Live from Radiance Cruise Tour #15-- June 16-July 1

[sea-jay]

DPC - Thanks for posting your experiences. Keep 'em coming. I have book marked this thread so both DW and I can follow it.

DW and I have Tour #13 booked for Aug 15, 2008 (From Vancover northbound). We will have aft cabin 1600. Hope it is a good one.

For anyone traveling this route in Aug, post or email me with the weather conditions. Being Florida people, we will have to purchase the necessary cold weather clothing for this cruise. I suspect Shorts and T-Shirts wont do.:D

[Buccaneergirl]

[SIZE=3][B]DPC - Thanks for posting while on your trip! I know on the land tour, RCCL keeps you very busy!:D [/B][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][B]DH and I did cruisetour #14 last month (northbound from Vancouver) and had a great time. The Radiance is a beautiful ship and RCCL really does do a great job taking care of you on the the land portion of the trip. The only down side to the land tour is that you have to be up and out early every day. Your luggage typically has to be outside your door between 6:30 - 7:30 a.m. and you are on the bus or train by 8:00/8:30. Since I am [U]NOT[/U] a morning person, I was pretty miserable in the a.m.:( Other than that, it was an outstanding trip![/B][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][B]sea-jay- You actually might be able to wear shorts a day or two in August! In May it was in the 50's most days, so being from FL myself, I was in all my winter clothes and heavy jacket (heavy for FL standards) every day. You are going to love Alaska![/B][/SIZE]

[Bette And Bill]

DPC - we miss your updates of the cruise. It must be a great trip and your enjoying yourself so much you are not taking time to post. I am looking forward to our trip at the end of August,

[sea-jay]

Buccaneergirl - Thanks for the tip. I thought we would have to be all bundled up in parkas the whole time.:D

Bye the way - haven't seen you on the Fl. cruisers thread, have I? Stop in and join us some time. Here is the link - [URL]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=516892[/URL]

We have over 1460 posts on the thread so far so don't try and read the entire thread. Just join in on the last page. Hope to see you there.

[Lightsluvr]

We're booked on Cruisetour #12 for June 2008...I am [I]so ready[/I] after reading this thread! Thanks!

LL

[LOST IN THE OZONE]

Thanks DPC. After reading your review, I was able to switch from #19 to #15 for this August.

[Aprille]

[quote name='Lightsluvr']We're booked on Cruisetour #12 for June 2008...I am [I]so ready[/I] after reading this thread! Thanks![/QUOTE]We did #12 in 2005. Loved it! I'm sure you will too.

[quote name='LOST IN THE OZONE']Thanks DPC. After reading your review, I was able to switch from #19 to #15 for this August.[/QUOTE]LOST - I'm so excited for you that you switched from a 10-night to a 14-night cruisetour. It's going to be a wonderful experience for your family. I hope those kids know how lucky they are! ;)

[anthk333]

We took a Princess cruise tour last year and loved it - it was fairly close to what DPC describes for RCI except that we had very good food while staying at Princess properties, and Princess' own properites were well located and in great shape.

One of these days we'll do RCI for Alaska.

[LOST IN THE OZONE]

Thanks Aprille.

[Kevin's girl]

I am looking forward to hearing how this cruise vacation ends. I hope there is some news soon.

[tinkerme1]

DPC, just found this thread, and hope that you continue to have a fabulous time. I know that you read my review, so I hope that it helped you in some of your stops! I just LOVED CruiseTour #15 and would say that RCI does an incredible job. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Have a great time in Alyeska! Throw a snowball or two for me. :D

[tinkerme1]

P.S. Don't forget to go to the Arctic Bar in Ketchican!

[realent]

[quote name='lrskier']BJ was the bartender in the Champagne Bar on SB 6/8 Radiance. Diamond Plus sounds like you guys are having a blast. Our fellow cruisers who did land package had same thing to say for RCCL land pkg - Top Notch!! We did independent and had a great time but and learning from your wonderful posts. thanks. LRSkier[/quote]

We met BJ in May...He was personable and wonderful...

