Long, Detailed Review of RCCL Cruise Tour #10 (Land Portion)

[TeeBuccs]

BEWARE - Very detailed, long review of RCCL Cruisetour Package #10 (Radiance of the Seas)

 

Following our 7-day northbound inside passage sailing, we were beginning our inland adventure. Upon arrival in seward we were to visit Anchorage, 2 nights in Denali, and our final evening in Fairbanks. As you read this review, please remember this is merely a description of our expereince - it is not necessarily indictative what what you may experience. Our sailing was in fact the first Alaskna sailing of the 2006 season so I am sure (or at least hope) some of the "bugs" have been worked out for future cruisetours.

 

DAY 1 - ARRIVE SEWARD, BOARD BUS FOR ANCHORAGE

Once the ship arrived in Seward at 7:00am, we were instructed to wait in the ship's common areas until our baggage color was called to disembark. According to the sheet of paper circulated to all passengers, our anticipated departure time was 8:30am. After eating breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe we waited on deck 5 at the coffee bar and watched a U.S. Destroyer dock across from us. After what felt like an eternity, Beige 2 was finally called - I looked at my watch and it was only a mere 9:50am. So far we were behind schedule but excited about our next big adventure.

 

Upon disembarking we were greeted by a woman on the ramp who told us to proceed to bus #130 with our carry-on's. As we got to the bottom of the ramp, there was yet another RCT person who checked our last name on a list and told us to actually board bus #113. Once all 36 passengers were on board we pulled out. We made several stops along the way to Anchorage for strech and potty breaks. The first was at a place named "Millers". They have great ice cream, a general store, and pony rides outside. BEWARE: If you have to use the restroom urgently, get in line quickly as there is only one bathroom for the women and one for the men. Lines can get long.

 

Upon arriving in Anchorage there are apparantly several places the cruisetours let off for lunch. (Salmon Hatchery and the Saturday Market). This was a Saturday afternoon so the street market was in full bloom. What a treat! There were at least 4 isles of local merchants selling native crafts, artwork, food items and misc. merchandise. Due to our late departure from Seward our time was unfortunately cut short here, but I could have stayed for hours. Be sure not to miss the Halibut Tacos at the old fashioned looking trolley stand in the last isle - they are to die for. There was also a Russian stand serving "Peroshes" or something of that nature that were fabulous if you like warm muffins stuffed with ground beef and cheese.

 

The next stop for the afternoon was at the Alaskan Native Culture Center. Local tribes performed dances, answered questions and explained the way of life for the variety of tribes that inherit the different Alaskan regions. Although informative, for me, walking outside visiting the samples houses and other points of interest were far more fascinating. In the last house we came to (closest to the cultural center - the Athabascan Village Site), we stumbled upon a young man telling stories of growing up as part of a tribe, his hunting exploits and tradition. He performed moose calls and other demonstations and my husband and I found we could just sit and listen to him all day. However since we had arrived at 4pm and the center closed at 5pm, after a 1/2 of listening to him, it was time to re-board the bus for our final destination of the evening.

 

Downtown Anchorage on a Saturday evening was not too busy - in fact it was nice. On the way to the Anchorage Marriott we passed the local Mall and a variety of other downtown stores and restaurants. When we arrived at our hotel, our tour guide Dave handed us our room assignments and keys and we were free to explore ourselves until 8:30am the next morning. We dropped our carry on bags in the room and pleasantly found our luggage had already arrived ahead of us. The room was quite spacious and nice and the bed turned out to be amazingly comfrotable!!! What a great place to stay. NOTE: Breakfast the next morning was not cheap - the buffet at the hotel was approximately $16pp, but it was tasty.

 

We dinned at Simon & Seaforts (within walking distance of the hotel) - great meal but pretty pricey. (Dinner for two with one dessert split came to around $70). After dinner we walked around the city and looked at local stores before heading back to the hotel. There are a few neat little shops in the building where the restaurant was located. Mall closes by 9pm. We passed a bar called "Humpy's" that was highly recommended by locals but opted not to visit but instead turn in for the evening.

