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

[luvsun22]

Your Jr. Suite looks great and your photos are wonderful! I can't wait to see all the rest of them!

[BecciBoo]

Video was fabulous! Thanks to Cindy you could cut the excitement in the air around here with a knife! It feels like we are doing a B2B with our next week in September! LOL!

I did all our check in online yesterday! Getting close now with only

84 days to go...woohoo...does that sound silly?;)

[Seagalpat]

My husband wants to know.....casino open? He wondered as ship really doesn't go into international waters.....or does it....???

 

 

54 days and counting! then look out Alaska here we come!

[BecciBoo]

Ends up in Canada for that very reason. Same with Hawaii which visits Ensenada Mex. before getting back to US

Edited June 14, 2013 by BecciBoo

[Seagalpat]

Thank you, although how he can do anything other than watch all of nature cruising by I haven't a clue???? I know I don't want to miss a thing!

:D

[hxhbk]

My husband wants to know.....casino open? He wondered as ship really doesn't go into international waters.....or does it....???

 

 

54 days and counting! then look out Alaska here we come!

 

The casino (and the onboard shops) opened once we cleared the 3 nautical miles separation from shore. At least this is what I recalled the ship's captain explanation yesterday,

[Barbiegator]

We will be following your foot steps excursion by excursion we too have the Misty Fjords float plane booked out of Ketchikan :)

So hope you get to do the float plane. Too foggy when we were there and too late to book anything else.The only disappointment on our Alaskan Trip.

[ace1zoe2]

Cindy,

I may have missed but did you mention which JS you have? We rode Radiance from Vancouver to Hawaii last September and had 1602. I spent many an hour with my kindle back there, loved it. :D

Bill

 

Bill,

 

We were also in 1602, our first time in a JS, and we LOVED it! Hope I can go back to a regular balcony :)

 

 

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[PCWalton1]

Bill,

 

We were also in 1602, our first time in a JS, and we LOVED it! Hope I can go back to a regular balcony :)

 

 

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I don't know either. Last two cruises for us since Radiance have been Jewel (1602 again) and Allure 6648 (another JS). :D

 

Bill

[ace1zoe2]

My husband wants to know.....casino open? He wondered as ship really doesn't go into international waters.....or does it....???

 

 

54 days and counting! then look out Alaska here we come!

 

Yes the casino was open after we were 3 miles out in open water. We only went on the last night to do our free pulls from the coupon book. We won t-shirt & 2 key chains :)

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

So hope you get to do the float plane. Too foggy when we were there and too late to book anything else.The only disappointment on our Alaskan Trip.

 

It was foggy in the morning time but by the time we went at 3:15 it was fine. It was incredibly beautiful!

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

I don't know either. Last two cruises for us since Radiance have been Jewel (1602 again) and Allure 6648 (another JS). :D

 

Bill

 

That's not a good sign :)

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Here are the pictures that went with my last post about Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is the Blue Bus that you read about on the boards. You can take this shuttle from near the port to Mendenhall and back. I think the price is $12 round trip if I remember correctly.

 

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Video was fabulous! Thanks to Cindy you could cut the excitement in the air around here with a knife! It feels like we are doing a B2B with our next week in September! LOL!

I did all our check in online yesterday! Getting close now with only

84 days to go...woohoo...does that sound silly?;)

 

Glad you enjoyed the video. It was an awesome tour. We could not have ask for any more!

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

After leaving Mendenhall we made a loop of the area and stopped for photos at SKATER'S CABIN which is near Auke Lake.

 

 

 

Next we drove to CHAPEL BY THE LAKE for the scenic views I had read about on line... I didn't find any... There were lots of trees. Church was in session as it was Sunday... The church itself was scenic but I didn't want to be disrespectful so we didn't stop for pics.

 

On the way to our next stop at The Shrine of Saint Therese we got an ADDED FREE BONUS!!!

