Radiance of the sea`s southbound Tour ?

[atv girl]

Can anyone tell me, we`re on tour 12 which does the land portion first. We will be taking a motorcoach from Anchorage to seward to board, the Radiance is there a standard time for arrival no one at RCCl seems to be able to answer what time we`ll arrive. Just want to know if we`ll have time for anything in seward.If you`ve done this tour any info will be appreciated. thanks in advance

[Budget Queen]

Can anyone tell me, we`re on tour 12 which does the land portion first. We will be taking a motorcoach from Anchorage to seward to board, the Radiance is there a standard time for arrival no one at RCCl seems to be able to answer what time we`ll arrive. Just want to know if we`ll have time for anything in seward.If you`ve done this tour any info will be appreciated. thanks in advance

 

I've seen the buses arriving later afternoon. You could probably do something, there, if you choose to? However, IF you want to consider a Kenai Fjords boat tour- my top touring choice here, easy to also do. Just ditch the cruisetour bus and take the Alaska RR, booked on your own. Then you have a full day to enjoy, rather than waiting around for buses to load and depart.

[campingwhit]

We are doing this tour next Aug. I would love to know the approximate times that the buses/trains/plane leave and depart from each leg of the cruisetour. If anyone has done tour #12 do you think you might be able to help us out? The info in the cruise book is very vague and I haven't been able to find anything doing searches.

[mochaloca]

I did Cruisetour 1 this past August. Right now I'm working but I can give you the Anchorage-Seward info. I think had luggage out at 6:00 a.m. and left at 6:30. Immediately on the train. Got to Seward about 10:30-11:00. We were dropped off at the SeaLife cent and had until about 1200. Then we were taken to the dock for check-in. And the ship doesn't leave until around 9:00..

You could easily tell them when you get off at the SeaLife Center that you won't be back. They do count people so no one gets left, but as long as you left the tour director know, it wouldn't be a problem. I thought about doing a tour in Seward, but we were tired, and as it was our first cruise, we wanted to get on the ship and explore.

 

This part would be valid for pretty much every cruisetour that spent the previous night in Anchorage. There were 3 or 4 busses and 2 cars on the train for RCL - and the train IS fantastic! And has the best and most reasonably priced breakfast I had the whole cruisetour! Umm, pancakes!

[atv girl]

Mochaloca, thank you that helped a bunch

Budget Queen, if we got there at noon would we have time to do the Kenjai boat tour or exit glacier?do you need to book in advance?

[Budget Queen]

Mochaloca, thank you that helped a bunch

Budget Queen, if we got there at noon would we have time to do the Kenjai boat tour or exit glacier?do you need to book in advance?

 

How would you get there at noon??? You could definately do Exit Glacier, but would have to be on the 11:30am Kenai fjords boat tour. As I said above, the BEST and only way to guarantee this is to dump your cruisetour transfer and book yourself on the regular run of the Alaska RR, which gets in around 11am. The boat tours pick up at the depot and will store your bags, then transfer you to your ship, upon your return.

[Budget Queen]

I did Cruisetour 1 this past August. Right now I'm working but I can give you the Anchorage-Seward info. I think had luggage out at 6:00 a.m. and left at 6:30. Immediately on the train. Got to Seward about 10:30-11:00. We were dropped off at the SeaLife cent and had until about 1200. Then we were taken to the dock for check-in. And the ship doesn't leave until around 9:00..

You could easily tell them when you get off at the SeaLife Center that you won't be back. They do count people so no one gets left, but as long as you left the tour director know, it wouldn't be a problem. I thought about doing a tour in Seward, but we were tired, and as it was our first cruise, we wanted to get on the ship and explore.

 

This part would be valid for pretty much every cruisetour that spent the previous night in Anchorage. There were 3 or 4 busses and 2 cars on the train for RCL - and the train IS fantastic! And has the best and most reasonably priced breakfast I had the whole cruisetour! Umm, pancakes!

 

IF you went on this train, it also was the regular run. I assume you had to pay an upgrade since usually only the buses are included and they always charge more for the train leaving Seward???

[Budget Queen]

We are doing this tour next Aug. I would love to know the approximate times that the buses/trains/plane leave and depart from each leg of the cruisetour. If anyone has done tour #12 do you think you might be able to help us out? The info in the cruise book is very vague and I haven't been able to find anything doing searches.

