Radiance of the Seas...Alaska 2016

[Bmorecruiser021]

Hi all...total newbie here. I have been reading a lot but I only have so much time, so I hope I could ask a few questions. We are in the process of booking an Alaska cruise on Radiance for next July.

 

1- how are the balcony rooms for a quad (two parents plus 12yo boy and 15yo girl)? My ideal is a balcony for us parents and a nearby inside for the kids but according to RC's website that is now an impossible set up (who knew people booked cruises so early!?...not me, I'm a newb as stated...) so I'm thinking I will call RCI direct or find a local agent who might have more info and be quicker about it. I had two adjoining ocean views on 24 hour hold on the 3rd deck aft (going southbound) which I thought could work but the husband really wants a balcony. And the hold is now over...boo.

 

2- cruisetours....for land, worth it? We hoped to be in Alaska for the 4th of July and the cruise in questions leaves the 8th. Husband has an independent streak and wants to go it on our own but I hear the cruise tours can be a good deal...mainly want to see Denali.

 

3-excursions...independent or on board?

 

4- DD and I are prone to sea sickness and neither of us have cruised. Husband has and insists we won't feel a thing. He's not prone though and doesn't quite understand...lol...scopolamine patches or other aids recommended for this cruise?

 

Thanks for any input and advice!

 

1) 4 will be a little tight, but budget wise it might be worth it. My parents and 23yo brother shared a balcony room last july on the Radiance in alaska and were fine

 

2) definitely recommend the cruise tour (if budget allows)….and do it first! We LOVED our cruise tour…..even more then the cruise itself honestly…..if you have time read a few reviews…..here is a relatively short one I did of ours: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2246535

 

3) Depends on what you want. We did through the cruise line, but other family did independent fishing excursions and loved it.

 

4) other then the first and last day, the ship goes so slow, because the ports are so close, you really don't feel any movement (in my opinion) but the first and last day you are crossing open seas / ocean so if can and did get rocky

 

Hope that helps!

Edited December 1, 2015 by Bmorecruiser021

[emeraldcity]

Does the Bonine make you sleepy like dramamine?

 

Take your bonine (or whatever) right before you go to bed ... you sleep great! and you'll have the effect of the medication keeping you stable all the next day. My older daughter is very motion-sickness prone ... she even has to take something to fly. And she did fine with the bonine before bedtime routine.

[JoyMouse]

Does the Bonine make you sleepy like dramamine?

 

 

Sorry I missed your question. It doesn't make me drowsy, and I haven't taken Dramamine since 1987 since it makes me an unpleasant drugged drowsy. Bonine for me doesn't affect me any more than aspirin, but if it does make you sleepy, taking it before bed like Emeraldcity recommends seems to work for a lot of folks on these boards.

 

I usually take one the morning of debarkation, then one late afternoon around the time the ship leaves port the following days. If tendering, on a small tour boat/bus, or with rough seas, I'll take the 2nd pill allowed in the 24-hour period.

 

Congratulations on booking! Which cabin types did you end up with?

[IndyKid]

Hi all...total newbie here. I have been reading a lot but I only have so much time, so I hope I could ask a few questions. We are in the process of booking an Alaska cruise on Radiance for next July.

 

1- how are the balcony rooms for a quad (two parents plus 12yo boy and 15yo girl)? My ideal is a balcony for us parents and a nearby inside for the kids but according to RC's website that is now an impossible set up (who knew people booked cruises so early!?...not me, I'm a newb as stated...) so I'm thinking I will call RCI direct or find a local agent who might have more info and be quicker about it. I had two adjoining ocean views on 24 hour hold on the 3rd deck aft (going southbound) which I thought could work but the husband really wants a balcony. And the hold is now over...boo.

 

2- cruisetours....for land, worth it? We hoped to be in Alaska for the 4th of July and the cruise in questions leaves the 8th. Husband has an independent streak and wants to go it on our own but I hear the cruise tours can be a good deal...mainly want to see Denali.

 

3-excursions...independent or on board?

 

4- DD and I are prone to sea sickness and neither of us have cruised. Husband has and insists we won't feel a thing. He's not prone though and doesn't quite understand...lol...scopolamine patches or other aids recommended for this cruise?

 

Thanks for any input and advice!

 

Sorry I got to this party late - I just discovered & joined this forum last night. My family did this trip last year.

 

As far as accommodations go, I like another poster's suggestion - get a small balcony room for you and your husband, and a small interior room for the kids. I would call RCL or your travel agent and get all the info you can though.

 

We did the Cruise Tour through RCL to Denali. As stated by someone else here, you could probably rent a vehicle and save a little money, but there's a lot of planning involved. And I liked being chauffeured around on a comfy motor-coach and not driving. And I can't say enough good things about our driver & tour guide, they were AWESOME! Anyway, whichever way you do it you won't be disappointed.

 

As far as excursions go, see what you can get through your travel agent. We did several "outside" excursions (not through RCL) and they were great, and much less expensive.

 

As far as seasickness, I would take along some medicines for it. The Gulf of Alaska is well-known for its capricious weather. The last full day of our cruise we hit a big storm, and even though the Radiance is a decent-sized ship she was tossed about pretty good. We ended up having to detour and missed seeing the glacier.:eek:

 

You will not be disappointed on this trip! It's one I think everyone should do.

