Carnival Spirit Northbound 8-27-08 review

[barbevrn]

A little history: DH and I (early to mid 50’s) have taken several cruises, all Carnival and all to warm sunny destinations. For the last several cruises, DH has told me "No more until we go to Alaska". Whoops, I slid a few more in. Being that I hate cold weather, I wasn’t sure at all that I would like Alaska. But, by reading CC and viewing some of the pictures, I found myself getting excited by the sheer beauty and size of Alaska.I spent a fair amount of time on cruise critic (cough, cough) and got some wonderful advice and information.

 

We initially booked in February and wanted a balcony from the get go. I did call and change the room 3 times I think. LOL I wanted it to be perfect. Once we were booked overlooking life boats, and I wasn’t sure we would like that. Then, I was able to get an extended balcony.......and last, our coveted aft balcony. We watched fares and due to DH’s "mid 50’s" we were able to score an awesome rate. Let’s just say it was an aft balcony for the same price we would pay for an unassigned ocean view on the Conquest Crazies Cruise. To make the deal even sweeter we started with $744 OBC.

 

 

Aug 26th.........Our alarms went off at 3:00am, not that we slept that well anyway. We were completely packed and ready to go. I decided NOT to take a coat at the last minute and go with the layers as so many had advised. It proved to be the absolute correct decision. Many thanks to everyone! We had a friend driving us to the airport and she arrived promptly at 3:45am. Our plane wasn’t scheduled to leave until 06:30, but we wanted to arrive the full 2 hours early since we would be flying into Canada. We checked our luggage and each of our bags weighed in around 45 lbs. We had to show our passports 3 or 4 times before we ever left San Antonio. Boarding was a breeze and our plane was not full so we were able to spread out. DH sat in the isle an I sat by the window. We were both happy. I wanted to get some photos of the night lights leaving.......but, when I turned my trusty little camera to airplane mode it had a warning: Please turn off your camera during take off and landing and follow directions of flight attendant. Well, hummm.......something to ponder. But, I guess the newer cameras are considered electronics.

 

Our first plane landed a little early in Denver and it was time to turn our clocks back THE FIRST time. We saw several TSA agents board in advance. I’m not sure we even had to show picture ID. Several people got dinged when their boarding pass was scanned and were pulled out of line. As we went through the gait the TSA agents had passengers pulled over to the side all along the walkway. I'm not sure what criteria they used, but I guess we did not fit any of the profiles. Again, the plane was not full and we were able to spread out. After the go ahead for approved electronics, I did take out the camera and got a couple of picture when the terrain started changing. We landed in Vancouver and turned our clocks back AGAIN. Not bad timing when you can leave Texas at 06:30 and be in Vancouver at 10:30 am.... I’m sure we would have been fine flying in the day of our cruise, but it sure was a lot less stressful flying in a day early. Besides, we were ready to see Vancouver.

 

 

 

 

[barbevrn]

Surprisingly we went through Canadian Customs BEFORE picking up our luggage. We had been given our Customs declaration forms on the plane before landing. It was relatively painless with very little wait. I think we showed our passport twice with the first time being verification we had them before getting to the agent. When the agent asked DH the purpose of our trip to Canada and he said "we are going on a cruise" The agent asked the name of the ship. DH said "uhh, uhh.......you’ll have to ask my wife" I was about to bust a gut. The agent just grinned and shook his head and said "go on"

We got our luggage and hailed a cab. It’s 10:30 in the morning and we had a lot to see. It took around an hour to get to the hotel with traffic and all. Taxi and tip was somewhere around $40 to $45. We had booked the Sutton Place off of hotwire for a decent price compared to direct booking. I’d hoped for Pan Pacific, but it was a no go. Anyway, they said our room would not be ready until 3pm for check in. What????? We are dressed for Texas NOT Canada. We stored our luggage and went across the street to Denny’s (another great pointer from the boards).

