CruiseMGM

PS assuming you're going out of (northbound) or in to (southbound) Vancouver! If you're going into or leaving from Seattle, they usually go outside of Vancouver Island and you skip the Canadian Inside Passage altogether.

Tamarind is great, but I'd also like to say that the Southbound itinerary usually traverses the Canadian Inside Passage during the daylight hours on your last day, while the Northbound mostly traverses it at night on embarkation day. The Canadian Inside Passage is beautiful.........except on the times when it's kinda fogged in, and even that has an ethereal beauty to it! So you take your chances, I suppose. Good luck on your decision!

That makes sense. On a recent Nieuw Statendam cruise, we had a Canaletto rez for 6pm one night and were called and asked to change it to 7pm because "diners were lingering longer than expected" (at least that's what I got out of the conversation). We switched and were called back half an hour later, asking us to switch to 7:30 or 8pm. We declined that request because it was a little bit late for us. When we arrived at 7pm, expecting to wait a bit, we were seated immediately and there were many empty tables the entire time we were in the restaurant. As you mention, staffing was the likely reason, although service was excellent.

We took a Seattle r/t to Alaska August of 2022, and it's the first EVER that we've flown in the day of embarkation. Our flight was LAS-SEA and we got the first in the morning flight. We did it with eyes wide open, figured the cruise had been so cheap that if we missed it, we'd just fly home. Everything went smoothly and we had no problems, but I suspect we were just lucky. I don't think I'd ever do that again. Heck, even when we've sailed out of San Diego, we drove the car down and stayed overnight before embarking next day. For what it's worth, our last cruise was Mediterranean and we flew in with 2 nights in a hotel before embarking. Good move, as far as I'm concerned, and we enjoyed our jet-lagged time on the ground before getting on the ship. We also go with carry ons only any more, especially after a huge fiasco in 2022 where we were abandoned by the airline in Germany on our way to Switzerland! And we weren't even supposed to go to Germany! But that's another story! 😆

We didn't visit Giverny by cruise ship, so can't really advise you about what the ship offers. But I just wanted to say that we LOVED our visit to Monet's gardens. It was really beautiful and peaceful. A bit rainy on our day, but it added to the romanticism we felt there. The house was very crowded and wasn't very mobility-friendly (stairs, tight spaces, etc.), and it seemed like a one-way loop (into the ground floor, up the stairs, down the stairs and out). You may experience something different on your visit. I agree with the poster who said to notify the guide and then go at your own pace and meet up with them at the appropriate time. While the commentary is nice, it's not paramount to your experience and enjoyment. Hope you have a wonderful visit!

Another shout out for Estancia Tours! They were great! Also saw lots and lots of wildlife on the cruise. Just a few penguin pictures attached, from the ship. Got much closer with Estancia Tours in the Falkland Islands! We decided a "drive by" of Antarctica was good for us and our budget and haven't regretted it one tiny bit. Best wishes, and have a FABULOUS cruise!

Hi, I'm so sorry you had such a rough time on the Valor! Really sounds dreadful. We're mainly HAL cruisers but went on 2 Carnival cruises last year (Panorama to Mexico with family inc. kids and Sprit r/t Alaska from Seattle just the 2 of us for a cheap and quick anniversary adventure). Just our experience, we'd do the Panorama again if family wanted to go, but it wasn't really our cup o' tea......big ship, overbooked, lots of kids, etc. Buffet was scary. Still, fun with the family, and the kids had a ball! But the Spirit? We really weren't expecting much ..............and we had a WONDERFUL time. The food wasn't outstanding but it was tasty and mostly well prepared, our balcony cabin was great, staffing was good and the ship was lovely. We went to the Steakhouse twice and really enjoyed that, hit up the sushi restaurant the first night and pretty much had the place to ourselves, very good. We pretty much did our own thing and didn't mingle a lot, so had no issues with other passengers. I just want to say that we really hope your next cruise is a good one, and that you enjoy the Spirit if you decide to partake of that sailing! Best wishes and safe travels!

Thanks for the tip! Saw it on the DH's card, added the offer, then charged $1k towards the balance on a cruise we'd just booked in October. Fingers crossed!

Thank you, @Cyberchomp , for writing up your and the Missus's experiences! We're sailing on the American Empress for a r/t Portland (Vancouver) cruise next week and I'm happy I came across your review. If you happen to read this in the next day or two, could you please let me know about tipping on the boat? I know that "pooled" gratuities are automatically added to our onboard account daily, but is there a customary standard for tipping extra? For example, room service delivery, waiters in the dining room, cabin steward, bartenders? On ocean cruises, we normally give a few dollars to delivery if we order room service for our beloved morning coffee and croissants, but what about room stewards and waiters? I'm expecting we'll have different waiters each night, so I'm not quite sure how that will work. Any suggestions or knowledge you have would be appreciated. Thank you again! Hope you soon have the chance to do another river cruise!

Definite thumbs up from us! Pre-pandemic but in the Pinnacle Grill for us (don't think that ship had a Tamarind). It was fantastic and we'd do it again in a heartbeat. Amazing food, small tastes of a variety of things and while a few were spicy hot, the overall was just a fantastic experience. Sure hope they bring it back.

