ProfCruise

2 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Were you up early enough to see Her leave this morning?

She moved out of Pier 66 and over to the industrial port earlier this week, so I didn't see her 😞  But I could have sworn I still saw her docked at the industrial port in the distance on my run this morning.  But I accidentally read my Garmin wrong and ran 9 miles when I intended to run 6, so I may have been hallucinating from pain.  LOL.  I've driven over the West Seattle Bridge like 6 times this week to get a close look at her while she's over there.  She's going to think I'm stalking her.  Can't wait to see her back at Pier 66 soon!

3 hours ago, magicstacey said:

We are on the Joy May 4th. 9 days to go! First time to Alaska!

I'm so excited for you!  Alaska is like nothing else I've ever experienced.  And the Joy looks amazing.  I so wish I was going with you.  Have fun for all of us watching you depart from land!

2 hours ago, fsa1155 said:

We are booked but unfortunately, we have to wait clear til Jan 31, 2021.   We're doing a 12 day Panama Canal.  Can't wait.   

Lots of time for planning which is almost as fun.  Almost.  And Panama Canal is such a cool experience.  I might need to book that one myself! 

10 minutes ago, BuckeyeFan03 said:

I will also be on the May 4th sailing - so glad to see she has made it in safely!

Awesome!  Have fun!!!

8 minutes ago, ladybaldwin said:

My daughter and I will be sailing on the Joy May 4th!

Oh, the first sailing!  Lucky ducks!  Have a fantastic time.  Wave to me during sail away - I'll be watching!

3 hours ago, TruckerDave said:

Ship or no ship....the view from your apartment is spectacular.😲

Can only imagine what the monthly rent is. 😳

When we were looking for an apartment I had one criteria and one criteria only: view of the cruise piers.  My husband had to be the practical one and consider boring stuff like, "is there a bedroom for our kid?"  LOL.

2 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Yes, I am more interested in that apartment than the ship 😉

The apartment's okay, but I'd much rather be on a cruise ship.  I'll trade you my apartment for a week for your cruise?  Deal?  Lol.

48 minutes ago, ute_fan said:

I’ll be on her in June. Thanks for the photos!

I'm a Ute fan too!  I grew up in SLC and went to the U!  Cruising Ute fans, we should be friends.

4 minutes ago, sargemrs said:

OHHHH my!  I can't hardly wait!!!!  We'll be on her May 18th

I'm jealous.  Can you sneak me in your luggage?  Enjoy!!!!!!

Then I had to run home to snap a few more from my apartment!  She's gorgeous! 

Look who I ran into on my morning run this morning?  Welcome to Seattle, Norwegian Joy!!!  Are any of you lucky enough to be on her this season to Alaska?

1 hour ago, BeachGirl916 said:

does anyone know if they charge for children on the mini bus shuttle to horseshoe bay?

We were not charged for our son, but he sat on a lap.  Hopefully others with older kids can chime in. 

On 3/6/2019 at 9:41 AM, Gardyloo said:

The 4th is generally an okay day to tour around.  Obviously it's a holiday, and in the middle of peak tourist season, so touristy things are going to be crowded.  The fireworks are quite late (10:30 PM) due to long daylight hours, and their location - at the north end of Lake Union - isn't one that's going to disrupt tourist sites very much, so aside from crowds you won't have to make any special concessions because it's the 4th.

 

You certainly can cab or Uber from the airport hotel to downtown; alternatively you can take the hotel's shuttle to the airport and take the light rail to downtown Seattle.  The International District stop is convenient for the Chinatown/International District area and the baseball park, the Pioneer Square station is (fairly) convenient to Pioneer Square, and the Westlake station is convenient to the Pike Place market, the monorail to Seattle Center (Space Needle, Chihuly etc.) and the streetcar to South Lake Union.  The light rail takes around 40 minutes (vs. 20 - 25 in a cab/Uber) and costs $3 each way.  

 

As to what to see and do, well, there are tons of threads on this board covering all that, but as a local I'll just suggest a couple of things.  First, the Pike Place market becomes horrendously crowded after around 10:30 or 11 in the morning.  If you're okay with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, then fine, otherwise I'd strongly recommend you get to the market as early in the day as possible.  If you're coming from Indy, you're going to have a 3-hour time difference, so maybe you get up in your own body clock's "morning" and either take the train or (quicker) cab to the Pike Place market for breakfast; there are several great places with good food and views out over the bay.  Then watch the merchants set up for the day, watch the fish flingers if you must, join the ridiculous lineup for the "original" Starbucks (it isn't) and do other touristy things, but be gone from the market district by 11.  

 

If it was me, I'd leave the crowds of the market behind by walking down the Harbor Steps (or take one of the nearby elevators) to the central waterfront, at the foot of the bluff below the market.  I'd walk down the waterfront, past the various touristy stores and cafes, to the ferry terminal at the foot of Columbia Street.  There I'd board the West Seattle Water Taxi and cross to Seacrest Park in West Seattle.

 

 

Stop for a snack (or save it for later) at Marination Ma Kai, a very cool Korean/Hawaiian cafe/bar right on the dock, then walk, rent bikes, or take a free shuttle bus out to Alki Beach, around 2 level miles from the dock.  See our wee Statue of Liberty, watch passing ferries and beach volleyballers, look at the Olympic mountains, have a nosh or a beer at one of the various places facing the water, and just kick back.  Then make your way back to the water taxi dock and return to downtown.  