 

We had a tour booked for 2pm and started worrying a little, so at 1pm DH went back to see if our room was ready. No, but they did have one near the elevator. We took it and yes it was near the elevator with only a wall separating the room and elevator. LOL We picked up our luggage from the concierge desk and they asked if we needed a "taxi" I said "no thanks, we have a tour in a bit". On the way to the room, DH explained that they meant did we want our luggage delivered. LOL.......whoops, Did I mention I’m a Texas girl and this Motel was a 4 star. We changed into a couple of layers and got out the rain gear. We hoped for a 15 min power nap but got a call from downstairs that our tour operator was there almost half an hour early.

 

This is the tour we did.....http://www.vancouvertours.com/tours_2.html It started raining towards the end of the Grouse Mountain portion and pretty much the entire Capilano Bridge portion. Again, thanks to the advice here......we were prepared and stayed warm and dry. We finished off the tour with the public transit "SeaBus" which can transport up to 400 passengers from the West Shore to Vancouver. Just think "city bus" on water........ It was quite interesting.

 

 

 

 

We had thought about looking for a casino, but after getting up at 3am and traipsing through the rain, we were pretty much pooped! After grabbing something to eat, we called it a night.

[barbevrn]

 

Just a few of the beautiful work of a local artist. He never cuts down a living tree. He only uses fallen trees and people call him when they know of any big ones that have fallen over

 

[Wags67]

Barbevrn...I am loving your review:)

DH & I can't wait to do an Alaskan cruise...I've read several reviews on Alaska

and they have been wonderful. Your review is starting out awesome & I love your pictures!

I, like you, am not ready to give up the warmth of the Caribbean cruise quite yet...we have two more Caribbean lined up then I'll be looking at booking Alaska!

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review....

[alwaysmomof1]

Love your review and pictures. I am thinking of taking an Alaska cruise next time. :D

[barbevrn]

 

I didn't get any video of Capilano bridge. There are several on YouTube for anyone who wants more information. Even though it rained the whole time we were there, we got HOT. A long sleeve shirt, jacket, and rain gear was way more than enough

[barbevrn]

I'm trying to figure out how to post a video...........GRRRRRRRRR Anyway here is a photo of the Sea Bus

 

It is the same on both ends and never turns around. It pulls in to a docking station and all the doors slide open on one side for people to get off. Then all the doors on the other side open for people to get on. It has a station similar to a train or subway, but it is located on the water.

[barbevrn]

I can't figure out how to post a video. So I'll share a link. This is from the Capilano Fish Hatchery and taken through a glass window, so there is quite a bit of glare. I didn't realize how small these salmon were until we saw the ones in Alaska.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=6e451b53d6822f2a64f0d9&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

[Grayce]

Nice pictures, can't wait to see more:)

[barbevrn]

We got up the next morning and had booked another excursion. We wanted to see more of downtown Vancouver so we booked this tour from the same company that we had used the day before. http://www.vancouvertours.com/tours_1a.html. One van picked up our luggage and took it on to the port and we loaded up in another. A large portion of this tour was a driving tour, so it was fast a furious.

 

The population of Vancouver is well over 2,000,000 with a large percentage of that being downtown residents. The number of high-rise apartments was staggering. It was quite interesting to see big lush gardens and trees on top of these buildings. Many had swimming pools, umbrellas, palm trees. And some just had gorgeous flower gardens. It was indescribable.

We were picked up a few minutes before 9am but wound up waiting for a few folks that were picked up by another van. When they have multiple stops, they have "helpers" to make part of the pick-ups. We didn’t get off to the best start. But, as the driver had it right when he said ......"I’m going to stop talking now, because I know you’ll aren’t listening" This was just after we all spotted our ship. Everyone had tuned him out for just a bit, and he was smart enough to save his breath until the excitement died down.

