Dancer9933

I loved having a balcony in Alaska there were multiple times that we saw dolphins and whales while in our room and literally ran outside to see them. If you plan to spend a lot of time on deck in the inside passage then you can go either way but I loved being able to taken the scenery and then pop back into my room for whatever I wanted.

We did the short trip with our group of 10 because we had a few inexperienced people with us. We were all in double kayaks and went across the channel to the island after going under the Creekside area. Our two guides were skillful and attentive and the whole group loved it!

About a week after the trip, I’m still tired and don’t feel like I ever got to wind-down on this trip. This was far from a ’normal’ vacation for us. By no means is that meant as a complaint. Prior to the cruise we opted to do a 4-day ‘Do-It-Yourself’ land tour which we managed to cram more activity in than most would attempt. Even though it was go-Go-GO on land, this part of the trip gave us the most memories. Those four days felt like an adventure where the cruise felt like organized tourism. Juneau & Skagway were my favorite ports and would love to see them again. I now understand why people fall in love with Alaska. I could see myself living there. Not sure when we’ll be able to get back, but I can’t wait to.

We would like to thank ALL of you for your insight, advice, suggestions, knowledge, experience and more of all willingness to share it with us. Without help from this forum the planning process would have been excruciating. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have had the same wonderful experience without everything you contributed to us.

Travel day was as expected but there were no major hitches. Canada Air was a nice airline but not as impressive as Alaska Air. One of my bags didn’t arrive in Philadelphia but there were 9 other people with the same issue so it was obvious the plane ran out of room. The bag was delivered to our house the next day, no problem.

Our group of 15 disembarked at 9:15am. Thankfully customs was a breeze and the large crowd of passengers flowed through without getting backed up. The process was much more efficient than the same in the U.S. (specifically Florida). I had booked a minibus with trailer for transport to the 2 hotels our group was staying in. We used “Vancouver Shuttle & Minibus Service” at http://www.vancouvershuttle.net. I received a quote & booked via email. There was a little confusion finding where to go but the attendant at the “Shuttle” section was most helpful. I highly recommend this service, the price included tax & gratuity and was very reasonable.

Eleven of us stayed at the Accent Inn which was inexpensive and a very nice hotel. The staff was friendly and the rooms felt brand new. The hotel has a shuttle that will drop you off at the airport or the Sky Train station. The staff saved us all a few dollars by advising us to buy our train tickets at the station outside the airport (the shuttle took us there). The train tickets cost $9.75 CAD and gave us unlimited on/off access. All turn-styles were set to the open position so we’re unclear if we needed to buy tickets or not. We didn’t realize this until after we purchased tickets, but the cost was still very reasonable. Once on the train, it only takes 30 minutes to get from the Airport to Canada Place (or vice versa). If I were to cruise in/out of Vancouver again I would use this train to/from the airport. It was cost effective & very efficient.

Once back in town the group did various things, some did the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus, others took a taxi to Stanley Park and everyone had a good time. dancer9933 had her Whale Watching trip cancelled due to high winds, so she wasn’t happy about that. She rejoined the group for Stanley Park.

I went back to the hotel early to relax. For dinner I found “Kiyo Sushi” near the Hotel in Richmond. The prices were significantly lower than stateside and the quality was exceptional. Glad I stumbled on this gem.

The only complaint I have with the Accent Inn involves the complimentary shuttle. Several of the groups had to wait over 40 minutes when the shuttle was on a 30 minute loop. One group took a taxi instead of continuing to wait and the hotel staff payed for the taxi. At 4:00AM the next morning, when we needed the shuttle to be on time, it was and we got the airport on time. This driver earned their tip. It was nice to see the staff do their best to rectify the situation but those who had to take the taxi were frustrated.

The scenic views of cruising the inside passage were a great way to end the cruise. We hung out on the balconies and aft section of Windjammer seating and just watched. We saw Dolphin’s sometimes 10+ in the air at once! At this point we had seen so many whales that seeing a spout in the distance wasn’t worth running to one side of the ship. But we were able to see humpbacks and orcas well with binoculars. We relaxed, took in the scenery and saw some amazing things. My only regret was that the group set our dinner reservation at 7:45 and I missed out on sunset pictures. Next time!

