Radiance Alaska Review (WITH LOTS OF PHOTOS)

[DT1304]

Fantastic review!! We have been debating the Up to the Summitt excursion in Skagway in July, and your photos and reviews have convinced me to add it on. Can't wait to see the rest...

 

You wont be disappointed. It was a great way to see everything that you would see on the much longer train ride.

 

And hopefully you get Paul Druin as your tour guide. He was amazing.

[DT1304]

Thank you!!!! We leave TOMORROW on the same cruise!! After 11 hours from wakeup in Ks City we are relaxing in our room in Vancouver! Perfect timing to finish your sea days!!!!

 

Have a fantastic cruise. I know you will!!!

 

I am sorry that I have not managed to comlete the review in full before you leave, as I will not get to complete Seward and the train to Anchorage before the end of the weekend.

 

All I will say is that Seward was amazing, and if you have one day and want to "see it all" then the Real Alaska full day tour done through Seaveys is the way to go. Summer dog sled ride, play with puppies, lunch, exit glacier etc etc. Well worth it and something I would make sure I do again.

[dani negreanu]

You have a great memory.

 

You are really in for a treat with this cruise. I wish I could be doing it again, coming on my original date.

 

You will get to see lots more in terms of salmon and wildlife going on 26th July.

 

Have a good flight over from Israel.

 

YEP, we're looking at 18 hours net flight time...:eek: Tel-Aviv-Toronto-Vancouver. At least we're taking a night flight. I hope that Alaska is as much as breathtaking as were the Norvegian fjords/Amalfi coast (which, let's face it, are much more closer "home" - 4-5 hours flight:))

[avalon007]

YEP, we're looking at 18 hours net flight time...:eek: Tel-Aviv-Toronto-Vancouver. At least we're taking a night flight. I hope that Alaska is as much as breathtaking as were the Norvegian fjords/Amalfi coast (which, let's face it, are much more closer "home" - 4-5 hours flight:))

 

 

I hear you on the flight times, we are doing 14 hours Sydney - Vancouver - wait in the air port 4 hours then another 3.5 - 4 to Anchorage.

 

A long tiring journey, but we are sailing all the way home to Sydney after that so no return flights, hooray!:D

[Iluvcruising2]

Great review with very nice pictures.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[dani negreanu]

I hear you on the flight times, we are doing 14 hours Sydney - Vancouver - wait in the air port 4 hours then another 3.5 - 4 to Anchorage. A long tiring journey, but we are sailing all the way home to Sydney after that so no return flights, hooray!:D

 

Avalon - The best will be no flights at all... just cruising Sydney - Vancouver - Sydney... with nice stops in Hawai, Tahiti... and anything in between.:) Enjoy!!

[DT1304]

OK, lets see how much more I can get done this morning....

 

We woke up on Friday morning, 7 June, and went for a quick breakfast in the Windjammer. We had a tour booked that would only start at 11am after the train from Anchorage arrived, so I tried to arrange as late a time as possible to get off the ship.

 

We were allocated 8:20am but knew from the previous time that if we run a little late it would not be a huge issue.

 

By 8:25 we were ready to get off anyway. I hate just sitting around knowing that you have to get off anyway. If we had to go, lets just get moving. So we made our way down to get off the ship, picked up my ulu knife that was waiting at security, and walked off the ship. Simple as that. No lines, no efforts, just a very quick exit and walk through to pick up our luggage.

 

 

Before I describe our day in Sewrad, let me give a brief overview of everything so far:

 

First few days in Anaheim: Lots of fun for the kids of all ages. Memorial Day weekend so lots of people, but manageable as I planned it well, long in advance. The Theme Parks were all lots of fun. I have previously been to Disney World Florida, and it is MUCH larger. I preferred Florida theme parks more because of the sheer size and therefore huge variation of things to see and do, but I still loved Anaheim. Clean streets, friendly people, great service and great time with my family. What was not to love?

