Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Radiance of the Seas Cruise Review

The Cruise
This Review Has Two Parts
The Ship    The Cruise

By: Tom Ogg
CruiseReviews at aol.com

 

Wednesday, August 19^th, 2009; Los Angeles

Since there were 5 of us cruising together, we decided to stay in Los Angeles near the airport so that we could get up in plenty of time to make our early morning flight to Anchorage. We found that the Hacienda Hotel on Sepulveda Blvd just south of the airport (http://www.haciendahotel.com)  offered 14-days of free parking and a shuttle to and from the airport, so we booked ourselves there. The room rate was actually less than our parking would have been, even in parking lot “C” (the long term lot at LAX) This is quite a find, as the lot that one parks in is completely secure. The hotel will even valet your car for you on the way to and also from the airport. This makes it quite convenient.

While the hotel is not luxurious, our room was clean and the staff very pleasant. There are a ton of things to do on Sepulveda and restaurants galore, so it was an excellent place to stay and one that we will enjoy again in the future.

Thursday, August 20^th, 2009; Los Angeles to Anchorage, Alaska

Alaska Visitor's Center in Anchorage

We caught our early morning flight on Alaska Airlines, which was a non-stop flight to Anchorage and arrived shortly before noon. After claiming our luggage we grabbed a taxi to the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel. Since there was only one room available, we checked in and stored our luggage in the room and headed out to grab some lunch. Focused on finding the best restaurants in Anchorage, we started asking locals where the best place for lunch was. The huge majority directed us to the White Spot Café (www.WhiteSpotCafe.com). This spot was enjoying its 50^th consecutive year in business and I suspect it will have a 100^th. The food is excellent despite the fact that it is a small café with a couple of tables and counter seats. This place is truly a “must do” if you are having lunch in Anchorage.

I spent the afternoon exploring Anchorage and taking pictures for the review in ePortReviews.com. After walking for miles, I returned to the Sheraton Hotel to relax before going to dinner. While the Sheraton Hotel is an excellent hotel, it is poorly located to take advantage of Anchorage’s tourist area. A much better choice is the Hilton Hotel right in the middle of things. We had decided to locate the very best restaurant for dinner in Anchorage, but we could not get reservations, as it was full for the evening. The runner up was the Glacier Brewhouse Restaurant (www.GlacierBrewhouse.com)  and it was terrific. If this place was the second runner up, then the favorite seafood restaurant of the Simon and Seaforts Restaurant (http://www.r-u-i.com/sim/) must have been outstanding! After walking back to our hotel, we were all bushed and went to bed.

Friday, August 21^st, 2009; Anchorage to Seward by Train

The Seward Train Station

We had booked ourselves on the train from Anchorage to Seward and were up early for the taxi transfer to the train station. This is the only way to travel to Seward in my opinion. Sure it makes for a long day, but you see so much in such an enjoyable fashion on the train that it is one of the highlights of the cruise itself. You check your luggage at the train station in Anchorage and it is transported via luggage truck to the ship in Seward and while you arrive on the train around noon, the luggage does not show up until approximately 4pm and is then loaded onto the ship and delivered to your stateroom.

IMPORTANT: Be sure that you have all of your documentation with you in your carry-on. This includes your passport and cruise documentation. You will not be allowed to board the ship if you have placed your passport into your checked luggage until your gab is retrieved and your passport presented while checking in.

We explored Seward for a few hours and then decided to have a late lunch at Ray’s in the harbor area of Seward before boarding the ship. As luck would have it, Joanie’s brother had placed his passport in his checked luggage, but was able to retrieve it since the luggage had just arrived from Anchorage. After waiting an hour or so for the cruise line to find his bag, we boarded the ship without incident. The Seward cruise terminal is very efficient and the check in process painless. We boarded just in time for the dreaded life boat drill.

Jacketless Lifeboat Drill: Kudos to Royal Caribbean for instituting a life boat drill where one does not have to wear their life boat jacket. This made the entire process so much more enjoyable. There were no jerks blowing their whistles, pulling their friends around by the loop on the neck, no one tripping over the straps of the person in front of them that has taken their life jackets off and are dragging the straps behind them. All in all, it made the life boat drill tolerable.

We were located on deck two in an inside cabin (which I would pay a premium for because of the lack of light) and were unpacked and ready to cruise by the time dinner came around. We met the rest of our family for a cocktail and then went into the restaurant tp our assigned table. Our family had just returned from a cruise on the Carnival Splendor and had experienced one of the best waiters that I hav personally had. He had our wine waiting for us already poured when we sat down and also was very knowledgeable about their menu and always suggested the perfect items.

