Allison & David's Honeymoon Adventure/ Carnival Miracle's Maiden Alaska Voyage

I've started posting my photo review in the Carnival forums, but I know how hard it can be to find Alaskan cruise reviews in general. So I am going to bring it over here as well. Prior to our cruise I read every possible review from any line that I could get a hold, so I thought that even if you aren't sailing Carnival, you could get some good info out of it. Enjoy!

Intro:

I read lots and lots of reviews in the planning of our honeymoon. I am returning the favor by writing this to help those who are planning their Alaskan adventure and for those who just like to read trip reports :D

To start with a little background. I am Allison and my husband is David. We are from Orlando, Fl and were married 03/02/13 (on the freak cold Saturday in Florida, temp in the upper 40s with 15-20 mph winds). Thankfully I had the adrenaline of the wedding keeping me warm.

Right after we were engaged I was immediately excited to plan our honeymoon. I started looking at European cruises and found the perfect one. So how did we end up in Alaska? We were booked on the inaugural Carnival Sunshine cruise... which was cancelled and sent me into a complete panic to re-plan our honeymoon. Europe was just not meant to be. I couldn't find another itinerary that would fit our budget and had the ports we wanted. The rates on the 1st Alaskan cruise of the season were too good to pass up. So here we are on our Alaskan adventure!

So I am a planner and basically had to rebook our honeymoon in a couple of weeks due to the last min change of plans. Booked the cruise, flights, train, hotels, and excursions.

We spent 2 nights pre-cruise in Seattle and 3 nights in Vancouver. We were on the 8 day Alaska Itinerary. We flew in/out of Seattle, taking the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver for our departure on the Carnival Miracle.

Cruise Itinerary:

Day 1: Sail away from Vancouver

Day 2: Inside passage

Day 3: Sea day

Day 4: Juneau

Day 5: Skagway

Day 6: Glacier Bay

Day 7: Ketchikan

Day 8: Sea day

...... Flying home from Seattle

We used mainly a Canon T4i for photos. Also used a Canon Powershot SD1100, Kodak easyshare sport, and my iphone 5.

Day 1: Driving to South Florida

April 23rd 2013

Our adventure actually started the day prior to our flight to Seattle on Tuesday. We flew out Fort Lauderdale International. The reason we didn't fly out of Orlando International was that my parents were cat sitting. There was no way I was just going to leave Poko (my cat) at home and have people check in on her over the 2 weeks we were to be gone. She is very social cat and normally goes crazy happy to see us after we leave her for a few days for a shorter trips. She needs people around. This was Poko's first time traveling to South Florida and I didn't know how she would be in a new place.

So we left Orlando after working half a day. Had lunch and had to pack not only all of our luggage but all the kitty stuff. Made it down to South Florida in time for dinner with the parents. Unfortunetly Poko didn't adjust as well as I hoped. She compeltely shut down and spent the night huddle inside David's backpack/curled at my feet/or me pulling her out from any space she could squash herself. I was very worried about leaving her.

Day 2: Flight to Seattle, Washington

April 24th 2013

We woke up WAY too early for me for our 8am flight. When booking it, 8am didn't seem like a bad idea...until I realized the night before what time we had to get up. After getting through screening and grabbing lunch in the airport to take on our flight we found out terminal. About one min after arriving they started boarding super early (was about 20min earlier then it was suppose to be). We ended up leaving a little late and our flight ended up turning from a 6.5 hr flight into about 7hrs due to turbulence. We flew Alaska Airlines. Was very happy with the service and felt the seats were slightly more spacious/more comfortable.

The flight went fast. Be aware that all you get is a trail mix packet and drinks, so pack food accordingly! We watched Prometheus on David's Ipad and played Mario Kart on our Nintendo DS (we are nerds). In no time we landed in Seattle at approx 12pm.

We pre-booked a town car with Already There. We had booked them for transport from the airport to our hotel and then from the cruise ship back to airport for our return. We would highly recommend them for the Seattle area. They were great to communicate with and were very professional. Once we landed and had our luggage we simply went outside saw what number we were standing at and called the town care service with the number they provided. Our driver was there in about 5 min.

In no time we arrived at our hotel in the Belltown area of Seattle, very close to the Space Needle (about 5 min walk). We stayed at the Hotel Five. Great moderate price hotel. I think we had the smallest room (guess that what happens when you book a super low rate). We were at the very end by the staircase with a street view. The decor was modern and hip. The front staff were always very friendly.

