Carnival Spirit Glacier Bay Sept. 7 to 14 Review

[Jen1000]

This is my third cruise, all have been on Carnival and this is my second on the Spirit. This cruise was part of my brother’s wedding on board. 11 of us cruised in 5 cabins and 18 attended the on board wedding prior to the cruise. I had a 4K, 4139. This is an inside cabin that is really an obstructed view outside. It has double doors/windows that open for fresh air. There is a plexiglass half wall so that you cannot go outside. There is a sign that said do not open doors, but we opened them because our cabin was always warm, even after being out for hours with the A/C on. The view is lifeboats but we could see some water and see if it was light or dark out. We were just a little forward of mid ship, the location was quiet and smooth. I liked this type of cabin. The other cabins were another 4K, 2 7As and an 8K extended balcony, 7175. All of our floor plans were the same. The life boats at the 7As were not that much of an obstruction. Actually, from the 8K you could see the lifeboats down below. The balcony is deeper, not longer. I did not care for the location of 7175, too far forward.

 

We arrived at the pier about 10:30 to check in for the wedding. The porter allowed us to check in our flat of water and a 12 pack of diet coke (tip, if you check in 12 packs tape the ends, our came open but the soda arrived). The non sailing guests received tags and the rest of us checked in and got our sign and sail cards. We boarded as a group and received a run down of the wedding events. People were free to explore the ship until wedding time. Three of our cabins were ready per the wedding arrangements so we got ready in those. The wedding was lovely and held in the chapel. After, the lunch reception was held in the MDR. The food was excellent. Non sailing guests had to be off about 3 so that ended the reception.

 

We quickly changed clothes for the muster drill. Headed out for sail away but we did not leave on time. There were people arriving late and I later learned that they were late due to flight delays. I am not sure why the ship waits sometimes and not others, but we waited. Hit trivia (got winning a ship on a stick out of the way) and then off to dinner in the MDR. Great meal, sweet and sour shrimp and chocolate melting cake! After dinner some of us went to the Welcome Aboard Show. It was good, music, singing, dancing, comedy, the CD, etc. Off to bed.

 

Jen in SoCal

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great so far.

[dustyroad]

the ship probably waited for the passengers because they had booked their flight through cc. that is one of the perks too doing your flight that way. im sure you had a wonderful time. i love the spirit and cant wait too get on her again for alaska in may.

[Jen1000]

The next day was a sea day. I went to breakfast in the buffet (as I would do daily). Both cruises on the Spirit there was an additional omelet station at the buffet station by the pool that usually had a much shorter line. There was a large variety of hot and cold breakfast items. There were always scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, potatoes and then a mix of other hot breakfast items that rotated daily. There was a fruit, cold meat and cheese station, cereals, pastries, croissants, muffins, toast, bagels, etc. There was orange, apple and POG juices, coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate and milk. There is staff walking thru the dining room with a cart of refill drinks as well. Everything was tasty that I had all week. My Dad said one morning he got two items off the buffet that were stone cold, but this only happened the one day.

 

I went to adult arts and crafts and didn’t do a very good job at what we were making. Attended the shore excursion talk even though we had plans in Juneau and Skagway, we did not in Ketchikan. It was here that we learned about the “Behind the Fun” tour. Three in our group signed up for the tour.

 

Lunch was at the buffet. I checked the menu in the MDR for lunch each day and always decided the buffet was a better option. For lunch you could pick from several stations. The grill by the pool (11 AM to 6 PM) which had grilled chicken sandwiches (you have to ask), hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, nachos, chili, mushrooms, chicken strips, potato salad, coleslaw every day. An Asian station that had different Asian dishes each day, including soup. A sandwich station where they have a list of hot and cold sandwiches to pick from or you can ask to modify them. There was the American station that had a different carved meat each day plus sides and other entrees. My only complaint with this station is that when I eat carved meats I like mashed potatoes and I never saw mashed potatoes there. There was also a station of the daily ethnic food including soup (Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Caribbean, etc.) Then there was the dessert station that had a large selection of desserts that changed daily. The key lime pie was my favorite of the entire trip. At lunch there is lemonade, iced tea, milk, water and the same hot drinks they have at breakfast. I ate at the buffet for lunch each day and thought the food was overall great. There are a few things I did not care for so I just didn’t finish them.

