LIVE from Radiance of the Seas Alaska September 22nd 2023

[Ozark_Kid]

3 hours ago, laurieal said:

I grabbed some bacon and corned beef hash

About the only time I have the opportunity to eat corned beef hash is while visiting a Windjammer.  I'm looking forward to eating some in a few days!

 

It's neat to see that there are some snow-capped mountains.  We saw a bunch in early May.  Thought they would be gone this time of the year. 

[laurieal]

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

About the only time I have the opportunity to eat corned beef hash is while visiting a Windjammer.  I'm looking forward to eating some in a few days!

 

It's neat to see that there are some snow-capped mountains.  We saw a bunch in early May.  Thought they would be gone this time of the year. 

I’m not sure if they’re the same from May or if it’s brand new September snow, but it sure is neat to see!

[laurieal]

Day 5 Cruise Compass

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 5

 

We were already docked in Juneau when I woke up. The view from my stateroom was beautiful with the sun shining over the mountains. I had something very fun planned for Juneau and I was feeling too excited for breakfast. Coffee was also not an option because I was already vibrating so much from the excitement. 
 

 

Instead, I got ready and got off the ship to have a look around the port area. We were docked at the Alaska Steam Ship Dock which is right next to the city with no shuttles needed. 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 5 - continued 

 

At 9:15, I was meeting someone from Coastal Helicopters for my first ever ride in a helicopter (insert excited squealing here). I had found that company early on in my research process while looking up fun and accessible things to do in Juneau, and I had booked directly with them. While I think you could book it with the ship, it wasn’t one of the accessible shore excursions proposed for Juneau. 

 

Coastal Helicopters picks up their passengers right at the end of the dock. They mostly use mini-bus like vehicles, but they have an accessible van with a ramp which was waiting for me when our group made it to the parking lot. 
 

 

Once at their office next to the airport, there is a ramp to take you inside the building where they go over the security briefing. They also have rain gear and boots they can lend you if you need. You can’t take any bags with you on the helicopter, but they have lockers. There are restrooms there, but the the accessible stall was so cramped that I could barely fit in it. 

 

 

Perhaps some of you are currently wondering how I could make it onto a helicopter. That’s what I was wondering, too, at first. But they have a chair lift device thing that can get you there if you are able to transfer. 

 

The device is fixed to the helicopter, you transfer to the chair, the chair goes up all the way to the helicopter seat, you transfer to the helicopter seat. It’s quite brilliant, actually. The first picture shows the device before they attached it to the helicopter. In the second one, they’re setting it up. The third one is taken from the helicopter seat with the device still attached. 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued

 

And then, we were off! It was a beautiful, scenic 15 to 20 minutes ride all the way to the Herbert Glacier where the pilot landed. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued

 

My wheelchair had stayed behind at the Coastal Helicopters office, so I stayed inside the helicopter while the five other passengers and the pilot hung out on the glacier. With the helicopter door open, it was still really special to feel the cool air and smell the scents. We stayed on the glacier for close to 30 minutes and everyone enjoyed the experience a lot. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, it was back on the helicopter for our ride back to the airport where we were greeted by pouring rain. The weather had been much better on the glacier. I got back in the accessible van and the driver dropped me off close to the port area. 

 

It was an enchanting excursion. Admittedly a bit pricier than what I usually pay, and once converted to Canadian dollars is stung a bit, but it was so worth it. When else am I going to get the chance to go on a helicopter? I highly recommend it. 

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued

 

Once back in Juneau, my friends were having a drink in the Red Dog Saloon and I met up with them so we could go have lunch together. I wasn’t there for very long, but wow that place looked wild and I left with a deep feeling of "what the hell did I just see". 
 

 

 

 

 

We went to the Alaska Fish&Chips Company for lunch. I had the shrimp with a side of smoked salmon bisque. The bisque was absolutely lovely, warm, and exploding with flavour. The shrimp, on the other hand, were the worst thing I’ve had on this trip. 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued

 

My friends had gone to a fudge place while I was on my excursion and after our lunch they showed me where it was. The smell in that place was unbelievable. It was hard to decide on what to get, but I left with a very heavy box of three different pieces of fudge. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued

 

After that, I returned to the ship. The rain had stopped, so I had a quick look at the almost empty pool deck. 
 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued

 

We found a spot next to a window in the Colony Club for sailaway and an Irish Peach. 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, we were kicked out soon after so they could get the place ready for the Top Tier Event. We moved to the Schooner Bar where pretty soon a huge line formed for the aforementioned event. 

