twangster

Day Two - Hubbard Glacier

Our arrival at the glacier was set for early afternoon so we had a regular sea day for the first half of the day. 

I discovered a letter on my cabin door informing me I had not attended the muster drill.  I had attended muster and gave my cabin number like I always do.  The letter said to attend the secondary muster at 8:30pm - the previous night.  I stopped by guest services and showed the pictures on my phone of the rainbow with a timestamp two minutes before muster officially started.  They said not to worry about.  They didn't ask my cabin number or name, they just told me it's okay.  I had been in and out of my cabin several times and had gone to bed after 8:30pm yet don't recall seeing the letter on my door the night before.   Nothing more came of this. 

I was up early due to my body clock being several time zones earlier so I took the opportunity to take some pictures around an empty ship.

The Centrum

Radiance does not have a Vintages.  Instead it has the Champagne Bar with awesome sea views and seating right by the windows.

I've often thought the entrance to the Schooner Bar on Radiance class ships is a waste of space since cruise ship real estate is hard to come by but it's pretty to look at.

 

Radiance class does have great views of the sea from many different public venues.

Breakfast in the Windjammer.  Custom made omelet at the omelet station and fruit.  The abundance of fruit is something I always try to enjoy in the Windjammer.

Our progress so far:

Lunch in the Solarium, double Kümmelweck.  Noted these options as well:

If you do change SIM cards make sure you understand your phone number will change.  Calls and text sent to your regular phone number will not be received and every text sent will come from your European phone number.  That may be ok, but if friends and family use your regular phone number you won't get it.

Dinner at 6pm

Totally forgot to take pictures.

Service was excellent and they honored Diamond Happy Hour drinks in the MDR.

Back outside a double rainbow appeared as rain appeared to be moving in with increasing cloud cover.

Time for muster approaching I dropped off my camera in the cabin and headed to muster.  U2 for me, outdoors on the covered deck 5 under the lifeboats.

The other end of the double rainbow appeared.  A few minutes later the muster drill started.

Soon after it concluded we started to sail away.

Sail away scope:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1rmxPNNqwRXGN

The cloud cover had increased and with that there was no sunset tonight worth taking photos of. 

With that day one is complete.  I was tired from a late arrival in Anchorage and early departure the next morning so i went to bed shortly after this.

Cabin tour!

Cabins were ready 15 minutes early at 1:15pm.

Interior Cabin 4519.  Starboard side, deck 4, near forward elevator lobby.

Shower curtain despite the makings of a shower door type enclosure.  It was like it used to have a door, but they had pulled all that out and put up a shower curtain.

Still dragging my carry on around I went to the Concierge Lounge to wait for cabins to open:

 

Windjammer boarding day scope:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1ZkKzNNqokyKv

I headed up and checked out the pool deck and other topside areas.

The lifeguard informed me the outdoor pool is heated to 84° F.

The terminal as seen from the ship:

Solarium:

Another scope while in port:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1MnxnZZaYdYxO

The pier and cruise ship terminal are both owned by the railroad.  They offer free motor coaches to get from the train to the ship but I prefer to walk the 1/2 mile.  

It's not too often you see this sign.

The Diamond and Diamond Plus line had 4 groups ahead of me .  The other lines were a little longer but with people arriving through out the day you don't tend to see the massive terminal crowds on boarding day you see at other cruise embarkation ports.

The gangway:

With that I was on board at 11:48am.

The train is a great way to get from Anchorage to the port. 

Here is a scope while I had cell coverage:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1BRJjeeRkyNGw

First drink of the day, Mimosa!

Another scope:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1gqxvXXdqyeGB

This is all glacier silt from thousands of years of run off.  Our guide tells us they once wanted to build a bridge across this channel.  They needed to find bedrock so they started drilling into the silt.  They gave up at 2,000 feet.  

The announcer or guide spent most of her time in our car and it was nice to chat with her between announcements.  Here we are beside the Seward Highway.

