Carnival Miracle to Alaska 9/10/13 Review – Glacier Bay Itinerary

[Angiet75]

Great Review, We are booked for Sept 10th on the Miracle.
Cannot wait for it.
Thanks for sharing all the info.

[Christina M.]

Great review. We are looking at booking Alasaka in 2015.
So this will help with our planning. Do you remember what night were the formal night?

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='luv2sail7']What a great review and you and your DH make such a cute couple. Love your sense of humor as well. I have done many cruises on Carnival, Princess and Royal. While we enjoyed all of those lines, we Love Love Love Celebrity and their drink package. I have 4 cruises booked this year with the promo. I have a feeling you will love it. And thanks for all the time you put in on this review as it's making me more excited about our cruise to Alaska in September. :)[/quote]

Thank you for your kind words! This was my first photo review. Now that I have everything figured out, I'm anxious to post more in the future. I LOVE reading others photo intensive reviews as I countdown to each cruise & feel it's my duty to do the same. :D

I'm jealous (4 cruises booked this year with Celebrity!). From everything I've read, I do think we'll love it for different reasons than we've enjoyed all our past Carnival cruises. I think something new will be a nice change.

Enjoy your cruise! Alaska was an amazing experience!

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='Christina M.']Great review. We are looking at booking Alasaka in 2015.
So this will help with our planning. Do you remember what night were the formal night?[/quote]

Thank you! I do not recall which nights were the formal nights. We only went to the MDR once all cruise and it wasn't a formal night. I've already cut up my Fun Times for my scrapbook (although I haven't finished it yet). I'll make a note to see if I still have any of the info or not in my materials.

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='Christina M.']Great review. We are looking at booking Alasaka in 2015.
So this will help with our planning. Do you remember what night were the formal night?[/quote]

Hope this helps!

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 10: Seattle[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 11: Fun Day at Sea – [B]Elegant Night[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 12: Juneau[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 13: Glacier Bay[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 14: Skagway – [B]Elegant Night[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 15: Ketchikan[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 16: Fun Day at Sea[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 17: Vancouver[/SIZE][/FONT]

[ish drakes]

Hi Heather,

Just read your wonderfully detailed review of your Alaskan cruise last year and it was great.

I am currently booked to do a Princess Alaska cruise in September and I was trying to research whether we should do a balcony room or not.

We've only cruised twice (Caribbean) before and both times we had a balcony and I always thought if I ever did the Alaskan cruise, a balcony would be a must have.

However, in reading your review of the room, you are actually not in favour of it, especially if on a budget.

Being that we've never had an Inside Cabin, do you think it is possible to have an unforgettable Alaskan experience with one?

I am just realising like you said, the balcony room is roughly twice the cost of the inside and if it really doesn't add to the whole Alaskan experience, should I just forego it?

Thanks Edited January 17, 2014 by ish drakes

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='ish drakes']Hi Heather,

Just read your wonderfully detailed review of your Alaskan cruise last year and it was great.

I am currently booked to do a Princess Alaska cruise in September and I was trying to research whether we should do a balcony room or not.

We've only cruised twice (Caribbean) before and both times we had a balcony and I always thought if I ever did the Alaskan cruise, a balcony would be a must have.

However, in reading your review of the room, you are actually not in favour of it, especially if on a budget.

Being that we've never had an Inside Cabin, do you think it is possible to have an unforgettable Alaskan experience with one?

I am just realising like you said, the balcony room is roughly twice the cost of the inside and if it really doesn't add to the whole Alaskan experience, should I just forego it?

