Last look at the Radiance Of The Seas
It is now day 8, and it is check-out day, goodbye day, and time to leave the Radiance Of The Seas. It is Friday, May 18, 2012. The ship had arrived at Seward, our arrival dock at 4am. We had got our numbers to put on our luggage the night before, the numbers are really important. The following picture of the ever helpful Cruise Compass will give you an idea of what I mean. You could get a number such as 5, 6, 20 and 21 that had a departure time of 6am, or be slightly more lucky if you are booked on a cruise tour like us – our number was 82, and our departure time was 9am. This of course, gave us more time in the morning. The last numbers were scheduled to be called at approximately 9:30 am.
Cruise Compass on Radiance Of The Seas
The last few pictures I took of the ship were these:
Excuse this picture as it is not the best, I used my camcorder again, and it was major clean-up day for the Radiance Of The Seas staff, so I had to take the picture while they were in the midst of their cleaning.
Seward, Alaska
The games room – Seven Hearts – I never even got the chance to sit in this room.
Seven Hearts, Radiance Of The Seas
This is the centre of the mid-area that overlooks the Centrum and can be seen from all the floors just about. Quite a design!
Centrum, Radiance Of The Seas
Centrum, Radiance Of The Seas
Centrum, Radiance Of The Seas
Colorful Royal Caribbean Logo, Radiance Of The Seas
Seward viewed from inside Radiance Of The Seas
Radiance Of The Seas
I snuck a look at an ocean-view cabin on my way out.
Ocean-view cabin, Radiance Of The Seas
It is bitter-sweet leaving a ship when it’s the end of the cruise. However, the nice part of this journey is that even though one adventure is over, the other one is just about to begin, as now it is time for the cruise tour. Our bus will take us from Seward today to the Sea Life Centre, and then drop us off so that we can take a boat tour on Kenai Fjords Explorer, and have a chance to view whales, otters and sea lions, etc. Later, we will take the Wilderness Express train to Girdwood, where we will stop the night at Hotel Alyeska. I will write up on that part of the journey soon. Thank you for reading.
Wildlife Pictures Taken in Alaska
Here are some of my pictures of wildlife taken in Alaska after the completion of the recent Radiance Of The Seas cruise in May, 2012. On May 18, 2012 our cruise ship finished the 7 day cruise in Seward, Alaska and we got on our post cruise tour, which was hosted by Royal Caribbean. There’s a difference between shore excursions and cruise tours. The excursions allow you to see the ports that the ship visits, while the cruise tours allows you to see more of a particular area or country better. For example, our cruise tour started in Seward, and then we went to Girdwood, Talkeetna, Mount McKinley, Denali Park, and Fairbanks. By way of the cruise tour, we were allowed into the wilds of Alaska.
This particular post is not in sequential order of the cruise tour visits, as I mainly wanted to show the wildlife viewing opportunities. This Grizzly Bear was an amazing sight to see, and was out in the wilds of Denali Park, which was part of our 4 Day cruise tour hosted by Royal Caribbean. However, personally, I prefer the Black Bear that I saw at a Nature Reserve. I just love bears, and I guess Black Bears are one of my favorites, along with koala bears. There is a lot of history behind Denali Park, and we really need to treasure places that are out there that protect wild animals, and also allow us to view them as safely as possible.
Grizzly Bear in Denali Park
Black Bear – Alaska
Black Bear – Alaska
I’m not very good with certain animals, does anyone know if this is moose or bison?
Moose or Bison, Alaska
Animals in Alaska
Caribou of Alaska
Not really wild life, but just had to include this picture here:
Dogs of Alaska – Anchorage
Birds of Alaska – Denali Park
Dall Sheep of Alaska
Dall Sheep scattering up mountains
Dall Sheep, Alaska
Birds of Alaska
Sea Otters of Alaska
Well, if I can’t tell the difference between bison and moose, I also can’t tell the difference between sea lions and seals. This second picture (below) was taken at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, Alaska where the cruise ship docked at the end of the 7 day cruise. It was easier to see the sea life closer in this setting than it was in the wild in the picture above which was taken when we were on a boat tour with Kenai Fjords Tours on the same day after the cruise had finished. Both these excursions were part of our 4 day cruise tour, which had just got started from Seward.
Sea Creatures of Alaska
The boat tour had been really enjoyable and we actually saw whales – I think I have got video coverage of it – too hard to get on camera. Denali Park is also an extremely important experience. So, as you can see if there is any one reason to go to Alaska (other than the mountains, the snow, and the ice) – guess what it is? It’s for the wildlife! Go just to see the wildlife, and you won’t be disappointed.
