Give me the "Good, Bad and Ugly" on Spirit Vancouver to Hawaii!

[L&E]

We are thinking of the Spirit Vancouver to Hawaii in Sept 05. What is the weather like on the 5 days at sea? Is there enough to do? Help us make a decision.

Azur 12-1985
Costa Carla 4-1988
Regent Sea 3-1990
Ecstasy 11-1993
Seaward 8-1995
Holiday 5-1996
Inspiration 4-1999
Grandeur of the Seas 9-2000
Grand Princess 4-2002
Victory 5-2003
Sensation 8-2003

Zuiderdam
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2004;4;17;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[cubsr#1]

We took this cruise last September and loved it. It was our first time on that class of ship & it's now our favorite. First - Vancouver was wonderful - we flew in the day prior and highly recommend it. We did the pre-cruise through Carnival and were put up in the PanPacific Hotel which is right at the cruise terminal. It also included a tour of Vancouver the morning of the cruise. While in Vancouver we went over to Granville Island - lots of shops, galleries, & restaurants - even a fabulous market with every type of fresh food imaginable & a nice place to sit and eat out by the water.

The 5 days at sea were great - we found we didn't feel nearly as rushed and on the first 2 days at sea it was cool (light jacket on deck) we experienced many things we normally would have skipped since we usually spend our time on the Lido deck. Also sat at dinner with a CC group - the 5 days at sea we ran in to people we "knew" all the time - was realy nice. Another thing to consider is with the 5 days at sea before Hawaii the anticipation builds - lots of discussions about upcoming island plans...

We found the food to be improved and liked the layout of the many food stations on the Lido - lines weren't much of a problem at all. The ship has mail boxes outside your door for the Capers etc, There are windows in the hallways when you are by the atrium - a nice touch as you can see easily where you are.

The only thing we experieneced that was lacking was since the ship was just coming off of Alaskan sailings the crew was more interested in getting to the islands and the service was not what we've experieenced on other cruises. Service wasn't bad and nobody was rude - just not as attentive in fact, it wasn't uncommon that I had to hunt down someone to get a drink on the Lido deck. The gift shops had 90% Alaskan merchandsie first 3 days or so before they finally started bringing out the Hawaii stuff.

The islands are great - Maui we rented a car - there is a free secured parking area right at the dock. Parking is difficult in Honolulu, but we still rented a car and went around the entire island stopping as something caught our attention. Kona is the only tender port - the day we were there another ship was also and we had to take turns using the only pier so it was a very long process - I'd recommend an early tour booked with Carnival to ensure you get off and don't waste your time waiting.

Any questions - just ask!

[L&E]

Thanks, did you find the seas rough for the five days at sea?

Azur 12-1985
Costa Carla 4-1988
Regent Sea 3-1990
Ecstasy 11-1993
Seaward 8-1995
Holiday 5-1996
Inspiration 4-1999
Grandeur of the Seas 9-2000
Grand Princess 4-2002
Victory 5-2003
Sensation 8-2003

Zuiderdam
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2004;4;17;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[cubsr#1]

Seas were rougher than the caribbean and there were bags out all over the ship for two days. We felt the ship rarely and were never bothered by it - after all, I like to feel I'm out on the water! That being said, we booked a room mid-ship and never felt any movement during the night.

For Lido entertainment they had a couple from Hawaii doing hulas etc - they were very good and did alot of audience participation. They also had someone from Hawaii available during shore excursion hours to answer any questions you might have. Norm Crosby did a show while we were sailing - it was the best show of the sailing.