This is our first stateroom with a balcony. We heard from others who’d taken Alaskan cruises that balconies are a must. We agree. Our balcony provided some truly breathtaking views and made our stateroom feel spacious. If you sail Alaska, you definitely want a room with a balcony.

Our lavatory aboard Radiance was very similar to our lavatories aboard Voyager and the Norwegian Sun. There was plenty of storage behind the mirrors, and the sink, while small, was large enough. The shower was just too small. Carnival’s Paradise is still the ship that offered us the best lavatory.

When Becky and I first used the shower, there wasn’t enough water pressure. From the time I phoned in to complain, ten minutes didn’t pass before someone was there to fix the problem. Then the pressure was great and I flooded the bathroom during a couple of showers. So I phoned again to ask the maintenance crew to fix the problem, and within a few minutes someone was there and solved the problem. If only home fix-it tasks were as simple.

When we returned from dinner one evening, our cabin steward had made us a towel-Dachshund and placed the daily newsletter, the Compass, on our bed. The Compass was filled with information for all of the on-board and shore activities. Becky saved all our copies.

Here’s a photo taken in Vancouver from our balcony and facing to the right, or forward. There was a white platform jutting from our deck that covered the lifeboats. The part of the ship that curves outward is the main elevator area.

This photo was taken from the same spot as the previous photo except I was facing to the left, or aft. The two curved structures that are capped in glass are observation nooks in the Windjammer Café. You can’t see it in this photo, but there are snow-capped mountains in the distant background.