PRC

And gas used to be a $1 a gallon!

 

$0.29.9 when I had to buy my first tank!

It is not NY, it is not Chicago, it is deliciously bad!  

 

nothing to write home about, barely better (if at all) than frozen, but most (me included) feel that it is perfect for a late night snack on the seas!

 

Don't know another way to elaborate on "deliciously bad"!

Reading everything on line here, I thought that might be a good place to grab lunch on embarkation day, and avoid the Windjammer.

its a very small venu so usually after the showtime in the theater lets out there's a line within 10 minutes.  The late nite lighting and atmosphere in the solarium is very peaceful to me.  

 

and i think this last time I actually did have lunch there on day one!  (warning... the honey-stung chicken is only in the WJ (day one famous favorite!)

I love Radiance class.  Glass to the outside everywhere.  No mater what I'm doing I always feel 'connected' to where I am.  The "glass/exterior" elevators are a treat, and I still feel that the Solarium design is the best ever!

 

framke, on Serenade, do grab a kemmelwerk (sp?) sandwich in the Solarium Cafe, and they have a good variety of snacks all the way from breakfast till the wee hours.  There were quite a few mornings last Nov when I would give in to temptation early in the morning and go grab "pre-breakfast" there before the WJ opened up!  and of course I was there every night for my pizza and misc munchies fix!  (clothes were tight after 11 days!)

It's really minor, but I wish they'd offer live music in the main dining room throughout dinner.  At best, you get 1 hour of live music but I always enjoyed having it available.

 

They used to.  Some of it good enough that we bought CD's.  I too miss the piano player or the string trio that would play from the landing on the grand staircase...

Views of the ocean.  This is my biggest gripe with RCI builds - ships built since Voyager OTS focus inward, not outward.

 

 

That speaks to my continued love for Radiance Class ships...

When I looked at the 2018-2019 deployment schedule, I  assumed that all  the ships' itineraries were going to run from their posted deployment week 2018 through the winter of 2019 - meaning now thru March of 2019.  The only ship with an itinerary for the early part of 2019 was the Symphony.  Is that the only ship other then the Symphony with an intinerary post in 2019?  I have already booked my Caribbean cruise on the Adventure 2018 and am looking to get first crack at cabin choices on this ship for the winter of 2019.

only Symphony is posted and Alaska came out today.  The rest will be in the coming weeks but only through April of 2019.  past that will be this time next year!

Canal transits are expensive (half mil last I heard for a full length panamax vessel).  

 

Doubtful they could recoup that in a revenue sailing, and since the Australia/NZ market opened up they don't have the business need to move the Alaska ships back to the Caribbean.

 

I've never been to the canal and would love to.  I think a canal transit would be the only thing that would get me to stray from Royal :D

I've stayed at Embassy Suites, Renaissance, Hilton, Hyatt, and HI express on 17th.  This time of year they are all pricey.  HI express really wasn't any cheaper the time I used it, just chose because I hadn't stayed before.  

 

That said as Waaaytooo pointed out, anything at $150 in the 17th corridor would be a rare find this time of year.  If its showing online as mworkman said I would jump on it.

 

All are within walking distance to shops and eateries (well, Hyatt is across the drawbridge) and I have have no issues with any of them.

 

All offer/arrange shuttle to the pier, return is usually on you.

 

 

 

My opinion:

 

Embassy Suites - best rooms but not good parking if leaving a car.

 

Renaissance - second best rooms and second best parking if leaving a car.

 

Hilton - good rooms, low rise section older and a bit cheaper, best grounds and best parking if leaving a car.

 

Hyatt - good rooms, low rise section older and a bit cheaper, second best grounds, long walk over the bridge to shops and eats, so-so parking if leaving a car. 

 

HI Express - basic HI Express quality which is good by me.  parking garage under const. right now so that may cause issues (?)  

We did not do a land tour either before or after so I cannot speak to what is or is not included.  We stayed the night before in anchorage, walked to a small eatery for dinner about a block away, I don't recall it being too overly expensive.  Breakfast the next morning was included with the hotel before we boarded the train to Seward.  Lunch on the train was included and then it was all onboard the ship.

 

We did eat lunch in Juneau at the Red Dog, not too pricey for a tourist town.  

Sovereign of the Seas, July 2001.  

 

They delivered the WOW before delivering the WOW was one of their marketing lines.  Never had a reason to look elsewhere.

None ever here.  