In the lobby there are bikes that are free to use.

The room

My only complaint was that the bathroom was super dark, limited lighting (no light by the toliet) and I am not a fan of those space air conditioners/heaters. There was a Keurig in the room with K-cups for use and 2 water bottles free of charge. Internet was also free and we a good signal in the room. The shower was the best part of the bathroom. Had a rainfall shower head and Tommy Bahama shampoo/conditioner.

Desk area

Already drinking coffee!

Day 2: Seattle Continued

So after dropping off all our luggage at the hotel, we immediately set forth to the Space Needle since it was a gorgeous day! In fact both days we were in Seattle the weather was sunny with a few clouds. We were very lucky. Our hotel was actually right next to the monorail, so you just had to follow it down. On the way David decided he wanted to get money out the ATM so we stopped at a Walgreen's (since they have those Chase ATMs inside). His first attempt to withdraw money didn't work so he tries a different card. When the money comes out it's not the full amount. Great start to the vacation! To make things even better, the first failed transaction shows up on his account as having withdrawn (with no money actually given). So after a call to Chase everything is cleared up. We were actually very impressed with their customer service. They straightening everything up promptly and credited him back. I am assuming they go about with auditing the machine/reviewing security footage at a later time?

So we get to the Space Needle and we are at the ticket booth to purchase the combo ticket that includes the Chihuly Glass Museum. The attendant notifies us that there is a special event at Chihuly and that it closes in an half hour. So we decided to change plans and head down the waterfront instead to Pike's Public Market. But first we decided to pop back into our hotel for their complimentary afternoon coffee and cupcakes. Yum!

On a side note: I never drank coffee until earlier this year (due to wedding planning) and here I am drinking two cups of coffee in Seattle within 2 hours of being there!

My two main first impressions of Seattle: The people are super friendly/helpful and that there are a lot of bums on the streets. Especially around Pikes Public Market. Was a bit offsetting and I have visited quite a few big cities. Just something to be aware of if you are traveling with young children.

Pike's Place Market

We walked around, enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of the market. They had an amazing array of seafood, fresh produce and tulips. The tulips were gorgeous and couldn't believe you could get a big bouquet for $10! Of course I had to find Rachel the pig and get a photo with her. There is a green area right by the market with amazing water/mountain views, but like I said there were a quite a few bums in the area, so have your wits about you. The locals seemed completely use to it.

Rachel the Pig

At the Flying Fish Market

Love the Tulips!!!

Day 2: Seattle Continued

After Pike's Public Market, we continued along the waterfront making our way to Pioneer Square.

Pioneer Square

We made it down into time for the last Bill Speidel Underground Tour. I highly recommend this tour if your time in Seattle allows it. You get a good amount of history about Seattle and I always love seeing glimpses into the past. Our guide was a local and you could tell she liked what she did and had a passion for Seattle. They start you out in the original bar area with a brief history talk (about 10 min) then you descend into the underground. You only get to see a few sections (which are rubble now) but it's fascinating to see. Most of the underground is not excavated.

Tour starts in this building

Into the Underground!

featuring yee old garbage can in the right hand corner (gotta love anachronisms)

Day 2: Seattle Continued

When you are walking along the sidewalks in Pioneer Place you will see glass tiles on the ground. Those are the old highlights that were used when the area was still functional and pre electricity. The glass is now purple and clouded due to oxidation (if I remember correctly). Would of never known that's what they were if I wasn't on the tour.

Old bathroom

After the tour we headed back towards our hotel in Belltown and found a local pizza restaurant named Rocco's on Yelp that had good reviews. The area had quite a few "hip" bars and restaurants in the area. Pizza was yummy and we tried a local cider that was delicious! Was Spire Mountain, Dark & Dry Apple Cider. If you are a cider drinker, highly recommend it.

Nice graffiti art on the way back to the hotel

In sleep in no time after the long travel day!

Day 3: Seattle

April 25th, 2013

Woke up to another beautiful day! Stopped at Top Pot right by our hotel to try some local eats for breakfast. I believe we had the Bavarian cream.

Then started the CLIMB up to Kerry Park for the postcard view of Seattle. You can easily take a cab, but we are walking people. There are several steep staircases on the way as you make you way up.

I'm a sucker for dandelions

Beautiful cherry blossom trees and tulips along the way!

Day 3: Seattle Continued

We made it to Kerry Park!!

Hello Mt. Rainer!