 

NOTE: Each day upon boarding the bus, you are responsible for bringing any carry-on items. You will receive instructions from your guide as to what time to place your checked bags in the hall each morning so they may be moved to your next location ahead of you. Additionally the bus seating is first come, first serve each day.

 

DAY 2 - TRAVEL FROM ANCHORAGE TO DENALI

ON THE WAY TO DENALI, BE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE BUS - DRIVER'S SIDE FOR BEST VIEWS

This leg of the journey is aobut 400 miles so it is a decent travel day with several stops. Our lunch stop today was at a military memorial at about the 1/2 way point in the trip. Along the way since the weather was clear and crisp we were able to spot the northbound exposure of Mt. McKinley (Denali) . Clouds can roll in quickly and obscure the view so be sure to get pictures whenever you can. The mountain almost seems magical as it appears illuminated differently than all surrounding mountains - you will recognize it once you see it. At the memorial stop RCCL provides a box lunch along with a bottle of water for each guest. Surprisingly the turkey sandwich is loaded with turkey and quite filling along a few other snack items. If you have time, walk over to the memorial - there is one for each branch of the military and pretty neat looking.

 

As we arrived in Denali it began to snow. Temperatures really dropped - a little odd considering it was June 5th. According to park rangers the Deanli Preserve actually got approximately 2 inches of snow that day and we just caught the tail end of the flurries. Our bus took us to our hotel - the Grand Denali Lodge. This lodge is 1/2 way up the side of a mountain, perched with an amazing view. BEWARE: The road to the lodge is a steep, winding, gravel road. The buses are well equiped to get your there safely but until you are used to the steep incline and widing narrow road it can feel a bit harrowing. Don't worry, you will get used to it as the complimenatry shuttle is the only way down to the town stores and restaurants.

 

Upon arrival our tour guide once again provided us with instructions for "bags out" two days later. We were all free until Tuesday to do whatever we wanted. We received our room key and proceeded to check out the facility. The rooms are very basic (like that of a Motel 6) and nothing special surprisingly. When looking out our window we noticed some cabins on the property down the hill and inquired at the front desk about them. We were able to upgrade for a nominal fee tohave our very own private log cabin. The cabin was much nicer, had great views, microwave, small refrigerator and sink, patio with chairs and a separte living area from bedroom) The hotel will provide shuttle service (to pick you up or drop you off at your room) if you ask them. There is a gravel road you can walk up (decently steep incline) or hiking trail straight up the side of the mountain, to get back to the lodge.

 

Inside the lodge is a gift shop, ATM, free internet access and restaurant/bar called the Alpenglow. We found the food to be good but very pricy. My favorite was the chowder $5 a cup - but worth it. (You can get food to go - back to your room if you opt). NOTE: By this point in our trip the sun was out for nearly 21 hours per day. You will lose track of time as you feel more energized. There were occassions when we realized it was after midnight and yet it looked the same in the sky as it did at 10am.

 

Our time in Denali was free so we opted to participate in the "Husky Homestead" tour hosted by Jeff King (4 time, and current champion Iditerod champion). A shuttle picked us up at 6:45pm and shuttled us about 10 miles to Jeff's house and training center. Upon arrival all guests were encouraged to hold one of the new puppies and pose for pictures. Then one of the trainers walked everyone down to the dog kennel area for demonstrations and to teach us about working with the dogs. It was simply fascinating. During this presenation you could stand or sit and they released several of the dogs to visit with the crowd and to perform training routines for 1/2 hour. The next portion of this tour was then moved inside the barn where everyone sat on benches and listed to Jeff King for 1/2 hour describing the actual Iditerod race and the overall experience. Jeff was FANTASTIC and shared so much informaton that I got a much better feeling of what is required to compete. Before long it was back to the hotel to call it an evening.

