Considering Radience southbound cruise/tour june/july 2010-advice?

[goinmobile68]

We are considering the 12 night package in late June into early July, but would like feedback from folks that have sailed on the ship & the area. This would be our first "conventional" cruise-we've done sailing ships in the Caribbean, but this is much different. My questions are:

 

We're rather casual dressers, and with being on the road for 2 weeks, I'd like to limit the amount of luggage we have to transport, so formal clothes just don't make it! I guess we could do room service on "Formal" nights (we'd like to book a balcony room) & that would be fine. Has anyone done room service for dinner & how is it? I can't figure that everyone will be wearing (unpressed-out of a crammed bag) formalwear in Alaska?

 

There is very little info that I've found so far about the land accomodations-any advice?

 

Any opinion on excursions, and pricing?

 

Any advice would be appreciated-thanks!

[vickiw0318]

We just did a 7 day northbound on the Radiance and didn't bring formal wear either. We actually signed up for the My Time Dining option. We booked lots of excursions and just didn't want to worry about getting to the Dining room. The first formal night we ate in the Windjammer - the buffet venue. That night they actually had a place at the back where you could select your own meat and they would grill it for you right there. (There were other made to order options during the week.) We did actually eat in the dining room on the second formal night because DD wanted the lobster. We did dress nicely and didn't feel a bit out of place. We also ate at Chops one night and at Portofino another.

 

Hope this helps. There are plenty of dining options. (The Seaview Cafe and the Solarium Cafe are two others.)

[jst4fun715]

We did the round trip out of Vancouver on the Serenade. We didn't take any formal clothes either and signed up for MTD. We ended up eating in the Windjammer everynight and were quite happy. I talked to some people that did eat in the dining room and they commented that it seemed a bit more casual on an Alaska cruise.

 

As for excursions, we did a halibut fishing excursion with a private company in Icy Strait (not sure if that is one of your stops) and also happened to see whales so we kind of got two excursions for the price of one!:D

 

In Skagway, we did the van trip that goes to the summit. We saw the train on the other side so I think we saw pretty much the same scenery but our driver stopped several times for pictures. It was a nice trip at about a third of the price of the train.

 

Have a wonderful time....Alaska is beautiful!

[negc]

While dress on most Alaska cruises is frequently more casual than you might find on other cruises, we have observed that even on cruises to other locations, many diners have not brought or rented formalwear for the cruise and none of them has been forced to dine in their staterooms or been relegate to the Windjammer on formal nights. With the more restrictive luggage limitations, it is even more understandable that many people cannot include formalwear when they are deciding what to pack. If you and your traveling companion choose to dine in the mdr on a formal night in something other than a tux and gown, you will not be alone. Relax and enjoy your cruise to Alaska.

[elleluv]

We are considering the 12 night package in late June into early July, but would like feedback from folks that have sailed on the ship & the area. This would be our first "conventional" cruise-we've done sailing ships in the Caribbean, but this is much different. My questions are:

 

We're rather casual dressers, and with being on the road for 2 weeks, I'd like to limit the amount of luggage we have to transport, so formal clothes just don't make it! I guess we could do room service on "Formal" nights (we'd like to book a balcony room) & that would be fine. Has anyone done room service for dinner & how is it? I can't figure that everyone will be wearing (unpressed-out of a crammed bag) formalwear in Alaska?

 

There is very little info that I've found so far about the land accomodations-any advice?

 

Any opinion on excursions, and pricing?

 

Any advice would be appreciated-thanks!

 

 

We've found on Alaska cruises that tend to be far more casual than most cruises to other destinations. You'll see a lot less gowns on formal night and a lot more dress pants with a dressy top on the ladies.

 

DH and I lived in Alaska (near Fairbanks) for about 10 years and traveled pretty extensively in our RV while we lived there, so if you have any questions about specific hotels, I can probably give you some information.

 

Some of our favorite excursions have been:

 

Orca Enterprises (private excursion) in Juneau for whale watching

White Pass Railroad (through RCCL) in Skagway... we've also rented a car and drove up to Carcross, that's also an awesome way to spend the day.