 

Vancouver Pre Cruise:

Vancouver is a really beautiful city and we enjoyed our few days there. We got to see quite a lot in the short time and overall I am really glad I selected this itinerary rather than sailing out of Seattle. I have never been to Seattle either, but really wanted to see Vancouver. The sail away from Vancouver was spectacular.

As you would have seen, there were some negatives to Vancouver from my tourist eyes perspective, but as we all know, there are issues in all major cities in the world, my own included. It is just not nice to see it first hand. I would still like to visit Vancouver again one day.

 

The cruise:

Getting through customs was a lengthy process and there were two ships in port so there were lots of people, but once we passed this, the rest of the embarkation process was quick and painless.

The ship is beautiful and we loved being back on board.

The crowd on the ship was a totally different demographic to my previous cruise, where we had almost 800 kids on board and the pools being used all day. Here there were only about 200 kids on board, and we hardly ever saw any of them (so I am not sure where they got that number from. This was what they announced)

Because of the different style cruise, alot of the activities that we used to attend after dinner in the colony club, did not happen. They still had the usual quest, love and marriage, battle of the sexes etc, but there seemed to be many more activities last time. (Perhaps it was just that last time we were on a 11 night compared to this 7 night cruise)

The food was great. The new menu in the MDR began on this cruise, and while I preferred the quality of the food last time, this time it was still superb.

The staff were all amazing.

The ports were amazing.

 

Getting off the shop at the end was quick and easy.

 

Overall, we had an amazing cruise. The biggest negative is that I do not know when we will be able to cruise again, so it was sad to "say goodbye" to the ship.

 

Okay, moving on to Seward....

 

We picked up our masses of luggage and made our way out of the terminal. After a short 5 minute wait, we got onto the free shuttle bus that took us the short distance to the Train station. It is less than a mile, but with all the luggage we would not manage it. I did see lots of people with just small bags walking it, and later in the afternoon I saw lots of people walking towards the ship to board, so it was a really easy walk (if you did not have to lug anything around with you)

 

We dropped off all our luggage at the train, and checked in and received our boarding passes. We then had almost 2 full hours to kill before we got picked up for our day tour of Seward, so took a walk through the town, of course did a little more shopping, and stopped for a coffee at a great little bakery in town.

 

 

 

The ship in the distance....

 

 

Seward was a really beautiful, quiet town....

 

 

 

After our walk through town, we made our way back to the train station, where Joe, our AMAZING tour guide for the day, was waiting for us, and the train to arrive from Anchorage for the other guests.

 

The train arrived soon after and the last few guests got on the bus to start what was one of the best days of the entire trip. It was certainly a highlight and the only thing that detracted from it being the best day by far, was the fact that the cruise had just ended.

[DT1304]

Joe Allan was our tour guide, and he was phenomenal. He was with us for the full day and his descriptions of things and stories were wonderful.

 

He was also so friendly and helpful all day. A real good person.

 

Joe began by passing around the menu for lunch. He recommended a few things on the menu and then came by to take our lunch orders. During the tour we would be dropped off for lunch, and Joe wanted to call in the order before so we would not have to wait. The lunch was all included in the tour, but drinks we had to pay for ourselves.

 

The tour that we did was the Full Day "Explore Seward" Real Alaska tour run by Seavey's Ididaride Sled Dog Tours. The Seavey family is very well known for the Iditarod race, and this full day tour was superb. I would highly recommend them, and would, without a doubt, book this same tour again if/when I return to Seward.

 

Check them out on ididaride.com

 

Well the tour began with a drive out of the town toward the Seavey's Kennels. We passed some beautiful scenery along the way and were told some really fascinating stories about life in Seward, past and present, about the wildlife, about the plant life etc etc. It was really good, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the kennels.

 

The tour of the kennels began with a chat about the dogs and the race in general. It was interesting to see all the dogs and their excitement growing as the staff got the various "sleds" ready. I use the term "sleds" loosely as they were not sleds as such, but as it is summer, they were wheeled carts.

