Cheryl H

Do you mean for walking around inside the ship?

Our trip was the last week of June. It seems like I wore shirts that were three quarter sleeves and jeans, ankle socks and some slip on clogs, but next time I'm taking my Clark shoes. My husband wore jeans and long sleeve t-shirts and some polo type shirts. For dinner, I wore black slacks and a top to match every night. I had some dressy sandals so I didn't have to pack any hose. I felt a little out of place in my sandals. I think this time, I'm just sticking to black socks and my black Clark shoes. Gone are my days of packing matching shoes with every dinner outfit. I was younger then. Ha! My favorite article of clothing is a Columbia black fleece vest.

The mistake I made was packing too many pairs of jeans. It made our luggage very heavy. Next time I'm only wearing 1 pair and packing 2 extra pairs. The ship's laundry did a fine job of washing and pressing our jeans.

For outerwear, we ended up just taking our waterproof raincoats. We purchased nice Alaska fleece jackets for under our raincoats. It seems like fleece jackets were everywhere, but we ended up selecting the ones the ship had.

For our Vancouver day, we usually have a short sleeve t-shirt on with a jacket just in case.

For our Hubbard viewing day, we had an aft cabin and it wasn't freezing. I think we had a fleece jacket on and my husband may have put a hat on, but he's bald so maybe he was colder than me. It seems like we got to Hubbard super early (7:00 am?) so I may have even been out on the balcony in the big white fluffy robes they give us to wear on RCCL.

Hope that helps. Have fun on your trip!! We are going to Alaska next summer again, but trying out a September one.

Thank you for posting those beautiful pictures. Was the Tracy Arm portion just taken from the cruise ship.....or did you have a separate excursion up the Tracy Arm?

Our ship is going on Tracy Arm on our next cruise. I'm excited to see it.

Thanks!

We did those ports with our young son. I think he was 6 at the time.

For Seattle, we stayed at the Pan Pacific. It had a Tutta Bella Pizza place next door that was really good. We printed off online coupons for a free pizza before leaving home. Also there was an elevator just outside the hotel that goes down into a Whole Foods. We went down there and got some gelato for a treat. We took a cab to the aquarium.

For Juneau, we wanted something different so we did the goldmine tour. We got to go in the mine and they demonstrated a 100 year old drill and maybe a rock thrower machine. We had to wear hearing protection and hard hats which were provided. Then we panned for gold. The tour dropped us back in town. Then we had a lovely lunch at the Twisted Fish in the Taku building. Then we took the shuttle out to Mendenhall Glacier. We walked the path to Nugget Falls for pictures.

For Skagway, we did the Chilkoot train/bus combo. It was the shorter train ride. It was interesting, but I was really glad we picked the short train ride. We had lunch at Skagway Brewery.

In Ketchikan, we flew with Seawind Aviation to Misty Fjord. We got to land and get out on dry land for photos. Then we flew back. Took the funicular up to Cape Fox Lodge for lunch. Walked the married man trail back down and did some shopping on Creek Street.

Our favorite tour was a whale watch at Icy Strait. If you like whales, you may want to check into a whale tour for Juneau. I did not realize Harv and Marv do not take children. I bet they would be able to refer you to a company that does. At that age, our son was not particularly wowed by the whales, but he was happy riding in the boat and had a great time. My husband and I were amazed with the whales.

Have fun planning! I agree with the others. Look at trip reports with photos and decide for yourselves what your not-to-be missed tours might be. Our photos from Alaska are in 2 photo books in the link below. We had such a good time and we are happy to be going back in 2015 and going to choose some different tours from last time. So much to see and do.

We did a north bound because we had heard about the scenery getting more beautiful on the way up. I suppose that is correct. However, I wanted to see more of the inside passage, specifically I was hoping to see the Seymour Narrows. But I think we went through them after dark. I always wondered if we would have going southbound, if we would have seen more in the inside passage.

