Live from NCL Spirit 06/21/23-07/05/23 - Alaska B2B Vancouver to Seward to Vancouver

[bluesea777]

55 minutes ago, TfromBC said:

Thanks for the extra info - the part about the cabin switch is a big relief for me!!

 

Major Marine tour BOOKED! 

 

I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation! 😂🤣😂

 
Which one? I hope it’s the 7.5 hour one …

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TfromBC]

41 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 
Which one? I hope it’s the 7.5 hour one …

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's 8.5 hours. Starts at 8:30 - back to the cruiseship by 5pm. I set my check-in time for 5:30-6pm. Hopefully that's not cutting it too close. The person I spoke with at Major Marine said that should be fine. Our ship sails at 8pm, I believe. 

Does that sound like it will be okay?

 

Thanks for the extra pics - so cool! (In multiple ways!!) 😂

[bluesea777]

1 hour ago, TfromBC said:

It's 8.5 hours. Starts at 8:30 - back to the cruiseship by 5pm. I set my check-in time for 5:30-6pm. Hopefully that's not cutting it too close. The person I spoke with at Major Marine said that should be fine. Our ship sails at 8pm, I believe. 

Does that sound like it will be okay?

 

Thanks for the extra pics - so cool! (In multiple ways!!) 😂

You’re on the back to back cruises, right?

 

You receive new cruise card the day before and you’re free to go from and come back to the ship on the Seward day, as long as you’re back on ship at the all-aboard time (30 mins before departure). You will be given a In Transit sticker to wear. 
 

 

[quack2]

11 hours ago, TfromBC said:

It's 8.5 hours. Starts at 8:30 - back to the cruiseship by 5pm. I set my check-in time for 5:30-6pm. Hopefully that's not cutting it too close. The person I spoke with at Major Marine said that should be fine. Our ship sails at 8pm, I believe. 

Does that sound like it will be okay?

 

Thanks for the extra pics - so cool! (In multiple ways!!) 😂

Your timing is fine.  I've done it several times.

[bluesea777]

BTW, @TfromBC I see that you are changing cabins ... make sure you attend the muster drill as soon as you board for the second leg and make sure they scan your card, regardless of the fact you're In Transit.

 

BTW, Spirit's 2024 & early 2025 itineraries are back on NCL.com now, bar the 4 months Lion Travel (Taipei) will be chartering Spirit (June-Sept). Since we've done several Transatlantic cruises (our 7th one in this Nov on Viva) and the Transpacific one is still on our bucket list .... guess what? Miss Spirit is doing one next May 2024. Yay Yay!!

 

Our 2 B2B Alaskan on Spirit are amongst our 6 fave cruises.

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by bluesea777

[TfromBC]

1 hour ago, bluesea777 said:

BTW, @TfromBC I see that you are changing cabins ... make sure you attend the muster drill as soon as you board for the second leg and make sure they scan your card, regardless of the fact you're In Transit.

Great tip - thank you!!

 

1 hour ago, bluesea777 said:

 

BTW, Spirit's 2024 & early 2025 itineraries are back on NCL.com now, bar the 4 months Lion Travel (Taipei) will be chartering Spirit (June-Sept). Since we've done several Transatlantic cruises (our 7th one in this Nov on Viva) and the Transpacific one is still on our bucket list .... guess what? Miss Spirit is doing one next May 2024. Yay Yay!!

I considered a repositioning trip from Seattle to Tokyo in October when I thought I couldn't get what I wanted for Alaska. It's still on my bucket list, if I have any money left after this is all said and done... Haha. 😄 

 

1 hour ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Our 2 B2B Alaskan on Spirit are amongst our 6 fave cruises.

You guys have got me so excited with your live at sea reports and other amazing tidbits of info - I cannot WAIT! One week tomorrow! 😄😄 

 

1 hour ago, bluesea777 said:

 

 

 

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

BTW, Spirit's 2024 & early 2025 itineraries are back on NCL.com now, bar the 4 months Lion Travel (Taipei) will be chartering Spirit (June-Sept). Since we've done several Transatlantic cruises (our 7th one in this Nov on Viva) and the Transpacific one is still on our bucket list .... guess what? Miss Spirit is doing one next May 2024. Yay Yay!!

 

 

I’m so jealous! Transpacific on the Spirit sounds amazing!  Well, the Viva Transatlantic does, too. 
 

