ckelly14

First time on RCI. First time to Alaska. Any suggestions. Pros/cons? I've only been on a norweign cruise.

Just off on the 19th. Great trip and itinerary. Planning to post compasses and review shortly. I was southbound, which I recommend.

Must do:

1. Train from Anchorage to Seward.

2. Get to Seward the day before and do the National Park Tour with Kenai Fjords.

3. Whale watching on Icy Straight Point.

4. Dinner at Giovanni's and Samba Grill. Reduced to $20 on board.

5. Biking in Vancouver.

Ask specifics and I'll be glad to answer.

Just back off the Radiance last week. Chops was, without a doubt, the worst meal we had on this cruise. I certainly wouldn't want to add insult to misery by spending more for their upgraded steak offerings.

Thank you ckelley for your advice. I teach, so I will have a week more of vacation after we get home, hence the needed vacation from the vacation, LOL. My DH, on the other hand will only have one day to recover! You're right, it's a lot of driving and we'll be sharing the time in the drivers seat. I'll also plan for possible delays in driving time. We're flexible, so we may change things up a bit once we get there. What was the highlight of your trip? Any "Must do's" that are not on our itinerary? Thanks, Janine :)

I would highly recommend going to Samba Grill and Giovanni's on board. My kids wanted to go to the Windjammer for every meal but I wanted at least a few sit down meals, and the food at Cascades was too inconsistent. Chops was not worth it, IMO.

Personally I think the train from Anchorage to Seward (or the opposite direction in your case) was a must do, but I don't think you'll have the time in Seward. Views were terrific.

Just back from Southbound RotS. Agree with most of your thoughts.

Had to say the Windjammer was better than expected and the main dining room was average at best. Had great service and food in Samba Grill and Giovanni's. Chops was a disappointment. Honestly, I don't think I saw one person in Izumi or Rita's the whole cruise.

Can't comment on the entertainment as I don't think I stayed up past 9 any night- lots of early excursions!

I think you made a great choice with the Kenai Fjords cruise rather that spending a number of days to get to Denali. Denali was great but I spent almost the full day driving up and back.

I recommend Icy Straight Point for whale watching. We saw 3 pods of 4-7 humpbacks each. Used FISHES charter but honestly all the charters there seemed to arrive at the same place.

Just off the Radiance of the Seas and did almost the exact same itinerary, but in the opposite direction. We also planned a DIY tour. I hope to have a full review soon but just came back yesterday. Our kids are 9 and 10.

The only tip I would suggest off the bat is to consider reducing the amount of driving you are doing. Even though I love to drive, driving in Alaska is exhausting with all the construction and the lack viable alternative routes, especially with the wildfires we had to deal with. Plus, you miss out on some of the amazing views! It took over 7 hours just from Anchorage to Denali and 6 hours back. After driving to Denali and back, I was so happy to be on the Coastal Classic train from Anchorage to Seward, I cancelled my rental car in Skagway and booked a train/bus combo with Chilkook charters. Highly recommend both of these train routes.

There is good public transportation and ubiquitous tours in both Juneau and Ketchikan, both available right off the boat. I would consider cancelling the rental cars in those areas.

If the weather is nice I recommend seeing Vancouver by bike instead of a city bus. We rented 2 tandem bikes and biked the whole city, the majority of which as dedicated bike lanes.

Hope you have a bunch of vacation time saved because you will need a vacation from your vacation!!

Please ask me anything!

Leaving on the Radiance of the Seas in two weeks. I already completed my boarding documents and printed my Sea Pass and luggage tags.

I just received an e-mail to print out additional documents (eDocs) and bring them on board with me. This looks like helpful info, but more brochure-like and I'm not sure if this is required for boarding.

Do I need these docs?

Just got off the Radiance on Friday. The 24/7 drink station is to the left of the Windjammer. Walk past the entrance of the Windjammer and you'll see a sign pointing to an open door for the drink area. I also believe the drink station at Park Cafe in the Solarium is 24/7. They have water, coffee, tea, and lemonade. In the morning, they have orange and Apple juices available.

How was Alaska! Any last minute advice?

Thanks for the replies!

Thank you!

Is there any self serve areas for fountain drinks on the Radiance or do I need to take a trip to the bar each time?

My family and I will be on the Radiance next month. What entertainment do they have? Never really thought about it...

Thanks. No Starbucks on the Adventure? I assume no freestyle coke machines either...

