Alaska Southbound - Radiance June 2015

[duncan449]

This was our first summer cruise. The past 4 were all for Christmas, and the one before that was our honeymoon in January. We usually cruise to escape the cold, and this time we were cruising to escape the heat. (and with another 100 degree day today, I'm wishing we were still in Alaska!)

 

June 13th - We flew from Houston to Anchorage with a layover in Seattle on Alaska Airlines. We stayed in Anchorage for 3 days at the Holiday Inn Express. I'd recommend the hotel, the staff was friendly and the pool was great!

 

We explored downtown Anchorage, we saw the visitor center, went through the Saturday Market, had some fireweed ice cream. We had a cab take us to Flat Top mountain (I'd suggest the shuttle... it's $20 a person at the visitor center I think, we paid like $38 one way!) We hiked to the top, not an easy task but it's worth it. We also spent a day at Kincaid Park playing disc golf. (we are trying to play at least one course in every state)

 

June 16th - we took the train from Anchorage to Seward. It is so worth it! This was one of the most beautiful areas, and there is no way you'd get to see it as well from a car or bus, no matter how many times you stopped at the lookout points! Your higher up in the train, plus they point out any animals along the route! We saw bears, mountain goats, beluga whales, and eagles.

 

Once in Seward we took the free shuttle to the old Seward Hotel. Our room wasn't ready yet, but they tagged our bags and took them to the room when it was ready. The hotel is definitely old and it doesn't have air conditioning, which I'm sure most of the time isn't a big deal.. but it was unseasonably hot while we were there (at least that's what the locals kept saying!) and our room was facing another building, so we had no breeze coming in our room! It was a little uncomfortable at times. The location was great though, close to the free shuttle stop and lots of restaurants and shops.

 

We did a 12 hour halibut fishing trip with Alaska Northern Outfitters. They were great.

Sean, the captain, was amazing. He was always down on the deck helping out and was very nice. The crew were all great as well. We even lucked out and 2 of the passengers were also crew on their day off, though they helped out a lot too. I think just about everyone on board caught their limit. On the way back the guys gathered up our fish and let us take pictures with them before cleaning them for us. Back at dock they even wheeled our fish to the processing center for us so it couldn't be frozen and shipped home. It was probably one of the best fishing trips I've been on as far as the crew goes!

 

We had a cab take us to Exit Glacier, not realizing there is no cell phone signal up there as well as no phones at the ranger station, we had to give our cab driver a return time to come and get us. We didn't really know what all there was to do at the park, so we told him 4 hours. We walked to the bottom of the glacier and out onto the rock field then headed up to the top. I really wanted to make it to the top of the glacier, but its like a 7 hour hike up and back... so we made it as far as the waterfall and had to turn around because we were running out of time! On the way back our cab driver surprised us with a quick stop at a salmon hatchery, and we saw the salmon swimming in the stream and jumping up into the waterfall.

 

We also went out to the boat repair yard across the bay to the beach and watched the killer whales. They were so close to the shore that you could hear them blowing the water out! It was awesome.

 

June 19th - We had to be out of our room by 11 and couldn't board the ship until 4. Luckily the hotel tagged our bags and took them to the ship for us that morning! We caught the free shuttle and went down to the water front to have breakfast and do some last minute shopping.

Seward was by far the easiest we've ever gotten on a ship. It's so small, and with only one ship in port there are very few people, no lines and no hurry! I was impressed.

 

Our room was already ready when we got on, bags inside and everything. It was great. The Radiance crew were all really nice, but the passengers not so much. I've never encountered so many rude people in all my life!

One instance that stuck out in my mind... my husband is a smoker, and the smoking sections are port side deck 11, 5 and half of the casino. These areas were usually quite full of people smoking, but there were those that would walk through there and make a fuss about it all the time, one lady even told us we needed to go somewhere else with that and pinched her nose!! Are you kidding me! You have 90% of the ship smoke free, if you don't like it walk on the other side. :/ It was just uncalled for, but I was the nicer person and just smiled at her, when I really wanted to give her the finger. There were several other times we encountered unpleasant guests, but I just tried to ignore them.

