MAJOR Change of Plans - Need Quick Alaska Advice Please.

[ronandannette]

Our BIG 20th Anniversary trip to Europe with a Med Cruise planned for September has now morphed into an Alaska cruise on either the Jewel or the Radiance (don't ask :o). We need to go just as quick as we can get the decisions made and the booking done. Question: Which is better - Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay and why?

TIA!

Edited June 14, 2015 by ronandannette

[steveru621]

Our BIG 20th Anniversary trip to Europe with a Med Cruise planned for September has now morphed into an Alaska cruise on either the Jewel or the Radiance (don't ask :o). We need to go just as quick as we can get the decisions made and the booking done. Question: Which is better - Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay and why?

TIA!

 

RCI does not visit Glacier Bay. Radiance visits Hubbard Glacier.

 

We choose Radiance because of Denali and Hubbard Glacier.

[ronandannette]

RCI does not visit Glacier Bay. Radiance visits Hubbard Glacier.

 

We choose Radiance because of Denali and Hubbard Glacier.

 

My mistake in interpreting the itinerary. Any input on what makes Hubbard Glacier better than Tracy Arm? We are not interested in Denali or any portion of the land itinerary.

[bedford5]

We have done both cruises and Hubbard glacier is far superior ! The scenery is awesome! We're doing our second southbound cruise on radiance this August!

[JimAOk1945]

Happy anniversary. We have been to Alaska twice to celebrate our anniversary, and are going again next year. On our anniversary in 2012 we were on a whale watching excursion in Juneau! We loved it.

 

Our first cruise to Alaska was on the Star Princess round trip from Seattle. The itinerary included Tracy Arm, but we enjoyed our second cruise much more.

 

Our cruise on the Radiance was in August 2012. It is a fantastic itinerary with four ports of call instead of the three out of Seattle. We flew to Anchorage thus getting the longer flight out of the way, boarded the bus transfer that we had purchase through Royal Caribbean then boarded the ship in Seward. When we ended the cruise in Vancouver, we took the Royal Caribbean transfer bus to the airport for the flight home.

 

Of the two Alaska cruises we have taken so far, the one on the Radiance is the one we always talk about. The ship is beautiful. The port stop in Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) is still relatively unspoiled by tourism. The whale watching excursion here was superior to the one in Juneau. There were whales around our little boat in every direction! The excursion included a bear watch and we saw two brown bears catching salmon in a stream. It was A M A Z I N G!

 

Hubbard Glacier is much more magnificent than Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm. The size, the natural setting of the glacier, and the scenery going up and back to the glacier is so much more spectacular than Tracy Arm.

 

You might enjoy seeing the pictures my wife took and made into slideshows for her website. I'll insert a link below that will take you right there.

 

Radiance of the Seas Alaska Cruise August 2012

Edited June 14, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[steveru621]

My apologies, I did not mean to sound curt in my post. :)

 

Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about 12 miles (19 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau. It's a big Glacier but difficult to get close to on a bus trip ship excursion. Tracy Arm is glacier lite.

 

Sailing up to Hubbard Glacier was one of the impressive sites on our cruise from Seward. Will all of the other glaciers make up for it? Try TripAdvisor or the Alaska boards on Cruise Critic.

 

The downside to Jewel is no Hubbard, but Vancouver is certainly easier to fly. Anchorage is a longer flight than you would think. But the Anchorage to Seward (or reverse) train ride truly gives you an idea of what Alaska is all about. That's why we choose the Radiance OTS.

 

We loved our Southbound Radiance Denali-Vancouver so much we are doing it again next year.

 

Please get back to us and tell us what you picked. :)

[DarthGrady]

I just came off Jewel last week, we did Tracy Arm Fjord. While it was very pretty, it wasn't the highlight of the trip by any means. We weren't able to get very close to the Sawyer Glacier. It sounds like Hubbard would be the more impressive stop.

[steveru621]

Happy anniversary. We have been to Alaska twice to celebrate our anniversary, and are going again next year. On our anniversary in 2012 we were on a whale watching excursion in Juneau! We loved it.

 

Our first cruise to Alaska was on the Star Princess round trip from Seattle. The itinerary included Tracy Arm, but we enjoyed our second cruise much more.

 

Our cruise on the Radiance was in August 2012. It is a fantastic itinerary with four ports of call instead of the three out of Seattle. We flew to Anchorage thus getting the longer flight out of the way, boarded the bus transfer that we had purchase through Royal Caribbean then boarded the ship in Seward. When we ended the cruise in Vancouver, we took the Royal Caribbean transfer bus to the airport for the flight home.

 

Of the two Alaska cruises we have taken so far, the one on the Radiance is the one we always talk about. The ship is beautiful. The port stop in Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) is still relatively unspoiled by tourism. The whale watching excursion here was superior to the one in Juneau. There were whales around our little boat in every direction! The excursion included a bear watch and we saw two brown bears catching salmon in a stream. It was A M A Z I N G!

