Aunt Linda Sails to Alaska – Review of Radiance of the Seas Northbound from Vancouver

[Ireallyneedavacation]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do it! Now you have me wanting to do an Alaskan cruise!!

[MisterMom]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do it! Now you have me wanting to do an Alaskan cruise!!

 

Believe me, you will NOT be disappointed. The natural majesty (while having the comfort of a cruise ship) is worth it.

[Winnigirl]

What a gorgeous family you have! Thank you for such an amazing report. Living in Canada I've never had any desire to take an Alaskan cruise - snow is definitely not a novelty to us, but after seeing those amazing pictures, you've changed my mind. Our next cruise will be Alaska! I even have relatives to stay with in Vancouver!

[MisterMom]

What a gorgeous family you have! Thank you for such an amazing report. Living in Canada I've never had any desire to take an Alaskan cruise - snow is definitely not a novelty to us, but after seeing those amazing pictures, you've changed my mind. Our next cruise will be Alaska! I even have relatives to stay with in Vancouver!

 

Thanks so much for the compliment. I appreciate it.

 

Go when it's a little warmer with a little less snow! And stay several days in Vancouver if you haven't already. It's a city to which I definitely want to return.

 

Happy cruising!

[DT1304]

Hey MisterMom,

You will recall from earlier in your thread, that I said I wanted to do this cruise but wanted to wait till my kids were older.....

Well, I decided that I was going to do it now anyway, and thanks to your fantastic review I have selected some similar excursions. Check this out and tell me what you think. I will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids (12, 10 and almost 7)

 

Start with flight into LA, and then staying in Anaheim for 5 days to take the kids to Disneyland, knotts and a water park.

 

Then to Vancouver. We only arrive at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon and the cruise leaves on the Friday afternoon, but we will see what we can in those 2 days.

 

In Ketchikan: Duck tour followed by lumberjack show (booked through cruise). Then we will make own way to see totem poles and walk through creek street

 

In Juneau: Gold Creek gold panning followed by Gold Creek Salmon bake. (Booked through ship) We will make our own way to Mendenhall Glacier and I would like to stop in at red Dog Saloon for a beer.

 

Icy Strait Point: Whale watching with Hoonah Whalewatching adventures. (Booked privately) Small boat, with just the 5 of us and the captain of course.

 

Skagway: Adventure Park zipline tour (just me and my two elder kids). (Booked through ship). I have not booked the train ride up to the summit as we doing the train to anchorage and figure the kids will be bored, but I may still book the 1,5 hour "To the Summit" minibus tour through the ship.

 

Seward: Booked privately with Seavey's the "Total Alaska tour" which is a tour to Exit Glacier, lunch, Kennel tour, puppies etc and summer sled ride.

 

Train to Anchorage that night and then leave Anchorage next morning for flight to LA. Will spend one night and full day in LA and will check out Hollywood/Beverly Hills etc before our 11pm flight back to Australia.

 

I know we will need a holiday after this....

[Cshgrand]

Hey MisterMom,

You will recall from earlier in your thread, that I said I wanted to do this cruise but wanted to wait till my kids were older.....

Well, I decided that I was going to do it now anyway, and thanks to your fantastic review I have selected some similar excursions. Check this out and tell me what you think. I will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids (12, 10 and almost 7)

 

Start with flight into LA, and then staying in Anaheim for 5 days to take the kids to Disneyland, knotts and a water park.

 

Then to Vancouver. We only arrive at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon and the cruise leaves on the Friday afternoon, but we will see what we can in those 2 days.

 

In Ketchikan: Duck tour followed by lumberjack show (booked through cruise). Then we will make own way to see totem poles and walk through creek street

 

In Juneau: Gold Creek gold panning followed by Gold Creek Salmon bake. (Booked through ship) We will make our own way to Mendenhall Glacier and I would like to stop in at red Dog Saloon for a beer.

 

Icy Strait Point: Whale watching with Hoonah Whalewatching adventures. (Booked privately) Small boat, with just the 5 of us and the captain of course.

 

Skagway: Adventure Park zipline tour (just me and my two elder kids). (Booked through ship). I have not booked the train ride up to the summit as we doing the train to anchorage and figure the kids will be bored, but I may still book the 1,5 hour "To the Summit" minibus tour through the ship.

 

Seward: Booked privately with Seavey's the "Total Alaska tour" which is a tour to Exit Glacier, lunch, Kennel tour, puppies etc and summer sled ride.