[happy2fly]

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]I just stumbled across this thread. We're about to do our 5th Alaska cruise in September but have never done a cruise tour. Now I want to do one. Thank you DPC. :) [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]And "Hello" to all of the people I recognize here ... critterchick, Murphy, cruisenfever, Bennett'sCruise, Buccaneergirl, lightsluvr, realent.[/COLOR] [B][IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/happy2fly/smiley_wave02.gif[/IMG][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]

[realent]

[quote name='happy2fly'][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]I just stumbled across this thread. We're about to do our 5th Alaska cruise in September but have never done a cruise tour. Now I want to do one. Thank you DPC. :) [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]And "Hello" to all of the people I recognize here ... critterchick, Murphy, cruisenfever, Bennett'sCruise, Buccaneergirl, lightsluvr, realent.[/COLOR] [B][IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/happy2fly/smiley_wave02.gif[/IMG][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/quote]

Hi there Dianne! How was the rest of your Alaska trip on the Radiance after we parted?? I see that you are on her again before she goes through the canal. We pick her up in the Eastern Caribbean after Thanksgiving for 8 nights. I can't wait! We have a Pearl trip in between but it is the Radiance that I am looking forward to sailing again...:)

Enjoy your 4th and say *hi* to Jim...

[tinkerme1]

Diane, you forgot me? :confused:

Oh well, hello to you too! Hope all is well since our Vision's cruise!

[happy2fly]

[quote name='realent']Hi there Dianne! How was the rest of your Alaska trip on the Radiance after we parted?? I see that you are on her again before she goes through the canal. We pick her up in the Eastern Caribbean after Thanksgiving for 8 nights. I can't wait! We have a Pearl trip in between but it is the Radiance that I am looking forward to sailing again...:)

Enjoy your 4th and say *hi* to Jim...[/quote]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]Nancy[/FONT][FONT=Verdana],[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]We had a great time on the b2b Alaska cruises... did the zip line in Ketchikan, helicopter in Juneau, and other fun excursions. By the way, I still have some photos of you in the Colony Club... On the dance floor. ;) My email address is in my profile if you'd like me to email you a few. [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]Jim said "Hi" back at ya.[/COLOR][B] :)[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]

[happy2fly]

[quote name='tinkerme1']Diane, you forgot me? :confused:

Oh well, hello to you too! Hope all is well since our Vision's cruise![/quote]
[IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/happy2fly/smiley_wave02.gif[/IMG]

[Buccaneergirl]

[SIZE=3][B]Dianne - Great to hear from you! I'm jealous that you will be on Radiance again in Sept. Have a wonderful time(I know you will)!:D[/B][/SIZE]

[Bennett'sCruise]

[quote name='happy2fly'][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]I just stumbled across this thread. We're about to do our 5th Alaska cruise in September but have never done a cruise tour. Now I want to do one. Thank you DPC. :) [/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]And "Hello" to all of the people I recognize here ... critterchick, Murphy, cruisenfever, Bennett'sCruise, Buccaneergirl, lightsluvr, realent.[/COLOR] [B][IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/happy2fly/smiley_wave02.gif[/IMG][/B][/FONT][/COLOR][/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Glad you stumbled, [B][COLOR=purple]DianNe[/COLOR][/B]! Can't wait for OP to return (should have been yesterday) and fill in the rest of her/his trip.[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS]It was so neat meeting you and Jim in SF in May! A fun surprise to an already fun day :D [/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS]~d[/FONT]

[happy2fly]

[quote name='Buccaneergirl'][SIZE=3][B]Dianne - Great to hear from you! I'm jealous that you will be on Radiance again in Sept. Have a wonderful time(I know you will)!:D[/B][/SIZE][/quote]
[COLOR=black]Denise,[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]We love Alaska so much that sometimes I worry that when Jim gets off at a port, he may not get back on the ship.[/COLOR] :D [COLOR=black]So far the Radiance is our favorite ship but we'll be on the Voyager for the first time in January. It will be interesting to compare the larger ship to Radiance.[/COLOR] :)