 

 

 

We saw this bear right next to the highway outside someone's back fence having himself a fine lunch of dandelions! We spent about 15 minutes there on the side of the road inching our way up as others moved on, until finally we were in the prime photography location. Then he decided to mosey on into the woods next door and our wildlife sighting of the day was over... for now at least.

 

Next up was the SHRINE OF SAINT THERESE. The chapel held its first mass in 1941 and is open daily 8:30am - 10pm for visitors. There is also a grotto trail that you can walk, a prayer labyrinth, gardens, stations of the cross and a small gift shop whose sales fund the church but it was not open while we were there. They also accept donations. For more information about this stop you can visit their website at shrineofsainttherese.org

 

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[narsibvl]

It was foggy in the morning time but by the time we went at 3:15 it was fine. It was incredibly beautiful!

 

 

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Ours is 12:00 - 2:00 - Will let you guys know how it goes :)

[ace1zoe2]

Following the Shrine we drove on out to JENSEN-OLSON ARBORETUM which is just a couple of minutes further down the road. It is a small botanical garden which is open Wed-Sun from 9am-5pm & free to the public. This was probably only a 15 minute stop. if you enjoy flowers its worth the stop (in my opinion, i thought it was a very nice FREE adventure. More information is available on their website http://www.juneau.org/parkrec/arboretum-main.php

 

 

 

 

On the way back in to town we stopped at the harbor and had lunch at the Hot Bite which is a burger and shakes place that I had read about on Trip Advisor or Yelp.

 

 

 

 

As all food in Alaska it was a little pricey but the food was good. We had another beautiful day and so we took advantage and sat outside where we were treated to our next wildlife sighting...

[Tkaklita]

Love the Bear!!!! Gorgeous shots of the shrine and icebergs too!!

[ace1zoe2]

a BALD EAGLE!

 

 

the harbor area:

 

 

After lunch we returned to the town of Juneau to visit GLACIER GARDENS. This was my personal favorite stop of the day. I LOVE flowers and this was something to see. We purchased our tickets online before leaving home for $24.95 per person from

glaciergardens.com. I didn't realize it at the time, but I also had a BOGO coupon in the Alaska Toursaver book I found a few days before we left home. I gave them a quick call before we left and they credited the extra $24.95 back to my credit card.

 

We did the tour of the gardens which features their upside-down-flower-trees, which are just unbelievably beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

After the walking tour you get into a covered vehicles and you pass thru the Tongass National Rainforest on your way to the top of Thunder Mountain 580ft up for 200 degree views of Taku Inlet and Downtown Juneau on the southern end, past the Gastineau Channel, Mendenhall State Game Refuge and Douglas Island immediately in front, and north to the Mendenhall Valley and the magnificent Chilkat Mountains on the horizon.

 

 

 

 

Our group at the top of the mountain. From left to right, Sharon, Debbie (my hubby's friend from high school), me, hubby and Elijah (hubby's best friend from high school & our best man from our wedding almost 33 years ago)

 

 

Our 3rd wildlife sighting of the day (and the first time I'd ever seen one) was a porcupine! Right after I snapped this picture he turned around, quills up... guess he didn't appreciate the flash in his face!

 

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Following that wonderful view you are taken to the indoor gardens and gift shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the ceiling of the gift shop:

 

 

Hours are daily from 9am-5:30pm. Tickets are $24.95 for adults and $16.95 for kids age 6-12.

 

I guess what amazed me most about this place is that it belongs to a husband and wife. He plants all the plants by himself each year in the early spring. In the fall he hires people to help him bring them all back in to his greenhouse. Just amazing.

 

I had planned for us to visit the MCCAULEY SALMON HATCHERY or DIPAC as it is known locally. Our group of 5 could tour for $15 ($3 each) for around 30 minutes. There is a gift shop with all sorts of salmon products to purchase. Hours are Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat-Sun 10-5, Admission $3.25 adults, $1.75 kids 12 & under. There is also a "Nooks & Crannies" tour with behind the scenes tour & commentary for $10.50 adults, $5.25 kids. Groups of 5 are $15.

