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

[emeraldcity]

Thank you for sharing your journal. What a lovely mom/daughter trip - so far, sounds like you both had a fabulous time! Love the detail in your novel - can't wait for the rest!

 

I'm glad you're enjoying it. It was an amazing trip ... far more incredible than I expected.

 

We were supposed to do this trip in 2008, but had to cancel due to immovable conflict. I booked the previous April and had to cancel in October. By then the price had risen so dramatically, I couldn't justify rebooking. I ended up booking the Pride of America instead, and we cruised Hawaii. As it turns out, this was a better time for us to go. At 21, DD appreciated the beauty far more than she would have at 14.

 

Following along. We are planning on sailing on adventure next summer and want to start planning an Alaskan cruse for summer 2017! Any advice ?

 

Number one piece of advice ... Book Early and book two of them. I booked two cruises, in March 2014. One for May 2015 and one in July. May was the primary objective and that would have been a JS (same price as the balcony in July). When DD got selected for a study-abroad opportunity, May had to be cancelled. I just called RCI and moved the deposit to the July cruise to reduce the final payment. If I hadn't booked the second cruise initially, the price jump would have been prohibitive.

Edited August 3, 2015 by emeraldcity

[Chari910]

Just finished this route on the Radiance, I have some thoughts that maybe useful:

 

Was in a Grand Suite on Deck 10. Room was good but the balcony has the wide overhang from deck 11 so it was very hard to take a photo without seeing it at the top of every picture. Next time I will choose deck 9.

 

The morning of the Hubbard Glacier, pre-order breakfast in room and enjoy the majestic view from your balcony starting from around 8 AM. You wouldn't even want to leave the room for food, the ship will do a 360 spin there for more than an hour so every location will get to see that amazing view.

[emeraldcity]

Just finished this route on the Radiance, I have some thoughts that maybe useful:

 

Was in a Grand Suite on Deck 10. Room was good but the balcony has the wide overhang from deck 11 so it was very hard to take a photo without seeing it at the top of every picture. Next time I will choose deck 9.

 

The morning of the Hubbard Glacier, pre-order breakfast in room and enjoy the majestic view from your balcony starting from around 8 AM. You wouldn't even want to leave the room for food, the ship will do a 360 spin there for more than an hour so every location will get to see that amazing view.

 

That big overhang is the one drawback that Radiance Class has. The forward balconies on deck 7 are bumped out about 3 feet, which nicely overcomes the drawback.

 

I wish we would have thought to pre-order breakfast for that morning. That's a really good tip.

[emeraldcity]

For me it was another short night and I was up before 6:00. I went off to the Solarium and got a yogurt parfait. Once again, we would be in no hurry to get off the ship, since we didn’t have a tour scheduled. The plan was to find the tour operators on the dock and buy a round trip ticket for the local transportation to Mendenhall Glacier so we could visit the glacier and surrounding area at our own pace. In a departure from the usual conditions, there were quite a few people at this hour at the Solarium tables by the window looking out over the harbor.

 

I watched as the Norwegian Jewel sailed in after us and slipped into a spot at an adjacent dock. She was followed shortly afterward by the Star Princess. But the really big show was the salmon. No matter where you looked in the channel, you could see the salmon jumping. This of course begs the question, “Why?” What’s the point of jumping? There were a couple of eagles soaring past the ship below our windows (I’m guessing they were level with the balconies on deck 7 and 8) and it seems to me that it’s in the salmon’s best interests to avoid calling attention to its location. Somebody asked if the water is too hot and they’re just trying to cool off. I doubt it. My personal opinion is that they’ve waited all their life for this big moment and they’re getting close to their destination. “Can’t wait till tonight, because I get to SPAWN!” If I’m right, then some of them are happier than others because some of them do one solitary leap and then swim off to obscurity. Others are serial leapers. I counted one that did 15 jumps before wearing out. Those eagles must not have been very hungry, because that guy was really asking for it.

 

I decided that the English muffin sandwich that the guy was wolfing down at the next table looked pretty interesting, so I crossed over to the Park Café and asked for one as well. By the time DD showed up, I wasn’t terribly hungry, but I could always go to the Windjammer with her and have a little something anyway. It’s a small sacrifice so she doesn’t have to eat alone.

 

DD wasn’t in a big hurry to go for breakfast. Her phone had 100% of her attention. She had a good connection and she was busy texting friends and catching up, so I continued my conversations with another passengers as we spun theories to explain why salmon jump. It wasn’t long before DD broke in to read the answer which she had looked up on the internet. OK, so maybe the phone didn’t have 100% of her attention after all. I still can’t get used to the concept that carrying your phone with you everywhere robs you of the fun of trying to figure things out on your own. Millennials just “google it” … they never bother wasting time saying “I wonder why…”

 

Every morning when we entered the Windjammer, we were greeted by Ronan, sporting a decidedly goofy hat … a different one every day. His basic assignment was doubtlessly to encourage the use of the hand sanitizer, but he chose to make it his mission to ensure that you felt cheerfully welcomed as well. Up until this day, he’d favored animal hats typical of what would be expected in Alaska … bear, moose, etc. Today he was a turkey. Do they have turkeys in Alaska? After we collected our food, we failed to find a table. We gave up and headed for the door. Ronan seemed dismayed by our issue and told us he’d find us a table. He headed into the seating area and soon came back. I’m not sure how he managed it, but he not only found us an empty table for two, he had secured one by the window. I had settled on my breakfast desert again of strawberry-covered waffles. DD meanwhile had loaded up her plate with all of her favorite things, including a huge mound of tater tots. Somehow, she developed a huge tater tot fetish at college, where the college cafeteria staff apparently did such an amazing job with these delicacies, that the line was out-the-door on tater tot day. Frankly I have a picture of the menu discussions where RCI executives are telling their chefs (who have trained at some of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world) that they have to serve tater tots … um, I don’t really think that went over very well. But I digress (again), and I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I poached one of her tater tots. To say that this move was not well-received is putting it mildly. I reminded her that I had been very gracious when she was busy helping herself the previous day to my French fries. There was an instant silence, followed by a dawning awareness of an inability to form an adequate rebuttal, culminating into an acceptance of defeat. All in all, it was a very gratifying “mom” moment.

 

As we left the Windjammer, we had to maneuver around the photographers again. DD leaped into their shot with glee on the way by … and the photographer did not look amused. I don’t know why … I found it amusing. In any event, we did go looking for the picture later in the day but it wasn’t there. I’m sure they developed it … right? They always develop all the photos. Maybe the family in question had already purchased it.

 

We collected our cameras and headed ashore. We decided to see a bit of the town before heading for Mendenhall Glacier. We poked around in a couple of shops but didn’t find anything particularly intriguing. When we came upon the Heritage Museum, we decided that would be a cool experience, so we stepped inside. The young woman who sold us the tickets was breath-takingly lovely, although she was quite somber. I imagine if she smiled, she would light up the whole block. The museum was small, but it was clearly created by the locals, who told their story in a quiet, but powerful way. They explained the difference in the houses (Raven and Eagle) and they spoke of a proud people who honor the land, which in turn provides for them. I was left with a pretty clear picture that they may accept the fact that the world has invaded their land, but they don’t necessarily welcome it.

 

We headed back toward the docks to make arrangements to get transportation to the glacier, but we had a little surprise waiting for us en route. I love it when we stumble upon something unexpected … such as we did when we found the statue of Patsy Ann. The dog was always on the dock to greet incoming ships in the 1930s. It’s a pretty cool story, considering that the dog was deaf from birth, but always seemed to know when a ship was going to arrive. She was such an integral part of the town’s life that when she passed, they raised money for a statue to remember her by.