Our bartender on this day...

Time for a Bloody Mary.

I really enjoyed the glass ceiling.  The views were incredible.

The dining car area was on the first floor below us and they led us down in groups as it only hold 20 at a time. 

Breakfast is included with Goldstar service, including another Mimosa I discovered.  

I had the Aurora Breakfast last year so I tried the Sourdough French Toast.  It was very good.  

Back upstairs the conductor was punching tickets and talking with passengers.

A moose was announced on the right.  I saw it very well but by the time I raised my camera all I got was a blurry back end of a moose running away.  Can you see it?

We made a quick scheduled stop in Girdwood to pick up a few more passengers.  After that we continued into the mountains.

Glaciers were announced as we approached them.

More moose spotted:

Yet another scope:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1YqKDQQjAYzGV?t=28s

The train slowed as we crossed over this stream so we could see dozens of spawning Salmon.  It was easier to see with our eyes but if you look closely you will see the deep pink fish in the river.

Finally our ship appeared in the distance.

With that we had arrived in Seward.

A scope of our arrival:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1dRJZggRdmrxB

It's hard to capture the beauty of Alaska with a simple camera.  It really needs to be experienced first hand.

IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!

But wait, first I have to get from Anchorage down to Seward where the ship is, nearly 130 miles.  Before booking my cruise I had verified the Royal transfer on the charter train was available.  It was $125 through Royal.  

I kept checking the Alaskan Railroad direct and one day found that Goldstar service had opened up.  I had used the regular Adventure class service before but wanted to try Goldstar service.  It includes two beverages, breakfast, a glass ceiling car and large outdoor viewing platform.  I jumped at the opportunity at $212.  

There are two reasons I canceled the Royal transfer train and went with a direct booking.

1. The Royal transfers departs around noon.  I would be awake and just hanging around killing time until noon.  With a 4 hour train ride it would arrive in Seward around 4pm.  That's plenty of time with an 8pm sail away but that was way too late to board a ship when I could board anytime after 10am.  The train booked direct leaves at 6:45am and arrives before noon.
2. The Royal transfer doesn't offer Goldstar service.

Here is a photo of Adventure class from 2017:

The hotel shuttle to the train station was at 5:15am.  Up early and in the lobby a few minutes later we were soon on our way to the train station.

Already I was noticing a big difference from June.  It was much darker at 5am than it was a few months earlier.

At the train station they collect luggage for regular train passengers just going to Seward like on any other day but they also have a special drop off area for cruise ship passengers.

In this tent to the far right you can see a Royal Caribbean sign.  With my ship tags attached I simply dropped my bag here and never touched them again until they appeared outside my cabin door.  Because you never see your luggage in Seward, make sure your passports, valuables and cruise docs are with you on the train.

Arriving early the train station was empty and I quickly received my assigned seat ticket, a pin for Goldstar service and a route map.  

They have coffee and a few light snacks like muffins for purchase.

I had 45 minutes to kill so I went outside, took some photos and scoped.

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1MnGnZZypojGO

Goldstar is the first two cars, the regular cars are Adventure class and what the Royal transfer train uses.

Back in the station it was getting packed:

Soon enough our conductor approached and "All Aboard" was called.

Today I would be in car "B".  

First one onboard I took some pictures before other passengers arrived.

The outdoor viewing platform:

Here is a quick scope while I still had cell phone coverage in Anchorage:

https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1BRJjeeRDXVGw

Time to get this party started...

Day 0 - Flight to Anchorage, overnight stay in a hotel

I booked this cruise on a few weeks notice after verifying I could find decent airfare.  I could and it meant changing planes in Seattle.  My first flight was delayed due to mechanical issues so that meant missing my original connection in Seattle.  No worries, plenty of flights left to get there.  

Taking off out of Seattle I was able to see the coastal areas and many channels and islands in the area.  

