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Alaska Cruise Review
updated: Jun 12, 2010, 9:00 AM

By Marc Liberts

I just returned from a 7-day cruise on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas to Alaska, and I am pleased to report that we had a great trip. If you are considering going to Alaska, a cruise is a great way to see the 49th state in comfort and style.

This was my first attempt at organizing a family cruise, and it was quite a bit of work to get all the reservations done successfully. My wife and I were joined by my sister, brother-in-law, and their 3 children, ages 7, 6, and 8 months. My parents, my brother-in-law's parents, and their adult disabled son also joined us. My wife and I did the cruise reservations, and everyone was responsible for getting to Seattle where the cruise started and ended. Flying from Santa Barbara to Seattle has become a bit of a challenge, as there are very few direct flights. On the way up we connected in San Francisco. Unfortunately, our flight out of Santa Barbara was 2 hours late, and made our connection to Seattle with only 5 minutes to spare. A frequent traveler told me that he always connects through Los Angeles, as San Francisco can have frequent delays due to bad weather and fog.

Lesson learned: don't connect through San Francisco if possible.

We opted to fly to Seattle the night before the cruise departed so we could relax, get a good night's sleep, and start the trip refreshed. We also opted to book the hotel through the cruise line, and we received a free transfer from the hotel to the ship the morning of our departure. This turned out to be a good idea because once we gave our luggage to the cruise folks at the hotel, we didn't have to touch it again until it was delivered to our cabin later that afternoon. We arrived at the dock around noon, and we got through the check-in process in about 20 minutes, and were on-board and at the buffet shortly thereafter. My parents & sister arrived at the dock around 1:30 PM and it took them almost 90 minutes to get through the check-in process.

Lesson learned: get there as early as you can.

My wife and I have been on about 10 cruises of varying length and in cabins varying from inside to suites. Overall, we like to have a balcony, and we like suites, but have decided that the suites aren't worth the extra expense. For this trip, we opted for an ocean-view cabin without a suite. For the two of us, the cruise fare was approximately $1,800.00, which included the cabin and food. Last time we cruised to Alaska, we had a balcony room, and I very much missed having a balcony for the privacy and the fresh air. The cost for a balcony room for the 2 of us on this trip would have been about $3,000.00. Normally we would have done the balcony, but we wanted to be near the kids who had ocean-view cabins, and we were only 3 doors down from them. They had 2 adjoining cabins for the 5 of them. One of their cabins had 2 single beds and 2 bunk beds over the singles. The kids loved the bunk beds, so that was a great idea and mom & dad loved having their own room.

Lesson learned: get a balcony room if you can afford it.

The weather in Seattle was cloudy and crappy, as usual, but the seas were calm when we departed; and we had a very smooth 2-day cruise up to Juneau. During the first day at sea, the ship had lots of activities, and my sister checked her 3 kids into Rhapsody of the Sea's "Adventure Ocean" program for the 2 older kids. 'Adventure Ocean' is a camp that the cruise puts on for kids of various ages, generally available from 900AM - 900PM. The kids loved it and couldn't wait to go. They did lots of cool kid activities, and they met a bunch of little friends as well. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how well Royal Caribbean dealt with the kids. In addition, the kids loved the indoor pool. Not only was the camp great, they also catered to the kids' dietary whims, as possible. My 6-year-old nephew decided that he wouldn't eat anything but bacon and catsup for dinner. We let our waiter know, and starting on Day 2, every night when we arrived for dinner, there was a huge plate of hot bacon and catsup. Also, our waiters quickly figured out that the kids were crazy about their Shirley Temples, and both kids had Shirley Temples waiting for them at dinner when they arrived.

Lesson learned: cruises are great vacations for families.

