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Review of Cruise Tour 4B with Teens - RCL Radiance 7/17/15 Southbound

Haysiedaze

By Haysiedaze,
in Alaska

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Haysiedaze

Haysiedaze

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So you are saying, not all of your group got to the blinds?? You've got to be kidding. I've been there 3 times, and always, it was made sure you got to the blinds. (which is a significant element of this viewing. You signed up for your time through the guide and rangers, instructions, right when you got there.

 

Yes we went immediately to the sign up sheet when we got there. It was hangng on a post. The rangers nor the guide were supervising it.

 

When our group of 10 (my family of 4 and the other CC Roll Group of 6) got there, there were 10-12 others there. Many were young kids and they were scribbling their names on the sheet (unsupervised) and laughing when we got there. They had signed up for all but 2 single openings. I took one of the available ones (my family knew this was my passion and I love them for letting me have the spot usually Dad gives up things, this time I didn't) and the other group took the other single spot. So only 2 of the 10 of us got to go to the blind.

 

We did not think to see if the others had signed up for multiple times. Michelle from Island Wings is certain they had. Michelle was not happy with the bear guide she hired (Tim) for not checking. I am not happy now that I look back. I wish I had been warned. So it's a lesson learned to pass onto others in Cruise Critic.

 

Steve

Edited by Haysiedaze
Forgot some info
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Jane2357

Jane2357

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You have made some wrong assumptions- each cruiseline is independent, they do NOT use the same vendors on their tours, and have their own rail cars if using the trains. They stay in different hotels. Frankly- with Celebrity- IF you have the TWT included in your tour- they do NOT refund this, of course, you do NOT have to take it and can do what ever you want- BUT you are throwing away over $100pp and frankly the significant reason, why you would go there. http://www.nps.gov In May- it is of significant advantage to go northbound for Denali Park. I also always recommend adding days in Fairbanks, since you see little of the area on a cruise tour. A car rental is necessary in my opinion.

 

Thanks. We are headed north bound ending in Fairbanks - but sadly won't add on extra days as this trip already has us a 16 days and we have dogs. We have a standard tour included in our cruise tour but can upgrade to the longer tour. I like the idea of the shuttle where we can hop off and hike.

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Haysiedaze

Haysiedaze

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So our last excursion ended and we now were left with a day of sailing the inside passage. It was a very relaxing day after our previous 12. I spent some time walking around deck 11 trying to get some exercise. Judy sat on deck 5 or 6 reading until the smoke from the casino drove her out. We also started the dreaded packing for our flight home. Bags had to be out by 11 pm.

 

The kids spent time with their new friends. It was Eric’s 17th birthday. Starting at midnight on the 22nd he was serenated with Happy Birthday by the group. This occurred around 20 times over the course of the day according to him. I will say that this group of 10-12 kids got along great and were well behaved. Several were up at 5:00 am on Friday to say their goodbyes. They are still in touch over Skype.

 

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We did see orcas in the passage but it was a dorsal fin or a spout. I did not see any close enough to see their bodies. The scenery is beautiful and it was a nice end to a great trip.

 

We booked Samba Grill for Eric's birthday dinner. We really enjoyed the food and service there. It was a new restaurant experience for us and it was fun. It ended with a desert with a candle and one last round of Happy Birthday. It kind of wrapped things up in a nice way.

 

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We had a 12:40 pm flight out of Vancouver on Friday. We were in a group scheduled to leave the ship at 8:45 am. It was closer to 9 when we left but not by much. Getting through Canadians customs was a breeze. The Radiance was the only ship in port so we were able to quickly get a van to the airport (cost around $34). Once there we got through check in, luggage drop off and US Customs by 10:45. We were never rushed and the 12:40 time worked great.

 

In the end this was one great vacation. I do wonder what we would have thought of it if we sailed Vancouver to Seward and then the land tour to Fairbanks. By going Fairbanks to Seward to Vancouver, each day got better and better.

 

Lessons learned:

1. If at Anan Creek check to make sure people only sign up for 1 of the alloted times in the blind.

2. Do not do a cruise tour ever again. They may be right for some but not for us.

3. If I ever get the privelage to go back to Alaska fly to Anchorage.

a. Do a flight seeing tour over Denali. Do not ever take a bus of any type into it again.

b. Rent a car and spend the extra week on the Kenai Penninsula

c. Insure 1 or 2 days in Seward

d. Do not consider starting in Fairbanks, it is not spectacular like the Kenai and South.

