As much as I had enjoyed our stay in Vancouver, I was glad that it was time to meet our newest ship. I had set the alarm for 08:00 just in case, but we were wide awake at 07:00. We took turns getting showered. Then we finished our little filled sponge cakes, and I finished my Powerade. We packed what we had unpacked, and I put the labels on our suitcases. Then we headed out. We figured that using the Skytrain with luggage during rush hour would not be a lot of fun. We decided to get an Uber. We had a bit of a wait for the Uber to arrive, but that was OK. While we were waiting for our Uber, our landlady arrived. We talked to her for a bit. Shortly after we had said goodbye to her, our Uber driver arrived.
The roads heading towards the port were quite busy and it took a little longer to get to the port than I had anticipated. Our driver took us to the underground parking rather than the drop off for taxis and ride shares in Gastown. We got there just as our check in time started. We had a 10:00 check in time. Up to 10:30, the baggage drop off was at the underground parking and then it moved to the terminal. There were porters there right as we got out of the Uber. They took our luggage off us, and we were on our way. There were plenty of members of staff around to point us in the right direction. Canada Place is a bit of a rabbit warren. Once we were at the convention centre level, they checked our paperwork, and we were given a coloured slip of paper. Then we were sent to check in.
The way they did things for this cruise was different from what we had experienced in 2013. The order then had been US immigration, security, check in. This time round it was check in, US immigration and security. I am still having nightmares about clearing US immigration at the port in Vancouver in 2013 when we encountered huge lines that moved very slowly. On our way to check in, we saw a long line and I assumed that this was for immigration. Graham thought that this was people waiting to get on the ship. Fortunately, he was right.
When we entered the area where they were doing check in, we were directed to a check in agent with an iPad straightaway. There was a bit of a line for the check in desks. I wondered if those were for the people who had not checked in online. For the Vancouver departures this year, Royal Caribbean changed the way online check in worked. For any other port, online check in can be done either via the website or the app. However, for departures from Vancouver, as of this year, they only allowed check in via the app. For me, that was no issue. I have had the app on my phone ever since they trialled this for Quantum class ships and have done my online check in on the app as soon as this functionality was introduced. I have always found this easier than the check in on the website, but I also know that many people feel differently about this. This was probably the reason why they had quite a line for the check in desks. We quickly had our set sail pass and our passports checked and our photo was taken. The whole process took less than two minutes. Then we were on our way again.
Next up was US immigration. They were set up for serious crowds. However, when we got there, it was really quiet. a member of port staff checked our nationality and asked if we had an ESTA. We were then sent one line. We had a very short wait while one of the US Customs and Border Protection agents became available. She was probably the friendliest US Customs and Border Protection agent we ever encountered. The whole process was very painless as we both had been to the USA with the same passport before and they had our details on file. All we needed is to have a quick photo taken. We had wondered if the US Customs and Border Protection commuted in every morning as the US border is not that far from Vancouver. Graham decided to ask. Apparently, they get posted to Vancouver for a three-year period. The US Customs and Border Protection agent we were dealing with had nearly finished her three-year stint and was very excited about returning to the USA. I knew about US immigration at the port and also at the main railway station in Vancouver as we had first-hand experience of this when we took the train from Vancouver to Seattle in 2013. What I had not realised that US Customs and Border Protection also operates out of Vancouver airport. Between those three touchpoints, this actually must make quite a big operation.
The last part of the process was security. Again, this was set up for serious crowds, but was really quiet when we got there. We were directed to a security check point straightaway. This was actually the longest part of the process. I always have the impression that security at a cruise port is neither here nor there. The whole process is usually so cursory that it feels like paying lip service. The only port where I previously felt that they are taking this seriously is Baoshan port in Shanghai, but then this is China. This time round, Graham was stopped and asked if he had a knife in his backpack. We had no idea what they could have seen as there was most certainly no knife in there or anything sharp else for that matter. The only thing we could imagine it could be was a fitting that attached a zoom lense to the iPhone. It is however made from plastic and therefore should not have shown up on x-ray. Graham was asked to unpack. This did not take very long. Half of his backpack was taken up with the plush bunnies that travel everywhere with us. I think they came to the conclusion that somebody that travels with multicoloured plush bunnies is unlikely to be a hardened criminal.
