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Review Spirit 1/14/11 Sailing

doe326

By doe326,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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doe326

doe326

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DH and I arrived on 1/13 in San Diego early morning. Went to our hotel in the Gaslamp district and luckily our room was ready. It was close to lunchtime and we asked at the front desk for a good place to eat. The restaurant was called the Cheese Shop and had delicious sandwiches. After lunch we took the trolley to Seaport Village and walked around until dinnertime. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep for our cruise the next day.

Took a cab to the pier and our luggage was collected quickly and we were directed to the VIP check-in. Only one person in line in front of us and we were checked-in very quickly and efficiently. Took the boarding photo and headed for the lido deck for lunch. Around 2:00 PM we went to our room (balcony on 7th deck) and put away our carry on luggage. Walked around the ship to familiarize ourselves. The last time we were on the Spirit was in May 2002. Thought she still looked great. Made a couple trips back and forth to the cabin keeping an eye out for our checked luggage. One bag arrived fairly quickly the other not until long after we set sail. We had "Your Choice Dining" and went to eat around 6:30 pm. Sat with a very nice couple from San Diego. After dinner went back to unpack and called it an early night.

First Sea Day: we got up early and ate breakfast in the MDR, then went to work out. It was pretty crowded so we went and walked around the sports deck a few times. Back to the gym and were able to get bikes. After the gym we went back to the adults only pool area and read and enjoyed the sun. This was the first Elegant night and their was a line for the dining room. They were giving out pagers but unfortunately they were not working well. So someone had to come out to the hallway or the bar and call out names. We met up with our friends from the night before and were able to get a table for 4 after about a 30 min. wait. What we didn't realize was that we forgot to turn our clocks ahead one hour and we had been off one hour all day! Oh well we didn't miss out on anything. With the lateness of dinner and our wrong clocks we missed most of the show. What we did see was quite good.

Second Sea Day: started out the same as the first. Luckily it got a lot warmer and we were able to sit out and relax a lot longer. We had reservations at the steakhouse with our friends. The food was terrific and so was the service. Walked around the ship0 some after dinner and called it an early night (must be getting old!). Also received a dish of desserts and a written apology from the dning room staff for having to wait so long for our table. Nice gesture.

Puerto Vallerta: we took the ship's tour "Sailing in Banderas Bay. We were met at the pier and took a short walk to where we were picked up by a small boat and transported to our sailboat. It was pretty cool but the sky was blue and the sun was out. On the way out to start our sailing we had dolphin swiming alongside the sailboat, saw a turtle and some whales. We then headed to Banderas Bay. The crew brought out chips, salsa with shrimp and guacamole, all of which was really good. They also had beer, mixed drinks and sodas. Once at the bay anyone who wanted could go swimming or snorkeling. It was way too cold for me but DH and another gentleman did swim & snorkle. Lunch was served while we were sitting in the bay. On the way back to the ship anyone who wanted could steer the sailboat and both DH and I tried our hand at it. Quite fun to try.

Mazatlan: We were late getting into port due to fog. We had booked horseback riding with Randi's Happy Horses and she was waiting for us when we finally arrived. We rode to the pier where you get on the boats to Stone Island. Quite an experience--bikes, pets, etc. all come on board. We were then driven to where the horses are. There were 7 of us from the ship. Rode for about an hour and a half, then went to Victor's for refreshments. Since it was so late no one wanted to eat lunch and we all headed back to the ship.

La Paz: Had an early breakfast in the MDR and then headed out to catch a free shuttle to the city. The line was really long and one shuttle had just left. Lucky for us a taxi driver was looking for 2 more and we went with him and about 10 others (charged $5 pp). We were dropped off near where you catch the shuttle back to the pier. We had not planned any excursions for the day. We started walking up the street along the shore. Stopped and took some pictures and continued walking until we came to "Pappas & Beer". Turned around and started back to find a place to eat. Don't remember the name but it was part of a hotel. Good food and fast service, plus a great view of the water. Stopped in a couple of shops and also at some vendor's on the street. The nice thing was they didn't try to pressure you into buying. They were very polite and friendly. We really enjoyed the day in the La Paz and would like to go back someday and spend a week there. Took the free shuttle back to the ship. Had dinner at the Lido deck as we just didn't feel like going tot the MDR.

Cabo (first day): Booked a private tour that included a glass bottom boat ride, a bus ride to San Jose del Cabo, a stop at the glass factory and lunch. By the time we got to San Jose it was time for lunch (at Jasmine's), which was very good. We had about 5-6 different choices. DH and I had Carne Asada and it was very tasty. Walked around the city and took some photos before boarding our bus back to Cabo. We walked around the pier area and the market for a little while and then headed back to the ship. Ate dinner in the MDR. No wait for a table.