I'm actually so happy you have this picture! It was the same way on our cruise, the line was INSANE and it looked (through the windows) like it was front-to-back and shoulder-to-shoulder and no way in HECK did we want to set foot in there! Heck, I'll buy some maple syrup from Amazon if I have to! 😄 For what it's worth, if you ever have another technical stop in Victoria in the future....... on our Monday 9/5 stop from 8pm-midnight (all aboard at 11:30) I'd spied (on the internet) a nearby little restaurant to try and we skipped dinner on the ship and decided to go for that. Well, nearby wasn't quite as nearby as I thought, but it was a beautiful night and a nice walk and we got there before they closed. Heron Rock Bistro. The food was great (fish & chips, POUTINE!, and a fabulous Caesar's salad with BACON!), the beers were very nice, servers were friendly and funny, and we thoroughly enjoyed our little sojourn. Walked back to port a bit more leisurely than we'd hiked at the start, enjoyed seeing flowers and neighborhoods and just really had a great time. We spent a week in Vic one early summer and love the place. Have to agree with you on the Char Sui Chicken at Chopsticks, I've been Jonesing for it ever since I tried it! Enjoying the review!

That's what I forgot, the Char sui chicken and veggie cellophane noodles! Yummy!

I really liked Chopstix on our recent cruise! The Crispy Orange Chicken was really good, and the noodle dishes I tried were also very good! Now my mouth is watering! 😄

Sounds like a great trip ahead! Enjoy! We just got off the Spirit last week and had a wonderful birthdays/anniversary trip on her. Best wishes!

LOL, we were camping when check-in for our upcoming Spirit cruise occurred. I was able to get a little bit of connection on my phone at 9pm and couldn't get in................then remembered we were in a different time zone than our normal one, LOL, and midnight EDT isn't 9pm MDT, it's 10pm! Tried again at 10pm MDT and got in. Did a "minimal" check-in and was able to get A03 boarding, so I'm grateful to whomever posted on the forum and said you could check-in at midnight EDT! Obviously, didn't have all the info with me for a "full" check-in, but went back in after the camping trip and filled everything else out. Enjoy your cruise and your B01 boarding!

New CDC COVID guidance focuses on individual decisions : Shots - Health News : NPR Wondering if this will make any difference to quarantines onboard, pre-cruise testing, anything else? Maybe not right now, but maybe sooner than later?

So it looks like the CDC is updating guidelines today..... CDC streamlines COVID-19 guidance to help the public better protect themselves and understand their risk | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC and New CDC COVID guidance focuses on individual decisions : Shots - Health News : NPR Wondering if this will cause any changes for cruises. Likely not in time for our end-o'-August cruise, LOL, but maybe sooner than later? Best wishes to all.

We did the 26 Glacier tour years ago while on a land-trip to Alaska and thoroughly enjoyed it. So close to glaciers and wildlife! We enjoyed it so much that we went back on a pre-cruise trip and did another of their tours......the shorter one called "Glacier Quest" that goes into Blackstone Bay. Fewer glaciers, but both trips were absolutely lovely days on the ocean. Great crew, great trips! Whatever you decide, have fun!

Thanks for the comments! We're sailing the Spirit later this month. Are you on a 6 night itinerary? Any info you care to share about the cruise (impressions or favorites or least-favorites or menus or fun-times, etc.) and ports (plans? shore ex? wandering?) would be gratefully read! For us, it's first time on Spirit, 2nd Carnival cruise overall. Best wishes, have a fantastic cruise!

1000% this, all three points! Our VERY first cruise was a TA (on Celebrity) and we loved it. We've always said we wanted to do an eastbound itinerary for the exact three reasons listed by Miss G, but haven't managed to book one yet. geer55, congratulations on your retirement, and have a wonderful cruise!

They had this on the Panorama in April. I tried it and liked it! It was fun to try a different wine with each course. I'm not a big wine drinker, but it made a fun evening even better. I'm sorry but I couldn't tell you what the wines were, but I enjoyed them all!

I wouldn't be surprised (not one iota!) if the itineraries were canceled. Our Norway cruise for May was canceled after final payment when the refugee housing came about. Then our September Med cruise was also canceled when the contract was extended, but that was before final payment. As far as I know, bookings were being accepted all along. But I do hope I'm wrong and the November sailings are a go, the Volendam is a lovely smaller ship, and we'd enjoy sailing on her again. But "twice burned", we won't be booking anything on her in the near or semi-far future!

Just wanted to mention you'll still (unless I haven't heard "new" news!) need to provide a negative, medically observed Covid test result taken within 2-3 days of sailing. I gave up on trying to "smuggle" liquor aboard, too much stress! On our last cruise (our first with Carnival), we pre-purchased a bottle of rum and Sprite, and also a 4 pack each of OJ and cranberry juice. The combination (rum, sprite, OJ and a splash of cranberry juice) makes for a nice, sipping-on-the-balcony drink. For our upcoming cruise, the OBC paid for almost all of that PLUS a steakhouse dinner reservation for my birthday! 😄 Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

Definitely looking forward to the rest of your review! Hoping for pointers for a stop in Ketchikan! 😄 It's not like we've never been there, but we're hoping for ideas for our upcoming "early" visit (7am-1pm). In the past, we've booked e-bike and hike tours with a local company (Ketchikan Kayak Co) and really enjoyed those, but our visit in August is a little earlier than their schedule.

Love the review, the pictures and the humor. Happy you're having a great time. We'll be on the Spirit in August, with stops in Juneau and Ketchikan, and I'm already taking notes on where we want to wander. I printed up a map of downtown Juneau and marked the Triangle Club and Deckhand Dave's, can't wait to try them! Best wishes!