Carnival Spirit and Alaska - Tell me EVERYTHING! :)

[csm5986142]

2 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

The cruises we are looking at only have that late evening stop in Victoria to satisfy the international stop requirements - 8PM-Midnight. But I will keep that tour in mind in case we pivot again to another cruise. 

 

Do people even get off the ship in Victoria on those short night stops? 

 

Oh that is unfortunate - we love Victoria.  It's such a beautiful place and easy to walk everywhere.  Last summer Luminosa had a long day in Victoria.  Since we've been there before, we didn't do a planned excursion, we just walked into town.

We walked past the Parliament Building and the Empress Hotel - both are beautiful. We found a mall downtown that had lots of little shops - did a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship. The entire journey was almost exactly 5 miles total, so lots to do within walking distance of the port.

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

Thanks for your feedback! 

 

My husband is a tobacco pipe smoker. He usually likes to go enjoy 3-4 pipes in a day. Though with the Alaskan itinerary, he may not have that many opportunities. On our Sunshine cruise, he enjoyed the smoking area on Deck 3 outside of the atrium. It was quieter and not as busy. Is there a secondary smoking area on the Spirit? 

 

It is concerning about the retractable roof not working on the Spirit. I would hope they'd get that fixed quickly. That can make a big difference in your cruise experience on an Alaskan cruise. 

 

But you have given me quite a bit to think about as far as reasons to maybe go with Luminosa. I'll check into it a bit more before we decide. 

 

Carnival Spirit  

Cigarette smoking (including electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers) are permitted in the following areas:

• Louis XIV Casino: There is no smoking in the casino unless seated and playing; it is not allowed at the casino bar or in the entire area when closed. 
• Outdoors: Smoking is permitted in designated areas on Deck 3 (starboard side, forward), Deck 9 (starboard side, forward) and Deck 10 (starboard side, forward).
• Note: Cigar and tobacco pipes are only permitted at the above outdoor smoking areas.    
• Note: On embarkation and debarkation day, smoking is not allowed outdoors while the ship is refueling. Please consider selecting a later Arrival Appointment to minimize any inconvenience on embarkation day.
   

 

 

Carnival Luminosa (Cruises from the US)
Cigarette smoking (including electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers) are permitted in the following areas:

• Luminosa Casino: There is no smoking in the casino unless seated and playing; it is not allowed at the casino bar or in the entire area when closed. 
• Outdoors: Smoking is permitted in designated areas on Deck 10 (aft, port side) 
• Note: Cigar and tobacco pipes are only permitted at the above outdoor smoking areas. 
• Note: On embarkation and debarkation day, smoking is not allowed outdoors while the ship is refueling. Please consider selecting a later Arrival Appointment to minimize any inconvenience on embarkation day.

 

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3490/~/locations-where-you-can-smoke

 

 

[jsglow]

Alaska is a wonderful cruise. We've done it twice on Princess but not on Carnival.

 

Two cents that I'll throw in for consideration. We DON'T get a balcony for that itinerary. Often the price differential is huge and we prefer to spend our time up on top decks to see the gorgeous scenery as we sail.

[MistyRo76]

14 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I did that the first time. I brought my regular cruise suitcase. Then I packed another one full of cold weather gear I mostly didn't use. 

 

This last time I did a regular cruise suitcase. removed things like swim suits, water shoes, flip flops.

 

Added a light hoodie, a heavy hoodie, a ski cap and gloves. Then I tied a lightweight jacket to my carry on. And that's what I went with. It was fine for me.

Good tips! 

 

Is the evening attire on the ship (dinners and shows, etc.) the same that you'd see on a normal Caribbean cruise? 

[MistyRo76]

9 minutes ago, csm5986142 said:

 

Oh that is unfortunate - we love Victoria.  It's such a beautiful place and easy to walk everywhere.  Last summer Luminosa had a long day in Victoria.  Since we've been there before, we didn't do a planned excursion, we just walked into town.

We walked past the Parliament Building and the Empress Hotel - both are beautiful. We found a mall downtown that had lots of little shops - did a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship. The entire journey was almost exactly 5 miles total, so lots to do within walking distance of the port.

I checked the daylight hours for the times we would be in port on the cruises we're looking at. It should be fairly light out until close to 10:00. So we will probably get off the ship and at least walk around a bit. The pictures of Victoria look amazing! I would love to explore at least a little! 

