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Heading on a Royal Caribbean Alaska cruise in July on Explorer of the Seas and finding it impossible to book dinner, on ANY night/ANY time, at Chops Grill for 5 people. I've called Royal customer service multiple times and tried via the Cruise Planner and no luck. Even tried to do it for 6 people...still no luck. Saying not available - which seems very odd since we are 90 days out. I've never had issues before accommodating specialty restaurants...so find this exercise very frustrating. One option is to book a table for 3 and another table for 2 and then on sail away go to customer service get Chops to put us all together. This to me is a risk as we don't want to eat separately. Any thoughts/recommendations is much appreciated. Jeff

Alaska Southbound, Seward to Vancouver, June 2017 Celebrity Millennium Given the upcoming Royal Caribbean Blog Alaska Group Cruise, June 22, 2018 I decided to do this post-trip blog from my Alaska cruise six months ago plus Celebrity is in the Royal family. I’ve booked the upcoming Group Cruise through MEI Travel and I’m looking forward to returning to Alaska. Some of the ports are the same and this time I get to try excursions I could not on my previous trip. There are so many great excursions to pick from and next year I’ll get to try some of my alternate or backup excursions from last year. For years I had thought about but never booked an Alaskan cruise. The Caribbean always seemed so warm and sunny. Bikinis versus Parkas? Early in 2017 I asked myself why I hadn’t done Alaska and I decided this will be the year. I’m so glad I did. Now I ask myself why I waited so long to cruise to Alaska? Doh! If you are the type that doesn't like booking the Caribbean during hurricane season, Alaska is the perfect solution for a summer cruise. As I researched it I learned there are two primary types of Alaska cruises. There are round trip cruises from ports like Seattle or Vancouver, or one-way Northbound or Southbound itineraries. One of the glaciers I wanted to see was Hubbard Glacier. This destination is pretty Northerly as glaciers go and very few round trip itineraries include Hubbard - the distances are too great. Alaska is big. The few round trip cruises that do make it that far North did not have some ports or time in port that appealed to me. I had started to look at Seattle departures because its very easy to fly to Seattle round trip versus the burden of planning a multi-city type flight to or from Anchorage with an international flight involving Vancouver. It takes a little more work to plan a one-way North or South itinerary but for the itinerary I wanted I ended up doing the extra work at a slightly higher cost. As I focused in on the one way cruises I narrowed it down to Radiance of the Seas or Celebrity Millennium. I had never sailed with Celebrity and I had always heard great things so ‘Millie’ won and I booked a Southbound cruise in the June date range I was looking for. Seven nights originating in Seward, AK. Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Straight Point, Ketchikan, Inside Passage, ending in Vancouver. I found it cheaper to book airfare as two distinct one-way trips. Fly into Anchorage, fly out of Vancouver. I had originally booked this cruise with someone I’ve cruised with a couple of times. She is my dive buddy and we had just cruised on Allure the week before this cruise. Unfortunately at the last minute she couldn’t make it due to a family situation. I would have to do this cruise solo. Originally booked in Aqua class some last minute suite guarantees opened up so I upgraded a few months before we were to sail. A few words about the Royal Caribbean Blog Alaska Group Cruise The itinerary for the Explorer of the Seas is pretty ideal, otherwise I wouldn't have booked it. June 22, 2018 Seattle round trip - Sea day, cruising the Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, cruising Tracy Arm Fjord, sea day, Victoria BC, back to Seattle. When looking at Alaska cruises you need to pay attention to arrival and departure times at each port. Cruise ships are almost exclusively foreign flagged. In the U.S. the Jones Act passed by congress in 1920 and the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1888 requires an international port of call for foreign flagged ship itineraries and for Alaska cruises that means stopping in Canada. What sets itineraries apart is when the ship calls on each port. Many other cruise lines have awkwardly timed stops in an effort to maximize time in Alaska but also satisfying the PVSA and the Jones Act. Sometimes they'll include an extra port but you have a relatively short time in that port. To experience Alaska you need to get out of the port area and see Alaska. Many other cruise lines stop in Canada with times like 6pm to 10pm. That's right at dinner time, local businesses are closing, it's getting dark and it's only 4 hours. While it satisfies the Jones Act it doesn't satisfy cruisers and you'll see many negative reviews resulting from it. This never fails to amaze me - people book a cruise with advertised time in port then they complain when the cruise line delivers exactly what they purchased. Not so on the Explorer of the Seas itinerary. No stop has less than 9 hours in port and they are all in daylight hours. Do an excursion, come back for a meal, go do something else. Lots of time. In the posts that follow you'll see the excursions I chose. Excursions are important in Alaska. To experience Alaska you need to get out out of the port and see Alaska. You don't have to do expensive excursions to experience Alaska and really enjoy it but if your budget affords it there are some outstanding excursions in Alaska.

