Alaska Cruise
Cruise on Radiance of The Seas, Royal Caribbean.
I had heard all the hyperbole about Alaska and how it is a must do cruise. I, frankly, did not buy all that stuff as I believe that if it sounds too good to be true it probably isn’t true. I was wrong. It is all true. Alaska is a must see destination.
This is a review of the 7 Day Alaskan cruise on the Radiance of the Seas. The cruise embarked in Steward, AK and 7 days later terminated in Vancouver, BC. This was our 4th cruise with RCI since April 2002. The weather was chilly and clear with the occasional bit of overcast. It drizzled on 2 days and both were sea days. The weather at our Alaskan ports were considered by locals to be warm and sunny with warm being relative to our location. Being from Florida, it was chilly for us. Every port was between 40F-60F) and cloudless. The nights were so clear that we even saw the Northern Lights the night we left Skagway. The Gods were indeed smiling on the Radiance during the entire cruise, save those 2 sea days that it rained.
Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived at the port around 11AM after a 3 hour bus ride from Anchorage Airport. It took all of 5 minutes to get our Sea Passes and before noon we were on board.
This was our first time on the Radiance but 4th time on the Radiance class so we were well acquainted with the ship prior to boarding. The ship is in excellent condition and it was continually being maintained throughout the cruise.
We had a balcony equipped cabin which we really didnt use all that much. Opt for a larger cabin with a view and see all you want on deck.
Food. No complaints. Food in the MDR was very good and in many cases excellent. We ate most of our breakfasts in the MDR and our lunches in the Windjammer. Our Waiter, Asst Waiter and Head Waiter were great and they took excellent care of us.
Ports. Ketchikan. We took the Misty Fjords Float Plane adventure. Although it SEEMED pricey at $265 PP the value was excellent. We booked this through the Cruise Line but you could easily do it yourself at Taquan Air. We have no regrets about taking this excursion. It is a WOW excursion.
Icy Strait Point. In the morning we did the zip line and again we felt we got great value for the price. I am somewhat afraid of heights but you are so well secured into your seat that I felt exceedingly safe. There is a 45 minute drive to the top of the zip line that was very enjoyable and well narrated. When we took off it did not really feel like I was moving at all. It was as if I was stationery and everything was coming towards me at a leisurely rate. This ride is not scary and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Do not let fear of heights deter you from taking this excursion. In the afternoon I chartered a boat for whale watching. We went through Glacier Wind Charters with Captain Shawn. When compared to the ships excursion the charter was about twice as much per person. Now think about 150 people crowded onto the ships excursion boat for a very limited amount of time whale watching while we had 6 people on a 38 foot boat for over 2 hours of whale watching. No comparison really. If you are serious about whale watching do a charter. I could go on for hours about what Capt Shawn showed us. This was the highlight excursion of the cruise!!!!
Juneau. We took a helicopter tour to Mendenhall Glacier. Amazing, Amazing, Amazing...
Hubbard Glacier. Although you do not leave the ship this is a great experience. We saw so much calving ice falls that the small to medium ones we stopped photographing while we waited for the biggies and we saw a lot of biggies.
Debarkation. Again great. We were called within 1 minutes of our scheduled time, and due to cruise ship planning, endured a 3 hour bus ride from Vancouver to Seattle, where we boarded our plan for another 12 hour plane journey back to FL. Phew... We have done many Caribbean cruises and enjoy all the sun and fun. This was a complete deaprture from that but a must see/do experience for a once in a life time experience. Bottom line is that Alaska is an absolute amazing place and everyone MUST see it at least once in their life and a cruise is the only was to see it.
Read MoreI had heard all the hyperbole about Alaska and how it is a must do cruise. I, frankly, did not buy all that stuff as I believe that if it sounds too good to be true it probably isn’t true. I was wrong. It is all true. Alaska is a must see destination.
This is a review of the 7 Day Alaskan cruise on the Radiance of the Seas. The cruise embarked in Steward, AK and 7 days later terminated in Vancouver, BC. This was our 4th cruise with RCI since April 2002. The weather was chilly and clear with the occasional bit of overcast. It drizzled on 2 days and both were sea days. The weather at our Alaskan ports were considered by locals to be warm and sunny with warm being relative to our location. Being from Florida, it was chilly for us. Every port was between 40F-60F) and cloudless. The nights were so clear that we even saw the Northern Lights the night we left Skagway. The Gods were indeed smiling on the Radiance during the entire cruise, save those 2 sea days that it rained.
Embarkation was a breeze. We arrived at the port around 11AM after a 3 hour bus ride from Anchorage Airport. It took all of 5 minutes to get our Sea Passes and before noon we were on board.
This was our first time on the Radiance but 4th time on the Radiance class so we were well acquainted with the ship prior to boarding. The ship is in excellent condition and it was continually being maintained throughout the cruise.
We had a balcony equipped cabin which we really didnt use all that much. Opt for a larger cabin with a view and see all you want on deck.
Food. No complaints. Food in the MDR was very good and in many cases excellent. We ate most of our breakfasts in the MDR and our lunches in the Windjammer. Our Waiter, Asst Waiter and Head Waiter were great and they took excellent care of us.
Ports. Ketchikan. We took the Misty Fjords Float Plane adventure. Although it SEEMED pricey at $265 PP the value was excellent. We booked this through the Cruise Line but you could easily do it yourself at Taquan Air. We have no regrets about taking this excursion. It is a WOW excursion.
Icy Strait Point. In the morning we did the zip line and again we felt we got great value for the price. I am somewhat afraid of heights but you are so well secured into your seat that I felt exceedingly safe. There is a 45 minute drive to the top of the zip line that was very enjoyable and well narrated. When we took off it did not really feel like I was moving at all. It was as if I was stationery and everything was coming towards me at a leisurely rate. This ride is not scary and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Do not let fear of heights deter you from taking this excursion. In the afternoon I chartered a boat for whale watching. We went through Glacier Wind Charters with Captain Shawn. When compared to the ships excursion the charter was about twice as much per person. Now think about 150 people crowded onto the ships excursion boat for a very limited amount of time whale watching while we had 6 people on a 38 foot boat for over 2 hours of whale watching. No comparison really. If you are serious about whale watching do a charter. I could go on for hours about what Capt Shawn showed us. This was the highlight excursion of the cruise!!!!
Juneau. We took a helicopter tour to Mendenhall Glacier. Amazing, Amazing, Amazing...
Hubbard Glacier. Although you do not leave the ship this is a great experience. We saw so much calving ice falls that the small to medium ones we stopped photographing while we waited for the biggies and we saw a lot of biggies.
Debarkation. Again great. We were called within 1 minutes of our scheduled time, and due to cruise ship planning, endured a 3 hour bus ride from Vancouver to Seattle, where we boarded our plan for another 12 hour plane journey back to FL. Phew... We have done many Caribbean cruises and enjoy all the sun and fun. This was a complete deaprture from that but a must see/do experience for a once in a life time experience. Bottom line is that Alaska is an absolute amazing place and everyone MUST see it at least once in their life and a cruise is the only was to see it.
