![]() ![]() There was little apparent effort to source food locally (I recall one night where we were offered Alaskan salmon) or seasonally (autumn-like turkey dinners were common). Entrees are fairly old-fashioned: most were dominated by large pieces of meat served with a paltry side of vegetables (like two asparagus spears against a giant steak, for example). Dress is usually "smart casual," with a couple of "formal" nights (suit and dress shirt are fine).ĭinner is provided as a three-course meal, with the menu featuring some of the same starters, entrees and desserts each day but also rotating selections. I reserved our times in advance, which I would recommend, as the unreserved line could be rather long at peak times. ![]() There are two ways to experience Cascades: get assigned a set dining time and group table (I believe 5:30 and 8 are the two seatings) or choose "My Time Dining" and eat whenever you like. You can find more information on the Royal Caribbean website (although going through the site again to write this article reminded me of how poorly their website is designed-using it to find specific information is really quite a headache).Ĭascades, the ship's two-level main dining room.ĭinner at Cascades was a generally enjoyable experience, although more so because of the setting and excellent service than the food, which was usually good but could be hit-and-miss. There's also Latte-tudes, a coffee shop with espresso drinks and snacks. Room service is also available as part of the included cost.įor an additional cost, there are a number of other dinner (and sometimes lunch) options throughout the ship: Izumi (Japanese), Chops Grille (steak and seafood), Samba Grill (Brazilian steakhouse), Giovanni's Table (Italian), Rita's Crab Shack and Chef's Table (a pricy multi-course dinner with wine pairing). Additionally, the Park Cafe offers lighter fare and snacks throughout the day (it's a great place to snag a cookie) and there's also a hot dog stand. Dining in either location is included in the price of the cruise. The other option is the Windjammer, a cafeteria-style buffet open for every meal. days where the ship is not in port) and a daily multi-course dinner. There are two main dining options on the ship: Cascades, the two-level main dining room with table service offering breakfast daily, lunch on cruising days (i.e. Our ship was the Radiance of the Seas, which was built in 2001 (and subsequently renovated) and carries about 2,100 passengers, making it one of the smaller cruise ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, which has ships that carry as many as 5,400 people. Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas cruise ship For the most part, the food is available at no extra charge, so it's tempting and very easy to load up. In fact, we had to make a conscious effort to not to stuff ourselves at every turn. From what I'd heard, cruise food is plentiful, which turned out to be true. Having never cruised before I didn't quite know what to expect. I'll tell you about our port food later, but first, here's what we ate and drank on the cruise itself. Because I wanted to see as much of Alaska as possible, we chose a one-way cruise that departed from Vancouver, Canada, took us up the Northwest Passage to Alaska, and visited various ports before concluding in Seward, a very small coastal town not far from Anchorage. To get around these various places, we opted for a cruise-also a first for Chris and me. During the trip, we explored a variety of towns, saw an assortment of wildlife and even took a helicopter ride up to and short hike on a glacier. That's a weird thing to think about: everything in Juneau comes in by boat or plane. For example, Juneau, the state's capital and second largest city, cannot be reached by car from anywhere else in North America (including the rest of Alaska). ![]() Its lack of "connectedness" with the rest of the country is quite striking. You really don't grasp the vastness and natural beauty of the state until you're there. My husband, my mother and I recently spent an amazing week in Alaska.
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