OCD Planner's Live ALASKA Photo Trip Report 16 day Cruise Tour aboard Radiance

[ace1zoe2]

Teen Compass:

 

 

 

 

 

Spa Promotion on First Day Only:

 

 

Spa Menu & Pricing:

 

[ace1zoe2]

Salon Menu & Pricing:

 

 

Laundry Services & Pricing:

 

 

Wash & Fold Special is on about the 4th or 5th day. They will leave a paper bag just a bit smaller than a pillow case and everything you can fit in it they will wash & fold for $25 (less $5 C&A coupon from booklet). It is meant for socks, underwear, tshirts, swim suits but many have reported they have included actual clothing and/or jeans and have not been charged extra for those items:

 

 

Ok, I think that finishes up all 108 pages of literature that I uploaded last night for your reading pleasure :)

 

I will try to post a final wrap-up with my overall thoughts about the cruise, food, service, cleaniness, etc. later today or this weekend. Until then, Happy Sails!

Edited June 21, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[masonpips]

Thanks! Was just about to ask about the laundry bag special! Definitely on that for this trip as we're staying another week and trying to pack less/wear more!

[Lorey2007]

Can you tell me which side of the ship was facing the port while docked?

[ace1zoe2]

Thanks! Was just about to ask about the laundry bag special! Definitely on that for this trip as we're staying another week and trying to pack less/wear more!

 

We didn't use it on this trip since we were on the ship last & were coming home just a few days later. However, on our last 11 night cruise in Canada with 2 pre & 2 post cruise nights we did take advantage of the Wash & Fold Special and it helped out a lot.

 

Have fun on your trip!

[ace1zoe2]

Can you tell me which side of the ship was facing the port while docked?

 

 

Lorey,

 

I'm not certain because I never paid attention. I would think the "port side" or left side of the ship in most cases but can't say for sure. There was one tender port in ISP/Hoonah.

 

We normal said at the very aft of the ship so I never think about which side. We get to watch everything as we sail away each day :)

 

Sorry I couldn't help more - maybe someone who does know will respond.

[ace1zoe2]

This is not a very flattering picture of my backside, and I meant to post it while I was posting pictures of the ship. I just wanted to point out for all those folks who are concerned about the possibility of one falling overboard... I am average height female 5'5" and the balcony rails hit me at my underarms... there is no way physically possible that I can "fall" overboard. The only way anyone is going overboard is thru sheer stupidity or foul play. And by sheer stupidity I mean horsing around, standing on a table or chair, climbing on top of or sitting on the railing (having climbed on something to get up there) or by consuming too much alcohol and not being able to make a rational decision regarding your behavior. So do not worry about "falling" overboard... it ain't gonna happen!

 

[dubaihammer]

As we are taking exactly the same trip in August (Cruisetour #13 followed by the southbound cruise), I would like to thank you for such a comprehensive review. I have had difficulty finding any detailed information on the land tour but you have managed to answer all of my questions.

I hope that we enjoy the trip as much as you have.

[watertraveler]

Ooops!:eek: You are right. I overlapped Cindi's response.

 

Cindi, it has long been a question of our whether to go with the little guys (we traveled on Cruise West to the Sea of Cortez and I rank that as one of the best we've been on) or to travel with RCCL. We hope to be traveling with a group of friends, who I know wouldn't be comfortable on a small ship, so you have answered a very big question for me.

 

It looks like from all your planning that I am NOT starting too soon:D although some of my friends would disagree.

 

Thanks again.

Nancy

[ace1zoe2]

As we are taking exactly the same trip in August (Cruisetour #13 followed by the southbound cruise), I would like to thank you for such a comprehensive review. I have had difficulty finding any detailed information on the land tour but you have managed to answer all of my questions.

I hope that we enjoy the trip as much as you have.

 

So glad I could help answer some of your questions! You will have a fabulous time in Alaska :)

[enidcruiser]

While reading this my DH said go ahead and book for Aug. 2014 so I am in the process of getting the folder and spreadsheet started. Oh joy.

 

Since we are in Houston the flights will probably be different but that is the part I have the most questions about. I do obsess about some things.

Fly to Seattle, then on the Anchorage, that's OK. We plan Mon thru Fri land tour.

But the trip back, getting to Seattle from Vancouver and then home????

 

Did you have RCCL arrange all of your flights? If you did not, was it cheaper to do your own flight arrangements?

 

Once I get that part straight, then I have to get the land portion set in my mind.

Oh my gosh, so much to do and so little time. Ha ha ha, over 400 days out and I am in a stew.

One more question: you mention 3 in 1 jackets, what brand did you get?

