Hi everyone,

Well I arrived home a couple of hours ago and am waiting for the pizza delivery so we can eat. Unpacking will wait till tomorrow till I'm less tired.
I'm not sure how I should write, so I'll start with the plane flights going and coming. My ears popped and I must say ear planes work well. Actually were better going to Vancouver than coming home, but they are not blocked so I'm happy. I did feel them, but the ear planes helped a lot and hubby feels the same way. First class was fine, had a slightly bigger plane coming home.

Vancouver - is a beautiful city. one night pre-cruise and I didn't do much except stay at the hotel since it was raining.

Post cruise stayed two nights, all 3 nights at the Pan Pacific, and this is wonderful right on top of the cruise ship terminal, bellman carried luggage to the drop off place for Radisson and we had a beautiful very large corner room. Service and food at the hotel and the bar is great. Enjoyed touring and shopping in Vancouver post cruise. We took a trolly the first day (arrival day) which hubby didn't like but we got an overview and the next day the hotel booked a private tour for us which hubby requested which was great. Anyone visiting, if you like animals, I highly recommend the Aquarium in Vancouver.

Now for the ship. The spa was fine, and the staff at the spa great except for the hairdresser didn't like her.

The staff of the ship was great, Social Hostess Lindsey is a truely lovely young lady and her husband who works on the ship also. Gary the Asst tour director is wonderful.

We were invited to sit at the Captains Table and he is a very nice man. Captain Philippe and we conversed a bit in frech as well when we went to his quarters for drinks.

The night we were in his quarters it was very rough sailing and he was surprised that we were ok.

I didn't interact with many staff much. The Maitre D' at Signatures was happy that we could speak to him in french and the lady server as well although she wanted to practice english so she was happy that we spoke to her in french and she could reply in english for practice.

The caviar bar was wonderful. We went up there 3 or 4 nights and enjoyed the caviar (not complimentary but very resonably priced) and the guy in charge was swell.

As I say the staff was really nice and I had little interaction with most of them other than the necessities.

Room service breakfast every day and it was fine, a bit on the cold side but fine. All room service was fine.

We did not care for Compass Rose for several reasons, dinner took way too long for us, the food was ok, I was not overly impressed with the food. I rarely ate desert but hubby said most of the deserts were good. Signatures, same thing, food was ok, but I didn't find it outstanding, except hubby said his desert was really good.

Had the "high tea" scones once and they were good.

Did not bother eating at Lattitudes at all.

Hubby liked the one stir fry lunch on the ship, we had a total of 6 suppers, 4 lunches and 7 breakfasts. Lunch was ok, don't like buffets. One high tea, the best part was the caviar bar before dinner with cockatils in the Observation Lounge.
Ate at La Verandah for supper the last night which was actually better than Compass Rose in my opinion.

On to the fellow passengers. I met a lovely couple (2 men) and they were just fantastic. They chatted briefly but did not invade your space or whine. They were one of the nicest people I met. They agreed that dinner was way to long and took most of their meals in their suite.

Another lovely coupe was from Arizona. Husband is going through chemo for the 5th time with cancer, but they were so nice, just the sweetest people.

Another couple who we ate with at the Captain's table was very nice that we met that one evening. He was so sea sick that he had to get off in Sitka with his wife and fly home as he had heart surgery and from his vomiting his stiches were opening up and they had to leave. The wife's mother stayed on the ship and she told me the story as she ate with us on the Captain's table as well, she was very nice as well.

After that I met a few nice people, but basically I thought a lot of the people were down right rude and very whiny to me. I seemed to be a magnet for the whinners. One woman could not stop complaing that she coud not eat at Signatures and Lattidudes more than once. They asked to join us for dinner the first night and she sent almost all her food back including the ice cream saying it was either not hot, not cooked properly and that the ice cream was not good.

Between the two of them that night we basically hubby and I ate the same things as they did and we saw nothing wrong with the food, that actually was one of the better meals I had on the ship.

We did not get sea sick even thought the weather was quite rough on a few nights, but I occasionally still feel like I'm on the ship.
We also were able to get a galley tour and hubby took the bridge tour.

We went to almost no shipboard entertainment except for the pre dinner music in the caivar bar and one the last night we saw the Krew Kapers which was great, they all put on a great show and then after dinner we went to listen to the duo that was signing so we could have a dance.

Overall I give it the following ratings on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the top).

Spa Staff (except for hairdresser) 10
manucurist wasn't the best, but she did her best so I still give her a 10
Senior officers 10
All other crew personenl 10
Food 5
wine served with meals 10
cheese and baguette 10
breads 10
deserts (according to hubby I only had 2) 9
Drinks in bars - 10(we drank very little in the room and I gave all my booze to the stewardess)
Room service 8

I doubt I would rush for a cruise again. As I said, I had very little expectations and while the ship was fantastic, hubby and I are not big on cruise life.
I'm probably the only one who got off the ship with pants looser than when I got on.