 

We attended the ice carving demo where he turned a block of ice into an Indian. We then went to hear the naturalist Michelle give a presentation. That was interesting to learn about what we would most likely encounter. Hit some trivia and then got ready for the first Elegant night. They kept talking about happy hour prices in all the lounges and bars, no free drinks. The show that night was Jazz Hot and it was excellent. The dinner menu included shrimp and lobster and prime rib. I had the minestrone soup, pasta carbonara and prime rib. They served us the rest of the wedding cake that night and I added on a cherries jubilee.

 

We had any time dining which I really like the flexibility it gave us. We could arrive between 5:45 and 9:30 for dinner. With the port times and activities we did on board, this worked well and we ate at different times each night. One assessment about the service in the MDR at dinner with any time dining, service was hit or miss. Sometimes the pace would be fine and other times it was way too slow. A couple of times after we finished eating it was as if we had been forgotton about and could not get dessert ordered. One of the servers was actually rude one night when we asked for a dessert we forgot to order. When we could get Asadee (had her on prior Spirit cruise) we would sit with her but we could not always get her station but she is great. Also, the any time staff did not always participate in the singing and dancing the other wait staff in assigned seating performed. On this ship the lower level of the dining room and port side of the second level is assigned dining. The starboard side of the second level is any time dining. One nice thing on this cruise was that they announced in the dining room that in Juneau and Ketchikan the early seating guests would be allowed to eat after their assigned dining time. The positives of eating when you want far outweighed the problems we had though.

 

The water in the mid ship pool was heated and the roof was closed for the cruise. That is a good thing so people can comfortably swim and there are nice windows and it can be a pleasant place to eat. The bad thing is that the starboard side is smoking on open decks. On my cruise to Mexico it was not too bad because the roof was open. On this crusie the roof was shut at some point after we left Seattle and I believe it stayed shut for the duration of the cruise. People were allowed to smoke on the starboard side by the pool even though the roof was closed and it was not an open deck. This did make it unpleasant at times in the entire pool area because the smoke did not have any where to go. Sometimes windows were opened and that helped. I understand people need and want to smoke but Carnival should keep it to open decks as advertised, which the pool area is not when it is in Alaska. This is in no way the fault of the passengers, ash trays were there and it was clear that it was OK to smoke there. My gripe is with Carnival.

 

The seas were not bad on the first full sea day. My sister in law did feel a bit sick though. I am very prone to motion sickness and I stayed on Dramamine and Sea Bands the whole trip. I felt fine and never got sick. I also had ginger snaps and ginger gum. I never had to break out the ginger gum though. My other cruises were to Mexico and the water was much rougher than it was even on the first day to Alaska. After the first day the water was very smooth and the speeds were often pretty slow so you barely knew the boat was moving.

 

Jen in SoCal

[dustyroad]

love the review :D. it brings back so many wonderful memories of my favorite ship and place too go. i dont do reviews because i have such a horrible memory for writting down details but i can remember when i have a wonderful time.

you had asaddee??? she was fantastic. i have never had such a great waitress as she is. i know it is unlikely but i am hoping she will be on the spirit again next may. keep all the review coming. thanks.

