REVIEW: Radiance of the Seas, Southbound, May 2015

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

just finished reading your review!

 

sounds like a lovely trip!!

 

i'm in the last preparations....clothing....we don't have any cold weather clothing (alaskan summer weather is much colder than our normal winter)...

i still need to buy rain gear, gloves/hat...hopefully, we'll luck out and have a dry heat wave our week and the clothes will go to waste!!!! :)

 

thanks for taking the time to share your report!!

 

It really was incredible. Everything there just suited me so well, it was absolutely my kind of place.

 

I was shocked with the weather. I had raincoats, waterproofs of all varieties, fleeces, jumpers, scarves, gloves, thermals... I spent 90% of the time in t-shirt and jeans! No complaints at all about that - I would rather be prepared than not! I know that since then there has been some bad weather, so it really is just luck! I am keeping all the stuff in my spare suitcase as I have a feeling I won't get so lucky next year!

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Ok, now we're all awaitin to see some photos!!!:) Got any to share?

 

Absolutely! I'll post some photos of the cabin ASAP! Just got to find them and upload them!

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Here are some photos of the cabin I had;

 

 

 

 

[Cheryl H]

I personally wouldn't take a taxi over, you will be absolutely fine. The traffic over that way is heavy, so it may cost quite a bit.

 

I have looked at a Google maps....

 

We were dropped on Johnston Street near the Emily Carr University. From there, walk down the road. The restaurant I referred to before with the outdoor seating is Edible Canada Bistro. The building I saw that had a cafe and a few other places inside (shops and eateries as well as toilets) is opposite on Anderson Street and I think looking at it, it is called Net Loft Shops & Studios.

 

The public market is actually past this building. From recollection that seemed to be mainly selling fresh produce but I didn't go inside, I just saw from the outside.

 

My other tip, as silly as it sounds, is to write down/remember the licence plate of your tour bus. The areas you go to are incredibly busy with a lot of similar looking buses. It really helped me to know the plate number so I could easily work out which one was mine!

 

Great info!! Thank you so much!

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Great info!! Thank you so much!

You are so welcome :)

[alaska_planner]

It really was incredible. Everything there just suited me so well, it was absolutely my kind of place.

 

I was shocked with the weather. I had raincoats, waterproofs of all varieties, fleeces, jumpers, scarves, gloves, thermals... I spent 90% of the time in t-shirt and jeans! No complaints at all about that - I would rather be prepared than not! I know that since then there has been some bad weather, so it really is just luck! I am keeping all the stuff in my spare suitcase as I have a feeling I won't get so lucky next year!

 

"jumpers"? sounds a tad british? (or do canadians also say jumper?)

 

i hope we have the same luck!!

 

your cabin is gorgeous!! we'll be in a regular D1 - first time my mom won't be in a suite - i hope she's not terribly disappointed..

 

the only suite available when i booked was on the starboard side...i wanted to be port, so i booked us into the D1....i've done D1 before (on the allure) and it was lovely....i didn't miss being in a suite at all.....i hope my mom's not upset...(and i hope we have enough storage!!!!)

 

how was the cruise director? Amy i think?

Edited June 9, 2015 by alaska_planner

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

"jumpers"? sounds a tad british? (or do canadians also say jumper?)

 

i hope we have the same luck!!

 

your cabin is gorgeous!! we'll be in a regular D1 - first time my mom won't be in a suite - i hope she's not terribly disappointed..

 

the only suite available when i booked was on the starboard side...i wanted to be port, so i booked us into the D1....i've done D1 before (on the allure) and it was lovely....i didn't miss being in a suite at all.....i hope my mom's not upset...(and i hope we have enough storage!!!!)

 

how was the cruise director? Amy i think?

 

I say jumpers because I am English... :)

 

The suite was lovely. I am sure whatever cabin you are in you will have an amazing time, your mom too. I honestly don't think on this ship being in a suite makes a huge deal of a difference. Yes, the Concierge Lounge is nice but there are so many other spaces you can go to in order to enjoy the scenery or a cup of coffee.

 

Honestly? I didn't think a lot of Amy. I felt that she was quite 'invisible' compared to other cruise directors I have sailed with. When I did see her, it almost felt forced, like she didn't really want to be there. There were activities in the centrum every day and the staff who hosted them seemed really wonderful and made it a lot of fun! Perhaps as it was only her second week back on the ship, she just wasn't fully back into the swing of things :)

[alaska_planner]

I say jumpers because I am English... :)

 

The suite was lovely. I am sure whatever cabin you are in you will have an amazing time, your mom too. I honestly don't think on this ship being in a suite makes a huge deal of a difference. Yes, the Concierge Lounge is nice but there are so many other spaces you can go to in order to enjoy the scenery or a cup of coffee.

