Radiance OTS questions from 1st-time cruiser

[anniebj90290]

Hello all. I've learned quite a bit from scanning this board but have a few questions that remain unanswered. We are traveling with our two children in June to Alaska on the Radiance of the Seas. It's our first cruise; the kids are 7 and 4.

I have a few questions from those who have gone before....

1) On formal nights, would a sports coat and tie for my husband be sufficient? A dark suit? And are the children welcome to join us on formal nights (not to worry, they are well-behaved and have been to fancy restaurants before; I bring emergency crayons...)? My daughter (7) loves to put on fancy clothes; it's my hubbo who doesn't! I know we can eat in an alternative restaurant or our cabin, but I think this is something I want the kids to experience.

2) Will it be warm enough to swim?

3) How heavy a jacket do we need? Down parkas or fleece sweatshirts? I'm concerned about the volume of clothes I'll need to pack here!

4) Was the helicopter and dog sledding excursion worth the money? It seems like a lot, especially times four! But that said, I don't want to miss out on something spectacular.

5) The tipping thing has me totally flummoxed. When do we tip, what do they add in automatically?

6) Our ports are Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Where's the best shopping and what did you buy? What are the best outings?

Sorry to be asking so much, but thanks in advance for your help.

Ann

[chumley]

Hi Ann,

We went to Alaska on the Radiance last July with my family (DH and 3 boys). You are going to have a fabulous time! I'll try to answer at least some of your questions.

A jacket and tie for your husband is just fine for formal nights. Some men wore suits, some tuxedoa and some in jackets. Some didn't even do that, but most do. Your children are of course welcome in the dining room on all nights of the cruise. Crayons definitely help with the younger ones though!

I don't think you'll need to bring parkas but do bring layers. The weather changes quickly and can be hot, cold or somewhere in between. I recommend gloves and a hat, especially for Hubbard Glacier. Also, you'll want a travel umbrella. It rains on and off. We had beautiful warm weather and enjoyed Hubbard Glacier in shorts and a t-shirt. But the morning started out very cold, grey and misty. Again, think layers...

We did the dog sledding in Skagway and it was the highlight of our trip. It was expensive but we figured where else are we going to do this?! Even if you decide not to do the dog sledding, think about a helicopter ride to a glacier. You see so much more from the sky. Everything is so vast there.

I though the best shopping was in Juneau, but I'm sure that's a personal preference thing. All 3 ports had shopping and easy access from the ship to get there. Everything in town was a quick, flat, short walk.

I know you asked about tipping also but I can't remember what we did for that. I know it can be added to your ship account and they'll give you vouchers to give out at the end of the cruise. I think it's around 10.00 a day per person but maybe someone can be more specific.

Hope this helps! Have a great cruise.

Leslie

[German Wunderkind]

Hi Ann

 

I try to answer at least some of your questions as well:

1) Bring your kids with you in the main dining room. Cruising is a family event!

If your husband is fine with a dark suit it will be o.k. There are not so many people on Royal Caribbean who wear a tuxedo. The sport coat would be a good idea if your husband does not want to take a suit, but I personally think a dark suit is better.

2) I learned that you simply can not predict the weather in Alaska. We went there in mid August and it was cold (mid 60's max), foggy and rainy.

Like chumley said: Layers is the secret.

The best place to go was the Solarium Pool which is enclosed.

They even opened this normally adult-only area for a couple of hours for children during the day.

3) Depends on the weather! I brought my winter jacket (normally winter here means temperatures of about 30 degrees)

4) Sorry no infos. Our tour was cancelled because of the weather

5) Tipping is highly important for the crewmembers! Normally you tip on the last evening of your cruise.

They will ask you if you want to charge all your tips to your onboard account. If you agree your stateroom attendant will deliver vouchers which you can put into envelopes which will be delivered to your cabin, too.

You simply hand the envelopes to the person (Waiter, Ass. Waiter, Ass. Maitre D' and Stateroom Attendant).

