Alaska July 11 - 18 2009

[winddncer]

I have questions regarding the Zipline Excursion at Juneau.

 

1. Just confirming - Did you do the Alaska Canopy Adventure or the Alpine Zipline?

 

2. Regarding the hike up from where the Mog dropped off to the first platform, How strenuous was the hike? My aunt just found out that she's going to have to have knee surgery after our cruise, so I'm trying to figure out how much we might have to drag her up the hill. :D

 

3. Could you possibly send me your pictures from the Zipline Excursion?

em = ninacherry@surewest.net

 

Thanks

[Ducky61]

I am enjoying reading your reviews of the ship, ports / excursions and loving the tips (what a great idea). My 12 year old nephew and I am on the SOS sailing on Aug 8th. Looking forward to hearing about downtown Juneau. Would also like to hear what you thought of ship for activities for a young person (i.e. mini golf, rock wall), and how the meals in the dining room and windjammer were.

[bqkali]

Thank you for your review! It's fun to read, very informative, and I love the tips!

 

I especially thought your ISP review was helpful - I'll be there in September and have an excursion booked with FISHES (which I'm even more excited about after reading your review!!) but it sounds like I'll still need something else planned for the rest of the day since otherwise the port didn't hold your attention very long. Guess I need to do some more research!

[BayStateguppy]

Ella 2 -- I would love to post this on the RCL thread, too but I simply don't have time and I figured since this was Serenade's last year in Alaska, this review wouldn't really be of benefit to many others over there.

 

Z-Knight -- I am not sure how to make the pictures bigger but I will try.

 

WindDncer -- I did go on the Alaska Canopy Zip Line. The hike was only about 5 mins long but on a steep incline and I was winded at the end. But everyone else seemed fine. If she goes slowly, I guess she will be fine depending on how badly her knee bothers her. I will try to e-mail some pics of the zip line when I get home.

 

Ducky 61 -- Our cruise had many families and loads of kids. There was plenty to keep them busy -- the pool tables were a big hit; the minigolf was simple but fun. We never got to do the rock climb b/c we were busy on port days and our sea days were misty with rough-ish seas. The pools and the Basketball court got a lot of use. They also had family trivia, ice carving demonstrations, etc listed in the Compass --- make sure you check it out. Your nephew is a very lucky boy!!

We personally liked Windjammer better than the Main Dining Room but that was just us. My sister had dinner every night in the MDR -- we ate there about half the time. I thought the food was better at Windjammer and I can do without the singing and napkin waving. One night they even had us do the Macrena which was unnecessary and slightly ridiculous. That being said, our servers Lilibeth and Wayan did everything they could to get us to come back every night and were great but we just preferred the casual atmosphere of the buffet.

[planodeb]

Your review is great. Love the pictures and tips. DH and I sail on SOS on 8/1/2009. This is great to read!

[BayStateguppy]

Ok, so where was I?

 

Downtown Juneau!!

 

:eek:

 

It was packed with tourists! I believe there were 4 ships in port that day. The area of Juneau near the docks is very touristy w/ lots of touristy shopping. I had enough after about 30 minutes. It reminded me of Nassau, only colder. We headed for the fringes of the city to get away from the crowds.

 

We toured the capital bldg. No crowds there ! :p This was free and I guess it was interesting if you are into that sort of stuff.

 

 

We walked around some more until we came to our destination!

 

The Hanger!

This is a local place that Kyle and Lynn had recommended as a great place to get lunch. It's inside the big blue bldg on the water -- you can't miss it. Away from the crowds. Great view of the water, seaplanes taking off and landing, great burgers and chicken sandwiches and it's a brewery, too. Try the limited edition Raspberry Beer --- really good --- or if you don't like fruit in your beer, get the White Beer -- also really good.

 

My sister and her husb ate at the Twisted Fish right as you leave the docks and enter Juneau --- tourist trap --- she said it wasn't that good and very crowded.

 

And then we walked back to the ship since we had all aboard at 2:30 pm.