Overall the trip was fantastic, Alaska is beautiful and amazing. Terry Breen (sp?) did a fantastic job narrating, absolutely fantastic.

What I was most disappoitned with was the behavior of some of the fellow passengers, came as a surprise to me and the length of the dinner meals, hubby really was not happy with 2 - 3 hours for dinners.

I had my dream trip of my life.

Thanks to everyone here for all your help and support and advice. It really is most appreciated.

I wrote an honest review from our point of view. I need to clarify that, I am not complaining about the food or anything, just wrote an honest opinion on stuff.

TO anyone leaving on vacation I wish you safe, happy and healthy travels.
Jean

Mrs. Moose, I am glad you had a nice time! I am surprised that the rough seas did not bother you more.
As for 2 or 3 hour dinners, I LOVE those long dinners!!

Hi Jean!

I'm so glad you didn't have major problems with your ears on the plane, I know you were concerned about that.

Yes, The dinners can take a while, depending how many courses you order. But I ususally don't mind as long as the wine keeps flowing and the company is good.

Thank you for the review. I haven't been on Mariner yet.

Caviar Bar? With all sorts of caviar from all over the world? Do they have room service? Is it open for breakfast? Do all Radisson ships have one?

I'm sorry you didn't get to interact with the staff more. In my experiences a fun group of people. I have found they can really make a cruise even more enjoyable.
Glad to hear about the Pan Pacific. Hoping to stay there next summer.

Thanks for your post, Mrs. Moose. Welcome home.

We, too, really enjoyed staying at Pan Pacific prior to our cruise to Alaska.

Thank you Karen, yes that was a major concern of mine.
No the rough seas did not bother me at all, the captain was surprised, but as I said, I expected it to rock and roll it's a ship. He said, it was exceptionally rough 2 of the nights.

The caviar bar was russian caviar and american caviar, Yes, they have room service 24/7 and you can order the caviar to the room as well but it was so nice to have it in the observation lounge. I think it was from 6 - 7:30 (not complimentary). Don't know about the others, this was my first cruise

The staff was fantastic from the ones I briefly talked to to the ones I had dealings with.

I did tip my room stewardess extra as well as one bartender and the room service guy on the last day. I felt they deserved extra tips, and they were so happy and thankful to receive them.

Yes, the Pan Pacific is a great hotel, and very comfortable and accomodating. It's very close to downtown and shops and nice restos.

I had 2 courses most nights and hubby had 3 (deserst that I didn't have). It's just long for us as 2 hours is usually our max and after a long day at port 2 hours was very very long for us. Hubby really does not enjoy those long dragged out dinners.

What we didn't like was the short times in port. We would have liked it if we would have had overnights in ports so we could have spent more time in Alaska.

I don't know for what I could have interacted more with the staff we really didn't participate in any shipboard games/life with the exception of the show on the last day.

They were there if we needed them on the few occasions and were fantastic.

The staff was great.

What I can say is that a lot of people didn't realize that the spa gratuities were not included. I knew this from previous spa/resort travel, the spa is seperately owned and run (not by Raddison)and I think Radisson should make that clear but for me it was not a problem personally.

Also from what I observed and overhead a couple of times, in the daily paper, it was not clear that the caviar bar was not "complimentary" and a lot of people were grumbling on the elevators that they assumed it was as it was not clear.

Again not a problem for me as I knew it would be a charge from past resort experience in similar situations but it seemed to be a problem for quite a few people.

Thanks for taking the time to write a review, Mrs. Moose. I appreciate your honesty. We have always enjoyed the food in Compass Rose. Like Maria, with the wine flowing, long meals can be fun, especially if you sit with interesting people. Sounds like you had some difficult passengers on your cruise. One of the things I like best about cruising is meeting new people. Looking forward to doing just that in November. I am glad you still consider this your dream trip of a lifetime. Hope there is another dream trip in your future.

Jean, did you always eat with other passengers or did you sit at a table for 2? If you like your dinners speedy, the smaller the table, the faster you are done :)

Well the first night we sat with another couple, they asked to sit with us and not wanting to be rude we said ok. The next night we ate at the captain's table and that was fine and the last night we sat with a lovely couple who kept to themselves most of the cruise but asked us to join them when they heard the matire d' say there was a 40 min wait for a table for 2. That was a speedy dinner at only 2 hours in La Veranda (sp?).

There was one couple, the wife was a nice lady, but the husband was downright rude to her in front of us. I felt so bad for her.

The two men (couple), were wonderful and just what I thought most people would be like.

We really didn't want to eat with anyone. We were tired from shore visits and a quick meal would have been more enjoyable for us.

As I said, this was an honest review from our point of view.