We have 3 days post tour through RCI: 1. Seward, Anchorage, Alyeska, & Telkeetna, 2. Telkeetna and Denali 3. Denali, Talkeetna, & Anchorage 4. Anchorage then Fly Home. My question what stops do we do at all these places and how long are we there? What type of overnight accommodations to we get? As far as food goes, what options/places can we get to? I know we are on our own as far as food goes, but I'm not sure about just what/where that we can choose from.

We have 3 days post cruise. I know there are some tours listed; however, there is nothing listed at Talkeetna. Will we be there long enough to do anything? Here is the schedule (shows dates but not times): 20 Jul - Coach Transfer, Seward to Anchorage 20 Jul - Alaska Wild Life Center 20 Jul - Coach Transfer, Anchorage to Talkeetna 20 Jul - Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge 21 Jul - Coach Transfer, Talkeetna to Denali 21 Jul - Denali Natural History Tour 21 Jul - Denali Park Village 22 Jul - Coach Transfer, Talkeetna to Anchorage 22 Jul - Anchorage Marriott 23 Jul - Transfer to Anchorage Airport I'm not sure how long the travel times are, so I am looking for some info from ones who have done this already. I realize we eat on our own, so I am hoping there are plenty of foodie places to pick from. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

We are trying to decide on our excursions. My TA told me that they sell out fast and not to wait too long. We don't cruise until July 13 2018. My question is, do we need to hurry up and make our minds up or what? Also, we will be flying into Vancouver the day before so any suggestions on hotels fairly close to port would be most appreciated. I looked at some but was a bit overwhelmed with trains and luggage and everything else...

Hello, and thank you for reading. My parents are traveling to Alaska on the Explorer of the Seas over their 40th Anniversary. This is special not only because it's 40 years, but they have never taken a cruise as a couple and never been to Alaska (or Seattle!). Their three sons have created a photo album book that we would very much like for them to open on the cruise ship during their vacation, however, Royal WILL NOT allow us to ship them anything, and will not assist in getting it on the boat for us. My Ask; I'm looking for someone traveling on this same ship to deliver the album to my parents. We can ship the book anywhere in the US, but really haven't much time. If you are going on the Explorer of the Seas to Alaska on July 28th - 16 days - please reply with your contact info, or send me a direct message if you'd be willing to deliver this book to my parents. Sincerely, Their 1st born.

Since I used this board extensively prior to my recent Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska on Explorer of the Seas on June 30th (and gained valuable insights from Matt's podcasts), I thought I'd share my experience with future cruisers. I traveled with my 15 year old son, so my perspective is a little different since I wasn't with my wife or a big group. All in all, we had a good vacation, but it wasn't a great vacation. We flew into Seattle the day of the cruise (this is really easy if you live on the west coast) and used the cruise shuttle at the airport. I didn't have a reservation and intended to take Uber, but everyone must have had the same idea because the Uber charge quickly escalated to over $100 by the time our luggage came off the plane. The shuttle was only $27 per person and allowed bags to be dropped off right to our room. They were pretagged and this made things very easy. Our cabin was a balcony cabin on the 9th floor on the hub near the elevators. I loved the convenience of the location and we never heard anyone in the hallways. Check in was easy and we headed up to the Wind Jammer to have lunch. Exploring the ship that day was an awesome experience and the excitement of our fellow passengers on the decks at sail away was contagious. The sun was out and the weather was warm. Kids (there were a lot of them on this particular cruise) were swimming in the pools and adults were enjoying drinks at the bars. Unfortunately, this was to be the last day of warmth and sunshine that we would experience until we arrived in Victoria 6 days later. At this point, I'd like to mention that I thought the food was very good everywhere we ate (except at Johnny Rockets where the burgers were just ok and not worth an extra charge). We had My Time Dining and, being a party of 2, could usually get seated at anytime without a wait. Lobster night in the MDR was a highlight. We had breakfast at the Wind Jammer every morning and the hot tip is to go to the omelet bar to have your eggs made fresh. I sometimes just had a scramble made with ham...you didn't need to order an omelet per se. If you are traveling with kids who are picky eaters (like my son), they will have tons of options for food. The negatives of this cruise were related to the weather. After sail away, the weather became chilly, rainy and (unfortunately) foggy for the entire time we were in Alaska. I couldn't take a decent picture and never saw any wild life in the ocean or on shore. The supposed beautiful scenery the Alaska is famous for, was hidden by low clouds and fog. I recalled listening to Matt's podcast with Stephanie Miller (travel agent) about Alaska and she made the comment "be flexible" when it comes to your tours. I couldn't agree more! Our helicopter trip to the glacier in Juneau was cancelled (we took a bus to Mendenhall Glacier instead...easy to do last minute, by the way) and the ship couldn't enter Tracey Arm Fjord so we basically just floated around the entrance and viewed small ice chunks in a foggy bay. In Skagway we chose not to do the train because I really wanted my son to get some physical activity at this point. We did a hike/float trip that was "OK", but it was chilly, very windy in town, and on the hike, and we still didn't see even an eagle! The next two days were spent on ship with little to do due to weather. Because of rain and wind, you really couldn't spend time on the outside decks. RC did keep one pool open, as well as the jaccuzi's, but they got little use due to the temperatures on deck. The rock climbing wall, flow rider and even the mini golf were all closed most of the time. That kept you in the inner decks of the ship and I felt that this was too much time to not get a little physical activity. Ice skating was crowded and had limited openings, the gym was packed since there weren't a lot of other options and the shows were just "OK", with the exception of the ice skating show which was outstanding. When we finally got off in Victoria, the sun was out again. We rented bikes near the dock (my son wasn't so interested in visiting gardens) and rode around for 6 hours. Ironically, the port that I was least looking forward to ended up being our favorite because we could finally enjoy some nice weather. We kept our luggage the last night and were able to self-depart the ship without any issues, in very little time, and had quite a few Ubers available to take us back to a hotel in Seattle that we reserved for the final night of our vacation. Here are a few random thoughts: The ultimate drink package turned out to be an excellent value, especially since you tend to be on the ship more on this particular cruise. I got my money's worth with a cocktail or two, several beers and a cappuccino every day. I also used it for bottled waters for both my son and I (though I know you really aren't supposed to share the benefits with another person). I like IPA's and RC is really lacking on this trend, but they did feature Alaska Brewery beers that included some delicious craft beers. The casinos were pretty busy, and smokey, but the dealers were really nice and the table limits were reasonable ($5 craps), if you like to gamble. As other bloggers have reported, the ship never seemed crowded! I don't know how this was possible, considering we were pretty much stuck inside for a good portion of the cruise. The internet was spotty while in Alaska so don't expect to download a book, or even check email, for half of the time you are out at sea. The teen club didn't appeal to my son, but the arcade room was popular. It added up, though, to around $100 at the end of the cruise. I allowed him charging privileges on my credit card so he could play games and have an occasional soda. The extra money spent for a balcony cabin turned out to be a waste since the rain/fog didn't allow us to use it even once on our cruise. I think RC did as good of a job as they could have with keeping passengers entertained (games, lounge singers, bingo...), but this round trip cruise had too many sea days for my taste. I think, in retrospect, a one way north or south cruise may be a better option because it has an extra port and fewer sea days, but I did like the convenience of flying in and out of Seattle. I hope this is helpful to anyone going on Explorer to Alaska this summer and I hope the weather is awesome!