Beautiful San Diego
I have decided to start a page where I will add my favorite pictures of San Diego from time to time. It’s no secret that San Diego is one of the best places to live in the world – it’s a tropical paradise with palm trees, the ocean, Legoland, San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park, Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, and so many beautiful places to visit. On this page you will find from time to time new additions (might be old pictures or new ones). Of course, my favorite place in the San Diego area is the Hotel Del in Coronado.
If you don’t live in the San Diego area, but would like to visit, please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to recommend or book a hotel for you, and to recommend local attractions as well as restaurants.
Cornonado, and the Hotel Del (a must see in San Diego). Marilyn Monroe shot one of her movies here, and many famous people have stayed here, as well as Presidents.
Hotel Del, Coronado – San Diego
Hotel Del, Coronado
Sunset at Hotel Del, Coronado
Hotel Del, Coronado
Ocean at Hotel Del, Coronado
The swimming pool at the Hotel Del
Swimming Pool at the Hotel Del, Coronado
It’s so tropical at the Hotel Del
Palm Trees Swaying At The Hotel Del
Some pictures taken at the San Diego Zoo on December 18, 2011.
Orangutan – San Diego Zoo
Koala – San Diego Zoo
These are my three kids at the Zoo last Christmas in 2011.
Cultural Arts Performance at Neurosciences Institute Auditorium, in La Jolla on December 9, 2011
Cultural Arts – San Diego
Hungry for pastries? Try Champagne Bakery in Del Mar – love their Napoleons, and Jesuite pastries.
Champagne Bakery, Del Mar Highlands Shopping Centre, San Diego
You don’t have to go to Las Vegas to find casino’s – we have plenty of them here in San Diego. Sycuan is only 35 minutes away.
Sycuan Casino, San Diego
Great place to visit for the day is the Flower Fields which is in Carlsbad, close to Legoland:
Flower Fields, Carlsbad – San Diego
Balboa Park, December, 2011
Spreckels Pavilion – the scene of the amazing Holiday Tree that opens up to display a nativity scene that is inside the tree. This tree is magical, and changes colors!
Spreckels Pavilion, Balboa Park, San Diego
We have the wonderful Race Track, which has a Grand Opening Day every year which draws thousands of people from all over the country. There is a hats contest, and a big celebration feel to the day. Opening Day this year is scheduled to be July 18, 2012.
Del Mar Racetrack, San Diego
Another one of my favorite hotels in San Diego is the Manchester Grand Hyatt. This overlooks the San Diego Bay, and is a stunning hotel
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, San Diego
Even though I live here now, I am still a tourist in San Diego – it is a very beautiful place.
Please note, these following links are the additions that I was referring to in the post, where you will see more of my pictures of San Diego: Incredible San Diego – La Jolla and Some Places You’ll Want To Escape To
Why I Started a Blog In The First Place?
Why I Started a Blog In The First Place?
I started this blog because Apple forced me to reorganize. I had two websites that I had designed myself – http://www.bindicruises.com and http://www.luchaniktravel.com – and the second can be explained really easily as to what happened to it – I forwarded that to point to my new CruiseOne website, but the previous material on it is no longer visible to anyone. Some of that as well as the content on Bindi Cruises needs to be moved – so that is why I am here.
Apple used to host my content and still does with Mobile Me until June 30, 2012, but since they switched to ICloud, they won’t be hosting it any more, and I didn’t want to find a new way to create my web pages.
My Bindi Cruise website will no longer be accessible and I have to find a way to get all my pictures and posts off both my sites (I still have blogs on the luchaniktravel site that I need to put somewhere else), and that is why you may find me blogging away and not making sense – I switched between Alaska to Carnival Splendor and Mexico, and I’m not even done with Alaska yet. So, I figured I would try and cut and paste from I-Web which is what I just did with the Carnival Splendor review – it was on my luchaniktravel site.
Blogging is a lot of work, and uploading pictures takes all day. I don’t know how you all do it. I want to be more efficient with what I am doing, can anyone please let me know if there is a way to copy an entire page, complete with the pictures from I-Web? Right now, it looks as though my pictures can’t be cut and pasted, they have to be uploaded. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. A little word to Apple – before you reorganize next time – please think about people like me who have to completely reorganize because of your reorganization – what was wrong with Mobile Me anyway?
Thanks,
Davinder
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.
Skagway
It is now Day 6 of the cruise. I will be taking excursion no. 3 today, and it leaves at 8am. Who said cruising was all about relaxing? I have had to wake up early every single day, and one of the days when there wasn’t a port visit, I had a CruiseOne seminar from 9 am to 4:30 pm or so, and still had to wake up early. Today’s excursion is called Skagway City and White Pass Summit. By the way, the three excursions that I booked through my own website (http://www.likecruises.com) with our Shore Excursions provider were only $141 in total for all three – that’s a very good deal, and as you can see from yesterday’s excursion to Mendenhall Glacier, it’s worth getting on a bus and exploring.
