gymnast46

Forgot to mention that we were traveling with a group of 51 people. Half of them are members of our CT-based ski club and the rest were clients of our travel agent who is also a club member. Pretty much all of us did the Denali Tour but split up for the Inside Passage excursions.

We've cruised as just a couple and as part of a much larger group (see our

We enjoy both traveling as just a couple but prefer to be part of a large group. What's your preference?

The wife and I had so much fun we're looking into another cruise in the not too distant future.

Here are a few more excerpts from the Alaska

Link to

We cruised on Viking Sun from Basel to Amsterdam in October a couple of years ago. We had a misty day in the Black Forest and cool temps for part of the trip but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Note the clothing folks are wearing in the video.

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It was one of our favorite cruises. We took the Viking Sun from Basel to Amsterdam. I'd do it again! Here's a

Where are the kiosks located?

There's a line of them right where you get off the ship.

Thanks for posting your trip review! great video and photos.

I'll post a link to the 2014 Trip Report List..

 

My speakers are broken so perhaps this info was noted on the video but if not, could you post which excursions/vendors you used in each location.

In Juneau we went directly to the kiosks and booked the white bus to Mendenhall Glacier. I think the normal charge was $20 round trip but we had a large group so they charged us $15. We got there with plenty of time to hike to the waterfall. Before we departed we took the Roberts Tram. The cost was something like $30. I wish we had allotted more time up there to hike the trails as bald eagles are plentiful but we cut it too close.

In Skagway we booked Klondike Bike Tours through the ship and weren't disappointed. It's chilly at the top so dress accordingly. They did provide gloves.

At Ketchikan we booked directly ahead of time with the Duck Tour. They didn't lower the plexiglass windows and it was very hot on the tour. Other than that we enjoyed it. The best part of Ketchikan was a self guided walking tour of Creek Street. Very photogenic!

At Icy Strait Point we booked the walking tour through Royal Caribbean. Our guide, Jeff, is a retired local teacher who's grandfather was Scandinavian and his grandmother Tlingit. His knowledge was voluminous. The folks who did the Zipline were miserable in the rain. Hoonah is the least commercial of the stops on the cruise and despite the rain (the only rainy day of our 12 day vacation) we enjoyed it. There is an eagle's nest across the street from the high school.

Our first Viking cruise was a memorable one. We extended an extra day in Basel at the beginning and at Amsterdam at the end. I put together a video shortly after the cruise was completed and it's been watched over 10,000 times. I figured it was time I shared it with you folks.

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The photo in my signature was taken on this trip.

I put together a video of our first cruise. It was so much fun that it prompted us to do four more cruises and we're looking into additional bookings. My alter ego "Elwood Blues" couldn't resist trying the Flowrider and the climbing wall.

If you're contemplating a trip to the Western Caribbean, this will give you a little taste of what to expect.

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My wife and I needed a short break in 2011 and called our travel agent. He said, "Can you be in Newark by Friday?" The result was a marvelous five day trip to Bermuda. Some time later I put together a short video. In the past two years it's been viewed over 15,000 times and I figured it was time to share it with you folks on cruisecritic.com

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It appears you did the 3B precruise tour which we are doing in a few weeks. Can you tell me the schedule you had for embarkation day going from Alyeska to Seward? Thank you

As I recall, the bus picked us up around 8 am and we drove straight to Seward. The bus dropped us of at the Seaquarium where we toured and had lunch. That was an enjoyable stop. The bus then took us to the ship where we went through the boarding procedures. We had enough time to walk back into town before the ship departed.

Nice Video of your trip. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. The

Here's a sampling of some of the content of the video.

This was only our fifth cruise but it was easily the best yet. We flew into Anchorage and then did a few days on land at Talkeetna, Denali, and Alyeska before departing Seward on the 4th of July on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. Other than packing too much for cold weather (we had warm weather and only one rainy day in twelve) everything exceeded our expectations. I'd repeat the trip in a heartbeat.

If you're contemplating doing this cruise, don't hesitate. Here's a recap.

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This is a redo of an earlier video I put together. We added some days in Paris and London to the footage. Fun cruise! I'd highly recommend it.

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Great photos. I really like the cover photo with the old dock and radiance in the back ground. Did you book independent or on the cruise?

And did you take the train up or van to the top?

 

 

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That cover photo was taken at Icy Strait Point.

We booked all excursions through the cruise line except for the Duck Tour in Ketchikan.

At Skagway the bike tour operators took us up in a van with the bikes on a trailer.

Thanks for the kind thoughts on the

The bike ride was in Skagway with Klondike Bike Tours. It was very well organized and they provided helmets and gloves. As you might expect it was chilly at the stop but warmed as we descended. The bikes were durable Trek mountain bikes (for some reason I had the only Specialized) with disc brakes. In the fifteen mile descent we stopped four times for sightseeing pictures. You're averaging 23 mph so you won't be doing a lot of sightseeing while actually on the bike.

Got a surprise when I saw this at the end of the ride. It's my name too!

My recap:

This was an incredible experience for us. We traveled with a group of 51 and the consensus among all of us was overwhelmingly positive.

Warmer than expected weather and only one truly rainy day made for memorable land and sea adventures.

Most of the shows were good - the ventriloquist was incredible.

I've already posted my

The forum restricts us to six images at a time. If you'd like to see more, visit this album.

Very nicely done!

Forgot to mention in my writeup that we were on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas.

I heard from a Sr. VP of Royal Caribbean who watched the video and really liked it.

Just got back from an incredible 12 days in Alaska. Weather was spectacular every day but one.

I had fun putting together this video. Please let me know what you think.

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