Wasn't sure what to expect here. Heard that Ketchikan was the St. Martaan of Alaska and to expect the best prices at this port. The St. Martaan part is true except there are some pretty cool places to walk in town here. The prices were rarely better and often more than Juneau or Skagway. For example, a workout or "tech" shirt in Juneau was $11.99. Exact same shirt here was $14.99. Live and learn. Went to "Ketchi Candies" and got a few assortments for the office and a single chocolate covered Oreo for myself. I liked the "Christmas in Alaska" store. So many jewelry stores.

Kayaking - megan9933 took a group of 10 on a privately booked excursion with Southeast kayaks(kayakketchikan.com) that was much cheaper than offerings with the cruise line . The pictures were really good and we had a blast. It was all double kayaks with rudders making them fairly easy to control. We crossed the channel to an island and paddled along the shore at our own pace. I have kayaked many time before but even the beginners in our group enjoyed the trip. They provided skirts to keep the water out of the boats and offered paddling jackets and dry bags at no charge to anyone that wanted them. It was too warm for the jackets but a few people took a dry bag instead of leaving their wallet in their backpack on the boat office. We chose the 2.5 hour tour and it was the perfect length, I think the 4 hour offering would have been too long for most of our group.

Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show - Most of the group (excluding myself) saw this show and were impressed by it. There were debates as to how much of it was actually a competition, because it appeared the score was always very close. The consensus was that the final match was authentic but the rest may have been tempered to keep the score close. The ladies especially loved the show for obvious reasons. Saxcruiser said he enjoyed the show but only needed to see it once.

So MTD ended up workign out well for our large group. As suggested we made two reservations for the first night and then talked to the hostess. We were able to make a standing 745pm reservation for 15 and most nights they were able to push two tables together for us. One night we split into two groups at different times and another night we all at at 545. It was a little tricky and we couldn't just pick anytime but they were able to seat us early a few times. I would personally prefer traditional with a large group in the future but it worked well in our case.

Glad I am going on what may be the last one in December!

Awesome trip! We are going on the southbound radiance in August as well! Was the all access tour worth it in your opinion?

Does your travel agent offer incentives or give you part of his commission? Ours often gives us kickbacks so we booked somethings like the train to Seward through him. But my husband did the research and booked our lodging and cars independently. I think it depends on your traveling style and that you can have a great trip either way. Good Luck!

I hope you have a wonderful time!

Thank you I am sure our group will have a wonderful time no matter how the timing works out! The glacier trek looks very appealing to me.

There are already northbound compass copies on this trip review:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2221528

Also a really nice review with photos !

Do you have a recommendation for a tour in Hoonah? My mom wants to have the best chance of seeing brown bears and is even considering taking the Ferry to Haines from Skagway or flying from Ketchikan.

We are going on a southbound cruise on RCL in August. My mother wants to know where her best chance to see coastal bears would be. We are starting in Seward ending in Vancouver and stopping in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Icy strait point.

Thanks for posting the cruise compass! I am so sorry about your dad, my prayers are with you and your family.

Wow I hadn't even thought about Vancouver and $115 is a great price! I plan to have a very good relationship with my binoculars by the end of the cruise, thanks for the advice on when to look constantly.

We are cruising in July from Seward to Vancouver and stopping in Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan. Orca whales are my big desire for Alaska and I am trying to figure out which port is my best bet. I would love to see them while kayaking in either ISP or Ketchikan but I assume it's all luck. Any insight appreciated.

I didn't join my role call until last week and we leave in 50 days. Relax we only booked a year out and we planned first then looked for the roll call.

Just did the southbound from Seward May 22nd. All aboard and close of all services was 7pm, muster drill was 715pm and sail away was 8pm.

If the muster is at 715 what time are the show(s) the first night? I am going southbound in August and I am trying to decide what time to book for my-time dining. Thanks!

Would the ship wait if you didn't come back given that they know you booked something like in the tour example? I am not familiar with procedures regarding excursions coming back late.

True I just mean that the date is not just for phone bookings. We did not realize it opened that early but we were still able to book an early shuttles Wonder lake on the day we wanted just a couple months out. So book early if you can but don't panic if you can't or don't know yet when December comes.

You can also book online FYI

I am hoping to hike with my group in ISP. So far all I have been able to find out is that there are topo maps available from the Forrest website.

The oatmeal bar for breakfast and huge salads at lunch were my favorites but they have more in the cases then on a "menu"