A short time later I looked out my window and thought I could see the distinctive shape of a cruise ship.

I could see a Viking Crown and realized Explorer would be departing Victoria on the last night of her current sailing on her way back to Seattle.

I checked our flight path and sure enough we flew right over the water border between the U.S. and Canada just West of Victoria.

 

How cool is that?  Seeing my last Alaska cruise ship while heading to Alaska to board my next Alaska cruise ship!

I had chosen an earlier arrival into Anchorage and a window seat on the right side of the plane so I could enjoy the descent into Anchorage.  With the missed connection that wouldn't occur in the prime of the day but I was still able to see many glaciers in the final 25 minutes of the flight.

I lost count of the glaciers I saw despite the broken cloud cover.

There aren't many airports that feature a moose, but ANC airport does!

At this point it was 10pm (midnight at home) and after getting my checked bag I went to my hotel and straight to bed.  I had an early start to the day in the morning.

That depends on your cell phone provider.  

With most international add-on plans you can use your phone normally without any changes and the costs (if any) will be based on your carrier's international plan.

On the ship you are usually best to activate airplane mode once away from land or the on-board cell tower may kick in which isn't covered by most international plans.  

To be honest, you would be best to visit a store of your cell phone provider and have them walk you through any changes and charges.  Folks here can make educated guesses based on past experience but terms and conditions change.  In the end your cell provider will know exactly what plan you have and how to avoid extra charges.

 

Great news Joe, enjoy!

I sometimes buy the wifi package on sale but as a D+ I get two free days of Surf so I have often used those free days to play with Surf on one device while using my purchased Surf and Stream on another.

Surf is typically policed down to 0.5Mbps down and 0.25Mbps up.

Surf and stream is typically policed down to 4Mbps down and 2 Mbps up

There are some exceptions, if you get lucky.  Don't count on that.  Since re-inking the contract with Speedcast they have gotten very strict.

All plans are rate limited.  While troubleshooting an issue with the Voom specialist on Serenade she temporarily bumped me up to 8Mbps down and then 20Mbps down before returning me to the standard Surf and Stream 4Mbps down.  

Surf is still good enough for wifi phone calls, particularly on Freedom, Oasis and Quantum class ships.  You can access Pandora on it as well to listen to music.  

5 hours ago, KarenPinNC said:

I don't understand how this change makes sense.  If you look at the projected path of the storm and the path between Baltimore\Bermuda and Baltimore\Nassau, The Grandeur is going to have to make the return trip up the coast through the path of the storm, and it is a longer path than to\from Bermuda.  I get that the weather in Nassau will be better, but don't they also have to consider the 'at sea' portion?  As someone who is supposed to be on the Grandeur on Thursday, I'm concerned she won't be back on time.

According to James Van Fleet, the RCI Chief Meteorologist, the goal is to stay out of the NorthEast quadrant of the storm, which if you follow hurricanes, is the worst part of a storm in the Atlantic/Caribbean theater.  Keep in mind the projected track is a guess.  Many days out the "cone of uncertainty" is large.    Long range is just too hard to predict because of how uncertain they are.  Sometimes storms in this area have started doing loops and even turned East then looping around and heading straight West. 

The problem with Bermuda is there is no where to run to if the storm stalls and cuts them off from the US Mainland.  Going South is safer as there are many ports of call to refuel if needed.  This storm could hug the coast and run North into Canada so turning this cruise into a Canada cruise runs the risk they are then stuck in it or again cutoff from the US Mainland.  South is the least of all evils.  

It's too far away to begin worrying about potential impacts to next cruises.  I'm sure James would love a bigger and more accurate crystal ball but mother nature has a wicked sense of humor.    

I had a conversation with a long time stock holder from Norway about this a few nights ago on Radiance.  He was very well dialed into the fleet and knew a great deal.  In his opinion, Empress and Majesty are safe for now, due to the small nature of Cuba ports and lack of infrastructure to support larger ships.  Grandeur and Rhapsody are absolutely for sale, possibly Vision but not Enchantment, at least at this moment.