 

 

Shortly beyond the statue there was a Visitor’s Information Kiosk, which seemed like a good place to confirm the Cruisecritic information that buying a $20 roundtrip ticket for the glacier was unnecessary and meant that you had to wait for the right color bus to go back (white bus or blue bus). He assured us that we were right in that we could just buy our return ticket on whichever bus was ready to head back to town when we were done sight-seeing. And he went on to warn us that some of the vendors were pretty pushy. Given that they were all selling exactly the same thing at the same price, he told us to buy from whichever one was the most personable. We headed for the row of booths he’d directed us to and stopped at one in about the middle where the woman had no customers currently. This would be the non-personable vendor we had apparently just been warned to avoid. She told us we were completely wrong about the one-way ticket concept and no tickets were sold at the glacier. If we didn’t buy a round-trip ticket, we were going to have to get a taxi to bring us back and that would be really expensive. I tried to step back and move on, but she wasn’t done with us yet. She then launched into the sage advice that one hour was enough time at the glacier, so what we really needed to consider was the $35 tour that offered one-hour to get our glacier fix and then would proceed to give us a tour of the town. We backed away far enough to huddle and concluded we were being railroaded. We wandered off and eventually got into a conversation with Greg who was manning the second booth from the left end. I started with the same question and he smiled, “Obviously, we all want to sell you the most expensive tour, but you can buy return tickets at the glacier. However, if you want the roundtrip, I’ll give you a deal.” I like deals. I also like salespeople that sprinkle a little bit of honesty into their spiel. We ended up buying two RT tickets for $31 total (blue bus) which is far better than the $42 I had expected to pay.

 

I had a few minutes before the bus would leave so I quickly crossed the street to a relatively large store that I was sure would be selling gloves. I’d packed gloves ... at least I was pretty sure I packed gloves. But nowhere in the unpacking process had I unpacked gloves. I made a quick purchase of a pair of gloves here that I would later find being sold elsewhere for far more, so that was a bonus too.

 

Our driver was a personable young man who pointed out various points of interest as we headed through town (was this the sights we could have seen if we’d have coughed up $35 each to get an included city tour?). As we moved out of town and continued along the low lands along the water’s edge he told us about the tides, the salmon and the eagles. When we got near to Mendenhall, he pointed out a beaver dam and a beaver lodge close to the road. And of course, he bragged about Juneau’s average quota of 222 days of rain per year.

 

It is a very brief walk from where the bus drops off to the first viewing area where visitors could get some great shots of Mendenhall Glacier. But an important part of an experience is the effort in getting there, so the walk to Nugget Falls was a forgone conclusion. We set off along the trail along with dozens of other intrepid adventurers. There were plenty of photo ops along the way, a couple of bridges, some huge boulders, a tumbling stream, and vistas of the nearby mountains, But the big pay-off was reaching the end of the trail and seeing the forceful, rushing waters of Nugget Falls, with Mendenhall in the background. The challenge then became getting a photo with a minimal number of tourists in it. I marveled at the folks that were determined enough to get closer, shedding their shoes and wading out in that icy water to a closer vantage point.

 

 

 

We returned along the same path and checked on the total excursion time when we got back to the head of the trail … it was 55 minutes. We hadn’t rushed and we hadn’t dawdled. But anyone falling for the line that one hour is totally enough time at the glacier is bound to have an experience that is cut short and leaves them wanting more. We hadn’t even been inside the visitor’s center yet. It was quite a climb at that point to get up to the visitor’s center, which is set higher on the mountain to take advantage of some great views of the glacier. Although we pride ourselves on being relatively intrepid, that doesn’t mean we’re dumb enough to pass up an elevator after a one-hour hike. The elevator doors swished open at the top, and we emerged without breathing hard.

 

For the princely sum of $3/ea we were then privy to the scientific secrets about how those fluffy snowflakes get compacted into stunning blue glacial ice over time. There is an especially dramatic photo of the Juneau Ice Field that made it apparent that we were seeing just a tiny fragment of this natural wonder. The displays that explained how glacial crevasses are created was particularly informative and I would rely on that information later in the trip when we did our Mt. McKinley flight and glacier landing. Of course, we wanted to see the movie and I anticipated that it would be something on the nature of the one we’d seen at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. That one had done a great job with movies and animations to help the viewer understand how the land had been formed when the lava slid across the surface. The same director was not available for this one. The moviemakers of Mendenhall figure you’ve already learned about glacier movement from the static displays before you entered the theater. This movie employed soft music and hauntingly beautiful shots of the park scenery, along with plenty of wildlife to give the viewer a sense of what the park had to offer in the here and now. It was a very pleasant experience, but it would have been better if it had shown in the ship’s theater. Because when the credits rolled and the lights went up, DD and I were in agreement that we were ready for a nap, the only problem was that a good hour of travel time separated us from our cabin.

 

We headed out of the theater and down the ramp. When we got to the bottom, we spotted the blue bus at the bus stop and I thought we reached a instant agreement that we were heading there at warp speed to try and catch that bus, rather than wait another 20-30 minutes. I set off for the bus, thinking DD was right behind me. I was wrong. However, let it be known that DD has indulged in a lifelong career of wandering off from me. That being said, this does not apparently give me license to do the same. My phone was ringing when I reached the bus and I noted in surprise that the call was coming from DD, who was inexplicably not right behind me. I answered the phone and announced, “I’m at the bus.” She arrived shortly afterward in a high state of agitation. I was promptly subjected to a determined tongue-lashing for my sin of abandonment, to which I chuckled my way through. She calmed down before we reached town, probably because she had someone else who managed to irritate her more. We had another chatty bus driver, but this one wasn’t interested in facts and figures. This guy was all about fish stories, “I swear are true.” I’m not sure why he thought that we had travelled nearly 3000 miles to hear about the size of fish that his son caught (probably with a Barbie pole), but he wasn’t content with the narrative. This was actually a Show and Tell. We hadn’t covered a full mile before he produced some pictures and passed them back so everybody could truly appreciate how cool he was. He might have run out of steam at some point, but there was a woman in the front who Oooh and Awed repeatedly, which only fueled his belief that the rest of his passengers were similarly enthralled. When the bus reached the Radiance, we happily escaped and headed up to our cabin. It was time for another one of our familiar naps. This time we didn’t even bother to get lunch first.

 

Of course, that means that when I woke up mid-afternoon, I was starving. I slipped into the Windjammer shortly before closing, with the intent of having something light to hold me over before dinner. I started with a relatively small salad and then succumbed to the lure of turkey and mashed potatoes … but I skipped dessert, so that should still qualify as “light”. I brought 3 oatmeal cookies back in case DD wanted a snack before dinner … and she did. She was only going to eat two of them, but she was halfway through the third one before she remembered that.

 

We managed to get ready for dinner with enough of a chunk of time to go get mimosas and settle in the Centrum again to enjoy the Rosario Strings. I have managed at this point to get the names of the duo from someone currently on the Radiance (thank you, Bmorecruiser021). Kim is the guitarist and El is the violinist. We were joined by Bill and Liz, our tablemates, so there were no worries about being late to dinner.

 

Every cruise is a guessing game concerning when some of the favorite items will show up on the menu and this was the night they served strawberry bisque, DD’s favorite chilled soup. She managed to exercise supreme constraint and she only ordered two. Tonight the tiger shrimp was on the menu and I didn’t even need Jonathan’s suggestion to order that one. It is one of my favorite MDR meals. Predictably, DD ordered the chicken marsala. We compared notes and the majority of our tablemates had also visited Mendenhall today.

