Just returned from Radiance Southbound any questions?

[cruisingw/mom]

Hi All

 

Just returned from a wonderful cruise on the Radiance of the Seas going southbound. Does anyone have questions I could answer?

 

The ship was lovely and weather just okay....but we had a wonderful delightful time.

 

I will post a review later on this week giving details.

[F19810]

I leave on Tuesday for the cruise/tour. What nights are the formal nights and which are good for Chops and Portofinos? Glad that you had a good time despite less than ideal weather.

Thanks,

Judy

[cruisingw/mom]

Hi Judy,

 

The formals for going southbound are Hubbard Glacier and Icy Straight.

 

Since we had main seating for dinner (6:00 pm) we did Chops after we toured Juneau. Chops was great and I would do this again. We did not try Portifino's but if we did it would have been the next night which was Skagway.

 

We booked the Chops at 8:00 and arrived 15 minutes early and asked for a table by the window. When we left Juneau the window worked out great.

 

Remember to pack binoculars. We saw tons of whales from the ship. We did not do alot of shows as we were too busy looking at the scenery etc...

 

Have Fun!!!

[4bythebeach]

About what time were you allowed to board? About how far away from the railway were the boarding facilities?

Thanks

[lrskier]

Shelly, we are leaving this friday southbound too.. Any important things NOT to miss, especially ports.. thanks in advance.. email me if you dont mind i am checking it daily.. lrskier2_nospam@netscapedotnet - delete the _nospam and insert the period for dot.. thanks again, lrskier

[cruisingw/mom]

We arrived via rental car 2 days before the cruise. I did not pay attention to where the train was but I think it was close.

 

We arrived at the port terminal around 11:00 and was able to check in right away. The process took maybe 15 minutes from dropping of the luggage to entering the ship.

 

The staterooms for everyone were not available until 1:00. The doors to the stateroom hallways were closed. You can enter the public areas and at noon the windjammer was ready.

[Italy52]

Shelly,

 

I have a couple of questions if you don't mind: Where did you stay pre-cruise? Were you able to get into Hubbard? If so, did you see any calving?

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions.

 

Karen

[twinmom38]

Hi !! Can't wait for your review.. a couple of questions though... I also am southbound in August. My itinerary says departure is at 9 pm.. was that the case for you ? If so, when and where was muster drill ? We are arriving from a cruisetour so we have no control over what time we get there. Also, was " Quest" played ?? Thank you so much !!

[cruisingw/mom]

Italy52 - We stayed 2 nights at the Holiday Inn Express. I liked the location as you can easily walk to everything (Kenai Fjords boat trips, restaurants, shopping). We could not get into Hubbard Glacier. We had to sit back about 6 miles. But it was still interesting as tons of ice all around you.

 

twinmom38 - We also departed at 9:00 however we left alittle later as they were waiting for a group tour. The muster drill was at 8:00 and on deck 5 outside. They had Quest, the Gala Buffet and a mystery dinner at Portifinos. We only did the Gala Buffet as I have seen Quest several times.

 

We saw alot of whales from the ship. We saw them at Icy Straight and cruising the last day.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home. Will be looking for your review.

[Italy52]

Italy52 - We stayed 2 nights at the Holiday Inn Express. I liked the location as you can easily walk to everything (Kenai Fjords boat trips, restaurants, shopping). We could not get into Hubbard Glacier. We had to sit back about 6 miles. But it was still interesting as tons of ice all around you.

**********

Thanks for your response. We are also looking to stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Seward. Did you have to take a cab to the dock for embarkation? Or, could you roll your luggage there yourself?

 

Any restaurants that you would recommend in Seward? How about laundry facilities - were there any?

 

Many thanks for your help.

[jspirit]

Good to know you found it to be clean and close to what you needed. Was there any room to request or stay away from?

Also, were there any descent restaurants in walking distance?

We are doing the Renown Tour. Did you just leave your car at the hotel and walk over to the boat? How far?

THANKS!

[cruisingw/mom]

Italy52 - We had a rental car to return (Hertz) and they dropped us off at the port terminal. I think it is a long walk with luggage. I would take a cab. I would call the cab company in the morning for pick-up time. We used the laundry at the hotel however this was very expensive. $3.00 to wash and $3.00 to dry. Holiday Inn Express has the cont. breakfast which was good. Nice place to sit with a cup of coffee and look out at the water. You will be able to see the ship.