Not the vest view, but our FIRST VIEW nonetheless. SIGHHHHH

 

Ok, back to our regularly sceduled review..........:p

Vancouver has been awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics and the construction of housing for the athletes and other event buildings was everywhere! Residents are extremely proud of being awarded the Winter Olympics. There are signs everywhere as well as a countdown clock. I tried to get a picture, but that is one of the drawbacks of an organized tour. We did not get to see the formal gardens of Queen Elizabeth's Park, but did get to go up on the viewing platform of the Revolving Resturaunt. There were some awesome views of Vancouver as well as the ships.

[barbevrn]

This old church caught my eye. I just thought it was beautiful

I may just have to get some personal postcard made of this one

A gas station in the middle of the bay?

A birds eye view of Vancouver

[barbevrn]

We stopped at Totem Poles as well as Prospect point. Stanley Park suffered extensive damage in Dec 2006 due to high winds and subfreezing temperatures. Thousands of trees were lost. I had really looked forward to seeing Prospect point in all its glory, but it was under construction. The view of Lions Gate Bridge and the waterways around Vancouver was still one to behold. I cannot even imagine how devastating the damage was. I am sure it was horrific for the residents of that proud city.

 

Brockton Point Lighthouse. This photo will definitely find a place in my most treasured of the trip.

 

Lone rider along the sea wall. I find this photo haunting as well as beautiful

 

 

Girl in a wetsuit monument

This is the view from Prospect point. Though the actual landscaping of the area was under construction, this view and picture more than made up for it.

[KLLund]

You are quite a photographer .. awesome photos .. I do hope some are coming of your cabin .. my friends have it for the Mex Riviera in Oct .. but I am enthralled with your Alaska review .. keep going :)

[kcslim]

You are doing a beautiful job on this review, thank you! And, I'm one of the people in your cabin for October.. so any photos would be great to see!

 

Karen

[barbevrn]

These hollow trees are formed when saplings take root on top of the stump of an old tree that has broken off or been cut down. When the stump dries up and crumples, the new tree is left standing on its roots.

You can see the roots of the top tree growing down the sides of the stump

 

 

As you can see, we packed a ton af stuff into a short period of time. We arrived at our hotel around noon on the 26th and arrived at the terminal around 12:30 on the 27th. I am so thankful that we made the decision to go in a day early. It does make me think of all the embarkation cities we missed by flying in the day of on our past cruises.

 

My personal thoughts and observations on Vancouver:

Do get out of the city. Dowtown Vancouver is very cramped and congested.

Vancouver has way more to offer than what we experienced. Way more! I had no idea.

Though sometimes brusque, the people are very friendly, Just short and to the point at times. I found this to be true in Alaska also.

Canadians are VERY proud people. They love showing off their country.

 

All in all this was an experience all on it's own. Absolutely no regrets for having experienced Vancouver. I'll pick up with embarkation as soon as I can. A whole new adventure to relive....:)

[barbevrn]

You are doing a beautiful job on this review, thank you! And, I'm one of the people in your cabin for October.. so any photos would be great to see!

 

Karen

I do hope some are coming of your cabin .. my friends have it for the Mex Riviera in Oct ..

 

yep, cabin pictures coming soon!

[Tar Heels]

Great review!!! Thanks for sharing.

[runcassrun_07]

Your reviews are great! I'm wanting to try Alaska too but hate being cold. What was the weather like in Alaska? Your review is making me more interested in trying it out sometime. You are like me, changing rooms and looking for the best for a good price and great OBC. We are on the Hawaiian cruise on the Spirit Oct. 6 with an extended balcony so keep it coming.:)

Thanks,

Cassandra

[barbevrn]

Your reviews are great! I'm wanting to try Alaska too but hate being cold. What was the weather like in Alaska? Your review is making me more interested in trying it out sometime. You are like me, changing rooms and looking for the best for a good price and great OBC. We are on the Hawaiian cruise on the Spirit Oct. 6 with an extended balcony so keep it coming.:)

