DIY+Radiance review with pics 18/7-3/8

Looks like we are booking Alaska for 2014.

Thanks for all the help.

Alex

Forgot to say Happy New Year to all on this thread.

Alex

Gooooooooooood moooooooooooornig Radiance of the Seas!!!!

We decided we didn't want to get up so early, so we got up at about 8:30 AM. We went down to breakfast in the lobby, and were greeted by this beautiful view of the harbor and the Radiance! Breathtaking!! Talk about the perfect setting for a breakfast. The breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express is fantastic, very similar to the breakfast we had at the Hampton Inn in Fairbanks. Lots to choose from, constantly being replenished.

We then stepped out onto the lobby patio to soak in the amazing scenery while I called PJ's taxi and the Alaska Glacier Guides to figure out how we're getting to Exit glacier. PJ's taxi round trip to Exit glacier costs $50. The Alaska Glacier Guides shuttle costs $10 per person round trip. So obviously for us it was a no brainer. the shuttles leave every hour on the half hour, and you can return at whatever time you want, you're not limited. At Exit glacier, there are free ranger lead hikes, and I was planning for us to get there for the 10 AM ranger lead hike, so we had to be on the 9:30 shuttle.

Check out was at 11 AM and we weren't all packed and ready to go...so we asked at the front desk if it was possible to check out later. They were very nice and said we could check out at 12:30. But that still meant we had to take the shuttle back from the glacier at 11, and wouldn't have enough time for the whole ranger walk. We decided we'd go for it and see what the ranger suggests, since we had an hour to spend at the glacier.

It turns out the shuttle will pick you up right from the Holiday Inn if you want, which is great! So we booked the 9:30 shuttle and went to wait outside.

Our shuttle. This company was SO nice, I was really happy we went with them.

It was a pretty and short drive over to Exit glacier. When we got there, the ranger was already standing in front of the visitors center with a few people standing with him for the 10 AM walk. We went over to him and told him that we had to be on the 11 AM shuttle. He said that since the guided walk is between an hour and half to two hours it make no sense for us to go with him, and suggested we take the mile long walk through the woods to the glacial river, where there's a viewing spot of the glacier. He showed us the rout on the map and we were off on our own little adventure!

VERY IMPORTANT!!! I can't stress this enough - bring mosquito repellent!! This was the place where we were most bothered by mosquitos (followed by Creamer's Field in Fairbanks). If you want to enjoy yourself you have to bring mosquito repellent.

There was a warning sign up that bears had been spotted in the area as well as moose, so we made sure to keep on talking so as not to sneak up on a bear. I'd just like to take this opprotunity to say that you should take a few minutes to read up on how to act in an area with bears and moose, that way if you encounter one you'll know what to do. I have to admit I had no idea moose are aggressive animals, so if I hadn't read up on it in advance I would not hesitate getting close to one out of sheer ignorance. So read up on safety, it'll just take a couple of minutes and it can save your life.

We went on our nature walk through the woods and just had the best time being alone, just us and nature. It was so much fun! The glacier and river are beautiful, and Lior said "yeah, it was beautiful, but you should have heard it"

oops! computer FAIL! :)

We walked back, and had a few more minutes to check out the small visitors center. It's really worth checking out! They have great displays and hands on exhibits. Definatly worth a visit.

At 11 AM we got on the shuttle back to Seward after a wonderful and memorable hour at Exit glacier. On the way, the shuttle dropped a family off at a hotel and the driver asked if anyone else wanted to be dropped off at a specific hotel. Talk about service!!

Back at the hotel, we packed up everything and put the luggage tags on the suitcases (I asked the front desk for a stapeler). We asked the front desk if they recomend we walk to the pier, and they said we could but that with all our luggage they think we really should take a cab. (They were right!! There was no way we could have made it with all of our luggage)

We waited outside for our cab and in no time at all we were over by the pier. The cab driver dropped us off next to the porters to drop off our luggage. Then we walked over to check in to the cruise!!

The view from the stairwell at the Holiday Inn Express.

Check in was a breeze!!! We had checked in online, so I think we were only in there for about 10 minutes! It was around 12:30 and the place was pretty empty. We checked in, went through security and there we were, standing next to the beautiful Radiance herself!!

From the second we boarded, every songle crew member we met was SO nice!! We were greeted by Kinsey, who was part of the cruise director staff and later became one of our friends on board. He greeted us with a huge smile and a "welcome aboard, Israel! Congratulations on your honeymoon!"

We were off to a great start!

Since it was already 12:45, we went right up to our floor to get rid of our carry on luggage.

Our room was a port side balcony on the 9th floor, catagory D2 room number 9214. It was absolutely THE perfect location. We were close to the mid section glass elivators, but far enough in the hall so that we didn't hear all the comotion from there. Since we were port side on a southbound cruise, we had gorgeuos views of every port we cruised to. It was amazing waking up everyday to such beautiful scenery.

There was a nice staff member standing next to the elevators on our floor who informed us that the rooms will be ready in 10 minutes, which was what I expected, so that was fine. The library is right there on the 9th floor, by the glass elevators, so we sat there and waited.

