RaleighTrout

^ Yes, an even better deal! Thanks for that info.

August. I looked it up. On August 9th, when we would leave the ship and board the train, the sun sets at 10:14pm and twilight ends at 11:12pm. The train ride is from 6pm to 10pm. https://sunrise-sunset.org/us/anchorage-ak/2019/8

Any real difference between going North vs going South? One main is that the train you took runs at night 6pm to 10pm from Seward to Anchorage, whereas from Anchorage to Seward it runs in the morning. Not sure what kind of view you get from 6-10pm because I know it stays daylight in Alaska for many hours.

The magnetic hooks thing was a tip I got from this forum and it was great! I got the ones Matt linked and they worked fine.

^ Thanks for letting me know this. I priced the OV with the perks and it is $3407 vs $2769 without. It says you get a Classic Drink for 2, which I would value at $600-700 on a 7 day cruise, plus $300 OBC - so the perks value would be $900-1000 for the additional $638 of cruise fare.

Thanks. Agree, tight, but we did 4 in a tiny Majesty room (120 sq ft), so our family can do it. We didn't spend much time in the room (sleep/shower/restroom) and imagine on an Alaska cruise we would spend even less time. You have been very helpful with advice to me on Alaska - thank you!

They are offering an inside cabin on Millennium for Alaska Northbound for $1970 total (rates + taxes/fees) for 4 people. OV is @2770. The Radiance price for the same dates (but Southbound) is $2831 and $3031 OV. Any thoughts on Radiance vs Millennium for an Alaska cruise?

Thanks for the info Twangster. You have been very helpful!

Thanks. Majesty had a Sorrentos. One more question. The RCI cruises don't go to Glacier Bay, they go to Hubbard. Should that be an issue for a first-timer to Alaska?

Quick question - is there no Sorrentos on Radiance?

Radiance or Ovation? Thinking about pulling the trigger on the Aug 2 cruise on Radiance.

Thank you! My family's first RCI cruise was this same trip back in Aug, except we sailed out of Tampa. We had a blast and it was fun showing your pictures to my family and reliving our cruise. We also had a 3rd deck porthole ocean view room - FOUR of us in the room! But it was great - looking forward to our next cruise!

Twangster Read through this entire thread last night and really enjoyed your photos and thoughts on your Alaska cruise. I think we interacted last year when I was planning my first RCL cruise to Mexico and now I am thinking about Alaska, and like you for this cruise, somewhat a last-minute decision (if you call 6 months out last minute). Thinking about taking this same trip in August 2019 (South bound, fly into Anchorage, train to Seward, fly back from Vancouver or Seattle). My oldest goes to college in late August this might be our last great vacation before the "leaves the nest". What are thoughts on pricing? For a family of 4, I can get around $3200 total for this cruise leaving August 2nd (that is for an ocean view room). Will it get any better or only worse -is there an optimal time to book this cruise? Thanks for your thoughts

Raleigh is bracing for the worst. This one scares me.

On my recent cruise (depart Mon, arrive back Sat), the drink card was not offered until Thursday. It cost $75 plus 18% gratuity for a 10 drink card, which my wife and I split Thursday evening (back from Cozumel) and Friday (all day at sea).

I will Matt. Might not be as frequent but we are already talking about our next RC cruise! Thanks again for creating an informative and fun community.

I hope you have a great time. I think the biggest negative with our cruise was the crowded pool on Tuesday and Friday (sea days). If you are a pool person, this may be an issue. We boarded the ship Monday in our swimsuits (another RC Blog tip) and got some pool time in on that day, but it was really crowded on the sea days. Other things we did: 1)I purchased the Soda package + 1 Voom. We shared a Voom password among the three of us. Like you, I wanted to be OUT OF TOUCH as much as possible, so only got online a few times. Same for my wife. Teenage son was online often though. Basically, with the one password, when someone logged on it knocked off the person currently using the password. 2)We got the coffee card at the start of the cruise, which gave my wife and son 15 specialty coffees. That worked out well for them. I will be glad to answer any specific questions you may have about the ship or itinerary.

