RCCL to Alaska: Which Ship and Itinerary?

[BeanMeScot]

I am planning a cruise to Alaska next year. I am interested in cruising RCCL. Which ship would you recommend and why? I am looking at the Radiance class or Voyager class. Which itenerary is the best?

[WECoyote]

The Radiance is a much nicer ship and the views from all the glassed in areas is much more beautiful. Of the Vision class ships, I like the "Vision" the least. I know that there are many who will disagree, but the Vision did absolutely nothing for me and the "boss".

 

For itinerary, just make sure the ship is doing the Inside Passage and you can't go wrong.

[GMoney]

I have never cruised AK, but just planned a B2B for next year. Here are some thoughts:

 

+ RCI has 3 ships in AK next year: Radiance, Serenade and Vision. No Voyager class.

 

+ You need to determine if you are just doing the cruise or the cruisetour (which offer a land tour of AK).

 

+ You then need to determine your departure port. Most say that Vancouver departures offers better views and smoother sailing than Seattle departures.

 

+ You then need to determine what glaciers are important for you to see. The big choices are Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Many people prefer GB, but RCI has been banned from sailing there.

 

+ Please swing over to the AK boards and post there. I got tremendous help from very knowledgable people.

 

+ AK cruises really require a lot of research, as there are various itineraries, ships and land / cruise combos. Take your time, dig into the details, and consult a TA.

 

+ Strongly consider Princess and HAL. They have more ships and itineraries and have been in AK for a longer time. I love RCI, but I was underwhelmed with their AK offerings. I ended up going HAL and X.

 

+ Finally, try to choose soon. AK sailings for 2007 are filling up and if you are picky about cabin type / location, you may find your options becoming limited.

[BeanMeScot]

I have a friend who works at RCCL and can get me a friends and family discount. So that's why I am looking at RCCL. (My other choice would be Carnival. Her husband works for them but I am not interested in any of their ships).

 

The brochure has Explorer in it but that appears to only be Canada so I guess my choices are Radiance, Jewel or Serenade. They are the same class of ship, right? So they should be pretty much the same. Just decorated differently

[BeanMeScot]

Also, when is the best time to go?

[GMoney]

I have a friend who works at RCCL and can get me a friends and family discount. Sot that's why I am looking at RCCL. (My other choice would be Carnival. Her husband works for them but I am not interested in any of their ships).

 

The brochure has Explorer in it but that appears to only be Canada so I guess my choices are Radiance, Jewel or Serenade. They are the same class of ship, right? So they should be pretty much the same. Just decorated differently

 

Again, your 2007 RCI choices for AK are Radiance, Serenade and Vision. Radiance and Serenade are the same class, and you are correct that they are very similar other than decor. Jewel spends summers in Europe. There are no Voyager class ships (i.e. - Explorer) on the west coast due to canal and drydock limitations.

[Sue L]

Yes the 3 ships are all the same class. I chose the Serenade for next August because for us and our kids the itinerary worked out better . I consider this a starter Alaska cruise and hope to get back there again with a land portion also.

[emilygrace]

Just FYI, only the Radiance and Serenade do Alaska (of this class of ship). We went last year on the Serenade and it was wonderful. But if you can get a Celebrity cruise on something other than the Mercury, for about the same price as RCCL, I'd go with X. Just a teensy bit nicer. But maybe your friend's discount can't be used on X.

[ksjserv]

We cruised to Alaska about 3 years ago. It was an awesome cruise. We flew to Vancouver and spent a few days there before our cruise set sail. Vancouver is a beautiful city, lots to see.

 

Our cruise left on a Sunday, in early June. We ported at Skagway (my fav), Juneau and Ketchikan. We didn't do any planned excursions. In Skagway we just toured the city, had lunch (gotta have the Halibut on a stick) and did some shopping. Juneau we took a bus tour, it runs in the same direction as the train and we booked that once we got inito port. Be sure to go and see the cemetary. The bus tour will make a stop there. Ketchikan is also nice, but it was a little misty and cold when we got there so we just basically stayed in the pier area. Lots of nice shops on the pier and nice little bars and places to have a nice lunch. Popular on the shopping is the Gold In Quarts jewelry. It looks like white quarts with veins of gold running thru it. I didn't get any but when we make another trip there I am definitely getting some. My favorite part of the trip was going to see the Glaciers and the Fjords. If you watch you will see bears, and other wildlife that you won't see anywhere else. I saw my very first Eagle when we got into port in Ketchikan. Just beautiful.

 

We loved Alaska and would recommend it to everyone. Its a must see.

 

We sailed on the Vision of the Seas and the ship was in excellent shape and the decor was comparable to any other RC ship. Service was excellent.

[hermang]

I am planning a cruise to Alaska next year. I am interested in cruising RCCL. Which ship would you recommend and why? I am looking at the Radiance class or Voyager class. Which itenerary is the best?

