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Very Disappointing by
Robbin S from Orlando FL Sailing date: Jan 2011Cons: the entertainment, lacked pizazz, props, finale and had no story, boring The staff were not very attentive, seems like they didn't care if you were happy or having a good time. The entertainment as mentioned was unimpressive to say the least. The food in the Windjammer Cafe was fair, not enough selections. The main dining area was good but again staff adequate and the food could have been better choices. We did enjoy a dinner in the Chops Steakhouse where they were delighted to see us and the food and service was superb! Ship Quality
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  Reluctant to cruise RC again by
Tom J. from Tennessee+ Sailing date: Jan 2011Seven hour delay in boarding was quite stressful.
We often had to clean our own table when dining in the buffet.
This was our seventh cruise, our first with RC, and were surprised to find a service
charge for room service. Ship Quality
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Not bad, but wouldn't do again... by
Richard from Southern California Sailing date: Aug 2010Pros: Hubbard Glacier, Ketchikan, Icy Strait, Friendly Staff Cons: Overpriced excursions, So-so food, Constant sales pitches, Constant Gratuities The ship was extremely clean. Facilities were always in tip-top shape. The elevators were usually overcrowded mid-ship and required sometimes lengthy waits. Better to use the forward elevators. I found the pools were a bit too frequently closed. Ship QualitySee overall comments. Generally the ship was in excellent condition, well-maintained, very clean, and easy to get around (except for the elevator wait). Disappointing was that on arrival at the ship, no map was handed out with a plan of the facilities which made the initial day rather disorienting. Dining/FoodI booked through Orbitz and was only offered the late dining service. Waiting to dine until 8:30 was a hassle and so I frequently ate at the cafe's buffet which was anytime dining. The meals I had at the main restaurant were fairly so-so. I would certainly not rate them as being "fine dining" unless you are used to eating at The Olive Garden; then maybe it is fine dining. The "formal" and "formal casual" nights were irritating. I travel light, carry-on only. Packing away a suit, particularly for a cruise to Alaska seemed pointless. The setting was nice but I requested a small table and got instead a table of 8.
The cafe buffet had a nice spread of options, from Indian to Mongolian, comfort to Thai. I had breakfast and lunch there, unless eating onshore, and often dinner, too. I found the food at the buffet just as good as the main dining food...and a lot more options...and no wait for the plates to arrive. Again, the food is buffet food and was usually so-so. Stateroom QualityWe had an inside stateroom assigned to us by the cruise line. The room was small but certainly manageable. The staff cleaned the room twice a day, towels were always present, the bed turned down at night, our mess nicely re-arranged. Very functional. HOWEVER, we had a room on the 3rd level, right below the orchestra pit for the theater. So it was guaranteed that twice a night the room would pound with vibrations...and sometimes past midnight. The bass was ear-splitting and reached painful levels. At minimum it was annoying and at its worst it was deadly. Avoid this area of the ship when booking!!!! And for some reason in port the 4th level stunk to high heaven. Perhaps they were pumping out the sewage? Ship Staff QualityAlways very nice. Always very friendly. Answered all questions. Took care of all problems. Always a smile. VERY nice. Being from L.A., this made me instantly suspicious. Are people really this friendly? Is it just for the expected gratuity? Whatever...go with the flow. Nice people. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe theater shows were atrocious and amateurish. The casino staff just seemed depressing. I never thought I would miss Vegas; they made me miss Vegas. Cheesy always seemed to be the key word. If you're constantly drunk or just used to watching cows graze, well then this is probably a blast. The constant sales pitches were incredibly aggravating. Most lectures and demonstrations were about what jewelry to buy, rather than information about Alaska or its Native culture. Everything was always about buy buy buy. They take constant pictures of you virtually everyday...and then try to sell them to you for $20 apiece. Whatever you paid for the cruise, take hundreds more with you to pay for all these "services."
The excursions were generally not that great. Very pricey and often quite short. Most of the time allotted for these tours is actually time waiting for a bus or time on the bus itself. Better to book onshore when you arrive...cheaper and widely available. 
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Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), AlaskaA very small town of Native Americans. I liked it. The visitor center was small but nice. Had the chowder and chili. Not bad. Walked around a bit. I avoided the "world's longest zipline" but others said they really enjoyed it. Did the wildlife hike here. Really not much of a hike at all, but the local guides were wonderful, funny, and clearly passionate about their culture. And we saw three grizzlies in a matter of moments, two with cubs. So though the actually excursion didn't last all that long, it was well worth it and one of my favorites.
Don't Miss: Go see a grizzly bear! Juneau, AlaskaThe town itself wasn't that great. Great chocolate shop, though, on the main strip. Also you must eat at Tracy's Crab Shack! It really is a shack. And pricey. But the bisque is out of this world and the crab legs unbelievable. Best part of Juneau. Went on the Mendenhall rafting trip here. Sort of a waste of time. You don't really get to see the glacier at all up close, and most of the trip was through basically residential areas. Only a couple of small rapids.
Don't Miss: Tracey's Crab Shack!!!! Best food in Alaska... Ketchikan, AlaskaThe historic downtown was nice. Again, a plethora of the same old tourist shops with all the blingy jewelry that one sees at every stop (and on the ship, too). But the salmon were running through the stream located in the middle of town. Amazing to watch. More shops to wander than most of the towns on the cruise. Did the canoe/hike excursion here. Not really worth it. The canoeing covered a small part of a lake. The hike was maybe twenty yards. I wished I had done something else instead. I see that the 4-wheelers here each had their own jeep...or maybe a whale watching tour. This wasn't good at all.