[Jen1000]

The Carnival wedding coordinator mentioned she worked on the first floor of the dining room and let us know if we needed anything. I asked if Asaddee was still on the ship. She said she was working the MDR at dinner and buffet the other meals. We could not get Asadde for dinner the first night but she brought Asadde to our table and said we were looking for her. 5 of us had cruised with Asaddee before so we were very happy to have her a few nights in Alaska. Asaddee said she had finished her contract and had gone home and was back on the Spirit again. Hopefully, she will be back for you. She is the best. She also stays on top of her team of assistants so that things keep moving and is very, very funny.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

love the review :D. it brings back so many wonderful memories of my favorite ship and place too go. i dont do reviews because i have such a horrible memory for writting down details but i can remember when i have a wonderful time.

you had asaddee??? she was fantastic. i have never had such a great waitress as she is. i know it is unlikely but i am hoping she will be on the spirit again next may. keep all the review coming. thanks.

[Jen1000]

The next day was Juneau, 2 to 11. We had the usual meals in the buffet for breakfast and lunch and did our usual activities that involve trivia. I was not crazy about the times in port because it was too late to make use of all the hours. It also was fully dark by 8. We got off as soon as we could, about 2. 8 of us were going to rent 2 cars and do our own tour. Two others wanted to helicopter but the flights were cancelled when they called to check on availability (the one Toursaver coupon spot had been booked so they were instructed to call on arrival and if there was space they could use the coupon) so they went with us and we were up to 10! The eleventh person went on a Carnival tour. The line was not super long to debark. It was raining so some of us walked to Rent A Wreck to pick up the cars and the others waited under the tent. We spotted a big van and asked if we could rent that instead of two cars and she said no problem. The big van holds 15, we were 10 so it was comfortable. Rent A Wreck provided a map and answered questions. While getting the car we saw a bald eagle in a nearby tree. We were docked at AJ dock, closest to Rent A Wreck and it took about 10 minutes to walk there. Cars rent for about $50 to $60 depending on size. The 15 person van was over $110 but I can’t remember exactly. They are very helpful and friendly.

 

I drove and we headed to St. Teresa’s and the arboretum. It was raining so it was a little hard to fully enjoy but those of us that got out of the van thought both were lovely. We also stopped along the road between St. Teresa’s and Auke Bay and walked down to the water for lovely views and some rock throwing. Rent A Wreck said don’t leave food in the car at Mendenhall due to the bears. We had brought sandwiches, chips and cookies off the ship to snack on so we tried to eat everything we had before we hit Mendenhall. We stopped at a grocery store (maybe Safeway) to buy another flat of water and throw out any food we had left, which was not much but we were paranoid.

 

We arrived at Mendenhall about 5:15 or so. They have nice bathrooms so we made a pit stop. With the National Park Pass each holder got 4 free admissions to the visitor center. I asked a park ranger about bears and found out they had not been around for a few days and they were not sure why. We checked out the visitor’s center quickly and headed out to Nugget Falls. There is a movie but I did not get to see it. Out of the visitor’s center head right, towards the falls and you will see a sign pointing to the trail. At one point we left the main trail to go by the lake and get a closer look at the ice floating in the lake. It was raining and there were some places on the trail where you needed to walk through some water, not deep, but I was glad I had my hiking boots on. Because we arrived at Mendenhall so late, the big cruise ship groups were gone and the $14 buses were done for the day, we had the trail and the falls to ourselves. You can really feel the temperature drop as you get closer to the glacier. It was really a stunning hike out to the falls and well worth the trip. People ask if the cells work at Mendenhall, we used it a few times and they worked fine, even by the falls. We then took the walk near the parking lot to see if any bears were around. There were a few people doing the same and a ranger checking things out too. I walked the photo trail and to the pavilion. We could have spent more time there but my Mom was getting nervous about returning the car.

 

We headed back to town and filled up the gas, drove around the shopping area. I wanted to hop out at one of the stores but my Mom kept saying we had to get the car back (we had time). Some of us were going to go back to town to shop but decided we were hungry and decided to just go back to the ship and eat. We dropped some off at the ship and went to return the car. We got lucky and one of the guys there to clean the cars offered to drive us back to the ship so we didn't even have to walk back in the rain! Everyone enjoyed the day and with gas we spent less than $15 each. We would have liked to do the tram but it was overcast and raining so it didn’t make sense to do it. Basically, it rained all day. Having the van was great.