Thanks[/quote]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]When I first booked the Alaska cruise (without my DH’s knowledge), I had booked the interior “french door” cabin on Carnival (not sure if the Princess Alaska has an option like this or not?). We had never had a room like this, and it seems like a nice compromise of getting a room at the interior price, but having the doors to be able to open and “get some air” etc, without having the closed in interior room feeling which you can sometimes get. Then, I divulged to my DH the notion of doing the Alaska cruise. At that point, he took the standpoint that this was a “once in a lifetime” cruise and something we probably would do again or at least anytime soon. At that point, he insisted I upgrade to not only a balcony room, but the extended aft room (which had been our favorite) in the past. That ended up being literally double the cost of the first room I had booked.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]I think it depends on what your budget allows. We were able to afford the balcony – yes, however, we also didn’t cut back on our shore excursions either. I would think that spending on the shore excursions is more important than having the balcony room. But, if you can afford to overindulge on both or all aspects of the cruise, why not? Also, I think it depends if you’re the sort of person that spends a lot of time on your balcony. I often read about people who spend countless hours sitting on their balcony (even in the Caribbean). While we did spend a few hours on Glacier Bay day on our balcony, we spent even more time up on the top decks, moving from side to side of the ship to get different vantage points as we cruise Glacier Bay. Us, on the other hand (in the Caribbean, never spend any extended time out there). Normally when we pull into port, we’ll go outside for a few minutes here or there, but not much more than that. So, I’d say if you spend any length of time on your balcony in the Caribbean, you’ll probably want a balcony for Alaska too. My DH & I are just as happy in an oceanview room, and spend more on the shore excursions.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]I’m sure there’s a lot of people on the message boards who would disagree and say that having a balcony is a MUST have going to Alaska – I know, because I read this time and time again on the boards prior to our cruise. After our cruise, both my DH & I came to the conclusion that it’s a “nice to have” but not a “must have”. I do think it’s possible to still have an unforgettable cruise in an inside stateroom to Alaska. To us, the best part of the cruise was the memories made in port on shore excursions, and while cruising Glacier Bay specifically on the top decks.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]One other thing worth mentioning (not sure if Princess has the same policy as Carnival or not) but if you’re able to get price reductions for that same cabin category up until a certain time, I’d make sure you go with the standard balcony room. Since we had the aft-extended room, there were only a limited number on the back of the ship on the Miracle (5 cabins I believe), so we never really saw any price reductions to our category because they were essentially sold out – or so they told me when I tried to get the onboard credit for reductions in the price. Time after time, others booked in the regular balcony room would get tons of onboard credit as their rates would reduce over time. That’s the one thing I would have done differently if booking another balcony room to Alaska.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Hope this help and didn’t confuse you more.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[ish drakes]

Thanks Karen,

That did help. I am not sure if princess has the French door Inside room option, I will definitely look into that.

We are currently booked in a regular balcony room so hopefully there will be some price reductions and or credits. I know Carnival usually has them but I'm not sure about Princess.

Looks like it some further researching to be done but thank you for explaining why it is 'nice to have', but not a 'must have'.

[Christina M.]

Great pic, thanks

[Christina M.]

[quote name='HeatherC430']Hope this helps!

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 10: Seattle[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 11: Fun Day at Sea – [B]Elegant Night[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 12: Juneau[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 13: Glacier Bay[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 14: Skagway – [B]Elegant Night[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 15: Ketchikan[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 16: Fun Day at Sea[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Sept 17: Vancouver[/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

Thank you

[SirTomster]

Hmmm

Great pics. It brings back memories...

My wife and I went in September 2012 for our first cruise. Loved it. Glacier Bay is a must.

Now we are looking into our second cruise and planned on a Caribbean cruise. But your pictures bring back so many memories.. Now I am not sure.

Thanks for making my life harder!!! (j/k) Edited January 23, 2014 by SirTomster

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='SirTomster']Hmmm

Great pics. It brings back memories...

My wife and I went in September 2012 for our first cruise. Loved it. Glacier Bay is a must.

Now we are looking into our second cruise and planned on a Caribbean cruise. But your pictures bring back so many memories.. Now I am not sure.

Thanks for making my life harder!!! (j/k)[/quote]

If you've never done a Caribbean cruise, those are wonderful too! Just a different kind of wonderful. Heading south to the Southern Caribbean on Saturday. Now that I have these photo reviews figured out, I'll be posting another photo heavy review upon my return from this one as well. I'm willing to bet my pictures of the Caribbean will change your mind as well! :)

[ibcnusoon]

Great review! Thanks for sharing. We don't have a desire yet to take an Alaskan cruise, but the pictures are beautiful and the reviews of the excursions were very helpful - if we ever decide to do one.

Looking forward to your Southern Caribbean Celebrity Summit cruise, that is what we have booked for this Thanksgiving!