 

Day 1 Anchorage, Alaska Upon your arrival in Anchorage, you will be transferred to your Anchorage hotel where you will meet your Adventure Specialist. Enjoy a relaxing overnight stay in downtown Anchorage.

 

Day 2 Anchorage, Alaska /

Talkeetna, Alaska In the morning enjoy views of the Alaskan scenery than from our glass-domed traincars on the Wilderness Express,® as you travel to the quaint town of Talkeetna. Your afternoon is free for optional activities, including jet boating or Mt. McKinley flightseeing. Have a nightcap in a comfortable chair by the fireplace before turning in at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

 

Day 3 Talkeetna, Alaska /

Denali, Alaska In the morning, enjoy the nature trails that surround the lodge before you depart on the Wilderness Express, our glass-domed traincars, to Denali. The evening is yours to explore Denali or choose an optional land excursion, such as white-water rafting, helicopter flightseeing or dining at the Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre. Retire for a restful night in Denali.

 

Day 4 Denali, Alaska In the morning, take the Tundra Wilderness Tour‡ deep into Denali National Park, where you might see moose, bear or caribou. Your afternoon and evening are open for optional activities, such as white-water rafting or helicopter flightseeing. Spend a second night in Denali.

 

Day 5 Fairbanks, Alaska Travel by deluxe motorcoach on a scenic journey to Fairbanks,. Enjoy a city tour of Fairbanks followed by an afternoon cruise on the Riverboat Discovery Sternwheeler‡ and a visit to an Athabascan Indian Village. Overnight in Fairbanks.

 

Day 6 Fairbanks, Alaska /

Anchorage, Alaska /

Seward, Alaska In the morning, you will take a flight to Anchorage. Then relax on a deluxe motorcoach ride to Seward, where you will board the Radiance of the Seas to begin your cruise adventure.

 

 

‡ Included in the Cruisetour.

 

Day 2 the train leaves about 8am, getting into Talkeetna at 11:05am, train leaves about 11:25am, getting into Denali Park around 4pm

 

It's a 2++ hour drive to Fairbanks, flight to Anchorage a little over and hour, add significant "wait time", then 3 hour bus ride to Seward.

[mochaloca]

IF you went on this train, it also was the regular run. I assume you had to pay an upgrade since usually only the buses are included and they always charge more for the train leaving Seward???

 

It was included as part of the 11 Night Cruisetour #1, which we chose primarily because it had 2 nights in Denali (thus allowing time for the Tundra Wilderness Tour) and the train.

 

Day 1 Fairbanks, Alaska Upon arrival in Fairbanks, you will transfer to your Fairbanks hotel where you'll be greeted by your Adventure Specialist. Enjoy a relaxing overnight stay in Fairbanks.

Day 2 Fairbanks, Alaska /

Denali, Alaska In the morning, take a cruise on the Riverboat Discovery Sternwheeler‡ and stop at an Athabascan Indian Village. In the afternoon, travel by deluxe motorcoach to Denali. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is free for you to explore Denali on your own or enjoy an optional activity, such as the Husky Homestead Tour or Denali Helicopter flightseeing. Overnight in Denali.

Day 3 Denali, Alaska In the morning, explore the incomparable Denali National Park on the Tundra Wilderness Tour.‡ You'll discover the beauty of taiga forests and gaze at miles of rolling tundra while searching for wildlife. You'll have the rest of the day and evening to explore on your own. Overnight a second evening in Denali.

Day 4 Anchorage, Alaska In the morning, you'll depart by motorcoach for the cosmopolitan city of Anchorage. In the afternoon, you're free to explore the city on your own, or you may want to participate in an optional activity, such as flightseeing or bear viewing. In the evening, independently enjoy one of the many excellent restaurants near your downtown hotel. Overnight in Anchorage.

Day 5 Anchorage, Alaska /

Seward, Alaska In the morning, board the Wilderness Express,® our glass-domed traincars, for a spectacular ride to Seward. Sip a cappuccino while you gaze out at cascading waterfalls and glaciers before traveling through Moose Pass. After your Seward arrival and lunch on your own, you will be treated to a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center‡ in Seward, a center dedicated to understanding and preserving the environment of sea. In the afternoon you'll board the Radiance of the Seas for your southbound cruise.

 

 

‡ Included in the Cruisetour.

 

And honestly, I was so focused on providing times, that I forgot that the OP mentioned she was going by coach instead of train! Duh!

