One of ways to see this beautiful state is to cruise Inner Passage. Taking one of cruise ships is a simple way to get your feet wet and explore state. You have security of knowing that your basic needs like food, transportation, and your lodging is handled while you have freedom of choosing any number of activities.

Depending on town you stop in, you can choose to go whale watching, or take a helicopter trip and walk on a glacier. You can ride White Pass Railroad or pan for gold. You can even take a Jeep tour on a logging trail and top it off with a salmon bake. Also, every town appears to have their own special and historical events happening on a regular basis and you definitely want to catch these, as well. There are also many fascinating museums and remember to save time to see stunning Aurora Borealis, especially if you go in fall.

Alaska seems to have it all. From world famous Parks & Preserves to Volcanos. From Historical & Annual Events and everything in between. With such variety, it’s surprising that anyone would look anywhere but north when vacation time comes. Alaska is a great American Vacation destination that you will want to experience for yourself at least once in your lifetime.

Elizabeth Ann Wares is an avid traveler and shares travel and vacation tips. She is the webmaster of Airfare X, a leading resource for discount airfare: http://www.airfarex.com

Service:

The service by stateroom attendants and dining room staff was top notch as expected.

Entertainment:

The evening shows at Aurora Theatre were a mix of ship's own crew of dancers and singers plus some outside comics and singers. In general, shows were quite good. We would have liked them to mix up entertainment each night rather than allocate music, comedy and magic into different evenings. Rather than an entire show of magic, we would have preferred each night featuring a variety of entertainment. Live music around ship was a nice added touch.

Amenities:

Although smaller than Adventure, Radiance had fine amenities including gym/spa, mini golf, pools and shops. There was internet access but at 50 cents per minute, service is a bit steep. There were things to do during days at sea such as art auctions, cooking demos and dance classes. However, we felt that there was more offered on Adventure. As for embarking and disembarking, there was no problem on Radiance. The 6th level contained casino and for non-smokers, this was a problem. The ventilation in casino was not great and as a result, cigarette smoke travelled to adjacent areas near casino. My partner wanted to avoid going on 6th level whenever possible.

In summary, we enjoyed our cruise on Radiance of Seas. However, comparing it to larger Adventure of Seas, we would rate larger ship a bit higher. We liked huge promenade on Adventure which was not available on a smaller ship like Radiance. Given a choice in future, we would opt for larger ship. For first time cruisers, Radiance would still be a good ship to vacation on. This is simply case of where veteran cruisers would expect more especially if they have been on higher end ships.