 

Website: dipac.net/New%20VC%20Website/visit.html

 

That was my original plan, but our friend Elijah had been on a previous cruise and he said it wasn't that exciting when the salmon were running. Since they weren't running yet I figured that it would be even less interesting so we decided to skip it and move on.

[bigkauhuna]

Thank you for the wonderful review of your land tour and cruise. We have put this on our bucket list. We have done two Alaska cruises and I now know that I definatly want to do the land tour and cruise.

[ace1zoe2]

By this time, after all the touring, we were feeling a wee bit parched... so where better to stop than the ALASKA BREWING COMPANY where we could enjoy a tour and FREE beer! I don't even drink beer (think wine snob) but hey, it was FREE! There were multiple brews available and it was a packed. They have a small gift shop inside we you can buy tshirts and such. The tours are free but tips are welcome - all tips are donated to charity! Last year they donated over $15,000 to a local non-profit. Summer hours are 11am-6pm. By the way, I tried one beer, but like I thought, I didn't like beer... I'll just stick with my red wine. Too bad there wasn't a local winery tour.

 

**NEW** Now you can take a direct shuttle from the downtown Alaskan Brewing Depot to our Brewery and Tasting Room! For $7.50/person each way, Liquid Alaska Tours will provide hourly transportation between our locations. The shuttle departs from the Depot at :40 past each hour, beginning at 10:40 am. Learn more and guarantee your spot by visiting us at the Depot when you arrive in Juneau, or book online at alaska-shoreexcursions.com! *Note: The Liquid Alaska Tours Shuttle runs May-September only.

 

For more information about Alaska Beer visit there website here:

http://www.alaskanbeer.com/our-brewery/visit-the-brewery/tours-a-tasting-bar.html

 

 

 

 

 

Our final drive was over to DOUGLAS ISLAND for some beautiful views. I had seen an article about this place online somewhere in all my research and figured since we were in the area we'd take 5 minutes and stop for a picture. The facade is made of old skis that a man purchases from the high school ski team as a fund raiser for them. He adds to it each year... I thought it was pretty neat.

 

 

There were 3 ships in port today. I believe they were from left to right, Silver Seas, Radiance of the Seas & Rhapsody of the Seas. This picture was taken from Douglas Island:

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

After stopping to get gas ($4.32/gal, $13 to fill back up), we dropped our friends back at the shopping area near port and we drove down & turned in the rental car, then walked back to the port area where i shopped for my Juneau Christmas ornament & took a few pictures. Total cost of day in Juneau was $75 for the car ($15pp) plus $25 for Glacier Gardens. We all thought that was quite a bargain for all that we got to see & do.

 

This is a picture of the Mt Robert's tramway located right on the docks. It was directly in front of our ship.

 

 

The day was beautiful & clear but we decided to skip the tram ride.

 

This is the Tracy's Crab Shack that everyone talks about, it is also right off the docks:

 

 

I had originally wanted to eat dinner here but then found out that crab season is in the winter so everything is frozen... which I can get back home. We were back on the ship around 6:15pm. Since we were already late for our early seating we decided to try out Rita's Cantina. The service was good and it was not busy. The chips were good, the salsa was bland. We ordered the guacamole not knowing that our entrees both came with a scoop on the side. The guacamole was very blended (smooth... No texture at all) and I can't honestly recommend it. Hubby ordered the beef fajita crunchy tacos and I ordered the chicken fajita quesadillas. To us the food was ok but not something that we would pay to do again... Now let me just say it may have a lot to do with the fact that we are from Texas, the TEX-MEX capital and we have awesome Mexican food at home.

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Rita's Menus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner we relaxed our our balcony and then we were off to bed because... you guessed it... we have another early day tomorrow!

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by ace1zoe2