Walking was a mistake. It's a very long walk back to the RCL dock and mostly uphill which leads us to TIP #9.

 

TIP # 9: Take the shuttle to and from Juneau if you don't have excursion transport. This walk will make you not care if you miss the ship.

 

TIP # 10: Always ask the locals for advice on where to go, what to see, and where to eat. They know all the good places and are usually pleased to be able to share some of their secrets. We were never given bad advice.

 

That night we saw the Liar's Club Game Show. It was really not good. Really. Skip it and go to the casino instead.

 

This is how low the clouds were in Juneau..

 

Here are local wildlife trying to eat your breakfast when you are not looking...

 

Next up is... Oh No! The Last Day!

[BayStateguppy]

Friday July 17th

 

Sea Day

 

Wouldn't you know it! Another gray and cloudy day. Both of our sea days coming and going were not great. But we were fortunate to have fabtastic weather for the rest of the cruise so I am not complaining.

 

 

We slept late roamed around the ship. You might have noticed that I stopped getting the Drink of the Day. That's b/c they weren't very good. They were strong -- but bitter and not something that makes you say, "I'll have another one of those!" But today I discovered the Sparkling Asian Pear in the Sports Bar. Yummy! Rum, Sprite and Sweet & Sour mix. Try one!

 

That night we went to dinner to say goodbye to our servers, saw juggler Charlie Peachock who was awesome! Very funny and well worth seeing!

 

Then we went to Quest.....

We had never been to Quest before...

I understand that I am not supposed to give too much away.

However I do feel obligated to tell all newbies like ourselves not to sit in the very front seats if you are shy or do not intend to participate.

And so now... TIP # 11

 

TIP # 11: Wear clean underwear on the last sea day. :cool:

[BayStateguppy]

Saturday July 18th

 

Back in Vancouver

 

 

We arrived back in Vancouver to another beautiful day.

 

Before we disembark the Serenade, I have to mention our awesome Room Steward, Christine, who took very good care of us, kept us laughing and is someone our family will never forget. We miss her already.

 

My BIL took shuttle back to Cruise park to get truck and then dropped us off at our hotel, Times Square Suites, where we had another 2 bedroom suite.

 

 

And a really nice rooftop deck.

 

 

We dropped off our luggage, scooted out the back entrance to the bike rental place because today we are going to bike Stanley Park!!!

 

TIP # 12: If you are staying in Vancouver after the cruise, see if your hotel will let you drop off your luggage early so you can tour the city

[BayStateguppy]

Stanley Park

 

I really really enjoyed this. It was mostly level bike paths along the shore with beautiful scenery. If you are physically capable, I highly recommend biking Stanley Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's about 8 miles of biking.

They have bikes for kids and bikes for two.

 

You can also take the free shuttle around the park.

 

TIP # 13: Try to avoid eating at the Boathouse which has great views and good food but is way, wayyy over priced. I liked it but didn't think it was worth what we paid for it.

[BayStateguppy]

After lunch we took a cab (about $17 CAD) to Capilano Suspension Bridge.

 

Kids will love this place. It's all outdoors and has fun boardwalks high up in the trees.

 

 

We ended up paying $99 US for the four of us --- Ask for the US exchange rate if you are paying in US cash!

 

This was fun, could get crowded but if you wait a minute to cross, the crowds died down.

 

This is the Tree Top Adventure.

 

 

But now it was getting dark in Vancouver.

 

 

Time to end our vacation because we have to catch our flight on AirCanada tomorrow which was --- (wait for it) ---- (you've probably guessed it already) --- delayed.

Mechanical trouble again. They couldn't fix the problem so we had to wait while they got another plane. That only took several hours.

Please refer back to TIP # 2.

 

Despite this, we still loved this trip ! What a great vacation! We can't wait to go back again and see the ports on other itineraries and hopefully get to go dog sledding.

[bottom-dragger]

And then we walked back to the ship since we had all aboard at 2:30 pm.