[MistyRo76]

8 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Carnival Spirit  

Cigarette smoking (including electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers) are permitted in the following areas:

• Louis XIV Casino: There is no smoking in the casino unless seated and playing; it is not allowed at the casino bar or in the entire area when closed. 
• Outdoors: Smoking is permitted in designated areas on Deck 3 (starboard side, forward), Deck 9 (starboard side, forward) and Deck 10 (starboard side, forward).
• Note: Cigar and tobacco pipes are only permitted at the above outdoor smoking areas.    
• Note: On embarkation and debarkation day, smoking is not allowed outdoors while the ship is refueling. Please consider selecting a later Arrival Appointment to minimize any inconvenience on embarkation day.
   

 

 

Carnival Luminosa (Cruises from the US)
Cigarette smoking (including electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers) are permitted in the following areas:

• Luminosa Casino: There is no smoking in the casino unless seated and playing; it is not allowed at the casino bar or in the entire area when closed. 
• Outdoors: Smoking is permitted in designated areas on Deck 10 (aft, port side) 
• Note: Cigar and tobacco pipes are only permitted at the above outdoor smoking areas. 
• Note: On embarkation and debarkation day, smoking is not allowed outdoors while the ship is refueling. Please consider selecting a later Arrival Appointment to minimize any inconvenience on embarkation day.

 

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3490/~/locations-where-you-can-smoke

 

 

Definitely looks like better smoking area options on Spirit. That will make the hubby happy! A coffee, a pipe and a quiet place to sit makes him a contended cruiser! 

[MistyRo76]

7 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Alaska is a wonderful cruise. We've done it twice on Princess but not on Carnival.

 

Two cents that I'll throw in for consideration. We DON'T get a balcony for that itinerary. Often the price differential is huge and we prefer to spend our time up on top decks to see the gorgeous scenery as we sail.

Princess is the other line that I'm considering for this trip. If we do Princess, I think we may have to do an Oceanview or Interior (though it's been so long since I've NOT had at least a window, being in an inside cabin would feel super weird!). Prices for balconies are quite a bit higher on Princess than Carnival - even for the standard package. 

[Saint Greg]

8 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Good tips! 

 

Is the evening attire on the ship (dinners and shows, etc.) the same that you'd see on a normal Caribbean cruise? 

 

Yeah so for me personally I wear jeans and polos in the evening. I left that stuff in the suitcase. Left my T-shirts in the suitcase knowing I could wear them in good weather and throw a hoodie or jacket over them in cold weather. Shorts don't take up much space. I left them in the suitcase as well.

[jsglow]

2 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Princess is the other line that I'm considering for this trip. If we do Princess, I think we may have to do an Oceanview or Interior (though it's been so long since I've NOT had at least a window, being in an inside cabin would feel super weird!). Prices for balconies are quite a bit higher on Princess than Carnival - even for the standard package. 

So I know this is a Carnival board and one can see from my sig that we're Carnival loyalists. That said, Princess or HAL provide a significantly superior product for Alaska. Access to Glacier Bay NP is a game changer. It used to be true that Carnival was granted the occasional permit by Carnival Corp. Not any more. Princess controls approximately 70% of the annual allotment with HAL having maybe 25%. That other 5% gets spread around, mostly to NCL if memory serves. 2 ships per day. No more; no less. In a 120+ day cruising season.

 

When you see the Princess commercials on TV, guess where they are? Yep.

[Saint Greg]

7 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Princess is the other line that I'm considering for this trip. If we do Princess, I think we may have to do an Oceanview or Interior (though it's been so long since I've NOT had at least a window, being in an inside cabin would feel super weird!). Prices for balconies are quite a bit higher on Princess than Carnival - even for the standard package. 

 

Another consideration is Princess does have where you can bid on room upgrades. On my regal princess I was able to upgrade from interior guarantee to standard balcony for like $200 I think. Another thing to look at is the room types with them. Their standard balcony on Regal was smaller than one on Carnival and didn't include a couch. It was great for me but may not be great for rooms with more people in them. 

 

I did an interior in Alaska on NCL last summer and it was fine. I was never in the room. With Carnival I insisted on having a window. But I ended up never using the window because during scenic cruising I wanted to be out where I could hear the naturalist. So I ended up being more in the atrium bar area where I could quickly get outside on either side of the ship.