 

Hubbard Glacier is much more magnificent than Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm. The size, the natural setting of the glacier, and the scenery going up and back to the glacier is so much more spectacular than Tracy Arm.

 

You might enjoy seeing the pictures my wife took and made into slideshows for her website. I'll insert a link below that will take you right there.

 

Radiance of the Seas Alaska Cruise August 2012

 

Thank you for sharing... brought back great memories.

[tarheelkate]

I've only sailed Tracy Arm and thought it was magnificent. It sounds like you're in a win-win situation!!!

[ronandannette]

My apologies, I did not mean to sound curt in my post. :)

 

Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about 12 miles (19 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau. It's a big Glacier but difficult to get close to on a bus trip ship excursion. Tracy Arm is glacier lite.

 

Sailing up to Hubbard Glacier was one of the impressive sites on our cruise from Seward. Will all of the other glaciers make up for it? Try TripAdvisor or the Alaska boards on Cruise Critic.

 

The downside to Jewel is no Hubbard, but Vancouver is certainly easier to fly. Anchorage is a longer flight than you would think. But the Anchorage to Seward (or reverse) train ride truly gives you an idea of what Alaska is all about. That's why we choose the Radiance OTS.

 

We loved our Southbound Radiance Denali-Vancouver so much we are doing it again next year.

 

Please get back to us and tell us what you picked. :)

Thanks for trying to help! Lucky for us we don't have to fly all the way from the East Coast. The only part of having to forgo Europe I won't miss is the flight!

 

I just went ahead and put a courtesy hold on ROTS for Aug. 21. Anything else you can tell me about the ship will be much appreciated. Our last RCCL cruise was on the Liberty and we're kind of hooked on the bells and whistles. Radiance will have it's own kind of charm, I imagine. Thanks again.

[steveru621]

Thanks for trying to help! Lucky for us we don't have to fly all the way from the East Coast. The only part of having to forgo Europe I won't miss is the flight!

 

I just went ahead and put a courtesy hold on ROTS for Aug. 21. Anything else you can tell me about the ship will be much appreciated. Our last RCCL cruise was on the Liberty and we're kind of hooked on the bells and whistles. Radiance will have it's own kind of charm, I imagine. Thanks again.

 

It will definitely be more low-key on the ship. There are less attractions on Radiance class.

 

Three things come to mind. 1) Take advantage of the outdoor seating in the back of the WJ 2) The captain will rotate the ship at the Hubbard Glacier 3) Take the historic train from the pier in Skagway.

 

And if you are so inclined, visit the Red Onion Saloon - Skagway, AK, and the Red Dog Saloon Juneau, Alaska for morning bloody mary's before your excursions.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[JimAOk1945]

Thank you for sharing... brought back great memories.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Anniversaries are always special and going on a cruise makes the celebration even better.

[JimAOk1945]

I just went ahead and put a courtesy hold on ROTS for Aug. 21. Anything else you can tell me about the ship will be much appreciated. Our last RCCL cruise was on the Liberty and we're kind of hooked on the bells and whistles. Radiance will have it's own kind of charm, I imagine. Thanks again.

 

I'm glad you decided on the ROTS. While she is smaller, she doesn't disappoint.

[subtchr]

We adored our southbound Alaska cruise on Radiance in June, 2013. Here is a link to the blog I created about the trip: SUMMER SOLSTICE IN THE LAST FRONTIER.

 

Radiance class is so perfect for Alaska, which is much more about the scenery and ports than the ship, IMHO. You will have a wonderful time!

[TheMediaman]

You can do an excursion out of Juneau to Tracy Arm. If it is a good weather day it us a fantastic trip; worth every penny you pay too much. It can get you within the 1/4 mile safe zone to both Sawyer Glaciers while the cruise ships can't get close at all.

 

Hubbard was so enjoyable. We did it in late May last year which is better for calving.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[ronandannette]

I'm firming up that courtesy hold today and have just noticed the prices have doubled overnight. We got a SMOKING deal on an inside guarantee off a WOW Sale e-mail I opened yesterday while searching for an "emergency cruise"! It really helps balm the wounds of having to pull the plug on the Med so abruptly.

 

Thanks so much for all your input on the itinerary. Funny thing is, we live in Calgary (right on the edge of Banff National Park) and see nothing BUT mountains, wildlife, ice and snow for 7 months of the year - Alaska has never been much of a draw for us. Off we go though...

 

Anybody have any input on booking independent excursions? We almost always do our own. Happy to hear any ideas as well as anything you'd want to tell me about ROTS herself. TIA!

Edited June 15, 2015 by ronandannette

[subtchr]

If you take a look through my blog that I posted earlier, I have a page for each port, with links and tips for the excursions we took. You may be too late to book some of the most popular ones, but it's worth trying!

 

Be sure to visit the Alaska forum here on CC. There are many very experienced and helpful posters there.