This was Milami's first time on a cruise, and the scale of these ships have to be seen to be believed. The Radiance of the Seas is built to the Panamax specification, which is literally the biggest you can build a boat that will still fit through the Panama Canal.
Humans are bad at large numbers, so to provide a bit more reference for scale, here's one of the lifeboats hanging off its davits. I don't have the lifeboat dimensions handy, but I've slept aboard smaller vessels. The ship I lived on may have been smaller than just one of the 18 - 22 lifeboats on board (not counting the launch).
The fifth, eleventh, and twelfth decks have outdoor portions, and from any one of them you can see over the masts of most other boats.
The fifth deck is also where the lifeboats are stowed. This was taken at muster station C2.
We had the mandatory muster drill on the first day. Here's Nani testing out her lifejacket.
Back to the vastness of the ship; it has an outdoor climbing wall,
Basketball court,
And helipad. Not pictured is the outdoor swimming pool, hot tubs, and mini golf course. And these are all on the outdoor horizontal surfaces of the ship.
There are also lots of spaces for sneak attacks by adorable 'lamis.
Our guide for leaving the harbour was an adorable little tug named Junior.
On Royal Carribean's Alaskan cruises, the ship keeps a maritime pilot on board until the very last Alaskan port1. This allows for the ship to safely navigate more complicated waters than would normally be allowed. You'll see why this is important later.
Until then, bon voyage.