[mochaloca]

So now that I've officially confused everyone :( - the wording from Cruisetour 12 makes it clear that there won't be any time in Seward for an optional tour.

 

Day 6 Anchorage, Alaska /

Seward, Alaska

In the morning, enjoy an Anchorage city tour, including a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center,‡ where you'll learn about Alaska's first people. In the afternoon, travel by deluxe motorcoach to the fishing town of Seward. Here you will board the Radiance of the Seas to begin your cruise adventure.

 

 

Sorry for being so "helpful". I'll read more carefully next time.

[campingwhit]

Thanks so much for all the info. I can see that we really dont get much time to do anything in Anchorage except sleep! I am sure that since we're flying in from the East coast we wont get into Anchorage until late that first night of the tour. That's too bad!

[atv girl]

Thank you , I do see what get to do the wilderness express on day2 and 3 so at least we`ll get to enjoy that.

[campingwhit]

Hi Again, I really appreciate the responses that I've gotten so far. I would like to ask a few more ?'s on the cruisetours.

Regarding the luggage. My plan is to try and pack a smaller bag for our 5 night cruisetour...for my and hubby's clothes so I can leave the big bags(with cruise clothes) on the bus. I think this is the way I read to do it. If I do need to get into the luggage that I keep on the bus...will I have a problem doing so? I may need to get into the cruise clothes bags on the last night of the land tour.

Does anyone have suggestions on what to do while in Talkeetna? I would appear that we have the whole day to ourselves.What exactly is around the lodge area? How far into town? Hubby would like to know if there is anywhere to fish. He doesn't want to do an excursion because he prefers the solitude of fishing alone. ;)

Ok, so it was more than a few...............Thanks bunches in advance!:D

[Budget Queen]

Hi Again, I really appreciate the responses that I've gotten so far. I would like to ask a few more ?'s on the cruisetours.

Regarding the luggage. My plan is to try and pack a smaller bag for our 5 night cruisetour...for my and hubby's clothes so I can leave the big bags(with cruise clothes) on the bus. I think this is the way I read to do it. If I do need to get into the luggage that I keep on the bus...will I have a problem doing so? I may need to get into the cruise clothes bags on the last night of the land tour.

Does anyone have suggestions on what to do while in Talkeetna? I would appear that we have the whole day to ourselves.What exactly is around the lodge area? How far into town? Hubby would like to know if there is anywhere to fish. He doesn't want to do an excursion because he prefers the solitude of fishing alone. ;)

Ok, so it was more than a few...............Thanks bunches in advance!:D

 

If you claim your bag to be sent direct to the ship, you will not have access to it until then. I have not known cruisetours to "store" bags for you during the cruisetour and highly doubt you will have access to anything you are not taking with you.

 

As for Talkeetna, be advised, make your plans to avoid too many back and forths involving the McKinley Lodge. A top attraction here is McKinley flightseeing, you are not likely to see McKinley without one.

 

You are 50 miles away from Talkeetna, there really isn't anything at the lodge. Yes, fishing is available out of Talkeetna.

[darakat]

We just got back from our cruise this past week. We were on cruisetour 12. I think there were about 4 subgroups/buses in our group, so the times might vary group to group.

 

Day 1: Arrive Anchorage. Proceed to Marriott.

Day 2: 7:15 Luggage out & meet in lobby

7:30 Depart for train depot

8:15 Train departs for Talkeetna. Breakfast available onboard.

11:00 Train arrives Talkeetna. Drop-off downtown for lunch.

1 & 2 pm Motorcoach transfers to Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

3:00 Hotel check-in. Overnight at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

Land Excursions

Day 3: Land Excursions

9:00 Luggage out

10:35 Meet in lobby and depart for train depot.

11:05 Train departs for Denali. Lunch available onboard.

3:30 Train arrives in Denali. Overnight at Grand Denali Lodge.

Land Excursions.

Day 4: 7:45 Meet in lobby for Tundra Wilderness tour

Spend second night at Grande Denali Lodge

Land Excursions

Day 5: 6:30 Luggage out

8:00 Meet in lobby and depart for Fairbanks

10:30 Arrive Fairbanks

11:30 Lunch in Downtown Fairbanks

1:15 Depart for Riverboat

2:00 Riverboat Discovery Tour

5:45 Depart Riverboat. Overnight Sophie Station Hotel.

