Carnival Spirit and Alaska - Tell me EVERYTHING! :)

[jsglow]

So what's super interesting to me is that Princess and HAL are basically grandfathered in for nearly half the cruise days and that Royal simply opted out.  Look, we all know that their corporate philosophy is 'ship over destination every day and twice on Sunday'. Big reason you'll never see me onboard.

[TinkLoverSam]

3 hours ago, dallasdan said:

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?

We have cruised twice to Alaska in May, both our cruises were beautiful weather, 70s to 80s at each port. In fact our last cruise to Alaska the only rain we saw all week was the cold, rainy weekend we spent in Vancouver before the cruise (it was a DCL cruise)

[BlerkOne]

14 minutes ago, jsglow said:

So what's super interesting to me is that Princess and HAL are basically grandfathered in for nearly half the cruise days and that Royal simply opted out.  Look, we all know that their corporate philosophy is 'ship over destination every day and twice on Sunday'. Big reason you'll never see me onboard.

Princess and HAL were the first two cruise lines in Glacier Bay.

 

For a while Royal was banned from Glacier Bay - I guess a lifetime is less than I thought. Maybe they didn't think they could abide by whatever they put in their proposal. They still do have Alaska  cruises and even a land cruise part (but maybe not a Princess Hotel).

[ccd228]

On another note. For Spirit when is the casino open? I've read numerous things that indicate it's closed a lot 

[MEUB1112]

11 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

What months of the Alaska cruising season did sail that you saw all of that wildlife? My 9 year is dying to see Whales! And any other wild animal life we may come across! We cruised out of Charleston, SC last fall and there were dolphins everywhere in the harbor. She was in HEAVEN! But now she thinks there's always wild sea life hanging out next to the cruiseship! 😆

We have seen whales in June and late July. The Humpbacks spend their summer up there before migrating south in December and January. That's what we were told. We seem to always see them around the Fjord entrance. Watch for spray out in the water. I expect your stopping at Juneau, glass the very top of Mt Juneau, we have seen Mountain Goats every trip. Look for what looks like dirty snow moving across the face of the steep grade.

Edited February 28 by MEUB1112
Spelling

[alias47]

11 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

Thank you for your feedback! How did you find deck 5 to be for your cabin? We usually stay a bit higher up. 

We found it fine, i don't recall any issues.  The cabin was mid ship and cabins on all sides, i didn't mind being at 5, but could be me, as i've been in a different places throughout the ship.  We did get it via an upgrade offer, so we took it, from an oceanview.

[Ihearttravel11]

11 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

 

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

Yes! I live in WA state, and we go to Victoria a few times a year. 
We got off the ship and used Google Maps to find the closest store, and stocked up on delicious Canadian chocolate! (My stash was getting low!)

[BlerkOne]

12 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

What months of the Alaska cruising season did sail that you saw all of that wildlife? My 9 year is dying to see Whales! And any other wild animal life we may come across! We cruised out of Charleston, SC last fall and there were dolphins everywhere in the harbor. She was in HEAVEN! But now she thinks there's always wild sea life hanging out next to the cruiseship! 😆

We always go whale watching out of Juneau - lots of private operator options - and lots of whales. Whales are there all season. Some orcas are there year round.

[carohs]

We were on Spirit late Aug 2022, and it was my least favorite cruise to date. Here's what I didn't like:

-The casino is between the atrium/lobby and the main theater. The smoking smell was not super bad, but it was at times inconvenient to either have to go thru it or around it. 

-The temp was in the low 60s high. I was definitely in my winter clothes on Tracy Arm day and still felt cold. Went inside after an hour or so. Inside viewing areas were all either crowded or obstructed. 

-I'm not a gambler or trivia enthusiast. I felt bored. They had not yet brought back any Dr. Seuss activities either. 

-The water slides water was not heated. Too cold for Alaska temps. 

-When the roof covered the pool the smoke from the forward smoking section would come in whenever someone would open that door, which was often. Because the roof was closed, the scent wouldn't dissapate. 

-Couldnt hear the poolside movie from the pool. We were swimming late and there were very few people out. Not a noise pollution issue. Had to be seated basically in front of the screen to hear. Seemed like they should have had more speakers. 

-The forward smoking section on 10 is near the kids club. Had to approach kids club from inside the ship to avoid it. 

-The pool is shown from your stateroom TV. It was a little weird knowing anyone could be watching you swim at any time. 

-Times in port were limited. We have a full day in Juno but only a few hours at night in Victoria and only til 1 or 2 pm in Ketchikan. Combine that with I'm not an early riser, and lack of activities that interested me, and you can see why that ended up being a disappointment. 

-Sea Day brunch was not very brunchy. More breakfasty with a steak choice, and less options than buffet. Slow service and couldn't order anything custom. 

-The Playlist shows were only about 30 min and not quite Broadway quality. While fun, they just didn't impress. I hadn't known what to expect since it was our first CCL cruise. 

