KJ1231

Anthem, too!

We just had this same situation when boarding in Bayonne. My wife, daughter and I are only Gold (3 cruises) and we took my son, my other daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandkids with us this week. We didn't think about this ahead of time. We flashed "gold" to get in the gold line and all 8 of us just stayed together. No one said a word. We are only gold so it might be different with higher tiers. I think if you show your tier level and just have them follow close behind they are not going to make a "scene" and make you go to another line, especially if you have your sail pass and passports in hand and ready. 8 of us checked in in less than 5-10 minutes. Your milage may vary.....

I've not seen this elsewhere and was a little surprised to see whales from Anthem of the Seas on Saturday 7/13. We had an obstructed balcony on Deck 6 on the port side of Anthem of the Seas. About 60-90 minutes out of port we saw multiple "blows" and then a large tail. I carry binoculars and this time had a spotting scope I use for bridwatching. I was blown away. When I got home I googled "New York City whale watching" and it appears that my sighting was not unusual. So if you are sailing out of Bayonne you may want to keep an eye out!

Just got off Anthem this morning. We had 6 adults. We had a row left of center for The Gift with 6 seats just after the steps ended. We reserved WWRY at 2:30 yesterday (cruising day). I went down at 2:05 and was able to get the same row. There were red Star Class reserved signs all over and the Insider View was down around rows 3 & 4. Funny listening to a few of the New Yorkers whining about all the red Star Class banners and reserved seats. With 6 of us I wouldn't pay $300 for Insider View. I would only by if you really want to show up 15 minutes before and be guaranteed a good seat. They start freeing them up 5-10 minutes before for standby folks. If you do pay for them, don't be late!

Now that we've read more about Glacier Bay we definitely like the switch. For one thing - it saves $$ cause one less port for excursions. Second, we just returned from Bermuda on Anthem and I saw more whales an hour out from Bayonne than i did in Alaska! How, you might ask? I brought my scope that I use for birdwatching in the hopes of seeing some pelagic birds. As we were leaving Bayonne I set it up on our balcony and next thing I know we're seeing big blows. I wasn't expecting whales so thought maybe porpoises. Next thing I see is a huge tail come up. All that to say that this time I will have the scope on the balcony for all of Alaska but especially Glacier Bay. I had binoculars last time which were good but with the scope I can see a fly on a moose's rear-end at 200 yards!

On Anthem now. Escape room was booked before noon. No availability now.

Me, too! We did the White Pass & Yukon train last year and were looking forward to taking the kids next year. So is there a port in Glacier Bay? Or is it another cruising day? Found the answer. https://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/cruise.htm

