Radiance of the Seas Pacific North West Cruise, May 2005

Use the navigation bar to go directly to your port of call, then click on a photograph to enlarge... 
  

Click on the image to reveal further photographs of the ship    Maiden Voyage: 10 March 2001 Passenger Capacity: 2,501 Gross Tonnage: 90,090 Length: 962' Beam: 105.6' Draft: 26.7' Cruising Speed: 25 knots Further detail can be obtained from: Royal Caribbean International & Meyer Werft Shipyard

Shaped like a hook and protected by the peninsula of Coronado the 22 square miles of San Diego Bay form a natural deep water harbour around which the second largest city in California has grown.  The County has much to offer visitors, with it's Pacific coastline, inland forests and extensive state parks.

Hotel del Coronado.  Opened in 1888 this Victorian seaside hotel is situated on the peninsula in the middle of San Diego Bay.	Located 4 miles north of mission bay, La Jolla is an elegant, upscale coastal resort set amid cliffs and coves.	Sunset Cliffs.  Named for its sunset vistas, the park encompasses 68 acres of rugged coastline above the the Pacific Ocean.
San Diego viewed from the port	Photos from our previous day in San Diego can be viewed by clicking on the image above

San Francisco is a compact city, much of which can be explored on foot.  The many hills, over 40, give rise to strenuous climbing.  The main ones (Lone Mountain, Mount Davidson, Nob, Rincon, Russian, Telegraph, and Twin Peaks) led to the nickname ‘City of the Seven Hills’.  Visitors are never far from one of the many attractions; Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman's Wharf, the cable cars to name a few.

The Golden Gate Bridge.  Opened in 1937, the bridge took 4 years to build at a cost of $35 million.  It has a single span of 1,280 m (4,200ft).   The Radiance had a 30ft clearance when she sailed beneath this bridge.		Alcatraz. A small rocky island situated in San Francisco bay 1.25 miles from the shore.  Once a prison, Alcatraz is now a national park.

'B' Block, aka Broadway, in the Alcatraz Cellhouse	A Typical Cell in Alcatraz	'The Hole'. A disciplinary cell in block D, aka 'Solitary'
Alcatraz by Night	San Francisco	The Sealions at Pier 39

Cable Cars at Hyde Street Terminus.  Originally launched in 1873, by 1889 cars were running on 8 lines.  Now only 3 lines and 17 miles of track remain.	The Cannery, Originally built in 1909 this was once a Del Monte fruit canning plant.	Lombard Street.  Banked at a natural incline of 27o, this hill proved too steep for vehicles to climb.  In the 1920's a section was revamped and the severity of it's gradient lessened by adding 8 curves.

Astoria is a friendly town situated on the banks of the Columbia River.  It has provided the backdrop to a number of movies including The Goonies, Short Circuit, Free Willy and Kindergarten Cop. 

Sealions on a buoy	The Astoria Bridge.  Opened in 1966 it stretches 4.1 miles from Astoria, Oregon, across the mouth of the Columbia River, to Point Ellice, Washington.   Almost 2,000 vessels and 700 lives have been claimed in this area over the past 300 years.  Wrecks have been caused by winter storms and the sediment-choked river mouth. Even with clear visibility ships often had trouble traversing the river bar, the area in which the flow of the river rushes headlong into towering ocean waves.  The Radiance had a 12ft clearance when she sailed beneath this bridge.

Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, which is situated off the southwest coast of British Columbia.  The City of Victoria has a proud history of British custom.

The Empress Hotel. Situated at the city's Inner Harbour, this recently restored, 460-room hotel was built 1908.  In true British tradition, the hotel is famous for its Afternoon Tea - served to over 75,000 visitors annually	The Legislative Building & Inner Harbour	The Legislative Building

Most of Canada's imports from and exports to the Orient & Australia pass through Vancouver, Canada's gateway to the Pacific.  This cosmopolitan city has many attractions for visitors: Robson Street shops, historic Gastown and Stanley park, situated 5 minutes from the heart of Vancouver, this 1,000 acre green space includes a 6 mile seawall, beaches, aquarium, zoo, freshwater lakes, gardens and examples of native art.

On this occasion we didn't get the opportunity to spend much time in Vancouver.   Click here to see photographs from previous visits.

Lions Gate Bridge.  This suspension bridge connects Vancouver to the North Shore. Completed in 1938, it is Vancouver's most famous bridge. The Radiance had a 15ft clearance when she sailed beneath this bridge.	Brockton Point, Stanley Park with Vancouver in the background.	Canada Place.  Situated in downtown Vancouver, and created for Expo 86, Canada Place is home to a Convention and Exhibition Centre, a hotel, a theatre and office space.  It is also used as a Cruise Ship Terminal.

Table 408 Please click on the image to see more photographs of the guests...	The Captain’s final farewell. Captain Kent Ringborn spent two and a half years in Germany to monitor the build of the Radiance of the Seas.  When his ‘baby’ was delivered to Royal Caribbean International in April 2001 Captain Kent became her Master. In May 2005 he retired to live in Portugal.

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