Alaska Sojourn: Coral Princess cruisetour, Alaska Railroad, Radiance of the Seas

EmpressofPurple · June 29, 2016

Time for dinner!

Our delightful dining companions

Delicious gravlax appetizer. I was fascinated to learn at a cuisine presentation later in the cruise that this salmon is not smoked, but rather cured in salt, sugar and dill, much the way ceviche is "cooked" in lemon or lime juice. Who knew?

Steamed cod with lentils and boiled potato

Delicious Princess Souffle

Birthday girl gets a FREE birthday cake!

It was pretty tasty, too... we each got a bite!

journeycollector · June 29, 2016

Loving your detailed report...thanks for sharing your photos and tips. Getting lots of great ideas!

Missusdubbya · June 29, 2016

wonderful review - thankyou!

EmpressofPurple · June 29, 2016

Journey, missus, so glad you are enjoying. I certainly collected a lot of data from other cc trip reports, I'm glad to share what I learned and compiled. I hope you like the new format where I'm leaving more text together and then doing multiple posts with photos. I just didn't like breaking the text up into such tiny bits.

In fact, it's important to organize this information that you collect. Recently I discovered an email I had sent myself before the trip about the one good place to eat in carcross and the Yukon... But I had forgotten about it during the trip, and we ate at the bad places instead because I didn't have this info with me!!! Organize your notes...

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

CMM · June 29, 2016

enjoying your review!

vavasmom · July 1, 2016

Denise - it looks like you both had a wonderful time. Enjoying reading this (thanks for the link on the Royal Board)

Barbara (from the RCCL Liberty Repo last fall)

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Hi Barbara, great to hear from you! Yes, it was a wonderful trip. CMM, glad you are enjoying cruising along, too. Sorry for the delays in posting, but as you can see it is a time consuming procedure. I'm hoping to have some time to dedicate to it tomorrow afternoon and/or evening. We'll see!!!

Aldeya · July 2, 2016

This is exactly the type of reviews I'm looking on Cruise Critic. Very detailed with a lot of pictures.

I can imagine how much time it takes to write such review and upload many pictures so THANK YOU for taking the time doing this!:)

You had me at "I enjoyed a huge salad, with a serving of nicoise salad, pasta salad, cooked green beans, a chicken and mushroom terrine, a croquet monsieur sandwich, and three big pieces of fruit for dessert: a full-length slice each of honeydew, cantaloupe and pineapple, skin still on.:D

LOVE all the details! Please keep'em coming! :)We are considering Princess Alaska tour (land and cruise) so I'm taking notes while I'm reading your excellent review.

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Thanks Aldeya, more details on the way!! I love detailed reviews, too, really enjoy reading them wen I'm on a break at work -- let's me feel like I"m cruising.

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SUNDAY, MAY 15 – DAY #3 – AT SEA

Up at 5:00 am, catch up on journal, dress in gym clothes, walk up to deck 14, walk through spa but couldn’t find gym! Walked back, around to other side… finally went outside onto cold deck, walked back to farthest door and entered into the aerobic studio. A couple people warming up but it wasn’t yet 7:00 am, so I went through the connecting hallway to the gym, where almost every machine was already in use! I hopped on the last available treadmill to do about 10 minutes warmup before the 7:00 am stretch class. Stretch with Tom was nice, relaxing yet challenging. Abs afterwards was pretty grueling but only 15 minutes long. Then we relaxed a bit, and I ate half an energy snack bar before a VERY hard spin class!

One couple in the spin class had rented two loungers outside in the Sanctuary for this sea day: comfy, with blankets in the cold weather, service available, and great views. I commented that this might be a good alternative to paying an upcharge for a balcony, since you’re only paying for the space the day you really want it; they said that my having upgraded to a balcony meant I got a balcony all the time… I didn’t mention that you can’t fit a chaise longue on these tiny balconies… nor that there were free aft balconies with chaises available just a few decks below! (Let's keep that "secret" as long as possible.)