Would I have known the length of the dinners, I most likely would have opted for a larger room and taken most of my meals in my room.

THe lovely older couple we ate with the last night felt the same as I did, while the room is a good size and fine for breakfast room service, for supper, it is a bit tight. We didn't have room service at night, but they did and they said they had to wait 2 hours and call 2x to get the "set up" removed so they could not go to sleep and felt it was really tight with the setup in the room.

My hubby and I didn't really want to interact with other passengers other than to perhaps briefly chat.

Of course there were loads of passengers we did not talk to and that was fine.

What did surprise me was the last day at sea (disemark the next day), they did a chocolate high tea. I never saw such a push and shove in an upscale setting in my life. I didn't even venture over to the chocolate table only wanting a scone which was on another table and pretty empty but hubby went over to try to get a piece of chocolate cake and he got shoved around so much he said. It was really a zoo.

I forgot to mention that we did book a shore excurision (group type tour) independtly since Radisson didn't offer this in Juneau, after the private tour. It was gold panning/salmon bake.

The people were all from a Carnival ship (small group about 20 in total). This was nice (you could see the difference in PAX but it was a nice tour and the food was fantastic at the salmon bake and quick.

Again please understand that what I write, I write as a personal observation.

I think for us, the food was the least of what we wanted to experience and while the service was great and I can't say the food was bad, it's just to much for us.

What I think would have been fantastic and maybe it was available and we just didn't know would have been if they would have offered the room service menu at one of the bars.

A steak sandwich in the bar would have been a great dinner for me and thrown in a small desert after that for the hubby and we would have been very happy and satisfied.

One gentleman who we met briefly at the Pan Pacific made a similar comment to us on the ship. He felt the dinners were to long and to much, and he said this when he overheard hubby and I talking and said, he would have been more than happy with a soup and salad at the bar in the evening.

But again, this is just us.

Jean, thanks for your review. I am glad you had a good time and that you enjoyed Alaska so much.

Cruising definitely isn't for everyone. My husband and I really enjoy lingering over dinner, whether with others or on our own. That's just what we like. Your idea of offering the room service menu at one of the bars is a great one, I think, for those who prefer a quick nibble and off to bed to rest up for an early excursion the next day.

Thank you again for letting us know how your trip went.

Jean - glad to hear that overall things went well. Especially glad to hear that your ears did ok! Thanks for the review!

Masaki

Mrs. Moose ,

Glad the trip was better than expected. We too like the long relaxed dinners with wine. But I could see a bar menu for dinner and it could be a lot of fun. After days on end, the restaurants dining can get tiresome.

In any case, thank you for telling it as you see it. Welcome Home.

Jean, do you have any pictures from the trip you could share with us?

Jean,
Yes, we'd like to see photos!
Thanks for your review. Glad your cruise, overall, was enjoyable.

Betty

Karen, I'm with you.......some of our most fun, memorable dinners have been the loooong ones where you are having such a good time and so much laughter that you almost hate to leave the table! I also think it really adds to the entire cruise experience when you get to know the staff and the interaction.

As for the tipping Mrs. Moose, I'm a bit sorry to hear that you tipped especially on a one week cruise. Of course I know it's a very personal thing and we each do what is right for us but I really do think the "Gratuities included" should be just that, especially on a one week cruise. This is just my opinion.

I'm thankful the seas were calm for you as I know this was a concern for you. That's good news!

Mrs. Moose, cruise travel is one way to visit countries and cities. But not to take advantage of all of the good things and amenities of a cruise, especially on a luxury cruise line, is perhaps somewhat of a waste. Meeting fellow passengers, talking to staff, spending a little time with locals ashore, is only a fraction of the pleasures of cruising.
Having gourmet meals , properly prepared and served is usually an experience not always available at home. We have met passengers who just want to be left alone and never join activities or even shore excursions. Such a waste, BUT, chacun a son gout.
Try cruising, again, Mrs. Moose. Although I am a young 79 I learn something every day, and from people i meet for the first time. Try some of the day's activities which are available. I sometimes curl up with a book on the observation deck and "don't bother me !!) But to keep to oneself is to miss one of the pleasures of cruising.
Perhaps I have misinterpreted your review. Pardon the pun, and my British humour, but for your first cruise I rather suspect that you have "missed the boat !!!)

Hi everyone,
Thank you Masaki, yes, my ears were ok, thank the Gods and Goddesses and the powers that be. It was a big concern.

Yes, hubby took over 1,000 pics with his digital and I will ask him when he has them all sorted to post some if I know where and how to do it (well he will have to do it, but I'll tell him to post some photos for sure).

As for cruise life, I think this is the problem for us. We really didn't want much interaction other than perhaps a small chat with people about their shore excursions and Alaska.

