Review-- radiance -- alaska- southbound-- july 5, 2013

Radiance of the Seas- July 5, 2013—Southbound Alaska Cruise

Pre-Cruise: We arrived into Anchorage on July 4th and spent 1 night at the Hotel Captain Cook ($250 per night). The hotel was conveniently located within walking distance to all downtown shops, bars and restaurants and had wonderful views of the water and mountains.

The following morning we checked out at 530am for a short taxi ride to the Anchorage Train Depot for our 645am Alaska Railroad journey to Seward. We opted to pay a little extra for the Gold Star Service which included seating in their newer Dome Cars which were very similar to RCCL’s rail cars, although not quite as nice. The Gold Star Service included all non-alcoholic beverages. There was also a cash bar at the rear of the car and the first level of each car contained a small dining room. The breakfast was good, not great but served its purpose. Having previously traveled on RCCL’s Rail Cars, the food was much better on RCCL. There’s also a Lounge Car on the Alaska Railroad that has a snack bar if you don’t wish to partake in a more “formal” breakfast. As the Alaska Railroad was pulling 2 of RCCL’s rail cars on this train, we took advantage of leaving our bags with the RCCL Reps at the train station who were loading all cruise bags onto a truck to be delivered directly to the ship.

The train ride from Anchorage to Seward lasted a little over 4 hours and the scenery was beautiful. There was commentary throughout the journey by the onboard hosts, and they made it a point to announce any wildlife sightings along the way, which for us amounted to nothing more than a few Moose grazing along the tracks.

Upon arrival in Seward at 1105am, we were met by Kenai Fjords Tours, who were kind enough to shuttle us to the Cruise Terminal, which is nothing more than a large tent set up in the parking lot next to the ship. We were literally the first people to walk into the terminal and check in, and were surprised to learn that boarding had already begun. As we were booked on a 12pm tour, we simply put our SeaPass cards in our pockets and reboarded the waiting Kenai Fjords Tours shuttle for the short drive to the Seward Marina.

Unfortunately, the weather decided not to cooperate, and we spent the next 5 hours sailing around the Kenai Peninsula in the cold and rain. Even with less than perfect weather, it was a fantastic tour, and we were able to see quite a bit of wildlife: Humpback Whales, Puffins, Sea Lions, Eagles etc. This tour included a brief stop at the Fox Island Lodge with included buffet lunch of grilled salmon, prime rib, salads, sides and desserts. While not gourmet, the lunch served its purpose of keeping us nourished until we got onboard Radiance. My only complaint about the lunch was that there were 2 tour boats at the island and it was VERY crowded and chaotic. We literally had just enough time to scarf down our meal and it was time to reboard the boat for the trip back to Seward.

The tour had us back in Seward around 5pm and the tour company was kind enough to drive us back to the Radiance. Since we had checked in earlier in the day, we simply had to find the line for Security Screening and were onboard the ship in a matter of minutes. It’s important to note the lines for check in were very long at this time of day, so if you’re wanting to avoid any lines at check in, get to the pier early!

Day 1—Boarding Radiance of the Seas. As previously stated, we were onboard the ship in a matter of minutes, and since it was well after 1pm, we went directly to our cabins. (All of us had cabins on the “Hump” with the extended balconies). All of our luggage was waiting for us upon arrival and we began to settle in to our “home” for the next 7 days. All of the cabins were in fine condition and we had no issues with the plumbing or any offensive smells. There was very little wear and tear in the cabins, but the balcony was another story. Lots of rust and peeling paint on almost everyone’s balcony. As a matter of fact, I was a bit shocked at the overall condition of the ship, especially the exterior. It was hands down the most poorly maintained RCCL ship I’ve ever sailed on. The outside looked more like a Carnival ship with large areas in need of some paint. There was considerable rust and peeling paint on the exterior. The interior of the ship was better maintained, but again not as sparkling as other ships in the RCCL fleet. The windows never seemed clean and were covered in some sort of “foggy film”, this included the glass in the Centrum elevators, and I would be shocked if the elevator carpets were ever vacuumed once in the 7 days we spent onboard. That said, the public areas all seemed to be in good condition and none of the above detracted at all from a fantastic cruise. The service onboard was excellent from the (mostly) Filipino crew.

