Questions about Radiance/Alaska cruise this summer

Back on the boards toplan an Alaskan cruise this August, and as with other RCL trips I’ve been onrecently, I need some help from the good folks on Cruise Critic.I'm traveling with 3 other people, and I'm the only one who'sbeen to Alaska--though it was manyyears ago on a cruise and tour with Holland-America. At the time, itseemed like everyone else on the ship was a good 40 years older than me, but I stillhad a great trip. However, I don't remember the details of planning the cruise,so I could really use some advice. Here are my questions:

1-the plan is to do aCruiseTour package, with the actual cruise itself being southbound, from Sewardto Vancouver. That said, which side of the ship—port or starboard—would be havethe best views in terms of booking a cabin?

2-For anyone who’sdone a pre-cruise tour package, does it include transfers from the airport tothe 1st hotel and from the last hotel to the ship in Seward?

3-We’re looking atthe 11 night Mountain Valley Explorer CruiseTour. Has anyone done that one, andif so, how was the land portion? (I spent 2 weeks traveling around Alaska andthe Canadian Rockies the first time, and my friends only have Denali on their ‘must-do’list, so this seemed a good choice)

4- On my otherAlaskan cruise, I didn’t have a balcony and didn’t feel deprived at all—althoughat that point in my life, I had no idea how great having a balcony can be. Notto mention that all of us are now older and the idea of not having to schlep upto the deck and fight for good viewing space all day, every day does have itsappeal. But on this cruise, a balcony runs over $1000 more pp over an Oceanviewcabin (according to the RCL website), so I want to ask those of you who’ve donethis cruise with a balcony whether or not you thought it was really worth theextra money you paid. I know this is a very subjective question, but I’d stilllike to hear your opinions. (especially if there’s anyone out there who hasdone this cruise with and without abalcony)

5- On my most recentcruises, I’ve used an online travel agent and was satisfied, but it’s always hardto know if the road not taken wouldhave been better. Is there any substantive (money, perks, etc.) advantage tobooking directly with RCL? (I’m still only Gold, so there’d be nothing muchcoming my way re: Crown and Anchor)

We’re planning tobook within a few weeks, and I’m sure at that point I’ll have other questions,but for right now, thanks so much to all for any help you can give with the stuffI’ve asked here.

Have you even checked to see if there were cabins available? I have friends that are also thinking of booking for August, and the cabins are slim pickings, especially for 3 or 4 in a cabin. They were looking at the Radiance.

Have you even checked to see if there were cabins available? I have friends that are also thinking of booking for August, and the cabins are slim pickings, especially for 3 or 4 in a cabin. They were looking at the Radiance.

We're not all in the same cabin; it would be 2 cabins for the 4 of us, but I appreciate the info nonetheless. Unfortunately, the problem of trying to coordinate 4 separate work/family schedules meant not being able to book this until now. But if cabins are as sparse as you say, I guess it might be a good idea to come up with a plan B.....

gayle is absolutely correct. Alaskan 2017 books opened in March 2016, so availability could be a big issue for you.....even if the ship has available cabins the tour may not, so I would all and see what options you have.

To answer your questions, if you are doing southbound port side is best. A balcony is wonderful for Alaska, and worth every penny (or dollar) IMO.

The transfers are included in the cruise tour package. We are doing an 6 night precruise this June and have done a 5 night precruise package in the past. Everything is done for you, to transferring your luggage, securing your hotel keys, checking in and out, and the bus and train arrangements were wonderful. Our guides were funny and very knowledgeable.

If Denali is a "must see" (and I believe it is), I suggest taking the longer tour, even if it costs a few dollars more than the tour included in the package, but it takes you much farther into the park and you will see much more wildlife than on the shorter tour.

Your plan B might be to book this for 2018,.....the books for that time period should open within the next few weeks. However, if you have to go in 2017, i suggest booking a cabin (a balcony if you can get it) and after final payment some better cabins may open up if people cancel.

Happy Planning!

Rita

gayle is absolutely correct. Alaskan 2017 books opened in March 2016, so availability could be a big issue for you.....even if the ship has available cabins the tour may not, so I would all and see what options you have.

 

To answer your questions, if you are doing southbound port side is best. A balcony is wonderful for Alaska, and worth every penny (or dollar) IMO.

 

The transfers are included in the cruise tour package. We are doing an 6 night precruise this June and have done a 5 night precruise package in the past. Everything is done for you, to transferring your luggage, securing your hotel keys, checking in and out, and the bus and train arrangements were wonderful. Our guides were funny and very knowledgeable.