 

Radiance isn't showing her age quite as bad as the Serenade, which was a pleasant surprise. I loved all the glass, it was the perfect ship for Alaska. Even in the elevator you could look out at the beautiful mountains. My only complaint about the ship is that there were very few activities... it was all trivia or jewelry making, or it was scheduled during port times. My husband and I are very active and we are not the sit and relax type, so we found ourselves searching for things to do at times. We even found ourselves in the arcade to occupy some time. We tried trivia once, but all of the questions were about things before our time...

 

It was easy getting on and off the ship. There weren't long lines or people pushing and shoving. Even the day we tendered it was a smooth process.

 

The day we saw Hubbard Glacier was amazing. I stayed outside on the railing the whole time! I loved seeing all the ice floating, some with seals hanging out on top! It was beautiful. We saw a few large pieces of ice fall into the water and the thundering sound was incredible.

 

We did Mystery Dinner Theater. It was fun, but it was the same exact show we saw in 2011 on a cruise out of Galveston. That part was disappointing, but it was still fun. The food at Giovanni's was great, and the service was perfect.

 

We never ate in the dining room, but the windjammer had good food and the head chef was great. He made it a point to ask us what we were up to each day, and even came over to cook our steaks himself.

 

Okay, ports.

 

Juneau - we did the whale watching / Mendenhall Glacier combo. The Whale watching boat was a large catamaran, so it was smooth sailing with lots of room to stand outside the cabin. The whales were feeding in groups, bubblenet, I think they called it. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed! We had an hour at the glacier, I would have liked more time so we could hike around the area.

We also did the tram. The view from the top was great, but there wasn't much up there. We had a drink at the restaurant and looked through the two shops. It was pretty cool seeing the eagle up close.

 

Skagway - I didn't realize how old west the town really was. I'd definitely suggest taking an excursion at this port as there isn't too much else to do. We were excursion free on this one, but seeing quickly how little there was we walked all the way out to Jewel Gardens and signed up for the glass blowing. (It was an excursion offered by the ship but we decided not to do it because it was so expensive) Turns out we got the better deal anyway. We had our own private lesson, just the two of us and Travis, the glass blower, for $98. Where as the excursion was for 10 people at a time and $190 each. We made an ornament and a bowl. It was a great experience.

 

After that we made our way to the cemetery and then followed the path to the waterfall. We climbed up as far as we could go then made our way back to the shuttle stop. We did a little shopping in town and then went back to the ship.

 

Icy Strait - We did the ZipRider! It was so much fun! I wanted to do it a second time! We walked along the beach and climbed the rocks, went through the shops inside. I loved that it wasn't wall to wall diamond stores. There should be more ports like that. It was refreshing. While there isn't a whole lot to do here, it was peaceful. We had lunch at the restaurant and sat on the deck. We also did the forest tram which was a huge waste of money, it was boring (everything they told us we'd heard 5 times already at previous places) and there was nothing to see. Trees, then a beach that was identical to the one we'd just left, and on top of that the only part that looked interesting we weren't aloud to venture out that far. The beach went out to a point with a large rock and you could see around the bend, but they wouldn't let us go that far...

 

Ketchikan - We booked an excursion outside of the ship here. It was a lighthouse and eagle cruise. Had this been our first stop on the cruise this would have been a great excursion, but by the time we got to Ketchikan I'd seen so many eagles they were just another bird in the sky... we did see hundreds of them though. The lighthouse wasn't anything special, just a building with a light on top... the story was interesting though.

After that we walked around town, explored creek street, did some shopping. We went up in the little tram/elevator/cart thing that took you to a lodge. It was really cool. Like a vertical elevator, there was no attendant or anything, you just got in and pushed the button. We did see a seal swimming in the water of creek street, so graceful!