Walking was a mistake. It's a very long walk back to the RCL dock and mostly uphill which leads us to TIP #9.

 

 

you had to walk uphill to get to sea level??!!

[BayStateguppy]

Uphill to sea level sounds funny doesn't it but it was true. You walk the sidewalk which goes in a round about fashion to the ship. It's about a mile in length. I hadn't noticed this on the way from the ship on the excursion van. Of course you can walk it if you prefer. Just a warning to those who might have difficulty.

[Ducky61]

BayStateGuppy thanks again for taking the time to post a detailed review of your cruise and for answering my questions. Have a few more questions for you. Do you know where the Juneau town shuttle pickup and drop off spots are? Is there more than one location downtown. Are the pre-teens / families allowed to play pool in the bar? Did the mini golf area get really busy?

[Ella2]

:D GREAT review!

 

We're spending a day in Vancouver at the end of the cruise, I've been there several times before, love Stanley Park and the aquarium but may have to try the suspension bridge this time.

 

Interesting on Twisted Fish, my brother told me they loved it there...your restaurant choice sounds more my style. But I don't think we'll have time for lunch in Juneau given our excursion there. I think we'll just be getting back in time to board.

 

As for QUEST...been there, done that. Everyone should try it once! ;) And then after that go WATCH it...from the back!

[wannacruisemore]

Bravo!!!!! One of the best reviews I have read. Your tips were a hit. Thanks so much for sharing.:) I have 14 days coming up on the Serenade......:p

[sg1phileshipper]

Great review and wonderful tips. I'll be sure to keep all those in mind. Thanks a lot for posting all those excellent visual goodies! :D

 

Cindy

[captjaneway]

BayStateGuppy, Thank you for posting such an awesome detailed review. Your writing style was easy to read, and your tips quite informative. Glad you had such a great vacation.

[BayStateguppy]

BayStateGuppy thanks again for taking the time to post a detailed review of your cruise and for answering my questions. Have a few more questions for you. Do you know where the Juneau town shuttle pickup and drop off spots are? Is there more than one location downtown. Are the pre-teens / families allowed to play pool in the bar? Did the mini golf area get really busy?

 

Hi Ducky61

The shuttle will pick you up outside of the ship and drop off at beginning of town. Other than that, I do not know of any other stops. There may be some but I wasn't really paying attention.

 

Anyone can play pool but I believe you have to have at least one person be 18 y/o. You get the balls from the bartender in the Schooner bar -- leave him your SeaPass -- I guess this is how they check ages. There are two pool tables.

 

Mini golf was only busy the first day. This might have been due to the weather on our sea days. My son and I played on the last sea day and between the wind and the rocking of the ship, the balls would take off in any ole direction which made playing interesting but futile.

[my72]

Baystateguppy, I loved your review. Could you please tell me how was the food in the Windjammer compared to the food in the main dining room? How did everyone dress for dinner on the ship? Was everyone dressed up or was the attire casual? I was also interested in your days at sea, were you able to see the shore or were you pretty far out in open water? Thank you for any information.

[BayStateguppy]

Hi my 72:

 

We liked the Windjammer better but that was just a personal preference. Like I said, my sister and her husb ate in the Main Dining Room every night. Overall I thought the food was very good in both places and RCL has been getting knocked lately for a decline in their food quality so I am not sure what that says about me! :D

 

I had read that Alaskan cruises were more casual but that wasn't the case on our cruise. Windjammer was empty on formal nights! Attire went from tuxes to polo shirts and khakis for men/ glittery dresses to black slacks and blouses for women. Our servers assured us that anything reasonable would be fine and there were a lot of jeans on casual nights.

 

We had a lot of fog on our seas days so couldn't really see the shore but we were fairly close to it. You will probably have better luck with the weather. Fingers crossed.

[BayStateguppy]

Thanks for all the positive responses everyone. I had fun writing the review.

 

Make sure you come back and tell us all about your cruises, too!