Early morning view from the balcony

Artwork walking upstairs to the fitness center

Treadmills are all full already!

Stretch class

Sanctuary and warmly dressed deck staff

Ready for spin class!

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

After spin I headed back to the cabin, took a quick shower, dressed, and DKNYC and I ran down to MDR breakfast, arriving at 9:20 -- breakfast is just from 7:30-9:30 so we were happy to make it on time. We were seated with two couples, one from New Zealand, who ended up joining us at trivia afterwards. Breakfast was lovely; I had a bran muffin, prune juice, a half grapefruit, eggs benedict and coffee.

Trivia was fun, too, with Romeo – like all CD staffers, dressed in loggers’ red-and-black checked flannel shirt and jeans. We came very close to winning, with 16 out of 20 answers right… and indeed, had I not incorrectly changed one of DKNYC’s answers we would have tied the winning team with 17… but then again, we probably would have had to wrestle them to the death for some crappy pens, so perhaps losing wasn’t so bad. And we got to chat and exchange names with our breakfast companions, Sally and Neil.

More random art walking from here to there

Bran muffin and molded butter pat

Half grapefruit and prune juice

Suggestive eggs benedict (they look a bit dry, but they were perfect)

Beautiful wooden lamps, dozens of them throughout the Explorer's Lounge where we had trivia

Trivia!

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

After Trivia, we went to our informal meet & greet in Crooners, which DKNYC had set up with MLBCruisers, Maria and Charlie. It was just the four of us, so we sat and chatted until DKNYC and I were both getting sleepy, so we said our farewells and headed back to our cabin.

We put on fleece jackets and windbreakers and headed out to the back deck, where we stretched out on the chaises longues and enjoyed the rushing sound of the wake and the beautiful vistas… and ate the chocolate-dipped strawberries we had received as a welcome aboard gift.

After a bit of a nap, we headed down to the International Café to use our coffee card: I had a hot chai latte, and DKNYC got an apple mint tea (which she had wanted warm, but got iced – still delicious, apparently). I took the tea and a sandwich and headed up one flight in search of Hearts and Minds Chapel… wandering up and down the deck several times until I finally asked a staffer where it was! Found it, and met up with some fellow travelers in the Friends of Dr. Bob and Bill W. meeting, always a pleasure when cruising.

Comfy chairs at Crooners for our four-person meet and greet

Happy on "my" back deck

DKNYC strikes a pose at the aft railing

Mmm chocolate covered strawberries

Pics from the New Orleans style decor of the Bayou Cafe, unique to Radiance

Even the ceiling lights have themed decor

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Paintings

Seating area with display case

This almost looks like the sternwheeler we would go on in Fairbanks!

Wrought iron trellis and fence, view out to hallway and sea views, so lovely all over this sea-facing ship

More wrought iron decor and large illuminated paintings in the hallway

Wrought iron, painting, louvered doors, and streetlight!

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

faux classical fresco-style art framing the entrance to the restaurant

the other side of the entrance

View through the window of the beautifully set tables

Entrance door and host's station

Menu board. If you belong to the Diamond Club or have Concierge Lounge privileges, you can also look at the menus there for all of the specialty restaurants

The beautiful padded loungers and teak deck on the Promenade deck.

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

I didn't spend nearly enough time in this beautiful venue, with hidden corners to sit and chat and enjoy the detailed nautical themed decor. Aside from beautifully framed paintings of classic sailboats and steamships, there were ship models and memorabilia from the old P&O lines.

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

I walked through the Bayou Café, Sabatinis, and the Wheelhouse Bar, taking pictures of some of the lovely decorative touches throughout the ship. I’ve also been photographing stairway art as I go from one place to another, when it catches my eye. I sat in the Atrium bar on the lowest level and listened to the nice bluesy singer-guitarist for a while, and picked up some future cruise sheets to study. DKNYC and I had agreed to meet at 3:30 for tea, since we had missed lunch… but I noticed in the Patter that from 2:30-3:30 in the Horizon Court was “Welcome to Sushi” so I headed up there for a pre-tea treat! Had a few rolls, went all the way aft to the cabin to see if she was there (she wasn't).