 

My Dad booked an excursion with Carnival. Mendenhall, salmon hatchery and salmon bake. He said the excursion was excellent and he really enjoyed all of it. They had about an hour at Mendenhall. He said it was probably the best salmon he has ever had. At the salmon bake you could walk around the rain forest and listen to the musical performer as long as you wanted and you could head back on any bus. I believe his tour was in the $70 to $80 range.

 

Got back on the ship quickly, dropped our stuff in the cabins and off to the MDR for dinner. The MDR was not very busy that late, about 8:45. I don’t remember exactly what I ate, but I ate a lot of it!

 

After dinner I walked with my aunt back to her cabin and watched us sail out of Juneau for a bit from her balcony. We actually left a bit earlier than the scheduled 11 PM time.

 

Jen in SoCal

[dustyroad]

The Carnival wedding coordinator mentioned she worked on the first floor of the dining room and let us know if we needed anything. I asked if Asaddee was still on the ship. She said she was working the MDR at dinner and buffet the other meals. We could not get Asadde for dinner the first night but she brought Asadde to our table and said we were looking for her. 5 of us had cruised with Asaddee before so we were very happy to have her a few nights in Alaska. Asaddee said she had finished her contract and had gone home and was back on the Spirit again. Hopefully, she will be back for you. She is the best. She also stays on top of her team of assistants so that things keep moving and is very, very funny.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

thanks i really hope she is still on the spirit for us. cant get any better than her. :)

[Jen1000]

Sorry for the delay in posting the rest of the review.

 

The next day we were in Glacier Bay for the day. It was lovely weather, sunny and warmish. Several park rangers were on the ship all day offering commentary and presentations and they were available for questions. The scenery was spectacular. We saw the other ship in Glacier Bay a couple of times. We found outside viewing on deck 3 a much better experience than 9 and 10. On deck 3 there was always room and you could actually hear the popping coming from the water. There were huge crowds of people on 9 and 10 and 3 was very calm with a few passengers and some crew. We first visited the Grand and Margerie Glaciers. The captain would turn the ship so that everyone could see. On deck 3 there was plenty of room so we would go back and forth to opposite sides of the ship.

 

My brother and sister in law ate in the MDR for lunch. Service was horrible and the food was not that great. I ate at the buffet and it was good as usual.

 

We then headed to Johns Hopkins Glacier. We were told that the area is protected much of the summer. We were able to go very close to the glacier, much closer than usual.

 

During the day we saw seals and a bald eagle floating on the ice. Later in the day we saw whales in the distance.

 

There were assorted activities during the day, related to nature and not.

 

Now, today would have been a good day for the past guest party and/or second formal night. It was a relaxed day and there would have been plenty of time for the past guest party and time to get ready for formal night. I will elaborate more when I talk about Saturday and how poorly planned it was.

 

We had dinner in the MDR. The only Fun Times I don't have is this day. By process of elimination I think it was the hypnotist for the show. If indeed it was the hypnotist, we did not go! We made it an early night due to an early tour time the next day.

 

Glacier Bay did not disappoint, it was one of the best parts of the trip.

 

Jen in SoCal

[Prairie_Gal]

Hi Jen, I am enjoying your trip review.

[Sun 4-ever]

We LOVE the Carnival Spirit, Our first cruise was on her and every cruise since we compare to the Spirit and they are all lacking in something. The Spirit was perfect.

I'm enjoying your review. We head to Alaska next June and I can't wait.

[Jen1000]

I forgot to add why Johns Hopkins area is protected part of the year, it is for the seals to give birth. I believe it is only accessible to cruise ships after Sept. 1. We were very close to the glacier.

 

Also, the excellent weather we had was probably unusual based on commentary by the park rangers.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Sorry for the delay in posting the rest of the review.