We did chat with staff whenever possible and they were absolutely fantastic. Hubby and I both think the service on the Mariner was above and beyond excellent way past a 10.
I got to know a few and a little about them. Since we were not around the ship much it was hard to chat with a lot of the staff.

My hubby was absolutey miserable with the long dinners. It's just not our style I guess. With clients 2 hours is about the limit, and even when we go to a gourmet restaurant, top of the line, we are usually done in max of 1-1/2 hour.

Hubby and I really went on this cruise for Alaska. We really had very little interest in ship board life. It was a means to get us to Alaska and the Tracy Arm. One couple who asked us to join them the last night were wondeful, they too, kept mostly to themselves, knowing that the husband has to start chemo again this coming monday. They were the most delightful people and it was a joy to share a meal with them, but they too were not into long dinners and we were through in 2 hours which they were happy about as the husband tires easily.

The other couple 2 gentlemen from California, rarely spent any time with fellow PAX, they were a delight to talk to, they were so well travelled and had done many cruises on Radisson and Crystal and the Queen E. Hearing their travel experiences was a joy and a pleasure to chat with them over a drink, but they too enjoyed the pleasure of their own company and said they enjoy room service with their butler several evenings and the other evenings refused to dine with fellow PAX preferring like us to dine just the two of us.

The 2 couples both traveling with a parent on the captain's table were a lovely to talk to and they too with this exception preferrred to dine alone as I saw them always eating "alone".

We met another couple (2 younger guys) in the caviar bar and enjoyed chatting about caviar as they loved the stuff as much as I do and comparing the differences and talking about Alaska.

But the long dinners after a long day on a shore excurison was just too much and we were really not up to being social and interacting much.

The two older gentlemen from Calif said that Radisson was the best cruise line and from what I could see (even though it was our first cruise), I don't think I would venture on any other line. I think the service was fantastic, the staff great (except for the hairdresser but she is not employed by Radisson).

The food was good, I can't say it was bad, we were just not impressed with it, that I would say it "stands out", hubby thought the deserts were excellent and was impressed with them, and the 2 that I had were very good. Laundry service was fantastic, everyone of the staff could not have been nicer.

Hubby felt a lot of the PAX were quite rude and nasty, something that came as a bit of a shock to us but that didn't spoil our cruise or experience.

As I said before I left, if my ears don't bother me, I can make my phone calls, and I put my two feet on Alaskan soil, I'll be over the moon and I was.

As for cruising, I've decided that if I have to fly to get to the cruise, I won't do it. If I can get to a destination by cruise ship and no need to fly, then I will cruise, but it will be one or the other. The cruise would be a way to get from point A to point B without flying i.e., transatlantic crossing to europe.

The seas were quite rough for 3 or 4 nights according to the Captain. So much so that many people were sick and I was asked over and over if I'm sick and how I'm feeling. I really felt nothing other than the rocking and rolling, and my comment was always the same, "it's a ship, it's gonna rock and roll". The Captain thought this funny that I should not be complaining about the rough seas and expected it to "rock and roll".


To Nevilboy, perhaps we did "miss the boat", perhaps not, I think it's all a matter of what people want and expect. I had really no expectations so therefore I was not disappointed with the exception of the rudeness and the whining. I really didn't care to sit and hear all the whining over a 3-1/2 - 4 hour dinner, especially on our first night. To be pushed and shoved at the buffet lunch, came as somewhat of a shock. I really hate buffets.

I understand what y'all are saying about the pleasure of cruising, and I can fully understand why Neviboy feels we "missed the boat" good one Neviboy, love it, but for us we don't think we did. All we wanted was to be first ones off the ship to be in Alaska as much as possible. The rest of the time, yes, we basically wanted to be left alone.

A vacation is many things to many people, as one said, to each his own taste.

To stay on the ship and take part in shipboard activities would have defeated my purpose of this trip. I would never had gone for that part of the trip, it was there and just not our cup of tea.

I don't consider my trip a waste on the contrary, I got to experience something new (cruise life), I got my dream trip of my lifetime, I went to Alaska, I spent quality time with the hubby, met local and native Alaskans, and overall my trip was a huge success.

We did manage to have a couple of dances the last night and that was pleasant, but the place was practically empty.

To the people here who say that the bars are empty, I think you are right, they are busy before dinner with the canapes, and the busiest bar from what I could tell was the observation deck bar where the caviar was, but that was pre-dinner. I only went to one bar twice after dinner the last two nights and they were quite empty maybe 6 - 8 couples, and we were happy, had our dances (1 the one night) and 2 the second night, and we gone by 10:30.

I think it's great if people love to linger, as someone here said, to each his own taste, and yes I agree, and I'm not complaining, I just gave my opinion on how it was for us. I think it's great if people can enjoy cruise life and the long dinners.