We had planned on going on the Vision last year as we wanted land and sea and that was the only way - by the time we got our group to agree on a date - the Vision was booked solid. Our TA said I have a deal for you - Try Celebrity Summit instead - 2 weeks later - saved $600 pp, bigger ship, $200 cabin credit , free robes to keep and dinner for 2 in the Normandie - SUCH A DEAL. we have stayed with Celebrity ever since especially the M class ships.

[SherriZ366]

Unless you want to do a land tour, I would recommend Serenade -- cruised on her on 8/6/06. It does a Vancouver round trip cruise. Much easier to fly in and out of one port -- better chance for frequent fliers etc. DD and SIL did Radiance with SIL's family and they could not fly out of Anchorage until 9 PM the night they got off the cruise -- long trip home. Also Serenade (and Radiance) have so much glass which is great for Alaska's scenery. Thought the service was wonderful on Serenade. If you do cruise out of Vancouver --try to stay an extra day (or days) before or after asit is an awesome city.

[AFT_LOVER]

it is a 14 night member cruise. does Vancouver thru Alaska then the Pacific Coast to LA. So it is like 2 cruises in one.

 

September is favorite with us. HUGE idscounts since the store will be closing after hte last ship & no BUGS!

[cruisemamma99]

We cruised to Alaska about 3 years ago. It was an awesome cruise. We flew to Vancouver and spent a few days there before our cruise set sail. Vancouver is a beautiful city, lots to see.

 

Our cruise left on a Sunday, in early June. We ported at Skagway (my fav), Juneau and Ketchikan. We didn't do any planned excursions. In Skagway we just toured the city, had lunch (gotta have the Halibut on a stick) and did some shopping. Juneau we took a bus tour, it runs in the same direction as the train and we booked that once we got inito port. Be sure to go and see the cemetary. The bus tour will make a stop there. Ketchikan is also nice, but it was a little misty and cold when we got there so we just basically stayed in the pier area. Lots of nice shops on the pier and nice little bars and places to have a nice lunch. Popular on the shopping is the Gold In Quarts jewelry. It looks like white quarts with veins of gold running thru it. I didn't get any but when we make another trip there I am definitely getting some. My favorite part of the trip was going to see the Glaciers and the Fjords. If you watch you will see bears, and other wildlife that you won't see anywhere else. I saw my very first Eagle when we got into port in Ketchikan. Just beautiful.

 

We loved Alaska and would recommend it to everyone. Its a must see.

 

We sailed on the Vision of the Seas and the ship was in excellent shape and the decor was comparable to any other RC ship. Service was excellent.

 

 

Good to hear. We are leaving on the Vision July 6th. I chose that because I wanted to go to Prince Rupert versus Ketchikan, but any of the ports I'm sure are good. Were happy just to also sit on our balconys, and take in the views.

[clerky96]

We went to Alaska in June on the Radiance. We actually did a cruisetour and it was wonderful. Can't say enough about how great everything was. I don't think you will be disappointed whatever ship you are on. It is a great cruise. Have fun!

[mrstay]

Just FYI, only the Radiance and Serenade do Alaska (of this class of ship). We went last year on the Serenade and it was wonderful. But if you can get a Celebrity cruise on something other than the Mercury, for about the same price as RCCL, I'd go with X. Just a teensy bit nicer. But maybe your friend's discount can't be used on X.

 

 

We are thinking of the Mercury for next year, what is wrong with it? It is going for an extensive drydock in April. They are doing new bedding, mattresses, sink, vanities, flat screen TVs and adding an alternative dining.

[cruzr4vr]

We did a cruise-tour in 2000 on Princess (forgive me RCCL, but I am a diamond with you), and our rationale was the tour part and Glacier Bay. RCCL does not go to Glacier Bay and it is absolutely breathtaking. When considering the AK cruise, do the research, there are so many options. We believed the Princess land tour portion was better than the others, but you know what, they're all good. We did observe (in 2000) that the train cars of Princess were better equipped than RCCL or HAL. All are on the same train - the cars were higher and all open glass on the top for sightseeing. If you're thinking this will be your only trip to Alaska, you must consider a land tour combination - AK is so awesome. We flew into

Fairbanks, stayed there two nights, then proceeded south to Denali for a day, then on to Anchorage. The best time of year is early August; that is when the salmon run, and the orcas go after the salmon, something you see best in Turnagain Arm, a water area you see only if you are leaving Anchorage ending the land portion of the trip to go to the ship. Of course, you see whales elsewhere too.

 

The cruise portion was totally awesome. You're close to land nearly all the time, the wildlife is everywhere (if you look) ... eagles, deer, bear. moose, whales. You must take binoculars - invest in good ones, it'll be worth it.

 

This is one cruise where you really need to have a balcony cabin, and depending on the itinerary (northbound vs. southbound), select a cabin that will be towards the continent (starboard if northbound, and port if southbound). Unless you choose a round-trip from Seattle, then it doesn't matter.

 

For whatever you choose, you will enjoy AK. We've traveled extensively, and still believe the AK cruise to rank with the best, and we plan to go again.:) :) :)