 

Since we planned on going to the Majority Rules game show at 8:00 the original plan was to just hang out in the Colony Club until it was time for the event. Unfortunately, they still hadn’t addressed the heating issue (or lack thereof). DD went back to the cabin for a sweatshirt, and we re-located to the Schooner Bar until the appointed hour, which had the nice bonus of another opportunity to listen to the Rosario Strings. When we went to the game show, we decided to team up with a young couple nearby and we had an awesome team. The questions were tossed out and we conferred before coming up with our answer. And they were really good answers. They were the wrong ones, but they were really good answers anyway. Some other team got stuck having to take home the baseball caps, or whatever it was that was the prize for winning this one.

 

When the game show ended, Zig Zag arrived for their next set, so we slipped off to go check out the photos from formal night. Here’s one of those areas where RCI is leaving money on the table. The photographers on the Radiance are very professional technically, but they lacked any interest in handling the sales end of things. I missed Georges from the Panama cruise on the Grandeur. He was a lot of fun during the photo session and great to work with during the photo selection process. Photo selection and purchase shouldn’t be comparable to the task of stopping at the convenience store for some milk and eggs on the way home. There should be some fun involved in the selection process … which one looks better? Georges leaned across the counter and joined in the conversation, offering his opinion as well … I ended up buying nearly all of them from him. Furthermore, they should have some latitude to offer you some deals. Let’s face it, they’re going to throw away the ones you don’t purchase. If the Park West guys were manning this counter, I could hear the offers coming fast and furious, “Normally these go for 22.98 each and the advertised deal for a package of 4 is “X”, but I have to tell you that this one you are rejecting is my personal favorite. I love how the lighting brings out the highlights in your hair. Why don’t I just throw this in for an extra five bucks … just don’t tell my boss.”

 

In any event, this was where DD produced her boarding card in order to get the emerald benefit for the photo purchase … you know those benefits that the charming lady at guest services had claimed were undoubtedly on the card because it said “emerald member”. Apparently there was nothing on the card when he swiped it to indicate that. After a bit of hesitation, the guy cancelled out the sale on the computer and produced one of those old fashioned little sales receipt tablets with the carbon copy. (How incredibly “old school”).He calculated the purchase and applied the discount. It would be the last day of the cruise before the purchase showed up on my account on the TV.

 

As we left the photo area, we caught the end of the Pirate Parade. Those kids are so darned cute. They haven’t varied this signature event in the 13 years that I’ve been cruising with my DD, but it never gets old.

 

Our last event for the evening was going to be the Battle of the Sexes. The grand plan was to just be spectators. The first couple of events were predictable carbon copies of earlier cruises. Six people were given numbers and expected to rearrange themselves appropriately when the numbers was called out. The ladies that volunteered for this one took some time to catch on to the concept. The guys however, got it immediately. The ladies got progressively better, but so did the guys and they dominated. Next was the paper airplane flying contest and this one is always a gimme for the guys. When they had trouble getting enough ladies for the relay, DD decided she’d give it a shot anyway. Sometimes it’s best to find out what you’ve volunteered for before you’re standing on the dance floor in a room filled with hundreds of people ready to laugh at you. Actually I once saw some guy jump up and demand his wife return to her seat after they explained what the relay consisted of. DD laughed it off, did a credible job of holding up her end of the challenge, and looked terribly funny in the process. No, I’m not giving details because you shouldn’t try this at home. The guys won this one too. In fact they pretty much did a clean sweep, resulting in Amy challenging Darryl to a winner-take-off challenge between the two of them … and he won that as well. With the end of the event, the next concept was to move the entire room full of people to the Centrum for the next party so a conga line was formed and off we went. DD and I split off from the conga line however at the stairwell and headed back to the cabin. DD wasn’t feeling 100% and she just wanted to go lay down. This meant I got to fuss over here and worry about her and consider going to the medical facility on board. Meanwhile she just ignored me and went to sleep.

Edited August 5, 2015 by emeraldcity

[Cruzin4vacay]

Thanks for this extremely in depth review. I'm enjoying it. We sail on Radiance next July. What are most people wearing at dinner?

[emeraldcity]

You can wear whatever you feel comfortable with in the MDR (within reason).

 

Most nights, it was along the lines of business casual. And then on formal nights, the ladies would probably show up in their best business casual (You know, the day when the boss is going to give you your review). If a guy wants to wear a golf shirt and dockers on formal night, nobody is going to toss him out. Although there were a few people who got very dressy on formal night, it was the exception in Alaska. Most people dressed up like they were going to a nice restaurant, rather than a movie premier with a red carpet. My daughter and I were probably a little dressier than most, but that's because we love dressing up.

[beachnative]

MORE, MORE, MORE….I WANT MORE.

 

This is one of the most engaging reviews that I have read.

 

CONSEQUENTLY, I took a short break from reading and BOOKED an Alaska Back2Back on the Radiance. I was able to book two cruises for 2016: a deck 9 balcony on the starboard side near the aft for the trip from Vancouver to Seward and a deck 9 aft facing balcony for the trip from Seward to Vancouver.

 

Thanks for posting.

Edited August 5, 2015 by beachnative

[sailingwithfriends]

I have a question. In the photo of the ship and shore line in Icy Strait Point, it looks like the Radiance is docked. We were there in June and tendered in. Is the ship now able to port?

[emeraldcity]

MORE, MORE, MORE….I WANT MORE.

 

This is one of the most engaging reviews that I have read.

 

CONSEQUENTLY, I took a short break from reading and BOOKED an Alaska Back2Back on the Radiance. I was able to book two cruises for 2016: a deck 9 balcony on the starboard side near the aft for the trip from Vancouver to Seward and a deck 9 aft facing balcony for the trip from Seward to Vancouver.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Wow! That's intensely flattering. Alaska was an amazing trip and I'm certain you'll have a fabulous experience.

 

I have a question. In the photo of the ship and shore line in Icy Strait Point, it looks like the Radiance is docked. We were there in June and tendered in. Is the ship now able to port?

 

Tee hee. Just a photographic deception. As we walked around the point, it initially looked like they'd beached the ship while we were on that nature trail and I couldn't resist the shot.

 

They do have a pier in the early stages of construction, but I'm not sure when the scheduled completion date is.

[VPIcruiser]

I am really enjoying your review. I think it is time for us to book another Alaska cruise. It has been seven years since our last cruise to Alaska. I love the Caribbean but maybe it time to try a colder climate again for the scenery.

 

I also really admire your relationship with your daughter. It is what those of us with younger kids are hoping to have at that age.

 

I also have to comment on your cabin decor for Christmas! It looks great!

[reallyhooked]

Excellent review

[emeraldcity]

I got up early enough to watch our arrival in Skagway. The town was just as I pictured it, nestled along the water’s edge at the end of a deep valley. The NCL twins Jewel and Pearl docked next, followed by the Star Princess. I went up to the Windjammer before it got too crowded and put in my request for a made-to-order omelet. It was my first one of this trip and I like the process whereby they take your order on a little slip of paper. While it’s being made, you’re free to wander around and collect the rest of your breakfast. So much better than standing there watching every move they make to assure they are preparing it right. It was a great omelet, although I made sure that I saved a little room so I could join DD for breakfast sometime later.