 

Train to Anchorage that night and then leave Anchorage next morning for flight to LA. Will spend one night and full day in LA and will check out Hollywood/Beverly Hills etc before our 11pm flight back to Australia.

 

I know we will need a holiday after this....

 

Sounds fantastic - we are looking to do Alaska from the uk and combining with LA is a fab idea!

[MisterMom]

Hey MisterMom,

You will recall from earlier in your thread, that I said I wanted to do this cruise but wanted to wait till my kids were older.....

Well, I decided that I was going to do it now anyway, and thanks to your fantastic review I have selected some similar excursions. Check this out and tell me what you think. I will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids (12, 10 and almost 7)

 

Start with flight into LA, and then staying in Anaheim for 5 days to take the kids to Disneyland, knotts and a water park.

 

Then to Vancouver. We only arrive at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon and the cruise leaves on the Friday afternoon, but we will see what we can in those 2 days.

 

In Ketchikan: Duck tour followed by lumberjack show (booked through cruise). Then we will make own way to see totem poles and walk through creek street

 

In Juneau: Gold Creek gold panning followed by Gold Creek Salmon bake. (Booked through ship) We will make our own way to Mendenhall Glacier and I would like to stop in at red Dog Saloon for a beer.

 

Icy Strait Point: Whale watching with Hoonah Whalewatching adventures. (Booked privately) Small boat, with just the 5 of us and the captain of course.

 

Skagway: Adventure Park zipline tour (just me and my two elder kids). (Booked through ship). I have not booked the train ride up to the summit as we doing the train to anchorage and figure the kids will be bored, but I may still book the 1,5 hour "To the Summit" minibus tour through the ship.

 

Seward: Booked privately with Seavey's the "Total Alaska tour" which is a tour to Exit Glacier, lunch, Kennel tour, puppies etc and summer sled ride.

 

Train to Anchorage that night and then leave Anchorage next morning for flight to LA. Will spend one night and full day in LA and will check out Hollywood/Beverly Hills etc before our 11pm flight back to Australia.

 

I know we will need a holiday after this....

 

Can I come?????? :D You sound like planner supreme!

 

In Vancouver, take the kids to the redwoods. If we had more time there, we would've gone.

 

Ketchikan - the totem poles were a trolley ride about 10-15 mins out of town, FYI, so plan on travel time. There, be sure to see the totems being carved.

 

Juneau - the Mendenhall was so-so. If weather is yucky, I'd recommend skipping it. You'll have a glacier or two on the Alaska Railroad and also Hubbard on the ship. I would like to recommend the Mt Roberts tramway if the kids aren't afraid of heights. I think they'd enjoy that more - there's lots of cool stuff at the top to see.

 

Icy Strait - a private tour with just your family sounds awesome! Hint - the whale will take several breaths before diving when you see the whale tail. And we saw several so don't feel like the first blow hole you see is your only chance to capture a picture. If you have time, consider booking the zipline through the ship - I REALLY wished I had booked it.

 

Seward - I'm glad you're going to see the puppies! (But I REALLY recommend the river rafting trip we went on, too.....)

 

Anchorage - make your flight later in the morning/early afternoon, if you can. We didn't get to the hotel until 1AM or so and had to be out by 6AM. Take some time and get some rest!

 

SOOOO jealous. Have a blast with the family and we want to see pics!

[DT1304]

Can I come?????? :D You sound like planner supreme!

 

In Vancouver, take the kids to the redwoods. If we had more time there, we would've gone.

 

Ketchikan - the totem poles were a trolley ride about 10-15 mins out of town, FYI, so plan on travel time. There, be sure to see the totems being carved.

 

Juneau - the Mendenhall was so-so. If weather is yucky, I'd recommend skipping it. You'll have a glacier or two on the Alaska Railroad and also Hubbard on the ship. I would like to recommend the Mt Roberts tramway if the kids aren't afraid of heights. I think they'd enjoy that more - there's lots of cool stuff at the top to see.

 

Icy Strait - a private tour with just your family sounds awesome! Hint - the whale will take several breaths before diving when you see the whale tail. And we saw several so don't feel like the first blow hole you see is your only chance to capture a picture. If you have time, consider booking the zipline through the ship - I REALLY wished I had booked it.

 

Seward - I'm glad you're going to see the puppies! (But I REALLY recommend the river rafting trip we went on, too.....)

 

Anchorage - make your flight later in the morning/early afternoon, if you can. We didn't get to the hotel until 1AM or so and had to be out by 6AM. Take some time and get some rest!