Just received the following email from Royal Caribbean via MEI: Update on Itinerary __________________________________________ Dear Travel Partner, We're looking forward to welcoming your clients onboard the Radiance of the Seas for their May 15th, 2020 sailing. As they get ready for their vacation, we have an itinerary change to share. Please provide the information below to your clients so they can plan their cruise accordingly. Thank you for your support and partnership! Dear Guest, Some destinations around the world you just have to see to believe. Among them, is Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. Sitting on about 3.3 million acres of natural wonder, it's no surprise guests consider it to have some of the most breathtaking views out there. So, we thought "why not just take you there?" We're excited to share Glacier Bay is officially back! For the first time in over 20 years, we'll be visiting again, and you're first in line to experience it with us. This is a big deal! We'll now spend a day in the national park, replacing Skagway, Alaska. Our day in Juneau was moved to Wednesday to make room for this exciting change. We'll lose some time there, but we hope you'll enjoy the picturesque views at the heart of the Alaskan countryside. Below, please find our new itinerary for May 15th, 2020 on Radiance of the Seas. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Fri Vancouver, British Columbia 4:30 PM Sat Inside Passage (Cruising) Sun Ketchikan, Alaska 6:00 AM 4:00 PM Mon Icy Strait Point, Alaska 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Tue Juneau, Alaska Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Wed Skagway, Alaska Juneau, Alaska 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Thu Hubbard Glacier (Cruising) 9:00 AM 11:00 AM Fri Seward, Alaska 5:00 AM Catch a glimpse of a wide array of wildlife as we take the scenic route through the Inside Passage on our way to Ketchikan, Alaska. Immerse yourself in nature as you paddle across the waters of Harriet Hunt Lake in a canoe just like those used by First Nations tribes. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, head to the world's largest zipline, ZipRider®, during your time in Icy Strait Point. Then, gain a true appreciation of the magnificent scenery as we journey through Glacier Bay National Park. Lastly, we'll make our way to Juneau, where you can whale watch in Stephens Passage or pan for gold in Last Change Basin. Whatever you decide to do, we know you'll have an amazing time! Our Shore Excursions team will issue a full refund for any Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Skagway and will reschedule those for Juneau. In the next few days, you'll receive an email with your updated excursion details. Then, feel free to continue browsing the many options available for your vacation in Cruise Planner! Thank you for your understanding. We can't wait to explore the untamed beauty of the Last Frontier with you! Sincerely, Aurora Yera-Rodriguez Director of Guest Services Royal Caribbean International Ship Sail Date Group ID Booking ID RD 15-MAY-20 RD 15-MAY-20

No problem - love sharing info. We're in Philly so American is the main airline here now. Cheapest from here was Air Canada/United at $635. I have AA credit card and points so get free bags with them. AA was $100 more per person but when I consider bag fees and points I chose to go with AA. We are flying out on Sunday (5 days early) and plan to stay in Vancouver the first night and pick up car next day at cruise port (they aren't open on Sunday). We'll then head for Victoria Island (Monday night), Whidbey Island (Tuesday night and went there in 2018) and Seattle (Wednesday night - hope there's a Mariners game!) before heading back to Vancouver (Thursday night) for cruise. Post-cruise I am looking at either taking the 6 PM train from Seward-Anchorage and then doing a 1 night excursion to Denali with Alaska Railroad from Anchorage. OR doing one of the excursions in Seward that include transfer to Anchorage airport. Then renting a car for Saturday and Sunday and heading towards Denali Saturday and back late Sunday for 2:00 AM flight Monday morning.

Added 2 more for 2020" 2/28/20 - Mariner of the Seas 5/15/20 - Radiance of the Seas

So the 2 youngest kids (18 & 21) said they were interested in going to Alaska and that was all my wife needed to hear to give me the go ahead to book Alaska next May. I had accummulated about 400K points so I cashed in 200K for a 10% certificate. Forwarded email to Michelle at MEI expecting to get 10% off my cabin. When the updated bookings came back they took 10% off both cabins netting me a total savings of $538! WOOT!

Thanks to both of you. Denali is not out of the question - I'm holding out hope! We did spend 1.5 days in Anchorage last year pre-sail so not expecting to spend much time there. We are also "drivers". I do Philadelphia to Charleston, SC or Columbia, SC a few times a year. @twangster The plan was to take the train from Seward to ANC airport if there is a train later in the afternoon - like the train that brings cruisers to the port in for the Friday southbound departure - and then rent the car at ANC. We have a 1:50 AM (morning) flight on Monday. Another option might be to do one of the RC Excursions in Seward to Kenai Fords that includes transfer to Anchorage airport. Pick up car there. Stay in Anchorage Friday night. Get up early Saturday and drive to Denali and stay up there Saturday night and then make our way back to Anchorage by midnight Sunday night for flight home. Also emailed Alaska RR to check on their packages. So many options....

We just booked our second Alaska cruise. We went in 2018 and did the southbound Radiance. We're doing Radiance northbound (5/15-5/22/20) this time. We get into Seward on Friday and flying from Anchorage the following Monday. We have 3 nights to either do RC post-cruise or travel on our own. While I would love to do Denali, it is not at the top of my wife's list. Any suggestions for must-do's in or withing a few hours drive of ANC? We did the RC train from Anchorage to Seward last time (as opposed to the normal train). Is the normal train narrated like the RC train? Is there more than one cruise train from Seward to ANC? We will probably want to check out Seward before hopping on the train. All suggestions appreciated!!