Land Excursions

Day 6: Luggage out 9:30am

Meet in lobby 11am

Flight from Fairbanks was around 1pm

We arrived down in Seward around 5-6pm.

 

The flight times from Fairbanks to Anchorage varied from group to group. We got a later one, so we didn't really have time in Seward. Also, the times for the Tundra Wilderness tour varied from group to group. We got a pretty nice time. Not too early.

 

This was our first trip to Alaska and is was really amazing. I'm looking to return next year with friends to hike and backpack. If you have any more questions, drop me an email. We just got back from our trip a few days ago so it's still all pretty fresh in my mind.

[darakat]

There basically isn't time to do anything in Seward right before boarding with cruisetour 12.

 

If you would like bags in storage for the land portion, they will give you pink tags to put on these bags the first night in Anchorage. The following morning they will take the bags and store them for the duration of the trip. You won't see them until the last night of the tour. (night in Fairbanks/night before the cruise) You won't be able to access them if you store them.

 

I was going to store bags originally, but they basically carry the bags and deliver them everywhere. I just kept my bags with me because they didn't get in the way.

 

Hope this helps.

[atv girl]

Darakat, thank you for the info on Seward, now I don`t need to try and plan anything for there. What other excursions did you do? and did you enjoy the ones included on tour, do they have a nice train? any info you have would be so great really can`t wait.Backpacking sounds very exciting

[campingwhit]

This is fantastic information and just what I was looking for. We will be going the same week as you did. I am a habitual planner so have all this info upfront is great! So I can store the bags with the buses if there isn't anything I need until the cruise,with the bags I keep with me on the land tour do I end up carrying those on the ship or do they delivered to the ship from the bus......and end up at my stateroom. I am trying to figure out if I buy anything while on the tour, will I end up carrying it all onto the ship or can I pack it away in my bags and it goes to the ship with the cruise only(pink tagged) bags, so I can just take my backpack or whatever.

[darakat]

Campingwhit.. The bags were transferred from the bus straight to your stateroom after the cruisetour. Very convenient. The only times we had to personally handle them was retrieving them from the baggage claim flying into Anchorage. Right afterwards however there were reps from Royal Caribbean a few feet away to take them for you. This is if you have the transfer or qualify for the free transfer (arriving between 2-8pm the first cruisetour night or something to that effect) We also had to check in our own bags flying out of Fairbanks (picking up bags curbside from bus and rolling them in to check them in). You will also pick up your bags in Anchorage from the baggage claim and roll them over to more Royal Caribbean reps for the bus transfer to Steward. Hope that helps.

 

I'm not sure if you were referring to me when you said that you were traveling the same time of year. If so, have a fantastic time. We had the additional bonus of seeing the fall foliage.

 

The Northern Lights were quite active and visible one of the nights we were in Denali. Unfortunately, we relied on the wake up call from the hotel. Needless to say, we didn't receive one. The locals up in Healy said they were bright and active for at least 3 hours. The guys down at the Salmon Bake also said they could see them from there. So, if there's a chance that they're active and visible when you're there, wake yourself up and find a dark place to view them. We did that for the following five nights and didn't see them.

[darakat]

They'll take "storage" marked pink tag luggage after the first night. You'll see them again in your room the night before your cruise just in case you need to access them.

[darakat]

ATV_girl-

 

This is what we did in terms of excursions:

 

Anchorage - on our own

 

Talkeetna - on our own. We spent some time just walking around town and enjoying different viewpoints of the mountain. We were lucky enough to have a very clear day to see Denali. They say only 30% of visitors are lucky enough to see it clearly.

 

Denali - Husky Homestead. My sister and I were so so on this excursion. It was very informative and offers real insight into the world of dogsledding and life in Alaska. Very professional tour, but again I could have done without it. Some people loved it, some people didn't care for it. Depends on the person.

 

Denali - ATV tour Healy (reserved through Royal Caribbean) I think the outfitter was Black Mountain. The guys who handled this tour were very laid back and cool. This was surprisingly one of my favorite excursions. The scenery was amazing. We caught it all at sunset and all the leaves were changing. You do have to drive single file however, unlike the ATV trip I did in Cabo. I would do this excursion again in a heartbeat. My sister loved the trip as well and she didn't even drive an ATV. The scenery was enough to make it her favorite excursion. We also saw a mother moose and 2 of her calves on this trip stop right in the middle of our path.