 

DAY 3 - ANOTHER DAY IN DENALI

We were booked on an early excursion (7:30am) White Water Rafting on the Neanana River. We were outfitted in "dry suits" from neck to toes so our clothing underneath would stay dry. Although a big tricky to get into, the staff will assist you and the suites really do work! NOTE: These are dry suits, not warm suits. You should be prepared to layer based upon the weather conditions. Waterproof gloves and hat are hightly recommended as this is glacier run-off that you are rafting through and icy cold. (The morning we went it was no more than 40 degree air temps.)

The rafting trip was an 11 mile journey through several "S" curves and at least 6 rapids (class 2 and 3). The best rapid was "Train Wreck" but this might change depending on the water levels. In any case it was beautiful and serene. Be sure to tip your guide at the end, as they really do work hard to keep you moving and safe. We had no "swimmers" aka - anyone that fell overboard and our guide Emily and our spotter Chris, did an outstanding job!

 

We returned to the lodge around 10:45am to warm up and proceeded to grab some chowder for lunch at the Alpenglow. We had a 12:30 shuttle down to the Denali National Wildlife Perserve so we could catch the 1:30pm Tundra Wilderness Tour (TWT 21). It was a bit confusing but the TWT bus will pick up atht eh visitors center bus drop off. NOTE: Royal Carribean used to automatically include the Tundra Tour as part of package #10 but they recently changed this (after we booked). They now only conduct a 2 hour visit called "Discover Denali" on the morning your travel to Fairbanks. We opted to do the TWT to ensure we could truly experience the park and see the animals.

 

The TWT tour aws well worth any expense, but it is a long trip! We didn't return until 9:30pm (8 hours roundtrip). Although long you can't help but see a ton of critters and breathtaking views. I believe the normal tour stops and turns around at mile 53 or so. Since it was a crystal clear day our excellent driver, Bill, opted to go futher out to mile 65. We were within 40 miles of Mt. McKinley and had an excellent view of nearly the entire mountain. Great photo opp. A box lunch is provided to you on this trip which consisted of some freshly baked bread, some reindeer sausage, a slice of cheese, condiments, and a very small bottle of water. SUGGESTION: Bring some snacks and additional beverages with you. We found it simply wasn't enough water to tide us over. There are plenty of stops for restroom and stretch breaks and we found the facilities to be ample to handle the staggard bus crowds. YOU WILL SEE WILDLIFE so have your camera ready at all times. We spotted hundreds of carribou, dall sheep, a bunch of rams close to the road, moose, bears and cubs, artic squirrels and millions of snowshoe hares. We understand others saw foxes, wolves, and occassionally a Lynx as well as some very interesting birds. Many of these animals were merely yards from our bus at any given time. Look carefully as most camoflauge very well with nature.

 

IMPORTANT TIP ON THE TWT: Although there are surely benefits to both sitting in the front of the bus (getting on and off first, etc..) and the back of the bus (Seeing the wildlife longer and being able to take pictures longer, etc..) I think you HAVE to sit in the FRONT OF THE BUS. I heard from numerous passengers both on our bus and several others that the back of the bus always becomes a "dust bowl." The only transportation allowed into the park (past a certain point) are the Denali "school buses." Even with windows up, you are traveling on all dirt and gravel roads and as other buses past, you can not help get the dust all stirred up. Even sitting in the very front seat I found the lens of my camera to be covered with dust on multiple ocassions. It is your call, but folks in the back of our bus called numerous times for "fresh air" stops becuase they were covered.