 

If Denali is a "must see" (and I believe it is), I suggest taking the longer tour, even if it costs a few dollars more than the tour included in the package, but it takes you much farther into the park and you will see much more wildlife than on the shorter tour.

 

Your plan B might be to book this for 2018,.....the books for that time period should open within the next few weeks. However, if you have to go in 2017, i suggest booking a cabin (a balcony if you can get it) and after final payment some better cabins may open up if people cancel.

 

Happy Planning!

 

Rita

Rita,

Thank you for the detailed response. I really appreciate the information. And thanks to the heads-up from you and Gayle, I called RCL today and was able to put a deposit down on the cruise we wanted. Because of the limited number of cabins available, we had to do it 'guaranteed' instead of picking the specific cabin we wanted, and even though I know that's a crapshoot as to location or obstructions, at least we're on the cruise and we've got until May to cancel without penalty if we should decide on something else. (we are looking at a Mediterranean cruise with RCL which might work out better for us)

It's funny, I've been on RCL cruises the last 3 summers, and I've always booked right around now and had no problems as to getting the cabin we wanted or anything else. I guess Alaska is a lot more popular now than it was when I went there the first time all those years ago.

Thanks again for your advice!

Shelley

MsK64, Did you get to Alaska in 2017? I have a group going June 2018. I have so many of the questions you asked.

Agent vs RCL direct?

If you did make it, would you mind if I emailed you direct with my questions?

MsK64, Did you get to Alaska in 2017? I have a group going June 2018. I have so many of the questions you asked.

 

Agent vs RCL direct?

 

If you did make it, would you mind if I emailed you direct with my questions?

Yes, my friends and I did make the trip and we had a fabulous time. Loved Alaska (though it was cold and rainy most days) and loved the ship too. (though it was smaller than what I normally cruise on)

In the end, we went directly through RCL and I think we did fine re: price. But if I had to do again, I think I would go through a travel agent. Not so much because it would be cheaper or we would get more perks, but because frankly it was exhausting playing travel agent for 4 people in addition to having my own full-time job.

I had to keep checking online almost every day until final payment , to see if there was a sale of some kind and then calling RCL to get them to adjust the price or the cabin. And as we booked all of our excursions through local companies (not the ship), that meant a ton of research to find the right ones, and then another round of phone calls. Not to mention all the calls between myself and my friends to coordinate likes and dislikes. It would have been so much easer to let a travel agent do all that. So if you're planning for a group, I'd advise you to get a good travel agent and let them do the work.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them here, or yes, of course you can email me directly. (although I'm not at all sure how that works, since no one's ever asked me to do that before)

Shelley

Thank you for the valuable information. We're headed to Alaska on the Mountain Valley Explorer pre-tour this June. How was the luggage situation during the pre-tour? I've heard from some that it is best to pack separate suitcases -- one for pre-tour and one for cruise. This way you only need to access one piece of luggage during the first week. Do any of you agree? Trying to find the best tips and tricks for 7 of us traveling together. Any advice is welcomed.

Yes, if you can pack one for the tour and one for the. Rubies it is better. However, our experience has been that the other suitcase is available to you should you need it. We tagged one for the ship and it travelled with us under the bus, but if we needed it we only had to tell the tour director.

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That is very helpful, thank you. Anything you packed that you wished you hadn't and vice versa?

I hate auto correct don't know where "rubies" came from[emoji15].

Make sure you take gloves, an umbrella, a rain jacket and some warm stuff. I had a fleece jacket that I wore a lot. Comfy shoes are a must. Dress is casual on tour and on the ship. Lots of jeans, flannel shirts and sweatshirts. Even at night it was much more casual than a Caribbean cruise.

We have done 3 Alaska cruisetours and would do it again. Just relax and enjoy......if one of your stops is Talkeetna, the hotel royal uses has washers and dryers, for a fee, but that can cut down on what you need to take.

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We've done an oceanview, inside and JS.

While we didn't miss it. We found the balcony was by far the best way to travel. We usually order room service on scenic cruising day and don't need to worry about finding a seat for the views.

With the inside on Princess, we tried to eat in their version of the Windjammer, but people had staked out their tables and they wouldn't even let me stand near the window for viewing. But I think we just had some impatient people in the buffet.

I had better luck with the promenade, but I still prefer my own balcony.

After cruising inside for our 1st 6 cruises. Having a balcony is worth the cost for us.

This thread will most likely get moved to the Alaska board...here is the link

to find it. A lot of helpful information to be found there.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55