whitsmom

We stayed at the Marriott Pinnacle the last time we were in Vancouver and are staying there for a night after our May 25th Radiance cruise. The buffalo wings in the lobby bar are excellent!

 

Just a warning, our room was on a very high floor facing the harbor and we were unaware of the 9 pm cannon firing at Stanley Park each night. The first night it freaked me out because the noise kind concussed against the windows of our room and I thought there had been an explosion near us.:eek::o We looked out the windows, trying to see what happened and saw the lights of a vehicle pulling away from the area where we had seen the cannon in Stanly Park earlier that day. A little googling found that it is fired each night at 9 pm and we were able to see the cannon flash the next night since we knew what to look for.;p

Oh my! Thanks for the warning! I will be watching for it now! :halo:

We had the Surf and Stream last summer on the Oasis and it works for us. We didn't stream a lot but the grandkids did some without any issues.

Vancouver is beautiful, you will enjoy it.

This will be our first time there. Any suggestions for dinner that night. We are staying at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown (a short walk from the cruise port).

We board in Seward, but we have a precruise tour. That adventure starts on June 17th.

We are doing the 3-day post cruise; however, we are flying into Vancouver the day before.

I have AT&T and never had an issue from Fairbanks to Ketchekan and ports in between. The service was no different than using my phone from my living room.

Thanks! That's good news for us!

There is an exception clause. ;)

I just notice in your signature below that you are on the Radiance July 17, 2018. We are on the Radiance from July 13-20 2018. Are you boarding in Juneau?

We are also sailing in May and are packing layers but we are not packing like this list at all. I have shirts for daytime, some long and some short sleeved, which will be my base layer. I have a couple of thin, layerable polar fleece that I can wear over and also a hoodie. I have an outer layer that is waterproof and windproof. I also have a warm hat, scarf and gloves for glacier days. I have water repelling Columbia pants for hiking days and whale watch days and jeans for drier days.

 

I am bringing casual pants and dress pants for nights on the ship, probably only 3 pair, and will have dressier tops. We are not going too formal for formal nights but have read that Alaska is more casual in MDR.

 

We are wearing sneakers on the plane and bringing low waterproof hiking boots, dressier shoes for nights and maybe a pair of sandals.

 

We are going for 15 days but trying to scale down a bit. We plan on cross packing on suitcase for the ship, one suitcase for the cruisetour and will see if we need a roll aboard for extras. We are packing this weekend since we leave in a week, so will update if this doesn't work and need another bag. We are also not worried about luggage because we are flying first class both ways, so we get 2 70 lb bags each. We do have a short Alaska air flight though, from Anchorage to Fairbanks, but we get 2 free 50 lb bags since we are flying within the state. This flight will keep our weights down though, giving us more space to bring stuff home.

 

Lay out all your clothes that you think you are taking and think it through. If you run cold, you might want more warm clothing. We run warm and live in the north, so are used to the cold. Consider the rain too as July is rainier from what I have read. May has been really rainy this year from what I have read, so waterproof footwear is important for us.

I have a rain jacket, a light weight fleece, and I also have rain poncho that folds up into a pouch, a small water proof backpack that also folds into itself to make a pouch. I will take a warm hat and gloves. I have leather Eastlands that I will spray with waterproofing spray before we go. I do have dry-fit type pants from Duluth for our whale watching tour.

I'm having to think about the layering of clothing so your suggestions are so helpful. I have cruised many times; however, this is the first Alaska cruise for me. I am trying to take several mix and match things that can be worn separate or together.

I can't say for certain, but if they weren't openable 10 years ago, I'm betting they are not openable now. The only reason dividers were made openable at all, was as a result of the Star Princess fire, and it was only to allow emergency crews to move from one balcony to the next fighting a fire. This SOLAS requirement to have openable dividers was passed in 2006, and as nearly all maritime regulations, older vessels are not required to meet the new requirements. Since Radiance was built in 2000, she was grandfathered. There is no benefit to the cruise line to make these openable, so I would bet that they have not been modified. Having open balcony dividers is a fire hazard, and most lines limit the total number that can be opened at any time, and the number in a row that can be opened.

I guess we will find out in July. We are cruising with friends that are booked right beside us. I was hoping to open it up between us.

In my opinion there is no age that is "too old" to cruise. I think what it boils down to is asking your grandmother's doctor whether she is healthy enough to cruise.

 

 

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I agree - her doctor will be the one to best say if she is healthy enough. You can get motorized chairs (I think anyway) if she all the walking would be an issue.

