Just off Radiance 7-night Northbound Alaska!

[kruzinkel]

Hello, neighbor, we're from Knoxville, tn - how did you like your GS, was it worth the extra money, I've never done a suite before and was thinking of a JS or GS, do you have pictures of your GS and would you book that suite again for Alaska? Also what excursions did you do? :)

 

LOl! we are going to make people think Memphis and Knoxville are near each other!

I loved the GS. i had booked JS GTY and was upgraded to the GS, but i think it would be worth the money. tons of space and the bathroom with a full size shower and tub, along with dual sinks and lots of storage was totally worth it. i think the thing to remember about the extra expense for the suites is the stuff that comes with it. There was a deck for suite guests right at the bow of the ship which was great for glacier watching. the priority tendering, the seats at shows, the debarkation lounge. the concierge lounge was a great place to grab an espresso during the day and Juan Diego helps us with dinner reservations a couple of times. i would totally consider getting a GS again. i have photos and will post them as soon as i figure out how!

 

i did the crab boat trip in ketchikan (awesome), my husband went canoeing in ketchikan (he said it was great), whale watching in ISP (so many whales!), and the railroad in skagway. we wandered on our own in juneau. took the blue bus to the glacier and then roamed around town after. it was cloudy and rainy when we were in juneau, so we didn't go on the mt roberts tram.

 

as far as ship activities, there were plenty. this itinerary only had 2 sea days, so there was plenty to do. standard such as rock wall and miniature golf, as well as movies and bingo. truthfully, the last sea day, i spent some time in the casino and then in the schooner bar just watching for whales. it was funny watching an entire room of people flock to the windows at the same time!

[kruzinkel]

Yay! We leave in just over 2 weeks (ACK!). So happy about new menus, we really enjoyed on Oasis last year.

 

How was ship temperature at night? Similar to Caribbean sailing, i.e. cool? We are planning formalwear and a few dresses (DD and me, DH and DS in tuxes) but was curious if you were "colder" than normal being in AK?

 

Thanks!

 

 

DEFINITELY COOLER! some nights-downright cold, especially if it was windy. i had sleeveless dresses and a wrap most nights, but it was cold. noticed that there were not a whole lot of people standing out on the decks in the evening. our balcony was protected from the wind a bit, so that wasn't so bad. maybe by the end of june it will be a little warmer, but i would still bring a wrap or sweater for evenings.

[masonpips]

DEFINITELY COOLER! some nights-downright cold, especially if it was windy. i had sleeveless dresses and a wrap most nights, but it was cold. noticed that there were not a whole lot of people standing out on the decks in the evening. our balcony was protected from the wind a bit, so that wasn't so bad. maybe by the end of june it will be a little warmer, but i would still bring a wrap or sweater for evenings.

 

Thank you! I have a couple of $10 wraps from previous cruises so those will definitely go in the suitcase. Or maybe I'll buy another! Tee hee

[moofus]

A gold colored SeaPass card (room key) is issued to all guests in a GS or better stateroom.

 

We were in the Owners Suite for the last two cruises, and I don't remember any special places to go to view. Do they tell you about it or are we just supposed to know about it.... I still saw a lot though, just from balcony and from the ship deck, which we did much of our glacier viewing from.:D

[R & T]

How was the entertainment? Thanks

[kruzinkel]

We were in the Owners Suite for the last two cruises, and I don't remember any special places to go to view. Do they tell you about it or are we just supposed to know about it.... I still saw a lot though, just from balcony and from the ship deck, which we did much of our glacier viewing from.:D

 

 

i don't think we knew about it either, but i saw it while exploring the ship.

[kruzinkel]

How was the entertainment? Thanks

 

we did not see any of the shows. the couple traveling with us saw one of the comedians and gave it mixed reviews. the bands they had playing in the centrum and in the schooner were fine. we did Quest and saw the end of the battle of the sexes. those are always fun. the shows are really not our thing, generally, so we skipped them

[mommabean]

We were in the Owners Suite for the last two cruises, and I don't remember any special places to go to view. Do they tell you about it or are we just supposed to know about it.... I still saw a lot though, just from balcony and from the ship deck, which we did much of our glacier viewing from.:D

 

Here is a panorama view I took of the gold card only deck. You just have to see it. If you go forward on deck 12 it's at the front of the deck around the gym area. There are 2 sets of swinging wooden small doors that open onto stairs that go down. There is a sign on each set of doors that's states the area is for gold colored sea pass cards only. I took this picture early on Hubbard Glacier day. We did not go far into disenchantment bay due to heavy ice coverage. Normally we get right up to the glacier and can see and hear the calving of the ice off the glacier. But not this time. Not even close.

 

The gap in the middle of the mountains is the opening to the bay where the glacier is located.

 

[mommabean]

we did not see any of the shows. the couple traveling with us saw one of the comedians and gave it mixed reviews. the bands they had playing in the centrum and in the schooner were fine. we did Quest and saw the end of the battle of the sexes. those are always fun. the shows are really not our thing, generally, so we skipped them

 

The comedian the first night was the worst I've ever seen on a ship - by far. I tried to smile since I was in the front row and he could see me. But it was hard. I was actually embarrassed for him.

[Tkaklita]

I took this picture early on Hubbard Glacier day. We did not go far into disenchantment bay due to heavy ice coverage. Normally we get right up to the glacier and can see and hear the calving of the ice off the glacier. But not this time. Not even close.

 

Great shot, thank you. So looking forward to exploring all of the Radiance next June.

[Tkaklita]

We did the 7 bottle package and there were some lovely wines. we liked the french chardonnay and there was a great prossecco. my husband ordered the argentine marbec a couple of times as well.