 

We’d been moving steadily northward, following the historical Gold Rush route starting with the Victorian Hotel in Vancouver, with stops along the way to broaden the overall Alaskan experience by touching on the eagles and the salmon, the logging industry, the glaciers that carved the dramatic scenery and the native peoples that settled long before the Gold Rush. We had finally reached Skagway, the point at which so many hopeful miners disembarked ships in order to head inland. Did they really know ahead of time what kind of journey they had embarked on? They had heard about gold in Alaska. What possessed them to think they would be lucky enough to make the journey to the gold fields and luckier still to strike gold? They couldn’t even google it to determine what was involved in the journey. The Canadian government wasn’t going to let them cross the border without a prescribed list of supplies that weighed 2000 pounds. Did they get all the way to Skagway before they found out about this little piece of fine print? If so, the people who struck it rich were the people in Skagway outfitting the miners.

 

 

There was never any question in my mind about what I wanted to do in Skagway. All the other ports had involved a great deal of research, but for Skagway the only question was whether we would take the train up the mountain and the bus back, or reverse that concept. In the end I decided that I wanted to buck the trend. It seemed like there was a better chance of a less crowded train car on the way back, and it was a good decision. We booked privately, since I wanted to use the smaller excursion buses instead of the big coaches. Since Chilkoot got such great reviews, we booked with them. The bus-first option came with an additional bonus … a later start time. Chilkoot’s train-first clientele started an hour earlier than we did.

 

We left the ship and headed down the dock, email in hand detailing how we were to find our bus. We both read the email and were diligently trying to find the landmarks noted therein. Initially, there were plenty of other people headed in the same direction. They all stopped at other collection points or turned off in the direction of a small boat marina. Pretty soon we were the only ones still walking inland. “This can’t be right,” I finally announced. “And we’re running out of time.” DD stopped and looked at me, clearly just as uncertain as I was. “Am I allowed to ask for directions?” I pointedly inquired. There was a slight hesitation, but she finally gave approval. I walked over to a groundskeeper who was edging the landscaping and he paused long enough to figure out what I wanted. When I showed him the email, the landmarks didn’t make any sense to him either, but he told us that all the tour groups collect farther back along the way we had come. So we retraced our steps. Sure enough, we found the Chilkoot bus and our driver was waiting by the door with a clipboard in hand. Fortunately we weren’t late, but it was terribly close. We climbed on board and our driver followed. Mike was a veteran of the Skagway tours, having converted from the big buses to the smaller ones, where it was easier to keep track of your herd.

 

We set off through town and he filled us on in the details of life in a town that triples in population in the summer, when the seasonal help moves in. The daily arrival of multiple cruise ships easily triples that number again. Of course when the season ends, the town of 900+ has a tough time supporting 28 jewelry shops and most of them close up. The restaurants follow suit. In the end only about 3 restaurants remain in business and they each take a different time of day to be open so that there’s enough of a critical mass to make it profitable. Accordingly, it’s not unexpected to eat three different meals in one day in three different restaurants, but have the same server all day.

 

Mike had some great stories, and he kept them coming, one right after the other. I loved the way they handle the senior prom here. Since the school is so small, they combine their prom with near-by Haines and it is held on one of the cruise ships (which donates the space). The parents especially love the arrangement, since the ship sails at 9:00 so the prom wraps up rather early.

 

We stopped for pictures across from the waterfall that tumbles from Goat Lake. Mike told us that it may not look like it, but that picturesque scene is actually a hydroelectric project that supplies electricity for Skagway. Goat Lake itself would only have been visible it you took a flight out of Skagway, but I don’t think that was offered here.

 

All throughout the drive up, Mike pointed out “our train”. Experience had taught him exactly how much time to allow at each stop along the way so we could beat “our train” to various vantage points and get pictures of it going up the steep grades and over bridges.

 

As we climbed the mountain, we passed through three different climates … temperate rainforest, sub-alpine arctic tundra, arctic tundra. Each time we stepped out of our nice bus, there was a marked drop in temperature from the previous time. If we were expecting a border crossing that involved the facilities of the individual countries within spitting distance of each other, we were in for a surprise. After one winter in that brutally exposed locale, both countries pulled their crossing stations back several miles from the actual border itself. Mike joked that since he makes frequent trips to Canada for basic necessities (like fresh food), he’s pretty used to the drill. Upon entering Canada they always ask “Do you have any guns?” and upon returning to the United States they are grilling him about whether he’s toting fruits and vegetables. It’s awesome to know we have our priorities straight in this country.

 

Apparently one of the highlights of this bus tour into Canada is a stop at the border so that we can get pictures in front of the “Welcome to Alaska” sign. I have to point out that this little exercise quite ignores the fact that we are taking this picture as we are leaving Alaska. Shouldn’t there be a sign on the other side of the road that is welcoming us to Canada? The “Welcome to Alaska” sign should have been posted on a bouncing buoy that the ship passed en route to Ketchikan days earlier. I can picture the scene now as they stop the ship so that everyone can get ferried out to hug some guy in a seal costume while the ship’s photographers record the moment for prosperity and 8 x 10 glossy profit.

 

Mike took us a short distance beyond Fraser in order to give us a photo op of the train that continues on for the longer ride deeper into Canada. He said this was the historic train, because the people who opt to go farther are generally train buffs. And the “foamers” (his phrase, not mine) want the authentic experience. He noted that most people find that a train ride longer than 2 hours to be tedious.

 

 

Then we went back to Fraser, since our train had arrived. Mike said we would be in the first car, but we had to wait to board until they flipped the seats and distributed the souvenir booklets. Meantime, we could visit the facilities and get a souvenir stamp for our passports, if desired. I handed my passport to DD for the stamp and went off to visit the ladies room, despite warnings that the water was cold. That warning will go down in history as one of the greatest understatements of all time. I swear I saw slivers of ice shooting out of that faucet. As a matter of fact, that’s the overall impression one has of Fraser … cold and windy. We stood there shivering, anxiously awaiting the moment when we were told we could board the train. It seemed a bit odd that we had no ticket. How do they know if you’ve paid? I suppose the rationale is that if you’re in Fraser (population: 8), you had to pay somebody to get here. I can’t imagine very many people have walked up here since the Gold Rush ended.

 

Once we were finally given the green light, DD and I were among the first to scamper aboard. Our busload of approximately 20 people got that whole first car to ourselves. We had our choice of which side of the train we wanted … in fact I ended up going from side to side throughout the ride whenever the fancy caught me. Furthermore, I was the only one in our car who had any interest in hanging out on the back platform. So I missed a fair amount of narrative, but the ride on the platform was way more awesome than whenever I went back inside.

.

As the train began the journey across Tormented Valley, DD curled up against the window and drifted off to sleep. Before we reached the pass, the train let out a long blast of the whistle, (probably for the train buffs on board) and this did not go well with DD. Her initial startled look, turned into a scowl and I would hear about that inconsiderate whistle-blower several more times throughout the day. Honestly, I went out of my way to actually bring it up just for the fun of watching her get all worked up again.

 

 

As we began the descent, the drama of the scenery was intense and I decided that my pictures would be better on the platform. Despite the cold wind, the platform was an exhilarating experience I shared with some guy and his GoPro camera. He was on the platform of the car behind me and I think he stayed there for the entire ride. Frankly, inside the car it was nice … but outside the car it was awesome. I felt more immersed in the ride, since I was not protected behind a glass window. This is what I came to Alaska to see. Massive mountains, dramatic drops to the valley floor, tumbling waterfalls, great shots of the rest of the train when we’d go round a bend … we experienced it all. And then there was that tunnel. It was so cool to go through the tunnel on the platform. I didn’t risk leaning over the side because there was the conviction you’d lose a body part if you risked that, but I looked up as the black rock overhead flashed by and I loved it.

