North to Alaska ... on the Radiance -- A cruise journal

[emeraldcity]

Thank you for this wonderful review (journal) with all the photos. We sailed on Radiance in June from Vancouver to Seward. We enjoyed it so much and realized there is no way we could see and do 1/10 of what we would have like to have seen or done, so we are planning another trip in 2018. Your review has given me a new "To-Do" list for our next trip.

 

It was an amazing trip. I am so glad we finally managed to make it happen In many ways it turned out to the right time in our lives for this trip. We originally supposed to do this trip in 2008. As DD pointed out on the way home "The 14 year-old me would not have been happy when I got swept out of the boat. The 21 year-old-me that it was hilarious."

 

We decided ahead of time what our major objectives were and we planned our activities around them.

[emeraldcity]

I really enjoyed your trip report. I can tell I will have no trouble finding things to do. I am definitely taking a journal along. There is too much happening to remember.

 

Thank you.

 

The journal I toted around with me was just for my on-the-spot notes ... and I fleshed it all out in the weeks after I got home ... that way I didn't forget anything.

 

My journal serves two purposes ... it gives me a great way to re-live the trip and it serves as a great memory for DD when the day comes that we can't make any more great memories together.

[rkak]

Many years ago I went on an Alaska cruise on HAL. I remember that they put out blankets on request for the glacier cruise days. Could you get extra blankets?

[emeraldcity]

Many years ago I went on an Alaska cruise on HAL. I remember that they put out blankets on request for the glacier cruise days. Could you get extra blankets?

 

We didn't need them but I noticed a plastic zippered bag under the bed with extra blankets.

[VPIcruiser]

I have loved reading your review. It has convinced me that we need to do another Alaska cruise.

[newcruisers04]

thanks for an amazing and very detailed journal of your adventure with your daughter. I am in the beginning stages of planning an Alaskan adventure with my daughter and grand daughter, who will be 10 at the time, in the summer of 2016. One subject that I did not notice you touch on....mosquitoes !!! Did you happen to have any issues with them or any other bugs either on the cruise, or inland on the land tour?

 

thanks so much

[emeraldcity]

thanks for an amazing and very detailed journal of your adventure with your daughter. I am in the beginning stages of planning an Alaskan adventure with my daughter and grand daughter, who will be 10 at the time, in the summer of 2016. One subject that I did not notice you touch on....mosquitoes !!! Did you happen to have any issues with them or any other bugs either on the cruise, or inland on the land tour?

 

thanks so much

 

If there were mosquitoes, I don't know where they were hiding. I would have thought we'd really have been likely to encounter them on the nature walk at Icy Straight Point, or the walk to Nugget falls in Juneau of maybe even Capillano. Wooded areas with damp forest floors would seem to be prime territory for them. But we didn't have any issue at all.

[emeraldcity]

I have loved reading your review. It has convinced me that we need to do another Alaska cruise.

 

I hope you have a wonderful experience. We certainly did. I'm so glad we finally managed to make this trip happen.

[ms8654]

Thank you so much for the great detail.

 

I realize that excursions can vary from week to week. Did you by chance get a picture or a copy of what was available to you? We are doing 4B so our choices may vary quite a bit as we will be in Fairbanks too.

[atlgants]

Subscribing for a good read! We leave in June for Northbound Alaska on the Radiance!

[LikesToRaceCars]

Excellent review, I can't wait to visit Alaska (a month to go whoohoo).

[emeraldcity]

Excellent review, I can't wait to visit Alaska (a month to go whoohoo).

 

It was one of our most incredible cruise vacations. I wish you a wonderful experience

[Celandine]

Thank you for sharing your review! I loved reading it, my mum and I are getting really excited for our Alaska cruise this summer.

[JimAOk1945]

The OP posted this review back in 2015, but it beautifully describes an amazing itinerary. We did this same itinerary on the Radiance of the Seas in August of 2012 (see link below for pictures). The difference was we did the Southbound cruise which started in Seward and ended in Vancouver. Alaska is amazing! We have been there twice and look forward to our 14 day Alaska cruise in August.

 

Happy cruising everyone. It's a great way to travel!

Edited April 22, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[emeraldcity]

Thank you for sharing your review! I loved reading it, my mum and I are getting really excited for our Alaska cruise this summer.

 

You're welcome. I read plenty of reviews in the years leading up to my trip, so that I would be able to pick the best choices for what to experience. Even so, it was a challenge because Alaska offers so many diverse experiences that you wouldn't be able to duplicate anywhere else. We're very happy with the choices we made, but if we were to go back, there are so many other things we didn't do, that we could completely shake things up and try something else in every port without any repeats.

[dagadget]

Enjoying your journal. I've got awhile until I'm in your shoes. We're on BTB Radiance to Alaska on May 20,2016, returning June 3rd.

 

 

see you there. This review has been awesome and we can't wait to get there tomorrow

[maureencruiser]

Great review and great pics! You've given me a few thoughts about what to do on my upcoming Alaska cruise. :)