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

[rkak]

Thanks for all the details. I went on just the 7 day ship tour in 1985. Still gorgeous as ever.

 

I was surprised that on the tour portion everything was pay as you go. what was included? and what do you estimate you spent per day on the land portion? Does RCCL have any listings on the extra costs?

thanks

[rkak]

We've taken a number of European land tours in the past. They always included 1 -3 meals a day and at least one tour. I guess that's why I'm surprised. But, next year we'd like to do Alaska again. for-warned is for- armed.

[NEMMRRC]

I'm a day late and a dollar short.

 

I discovered this wonderful Alaska cruise resource a few days ago. We are going on our first Alaska cruise later in June. We are sailing Rhapsody.

 

There is a ton of great information, tips and suggestions herein. Thank you!

 

I had one question, I'm a newbie to Canon DSLRs (have been shooting Nikon for the last 5 years). You mentioned a 70-300 lens. Which one is it? I'm considering purchasing one for our cruise in June.

 

I'm too late to take advantage of the famed coupon book but did manage to score a highly coveted whale watching excursion with Marv and Harv.

[alyxkat]

If you have an iPod/iPad there is now an MP3 audio guide to Skagway and the highway (with excellent musical accompaniment, and geocaching information), for $8.99 - download The Bear Essentials Only US residents can download from that Amazon link, but the album is also available from iTunes.

 

hello! sounds like you had a wonderful trip! your pictures are just beautiful!

 

i was wondering if you ended up liking that mp3 audio guide. did it sync up well with your drive? or was it just something nice to listen to with general stories and details, but not a mile by mile guide? (i just purchased Murray's Guide, and i'm wondering if the audio guide would be a nice addition) :)

[ace1zoe2]

hello! sounds like you had a wonderful trip! your pictures are just beautiful!

 

i was wondering if you ended up liking that mp3 audio guide. did it sync up well with your drive? or was it just something nice to listen to with general stories and details, but not a mile by mile guide? (i just purchased Murray's Guide, and i'm wondering if the audio guide would be a nice addition) :)

 

 

I did listen to it before we left and intended to use it along the way. However with 5 people in the car talking it never worked out. I had the PDF on my iPad and I just read or told everyone what we were about to see or we're seeing. In hindsight I would have kept my $8.99.

[ace1zoe2]

I'm a day late and a dollar short.

 

 

 

I discovered this wonderful Alaska cruise resource a few days ago. We are going on our first Alaska cruise later in June. We are sailing Rhapsody.

 

 

 

There is a ton of great information, tips and suggestions herein. Thank you!

 

 

 

I had one question, I'm a newbie to Canon DSLRs (have been shooting Nikon for the last 5 years). You mentioned a 70-300 lens. Which one is it? I'm considering purchasing one for our cruise in June.

 

 

 

I'm too late to take advantage of the famed coupon book but did manage to score a highly coveted whale watching excursion with Marv and Harv.

 

 

My lens is a Canon EF 70-300mm 4-5.6 IS which was around $1k years ago when purchased. I think it now sells for around $650 at Best Buy as of today.

 

I considered renting a 400mm but it was going to cost around $400+ for the 2.5 weeks so I made do.

 

Enjoy your trip! You will be amazed.

[ace1zoe2]

We've taken a number of European land tours in the past. They always included 1 -3 meals a day and at least one tour. I guess that's why I'm surprised. But, next year we'd like to do Alaska again. for-warned is for- armed.

 

 

I'll take a look at my notes & see if I can give you some idea, they are on my computer at home.

 

Hope to get back with you within a few days.

[lagerfran]

HI, I'm reading this in May 2014 and have been planning my cruise to Alaska for years. We are leaving June 2015.

 

I wanted to thank you, so much, for your review. I feel much better about a lot of the choses I have already made and will be using a lot of your "hints" on others.

 

The photos were beautiful and I just can't wait to get to Alaska.

 

Again, Thanks

[cw2go]

Hello fellow OCD cruise planner :p

 

I followed this thread last year and just wanted to mention because of it I have done two cruise for 8-10 nights with only 1 carry-on and 1 backpack. Can't tell you how many people doubted me BUT I did it and provided pictures on my FB to prove to them all it can be done! So thanks to you for paying it forward and doing this detailed review because now I have saved big bucks in checked baggage fees.

 

Patty

[ace1zoe2]

HI, I'm reading this in May 2014 and have been planning my cruise to Alaska for years. We are leaving June 2015.

