Alaska was full of natural wonders

What’s better than one week on a cruise ship?

How about two!

My wife and I recently returned from sailing back-to-back weeks on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas to Alaska.

We loved our 14-days on board the ship so much  that we booked our first cruise for 2014 to do back-to-back weeks on the same class of ship.

We were there for Alaska — the scenery and the animals.

One of the best excursions we did was a whale watching and wildlife tour in Juneau ($145 per person). We had five humpback whales come within 30 feet of the boat. We also saw several eagles as well as sea lions, seals and ducks. 

Juneau was also the spot for our least favourite activity — the Mount Roberts Tramway ($31.50 per person). 

The tram was located practically at the door of our cruise ship and it was a short ride to the top. It wasn’t worth the money in spite being able to see a short film and the bald eagle display. 

For those looking to do something on the cheap, a trip to the Mendenhall glacier can be had for $8. You can book it off the ship at any one of the several kiosks right on the pier.

Glass blowing

One of the new excursions in Skagway is a glass blowing studio. For roughly $180 you can create your own blown Christmas ornament or paperweight.

A Skagway favourite is the White Pass Railway’s summit excursion ($145 per person). 

We’ve done this in years past and you can get it for $10 cheaper at the station rather than on the ship, but if booked on board, the train picks you up at the dock.

For those of you who want a cheap Internet connection, there is a shop on 2nd Street where you can connect for $5 an hour rather than pay the standard 75 cents a minute onboard your ship.

Icy Straight was a new destination for us and we did the basic Tlingit Culture and Hoonah city tour. I found it fascinating listening to stories of the Native American tribe and we were able to go to a carvers house and watch him work on totems.

Icy Straight also has a zipline for those who are more adventurous and whale watching tours as well. While we were doing our tour, those who were on a fishing expedition were bringing back the salmon they had caught for an open fire bake.

We have cruised on back-to-back weeks before, but always on different ships.

I’m not saying I’ll never do that again, but I prefer being on the same ship for several reasons.

First off, you don’t have to get off the ship and do all the pre-boarding. We were given our new guests cards the night before new sailing. 

Since we were not changing rooms, it was just a simple matter of checking in at the coffee shop with a ship’s officer.

The Radiance of the Seas kitchen also prepared a dinner-quality lunch for the 47 guests who were staying onboard for the trip down from Seward, Alaska.

Another huge bonus was we were already familiar with the staff. When sat down in a lounge or for dinner, it was an added pleasure to have our usual beverages known in advance and brought to us without asking.

We made great friendships with some of the crew who are now connected on Facebook.

One of the low points of our vacation happened in Skagway. I was scheduled to do helicopter tour to the glacier and go dogsledding ($500) as an anniversary present from wife, but had to cancel because I was ill (I actually didn’t get out of bed that day until 2pm).

But that just gives me something to look forward to the next time we return to Alaska.