The train in Skagway was a great time.  There is no meals or such, its not that long but the scenery was fantastic!  Old fashioned turn of the (last) century style cars.  We wook the train all the way up through BC and into Carcross, Yukon Terr. then took the bus back.  great day!

 

Since we did the southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver we flew to Anchorage and the next morning took the Alaska Railway down to Seward to board Radiance.  About a 5 hour trip, Seating was Booth-style in a domed viewing car so the four of us (my parents were with us) had a table and lunch on the train was great.  

 

yes, shorex was a bit higher than in the islands, but then again everything is higher up there.  Our day in Icy Strait Point we walked into to town (Hoonah) (about 1 1/2 miles) just to explore.  Stopped in the little general store (a local store, not tourist related) and cans of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee were $4.50!

No secret, just that in addition to the normal sale going on, they will drop the rates on specific ships based on the "crystal ball" they have in the revenue department telling them it needs a little boost.  ;)

 

I just go to the website, start to make a booking, put in the months I'm interested in, then add my particulars (55+, FL resident, D+) and see what comes up.  

 

Some folks last month I believe it was grabbed a 4 night on Empress for $167 that way!   (I couldn't make the dates work :(  )

Yeah, the wording changes each time but the end result is usually close to the same.  I find I can catch the big savings on limited, unannounced specials on specific ships.  that's why i usually check their site once a day.

 

(yes, the addiction is strong) :D

 

18 days...18 days...18 days...

There's always a sale.  24x7x365.   ;)

 

A new one will be announced and advertised before the old one ends. :)

The 11 night Serenade last Nov had a different MDR menu every night.  Each night has a few "go-to's" that are listed every night as alternate selections, but the vast majority is completely different each night.

 

The Windjammer dinner selection is varied as well.  WJ has a variety of staples that are there every evening, but each night has a different "theme" so to speak with many different choices.

 

Rita's Cantina is a set menu.

 

Chops, Giovanni's, and Izumi were set menus as well.

On the 5 night sailing Jan 14-18, it was day 4...Tuesday/Costa Maya.

All the places doing business with the cruise trade in Coz will have perfectly safe ice and water.  

I've had this vary from ship to ship with an Android tablet.  Some timeout after 2 hours just as they advertised.  Others disconnect only when they whole system is spotty.  On Liberty once I went 9 days without ever having to sign in after the initial time...even when locked in the safe!  

 

I can say I have pretty consistent issues when docked in Cozumel.  If I am up on the pool deck or the deck above, and I'm on the side of the ship facing another RCCL ship docked next to us, I sometimes get a stronger signal from an access point on the other ship.  Since a lot of Royal's ships use the same SSID, my device tries to connect to the stronger signal on the other ship (which doesn't recognize my credentials of course!)  I walk to the far side of back inside and I reconnect.  

On Radiance Class ships (including Serenade last Nov from FLL) I have always boarded and disembarked from deck 5 (open deck under the lifeboats).  At your port stops, you will leave and return to the ship from deck 2 or 1, depending on the particular port/pier, tide issues, docked/tendering, etc.

 

I take that back...In Seward Alaska we boarded Radiance directly into deck 4 next to the guest services desk, then in Vancouver we disembarked from deck 5.

 

No embark/disembark activity should have any effect on your cabin.  ;)

Always lots of light in general (safety and such), but everything forward of the bridge is usually dark to aid with night vision.  Even the cabins that face forward under the bridge are asked to keep their blinds pulled at night.  

 

Those other forward areas I mentioned will have some lighting for walking, but it is usually directed downward and won't interfere if you let your eyes adjust for 5-10 minutes.

 

Was on Serenade for 11 last Thanksgiving.  It was a great time!

Ok i see you are on Serenade.  The best spot on radiance class ships is usually the helipad, as there will be no light allowed that would distract from the bridge crew's visibility.  other than that, the smaller areas on 11, 12, or 13 forward wouydl be best.  The trick is to go as far forward then up as you can, then allow your eyes time to adjust.  

 

If you catch it right with no clouds, and no moon interfering, the view is indescribable!  

 

You won't be able to photograph much though... having a log exposure time to get starlight results in lines not dots!  (the ship is moving!)

Which ship?

Yes.  The website has the conversion benefits. (I don't recall at the moment).

 

remember though, while Celebrity will treat you as a certian level of theirs that is equal to your RCCL level, you will NOT get RCCL points for a Celebrity sailing. (and vise-versa)