 

The next day we were in Glacier Bay for the day. It was lovely weather, sunny and warmish. Several park rangers were on the ship all day offering commentary and presentations and they were available for questions. The scenery was spectacular. We saw the other ship in Glacier Bay a couple of times. We found outside viewing on deck 3 a much better experience than 9 and 10. On deck 3 there was always room and you could actually hear the popping coming from the water. There were huge crowds of people on 9 and 10 and 3 was very calm with a few passengers and some crew. We first visited the Grand and Margerie Glaciers. The captain would turn the ship so that everyone could see. On deck 3 there was plenty of room so we would go back and forth to opposite sides of the ship.

 

My brother and sister in law ate in the MDR for lunch. Service was horrible and the food was not that great. I ate at the buffet and it was good as usual.

 

We then headed to Johns Hopkins Glacier. We were told that the area is protected much of the summer. We were able to go very close to the glacier, much closer than usual.

 

During the day we saw seals and a bald eagle floating on the ice. Later in the day we saw whales in the distance.

 

There were assorted activities during the day, related to nature and not.

 

Now, today would have been a good day for the past guest party and/or second formal night. It was a relaxed day and there would have been plenty of time for the past guest party and time to get ready for formal night. I will elaborate more when I talk about Saturday and how poorly planned it was.

 

We had dinner in the MDR. The only Fun Times I don't have is this day. By process of elimination I think it was the hypnotist for the show. If indeed it was the hypnotist, we did not go! We made it an early night due to an early tour time the next day.

 

Glacier Bay did not disappoint, it was one of the best parts of the trip.

 

Jen in SoCal

[Jen1000]

Saturday was Skagway. We docked at 7 AM, our tour was at 7:30 AM with Chilkoot. 7 of our group of 11 had booked the Yukon Rail, Bus and Dogcart. I believe we paid $206 for adults and about $150 for the child. We ordered room service the night before and ate as we got ready. I must admit I ran up and got some hot food as well! We packed up a few snacks for the day from what we did not finish eating. We were about to get off the ship when we realized some of us were without passports. We sent the rest of the group on ahead to let the guide know we were headed back to the cabin to get the passports. Funny, we had the snacks but not the passports!

 

We walked to the end of the dock area and found our group for the day. We loaded up for a quick drive through town and then we were dropped at the train. Our guide took roll (lol), checked our passports and thanked us for being on time (2 of us were actually about 5 minutes late because we went back for passports) so people must routinely be late.

 

We drove around town a few minutes and then he dropped us at the train. We were on the same train as other tours and the ship tours but you have to go in an assigned car. When we loaded our car all the seats on the good side of the train were taken (left side on the way up). We made the best of it and spent time outside between the cars and standing up when need be. There was a spat between some people on the good side of the train complaining about some others from the bad side of the train standing "in their space". It was quite an argument and was resolved by the man standing saying we paid the same you did to be on this train and if you don't like it go find a conductor! The 11 year old had been out late the night before with the kids club and slept through almost the whole trip.....

 

The train ride was nice. It was very scenic. We bought some $5 baseball hats on the train. Our tour guide met us at Fraser to continue on our trip. We made stops and the guide provided commentary along the way. We spent some time at Carcross checking out the town, saw the smallest desert in the world, stopped at Emerald Lake and then headed to Caribou Crossing.

 

On the short drive from Emerald Lake to Caribou Crossing it started to rain. Our tour included a BBQ chicken lunch with potato, tea, coffee, rolls and donuts. The food was hot and tasty. Sodas were available for $1. There was a veggie option available that 1 in our group had and she said it was excellent. As we were dining, it really started to pour. It was almost our designated time for the dog cart ride. We were a little unprepared, I had not brought my rain poncho off the ship and I forgot I had my emergency poncho on the tour bus. Those of us who had bought the $5 hats on the train were happy. The people at the eating area of Caribou Crossing were really nice and gave us trash bags to turn in to rain ponchos!