[quote=Bennett'sCruise;10667494][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Glad you stumbled, [B][COLOR=purple]DianNe[/COLOR][/B]! Can't wait for OP to return (should have been yesterday) and fill in the rest of her/his trip.[/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]It was so neat meeting you and Jim in SF in May! A fun surprise to an already fun day :D [/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]~d[/FONT][/quote]
[COLOR=magenta]~dianNe,[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]I'm looking forward to more reports from OP also. I'm glad we had a chance to meet you in SF too. We would have enjoyed having dinner with you but we had just walked 7 miles in SF and we were dead on our feet. We had a pre-cruise dinner with Linda & Maurice in San Diego... They are such a nice couple. Looking forward to cruising to Alaska with them in September.[/COLOR] :)
[COLOR=black]DianNe[/COLOR]

[DiamondPlusCruiser]

OK folks-- I am alive and well and unfortunately back from this AMAZING trip. Sorry for the quick departure from the daily posts, but we got very busy toward the end of the trip and there just wasn't enough left in me at 3am each day to type. Here's the catch up....

Anchorage-- we left the hotel (Marriott) at 9am for the Alaska Native Heritage Center where we had about 3.5 hrs to explore on our own- we were all looking forward to visiting this place, however once there we wished we'd have stayed in Anchorage until the afternoon pick up-- the Center had nothing of any major interest and we saw the whole place in about 10 mins. Since we were given an hour for lunch back in Anchorage after leaving the Heritage Center, we all wished we would have just stayed in Anchorage for the afternoon, since our lunch stop there was so brief we didn't have a chance to explore this fine city.

Anyway, after a brief stop in Anchorage for lunch on our own, we again boarded our bus for the drive to Alyeska and our overnight at the Alyeska Resort. The resort was beautiful and as part of the tour we were given a ticket to ride the tramway up to the top of the mountain. Once on the mountain top we hiked through the snow and ice and actually wound up walking the trails all the way down to the hotel. We also went paragliding off the mountain top the next morning. The evening was on our own here so we opted for dinner at the hotel-- again very good food and probably the best service we received at any of the hotels (although still not great). We had the whole next day (until 145pm) to explore the hotel grounds or take the free shuttle into the town of Girdwood which we decided to do since they had a laundrymat there. While the clothes were drying we walked to the Silver Tip for breakfast which was so much food we couldn't finish it all.

We met back at the hotel at 130pm to collect our carry on luggage and board the bus for a 2 hr drive to Seward and the ship. RCI set up a luggage room at the hotel so any carry on items could be securly left there while we went into town.

The bus ride to Seward was uneventful-- most slept or took pictures of the passing scenery. Upon arrival in Seward we breezed thru check in and were on the ship in minutes. The best surprise was upon boarding all of our luggage was already inside our cabins!! RCI had placed all the checked bags on a luggage truck and sent the bags to the ship early that morning-- VERY NICE!!

[Aprille]

Glad to see you survived the trip, DPC. :D

I know you are exhausted from your adventure but I hope after you have rested up some you will come back and tell us about the cruise.

Did you see that your live trip report convinced LOST IN THE OZONE to switch from a 3 night land package to #15 for next month?! (Along with me and seahags from another thread that linked him here. ;)) I think that is amazing. He and his family are going to have such a great time! :cool:

Rest up and hope to hear from you again. Your updates have been fantastic!

Thanks again! :)

[DiamondPlusCruiser]

Now about the cruise:

First off, let me preface this by saying RCI is by far my favorite cruise line and the Radiance class ships are my favorite vessels. With that said, imagine my surprise when I boarded the Radiance and noticed she was in major need of some TLC!! Our cabin was a mess-- all of the drawers and woodwork was scratched and chipped (not only in our cabin but in all 10 cabins my group occupied). The carpets were all worn and stained as were most of the furnishings. The balcony railings were not varnished and there was considerable rust. The glass on the balconies and around the Windjammer were also in need of replacing as they were scratched and cracked. The ship was spotless and clean but she really needs some TLC and upkeep. Maybe they're waiting for her scheduled drydock next year, but I've never seen an RCI ship in such condition-- the Monarch is kept in better shape with constant carpet replacement etc. Anyway, none of these issues ruined our cruise in the least but it should be mentioned.

