Does RCI have Naturalists on their ships too?

[Cruisn4jewels]

I've seen several threads that mention a naturalist on board but they all seem to be Princess ships. My family and I are sailing on Vision of the Seas on July 6th and I was wondering if RCI had naturalists on board too. It would be great to have someone who could point out the various flora and fauna and educate the passengers.

 

Can anyone tell me if RCI puts Naturalists on board and if so, does the Naturalist explain what you're looking at over loud speakers, is there a common meeting place, etc.? :rolleyes:

 

Thanks!

[Chenega]

I'm serving as a naturalist on a 7 day trip from Vancouver to Seward on the Radiance of the Seas on the 6/29 sailing. I usually do 2-3 presentations when we are not in port plus narration from the bridge when scheduled. I also wear a name tag identifying myself and try to mingle with passengers as much as possible. People always have lots of questions and seem to enjoy that I'm considered a "local".

 

Can't really speak to the issue of whether or not RCCL has naturalists on all Alaska trips but this is my third year doing it. Only do one a summer since I have other obligations (teaching, family, etc.) in Alaska. I do know they try to do so.

[Budget Queen]

Overall, RCI, no. They seem to have guest lecturers on some sailings. Some good- which I assume Chenege would be, and some poor- which I seem to have had on some of my sailings

[Yukon]

To clarify a bit, only the Serenade of the Sea hires "Naturalists" (on a 1-cruise contract) - the Radiance and Vision hire "Destination Speakers" who can talk about anything Alaka related. I've done gigs on both the Vision and Radiance, and have only given presentations in the theatre (3 per cruise) despite offering to do talks from the bridge. I see on our agent's site that the Mercury is hiring Naturalists on the same basis this year.

 

Murray

[Cruisn4jewels]

Thanks for your replies. I'm a little disappointed. :( We're bringing our kids with us and they're looking forward to learning all about Alaska. I guess I'll buy a book in case Vision doesn't have a "Destination speaker".

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for your replies. I'm a little disappointed. :( We're bringing our kids with us and they're looking forward to learning all about Alaska. I guess I'll buy a book in case Vision doesn't have a "Destination speaker".

 

Actually, I always gave my kids little "projects" to do. :) :) I'd ask who could tell me about ?????? and have them find out about it. Could be an animal, city, geography, native culture etc etc etc. You should have seen them on the trips- excited and looking for their "answers" coming alive. :)

 

I'm continuing doing this with my nephews for the Boston trip, I'm taking them on next week. Of course, I HAVE to have them real interested in the 3 humpback trips I'm taking :) , but they have already told me they want to see Paul Revere's House, the Swan boats, Old North Church. They are 9 and 11, and I most certainly am going to make sure they see them!!!!!

[Cruisn4jewels]

Thanks BQ! We're leaving in 2 weeks so they'll have plenty of time to do research. :)

[Chenega]

To clarify a bit, only the Serenade of the Sea hires "Naturalists" (on a 1-cruise contract) - the Radiance and Vision hire "Destination Speakers" who can talk about anything Alaka related. I've done gigs on both the Vision and Radiance, and have only given presentations in the theatre (3 per cruise) despite offering to do talks from the bridge. I see on our agent's site that the Mercury is hiring Naturalists on the same basis this year.

 

Murray

 

It is interesting how much companies vary in what they do regarding having naturalists on the ships. My first experience doing naturalist work was one of the best - we were on the Radisson (now Regent) Seven Seas Mariner and were integrated into the seven day cruise from the start. We were introduced on the first night and our presentations were announced well in advance. We were also invited numerous times to do bridge narration and did lots and lots of mingling with passengers at the outstanding observation lounge.

 

Our first trip on the Radiance had an enthusiastic captain who loved bridge narrations. In fact, we were up and talking less than two hours from departure from Vancouver. We did narrations throughout the inside passage, coming into Juneau, leaving Skagway through Lynn Canal, and at Hubbard Glacier (our favorite).

 

Last year I couldn't do bridge narration coming into Juneau for "security reasons" and only got to talk when we visited Hubbard.

 

On our first Radiance trip, we did three presentations but last year I was limited to two. Quite variable to say the least.

 

For me, my favorite part is the informal talks with passengers who really want to know more about Alaska. I often go to the lounges and strike up a conversation with anyone that wants to talk (I wear a nametag so they know I'm the naturalist); if they don't want to talk, I leave them alone.

 

Some cruise lines hire naturalists for the entire length of the summer season. I know Regent does that and have been told that Holland America has a great on-ship program with the cooperation of the Alaska Native Heritage Center here in Anchorage.

 

Since my wife and I are both Alaskan educators, we do think the tour business could do a better job educating their customers about Alaska while they are on vacation. This is an entirely different environment than a Caribbean or Mexico cruise since there is so very much to see and do up here. I know of some great people in the tourist business, including many outstanding naturalists, who feel the same way. We all do our best to make visitors feel welcome to our home state.

[reretired]

No naturalist on the recent RCI crusies that I am aware of, get yourself a good map of the Inside Passage and southeast Alaskan coast before your board. The one available on the boat come with a book, it's $20 and not updated regarding the ship's route, seems a few years old. Also the crew couldn't tells us where the boat was, what points of land we were passing but we could figure it our with our map. Poor info from the captian as well, but we were on Radiance, hope yours is more informative.

[Chenega]

One of your best sources for books and maps on Alaska are stores like Barnes and Noble, Borders, and the online amazon.com Do a search for Alaska Inside Passage or Alaska Inside Passage maps. There are plenty to choose; I always like the products of National Geographic on Alaska as well. Another excellent source is the Alaska Natural History Association (http://www.alaskanha.org).

 

Funny tidbit - the book sold by RCCL is the same one Princess sells except for a different cover. Yes, some of the information is dated.

 

Many crew members have limited, if non-existent, knowledge of Alaskan geography and history, particularly since the run is so seasonal. That's why I enjoy being a "local" on these cruises with a background on the place (taught geography and history up here for 35 years at the university before I retired).