Misty Fjords Flightseeing (we used Island Wings, private) in Ketchikan

The zip line in Icy Strait Point is really cool, but that's also a lovely port to just wander around and enjoy the nature trails.

 

If you have time in Seward, the Kenai Fjords wildlife tours are amazing. We've done that several times and have always seen tons of wildlife.

 

Make sure to pack layers and be prepared for rain... and bring your bug dope for the time you are in the Interior... the locals call mosquitos the State bird.

[atlasali]

7/24/09 - We loved it. We did have exceptional weather: smooth seas, sunny skies and warm temperatures. We were prepared for cold rain and fog.

 

The Radiance is a great ship for Alaska due to the amount of glass viewing areas. The southbound route was good. Hubbard glacier was amazing. Icy Strait Point was a lovely Alaskan port (no Caribbean jewelry stores).

 

Much less formal than other cruises. I just wore dressy tops and a pair of slacks. We ate Main dining since we were traveling with friends...we enjoyed having another couple at our table, too. It was fun to compare excursions and experiences while we ate. DH did take and wear a sportcoat the 2 "formal" nights. You could always eat in Windjammer, instead.

[goinmobile68]

We've booked the trip, balcony & all. I feel SO much better about the cruise now that I've gotten your feedback & searched the boards. I'm sure we'll find our comfort level & have a great time! I'm really looking forward to the trip-only 10 months! (ha-ha) Anyone with any other info is welcome to chime in-I'm sure I'll have more questions! Thanks again!

[leoandhugh]

You have made a good choice by doing the land portion first and then having the cruise to settle down, unpack, be waited on and relax. We did the land portion as part of a Celebrity cruise tour - Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage and the interior is so different from the ports of Alaska. Denali is nature's wonderland at its best and if you can do part of the land tour on one of the dome cars - Celebrity and RCCL use the same cars - they are the best - good food onboard and great sightseeing:)

[goinmobile68]

We are doing the dome car-it's one of the things that was a "must" on our list! We love cool trains & did a dome car on the Napa wine train-great views & almost too much food! So when we saw that this was available-well, we had to! We're so looking forward to the scenery, it's why we're going. Thanks for the advice!

[negc]

We are doing cruisetour #11 that begins in Fairbanks on June 6th, 2010 on Radiance of the Seas. Maybe we'll see you .:)

[goinmobile68]

We're doing 11 also, but beginning on the 20th-would love to hear about your experience when you get back! I'm sure I'll be really excited by then!

[negc]

We're doing 11 also, but beginning on the 20th-would love to hear about your experience when you get back! I'm sure I'll be really excited by then!

Unfortunately for you, but fortunately for us, :) we are staying in Vancouver for a couple of days at the conclusion of our cruise, so we will be flying home the day you begin your adventure. If I have an opportunity to post on CC while we are either on land or on the ship, I will try to offer some thoughts about our trip.:)

[Desert Cruizers]

Since many have covered the things to see, the Radiance is truely a beautiful ship, noted for the glass. We sailed her to Hawaii this past Oct, hard to believe almost a yr has passed. Have a wonderful trip

[Beach4me]

In Skagway, we did the van trip that goes to the summit. We saw the train on the other side so I think we saw pretty much the same scenery but our driver stopped several times for pictures. It was a nice trip at about a third of the price of the train.

 

Did you do the van trip offered through RCCL? If so, how many folks were in the van? (I have pretty much decided upon this option for our Alaska trip so would be interested in hearing about it.)

 

Thanks!

[goinmobile68]

Unfortunately for you, but fortunately for us, :) we are staying in Vancouver for a couple of days at the conclusion of our cruise, so we will be flying home the day you begin your adventure. If I have an opportunity to post on CC while we are either on land or on the ship, I will try to offer some thoughts about our trip.:)

 

No hurry-we'll probably pass each other somewhere over the midwest on our way to/from the east coast! This is vacation & I have no intention of staring at a screen while I'm gone! But I'd love to compare experiences when we get back!