This, being the rainiest city, was the only place it actually rained on us. Fitting I think. It didn't last long though!

 

We had excellent weather the whole trip! The day we got on the ship, part of the Hubbard Glacier day and Ketchikan were the only days we didn't see the sun I think!

 

When we got to Vancouver it was easy to disembark. There wasn't a rush of people trying to get off when it wasn't there turn. Once off the ship the terminal crew was nice, it was easy to find our bags and get a cab.

 

We stayed in the Costa Plaza Suites downtown Vancouver for 4 days. We were on the 32nd floor and the view from our balcony was great! The hotel was within walking distance to the beach and Stanley Park. There were plenty of restaurants around, as well as bus stops.

 

We walked 22 miles of Stanley park in one day! The place is beautiful. In a span of 5 minutes you can go from concrete jungle, to the forest with huge trees, and then find yourself emerging on to the sandy beach! I loved it!

We visited Gastown and the Steam Clock, Olympic Park and the torch, even made our way to Queen Elizabeth Park for some disc golf.

We spent a day at Capillano Suspension Bridge Park. It's really nice, go early though. By lunch time there were so many people there it took you a good 6 or 7 minutes to get across the bridge because it was rope to rope people!

 

We flew home on the 30th via Alaska Airlines. Getting through Vancouver Airport was a pain in the ass though. Even at 4 am the lines were ridiculous and security took forever. I was picked for a security check and the lady offered me a choice, go through the scanner or get a full cavity search. Um, scanner please, thanks. Then they went through my bags and tested them for residue... after that we made it to a kiosk where we had to scan our passports before we went past a customs agent. We made it to our plane right as it was boarding at 6am! I'd definitely get to that airport at least 3 hours early, no matter the time!

[duncan449]

Flat Top Mountain

 

 

The Train

 

 

 

[duncan449]

 

 

Seward

 

 

 

Exit Glacier

 

 

[duncan449]

Fishing

 

 

Orca near the beach

 

 

 

[duncan449]

 

Glacier

 

 

 

 

[duncan449]

Whale Watching

 

 

Tram

 

[duncan449]

Skagway

 

 

 

 

 

[duncan449]

Icy Strait

 

 

 

[duncan449]

Ketchikan

 

 

[duncan449]

Stanley Park

 

 

Suspension Bridge

 

 

 

[duncan449]

 

 

View from our balcony

 

 

[xlxo]

We stayed in the Costa Plaza Suites downtown Vancouver for 4 days.

 

We visited Gastown and the Steam Clock, Olympic Park and the torch, even made our way to Queen Elizabeth Park for some disc golf.

To clarify...

• I think you stayed at the Coast Plaza Suites http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/bc/vancouver/coast-plaza-hotel-and-suites/
  
• there is no Olympic Park in Vancouver
  
  • You visited the Olympic Cauldron by Jack Poole Plaza in your pictures
    
  • there is an Olympic Village just outside downtown
    
  • Whistler has an Olympic Park by the Callaghan Valley
    

 

You should come back in December to cross the bridge in the dark.... there is no bottom.

Edited July 19, 2015 by xlxo

[duncan449]

To clarify...

• I think you stayed at the Coast Plaza Suites http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/bc/vancouver/coast-plaza-hotel-and-suites/
  
• there is no Olympic Park in Vancouver
  
  • You visited the Olympic Cauldron by Jack Poole Plaza in your pictures
    
  • there is an Olympic Village just outside downtown
    
  • Whistler has an Olympic Park by the Callaghan Valley
    

   

 

You should come back in December to cross the bridge in the dark.... there is no bottom.

 

Indeed, the Coast Plaza, excuse the typo.

The bus driver and cab driver both referred to it as Olympic park... they were showing the soccer games on the big tv there that day.

 

Thanks. I'd like to come back, there is so much to do there that I could probably spend a month.

