Just returned from an amazing cruise

I got home early this morning from an absolutely amazing Alaska cruise on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas. The weather was fantastic. All of the Alaskan people we talked to were commenting on the beautiful weather. We had very clear skies and unusually warm temperatures. Truthfully, I wouldn't have complained if it had been a little cooler, but the weather was excellent for everything we did.

Anchorage to Seward

We flew into Anchorage Thursday night and stayed in the Hawthorne Suites. We enjoyed browsing in Anchorage on Friday morning. We hired a private driver to drive us to Seward in the afternoon. The drive from Anchorage to Seward is breathtakingly beautiful. Most people take the train which also has spectacular views. Either way, it is amazing.

Hubbard Glacier

The Hubbard Glacier cruising day was the only majorly disappointment of the trip. The Viking Crown room is a round room on the top deck. It usually has wonderful views and is a great place to enjoy the scenery. For some strange reason, Royal Caribbean decided to hold the art auction in the Viking Crown room right at the time that we were approaching the glacier. It was impossible to hear the naturalist's talk about the glacier because of the art auction. After the auction, they turned on loud musak so that the glacier talk could be heard everywhere except the room with the best view.

Royal Caribbean needs to understand that some passengers are not physically able to walk on the deck to view the glacier. It is part of the itinerary and it is ridiculous to schedule the art auction in that particular room at that time. It could either be scheduled at a different time or in one of the many areas that doesn't have a view of the front of the glacier.

Juneau

In Juneau, we did the Canopy Expedition zip line in the morning. The staff was wonderful and we had a blast. The views were incredible and the zips were a lot of fun.

In the afternoon, we went whale watching with Harv and Marv. I can't say enough how incredible they were. We were very lucky because there was a large pod of orcas in the Bay. Pete turned off the motor and we sat for a long time watching and listening to orcas all around us. It was so quiet that we could hear them blowing from every direction.

After watching the orcas, we moved to find a mother humpback and her baby. The baby was in a very playful mood. She breached about 20 times while we watched. She slowly rolled over and over showing us her flippers. Of course, she also gave us a lot of wonderful views of her tail. The entire time she was playing, the mother was watching closely. Pete said that normally the mother will dive and leave her playing on the surface, but she was probably staying close because the pod of orcas was so close.

Skagway

My daughter and her cousin did the White Pass Railway & Laughton Glacier Wilderness Hike. They absolutely loved it. They said the guides were terrific and they got a view of the area that most people never see. It was a highlight of the trip for them.

My sister and I took the bus to the top of the Summit. On the way up, a black bear was on the side of the road eating dandelions so we were able to get some great pictures.

Icy Straits

In Icy Straits, we went whale watching with Glacier Winds. Shawn and his wife, Teresa were both wonderful. We saw about 20 humpbacks. Shawn turned off the engine and there was absolutely quiet except for the humpbacks blowing. He had a hydrophone which he lowered into the water so that we could hear the whales while they were submerged. That was absolutely amazing. He constantly looked for bears and finally spotted a young bear on the shore. We were able to pull close enough to have an excellent view while the bear looked for food along the shoreline.

After whale watching, we ate halibut pizza at a wonderful little restaurant in Hoonah. It was a perfect day.

Ketchikan

My daughter and her cousin took a float plane tour with Alaska Seaplane Tours in Ketchikan. They said the view was absolutely amazing and that they think a floatplane or helicopter tour is a "must do" in Alaska. Ryan was wonderful and very knowledgeable. He wasn't able to find any bears, but they did find some fresh scat and paw prints. Because of the unseasonably warm weather, he said the bears were staying in the shade.

Afterward, we did a 2 hour tour with Ketchikan Taxi Company. They were great and very inexpensive. Kat took us to a totem park that is not nearly as well known, but was wonderful. She also took us to a lovely waterfall that most tourists don't see.

It was an amazing trip. Thanks to the advice of people on this board, we were able to choose excellent excursions and we had an incredible time.

Welcome back Wanderbug and thanks. Your trip sounds fantastic! Thanks for giving us all a little taste into what's to come.

Thanks so much for a great review! I agree...what was RCCL thinking to have the Art Auction in the prime inside viewing spot????:confused:

Your comments about Icy Strait Point makes me so want to be there right now! Glad you enjoyed the Halibut Pizza! The Cafe is in a two story building about a block beyound the Office on the opposite side of the road. It is so so good; well worth going another block down the road! They also serve great subs on homemade rolls...really good too! Glad you had a great Whale Watch too!

Welcome home and hope you post your pictures!