Alaska short cruise

We're aboard the Radiance of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, and on our way to Ketchikan.  It's a short 4 day itinerary, just to give us a taste of Alaska.  It's my second cruise.

We have a balcony cabin; so nice to stand outside by the water :)

We departed Vancouver and sailed under the Lions Gate Bridge.  They have a Sail Away party on the top pool deck with entertainment.  Being a smaller ship, the bridge deck was so close and it was a view I'd never had before.  People on the bridge waved as us and we waived back, super fun!

On board, we explored the decks, the pool, the bars, the spa, the gym, the stores, the theatres and the restaurants.  On day 1, there are so many deals, limited time offers for drink and specialty dining packages.

Royal Caribbean publishes a daily Cruise Compass newsletter to let you know what's going on around the ship. This is great for planning which events you want to go to, as well as which parts of the ship to avoid!  Since it's me and a friend traveling, we were staying away from kids's zones.  We attended spa days, destination talks, got port info, and champagne art auctions.

They have My Time eating, which means you don't need a reservation at the dining room to sit and eat.  And Royal Caribbean is family oriented, with a rock climbing wall, mini golf, family pool but also an adults only pool.   There's a casino, dance lessons, a nightclub and this ship is outfitted with almost $8 million dollars of art pieces.  Starquest is a rotating bar in a nightclub.

Being on the cruise ship in September means it's end of the Alaska sailing season.  The retail stores have everything Alaska related on sale, including toques, plush toys, souvenirs and even liquor is really cheap.  But the Royal Caribbean souvenirs are still retail priced as well as the essentials, like gravol.

We lost cell coverage by the end of day 1, which was a blessing, so we could just enjoy the ship and each other's company.

On day 3, we arrived at Ketchikan, our 1 and only port.  It's a very small town.  You can buy tours on the ship or when you disembark.  We decided to do the later, but ended up thinking we could've just explored the city on our own.  We wanted to see wildlife, but didn't see any bears.  We have totem poles in Vancouver, so we skipped that portion of the city.

We saw colourful Creek St., the shops and restaurants.  Some people say that some stores are owned by the cruise lines but I was not able to confirm that.  Some local tour operators say that some business have foreign ownership and 'they' take a piece of the tourism pie during the cruising season and leave after.

We decided to hike Deer Mountain Trail in the Tongass National Forest.  We want to get to the top for the view, but never made it because it was longer than we thought and we started after lunch.  We kept seeing views to the port and thought we'd reached the top, but we weren't.  And we were keeping a close eye on the time to ensure we got back before the ship sailed away.

We had specialty dining at Samba Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse.  The meat was great, and too much to eat even.  But it was a great at the back of the ship and I saw 2 whales.   I heard people were seeing lots as we sailed.

There was a magic show, comedian, musical and Crazy Quest.  This quest is a signature Royal Caribbean game and for adults only!

In summary, this is a great option for a short round trip getaway from Vancouver where you can enjoy being disconnected from technology and being connected to friends and family.