Going uphill to Kerry park took about 30min. Going back downhill...about 10 min. In no time we made it to the Space Needle and had our combo tickets purchased.

You get a free digital download picture taken and e-mailed to you at the Space Needle. You pick the backdrop at a kiosk.

Day 3: Seattle Continued

Up on the Space Needle

View of Kerry Park from the Space Needle. It is the green space in the middle

Mountain view

City View

After the Space Needle we headed right next door to the Chihuly Garden and Glass. When you buy a combo ticket for the mususem and the Space Needle, I believe you save about $5.

This is hands down one of my favorite museums that I have visited. I think this was the first time I was sad when I had to leave a museum. The glass work is unbelievably gorgeous. They have a photographer going around inside that snaps photos of you if you wish. You are then able to digitally e-mail them to yourself free of charge.

Day 3: Seattle Continued

Chihuly Garden and Glass

This is the ceiling of my favorite room! The color's spill out and flood the walls.

Close up detail

Each room is amazing

This is a chandelier!

The Glasshouse

Day 3: Seattle Continued

Part way through the exhibit we stopped to eat at the in house restaurant, The Collections. There are other places you eat nearby the museum that would probably be a little cheaper, but we were tired and hungry. Plus the restaurant had good reviews on yelp. Was a little more then I like to pay for lunch, but good food and the service was excellent. The restaurant decor was funky, with hanging accordions from the ceiling and each table had a clear area in the middle with a "collection" of some sort on display. Our table had vintage ornaments.

Yummy flat bread Pizza. When I asked the waitress how the flat bread was when ordering, she told me it "has a lot of carbs" with her foreign accent. Sounds good!

David had the meatballs. They were also very tasty

Outside gardens

Close up in the Garden house before leaving

Would love to come back in the future to this museum at twilight/night when it's all lit up outside. We then headed afterwards all the way back to Pioneer Square. There were a couple of sights we missed the day prior because they were closed.

Sculpture art outside

Day 3: Seattle Continued

We stopped first at the Waterfall Garden in Pioneer Park. The Waterfall Garden is a gift from the UPS to city of Seattle and gives much needed tranquility to the surroundings. It has limited daytime hours. When we were there I believe it closed around 5:30pm. It is a small area, but it is shaded and cool.

Made a quick stop to the Klondike Museum. It is free and has great exhibits. David seeing if he would "strike it rich". Unfortanely we both didn't.

Did some souvenir shopping along the waterfront as we headed back. Made a quick stop at the gum wall, since we forgot to check it out the day prior.

EWWWW

Lots of graffiti in the area also

Day 3: Seattle Continued

We stopped at Anthony's Bell Diner on the way. Also attached is Anthony's Pier 66, which is more upscale. We opted for low key. They also have a sunset menu if you are there before 6:00pm I believe. It is a 4 course meal for $19.95. Good deal for a ton of food!

We then ended the day by heading to the Olympic Sculpture Park for the sunset. We went to bed soon after because we had a train to catch early next morning!

There are red chairs out there to sit and enjoy the view. As you can see, the Space Needle is close by.

Day 3: Seattle Continued

 

Chihuly Garden and Glass

 

 

This is the ceiling of my favorite room! The color's spill out and flood the walls.

 

 

Close up detail

 

Each room is amazing

This is a chandelier!

 

The Glasshouse

 

LOVE Chihuly's work. He had a studio in Tacoma when I was there 10 years ago and while he wasn't blowing glass that day, it was still fascinating. There was a walkway over the road to the studio just filled with his work - similar to picture #2 above. So glad to know there is a museum in Seatlle now. I know where my mom and I will be in July!

Love the review so far! Planning an Alaska cruise, but not until 2015, I think. So in the meantime, reading all the reviews I can find.

Very interesting so far. Love the pictures. Looking forward to more.

Ellen

LOVE Chihuly's work. He had a studio in Tacoma when I was there 10 years ago and while he wasn't blowing glass that day, it was still fascinating. There was a walkway over the road to the studio just filled with his work - similar to picture #2 above. So glad to know there is a museum in Seatlle now. I know where my mom and I will be in July!

I honestly didn't know much about his work until I visited the museum. The only artwork I had seen was in the Orlando Art Museum and it is one piece. You will not be disappointed by the museum. Very well run and the lighting is perfect.