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='ibcnusoon']Great review! Thanks for sharing. We don't have a desire yet to take an Alaskan cruise, but the pictures are beautiful and the reviews of the excursions were very helpful - if we ever decide to do one.

Looking forward to your Southern Caribbean Celebrity Summit cruise, that is what we have booked for this Thanksgiving![/quote]

Thanks for your kind words. I never really had any interest in taking an Alaskan cruise either - I much prefer going to warmer climates. However, I wanted to do something different than our standard Caribbean cruise for my DH's 40th birthday - so Alaska it was! I'm glad we went. It was a very memorable trip!

I leave tomorrow morning for San Juan & the Summit! Only hours remaining and one full day of work! I'll be on the Summit at the end of April for the Repo cruise too! I'm anxious to try Celebrity for the first time - especially with the 123go promo! Not to mention getting out of these below zero temperature in Pittsburgh! :)

[Angiet75]

I loved reading your review. We are ont he Miracle, Sept 10, 2014
Thanks for the tips.
Just trying to decide if i really need this heavy coat i bought?
It was a good deal, but bulky and not sure i want to be bothered if I can layer. Any suggestions?

[SirTomster]

[quote name='Angiet75']I loved reading your review. We are ont he Miracle, Sept 10, 2014
Thanks for the tips.
Just trying to decide if i really need this heavy coat i bought?
It was a good deal, but bulky and not sure i want to be bothered if I can layer. Any suggestions?[/quote]


You never know with the weather. We brought our winter coats. I actually purchased a Columbia Bugaboo coat which is a 3-in-1 coat. But the weather was in the 50's. It rained part of the time so I only wore the outside layer as a raincoat.

It rained on us in Sitka and Ketchikan and since we were walking around town we got wet. So a jacket for that was nice. As were the travel umbrellas we had. But I think I did not use the umbrella much.

[SoCalKJ]

[quote name='HeatherC430'][FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]During the planning stages, my DH had said that the only thing he wanted to do in Seattle was a “Grunge Tour” (like 90s music – grunge). I had searched online several times and came up empty handed. When he mentioned it again (after me not planning such a tour) several days before we were ready to leave, I searched again and stumbled upon a “Rock & Roll Tour” online called Stalking Seattle. The tour was $45 per person. After booking online, I sent an email request to be picked up at the Westin & the owner responded almost immediately that she would. So, after lunch, we headed back to the hotel for this tour. We waited outside the Westin and she picked us up right on time at 3:20 (the tour was scheduled from 3:30-6:30). It was only our tour guide Charity, us & another couple from Ireland. My DH in all his glory sat in the front seat of the van. Although I wasn’t fully aware of the significance of some of the things we saw or who my DH & Charity were talking about, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and getting a tour of seeing all over the city. My DH loved every minute of it. During the tour, we saw: Jimi Hendrix’s grave, Kurt Cobain’s house, many areas where the 90s movie “Singles” was filmed. We heard lots of stories about the 90s music scene from an insider. The best part of the tour is that Charity caters what you see or don’t see to the interests of those on the tour. I would highly recommend her tour to others.[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

I went to Seattle last month and called for a tour. I left a message and followed the instructions from the website and never got a call back...to even let me know there wasn't a tour running. :confused:

I drove myself to Jimi's grave. I was all by myself. Kinda cool. :)

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='Angiet75']I loved reading your review. We are ont he Miracle, Sept 10, 2014
Thanks for the tips.
Just trying to decide if i really need this heavy coat i bought?
It was a good deal, but bulky and not sure i want to be bothered if I can layer. Any suggestions?[/quote]

I initially bought a big Columbia winter jacket (which had the fleece liner) about a year prior to the cruise (as I started buying cold weather "cruise clothes" for this trip). After reading more on the boards, I decided against that big bulky jacket - knowing I'd only use it a couple times and didn't want to lug it the whole trip! So, I ended up finding a lighter Calvin Klein waterproof jacket with hood before we left that I decided to take instead. It was still plenty warm enough and I liked the fact that it had a hood - just in case it did rain. I was really happy that I took the lighter of the two options with me. When you layer underneath, it was plenty warm enough! Even the lighter jacket, I only used a couple days out of the whole week we were cruising - It's the blue jacket in my pictures. The coldest day was Glacier Bay day and it was fine with my layers.