We did not eat in the MDR this cruise, instead opting for the Chef’s Table Dinner Package ($145 pp) which included dinner in Chops, Giovanni’s Table, Izumi, Chef’s Table and Samba Grill. The remaining 2 nights we ate one time each in the Windjammer and Rita’s Cantina.

While I’m on the topic of dining, I’d like to mention the food in the WJ was very good with a nice variety for both lunch and dinner. The food and service in all of the remaining specialty restaurants was excellent with the exception of Rita’s Cantina. WARNING: Only eat here if you wish to waste your money. The only edible items were the chips and salsa, and after being served the miserable meal we had, I need not wonder why we were the only party in that restaurant. The service we received was wonderful, and rather than make a big deal over the horrible meal… seriously, how can you screw up chicken and beef fajita’s?... I simply paid the $23.00 check for the 4 of us and we left. Later in the cruise I did run into the Hotel Director and told him that if I served that meal to my dog, the Humane Society would have me arrested for animal cruelty—LOL. He seemed shocked that we didn’t enjoy the food and said they have had no previous complaints, which I later found out not to be true. The MDR manager actually told me they were thinking of closing that venue on Radiance due to all the complaints regarding the poor food. This was later confirmed by the Executive Chef during our Chef’s Table dinner later in the week. I will say the Hotel Director wound up sending us a bottle of wine one night, which was a nice gesture and not at all expected.

Ok.. so back to the review… The remainder of Day 1 was spent walking around the ship, unpacking and settling in. We had a nice relaxing dinner in the WJ and spent the balance of the night in the Schooner Bar.

Day 2—Hubbard Glacier.. We weren’t scheduled to arrive at the Glacier until 2pm, so after sleeping in, and a few coffee’s from the Concierge Lounge, we had a group lunch in Giovanni’s Table ($15 pp—only open on Sea Days). The amount of food we were served could have easily fed twice as many people. Everything served was fantastic, and the service, as always was top notch. We basically had the entire restaurant to ourselves as there was only one other table being occupied. Lunch lasted well over 2 hours and it was nice to watch the approach to the Glacier through the walls of glass next to our table. We finished lunch just as we were approaching Hubbard Glacier, and quickly made our way to our cabins to bundle up and hit the outer decks. They had a small bar set up on the helipad offering coffee and hot chocolate spiked with a variety of different alcoholic beverages—Kahlua, Baileys etc. We were fortunate with the weather today.. something the previous cruise can’t say, as they missed the Glacier altogether due to dense fog. Apparently this year has not been a good one for getting to see the Glacier, or for getting very close. We were told our cruise was the closest they’ve been able to get all season due to debris in the water and fog.. and let me tell you, we were nowhere near as close as we’ve gotten on our 2 previous Alaska cruises. We were too far away to really see any calving, but you could hear it. We spent a few hours at the Glacier before turning and continuing on. They did launch a life raft and the crew brought a HUGE piece of ice back onboard to later be carved into a nice sculpture. The piece of ice they retrieved was so large they could barely get it back onboard the ship!

Tonight we ate in Samba Grill and the food and service was excellent. Word of warning, as tempting as it might be, do not fill up on the salad bar or there’s no way you’ll make it through all 9, yes 9 courses of meat. If I were to dine there again, I would skip the chicken and sausage and go for extra portions of the pork and filet.

The night was ended in the Schooner Bar, which I must mention had a great piano entertainer. This guy, Nick was really great. He never took a break and wouldn’t stop singing until the last person had left. He had the Schooner Bar hopping every night and it was clearly the place to party on this cruise. So much so that we never went to any of the shows, parties or any other bar onboard for the entire week.