 

 

There were lots of reports about the kennels being smelly. The dogs not being looked after well or cared for. Cruelty etc. Not at this kennel, but in general.

 

Now I am an animal lover, and in fact spent many years breeding and showing dogs. I can honestly say that from what I could see, the dogs were extremely well looked after and cared for. They were loved, and they showed their love for the mushers in return. There was no smell and the kennels were extremely well maintained and clean.

 

 

My daughter is literally OBSESSED with dogs and this was the part of the trip that she was looking forward to more than any other...

 

 

If any of you have seen the movie "Snow Buddies" you may recognise this fella, the leading actor....

 

 

They then took us round the back of the kennels, where we met one of their retired dogs. He was huge and magnificent....

 

 

We were then treated to something really special.......

 

We knew when we booked the tour that we would get an opportunity to see and play with puppies. What we were not aware of, was that one of their litters was born just 2 weeks prior, so we got to pat and hold very young, 2 week old puppies. They were so beautiful...

 

[DT1304]

More pics of the puppies....

 

 

 

 

After our time with the puppies was up, we then were taken to a small shed, where they explained how the actual race works. It was interesting to hear the stories of this grueling race from the mouth of someone that had run it.

 

They also showed us all the clothing and equipment that they wear and carry. It was amazing to see how much they carry with them, and this did not include the huge volumes of food that they need.

 

They picked my elder daughter out of the guest to put on the mushers clothes. She was a little warm and overdressed....

 

 

After this we made our way out to the carts for our "sled" ride. The excitement of the dogs was incredible. They all wanted to run, but sadly for them, only 14 could be picked.

 

 

It was interesting to see how the dogs in different positions are trained to do different things. They also had a very young dog as part of the team, who was "learning" how to run.

 

Because of the warm weather, we made quite a few stops along the way for the dogs to rest. They are used to running through the freezing cold conditions of winter, and would not stop running in the summer if they were allowed to, so to protect the dogs health they had to keep stopping. This gave us great opportunities to ask the musher some questions about the training and handling of the dogs and the race in general. We also got to admire some more fantastic scenery......

 

[DT1304]

After we enjoyed the ride and returned to the kennels, we had a little time to spend with the dogs that actually ran with us...

 

 

The we all got back on the bus, and Joe took us to lunch. We ate at...

 

 

Lunch was really tasty and the portions were large. Because Joe had pre-ordered all our meals, there was not much of a wait at all.

 

After lunch we all boarded the bus, and headed to Exit Glacier. Along the way to the Glacier Joe got a little more serious, and began speaking about bear safety, and what to do if we came across a bear along the train to the glacier.

 

He said that they often come across bears, the most recent time being just a few days before when there was a bear about 10 feet away from them.

 

This of course freaked my daughter (and wife) out a bit,and my daughter decided she would be sitting in the bus while we did the walk to the glacier.

 

Joe was fantastic. He reassured my daughter, calmed her down, and convinced her to come along, and of course my daughter stuck to his side like glue the whole way to the glacier and back.

 

The truth of the matter, as explained by Joe, is that they have never had an issue with a bear, but he still had to explain all the bear safety issues just in case.

 

We arrived at the exit glacier visitor cener and were given a very interesting explanation of the area, the glacier, how fast the area is changing etc.

 

Out side the visitor center....

 

 

We then started the walk to the glacier. Joe had explained to us about an area, along the river and off the trail, where gold had been found, and even showed us a small nugget worth a couple of hundred dollars that his son had found a few months before.

 

He explained how we were to look for gold, and that he would take us along this path to the glacier rather than along the actual trail, so we could look out for gold.

 

It was a lot of fun, and one guy in our tour group actually found a small stone that looked like it could possibly have a small amount of gold in it, but I never found any.

 

To be honest, after 5 minutes of looking, my whole family and I stopped looking because the scenery around us was so spectacular that we did not want to waste our time looking at the ground....