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Thanks for your great review! I did this itinerary in May, so it was a great reminder of a fantastic cruise.

 

Your pictures are really superb - can I ask, what type of camera do you use? I'm currently looking at upgrading and am really impressed with the quality of your photos!

[duncan449]

Thanks for your great review! I did this itinerary in May, so it was a great reminder of a fantastic cruise.

 

Your pictures are really superb - can I ask, what type of camera do you use? I'm currently looking at upgrading and am really impressed with the quality of your photos!

 

Thank you. I actually took like 2300 pictures on this trip! :eek:

I was using 2 cameras, a Canon Powershot sx40 HS and a Canon Powershot sx130 IS. The sx130 fits in my pocket, and the sx40 hangs around my neck. Whatever activity we are doing determines which camera I take. lol

Oh, and the panoramic pics were taken with my Iphone 6.

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Thank you. I actually took like 2300 pictures on this trip! :eek:

I was using 2 cameras, a Canon Powershot sx40 HS and a Canon Powershot sx130 IS. The sx130 fits in my pocket, and the sx40 hangs around my neck. Whatever activity we are doing determines which camera I take. lol

Oh, and the panoramic pics were taken with my Iphone 6.

 

Thank you for letting me know, I will definitely look into those. I do have a point and shoot already, so would probably keep that with me but want an additional, larger and more capable camera for pretty much the same reason as you! The activity and area definitely determines what camera is needed!

 

It's incredible how many pictures you can take but when the scenery and wildlife are this stunning, it is easy to do! I think I took somewhere around the same amount - I had pre and post cruise stays in Vancouver and some time in Seattle too, so much longer to rack up the pictures!

 

Thanks again!

[duncan449]

Thank you for letting me know, I will definitely look into those. I do have a point and shoot already, so would probably keep that with me but want an additional, larger and more capable camera for pretty much the same reason as you! The activity and area definitely determines what camera is needed!

 

It's incredible how many pictures you can take but when the scenery and wildlife are this stunning, it is easy to do! I think I took somewhere around the same amount - I had pre and post cruise stays in Vancouver and some time in Seattle too, so much longer to rack up the pictures!

 

Thanks again!

 

No problem. I think by now mine is probably old. It seems like they come out with a new model every 6 months...

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Thanks for the review! I'm doing this cruise in less than two weeks now!!

 

You really can't board until 4pm? That is CRAZY LATE for those of us forced into early dining - and considering we have to be checked in for transportation from Anchorage by 10:30. Guess I better rethink my packing strategy as I highly doubt I'll have my luggage by then if boarding isn't until 4.

[duncan449]

Thanks for the review! I'm doing this cruise in less than two weeks now!!

 

You really can't board until 4pm? That is CRAZY LATE for those of us forced into early dining - and considering we have to be checked in for transportation from Anchorage by 10:30. Guess I better rethink my packing strategy as I highly doubt I'll have my luggage by then if boarding isn't until 4.

 

Our ship didn't depart until 8:30 I think, so it's about the standard 4 hours early. I would definitely keep anything you'll need during the day with you. If you are coming in on the train they we automatically transport your luggage to the ship for you, but you can carry a bag on to keep with you. We each carried a backpack, easy to move and not worry with lugging a bag around.

 

Have fun! It's beautiful! If you have time I'd definitely go see Exit Glacier. It takes about an hour to walk to the base of the glacier and back.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Our ship didn't depart until 8:30 I think, so it's about the standard 4 hours early. I would definitely keep anything you'll need during the day with you. If you are coming in on the train they we automatically transport your luggage to the ship for you, but you can carry a bag on to keep with you. We each carried a backpack, easy to move and not worry with lugging a bag around.

 

Have fun! It's beautiful! If you have time I'd definitely go see Exit Glacier. It takes about an hour to walk to the base of the glacier and back.

 

 

Yeah, this is the one thing I am not looking forward to. The stupid late departure means a Muster Drill that from previous reports impacts the early seating. That seating would never be my choice, but it is what the group I am with has.