 

We walked over to the dog cart area and saw the puppies, they were so cute! From our tour, only our 7 and another 4 were doing the dog carts portion. The others had time to spend viewing the museum and other areas. It was still pouring and Michelle who operates the dog cart ride and is an Iditarod racer, said it never rains like that and if we want to wait a few minutes maybe it would let up. We waited and played with the puppies and checked out the video but the rain never really let up. There were rain ponchos for the dog cart ride but not enough so I just had my trash bag, which did not cover my arms, so I got soaked on the dog cart ride. The dogs really seem to love to run and pull the carts. When they saw Michelle and the other woman who took the other group out on a cart, they went crazy. It is like kids yelling and jumping, pick me! pick me!

 

The dog cart ride was a blast. It was wet and raining and bumpy and muddy but that just added to the adventure. After the ride the 11 year old went and visited some of the adult dogs. He really loved this part of the day. Anyone with kids who like dogs, this is a must do.

 

Our guide said we had about 10 minutes to run through the museum before we needed to leave. We quickly checked out the museum which is really nice. Lots of stuffed animals and information about them. There is a good gift shop as well but I only had about 2 minutes to check it out. While I was in the shop and museum, someone in my group of 7 had bought us some hot chocolate so that helped warm us back up.

 

Back on the bus it was warm so I could take my wet fleece off and as soon as we left Caribou Crossing, it stopped raining. I noticed in my day bag was my emergency poncho, great! We had good weather the rest of the day of course. We made several more stops on the way back to Skagway to take pictures. Back in Skagway the guide offered to drop anywhere in town or back at the dock. One couple got dropped off in town. We had an all aboard of 4 and it was already about 3:30 so we decided to just get dropped off at the ship. There was a rail way gift shop right at the start of the dock so we stopped in there for a few minutes and got a couple of things. While walking back to the ship, the afternoon train arrived to drop off passengers at the dock. That was neat to see it pull right up along side the cruise ships. We got to the line to board and it was long, and growing. By the time we got back on right before 4, the line was the length of the dock! I would have liked to be in port about 1 or 2 more hours so that we could have looked around Skagway some.

 

I did research about renting a car from Avis or Sourdough and I don't think I would have felt I missed out on too much by renting our own car and doing it all on our own with Murray's Guide. Several in our group really wanted to ride the train so we did, including the 11 year old who slept though it. I don't regret it but the scenery should be about the same from a car and you can stop when you want. Also, due to needing to keep the tour on schedule, we were rushed in Caribou Crossing. There was more to see including more on the Iditarod and the museum that there was just not time for. If you want a guided tour, I do recommend Chilkoot Tours, it was professional, informative and very good. Also, every time we got back on the bus, our guide counted to make sure everyone was on board. He did tell us he had never lost anyone but he did end up with 1 extra one time.

 

Now here is one of my few complaints about the cruise. The past guest party was scheduled for 4. There was only one past guest party time (my previous cruise there were 2). Many guests had been on long, full day tours and the all aboard was 4 and due to everyone wanting back on at about the same time, many people were not even back on the ship by 4. When I got on about 4, I would estimate the line was about 30 minutes long. I went to the cabin and dropped my stuff and changed out of my still damp clothes and headed to the party and got there about 4:20. There was a decent turn out but not really that great. It was hard to find any food and what they had was pretty limited. Getting a drink was pretty easy though. Promptly at 4:45 the servers left the lounge. When it was time for them to leave, the drink server close to us gave us pretty much his full tray of drinks!

 

OK, now it is time for the second elegant night. After getting up early, a full day in port, rush to past guest party, now go get ready for elegant dinner in the MDR. I almost did not change for dinner but decided at the last minute to throw on my dress and shoes and try to repair the wet hair. The dinner was good, as usual.