We loved all the ports including Icy Strait. Our favorite tour was there. For our Anchorage to Seward transport, we hired a private tour company so that we could make stops all along the way. I think we were with them 6 or 8 hours that day and it was marvelous. We actually booked 2 tours with them that day since we had so much time to kill before our nighttime flight.

But if I had it to plan over again, I would have planned southbound and I would have arrived a few days early to get some touring in before the cruise.

We are booked to go again in 2015, but this time it's a Vancouver round trip on the Radiance. It's a tad cheaper due to round trip airfare. Now we just need the next 11 months to fly by so we can go. Have fun planning your trip.

Enjoy your first cruise!! If nothing sounds good to me, I just order the Chops steak with bernaise sauce and some mashed potatoes and I'm all set! They offer the Chops steak each evening as an option. I think with the tip, it usually ends up to be around 19. Be sure to try the little "savory bites". They are the tiny triangular shaped breads. They are a bit crusty, but have a sundried tomato taste. (or that's what it seems like to me).

I do miss the days of when they used to offer 3 homemade dressings each time I ordered salad. It seems like that last few cruises, there wasn't a choice of dressing anymore.

I agree with the others that the desserts often seem lacking. The chocolate sensation was pretty good last time. It was offered every night. But it is no where near a cheesecake factory type of cheesecake. I used to love the Mud Pie in Chops Grille, but I hear it's not the same anymore.

If it helps any, the Radiance of the Seas has the Solarium pool area that is heated up and seems tropical. There are lots of lounge chairs in there and you could lounge in there all nice and warm and watch the scenery go by.

That won't help you during your tours, but at least you'd have a special warm place on the ship.

We went the last week of June in 2011. I only felt cold and damp one day and that was Juneau. It was just a little drizzle and we still had fun anyway. We loved Alaska so much, we have another one planned for next year.

Hawaii is on our bucket list too. In fact, our ship is going to Hawaii after we get off. Boy, would I love to stay on and sail down to Hawaii after Alaska.

We rode the Clipper ferry from Seattle to Victoria. It was a 3 hour ride. We actually went there the evening before to get our boarding passes and that saved waiting in line the next day. The man advised us to avoid sitting in the front as it moves up and down a lot more than the rear. He also said for us to stay on the main level. So we did as he said and we were near a beverage center in the rear.

He was correct. We saw quite a few were sick in the front (little sick bags being carried back to be disposed of). We were fine back where we were. The ride was pretty smooth until we entered the Strait (or at least I think that was what we entered). Then it was very choppy and made for walking back to the restrooms a challenge, but fun.

As far as scenery from the ferry, I was a bit disappointed. It was just okay.

Like I said, we did the voyage in reverse. The choppy part for us was towards the last part. (as I recall).

You'll have to check all your bags (even your carry on's). There was no room for bags where we were sitting...except you could keep your purse or a small camera bag with you. But there wasn't any problems checking it all.

I think when we arrived, it seems like they let all the ones with no luggage exit first.

As a side note, we had a lovely stay in Victoria at the Magnolia Inn. It's just a short walk from Government Street, and our view was the Capital building which is beautiful at night. The manager sent us a box of Rogers Chocolates with a nice note. Also we arranged for a horse and carriage to pick us up right at the hotel. We also walked down to the inner harbour and took a water taxi over to Fisherman's Wharf and had some Barb's fish and chips. Very good! On past trips, we've had tea at the Empress, and toured the Craig Darroch.

Have fun planning your trip!

I'm new to cruising and Cruise Critic. I posted in my roll call weeks ago and not one person responded to my post, just skipped over, while other posts were talking back and forth.... doesn't feel very friendly to me...

What a shame! I'm sorry that happened. If you were on our rollcall, I would have said hello and welcome!

Eek! I might be guilty of chatting too much. I agree that it is just an effort to get to know others. We've met some of the nicest people through the rollcall threads.

Most of our meet & greet parties have been nice. I think they've all been hosted by the cruise director and once the Captain even came in to meet us all and chat.