What ports are involved? Do you disembark in Seward or Vancouver? Or somewhere else?

 

We are hoping we can go on the Spirit on September 15-27 from Honolulu to Papeete. We bought refundable plane tickets but won’t know until mid-August if my husband can get the time off from work. The cruise seems to have plenty of availability.  

[Seas2mountains]

53 minutes ago, TfromBC said:

 

You guys have got me so excited with your live at sea reports and other amazing tidbits of info - I cannot WAIT! One week tomorrow! 😄😄 

 

 

I’m excited for you, too! Hoping for good weather. 🤞

[TfromBC]

They just assigned my cabins - 11th floor both ways, one on port, the other starboard, and both close to the 'open to the deck below' staircase note on the deck plan: closer to the pool in the first room, closer to the Garden Cafe for the return trip. After reading a few posts about being right below both areas, I'm a little nervous... Anyone have any feedback? Should I bring earplugs? Or sleeping pills? Hahaha.

[quack2]

32 minutes ago, TfromBC said:

They just assigned my cabins - 11th floor both ways, one on port, the other starboard, and both close to the 'open to the deck below' staircase note on the deck plan: closer to the pool in the first room, closer to the Garden Cafe for the return trip. After reading a few posts about being right below both areas, I'm a little nervous... Anyone have any feedback? Should I bring earplugs? Or sleeping pills? Hahaha.

I had 11098 on the Spirit in June.  Was very happy with the location.

[TfromBC]

7 minutes ago, quack2 said:

I had 11098 on the Spirit in June.  Was very happy with the location.

That's good to know - thanks! They are both BA category, which from what I read is good - and one of them has my favorite number (1111) in it, so I'm happy about that! 😄 

[bluesea777]

16 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

I’m so jealous! Transpacific on the Spirit sounds amazing!  Well, the Viva Transatlantic does, too. 
 

What ports are involved? Do you disembark in Seward or Vancouver? Or somewhere else?

 

We are hoping we can go on the Spirit on September 15-27 from Honolulu to Papeete. We bought refundable plane tickets but won’t know until mid-August if my husband can get the time off from work. The cruise seems to have plenty of availability.  

 

The May 8-26, 2024 Transpacific starts in Vancouver and ends up in Tokyo:

 

 

I think it's actually 17 days, not 18 as one day is lost when crossing the International Date line.

 

Very nice port hours! 

 

You gonna be on this cruise? 😉

 

 

[TfromBC]

4 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

The May 8-26, 2024 Transpacific starts in Vancouver and ends up in Tokyo:

 

 

I think it's actually 17 days, not 18 as one day is lost when crossing the International Date line.

 

Very nice port hours! 

 

You gonna be on this cruise? 😉

 

 

I considered this one, too - looks like a great trip! 

[WorldCruiseForMe]

Just wanted to say thank you to all who posted in this thread. It was great reliving the NB cruise I was on (I even got caught in one of the pictures s2m took) and getting some different perspectives...most of the opinions I agreed with.

Couple of thoughts - most of all enjoy your upcoming adventure!

1. I found the food to be sub-par, with the exceptional table service trying to make up for it. Lunch was slow in Windows on Day 2 despite the place being practically empty; the wait staff went over and above to make up for it for the next few days. The quality of the buffet wasn't great, particularly one dinner. With the long days in port for me I expected to do a quick dash through the buffet at night; instead we ended up in Windows a lot and were glad the service was great and the food quite adequate if not above average. Taste is a better option for many but I like the light in Windows. Lines were either short or moved very quickly.

2. You'll love your Seward tour, even if the weather isn't perfect. I chose Kenai Fjords 6-hour and the captain was absolutely outstanding. Most of the ships went to many of the same wildlife viewing spots, so I suspect you'll end up seeing lots of everything...so long as the wind is OK. Rain (more like mist) may be an annoyance but won't ruin your trip. Dress warmly but in layers to move from inside to outside frequently. If you figure out what the rest of the crew do on the tour (except serve the sandwich) let me know - my captain did all the driving and all the narration.

 - For those who have done the whale watching excursions further south and the Seward day tour, I'm curious if it's worth doing both on the same cruise sailing? My father says Yes, but he lucked into the deal-of-a-lifetime in Juneau for whale watching and saw "over 30" whales. If you only do one I'd strongly recommend Seward if you have time and enjoy wildlife other than whales (plus glaciers!!!)