 

I opted for the bus because it is less expensive and they are working to get one pretty much just with our running group, so that should be fun, but it seems crazy to send us down that early from Anchorage if we will just be stuck in the terminal. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it.

 

Where is Exit Glacier?

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Thanks for the review! I'm doing this cruise in less than two weeks now!!

 

You really can't board until 4pm? That is CRAZY LATE for those of us forced into early dining - and considering we have to be checked in for transportation from Anchorage by 10:30. Guess I better rethink my packing strategy as I highly doubt I'll have my luggage by then if boarding isn't until 4.

 

Just a note on boarding time based on my experience in May. I left the hotel at 12, dropped my luggage at the port and then dropped my rental car back at Hertz. They took me back to the port on their shuttle at around 12.30. I was the only one in the terminal and went through check in and security and was on the ship in about 9 minutes! There were plenty of other people already on board and I was in my cabin when they opened at 1pm! I went off for lunch, came back about 1.45pm and my luggage was already there!

 

I may have got lucky but this was the first southbound of the season and everything was super efficient and everyone was so friendly. Easily the best check in experience I have ever had.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[duncan449]

Yeah, this is the one thing I am not looking forward to. The stupid late departure means a Muster Drill that from previous reports impacts the early seating. That seating would never be my choice, but it is what the group I am with has.

 

I opted for the bus because it is less expensive and they are working to get one pretty much just with our running group, so that should be fun, but it seems crazy to send us down that early from Anchorage if we will just be stuck in the terminal. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it.

 

Where is Exit Glacier?

 

There are quite a few stores and restaurants within walking distance to the terminal, and it's not a traditional one at that. It's almost like a warehouse with a few computers setup for the check in! There is also a free shuttle that comes around every 30 minutes that you can ride around town, it makes stops at the terminal on cruise days.

 

If nothing else I'd definitely go for a ride on the shuttle, even if you don't get off anywhere it would be worth the ride, the area is gorgeous.

 

Exit Glacier is like a 10 minute drive outside of town (and out of cell range)

http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier-area.htm

 

It's about a 3-4 hour drive from Anchorage to Seward though, so you may not have enough time to go out there.

[Trekker954]

your photo of the eagles and the american flag is awesome. Alaska was probably our favorite cruise, we now have a couple that are outstanding. We loved our excursions as we are wildlife enthusiasts. I can't wait to go back again.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

There are quite a few stores and restaurants within walking distance to the terminal, and it's not a traditional one at that. It's almost like a warehouse with a few computers setup for the check in! There is also a free shuttle that comes around every 30 minutes that you can ride around town, it makes stops at the terminal on cruise days.

 

If nothing else I'd definitely go for a ride on the shuttle, even if you don't get off anywhere it would be worth the ride, the area is gorgeous.

 

Exit Glacier is like a 10 minute drive outside of town (and out of cell range)

http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier-area.htm

 

It's about a 3-4 hour drive from Anchorage to Seward though, so you may not have enough time to go out there.

 

 

Thanks.

[duncan449]

Just a note on boarding time based on my experience in May. I left the hotel at 12, dropped my luggage at the port and then dropped my rental car back at Hertz. They took me back to the port on their shuttle at around 12.30. I was the only one in the terminal and went through check in and security and was on the ship in about 9 minutes! There were plenty of other people already on board and I was in my cabin when they opened at 1pm! I went off for lunch, came back about 1.45pm and my luggage was already there!

 

I may have got lucky but this was the first southbound of the season and everything was super efficient and everyone was so friendly. Easily the best check in experience I have ever had.

 

Honestly I think it just depends on when they get everyone off and the majority of things cleaned. I know they sent us an email reminding us that boarding started at 4, but as you said there were people already on board when we got there. There are also a surprising number of people that do b2b cruises in Alaska since it's a one way trip.