The wines that were served with dinners, were excellent. We used to belong to a wine club here and we knew many of what was served and they were excellent, I was pleasantly surprised as I didn't think they would serve such nice wines complementary. But a glass or two with dinner and 2 pre-dinner cocktails was more than enough for us. I did enjoy a glass of porto with my cheese plate one evening (instead of desert) as I didn't eat much of the main course.

Hubby had the lamb in Signatures and while he said it was good, he said, he preferred my rack of lamb which to me was quite a compliment since I don't consider myself a great cook.

The lovely french girl in Signatures who served us, was great as hubby asked her to "rush it through" as he was so miserable with yet another 3 hours meal so we were finished in 2 hours.

Hubby's big complaint was not enough shore time.

If anyone is going and has not yet been to Vancouver, I highly recommend spending a couple of days or longer if possible. Vancouver is a lovely city. The food was wonderful, to us better than cruise ship food, the Pan Pacific Hotel, could not have asked for a better hotel for service and room layout. I guess I'm just not a cruise life gal, while I loved Alaska more than Vancouver, I would go live in Sitka or Juneau in a heartbeat, the hotel in Vancouver and restaurants and style of dining was way more to what I like. I guess I had the best of both, a bit of this and a bit of that.

Neviboy, you are so right, and I may give cruising another try, I would cruise to Bermuda from NY or do a transatlantic crossing, those I can see (no flying involved).

I would definitely choose Radisson again, would not even look at another line at this point.

I guess when all is said and done, I think the problem for us was we were there for Alaska and not cruise life, I did enjoy the spa on sea days (2) and the one show the Krew Kapers, was fantastic as was the pre-dinner live music with cocktails (something we enjoy very much when it's available here or in our travels).

I think if they would have had some of the "games" during the cocktail hour we would have most definitely taken part for fun, but would not miss shore time for it and am not complaining in the least.

As a final note on tipping, spa gratuities are not included. As for tipping a little extra, I had to, I would not have left the ship feeling good had I not given a little extra to my stewardess, hubby and I discussed it, and he felt it was absoultely necessary as it was to the room service guy and the one bartender. As Petlover said, it's a very personal thing and I had to.

What I was happy to see, was Radisson collected money for the people in New Orleans and the Captain had a min of silence as well. I felt really good about this, I was on a luxury trip with so much excess and over indudlgence and those poor people (I lived there for 18 months) going through a living hell. Air Canada also had a collection on the flight home which pleased me.
Amex Platin party was in the Stars nightclub if I remember and we did not go. We were sleeping, lol so can't comment on it.

I will ask hubby to post pictures if y'all will tell me how to do it.

I will post the tour ops we used as I find the info. But I think the lady/gentleman who are travel agents here, will be able to find the ops I used if I give the names/locations and make the arrangements for you.

Your candor is so welcome and refreshing. You are being very sincere in your comments and impressions. We all have our preferences, likes and dislikes. Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts to share with us.

I am very happy to hear Alaska was all you had hoped for and more. We loved Alaska and would go back again in an instant.

Jean,
If you would like a nice place to upload your cruise photos, you can go here.

You can sign in with the user name: cruise@yahoo.com and the password is cc

You can upload any of your cruise photos that you want and create an album for us to look at by clicking on the "upload" tab.

Thank you Karen, hubby says he will post as soon as they are sorted (which means in a couple of weeks at the earlist since he has to go back to work tomorrow). He took over 1,000 pics. I don't fool with his pics, but will keep nagging him to do it so eventually they will "be done".

Thanks so much for everything. I'll be around

Thank you for your comments and impressions, Mrs. Moose. Some of them have served as a good reminder--to me, at least--to keep in mind the individuality of tastes when "advising" new cruisers or people considering a particular line for the first time. "You will love it" is very different from "I love it." The long, leisurely dinners at an 8-person table are one of my favorite aspects of RSSC cruises. But some, like you, don't enjoy that. I'd never even thought about that aspect before. Just taken it for granted. And I usually opt for the port-intensive cruises, as I start to go stir-crazy in days at sea. Others here love the days at sea. And my last three cruises included docking for multiple days in one place, which I've found I love. That one day and you're off to the next place that you found a bit annoying also annoys me. Some places, one day is enough to sample it. But others deserve more time and a shot at the night life.

It seems as though Mrs. Moose wants to be alone on a cruise. And "chacun a son gout " as I stated before. But, please, counting the number of meals, etc. Really, we don't need a shopping trip and how to save pennies on a cruise. Sorry, karen, just had to get it off my chest.

Mrs. Moose, Was Lynsey's husband's name "John." Was he the assistant cruise director and very nice looking?

As far as the other cruisers, if you don't mind my asking, what was the average age in your opinion.

Can you recommend any particular tours?

I am very excited about the caviar bar. What were its hours of operation? Thanks for your honest review.

I'd like to hear more about the "rude" people too??? What happened?

