Review ~ RC Cruise Tour #12 ~ July 8 - 20, 2012

[msvacation]

Day ~ 12

Debarkation in Vancouver, B.C.

 

Up early this morning for breakfast and then we did Express Walk Off that started at 7:30 a.m. Our travel plans for today are to take the Quick Shuttle to SeaTac airport and to fly home from there. We were not meeting our bus to Seattle until 8:45 a.m. but due to past experiences with getting off ships, we went early. Getting off was a breeze. Final ding of the seapass card and then into the terminal and through Canadian customs. The bus was easy to find and we boarded about 8:15 a.m. It was scheduled to leave at 9 a.m., but waited until about 9:15 because there were several people they were waiting on. Some on the bus, urged the driver to leave because they had flights to catch also. We made two stops enroute to SeaTac airport. The first was Vancouver airport and the second was downtown Seattle. We arrived at the airport around 2 p.m. We all went to our respective airlines and checked in. After passing through security which took about half an hour, we met up with everyone in the main concourse food court where we took up residence at a table for seven for the remainder of the day. We had food, played cards, some napped, visited, read books, took walks, and people watched the day away. We all had red eye flights leaving at 11:35 and 11:55 p.m. (This was the cheaper way for us to fly and our flight home was non stop.) At 10:15 we said our goodbyes and headed to our gates. Our flight started boarding at 11 p.m. and after 4 and half hours of a slightly bumpy flight, we arrived in Cleveland around 7 a.m. due to time changes. We collected our bags and found the car in the parking garage and proceeded home.

 

Final Thoughts On Our Vacation

We had a wonderful vacation filled with lots of beautiful scenery and a bunch of wild life. We are in the 30% of people who visit Alaska and get to see the peak of Mt. McKinley. We saw bears (grizzly and brown), moose, dall sheep, caribou, wolf, whales, seals, sea lions, sea otters, ptarmigans, golden eagles, falcons, ravens, and lots of bald eagles. We rode in cars, vans, planes, trains, big motor coaches, little shuttles, little boats, a jet boat, a bering sea crab boat, and of course, the cruise ship. We met some very nice people on our journey. We were blessed with great weather most of the time and the seas were calm for the cruise ship.

 

The land portion of our cruise was fun and very well organized. The hotels they used were all very nice. The RC reps were all very well informed and willing to help in any way they could. The only thing that I would not want to do again was the two travel days by motor coach. The train was so much better because you could get up and move around a lot more. The bus was more confining, but all in all, it was a wonderful way to get a taste of the interior of Alaska which is what we were wanting to do. Having said that, after all my research, I would not hesitate now to book a land portion independently and will do that the next time we visit.

 

The cruise portion of our trip was wonderful also. I did book all our excursions independently. Having been to all the ports before, except for ISP, I knew more of what we wanted to do. No regrets on anything we did.

 

Alaska is a beautiful state with lots to offer and I strongly urge you to visit if you ever get the chance. Thanks for letting me share my review with you.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Thanks for posting. As you can see from my signature I will be on the Radiance of the Seas Friday!!! :)

 

Your review has given me some Radiamce specific info. Many who post are on Princess or Hal.

 

We arrive in Icy Strait at 9am rather than 7am. I have a whale watch at 10. You said there was no line--so, I hope it works out for us, too. We will be there when the tender opens.

[msvacation]

Thanks for posting. As you can see from my signature I will be on the Radiance of the Seas Friday!!! :)

 

Your review has given me some Radiamce specific info. Many who post are on Princess or Hal.

 

We arrive in Icy Strait at 9am rather than 7am. I have a whale watch at 10. You said there was no line--so, I hope it works out for us, too. We will be there when the tender opens.

 

Happy Cruising to you! I am sure you will have a great time! We did have no lines for the tenders, but we were there earlier. Not sure if that made the difference. They will have several tenders running constantly, so I am sure you will have no problems. Enjoy!

[am-mc]

Thank you so much for the review. We are on the Radiance next July 2013 and I am excited to read all of the reviews as people are getting off the chips. We are also doing an RC cruisetour #1 which will follow most of the same route just different parts with the train vs motor coach.

 

We have 3 couples going, myself and boyfriend, my parents and his parents - and I have worried about getting all the excursions planned for all - glad to hear your group did different things and shared details at night - I am hoping that will work for us too.

 

One question - what area of the ship was your room, What deck and cabin number? We are mid-ship near the centirum on Deck 9 - and I have been worried about the location - just curious where you were and what you thought of the area?

 

Thanks again for the great review and pictures.

[msvacation]

Thank you so much for the review. We are on the Radiance next July 2013 and I am excited to read all of the reviews as people are getting off the chips. We are also doing an RC cruisetour #1 which will follow most of the same route just different parts with the train vs motor coach.

 

We have 3 couples going, myself and boyfriend, my parents and his parents - and I have worried about getting all the excursions planned for all - glad to hear your group did different things and shared details at night - I am hoping that will work for us too.