 

By the time we went through the second tunnel and were getting photos on the cantilevered bridge, the realization hit that it had become tolerably warmer. It was amazing the difference in temperature in such a short distance.

 

 

The train stopped at some point to pick up some hikers that wanted a ride back … apparently, that’s a service provided as needed.

 

When the train returned to town, there was a Chilkoot bus waiting to take people back to the ship, if desired. We decide to skip it, since we wanted to see a bit of the town. Of course, this means we wanted to do some shopping. We found some incredibly striking glass art in one store that made us feel like we were walking through a museum. There was also an amazing shop that displayed some stunning weaving that qualified as works of art as well. Of course, DD was drawn to a fudge shop, but she emerged disheartened because they didn’t have salted caramel fudge either. But her big find was a pair of fur-lined texting gloves (that would go well with her beloved ear muffs) and she couldn’t resist buying a spirit token as well.

 

 

Our walk back to the ship seemed overly long. We would have actually appreciated a shuttle at that point. Not only was our ship the last one on the dock, but the gangway was set at the far end of the ship (really, RCI?). One thing that I found rather jarring … the ship logos that were painted on the cliff wall above the dock ... Official cruiseline logos, along with the names of captains. Apparently Skagway sanctioned the graffiti, but somehow it didn’t seem right. I’d rather contemplate the beauty of a sheer rock wall than the novelty of yet another place for a cruiseline logo.

 

After lunch in the Windjammer, we spent the afternoon in the Relax Zone. Tonight was to be the Quest, and it wouldn’t do to get tired by early evening!

 

We remembered to take the bottle of wine with us to share with our tablemates at dinner that evening. It was the second formal night and Jonathon‘s recommendations were the cheese tortellini and the lobster. DD took the first of the recommendations, and I took the second. Everyone chatted about their day and how much they had enjoyed this particular port of call. Dave and Debbie arrived a bit later as they had returned late from their excursion (kayaking). Their kids had opted to go to the Windjammer, so it was just the eight of us. As the ship left the dock and headed south, we were actually retracing our route from early this morning when we were still sleeping. All of us were exclaiming at the stunning views we got as the ship moved past waterfalls and snow-capped peaks. If the reason that I never seemed to score a window side table was so that I would finally get one for Alaska, it was totally worth the previous deprivation.

 

 

When it was time to order dessert, DD spotted the Baked Alaska option and she announced we absolutely had to order that. I hesitated a bit … the whole concept of baking ice cream just sounds so weird to me. But I couldn’t fault her logic. Oh my, what a treasure. We both absolutely loved it. And whenever we order it in the future (because, of course, we will definitely do so) we will always remember that the first time we had it was on our Alaska cruise.

 

We had a packed evening ahead of us, and DD wanted to be dressed more casually, so we ditched the dress-up clothes after dinner and headed to the Centrum for “If You Know If Sing It”. Another hokey game show that can be a lot of fun if you participate … and we certainly did. Then it was on to the Colony Club for Friendly Feud. The forward side of the lounge was pitted against the aft side and we were sitting on the aft side. Actually, we were in the same spot where we sat when we scored so dismally in the Majority Rules show. So if you count that one and the Battle of the Sexes, we were zero for three. You’d think we’d move, rather than tempt fate for the signature game show of the entire cruise, but we didn’t. We formed up with 3 young couples for the Quest (including the couple that had taken first in the Love and Marriage Game show). The others must have wondered what they were doing with that senior citizen in their midst. But it was a good group and they really threw themselves into the game. Of course, details are never revealed, but the outcome can be! We medaled. It was bronze, but it was a medal, and we were terribly pleased with ourselves.

Edited August 6, 2015 by emeraldcity

[emeraldcity]

I am really enjoying your review. I think it is time for us to book another Alaska cruise. It has been seven years since our last cruise to Alaska. I love the Caribbean but maybe it time to try a colder climate again for the scenery.

 

I also really admire your relationship with your daughter. It is what those of us with younger kids are hoping to have at that age.

 

I also have to comment on your cabin decor for Christmas! It looks great!

 

Actually it was 7 years ago we were originally supposed to go to Alaska ... we had to cancel (band camp conflict). But we agree that the 14-year-old DD would not have enjoyed the trip as much the 21-year-old. And she DEFINITELY would not have been laughing when she got swept out of the boat when we went whitewater rafting in Denali ... but that story comes later.

 

We had so much fun preparing to decorate that Christmas Cabin that we decided we had to do it again. We're already trying to figure out a theme for our TA cruise next May.

 

 

Excellent review

 

Thank you ... a big piece of the trip is the memories, and I intend to have some great memories when I check into the rest home.

[emeraldcity]

By now we had accepted the fact that it never got dark at night. We had about 6 hours of dusk and then sunrise took place. This had been a great night for sleeping, however, because we were in more open waters and the ship was rolling a bit from side to side. I spent the first part of the morning relaxing with a latte and a light breakfast in the Starquest lounge watching our approach to Hubbard Glacier. As we got closer, I couldn’t resist the temptation to take in the view from the helipad on the bow. There was a hardy corps of passengers already hanging out in that locale. The hardiest of the bunch were the folks right up at the bow, where it was really windy. I decided I would be astute instead of hardy, and I chose a spot just aft of the big H on the starboard side where surprisingly, there was hardly any wind at all. I did not share this find with anyone else to avoid losing the human windbreak at the bow that might be the cause of this wonderful little oasis from the jetstream.

 

There were steeply-sided mountains standing sentinel on either side of the approach to Disenchantment Bay. From a distance, it looked like the glacier seemed to slip gracefully into the sea, but when the ship moved closer, the reality was that it is a sheer wall of ice, riddled with deep crevasses. The brilliant hues of blue add a level of dimension that would never be possible if it were just a chunk of white ice. The narrator advises that the wall is over 300 feet high in many places and it extends another 250 feet down below the waterline as well. Furthermore, it stretches 6 miles across its terminus. Any attempt at a photo that does this glacier justice is doomed by its enormous size. The photo has to be shot from a great distance to get the width (which loses the impact of the towering cliff of ice) or shot from close up which excludes about 6 miles of glacial wall. I stood there trying to remember the numbers from my last trip to Niagara Falls, (where is the googling DD now that I need her?) and it seemed to me that this glacier was far higher. I would later do my very own googling and confirm that.

 

Eventually the cold drove me back to my cabin where I could view the approach to the glacier from a comfortable vantage point. Initially, the occasional chunk of ice drifted past us (or more accurately, we steamed past it) but as we got closer there were so many chunks of ice in the water that it looked like a debris field. There was even a harbor seal ignoring us as he swam between the floes of ice. A lifeboat was lowered and some crew members set off on a quest to select a chunk of ice to bring back for an ice carving. I’m not sure when or where that eventually took place, because I never saw it.

 

 

DD was still slumbering on, but I ignored her, pulled the drapes open and plopped onto her bed to continue to enjoy the view. By the time we arrived at the face of the glacier she came to, and we stepped out onto the balcony to get some more pictures and chat with our neighbors. The entire balcony community was lining the rails with cameras in hand. The advantage we found with those bumped-out balconies on deck 7 was that we could hand our camera to our neighbors and they would get shots of us when the ship was swinging around, and we did the same for them.

 

 

 

Those who take a road trip in Alaska never get a chance to see anything of this nature. You have to come here by boat. Our cabin steward would tell us later in the day that the captain was able to get closer this cruise than he had on the previous two cruises. It all depended on how much ice was in the water when they arrived in the bay. I couldn’t help noting that the harsh landscape was such a stark contrast to the pampered environment created to bring us here. While I marveled at the beauty, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that we could see it without facing the rigors of the conditions early travelers encountered.

