nephew in Ketchikan who took us around town. I was happy to spend most of the day with him as I hadn’t seen him in over 6 years. We saw the totem pole park, ate Japanese food in Ketchikan and shopped until we had to board the ship unless we wanted to miss the boat!
Overall this cruise ship seemed average; I can’t imagine cruising without the major entertainment we had with Dave Koz & his group of friends which gave it the ultimate cruise ever!

My family and I went on the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas Alaska 8 days cruise this past summer. The cruise itinerary started in Vancouver and stopped at Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point — Hoonah, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier & Seward.
Hubby and I actually sailed on the same ship many years ago in the Caribbean before sonny boy came along. The highlights of my cruise were:
(1) Easy check in and check out process. No long lines and no wait… give your name and paperwork to the reservation desk person and you’re handed your stateroom cards… welcome aboard!
(2) Ship was renovated in 2011. The furnishings were updated and they added more specialty dining restaurants.
(3) Stateroom with an extended balcony. We were fortunate enough to get one of the few staterooms (i.e. «hump-​room») located in the middle of the ship where the balconies are extended… almost as large as the room itself.
(4) Good and friendly service in the dining areas, bars, show rooms, etc. Our servers at the dining room during dinner were great… they got to know our likes and dis-​likes quickly.
(5) Specialty Restaurant — Giovanni’s — Although there was a dining fee, our dinner was wonderful and the service was great!
(6) Wine Packages
The cruise line offers a few wine packages which was nice
(7) Evening Shows
A variety of musical shows… not bad, especially after a couple of glasses of wine, lol.
(8) Casino has a non-​smoking section… Yaaaay!
(9) Wide variety of shore excursion choices. We booked some with Royal and two with private companies. The Royal excursions were organized and fine.
There were a couple of items that needs to be addressed:
— Buffet and dining room food… the quality and variety has declined. The buffet items were limited and pretty standard. The food served in the dining room during dinner had nice presentations and were satisfying… but, again nothing extraordinary.
— Specialty Restaurants — You have to pay a fee and dine at one of the Specialty Restaurants if you want a great meal. The cruise line should just adjust their cruise prices so that they can offer wonderful meals at the buffet and dining rooms.
I had a great time on the Radiance of the Seas Alaska cruise ship. I’ll remember the wonderful service, my fabulous stateroom with the extended balcony, and Giovanni’s Italian Specialty Restaurant. I’m a fan…4 Stars

Radiance of the Seas is a mixed bag for me.
Pros:
— Service, service, service. Everyone we encountered was genuinely nice and simply phenomenal! They exceeded our expectations in every way. Specifically, the wait staff in the dining room and the bartender upstairs remembered all of our names, what drinks we ordered, and any special requests we had. Amazing!
— The ship itself was nice. Immaculately kept and tons of space to lounge around without feeling like there were 2200+ people there with you. For my nephew, it was a bummer that they only had 4 hours a day designated to be «kiddie» time.
Cons:
— The food. I don’t know if my palate has change in the 5+ years since I’ve taken a RC cruise, but it was disappointing! I would compare the buffet to something like Hometown Buffet. The salad bar was sparse, and they pretty much had the same things on the menu each day: salad, burgers, soup, Indian food, and a roasted meat of some sort. The food in the main dining room was much better than the buffet, but it wasn’t spectacular, as most people who go on cruises expect. After all, don’t you go on cruises to stuff your face silly with super yummy food you can’t get enough of? Also, they now have these «extra special» restaurants (Steakhouse, Japanese, Mexican) where you pay extra. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of a cruise when the standard fare is supposed to be stellar already?
— The staterooms are average. What was disappointing was there weren’t any toiletries to speak of! Glad I brought my own for a 7 day cruise!
It was a good experience overall, but nothing over the top wow that would make me loyal to just RC forever.

This review is specifically about the ship, and not the tour.
Both were excellent, but the excursions and port of calls deserve their own reviews.
Best feature: all the glass. This ship goes to Alaska and back and having an unobstructed view is important. That in mind, the number of state rooms with balconies is also great.
It is amazing to me how you can find time and space of your own on a ship with thousands of other people on it. But you really can.
If you are an active person like me, I promise you, you won’t run out of things to do while on board. The daily itinerary left in your room each night lets you know where you can join planned activities with other guests. I joined a dodgeball tournament, played bingo, and learned to salsa in one afternoon.
Then, of course, there is what you can explore on your own. The activities and features of this ship are too numerous to mention (from the casino to the rock climbing wall). Check out the website.
The food is abundant and excellent. (That is, of course, the main reason many people cruise in the first place.) I really enjoyed the upscale dining options. Portofinos was lovely.
The service is wonderful. Where ever you are on the ship, there is someone to help you nearby, but unobtrusive.
Every inch of the ship is beautiful and elegant.
I really do prefer Royal Caribbean to Carnival in general, not just because of the nicer finish to the ships and the higher quality of the service and rooms. You also seem to have less of the lower class families who don’t know how to control their kids. Nothing can ruin an adult vacation quicker than some bad parents letting their brats pee in the adult only pool.