Andi, I'm sure it is the same Lynsey and John that many of us have cruised with. They got married this past year. Nice, beautiful couple!

Yes, John and Lynsey and John was the Cruise Director on our 7/20 cruise.

Caviar bar, 6:00 - 7:30 PM, 1 oz. serving of Sevruga caviar and a non-premium cocktail, $35.

Thanks for the post Mrs. Moose. I don't recall a caviar bar when we were on Mariner..maybe that is new ( a very good thing too!).
We love long dinners, but sometimes they are a result of slow crew, not that you are having way too much fun with friends. So understand when things go way too long..but you are on a cruise and you don't have to wait for the bill so can always just leave any time you want.

P.S.
You mentioned that it rained ..what was the
approx. daily weather anyways? Really cold, not too cold?
Clothing wise...curious..

Ok I'll try to answer all your questions as best I can. But first to Neviboy, I'm sorry you didn't like what I wrote, I never wrote it with the intention of "saving pennies" as I certainly didn't but figured some people might like prices as I would appreciate knowing what to expect not to save but I think most people like to know what to expect cost wise.
And yes, I prefered to be alone with my hubby and saw nothing wrong with that, I was tired from shore excursions as was hubby and I didn't want to wear myself out and get sick either. Yes, to each his own taste but that doesn't mean I'm anti-social, I was more than happy to chat with people over a cocktail pre-dinner. And I always thought the concept of open seating meant that a table for 2 was perfectly acceptable, never did it state in my cruise docs or when I booked that I had to be part of "groups".
I will answer the questions asked and I hope none will upset Neviboy.

To answer your question about Lindsey and John, yes it must have been them. I don't know what her husband's job title was but they were a beautiful looking couple, very attractive and she said they had been newly married. Lindsey's title was social hostess if I recall.

Yes, the caviar bar was from 6 - 7:30 in the observation lounge. They served it by the ounce or by the spoon so you could try different varietes. Also canapes were served with drinks.

I never felt the service to be substandard or below par. Qute the contrary, we thought the service was above and beyond excellent. I just didn't realize that the norm of cruisng was long dinners.

As for the climate, it rained a bit in Ketchikan when we arrived, not a downpour but a little bit, and then it stopped for the rest of the day. It did rain a bit on the floatplane to Misty Fijords but not in Ketchikan itself after the bit first thin in the am. Average temp was about 57 F

In Juneau it didn't rain at all and was partly cloudly to partly sunny with temps also around 55 F

In Skagway it was very windy, maybe a drizzle but no real rain nor in Haines, cloudly, temps around 50 - 55F

In Sitka there was some heavy donwpours but not constant and the temps also was around 50 - 55F

At night on the ship there was some heavy winds and rain and rough seas as many felt quite ill from what I heard. For the Tracy Arm on saturday it was a beautiful sunny morning but windy and on the chilly side, maybe about 45 - 50F but it warmed up and turned beautiful when the wind died down.

As for rude people, ok, hubby was walking on the stairs and apparently he was not walking fast enough, a man came up behind him, shoved him aside and said, if I knew it would be this slow, I'd have taken the elevators. One husband short of being a caveman and grabbing his wife by her hair (which he didn't do), was quite rude and just insisted she stop chatting with us (she came over to us to join us in a smoke in the smokeing lounge) and basically ordered her to leave that instant. I don't blame her for getting drunk the next evening. I would have too, I felt so bad and embarrassed for her.

Hubby got an a few elbows to the ribs (he is 6'4) and a few sore toes from trying to take his turn at the chocolate high tea table. I assumed it would be more orderly line but it wasn't.

People just pushing by and not saying excuse me if they wanted to pass, that sort of thing.

But for all of that, there were nice people like the lovely couple who we had dinner with the last night. And a few others.

I was also surprised at some of the whiners and the ones fighting with the Maitre d' to get extra reservatons at Signatures and Lattitudes and held up the line to get into the Compass Rose and be seated. One woman was insiting that if she can't eat in those two restos more than once, then she was demanding they serve her the menu from those restaurants in Compass Rose.

It's hard to judge the average age since the ship was full, but I can say that I would guess the majority to be somewhere between 40 and 60. I know a large spread with 20 years, but one woman who told me it was her 60th birthday looked fabulous and I would never given her a day more than around 50. There were maybe a few younger than 40, I saw very few children and there were of course seniors. The couple we dined with the last night told me she was 75 and he was 76.

What I think Neviboy might not understand is that for me, I wanted to spend quality time with my husband, he works hard all year, he has to socialize with clients a lot and very often I'm along for those dinners as well. We don't feel we "missed the boat at all". While we have quality time together at home, it's not the same as being on a vacation and not having to deal with everyday life and things so to be alone not something I see as a bad thing or anything wrong with it. Personally I don't think we "missed the boat". I was happy and have no complaints at all with Radisson or the staff or service we received. If I didn't care for all the food, well not everyone enjoys gourmet food everynight, nor can everyones digestive system handle it. I was not complaining merely giving an honest review from my perspective of the cruise. As for the sales in the shops, well I've yet to meet a lady who doesn't enjoy a good sale in a shop. I was not ment offensively to anyone in anyway.