 

Eventually we were allowed back inside and were welcomed by the officers, the Radiance of the Seas band, and some drinks. We heard about what’s coming for the RCI fleet (so disappointed that they’re not doing an Icon or Utopia crossing) as well as the Radiance. Then, we met the people who have the most points on the cruise and after that it was over. 
 

 

[laurieal]

Day 5 - continued 

 

It was the second evening for which we had to dress to impress. Since we had skipped the first one and there was lobster on the menu, we all made an effort. The key was keeping our expectations very low so we would all be impressed by each other’s evening attire. I wore my Diamond Plus pin, because that was bound to impress people, right?

 

We met up for pre-dinner drinks at the Champagne Bar where I tried a Pretty n Pink. I found it a bit weird and I wasn’t a fan. I really wish the Champagne Bar had a more martini-based menu like the Explorer had back in the day. I know they could probably make me a bunch of martini-esque things, but I kind of need a menu for inspiration. 
 

 

I started out dinner feeling very conflicted. On the one hand, they had escargots on the menu again. On the other hand, I’ve always wanted to try the onion tart but never did because it was always competing with something I wanted more. I went with the onion tart, which was the wrong choice. 

 

 

For my entrée, I had the lobster tail with the garlicky mashed potatoes from another dish instead of the rice. Some of my friends wanted to do the New York Strip Steak with a side of lobster tail, because surf and turf is one of man’s greatest invention. It wasn’t an issue at all and they weren’t charged extra for the tails, but the waiter said he wasn’t allowed to bring both the tail and the steaks at the same time. 

 

 

For dessert, there was only option for me: the warm chocolate cake. It was rich and decadent and melted in your mouth. A+ would eat again. 
 

 

After dinner, we went up to the night club to dance the night away. 

 

…

 

Did you fall for that for a moment? 

 

No, after dinner we went to the Schooner Bar for liquid dessert and some music before heading to bed. I was exhausted from the excitement of the day as well as too full from dinner: an almost lethal combo. 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

In other news, I think the sitter may have dislocated my cat. 
 

[perfect match]

14 hours ago, laurieal said:

I’m always a bit nervous when sharing my stateroom number on the internet, but I can trust you all, right? If any of you sends me more fruits, I will be SO. ANGRY

Note to self - Quickly go and cancel that plate of fruit that I was going to send to Laurie since she liked the first one she got so much! 😂😂😂😂

 

 

 

No, Laurie, I wasn’t really going to do that. I just couldn’t resist the comment. 
 

 

How awesome for you that you got to go on a helicopter 🚁 ride, and to land on a glacier no less!Kudos to the company you booked with for being able to make that happen!

 

Laurie, I think that your grandfather was following along with you on this cruise. He wanted you to know he was there so he showed himself in the mountains. ❤️❤️

[laurieal]

Day 6 Cruise Compass

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6

 

It looked like it was going to be a rainy day in Ketchikan where we would be arriving around 10:00. Despite not having to be up early, I still was, because my body hates me for all the food and alcohol I’ve been feeding it. 
 

 

 

 

I skipped the coffee, which I usually do on port days because I never know how easily I’ll be about to find restrooms. I went up to the Windjammer and found the outdoor section to be surprisingly empty, even the heated spot. 

 

 

I was feeling like having some salmon, so I grabbed that and a bit of fruit as my Ketchikan fuel. 

 

 

I was hoping to do a rainforest excursion in Ketchikan, but I never heard back from the accessible shore excursion people before the trip. It was too late to arrange an accessible vehicle once I was on the ship. Still a bit salty about that, to be honest. 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6 - continued

 

Instead, I put all of my rain stuff on, even the waterproof pants that had been sleeping in the bottom of my suitcase since the start of the trip. Feeling pretty waterproof, I got off the ship with two goals in mind: getting a donut from Jellyfish Donuts and making it to Creek Street. 
 