I've used both the iPhone and a Panasonic Lumix FZ70 with a 60x zoom. I do bird photographs and for Alaska there was no comparison between the iPhone and the Lumix in places like Hubbard Glacier where the Radiance didn't get to close to the glacier. If you're only going to post on social media and show from the phone you're fine. If you're going to print I would upgrade to a decent point & shoot. Carrying the camera was worth the effort to me.

@JLMoran @twangster@L454S @Atlantix2000 Thanks all! Those Deck 7 balconies on Radiance look awesome! Just got off the phone with @michelle and booked 7530. With the large balcony and the kids really not needing it we saved $1K by putting them in 7533 (an inside cabin). With the inside I don't get all those airline points so went with MEI! Going back to AK on 5/15/2020....

I did a search here and couldn't find a link to the breakdown of the various cabin types. Looking to sail Radiance again next May northbound and there's a whole range of prices for balconies (regular and spacious). Is there a link that describes each type -2G, 4G, 4H, etc? I would do a "guarantee" except I want to be on the starboard (right side heading forward/north) for the great views heading towards Hubbard Glacier. Also, I saw earlier that RCCL got rights to enter Glacier Bay for 2020. Are there any cruises heading there?

I think you have to book through their website to get the "bonuses". Will also get $50 OBC x 2

After our first cruise last year (booked directly with RCCL) we have booked 4 more cruises with MEI (Michelle). I made the mistake of opening an email from my airline credit card today and they are offering 7 points/dollar on cruises. We are looking to book an Alaska cruise next May and with a balcony I can get 42,000 airline points (7 points x $6,000 for 4 of us). That will be enough to cover the airfare one way to Seattle (we'll drive to Vancouver). 12,000 RC points (2 x 6K) gets $120 OBC. Michelle and MEI have been very good to us but 42,000 is a whole lot of airline points..... 60K gets me (1) roundtrip to Europe!

Alaska was our first cruise and would love to explore Alaska even more - Kodiak, Homer, Nome, Aleutians, etc. Unfortunately RCCL seems locked into Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait and Ketchikan. Any chance they'll expand to these other ports?

Radiance of the Seas - Alaska - June 2018. Since then we have done 2 more cruises and our 4th is in 15 days. Can't believe I waited til I was 57 to cruise. Looking to go back to Alaska again next year.

My son and I did Xtreme in Cozumel. Our cruise skipped Grand Cayman so we had $$. If you like zip lines Xtreme is really cool. Includes swimming in caverns, etc. We were on Brilliance for that trip. We did Enchantment in March to Nassau and Freeport (CocoCay diversion ) and enjoyed it. Preferred Windjammer on Brilliance and Radiance to Enchantment. Other than that Enchantment was perfect for our 30th anniversary cruise.

This year HA was making stops at Kodiak, Homer and Sitka. We did Radiance (Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait and Ketchikan) last year and I would love to go back to Alaska but need at least one new port.

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible if you get thrown off a ship for doing this! We had our 20yo son with us in December and we gave him a cocktail here and there. The fruity ones can be ordered "virgin" so crew walking by have no idea whether its virgin or spiked. Beer or wine is a different story but poured into a RC Coke cup, who would know. Obviously you need to be discreet and sensible and as a non-drinker the last thing I'd put up with on a cruise I paid for is a drunk/sick kid

Check out trubahamian.com. We did this food tour a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it! 6 stops with food or drink at each and learn about Nassau and the culture while walking from place to place. Highly recommend!!

In a suitcase under the bed works for me. It would take some time and "rumbling" to get to it AND they would have to know it was there to begin with.