The centrium, where lots of fun activities take place.

The library

At 12:55 the haway doors opened and we were allowed to go to our room.

Our wonderful room! You can see the special cup waiting for Lior, since we had pre-perchased a soda package for him.

The shower has a curtain, not a door. I'm happy to report that the water flow was great! It wasn't the week little drizzle we were dreading.

Yes, we purchased the bottled water package (hiss, hiss...lol)

Our balcony. As you might be able to see, the chairs and table were all wet for some reason. After lunch, we called room service and notified them of this (since we couldn't use the balcony if it was all wet...). Within minutes there was a knock on our door, and a crew member came in to see what the problem was and then wiped down the table and chairs. Problem solved! :)

Seward from our balcony. Isn't she beautiful??

I read about someone doing this in a review and decided it was a good idea and that we should do it too:

We opened the closet to make sure our life vests were in there and then took them out and put them on to fit them to us, that way we knew they were ready, worst comes to worse. Plus, that way we were familiar with them and would know what to do in case of an emergency. Then we put them back in the closet and didn't think about it for the rest of the cruise.

Lots of fun info waiting to be read. In that envalope are our tickets for all of the excursions we had booked.

but first...

LUNCH!!

We went up to the Windjammer for what would be the first of many wonderful meals there.

The view from our table. Can you spot the Holiday Inn Express? It's that long blue building in the center of the picture.

Looks like we are booking Alaska for 2014.

Thanks for all the help.

 

Alex

Hi Alex!

That's great!!! Can you take me with you? lol...You're going to have the experience of a lifetime!! :)

Happy new year, everybody!

Thanks for all the info on Seward and Exit glacier. I have added this to our itinerary prior to boarding the Radiance. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share all your trip information. It is making my decision making for my family trip so much easier.

Thanks for all the info on Seward and Exit glacier. I have added this to our itinerary prior to boarding the Radiance. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share all your trip information. It is making my decision making for my family trip so much easier.

I'm so happy that I can help!!! Thank you :) It really makes writing this worth while! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Have you considered a kenai fjords boat tour in Seward? I've read wonderful things about it and we met people who did it and loved it. We didn't do it because I've read that a lot of people get sea sick on those tours and I'm extremely prone to sea sickness, so I didn't want to take the chance of getting sea sick before getting on the cruise...I think that would be a nightmare. But if I had had the bracelettes against sea sickness I would have done it in addition to everything else.

Just another thing to consider for your time in Seward :) You obviously don't have to do it, since we didn't and we had the most amazing time in Seward and loved everything we did. I wouldn't have done the Kenai fjords tour instead of something we did, just in addition.

Also, if we had packed everything in the morning or before we went to sleep we could have checked out in the morning, before leaving for Exit glaciar, and just left our luggage in storage. That would have given us as much time as we wanted to spend at the glacier. But we were just too tired to stay up or wake up earlier to organize everything...it worked out fine, because we really enjoyed going on a little adventure by ourselves! But I'm sure the ranger walk is also fantastic. Just some more food for thought :)

Enjoy planning!! It's as much fun as going on the trip itself ;)

Gooooooooooood moooooooooooornig Radiance of the Seas!!!!

 

that is sooooooooooooo beautiful......what a perfect view to greet you in the morning!!! :)

thanks for the update!!!! it all sounds so wonderful!!!!

your room is really nice looking...now i see what people mean about the bed by the balcony configuration feeling more spacious....

as for the windjammer.....wow!! looks like there are lots of choices!!!

a question regarding the soda package:

Lior purchased the soda package in advance and as part of the package he received that cup shown in the picture you posted.

i understand that you changed your mind and decided to buy yourself the package as well once you got on the ship. So did you also get one of those cups? or was that just part of the advance purchase package?

I'm so happy that I can help!!! Thank you :) It really makes writing this worth while! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

Have you considered a kenai fjords boat tour in Seward? I've read wonderful things about it and we met people who did it and loved it. We didn't do it because I've read that a lot of people get sea sick on those tours and I'm extremely prone to sea sickness, so I didn't want to take the chance of getting sea sick before getting on the cruise...I think that would be a nightmare. But if I had had the bracelettes against sea sickness I would have done it in addition to everything else.

Just another thing to consider for your time in Seward :) You obviously don't have to do it, since we didn't and we had the most amazing time in Seward and loved everything we did. I wouldn't have done the Kenai fjords tour instead of something we did, just in addition.

 

Yes, we are going on a 4 hour Kenai fjords boat tour the day before we get on Radiance. This is included in land portion of our trip with Royal Caribbean. We have Friday open before we board and we will be hiking Exit Glacier.

a question regarding the soda package:

Lior purchased the soda package in advance and as part of the package he received that cup shown in the picture you posted.

 

i understand that you changed your mind and decided to buy yourself the package as well once you got on the ship. So did you also get one of those cups? or was that just part of the advance purchase package?

I can answer this from my previous cruises - yes, you pick up a cup when you purchase the package, either at a bar or at a table set up to sell the packages. The only difference is that when you pre-purchase it, your seapass has the logo printed right on it. When you purchase on board, they add a little sticker to your seapass.