4. Rent inside cabins again and spend the money on excursions.

5. Take my kids, they loved Alaska.

6. Take a photography course and either rent or buy a better camera (although now that I have started editing the photos the quality has become much better). Sorry for posting the unedited ones.

7. Bring bathing suits. Kids do use the pools on Radiance they are heated. We had cool weather and they were used often in spite of it. Hot tubs while watching glaciers? You bet!

8. Request a window table in the main dining room prior to sailing. It was nice to look out as we ate.

9. Stay out back on deck 11 on the Glacier Day. Here is a picture of me. Notice no one is even close (I had showered that day). It was so nice to be able to witness Hubbard Glacier without a crowd around.

10. Do another excursion with Glacier Wind and Island Wings. They were incredible experiances.

11. I don't talk much about the ship as this vacation was all about the itinerary. The ship was just a vehicle to get us to where we were going.

 

One last random thought.

 

My wife and 16 year old daughter were way out of their comfort zones as I planned the trip. They feared whale watching on a small boat. They were petrified of the idea of flying on a small plane, especially one that took off and landed on water. Being close to bears, no way! In the end they both fought through those fears and joined Eric and I on all the excursions. Now they can’t stop talking about how great our time in Alaska was. If you are nervous, don’t be. It is the vacation of a lifetime; at least it was for us. I have more pictures of everyone in our family smiling on this cruise than on any other vacation.

 

I have been blessed with a great wife, son and daughter. Alaska is a true wonder it is SPECTACULAR. Make the time to see it.

 

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For this family!

 

 

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I’d be happy to answer questions and thanks for reading along.

 

Steve

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Budget Queen

Budget Queen

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Thanks. We are headed north bound ending in Fairbanks - but sadly won't add on extra days as this trip already has us a 16 days and we have dogs. We have a standard tour included in our cruise tour but can upgrade to the longer tour. I like the idea of the shuttle where we can hop off and hike.

 

You have to book a shuttle bus yourself. If you are with Princess, request a refund of the Natural History tour, they are the only line who does this. Otherwise, you have to choose on other lines- upgrading to the Tundra Wilderness tour at a higher cost than an Eielson shuttle bus. However, with the shuttle buses- you MUST be independent and able to go off on your OWN, getting your own food, drinks and transportation to the Wilderness Access Center where the shuttle buses leave from. Some people can not.

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Haysiedaze

Haysiedaze

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Really enjoyed your review sir. I'm planning my honeymoon Alaska cruise next year! Can't wait. Right now, I'm almost reading everything on cruise critic that has Alaska cruise in it. Hahaaa :):D

 

I read everything for almost 2 years before our trip, I know how addicting it is!

 

May you enjoy married life. Going to Alaska for a honeymoon, priceless!

 

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Steve

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Freehike

Freehike

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I took this exact same tour a couple of years ago. They put us at Sophie's Station instead of Pikes Peak. It's an older property but actually not too bad.

 

Sorry you didn't like TWT. We had a phenomenal driver, which probably made up for the long drive and made it worth it. He was extremely informative and we saw a ton of wildlife.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Haysiedaze

Haysiedaze

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Thanks so much for the detail and pictures you posted on this review. You have some wonderful pictures of your trip. I enjoyed learning about the different ports and land tours you did independently. Great, great review!

 

Thank you.

 

Saw your signature. We only saw 2 moose (meese?) in Alaska.........I hope you have better luck!

 

I'd love to be sailing with you on the Radiance next year. It's a great itinerary.

 

Steve

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alaska_planner

alaska_planner

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My summary for our land tour is that, Alaska is a BIG, BIG state. I would not do the cruise tour or DIY time starting in Fairbanks. We enjoyed the tours and the museums of Fairbanks. We did get to see Denali National Park and enjoyed the white water rafting and theater. There is just way too much time spent in transit. If we go back I would fly into Anchorage and DIY from there. I would not drive north of there but rather do a flight seeing excursion over Denali. Rent a car and travel to Homer. Spend a couple days there then go directly to Seward. There seems to be so many options for excursions in Seward. I should have listened more closely to some of the experienced Alaskan travelers on Cruise Critic.

 

Next up the cruise.

 

really enjoying your review (i just finished your land tour part, pausing to comment).

 

we were fortunate to have my daughter plan our trip to alaska this summer (we were on the july 31 southbound radiance)

it was her second trip, so she was able to fine tune our visit (for example, she made sure we had 3 days based in glorious seward - as it had been her favorite the first time around).

 

thanks for your detailed review of the cruise tour - it confirmed what i was afraid of. We did DIY - which might have been a bit more difficult in terms of advance planning, but seems to have been worth it in the end.

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