Some of those rude people sound TERRIBLE!! There is no excuse for rudeness! I'm glad you and your husband had good quality time together. Afterall, it is your vacation and you should spend it exactly how you prefer.

Thank you Marcie, and for all the rudeness, there were some very nice people, I guess it was just a shock because it's different than when you are in a land hotel and may encouter it differently.

I'm not off cruising, but I think I might try something like a transatlantic, where you really get to enjoy shipboard life (because of no shore days) and then you reach your destination and get to spend as much time as you want. I think actually that for us might be good. I think when you go to a place where you really want to spend time in ports of call, then you have to make choices unless you have the stamina of Lance Armstrong, which we don't (unfortunately).

Thank you again for all your help and to everyone else, for all your help and patience and time.

I have a cute story about Lynsey and John. I was on the Mariner xmas cruise and playing bingo. John was a singer and social host at the time and Lynsey was a dancer. John had just picked up a diamond ring and informed us he was going to propose to her that evening. They became engaged on our cruise. The next time we travelled with them, it was on the Voyager and it was about 18 months later. This was their last cruise before their wedding. He was now the asst. Cruise director and she was the social hostess. I am so glad that they are back and am looking forward to seeing them on MUSH. Is Barry Hopkins on the Mariner or Voyager now?

We have never seem much rudeness on RSSC. One cruise had a drunk who abused his wife and created a scene. Another cruise had one family who pushed their baby carriage over everyone's toes and were quite self centered with regard to their kids' behavior (however,the kids were pretty good..it was the parents). We have met folks we tried to avoid because, personally, they weren't our type of people, but they were not rude. Of course, there was the infamous Diamond cruise we heard about with the children and another cruise with obnoxious teenagers whose parents (I think four couples travelling together) gave them free reign. We understand that these teenagers ordered EVERYTHING on the menu for breakfast and RSSC delivered the orders. The teenagers didn't even it the food. This caused a delay in other's orders, since the teenagers consistently abused room service. We have also heard of cruisers who have abused the wait staff in the Compass Rose. However, these were isolated instances and not a number of passengers. Mrs. Moose, I'm sorry you had to experience such a rude selection of passengers. I thought perhaps it was a particular age group that was grumpy, but 40-60 seems to cover quite a large range. I hope you try cruising again.

I think that it happens everywhere you go, and just more noticeable on a cruise because you are with the same people in shall we say a bit more confined quarters. If I'm in NYC and someone pushes or shoves me, I probably would take no notice. I didn't let it get to me, we were just surpised, I guess. I also think that for every rude person there were more nice people who were not rude or nasty.

I have not given up on cruising, and I think these were just isolated instances and that similar stuff happened to others. I don't feel singled out, it's just life, and as I said, maybe these people were just having a bad day or feeling ill or whatever life thru at them and we didn't know it.

Thank you for that story about Lynsey and John. The were so nice. I didn't get to know John very well, but the little I did he was very nice, I got to know Lindsey a bit better especially in Sitka while we were waiting for the tender. Hubby had left already on the shore excurision form Radisson and she was in charge of giving out numbers for the tender and not many people leaving so we had a chance to talk about a tv show we both enjoy (a Brittish show), as she is a big fan as am I. She was just a wonderful graceful very classy lady. Her and John make such a beautiful couple as they are both so nice looking.

I want to thank you for sharing your stories of incidents, and I do believe they are isolated rather than the norm.

I would have been shocked as well if I had run into that level of rudeness onboard. I've never seen anything like it, even aboard our Carnival cruise.

Masaki

It didn't just happen to me, I saw it happen to others, in La Verandrah at lunch time (buffet), a couple went to the buffet and one left a jacket or sweater I guess on the chair, and just as the person was coming back from the buffet, the item of clothing was going to be shoved on the floor so that the table could be had but "another party", as it was pretty full. I heard the person say, that's my companion's if you don't mind we are at this table.

It's just the way it is, as I said, probably notice it more because of close proximity and same people over a weeks time, but now that I'm back and talking about it and thinking about it, it's probably just more noticeable on a ship.

Thank you again Masaki for all your help re my ears :)

Wow, David and I were the ones on that Diamond cruise, and even with all that happened, and alot did...... the rest of the pax almost bonded together. We all sat at the pool in lounge chairs watching those 3 couples dominate yet another area. Everyone else was just so nice, and worked together trying to figure out what to do to salvage the cruise. Several of us in a group went up to complain, it didn't work, but boy we tried. We actually felt the most sorry for the crew. If i had to witness someones clothing being dumped on the floor, i would be stunned. Just stunned. I"m sorry this happened, it is just hard to believe and unfortunate for sure.

