What a cool Alaskan cruise!

Everyone who has been on an Alaskan cruise has come home ecstatic, fully recharged and ahhh, one stone heavier. Joy Abrogar and Sam Manalo of Baron Travel warned us of the same thing too.

Christened Radiance of the Seas, the ship we took belongs to a fleet of luxury cruise liners operated by Royal Caribbean International. She sails from Vancouver, Canada for the summer months so we packed another luggage for our winter clothes. That proved to be a chore. The good news: We could bring as much luggage as we wanted on board. The bad news: It was a tight squeeze inside the cabin.

The Radiance is equivalent to a five-star hotel put out to sea. There are bars and venues for every mood and occasion and I got lost when I explored it. There are thermal-controlled swimming pools in a tropical setting, a fully-equipped gym, medical facilities, a beauty salon, a spa, a library, duty free shops, a jewelry store, tobacco/newspaper stand, dining rooms, sports and recreational facilities, a high-tech theater/stage, a casino, disco/night club, movie theater, internet facilities, cable TV, art and photo galleries, auction and bingo lounges, pre-school facilities, video and karaoke arcades and an international crew of qualified staff catering to every need and age group. The good news: There is never a dull, boring day on board. The bad news: It is impossible to join in all the activities.

Check-in procedures are similar to that of a hotel except each passenger is given a Sea Pass, a swipe card that serves as the passenger’s room key, personal ID and credit card. The good news: The Sea Pass is all you need to carry on board.

The bad news: The temptation of shopping at the various outlets of this stately yacht could reach alarming heights.

Our stateroom (cabin) was compact but adequate to comfortably lodge four passengers. We had a private balcony where we sat and ordered meals (24-hour room service was free) and watched the vast, moving ocean. The good news: We got an intimate view of the changing horizon and marine life in the comfort of our cabin (passengers saw humpback whales and sea otters frolicking in the open sea). The bad news: If anyone snored heavily, three other sleep-deprived roommates would want to scalp him; a tiny bathroom has to be shared, too.

There are two formal nights: A reception hosted by the captain to welcome 2,300 passengers and another night in the formal dining room. The good news: It gave a chance for the passengers to dress up and feel privileged. The bad news: Everyone wore black.

To keep all the passengers entertained and occupied, the ship had a cruise director, Gordon Whatman, who rose to the challenge with ease and aplomb. Not only is Gordon an old hand in the hospitality and entertainment business, he is also gracious, funny, witty and spontaneous. The good news: Gordon made each activity interesting and fun. The bad news: We wanted to be in all activities.

The ship dropped anchor in three Alaskan ports: Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan – small, pretty and charming communities. Juneau, the capital of Alaska, has only 30,000 residents; Skagway has an old-town feel with wooden boardwalks lining the main street while Ketchikan is known as the salmon capital of the world.

These ports had seen lean times when the gold rush eventually fizzled and the only industry left was salmon farming. But somebody in the bureaucratic office must have checked the numbers and come up with a clever idea that brought a doable transition to these otherwise forgotten settlements. From sleepy and isolated communities, they metamorphosed to bustling towns playing host to transient and dollar-generating visitors. (In Ketchikan, one tour included a visit to the only red light district and the house of the unsinkable madame called Dolly who stayed in business until she was 80 years old). The good news: There are tours that give an interesting insight into life in these ports especially the habitat of the native animals. The bad news: Tours are not cheap ($300 and up).

Tourism saved these towns. From the deck of the Radiance, I saw at least four to five luxury liners crowding the docks in each port. They carried an average of 15,000 passengers per day all eager to snap trinkets and souvenir items. The good news: Each town has a main street filled with souvenir shops and curios and the ships dock conveniently in the heart of them. The bad news: Souvenir items were made in China.

There was a sustained Russian presence in these towns because the first cargo ship that traded with the native Indians was Russian (American traders only came after). Russian icons, hand-painted matryoshka dolls (nesting dolls), and hand-blown Christmas ornaments are widely sold. The good news: There is always a unique and inexpensive souvenir to find. The bad news: Shops display 50 percent discount signs everywhere which should alert visitors to practice caveat emptor. Like in any touristy town, goods have been marked 100 to 300 percent above their retail value.

The native Indian tribes have kept alive their rich ancestry and their intricately-carved totem poles were magnificent proof of their beautiful past. Aside from the Eskimos who live in the far North and West of Alaska, other native Indian tribes abound like the Aleut and Athabaskan (nomadic who fed on caribou, moose and fish and spoke a language related to Apache and Navajo), the Tlingit, Tshimshian and Haida people in SE Alaska and the Unagans who are master builders and users of the kayak (boat).