 

Some scenery along the river bed, walking to the glacier...

 

 

 

[Silverman]

Fantastic review!! I have always said i would never go to Alaska but your review really has me thinking about changing my mind. I have a friend who wants to go bad. Maybe Ill give in and call him to ask if he wants to go. Really looking forward to the rest of it!! Great job!!!

[Flute Player]

Fantastic review!! We have been debating the Up to the Summitt excursion in Skagway in July, and your photos and reviews have convinced me to add it on. Can't wait to see the rest...

 

Do it. It is so worth the money and you get some fabulous views. It is better than the train ride. We enjoyed ourselves so much.

[DT1304]

Fantastic review!! I have always said i would never go to Alaska but your review really has me thinking about changing my mind. I have a friend who wants to go bad. Maybe Ill give in and call him to ask if he wants to go. Really looking forward to the rest of it!! Great job!!!

 

Do it Silverman. You will not regret it.

 

I have always wanted to go to Alaska since my parents and brother went for their first cruise many years ago, and as you could tell from this review, I loved every second.

 

I want to go back. Alaska is beautiful

[dforeigner]

Awesome review! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Thank you for sharing your adventure photos to Alaska.

 

I've flown to Anchorage 3 times myself in the past, and taken a few local tours - which were outstanding. But my wife did not join me, and has always wanted to see it.

 

Threads like these have prompted us to book Radiance on a roundtrip from Vancouver next year.

[Moonlitherial]

 

I literally took hundreds of photos to land up with the few reasonably good photos I have. I will not be getting a job as a photographer for national geographic any time soon!!

 

 

Don't kid yourself, professionals can't make the animals pose any more than we can, they get great photos because they sit for hours and take thousands.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Don't kid yourself, professionals can't make the animals pose any more than we can, they get great photos because they sit for hours and take thousands.

Agree.

 

Years ago I did photography professionally for several years - fancy & expensive cameras, big lens', all the toys. Now I have a Canon Powershot that shoots excellent pictures and even videos in HD - and it fits in my pocket.

 

It takes an eye for the right place to position yourself, some experience in anticipating a good picture (when/where), and even some pure luck at times.

 

There are some very nice photos in this thread, and for that....we're grateful to the poster!

[Granny1]

First of all, so glad you and your family had a awesome trip to Alaska, but you wore me out with all the walking and running around that you did. I have never been to Alaska and probably never will but I have really enjoyed going along with you on your trip. Hope you had an enjoyable trip back home. Looking forward to the rest of your trip.;)

[Yillup]

I've really enjoyed going to Alaska with you in this cruise! Thank you for the awesome review and the photos!

 

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Forums mobile app

[Gabrielle R.]

Thank you for this review!! I have looked at this trip and your review makes me want to do it (Again for real).

 

I really enjoyed your pictures!!

[DT1304]

Thanks to all of you for reading my review and for your comments. I appreciate that you have taken the time to enjoy my trip as I enjot reliving it through this review.

 

Now where was I......

 

Ah yes, walking to Exit Glacier....

 

We got to the face of the Glacier, and it was an amazing feeling to know we were standing with our feet up on an actual glacier. Not looking at it through binoculars or a camera lense, but actually standing right there, touching it.

 

For obvious safety reasons, we were asked not to actually climb up onto the glacier, but we were able to stand on the edge of the glacier.

 

 

 

There was a section of the glacier with quite a large overhang.

 

As beautiful a pace as Alaska is, I stilldid not want to spend the rest of my life there, trapped in a Glacier, so I avoided climbing under the overhang in case I would be the unlucky one to be under there when it breaks off and traps me inside.

 

I did however manage to reach under and fill up my water bottle with pure glacier water....

 

 

 

There is nothing quite like drinking ice cold pure glacier water, personally taken directly from the glacier, while walking through the trails around Seward. It was a taste and experience I will never forget.

 

After Exit Glacier we made our way back towards the visitor centre where we boarded the bus for the next leg of our all day tour.