So I then headed down to the Provence dining room for tea, where DKNYC was already on line. We went in, and were seated with new people, one of whom had taken the Coral on its trip through the Panama Canal, and the 4-day up from Los Angeles, and now the 7-day cruise for 30 days total at sea. Tea was perfect, with a range of mini sandwiches, all on different rolls, plus a lovely selection of baked goods, including warm scones, jam, and clotted cream. Brewed tea was strong and good.

Music in the Centrum

Artwork facing the Centrum by the Library

Packed game room

Well-used and well-stocked library (I picked up daily sudoku and trivia quizzes here)

Keep an eye on the Patter! You never know what may pop up... such as "Welcome to Sushi" in the Horizon Court, at the same time as Tea in the dining room.

Sushi, veggie cup, and whole plum

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

After tea, we went back to the room where I napped for a while, then got up at 6:30 to dress for formal dinner: long black skirt, black flats with sequined bows on them, a gold top, and a black-and-gold jacket, accessorized with a huge fake crystal necklace, sparkly crystal and gold earring cuffs, and my hair up in a bun. DKNYC and I headed to the atrium to enjoy watching the Champagne waterfall, seeing the CD and the Captain and all the senior staff, and taking some pictures.

Then it was in to formal dinner. We saw our CC friends, Maria and Charlie, whose dining companions still hadn’t showed up; we checked with our Waiter, Vincent, and the Maitre D’, who assured us that they could come join us and fill out our table for 8, so we now have a full and lively table! We shared stories, enjoyed a marvelous formal night menu -- I ordered crabmeat quiche, asparagus soup, green salad, then barramundi and a side order of grilled shrimp, finishing with bananas foster plus an incredible chocolate hazelnut creation -- and made it out JUST in time for the production show “Dance” at 9:15.

Well, we arrived after the start of the first number, but amazingly the theatre was still pretty empty, and I got a great seat front and center in the first row after the thrust stage!! Performers were talented and energetic, costumes were nice, arrangements good – but wow, I do miss having a live orchestra onstage. Despite some of Royal Caribbean’s weaknesses (their musical arrangements are often very weird, and their costumes look like they’re designed by someone on crack) they win big for having a large, live orchestra. I tried to subtly take one (non-flash) photo of each number to capture the atmosphere without interrupting my own enjoyment of the performance.

After the show, we stopped by guest services, since shore excursions was closed, and were told we could book the tickets for the show in the morning from 7-9:30am. We had decided rather than explore the totems tomorrow, since our port stop time would be so brief – just 6:30 am to 1:30 pm – we would take our time in the morning, I could go to my stretch class, we’d have breakfast, then wander the town and go to the lumberjack show. We decided to explore the multiple free totem museums on the Royal cruise coming back southbound in a few weeks.

Then we headed back to the room, where we looked at the next day’s Patter, deciding to do the 10:30 lumberjack show so we could get back onboard in time to enjoy the free pub lunch, which would be served in the Café Royal. Also available free for lunch: Pizza at Sabatini’s! I hope we have a chance to try that on this ship, too.

I used up about 20 minutes of our wi-fi package to download some work files to proof and send a few quick emails. (I’ll write more off-line and send them in a packet next time I log on.) Then I spent an hour proofing one of the work documents, and then updating this journal!

Afternoon tea: finger sandwiches and, yes, tea!

Pastries, scones, jam, and clotted cream... yummmm....

Centrum packed with viewers for the champagne waterfall

Captain and staff dressed up for formal night

Denise & Denise dressed up for formal night, too! (Champagne waterfall in background)

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Yes, after "Welcome to Sushi" and Afternoon Tea, it's time for... formal dinner!

Crabmeat Quiche

Asparagus soup

green salad

Barramundi and a double order of shrimp

Bananas Foster

Amazing chocolate creation!

