Lessons Learned from a Just-Returned Carnival Spirit Cruiser

[Gopherville Gal]

Arrived home yesterday from Carnival Spirit northbound (VancBC - Whittier).

Good time to arrive in VancBC for 5 pm sailing, at least for us – 12:30-1:00 pm (short lines).

Check 7-10 day forecast just B4 sailing---this would’ve saved us packing way too many sweaters, sweatshirts, etc, and not nearly enuf short-sleeved t-shirts. Last week (June 16-23 in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway & Sitka ranged in the mid to hi 80s!

Eat breakfast in the Empire Dining Room, rather than the LaPlaya Grill on the Lido deck…the dining room has everything the LaPlaya has, plus more (eggs benedict, for example) and the seated pace is so much more relaxing than the buffet.

Don’t worry about shopping only at the ship’s “recommended, guaranteed” on-shore stores. We bought several things, including gorgeous tanzanite earrings, at stores “not on the list”. The “list” is simply a way for the cruise line to bring the store the customer, in exchange for a 10% cut on whatever the customer/passenger spends.

Shore Excursions..don’t be afraid to pre-arrange your own B4 you sail or when you dock at each stop. Many vendors have stands right by the pier. We, for example, paid $10 roundtrip for a bus trip to the Mendenhall Glacier/Visitor Center in Juneau and were able to stay as long as we wanted and just take the on-the-hour return bus back, rather than the “canned” excursion with its short stay.

[dustyroad]

thanks gopherville girl

 

 

we are going to use a few of the vendors for tours at the ports. it will be fun to decide on a tour 'on the spur of the moment'. we know we will now be doing the whale watching or doing a flight tour so there is no need to book ahead of time to be sure of a seat. also we can judge by the weather what we want to do that day in port. did you like the spirit. i really liked the ship on my cruise.

[Gopherville Gal]

We hear it gets filled up pretty fast. You might want to pre-book it online or call them and book via a "human". We 6 really loved the railroad trip...not at all "canned" like so many of the excursions seem to be these day. Live narration of the sights along the way + nice outdoor viewing platforms between each car for great photo ops or just viewing. We DID enjoy the Spirit...it's a beautiful ship...very clean,kinda glitzy, in a Las Vegas way. Also highly enjoyed our balcony cabin on this particular cruise...well worth the extra $$ to see the Alaska scenery along the way.

[rduke]

Gopherville Gal- We are northbound on Spirit 8/11. Tell us about how you found leaving Spirit at Whittier. What time did they dock? What time were you able to get off and how long did it take before you could actually depart. We have a shuttle picking us up at 8:45 am to go to Seward. Do you think we have any problems with that time? If not, could we make it earlier? let us know your experiences? Thanks

[Budget Queen]

we are going to use a few of the vendors for tours at the ports. it will be fun to decide on a tour 'on the spur of the moment'. we know we will now be doing the whale watching or doing a flight tour so there is no need to book ahead of time to be sure of a seat.

 

 

This is NOT true. Fights are most always sold out and so is Orca Enterprises- if that is your plan? It is not recommended you waste time in port trying to arrange this. It is much better to have plans and reservations in place before you leave.

 

 

As for Whittier- you will have no problem making this shuttle. You just walk off the ship here (verify if this is still the case however?) Your shuttle driver will have to have you scheduled based on the tunnel. I would contact them for more information since they have probably done this run several times by now.

[Coral]

Budeget Queen - you are right. In Whittier, you do not tender.

 

We docked in Whittier on our cruise very early in the morning (I want to say before 4 am). On Princess, the first group that was called for a land vacation was at 6:15 am.

[Gopherville Gal]

Rduke...re leaving the Spirit at Whittier: We docked there very early too, last Wednesday, 6/23, but they don't start unloading 'til about 6:30 a.m. First off are those who have early flights; last off are those who have "private transportation", like us (we 6 had a driver pick us up in an 11 passenger van, with whom we toured the area and were dropped off in Anchorage later that afternoon). The ship does a good job of figuring out who needs to get off first to make flights, etc....they do this with a form you fill out when you go thru the embarking procedure in VancBC, where you let them know what your disembarking plans/needs are. If your Seward pickup is private, the driver should know about what time you will be getting off the Spirit; ours guessed about 9:15-9:30 and they were right on. Do you have to be somewhere in Seward at a certain time?

[rduke]

GopherGal- thanks for

the info on disembarking in Whittier. We want to get to Seward ASAP as we will only have until the evening train(I think 6 p.m.) that takes us to Anchorage. In Seward we are planning to do Seavey's Ididaride sled dog tour(the 1 1/2 hour one), the Sealife center and if there is time go out to Exit Glacier. So in order to do all of that we need to make a speedy exit from Whittier. We had signed up for this cruise before Carnival announced that they were switching from Seward to Whittier. So we were disappointed in that decision. After some searching we found a shuttle service with reasonable rates so hopefully we can still do Seward!

 

With a name like Gopher Gal you must be from Minnesota or maybe you went to school at University of Minnesota. Am I right?

