OCD Planner's Live ALASKA Photo Trip Report 16 day Cruise Tour aboard Radiance

[Tweedy]

I have bought several books and saw something in the Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call that sounded interesting. It's in the Radiance of the Seas section when describing the ship it says "If you tire of the ocean views, you can gaze into the atrium, eight decks below, from a portholelike window in the floor of the Crown and Anchor Lounge." Have you seen this and if so did you get pics of it. It just sounds odd so I was just wondering lol.

 

 

 

This is a photo I took last year after the refurbishment from the Crown & Achor Lounge looking down...

 

[ace1zoe2]

I have bought several books and saw something in the Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call that sounded interesting. It's in the Radiance of the Seas section when describing the ship it says "If you tire of the ocean views, you can gaze into the atrium, eight decks below, from a portholelike window in the floor of the Crown and Anchor Lounge." Have you seen this and if so did you get pics of it. It just sounds odd so I was just wondering lol.

 

I did not know this! I will look for it today and report back.

[ace1zoe2]

Sorry guys, I've had no cellular service until thus morning in Ketchikan. We have 2 excursions but hopefully I will have time to post more before we leave. Had an AWESOME whale watching tour yesterday!

[BecciBoo]

Thank you Tweedy!

Cindy...glad to hear from you, at least the whales didn't get ya!;)

[olemissreb]

Since Cindy has been so helpful with money saving tips (and I sort of stole her thunder on a couple of them), I thought I'd pass on another tip I just discovered. Keep in mind, this was specifically for Celebrity cruises, but since Royal & Celebrity are sister companies, I thought it might also apply.

 

You can call the Access Department and request use of a wheelchair on board and they will have it waiting for you in your cabin - for FREE! This is not something I would have known or even thought about if it hadn't been for my 13yo DS breaking his foot and being put in a cast today! He's currently on crutches, but he may not want to be "crutchin' it" all over the ship all the time.

 

I pray no one has to do any 11th hour scrambling before your vacation like I've had to do today!

[ace1zoe2]

Just a little sample of what we saw yesterday on our whale watching tour. Absolutely the best excursion we've ever done! This was from our small 18 passenger boat and there was no zooming in, they were thisclose!

 

http://s1338.photobucket.com/user/Ace1Zoe/media/2013%20Alaska%20Cruise%20Tour/Day%2012%20-%20Icy%20Strait%20Point/P6111721_zps3741e2c3.mp4.html

 

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Edited June 12, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[narsibvl]

Just a little sample of what we saw yesterday on our whale watching tour. Absolutely the best excursion we've ever done! This was from our small 18 passenger boat and there was no zooming in, they were thisclose!

 

http://s1338.photobucket.com/user/Ace1Zoe/media/2013%20Alaska%20Cruise%20Tour/Day%2012%20-%20Icy%20Strait%20Point/P6111721_zps3741e2c3.mp4.html

 

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Awesome !!!! Which company did you go through for this tour ? We have booked with FISHES in ISP for the whale watching tour...hopefully we are as lucky as you.

[Gadget 1004]

DW and I booked F.I.S.H.E.S. last year and it was the best whale watching tour we have done. There were so many whales you could not count them. Floyd is an excellent boat captain. We took many pictures and videos of whales next to the boat. If I remember right, Floyd's boat is about 36 feet long and 10 feet wide. There is a cabin that will hold 7 people and Floyd provides drinks and cookies. It is a very safe boat and plenty of room to move around and take pictures of the whales. It was about a 45 minute ride from the dock to where the whales are located. Along the way you can look for bears on the shore line. I hope you enjoy you whale watching trip as much as we did and it was well worth the money.

[ace1zoe2]

We booked thru Hoonah Whale Watching with a BOGO coupon from Alaska Toursavers. They have a 6 person & 18 person boat. The captain was excellent & provided a great narrative. They had bottled water & bags of Famous Amos cookies for a snack. I'll post more pics later on. We're just about to leave for a float plane tour of Misty Fjords :D

[lah66]

Hi Cindy,

I am so glad to find your review! A few days late (been on the DIS boards planning our pre-Christmas trip) but I had a ball catching up to you! Your pictures are absolutely amazing and you look like you are having a wonderful time! This is a real bucket list trip!

 

Can I just say that your reviews are the most thorough I have ever read! What amazing advice on how to save big bucks on airfare and excursions! Your advice on wardrobe and packing was timely for me! Glad to say that I need a new wardrobe (many sizes smaller) and I will keep all your tips in mind while shopping!

 

I have bookmarked your East Coast/Canada trip for helping me plan for Sept 2014! I will bookmark this review for our return to Alaska in Summer 2016! What I am really looking forward to is your review of Europe! A European cruise has to be the most difficult to plan, and I know I can learn so much from you! Mike and I will just follow you and Charlie around, using all your great planning to help us!! Where are "we" going next?????