[WeBCruisin]

Hi Joanie!!

 

Great review!! Makes me want to be back on the ship with you! I am also surprised how few times we bumped into others from the Mix and Mingle. We saw your family the most of any.

 

Funny how food is so subjective - my family avoided the Windjammer like the plague!!! However we just despise buffets in general so take that into consideration. Too many people fighting for the same food - and I won't begin to mention the dropping of tongs, using of hands and sneezing......shudder! We did eat there one day for breakfast - because nothing else was open at the time. We did not try it for any other meal time so can't comment on that.

 

We did eat at the Seaview Cafe for lunch a few times. I had read really great reviews of the cafe on the board and had high expectations. I thought it was OK but didn't live up to it's reviews. I would definitely pass on the fish and chips (more like fish nuggets - it's Alaska and I was expecting something much better) The cuban sandwich, burgers and the grilled flounder salad were very good though.

 

We did enjoy the food in the dining room and found it better quality than most other Royal Caribbean ships we have sailed recently. Everything tasted great and was the proper temperature. After 10 years of cruising I totally agree that the singing, dancing etc. by the wait staff gets old quick and unnecessarily prolongs the meal - though my children enjoyed. Tip: Use my time dining to enjoy the MDR food without the obligatory singing and dancing!

 

Eat at the specialty restaurants! Definitely worth the extra fee. We had a table for two by the window at both chops and portofinos. Great service and food at both places. My DH's favorite was Chops while I prefer Portofino. Any restaurant that brings out a pre dessert appetizer platter is definitely worth it!!

 

We also ate at the Hangar and thoroghly enjoyed it! Loved watching the seaplanes take off and land. We were the first ones

 

We didn't do many of the shows - the production shows get old after awhile - but we did see Jonathan Clark! Outstanding! I bumped into him on the 10th floor and learned that he was performing on the ship until mid August then was heading to England to perform.

 

In addition to shopping Skagway is a great place to hike. There are several hking trails that begin right at downtown and are short enough to do while in port and relatively easy enough for novice hikers. Do a search on the boards or google for "lower dewey lake trail system". Or stop in at the park ranger office in downtown Skagway for a detailed trail map. DH and I had planned to hike to Dewey Lake but ran out of time and energy! It's on the agenda for our next trip! Because there is definitely a next trip!! Don't know when but we will definitely return!!!

 

With any luck I'll post a trip review soon!

 

Haley

[BayStateguppy]

Hi Haley!!

 

Glad to hear your family had a safe trip home.

 

Definitely try to write a trip report -- it's good to have different views b/c so much is personal preference. Did you see that Tim wrote a review? I'll have to go read it.

 

I felt the same way about the SeaView cafe. It's a great spot for viewing though. The Windjammer was surprisingly empty on most nights. Many people went to MDR for dinner on this cruise. Breakfast and lunch were still crowded though.

 

How did you learn about the Hangar? I don't think I would've found it if not for Kyle and Lynn.

 

My family is already talking about going back. Have to start saving those pennies. :)

[ilovefridays]

Thanks for the wonderful review, Baystateguppy! Although it came too late for our trip to Alaska (June 09), it was certainly a blast to relive all the moments we had on the Serenade. Whale-watching at ISP was pretty phenomenal eh? Good point about booking an excursion at this port.

 

Like previously mentioned, hiking in Skagway was excellent. An alternative to heading down to the Park Ranger's Office to pick up your own copy of trail info is to download it off the web! Good for those who want to pore over it before getting into town. A bus tour to Yukon is also not to be missed because of Emerald Lake, Bove Island and Tagish Lake. Mendahall Glacier in Juneau was also a nice easy little hike. Many have spotted a bear or two there! We weren't so lucky. Maybe you might want to try those next time if you're into hiking and beautiful sceneries.

 

Anyway, we are definitely going back to Alaska sometime soon! Hopefully before all the glaciers melt!

 

Thanks again!

[ranchette]

Are there casinos in Juneau?