To the OP, thanks SOOOOO much for continuing your review! I am so excited now that I added a day at Seward before the cruise. We are taking the train from Anchorage on Thursday (dome car seating, of course!), and we have a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express. That view looks PERFECT!

We will do the Sealife Center and Exit Glacier that afternoon, and a Kenai Fjords boat tour the next morning before boarding Radiance. Our last cruise with RC was on the Serenade, which is a sister ship to the Radiance. We loved all the glass and the overall feel of the ship. We also have our first stern balcony; so excited for the views in Alaska!

I can answer this from my previous cruises - yes, you pick up a cup when you purchase the package, either at a bar or at a table set up to sell the packages. The only difference is that when you pre-purchase it, your seapass has the logo printed right on it. When you purchase on board, they add a little sticker to your seapass.

 

To the OP, thanks SOOOOO much for continuing your review! I am so excited now that I added a day at Seward before the cruise. We are taking the train from Anchorage on Thursday (dome car seating, of course!), and we have a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express. That view looks PERFECT!

 

We will do the Sealife Center and Exit Glacier that afternoon, and a Kenai Fjords boat tour the next morning before boarding Radiance. Our last cruise with RC was on the Serenade, which is a sister ship to the Radiance. We loved all the glass and the overall feel of the ship. We also have our first stern balcony; so excited for the views in Alaska!

thanks!! :)

Yes, we are going on a 4 hour Kenai fjords boat tour the day before we get on Radiance. This is included in land portion of our trip with Royal Caribbean. We have Friday open before we board and we will be hiking Exit Glacier.

You might want to look at the details of the 4 hr cruise. I think it only goes around the Bay, not out to the glaciers. (if that's important to you)

I don't know if you're using Major Marine or Kenai Fjords, but both companies provide route maps of their various cruises on their web site. Perhaps you can upgrade if you want the longer tour?

Personally I much preferred the longer tour ... watching and listening to the glacier calve was fascinating, plus we saw whales.

Here's info on Exit Glacier:

http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier.htm

Just sent my sister in law your list of must have clothing for Alaska trip. She is already in the prepare mode for our June 29 to July 12 trip. I am anxiously awaiting your info on Exit glacier as this is what I would like to do in Seward prior to boarding the Radiance on July 5. Thanks for continuing your review.

We'll be exiting the Radiance as you come on! Promise to leave her in good condition!

We're doing the land after, this review is awesome!!

Thanks Mapleaves for the extra info. When land portion excursions open, I will look to see if Royal offers longer Kenai Fjords sailing and I think the excursion is with Kenai Fjords.

Masonpips, keep the hot chocolate warm for us. Doesn't this review just get you more excited about our Alaskan adventure.

i just found the webcam pictures i took of the radiance in seward on the day you boarded her - july 27, 2012

i've never posted a picture on CC before....let's see if this works.

you can see the time at the top.....i guess that was local time...

here's another one..

and another one - i think as she was starting to sail away:

i followed your cruise and took webcam shots of the radiance when you were on her in every port i could (juneau and ketchikan - in skagway, she wasn't in the shot)...

..

I just had to laugh at your post about feeling guilty because you didn't book with the Mouse. It, too am a self-proclaimed addict when it comes to Disney ... but like you, I just couldn't justify the cost...We are heading out on the Radiance of the Seas at the end of June (2013) with a balcony. Would have paid the same for an inside cabin with the Mouse. Sad...but we do have a 2014 cruise booked on the Fantasy (WHOO HOO). We've been on all the other ships (some multiple times (cough)) but this will be our first on the Fantasy. Like you though...I'm good with Royal AND DCL...both great (albeit different) experiences!

And I'm ALSO with you on the warmth thing. Will seem weird packing coats in June, but I'd rather be warm than freezing! LOL

Great looking at all our pictures. I'm very excited!!!

Please keep it coming!!!!!!!!!:)

hello, your mom told me that you referred her to my review so I decided to pay back the favor and come over to your review. I can believe you just boarded the ship, lol. Your pre-cruise adventure was a very cool one and from the looks of it a lot of fun, I wish I could say good things of my first encounter with an octopus...

Anyway, can wait for thanks for sharing :)

hello, your mom told me that you referred her to my review so I decided to pay back the favor and come over to your review. I can believe you just boarded the ship, lol. Your pre-cruise adventure was a very cool one and from the looks of it a lot of fun, I wish I could say good things of my first encounter with an octopus...

 

Anyway, can wait for thanks for sharing :)

I just finished yours yesterday.

Alex

just to update you on Chani - she hasn't abandoned the review..:)

she has a new show opening tonight so she's been really really really really really busy (and stressed! :eek: )

(she and her husband are musicians....she's a singer/songwriter and the band's lead singer)

anyway, to paraphrase arnold, "she'll be back"!!

(with everything you wanted to know about the Radiance and her cruise excursions!!!)

Great Review Good luck with the New group hope it all works out cant wait to hear more about the ship