Day 4: Vancouver

April 26th, 2013

Woke up early for our 7:40am train to Vancouver. We saved a bit of money by flying in/out of Seattle instead of flying into Vancouver and out of Seattle. Minus the cost of the train for both of us, we probably saved about $200 still. We took the Amtrak Cascades. There is a morning and an afternoon train. We caught the morning train so we could get more sightseeing in Vancouver.

View of our hotel from the street

We went down to the hotel lobby and they called a cab for us. The cab came within 10 min. The ride down to King's station took about about 10 min. Cabs in Seattle and Vancouver take credit cards (they will try to get you to pay cash). The cab ride from our hotel to the train station cost about $11 with tip.

I think the day prior they finished all the renovations to the train station. It was a very station. Once there we didn't really know what the procedure was as there were no signs. We sat down for a moment in the middle area and then realized that the bag check in was off in the back area. There were no crowds since we got there early. We checked in all our bags except for carry on. We didn't want to be worried about keeping them secure on the train. It is free to check in up to 2 bags per person. At around 7am they did seat assignments. People just started lining up, so we just followed them.

Loading of the train was fast and easy and the train left at exactly 7:40am!

We checked out our seats (with gigantic leg room!) and once the train was going went back to food cart to grab a small breakfast. Selection wasn't great. Has the basics. Kinda like buying overpriced airport food. We actually spent majority of the ride in the lounge area watching the scenery. I researched Vancouver on the way.

My legs are FULLY stretched out in this picture!

In the lounge car having some breakfast

The ride on the Cascades is a scenic one. Scenery is on the left side of the train when you are traveling to Vancouver. However today the clouds moved in, so I am sure it is even more lovely on a sunny day. You ride right along the ocean in the beginning part of the journey.

It started to actually clear up as we got closer to Vancouver

Day 4: Vancouver Continued

Couple more photos of the view from the train. You also see pastoral land and then finally the typical view of homes as you get close to Vancouver.

From what I understand, the train always arrives late (so plan accordingly). We arrived I believe at noon instead of 11:30am. Our luggage was right outside the train along the fence. Easy to find and pick up. Then we went through Canadian customs. You line up outside which wasn't great since it was a little cool outside. Then headed outside to catch a cab. You would think there would be a line of cabs there when the train came in. But no. Only a few came at a time. We luckily were one of the first ones there so we got one within 10 min. The line did grew very quickly. From what I was told while waiting on line by a worker, you can call cab from inside the lobby. Since we were in the front of the line we just decided to wait. The cab ride to our hotel was quick and cost about $12 with tip. You can also take the light rail, but we had a lot of luggage, plus it only save a few bucks. Unless you are traveling very light, I think a cab is worth it. .....now thinking about it more, the cab is definitely worth it. Takes you also right to the hotel!

We stayed at the Marriott Pinnacle. We loved our hotel. Would stay there again in a heartbeat. We first wanted to stay at the Pan Pacific originally for the location (the hotel is on top of the cruise terminal), but I caught a 1 day sale and got a fabulous rate at the Marriott. We saved about $200 staying there vs the Pan Pacific over our stay. The Marriott is about a 2 min walk from the waterfront and about 10 min from Canada Place (cruise terminal). I thought it had a fabulous location and the hotel staff was A++.

The bell hop grabbed our luggage basically as soon the trunk was popped. Check in took a min and in no time we were up in our room. We got a room that curved around the side of the building giving us an amazing window and city view. This was the cheap view!

Our view

The room had a mini fridge, good size bathroom with shower/separate tub and a lot more space then our last hotel in Seattle.

We explored a little of the hotel on our way out. We decided to stop by on the 3rd floor to see the restaurant (it is normally on the 1st floor but they were doing renovations at the time). We came across a little area by the concerige's desk that had starbucks coffee, fresh cookies, and a delightful punch/drink concoction. Was there every afternoon. Not something I saw advertised.

We then set out to the waterfront. There was some sort of event earlier in the day so the Olympic torch was lit (something I didn't know at the time wasn't regular).

To see how close we are to the waterfront. Our builiding is the one in the middle right, behind the black building.

Day 4: Vancouver Continued

We walked along the waterfront, snapping photos and watching float planes land/take off.

The event that happened earlier in day appeared to be a memorial to workers who lost their lives in the previous year. There was a rose laid besides each name.

Float plane getting ready for take off! Takes much longer then one would think.

Cool art work in the area (was trying to do my best Free Willy impression, sure that I was the first one to have ever done this).

At Canada Place

We then proceeded to walk through gastown on our way to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen classical Chinese gardens. The area is a little "shady" as you walk in the international district on your way there. Even with this cloudy weather the gardens were amazing. Highly worth your visit if your time in Vancouver allows it.