Once Graham had repacked, we were directed to the ship. The line that had been there earlier, had gone. We quickly stopped for our embarkation photos and then it was time to check out Radiance. We had been very impressed with the check in process, but people who checked in later were complaining that it was total chaos. It looks like the secret is to pick an early check in time at Vancouver. There was a bit of a line on the gangway, but it did move quite quickly and soon we were on board. As soon as we stepped foot on the ship, we were directed to our muster station, which was in the theatre. They were very proactive in funnelling people towards the muster station. There were still plenty of people who did not get the message as there were announcements throughout the afternoon asking people to go to their muster stations. I will never get this.
One thing that Disney Cruise Line has spoiled me rotten is the first impression you get when you step onto a ship. With the Royal Caribbean ships I have been on, you only get this on the Quantum and Oasis class ships where you enter on the Royal Esplanade and the Royal Promenade respectively. Both have a certain wow factor. With the smaller classes of ship, you inevitably board onto one corridor or another, which is a bit of an anticlimax. This was most certainly the case on Radiance. We boarded on the corridor linking the theatre with the art and photo gallery. Having said that, this is one of only two things I disliked about this ship. This however meant that we were right by our muster station. We had watched the safety video and listened to the emergency signal on the app before we left the guesthouse. This meant that we just had to check in with our assembly station leader and then we were done.
One of the advantages that we had due to the previous cruise being cancelled is that the cabins were ready when we got on board. We headed straight to our cabin and dropped off our hand luggage. I was a bit nervous about what I would find. When we were on Navigator in November, I felt that the ship had not aged well. Radiance is not only slightly older, but I had read plenty of reports that Radiance is in serious need of some TLC. This was not our impression at all. I loved our cabin. The wood was much darker than what we are normally used to on Royal Caribbean, but I think this made the cabin look classier. The only think that I was not so keen on, and this was the only other thing I disliked about the ship was that they had a shower curtain rather that the shower pods I am used to in the bathroom.
I quickly checked our shore excursion tickets. We also had our welcome waters and a bottle of Caliterra, and some wine glasses were also waiting for us. I quickly put up our magnets and then we headed out to go exploring. Our cabin was just forward of the forward elevator lobby, but it was very quiet. We headed straight up to the pool deck. I was very excited about seeing the solarium. Where the solarium is fully enclosed, this usually ends up being my favourite spot on the ship. I knew that the solarium on Radiance was very similar to the one that was on our first Royal Caribbean ship, Splendour of the Seas. I am pretty sure that the solarium on that ship played a significant role in us falling heads over heel in love with Royal Caribbean. Before the cruise, I had expected that we would spend a significant amount of time in the solarium, especially as everything we could want or need for a relaxing day was right there. The solarium features the Park Cafe, which is the home of the roast beef Kümmelweck on this ship. There is also a bar plus a drink station as well as a pool and a hot tub. In the end, we actually spent very little time there.
When we got there, the Park Cafe was closed and the Windjammer was not due to open until 11:30. As the spa was right next door, I suggested that we do a spa tour. I had heard that Radiance class has the nicest thermal suites of the fleet. I wanted to check this out. The thermal suite did indeed not disappoint. This was the nicest thermal suite that I have seen on a Royal Caribbean ship. A big bonus was that all the tile loungers were facing large picture windows. The prices for a length of cruise pass however had gone crazy. They also had a rhassoul room. We have done the rhassoul treatment on two other cruise lines and really enjoyed this. The price was fair, too. However, the spa staff was incredibly pushy on this ship, and I do not respond well to a hard sell. I have been known to go into a shop knowing that I needed to buy something specific and then turned around and left when I was pounced upon by a salesperson as soon as I walked through the door. Needless to say, the spa never saw us again.
By the time we had finished the spa tour, the Windjammer was open, and we headed straight for some lunch. I had already figured out that they had both the mango water and fruit punch on the ship. I learned quickly that in the Windjammer, they were alternating those flavours. That day it was fruit punch. I was perfectly happy with this. Graham had iced tea. Graham started with various salads and breads. He recommended the focaccia, and I had every intention to try this, but never got around to it. For his second plate, he had roast beef, roasted potato wedges and broccoli. My selections were less healthy. I started with pork schnitzel, goulash and mashed potatoes. For my second plate, I had a cheeseburger, some chicken nuggets and fries. I was surprised when Graham checked out the dessert offerings. He had some Jello, which he was not too impressed with and a slice of pistachio and apricot pie, which he enjoyed. I decided to check out the offerings as well. I had s slice of pistachio and apricot pie as well as a piece of chocolate slice and a chocolate cream puff. The pistachio and apricot pie was definitely the best of the bunch.