The entire crew under the guidance of Capt. Trym were excellent in every respect. The CD Kieron was the best we've ever had! The food was great with the exception of the "Get out There" menu, and both Chops and Portofino were excellent.

Our first stop was at Hubbard Glacier. We awoke to thick fog and it didn't look too promising that we'd make it into the glacier. The Capt. came on and told us that he would get close to the ice field and make a determination of whether or not we'd be able to go in. As we approached, the ice was very thick with loads of big icebergs floating in the water-- expecting us to turn around and leave, the next thing we knew we were plowing through the ice-- several large pieces hit the side of the ship, but we made it!! We got 400 yards from the face of the glacier and it was spectacular. We stayed for several hours and the Capt. turned the ship several times so both sides got a view. The glacier was very active and it was a cold but wonderful day.

Next port was Juneau, and we took the Taku Glacier Flight and Feast excursion. This was a highlight of the entire trip. We boarded the floatplane for the 30min flight over 5 glaciers enroute to the Taku Lodge. We landed on the Taku River and disembarked at the Taku Lodge which is directly across from the Hole in the Wall Glacier. We had time to explore the hiking paths and relax at the lodge before being served the best grilled salmon (caught right on the river that day). They also had homemade bread, biscuits, beans, coleslaw, hot cider, lemonade and tea chilled with glacier ice. After lunch we hiked the paths to a waterfall before returning to the lodge and our floatplane back to Juneau. While waiting for the plane, a mother Black Bear and her cub wandered into the lodge and since they were only 20 feet away we got excellent pictures.
The plane ride back was again 30 mins long and the view was fantastic. Upon arrival back in Juneau we walked around the city for a bit before heading back to the ship.

Next was Skagway-- we rented Jeeps and drove into the Yukon for the entire day. We made several stops at Carcross and Emerald Lake and took all day exporing and taking pictures before returning to the ship.

The following day we arrived at Icy Straight again in very thick fog- so we weren't expecting to see much on our Whale Watching excursion.. again we were pleasantly surprised as we saw tons of humpback whales-- all were very close to the boat. There were several full breaches and fin slaps on the water... we also saw they bubble feeding and they were very active! On the way back, we passed 2 pods of Orca and their babies so we followed them for about an hour-- again they were very close to the boat and very active. If you want to see whales, this is the place to do it. We had the afternoon free to expore ISP, and this was one of our favorite ports. Not commercialized, friendly people and a beautiful setting-- I just wished we would have had longer in this port.

Our next port was Ketchikan and we opted to just mill around town on our own. I had emailed the Captain requesting a Bridge Tour for my group and he graciously obliged. We met him on Deck 10 near the elevators and after being wanded by Security were escorted to the Bridge. The Captain could not have been more welcoming. He answered everyone's questions, posed for pictures and spent quite a bit of time with the group-- Capt. Trym has a great sense of humor and was a wonderful host for all of us.

Our last day was at sea, and we saw a lot of whales and dolphin as we cruised the inside passage. Very calm seas and chilly, rainy weather.

Arrival in Vancouver was painless-- we purchased 2 nights post cruise at the Hyatt downtown and RCI kept us on the ship until 1030am so we were among the last to leave the ship. Customs was a breeze and in no time we were on our bus for the hotel. Our luggage was trucked ahead and the bags were waiting for us upon arrival at the hotel. Our rooms were ready as well so we dropped off our carry ons and went out exploring the city.

All in all, this was probably the best cruise I've taken (out of 130 cruises). I can't speak highly enough about the service we recieved on both the land and cruise portions of this trip.

[tinkerme1]

DPC: I'm so glad to hear that you and the group enjoyed your cruise. Isn't Alaska grand!! We just adore Capt. Trym, and it is great that he gave you such a nice bridge tour!

Take care and we'll talk soon!:D