To put it in perspective, I've used both jackets this winter as my "winter jackets" in Pittsburgh. So, on days were it was in the single digits I'd wear the bulky winter Columbia jacket, and on the warmer winter days (say in the 30s) I'd wear the lighter of the two.

Enjoy your cruise! Hopefully you have good weather like we did! The Glacier Bay itinerary is the way to go! :)

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='SirTomster']You never know with the weather. We brought our winter coats. I actually purchased a Columbia Bugaboo coat which is a 3-in-1 coat. But the weather was in the 50's. It rained part of the time so I only wore the outside layer as a raincoat.

It rained on us in Sitka and Ketchikan and since we were walking around town we got wet. So a jacket for that was nice. As were the travel umbrellas we had. But I think I did not use the umbrella much.[/quote]

I took an umbrella and never used it the whole trip! I'd say as long as you have a jacket with a hood, an umbrella isn't necessary.

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='SoCalKJ']I went to Seattle last month and called for a tour. I left a message and followed the instructions from the website and never got a call back...to even let me know there wasn't a tour running. :confused:

I drove myself to Jimi's grave. I was all by myself. Kinda cool. :)[/quote]

Oh no! That's ashame! I never tried calling her (or got a phone call back from her). I booked the tour online (and paid for it), then emailed her inquiring about being picked up at the hotel (rather than the EMP place). She emailed me back right away. All of our exchanges we via the internet and email. I didn't speak to her until she arrived at our hotel the day of the tour. She has tons of information about Seattle's music scene, if you're in Seattle again, I wouldn't hesitate to book the tour. Like I mentioned, she caters the tour to those on the tour - so you wouldn't have to go to Jimi's grave again if you didn't want to (since you'd already been there). I do know that it's only her running the tours in her van.

[LUVMYGSDOG]

I have just read your review again for I think the third time.

We are going to book the Alaskan cruise either for August or September, 2015. Just waiting for Carnival to release their schedules! I'm sure after we book, I will read your review a couple more times! :D

Thank you for taking the time to write the review.


Kim

[ETHS1965]

I am so glad that I found your review. We are thinking of booking for Alaska in 2015. I knew that I wanted Glacier Bay and your review confirmed that. Also, I would never have thought of the tour to Mt. Rainer. We are definitely going to do that. Thane for the great review.

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='LUVMYGSDOG']I have just read your review again for I think the third time.

We are going to book the Alaskan cruise either for August or September, 2015. Just waiting for Carnival to release their schedules! I'm sure after we book, I will read your review a couple more times! :D

Thank you for taking the time to write the review.


Kim[/quote]

I have several I keep going back over as well (in the off chance I missed something! ;)) - You're quite welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed! Have fun on your Alaska cruise! You know my vote's for the last cruise of the season with Glacier Bay if you're thinking of September!

[HeatherC430]

[quote name='Queen Mimi']I am so glad that I found your review. We are thinking of booking for Alaska in 2015. I knew that I wanted Glacier Bay and your review confirmed that. Also, I would never have thought of the tour to Mt. Rainer. We are definitely going to do that. Thane for the great review.[/quote]

Yes...Glacier Bay was the highlight of the trip! I stumbled upon the Mt. Rainer day trips when I was researching things to do during our 3 days in Seattle. I thought it would be nice to get out of the "city" on one of the day trips. All the things we did in Seattle & Mt. Rainer ended up being a really nice mix of sightseeing while we were there (very busy days though).

Some of the Mt. Rainer Day trips cost up to $200 per person so make sure you do your research in advance! That customized tour I found on GoldStar was a steal at $50 per person for an entire day! The only downside is you had to have patience until Gold Star released dates that close to departure. You can register yourself for the website though, and then customize when you want to get email alerts when new dates are released. That's what I ended up doing, and I'm glad I waited. It was difficult waiting though since I like to have all my plans taken care of well in advance! Mt. Rainer was absolutely worth a trip though! Have a great cruise & thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to help!

[plattwear]

Thank you for sharing the awesome photos. We are leaving for Seattle on May 2nd and sail out on May 3rd to Alaska. Very excited! I am really looking forward to seeing Seattle as well. :D