Day 3—Juneau… We had a solid 12 hours of port time in Juneau, which allowed for a very busy day. The ship docked at 9am and we were one of the first to leave the ship. We started our day by taking the shuttle bus to Mendenhall Glacier ($16 pp round trip). The busses leave every 30 mins and there’s never a wait. Upon arrival at Mendenhall, we set out on the 45 min roundtrip hike to the waterfall. The path is fairly flat and easy to navigate. Along the way we spotted a few porcupines and squirrels. At the end of the trail, you’ll be on a rocky beach with direct access to the waterfall and very close to the face of the glacier. After a few photos and a brief stop, we walked back to catch the shuttle back to Juneau. I would have liked to have spent more time here and visit the Visitor’s Center and explore the other trails, but we had a 1230pm check in for our flight to Taku Lodge and we didn’t want to be late. The shuttle driver was very nice, and actually dropped us off right in front of the Taku Lodge check in building rather than taking us back to the downtown stop. We had previously done the Taku excursion and it was so good we decided to go again this trip. It is by far the best deal on any of the flight excursions in Alaska. At $305.00 pp you got a full 50 mins in the air, as opposed to the normal 30 offered on other tours. Boarding our 10 person float plane, we took off from the Juneau Harbor for the 30 min flight up to the Taku Glacier Lodge. Enroute we flew over 5 glaciers and as every seat is a window seat, everyone had a fantastic view. They also provide you with headphones that offer a recorded commentary on the sights and history of the area. We landed on the Taku River and deplaned at the Taku Lodge for an afternoon of exploring the hiking trails, watching the bears that come to the lodge when they smell the salmon being grilled, and enjoying a fantastic lunch of freshly caught grilled salmon, coleslaw, baked beans, biscuits, homemade ginger cookies and iced tea and lemonade, chilled of course by ice from the glacier. If you want to be guaranteed a bear sighting, this is the excursion to book. The bears are attracted to the smell of the grilling salmon and come out of the woods to investigate. The workers at the lodge carry large sticks to keep the bears at a safe distance, but we were literally 8 feet away from both a black bear cub, who was up in a tree and a large, adult brown bear male who was happy to roam around the grounds and clean the salmon drippings from the bottom of the barbeque pit. During lunch, the staff gives you a brief history of the lodge and then offers to take anyone interested on a hike through the surrounding forest to a waterfall. One word of warning.. the mosquitos here are horrible… they’re not only the size of a small bird, they are everywhere and seem to just laugh at the insect repellant you spray on yourself. After a few hours at the lodge, the float planes landed and we were our way back to Juneau. The return flight lasted about 20 mins and again included commentary and excellent views.

Once back in Juneau, we hopped on the Mt. Roberts Tramway for the short trip to the top of Mt. Roberts. At $32.00 pp it was not something any of us would do again. The views from up top were nice, but not worth $32.00.

Tonight, we ate in Chops with excellent food and service, followed by an evening in the Schooner Bar.

Day 4—Skagway… Having been to Skagway twice before.. once doing the helicopter to the glacier for dog sledding and the other driving into the Yukon, we opted to take the Fast Ferry over to Haines where we met a guide to take us on a wildlife exploration. During our 5 hours at Haines, we saw a few whales feeding close to shore, loads of eagles, salmon and not much else. This is the tour to take to see the bear feeding on salmon along the riverbanks, however the salmon were 2 weeks late and thus the bear were nowhere to be found. Good thing we got our “bear fix” at Taku the day before. It was a nice tour that included a boxed lunch and a lot of interesting information about the local flora and fauna.

Back onboard the ship, we dined at the dreaded Rita’s Cantina, followed by more Schooner Bar fun.