 

 

I’m not sure how long we pivoted in front of the glacier, but few people left the rails until the captain headed back out of the bay. Then there was a mass migration to the Windjammer. We collected our breakfast and retreated to the Solarium, which was a wonderfully peaceful place to have our meal.

 

Then it was off to the Schooner Bar for a puzzle challenge. We like puzzles … we’ve been doing puzzles all week to relax. Now we get to pit ourselves against our fellow passengers to see who gets the gold medal for fastest puzzling. Well, it wasn’t us, but we did take silver. As we were busy admiring our new hardware, some of our quest team arrived to take part in the next event, which was general knowledge trivia. We decided to team up again and see how clever we were. The net result is that we concluded we don’t have much general knowledge, because we didn’t do very well. The family of four that won were given keychains for all in exchange for their struggles. We concluded that we worked harder to lose a keychain that we did for the silver medal we walked out with.

 

We returned to our room to find all the paperwork that says the cruise is almost over. This moment is always easier to take when you know you’re not heading for the airport the next day. I found that our luggage tags were number 63 and we wouldn’t be scheduled for departure until 8:40 … the first groups were assigned 6:00. I still didn’t quite understand what the luggage expectations were for the bus. We were being told to put our bags out, but how would we be sure they would end up in the cargo bay of our bus? And if we held back the airline-sized carryon piece, would that mean that it was going to be problematic when we got to the bus and found it wouldn’t fit in their overhead? It has to be painfully obvious by now that I’m a detail-sort of person. And I all I had to go on at this point was generalities.

 

An examination of the schedule found that the people who were being bussed the longest distances were the first one to leave the ship. Denali folks were at 7:10, Talkeetna at 7:40, Anchorage at 8:10, Alyeska at 8:40 and Seward at 9:35. Interspersed between those departures were people with their own arrangements or people with Seward excursions.

 

There were plenty of things on the schedule we could have gotten involved in throughout the day, but we chose to make this a rather low-key day. We began our packing and spent a good chunk of the afternoon relaxing in the cabin. The seas were somewhat heavy and some passengers were having some trouble with it. I was actually pretty thrilled about it because now I really felt like I’m on a ship. I loved watching the heaving waves and I stepped outside several times to sit on the balcony and enjoy them. We noted when walking around the ship that afternoon that the solarium pool was closed, so some very determined kids were swimming in the outdoor pool.

 

We had just settled for salad, pizza and fries at the Windjammer for lunch, so we were ready for a real meal at dinner. I took Jonathan’s suggestion and got the seafood plate, which paired several types of seafood with mashed potatoes. It sounded unconventional at the time, and it was. I still think seafood should be accompanied by rice. Mashed potatoes go with beef and pork … but maybe that’s a Midwesterner’s point of view. DD reports that the Pineapple Lychee soup was a big hit, so if you see it on the menu some day you’ll have to tell them emeraldcity’s DD say you have to try it. But the most important part of the meal was the key lime pie. DD had waited all cruise for this … and she almost had to pass it up. Midway through the meal she decided she was feeling the motion a bit too much, so I suggested she head over to Guest Services and get some meds. She actually took my advice and she returned before dessert was served to grumble that she had been waited on once again by the woman who doesn’t believe in checking sea pass cards for emerald benefits. This time hadn’t gone well either. When she asked for something for motion sickness, she got cross examined about whether or not she was feeling some motion sickness. “Why else would I ask for it?” I honestly tried not to laugh, but DD is really funny when she’s all torqued off at someone … even if the someone is me. In any event, she wasn’t feeling bad enough to skip the key lime pie, so I won’t have to hear about that missed opportunity for the next 276 days (countdown to next cruise).

 

We returned to our cabin to find that we had a lobster towel animal … which DD claimed was a squid. Clearly, she has not been to enough aquariums and I have to find a couple more to take her to relatively soon. We finalized our packing after dinner. Since DD was still a bit unsteady we just spent the remainder of the evening in the cabin. I know there are plenty of people who book insides because they say they never spend any time in the cabin except to sleep. We don’t fall into that category. We enjoy our cabin (which is why we decorate it) and we enjoy our balcony. And we balance that with plenty of social opportunities interspersed in there throughout each day. Frankly I had initially considered an oceanview cabin for this cruise, since I thought it would be too cold to enjoy the balcony. I’m so glad I didn’t do that, because I spent more time on the balcony on this cruise than on any other one. We did have a visitor that last evening. Some lady knocked on our door just to tell us how much she liked our door decoration. I apologized that we’d already packed the inside decorations so she couldn’t see those as well. And the room certainly had lost some of its charm with those decorations packed away.

 

We set out all three pieces of luggage at the appointed hour, rather than run into problems with the overhead on the bus. Then we sat up in bed talking for quite awhile before we called it quits for the night. It had been a great cruise, and we looked forward to the land tour. We especially looked forward to more comfortable beds and wonderful pillows. It’s my private theory that RCI withholds comfortable pillows from the lesser individuals who don’t book suites, so that suite people can be suitably pampered. Either that or they figure there has to be something about the cruise environment that is less than perfect or else they won’t be able to empty the cabins so they can move in the next group who are bringing a fresh infusion of cash. In any event we gave the RCI balcony cabin pillows a “D” rating. They are dense and unyielding. Pillows should be fluffy and welcoming.

[critterchick]

What a wonderful review! We were on the NB itinerary in late May/early June and I'm having a great time reliving the experience through you.

[elvismeggi]

I love your review and also the decoration in the cabin :).

Alaska is also on our list...

 

Greets from Germany

Elvi

[emeraldcity]

What a wonderful review! We were on the NB itinerary in late May/early June and I'm having a great time reliving the experience through you.

 

Thank you. The trip is never over as long as I have the memories, and if I don't write them down, I'll forget important pieces of it!

 

I love your review and also the decoration in the cabin :).

Alaska is also on our list...

 

Greets from Germany

Elvi

 

Thank you. We had lots of fun planning those decorations.

 

And Alaska was amazing ... unlike any other trip. I hope you make it there some day.

[CRUISEBOY305]

fabulous review emeraldcity

 

Sorry you couldn't join us on the 5/15/15 sailing.

[emeraldcity]

fabulous review emeraldcity

 

Sorry you couldn't join us on the 5/15/15 sailing.

 

Thank you.

 

I was bummed about having to cancel, but I couldn't let DD pass up the chance for that study-abroad trip.

 

I do want to thank you for the review and the pictures you posted (and especially the land-tour itinerary). It helped me finalize my planning and we ended up making great choices we were really happy with because we were able to have the opportunity to fine-tune our research. It is still a mystery to me that they won't give you an excursion list in advance for the land-tour part.

Edited August 8, 2015 by emeraldcity

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Loved the review! Just got off the Southbound yesterday and loved it. Due to a wreck that shut down the Seward Highway, we didn't leave Seward until about 2:45am and had to miss Hubbard. Sad, but what can you do?

[Turquoise Waters]

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.

[newbiecruiser09]

Thank you for such a wonderful review-I feel like I was there.:):) We were supposed to sail 7/24 on Radiance but I ended up in the hospital instead. We are already re-booked for next August but now I feel like I got a taste this year as well. Thank you again and keep it coming! :p:p

[js4rq]

What a great photo review. Alaska is breathtaking!