We get the VOOM and use that while on the ship. If we used our phone off ship (Caribbean) it was $10/24 hours. We had Mexico included in our AT&T. We do have a business AT&T account so I don't know if it is different for individuals or not.

We are going to Alaska in July and will be using VOOM again; however, we will be able to use our AT&T in Canada and Alaska with no additional charges.

Anthem 5/31 dropped to $45 for deluxe and $18 for refreshment. Just under $1000 for 2 passengers for the DP for a 9nt cruise.

Last year on the Oasis, we got the refreshment package for $18 as we had our youngest grands with us and did not drink much alcohol. At just under $1000 for two, we would not get our monies worth for sure.

That said, we are on the Radiance (Northbound Alaska) this summer and going with 3 other adult couples so we chose the deluxe package as I figure we will tend to use it more. I doubt we will truly get our monies worth then either, but for the convenience of not having to keep track will make up the difference for me.

Last week my phone connected to AT&T LTE in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan just fine on the ship while it was in port and usually a good half hour to 1 hour before and after leaving. It depends on how slow the ship is going and range of the the tower. Also I don’t think inside cabins will have good reception.

 

 

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Great news! We have AT&T also. Hubby is business owner and needs to be accessible and I need to be able to check on my 88 year old Mother. We did get the VOOM for WiFi calling on the ship but we are on land most days and then we are also doing 3 day inland post cruisetour.

We are doing an Alaska cruise on the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas ship in Jun...........our question is: can you get Diet Tonic Water on the ship? If available - Is it free or do you purchase it. If not available - can passengers take some on board?

On the Oasis last summer, they did not have diet tonic water. Hubby drinks it twice a day for leg cramps. You can get regular tonic water at any bar at no cost if you have the soda package.

And this is why packing for July Alaska cruise is causing major anxiety! Bringing everything from shorts to winter coat!

 

 

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Well, I guess I will be prepared for all weather types. So much for trying to keep the luggage at a minimum :o

Same issue here...I get a message on the bottom: We're unable to complete your request, so please try again later. So annoying

Same for me also

Hi all,

You used to be able to check on Cruise Critic if your meet and mingle had been scheduled and what date and location it would be held on. I can't find that list anymore. I tried the link - but it takes me to RCI's customer service site on their web page. Did a search there and came up empty handed. Does anyone know how I can locate it (if it's still available)?

TIA

Well, it is still doing the same thing! I got an email a few weeks ago saying that we have enough for our party; however, when I try to find the link I get the same customer service site also.

I just looked up our departure date and we are on the only ship departing Vancouver on August 10th. Here's the website link for 2018 if anyone else is curious: https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Draft-2018-Schedule-February-28-2018-1.pdf

Just checked the schedule for our July 13th boarding and we are the one ship that day also. Sweet!

Do you mean AK ports? I have AT&T and live in NV... I used my phone just fine in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan

Awesome! This is what I was hoping for!

I wouldn't have any issues it that - I say just go for it!

ATT more or less pioneered cell service in much of Alaska and is, I believe, the most reliable service. You will get good service in most ports except Skagway. You can also pick up service off the Gustavus tower outside Glacier Bay, the Hoonah tower in Icy Strait, and the Haines tower in the Lynn Canal. You only get service for about 20 minutes but it's enough for a quick check for calls and emails.

This is good news for us, as we are AT&T.

We are staying at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel. It's about an 8 minute walk to the cruise terminal. There are four of us staying there so we have the option of walking it with our rolling suitcases or taking a taxi. It wasn't cheap but it wasn't out of line either. We get there the afternoon before cruise, so I wanted closer than I maybe would have it we were going in several days before. We are using Go Shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

We are on the Radiance in July and I have the same mindset about dressing up for dinner. I plan on smart casual most nights then maybe a little dressier on formal nights without the gown/tux thing. We are doing a post cruise tour also so this is why I'm toning it down some for dinner. Hubby will wear dress pants and collared shirt then he will add a sports jacket on the formal nights. I will wear dress pants mostly as I cannot wear heels anymore and with a dressy top I can make it work.

i want to use my phone on the ship but only to take pics.

Not too tech savvy but assume I need it in airplane mode so as not to incur charges?

If your not using your for anything other than taking pictures, you will need to keep it in airplane mode to prevent incoming calls and texts.

MDR is one of my favorite parts of cruising. I love sitting at a table every night with the same people and the same servers.

We feel the same way - dinner in the MDR is one of our favorite parts of the cruise.