Day 5—Icy Strait Point/Hoonah… We booked the morning Whale Watching tour with RCCL and while we did see a few Humpbacks, the whales weren’t too cooperative this time around. After our excursion, we took the shuttle bus ($5 pp roundtrip) into the town of Hoonah to see how the local natives live. The town isn’t much, but it was a worth the trip. There is a non-descript gray building on the left side of the road where they are carving totem poles and making the panels for a Clan House to be erected in Glacier Bay National Park. The local artists were very happy to explain the process and answer any questions. It was very interesting and a highlight of the day. Afterwards we walked to The Office Bar where they were cooking freshly caught Dungeness Crabs out front in large pots. This is your typical “dive bar” and your $25.00 will get you nothing more than one very large Dungeness crab on a white paper plate with a little cup of melted butter and slice of lemon, but let me tell you, it will be one of the best crabs you’ll ever eat. Yes, they sell these on the pier at Icy Strait, but I’d rather my money go to the locals rather than RCCL and the Port Authority. After lunch, we took the shuttle back to ISP and walked around/shopped before tendering back to the ship. Oddly, as we were getting ready to sail away from ISP at 4pm the Celebrity Century was pulling in and began tendering their guests shore. Why would they schedule port time here beginning at 4pm?? Strange! Anyway, as we were sailing out, the Captain came over the speakers announcing a pod of Orca were headed our way and sure enough, they passed right by the side of our ship. There were about 10, including babies and they spent a few minutes entertaining everyone on both the Radiance and Century before swimming off.

Tonight’s dinner was at the Chef’s Table and it turned out to be quite a wild crowd compared to the funeral parlor crowd we had at the Chef’s Table on Oasis last year. Everyone was very engaged this time around and it was quite a good time. The wine poured freely and I think dinner lasted over 4 hours as everyone was having so much fun. The Chef actually had a hard time interrupting the group to explain the next course… LOL. Later in the cruise he mentioned that that was one of the most wild Chef’s Tables he’s seen in a while and he enjoyed seeing everyone having such a great time.

Following dinner it was another night in the Schooner Bar.. which we crawled out of at 430am!

Day 6—Ketchikan… Having been here several times before, we opted to spend the day walking around Creek Street, shopping, checking emails and having a bite to eat.

Dinner tonight was at Izumi. With the dining package, you’re given a $20 per person credit at this a la carte restaurant. $5.00 of the credit goes toward the dining fee, so in essence you have $15.00 to use toward food/beverages which was more than enough for us. We started out with a few different kinds of sushi, followed by the seafood and beef hot rocks and dessert and all 4 of us had money left over when presented with our check and we were quite full and content. The food and service was again excellent. And the evening ended at.. you guessed it.. the Schooner Bar.

Day 7—Sailing the Inside Passage…. Always a sad day to know that your cruise is almost over. We spent the day packing up, lounging on our balcony watching the beauty of the Inside Passage sail by and getting ready to present additional gratuities to all those who served us so well over the past week.

Our final meal was in Giovanni’s Table with wonderful food and service and a final few drinks at the Schooner Bar before retiring.

Debarkation Day… We did Express Departure and left the ship at 740am. Oddly, there was no Canadian Immigration check like on previous cruises. Instead we simply handed our Canadian Custom’s Declaration to an RCCL Rep in the terminal and walked out to the waiting taxi’s. Then it was off to Amtrak for our ride home to Seattle and like that, our vacation had come to an end.

Final thoughts… While the Radiance could stand a little TLC, the staff and food made up for any cosmetic shortcomings. This was a different cruise for us in that we didn’t see any shows, attend any parties or donate any money to the casino or eat once in the MDR. We spend a lot of time ashore and thus did not have any breakfast or lunches onboard. We did not frequent any bar other than the Schooner Bar, mostly in part to the excellent entertainment provided by Nick on the piano and the fantastic service provided by the bartenders Joy, Richard and Romeo. We lucked out with the weather considering the forecast called for 90% rain showers each day and we had nothing more than a few sprinkles once the cruise got underway.

If anyone has any questions, I’ll do my best to answer… happy sailing!

OMG sounds like the same cruise I'm planning. We are doing the same excursion in Seward and I'm going to look at that float plane excusion. Do you remember the number.

We are getting the chef table package, I now have erased Rita's from our dining list. Probably will now just order dinner to our suite and watch the scenery go by.

I also book the Whale watch in IC, going to look now to going into town. I'll go anywhere for good crab

Sounds like Schooners is a must now.