Thanks for all your detail planning that you shared with us.

 

I so enjoyed the entire thread.

[ace1zoe2]

Ooops!:eek: You are right. I overlapped Cindi's response.

 

Cindi, it has long been a question of our whether to go with the little guys (we traveled on Cruise West to the Sea of Cortez and I rank that as one of the best we've been on) or to travel with RCCL. We hope to be traveling with a group of friends, who I know wouldn't be comfortable on a small ship, so you have answered a very big question for me.

 

It looks like from all your planning that I am NOT starting too soon:D although some of my friends would disagree.

 

Thanks again.

Nancy

 

You can never start planning TOO early! Have fun.

[Grandma of 13]

Any suggestions for things to see on the RR part of the trip?

Edited June 22, 2013 by Grandma of 13
Wasn't correct

[ace1zoe2]

While reading this my DH said go ahead and book for Aug. 2014 so I am in the process of getting the folder and spreadsheet started. Oh joy.

 

Since we are in Houston the flights will probably be different but that is the part I have the most questions about. I do obsess about some things.

Fly to Seattle, then on the Anchorage, that's OK. We plan Mon thru Fri land tour.

But the trip back, getting to Seattle from Vancouver and then home????

 

Did you have RCCL arrange all of your flights? If you did not, was it cheaper to do your own flight arrangements?

 

Once I get that part straight, then I have to get the land portion set in my mind.

Oh my gosh, so much to do and so little time. Ha ha ha, over 400 days out and I am in a stew.

One more question: you mention 3 in 1 jackets, what brand did you get?

Thanks for all your detail planning that you shared with us.

 

I so enjoyed the entire thread.

 

I did all the flights myself. I did everything thru Alaska Airlines after getting their credit card because it comes with an annual companion fare for around $99 + taxes/fees. I saved round $900 I think doing it this way.

 

Since we did a land tour that started in Fairbanks we flew DFW to SEA to FAI on the way up. On the way home we flew YVR (Vancouver) to SEA to DFW.

 

We purchased the Northface 3-in-1 jackets. They were great because we could zip them apart & used the fleece liner the most, then used just the outer coat which is waterproof on the misty day in Vancouver, then used them all together in Seward & ISP when we were out on the water doing whale watching & wildllife tours. These are jackets which we can continue to use together & separately here in Texas in the fall & winter. We also purchased them when the winter clearance was going on this past year & were able to save $ by doing it then.

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Any suggestions for things to see on the RR part of the trip?

 

If you are asking for suggestions of things to see on the Railroad portion of the trip and recommend purchasing the "Ride Guide to the Historic Alaska Railroad" for $5 when you board the train. It a small paper back booklet, 61 pages, featuring maps, photos, milestones and mile-by-mile route logs from Seward to Fairbanks.

 

There will be a train host aboard your car that will tell you some history of the area & point things out along the way as well.

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

thank you:):):)

 

You are so welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

I have the following items available that were given to us during our trip by various welcome centers ,etc. I hate to just throw it out as it is all brand new. If you have a trip booked and are visiting these areas and could actually use any of these items, please send me an email at cindyhall @ me dot com with what you want and an address to send it to and I will be happy to share them with you.

 

1. Ketchikan - 2013 Official Historical Ketchikan Walking Tour Map

 

2. Girdwood (Alyeska) - 2013 Business Directory & Map, Glacier Valley Bus Schedule (I have 2 of these)

 

3. Misty Fjords (Ketchikan) Flight Guide

 

4. Icy Strait Point Map with what to do, where to eat & shop

 

5. Alaska Activity Map featuring Anchorage and things to do & see in towns around Anchorage

 

6. Ketchikan - Map of Ketchikan Gateway Borough & Ketchikan, AK

 

7. Alaska Official State Map (great for anyone doing a DIY land tour)

 

8. 2013 Toursaver Book -

 

TSB - all coupons intact other than Fountainhead Auto Museum, Glacier Gardens, Taquan Air Misty Fjords Floatplane, Adventure Karts and Hoonah Travel Adventures Whale Watching. It's probably too late to use most of them because they only allow 1 coupon per tour and its first come first serve in the bookings (I booked mine in January & some were already unavailable for the tour times I wanted) However, there are some free gift coupons in the souvenir shops, some museums that can be used on a walk up basis, some for hotels, lodges, dinners, fishing tours, etc. Some people resale the books on Ebay and it not allowed to offer for resale on CC. Therefore I am not selling mine... but offering to give it to someone who would actually use it for themselves and not try to make money off of it. I got my monies worth out of it by using the coupons that I used. The coupons are only good for 2013 and must be intact in the book and torn out only by the vendor. So unless you are going on your cruise in 2013 please do not ask for the book. You can visit the Alaska Toursavers website to see all the coupons that are in the book.