 

 

DAY 4 - TIME IN DENALI AND THEN TRAVEL BY WILDERNESS TRAIN TO FAIRBANKS

(ON TRAIN TO FAIRBANKS SIT ON RIGHT HAND SIDE FOR BEST VIEWS)

This is the part of the tour that I liked the least. This day felt like a completed wasted day, save a period of 2 hours on the train. The morning began with getting the bags out of the room. We then boarded our bus at 8am and headed to the Denali Park visitors center for the "Discover Denali" program. Although many in our group did indicate they enjoyed the learning experience, several others said they were not impressed with the entire "you must sit, listen, and learn from us" approach that this walking tour had. After listening to the presentation for about 10 minutes my husband and I opted to cut out. This portion of the tour seemed anticlimatic aftern having spent so much time in the park the previous day. (For anyone who didn't go in the park, this was probably interesting...) Instead we opted to hite a few of the trails around the outskirts of the park. Loaded with walking sticks we headed out to "Horsehoe Lake." There were very few people out and once we got 1.5 miles out there was a great overlook on the lake. Sure enough we spotted a moose grazing and we watched her for quite some time before hiking back.

 

Upon catching up with our group, we board the bus that took us right back to "Glitter Gulch" the downtown portion of Denali. If you left your room at all to see the downtown previously, this was all a repeat for you. We had three hours to kill. For anyone who has never visited this area before, there are a handful of shops along a boardwalk across from the Princess Lodge. (Handfull means maybe 6 stores, a subway restaurant, an ice cream parlour and a gas station/c-store/liquore store). WIth three hours to spend, we opted to hit the "Salmon Bake" restaraunt for lunch. (Great jalapeno poppers, decent halibut tacos <not as good at the Anchorage Saturday Market>) That killed about an hour! Next it was on to do what everyone else was doing - looking at the stores. There is one really nice place there with true Alaskan made merchandise by the name of "Three Bears" and the ice cream parlour did a good business as well.

Finally it was time to reboard the bus and head over to the train station in Denali to catch the 3:45pm to Fairbanks. By this time Wade, our bus driver had doubled back to the Grande Denali Lodge and loaded all of our checked backs onto the bus. He would be driving our bags and picking us up at the Fairbanks train station as we rode the Wilderness Express. Of course the train was late and arrived around 4:15pm - we understand from locals that this is pretty common. Once aboard I found the RCT (Royal Celebrity Tour) cars to be EXTREMELY comfortable and roomy.

 

The train ride was fantastic, particularly the first 30 minutes leaving Denali. BE on the right hand side. After the first 45 minutes the scenery drops off and there is not much to see - I tried to spot wildlife but no one saw anything but trees and more trees. You should try to eat in the dining car if you are hungry. There are two dinning times 4pm and 6pm (in our case the first seating was withing 10 minutes of our departure.) We at during the second seating and found the food to be BETTER than the food on the cruise ship and decent prices. The chowder is fantastic and reasonable at $4 or so. The prime rib (that our bud driver recommended) was a $20 entree and more than enough for two of us to split. The servings all appeared to be large and a good deal for the amount of food. We also opted to split a dessert that was maginificant. Our total bill with tip for two to eat a three course meal was around $38 - one of the better bargains we found inland all week.

 

Upon arrival in Fairbanks we were met by our bus driver Wade who drove us the 10 minutes to Pike's Waterfront Lodge. This is the last time you will see your driver so this is the appropriate time to tip them. (Envelopes are provided to you to pay both your guide and your driver.) Of course you can tip whatever amount you feel appropriate but the recommended amount is between $2.50 - $3 per person, per day. Room keys are again given to you before departing the bus and your checked baggage is in your room waiting for you. The look of this lodge was the nicest of the three we stayed out; however, this little property in my opinion was completely ruined by the shear number of buses that were dumping passengers here. There were simply people EVERYWHERE and very little free room to actually explore. The rooms were nice but anyone close to the bus load and unload area was in for a busy and loud evening.