Thanks so much for the review

OMG sounds like the same cruise I'm planning. We are doing the same excursion in Seward and I'm going to look at that float plane excusion. Do you remember the number.

 

We are getting the chef table package, I now have erased Rita's from our dining list. Probably will now just order dinner to our suite and watch the scenery go by.

 

I also book the Whale watch in IC, going to look now to going into town. I'll go anywhere for good crab

 

Sounds like Schooners is a must now.

 

Thanks so much for the review

I'm glad my review has helped you plan. I booked the Taku excursion with Shore Trips... www.shoretrips.com ... It was a little less expensive than going through RCCL. It's the only excursion that goes to Taku... Shoretrips called it Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast. It was $305.00 pp and you will have the best salmon you've ever tasted.

I forgot to include the link to the video I made of our trip... So here it is:

Thanks for posting your a trip review. This is the itinerary I am eyeing for our next trip!;)

Your video is AMAZING!! Love the close-ups like the pine needles with the glistening water droplets. Excellent production and gorgeous photos. What camera and lens did you use. Did you take a few different sizes or stayed with one mostly?

Thanks so much for sharing it.

Linda

Your video is AMAZING!! Love the close-ups like the pine needles with the glistening water droplets. Excellent production and gorgeous photos. What camera and lens did you use. Did you take a few different sizes or stayed with one mostly?

 

Thanks so much for sharing it.

 

Linda

Thanks for your kind comments. I used a Canon T3i DLSR with the following lenses.. 18mm-55mm (used most often), 55mm-250mm and a 75mm-300mm (which I rarely used)

I'm glad my review has helped you plan. I booked the Taku excursion with Shore Trips... www.shoretrips.com ... It was a little less expensive than going through RCCL. It's the only excursion that goes to Taku... Shoretrips called it Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast. It was $305.00 pp and you will have the best salmon you've ever tasted.

 

I forgot to include the link to the video I made of our trip... So here it is:

Thank you, the video was great, I booked the excursion with RCCL. I was only 319 a person, so not that much more.

Your review and video was very helpful.

Thank you, the video was great, I booked the excursion with RCCL. I was only 319 a person, so not that much more.

 

Your review and video was very helpful.

You will LOVE the Taku excursion! One thing to note, should the cruiseline cancel their excursion, you should go directly to the tour operator as they may still be flying. It's been my experience that the cruise line will cancel if there's the slightest bit of bad weather even though it's still perfectly safe to fly. If you keep this in mind, you should have no issues. The tour operator is at the very end of the pier.. right across from Tracy's King Crab Shack.

Taku Lodge was one of our favorite excursions ever. We saw the bear up a tree also. The food was excellent and the scenery amazing. I would love to return to Alaska so we could do that again.

Thanks for your review.

I'm a bit confused by this "Nick" in the Schooner bar since I know the piano bar entertainer who has been on board Radiance since June 28. He is Kelly Goodrich. He's great. I know he's there since we were on the Rhapsody cruise of the same date - July 5 - that overlapped 2 ports with you. We actually had lunch with Kelly and his wife in Juneau during this cruise so I know he is there. Who is Nick?

Kelly will remain on Radiance as the Schooner Bar piano player until Australia through the month of November.

Gina

I'm a bit confused by this "Nick" in the Schooner bar since I know the piano bar entertainer who has been on board Radiance since June 28. He is Kelly Goodrich. He's great. I know he's there since we were on the Rhapsody cruise of the same date - July 5 - that overlapped 2 ports with you. We actually had lunch with Kelly and his wife in Juneau during this cruise so I know he is there. Who is Nick?

 

Kelly will remain on Radiance as the Schooner Bar piano player until Australia through the month of November.