He was certain that the next QU+ (Ultra) ship will be "Pulse of the Seas".  Time will tell.

I was just on Empress a few weeks ago to Cuba where it is very hot in July.  No problems with A/C.  Plus Empress has Chops Grille AND Diamond Plus get to eat breakfast there.  Majesty has JR which I don't eat at on board any ship and hardly "Specialty Dining". 

I really enjoyed Empress.  Loyalty Ambassador was great.  Boleros is nicely done and very large.  Nice aft sitting area down close to the water just off Boleros.  MDR food was no worse than any other ship, better than Radiance I just got off today.  If you need Broadway shows, ice skating, flowriders, a Diamond Lounge, etc - then Empress and Majesty will be a disappointment. 

8 hours ago, 4ensic said:

Friends gave me a nudge 9 years ago toward attending the production shows, which I thought I wouldn't like.  "You can bring your camera" (no flash, no video) were the magic words.  And 7 years later I'm a stage photographer. 

Just be aware that a number of ship are now prohibiting photography during entertainment.  My second experience with this was on Liberty.  It flat out states no photography of any kind.  You'll see people lifting a phone to take pictures but if you respect their verbiage, no photos (or video).  

Welcome to the message boards!

I suspect your friends have sailed Carnival out of Galveston.  Carnival sells their alcohol package, called Cheers!, starting on day 2 out of Texas and New York.  On day 1 all drinks on Carnival cruises leaving from these two states are paid by the drink (including soda, water, etc).  This is from the Carnival website:

"Due to state laws, we cannot sell CHEERS! until the second day of the cruise (starting at 6:00am) for voyages departing from our Texas and New York home ports. Drinks purchased on the first day of the cruise will be charged to the guest's Sail & Sign card in the usual manner. "

Royal always starts their drink packages on boarding day.  On Royal the drink package starts the very moment you step on board (no need to wait until you are in international waters).

1 hour ago, CGTLH said:

Should demand a refund! Neither one looked like their pictures!

A Southern Lemonade?

"Well isn't that special...."

8 hours ago, DirktheCat said:

Also, when you “land” at the end of the zip line, you are taking 2-3 running steps at a fast speed before you stop, so firm soles would be important.

There is a pad.  You dont really take run steps to land.   More like a second or two to get your feet firmly planted.  

Maybe they haven't decided yet.

Today is day 4 of our cruise and I purposely delayed starting this blog. 

Voom suffers in Alaska being so far North and knowing I would take a bunch of photos I will be writing the bulk of thread after I return home and can go through thousands of photos to select the best ones.

Consequently keep any eye out for updates next week, but in the interim if anyone has any questions they would like to ask while I am on board feel free to add those now.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Embark in Seward

Day 2 - Hubbard Glacier

Day 3 - Juneau

Day 4 - Skagway

Day 5 - Icy Strait Point

Day 6 - Ketchikan

Day 7 - Inside Passage

Day 8 - Disembark in Vancouver 

So far every port has been awesome and weather has been great.  Our time at Hubbard Glacier was incredible and very different from Explorer's trip to the Dawes Glacier in June.  That's just a tease, I'll get into that in more detail once I go through the pictures and videos of calving I have.

We've just arrived in Skagway and I am heading out for my day of self exploring.   

Later...

Great live blog.  As I consider a Greek cruise this has been very helpful.

Thank you.

I tend to go with the middle of the hump, 1748/1750 for privacy.  Not that the cabins are bad for privacy, but you do catch more of the public deck space to a small degree as you move further from the center of the circle.  From here the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen is a short walk.  

That being said I wouldn't avoid any L1 suite.  You can only people watch by standing at the railing and looking hard left or right.  From inside your suite you'll see no public deck, unlike an L2.  

Looks like a delayed departure.  James Van Fleet just tweeted about it.

 

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