Usually meet & greets we've been to include fun extras like cabin crawls, or gift exchanges arranged by the people that chatted on the rollcall. Once we even had a candy buffet (everyone brought some local candies from their area). One particular meet and greet we went to, the folks brought extra prizes for the prize drawing. So everyone ended up winning something. One of the nicest groups of people I ever met actually had a keepsake dated prize made for everyone to commemorate our cruise and magnets to decorate our cabin doors. As far as I remember all our meet and greets have included food, although sometimes it's better than others.

Just went to Chops on an 8/22 sailing with the new menu and had the crab cake. It was phenomenal!!

Thanks for the update!! I hope they still have it on there by the time we cruise next year.

So anyone know....where was the original mud pie was outsourced from? Wonder if we can order it on the internet?

So the crabcake is gone for good? I thought they put it back on there as a standard. I will really miss the old mudpie and the crab cake. You would think they would have the crabcake at least on the Alaskan run.

If by chance, you want to check out Alaska pictures from our Radiance trip with our son, use the link below. Our trip is divided into two photo books. There are some good pics of the Radiance, and of Hubbard Glacier in case you want to compare. (The first part of our trip was Seattle and Victoria, but then we get on the ship in Vancouver).

Have fun planning and welcome to Cruise Critic!

Another vote for the Radiance of the Sea...however it doesn't go to Glacier Bay. We went to Hubbard Glacier. It was pretty exciting. The ship horn was going off and people were shouting and hoping to see some glacier calving.

Our son was 6 and loved the kids club on the Radiance. I would say (for us), my only mistake was going northbound. By the time we got to Seward and did our day tour of the area and got the airport, we were exhausted. That long flight home was a killer. Plus I felt that on the way up, that part of the inside passage we went through in the dark. We went in the last week of June. I was particularly wanting to see the Seymour Narrows, but I think it was dark by the time we got to that area. I'm wondering if we would have seen more of the inside passage on a southbound cruise.

Anyway, we are going back on the Radiance next September. It is a round trip Vancouver.

As far as rooms for the 5 of you, we've been booked in a family oceanview twice. (on the Jewel of the Sea which is a sister to Radiance). We were in 8002. It was huge. It had our main bedroom area, plus a separate bedroom area with another closet and dresser and 2 twin beds (one lower and one higher). Also the couch made into a bed in the living room area. The only downside was no balcony.

Wish you could come along on our Sept 4 sailing of the Radiance. Our boy will be 10 by then. I doubt there will be very many kids on board, but he always has a great time.

And yes, lots of healthy food. Your children can order off the kids menu or adult menu. There's even adventure dining. Our kiddo loves that. He'd rather do Adventure dining each night instead of dinner with us.

Last time the indoor pool (solarium) had family time two times per day. I think it was something like 10-12 and 2-4. Don't quote me on that. Very warm and tropical at the solarium.

Do you have any other questions about Royal Carribbean or the Radiance of the Seas. I'm sorry I can't answer about the other cruise lines.

I hope they bring it back for next summer's season. We'll be on Radiance next year. I wish someone would have posted a pic of the crab cakes. Sounds very interesting.

Lots of great suggestions on here. We did our trip in 2011 and are planning our second one for next September.

We did a northbound and then tacked on some extra touring at the end on our last day, but we were exhausted by the end of the week. If it were me, I would try to do a southbound. Fly into Anchorage and do your land trip first while you have lots of energy. Then cruise back down to Vancouver.

I also agree about looking at all the trip reports that have pictures. Then you can get some idea of what you really want to see.

For me, I wanted a cruise that visited Ketchikan, Skagway, Icy Strait, Juneau, and Hubbard Glacier. And I knew I wanted to see the Wildlife Conservation Center and also ride up the gondola at Alyeska Resort. We were able to see all that. So maybe decide what are your must-see's and go from there.

My only other suggestion is to research out what tours you want way in advance. The best ones book up early. We selected a float plane to Misty Fjord at Ketchikan, and a whale watch with F.I.S.H.E.S. at Icy Strait, among other things.

