New Radiance Is Glassy and Classy

Contrary to the quip that “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw parties,” we think anyone booking a cabin on the almost-all-glass ship, Radiance of the Seas, would want to celebrate.

The newest cruise ship from Royal Caribbean International made its debut in mid-April in Los Angeles on the way to a summer season in Alaska. And its vast expanses of glass--from outside glass elevators to walls of windows all over the vessel--make it ideal for activities from whale-watching to glacier-gazing.

The 90,090-ton, 2,100-passenger Radiance of the Seas is the first in a series of ships smaller than RCI’s 3,114-passenger megaships Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas, but bigger than the six Vision-class vessels.

Radiance is also the classiest ship in the RCI fleet, a hint that this former Carnival competitor is moving up into the Princess and Holland America category.

Some of the gaudy bells and whistles ballyhooed on Voyager and Explorer are missing. There’s no ice rink or in-line skating track, but you’ll find a rock-climbing wall, a nine-hole miniature golf course and pool tables that level themselves when the ship rolls.

More to the point for the average cruise passenger, the ship is full of appealing, comfortable and clubby public areas. Books, Books & Coffee serves espresso and lattes with cookies and pastries, sells best-selling and classic books and even offers a couple of computer stations. (A dozen other computer workstations are located in the ship’s Internet Center.) A 24-hour library with a good selection of books provides reading chairs. The Colony Club is a handsome collection of public rooms, from the Bombay Billiards Club with its gyro-leveling tables to the glass-walled Singapore Sling’s with a full rear view to the sea. Whether or not you’re a spa aficionado, you’ll be knocked out by the two-deck solarium with an African safari theme. Sixteen-foot-high stone elephants, flanked by waterfalls, watch over the solarium pool and whirlpools; a glass canopy holds in the warmth.

Radiance is also a good ship for families with children. As on most ships, the children’s Adventure Ocean program is divided into age groups, but unlike most kids’ programs, each age group has a separate venue with appropriately sized furniture, toys, computers and games. The program offers group baby-sitting for a fee..

The Optix lounge for teenagers has a disco dance floor, a soda bar and computer stations. Vividly painted cutout fish ornament an adjacent teens’ pool area, as well as a kids’ pool.

Best of all, the ship offers family suites, sleeping up to eight people, that can cut the per-person cost of a cruise substantially. The three “royal” family suites are 584 square feet, with two bedrooms (one with queen-size bed and one with two lower berths and a Pullman), two baths and a living room with sofa beds, plus a 140-square-foot private balcony. Six family staterooms measure 319 square feet each and sleep up to six in two bedrooms but have no private balcony. On the June 9 cruise, a family of six can travel for as little as $499 each.

More than half of the 1,050 cabins have private verandas. Fourteen are wheelchair-accessible, and 237 are inside cabins without an ocean view.

We liked the ship’s alternative restaurants. Chops Grille is a glamorous steakhouse with tables for two by the window and a menu of steaks, chops, chicken, salmon, shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, crab cakes, onion soup, clam chowder, creamed spinach and home-fried potatoes. Portofino is an Italian restaurant with pink tablecloths, a mural of Siena’s Palio on one wall and a full roster of favorites from antipasto to tiramisu. Both restaurants require reservations and carry a $20-per-person cover charge.

In place of the Johnny Rockets diners on the Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas has the raffish little Seaview Cafe on a top deck near the teen area. Featured are late-morning to late-night nachos, burgers, onion rings, pizza and such. Service is cheerful but can be a little spotty.

From a technical point of view, the ship is cutting edge. Capt. Kent Ringborn said the ship’s gas turbine engines reduce exhaust emissions by 80% to 98% over some previous engine types and decrease noise and vibration.

During the overnight preview cruise that we took from Los Angeles, however, the single engine in use shut down briefly three times, leaving the ship without power but with emergency lighting systems in place.

The Radiance of the Seas is sailing seven-night round trips from Vancouver, British Columbia, every Saturday between May 26 and Sept. 8, with calls in Juneau, Skagway, Haines and Ketchikan in Alaska and cruises through the Inside Passage and along Hubbard Glacier. Published brochure fares begin at $1,169 per person, double.

Next winter the ship cruises the Caribbean on seven-night itineraries from San Juan, Puerto Rico, visiting St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Barbados, starting at $1,069 per person, double occupancy.

For more information, contact a travel agent, call RCI at (800) 255-4373, or visit the Web site https://www.royalcaribbean.com.

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Shirley Slater and Harry Basch travel as guests of the cruise lines. Cruise Views appears the first and third Sundays of every month.