 

As I mentioned 5 of us had been on the Spirit in January and had seen the shows and we knew tonight's show, The Big Easy, was the best show on the entire cruise. Even not on a cruise, the show is top notch. We managed to make it to the first seating of the show. All 11 of us did not have the stamina though and some headed back to the cabins before the show. After the show we listened to some of the music in one of the lounges. My aunt and I love The Big Easy so much we debated going back for the late show. We went to listen to some music in the lounge and talk about what the plans for Ketchikan were. My cousin was debating whether to do a Float Plane. After much indecision on whether to do it and if so, which one, she did sign up for one. We did end up going back and seeing about the last 20 - 30 minutes of it! After that we checked out the R rated hypnotist. I don't really care for hypnosis shows and left mid way through it and called it a night.

 

This day was very poorly planned by the ship. It was too much for one day. I am not old and have a lot of energy and I thought it was a crazy schedule. I did tell one of the CD assistants that the schedule was too full that day. She said that that our cruise had a different schedule than the rest of the season so everything was a bit different. Well, they should have changed the schedule so as to not make it so insane. Glacier Bay was a slow day and some of the events should have been that day instead.

 

Other than the day being overly full and poorly planned, I made it where I wanted to be and it was a great day!

 

Jen in SoCal

[Jen1000]

Our last port day was Ketchikan. Four in our group of 11 wanted to kayak with our toursaver books. A call was made from Skagway regarding the trip. The return call came when I was out doing something (maybe past guest party) and when I saw this part of the group again, I was told we were going kayaking. I was not planning on going as I would make 5, but Southeast Kayak had kayaks for 2 and 3, would take our two toursaver coupons and charge a child fare for the 11 year old. Regular price is $99 for adults. Ok, I will admit I was not thrilled at first, but we were now at sea and the reservation had been made so I was going whether I liked it or not!

 

Our arrival was 11 AM and the all aboard was 6:30. We ate, got ready, packed a few snacks, etc. We were to meet our tour at 11:15 off the ship. Now, in our defense, in the other 2 ports getting off the ship was very quick, only a few minutes. We were running late and did get to the debarkation area until 11:10. The line was from the atrium lobby to the Pharaoh's Palace and wrapping back again. Well, we were going to miss the tour so we headed to the front to plead our case. We explained the problem and we were let off the ship, oops, not one of us who forgot her room key (not me). We finally all got off, found the tour and were driven about 5 minutes to the office with two other people who were from another ship. The weather all day was sunny and clear, probably in the 70's. Not a drop of rain!

 

We got our gear and instruction and we went on a guided kayak trip around the main channel. The area we were in is the channel where the cruise ships are, the float planes are taking off and landing, the ferry is going to the airport, lots of smaller boats, etc. It is a busy area. It was very nice but my arms got tired :eek:

 

We were trying to make it to an area near where the airport is located when the guide said there were Orcas ahead and to hurry up and paddle. At this point the guide had been trying to hurry my kayak up because we kept falling behind. We started paddling faster and I could not find the whales, I declared I thought he was making it up to get us to move faster! I finally saw them up ahead, but pretty far away. We got excited so we were paddling like our lives depended on it. We could see breaching, playing, spouts, etc. Luckily, the whales decided to come up the channel in our direction. The pod literally swam within 50 feet of my kayak and 30 feet from the others. There was even a baby! It was amazing. Our guide said this pod lives in the general area and they travel about 100 miles per day and they are almost never in the main channel. He also said he had never been that close to orcas before so I know we were very fortunate and our experience is not the norm.

 

We made it back to the kayak shop. The two people from the other ship had an early departure time so we needed to keep it moving. The guide offered to drop off in town or at the ship. I got off at the ship to grab a bite and drop stuff off and meet my aunts for our next event. The other 4 in my group got dropped at The Lumberjack Show, our next event.

 

I got back on the ship quickly, called my aunts and joined them for a quick chili dog (all other food was closed). We headed off the ship for The Lumberjack Show. It was about a 5 minute walk. We found the 4 I had left (plus my Mom who was not attending the show) and when we got inside we found my Dad who was on the Saxman Village and Lumberjack Excursion. 8 of our 11 attended the Lumberjack Show.