 

 

 

I wanted to thank you, so much, for your review. I feel much better about a lot of the choses I have already made and will be using a lot of your "hints" on others.

 

 

 

The photos were beautiful and I just can't wait to get to Alaska.

 

 

 

Again, Thanks

 

 

Thank you for taking time to read my trip report & comment.

 

You will have such fun in Alaska and the views are absolutely incredible!

[ace1zoe2]

Hello fellow OCD cruise planner :p

 

I followed this thread last year and just wanted to mention because of it I have done two cruise for 8-10 nights with only 1 carry-on and 1 backpack. Can't tell you how many people doubted me BUT I did it and provided pictures on my FB to prove to them all it can be done! So thanks to you for paying it forward and doing this detailed review because now I have saved big bucks in checked baggage fees.

 

Patty

 

 

 

Patty,

 

I'm so glad that the single checked bag & backpack worked for you too.

 

There's just some weird fear of not having anything & everything you might possibly need that leads us to overpack.

 

It is so freeing when you finally do it & proof to yourself that it can be done!

 

Thanks for taking time to post.

 

Cindy.

[Lorey2007]

I have been reading & rereading your fantastic review since you first posted it. Can you still order room service breakfast by selecting your items and placing the card on the door the night before?

 

Thanks again especially for all your wonderful tips.

[ace1zoe2]

I have been reading & rereading your fantastic review since you first posted it. Can you still order room service breakfast by selecting your items and placing the card on the door the night before?

 

 

 

Thanks again especially for all your wonderful tips.

 

 

Yes you can pre-order room service the way which you have described.

 

I'm glad that my trip report has helped a few people with the hints & money saving tips.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Lorey2007]

One last question before we begin our cruise tour next week. If any of your tour was with RCL on a tour bus do you know if they had wifi on the bus?

Thanks again.

[ace1zoe2]

One last question before we begin our cruise tour next week. If any of your tour was with RCL on a tour bus do you know if they had wifi on the bus?

Thanks again.

 

Part of our journey was by coach and no, there was no wi-fi available. However we just used our data since were were still in the states.

 

Have a fantastic time on your trip! I'm counting down the days until our Mediterranean Cruise...68 days until we fly out!

 

 

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[MrsK]

Thank you for such a great and detailed trip report.

 

We are doing back to back on the Radiance starting in mid August, and your report was very helpful.

 

Awesome pictures.

[ace1zoe2]

Thank you for such a great and detailed trip report.

 

We are doing back to back on the Radiance starting in mid August, and your report was very helpful.

 

Awesome pictures.

 

Thank you MrsK for taking time to read my review and for posting. Enjoy your trip. Radiance is a great ship and Alaska is amazing!

 

 

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[generaljar]

Great info!

 

Any chance you know what a Tundra Wilderness Tour is? It's listed as an upgrade, but I can't find other info. It is an option in Fairbanks.

 

Thanks.

[ras2007]

A Tundra Wilderness Tour is a longer alternative to the Natural History Tour -- that is the Wildlife tour in Denali Park. You go deeper into the park and it takes about 7-8 hrs and costs more but so worth it just for the scenery -- you get a boxed lunch...Recommend the morning tour in summer if schedule allows -- more bear sightings in the cooler mornings.

 

Your cruiseline (I was on Princess) should get you from Fairbanks to Denali then in Denalt you are on the equivalent of school buses.

[ace1zoe2]

Arriving in Denali, Sunday day 3

 

Our cruise tour included the National History Tour in the inclusive price. However, during all my planning research i learned that it is the least desirable tour as it only gets you a few miles into the park. There was an opportunity to upgrade to the Tundra Wilderness Tour thru RCI for $59 per person but you couldn't do that until you arrived in Alaska and were on the cruise tour... since I am OCD about planning I couldn't wait until I got there to take a chance on getting into the park. We finally decided about 6 weeks prior to departure that we would ditch the NHT and book the Eielson Shuttle thru the National Park. The last departure of the day is at 2pm and arrives back at 10pm. Our train is scheduled to arrive in the park at 12:15. We will need to get to the Visitors Access Center to pick up our pre-paid tickets, stop at the Merino Grill to get a sandwich or box lunch & dinner for the shuttle.