 

This was our first GS and it was amazing. we do have photos, but i have to figure out how to get them on here. i will post when i figure it out! we were in 1034. there was so much storage and the bathroom was fantastic. double sinks, full shower/tub, loads of storage and counter space. plenty of space on the balcony. we had friends over a couple of times. we opened both sliding glass doors so it really was an extension of the living room. having the gold card was great too. there is a "gold card" area off of the bow above the bridge that was a great place to watch the glacier and for sailaway.

 

 

Great info on the wines and room, looking forward to your pictures. What did your crab trip & your DH's canoe trip entail? Right now I only have a 2 hr Totem Pole Tour scheduled for this stop.

[ronsauna]

I have stayed in several GS before and on some ships they serve a full breakfast and lunch in the Concierge club. Do they do that on the radiance?

 

thanks

[Clarea]

I have stayed in several GS before and on some ships they serve a full breakfast and lunch in the Concierge club. Do they do that on the radiance?

 

thanks

No, the full breakfast and lunch in the CL happens only on Oasis and Allure.

[Ashland]

No, the full breakfast and lunch in the CL happens only on Oasis and Allure.

We will be on Oasis in Oct...Our first as D+...What types of items do they offer for breakfast & Lunch in the CL ?

[Clarea]

We will be on Oasis in Oct...Our first as D+...What types of items do they offer for breakfast & Lunch in the CL ?

I should have taken photos, but to the best of my recollection, it's like an abbreviated version of the MDR breakfast and lunch menus. Breakfast has eggs made to order. Lunch has various hot sandwiches. Lunch also offers free beer and wine.

[moofus]

Here is a panorama view I took of the gold card only deck. You just have to see it. If you go forward on deck 12 it's at the front of the deck around the gym area. There are 2 sets of swinging wooden small doors that open onto stairs that go down. There is a sign on each set of doors that's states the area is for gold colored sea pass cards only. I took this picture early on Hubbard Glacier day. We did not go far into disenchantment bay due to heavy ice coverage. Normally we get right up to the glacier and can see and hear the calving of the ice off the glacier. But not this time. Not even close.

 

The gap in the middle of the mountains is the opening to the bay where the glacier is located.

 

 

Ohhhh that was beautiful... I have to do it. Thank you so much for the pic and the info!

[mommabean]

We will be on Oasis in Oct...Our first as D+...What types of items do they offer for breakfast & Lunch in the CL ?

 

Here is the breakfast menu. I didn't think to take a picture of the lunch menu and we never went back for lunch after boarding day.

 

[Tweedy]

Thru RCL, we booked whales in ISP... SO many whales in ISP!

 

 

I've booked this through RCL as well. How did you find the boat? Hopefully it didn't feel crowded.

[R & T]

How was the day time weather? Short sleeves, long sleeves, light jacket? Thanks.

[Ashland]

I've booked this through RCL as well. How did you find the boat? Hopefully it didn't feel crowded.

Just an observation from our May 17th cruise.....The whales were very close to where Radiance was anchored in ISP and some of the best viewing actually was from the tenders and standing on the beach near the bonfire location...the whale watching boats were all in this area too...So this time a tour wasn't necessary :D

[kruzinkel]

Great info on the wines and room, looking forward to your pictures. What did your crab trip & your DH's canoe trip entail? Right now I only have a 2 hr Totem Pole Tour scheduled for this stop.

 

 

The crab boat was great. i am a huge "deadliest catch" fan. the Aleutian Ballad was on season 3 and season 5. The owner of the boat has converted into a tour boat, although they still have a commercial license. There are seats on half of the deck, as well as an upper deck with seats. There are heaters in the roof, so it was very comfortable. they serve coffee and hot coco as well. the crew is very entertaining and informative as they talk about different kinds of fishing (long line, crab pots, etc). At one point, they stop and feed the eagles. DOZENS of bald eagles descend to the water and they were easily the most eagles in the smallest area that were the easiest to see of the whole trip. Then they go out and get some pots that have king crab in them. They take them out and show them to everyone. they will take photos with you (and the crabs). They get some snow crabs- you get to hold those since they are not as spiny as the king. it was a great tour and i would do it again in a minute. the canoeing trip-we booked thru an outside tour group, but they had the same one thru the ship. it was a lake canoeing and hiking trip. DH enjoyed it.

[kruzinkel]

I've booked this through RCL as well. How did you find the boat? Hopefully it didn't feel crowded.

 

We also saw whales near the ship, but the boat tour went a little further out to point adolphus- which is a well-known area for humpbacks. There were quite a few people, but there is plenty of seating and when the boat stops in the area of the whales, they open up a bow viewing area, as well as a viewing area on the top deck. the boat was stopped for probably an hour or so-constantly readjusting position. Many people went back inside after the first 20 minutes or so and i never felt like i couldn't see because of the people.

[kruzinkel]

How was the day time weather? Short sleeves, long sleeves, light jacket? Thanks.

 

this past week- we had long sleeves and light jackets during the day. we went with more layers the day we did the whale tour because we would be out on the water. the day we were in juneau it was very cloudy and rained pretty hard in the afternoon. thankfully, we had gone up to mendenhall early in the day.

[kruzinkel]

great questions! i am going to figure out how to post these photos tomorrow and will post cabin photos and crab photos-

[Tkaklita]

great questions! i am going to figure out how to post these photos tomorrow and will post cabin photos and crab photos-

 

Thank you so much, we will definitely look into the crab trip, sounds like a lot of fun!

 

 

Send from device_name using Cruise Critic your_app_name App