 

Gina

Sorry Gina... you are correct.. the Schooner Bar guy was Kelly... I don't know were I got Nick from...LOL :confused: I guess all those 3am nights in the Schooner Bar finally caught up to me. :eek:

Sorry Gina... you are correct.. the Schooner Bar guy was Kelly... I don't know were I got Nick from...LOL :confused: I guess all those 3am nights in the Schooner Bar finally caught up to me. :eek:

Maybe it's because Kelly is like St Nick. Santa is full of gifts and Kelly is gifted. His music is like a gift and a pleasant surprise after a few piano players I've heard. :) This is his first year going all the way down under. The Aussies will love him.

Maybe it's because Kelly is like St Nick. Santa is full of gifts and Kelly is gifted. His music is like a gift and a pleasant surprise after a few piano players I've heard. :) This is his first year going all the way down under. The Aussies will love him.

It was a pleasant surprise to finally have a decent Schooner Bar entertainer.

He and his wife were in the Concierge Lounge every night and we chatted with them a few times. Very nice people, and you're right, the Aussie's will love him.

You will LOVE the Taku excursion! One thing to note, should the cruiseline cancel their excursion, you should go directly to the tour operator as they may still be flying. It's been my experience that the cruise line will cancel if there's the slightest bit of bad weather even though it's still perfectly safe to fly. If you keep this in mind, you should have no issues. The tour operator is at the very end of the pier.. right across from Tracy's King Crab Shack.

Thanks I will remember that.

Another question please.

I saw that the chef table was in Icy Straight.

When was formal night?

Lisa

Thanks I will remember that.

 

Another question please.

I saw that the chef table was in Icy Straight.

 

When was formal night?

 

Lisa

They actually had a Chef's Table every night of the cruise. We decided to do it on Icy Strait night as dinner began at 630pm and we didn't want to have to cut out port time short to get ready. In ISP, everyone had to be onboard by 3pm so that left us plenty of time to get ready for dinner.

Formal nights were Saturday (Day 2) and I believe Wednesday (Day 6). Honestly we don't bring formal wear any more and not eating in the MDR this cruise, I really wasn't paying close attention.

Sounds like Schooners is a must now.

Kelly Goodrich is at the piano bar now and is one of the most amazing entertainers we know. Nonstop action!

What was the excursion that you did in Haines?

What was the excursion that you did in Haines?

I booked it with Shore Trips and it was called "Eagle, Bear and Wildlife Expedition with Lunch" Cost $178 per person.

They actually had a Chef's Table every night of the cruise. We decided to do it on Icy Strait night as dinner began at 630pm and we didn't want to have to cut out port time short to get ready. In ISP, everyone had to be onboard by 3pm so that left us plenty of time to get ready for dinner.

 

Formal nights were Saturday (Day 2) and I believe Wednesday (Day 6). Honestly we don't bring formal wear any more and not eating in the MDR this cruise, I really wasn't paying close attention.

Thanks, Now I can really make my dinner plans. I figured they only did it one night, like Princess.

When you booked the Chef table package, did you do it on-line and make all your dinner reservations then?

Thanks, Now I can really make my dinner plans. I figured they only did it one night, like Princess.

When you booked the Chef table package, did you do it on-line and make all your dinner reservations then?

We booked the Chef's Table Dining Package ($145 pp) and when you pre-purchase this you can only pre-reserve the Chef's Table. The remaining 4 restaurant reservations must be made once onboard. If you were to reserve the remaining restaurants online, you would have to pay the appropriate cover charge at that time, and once onboard they would credit your SeaPass those charges at each restaurant. To me it was too much trouble to have to worry about the ship giving all the credits. Fortunately, I know the MDR Manager so I had emailed him in advance and asked him to reserve the other specialty restaurants on the nights and times I wanted so I had reservations made for all in advance. If you'll be cruising in a full suite or are D/D+ or Pinnacle and have access to the Concierge or Diamand Club Concierge you can email them in advance to request your other restaurant reservations.

Either way, while the restaurants were full, there was always a few empty seats when we dined, so even if you waited until onboard to reserve you should not have a problem. Also, those with the specialty dining packages get priority over indivudual reservations, so that helps too.

Maybe it's because Kelly is like St Nick. Santa is full of gifts and Kelly is gifted. His music is like a gift and a pleasant surprise after a few piano players I've heard. :) This is his first year going all the way down under. The Aussies will love him.