It's actually my parents that are traveling to Alaska on the Explorer of the Seas over their 40th Anniversary. This is special not only because it's 40 years, but they have never taken a cruise as a couple and never been to Alaska (or Seattle!). Their three sons have created a photo album book that we would very much like for them to open on the cruise ship during their vacation, however, Royal WILL NOT allow us to ship them anything, and will not assist in getting it on the boat for us. My Ask; I'm looking for someone traveling on this same ship to deliver the album to my parents. We can ship the book anywhere in the US, but really haven't much time. If you are going on the Explorer of the Seas to Alaska on July 28th - 16 days - please reply with your contact info, or send me a direct message if you'd be willing to deliver this book to my parents.

Seems strange, best rc cruise is not in the caribbean. Out of our 7 RC cruises (5 caribbean & 1 New England), Alaska cruise with the land tour combo has been the best. The land tour guide and accommodations were superior, the Radiance was average (really no complaints, just showing age), Radiance crew superior, ports of call - great, and 2 special sights (full breach whales and Alyeska Resort Summit ). What criteria do you use to evalate your best cruise? Lets remove the "personal events" as a criteria (honeymoon, anniversary, b-day). Thoughts?

My family will be cruising on the Inner passage on June 24th. We will be bringing our boys, ages 9 & 11. Can anyone offer packing advice? I feel like the packing lists I'm finding are too general. I don't know if we should bring winter gear or not. What about footwear for shore excursions (hiking or rain boots)? Will we need shorts at all? Will it be warm enough to swim? Any general advise for a first time cruise with kids?

On our summer cruise to Alaska, we are stopping in Victoria, BC. We are there all day and we are really struggling with what to do there??? we were considering the hop on/hop off bus but it got awful reviews. we are already doing whale watching. any suggestions?? who has been there, what do you recommend seeing?? (and we will have kids with us, so things like walking thru gardens are probably not very appealing). this port is a real struggle !! thanks in advance.

I will be taking a cruise next May to Alaska on Explorer of the seas, does anyone know if there are pools/hot tubs indoors or that are covered? Im guessing it will be too cold to use the outside pools. Thanks!

Any other Royal Caribbean Blog followers on this cruise to Alaska in May?

Hi all. I'm planning on treating my favorite aunt to an Alaska cruise in May 2017. As I'd like to book the cruise as early as possible, I'd like to know when Royal Caribbean will announce their Alaska cruise schedule for 2017. When do they usually announce their Alaska cruises for the following year?

Did anyone know about the "FreeKids Alaska" promotion? I just received my invoice from my TA and it shows reduction of my son's fare under a "FreeKids Alaska" promotion. It may be available on the website, by I never saw reference to this until I saw the invoice.