[travelmomof2]

Thanks! We did not book the cruise tour...and it looks like they might be full. I'm not sure what we are doing...booked adjoining ocean views(the ship was 90% full at time of booking and no balcony/near inside available) but we are finding ourselves a little discouraged...ALaska land is proving to be more expensive than we expected, the train to Seward will be almost $400 for the family and the small hotel in Seward is quite a bit...and the more I look around at Anchorage area and Denali I am honestly not that excited. TO really see Denali and wildlife you have to do a 10 hour bus tour (and friends that did that last summer actually saw no bears, moose, etc.) The cruise looks fabulous but main state Alaska...not so much. My husband already has his work booked off so we are solid on our dates. We are actually looking and penciling out a trip to Norway instead.Norwegian Air flies out nearby and the rates are good... hotels are cheaper there and things to see and do cheaper...however renting a car, gas, and food are much more expensive. But we can get transportation and lodging in Norway for that time period for the amount of just our cruise..over $6000. Wondering if we should cancel and book that same cruise for 2017 when the rooms are first put up for sale.

[sailingwithfriends]

We booked all our excursions through RCCL on our Alaska cruise last June. We were very pleased with all our selections. When I compared prices during my research phase, I found the prices were about the same as independent tour companies.

 

We never had a problem with sea sickness, but planned to use ginger ale and ginger candy if we did. Luckily, never needed.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. We plan on going again in 2018 because there was so much we didn't get to do.

[DisneyDatknee]

FYI: Our travel agent called about our two cabins. Parents in the balcony, Kids in the interior. Our reservations were one adult in each room, because RCCL didn't allow minors to have their own cabin (at that time). RCCL changed their policy recently so as long as your cabin is connected or across the hall etc.. your kids can be in a separate room! Call RCCL or your TA to get this fixed.

 

:):)

[jthorpe116]

As for the sea sickness, 90% of this cruise is in the inside passage and it is flat calm!!

 

We rented cars in some of the ports and had a wonderful time.

Edited February 17, 2016 by jthorpe116

[pspercy]

Does the Bonine make you sleepy like dramamine?

 

NO.

 

Bonine is the same as Dramamine II or "Less Drowsy Formula" - meclizine is the generic name, works great, can buy at Walmart etc.

 

Like all such meds don't wait until symptoms become apparent.

 

Regular (the original) Dramamine can indeed cause sleepiness, also severe dry mouth but it does work too.

 

I'm a near expert having had motion sickness since childhood, I only wish Bonine had been available back then.

[dphotomet]

We just did the 11 night cruise and land tour on Radiance in August. Here are my thoughts:

Land Tour - we started in Fairbanks (for 2 nights at Pike's Waterfront) - did the Gold Dredge & Riverboat Discovery, and took the train into Denali on the second day. Excellent all the way around.

2 Days in Denali, with a bus tour through Denali, and a train ride up the mountain. Excellent with lots of wildlife and actually got a peek of Mt. McKinley twice (only 30% of visitors get to see it once).

For a first trip to Alaska, I would recommend the Land Tour - expensive, but worth the expense as your luggage is hauled for you, and the only time you touch it is when you put it outside for the driver to pick up. Bus ride from Denali to Seward with a short lunch break in Anchorage was nice - would have preferred more time in Anchorage to sightsee.

7 Night cruise (Southbound) from Seward was excellent - great weather and loved the port stops - would do the cruise again. No rough weather at all - with mostly sunny skies and low 60's to low 80's for the entire trip.

 

Next time we would only do the cruise, with maybe a day or 2 on our own either in Fairbanks or Anchorage. Maybe even a Northbound from Seattle would also be a possibility. We have 26 or so cruises in the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, and Bermuda - never thought I would like Alaska - but it was a great trip. Good luck and have fun!

Did you do a whale watch excursion, looking to do one in Juneau but so many to choose from any suggestions.

[MNfamilycruiser]

Thanks! We did not book the cruise tour...and it looks like they might be full. I'm not sure what we are doing...booked adjoining ocean views(the ship was 90% full at time of booking and no balcony/near inside available) but we are finding ourselves a little discouraged...ALaska land is proving to be more expensive than we expected, the train to Seward will be almost $400 for the family and the small hotel in Seward is quite a bit...and the more I look around at Anchorage area and Denali I am honestly not that excited. TO really see Denali and wildlife you have to do a 10 hour bus tour (and friends that did that last summer actually saw no bears, moose, etc.) The cruise looks fabulous but main state Alaska...not so much. My husband already has his work booked off so we are solid on our dates. We are actually looking and penciling out a trip to Norway instead.Norwegian Air flies out nearby and the rates are good... hotels are cheaper there and things to see and do cheaper...however renting a car, gas, and food are much more expensive. But we can get transportation and lodging in Norway for that time period for the amount of just our cruise..over $6000. Wondering if we should cancel and book that same cruise for 2017 when the rooms are first put up for sale.

 

Yes, I would wait to go in 2017. We booked the day the Alaskan cruises were released. The prices only went up after we booked. We were booking all of our private excursions in December and January before our May cruise because the best private tours fill up. If you could possibly go a different time prices will be cheaper also. We went the last week in May/beginning of June - Memorial Day was in that week. My husband couldn't take that much time off work - so we just went a few days early and spent the time in Anchorage. We had the first southbound trip from Seward to Vancouver. Remember about the time change - by the time we arrived in Anchorage we had been travelling for nearly 20 hours. The next day we were pretty tired and didn't do much until late afternoon.

[MNfamilycruiser]

Did you do a whale watch excursion, looking to do one in Juneau but so many to choose from any suggestions.

We did one in Icy Straight Point because there is not much else to do there. It was a very small boat, only 6 of us onboard. Glacier Wind Charters.