 

 

 

 

I started with the donut, which was the closest to the ship. I got the Reese donut and I don’t know what I was expecting, but that donut was as big as my face. Feeling thoroughly intimidated, I put the donut in my backpack so I could nibble on it later when I needed to refuel. 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6 - continued

 

I decided to make my way to Creek Street via the waterfront promenade. It was a wooden slats promenade, but unlike the one in Boston, it was relatively even and it was a nice ride. I’m not usually a big shopper, but I am a big getting-out-of-the-rainer, so I kept ducking in and out of shops. I ended up getting myself a small otter made out of Lego-like blocks. 
 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6 - continued

 

By the time I made it to Creek Street, it was raining very heavily. It’s a very charming area with some interesting history and it really wasn’t that far from the ship. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6 - continued

 

Once I had seen all the things and read all the signs, I started making my way back to the ship. This time, I used the streets instead of the waterside promenade. I was pleasantly surprised to find a chocolate and candy store on the way and I used it as another excuse to get out of the rain for a little bit. I had bought plenty of fudge the previous day in Juneau, but I got four of their little chocolaty bites.

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6 - continued

 

After I made it back to the ship, I wanted two things. The first one was to remove clothes until I found a dry layer or skin, whichever one came first. The second thing I wanted was a kümmelweck sandwich from Park Café. Sadly, it was closed.

 

Instead, I went to the Schooner Bar to get a drink of the day. It was hot chocolate with vanilla vodka and it was the perfect drink to have after spending a few hours in the rain. Eventually, I was joined by a couple of people we had done Disney and Friends trivia with. On that afternoon, it was movie quotes and Elton John trivia, at which we did quite terribly. 

 

 

 

Still feeling that kümmelweck sized hole in my stomach, I decided to go up to the Diamond Lounge to check out the evening snacks. I was disappointed not to see any mozzarella sticks, but they had the cheese with the herbs in it that I like. 

 

 

 

We were meeting for pre-dinner drinks in the Schooner Bar where I had an apple martini.

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 6 - continued

 

Then, it was UK Night in the MDR. I was excited to see mozzarella sticks on the menu, but those did not live up to the ones I had back on the Wonder and Anthem. One of the sticks was completely devoid of cheese and if that isn’t the saddest thing to see during dinner then I don’t know what is. 
 

 

For my main, I asked for the chicken and mushroom pie. It tasted quite good, but to quote Gordon Ramsey: the chicken was so undercooked a skilled vet could have saved it. I’m really not the kind of person to send some food back, but I just couldn’t eat it. Some pieces had deep purple in them. I had the fettuccine Alfredo instead, which was nice and hot. I decided to skip dessert. 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we went to the Starquest Club. No, this time I am not kidding. It was almost completely empty and we got seats at the bar that the bartender made rotate for a while just for us. I’m not sure what was different, but the chocolate martinis were particularly delicious with a small hint of maybe cherry or almond in them. True to ourselves, we were gone probably long before any kind of loud music and/or dancing happened. 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 7 Cruise Compass

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 7

 

It looked like our last day was going to be a gorgeous one weather-wise. I ran into some of my friends as I was entering the Windjammer and we immediately found a table together inside.

 

 

After breakfast, we had a quick stroll around deck 5 while waiting for the Q&A with some

of the entertainment people to start in the theatre. It wasn’t very well attended and it ended up being a pretty short session. 

 

 

 

They had the flag parade soon after that, which we thought was fun. I got a chuckle out of the Canadian flag being on a hockey stick. 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Cruise Day 7 - continued

 

It was so beautiful outside that we got a drink at the Sky Bar for the first time that cruise. I got a drink of the day, which was an Irish coffee. There were a few drinks of the day on the cruise that were warm beverages and I have to say I’m a fan for a colder weather cruise. 
 

 

 

 

We had no desire to go back inside while the sun was shining so brightly, so we got kümmelweck sandwiches from the Park Café and ate them outside at our Sky Bar table. I got a peach daiquiri to go with it which was delicious and refreshing. 

 

 

After lunch, we were back in the theatre for Captain’s Corner. It was very interesting, especially when he told us about his adventures on the Ovation during the pandemic. Basically, the ship was picking up crew members from ships all over the fleet and were dropping them off close to home. It sounded like quite the operation, and with a crew of only 100-something people, too. 

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by laurieal