2012 July 6-20 Alaska Land and Cruise Adventure Review with LOTS of photos!

[WalleyeLJ]

Back at A Sunshine House, we met up with Bev & Mom, packed up the first round of bags, and said good bye to Mike, Marsha & their loveable Cocker Spaniel Butchie.

 

 

 

A view of the front of A Sunshine House

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saying goodbye to Butchie...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five minutes later we were at the cruise terminal, where we dropped off my parents at the front of the terminal, while Bev & I drove our first round of bags over to the luggage drop. Then I ran back to the B&B and picked up the rest of the bags, ran back to the luggage drop off, parked the car, and went to meet Bev & my parents to check in.

 

 

 

The front of the Seward cruise terminal building. If you haven't seen it before, it's a LITTLE bit smaller and simpler than cruise terminals in Vancouver or the lower 48 - and that's a good thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best kind of line - NO line! - I LOVE getting in early!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

The best kind of line - NO line! - I LOVE getting in early!

 

 

L.J.

 

It is a little unusual that they let you take a picture inside to terminal. Every other one I have been to they are vigilant about people not taking pics. You have got to love laid back Alaska!

 

PS--How early were you? I have NEVER seen a line like that.:eek:

Edited August 26, 2012 by DragonOfTheSeas

[WalleyeLJ]

We scooted onboard and since it was after 1pm, we were able to head straight to our rooms and drop off our carryon bags (and photo gear!). We were excited as after 7 cruises, this was our first balcony, and it was a hump balcony to boot! The we checked out my parents Junior Suite, which we've never seen before. They had originally booked a D1 balcony, but after final payment, RCI opened up prior military discounts. As a result, while we didn't get any money back or any onboard credit, I WAS able to get us upgraded from our original inside cabin to the balcony, and my parent from their D1 to the JS. Their upgrade was free, and after our $100 C&A credit, our upgrade cost around $20.

 

After checking out the rooms, we headed to the Windjammer for lunch. I couldn't wait to get back to those RCI Sourdough rolls! I think I could live off those things if given the chance...

 

After lunch, I grabbed my camera gear and headed back off the ship. I needed to return the rental car by 6pm (onboard was 7:30pm), plus this was the first day it wasn't raining in Seward, so I wanted to get some photographs of town that I really hadn't had a chance to get so far. On my way back tot he car I took some more photos of the pier and terminal area.

 

 

 

Forklifts loading luggage onto Radiance

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other side of the cruise terminal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally - lines (sort of) were beginning to form

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee kiosk near the main terminal entrance

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop - old town Seward for some catch up photos!

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

It is a little unusual that they let you take a picture inside to terminal. Every other one I have been to they are vigilant about people not taking pics. You have got to love laid back Alaska!

 

PS--How early were you? I have NEVER seen a line like that.:eek:

 

 

LOL - I'm guessing the fact that it's a simple open prefab building may be the reason for the lack of vigilance. As for timing, we didn't actually get there until 1:30-2pm (I had originally planned on 12pm). The fact of distance from Anchorage helps spreadout the arrivals to Seward a bit more than a regular large urban cruise port. We've worked it out to usually see these kinds of lines (or lack thereof) most of the time now by trying to be at the cruise port by 11:30-11:45am when were leaving out of Florida or San Juan. If the ship isn't ready yet, we usually are in the first 100-200 folks in line, and we usually are onboard within 15 minutes of the start of boarding. It's a nice way to start the trip if you can work it out, in Alaska or anywhere.

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I'll blitz through the next few photos with little commentary as they are mostly of places I covered earlier in the review but didn't have a chance to grab.

 

 

 

The exterior of the Alaska SeaLife Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[zaks pack4]

[quote name='WalleyeLJ']Hey Kathy - welcome back! How was Vegas? I swear Bev & I are the only adults in America that haven't been to Vegas...:D

L.J.[/quote]
Hi L.J. - we haven't been there either, so you're not alone! :D
Enjoying your trip review and fantastic pictures. We are booked for August 2013 for a Princess Cruisetour - our first time to Alaska, and we are SO excited. By reading your review, we feel that we have already been there.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Upper portion of Kenai Lake or Horned Puffin...I can't make up my mind which one was the best for me. I feel like I know all of you from your adventures and pictures. Waiting to read and view the cruise now.:)

[WalleyeLJ]

Here are a few shots of old Seward looking from the SeaLife Center at the shops, restaurants and businesses along 4th Avenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christos' (appetizer dinner earlier in the week)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside Christos'

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th Ave Pano

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thorn's Lounge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brown & Hawkins - the oldest business in Seward , a local LL Bean sort of clothing and outdoor store meets candy and gelato shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

I picked up a funny Alaska Search & Rescue t-shirt, a Seward magnet for our travel collection, and then took my whirlwind tour back to the Small Boat Harbor for some photos.

