Summer Solstice in the Last Frontier: RADIANCE

JUNE 21-28 - Floating Hotel & More

CABIN 8172

Since we did not board until about 3 pm, we were able to access our wonderful stern balcony cabin right away. It was just what we expected: a long walk down the hallway, but so worth it for the amazing views and sheltered balcony space.

Even the muster drill wasn't bad, since the weather was nice and we had a cute dancer at our station:

The view up and then down from the edge of our balcony. Very private, although when out by the rail, it was nice to chat with neighbors doing the same.

Overall we had courteous balcony neighbors and spent a LOT of time out there viewing the scenery. I occasionally caught a whiff of cigarette smoke, I believe it was from our next door neighbor, but it was never long or strong enough to force me inside. Our neighbors to the other side had teenagers and their friends over occasionally, happily talking a little louder than normal, but again, not often enough to be a problem at all. Being on the stern of the ship, wind and weather were never an issue, even on the few colder or damp days we had.

We received all our luggage before about 4, including the bag with water and wine bottles. Our room steward, Wilton, was friendly and helpful. He happily provided us with a corkscrew, wine glasses, ice twice a day on our request, and an extra ice bucket for our wine. He also provided a couple of cute friends during the week:

Since we had opted for My Time Dining, we were required to prepay standard gratuities. This was no big deal, as we have always prepaid gratuities, but we also received these envelopes in our stateroom:

We often give extra tips over and above the standard, but we weren't entirely comfortable with this blatant plea for them.

DINING

We had chosen My Time Dining, because of the late port hours and wanting to remain flexible. It worked out very well, so much so that when we cruise with just the two of us, we will continue to use MTD.

We never made a dinner reservation, but we always ate between 5:30 and 6, other than in Juneau, when we did not eat in the MDR. We were always seated upon arrival, and there did not seem to be a distinction of any kind between those who had reservations and those who did not. The first two nights we had a window seat on the starboard side, and the last four nights they moved us over the port side. We had great service in both locations, and friendly fellow passengers around us. We had a table for two, but at least in the two sections where we were seated, the tables for two are placed less than a foot apart, so it feels more like a table for 4 or 6. Of course you could choose just how much you want to interact with your neighbors, but we enjoyed talking to them all.

There were some hit or miss items on the "new" MDR menus, at least to our taste. We could always find something to enjoy, and if we did not like the first thing we ordered, the wait staff was very happy to exchange it for something else.

We enjoyed the Windjammer. It's not all great food, but we could always find some things we enjoyed. I also loved the Park Cafe. I wasn't crazy about the famous roast beef sandwich (mostly because I don't like caraway seeds), but the potato and other salads were great, and I loved the chicken and avocado panini I had one day for lunch. There is a bagel bar there in the mornings, which is converted to a salad bar at lunch.

We did not try any of the specialty restaurants. Izumi and Rita's Cantina seemed to be sparsely patronized, and it was never a problem walking through them to access the open Windjammer seating area at the stern.

Bruce and I both had the soda package and got our money's worth. This was our first cruise to bring on two bottles of wine, and that was great. A glass on the balcony before going to dinner, and another to bring with us to dinner. So our two bottles lasted us for four nights.

Here are few pics of the food and venues. Our first snack at the Windjammer after boarding:

Park Cafe roast beef sandwich and potato salad:

Park Cafe black forest cake - outstanding, but I only found it once!

Delicious breakfast sandwich from the Park Cafe:

Park Cafe location, on the starboard side of the Solarium:

One of our delicious Windjammer breakfasts:

Boardwalk Dog House, just before the Windjammer on the port side. These tables were nice spots as overflow when the WJ was crowded. We never did try the hot dogs. So much food, so little time...

Drinks station in the same area as the Dog House. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, ice water.

ENTERTAINMENT

We enjoyed Cruise Director Paul Rutter, corny jokes and all.

We didn't stay up for the late night shows or parties, but we did usually attend the early show in the theater. We found the singers and dancers extremely talented. All the live music around the ship, in fact, was terrific. Sound Waves and the Rosario Strings were always worth stopping for a listen. Of the two production shows, I found Piano Man very cheesy, but City of Dreams original and extremely well produced and performed.

The pirate night for the kids' club was so cute:

Of the headliners, I found Bobby Arvon (of the "Happy Days" theme) a bit past his prime, but Sean Loughlin had some funny moments, and Two Funny Guys - Mario and Daniel - were hilarious. A vaudeville throwback, really well done.

Sean Loughlin:

The orchestra was awesome, as usual:

We don't expect Broadway, but the talent level makes for some nice evening entertainment.

This isn't exactly entertainment, but I wanted to add how impressed we were with Captain Sindre Borsheim. Very young (I believe just 38 or 39), but extremely professional and charismatic. We attended his Captain's Corner talk on the last day, and he shared a slideshow of some behind the scenes photos around the ship and answered questions honestly. He was also very funny. He left on vacation the same day we disembarked.

We received these on the second day:

So we were invited to the Top Tier event. It was fun chatting with some very nice people, but most of the organized part was recognizing people who had cruised what to us was a mind-boggling number of times.

VENUES

Here are a few other photos from around the ship. Sorry I don't have a comprehensive ship review, but this cruise was so much more about the ports and the scenery than the ship that I probably didn't concentrate as much on board as on previous cruises.

If it's Friday, this must be Seward:

Centrum

One of our favorite spots:

Self-leveling pool tables

Colony Club

Cinema:

Aurora Theater during the Alaska lecturer's talk. I have to say, he may have had a great deal of information, but he was a very poor speaker. Rambling, not dynamic at all, and it seemed to be more about him than about Alaska. There was also a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police member on board, who gave a few interesting talks.

Beautiful Solarium:

Beautiful Solarium during family hours (10-12 and 2-4 each day). I'm not complaining; I'm glad that the kids were allowed to swim during the day. But it was funny the different atmosphere during those times!

Bruce demonstrating the proper use of a solarium lounger during the quiet times:

Seating at the side of the Solarium, with people watching for whales. We had seen several spouts.

Crown and Anchor lounge, on Deck 12. We purchased an Open Booking by filling out the form that was in our cruise documents before we even left home, and dropping it in the box, no appointment needed.

The view through the window down into the Centrum from the C&A lounge:

The outdoor pool & hot tubs, patronized by a few diehards. There was an older woman who swam laps every morning, swim cap firmly in place. Hardy stock!