By the time we had finished our lunch, the Windjammer had started to fill up. We retreated to the solarium for our traditional first cup of Royal Caribbean blend. It was every bit as bad as I remembered. Still, having a cup of Royal Caribbean blend soon after boarding has become a tradition. Once I had this, it has sunk in that I am really on the ship. Next year we will do our second cruise with Princess Cruises. I think it is time to find a tradition on that cruise line. Now their filter coffee is even worse that what Royal Caribbean serves, and I draw the line at that. I am sure we will think of something.
Once we had finished our coffee, we went exploring. One of the first things we noticed was a totem pole in front of a bar above the pool deck. I suspected that this is a fibre glass replica, but it is actually the genuine thing. The 12-foot-high cedar totem pole was carved for the ship by the famous Native American artist Nathan Jackson of Ketchikan. According to Jackson, it tells the story “How the Raven Gave the World the Stars, the Moon and the Sun,” from a book of Tlingit Indian traditions by Edward L. Keithahn. It was installed on the ship following Radiance’s maiden call to Ketchikan. I have always been fascinated by totem poles and having a genuine totem pole on the ship was a real treat. This is also very fitting. Royal Caribbean does like to switch ships around, but as far as I am aware, Radiance has spent her summers in Alaska every year since 2001 with only a two year break due to COVID. I really wanted a photo of the totem pole, but it was quite busy in the area, and I figured there would be other opportunities.
We moved on. We headed up to the sun deck and took a turn around the deck. We found a hidden little sundeck. This was on the same level as the pool deck, but the only access was via two staircases from deck 12. It was a great spot. It was quiet as it was so tucked away with nice views. It was also a bit of a suntrap with loungers that were out of the wind. We spent a while there just chilling. We had every intention to spend some more time there during the cruise, but this never happened.
After we were thoroughly relaxed, we decided to start making use of our drink’s vouchers. We figured that the Schooner Bar was as good a place to start as any. Not only do they serve my new favourite drink there, but the Welcome on Board trivia was also due to take place there. The Schooner Bar is the only bar that can be found on every single Royal Caribbean ship. We tend to spend a fair amount there as this is normally the main venue for trivia. I got terribly confused on the two Oasis class ships that I have sailed on. On almost all ships that I have sailed on, the Schooner Bar is forward on either deck 4 or 5. On the Oasis class ships, this is on deck 6 and at the aft end of midship. I forever ended up going to the wrong place. This time round, I was prepared as on Radiance it is in a similar location than it is on the Oasis class ships. What I was not prepared for was what was waiting for me. Considering that the Schooner Bar is extensively used for daytime activities that are quite popular, it is usually pretty small and at least part of it is in a corridor. Considering that Radiance is the second smallest Royal Caribbean ship that I have sailed on, the Schooner Bar is huge. I suppose, strictly speaking it is still a corridor as it provides access to two of the speciality restaurants as well as the Colony Club, which is a three-part lounge and entertainment venue that is all the way at the back. Still, it is such a huge open space that it does not matter. From the elevator lobby, you enter a proper corridor with some nautical artwork, cannons, powder kegs and cannon balls. It felt strange to have all this space doing very little. The Schooner Bar itself has floor to ceiling windows. We knew straightaway that we would spend many happy hours there.
We managed to get some seats by one of the windows. I had my first dessert pear margarita and Graham had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. We had our usual first day of a cruise amusement of ever more insistent announcements asking people to complete their muster drill. You know they mean business when they start telling you how many people still have to complete their muster drill. This whole nonsense could be so easily avoided. We have been on a number of cruises where Royal Caribbean collected passports at check in and at some stage during the cruise, you had to retrieve your passport again by going to a designated spot on your deck. This has always been frightfully efficient. This could so easily be applied to collecting your Sea Pass cards. They come in little sealed envelopes anyway. It would be so easy to rather than putting the envelope outside the stateroom door to put them in boxes sorted by muster station. In order to get your Sea Pass card, you would need to go to your muster station. Not only would this be safer than leaving the Sea Pass cards in a corridor, but people would have a powerful incentive to actually complete their muster drill as soon as possible. This could be further incentivised if they switched off the facility to use the barcode on the boarding pass to get drinks on the drinks package, redeem loyalty drinks vouchers or make purchases. This is only in place as the stateroom corridors do not typically open until 13:30 and therefore people cannot get their Sea Pass cards until then. Believe you me, if people could not get a drink until they had their Sea Pass card and the way to get them as go to your muster station, I hazard a guess that these kinds of announcement would stop overnight. Quite a few cruise lines have gone back to conventional muster drills exactly because they got fed up with chasing people to complete this. Thankfully so far Royal Caribbean has resisted that temptation.