 

SOOOO jealous. Have a blast with the family and we want to see pics!

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am a planner supreme. :)

 

I will definitely take your advice about the Redwoods in Vancouver, travel time in Ketchikan and Mendenhall Glacier.

 

We may get to Grouse Mountain in Vancouver (weather permitting) but my wife is also very keen to go on Mt Roberts Tram, and the kids are not afraid of heights at all.

 

Unfortunately I could not book the zip line in Icy Strait because my son is just too light for it so could not qualify. I figured we would do the zipline tour in another port rather as he is heavy enough there, and I did not want to separate from them to do it alone.

 

Wont have time for the river rafting in Seward unfortunately.

 

Finally, we leave Anchorage at about 11am to fly to LA, so wont need a 6am call. I figured we would get to the hotel in Anchorage at about 11pm - 11:30pm. Why did you get there so late? Doesn't the train arrive in Anchorage at about 10:15pm?

[HedgehogLove]

When I saw "Aunt Linda Sails to Alaska", I thought, it couldn't be. But it is! My friends, Derrell & Dan took Aunt Linda on another cruise. This is an awesome review and I can even ask questions about it in person. Thanks Dan!!!

~Laura S.

[cruiserdudebobby8]

love your review

[The BarCarres]

I absolutely love your review and it has brought back so many wonderful memories of our first cruise together to Alaska.

 

So pleased with your nice words about Vancouver, just one tiny thing. I have lived in Vancouver all my life and didn't know we had redwoods -- are you maybe talking about Stanley Park?

 

Thank you again for a great review and sharing your wonderful family with us.

[MisterMom]

I absolutely love your review and it has brought back so many wonderful memories of our first cruise together to Alaska.

 

So pleased with your nice words about Vancouver, just one tiny thing. I have lived in Vancouver all my life and didn't know we had redwoods -- are you maybe talking about Stanley Park?

 

Thank you again for a great review and sharing your wonderful family with us.

 

Maybe I meant the sequoias at Beacon Hill??? :confused: Just going with what a friend of mine recommended....

[Alamogirl]

MisterMom THANK YOU for a great review. I am looking forward to my first trip to Alaska and after reading your review and seeing all the pics, I am even more excited!!!! You are blessed with a wonderful family and taking your Aunt was the act of a great man.

 

This cruise is extra special as not only are we celebrating our anniversary but it was a b-day gift from my brother for my 65! We are doing the 10 day cruise tour. He works in Alaska and know how much I wanted to go. My Yankee husband doesn't like the cold but he too is exicted.

 

I do have one question, your pics are really great, what type of camera did you use? Also do you plan on going again?

[The BarCarres]

Maybe I meant the sequoias at Beacon Hill??? :confused: Just going with what a friend of mine recommended....

 

 

It's all good :D -- just factor in that Vancouver Island is quite a distance from Vancouver (and one very expensive round trip ferry ride) all worth seeing. I will say you have made me want to book another Alaskan cruise.

[gootie]

MisterMom

Thanks for this very informative and entertaining review. My Bride and I are scheduled on Radisnce in Aug

 

 

Gootie

[MisterMom]

Thanks for all the great comments. Aunt Linda is getting excited about our upcoming cruise on the Oasis.

 

For the pics, I used a Sony a55 DSLR. I'm still figuring out how to use it!

[oncruisecontrol]

Wow, wow. And, once again, wow. What a great review and photos. I am presently reading your current review (as you post it), and I am a fan of your Carnival Liberty review from last year, also. Thank you for sharing your wonderful trips with all of us on CC.

[charliegirlac]

Hey MisterMom,

You will recall from earlier in your thread, that I said I wanted to do this cruise but wanted to wait till my kids were older.....

Well, I decided that I was going to do it now anyway, and thanks to your fantastic review I have selected some similar excursions. Check this out and tell me what you think. I will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids (12, 10 and almost 7)

 

Start with flight into LA, and then staying in Anaheim for 5 days to take the kids to Disneyland, knotts and a water park.

 

Then to Vancouver. We only arrive at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon and the cruise leaves on the Friday afternoon, but we will see what we can in those 2 days.

 

In Ketchikan: Duck tour followed by lumberjack show (booked through cruise). Then we will make own way to see totem poles and walk through creek street

 

In Juneau: Gold Creek gold panning followed by Gold Creek Salmon bake. (Booked through ship) We will make our own way to Mendenhall Glacier and I would like to stop in at red Dog Saloon for a beer.