Overall, the food was much better than I had expected, and I didn't have one bad meal. I wouldn't say that the food was great, but it was very good most of the time, and I had a variety of food including escargot, lobster, shrimp, filet mignon, NY steak, duck, and salmon. Rhapsody of the Seas is an older ship, and it does not have any specialty dining. Your only options on the ship for meals are: main dining room (where we ate most of our meals), buffet, or room service. The main dining room did offer a $15.00 filet mignon, which was excellent. The buffet was plentiful and good most of the time. Normally, my wife and I ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet and dinner in the main dining room. For this trip, it was easier to eat in the main dining room for all meals, and I discovered that I really enjoyed being served all my meals. The breakfast and lunch menus were good, and the food was equally good. When the buffets get busy, I don't like having to dodge 90 year-old cruisers wobbling around with a tray of hot soup. Also, finding a table at the buffet can be challenging during busy times.

Lesson learned: eat at the main dining room as much as possible.

As we learned, Alaska weather is totally unpredictable. On our last Alaska cruise, it was 45 degrees and raining most of the time. This time, when we arrived in Juneau, it was sunny and warmed up to almost 80 degrees. However, the weather can change rapidly, so you should layer and your outer-most layer should be waterproof. If you are blessed with clear skies, you will be blessed with the most awe-inspiring scenery you have ever seen in your life. I've traveled the world, and other than the Alps on a clear day and maybe Yosemite on a perfect day, the day-to-day scenery in Alaska is outstanding. While in Juneau, my wife and I booked a whale-watching excursion, which included a bus ride to the Mendenhall glacier for about $280.00 for the both of us. We saw many humpback whales and seals and the weather was perfect. My wife was disappointed because she wanted to see Orcas, but no such luck. We spotted quite a few bald eagles flying around as well. Honestly, the whales you see there are pretty much the same as you'd see on the Condor Express here at home. The scenery is certainly better, but if it's whales you want - do the Condor Express. The only negative was the amount of people on the boat - too many for my liking. The bus ride to the base of the Mendenhall Glacier was well worth it as well. The weather was perfect, and the glacier was beautiful. I would have liked to have had more time at the glacier to do some hiking, because there were some very cool hiking trails to explore, but we were limited to 1 hour - which was enough to walk to the scenic vista site to enjoy the view and take some pictures. If I had to do it again, I would book my own whale-watching trip on a smaller boat, and I would take a cab to the Mendenhall Glacier and do some hiking. The tour ended in Juneau where we opted to ride up the tram to the top of the mountain above Juneau. The total cost was about $60.00 for both of us. Although the price was high, the views up there were extraordinary, and they have a restaurant and a bald eagle for you to enjoy. Last time we were in Juneau, we did a helicopter flight up to the top of the Mendenhall Glacier, landed, and walked around a little and explored.

Lesson learned: in Juneau - do the helicopter flight or take a cab to the base of the Mendenhall Glacier and do some hiking. The tram is also worth doing.

The next stop was in Skagway - world renowned for being the hometown of Sarah Palin. Skagway is located in a narrow glaciated valley at the head of the Taiya Inlet, the north end of the Lynn Canal, which is the northernmost fjord on the Inside Passage on the south coast of Alaska. It is in the Alaska panhandle, 90 miles northwest of Juneau, Alaska's capital city. In Skagway, my sister and I purchased a helicopter excursion from Royal Caribbean for about $600.00 for us both to the Meade Glacier, which sits 5,000 feet above Skagway in the ice fields. From the ship, we were driven by bus to the heliport, and we watched a video on the way about helicopter safety. You have to disclose your weight so they can balance the helicopter. When I told them my weight, they didn't believe me, and I had to step on their scale for corroboration. Luckily I guessed right, and I was actually 3 pounds under what I guessed! They outfit you with a life vest and glacier booties to put over your footwear. Don't wear boots! Wear normal comfortable shoes! We took off and immediately climbed away from the harbor and up 5,000 feet into the mountains. The views along the way were mind-boggling. After about 20 minutes, we arrived at their camp on the Meade Glacier. They had a very nice and informative guide who discussed the glacier and took us on a walk on the glacier to see the crevasses, running melt water, and other glacial features. Then, on the flight back, we saw mountain goats before we landed. The pilots are experts and very well versed in the area. We enjoyed listening to him tell us about the weather, glaciers, and local flora and fauna. The FAA strictly regulates their flights, and overall I found it almost as comfortable as flying in an airplane, if not more comfortable and sedate.