Don't Miss: The old downtown section and the salmon run Skagway, AlaskaNice main street, though almost all of the shops are the same tourist shops you see at every port selling the same stuff over and over again. The Xmas store had some nice baubles, though, that make good gifts. There is a sweet shop on a side street that is sort of counter-culture and has cupcakes. Superb cupcakes. Did the 4-wheel excursion here. Was okay, but almost no chance to stop and take pictures of amazing scenery. Very depressing and pissed off a number of people. And you'll have to share your jeep with strangers and change drivers in order to give everyone a chance. That was not expected.
Don't Miss: The cupcakes at the sweet shop next to the bakery 13 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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my second cruise by
Tricia O'H. from oklahoma city oklahoma Sailing date: Apr 2010Pros: so much to do! Cons: art sales are a bit sneaky Radiance was older than my first experience on the Seranade, and it showed. Stateroom areas, like mine on the 8th floor, smelled musty. Not as 'elegant.' Ship Quality
Dining/FoodI wanted to eat at my convenience so checked "my time." Didnt know this would cause me to be charged for dining room tipping even though I never ate there. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Qualityboth of my cruises had the hardest working stateroom staff, and most everyone working on the ship were so friendly. Entertainment & Activities
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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a good cruise by
Hartmut W. from Tucson, AZ Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: the ship itself Cons: has some problems with out bathroom (odor) we had a good and relaxing cruise. We were surprised how much alcohol was consumed on this ship by its passengers. The pool areas were noisy and too crowded. Ship Quality
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4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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a great vacation by
A Traveler from Boston.MA Sailing date: Apr 2011Pros: relaxing on board the ship Cons: confusion at my time seating The cruise was very pleasant. We enjoyed being waited on "hand and foot" by the staff. The pool was small but we loved the quiet getaway to the adult solarium with the jungle theme. The dinners were very good along with the wait staff. The my time dining was a bit chaotic and even with reservations we had to wait. Our cabin steward worked very hard to keep up with our busy schedule. Exitiing the ship was a nightmare but I am sure the problems we had are not the norm. Ship Quality
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great time by
CJ S. from St Pete, FL Sailing date: Mar 2011Pros: everything was great Cons: were only able to stay in mexico for 8 hours the ship was very nice. i have been on the royal caribbean ships in the past, they are always so clean, the staff is so kind, accommodating and wonderful. we have already booked another cruise for september with RC but to the Bahamas this time. Ship Quality
Dining/Foodthe food was excellent. have to spend the next week eating nothing but salads and jogging an hour plus a day to help drop the pounds i gained from the constant eating and drinking!! Stateroom Qualitythe room was only used to sleep, shower, and change in, but it was wonderful. we had a queen sized bed, a couch, the full bathroom...it was a wonderful room, and was always made up beautifully by the staff when we would leave and then return Ship Staff Quality
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Cozumel, Mexicoit was a great time. we went ATV'ing thru the jungle for an hour and a half, and after that we went to a beautiful and exclusive beach. the excursion could have been longer though, as well as the ship staying in port, but aside from it, we had a great time out in the jungle on the ATVs and laying out on the white sands of a beautiful beach
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Great Cruise Time by
sim a from NE Sailing date: Oct 2010Pros: the atmosphere, people, and the sea Cons: none Very good time, plenty of activities - only the shopping activity was a sales pitch- the crew and other passengers were very friendly and a joy to be around.
We sat at late dining with another couple and i would recommend as it provided an opportunity to visit and share information about happenings. Thanks to Bill and Carol for being great tablemates! Ship QualityNicer than many hotels Dining/FoodVery good variety and outstanding service Stateroom QualityNice, just needed more ice in the room, otherwise fantastic! Ship Staff Quality
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Costa Maya (Mahahual), MexicoDon't Miss: beach was nice, not much else there Cozumel, MexicoSnorkel was amazing
Don't Miss: Water was amazing 2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Great overall experience by
A Traveler from St. Louis, MO Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: The staff!!! They made the trip fantastic and the ship was beautiful Cons: The ports of call were not my favorite The ship was beautiful and had a lot to offer to every type of traveler. I cannot compliment the staff enough. They were so friendly and helpful and took care of my every need with pleasure. They truly made the trip special. Our stateroom exceeded expectation (we went with the cheapest and weren't expecting much) The food in the main dining room was superb, I thought the buffet could use a bit of improvement, but overall not bad. The town of Ensenada wasn't super impressive and Cabo San Lucas was nice, but not quite as fantastic as I was expecting. I wish that the pools could have been a little bigger, the were very crowded on both of our days at sea, but I really enjoyed the solarium, it was very pretty and relaxing, actually my favorite area of the ship. So, overall I highly recommended this ship and the Radiance of the Seas, but maybe with different stops along the way. Ship Quality
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Ship Staff QualityI loved our stateroom attendant and our wait staff. The really added a lot to our trip. Entertainment & Activities
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Honeymoon Cruise by
A Traveler from Boston, MA Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: Food Cons: Entertainment The ship is clean, the service is good, the food is excellent. The shops are a bit small. This ship has lots of nice area's where you can sit and chatt or play cards, look out the window, read a good book. The entertainment is good, just not the best I have ever seen. Ship QualityI love the outlay of this line of ships. Dining/Food
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Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), AlaskaThey only take in one ship a day, so it was nice not to be crowded.
Don't Miss: The zip line, Awesome! Juneau, Alaska
Ketchikan, Alaska
Skagway, AlaskaDon't Miss: Don't miss the salmon run. It is free! 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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