 

One question - what area of the ship was your room, What deck and cabin number? We are mid-ship near the centirum on Deck 9 - and I have been worried about the location - just curious where you were and what you thought of the area?

 

Thanks again for the great review and pictures.

 

I am glad you enjoyed the review and pictures. Before our cruises I always read everything I could to get ideas and insights from others.

 

We were on deck 7, room 7094, and it was on the port side on the front side of the hump. It was right beside the elevators, close to the stairs, and right off the centrum. We loved the location and was never bothered by any noise from the elevators. We could hear the music from the centrum in the evenings but it was not loud or annoying. Most of our evening time was spent on our balcony or somewhere else on the ship, so we really didn't hear it that much. We love the hump location on the Radiance.

 

Enjoy all the pre-planning of your cruise......that is part of the fun!

[mt82]

we are going on Rhapasody on the 7th of Sept. We have an excursion planned to see Davidson Glacier by canoe, in Skagway

but I am wondering if it is worth the price

I would love to rent a car and explore also

looks like you saw so much glacier from the ship that I am thinking it is not

worth the price to do this excursion it is 221 a person

any advise would be great (btw the excursion has a 5 star rating on tripadviser);)

[am-mc]

Thanks for letting me know the cabin number - we are actually in 9094 and 9096 so just two floors up and I am so excited to hear that you didnt have any problems with that room. Yeah - ok I feel better about our choice. My pessimistic boyfriend kept asking why it was still open if it is supposed to be such a great spot. I kept saying that it was just our luck that it was opne - and booking over 1 year in adavance helps too.

 

Do you by chance have any pictures of the ship. I am surprising my parents with this trip and was putting together a collage of the ship and would love any that you could share.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Do you by chance have any pictures of the ship. I am surprising my parents with this trip and was putting together a collage of the ship and would love any that you could share.

 

We are leaving soon--so, I have spent the last year looking at things online.

 

This is a link to a review from the Radiance last year that has quite a few pictures. She is also very funny!:eek:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1434211

[PennyAgain]

Excellent write up and photos. Thanks!

[msvacation]

we are going on Rhapasody on the 7th of Sept. We have an excursion planned to see Davidson Glacier by canoe, in Skagway

but I am wondering if it is worth the price

I would love to rent a car and explore also

looks like you saw so much glacier from the ship that I am thinking it is not

worth the price to do this excursion it is 221 a person

any advise would be great (btw the excursion has a 5 star rating on tripadviser);)

 

Our ship, the Radiance, cruised to Hubbard Glacier and we were able to get some great pictures there. The ship turns around by the glacier a few times so you have plenty of time to view from the open decks or you can remain on a balcony and still see plenty. We also stopped at Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau where there are magnificent views also. I cannot speak for Davidson Glacier as we have never been there. If you think it would be something you would enjoy, then I say, go for it! Excursions are pricey, but we have no regrets on any that we did. Happy cruising!

[msvacation]

Thanks for letting me know the cabin number - we are actually in 9094 and 9096 so just two floors up and I am so excited to hear that you didnt have any problems with that room. Yeah - ok I feel better about our choice. My pessimistic boyfriend kept asking why it was still open if it is supposed to be such a great spot. I kept saying that it was just our luck that it was opne - and booking over 1 year in adavance helps too.

 

Do you by chance have any pictures of the ship. I am surprising my parents with this trip and was putting together a collage of the ship and would love any that you could share.

 

I am ashamed to say that we do not have many photos of the ship interior without us or our friends in them. The first two times we were on the Radiance, we took many pictures of the interior which was several years ago. I am not sure why we didn't do more interior photos, maybe because we had been on it twice before, or we were so consumed with the outdoor pictures.........:o

Here are a few pictures of our cabin balcony and a couple from outside the ship. Hope these can be of some help to you.

 

 

Our deck is right above the lifeboats and our cabin was right beside the glass.

[Seaingtheworld]

Your review was fantastic. We are doing this same tour and cruise in July 2013. I am also a planner. It really helped to read about what we should hold off on and as you say go with the flow. I also did not think of taking a shuttle to Seattle to fly home to the East coast. I will look into that now. Did you book the shuttle on your own or through the cruise line?

Your descriptions and photos are terrific. Thanks again.

[msvacation]

Your review was fantastic. We are doing this same tour and cruise in July 2013. I am also a planner. It really helped to read about what we should hold off on and as you say go with the flow. I also did not think of taking a shuttle to Seattle to fly home to the East coast. I will look into that now. Did you book the shuttle on your own or through the cruise line?

Your descriptions and photos are terrific. Thanks again.