I wanted to give a few thoughts on my recently completed Royal Caribbean cruise on Majesty of the Seas, departing from Tampa on August 20 for 5 nights, sailing to Costa Maya and Cozumel. This blog was a TREMENDOUS source of information and helpful tips for a RCI newbie so THANK YOU! First, we had an AWESOME time. Probably the best vacation we have taken as a family! We are still talking about the cruise and the people we met a week later. Embarkation: We got to Tampa the night before (thank RC Blog for that tip) and stayed at a hotel about halfway between the port and the airport. Arrived at the Tampa Port at around 10am. We parked in the official deck across the street. I got lots of great parking tips, but went with the deck for convenience and that it was covered and secured. Believe me, I'm the guy that always looks to save a buck, so thanks for the other options that were given. Took about 30 minutes from arrival before we could board the ship, so not bad at all. Tampa Port could probably use a refresh, but everyone was friendly and helpful and the process seemed under control. The ship/stateroom: I know Majesty of the Seas is an old ship, perhaps the oldest in the RCI fleet, but it showed us a great time. I think RCI has done a great job keeping it clean and updated to the best of its ability. In some areas (Viking Lounge), the carpet looked dated, but otherwise I thought the ship was in great shape. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of the newer ships, but it made up for that with service and hospitality. Our room was small, and again, I knew that going in. But the four of us (51 yr old Dad, 49 yr old Mom, 17 yr old son and 10 yr old son) made the room work for us. The key was putting our stuff away and storing suitcases, which was a switch for us because we usually just live out of a suitcase when we travel to a hotel. What also helped was buying and using magnetic hooks (another tip from this blog!) to hang up clothes to dry and be out of the way! We had room 2506, which is a porthole room. Decks 2 and 3 on Majesty have portholes for oceanview. The room had plenty of spaces to store our luggage out of the way and 2 fold-down beds for our boys. The bathroom was small, but very clean, and honestly, had one of the best working showers in terms of pressure and constant flow of hot water. One indulgence I give myself on vacation is extended shower time and this one didn't disappoint. Our stateroom attendant was solid and anticipated our needs. We asked for ice the first night and never had to ask for ice again! Activities/shows: Again, I know Majesty is a old ship, without the Flow Riders, water slides, Central Park, etc, but there was plenty to do and see while on board. Our Cruise Director was Patricio Honores, who I believe has been on some bigger RCI ships. He was great! We did trivia, scavenger hunt, relaxed, used the pool, wife had a spa treatment, exercised, watched the incredible blue ocean, went rock climbing and shopped while the ship was at seas on Tues and Fri. We also made sure to be on the deck when we sailed under the Tampa SkyWay Bridge and when we sailed away from Costa Maya and Cozumel. We saw the headline show each night. This cruise didn't have the regular Majesty shows (Boogie Wonderland), we had featured guests for entertainment. The comics were excellent! Excursions: In Costa Maya, we did a trip to the Chacchoben ruins via The Native Choice (thank you RC Blog for the tip) and also had a lunch with a Mayan family during the same excursion. Extremely well done and it was great learning about Mexico history and visiting with a current Mexican family. The family enjoyed it. In Cozumel, we followed the advice of Matt and other RC Bloggers and took a trip to Paradise Beach via taxi. It was great! Snorkling, paddle boarding, kayaking, and the ocean inflatables along with great food and drink in a terrific and scenic location. Paradise Beach is lovely. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a beach escape. Dining (and drinks): This really made our trip memorable. The food was really great on our cruise. The Windjammer offered such variety, Sorrentos pizza whenever we wanted, soft serve ice cream, Compass Deli for snacks as well. We got a Coke beverage package for one of our kids, and we ended up buying a 10 drink card on Thursday when that was offered. We didn't get the alcohol package because we knew we were going to be off the ship most of the day for 2 of the 5 days. The main treat was the dining in the Main Dining Room (for us, the Moonlight Dining Room). Our server was named Made, from Indonesia, and he was truly spectacular. He welcomed us, made us feel like family, was charming and engaging, all the while providing outstanding service. The food was excellent. I'm not a foodie, but I thought the food was a clear cut above a nice chain restaurant, with plenty of choices to satisfy everyone. Both my sons tried dishes they had never had before, and that made it fun as well. But again, the service from the RC team is what made it so enjoyable! Overall: As I said, this was a fantastic vacation. We loved cruising and I personally think it is one of the best values in a vacation because of everything involved. We took a Disney cruise 5 years ago, and RCI matched Disney on most items, except the Dream was a newer ship than the Majesty, so the rooms were bigger and ship had more bells and whistles. HOWEVER, the cost of this 5 night Western Caribbean cruise for FOUR was the SAME as the cost for just ONE person to have taken the 3 night Bahamas Disney cruise! If anyone has any doubts about the Majesty due to its age, I would put those aside. Yep, it doesn't have all the latest, but it is a great ship and if it fits your itinerary and budget, I wouldn't hesitate to book it. We became huge cruise fans and Royal Caribbean fans and look forward to our next cruise. MANY thanks for Matt and the RC Bloggers for the tips and info along the way. This is a fun community and I am glad I discovered it - it made our vacation so much more enjoyable!

^ Much appreciated!

Hey Matt - just hoping you can post the Cruise Compass from your cruise. I know someone posted one from Majesty for a 4 day Key West and Havana but I'm hoping to see what the day in Cozumel looked like, which was part of your cruise. Many thanks for all the info you provide on this blog.

I think a more specific question is when to book for the best price, knowing your preferred cruise date. For many, we have to cruise within those peak periods because kids are out of school or that is when vacation can be used. For example, I looked at some Caribbean cruises for August 2018 (to see if my deal was still strong), and the pricing is better than those same cruises for Aug 2019. The prevailing theory is always book early for the best price, correct?

Matt also snagged a MDR lunch menu. Thanks!

Wow - what a nice gift!

Thanks for the input. Paradise has some good offerings as well - they have the inflatables in the water and they are much easier to reach. Ones at Playa Mia are out there. Paradise is $3 admission, plus $18 to use the inflatables, etc. I like the well shaded tree area at Paradise too. I also think Paradise has a nicer pool area. Playa, as mentioned, has the big water slides. The young kid area is not of concern as my kids are too old for it. Alcohol may be the deciding factor. Buying online for Playa Mia, I can get admission and buffet lunch for the kids, plus admission, buffet and unlimited drinks for wife and I for $160 total. For Paradise, I am looking at $66 for admission (wife at $3 -she doesn't care about the water activities, three us at $21 - admission plus Fun Pass). Food and drink would then be extra at Paradise.

You are the best! Thanks to you and this board I have a good feel for my Majesty cruise in Aug and looking forward to it.