We are already booked for 2 tours for our trip next September.

Have fun planning. I think the planning is half the fun.

PS: I'm not into hiking either.

As I mentioned in another post, Disney's MagicBand has 2 radios inside. The one used most often is a passive one which must be held up to the scanner to be energized to transmit. However, at all times there is also an active, powered radio which they can read from 100+ feet away.

I don't care if they know where I'm at on the ship, especially if there' s an emergency.

I wonder if they will be personalized with our names like the Disney ones. I hope it's true because I never know what to do about carrying my card around on the ship. I don't carry a purse onboard.

Are you serious? We used them at Disney to access our resort room, get in the parks, and use meal credits. We didn't make purchases with ours, but they were protected with pin numbers so no one could charge something should they come to have one that didn't belong to them. I wonder if it would make the lines go more quickly to get on and off the ship as opposed to having to stick the card in. I hope they still will ding when you get on board. I will miss the ding.

Yes, I believe someone has reported that they were able to get soda for one of their vouchers.

Thank you!

There have been several threads and lots of comments on this.

 

There are three complimentary drinks loaded on your Sea Pass card. These can only be used during the normal diamond/concierge lounge cocktail hour - usually around 5:00 to 8:30 each evening. The drinks are in addition to the free drinks available in the lounges. You do not have to use them in the lounges - they operate as usual. The drinks cannot be used in any dining location, just in the bars. They are limited to standard cocktails, wine, beer - no frozen blender drinks.

 

Makes it easier if you are traveling with anyone who does not have access to the lounges.

Will they sub a diet coke? Too bad about the frozen drinks. I love virgin dacquiries.

Also, be sure to pack the kids' sneakers because if I recall, they cannot play gaga ball without sneakers. Maybe someone else can confirm that.

And for the Enchantment, you need socks to jump on the trampoline.

As far as the dining room goes, the staff loves kids. One year, we had our son go to dinner with us each night in the main dining room. After our server found out our son liked fruit, they had it waiting for him every night. Another time, my son wasn't too sure about trying a baked Alaska, so our server disappeared and came back with a bowl full of all three kinds of ice cream for him. (Baked Alaska is 3 kinds of ice cream with merengue on it) And once when my steak was cooked wrong, the chef sent out a platter of different flavored cupcakes and frosting in decorator sleeves and sprinkles for my son to frost cupcakes and decorate them. That's only happened one time in 11 cruises and it occurred on the Enchantment this last cruise (2013).

Can you think of any other questions? Your kids will have their own cruise compasses each evening waiting in your room with details of what all is happening the next day for the kids in Adventure Ocean. There's a morning session, afternoon session, and evening session. After 10:00 pm, there's a charge though. We have never had him stay after 10:00 pm, although he would love to. It's hard to drag our kid out of there.

Edited to add, that as soon as you board, you will see a folding table and someone there to greet you from Adventure Ocean. They will put bracelets on your kids that are to be worn the entire cruise. The bracelet has their muster station number on it. They will tell you if there's ever an emergency, the staff takes the kids to the muster station and parents are to meet them at the muster station, not at Adventure Ocean.

What is Adventure Dining? Will they let the kids eat there in the program instead of dining with the parents one/every night?

Adventure Dining is where the staff from Adventure Ocean take the kids to dinner together and then back to Adventure Ocean for the evening activities.

On the ships we've been on, they take them to the Windjammer Cafe, but they have them in a side room all together. The kids dress casual with whatever clothes they are going to wear for the evening activities. (shorts, t-shirt, sneakers.)

On some sailings, there was Adventure Dining offered almost every night (except first night). On other sailings, it seems like it was only offered twice during the week, usually formal nights.

You sign them up that day for Adventure Dining that evening. When you sign them up, you select what their entree will be (cheeseburger, hotdog, pizza, etc.), and I think they get fries and ice cream. However, on the Enchantment the only choice was cheese pizza.