[emeraldcity]

When I got up, I found that we had already docked in Seward and the operation to begin unloading luggage was taking place right below my balcony. I watched them use a portable crane to help position a cargo net between the dock and the ship. Then a carrier with 2 loaded luggage carts was pushed onto a small platform and the crane swung the carrier over to the dock. It was set down by a waiting truck. Once the lines were unfastened, the process was repeated. Meanwhile the luggage carts were pushed over to the truck and a waiting group of workers began to move the bags into the back of the truck. I stood their trying to calculate the logistics in confusion. They seriously couldn’t be planning on unloading the luggage of 2400 people this way … that had to translate into between 3000-4000 bags. They couldn’t be moving more than 30 or 40 per load. Surely any moment somebody in a pick-up truck is going to come tearing into the parking lot to leap out with his arms waving and share the happy news that he found the gangway or the conveyor system that somebody must have stolen last night. But no … two hours later they were still at it. Undoubtedly they would be reversing the process in a few hours. Note to Southbound cruisers … the baggage handlers really earn their tips in Seward.

 

 

There are some great mountain views in Seward, although it was a peek-a-boo game with the clouds to try and get a decent picture. I must have shot at least 20 pictures before I decided it would have to do.

 

There was a fairly steady rain falling. Passengers began disembarking soon after I stepped onto my balcony. Fortunately, no one had stolen the passenger gangway. People were leaving the ship from the aft gangway and having to trek all the way around the luggage operation to head for the terminal. Those who had booked cruisetours with RCI were spared the walk. Their buses were pulled right up to the end of the aft gangway and passengers were coming off the gangway and quickly being assigned to their appropriate bus. I finally got my question about the rolling luggage. Plenty of people had hung onto that piece of luggage and it was being handed off to the bus driver at the door of the bus and stowed in the luggage compartment underneath.

 

Our balcony neighbors had a much earlier departure than we did and they reported that when the Windjammer first opened it had been a zoo. We headed up for breakfast at 7:15 and the crowd had thinned considerably. We had no trouble finding a table. We didn’t bother rushing since we wouldn’t be leaving the ship for quite some time. I was hoping to hang out in the cabin until we had to disembark, but they wanted us out of the cabin by 8:00 so we collected our things and headed for the Colony Club.

 

A number of our cruisecritic friends were apparently also in group 63 and we chatted briefly in the Colony Club before it was announced that they were ready for us to disembark. There were three buses for Tour 3A. We were assigned bus C and we settled in our seats waiting to learn what the next step in the process would be. Darren climbed aboard and introduced himself as our tour director. Shane was our bus driver. He said they’d be taking us to the Sea Life Center first and then we’d be bussed back here near the dock area for lunch before we headed for Alyeska for the night. The quick drive to the Sea Life Center was just long enough to absorb a few of the logistics about where and when we were to be to meet the bus to be taken to the lunch stop. We were advised to put any of our carry-ons things in the cargo bay at this first stop instead of leaving them in our seats, but I can’t remember why. Shane was standing by the open bay as we exited the bus and I handed him my bag. When it came time for DD to do the same, she hesitated uncertainly, trying to decide if she should just carry it around for the next two hours. “I don’t know…” she said and Shane grinned. “Are there cookies in there?” Her guilty look said it all. His grin widened. “I’ll see you after lunch,” he said as he relieved her of the bag and slipped it into the bay.

 

It was pouring at that point and we hustled through the rain to the door. I’m really not sure how they made certain that the group of people surging into the center was part of the cruise group, but that’s not my problem.

 

I had anticipated that this was going to be an aquarium-type experience, but I don’t really think it qualified. It was more of a nature center that’s principal purpose was to care for sea creatures and offered its visitors an educational experience as a sideline. We were given almost two hours for the visit, but an hour would have been sufficient. After walking through the center, DD and I decided we had enough time to walk up the street and do a bit of shopping with the extra chunk of time. It was a nice interlude. Shopping is something most guys don’t understand. DD and I aren’t just picking through keychains and T-shirts. It’s a journey of discovery and we can have some truly diverse experiences in a shore-side store. We share the humor we discover on signs and sweatshirts, and then we switch to the admiration of some beautiful artwork. In every port we’ve found native art that gives us a glimpse of the local perception of beauty. The images that reach deep into the history of a region are expressed in the local art. In Alaska the local art often incorporated rich colors and bold lines tracing the profiles of the raven and the eagle. Additionally, the wild beauty of the animals is captured in paintings and stunning glass sculptures. I am in awe of the talent involved in birthing the captivating glass art with the animals embedded within. If I had the funds and the appropriate venue to display one, I’d have been hard pressed to select my favorite to bring home to share the beauty with others. I commented to DD, “I can’t imagine they sell very many of these at these prices.” She replied, “Ah, but when they do, it’s a very good day.”

 

Of course, we found another fudge shop (Alaskan’s are really into fudge apparently). We stepped inside to continue the quest and we both had the same instant reaction, “Where’s the overwhelming aroma of chocolate?” If they made the fudge on the premises, they hadn’t figured out how to overpower the shopper with the tantalizing fragrance of chocolate. In any event, they didn’t have salted caramel fudge, so we moved on.

 

We went back to the Sea Life Center and walked right in without any admission ticket (and no hand stamp either). We still had some time to kill so we went back upstairs and played the big video game several times. The object was to capture the most fish, without overfishing the area you were in. DD beat me (and any other contenders) every time, but then Boomers are always at a disadvantage to Millennials when it comes to electronic games.

 

Darren and Shane arrived as scheduled with our bus and we climbed aboard for the short ride to the marina. As we pulled in, all the various eateries were pointed out and we zeroed in on the Subway shop. A deli sandwich sounded like just the thing and we scooted over there to beat the line and secure a table as soon as we got off the bus. Since a Subway meal is a quickie, this left us with a chunk of time once we finished. Our table was claimed as soon as we stood up and we went off to check out the shops. The first one we stepped into had figured out how to entice their customers with the fragrance of the product. Unfortunately, they were selling fish … along with arts and crafts. It was a strange combination. Oddly, I didn’t feel like browsing very long. DD was in complete agreement and we escaped to the rainy world outside to gulp in some fresh air. We had better luck with the Harbor St. Creamery. It was a bright happy world of ice cream treats, which we felt deserved our patronage.

 

There were others in our group that had hoped for a nice sit-down lunch and they were turned away by 2 different restaurants which wouldn’t assure them they could be served within the time allowed (we had about an hour and a quarter to work with). We found that incomprehensible. Unless the fog was REALLY thick, you couldn’t miss the docked cruise ship … representing about 5,000 people (arrivals, departures and crew). Didn’t the town depend on that business?

 

We re-boarded our bus and settled in for the first leg of the trip inland. Darren pointed out that we were getting the last view of the Radiance, which he referred to as our five-star experience. He went on to warn us that we would have to adjust our expectations downward, since luxury hotels are not a staple in Alaska. The Hotel Alyeska that we were headed for that day was the only 4-star hotel in Alaska; the others would only rate about 2-stars. I couldn’t help wondering if he was accustomed to having passengers complain about the accommodations so he was determined to set expectations early in the trip. For my part I suspected that I would be completely satisfied with the accommodations, because they were bound to include a) a bigger room, b) a bigger bathroom … with a tub!, and c) better pillows.