 

Honestly? I didn't think a lot of Amy. I felt that she was quite 'invisible' compared to other cruise directors I have sailed with. When I did see her, it almost felt forced, like she didn't really want to be there. There were activities in the centrum every day and the staff who hosted them seemed really wonderful and made it a lot of fun! Perhaps as it was only her second week back on the ship, she just wasn't fully back into the swing of things :)

 

that's what i figured when i read 'jumpers".....i have funny stories about my neighbor and his jumpers on shopping trips in america.... :eek:

 

sorry to hear that about Amy....

my daughter and son in law were on the same cruise two years ago when the CD was Paul Rudd....they totally raved about how great he was as a CD, so i was looking forward to having him on this cruise...then i found out it's Amy, but i was still hoping for the best...

i'm glad to hear her staff is good though!! :)

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

that's what i figured when i read 'jumpers".....i have funny stories about my neighbor and his jumpers on shopping trips in america.... :eek:

 

sorry to hear that about Amy....

my daughter and son in law were on the same cruise two years ago when the CD was Paul Rudd....they totally raved about how great he was as a CD, so i was looking forward to having him on this cruise...then i found out it's Amy, but i was still hoping for the best...

i'm glad to hear her staff is good though!! :)

 

She didn't impact my cruise, I had a great time! I was disappointed with her lack of involvement with some activities - 70's night seemed over before it began, I just had hoped for more I guess based on other cruises. However, with long port days and lots of sightseeing, I wasn't exactly a party animal!

 

The staff who were mainly hosting activities and evenings in the centrum were really lovely and made it a lot of fun.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[alaska_planner]

She didn't impact my cruise, I had a great time! I was disappointed with her lack of involvement with some activities - 70's night seemed over before it began, I just had hoped for more I guess based on other cruises. However, with long port days and lots of sightseeing, I wasn't exactly a party animal!

 

The staff who were mainly hosting activities and evenings in the centrum were really lovely and made it a lot of fun.

 

oops...i meant to say Paul Rutter (not Rudd :rolleyes:)

 

they said Paul was super active running the big royal events (quest, etc)....they said he was a hoot and really very very very involved throughout the cruise - getting to know people, chatting them up, etc...

 

of course it's not a deal breaker, but i do like active CDs on my cruises....since i'm the adult summer camp sort of cruiser (i like all the silly games and such), but i know it will be fun regardless!! :)

in any case, i'll be on this cruise with my 88 year old mom (my husband is staying home), so i don't know how much i'll be able to take part in all the silly stuff i love..

Edited June 11, 2015 by alaska_planner

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

oops...i meant to say Paul Rutter (not Rudd :rolleyes:)

 

they said Paul was super active running the big royal events (quest, etc)....they said he was a hoot and really very very very involved throughout the cruise - getting to know people, chatting them up, etc...

 

of course it's not a deal breaker, but i do like active CDs on my cruises....since i'm the adult summer camp sort of cruiser (i like all the silly games and such), but i know it will be fun regardless!! :)

in any case, i'll be on this cruise with my 88 year old mom (my husband is staying home), so i don't know how much i'll be able to take part in all the silly stuff i love..

 

Would be great if Paul Rudd was on - I would be on that cruise!! ;)

 

As long as she puts them in the compass, rest assured there are plenty of fun activities which are run by people who clearly want to be there!

 

There is no harm in your mum sitting with a drink and watching you be silly ;) I bet she would really enjoy it!

Edited June 11, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[instaGator]

Thank you so much for your review and comments! We are going in a few weeks and hopefully Amy will be visible and enthusiastic.

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Thank you so much for your review and comments! We are going in a few weeks and hopefully Amy will be visible and enthusiastic.

 

You're welcome. I am sure you will have a great cruise!

[Ahoy Mate]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this review. It has been very helpful!

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this review. It has been very helpful!

 

You're welcome! Thanks for reading :)

[gertieginsc]

Thank you for taking the time to post this review.

 

Would you mind sharing how you handled the tipping for your excursions?

 

Gertieginsc

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Thank you for taking the time to post this review.

 

Would you mind sharing how you handled the tipping for your excursions?

 

Gertieginsc

 

You are welcome :)

 

Generally I think did between 15% and 20% of the tour cost depending on the guide and the tour. I think there were a couple of tours where I tipped slightly above that because the guide/driver was outstanding.

 

Also, it was around 20% tip on top of each taxi/car service journey.

 

Is there anything else I can help with? :)

Edited June 17, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[gertieginsc]

You are welcome :)

 

Generally I think did between 15% and 20% of the tour cost depending on the guide and the tour. I think there were a couple of tours where I tipped slightly above that because the guide/driver was outstanding.

 

Also, it was around 20% tip on top of each taxi/car service journey.

 

Is there anything else I can help with? :)

 

Thanks for the quick response...

[Dancer9933]

Awesome review! We are going southbound on Radiance in August and this is going to help us pick excursions. The details about the shuttle in Denali are awesome, I was wondering how that worked with the stops. I can't wait until you post the compass! I am hoping to plan our dinner times around the shows, mostly I want to know which nights have one vs two shows. Thank you so much for the awesome review!