Well I'm certainly looking forward to hearing him during our 16-night cruise! The Schooner Bar is usually where we tend to head after the show each evening!

Thanks for the information!

Gae

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

We booked the Chef's Table Dining Package ($145 pp) and when you pre-purchase this you can only pre-reserve the Chef's Table. The remaining 4 restaurant reservations must be made once onboard. If you were to reserve the remaining restaurants online, you would have to pay the appropriate cover charge at that time, and once onboard they would credit your SeaPass those charges at each restaurant. To me it was too much trouble to have to worry about the ship giving all the credits.

.

Thanks, it is good to know about the other restraurant, I agree i don't want to pay twice and wait for a credit.

We board the Radiance next Friday. Still scratching my head as what to pack in the suitcase the temperatures seem to be warm. Just wondering what you were wearing on a typical day. I don't want to overpack, wanting room in the suitcase to bring stuff home. Just packing the one suitcase and one carryon for cameras etc.

I know everyone says to layer, but wondering what type of layers. You mentioned cold on your Kenai Fjord tour. We are taking the 9 hour tour so we will be out all day.

Can you tell me a little more about your Haines tour? You posted the salmon were two weeks out. I am wondering if our timing would be perfect for this tour. Did you book this through the ship? Was the ferry crossing rough?

We board the Radiance next Friday. Still scratching my head as what to pack in the suitcase the temperatures seem to be warm. Just wondering what you were wearing on a typical day. I don't want to overpack, wanting room in the suitcase to bring stuff home. Just packing the one suitcase and one carryon for cameras etc.

 

I know everyone says to layer, but wondering what type of layers. You mentioned cold on your Kenai Fjord tour. We are taking the 9 hour tour so we will be out all day.

 

Can you tell me a little more about your Haines tour? You posted the salmon were two weeks out. I am wondering if our timing would be perfect for this tour. Did you book this through the ship? Was the ferry crossing rough?

When it comes to packing for Alaska, there's no right answer. The weather forecast changed dramatically over the course of our cruise. Prior to leaving home, the forecast was for mostly sunny with temps in the 70's. The night we left home, the forecast changed to 90% change of rain showers and temps in the 50's. While on the trip, the weather actually improved and we had a few sprinkles, but temps were in the upper 60's-lower 70's.

Seward was our worst day weather wise. It was rainy/drizzlely and only in the 50's. The Kenai Fjords boat was warm inside, but we opted to ride outside on the bow or back deck and it was chilly and wet. I wore a long sleeve shirt and a fleece jacket and was fine.

My advice is pack a little of everything. Dress in layers so you can adjust to any change in temps and remember to bring some sort of waterproof jacket with a hood and you'll be fine.

The Haines tour was good, but we were a bit disappointed the salmon were not running as the bear viewing would have been spectacular. If you're leaving next week your timing should be perfect. The fast ferry is quite large and was very stable. It's only 45 mins each way to Haines and the views of the waterfalls were incredible. I'm not sure if the ship offers this exact excursion.. we booked ours with Shoretrips... there were people from both Radiance and Rhapsody's ship excursions on our ferry over to Haines, but upon arrival they were put on different busses and we never saw them again until the return ride back to Skagway. The name of the tour with Shoretrips is "Eagle, Bear and Wildlife Expedition with Lunch" Cost $178 per person.

One thing I need to mention is the fast ferry only runs twice a day. When we booked the morning ferry was sold out, so we got booked on the afternoon one which doesn't get back to Skagway until 745pm (we sailed at 830pm). We were a little nervous about missing the ship, but Shoretrips guarantees you'll make it back to your ship on time. They also told us the cruise lines also use this for their own excursions so we knew we'd have others from the ship's excursions on the ferry with us. There was no need to worry. We made it back to Skagway on time and it was only a short walk to the ship. We and those on ships excursions were the last onboard at around 8pm and we had to reboard on deck 1 as they had already pulled the main gangway prior to our arrival.