We waited for the free tour to start. This is the first time I left a tour and I love tours. the lady giving the tour went into too much detail. Spent like 20min describing the room the tour started in. Really describing everything. I just wanted to get out and see the gardens, so we left the group when she moved on to the next room.

I will try to limit how many pictures I post of the gardens as there were so many amazing ones!

Day 4: Vancouver Continued

The gardens continued. Loved the juxtaposition of the garden with the city view

Whew that was hard limiting the photos....I can only imagine how it will be once I get to the scenic Alaskan photos!

Day 4: Vancouver Continued

After the gardens we headed back towards gastown. Wanted to check out the touristy steam clock. Just one of those things you gotta snap a photo of.

Since tomorrow's forecast looked dismal we decided to check out the Vancouver Lookout today. Basically the typical city spot where you get the high up views. It was a good value. With your ticket you could come back as often you liked in that day. So we decided to go now and then come back later for the sunset.

City Views

So before sunset we decided to catch dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant named Al Porto in gastown that we passed on the way (also had good reviews on yelp). They had an early bird special that you got soup or salad with your entree (I am from South Florida and very use to early bird specials). The food was delicious. Good value for Vancouver and the atmosphere was cozy yet slightly upscale. Casual clothing is accepted. The service was amazing. We had like 4 different people taking care of us (waiter, someone with bread, someone with water, someone cleaning up)

The restaurant got filled up as our dinner continued

I don't know what made this salad special, but David raved about it (a first)

Day 4: Vancouver Continued

I got the pasta fagioli soup

I got the free run chicken and David some beef dish (can't remember)

After dinner we headed back to the Vancouver Lookout for the sunset views. Unfortunately (or not if you prefer that) the view is a bit limited due the skyscrapers blocking the sun! Beautiful nonetheless.

We walked back to our hotel along the waterfront, snapping photos of the city at nightfall. Vancouver is really a beautiful city and on our first day there, we both fell in love with it. We can't wait to return!

Day 5: Vancouver

April 27th, 2013

Woke up to another cloudy day. The forecast was for 90% rain. It was only slightly raining as we made our way along the seawall to Stanley Park. I was hopefully. Unfortunately the rain got harder and worse as the day went.

Tulips are everywhere!

You'll pass a marina on the way to Stanley Park

Right about when we reached Stanley Park is when the winds kicked up and the drizzle turned into a light rain.

The flowers in the tree are beautiful

View of the city skyline from Stanley Park

Stanley Park Totem Poles

Day 5: Vancouver Continued

After reaching the totem poles we decided we had enough of the rain and wanted to get inside. We wanted to check out the highly rated University of B.C Anthropology Museum. We didn't want to deal with the rain, so the clerk at the nearby gift shop called us a cab. I knew the museum wasn't nearby but I wasn't expecting the cab to cost as much as it did. I don't know what route the cabby took us, but he seemed to of taken us on the slowest route. The rain didn't help. In the end.... lesson learned. Take the public bus. I wouldn't normally take a cab, but the rain and with not having a bus route on hand, I went for the easy out. The bus we took on the way back felt to be at least the same time and that's with all the stops. Make sure you have exact change for the bus.

My opinion on the museum: Not my favorite. Nice to see the totem poles that they had and they also had a nice porcelain collection, but the rest of the anthropology exhibits were cramped into way too small of a space. Was overwhelming. You literally have to open drawers to see more. Just too much to look at to really enjoy the space. The museum honestly felt over priced for what you get. There was no real coat check (which I am use to having at nice museums), only a rack out by the bathrooms to stick your coat on and no onsite ATM. There is a cafe. Which has a mom and pop feel to it. We had a sandwich there and it was just ok.

We headed back via bus to the hotel. We decided to run to the B.C liquor store get our wine for the cruise. Also picked up something to drink in the hotel room.

David loves pizza and that's what he wanted for dinner. The hotel concierge recommend Nicli Antica Pizzeria in gastown as a local hot spot. The pizza was good, however I found the types offered to be restricting. It seemed that at least half of them had ham on them (I don't eat ham), so we just got a Margarita pizza. Tasty, but it was Napoleon style pizza, which isn't David's favorite.

Afterwards we just walked around gastown and stopped at the Steamworks Brewing Company to try their beer. David decided he was still hungry so we split an order of some chicken fingers. David was happy after that.