fire and ice cruise?

[musicmansmom]

can someone give me some info on the "" fire and ice cruise "". i think it is a repo but im not sure where it starts and ends. i know that hawaii is in the intinerary and it starts in alaska but what else is involved with it. i am planning a 2008 Wish-List cruise and this might interest me.

 

can someone help with ships and ports of call. thanks

[MalGee64]

Hi, Musicmansmom. We're actually leaving in six and a half weeks for the 2006 Fire & Ice cruise. It's onboard the Carnival Spirit, and is a back-to-back cruise combining the seven day Glacier Bay itinerary roundtrip from Vancouver to Vancouver, including Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, then follows it up with the twelve day Vancouver to Honolulu itinerary. This includes port visits to Lahaina & Kahului (both on Maui), Nawiliwili, Hilo, Kona, and two days in Honolulu (ie, one night onboard alongside Honolulu). All up it's a nineteen day cruise that includes five sea days in the middle for transit to Maui.

 

I will be posting a review of sorts when we get home in the middle of October, if you can wait that long to make your plans - I know we booked this one the same day that the program was offered :D . And oh yes, we booked 8A guarantees, and got bumped up to 8Bs - nice little win there! We booked the whole shebang through our TA, as we're in Western Australia.

 

Cheers,

 

Mal

[musicmansmom]

wow, it sounds like an awesome cruise. i love alaska and have never been to hawaii. i have been on the spirit twice and love the ship. i will definetely be checking out this cruise for a future trip. please post a review when you get back so i read all about it. it sounds terrific. :)

[Coral]

That cruise sounds incredible!

 

The only negative that comes to mind is "packing for both climates!".

[MalGee64]

It should be great - I managed to get to Hawaii for RIMPAC while I was in the RAN, but the other three in our group have never been there. I loved the place and would visit again in an instant. The closest any of us has ever been to Alaska is the travel shows on TV, and we are champing at the bit to see the place in person.

 

In an amazing display of "it's a small world"-ism, my brothers boss did this exact same cruise last year - apparently she is still raving about it, and would do the whole thing again in a heartbeat. As well, my next door neighbour has booked his family to do the reverse run in April next year - Hawaii first, then Alaska. We have not read a bad word about the Spirit, and every photo of her I've managed to trawl up online is simply beautiful.

 

I think it would be very rude of me not to post at least a post trip review when we get back, considering the enormous amount of enjoyment I've had from others here on the Critic, so I'll have to take notes along the way to help me make sense post-cruise.

 

And yes, packing for two climates and staying under 35kg of luggage each (thank you, Qantas) is an exercise in planning and logistics. Add to that the girls having a calculating eye on the clothes shopping in Vancouver and Honolulu, and I can feel the ache in my bag carrying arm already... :rolleyes:

 

Cheers!

 

Mal

[musicmansmom]

actually the packing for two different areas would not be a problem for me . i have been to alaska twice ( as far up as skagway and through the glacier bay ) on the spirit in may and sept. you do not need a heavy coat ( at least i didnt ) and all the sweaters and things you might think. i had a sweatshirt that i only wore a few times and a unlined nylon windbreaker for in the glacier bay. i did have a pair of the lightweight gloves you can get for about $1.50 for two pair that i wore only once in the glacier bay out on the deck. other than that i had a couple pair of comfy elastic waist pants, tshirts and a turtleneck to wear on the ship. alot of first timers to alaska think they are going to the '' tundra '' and have to pack as if they were going to end up at the north pole. their seasons ''weather wise'' is much like ours in the midwest and i found it wonderful both months. you will love the spirit. it is a wonderful ship, very clean, easy to get around and the crew is fantastic. i love her and would like to sail on her again if i choose this cruise. i will keep track of this cruise for my future plans of a cruise in 2008. thanks for letting me know everybody raves about it. :)

[MalGee64]

alot of first timers to alaska think they are going to the '' tundra '' and have to pack as if they were going to end up at the north pole. their seasons ''weather wise'' is much like ours in the midwest and i found it wonderful both months. :)

 

Mate, advice and tips like that are gold. Our perceptions are based firmly on what we see on TV and in photos - therefore, anywhere we see piles of snow and ice out to the horizon must be freezing! But from the sounds of it, September in Alaska is very much like winter here is now - 10 to 12 degrees C during the days, but feels much warmer when the sun is out. Your packing list sounds a lot like what my better half is hauling along, plus the formal night finery and whatnot.

 

Cheers,

 

Mal

[musicmansmom]

glad i could help. truley, just pack like you would for a nice fall day with a small umbrella in your purse or back pack just in case it rains and you will be fine. there are great sales in the little shops in the ports if you need to pick up something warmer than what you have. nothing wrong with that either :D . have a great time

[Coral]

actually the packing for two different areas would not be a problem for me . i have been to alaska twice ( as far up as skagway and through the glacier bay ) on the spirit in may and sept.

 

alot of first timers to alaska think they are going to the '' tundra '' and have to pack as if they were going to end up at the north pole. their seasons ''weather wise'' is much like ours in the midwest and i found it wonderful both months.

 

I actually have been to Alaska on 6 cruises (and live in the midwest). I have had shorts on on my May cruises and a jacket (and wished it was heavy) when our high was 40 (and lows were much lower) and we had heavy rain, ice/sleet in JULY in Alaska. So while it can be wonderful, it can also be cold and extremely wet.

 

So when I go to Alaska - I do prepare for the cooler climates just in case. I really think the ship sold out of heavier jackets on our cold trip.

 

I think it would be difficult to pack between the 2 because Alaska requires lots of jeans and Hawaii, lots of shorts. I have a lot of long sleaved shirts for Alaska, not necessary for Hawaii.

[musicmansmom]

wow, im glad i did not run into any of that icky weather. how far up did you go. i have heard that hubbard glacier and danali are more chilly. on both of my cruises i only went up as far as skagway and i had wonderful weather both in early may and the middle of sept. that does change the packing situation if you think you are going to run into the cold stuff with ice and rain. if it were me i would pack a suitcase at the last alaska port with all the heavy clothing and ship it home. it might cost a little but you wont have to haul it around with you and have the extra bag to contend with. have a great cruise. this sounds like a good one that i am going to put on the list for a possible cruise in 2008. :)

[Coral]

It was a RT Vancouver sailing that did go to Hubbard but we didn't get very close. My other sailings that were warmer went farther north - go figure. It is just the luck of the draw I guess.

[musicmansmom]

that is strange. i guess my 2 cruises were lucky ones with nice days and plenty of sunshine. :)