Questions about our Sept 4th Alaska cruise in Serenade

[HelenaCruiser2012]

Hi everyone!

 

DH and I are infrequent cruisers but excited to return to Royal Caribbean for Alaska in 100 days!  A few questions -

 

• Are Royal Caribbean's ships sailing at 100% capacity?
• What's the biggest price drop you've seen for the UBP?  I haven't seen it drop below it's current price of $64 pp/pd for our cruise, we're wondering if we should go ahead and pull the trigger on it.
• On NCL we liked to get an occasional "bucket of beers" and plop ourselves on a deck for an afternoon and watch the water go by.  Can we get a bucket of beers on Serenade?
• Any Serenade tips for us?  Good places on deck to just sit and enjoy the view?  Any good nightlife like a good piano bar singer maybe?
• Any Alaska tips, like a good restaurant for dinner in Juneau (not looking for fine dining, more casual bar/restaurant where the locals go and not too too far from the pier - always worried about missing the boat!)  Any excursions - either with Royal or not - for Ketchikan, Juneau, Haines, Sitka?  We don't want strenuous hikes and I can't swim so no kayaking, but we do want to see the sights, wildlife, glaciers etc.

 

Appreciate your help, thanks!

 

Helena

[leaveitallbehind]

Just now, HelenaCruiser2012 said:

Hi everyone!

 

DH and I are infrequent cruisers but excited to return to Royal Caribbean for Alaska in 100 days!  A few questions -

 

• Are Royal Caribbean's ships sailing at 100% capacity?
• Hard to predict actual bookings for that sailing, but relative to US closed loop itineraries, all cruise lines are able to book to full capacity now and most RCCL itineraries seem to be filling rather quickly.
• What's the biggest price drop you've seen for the UBP?  I haven't seen it drop below it's current price of $64 pp/pd for our cruise, we're wondering if we should go ahead and pull the trigger on it.
• If you book it and the price decreases later, you can cancel and rebook.  The amount will vary and is also unpredictable.
• On NCL we liked to get an occasional "bucket of beers" and plop ourselves on a deck for an afternoon and watch the water go by.  Can we get a bucket of beers on Serenade?
• Have not seen that recently but in the past it has been offered on some ships and itineraries.  Don't know if they are doing that since the restart of if yours would be an included itinerary.  Typically it wasn't a fleet wide program.
• Any Serenade tips for us?  Good places on deck to just sit and enjoy the view?  Any good nightlife like a good piano bar singer maybe?
• The Schooner Bar is the piano bar with nightly piano entertainment.  Decks 11 & 12 are the upper open decks for outside views.  The Viking Crown Lounge on deck 13 is a good indoor lounge area for viewing.
• Any Alaska tips, like a good restaurant for dinner in Juneau (not looking for fine dining, more casual bar/restaurant where the locals go and not too too far from the pier - always worried about missing the boat!)  Any excursions - either with Royal or not - for Ketchikan, Juneau, Haines, Sitka?  We don't want strenuous hikes and I can't swim so no kayaking, but we do want to see the sights, wildlife, glaciers etc.
• Sorry - can't help with this.

 

Appreciate your help, thanks!

 

Helena

I can help with some of this.  See above comments in red.

[celoplyr]

1 hour ago, HelenaCruiser2012 said:

 

• Any Alaska tips, like a good restaurant for dinner in Juneau (not looking for fine dining, more casual bar/restaurant where the locals go and not too too far from the pier - always worried about missing the boat!)  Any excursions - either with Royal or not - for Ketchikan, Juneau, Haines, Sitka?  We don't want strenuous hikes and I can't swim so no kayaking, but we do want to see the sights, wildlife, glaciers etc.

 

 

We haven't been to Haines (and not yet Sitka) but in Ketchikan my dad really likes the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman tour, and in Juneau I've had good luck with Harv and Marv's whale watching (on a really small boat).  I do not hike.  

[BecciBoo]

Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau, Michele's Island Wings float plane is spectacular in Ketchikan.  We did Harv/Marv's also in Juneau  Both Not to be missed if you can afford it.

 

And I won't waste our time doing the glacier anywhere but Hubbard, Tracy Fjord is just not as good.  We even did the private boat from and back to the ship up to the Sawyer but Hubbard is really spectacular.

Edited May 27, 2022 by BecciBoo

[HelenaCruiser2012]

Thank you all for the input!  I love that people on Cruise Critic are so helpful. 

 

And leavitallbehind:  GO BIRDS!

[neverbeenhere]

Juneau excursion. Go to The Hanger on the Wharf, order: beer, beer, beer, lunch, beer, beer, beer, dinner, beer, beer, head back to ship, A great day in Juneau!!!

[neverbeenhere]

Ketchikan excursion: Head to Walmart to get all the things you forgot. Is the free shuttle still running?

[flpenguin]

We are on the same sailing as you and the 2nd time on the Serenade. Our first Alaska cruise in 2006 was on the Serenade.  The Schooner bar is all glass so you can see the scenery if you don't want to be on deck.  We have done whale watching in Juneau twice and will do it again on this cruise.  In Ketchikan we have done the Duck Tour and The Lumberjack Show.  This time we are doing the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour. We have never been to Sitka or Haines so excited to see some new ports.

 

On a side note we grew up in South Jersey and are cruising with another couple that live in South Jersey that we've known since high school.

[chefchick]

21 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau, Michele's Island Wings float plane is spectacular in Ketchikan.  We did Harv/Marv's also in Juneau  Both Not to be missed if you can afford it.

 

👆👆👆THIS👆👆👆 Living in Seattle I have been on MANY Alaska cruises and have gone on many excursions.  Harv & Marv’s whale watching in Juneau and Michele with Island Wings (float plane through the Misty Fjords) are so good I’ve done them more than once.  They aren’t cheap, but nothing in in Alaska.  

 

[SightCRR]

View tour excursions and ship insights on youtube. Just about every tour and ship will be there. Look for the latest. 

Read up about the ArriveCan phone app which is required to board the ship. 

Then read up about Ketchikan and being 5 miles out of town at Ward Cove. 

Be aware that lunch at Tracy's in Juneau will be close if not over $100. 

sightcrr

[Ozark_Kid]

We were cruising Alaska a couple weeks ago on Ovation.   In Sitka we went out on our on and loved it.

We first went to walk some trails here.

 

Great smooth paths.  

 

Lots of totem polls.

 

And when we were near the river we saw eagles in the wild.

Visiting the park is free.

 

Then we went to the Raptor Center. 

 

There was some areas closed down while we were there that took away some but we still got to see some cool stuff.

 

 

After this we walked to the other side of Sitka and saw some neat stuff.  A lot of walking but fun.

[BecciBoo]

Great Eagle shot Kid!  WOWZA