The instructions on the ticket said to be just outside the cruise pier, and to check in by 7:40 am. It was a good job that I brought my passport with me, as we were supposed to go into Canada, just past the border. I managed to make it to the bus in time, and we set off promptly at 8am. Here are some pictures that were taken at some of the stops, and this time I am going to use bigger pictures instead of thumbnails, please feel free to let me know if this is a better choice or not.
We must have been near Brackett Wagon Road according to this sign
Skagway
I wonder what’s nicer – being on the train, or being at a distance and seeing the train?
Skagway, near White Pass Summit in Alaska
The landscape is now changing as we are climbing higher up the hills in the bus, this picture was taken from the bus, and shows the trees are now dotted with white.
and it is getting whiter and whiter……..snow! And lots of it!
It’s beginning to look very white out here, and the sun is trying to break through the sky, but it is very cold!
Snow and Sun, Skagway, Alaska
Welcome to Alaska, a must-have photograph – everyone wants their picture taken here.
White Pass Summit, near the border of Canada
There was too much snow, that we couldn’t go past the border, what a shame! I would so much have liked to go into Canada again, even if for just a few moments. We were told the roads were not clear enough, and not passable. Now we headed back down to Skagway from the White Pass Summit.
We stopped here because it was another scenic spot to take pictures.
Scenic Skagway, Alaska
The Norwegian Pearl, side by side with the Radiance Of The Seas.
The Norwegian Pearl, and Radiance Of The Seas in Skagway
- We went on a short hike, and saw the Gold Rush Cemetery
Gold Rush Cemetery, Skagway, Alaska
Gold Rush Historical Information, Skagway
Be prepared for a short hike up, about a 5 minute walk to this waterfall, past the Cemetery.
Waterfall, Skagway
Scenic, magical, mysterious Skagway
We are done with the excursion, and I’m off the bus and decided to walk around Skagway, instead of heading back to the cruise ship. The excursion lasted about two and a half hours, and it is only 11 am or so. However, we have until 4pm today in Skagway….so might as well see it.
Downtown Skagway, five minutes or so from the cruise ship
Downtown Skagway, Alaska
Tlingits are an Alaskan Native people who have lived in Southeast Alaska for generations. You can read more about the Tlingits by looking at the picture.
Tlingits, read about Alaskan Native history
Skagway City Museum
Interesting choice of names for these chocolate-covered concoctions. I chose the fudge instead.
Alaskan Fudge Shop Treats
Alaska is famous for its fudge in addition to its natural beauty and wild life, gold panning, Native American history, etc.
I did try their chocolate almond fudge – it was so good!
Alaskan Fudge Shop, Skagway
Nice house in downtown Skagway
Found an Indian restaurant – didn’t eat there though, perhaps next time.
Indian Restaurant in Skagway, Alaska
Downtown Skagway, Alaska
Looks like there’s inscriptions on the rocks, or are they signs?
Skagway
Want to buy gold? There is still a lot of signs of the Gold Rush era.
Gold Shop, Skagway
A golden hotel…..the Golden North Hotel
Golden North Hotel, Skagway
Really wished I had taken this train to the White Pass Summit
White Pass Summit Train, Skagway
Interesting name for a place
Red Onion Saloon, Alaska
That’s the Norwegian Pearl in the background
Norwegian Pearl in Skagway
Looking back at Skagway for the last few minutes before I head back to the cruise ship.
Downtown Skagway street scene
The trains of Skagway. I think I like trains…..
The walk back to the Radiance Of The Seas rock….I passed interesting rock art, trains, and the Norwegian Pearl…..
The Norwegian Pearl in Skagway
Now I see the Radiance Of The Seas
The Radiance Of The Seas in Skagway
Now, I am back on the ship, and tomorrow is the last full day of the cruise. Will let you know how Day 7 goes. Thank you for reading.
Juneau
It is now Day 5 of the cruise – Tuesday, May 15th, 2012, and I had to wake up early because my shore excursion meeting time – for the tour titled Juneau City and Mendenhall Glacier Tour – is scheduled for 9:30 am. This will be shore excursion no. 2 for me, even though it is the third port (I didn’t do an excursion when in Icy Strait Point).