 

A huge Thank You!

Lauri (and Mike)

[Hockey Nut Steve]

Royal Caribbean just sent out e-mail say....." We would like to provide you with important information regarding your June 14, 2013, sailing onboard Radiance of the Seas. During the last sailing, a number of guests onboard experienced some gastrointestinal illness. In an abundance of caution, we will conduct some enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise. Because of this extra cleaning and sanitizing, boarding is now anticipated to begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. "

 

So how bad is it? What is the ship's Captain saying.

[narsibvl]

DW and I booked F.I.S.H.E.S. last year and it was the best whale watching tour we have done. There were so many whales you could not count them. Floyd is an excellent boat captain. We took many pictures and videos of whales next to the boat. If I remember right, Floyd's boat is about 36 feet long and 10 feet wide. There is a cabin that will hold 7 people and Floyd provides drinks and cookies. It is a very safe boat and plenty of room to move around and take pictures of the whales. It was about a 45 minute ride from the dock to where the whales are located. Along the way you can look for bears on the shore line. I hope you enjoy you whale watching trip as much as we did and it was well worth the money.

 

I can't wait for this trip :) ...

[narsibvl]

Royal Caribbean just sent out e-mail say....." We would like to provide you with important information regarding your June 14, 2013, sailing onboard Radiance of the Seas. During the last sailing, a number of guests onboard experienced some gastrointestinal illness. In an abundance of caution, we will conduct some enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise. Because of this extra cleaning and sanitizing, boarding is now anticipated to begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. "

 

So how bad is it? What is the ship's Captain saying.

 

 

Really !!!? This is the last thing I wanted to hear !!!!

[narsibvl]

We booked thru Hoonah Whale Watching with a BOGO coupon from Alaska Toursavers. They have a 6 person & 18 person boat. The captain was excellent & provided a great narrative. They had bottled water & bags of Famous Amos cookies for a snack. I'll post more pics later on. We're just about to leave for a float plane tour of Misty Fjords :D

 

We will be following your foot steps excursion by excursion we too have the Misty Fjords float plane booked out of Ketchikan :)

[PCWalton1]

Hello,

I just found your postings today and spent the afternoon going through all 20 pages. Thank you for taking us along on your trip and posting such great pictures and information.

 

Bill

[ace1zoe2]

Royal Caribbean just sent out e-mail say....." We would like to provide you with important information regarding your June 14, 2013, sailing onboard Radiance of the Seas. During the last sailing, a number of guests onboard experienced some gastrointestinal illness. In an abundance of caution, we will conduct some enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise. Because of this extra cleaning and sanitizing, boarding is now anticipated to begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. "

 

So how bad is it? What is the ship's Captain saying.

 

The captain has made announcements the last two days that there had been reported cases and asking everyone to wash, wash, wash their hands very often. I'm guessing it was worse today (although no one in our group has had any problems) because the staff was serving at lunch in the WJ. You couldn't even get a glass by yourself, they had to hand it to you. The captain also announced that if you felt ill to please see the medical facility for a free consultation. :(

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

Hi Cindy,

I am so glad to find your review! A few days late (been on the DIS boards planning our pre-Christmas trip) but I had a ball catching up to you! Your pictures are absolutely amazing and you look like you are having a wonderful time! This is a real bucket list trip!

 

Can I just say that your reviews are the most thorough I have ever read! What amazing advice on how to save big bucks on airfare and excursions! Your advice on wardrobe and packing was timely for me! Glad to say that I need a new wardrobe (many sizes smaller) and I will keep all your tips in mind while shopping!

 

I have bookmarked your East Coast/Canada trip for helping me plan for Sept 2014! I will bookmark this review for our return to Alaska in Summer 2016! What I am really looking forward to is your review of Europe! A European cruise has to be the most difficult to plan, and I know I can learn so much from you! Mike and I will just follow you and Charlie around, using all your great planning to help us!! Where are "we" going next?????

 

A huge Thank You!

Lauri (and Mike)

 

Hi Lauri (and Mike)! I was wondering if you would see this report :) Glad you found it. We're having a great time. I have so many pictures to upload when I get home. Congrats on needing the new wardrobe (wish I could say the same), I'd love to see pictures of your success.

 

After Europe we haven't made plans yet... I need to get on that!

 

 

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Edited June 13, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Hello,

I just found your postings today and spent the afternoon going through all 20 pages. Thank you for taking us along on your trip and posting such great pictures and information.

 

Bill

 

Thanks for taking time to catch up and for commenting. I hope to get caught up over the next week and get more pictures posted.