 

 

Basic description of the different tours offered:

 

The NHT that came with our cruise tour is a 5 hr tour that goes 17 miles into Denali and includes a presentation prior to the tour. It is on a tour-type bus and includes a light snack & beverage. If booked on your own it is $77.50 per person which includes the $10 park entrance fee.

 

There is also a Tundra Wilderness Tour which goes 53 miles in to the park and takes 7-8 hours. The tour buses for the NHT & TWT also feature drop down video screens where they feature any wildlife spotted. Cost for this tour is $125.50 per person including the $10 park entrance fee for those of you not doing a cruise tour. This is the one you can upgrade to on the cruise tour. They will ask who wants to upgrade once you are on the train. Then they call the park and reserve you spots. Out of our 30 tour companions I'd say only 8-10 upgraded and we were the only ones who went off on our own to do the Eielson shuttle.

 

We chose to do the standard shuttle bus operated by the park. They are your standard school buses. We chose the shuttle to Eielson Visitors Center which is an 8 hour trip that goes 66 miles into the park with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. There are no video monitors and you are recommended to bring binoculars. Luckily our grown kids purchased hubby a nice pair of binoculars for an early birthday/father's day gift. I have my 70-300 zoom lens on my camera to get right up close and personal, hopefully :) Also on a clear day, this tour offers outstanding views of Mt. McKinley.

 

Reservations are highly recommended as these tours do sell out. If you wait until you arrive it is possible that you will be turned away or have to take a tour that is not what you wanted.

 

The shuttle buses do not offer the food/snack but there is The Merino Grill available to grab a box lunch to go. Also at the Wilderness Access Center there is Taiga Bean Coffee Shop that offers fair trade Starbucks Coffee, box lunches, and other grab and go snacks.

 

More information is available on the Denali website

 

We arrived in the park at noon and were able to ride the RCI coach to the Merino Grill were we picked up food for lunch & the 8 hr drive. (We actually could have walked quicker) They had hot food and indoor & outdoor dining. We just grabbed food to go. We purchased 2 sandwiches ($9ea) 2 chips ($2ea), 2 candy bars ($2ea) some mini muffins ($2), a container of celery & carrots ($3) & a reusable bag ($1) and it totaled $29, we discovered later that she may have missed charging us for the veggies. We shared a sandwich and chips for lunch and had some of the veggies. The rest is for our dinner on the go. Once you leave the visitor's center there is no other food available in the park. Water is not available again until you arrive at the Eielson visitor's center.

 

After getting our provisions we headed to the park shuttle stop and took the Riley River shuttle to the Wilderness Access Center (WAC) where we picked up our pre purchased tickets. I asked for & received a $20 refund for the park admission which was charged on top of the shuttle ticket price since we were already paid thru RCI.

 

We went to the outdoor waiting area to have our lunch and right afterward the Eielson shuttle showed up. We asked if it was the 2 o'clock shuttle because it had just turned one o'clock. The guy said no, it's the one o'clock but if we were ready we could hop on as they had plenty of room. We lucked out, this will get us back at 9 now instead of 10 and we can catch the last shuttle back to the hotel.

 

Before we reached Eielson we had seen around 20 Caribou, a moose, 7 Dall sheep, the male & female state bird or Alaska, a sow bear and 2 cubs all before Toklat.

 

 

 

On the way back we saw first another bear right near the road having dinner. Then a golden eagle and finally two more bears up on the side of the hill. So a total of 6 bear in one day! Then about 15 minutes before we got back to the WAC we saw first a moma & baby moose in the edge of the river, and finally another moose out in the brush. Our driver said we were very lucky on all the wildlife that we got to see in one visit.

 

 

 

 

I believe our driver said Eielson just opened up yesterday. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was as thick as pea soup outside. You couldn't see anything... the clouds were just hanging around the mountains. It was very wet outside and so I didn't get any good pictures. We stopped several times on the way up. There are bathroom facilities at 2 of the stops and at Eielson. Only Eielson has running water. There have hand liquid sanitizers on the walls in the restrooms. The bathrooms were all very clean and very well maintained.

 

We had a great day in Denali and feel fortunate to have gotten to take this trip. At the end of the day when we returned to the WAC it was closed as it was after 9pm. We had missed the final shuttle so I called the McKinley Village where we would be staying so that they could send the pre-arranged shuttle that I had called about. They told me it was on the way. 30 minutes and 3 phone calls later we ended up in shuttle for a hostel that offered to drop us at MV.