We started by ordering our wine. I like a chardonnay, Joanie like Sauvignon Blanc, Sue likes a different chardonnay than I do and Phil would share a bottle with Sue sometimes, or order his own other times. So, we would simply order our own bottles and enjoy them night after night. I love fish and asked our waiter which fish was better the salmon or the halibut that was being offered on the menu. The waiter suggested that the salmon was the best choice for the evening and that it would not appear on the menu fo the balance of the cruise. I ordered it, as did Sue. Eventually our bottles of wine arrived and the waiter had a difficult time making sure that the right bottle went to the right person. When the salmon arrived, it was obvious that the waiter had “sold” it to us as it was not fresh and was overcooked to the point of almost not being eatable. It was buried in onions and clearly was the last possible night it could have been safely served. Sue sent hers back and I took a bite of mine, Having had some wonderful halibut at Ray’s earlier, I didn’t mind not eating the salmon, but made a mental note to never ask the waiter again, as suggesting fish that was clearly lousy cost him his credibility.

He then took my bottle of chardonnay and toured it into Joanie’s Sauvignon Blanc, Sue’s chardonnay, Phil’s chardonnay and finally poured what few drops were left into my glass. It was then that I realized what he had done. What an idiot!

Understand that I am Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean and Joanie and I could not wait for the rest of our family, who are Carnival people to experience how much better Royal Caribbean was than Carnival. This was completely embarrassing. We sailed at 9pm.

Saturday, August 22^nd, 2009; Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier Panorama

I had brought my computer and spent most of the day in the cabin working after having a mediocre breakfast in the Windjammer and then a quick lunch there also. After we had arrived at Hubbard Glacier in the late afternoon I went on top of the ship to check it out. The Captain had managed to get closer to the glacier than I had ever been before and it was simply beautiful. I watched as an entire slab much higher than the top of the ship fell from the face of the glacier and everyone squealed with excitement. I would say that the ship was no more than 150 yards from the face of Hubbard Glacier and the water between the ship and the glacier was completely clear of ice. It was beautiful indeed.

The Face of Hubbard Glacier

We visited the Concierge Lounge to find my old friend Juan was the Concierge. Juan has such a wonderful way with people and is extremely knowledgeable regarding making things happen on the Radiance (or any ship that he is on). We had him make reservations for us at Portofino’s Specialty Restaurant for Monday evening. The Concierge Lounge is just one of the many benefits of being a Diamond member in Royal Caribbean’s Loyalty program. The lounge is open in the evening with an open bar and hot and cold appetizers. There is also a cappuccino machine available all day long.

Dinner brought more of the same from our waiter. It became crystal clear that this guy was an incompetent buffoon that needed to be micro managed if we were to enjoy our meals. I requested that he put our bottles of wine next to the person actually drinking them so as to avoid the mistake he continually made. This guy had no clue that wines shouldn’t be blended with other wines. I must say that the food quality on the Radiance was not up to par with the dozens of other Royal Caribbean cruises and the service was no where near my past experiences.

Sunday, August 23^rd, 2009; Juneau, Alaska

St. Nicholas Church, Juneau

One of my agendas on this cruise was to take pictures to update the port reviews on ePortReviews.com. I was off the ship early to get some shots, but unfortunately it was raining steadily so I returned to the ship to wait the rain out. After a couple of hours, we again disembarked to more acceptable weather and enjoyed Juneau’s sights. I was sorry to learn that the famous Phineas Poon of Red Dog Saloon fame had passed away three weeks before our visit, as he was certainly one of the things that made Juneau so wonderful. The Red Dog was still full of people and there was honky tonk music being played, but without Phineas, it wasn’t the same. After some shopping we decided to visit Juneau’s Hanger on the Wharf Restaurant for some halibut and chips. We were on a quest to find the best food in Alaska and this is one of my favorite restaurants. It was great!

Monday, August 24^th, 2009; Skagway, Alaska

Downtown Skagway

We arrived in Skagway right on schedule and drew the coal pier right in downtown Skagway. I was off early to take some photos and eventually went back to meet the rest of the family. We explored the shopping and surrounding areas, especially enjoying the salmon run up the small creek that made its way through Skagway.  One of the biggest benefits of taking a late summer cruise is that the salmon run is in full swing and there are millions of salmon making their way up every river, stream, brook and waterway imaginable. The small creek that runs through Skagway was chock full of large salmon trying to spawn. It is an unbelievable sight to see these fish swimming up a creek so small that it would look to be difficult for even the smallest to survive there.