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Hi L.J. - we haven't been there either' date=' so you're not alone! :D

Enjoying your trip review and fantastic pictures. We are booked for August 2013 for a Princess Cruisetour - our first time to Alaska, and we are SO excited. By reading your review, we feel that we have already been there.[/quote']

 

Zak I'm glad your enjoying it. Yo'll have a great time on the trip - I wish we were going back next summer! What month are you going? The great thing about Alaska is that there is so much to see, do and experience, that even if someone did the exact same trip we did, you have a whole bunch of different and awesome experiences!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Upper portion of Kenai Lake or Horned Puffin...I can't make up my mind which one was the best for me. I feel like I know all of you from your adventures and pictures. Waiting to read and view the cruise now.:)

 

Hold on tight - we're about to set sail!

 

L.J.

[zaks pack4]

[quote name='WalleyeLJ']Hold on tight - we're about to set sail!

L.J.[/quote]
Hi L.J. -
We are going next August, starting in Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali, 2 nights McKinley/Talkeetna and cruise from Whittier to Vancouver.
Can't wait to read your cruise experiences. The photos are amazing.
DH wants me to ask if you heard about the fatal bear attack at Denali yesterday? It is the first time that has happened in Denali. People do need to respect the wildlife, be aware of your surroundings, and follow the experts' advice.
Have a great cruise! Looking forward to reading more.
Patty and Richie

[WalleyeLJ]

Back at the harbor, I took a few shots of Radiance and the small boats from the south side of the harbor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Hi L.J. -

We are going next August' date=' starting in Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali, 2 nights McKinley/Talkeetna and cruise from Whittier to Vancouver.

Can't wait to read your cruise experiences. The photos are amazing.

DH wants me to ask if you heard about the fatal bear attack at Denali yesterday? It is the first time that has happened in Denali. People do need to respect the wildlife, be aware of your surroundings, and follow the experts' advice.

Have a great cruise! Looking forward to reading more.

Patty and Richie[/quote']

 

Hey Patty,

 

Nice! We haven't had the chance to get to Fairbanks yet - maybe the next trip:). I saw the bear attack here on the Alaska board before seeing it on AOL too. It's sad, but it sounds like it's possible that the hiker made some poor choices being alone that close to the bear. The inland Grizzlies have a more aggressive reputation than the coastal Browns, but I wouldn't ever want to be near either without other people around and protection - bear spray, bells, road flare or a firearm (last resort). Cruise phase up next!

 

L.J.

[zaks pack4]

Lucky you - you are getting ready for Sailaway....we will be along in spirit. ;)
Patty

[WalleyeLJ]

I moved around to the center of the harbor area, near the waterfront offices for both Kenai Fjords and Major Marine tours, which were across the street from The Fish House and next to Ray's. It just so happened it was now just about 5pm, and all the 11am six hour tours of Kenai Fjords were coming back in, so I was able to get some shots of the boats and the folks coming back ashore. For those wondering about doing the tour the same day as cruise embarkation, there were a lot of folks getting on Radiance with us, and they still had 2+ hours to get over to the ship.

 

 

 

All Ashore!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up the gangway

 

 

 

 

 

 

People everywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the boat tours, there were a lot of fishing charters coming back in as well. All this was set against the backdrop of ROS in the background...

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

For those boaters out there, I found this interesting. At each of the boat harbors and launch sites we visited in Alaska, there were these stations set up with free life jackets for use for children. Apparently there were some tragedies in the past where children didn't have or weren't in proper life vests, so this program was started to help make sure there was no reason for that to happen in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the fishing charters had a good day - here's a shot of a fish cart full of Silver/Coho salmon

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shot of the harbor side entrance to Kenai Fjords tours

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a few shots of the inside of Ray's but I was finally able to get a couple of outside shots

 

 

 

Main Entrance

 

 

 

 

 

 

An outside view of the waterfront dining area looking out on the harbor

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Hold on tight - we're about to set sail!

 

L.J.

 

I can not wait!:eek:

[WalleyeLJ]

The rental car was due back at 6pm, and I dropped it off at 5:58pm! Even though it's not a far walk from the Hertz location (it's on the road leading out to the cruise terminal to the right of the harbor panos I'll post below), but they offer a free shuttle run down to the terminal, which I took them up on with the camera gear, sore feet, and seemingly eminent rain (it didn't actually rain again but it sure seemed like it would).

 

When I got dropped off, an Alaskan Railroad train from Anchorage was in the midst of dropping off passengers headed for the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another shot of the cruise terminal, and a couple shots of Radiance as she waited patiently for the rest of her passengers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My welcome wore out in Seward, it was time to get on and stay on the ship - at least until Juneau when we head off to see whales!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Now on board, I toured around Deck 11, looking to grab a few more shots before the lifeboat drill and sailaway.

 

 

 

A couple of panoramic shots of the Seward Small Boat Harbor:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the party charter fishing boats coming back into to port

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed to my parents room to meet them right after the Muster Drill (which was pretty painless), and I got one more shot of the cruise pier just as we set sail...

