| May, 2001 - My Mom came to visit me from Montreal We had been on the Galaxy to the Southern Caribbean a couple of years ago together. This was a very short coastal cruise only 3 nights. It gave us a chance to see this beautiful new ship Radiance of the Seas. We went return from Seattle to Victora and Vancouver. Since she arrived we have visited the sites around Seattle including the Space Needle and Mount Rainier. Seattle is a lovely city to come to early before a cruise. It is nice that more ships visit here each year. Next year Holland America will have some ships do short 3 and 4 night cruises out of Seattle before and after the Alaska Season. Here are pictures of what we did before getting on the ship and some of the shots while we were at sea. |
Sights of Seattle
These pictures were taken atop the Seattle Space Needle.
Mount Rainier The next Day, We drove out to Mount Rainier to see the meadows and steams at the lower levels, and the snow covered hills higher up. We saw waterfalls along the way, and encountered some wildlife. |
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 Mom on the rocks by a mountain steam at the lower levels of the mountain. |
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The sign says "No Sliding" |
 A Fox beside the road. |
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Waterfalls and birds abound on this pleasant daytrip to Mount Rainier.
The Radiance of the Seas
The weather cooperated very nicely for this trip. It was the best weaather we had so far this year, really. Warm sunny days, fresh air and clear skies.
Day of Embarkation
Since I live in Seattle, this was easy. Just called a cab and we were at the pier within half an hour. Just like our experience on the Explorer of the Seas, embarkation was very smooth. We were able to board right away and were on the ship by noon. People were told to wait in the public spaces while the rooms were getting prepared but we were able to get into our cabin right away. I had booked an inside cabin initially, but when the rates came down, I opted to move up to a balcony for not much more. It was well worth it ) ! This time of year it can be gray and rainy but we had warm sunshine from embarkation day till we got off. We had a Cabin D 1102 - it was on the aft of the ship, facing aft. The balcony was double depth of a standard one. We actually paid for an E1 and got a D as the upgrade.
This is a very very lovely ship. After pausing and thinking about it, I liked it more than the Explorer of the Seas. Mostly because of the contact with the sea. The Explorer was very much an inward ship -- life on board focused on the interior and had few places to sit and watch the sea go by. Not on the Radiance. This was well designed for nice views of the sea. Great walls of glass span the atrium along the elevator banks. Many bars and lounges had windows and there were plenty in the dining room as well.
Sail Away
 Here's Mom relaxing on the balcony still docked in Seattle. |
 Looking down at the wake behind the ship. |
 The City of Seattle |
Seattle's Sports Stadiums - the new Safeco Field and another stadium under construction. |
 Something I really enjoy about the balconies on this and
the Explorer is the clear panel for viewing. |
Not sleeping in Seattle tonight ! |
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 Mount Rainier - the view as we leave the Port of Seattle. This is where we spent a lovely time the day before viewing the creeks and waterfalls. |
 I quite enjoyed the aft view we had - we could see everything on both sides and behind us. |
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Day 2 - Vancouver Since I live so close and can visit Vancouver at any time, and Mom has been there several times, we decided to just enjoy the day on the ship. I got out for a browse at the stores around Canada Place and took some pictures. |
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 Vancouver, British Columbia |
Sailing away from Vancouver |
 Vancouver off our balcony at sail away. |
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 The Cascades Dining Room |
 Cascading Water behind the Musicians |
 Me and Mom at dinner. |
 Mom on the grand staircase. |
 Mom flirting with the band. |
 Upper view looking down on the lower level of the Cascades Dining Room - we were seated on the lower level near the windows. It was a lovely spot for viewing the sea and hearing the music. |
Each elevator lobby has a glass ship layout and directions to important locations on each deck. |
Of course Llardo had pieces for sale in the store. Mom took particular note of this one. |
Evening View of the ships atrium. |
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 Facing the sea from inside the glass elevator. During the day the ocean views are spectacular as you soar up to the top decks. |
The room was well cared for by your room steward and always looked warm and inviting after a long day of ship life. |
 Inside the cabin a view of the entertainment and desk center, a safe is above the TV and mini bar below. |
 Panning over to the right, you see a full size sofa and small glass table. Of course, a swan towel sculpture on the bed as well. |
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 The Bathroom. |
 Our Cabin Category D on Deck 10 |
 Rex our Steward. |
 A typical stairway |
 Clear but misty as we set sail from Victoria to Seattle. We stayed on board again .. if you'd like to see the lovely pictures of Victoria check out the Sun Princess Cruise page. |
 In the elevator lobby you can see the sea when the elevator isn't there yet. |
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 Another visit to the Cascades Dining Room |
 Each night there was a parade by the staff, tonight it is the Chef's and cooks. |
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 Everyone at our table enjoyed themselves on the Radiance of the Seas. |
 Our wait staff with Mom between.. |
 Me on the Grand Stairway |
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 The Internet Center is adjacent to the main centrum. This is where I sent my daily emails.
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 We both spent time each evening in the ship's casino which featured many of the latest slot machines.
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| The Radiance of the Seas is a
very beautiful ship. I only took a few pictures and wish I took many more but wanted
to spend more time viewing the ship through my own eyes. The food was delightful,
always choices for meals and snacks. Books Books and Coffee is a nice venue for a
cappucino, much more secluded than the Explorer of the Sea's Promenade Cafe and less
selections. We went to the movie theatre which had true stadium style seating, very
comfortable and nice view. They mostly played older movies, we saw Casablanca.
On TV they showed many recent films. The entertainment was great! We
went to Karaoke a couple of times and I sang "My Boots are Made for Walkin" and
"Johnnie B. Goode". Mom cheered me on! We had a round of mini-golf
up on deck.. it was free and a difficult but fun course. The golf simulater was
booked solid when we tried to sign up its $25 an hour. It was a great short cruise. Having been on the Explorer of the Seas only a few months earlier, it was fun to compare. In most ways I like this ship better, but its hard to match the Promenade inside the Explorer as a way to wind down the day. I didn't spend time in the sports bar, but as I toured through it looked like the nicest one I have seen on a ship. At the moment Stephen and I are booked on the Celebrity's Mercury to Hawaii this fall, but its sure tempting to switch to this ship.. but to be honest, Celebrity is a touch above in service and food. I'm glad the Radiance will be doing more of these short cruises out of Seattle this fall and again next year, I may hop on again for a few days! Thank you for reading my review and looking at the pictures, hope you enjoyed them and please sign my guest book, Tina Johnson - tinajohnson@recordlady.com
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