 

I may find other stuff when I finally get thru everything I have yet to put up. If so I will post those items later on.

 

 

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[pspercy]

But the trip back, getting to Seattle from Vancouver and then home????

 

Amtrak runs between the two as do various bus/coach companies:

http://www.amtrak.com/cascades-train

http://www.quickcoach.com/

[lah66]

WOW Cindy!! Job very well done! I know it took you countless hours to do this review but you will be helping others to plan their Alaskan adventures for years to come! Your photography skills are those of a seasoned professional! All the tips you have provided in this review will save all of us a lot of planning time, tons of money and will help us make the most of our precious vacation time! Many, many Thanks!

I cannot wait for your European cruise...have you ever thought about doing a Europe planning thread? Europe port planning is nothing like Caribbean port planning and even though I consider myself somewhat of an OCD planner, I am overwhelmed! The options are endless! I would love to follow along as you plan your European cruise!

 

We have canceled our Caribbean cruise (extended family couldnt go) out of NYC this fall, but we will celebrate Brookes HS graduation the week before Christmas at WDW, and then Mike and I are returning to New Orleans (we were there 25 years ago where he proposed on a Riverboat!) in February for a Norwegian cruise to Belize,Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. We are dying to get back on a cruise ship!!

 

I hope you and Charlie have a great summer! I look forward to cruising with you both again! Until then, keep those fantastic reviews coming!

 

Lauri (and Mike)

[enidcruiser]

But the trip back, getting to Seattle from Vancouver and then home????

 

Amtrak runs between the two as do various bus/coach companies:

http://www.amtrak.com/cascades-train

http://www.quickcoach.com/

 

Thanks to Cindy and pspercy for the travel information.

[mlfallis]

Thanks so much for all your work. I have been following since day one just haven't had a chance to post yet.

 

One quick question did you have to book your cruise tour as soon as you booked your stateroom? Or can you wait and book the tour later? I am looking at 2016 but I already know what room we want but the cruise tour we probably won't. Also is the addition of the cruise tour the same no matter what stateroom you have booked or is it dependent on what level of stateroom you have?

 

TIA

[ace1zoe2]

Thanks so much for all your work. I have been following since day one just haven't had a chance to post yet.

 

One quick question did you have to book your cruise tour as soon as you booked your stateroom? Or can you wait and book the tour later? I am looking at 2016 but I already know what room we want but the cruise tour we probably won't. Also is the addition of the cruise tour the same no matter what stateroom you have booked or is it dependent on what level of stateroom you have?

 

TIA

 

I'm sorry that I can't answer your question. I just know that they did not allow any price adjustments on the cruise tour price when the cabin price dropped and others got price reductions. You could possibly convert your cabin to a cruise tour but I would almost bet you'd have to pay whatever the rate is at that time.

 

I think you would need to call a CVP and ask that question directly to RCI to make sure you get the correct answer.

 

The cruise tours are priced as one trip and are priced like cabins (inside, outside, balcony, J/S, etc).

 

Thanks for following along since day one and for taking time to post & ask questions.

[S191Mustang]

Thanks for posting your adventure. We are leaving July 1st and boarding July 5th in Seward for our very first cruise.

 

Your post were most helpful and educational

 

John

[Trekker954]

ace1zoe2,

 

Really looking forward to your live review. We sail on the Radiance July 26 in 9256 :D. We have had this cabin before so we know what our view looks like.

 

I too am OCD when it comes to our cruises, like to budget and save when I can. Be happy to share some of the European tours we used after your review is over.

 

Really interested in your packing list. Are you using the dining room? I bet you explain everything as you go along.

 

Don't forget Deck 5 Promenade for Hubbard Glacier viewing.

 

Also, interested in what tours you do and what did in Skagway. We actually don't have anything planned for that day as we took the White Rail Pass tour with Dyea Dave last time. Short time in port so didn't want to do it again.

 

Have a wonderful time..... I am sitting back with my cup of coffee waiting to start the cruise.

 

You chose the best month to do this tour. We did Alaska southbound in mid July 2011 after extensive research for the best bear and whale viewing and we were not disappointed. We saw plenty of whales, even humpback from the comfort of our aft balcony as well as Diamond lounge. The best vacation and excursion EVER.

 

Do bring rain gear including rain pants if you plan to do any wildlife tours.

[newdestination]

Wonderfully detailed review! Thanks for taking the time to do it.

 

Carol