[Gopherville Gal]

rduke...recommend that you talk to the agent who checks you in at VancBC (they put your credit card no. on file and give you your "Sign and Sail" card at this time, plus ask for specific disembarking info, like I told you about above.) Anyway, tell the agent you are needing to be in Seward by "x" time and "fudge" a little, if you have to...about when that would be; otherwise, you may not get off 'til around 9:30 and then will have to wait in line with your driver for the on-the-hour opening of the one-way tunnel that takes you out of Whittier. Don't know about Exit Glacier, but if you are lucky weather-wise, you will have had a FABULOUS day the day prior to disembarking when you view Harvard Glacier at the end of College Fjord. After our experience there, I don't know how it could be any better. Our capt. got us within 600 feet of it and we stayed there for an hour, while he slowly turned that huge ship clear around so that everyone could see the glacier. Nope..we're Oregonians...and have a small acreage FULL of gophers, which my spouse is trying to eliminate one by one!

[rduke]

Gropher Gal- thanks again for your input and I wish your DW good luck with the grophers....we have had problems from time to time in our yard with moles. Maybe if she is sucessful I could use her tactics on the moles is they come back!!

[mscloyd]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but why couldn't you just handle your own luggage and walk off the ship if you have private transportation? Would they let you?

[Gopherville Gal]

MSCloyd..I think this is a great question! It hadn't occurred to me that this might be possible. Why don't you post a general question on the "Cruise Discussion Topics" Message Board...which seems to be where questions of this nature might go. Suggest you ask if carrying your own luggage off would put you in any better position, time-wise, to disembark. Maybe a post on your own cruise line's message board would be a good idea, too, since each line may handle this situation differently.

[Lizzybell]

MSCloyd..I think this is a great question! It hadn't occurred to me that this might be possible. Why don't you post a general question on the "Cruise Discussion Topics" Message Board...which seems to be where questions of this nature might go. Suggest you ask if carrying your own luggage off would put you in any better position, time-wise, to disembark. Maybe a post on your own cruise line's message board would be a good idea, too, since each line may handle this situation differently.

 

 

I know on Princess you can carry your bags off yourself, they dont advertise it, but its done. Liz

[Budget Queen]

Verify- in the past coming into Seward- you just walk off the ship and pick up your bags- there is no customs. I have done this without any restrictions and easily off the ship by 0700.

[blueyz28]

What a great time!

 

As far as excursions go, most can be booked off of the ship for a lot less money (the glacier walk in Juneau was 1/2 price!). Sitka was the only port that didn't have stand on the pier, which was ok because we rented bikes and rode to a state park and saw a LOT of bald eagles along the way and got a lot of great pictures!

 

We booked the train ride in Skagway off the ship and I would recommend the train/bus tour. We had to stop for a black bear in the middle of the road on the way to the train!

 

In Whittier, we docked at 11pm the night before because it takes all night to get the luggage to Anchorage (the tunnel going out of town is one-way with only 15 min. access each way!). Because we had an excursion to Alyeska Mountain Resort, we met in Pharoah's Palace @ 9am and disembarked then.

[Gopherville Gal]

Hey Bluezy--you must've been on our ship (disembarked at Whittier on 6/23)? If so, the weather in general and that trip up College Fjord to Harvard Glacier was somethin' else, wasn't it? We took the tram up the mtn. at Alyeska Mtn. resort, too. What views! As far as "booking off the ship", do you mean when you got off the ship at each port or pre-booking before cruising? I am worried that folks might miss out altogether if they don't pre-book via the web or phone and just count on being able to go where they want to by attempting to book at each port.

[powriel]

My Mom and I are on the 8/25 Carnival Spirit. Who did you use for a shuttle service?

[blueyz28]

Hey Bluezy--you must've been on our ship (disembarked at Whittier on 6/23)? If so, the weather in general and that trip up College Fjord to Harvard Glacier was somethin' else, wasn't it? We took the tram up the mtn. at Alyeska Mtn. resort, too. What views! As far as "booking off the ship", do you mean when you got off the ship at each port or pre-booking before cruising? I am worried that folks might miss out altogether if they don't pre-book via the web or phone and just count on being able to go where they want to by attempting to book at each port.

Wasn't the weather great? I can't believe I came back to Florida with a tan from Alaska!!!

 

The only excursion that we booked on the ship was kayaking in Ketchikan. Sitka was the only place that "off-ship" excursions weren't available, but we rented bikes and had a great time. The funny thing is that there was an excursion that went to the exact same place that we went, but didn't know it at the time, and we ended up saving a LOT of money.

 

We weren't really worried about missing out on excursions because we saw how plentiful they were when we were in Ketchikan.

[Gopherville Gal]

It was "The Magic Bus"...very professional group.

[Gopherville Gal]

http://www.themagicbus.com/

 

We had a roomy 11-passenger van for the 2 of us.

[Gopherville Gal]

I should've said that we had a roomy 11 passenger van for the 6 of us!