 

I say all that, sounding like a privileged spoiled 1st world citizen, to explain why we didn't have the best time ever. I didn't say it was bad, just that it was our least favorite. 

Edited February 28 by carohs

[silvercrikhix]

First off, the weather varies widely.
On Spirit in Aug 2012 it snizzled or rained the entire time except a couple hours 1 afternoon. 
We saw some Dolphins and Whales, Seals, etc…
On Luminosa in Aug 2023, we had beautiful weather all week except a 1 hour light rain. 
We saw lots and lots and lots of Whales. 
Taking the Spirit again this August, I’ll continue to pack for all weather—a bit of it all.
 And check weather forecasts. 
 

We enjoy each and every cruise for what it is. I’d sail either ship anytime. I’m an addict. 
The Luminosa was fine, just obviously not a Carnival ship. Not as much for kids comparatively. 
That said, I’m looking forward to the Spirit, Guys, Blue Iguana, the familiarity of it. 
On either ship, try for an extended or premium balcony if you can’t swing an aft wrap. 

 

We enjoy the evening in Victoria very much. It is a very very beautiful city at night!
We are hoping to take a land trip there soon. 
-Take the 90 min long Carriage Tour. Beautiful, and also Romantic. Very Informative
(If you want to propose at night, THIS is the place!  Especially at the Gardens!)  . 
-Reserve a Pedicab Tour pre-cruise.  It’s absolutely amazing. Very Informative.
We snuggled with our 6 yr old GD last time and she fell asleep. One for the memory bank there. 
 

Juneau, whales, car rental. Skagway, scenic flight, car rental, train trips. Ketchikan, Go Bears. 

[thenexus2k]

Years ago, on a Caribbean cruise, my wife and I were riding in a cab in St Maarten. The driver was saying how much he loved cruising, so I asked "With you living in a Caribbean island, where is your favorite place to cruise?"   

His answer "Alaska"

At the time, I was surprised by the answer. No longer. I LOVE cruising to Alaska. Actually going back again in June 2024. 

The Spirit Class ships are my favorite class too. As an alternative, check cruising out of San Fran. It's the Miracle, so you are still in a Spirit Class ship. The price is usually comparable, and you get extra cruising days - so a little more bang for your buck. IMO SF is a more interesting port city than Seattle. The port times for Victoria with the SF itinerary may be a little more friendly as well.

[MistyRo76]

11 hours ago, carohs said:

We were on Spirit late Aug 2022, and it was my least favorite cruise to date. Here's what I didn't like:

-The casino is between the atrium/lobby and the main theater. The smoking smell was not super bad, but it was at times inconvenient to either have to go thru it or around it. 

-The temp was in the low 60s high. I was definitely in my winter clothes on Tracy Arm day and still felt cold. Went inside after an hour or so. Inside viewing areas were all either crowded or obstructed. 

-I'm not a gambler or trivia enthusiast. I felt bored. They had not yet brought back any Dr. Seuss activities either. 

-The water slides water was not heated. Too cold for Alaska temps. 

-When the roof covered the pool the smoke from the forward smoking section would come in whenever someone would open that door, which was often. Because the roof was closed, the scent wouldn't dissapate. 

-Couldnt hear the poolside movie from the pool. We were swimming late and there were very few people out. Not a noise pollution issue. Had to be seated basically in front of the screen to hear. Seemed like they should have had more speakers. 

-The forward smoking section on 10 is near the kids club. Had to approach kids club from inside the ship to avoid it. 

-The pool is shown from your stateroom TV. It was a little weird knowing anyone could be watching you swim at any time. 

-Times in port were limited. We have a full day in Juno but only a few hours at night in Victoria and only til 1 or 2 pm in Ketchikan. Combine that with I'm not an early riser, and lack of activities that interested me, and you can see why that ended up being a disappointment. 

-Sea Day brunch was not very brunchy. More breakfasty with a steak choice, and less options than buffet. Slow service and couldn't order anything custom. 

-The Playlist shows were only about 30 min and not quite Broadway quality. While fun, they just didn't impress. I hadn't known what to expect since it was our first CCL cruise. 

 

I say all that, sounding like a privileged spoiled 1st world citizen, to explain why we didn't have the best time ever. I didn't say it was bad, just that it was our least favorite. 

We've cruised Carnival many times so much of what you've said we are either aware of or it doesn't impact us. This cruise is more about the destination than the ship (other than hoping there are things to entertain our daughter during our ship time). We plan on doing a more extensive Alaska cruise in the future just the hubby and I. So that cruise we will look for better port times and likely branch out to another line. But with the kiddo, Carnival gives us most of what we need. Thanks for your feedback! 

[MistyRo76]

36 minutes ago, thenexus2k said:

Years ago, on a Caribbean cruise, my wife and I were riding in a cab in St Maarten. The driver was saying how much he loved cruising, so I asked "With you living in a Caribbean island, where is your favorite place to cruise?"   