 

Denali - Tundra Wilderness Tour (included). I had high expectations with what everyone else said about this tour. I wasn't disappointed. We saw Dall Sheep, bears, moose, caribou, bald eagles, etc. It was amazing enough that I'm planning to go back and spend more time in the park outside of a bus. Denali was my favorite place out of the whole trip.

 

Fairbanks - Riverboat Discovery Tour (included). Was only okay. The village was interesting and seeing peoples' houses from the river was kind of neat though.

 

Juneau - on our own. We went to Mendenhall Glacier via a shuttle from town. We spent quite a bit of time there. Saw a black bear frolicking around the stream. That was pretty cool. The rest of the time we spent exploring town.

 

Skagway - White Pass Railroad 7 hour tour to Carcross bus/rail (booked through Royal Caribbean). Next time I would do this through a private company, Chilkoot just to have more of an intimate experience (smaller group). Amazing as well. Would do this again easily.

 

Icy Strait Point - Whale watching (booked through Royal Caribbean) - saw an amazing amount of humpbacks. I could have spent all day out there. We also saw an orca playing around, breach, etc. from the Windjammer. Would do this again easily. Fantastic.

 

Ketchikan - on our own. Explored town, shopped. This was a pretty rainy day. We only had one other partly rainy day on our whole trip and that was Juneau.

 

I was traveling with my sister and my parents. My sister and I are in our 20s-30s. To balance everyone's interests, we didn't do all that we wanted to do.

 

Going back, I would easily do the ATV tour near Denali again, do the Tundra Wilderness Tour, White Pass Yukon Railroad, and whalewatching.

 

Things that we didn't do that I would do next time: zipline in Icy Strait, whitewater rafting in Denali (It's a class 3-4. I've gone on quite a few class 3-5 rivers before, but this one you don't paddle. That turned me off a bit) Flightseeing, dogsledding, etc. I got a lot of feedback from other people who did these excursions and loved them.

 

The tour overall was very professional and well done. What made it even better and more enjoyable was our tour group. Everyone was punctual, friendly, and very cool. We bonded with quite a few people on the landtour before the cruise. Although we were one of the younger people in the group, we got along with and loved spending time with the people on the tour. The cruise only allowed us to get to know people from the landtour even better. This was like the icing on top of the cake.

[atv girl]

Denali - ATV tour Healy (reserved through Royal Caribbean) I think the outfitter was Black Mountain. The guys who handled this tour were very laid back and cool. This was surprisingly one of my favorite excursions. The scenery was amazing. We caught it all at sunset and all the leaves were changing. You do have to drive single file however, unlike the ATV trip I did in Cabo. I would do this excursion again in a heartbeat. My sister loved the trip as well and she didn't even drive an ATV. The scenery was enough to make it her favorite excursion. We also saw a mother moose and 2 of her calves on this trip stop right in

I was thinking of this one, as you tell by my screen name we go all the time,so DH is like its no big deal we can that anytime I say not in Denali, very cool thanks for sharing your experience, its nice to hear something postive, most people don`t seem to approve of the tours.

[darakat]

I wasn't sure if that was why you had the ATV in your name. :) We had ten people in our group. A lot of the other people in our tour were from the midwest and most have ATVed before. A few of them owned their own ATVs. I talked to everyone in the group and everyone had a fantastic time. One guy who has his own ATV stuck in the back of the group so that he could slow down and speed up at times. The guides seemed okay with this on the most part. They were somewhat concerned only in that their radios weren't working so they couldn't communicate from the back to the front of the group. So part of the group would get a little lost with the spacing and what turn to take at junctions. In the end they weren't anal about spacing and told us to just have fun.

 

The scenery was very well worth it. Again, this is in Healy, not in Denali. But because of all of the leaves changing colors, it was beautiful. I love riding ATVs. This tour didn't have as much freedom as the one I did in Cabo where we were riding the sand dunes overlooking the ocean and riding a racecourse outside of town, but I still had a lot of fun. Good luck in what you decide!

[darakat]

As for tour experiences, it's all pretty relative to who you talk to. I tend to like to do active things. Adrenaline rushes are pluses for me. Scenery is also something else that I value. I'll pretty much do anything for the first time though. Our other cruise friends had great times on excursions that I probably wouldn't care for. Plan for your interests.

[atv girl]

Thank you great advice