 

Alaska is a place where I end up maximizing my port time. Less time on the ship. I usually eat all of my port day lunches on land and a dinner or two. So for me personally ship food means less as well.

[MistyRo76]

3 minutes ago, jsglow said:

So I know this is a Carnival board and one can see from my sig that we're Carnival loyalists. That said, Princess or HAL provide a significantly superior product for Alaska. Access to Glacier Bay NP is a game changer. It used to be true that Carnival was granted the occasional permit by Carnival Corp. Not any more. Princess controls approximately 70% of the annual allotment with HAL having maybe 25%. That other 5% gets spread around, mostly to NCL if memory serves. 2 ships per day. No more; no less. In a 120+ day cruising season.

 

When you see the Princess commercials on TV, guess where they are? Yep.

Yeah - My initial research also said that Princess and HAL were the best of the bunch for Alaska. But I also heard from several people that HAL would probably not have as much to offer for my kiddo so I didn't really consider them. Since this is a family trip with the kiddo, that brought Carnival back into the discussion for us. But I haven't closed the door on Princess. If it was just the hubby and I going, we would probably more seriously look at HAL as well. We may just go the less expensive option for this trip, and then maybe take a second cruise there without the kiddo on one of the other lines in a few years. Get our feet wet a bit with this first trip! But still lots of reserach to do! 

[MistyRo76]

4 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Another consideration is Princess does have where you can bid on room upgrades. On my regal princess I was able to upgrade from interior guarantee to standard balcony for like $200 I think. Another thing to look at is the room types with them. Their standard balcony on Regal was smaller than one on Carnival and didn't include a couch. It was great for me but may not be great for rooms with more people in them. 

 

I did an interior in Alaska on NCL last summer and it was fine. I was never in the room. With Carnival I insisted on having a window. But I ended up never using the window because during scenic cruising I wanted to be out where I could hear the naturalist. So I ended up being more in the atrium bar area where I could quickly get outside on either side of the ship.

 

Alaska is a place where I end up maximizing my port time. Less time on the ship. I usually eat all of my port day lunches on land and a dinner or two. So for me personally ship food means less as well.

I didn't know about the ability to bid for upgrades. That's an interesting aspect to consider! I'll have to look into that! 

 

For us, the hubby will use the balcony quite a lot, so I'm sure he's going to want to have one. He doesn't care how cold it will be either. Here at home, he sits on our screened in porch pretty much all winter to have his pipes (no worries - he knows there's no smoking on the balconies!). So he would enjoy sitting out there while I'm getting ready for dinner or at night before bed or before getting off the ship. I'm much less likely to sit out in the cold! LOL 

[dallasdan]

I am going early May 2025 on the Spirit.  We booked one of the 4K rooms behind a life boat.  I like these rooms as they are priced as interior but have the couch and a full window.  For those that cruised in early May before will it be cold?

[jsglow]

13 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Yeah - My initial research also said that Princess and HAL were the best of the bunch for Alaska. But I also heard from several people that HAL would probably not have as much to offer for my kiddo so I didn't really consider them. Since this is a family trip with the kiddo, that brought Carnival back into the discussion for us. But I haven't closed the door on Princess. If it was just the hubby and I going, we would probably more seriously look at HAL as well. We may just go the less expensive option for this trip, and then maybe take a second cruise there without the kiddo on one of the other lines in a few years. Get our feet wet a bit with this first trip! But still lots of reserach to do! 

I'm inclined to agree with you regarding HAL for the kids.

 

Look, a first cruise to Alaska on Carnival is perfect. Hit the 3 big ports and enjoy something 180 degrees different than a typical Caribbean vaca. If you enjoy it, then in a few years you and the spouse do it alone on one of the many Princess ships, preferably on the one-way north or southbound. Epic. I've cruised something like 250 total days. Two of my top 10 days all time were my two days in GBNP.

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

Good tips! 

 

Is the evening attire on the ship (dinners and shows, etc.) the same that you'd see on a normal Caribbean cruise? 

I think so.

 

[Saint Greg]

3 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

The cruises we are looking at only have that late evening stop in Victoria to satisfy the international stop requirements - 8PM-Midnight. But I will keep that tour in mind in case we pivot again to another cruise. 