Another major benefit of taking a late summer cruise is that the stores are all having major sales to deplete their inventory for the winter. The vast majority of shops in Skagway are only open during the summer cruise season and do everything possible to rid themselves of inventory for the year. Expect huge savings on all items. It is a well known fact that they last cruise of the year visiting these cities are treated to give-away prices and us reason enough to take the cruise if you are Christmas present shopping for trying to add to your winter wardrobe. Skagway is everyone’s favorite city with its gold rush heritage, wood plank sidewalks and false front buildings.

After showering and getting ready for dinner, Joanie and I went to the Concierge Lounge for a cocktail and then on to our dinner reservation at Portofino’s. Portofino’s has always been one of our favorite restaurants on Royal Caribbean. I have enjoyed dining in Portofino’s numerous times and always had a wonderful experience. Excellent service, creative presentation and high quality have been the norm. Joanie and I arrived at the restaurant and were promptly seated. From this point forward it was a downward spiral. We had wine left over from the main restaurant and it took the waiter 30-minutes to retrieve it. We finally place our order, but there was a significant delay in the arrival of each course. The shrimp cocktail was excellent, the salad wilted, but the entrée was downright horrible. In past visits I always order the Tiger Shrimp entrée and it is prepared uniquely being stacked in a very creative way. The shrimp themselves were large, fresh and cooked to perfection. The shrimp that I was served were small, overcooked and the presentation looked more like I was dining at a fast food joint. The food was disappointing, to say the least.

But, it was the staff in the restaurant that pretty much ruined our dining experience. They clearly were close friends and felt that by being loud and laughing, everyone would enjoy it. When they sang a Happy Birthday or Anniversary song, they did it loudly to the point of being obnoxious. It was like they were trying to mock the person being subjected to the song. Singing out of key seemed to be the most important thing and the presentation was so insincere it was embarrassing. Our waiter in particular was more concerned with being a part of the “clique” in the restaurant than in serving our dinner. Our entrée was delayed because he was involved with talking with his friends for about ten minutes laughing and joking with them. I couldn’t wait for dinner to be over. Joanie and I declined dessert and coffee and simply asked for our bill. Instead of our bill, one of the other waiters came over to sing us a song. Since we did not have any special occasion, he decided to sing some bogus song out of key and we felt as if he was intentionally trying to irritate us. Thank God he stopped halfway through. We eventually received our bill and left the restaurant. I noticed that Porofino’s was not well each night when we walked by and it came as no surprise to me.

I was able to dismiss the low quality of waiter that we had in the main restaurant as simply an anomaly in Royal Caribbean’s otherwise excellent service structure, but the experience that we had had in Potorfino’s led me to believe that the management of the Radiance’s restaurants is simply not doing their job. I have never worked in a restaurant in my life, but I could improve the level of service in Portofino’s in ten-minutes. Too bad, as it is obviously costing the ship money, as no one is going to pay to be abused more than once. This was borne out by the weak attendance in the alternative restaurants during the cruise.

Tuesday, August 25^th, 2009; Icy Straight Point, Alaska

Icy Straight Point Forest Trail

As this was my first visit, I had read several bad reviews of Icy Straight Point and was curious to experience the port. Most of the reviewers said that it was “sterile” and “like a cruise line’s private island”. While the initial experience of visiting Icy Straight Point does seem focused on piurchasing tee shirts and other souvenirs, I found the people fascinating. Once leaving the shopping area and walking into the adjoining town of Hoonah (about a mile away from the tender wharf), you are treated to a wonderful outdoor relationship with Alaska. You will see animals, birds and sea life in abundance. The rugged mountains fall directly into the ocean and the forest is thick with waterfalls every now and then. Hoonah itself is an authentic Alaskan village complete with unique characters. I saw Icy Straight Point this way. For those that stay right in the vicinity of the port, yes, it is like a private island, only if they reached out to the people working there, they would find the true spirit of the people in the region. If they reached out into the surrounding areas, they would find it unique and wonderful in every way. I really liked my visit to Icy Straight Point and would go back again and again.

Back on the ship we fell into our normal evening routine. Freshen up, cocktails in the Concierge Lounge, meet our relatives for another cocktail and then on to dinner. Two of our dinner mates were a young couple that had treated the wife’s mother, father and brother to the cruise. I suspect that we overwhelmed them, as starting tonight, only the young couple continued to come to dinner. And, they were wonderful. They were both doctors, but more important, they were also travelers. We had a great time talking travel with them and enjoying their experiences.