 

 

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[ace1zoe2]

The captain is speaking now... there are 22 confirmed cases onboard as of today. Again, he is asking everyone to wash their hands. The crew is doing deep cleaning and they have asked the crew, staff & officers to discontinue hand shaking. Self serve is discontinued in the WJ and staff & officers are going outside their normal duties to serve cruisers. Again wash your hands frequently & thoroughly.

 

That's the latest as we are pulling out of port in Ketchikan right now.

 

 

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[avalon007]

That's bad news regards the Noro, hope you avoid it.

 

Also hope it is well & truly gone by 30th August when we board Radiance.

 

Earlier this year Voyager was rife with Noro for weeks, but by about 10 weeks after the initial outbreak when we boarded it had been clear for at least a few cruises prior, it lasted for ages on board in that instance.

 

We take an Aussie foaming hand sanitiser called Hands First with us because it is non alcohol based so doesn't dry your hands out & actually stays active on your hands or other surfaces you wipe down for up to 4 hours - better than the ships ones we found.

 

Hand washing is very very important, but doesn't stop you picking up the bugs on the way from the basin to your lunch!

 

We also wipe down the cabin door knobs, light switches, taps, bedside table, vanity, TV controller etc etc when we first enter the cabin & sometimes the dust that comes off is a good indicator the cabin steward doesn't get to these areas each turn around!

[ace1zoe2]

Today is day 10 of our 16 travel adventure and we are in JUNEAU, Alaska at our first port stop on the cruise. We will be in port from 9am to 9pm today. We (and I use that term loosely, because well, basically it's "I") have big plans for today. Our friends Elijah, Debbie & her friend Sharon, are all joining us on a road trip! Hubby & I have been to Juneau previously and did a ship excursion the first time.

 

For this trip we have rented a car from Juneau Car Rentals, which was previous the Rent-A-Wreck. We walked from the port uphill 7/10 mile to the rental agency. This was the only game in town when I reserved the car at least 6 months ago. Cost of the car for the day is only $63.25 which split five ways, plus the cost of gas, makes it a very cheap day for all of us, and we will be doing & seeing a lot! We ended up with a 1999 Ford Taurus that had 145k miles on it. It was clean and got us where we were going so it served its purpose. The car rental company is just 3 blocks from the port so it is walkable if you do not have mobility problems, otherwise you could take a taxi to the office. For more information on renting from them you can visit juneaucarrentals.com

 

We also learned while in town that there is an Avis car rental right near the port that would have been much easier. Not sure about the rates though.

 

After a quick breakfast in the windjammer, we exited the ship in the first group of people and made a bee-line to rental office. In just a few minutes we were in the car on the way to our fun day. First stop was MENDENHALL GLACIER! It's about 13 miles from the rental office and took about 20 minutes to arrive. You can visit the glacier for FREE and go in to the visitor's center to the restrooms for free. There is a $3 fee per person to visit the exhibits and to watch the film about glaciers. We didn't take the time to do those things as we had a lot planned for today. Summer hours are from 8am to 7:30pm daily. For more information visit their website at

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5400800

 

There are walking trails that you can do that are anywhere from a 10 minute stroll to an hour of more. And this is a brochure for a self guided tour of the Trails of Time that points out things you will see along the way:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5401531.pdf

 

We chose to do for obvious reasons, the Nugget Fall Trail, which gets you thisclose to the falls and the glacier. Hubby and his friends just hung out after the first trail while i did the Photo Point Trail, which only took about 15-20 minutes extra. The views were great and i got some great pictures. Altogether with both trails with stops for pictures took about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The good thing was that since we made this our first stop, the tour buses hadn't arrived just yet. Had we been there in the afternoon I would allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

edit: sorry pictures aren't uploading correctly from photobucket so I'll have to add them later :(

Edited June 13, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[PCWalton1]

Cindy,

I may have missed but did you mention which JS you have? We rode Radiance from Vancouver to Hawaii last September and had 1602. I spent many an hour with my kindle back there, loved it. :D

Bill

Edited June 13, 2013 by PCWalton1

[narsibvl]

We also learned while in town that there is an Avis car rental right near the port that would have been much easier. Not sure about the rates though.

 

 

edit: sorry pictures aren't uploading correctly from photobucket so I'll have to add them later :(

 

We have rented a car out of Avis, the cost came upto 80+ on a standard size car.

[jojoanddash]

I finally found this photo but it doesn't do it justice because its so focused in.

 

 

Thank you so much for posting this it does look gorgeous!! Now I can't wait to see it in person lol 1 year to go!!!

[jojoanddash]

This is a photo I took last year after the refurbishment from the Crown & Achor Lounge looking down...

 

 

Thanks for posting this beautiful pic I love it & can't wait to see it in person!!