 

Do people even get off the ship in Victoria on those short night stops? 

 

I did last time. If I do it again, I would not get off. Or if I did it would just be to get a picture of the ship(s) with the sunset. Those were good pictures. Then I would get back on. The only thing open at night is one irish pub. The shuttle bus was packed. The pub was packed. I think that was the night I got covid. The night time Victoria is one and done for me.

[n6uqqq]

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

I checked the daylight hours for the times we would be in port on the cruises we're looking at. It should be fairly light out until close to 10:00. So we will probably get off the ship and at least walk around a bit. The pictures of Victoria look amazing! I would love to explore at least a little! 

Victoria is great to get off for a nice walk to the government building area. You don't have peddlers bugging you every two feet to buy something and you don't feel like your life might be in danger 😉 either. It is about a mile to the government building area. 

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, jsglow said:

So I know this is a Carnival board and one can see from my sig that we're Carnival loyalists. That said, Princess or HAL provide a significantly superior product for Alaska. Access to Glacier Bay NP is a game changer. It used to be true that Carnival was granted the occasional permit by Carnival Corp. Not any more. Princess controls approximately 70% of the annual allotment with HAL having maybe 25%. That other 5% gets spread around, mostly to NCL if memory serves. 2 ships per day. No more; no less. In a 120+ day cruising season.

 

When you see the Princess commercials on TV, guess where they are? Yep.

Glacier Bay concessions are based on a bidding system. Carnival is out for 2020-2030 - the length of the contract.

 

https://www.nps.gov/glba/getinvolved/concession-contracts.htm

 

Current cruise lines authorized to operate in Glacier Bay are:

• Princess Cruises                               Carnival Corp Brand
• Holland America Line                       Carnival Corp Brand
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Seabourn                                           Carnival Corp Brand
• Cunard                                               Carnival Corp Brand
• Viking

[MistyRo76]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

Victoria is great to get off for a nice walk to the government building area. You don't have peddlers bugging you every two feet to buy something and you don't feel like your life might be in danger 😉 either. It is about a mile to the government building area. 

That's beautiful all lit up like that! Looks worth the walk to me! 

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

That's beautiful all lit up like that! Looks worth the walk to me! 

Every port is worth exiting the ship.

[vanislandcruisers]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

Victoria is great to get off for a nice walk to the government building area. You don't have peddlers bugging you every two feet to buy something and you don't feel like your life might be in danger 😉 either. It is about a mile to the government building area. 

 

Kitty Corner to our Legislature Building (2nd Picture down) is a place called the Steamship Grill...it is one of the places we take any cruise friends or crew/staff we pick up at the Pier (Ogden Point) during during their stop in Victoria on their Alaska Cruise...when they advertise this as the best patio in Victoria they are not kidding...Their Patio overlooks the Inner Harbour and if you ask for a Table 'closest to the Empress' you would have a GREAT view of the Empress Hotel (THE Victoria Landmark), the Legislature Building, the Inner Harbour, the Songhees District, Olympic Mountains, etc...anytime we have cruising friends who we are picking up while they are on an Alaskan Cruise this is where we take them...Nice place for an Appy and a Drink

[jsglow]

Thanks for the detail @BlerkOne. I wonder if in the last round of bidding Carnival Corp. made the decisions regarding their various brands behind the scenes? That would make sense from a corporate and brand governance perspective.

[BlerkOne]

If I were to do Alaska on HAL or Princess, I would spend the extra to do a northbound itinerary and add on their land cruise to Denali for a few days.

[jsglow]

3 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

If I were to do Alaska on HAL or Princess, I would spend the extra to do a northbound itinerary and add on their land cruise to Denali for a few days.

We did the Princess northbound and added the 6 night 'Off the Beaten Track' in 2022. Awesome.

[BlerkOne]

5 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Thanks for the detail @BlerkOne. I wonder if in the last round of bidding Carnival Corp. made the decisions regarding their various brands behind the scenes? That would make sense from a corporate and brand governance perspective.

You're welcome. I was sure Royal had also "won" but for whatever reason, they let it go.

 

https://www.nps.gov/glba/learn/news/glacier-bay-issues-new-contracts-for-cruise-ship-services.htm

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/royal-caribbean-drops-glacier-bay-visits-on-alaska-cruises