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June 17, 2012  

Have You Ever Wondered About The Entertainment On A Cruise?

The entertainment on a cruise ship just has to be experienced, and is one of the reasons that cruises have so much intrinsic value……not just for the journey, or the destination, but for the experience onboard the ship. On the Radiance Of The Seas, the entertainment was absolutely terrific. The Aurora Theatre was the venue each night of some highly entertaining acts, and in this video that I made, I tried to capture a few seconds of most acts. There is so much that I could not include as I like to keep my videos down to 10 minutes or less. I also felt it was important to show you the Cascades staff, who were also highly entertaining, as were the Cruise Director’s Staff who entertained us from the Centrum (the lobby) to the swimming pool. If you go on a cruise, you won’t be bored!

Hope you all have an even more entertaining evening with watching this video. Thanks for viewing it.

June 17, 2012  

Do You Ever Wonder About Food On A Cruise Ship?

Don’t wonder anymore! Take a look at all the incredible options that were available on the Radiance Of The Seas, during the cruise from Vancouver to Alaska. You will see Cascades Restaurant, the Windjammer Cafe, the Park Cafe, Rita’s Cantina, Izumi, Samba Grill, and Chops Grille. You will see Indian food including the delicious Andhra Pakora Curry that I just had to have two servings of, and there was also Indian food available each night on the dinner menu in Cascades.

After I had uploaded the video on to You Tube, I realized I had duplicate coverage of some scones in the Windjammer Cafe, but then thought who’s going to pay attention……I’ll just leave it in! It was easier for me to not upload the video a second time – it takes hours to upload everything to You Tube. Anyhow, I hope you’ll take a look, and you might even get hungry! Hope you are all having a terrific weekend.

PS: Just wanted to add that thumbnail images (such as the image you see in the video) drive me mad.  You only get three choices or so and in this video I did not get lucky!  You’d think if you are showing a video about food, then the thumbnail image should show something really good or mouthwatering.   My thumbnail pictures actually came from what I recorded on my camcorder (not photographs).   Three thumbnails get selected automatically, perhaps based upon the positioning of that particular image during a crucial moment when the thumbnail gets chosen.  If the three that get chosen automatically are not the most appealing thumbnails, you are left with an option, and that is to edit the video again to get another chance at a better thumbnail.  From what I can see, you don’t get to pick one, so it’s all about luck.  I got the least appealing thumbnails to choose from.  The other video that I just posted recently that shows the Radiance Of The Seas – Part 1, has a much better thumbnail – which just goes to show – that sometimes you can get lucky.  But with this video, it wasn’t so.  Sometimes, I get to a certain point where I just decide that I cannot be bothered to go back and edit again.  Who has the time?

June 16, 2012  

Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Of The Seas, Vancouver to Alaska – Part 2

On this video, I have more video footage than photographs. I captured a sighting of a porcupine – I’ve never seen one before, therefore, I was so happy to get that on video! I also show the specialty restaurants, and a little of the entertainment. Also, you get to see the Solarium, and my favorite breakfast place on the ship – the Park Cafe.

June 15, 2012  

Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Of The Seas, Vancouver to Alaska – Part 1

This video will show my photos and video footage of the cruise, and the port visits, including pictures of Mendenhall Glacier and Hubbard Glacier. Part 2 will have more cruise coverage.

Some people go on a cruise ship for the destination, and some go for the experience on the ship.  I liked both aspects, because I just love cruises, and love traveling.  My other favorite parts of the actual cruise were the entertainment (got a little bit of Bollywood), the Park Cafe food, and the Indian food in the Windjammer Cafe, where I also got Indian tea.  It’s important to have some of those home comforts!

June 9, 2012  

Hubbard Glacier

There’s a great reason to visit Hubbard Glacier, and that is to see it before it melts away.  Yes, sadly when you visit such an incredible place, it really hits home that you are indeed lucky to see it.  Who knows how many more will see it before it disappears or diminishes?  The evidence of the melting is right there in the ocean, with chunks of ice all around.

This is Day 7 of the Vancouver to Alaska seven day cruise (Thursday, May 17, 2012), and sadly the last day of the cruise.  Most people think that a seven day cruise finishes on the 7th day, but in reality it actually finishes on the 8th day in the early hours of the morning.  We will be disembarking tomorrow morning at around 8am.

So today is a Day At Sea – this is a day to enjoy the ship, and it is as necessary to have these days as it is to have port visits.  You don’t just want to be rushing around visiting ports all the time, because when will you find the time to enjoy the ship?  The ship itself is a very important factor in your cruise enjoyment, and believe it or not, some people enjoy this part of the experience so much more – that they don’t want to get out at the ports to walk around.

Today is the very important viewing from the ship of Hubbard Glacier.  This was to be my second experience of seeing glaciers – the first one was of course, Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.  As I was eating breakfast in the Park Cafe, I couldn’t help but be struck in awe at what I saw through the windows of the Solarium, where the Park Cafe was.  I saw lots of ice, pieces of ice all over the ocean floor – it was just as though we were floating on ice.  It was an amazing sight, and I wish I had taken more pictures of the ice at it’s thickest – but my camera was charging, so this is the picture that I got through the window, and it was taken with my Iphone at approximately 8am.  The other pictures were taken with my camcorder, and not my regular camera, so may not be as nice and clear as they should have been.

Icy Ocean – Hubbard Glacier from the Radiance Of The Seas

Then after breakfast, I went outside at approximately 9am, and took pictures from the side of the ship.

Hubbard Glacier vicinity, Alaska – on Radiance Of The Seas

Hubbard Glacier vicinity – Alaska

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

Wow, we are surrounded by ice!

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

Now for a view of Hubbard Glacier itself.  It was hard getting a good spot to take pictures, as there were so many people out braving the cold to see the awesome and breathtaking Hubbard Glacier.

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

We got really close to the Glacier!

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

More people looking at the Glacier:

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

Hubbard Glacier from Radiance Of The Seas

Enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee, and trying to stay warm

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska – Radiance Of The Seas

The Radiance Of The Seas against the backdrop of Alaska, near Hubbard Glacier

Radiance Of The Seas near Hubbard Glacier

Bye Hubbard Glacier, I hope you will be around for many more years to come!  Don’t melt away.

We left Hubbard Glacier at around 10:30 am, and the rest of the day was spent taking pictures, attending a brief CruiseOne seminar, and enjoying the ship (as well as packing).  Next, I’ll tell you about the four day post cruise tour that I took once I disembarked the cruise ship.  The cruise tour was hosted by Royal Caribbean, and involved going on a bus around Alaska – deep into the wilds of this very mysterious place.  Thank you for reading.