 

For dinner the first night we walked to Chinooks (spelling). It is about 3 doors down. I would eat there again - good food and the resident sea lion is I guess always back around supper time and you can see him from the window, playing in the water between the boats. That was a hoot to watch.

 

The 2nd night we drove to Christy's. They had anything from fish to pasta and pizza. That also was very good and I would eat there again.

 

Seward was a nice place to visit.

[Italy52]

Shelly, thanks again for all your feedback, appreciate it very much.

[4bythebeach]

I have heard that on the Northbound cruise, they hand out coupon books at the port that are quite valuable, did they do that in Seward?

Do you by chance remember when the mystery dinner was?

How was the entertainment in the show room?

Oh, and the kids want to know what movies were on?

Thanks for giving us so much of your time!

[ecpc1302]

Thank you for writing. We are on SB Radiance 7-20 and have a Hertz rental car to return in Seward, did you return the car to Seward and then Hertz have someone to drop you off at the pier? There are 6 of us and I'm thinking maybe 4 could wait at the pier with the bags, 2 return the car and then get a ride back to pier from Hertz. How did this work for you?

 

What is Quest?

 

TIA,

 

Elsie:cool:

[mrsraggy]

We three just returned from the May 25th Radiance, southbound. It was a wonderful cruise. I'd book Chop's (FANTASTIC!) on Italian night. The dining room menu is poor and the food is abysmal. We ate at Chop's twice. It was worth every penny.

 

The downtown Marriott was clean and convenient. It was overpriced ($300!).

 

The RCCL train drops you right at the ship. It was very convenient. We didn't get to Seward until about 6:00 p.m. We had checked in at the Marriott and received our seapass cards on the train. Very nice!

 

The Taku lodge flight and Salmon lunch was fabulous. 50 minutes in the air. What a trip!

 

The Jewell Gardens glassblowing excursion in Skagway is not to be missed. We loved it. (Mom and 2 teens)

 

Hoonah's zipline was a scream (literally).

 

Ketchikan's lumber jack show was short and overpriced. The duck tour was really fun and a much better value.

 

Have a great cruise.

[PLHag]

I'm curious to know - - who was the CD on board during your cruise? Many thanks.

[ecpc1302]

Just moving this up for other Radiance cruisers.

Elsie:cool:

[cruisingw/mom]

Hertz rental car returns in Seward: This was extremely easy. We arrived early around 11:15. We all went (3 people 6 pieces of luggage). They have a shuttle mini-bus that will load all the luggage and bring you to the terminal. Returning the car took maybe 5 minutes. The shuttle took maybe another 3 minutes.

 

He actually dropped us off in front of a big white cargo box. The taxis were dropping people off at the terminal. Then they had to walk in the rain with their luggage over to this white cargo box.

 

At the cargo box they inspected your luggage for the RCCL luggage tags that you will find in your packet. These tags have your name and room number on them. If you arrived without those tags they made you wait and handwrite your room number and name. So please come prepared. The 2 parties in front of us did not have those tags on and we had for them.

 

Once they took your luggage and checked your name off on their list you walked over to the terminal building. This is where you will offically check in. The process for us was easy. We had maybe a 5 minute wait.

 

After you go thru security, get your picture taken then walk up the plank where again you stopped with your Seapass card and talk the picture for the card. Then on board.

[Kanukkacruise]

We're booking the Radiance southbound for '08 with several friends. Some of us want aft, some port, others say starboard is best for the inside strait. (We don't care if we're together or not ... this discussion has simply confused me.) What would you suggest? At the moment, we're on the starboard side in a hump balcony.

[apnep]

We three just returned from the May 25th Radiance, southbound. It was a wonderful cruise. I'd book Chop's (FANTASTIC!) on Italian night. The dining room menu is poor and the food is abysmal. We ate at Chop's twice. It was worth every penny.

 

Hoonah's zipline was a scream (literally).

 

I was on the Radiance May 18th-25 NORTHbound and I thought it was a wonderful cruise. I thought the food in the dining room was really good. I don't know why you would say the food is abysmal, because that is simply not true. You must be an extremely picky eater. We had delicious salmon, tenderloin, scrod, I can't even remember it all. It was very tasty. Especially the night they served that flourless chocolate cake.

 

I do agree, however, that the zip line in Hoonah was a blast.

 

apnep