Thanks,

Cassandra

From what I understand, they are having an unusually cold and wet summer. The weather there is very unpredictable. I read and read and read over on the Alaska board. Everyone said layers instead of a coat. While onboard, slacks and a t-shirt was fine. But, for any outside excursion especially on a boat......I wore long underwear on the bottom under jeans. I usually wore a comfy long sleeve t-shirt type with a pull over fleece and lightweight jacket. I could pull off layers and put them back on as needed. It worked GREAT. Socks and tennis shoes were my norm. I took some winter type boots, but never wore them. I never got too cold, but got too hot a couple of times. I did hear some complain about being cold but they usually had sandals, capris, or thin dress pants.

[cathyoo]

Now I am going to have put Vancouver on my list of places to see. What wonderful pictures and narrative. Can't wait to read the rest of your review.

[floatingaway2525]

WOOOO HOO Barb!! Wonderful read, and the pics are AWESOME!!! Can't wait for more!!!:D

[elaina91801]

Great so far Barb!!! WooHoo!!!!!!! And you are right on it with everything....Vancouver is a great city! And layers are perfect...we were there in May! :D

[barbevrn]

We were dropped off at the terminal around 12:30. Let me just say the terminal is HUGE. Texas ain't got anything on Vancouver here. They were boarding THREE different ships at the same time, in the same terminal. But, did I say the terminal is HUGE? They could have easily had more ships in port without congestion. I actually think I had my mouth open and jaw dropping to the point that I forgot to take pictures. Then, once we got into the customs area, pictures were not allowed.

 

I could see people boarding and it was like holding back a rabid dog. But, immigration has a way of doing that without difficulty. We went through several lines with MULTIPLE checks to see if we had our passports. I lost count, but it was a LOT! It was almost a walk by check and didn't take long..........but my ship was calling. At one point I tried to pull the VIP card and was told "You haven't even cleared customs yet." :o I had to tell myself to breath in, breath out...........

 

I don't remember filling out a declaration form. But, I do know we were clearing US customs, so we must have. I was in a fog with tunnel vision that was focused solely on GETTING ON THAT SHIP! Once we actually got to the customs booths it was a breeze. They swiped our passport, glanced at us and waved us on. HUH? Again, so easy. Was it because we are US citizens? :confused: Are we that boring lookin? It was almost scarey easy.

 

Then comes check in. We walked up to the first Carnival rep. SAAWWEEEEET. We had a personal escort up to the next available rep. There wasn't an established VIP area. I'm not sure if it was because we weren't there when boarding started or what. But we got checked in immediatly and walked straight on the ship. DH said we got some pretty ugly stares when we were walked past the masses. But, I didn't notice. That tunnel vision was still in full force!

 

AHHHHHH! I can see it, feel it, almost touch it at this point. It wasn't quite time to get into our cabin, so up to the Lido we went. We found this area very confusing. Walkways were VERY narrow. Had I not been on other ships, I wouldn't have known that it wasn't always this way. The deli and coffee bar are in the middle of the buffet area. It took a couple of days before we could find it without difficulty.

 

YEA BABY! My much anticipated Reuben Sandwich..... I can honestly tell you I look forward to these as much as I do lobster night! YUUUUMMMMYYYYYYY! Excuse me, I need a moment here. SIGHHHHHH

 

 

DH always gets a turkey sandwich.

I'm sad to say that this is the ONLY food pictures I took. LOL

[kcslim]

you are SO good at this... MORE, MORE... :D

 

Karen

[barbevrn]

By now it is around 1, so we prompty go to drop off our luggage before exploring. We were on Empress and had and extended aft balcony room 6262.

 

 

 

The aft balcony IS NOT covered. It IS NOT terribly private. You can look down and see folks on the balcony and you can look up and see folks on the ones above. This is only if they are standing by the railing. You cannot see them if they are sitting in the chairs or standing closer to the ship. So, I suppose if you are intent on PDA, just snuggle up to the ship.