I think the family demographic has really influenced the loosening of dress standards on cruises. I have 2 RCCL cruises upcoming for the next year, both with children 10 and 11 years old. I may bring a suite but I doubt I'll head out to purchase a suite for my children, so they may be off to the the kid's club for formal nights (or I may need to break the "rules"). :)

This seems a bit strange to me, since we eat out at least once a week with the kids at home, and I have never donned a suite for these meals even though the venues are arguably nicer than anything I will find in the MDR. I also get a chuckle to all the references to a poly shirt and slacks as sports attire ("meet you on the 19th hole!"), when I wear a polo shirt at work and my son wears the same attire to his private school. Perhaps this is what makes a cruise a cruise?

Hands down good food improves my evening enjoyment much better than good dress!

Considering the Royal Replenish package for the Adventure. Where can premium coffee be had on this ship?

One thing I do have an issue with- if you have a policy, ENFORCE IT!

Having the whole MDR designated as "formal" is an exercise in futility. I agree with the previous posters that there should be a floor of the MDR, separate dining room or specialty restaurant that is designated as formal (one or more nights) and this should be enforced, no questions asked. I don't think that having one night vs. multiple nights really solves the problem. Having separate venues with different dress code requirements does.

Glad you made it home safely!

Can you comment on the level of smoking/smell of smoke on this cruise? Not sure about smoking habits of PR guests compared to mainland U.S. population. Was smoking or smoke smell intrusive? My wife is like a blood hound for smelling smoke; not sure if I would cancel our cruise because of it, but I am also considering celebrity for this exact issue...

We had a 10 and 11 year old children who ate with us in the specialty restaurant. I think they put that there in case they need to ask kids to leave who don't know how to eat at a nice restaurant.

Good to know. Our kids will be 10 and 11 next year and we always eat dinner together on a cruise.

How did your kids like the cruise? Anything I should know?

Just off this same route on Adventure Sunday. We had a great time also. Not sure why all the bad reviews. The ports of call are great as was the entertainment and crew.

I booked the same cruise for 2016 and read all the reviews on cc from the last few months. The vast majority were very favorable, especially for the ship and the crew. The ones that are negative mostly dealt with the poor food quality in the MDR, drink prices and constant selling on board. A few were disappointed in the entertainment but we are going on a port intensive cruise so I am not particularly concerned.

The problem that I'm having is that I was planning on compensating for the poor MDR choices with a few specialty restaurant visits. However, I noticed the Adventure only has one specialty restaurant, and guests under 13 are not allowed. We are going on the Radiance in June to Alaska, and there are plentiful specialty choices. Perhaps I should consider the Jewel?

Wonderful thread!

Taking my family (wife, children 10 and 11) in connecting aft veranda cabins (deck 8) on the AOS next March. Love to hear you impression of AOS vs. JOS for kids that age since the Jewel is another option for those dates.

Also, I saw some of your ship tours on your website- any plans for a AOS tour?

Thanks!!

Chuck

But if they had to fly to reach San Juan and then cruise the Southern Caribbean, there are other alternative ports to fly into and therefore other itineraries to choose from.

 

 

 

I read enough about people that will only fly from a port that they can drive to and then complain about their limited options....personally we are lucky, since we have 4 ports we realistically can drive to; two of which are very close and 2 are a reasonable drive.

I am certainly open to suggestions, but since is the Adventure thread, I don't want to hijack it.

My wife spent a few years in San Juan, so we are traveling there over spring break and looking at cruises from that port.

How does that really affect your decision?

Simple, given the choice I'd rather cruise right after a major renovation than before...

Thanks for the comments. I wish Royal didn't have two ships that were ready for dry dock that year (Jewel in April, Adventure in the ?Fall?). Considering the same cruise in December 2016 instead, but I have Adventure booked for now.

Photo of a similar balcony:

This doesn't look too bad. Just booked connecting deck 8 balcony staterooms for March 2016.

One thing that puzzled me:

I read that Adventure was upgraded in April 2014, but then I heard about a dry dock in 2016. How does the ship look, and should I wait until after the 2016 dry dock to check her out? Is this the correct info? What is planned for the dry dock in 2016?

This is great! I am considering Adventure for my family of 4 (kids 10 and 11) next March. Slightly different itinerary but the compasses are very helpful, as is the suite services as we are considering a suite. What was the bedding arrangement in your Grand suite? Does it have pullman beds or a double sofa bed? Need to have separate beds for my kids or they will kill each other by he end of the week! If not I will likely book connecting rooms.

Choices are:

Adventure- St Croix, St Martin, Dominca, Barbados

Jewel- St Thomas, Aruba, Curacao

Both stop in St. Kitts

Only ever been to St Thomas (which we dislike) but we would go to St. John from that stop (which we love)