If you prefer to place cash into the envelopes just put it in and hand the envelope to the crewmember.

They will show a video on your cabin TV about tipping as well but it's no big deal. Tips the last time were $3,50 for Waiter and Stateroom Attendant, $2 for the Ass. Waiter and $0.75 for the Ass. Maitr D'.

I hope I remembered that correct!

6) Shopping is none of my hobbies, sorry

 

If you have any other question about Radiance, Alaska or cruising we will be happy to answer it here. Cruising is a great way to see the world.

 

G.W.

[maxs mom]

Hi! Looks like all of your questions have been answered! I was just wondering which sailing in June you are on. We are on June 25th...looking for more Meet and Minglers!!! You will love Alaska....this is our second trip there. I think you should definitely do the dogsledding if money is no object.

[pmccunn]

Not to be missed. Pilot will attach spikes to your shoes so that you can walk around on the ice. It is fantastic!

[jstducky]

anniebj90290:

 

I will be on Serenade on July 3rd to Alaska for my third trip! I can't wait!

 

As for dress, your husband will be fine in a sports coat and tie. There is no need to wear a tuxedo, although a lot of people will get that fancy. If you want, I do beleive that the alternate restaurants are open on formal nights. In addition, you mentioned eating in your cabin, room service is available 24 hours a day, so you could get room service in your cabin on formal night. But I would tell you to go to the dining room. Its a great atmosphere to see everyone dressed up, and definitely bring your kids with you to experience it all!

 

As for dogsledding or the helicopter trip, I can't speak to first hand knowledge, because after 2 previous trips and never having done either, I finally decided to do both this time around! But I will say that if you are leaving in June and have yet to book your excursions, you may be out of luck. I noticed that for my July sailing that dog sledding in Juneau and Skagway have already sold out. I've also heard that that dog sledding booked privately in Skagway has sold out as well. In fact as soon as shore excursion booking online opened up, the Skagway dog sledding sold out 1 week later! So if you really want to do this excursion, you should try and book now if possible or try and call the companies directly to see if they could fit your family in. If booking privately is still open, go with that, they offer better times, in most cases, than booking through the ship, and they are about $20 cheaper per person.

 

As for the weather, its totally unpredictable in Alaska. Ketchikan is one of the rainiest cities getting over 13 feet of rain a year, which works out of an average of 1/2 inch per day! Always dress in layers. The day you are out at Hubbard Glacier should be pretty chilly. But always bring clothes that are easy to layer on and easy to peel off. Last time I was in Ketchikan, I thoguht it would be cold, I had on a long sleeved shirt, sweatshirt and jacket. It turned out to be 80+ degrees, I couldn't take off the layers fast enough!

 

As for tipping, it works out to a little under $10 per person per day according to the RCI calculations. About halfway through your trip, you'll get a notice in your room asking if you want to charge the tips directly to your onboard account. If you want to do so, you fill out the slip and return it to the front desk. On the next to the last night of the cruise, you get vouchers in your room. One for every person getting a tip, ie the Head Waiter, the Waiter, the Assistant Waiter and the Room Steward. You'll also get envelopes to put your vouchers in. Then on the last day you just go around and pass out your envelopes. Of course, you can also opt to not put the tips on your account and pay in cash. Or you can use the vouchers and if anyone has done an especially good job, you can add extra into your envelopes.

 

Also as far as the shopping... before you leave the pier in Vancouver, you should see little Alaska guidebooks/booklets that are free. Pick up one of those. Inside are tons of coupons for shopping in every port city that you will be going to. They are quite useful, especially in buying souveniers for yourself or for others.

 

I personally think that the best shopping and the best prices can be found in Juneau. But every port has something different to offer and they all have good shopping just blocks from the pier.

 

Enjoy Alaska!

[Terpnut]

We look forward to your post-cruise tips, suggestions and insights as we will be traveling with our 6 and 4 yr olds on Serenade in mid-August! Have a great time!