In Ketchikan, we left the ship early and boarded our amphibious craft right next to the docked ship for our Duck Tour of the city and bay.  We first drove through the streets of this small town, enjoying the sights and listening to a narrated tour by a funny narrator.  The best part of the excursion was entering the water as a boat, and photographing an American bald eagle up close on a perch overlooking the harbor.      
In the late morning we attended The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.  I enjoyed watching the cutting, climbing, and logrolling competition because it was different than most athletic contests, and I had never seen this type of competition before.  The professional competitors did seem to take pride in their efforts, and to expend their best efforts at completing the tasks at hand.  But, it was not the same as watching members of real teams compete in true athletic competition.  This show is something to enjoy viewing once.  

Ketchikan

In Juneau the float trip by the Mendenhall Glacier largely matched its advertisement but we only saw a sliver of that glacier from afar, and rain poured down on our rubber float the entire 1 hour and 40 minutes of our expedition.  To add to the sonorous scene, a woman had collapsed on the previous voyage and appeared to be dead when lifted into an ambulance after CPR administered by our guide Brad.  And, I later cut my finger slightly on glacial ice fished out of the water and brought into our float.    
The water was 34 degrees F., the air temperature was not much higher, and the setting was serene and quiet.  Just the sound of the plied oar and river eddies could be heard.  I likened it to what it must have been like when the Redcoats stealthily came onto American shores off Boston.  Rain gear and boots were provided by the tour company.  After the excursion I narrowly found my hiking boots that were eventually located off by themselves.  It seems that a better system could be employed for storing shoes than tying pairs of footwear together and then tossing all on the ground under a roof for a joint grab by returning floaters.  

Juneau

In Skagway we embarked on the main attraction, the White Pass and Yukon Railroad excursion to the Canadian border and back.  The trip teemed with high cliffs and beautiful scenery.  And, once we went over a gorge.  But, in truth I was a little disappointed in the journey, because although the tracks were indeed narrow gauge, and we twisted and ascended along the side of a mountain, we were rarely hanging over an edge or going over a bridge.  I had imagined the trip to be like winding along the treacherous Highway 1 in California near Big Sur in an automobile, literally hanging over the edge of the Pacific Ocean.  But, this train excursion did not duplicate those thrills.    
With respect to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, the ports seemed almost interchangeable to me.  Each dock was fronted by numerous stores seeking to pry money from cruise passengers for merchandise that was overpriced and not duty free.  In Juneau and Skagway I was able to negotiate some good deals on soapstone and marble carvings that we liked, a Rinconada eagle, and an Alaskan native-made, moose-antler-handled Ulu knife.  Each of these three ports had a lush mountain towering overhead, and many store fronts were colorful.  But, otherwise these ports seemed largely indistinguishable from each other.  

Skagway

To the undiscerning eye, there is not much to see in Icy Strait Point.  But there is a fine, quick zip line that I would like to experience another day.  And, whales naturally appear and play in small groups off the strait.  We witnessed this impressive display of mammals at sea.  Here, also, fewer houses and commercial businesses are present, so this port exhibits more nature in the raw than the others visited.  So, something can be said for that.      
We saw bear droppings on the wildlife and bear search route, but no bears emerged to go after salmon in the river below the meadows that serve as good wildlife observation points.  Here in over 1-1/2 hours my group of searchers only saw an eagle fly to and perch on top of a high tree.  But, I can't complain.  Wildlife sightings are problematic events and no sightings of bears were guaranteed.  And, just as it looked like our trip would be pretty much of a washout for wildlife sightings after two bears had been seen by an earlier group that day, we boarded our bus to return to the dock, were just about ready to go, someone yelled "Bear!" and right in front of the bus was a grown brown bear in all its glory.  Lucky for me he was facing me, with my camera already around my neck with telephoto lens in place.  I got off two quick shots from inside the bus through a window, and the photos came out nicely with the bear clearly visible.  He then ambled quickly down the hill toward a meadow.  The whole sighting lasted less than thirty seconds.  But we did see a bear!  So, it was a good day.  

Icy Strait

Great spot on ship.  Balcony is recessed behind others on both sides, so privacy is assured.  Wood was a bit worn inside but stateroom was very functional, and held 3 suitcases below our hanging clothes.  I would specifically seek this stateroom again.

Our initial dinner in Cascades Dining Room was very good, beginning with an interesting hot and sour soup, salad with choice of dressings, and a moist and tasty salmon filet resting on a bed of high-quality Chinese peapods, and served with a perfectly baked potato.Dinner in the Cascades Dining Room included shrimp cocktail with good Royal cocktail sauce, Caesar salad served family style, turkey and mashed potatoes with fine brown gravy, tender brussels sprouts, cranberries, and key lime pie.

Radiance of the Seas Review

A Radiant Experience Aboard Radiance of the Seas

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Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

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