 

 

 

Above are the descriptions of the various tours. Even though your cruise tour may include a specific tour you can opt to do different things on your own. Just be sure to let your tour leader know what you will be doing and you can meet back up at the hotel later on.

 

The cruise line will give you the option of upgrading to the TWT before your get to the park.

 

Cindy

 

 

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[gottogocruisin]

Cindy this post may be a surprise to your fabulous trip to Alaska, but I saved your total vacation in my favorites and I have read it numerous times. It has been my inspiration to make sure we do go to Alaska. We are now planning to do this in September 2018. As soon as Royal releases their Alaska cruises we are ready to book thanks for your posts. Again thanks so much for sharing your cruise.

Kay

[GEARADRIFT]

Cindy, I am only up to page 15 of this report, but wanted to thank you for being OCD. My wife and I will be cruising this August (2017) Southbound along with another couple whom we have cruised with before, and are very much looking forward to this trip/cruise. It may be my 20 years in the service, but I must plan it out in advance. If we change it along the way, no problem. But, start with a plan! I have shared your packing list, etc. and it is a great help. It has everyone thinking ahead. The 2nd week of January, I made mention that it was time to start thinking about 'packing.' So many of the items that you have on your list we just drop them in a large plastic storage bin with that item checked off the list. I always try to get the 'low hanging fruit' (little items) completed early. Looking forward to reading the rest of your Cruise Tour. We are not going to be doing any RCI Pre-Cruise Itinerary. We are planning a couple extra days in ANC and opted to head down to Victoria, BC area (Butchart Gardens) for a few days once we arrive Canada Place. We found a Coach/Ferry Service that leaves Canada Place and will take you downtown Victoria. Let me get back to reading. Thanks Again.

[ace1zoe2]

Cindy this post may be a surprise to your fabulous trip to Alaska, but I saved your total vacation in my favorites and I have read it numerous times. It has been my inspiration to make sure we do go to Alaska. We are now planning to do this in September 2018. As soon as Royal releases their Alaska cruises we are ready to book thanks for your posts. Again thanks so much for sharing your cruise.

 

Kay

 

 

 

Kay thanks so much for posting. You are going to love Alaska. Even looking at the pictures is no comparison to actually seeing it in person! I'm not one to re-visit places I've already been (too many other places I need to see!) but Alaska was the exception. I hope to cruise there again someday and if not when we hit the road in our RV after retirement I'd love to spend a month there.

 

2018 will be here before you know it!

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Cindy, I am only up to page 15 of this report, but wanted to thank you for being OCD. My wife and I will be cruising this August (2017) Southbound along with another couple whom we have cruised with before, and are very much looking forward to this trip/cruise. It may be my 20 years in the service, but I must plan it out in advance. If we change it along the way, no problem. But, start with a plan! I have shared your packing list, etc. and it is a great help. It has everyone thinking ahead. The 2nd week of January, I made mention that it was time to start thinking about 'packing.' So many of the items that you have on your list we just drop them in a large plastic storage bin with that item checked off the list. I always try to get the 'low hanging fruit' (little items) completed early. Looking forward to reading the rest of your Cruise Tour. We are not going to be doing any RCI Pre-Cruise Itinerary. We are planning a couple extra days in ANC and opted to head down to Victoria, BC area (Butchart Gardens) for a few days once we arrive Canada Place. We found a Coach/Ferry Service that leaves Canada Place and will take you downtown Victoria. Let me get back to reading. Thanks Again.

 

 

 

Thank you for taking time to read & respond. If it's easier you can go to my blog (link in signature) where it's all posted without all the comments. I also made each day a different post.

 

Oh and by the way we visited Butchart Garden on a NW Coastal Cruise so there are posts about Victoria & Vancouver on my blog as well. That so far is my favorite botanical garden visit to date.

 

Have fun planning! That's half the fun.

 

 

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[gottogocruisin]

Kay thanks so much for posting. You are going to love Alaska. Even looking at the pictures is no comparison to actually seeing it in person! I'm not one to re-visit places I've already been (too many other places I need to see!) but Alaska was the exception. I hope to cruise there again someday and if not when we hit the road in our RV after retirement I'd love to spend a month there.

 

2018 will be here before you know it!

 

 

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So glad you saw my post. Thanks for responding and thank you for all you do to help all of us with our future cruises. Would love to talk to you about all your adventures. Wish we were close. I am so glad that it got onto page one after all these years and hope the so many read it over and over as so many of us have.

Kay