 

 

 

When you're back downtown, walk through Pioneer Square around 20 minutes to the amazing Uwajimaya pan-Asian grocery/department store.  Play "name that vegetable," shop for weird Japanese snacks to take on the boat, look at the impressive collection of books, stationery and other cool things in the Kinokuniya Bookstore, have a snack or (another) meal in the fun food court (all sorts of Asian food stalls.)  

 

Walk a block from Uwajimaya to the International District light rail station.  If you still have the energy, get on a train back to Westlake, then head upstairs to the monorail station and take the monorail to Seattle Center.  Visit the Space Needle if you must (IMO overpriced) and/or the Chihuly glass exhibit, wander around the Center grounds including the MoPop music/sci-fi museum, whatever, then monorail back downtown and if you haven't run out of gas by then, have a meal someplace and head back to the airport to soak your feet.    Here's a map showing the day's hoofing.  https://goo.gl/maps/o2WwdgJDK9k

 

This is a very full and quite high-speed selection of downtown (and nearby) visitor sites, but it ought to give you a good feel for our fair city without breaking the bank.

I would only add one thing to Gardyloo's excellent suggestions.  On the 1st Thursday of month, which in your fortunate case falls on July 4th, several museums around Seattle are free.  This includes the Seattle Art Museum located on 1st avenue and Union Street right across from the Harbor Steps and a block away from Pike Place.  It's a fantastic museum and even better when it's free!  http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/seattle-art-museum

Glad we'll have the option to request one.  I'd hate to burden our room steward asking for one every night, but maybe one or two during the length of a cruise.  My young son LOVES coming back to the cabin to a surprise animal.  Might be even more special if he doesn't get one every night and can't predict when one will show up. 

20 hours ago, JQTravels said:

what about video?

 

 

Super fun video.  Thanks for sharing!

Yikes.  I hope these issues are fixed by the time we sail on her in August.  Sorry for anyone who's had to endure them! 

Thanks for the review.  Glad it was a great trip and congrats on your casino wins!  My DH won $2000 on a slot on our last cruise.  So exciting!  

Thank you all for the great reading list for my weekend!  I love finding awesome new reviews!

Also, since a few people mentioned me (thanks for the shout out!!!), I post all my reviews to my blog now so I can get them up all at once and keep track of them.  Here's the url: www.profcruise.com

I can't be super helpful with your particular questions except to say that the Sensation is a smaller ship without fewer balcony cabins than most.  Some others may still open up since you're before final payment.  I'd just keep checking back, especially about 3 months out.  I just wrote a review on the Sensation if you want to check it out.  Happy to attempt to answer any other questions you might have.  She's a smaller, older ship, but we still had a great time on her!

https://profcruise.com/carnival-sensation-ship-review/

I've written photo reviews of what we did at each of the four ports here:

https://profcruise.com/category/hawaii/

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.  Enjoy!!!

Here's what we did:

https://profcruise.com/6-things-to-do-close-to-port-in-kauai/

I really enjoyed the trolley tour.  It was inexpensive and we saw quite a lot.  No need to book in advance.  The trolley will pick you right up at the cruise port and drop you at the ticket office where you can book.  There is also a great beach across the street from the trolley stop.  We had a lovely day in Kauai!  Enjoy!

To avoid crowds, consider turning RIGHT at the end of the pier.  That beach area is much more private (although rockier).  I've written a review on my blog where I talk about the three areas easily accessible just off the ship, if you're interested:

https://profcruise.com/a-carnival-cruise-to-grand-turk-bringing-together-the-left-and-right/

It's a beautiful place.  Hard to go wrong, IMO.  Enjoy!!!

On 3/10/2019 at 3:59 PM, beckym117 said:

We took an Alaska cruise in June 9 years ago on Princess and are going again this year but in the middle of September.  Can't wait and we're really excited.  Our trip in June 2010 was wet, and chilly.  What are we looking at the 15th - 22nd of September?  We know to layer but do we need a coat?  We'll bring rain coats, but not sure about what shoes we need.  Did tennis shows last time which were fine for walking but definitely were wet and cold by the end of the day.  

 

 

Hi Becky,

How exciting!  We've cruised Alaska in September twice (we always try to book the very last cruise of the season out of Seattle, because it's cheaper).  In terms of the weather, it's always a bit of a crap shoot, but honestly I don't remember much more rain in September than when we cruised in July.  Always expect "some" rain and prepare for it.  I always dress in layers with a think hooded sweatshirt over long underwear and a good hooded rain coat.  I bring both tennis shoes and rain boots.  For the boat I pack a huge, thick ankle length puffer coat and thick gloves and a hat.  My first time to Alaska I froze watching glaciers, etc. on the boat, but I'm the last man standing outside with my ridiculous (but WARM) puffer.  lol. 

I have detailed reviews of a few ports in Alaska on my blog, if you're interested.

https://profcruise.com/category/alaska/

Wishing you a wonderful second trip to Alaska!!!

So cool, thanks for sharing.  Something to aspire to 😉

7 minutes ago, Ombud said:

What are the music genres on HAL? Kids hate Carnival bc their entertainment isn't our 'style' and we cruise for entertainment (vegans & vegetarians)

 

Isn't the Grand off to P&O Australia in late 2020?

If you're vegans and vegetarians, definitely try HAL.  They have a whole vegetarian/vegan menu available in the MDR you can order off of each night.  It was fabulous!  SO much variety and choice.  We also loved the entertainment.  Incredible classical trio on our last cruise that we couldn't miss.  Very high quality across the board, IMHO.