(Good thing I was so active on this cruise...)

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

(Wow... so the description ALREADY gets very abbreviated here!! Sorry for those of you who have been enjoying the minute details... broader brushstrokes and lists now...)

Morning routine: Treadmill, weights, stretch class, dress for day.

Breakfast: Prune juice, grapefruit juice, half grapefruit, raisin bread, ham, eggs over easy, grits, gravy, hot sauce, rye toast, butter, coffee with cream.

We disembarked and wandered around this picturesque, notoriously rainy town, visiting stores that had art carving of mammoth tusks, local quartz, wood and more, took photos with life-sized moose and bear stuffed animals, browsing shops until it was time for our 10:30 show of the Great Alaskan Lumberjack show.

Expecting a kitschy, corny show, we were happy to see that the performers were actually involved in “ironjack” competitions, where they competed in various skills related to logging, including sawing, log rolling, tree climbing and more. It was a lively fun show with handsome athletic men – I won the first signed souvenir postcard for expressing my excitement the most demonstratively, and got a great post-show photo with all the lumberjacks.

We continued to wander through stores along the waterfront, when suddenly the SUN CAME OUT! We peeled off our jackets and took lots of photos.

Then we headed back to the ship in time for pub lunch, which was held in the Bayou Steakhouse. DKNYC and I shared 3 lunches: fish and chips with mushy peas, bangers and mash, steak & kidney pie, bread & butter pudding. I had a virgin mary and she had a pear cider.

After lunch, we rested in the stateroom and watched the ship pull away (we left port very early, around 1:30pm), listening to naturalist information over cabin TV. Snacks included a pear we had taken to the cabin from the Horizon court on the first day, some gummy bears I brought from home, and during a visit to the International Café: beet salad, pistachio pudding and a caramel latte, which I brought with me to the Friends of Bill meeting.

Dinner tonight included another terrine with a fruit aspic, amazing Alaskan king crab legs with snap peas and butter, plus a seafood cioppino with mussels, squid, shrimp and scallops… and we had to try the pappardelle with wild boar ragout! How I wish I’d tried the burned rhubarb napoleon for dessert (everyone loved it); instead I created my own sundae with butter pecan ice cream, caramel and butterscotch with whipped cream… and the assistant waiter added mini chocolate chips and sprinkles!

After dinner we peeked in on the ‘50s and ‘60s rock’n’roll dance party, then headed up to watch some TV and go to bed, laying out the morning’s workout clothes and the following day’s outfit and bag for our whale watching trip.

(Yep. That's all the text I have for today. Now I'll post some of the 130+ photos from this day...)

Magical morning balcony views

Pilot coming to guide us into misty port

Lots of rain means lots of green

Our beautiful home away from home

Ready to face the day

No matter what the weather!

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Some days you get the bear...

Some days the bear gets you!

(Or the moose...)

bear claws

mammoth tusks

Yep, we had the authentic Ketchikan experience -- rain!!

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Welcome to Ketchikan

Notice all the ships tied up right downtown

Masonic Temple

City Hall

We actually visit this discovery center on our SECOND cruise to Ketchikan

Though we did stop in the lobby to get a photo of the totem poles -- and a schedule of the public bus to the two local totem pole parks for our next trip

EmpressofPurple · July 2, 2016

Poster

Speed log chop -- aiming right at their own feet!!

Standing log chop

Chainsaw!

Chainsaw speed cutting competition

So this image illustrates one of the most interesting stories in this competition. The M.C. talked about the history of logging in Alaska, and how cutting trees on a mountainside meant that there was no even ground on which to stand as you cut the trees down. So lumberjacks would cut a hole in the tree, put in a board on which they would stand as they took down the top of the tree. This competition approximated that experience, very interesting and historical, and really showed the challenges of this job -- and why it is one of the most dangerous ones in the world. (If you search jobs with the highest death rate, loggers are only second to fishers.)