 

Thank you for your kind words. I booked the shuttle on my own through their website. We used Quick Shuttle. We had used them before when we were in Vancouver several years ago, and was happy with their service. I think we also saved 5% by booking online. It definitely was cheaper, even adding in the Quick Shuttle fee, for us to fly home from Seattle and we had a non stop flight. We booked a red eye flight and even though we had to spend more time in the airport, we were not hurrying and worrying about missing our flight home. Good luck with your planning.....always part of the fun for me. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

[mt82]

Your review was fantastic. We are doing this same tour and cruise in July 2013. I am also a planner. It really helped to read about what we should hold off on and as you say go with the flow. I also did not think of taking a shuttle to Seattle to fly home to the East coast. I will look into that now. Did you book the shuttle on your own or through the cruise line?

Your descriptions and photos are terrific. Thanks again.

 

we are also going to use quick shuttle,

as we are flying r/t from Seattle to DFW

it would have been almost twice as much if we had done dfw-seatac

vancouver-dfw==== besides we would have stopped in Seatac anyways for a layover:)

shuttle is costing us 105 for 2 people

[Seaingtheworld]

we are also going to use quick shuttle,

as we are flying r/t from Seattle to DFW

it would have been almost twice as much if we had done dfw-seatac

vancouver-dfw==== besides we would have stopped in Seatac anyways for a layover:)

shuttle is costing us 105 for 2 people

 

Thanks for this info. I am going to look into the shuttle. It sounds like a great option.

[Seaingtheworld]

Day ~ 4

Today our excursion is the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

 

This morning we got up and had a quick continental breakfast and then on the bus to go to Denali Park for the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

 

.......The park is very pristine and they keep it that way by limiting how far you can drive into the park. Self drivers do not get very far, but you can take one of the many shuttle buses into Denali. This way they can control people from interacting (stupidly) with nature and can keep the park clean from humans.

........... We had a long and very rewarding day with all the scenery and wildlife we saw.

 

I was reviewing your entry on The Tundra Wilderness tour. It sounds amazing!! Did the tour go as far as Eielson and Wonder Lake in the park?

[msvacation]

I was reviewing your entry on The Tundra Wilderness tour. It sounds amazing!! Did the tour go as far as Eielson and Wonder Lake in the park?

 

We did not go that far into the park, although I do not think we were that far from it. I think we were somewhere around the 62 mile mark. I believe it was Stony Hill Overlook. I am not sure if that is the turn around for the tour buses or if it all depends on how much you stop for wildlife. We were extremely happy with how far we went and what we saw. It was amazing for us!

[Seaingtheworld]

We did not go that far into the park, although I do not think we were that far from it. I think we were somewhere around the 62 mile mark. I believe it was Stony Hill Overlook. I am not sure if that is the turn around for the tour buses or if it all depends on how much you stop for wildlife. We were extremely happy with how far we went and what we saw. It was amazing for us!

 

Thanks.... I can't wait to go. It sounds amazing!!!

[mknopick]

Thanks for letting me know the cabin number - we are actually in 9094 and 9096 so just two floors up and I am so excited to hear that you didnt have any problems with that room. Yeah - ok I feel better about our choice. My pessimistic boyfriend kept asking why it was still open if it is supposed to be such a great spot. I kept saying that it was just our luck that it was opne - and booking over 1 year in adavance helps too.

 

Do you by chance have any pictures of the ship. I am surprising my parents with this trip and was putting together a collage of the ship and would love any that you could share.

 

We sailed on the Radiance in July and were in cabin 9586 on starboard side. Great room and quiet! Great views from the balcony. Since it was on the hump you can see forward and backward.

[bumbletigger]

Thank you for your detailed review. We are thinking of taking a cruise tour in the summer of '15.

 

Are meals included on the land portion? If not, what were the prices like?

 

Were there any excursions included in the price for the land part?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[msvacation]

Thank you for your detailed review. We are thinking of taking a cruise tour in the summer of '15.

 

Are meals included on the land portion? If not, what were the prices like?

 

Were there any excursions included in the price for the land part?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Meals were not included on the land portion other than a box lunch provided with The Tundra Wilderness Tour. For prices you should figure on paying 50% more than what you would pay at home. The portions were all generous and I actually ordered from kids menus several times.

The only excursions that were included in the price was The Tundra Wilderness Tour. This is way better than the Natural History Tour. Also included was the Alaskan Native Heritage Center and the Alaska Conservation Center.

Whatever you decide your trip to Alaska will be amazing!

[Poppy9422]

Meals were not included on the land portion other than a box lunch provided with The Tundra Wilderness Tour. For prices you should figure on paying 50% more than what you would pay at home. The portions were all generous and I actually ordered from kids menus several times.

The only excursions that were included in the price was The Tundra Wilderness Tour. This is way better than the Natural History Tour. Also included was the Alaskan Native Heritage Center and the Alaska Conservation Center.

Whatever you decide your trip to Alaska will be amazing!

 

Denise, I am not having luck getting to your 2012 review. When I click on the link it takes me to the message board and not the review itself. I'm sure others would like to read it also.

Thanks.