I walked past the train which was right outside where the cruise ship docked, and was half hoping that my excursion would involve a train up to Mendenhall Glacier, but I knew from the tour instructions on my ticket that I would be going on a bus again. It was only a two or three minute walk, but I was almost late, so I ran the last half minute to the bus. I was supposed to have been there 15 minutes before the bus set off. Here are some pictures taken during one of the stops prior to getting to Mendenhall Glacier. We stopped so that we could take some pictures of the Radiance Of The Seas, and of course, I just loved to take pictures of that beautiful ship. Here are some of the ship with Juneau in the background:
Radiance Of The Seas in Juneau, Alaska
Radiance Of The Seas in Juneau, Alaska
Here are some pictures taken from the bus, please excuse the reflection of the windows, I just couldn’t stop taking pictures:
I think these pictures were taken on one of the stops when we got out of the bus:
I could keep going on, and inserting more pictures, but I think I should stop at that. I’m sure you can see how beautiful Juneau is, and why Alaska is worth the visit? Then we went to a place called Chapel By The Lake (it was like a Log Church), and took a quick look inside, but I was mainly keen to get outside to take pictures:
We then drove to another stop to take some pictures of Mendenhall Glacier from a distance:
And now we have arrived at the final destination – first some preliminary pictures of the arrival area:
Then, beautiful Mendenhall Glacier, awesome, breathtaking, what can I say?
Here are some more pictures of the area surrounding Mendenhall Glacier, isn’t the blue color that’s in the glacier incredible?
Well, after all those breathtaking pictures (even though I do say so myself), it seems like a let-down to add pictures of a different kind, but I must finish up, here are some pictures of downtown Juneau, near the cruise ship where our bus took us after the amazing visit to Mendenhall Glacier.
A little background on Juneau: It was discovered in 1880 due to the discovery of gold, Juneau began its history as a prosperous and unique mining town, you can see some of the recommended sightseeing spots by viewing the picture of the sign post below:
You are probably wondering about the food in Juneau, here’s a picture of a menu:
Here’s some pictures I took near to where the cruise ship was docked
PS: If you are going to be in Juneau on June 7-9, 2012, you should not miss Celebration 2012. This is a major dance and cultural festival held every two years. Read more about the festival right here: http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/celebration/celebration_2012.htm and to view beautiful Alaskan Native art showing fabulous Tsimshian culture, please take a look here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/terrance-h-booth-jr.html?page=2
I really hope that you like my pictures of Juneau, and the Mendenhall Glacier. You just have to visit this amazing place, it was well worth the visit. Gold was discovered here, but there is so much more to discover too.
Icy Strait Point
It is now Day 4 of the cruise – Monday, May 14th, 2012. I don’t have any excursions booked for today, but one of the main excursions for this port is the zip line – which is for all those who wish to experience adventure, excitement and who aren’t afraid of heights. I’m not daring enough to take the zip line – I like adventure, and excitement – but I think I either don’t like to be too high up or I’m just afraid of rides.
Icy Strait Point is very picturesque, and I’m glad I came off the ship to take a look. There were several people onboard the ship who didn’t want to get off today because it was raining, and there had been a steady drizzle for most of the day. We had to get on a tender boat to get to where the boat docked, and when I got off, I couldn’t help but be in awe of how beautiful the Radiance Of The Seas looked against the snow-clad mountains.
That’s me – Davinder – posing in front of the Radiance Of The Seas.
After taking pictures of the ship, I walked along the beach, to where I could see the zip line. The rain kept on falling on the lens of both my camera and camcorder, so I kept on putting them away, and then getting tempted to take them back out again a few moments later, and then away again after a few minutes because of the rain. It was a busy time mostly due to the rain. Here are some more pictures that I took along the way.
As you may have noticed in one of the pictures, somebody had started a little fire on the beach to keep everyone warm. It was quite icy cold in Icy Strait Point, it surely lives up to it’s name! The drizzle did put a little damper on my outing, as I would definitely have liked to take more pictures, but I didn’t want to damage my camera, and already had got it wet various times.
I walked into the big brown building which was kind of like a museum towards the end of the pier, and this building also had quite a few shops. Apparently, I had missed a native dance, and found out about this later.
I then started on the track of one of the nature trails on the other side of the building shown above (museum) to the left of it, and discovered a most incredible sight – a lake with trees and snow-clad mountains in the distance (shown below). By this point, it was drizzling quite a bit. I then recorded the zip line on my camcorder, and will have to put it into a video later and add the link.
Altogether, I spent about two and a half hours in Icy Strait Point, and would definitely recommend that you get off the ship to visit this port. Don’t listen to those who tell you there’s nothing to see here, if you like natural beauty, you will see a lot of that around you. I then proceeded to take the tender boat shown below at the dock back to the Radiance Of The Seas.
Recommendations: take your umbrella to Alaska, and a thick jacket, plus gloves, and you can’t go wrong. Will soon write about Day 5 of the cruise.
luchanik 