 

NOTE: During our stay we noticed several guests who did not receive rooms. Apparantely the property was 100% booked (in fact overbooked) and they could not accomodate rooms for all. From what some folks told us, they were being sent to a Quality Inn not far away for the evening. We also ran into a family visiting from Austrailia completely on their own who paid for their room reservation over 6 months ago and they were told they did not have a room afterall as the cruise lines had taken all the accomodations. We were in Fairbanks such a short time it is a shame. The property is across the street from the airport (convenient for the flight home in the AM), but not for seeing the actual city. RCL should change the itenerary in Denali on this day to allow passengers to arrive in Fairbanks before 8pm so they can explore.

 

LAST DAY - TRAVEL HOME

Hotel shutte transported us to the airport. A marjority of guests were on the same Northwest flight to Minnieaplois. This is such a large daily flight for this airport that despite long lines to check-in, it moves quickly as there are extra personnel assisting. Someone from NW airlines will approach you inline and ask for your drivers license or passport to expedite your check in. They take it to a station, print your boarding passes, but baggage tags on checked bags and escort to the TSA bag x-ray station where you leave your items. You are then free to go to the gate. There appeared to be one restaurant in the airport and understandibly it was quite busy. If you order anything that needs to be cooked, allow at least 15 minutes for your order to arrive.

 

All said and done this was a fantastic trip and our guide and driver were wonderful - thanks Wade & Dave! You get to know your fellow passengers and bond with many. Realize ahead of time there will be individuals or families on your journey that will annoy you (always be late, have to be the first on and off the bus, etc..) but it makes for great bonding with fellow passengers and stories when you get home! Learn to embrace them and find the humor in it and it will make those frustrating moments even better!

[tapia]

Both reviews were great. Thank you so much for posting!

[NancyIL]

Great review - thank you! If you had the opportunity to return to Alaska in the future, would you do another cruisetour?

[Budget Queen]

A wonderful resource for cruisetour travelers. But for clairfication, Anchorage to Denali Park is 240 miles, Anchorage to Fairbanks 350 miles.

[outlaw1]

great reviews, looking forward to our trip in august, we do the land portion first followed by a sb cruise, can't wait

[teammom]

Did you notice how much crab legs were at Simon & seafort?

[Buccaneergirl]

Thanks for the great review and all the tips! We will be doing either cruisetour #8 or #14 next May and sailing Radiance before the land tour. We have sailed Alaska before (on Princess)but did not take a land tour, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect for the land portion. You definitely helped me out with that!:)

[MrBassBone]

Thanks for the great review and all the tips! We will be doing either cruisetour #8 or #14 next May and sailing Radiance before the land tour. We have sailed Alaska before (on Princess)but did not take a land tour, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect for the land portion. You definitely helped me out with that!:)

 

WHEN are you sailing on Radiance and if you have not done so, you should post on the Radiance Roll Call thread for your cruise...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=269

[RedneckCruiser]

Did you notice how much crab legs were at Simon & seafort?

 

Simon and Seafort's dinner menu: http://www.r-u-i.com/pdf/menus/SimonSeaforts-Anchorage-Dinner.pdf

 

Edit to correct link.

[JSR]

Great Review,

Thanks for taking the time to post

Jean

[Buccaneergirl]

TeeBuccs - Do you think if we called or e-mailed The Grand Denali Lodge in the next couple of months that we could get an upgrade to a cabin? Do you mind my asking how much more you paid for the cabin? By the way, anybody with Bucs in their name has got to be a great person!:D

 

MrBassBone - We will be sailing Radiance on May 18th. Yes, I have posted on the Radiance roll call thread -(I was the first one!):)

[TeeBuccs]

I would definately have to agree with the Bucc connection! (I live in VA but family in FL - to T.B.!!!)

 

As for the Grand Denali Lodge, I am sure you can contact them ahead of time and reserve a cabin if you choose. The cabin was an additional $300 for 2 people for 2 nights. In the grand scheme of the entire trip we felt this was reasonable for what to gained and to feel like you were truly out in nature experiencing the beauty of Denali. (Not to mention privacy)!

 

Enjoy!!!