Then you drop your child off at the predetermined time. I think it was 6:00 pm. Then the parents go on to dinner and the kids are with the Adventure staff. Our son loves it! He never wants to eat dinner with us, although he has to on night 1 since there are no Adventure Ocean activities on the first night (other than open house).

I think on some of the ships, they go to Johnny Rockets for dinner, but we've not been on a ship yet with a Johnny Rockets. It's always been the Windjammer.

My daughter didn't like Enchantment as much as the other RC cruise ship kids clubs. I feel like the club was too small and the staff never even learned her name as they have on EVERY other ship.

My son had a good time on Enchantment too, but he also said he didn't quite enjoy Enchantment's Adventure Ocean as much as the Jewel or Radiance. He didn't exactly say why except that he did complain one day that they were letting the girls win! I'm not sure what game they were playing. :-) But overall, he enjoyed it. We only ever had one problem....I think we went to sign him up for Adventure Dining at the assigned time, but no one was there to let us do that. And the other thing I noticed was for Adventure Dining, they only had cheese pizza for the kids. On other ships, we had a choice of about 3 entrees for the kids for that meal. Not a huge deal, but just an observation.

I just booked our first family cruise for RCL Enchantment of the Seas for 3/30/15. We are a family of 7. Our kids will be 10, 11, 12 13, and 14. I am both super excited :D and scared :eek:.

 

And my parents are going and possibly my much younger sister and a friend. So there will be 9-11 of us on this sailing

 

If anyone has insight on menus in MDR, both kids and adult, it would be appreciated. We have 2 pickey eaters, and I want to be sure there will be something for them.

 

Also we would love to see Atlantis, but the excursion price for all 7 of us is almost as much as the cruise fare :eek:. Any thoughts on how to do this affordably?

 

My fiance and I have cruised NCL and Carnival in the past. Both were pretty laid back. I am worried that RCL will be a little more "stuffy"?? Will the kids (young boys) be completely out of place in nice khaki shorts and button down shirts in MDR? Our youngest has some sensory issues and clothes can be an issue sometimes.

 

I'm sure I will come up with more questions, but thanks for listening for now :)

We were on Enchantment with our 8 year old last year and had a great time. There is a nice child menu in the main dining room. My son usually got the toasted cheese sandwich and he asked them to hold the slice of tomato that comes on it. There was also fruit, fries, veggies and dip, etc. I think our son wore kaky pants and a polo shirt. But for formal nights, we signed him up for Adventure Dining. The staff from the kids club (Adventure Ocean) takes the kids to dinner and then on to activities. The kids can wear shorts to that. I believe they took them to a side room of the Windjammer Cafe and fed them cheese pizza.

I think the only minor thing I noticed about the Enchantment versus the Radiance class of ships was in the Windjammer Cafe. On the Radiance class, the food stations are spread out and it is very easy to move about and fill your plates. On the Enchantment the food stations seemed close and we were elbow to elbow with people trying to fill their plates. But as differences go, that was a very minor difference.

Also on the first day, the Windjammer had a breaded chicken breast that tasted a lot like chicken nuggets and our son liked it. I think it was called honey stung chicken. We also ordered it through room service one day.

We also bring along Jif to go and a loaf of bread for our kiddo.

We did have a tradition of picking him up at 10:00 pm from the kids club and going down to the solarium pool area for a slice of pizza.

Are you leaving from Port Canaveral? The best thing we did was go down a couple days early and spend a day at the Kennedy Space Center. If you are able to schedule time there, make sure to plan enough time at the Atlantis exhibit and the Saturn V exhibit. We did so much that we ran short on time at the Saturn V. It was a great day.

Enjoy your vacation!

There is another option....we booked a transfer package with Salmonberry Tours. They transport between Anchorage and Seward seeing sights along the way. We had stops at the Wildlife Conservation Center, Alyeska which included a tramride up the mountain, lunch at a sandwich shop in Girdwood, and a visit to Exit Glacier. It was a great tour and I was glad someone else was doing the driving so we could enjoy the scenery.

Have fun on your trip.

Thank you! :-)