** Alaska - Radiance of the Seas - dept 29th May 2015 - with two children **

Cruise Compass Day 6

day 6 page 1.pdf

day 6 page 2.pdf

day 6 page 3.pdf

day 6 page 4.pdf

Cruise Compass Day 7

day 7 page 1.pdf

day 7 page 2.pdf

day 7 page 3.pdf

day 7 page 4.pdf

Thanks for posting the cruise compass! I am so sorry about your dad, my prayers are with you and your family.

Fabulous review with lots of great photos and, as importantly, detail. Your post-cruise trip clearly took some planning, but your posts indicate the effort was worthwhile! Thank you.

Excellent review, we were in Canada and Alaska in April and May this year, we're still on our Alaskan high!

You lucked out seeing all the wildlife - we missed out moose, we did see most other things on various locations. The kids would've loved all the animals (as well as the adults!)

Not sure if you've considered it or not, but we put our photos together in a photo coffee book, we did this in 2012 too when we went to Alaska first. Just finished this years book this past weekend. Flicking through the book is great, gets everyone remembering.

Sorry to hear about your dad not really having an enjoyable cruise and for his subsequent diagnosis.

Thanks for all the information!! :)

Sorry for your dad. You'll all be in my thoughts and prayers

Cindy

Thank you everyone for all the kind comments.

Dad has started chemo and tolerating it ok so far.

Yes, I do plan to make a photo book, maybe after the school holidays!

And yes the whole trip took a lot of planning, hours and hours reading on the web (mostly this website but also Trip Advisor forums), and yes absolutely worthwhile.

Lou :)

I cannot begin to thank you for posting all the info! You have helped me tremendously! Thank you and many many well wishes for your father.

Quick question... Do the TVs have DVD players with them? I'd like to bring a few of my faves to watch at night if so, but can save the packing room if not.

Quick question... Do the TVs have DVD players with them? I'd like to bring a few of my faves to watch at night if so, but can save the packing room if not.

I've only seen DVD players in the Grand Suites and better.

Quick question... Do the TVs have DVD players with them? I'd like to bring a few of my faves to watch at night if so, but can save the packing room if not.

No DVDs in the internal cabin we had or my parents' balcony cabin.

I copied some DVDs from home to our ipad and tablet for the children before we left home, but they didn't get watched much - too busy!

Lou :)

No DVDs in the internal cabin we had or my parents' balcony cabin.

 

I copied some DVDs from home to our ipad and tablet for the children before we left home, but they didn't get watched much - too busy!

 

Lou :)

Thanks. I've got a couple of movies on my Surface. I'll just watch those at night I guess. (I don't do "comedians" or magicians...and I'm SUPER picky about live entertainment living in NYC, so I really don't do the night "entertainment" offerings onboard.)

(Interesting that THIS is the one area HAL outranks Disney and Royal Caribbean. They do have DVD players in all cabins - at least on the Westerdam. My only problem last year was what I brought thinking it was a DVD/BluRay dual set was ONLY BluRay.)

Thank you for the great review. We just booked this cruise, but southbound one with brother and sister in law.

Thanks. I've got a couple of movies on my Surface. I'll just watch those at night I guess. (I don't do "comedians" or magicians...and I'm SUPER picky about live entertainment living in NYC, so I really don't do the night "entertainment" offerings onboard.)

 

(Interesting that THIS is the one area HAL outranks Disney and Royal Caribbean. They do have DVD players in all cabins - at least on the Westerdam. My only problem last year was what I brought thinking it was a DVD/BluRay dual set was ONLY BluRay.)

We didn't go to any form of entertainment on board and we weren't bored in the evenings. After dinner, the children often wanted to go the children's club for an hour or so before bed, it's light outside until very late so we often had a walk on deck looking at the scenery (and that's often when you see whales too), sometimes golf with one or other child. I was of course running up and down stairs checking on my parents. Then we put the children to bed, some nights I had hand washing to do, then we went to bed shortly after the children - a lot of the port days you want to make an early start so going to bed early tends to follow.

Lou :)

Hi, will be praying for you and your family!!!

Virginia

OK, I will do the Cruise Compasses early next week.

 

My father, who became ill at the start of the cruise and worsened through the cruise, was eventually transferred back to Australia by Air Ambulance and is now being treated for lymphoma (yes, cancer) here in Melbourne. So while the 4 of us did manage to do everything on our planned itinerary, through the whole trip there was constant worry and concern for Dad, and it certainly wasn't the fabulous trip my parents or my brother planned. The 7 of us managed to have exactly one meal together. Dad only left his cabin to travel (repeatedly) down to the medical facilities on deck 2 (they are amazing facilities I promise) and on one afternoon I managed to walk him to the helipad and back to his cabin.

 

Word of advice for everyone else - TRAVEL INSURANCE - no matter what the premium your insurance company wants you to pay, if you are over 70 yrs, or have a dodgy health history like me, pay the premium. If you can't afford the premium I promise you can't afford the trip. Sorry to end on a low note.

 

Lou xx

I'm so sorry to read that - we have a family member going through treatment for lymphoma and it's been brutal - I hope the treatment is effective and that your dad makes a full recovery.

We were on the cruise with you and I'm really sorry we didn't meet up - we were on the same Kenai Fjords tour, too, and I have the exact same sea otter photo, lol.

Thanks for posting your thoughts and terrific pictures - we also enjoyed Radiance and the trip and have booked a B2B for next year.:D

Oh Jean, I wish I'd been able to meet you too, that would have been lovely. I'm deeply envious about your travel plans for next year - make sure you have an absolutely fabulous time :)

Lou x

Fantastic Review. Thank You for sharing.

Oh Jean, I wish I'd been able to meet you too, that would have been lovely. I'm deeply envious about your travel plans for next year - make sure you have an absolutely fabulous time :)

 

Lou x

I'm sure we will, with no effort at all!

As I think back, I think we must have been standing together on the back side deck of the Alaska Explorer. I only remember seeing two small children onboard, so that must have been you.:)

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us. What a fantastic first cruise you had (destination wise). Such a shame your Dad was ill throughout.

Lovely photos. Loved all the wildlife photos. Sea otters are so cute.

I wish your Dad all the best with his treatment.

I'm sure we will, with no effort at all!

 

As I think back, I think we must have been standing together on the back side deck of the Alaska Explorer. I only remember seeing two small children onboard, so that must have been you.:)

Yes! That must have been us, there was only one other family on board Alaska Explorer that morning, with just one young boy, so if you saw 2 children they must have been mine - still frustrating we didn't know and get to say hello!

Lou xx

Thanks for the great review and pics. we will be on the Jewel at the end of August, and our 9 yr old granddaughter will be coming with us, so you really helped.

I sincerely hope your dad is doing well!

Thanks again.

Carol

Thanks so much Lou for the comprehensive post!! As someone who has never been to Alaska and is researching (I have 2 kids (8 and 4), this post has been extremely helpful! You're awesome!

I really enjoyed reading this. I'm thinking about an Alaska cruise with my husband and two children (11 and 8) and it's been both inspiring and helpful reading your review.

Thank you!

Karin