After that tour was over, I ran over to the White Pass & Yukon narrow gauge railroad and was able to jump aboard their 3-hour tour, which starts at the harbor and goes all the way up to the top of the pass at about 3,000 feet, which is actually in British Columbia. The round trip fare was about $110.00 per person. They offered a 5-hour tour, which was driven by a steam locomotive and went beyond the top of the pass for about $175.00 per person, or the 3-hour tour, which is pulled by a normal diesel-electric locomotive. During the ride, guides provided a thoughtful and informative narrative of the sights and history of the railroad. And, the views and vistas and waterfalls were amazing. I also saw 2 mountain goats grazing. Going up, I was near the back of the 10 rail cars. Going down, the locomotive disconnects and reconnects on the other side, and I was near the front of the train. The diesel fumes were strong and bothered a number of the riders. If you go, pick a car in the middle to avoid the fumes. You gain nothing by being in the front or rear.

Lessons learned: do a helicopter tour and then jump on the 3-hour train tour and sit in the middle of the train.

The next day we cruised up the Tracy Arm Fjord and visited the Sawyer Glacier. I was up early when we entered the fjord, and enjoyed our transit from the promenade deck. However, it is really cold at 5:00AM in Alaska, so dress appropriately. As we transited up the narrow Tracy Arm Fjord, we passed a multitude of beautiful waterfalls, blue icebergs, bald eagles, and seals sleeping on the icebergs. Luckily, I have a camera with a long lens, and my wife just purchased a Nikon Coolpix P100 with a 26X optical zoom lens. We were both able to get good photos of the eagles and the seals as we cruised by. By 7:30AM, I caught my first glimpse of the glacier, and I went down to our cabins to wake everyone. Unfortunately, only my wife actually got up, and we were treated to a beautiful view of the Sawyer Glacier. By the time we got to the Sawyer Glacier, the weather had cleared and we had a perfect view of the glacier. The captain came on the intercom and announced that because of the beautiful weather, he was able to navigate the ship through the icebergs closer to the Sawyer Glacier than he had ever before in his 9 seasons of cruising Alaska! We then turned around and cruised back down the Tracy Arm Fjord and out into the Pacific Ocean.

Lesson Learned: dress warmly and bring a camera with a big lens!

After we left the Tracy Arm Fjord, we exited the inside passage and entered the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, within 6 hours, we had sailed right into a bad storm with gale-force winds. After dinner, the wave action and winds were so violent that the ship began to rock and roll quite a bit. About half of my family was knocked out with seasickness for the better part of the next day and a half, as we cruised through the storm. I had been taking Dramamine regularly, and I was fine. The nice part of the bad weather was the fact that about 75% of the cruisers didn't leave their cabins the next day! So, I had the ship to myself and really enjoyed it.

Lesson Learned: bring Dramamine or go to your doctor and get the seasickness patch. It can save you on a cruise.

Our last stop was Victoria, British Columbia. Some of our family went to Butchart Gardens and loved it. I took a bus into the city of Victoria, and walked around the downtown area. We walked to Chinatown, and we did some shopping. Victoria is very nice. When I was there previously, I did the Queen Anne Hotel's high tea and I've also been to the Butchart Gardens twice. I highly recommend both if you've never been.

The next morning, we were back in Seattle and our 7-day cruise was over. Overall, everyone had a great time. I always joke that you should go to Alaska now to see the glaciers before they melt, and with all the talk about global warming, I'm glad I went again. Bon voyage!