Mrs Moose,

A lot of the problems, I have observed, come from short cruises.
There is a sence of urgency not found on longer trips. <img border="0" alt="[bounce]" title="" src="graemlins/ubbbounce2.gif" />

When I went from 7 to 10 to 21 and 28 days I found an entrely different experience. One filled with calm and enjoyment. :cool:

I found too than on longer cruises the food gets better aws the staff dosent have to re-stock and turn the ship every few days. That is an exahusting process and ity takes its toll on crew and passengers alike. <img border="0" alt="[bang]" title="" src="graemlins/banghead.gif" />

A seven day trip is way too short to fully appreciate the ship experience.

As for rudeness..The longer the cruise the nicer the folks... even the rude ones mellow with time...well most do. I have decided on nothing less than 21 days and am looking foward to a 34 days with 14 ports.

You might have been more rested and able to enjoy both the ports as well as life aboard if you took those ports over 10 to 12 days . Gives you time to anticipate each, and then experience and finaly reflect after woth out having another port thrown in your face. :rolleyes:

I was a double type A <img border="0" alt="[bounce]" title="" src="graemlins/ubbbounce2.gif" /> who found the ocean times to be refreshing. I am one who is on the ship to enjoy the experience and savor the time spent in meals... to linger....to do nothing or everything without a fast pace. :cool:

I don't care for the port a day stuff. I enjoy having a port every 2 or 3 days. And love the few 5 and 6 day stretches between LA and the Marquesas... gives me a sence or space and perspective on life and the world that few palces if any can offer.

But I realize It is not for everyone...... You have to enjoy time as a friend not a adversary .

Try a longer trip with fewer gotta' do's. Let you tell time what to do rather than it you. ;)

I gotta run out and catch up with my mom, really looking foward to seeing her, but I wanted to say that I agree with what you wrote, my hubby and I talked about something similar and he agreed with me when I said, a transatlanic might work better, you experience cruise life, and then you visit at your own pace. I know hubby was very stressed always watching the clock not to miss the ship departure. I also agree that a new port every day is not great and we would have much prefered it more leisurely but unfortunately this is all that Radisson offered and for now time was of the essance as well. Hopefully one day we will be able to do a more leisurely cruise. As I said I haven't given up on cruise life just yet.

As for dinners, yes, if we would not have had the port times, we may have enjoyed a longer dinner. I completely agree with all that you wrote.

As for the rudeness I would agree again, and I think it's just life upon reflection, and that maybe more noticeable because of the time/space/schedule as opposed to another venue.

As for the crew, I can't fault them one bit. They were right on with service above and beyond excellent. We were amazed at how smooth everything was run considering the turn around etc.

Thanks for your thoughts and advice, and again I completely agree with you.

Dan, I sure agree with you! The 7 day cruises are just too short. You're on, barely unpacked, and you're getting off again. The passengers on longer cruises are much more relaxed with no urgency to cram everything in NOW. A port a day gets pretty intense. We're looking forward to MUSH because of the fun people, other than MUSH I doubt if we'll do anything shorter than a minimum 14 day cruise, and preferably longer than that!

I gave a lot of thought to what Dan wrote while I was out and I definitely agree with him and understand what he is saying. I think that many fellow guests may have been stressed from the travelling also, I know the people in the cabin next to me, almost missed the ship because they drove up to tour (from Calif) and the line at the boarder was so long they were really worried they would miss the ship. They were very nice but they seemed very tired and stressed the embark day.

I know for us personally, we were tired from a full day on shore and that is why we probably had trouble enjoying the long dinners, and we wanted to get to the cabin and hubby wanted to download his pics on his portable flashtrax (or whatever that gadget is) so he would be ready for the next day and his cameras all ready again with charged batteries etc.

What Dan said and you Marcie, makes perfect sense to me and I really appreciated those comments and advice.

What I think I would do for another Alaska cruise, assuming we have the time, is book a Vancouver to Wittier, get off in Wittier and tour on land and then book back from Wittier to Vancouver, this would give us 2 days in each port plus time to see what we want in the other parts of Alaska. For this of course we need the time and hopefully will have it in the future.

But you live and learn through others as I have through all of you and by experience of just doing.

What Dan and Marcie said, made me also think why some things were so "rushed and pushed" because people wanted to experience everything which I don't blame them and it was so "port intensive" that it became stressful for some people to try. I know I missed a lot of stuff on the cruise that while didn't interest hubby, I would have perhaps enjoyed but just couldn't be in two places at the same time or just didn't have the stamina or energy to try.

Thanks Dan and Marcie, what you wrote makes a lot of sense and is very much appreciated.
:) )))