 

Icy Strait Point: Whale watching with Hoonah Whalewatching adventures. (Booked privately) Small boat, with just the 5 of us and the captain of course.

 

Skagway: Adventure Park zipline tour (just me and my two elder kids). (Booked through ship). I have not booked the train ride up to the summit as we doing the train to anchorage and figure the kids will be bored, but I may still book the 1,5 hour "To the Summit" minibus tour through the ship.

 

Seward: Booked privately with Seavey's the "Total Alaska tour" which is a tour to Exit Glacier, lunch, Kennel tour, puppies etc and summer sled ride.

 

Train to Anchorage that night and then leave Anchorage next morning for flight to LA. Will spend one night and full day in LA and will check out Hollywood/Beverly Hills etc before our 11pm flight back to Australia.

 

I know we will need a holiday after this....

 

We did this almost exact trip just in reverse (cruise first then Disney). You will all have a fantastic time. A hotel recommendation for Anahiem - the Howard Johnson. It is across the road from Disney so you can easily walk there, the rooms are nice and there is a reasonably priced dinner across the road. The rooms tend to book out pretty quickly (the last time we went to Anahiem we couldn't get in). It is a long way from Melb, but once you do it you will be coming back for more. Vancouver, Alaska, Anahiem was our first USA trip and since then we have gone back at least 5 more times. :)

[k8ster72]

Great Review!

 

My DH and I were on this same cruise last fall. We loved it! He had to go to a conference in Anchorage the following week, so we used that as an excuse to do the Northbound.

 

Here is what we did:

 

Vancouver - direct flight from Denver, CO, got in around 9PM so didn't do much but go to bed. We ran 10 miles along the seawall trail. Beautiful views along our run!

 

Ketchikan - self-tour around the town, and then did the snorkeling trip! Sounds crazy, I know, but it was pretty incredible! You stay pretty warm, except for your face.

 

Icy Straight Point - We did the cooking demonstration and the whale watching tour. Both were outstanding!

 

Juneau - took the bus out to the park where we did a hike out to the Mendenhall glacier. Then we did a longer hike up through the woods. We took the earlier bus back to Juneau and had some fish and chips and some beers at a local restaurant.

 

Skagway - We did the helicopter ride to the glacier (forget what it was called) and did a brief walk on the glacier. It was my first time in a helicopter. I loved it! It was breathtaking!

 

Hubbard Glacier - It was chilly and rainy the entire time. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the scenery. The ship had hot cocoa and "grownup" hot cocoa stands throughout the ship that day.

 

Seward - We booked an ice climbing expedition. After a 45 minute hike we had the opportunity to repel down several crevasses and then climb back up. This was an unbelievably awesome experience. I highly recommend this for more active adventurous types.

 

After the ice climbing we took the evening train up to Anchorage. We loved it! The views were spectacular! We spent a few more days in Anchorage, not really doing much, mostly relaxing before I had to fly home on Sunday. I did get in a 16 mile run on a trail that starts right there in the city. It was a clear day and I had wonderful views of the Denali range.

 

I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat! I am glad you and your family enjoyed it!

[MisterMom]

Wow, wow. And, once again, wow. What a great review and photos. I am presently reading your current review (as you post it), and I am a fan of your Carnival Liberty review from last year, also. Thank you for sharing your wonderful trips with all of us on CC.

 

Thanks SOO much. I appreciate your compliments. I'll try to keep up with the Conquest review I'm working on now.

 

Great Review!

 

My DH and I were on this same cruise last fall. We loved it! He had to go to a conference in Anchorage the following week, so we used that as an excuse to do the Northbound.

 

Here is what we did:

 

 

Seward - We booked an ice climbing expedition. After a 45 minute hike we had the opportunity to repel down several crevasses and then climb back up. This was an unbelievably awesome experience. I highly recommend this for more active adventurous types.

 

After the ice climbing we took the evening train up to Anchorage. We loved it! The views were spectacular! We spent a few more days in Anchorage, not really doing much, mostly relaxing before I had to fly home on Sunday. I did get in a 16 mile run on a trail that starts right there in the city. It was a clear day and I had wonderful views of the Denali range.

 

I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat! I am glad you and your family enjoyed it!

 

Ice climbing?? Okay, that's on the bucket list for next Alaska trip. And my friend, Lindsey, who was Linda's travel companion, loves to run so I'll have to recommend your trails to her.

