What do you say about a very attractive casino, on one of the most enjoyable cruise ships afloat, with highly professional casino management, attentive supervisors, personable dealers -- and some of the worst blackjack players we have ever seen?

That is our challenge in writing a review following a return visit to the Casino Royale aboard the Radiance of the Seas.

On the one hand, it hardly seems fair to rate a casino on the basis of the skill (or total lack of skill) of some players. But the casino experience can be a bit frustrating for VIP players wagering a couple hundred dollars or more per hand at the blackjack table if they can't avoid novices playing erratically.

While the Casino Royale on Radiance has what might appear to be a more than adequate 11 gaming tables (four eight-deck blackjack, one single-deck blackjack, one Caribbean Stud Poker, one Three Card Poker, one Let It Ride, one roulette and one craps table), that number does not allow much flexibility.

Most of the table games have a $5 minimum and $200 maximum (nicely accommodating most of the casino visitors on this cruise, who appeared to be having a good time), with one blackjack table offering a $25 minimum and $500 maximum.

The problem, however, is that a $25 minimum no longer seems high enough to keep away a growing number of inexperienced players who are amazingly indifferent to rapidly losing money.

Players who had absolutely no clue would sit down at the $25 blackjack table, cheerfully stand on 12s against face cards, hit 16s against break cards, split kings -- and in some cases, stubbornly reject the efforts of dealers to gently steer them from their folly.

This kind of play at times sent more experienced players sputtering from the table, and regretfully, for the most part, the casino didn't have the space or staff to open a second higher-stakes table to accommodate them.

The bottom line, we reluctantly conclude, is that for higher-stakes players who view the casino as a key part of a cruise, the larger casinos found on Freedom and Liberty of the Seas, or Royal Caribbean's five Voyager class ships, are probably a better bet.

But having said that, the casino staff aboard Radiance is great, and is more than ready to do its best to make players of all levels happy.

For those who view the casino as incidental to their overall cruise experience -- or who are primarily interested in the casino's 193 slots -- the Casino Royale is a pleasant place to spend time while cruising on Radiance or sisters Jewel, Brilliance and Serenade, which remain our favorite Royal Caribbean ships.

--The Savvy Cruiser