The good news: The native Indian tribes had nurtured their culture blending mythology and tradition to these days. The bad news: We didn’t see much of them in these pit stop tours.

The highlight of the tour was the Hubbard Glacier. A glacier is defined as ice in motion formed thousands of years ago. This glacier is 16,000 years old and it’s 76 miles long. The ship steered close to 50 feet from it. It was dark blue at its peak and it slowly diffused to paler shades of aqua blue before it filtered down to white. The sight was both astounding and humbling. When the glacier broke into smaller pieces making a crushing, thunderous sound, like canons firing, there was a collective gasp of wonder from the awe-struck passengers. The glaciers had been known to sizzle, groan, roar and crackle at different times of the year. It rarely stayed quiet. Nature was showing off and one could only pause to wonder at the incredible work of a Supreme Being.

Interestingly, the skipper of the Radiance, captain Darin Bowland, told the story of one block of ice that broke from the glacier that was as huge as the entire height and length of the Radiance. The good news: Modern cruise ships are equipped with state-of-the-art computerized equipment with powerful radars that can warn ships to steer away from such hazards. (The Radiance boasts stabilizers that keep the ship steady and motion-free). Passengers can sleep soundly knowing that the possibility of a recurrence of the ill-fated Titanic is remote. The bad news: Rough seas cannot be avoided; passengers may still get seasick.

After a full day in a port of call, it was nice to return to the ship to rest our weary feet and turned-up pockets. A newsletter distributed by the ship called The Compass kept the passengers informed of the daily schedule of activities. It highlighted sessions like towel sculpting, face and body treatment, shopping tips, bingo and auction schedules, religious services, and entertainment options.

One time, the entire Food and Beverage staff regaled dining passengers with Italian songs and at another, young passengers parading in their pirate costumes. There was also a party theme for each night and passengers gamely dressed up in keeping with the theme. Gordon, the cruise director, conducted parlor games that elicited laughs and true sportsmanship from the passengers. There was even a Chippendale-like For Ladies Only show called "Ship-en-dale" and another "Ship Idol" singing contest. Performing artists, dancers, acrobats, magicians and comedians were flown in to provide entertainment at the main theater twice a night.

In the meantime, the inconspicuous stateroom attendant would have cleaned, vacuumed, changed the bed linens and towels and placed turn-down chocolates on top of your soft pillows. One night, we saw a monkey dangling happily from our curtains. It was a towel sculpted by our attendant, Xavier Fernandez from India. The following night, it was a regal swan sitting snugly on my bed.

I spoke to a few of the service staff who number close to 830. The general sentiment was that they were happy to work aboard a cruise liner despite the long hours (average of 12 hours) and modest salary. The company provides comfortable accommodations with basic amenities (a bunk bed, closet, bathroom and TV set) and a staff cafeteria that serves good and ample meals. They are also entitled to a one-way air ticket to their place of domicile at the end of their six-month contracts. The experience of meeting and serving passengers from different parts of the world gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment over work well done.

At the Radiance, a gratuity envelope was suggested for service staff particularly those who were assigned to wait on the passengers at the dining tables and those who maintained the staterooms. The suggested tip averaged $3.50 per day.

The tip would not break your bank account considering that it was given as a gesture of appreciation for the personalized service and attention these staff provided each passenger on board, but the thought that it was from this gratuity pay that the bulk of their income is derived – the same amount that would provide food, clothing and a roof over the heads of their displaced family left back home – you wonder whether these hard working crew members are not getting a raw deal? All cruise liners have a similar if not the same gratuity scheme.

Alaska and her translucent glaciers, towering peaks and picturesque mountain lakes can leave you breathless. Except for the glaciers however, such marvelous sights are also abundant in Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and other beautiful spots in Asia. After being bombarded with the life cycle of the salmon, I could not look, much less eat at another salmon again.

Radiance is the ultimate adventure, a splendid time-of-your-life celebration. However, forget about shipboard romance. The cruise ensured there was enough activity on your plate to make you overlook a foiled encounter with a Cary Grant look-alike.

After a week at sea, it was nice to walk down the gang plank and step once again on dry land. Returning especially to a meek and controlled diet of three meals a day was a welcome and oh so gratifying relief.

Whew, bless the cook.