Eventually, the last stragglers had completed their muster drill, and we got the Captain’s welcome announcement. We were supposed to have Captain Rumen on our Alaska cruise in 2022, but then he was switched out at the last minute to head for Radiance. He is a bit of a character. He became master of Ovation of the Seas under probably the most difficult of circumstances possible when they were using Ovation to repatriate crew members to their home countries during the cruise shut down. Having experienced him in action, I cannot think of a better man for the job. It was obvious that he cared for each and every member of his crew. He then was the captain during the modified Alaska season shortly after the restart of cruising in 2021 before taking command of Radiance. Our cruise was his first cruise back after coming back from vacation. One thing that he does that I had never experienced before is that during his daily announcements he always had a segment where he provided a shout out to guests and crew that were celebrating a birthday on that day. Even though I am not sure how I would feel if I were on the receiving end of this, I thought this was a really nice touch. I may yet get to find out how it feels. One of the masters of Odyssey that we will sail on for my big birthday later this year came from Radiance, and I think he started this.
With the captain’s announcement out of the way, it was time for Welcome on Board trivia. I had another dessert pear margarita and Graham had another glass of Sauvignon Blanc. They were lulling us into a false sense of security. The questions were quite easy. We managed to score 18 out of 21. The winning score was 20, but it did not stay that easy for long.
Once the trivia was finished, we noticed that we were on the move. Initially we were not moving fast at all. Vancouver harbour is incredibly busy between the cruise ships, cargo ships, the water taxi and the float planes. However, once we were clear of the inner harbour, we made quick progress, and it did not take long under we were sailing under the Lions Gate bridge. Shortly after trivia was over, there was some live music. This is something that we really have come to value on recent cruises and the entertainment that afternoon was a violinist and a guitarist. We have encountered that combination on other ships and loved it. They however were awful. Once we left the city behind, I took some photos of pretty mountains and one of the giant globe that was at the back of the Schooner Bar. I had one quick look at the Colony Club with its famous gyroscope pool tables. Before the cruise, I thought I would really love this space, but it turned out I preferred the Schooner Bar. Then we made a run for it before our eardrums were shredded.
This worked out really well. This gave us time to get unpacked. We did not have as much storage space has, we had become accustomed to on other ships, but there was enough to store our stuff and soon the suitcases were under the bed. Once this was done, I got changed and then we headed for dinner. I had hoped to get some photos on the way, but all the photo opportunities were closed. I suppose I could have gone back after dinner, but they are old school when it comes to photos on Radiance. They only do prints rather than digital photos. I knew I would get some photos, but the incentive to make use of every photo opportunity was simply not there. We headed to the dining room and got seated. This was the typical first night chaos. Our assistant server also was not a happy soul, but he did defrost a little during the course of the week.
Dinner that evening was the Welcome on Board menu. This is far from being my favourite, but I can definitely find something to eat on there. Graham went with the chef’s recommendations, which was crispy crab cake with creamy Old Bay Sauce and a tomato cucumber salad, Southern Fried Chicken with Tabasco honey, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob for his main course and key lime pie for dessert. I had the vegan roasted tomato soup with crunchy garlic ciabatta croutons and basil pesto for my starter, spaghetti Bolognese for my main course and Boston creme pie for my dessert. Everything was tasty. The Chateau St. Michelle Riesling that we had with dinner went down really well as well.
I was a little bit sad that I did not have a photo with that evening’s outfit. Graham took a couple of snaps with my phone next to some artwork on our deck. I was hoping to get a close up showing off my jewellery as well. He took this in the cabin. Once we were back in the cabin, we got ready for bed. I read for a short while, but Graham went straight to sleep.
Dolphingirl’s Travels 
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