Our waiter continued his inept attempt at servicing our table and I must say, I never felt sorry for him for one iota. The guy should have been in the kitchen, not serving tables.

Wednesday, August 26^th, 2009; Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan Eagle

I think that this particular itinerary, doing a southbound with Royal Caribbean is probably the best that there is. It is certainly the best that Alaska has to offer and a visit to Ketchikan is a great “last stop” before heading to Vancouver. As usually, I got off the ship early to take some pictures before meeting up with my family. We decided to walk straight through to the fish hatchery and enjoy the robust salmon run up Ketchikan Creek. We walked past the shopping areas to the foot of Creek Street and then climbed Creek Street watching the salmon fight their way up the increasing rapids. Near the top of Creek Street, the salmon were trying to jump extreme rapids with very few making it. The citizens of Ketchikan have built a “salmon ladder” along side of the creek to enable those salmon that find it to climb the ladder to the creek that waited above the rapids. Our family enjoyed this process to no end and stayed for about an hour taking pleasure in the experience. Once at the fish hatchery, we turned our attention of making our way to the Arctic Bar and Burger Queen to enjoy some Alaskan Amber and Halibut and Chips. Folks, if you do nothing else on your visit to Ketchikan, be sure to enjoy Burger Queen’s Halibut and Chips. They will make your entire cruise.

Wanting to do a special report on how to do Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Native Village On Your Own for ePortReviews.com I left my family and headed for the bus stop to begin my adventure. You can read about it HERE.

Back on the ship, we continued our routine, however on this evening when our waiter poured my wine into everyone’s glass again, we decided to try Chops Grille for our last night on the ship. We had absolutely no problem getting a reservation and while I was very apprehensive given our experiences so far, it would have to be better than dealing with our waiter in the main restaurant.

Thursday, August 27^th, 2009; Cruising the Inside Passage

Cruising the Inside Passage

We had a wonderful day cruising the inside passage. Sue and Tom had a suite with a balcony, so their cabin became party central for the day. I worked most of the day, but enjoyed the fact that I was getting much done. Those that were watching saw all types of marine life including Orcas, Humpback Whales, Dolphin, Sea Lions and more. By the time dinner rolled around, we met in the Schooner Bar for a cocktail and then entered the restaurant. While we were just about the only ones in the restaurant, dinner unfolded without a hitch. The food was excellent, the service wonderful and the overall experience redeeming for Royal Caribbean.

Understand that I am a Diamond Plus member on Royal Caribbean and have completed 41 cruises on Celebrity Cruise lines. I do not care for Carnival at all. Yet, this same group of family cruised Carnival earlier this year during the Swine Flu debacle and I would have to say that the overall experience was better on Carnival. Our waiter was 50-times more professional than on Royal Caribbean, the food was a smudge better. The wine pricing and service was 10-times better and while Carnival’s alternative restaurant sucked because of “wine boy” trying to sell bottles of wine and an over abundance of inferior quality food, it was much better overall than Portofino’s on the Radiance.

I was/am shocked!

Friday, August 28^th, 2009; Vancouver, Canada

Downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park

We arrived in Vancouver right on schedule and were able to disembark with no hassle. Since Royal Caribbean sails in and out of the Ballantyne cruise terminal, one has to take a taxi to their hotel for the evening (if they have decided to stay in Vancouver rather than heading straight home). Vancouver is one of Earth’s most wonderful cities and would always suggest that everyone spend at least one evening in Vancouver getting to know the city. I spent the day taking pictures for the review in ePortReviews.com and then our family went to one of our all-time favorite restaurants for dinner. If you have not enjoyed Joe Fortes in Vancouver, make it a point to do so on your next trip.

Saturday, August 29^th, 2009; Vancouver to Los Angeles

Our flight home was on time and quick an before we knew it we were on our way to San Diego and our home.

Post Script

In retrospect while our family had a wonderful time on the cruise, it was obvious that the Radiance of the Seas was not up-to-par with other ships that I have sailed in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Everyone understands that low pricing has to be subsidized by cutting somewhere and I believe that all cruise lines have had to cut the quantity and quality of food, entertainment and amenities to make ends meet, however it does not cost one cent more to provide quality service. Indifferent, or worse, intentionally incompetent should not be allowed, as this will kill loyalty faster than anything. If I ran the Radiance of the seas, I would take a long hard look at the management of the restaurants for ways to improve their level of service and performance.

The Ship    The Cruise