3. I'm envious of all the bucket-list excursions available on this cruise. I'll mention the White Pass train (now that they've settled the strike) combined with a bike trip return. The bike ride isn't awesome - it's on a highway so single-file and slow, not like wandering the streets of Coronado. But how often can you bike on a highway checking out the bald eagles in Alaska? And the bike is 98.5% downhill; they even shuttle you to the pass to avoid a little uphill run. Just a note - you may not travel with people doing the round-trip train excursion as there were/are multiple train departures at about the same time.

4. I'd also recommend the Alaska Railroad to travel to/from Seward. It's comfortable (but very slow), and scenery should be absolutely fantastic...if it wasn't socked in on my evening trip to Anchorage. The 10:15 PM train arrival in Anchorage means it's daylight the entire trip, at least until late August. Conductor/narrator calls out wildlife sightings and the observation car is a great place to watch the mountains roll by. Nothing against the bus, but the train was a nice (and could have been absolutely outstanding) finish to my cruise. Note: No free shuttle to/from the airport and the train depot unless arranged through the cruise line. $20 cab one-way.

  - For those wondering about getting around in Seward, I got off the ship absolutely last and took the free town shuttle to the railroad depot, dropped all our luggage, then walked to the tour office to check-in, walked over to the National Park Service office for their minimal displays and useful movie, then walked back to board my tour boat. Walked to Alaska Seafood Grill (a small shack) for a fresh fish dinner instead of eating on board the train; the fast service and earlier check-in for the train meant 30 minutes was more than enough time to grab dinner. My 81-year-old father had no complaints about the very short walking distances.

5. For hikers, there's no must-do day hike IMHO. Unless Chilkoot Pass is open, although you won't cover the best parts in a single day. I did the west side of Mendenhall Lake with the hope of stepping on the glacier. I was 2 years too late - the glacier has receded behind a 100' sheer rock wall or a 200 yd. swim and neither are recommended. The hike is OK but not worth the effort - take a kayak tour instead. Same with Upper Dewey Lake - too much climb for not enough reward. Wandering around Lower Dewey Lake with the free kayak boat and surrounded by 150 cruise ship staff seems like the better bet. (BTW: The staff keep saying "Sir" and letting passengers go first even when off the ship.) I was hoping to hike in Valdez; thankfully I can do that when I drive to Alaska. If someone has done Mt. Verstovia in Sitka in the 5 hours available, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the hike/tour. Or fill me in on a great day hike you know. If you do a hill climb, remember to wear knee braces. 🙂

 

I probably won't cruise Norwegian again, due solely to the outright avoidance of Hubbard Glacier. I'm an itinerary guy, mostly with RCCL and this was my first Norwegian cruise. Norwegian is fine, but skipping the highlight of the cruise TWICE when their competitors sailed into the bay both days shows a lack of respect for its customers. Especially annoying was the NB 7 AM departure (I was in Spinnaker @ 5AM scoping out those elevated corner seating positions) on the Tuesday, rather than waiting for a couple of hours to see if the fog lifted as it often does during the day. This was caused by the need to get to Seward (we arrived 4 hours early FWIW) for disembarkation...a direct result of dropping Valdez 2 weeks before the cruise. Valdez allows for an afternoon visit to Hubbard (if needed); Seward has a hard arrival time to connect to the outbound Anchorage flights. I wrote in a complaint; nothing more than a "weather happens" canned response. I accept weather-caused missed ports; I don't accept one ship (and one cruise line) making decisions that strongly contribute to those missed ports.

 

P.S. Did anyone get the authoritative answer on why Spirit doesn't do Johnstone Strait? Was it the regulations on water treatment? 

[quack2]

8 hours ago, WorldCruiseForMe said:

I probably won't cruise Norwegian again, due solely to the outright avoidance of Hubbard Glacier. I'm an itinerary guy, mostly with RCCL and this was my first Norwegian cruise. Norwegian is fine, but skipping the highlight of the cruise TWICE when their competitors sailed into the bay both days shows a lack of respect for its customers. Especially annoying was the NB 7 AM departure (I was in Spinnaker @ 5AM scoping out those elevated corner seating positions) on the Tuesday, rather than waiting for a couple of hours to see if the fog lifted as it often does during the day. This was caused by the need to get to Seward (we arrived 4 hours early FWIW) for disembarkation...a direct result of dropping Valdez 2 weeks before the cruise. Valdez allows for an afternoon visit to Hubbard (if needed); Seward has a hard arrival time to connect to the outbound Anchorage flights. I wrote in a complaint; nothing more than a "weather happens" canned response. I accept weather-caused missed ports; I don't accept one ship (and one cruise line) making decisions that strongly contribute to those missed ports.

