Colexis Mom

Great pics! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us! We did the Radiance last July (although south with a trip to Denali beforehand). It was an amazing trip!

Colexis Mom, could you answer a few questions for me?

 

-How was the Comfort Inn Ship Creek? TripAdvisors reviews are mixed, but we will only be staying in Anchorage two nights, and since it's right on the creek and people can fish, figured it might be nice for my BF.

 

- What date were you at Icy Strait Point? My BF may be interested in shore fishing there instead of whale watching. We are planning the last week in May or second week in June for our SB cruise. Did you have to book ahead of time, or were vendors available by the shore to rent poles, etc. from that day?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

We had no problems at the Comfort Inn Ship Creek. It was fine. My DH and DS love to fish, so this was a great location for them. There was a big hill to climb to get up to downtown Anchorage but we took the trolley from the store next door and then would walk back down to the hotel.

We were at ISP the first week of July, maybe the 5th? DH actually brought a pole from home, and then he rented one for DS when we got to ISP (there was a vendor at the edge of the beach where you could get a pole and lures, and fishing license). I think it was $25-$35 for the day. They were one of the first ones off the boat and fished from probably 7:30 until 1:30. The vendor did sell out, so those arriving around 11:30 or later were out of luck. We also had a humpback come very close to shore and "flip" its tail, which was amazing.

We did a land tour/cruise last year. This was our itinerary. Kids were 12 (DD) and 9 (DS) on the trip.

Day 1 - Flew from BDL to ANC (arrived 1:30 PM). .Comfort Ship Creek for the night. Explored downtown Anchorage. Dinner at Phyllis's Cafe and Salmon Bake.

Day 2 - Pick up rental car at ANC and drove to Denali. Overnight at McKinley Creekside Cabins. Explored Denali Visitor Center and the Park Road (got to see Mt. McKinley).

Day 3 - Eielson Shuttle Tour at 6:30 AM. Dinner was at the Salmon Bake in Glitter Gulch. Did Jeff King's Husky Homestead Tour at 7 PM.

Day 4 - Morning at Denali, then drove to Palmer (Hatcher Pass Bed and Breakfast). Shopped a bit in Wasilla and had dinner.

Day 5 - Hiked on Matanuska Glacier with MICA (family hike - 90 minutes). Drove back to Anchorage. Comfort Inn Ship Creek. Dinner at the Snow Goose. Returned rental car to ANC.

Day 6 - Train to Seward (goldstar service). Kenai Fjords boat tour with Major Marine (5 hour). Dinner at Chinooks. Overnight at Holiday Inn Express.

Day 7 - Morning at Alaska Sealife Center. Boarded Radiance of the Seas.

Day 8 - Day at Sea (Hubbard Glacier)

Day 9 - Juneau - We took the Mt. Robert's Tramway, then had our whale watching excursion with Orca Enterprises. Never made it to Mendenhall Glacier.

Day 10 - Skagway - We rented a car from Avis and drove up to Emerald lake. Stopped at sights along the way. Back in town we stopped at Klondike Goldfields and panned for gold.

Day 11 - Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) - DH and DS fished on the shore all day and caught a bunch of salmon. DD and I rode the Ziprider.

Day 12 - Ketchikan - Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour, then we walked around town (Creek Street)

Day 13 - Day at Sea

Day 14 - Arrival at Vancouver. Checked into the Pan Pacific. Went to Capilano Suspension Bridge, and took a bus tour of Vancouver.

Day 15 - Took light rail to YVR and picked up rental car. Drove to Tsawwassen and took the ferry to Swartz Bay. Toured Butchart Gardens and drove thru downtown Victoria. Back on the ferry to YVR and returned rental car, light rail back to Pan Pacific.

Day 16 - Checked out of Pan Pacific. Picked up rental car at YVR (light rail) and drove to Seattle. Checked into Best Western Executive Inn. Drove to Pike Place Market. Had lunch/dinner, then returned car to SEA (light rail/monorail back to hotel).

Day 17 - Space Needle in the morning. Did a Duck Tour in the afternoon. Walked around downtown Seattle.

Day 18 - Back to SEA for flight back to BDL.

You have to be paid in full. I then got an email from Royal Caribbean that my Set Sail Pass was ready to print off.