Cabo (second day): booked a private whale watching tour. We had to take a boat to D dock to meet up with the tour. We were on a 50' catamaran and snacks and drinks were included. First they went near the arch so everyone could take pictures, then they heard about some whales that were out and we headed in that direction. We were a little ways away from them but we could see them splashing around and flipping their tails in the water. They did this for a bout ten minutes then dove. The whales stayed in the area and we were able to get pretty close to them. DH got some great shots. After an hour or so we headed back to the pier. We decided to walk back to the tender pier and took our time going through the shopping center and stopping in some shops. Once we got the the tender pier we stopped for some lunch (don't remember the name of the restaurant) and then headed back to the ship. Went out on the balcony for sailaway (did this at each port). Relaxed a little and got ready for dinner. We were seated as soon as we arrived, no long line.

Last Sea Day: Slept in a little longer and went to the MDR for breakfast. Since it was getting cooler out we spent some time reading and relaxing on the 2nd deck. Had some lunch, and then went back to our room to start packing. We didn't feel like dressing up for Elegant Night and went to the Lido for dinner. We ran into our friends and spent some time talking to them and then walked around a bit before heading back to our room.

Debarkation: Since we were platinum we were assinged #1 tags. Met in one of the lounges and were escorted down to get our luggage. Went through customs quickly and were at our hotel in the Gaslamp District by about 10:00 - 10:30 am. Our room wasn't ready so we checked our luggage and took a taxi to the Midway Museum. DH was in the Navy but on subs and wanted to see the museum. It is very interesting even for someone (like me) who wasn't in the military. Had lunch there and then started walking to the trolley station. Got the trolley back to our hotel and then met up with some family for dinner that night. Flew back home the next day.

We really enjoyed our 9 day cruise on the Spirit. The crew was friendly, the wait staff were very efficient and our room steward always had our room ready. Would love to go on the Spirit when she sails to Hawaii. Will have to start saving my pennies.

The platinum gift we received was a nice little cooler. Used it a couple of times for our camers and will come in handy here at home.

Any questions I'll try to answer.

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Starrfish

Starrfish

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Great review! We are on in 2 weeks the same time as Shelly! Can't wait! So glad to hear about the weather in PV & how much you liked La Paz... I wasn't sure how warm it would be down in PV, or anything about LP.

I'm happy that you had such a nice vacation!

Thanks for sharing!

:)

Starrfish:)

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doe326

doe326

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Great review!

 

I am interested in doing the sailing excursion in PV. Can you tell me how many were onboard the sailboat and what did they serve you for lunch? Did you feel it was worth the amount Carnival is charging?

 

Thanks in advance!:)

 

 

I think there were 16 people plus a crew of 3. Lunch was wonderful with turkey roll-ups, ham, and a wrapped tortilla (don't know what was in it but it was delicious), cheese slices with cream cheese in the middle; a salad with tomatoes and cheese. I think it was pretty well priced. I tried booking private but they have the contract with Carnival and wouldn't take the reservation. With it being a long excursion I didn't mind going through Carnival. I would definitely do it again if we get the opportunity.

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doe326

doe326

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Were the pools heated or covered on the way out an back from San Diego? What were the average temperatures like? More importantly, were you able to wear shorts and flippies? :)

 

 

The pools were heated. It was a little cool for me (but I am always cold) to go in but plenty warm enough around the pool. The temps were pretty much in the low 70's and mostly windy. I didn't wear shorts (again I'm always cold) but plenty of people did (including DH). Saw people in jeans, slacks, capris, etc. Couple of times I wore capris and probably would've been comfortable in shorts. Hope that helps.

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luv2cruise777l

luv2cruise777l

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I think there were 16 people plus a crew of 3. Lunch was wonderful with turkey roll-ups, ham, and a wrapped tortilla (don't know what was in it but it was delicious), cheese slices with cream cheese in the middle; a salad with tomatoes and cheese. I think it was pretty well priced. I tried booking private but they have the contract with Carnival and wouldn't take the reservation. With it being a long excursion I didn't mind going through Carnival. I would definitely do it again if we get the opportunity.

 

Thank you so much for the info!:) I think we'll book this excursion for our Splendor cruise in May. Sounds like alot of fun!

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doe326

doe326

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Thank you so much for the info!:) I think we'll book this excursion for our Splendor cruise in May. Sounds like alot of fun!

 

You're welcome. I'm sure you will enjoy it. The food was really good and they made pretty decent drinks. And the water should be much warmer to swim. Enjoy:)

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doe326

doe326

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What time did you arrive at the port & what time did you get on the Ship with VIP?

 

 

We left the hotel around 11:15 am. Got to the pier about 15 min. later, gave luggage to porters, no real line at check-in and they have quite a few people chcking VIP guests in. I would say we were on board no later than noontime or a little after. Don't pay much attention to my watch when I'm on vacation. Unless it takes too long to get to my DOD:D

This is one of the easiest ports I've checked in at.

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doe326

doe326

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Thanks for the response. I've never been out of SD. How was the weather in Cabo? Only the one night of waiting for table on YTD?

 

The weather in Cabo was very nice and temps were about 75-78 degrees during the day and 50's at night. Yes we only waited the one night and I don't think it would have been as long if the pagers had been working correctly.

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victory2020

victory2020

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The weather in Cabo was very nice and temps were about 75-78 degrees during the day and 50's at night. Yes we only waited the one night and I don't think it would have been as long if the pagers had been working correctly.

Thanks for the info! Seven more days...........

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