 

I had made sure I had armed myself with my usual diversions (puzzle book, embroidery, cell phone) to occupy my time. It was a wasted effort. I spent the entire trip drinking in the scenery. I had stumbled upon the Alaskan Courage series of books by Dani Pettrey shortly before the cruise and one of them had alluded to the fact that the Seward to Anchorage highway was listed as one of the ten most scenic highways in the country. So my expectations were pretty high. It’s always risky to enter into a situation with high expectations, but this time I was not disappointed. We began winding our way up the valley. Initially, the fog clung to the mountains, but eventually the clouds lifted clear of the mountain tops. They were a rich green at the base, seguing into the mottled dark green of the stands of trees. Higher up a mossy green was interspersed with brown. And finally at the top, many of the mountains wore crowns of brown with patches of snow nestled in the fold of the mountains. Off in the distance, other mountains were shades of purple, dusted with snow.

 

 

Darren distributed our itinerary and an order form for excursions. Having already researched them thanks to some previously posted material from cruiseboy305 (the May 15th cruise), I knew exactly what we wanted to book. We were also given bag tags with the instructions to tag our bags that evening by color so that they would know each day which bags could be left in the bus storage bays and which ones needed to be sent to our rooms.

 

 

As we drove along the highway, Darren tossed out multiple factoids about Alaska to help us appreciate the unique character of this vast land. He advised that it comes as no surprise, that Alaska is known as the farthest northern state and the farthest western one. But they also claim to be the farthest eastern state as well. That claim is pinned to the fact that the last two of the Aleutian Islands are actually on the other side of the International Dateline. I would later hear some wit also add that they were the farthest southern site as well, since many maps stick them in the bottom corner below Hawaii.

 

It was hard to digest the fact that Alaska possesses 45,000 miles of coastline … I had to later google that one to confirm it. But when you factor in all the islands and the fact that the state is bordered on three sides by water (or ice in the north) I guess it really does make sense.

 

The bus pulled into Girdwood and began the winding drive through the small town toward the hotel. Darren pointed out various restaurants and advised that the hotel had a shuttle into town … although it was really a very short walk. When the bus stopped in front of the hotel we were advised we had to stay on the bus while they sorted out the logistics of the room assignments. This is the part about traveling on a bus that I find the most frustrating. Once I’ve arrived at a destination, I want to get out of the bus and stretch my legs. I’d forgotten about this part … this was like stepping back in time to those two band trips that I’d chaperoned. I’m sure it was a brief wait, but it didn’t seem like it. When we finally were given clearance to step off the bus we headed into the lobby with the others where room keys were being handed out … to everyone except those assigned to the three rooms that were ready yet. Yep! We were one of those lucky three. We were told to come back in an hour. I don’t understand how check-out time can be at noon, and check-in time can be at 3:00 … and they’ve known all day how many rooms needed to be ready at 3:00 … and they didn’t make it. Can you imagine the uproar on an RCI cruiseship if 1:00 arrives and the doors swing open to the cabins, but somebody is standing there telling you there’s a block of cabins that aren’t ready yet and yours is in that block.

 

Not much we could do but suck it up. Bell Services checked our carry-on stuff and so DD and I went off to walk the grounds and kill some time.

 

Hotel Alyeska is a ski resort. The ski runs rise behind the hotel and we were told by some of the help that people love the casual feel of it. They can take the lift up the mountain, ski down, shed their ski boots and walk into a fine dining room without have to dress up. The flowers were abundant along the pathway, often bearing little signs to identify the flower. There was some bronze wildlife to get up close and personal with and this hotel could apparently afford one of those expensive moose.

 

 

We didn’t give them that hour. We walked back into the lobby 20 minutes early to check and found that our room was finally ready. When we got to the room the luggage was already there. We plopped on our nice big beds and checked out the pillows – Hmm. Better, but not great.

 

Many of our fellow passengers had opted for one of the excursions that evening (maybe that’s why they got rooms and we didn’t), but we were more interested in the pool and the hot tub. The pool is in a large room attached to the hotel. We had to wind our way through a circuitous hallway, which leads me to believe it was not part of the original building and they had to get creative later when trying to figure out how to connect it. We were the only cruisetour people there. Frankly, this would turn out to be a common refrain this entire 4 days. We must be misfits.

 

In any event, those who didn’t check out this pool truly missed out. The mountain views from the hot tub were stunning and the pool itself was wonderfully warm. There was no comparison to the Solarium shock of going from the hot tub to the pool. They really had a heater in this pool and they apparently didn’t have a problem turning it on. The other surprise was that the water was salty … not as salty as ocean water, but clearly a salt water pool. There was a crowd of 2 other people besides us … and one of them worked there. He told us that hotel employees get to use the fitness facilities. When we commented that it was hard to adjust to the fact that it didn’t get dark till after 11:00, our new-found friend commented that they’ve been noticing how much sooner it’s getting dark now that it’s gotten into July.

 

After our showers we decided we’d walk into town for dinner. Initially, we started walking along the road until we noticed a wide paved walking trail running parallel to the road and down an embankment. There was even a well-worn dirt trail to get to it, since apparently we weren’t the first people to make this discovery. We hadn’t got much farther when we came upon an incredible secret garden, visible only to those who take this path. Cars zipped by above us … and the bus had rolled by sometime earlier, but they never see this little oasis. It’s called the “Great Wall of Nina” and is dedicated to the memory of a former Miss Alaska who had a passion for ballet and gardening. I had done an awful lot of research for this trip … how is it that I never heard of this before? In any event, it was one of those unexpected discoveries and we were completely charmed to by it.

 

 

The one drawback to this trail was that it was definitely on the wilderness side of things, which meant that some of that wildlife that I didn’t want to encounter in close proximity was a very real possibility. So I insisted we keep talking non-stop to make sure that we didn’t surprise anything that was bigger and furrier and meaner than we were.

 

A little farther on, we found that the trail ran along a glacial stream. We were pretty informed by this time, being able to accurately identify a glacial stream since the water was the murky gray of glacial silt. When we got to the edge of town, the displays of flowers continued. There isn’t much doubt that the people of this area truly enjoy their flowers. We were headed for Jack Sprat, which was supposed to be a great restaurant. What we didn’t know is that it’s big with the locals, and you’d better have a reservation. They had nothing available unless we were willing to take a seat on the somewhat chilly patio. We were pretty used to being somewhat chilly by now, so we went for it. The objective was to get salads, so we both ordered the Caesar salad and got the bread appetizer to share. They set a water jar on the table with a sprig of pine in it, and filled our water glasses from it. I hadn’t encountered that sort of thing before (yeah, I don’t get out much). It was refreshing … and you caught the slight scent of pine when you were drinking your water. We had a very nice dinner and the service was excellent.

 

After dinner we headed back along that woodsy trail and I sang songs to make certain that we drove away any wildlife. It was terribly effective … anything hearing me probably escaped deeper in the woods to avoid me.

 

We returned to our room to find we had chocolates on our pillows … not just any chocolate, but a wonderful raspberry chocolate thing with a hint of mint. I didn’t think any hotels did that any more … even the Bellagio last March hadn’t bothered with chocolates like they had the previous year. So while the pillows weren’t great, the chocolates certainly were.

Edited August 9, 2015 by emeraldcity

[emeraldcity]

Loved the review! Just got off the Southbound yesterday and loved it. Due to a wreck that shut down the Seward Highway, we didn't leave Seward until about 2:45am and had to miss Hubbard. Sad, but what can you do?

 

Thank you for the compliment. I'm sorry to hear that you missed Hubbard. That must have been disappointing.

 

I can certainly see how an accident would completely shut down travel. It is only a two lane road, and nothing parallels it except the river. As much as I grumble about rush hour, when there's a traffic jam, I can easily exit the freeway and have my pick of routes to continue on to my destination. Alaska has no other roads.