 

P.S. Did anyone get the authoritative answer on why Spirit doesn't do Johnstone Strait? Was it the regulations on water treatment? 

Amen.

[liking]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:59 PM, TfromBC said:

They just assigned my cabins - 11th floor both ways, one on port, the other starboard, and both close to the 'open to the deck below' staircase note on the deck plan: closer to the pool in the first room, closer to the Garden Cafe for the return trip. After reading a few posts about being right below both areas, I'm a little nervous... Anyone have any feedback? Should I bring earplugs? Or sleeping pills? Hahaha.

I was in 11112 and loved it.  Convenient to everything and didn't experience any noise.  Of course, I sleep through anything.

[TfromBC]

1 hour ago, liking said:

I was in 11112 and loved it.  Convenient to everything and didn't experience any noise.  Of course, I sleep through anything.

Good to know - thank you!!! Two more sleeps! 🙂

[Seas2mountains]

On 7/26/2023 at 1:07 PM, bluesea777 said:

 

The May 8-26, 2024 Transpacific starts in Vancouver and ends up in Tokyo:

 

 

I think it's actually 17 days, not 18 as one day is lost when crossing the International Date line.

 

Very nice port hours! 

 

You gonna be on this cruise? 😉

 

 

I wish we could be on that cruise but I will be working at my school those days. I was thinking it would be Japan to Vancouver until I remembered the Spirit will be in Asia next summer.  Looks like a wonderful itinerary. 😁

[Seas2mountains]

On 7/31/2023 at 10:52 AM, TfromBC said:

Good to know - thank you!!! Two more sleeps! 🙂

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!  😄

 

Please do let us know all about it when you can! 

[bluesea777]

44 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

I wish we could be on that cruise but I will be working at my school those days. I was thinking it would be Japan to Vancouver until I remembered the Spirit will be in Asia next summer.  Looks like a wonderful itinerary. 😁

I think Jewel is doing Tokyo to Vancouver via Alaska next April. She goes from Vancouver to Tokyo in Oct this year at end of her Alaska season. 
 

 

[TfromBC]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!  😄

 

Please do let us know all about it when you can! 

Thank you @Seas2mountains! I’m at my hotel now. A short cab ride tomorrow and I’ll be on board. Cannot wait!!! 😊🛳️

[TfromBC]

On 7/31/2023 at 7:53 AM, liking said:

I was in 11112 and loved it.  Convenient to everything and didn't experience any noise.  Of course, I sleep through anything.

Ironically, I was also in 11112 for the second week of my cruise, and I loved it, too! It had a little more wear and tear than my first cabin (11578), but nothing that detracted from the experience. 

 

And what an experience it was! Back home now and trying to process it all, while visiting the NCL website to try and figure out my next cruise... Hahaha. 🙂

 

Terry

[liking]

Glad you enjoyed the cabin.  It was so close to everything.  I'm wondering, was the "recliner chair/sofa" still in the cabin?  I guess it's the sleeping bed for a third person.  When I got the room it had a chair and I wanted something akin to a sofa so asked for one, and they graciously brought it.  Was it still there? 

[TfromBC]

1 minute ago, liking said:

Glad you enjoyed the cabin.  It was so close to everything.  I'm wondering, was the "recliner chair/sofa" still in the cabin?  I guess it's the sleeping bed for a third person.  When I got the room it had a chair and I wanted something akin to a sofa so asked for one, and they graciously brought it.  Was it still there? 

No, it had a small chair and table. I liked that better, actually. (I had the recliner chair/sofa in my first cabin and didn't find it comfortable to sit on.)

[TfromBC]

On 7/23/2023 at 10:06 PM, quack2 said:

Just to be clear, I don't think this is an "excursion" available from the cruise ship.  You need to book direct with Major Marine or Kenai Fjords tours.  Both great operators.

Thanks to you and @Seas2mountains for the referral to Major Marine in Seward. This was a FABULOUS trip and one of the highlights of my vacation. I heartily 'third' the recommendation to anyone looking for something to do while in Seward for the day! Sharing a few pics from the day. 🙂