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Heading out of Seward, I was able to get a couple of perspective shots of the camping along the shoreline and Mt. Marathon looming above. Mt. Marathon is the location of Seward's world famous footrace up and down the mountain every 4th of July. Unfortunately a 66 year old man went missing this year, and as of the day we left, he still had not been found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed down for dinner at 8pm, for our first shot at My Time Dining. We were fortunate to be seated mid dining room right against the windows on the starboard/right side. As we settled in for our first dinner, I saw Bear Glacier off in the distance. So, crazy person that I am - I grabbed our little Canon and ran out for a few photos.

 

 

 

Foggy Bear Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paparazzi shot of Bev at the dinner table from the walkway outside! There are those delicious sourdough rolls calling to me...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went back inside and we settled in to enjoy the rest of our evening. The food was good, the service a bit slow. I'll put this up front about our My Time Dining experience all week. While it WAS nice to have a flexible start time for dinner each day, we never had the same service team twice, and the majority of the time we were seated with just the four of us, but one time we were seated at a large table. Being mid cruise and only for one night, the conversation at the whole table seemed stiff and uncomfortable. The meals also seemed to go a bit faster than traditional dining as some folks mentioned before we left, and I found the service lacking often. I think the primary reason for that had nothing to do with the servers but rather the fact that they may have had 4-5 tables, all at different points in service, so there was NO flow for them to work with. Granted that's normal in a regular restaurant back home, but we also don't usually get cruise caliber service back home either.

 

On a side note, I did spot a whale out the window at dinner, our first of the trip! We'd get closer later in the trip, but it was still the first! We headed down to the 10pm Welcome Aboard show, checking out the shops for the first time along the way. We got to see a few different short performances and it closed out with a comedian that was, at least to us, very entertaining. He was the Late Night Adult comedian and the last night of the cruise, and we looked forward to seeing him again at the end of the trip. Post show, we headed back to the room, looking forward to NOT having to get up early for the first time the whole trip!!! I was SO looking forward to seeing Hubbard Glacier again and hearing the "White Thunder", even though the weather forecast wasn't stellar...

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I slept for almost 9 hours - which I have NEVER done on a cruise. Finally halfway rested, we elected for another first for us - breakfast in the Main Dining Room. We've always just hit the Windjammer in the morning, so it was a different experience. We were seated at a large table with a random bunch of folks, and unlike our dinner experience, this was a fun, chatty group. After breakfast, we walked around for a bit. Then I headed up to the gym for a short workout. By the time I finished up we were approaching Yakutat Bay and Hubbard Glacier. The even better news was that literally the clouds were parting and sunshine was pouring through for the first time since we were at Wolverine Creek! I went down, changed, grabbed the camera gear and headed up to Deck 12.

 

 

 

Starting our approach into Hubbard...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folks starting to line up to see the view

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starboard side Fairweather Mountains and waterfalls entering Yakutat Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hubbard Glacier - just beyond the point

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folks lining up on the bow on Deck 5 to get a front row view

 

 

 

 

 

 

Front row getting ready for the show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting closer, but we've got a long ways to go - stay tuned!

 

 

L.J.

[sue402001]

Hey Kathy - welcome back! How was Vegas? I swear Bev & I are the only adults in America that haven't been to Vegas...:D

 

L.J.

 

Hi L.J. - we haven't been there either' date=' so you're not alone! :D [/quote']

 

Another couple that hasn't been there yet. :)

 

You had me wondering if that bear was going to come out of the brush when you & your dad were fishing LJ, glad you didn't get up close & personal with it!

 

Keep up the great work!

[KruisinKath]

Hey L.J., had a great time in Vegas - took 33rd in our 9-ball tourney, but out of the money in 8-ball. We did, however, get lucky on our last day of gambling, so we came home on a high note! Believe it or not, I know a few people who also have never been to Vegas, so you're not alone!

 

Loving the pics - they're all so crisp and make you feel like you're there in person!

 

We were contemplating doing My Time Dining, too, considering how late we'd be coming back from excursions, but it doesn't sound like your experience was that spectacular. I'm hoping since this is our first cruise (well, my 2nd, but the 1st was over 20 years ago so doesn't count anymore...lol), it won't matter too much since we won't have traditional dining to compare it to....

[olemissreb]

I'm so loving these pictures and can't wait to get there next year!

 

On a side note - we did My Time Dining on our Adventure cruise 2 years go and we requested the same waiters every night and the Maitre D' complied every night but one - and even then "our" waiters waited on our table! We'll be on Celebrity next year with Anytime Dining so I hope we'll be able to request the same waiters like we did on AOS. MTD really is great especially if you have kids that just can't sit through a 2 hour dinner - although mine are getting better at it! And since we were able to request the same waiters, they got to know us and our habits just like early or late seating dinner.

 

Oh yeah - I've never been to Vegas either. DH has been for business, but didn't take me with him! :)

Edited August 27, 2012 by olemissreb

[K-Dogg]

Best review ever!!! We're only 12 days from our Alaskan Cruise, and reading your experience so far is keeping me going until then! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this for us!!

 

I'm hoping you finish before I leave! Keep up the good work! ;)