 

For the entire cruise so far, we had not seen a single salmon, other than cooked on our plate, and we were told over and over that we were there just a week or two too early to see the Salmon.

 

Well not according to Joe. He took us for a drive up to a creek where there was a small salmon hatchery. It was interesting to see what they were doing with the salmon, catching them and treating them for various possible diseases before the eggs were laid. It was also amazing to see the salmon jumping against the incredibly strong flow of the river....

 

 

Unfortunately our day was coming to an end. There was one couple on this tour that were about to board Radiance for the South Bound trip back to Vancouver, and Joe wanted to make sure he got them to the ship before the late train from Anchorage arrived, because after the train arrives there would be long lines to board the ship.

 

We drove back to the ship and past quite a few people walking with their luggage to the ship, but we made it before the train arrived.

 

Joe then took us on the short drive through town, showing us some great restaurants and bars if anyone was staying overnight, aswell as some interesting landmarks, like the Mile 0 marker of the Iditarod race....

 

 

Joe then dropped us back at the train station to end off a sensational day in Seward.

 

Seward was a beautiful little town where we enjoyed one of the best days of the entire trip. I would highly recommend anyone spends at least a day there after a cruise to see as much as possible, rather than leaving right after the cruise arrives. It is well worth it.

 

I can also not recommend Joe and the Seavey's Tour highly enough.

 

We were now ready to board the train to Anchorage.....

[DT1304]

We had already received our boarding pass for the train and had half an hour before we boarded the train. This was a store we say near the train station. I loved the name...

 

 

When I booked the Alaska Railroad trip to Anchorage, I had the option of booking Adventure Class or Gold Class.

 

The difference, from what I could understand, was that in gold class there was a top level where you could sit with glass windows that extended right over the top, so effectively you had a "better" view.

 

They also said that in the viewing carriage, you should please enjoy the views for a short time, then allow other guests the experience, whereas in Gold Class you had reserved seats.

 

I figured that I did not need to spend the extra cash for Gold class. With the huge windows in the train in Adventure Class, and the fact that we could move around and go check out the "viewing carriage" anyway, and the fact that we would also be spending time having dinner in the dining car, I could save a little cash and go with Adventure class.

 

It just so happens, that my family of 5, and two other couples were seated in one carriage on our own, with huge reclining seats and huge windows to see the scenery. I took a walk through the train to get drinks as well as when we went for dinner, and walked through the other adventure class carriages. I don't know how it worked out the way it did, but our carriage seemed to be a class above the rest. And no-one from other carriages came and joined us for the entire 4 hour train ride.

 

 

These were our extra wide seats....(photo quality is poor but just so you can see the seats)

 

 

The train left on time at 6:15pm, and we began the scenic journey to Anchorage.

 

They came to apologize because the PA system was not working in our carriage. They have a naturalist on board that describes everything along the way, and we could not hear it in our carriage.

 

We met a wonderful couple from New York who were also on Radiance with us, and the fact that we had no "commentary" did not bother us because we just chatted and chatted the whole way to Anchorage.

 

My son, and his mischievous sense of humor, had them in hysterical laughter the entire train ride and we all had such fun. And the scenery along the way was superb to top it all off. It was so interesting to see how the scenery changed as we moved further and further away from Seward.

 

 

 

[DT1304]

I can only upload 6 photos in each post.

 

As I said at the start of this review, a picture tells a thousand words, so the next few posts will a select few out of the hundreds of scenic photos I took from the train....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DT1304]

 

 

 

 

 

[DT1304]

 

 

 

 

 

Finally we arrived in Anchorage. It was about 10:30pm when we arrived. It was quite weird to arrive somewhere at this time of night and for it to be as light as it was....

 

 

It gets dark pretty late in Melbourne during our Summer too, but not as late as this. It did not even look like it was close to sunset, and it wasn't. It was still this light when we finally checked in to our hotel at about 11:45pm.