 

From the description, many of us had been really looking forward to the show. Several of us had been to lumberjack shows previously and loved it and had even arranged our day to be able to attend this show. The Lumberjack Show was fun and entertaining BUT WAY OVERPRICED. I cannot recommend this show to others based on the ridiculous price of $39 per adult. The show was under 1 hour and much of it was silliness and not lumberjack events. There were only 4 lumberjacks and several competitions, all of which are over in a few seconds. We all agreed we liked it but not at that price, simply not worth it. You have all been warned :D

 

Now, we had competed in the first 2 days of a 4 day team trivia event and we were in the lead. For some reason, day 3 of the competition was scheduled while we were in port (again, plenty of time Glacier Bay day). Another scheduling problem on the cruise. I am obsessed with trivia, but not so obsessed that I would miss my port time over it. Luckily, my mom was done with Ketchikan and did not attend the Lumberjack so I had her go to trivia to represent the team. As the Lumberjack Show was so short, my brother (trivia ace) and Dad said they were headed back to the ship so I told them to hurry to meet my Mom. My Mom said that some of the teams (male teams especially) were smiling and making jokes and very happy that she was there alone, even Pip who runs this event asked where the rest of us were. When my brother walked in he says he was actually boooed. We did not win the day but we kept the lead!

 

Jen in SoCal

[Jen1000]

After the Lumberjack show two of my aunts and I did a walking tour. I had picked up a free walking tour brochure from the tourist office (located on the dock). We headed to Creek St., saw the historic buildings, checked out some shops, saw tons of salmon and even a couple of seals in the creek. We then headed further up the trail to see the salmon ladder. A few brave salmon were trying it without the ladder! We headed further up the creek to where they spawn. We saw thousands of salmon in the creek and many dead ones up at the spawning area (just keep following the creek to the bridge). A really great experience.

 

We headed down to the shops. We had picked up coupon books in the Seattle cruise terminal that saved me tons of money. The prices were very reasonable in Ketchikan.

 

I really wanted an Ulu knife and I had a coupon to buy one very cheap. It was getting close to all aboard and I asked my aunt, do you think I have time to stop at this last shop? She said sure, we don't have to be on for 10 minutes and the ship is right there :p. I went in and quickly bought the knife. My other aunt had already headed back. She said when she boarded they asked her if she knew where her sister was. She said yes she was coming up the dock. I questioned why she didn't let Carnival know I was coming too :rolleyes:

 

We boarded at all aboard time, there were some crew and two other guests behind us so I didn't feel so bad cutting it so close.

 

Quick change for dinner and then the show after dinner. The show that night was Singing with the Big Band. It was fabulous also. The entertainment on this cruise was really fantastic.

 

My cousin went a float plane to Misty Fjords. She said it was amazing. The pilot said it was one of the best weather days they had all season so they could go more places due to better visibility. She was on the plane with one of the main show singers who told her not to miss that night's show (she was right).

 

My Mom did the Wildlife Sanctuary, Eagles and Totems through Carnival. She really liked it, even saw a bear.

 

My Dad did the Saxman Village and Lumberjack Show through Carnival. He said Saxman Village was wonderful. He really enjoyed it. I posted before we all felt the Lumberjack is an entertaining rip off.

 

Jen in SoCal

[chipmaster]

Nice reveview of what reads like a wonderful time.

 

Looks like weather was generally good too.

 

One thing that struck me was that it was dark by 8pm, it is really something when you can be out till 9pm with good light and actually catch dusk as you turn in if you go in July ;)

[Jen1000]

I was surprised it was dark so early, because it was dark dark, not twilight like I expected. I always thought it would be at least twilight later in Alaska.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Nice reveview of what reads like a wonderful time.

 

Looks like weather was generally good too.

 

One thing that struck me was that it was dark by 8pm, it is really something when you can be out till 9pm with good light and actually catch dusk as you turn in if you go in July ;)