Alaska?

[simplycruisin]

We're thinking of cruising to Alaska sometime in the near future (within the next 2 months, is that too close?) and I was wondering if RCI has any ships that go there...? And if they do, anyone have any experiences? Thanks in advance, this is a 360 from the LA to Mexico cruise we were just looking at. LOL

[grvdggr71]

With Royal Caribbean, you have 3 options for Alaska cruise ships. Radiance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas. The itineraries vary slightly. Your best bet is to visit www.royalcaribbean.com and enter "Alaska" as a destination. RC also offers cruisetours that combines your cruise with a pre- or post- land excursion.

 

I have not yet gone on an Alaskan cruise, but look forward to it in the future.

 

Hope this is somewhat helpful...

[simplycruisin]

With Royal Caribbean, you have 3 options for Alaska cruise ships. Radiance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas. The itineraries vary slightly. Your best bet is to visit www.royalcaribbean.com and enter "Alaska" as a destination. RC also offers cruisetours that combines your cruise with a pre- or post- land excursion.

 

I have not yet gone on an Alaskan cruise, but look forward to it in the future.

 

Hope this is somewhat helpful...

Wonderful, thank you. I will check this out right now.

 

 

How large are those 3 ships compared to say, the Navigator. (That's the only one I know the size of, we saw it in port last year. LOL)

[natesfirewife]

Cruise Critic is having a Group Cruise to Alaska aboard the Serenade 08/07/05. You can check out our Group Page under the Group Cruise Boards or join our Roll Call, the link is in my signature. The Serenade is a good size for Alaska and there are always things to do. If you have any questions feel free to email me at natesfirewife@yahoo.com .

 

Misty

[wrp96]

Serenade and Radiance are slightly smaller than Navigator. They don't have the Royal Promenade or the ice rink. But they are as large as you can go and still fit through the Panama Canal. They do have tons of glass which I've heard is wonderful for viewing all the scenery. Personally, you can't go wrong going to Alaska, but I grew up there so may be slightly biased.

[hermang]

The other option is Celebrity which is also owned by RCCL. You may be pushing the envelope if you want a land tour as well, as many have booked up - on the other hand - 70 days out people have to make final payments and things may open up with prices dropping as the TA's scramble to resell inventory. We are going 8/15 on the Summit and had to make our final payment today. Mid August is a good time to go so we were told

[jstducky]

July and August are a good time to go to Alaska. I personally think, you shouldn't wait until September. Yes, prices might be lower because its the end of the season. But also because its the end of the season, things start to close down, such as dog camps because of the melting of the snow.

 

Vision of the Seas does alternating Northbound and Southbound itineraries.

 

Radiance does a 7 day roundtrip out of Vancouver departing on Saturdays.

 

And Serenade of the Seas does a 7 day roundtrip out of Vancouver departing on Sundays.

 

The Radiance and Serenade have an almost identical itinerary except that Serenade gets a little less time in port because they sail through Misty Fjords National Monument.

 

If Misty Fjords is a place you are interested in going, and RCI is the cruise line you want to take, then you need to book something this year because RCI is going to stop cruising Misty Fjords in the 2006 season.

 

You're best bet is to really sit down and decide the cities you want to see and the things you want to do and pick and intinerary that best fits those needs. You need to understand that Alaska is so vast and varied that you can't do and see everything in just one trip. You couldn't do and see everything in 20 trips. So just make the most of your first trip and then you'll understand that the call of nature and the wilderness and the beauty that is Alaska will beckon you back one day in the future.

[RDeagazio]

We sailed Serenade in July of 2004 and the trip was one of the best I've taken. I have a review posted under the Member Review section of Cruise Critic. I also have pics of the Serenade posted at:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/rdeagazio

[maxs mom]

We are sailing on the Radiance on June 25th. Got our documents and ready to go. We did this same cruise 7 years ago and it is great. Can't wait to get to Vancouver!

 

If anyone else is sailing on the Radiance on June 25th....come over to our Roll Call. We need 11 more people! Here is the link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=2715791#post2715791

[42trvl]

simplycruisin - that's funny, I just answered your other post on Celebrity thread suggesting you check out other lines, including RCI and here you are;) . The ships mentioned here are the ones I was thinking of - they are supposed to be very nice. With weather so variable in Alaska, I think that it would be good to pick a ship that has lots of areas with good viewing from the inside also. The Celebrity Summit had a great lounge for that, but they changed it into a more theater type bar for Cirque du Soleil, which I understand has affected (negatively) the "scenery" quite a bit.

[wolfcathorse]

We cruised RCI's Vision of the Seas 6-10-05 to Alaska and saw whales every day. I think the whales will be heading south by now. I loved the ship, the scenery was incredible, and the crew magnificent. The wether was typical Alaskan weather (July is warmest), but hey, we were there for the wildlife. We did the 13 day cruisetour to Denali and as far as we're concerned Alaska is the only cruise destination for us. Watch out for all those "jewelry stores", they're all owned by the cruiselines and Alaska isn't about huge loose gem stones! In Ketchikan, there are 78 jewelry stores and only 1 that is locally owned. We never had a bad meal anywhere. Eat at the Fish Company in Skagway, that's where I fell in love with Summer Ale from the Alaskan Brewing Co. Dog sledding is best on a glacier (we did it in Skagway at a mushers camp and was disappointed). In Juneau we did the Mendenall Glacier Float trip and Mt Roberts tramway. Do your whale watching excursion at Icy St Point, that's where we saw Orcas coming out of the water feeding on a school of fish. Food on land is expensive but that's the price of living in Alaska.

[Onessa]

Dog sledding is best on a glacier (we did it in Skagway at a mushers camp and was disappointed).

 

Most glacier mushing is closed by mid August - almost all by late August. Depends upon conditions, but the summers have been SO warm the last few summers that everything has had to close really early.