His answer "Alaska"

At the time, I was surprised by the answer. No longer. I LOVE cruising to Alaska. Actually going back again in June 2024. 

The Spirit Class ships are my favorite class too. As an alternative, check cruising out of San Fran. It's the Miracle, so you are still in a Spirit Class ship. The price is usually comparable, and you get extra cruising days - so a little more bang for your buck. IMO SF is a more interesting port city than Seattle. The port times for Victoria with the SF itinerary may be a little more friendly as well.

During the time frame which we are looking to cruise to Alaska, there was one longer cruise (10-day) out of San Fran. But it was on the Legend. I did price that one out and it was very comparable to the 7-day cruises out of Seattle. But since we're coming from across the country, it's longer travel time. Plus we want to spend at least two days in the port city. We would have to be away almost two weeks to do the longer cruise. I think that's just long to be away right now with our responsibilities at home (work, animals, etc.). Plus the hubby has never been to Seattle and is excited to explore the city! But someday, we will get on a longer cruise like that! 

[jsglow]

@MistyRo76, and if you can spent a couple days in Seattle too I'd recommend it. My son lives there and we visit regularly.

[MistyRo76]

Just now, jsglow said:

@MistyRo76, and if you can spent a couple days in Seattle too I'd recommend it. My son lives there and we visit regularly.

That's definitely our plan! I've been there a few times, but always on work trips with not a lot of time for fun! And hubby has never been. Hubby is also a huge baseball fan, so we may take in Mariners game if they are in town and of course want to see the Space Needle and Fish Market. And eat some great food! 

[jsglow]

17 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

That's definitely our plan! I've been there a few times, but always on work trips with not a lot of time for fun! And hubby has never been. Hubby is also a huge baseball fan, so we may take in Mariners game if they are in town and of course want to see the Space Needle and Fish Market. And eat some great food! 

Two incredible museum recommendations: Museum of Pop Culture, Museum of Flight. Both world class.

[MistyRo76]

6 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Two incredible museum recommendations: Museum of Pop Culture, Museum of Flight. Both world class.

Awesome...thanks! I jotted those two down in my vacation spreadsheet! I have actually worked my entire career in aviation, so I would love to see the Museum of Flight for sure! 

[jsglow]

10 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

Awesome...thanks! I jotted those two down in my vacation spreadsheet! I have actually worked my entire career in aviation, so I would love to see the Museum of Flight for sure! 

I thought the coolest thing is they have a bunch of retired aviators working the floors and telling stories from back in the day.

[MistyRo76]

21 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I thought the coolest thing is they have a bunch of retired aviators working the floors and telling stories from back in the day.

I'm not a pilot (no one would want me flying a plane) or a technical person. I work more on the account management side of the business...but I love it and would love check out the museum! 

[MistyRo76]

Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback on the Spirit and Luminosa and Alaska cruising in general! The DH and I sat down and reviewed all of my research last night and made our final decision. We are going to book the August 5, 2025 cruise on the Carnival Spirit! We also decided to go with the 4K Obstructed View Interior on Deck 4. It's going to save us almost $1500 over a balcony and that will go a long way toward some really cool excursions! We are beyond excited to take our first Alaskan cruise! 

Edited February 28 by MistyRo76

[rj59]

When you sail into the fjord for glacier viewing, go outside on the outside promenade deck and cross from side to side, where you can have space for viewing wildlife on ice floes in the water. The ship will turn around slowly if it gets close to the glacier (on my cruise it stopped before a narrow turn because of too much ice in the water, so people were upset at only getting a distant view). On sailing out of the fjord, most of the people who got the forward outside seating on top of the ship will have left, so you can sit up there. The most whales I see are on the return trip, just before the Washington coast is in sight, so on the Victoria day, also hanging out on the lower promenade deck can give some good whale sightings--once I saw a dozen or so flopping and splashing. There's kind of a secret walkway around the showroom, with some seating and wall painting, with also some windows by the water, which is a nice place to escape people, if you want. If you want to see Mendenhall Glacier, skip ship tours and just walk to a parking lot by the tram and buy tickets for the Blue Bus, which runs every 15 minutes or so, so you can go and return when you want. Likewise, if you want to go on the tram, wait until you get there, since if it's rainy and foggy, you won't see anything and it isn't worth it. Most ports have kiosks and tour centers, although with record cruising now and limited employees to actually run tours, many might sell out. If you see what looks like black-and-white mini-orcas in the water, often playing around the ship and jumping its wake, those are Dall's porpoises. If you have T-Mobile, I don't believe they have native coverage in Alaska, just roaming, but I get good ATT reception, including sailing between islands and sailing along the WA coast on the way to Victoria, so I don't bother with buying wifi. In Victoria, if you walk to downtown, they try to push you towards a narrow, long path along the harbor, when it's quicker and more pleasant to cut straight through the neighborhoods--use the maps they hand out to just go on a direct route.