[prayfordaylight]

Loved the review! After a few years of islands both by cruise and plane, we're leaning towards changing things up and this is the exact cruise we're thinking of! Off to read your other reviews and hoping you'll do an Oasis one.

[BearsAhoy]

I'm really enjoying your review, if belatedly :-)

 

My kids love the Skytrain, we take them for rides on it just for fun!

 

A friend of mine lives in Atlanta and will be visiting this summer; she said there's now a direct flight! Something to keep on mind if you come back this way.

 

A heads-up to others travelling out here: there are three Fairmonts downtown. Waterfront is directly across the street from Canada Place (one of the cruise ship terminals) and Pacific Rim is just a couple of blocks away. The Hotel Vancouver is an easy walk from Canada Place, but maybe a bit far with luggage. There's another Fairmonts attached to the airport, which is lovely! (The last time we stayed there, it was before a flight to Europe. Our oldest was almost three at he time and had been soooo excited to get back to Germany - until he realised it meant leaving the hotel!)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse wacky auto-correct-induced typos.

[BearsAhoy]

Hey MisterMom,

You will recall from earlier in your thread, that I said I wanted to do this cruise but wanted to wait till my kids were older.....

Well, I decided that I was going to do it now anyway, and thanks to your fantastic review I have selected some similar excursions. Check this out and tell me what you think. I will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids (12, 10 and almost 7)

 

Start with flight into LA, and then staying in Anaheim for 5 days to take the kids to Disneyland, knotts and a water park.

 

Then to Vancouver. We only arrive at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon and the cruise leaves on the Friday afternoon, but we will see what we can in those 2 days.

 

In Ketchikan: Duck tour followed by lumberjack show (booked through cruise). Then we will make own way to see totem poles and walk through creek street

 

In Juneau: Gold Creek gold panning followed by Gold Creek Salmon bake. (Booked through ship) We will make our own way to Mendenhall Glacier and I would like to stop in at red Dog Saloon for a beer.

 

Icy Strait Point: Whale watching with Hoonah Whalewatching adventures. (Booked privately) Small boat, with just the 5 of us and the captain of course.

 

Skagway: Adventure Park zipline tour (just me and my two elder kids). (Booked through ship). I have not booked the train ride up to the summit as we doing the train to anchorage and figure the kids will be bored, but I may still book the 1,5 hour "To the Summit" minibus tour through the ship.

 

Seward: Booked privately with Seavey's the "Total Alaska tour" which is a tour to Exit Glacier, lunch, Kennel tour, puppies etc and summer sled ride.

 

Train to Anchorage that night and then leave Anchorage next morning for flight to LA. Will spend one night and full day in LA and will check out Hollywood/Beverly Hills etc before our 11pm flight back to Australia.

 

I know we will need a holiday after this....

 

My kids are younger (3&6), but some kid-friendly suggestions I'd make for Vancouver are:

 

- Vancouver Aquarium, in Stanley Park (which is itself worth a visit)

 

- Granville Island. I don't go there often because of the crowds, but the Kids' Market is wonderful and there's a fabulous playground and splash pad between the Kids' Market and the community centre

 

- Science World (especially if it is raining!)

 

- the Aquabuses and False Crekk Ferries between Granville Island, Yaletown, and Science World. (The two companies have different routes.)

 

- The Seabus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay (nice market, too!)

 

- You mentioned Grouse Mountain; the Capilano Suspension Bridge is near there. I have a terrible fear if heights so have never been on it, but it is popular.

 

- At UBC (University of British Columbia) there is a Botanical Garden with a canopy walk (my 6 year old loves it!), and the Nitobe (Japanese) Garden. Also the Museum of Anthropology.

 

- Gastown and the steam clock (very close to Canada Place)

 

Have fun!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse wacky auto-correct-induced typos.

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Mister Mom,

 

After thoroughly enjoying your Caribbean adventure I was stoked to find your Alaska review as well. Oh I would so LOVE to go on a cruise with you all. Don't you want to spontaneously join us on our Serenade cruise in the Mediterranean in three weeks:)? Aunt Linda would sure love to see Europe, don't you think? The ship will even stay in Venice overnight. I can just picture all of you on a gondola ride! Please come cruise with us!

 

Stef

[TexasTravlerSenior]

I read that you took this RC northbound cruise...did you take the land tour after? We are trying to figure out what time the motorcoach arrives there from Talkeetna...any idea? We are booked on the August 23rd from Vancouver.:rolleyes: