MistyRo76

On 4/19/2024 at 8:09 PM, mitsugirly said:

Yep, it happened again...we were back on a cruise ship but this time with Carnival for Spring Break. WHEW! 

 

We haven't sailed with Carnival since 2018, but this would be our 7th cruise with Carnival and (I believe) our 24th cruise since we've been cruising regularly with our daughter Sakari.

 

After our NCL Encore cruise in December I made the executive decision that I WAS GOING SOMEWHERE NEW!!! I didn't care where, as long as it was some place different! We have been cruising the Caribbean (and land vacationing there) since 2010. The ports are "worn out" with us. We love them...don't get me wrong...and wouldn't hesitate to land vacation there, but deep in my soul I needed a change. I've had a bucket list for awhile that hasn't quite materialized into much over the years other than mostly jibber jab about "I'mma go here one day" and it was left at that. I get high anxiety of the "unknown" and have always felt more at ease with returning to familiar places but just doing something different each time. NO MORE I TELL YA! I'm spreading my wings and hopefully they were strong enough to endure the wind I was about to fly in....THE MEXICAN RIVIERA! 

 

Those that have followed my family for years on here and my travel website know that we 1) love the water 2) love the beach 3) love to snorkel 4) love to scuba 5) love the water 6) love the heat 7) love the beauty of the clear aqua sea and did I mention we love the water? Why have I held back for so long on visiting the Mexican Riviera...just plain scared...of...the water!  I read the stories, not crystal clear water, not the beautiful aqua turquoise color, not warm water (well unless you peed in it and we'll get to that at a later time...just saying), windy and the ship be rockin!  Ok, I got this! Cheers to new experiences.

 

We booked the Panorama from March 30 to April 7th. An 8 day glorious cruise to: Cabo, La Paz, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Woo Hoo!

 

And so it begins...

 

 

Excited for this one....I was literally just looking at this cruise on the same ship for 2026 - for my 50TH birthday/spring break cruise! 🙂 I've done one Mex. Riviera cruise but it was in 2010 and and didn't include La Paz. So I'm totally here for this one! 🙂  

Here is John's full post this morning on the plans for the current and next sailings on the Carnival Legend due to the bridge collapse in Baltimore. 

Good Wednesday morning everyone and it’s 8:30am here so time for me to start answering your questions. Last night our President Christine and the beards made the decision that while rescue and remediation efforts continue in Baltimore Harbor following the collapse of the Key Bridge, it will temporarily move Carnival Legend’s Baltimore operations to Norfolk, Virginia.

Carnival Legend is scheduled to return from its current voyage on Sunday, March 31. It will now return to Norfolk on Sunday, and guests will be provided complimentary bus service back to Baltimore. Carnival Legend’s next seven-day itinerary on March 31 will then operate from and return to Norfolk. Guests on the current and upcoming cruises are being informed of this change.

I see many of you have been asking “ what about my cruise “ and understandably so. Obviously we want to return to Baltimore as soon as possible but it is impossible at this time for us to say when that will happen. So for now we will be informing guests about embarkation for the cruise departing on Sunday, 31st only. We will promise to let guests know for future voyages as soon as we are able. I am sure, I am positive you understand.

I read the thousands of comments here yesterday, many from people who live in Baltimore. The overall sense I get is that the city hasn’t just lost a bridge, it has lost something that was a massively important part of everyday life.

If you are from the Baltimore area please do share your thoughts below, I will be here, we will be here to listen.

Thank you,

John

We took our 9-year-old daughter on a cruise last fall and she would be in the same age group as your 11-year-old. We took her the first night of the cruise for their welcome aboard event just before our dinner. We were hoping she would meet a couple of kids her age that she could play with throughout the week. She did make a couple friends, but she did not enjoy Camp Ocean at all. It was too regimented for her. If they would have just let them play as they wanted to, she would have enjoyed it more. But they seemed to have limited "free play" times. It was usually structured activities. And it was very chaotic in there. Maybe that settled down later in the week?? She only went back one other time during one of their late night "Night Owls" parties. But again, she only wanted to stay for an hour or so and then she was over it. Again, this was just her experience, and your kiddos may feel completely differently about it. 

I will also say that on the Sunshine, the pick-up/drop-off was a challenge as well. When I went to pick her up the first night, there was a huge line of people dropping kids off. I waited in line close to 10 minutes, then finally just made my way up to the front to see if I could just grab my kid. She had privileges to sign herself out and I could see her in the back. She kept telling me they wouldn't let her go. Finally, i got the attention of one of the staff and told her that she's allowed to sign herself out and they finally let her go. I would have been in that line an hour if I hadn't just gone up front. They need to have a better system for differentiating between people dropping off and those picking up. We also did the Halloween Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt. We had to go to the check in desk to get our map for the hunt. It was a zoo again! Just a bad layout for an area that can get really busy. This aspect will likely vary by ship though. 

I haven't gotten an upgrade offer in many years. Last one I recall was on a cruise where we had a large group sailing together and the majority of our cabins were near each other, including our cabin being next to my mom and my sister's cabins. We had our young toddler with us and they were going to help with her a couple nights so the hubby and I could go out and enjoy the nightlife. We didn't want to be separated so it was a no for us. 

In my younger years (20's to early 30's), I booked our cabins more for price than location. We were young, single adults and didn't spend hardly any time in our cabins. I didn't really care what was above or below us. But now - that is the first thing I check! I also tend to book balconies these days. Nice to have the extra room when traveling with the kiddo! 

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Sounds like case of bad navigation on the part of the bridge crew of the cargo ship (just a preliminary thought and the investigation should shed more light on the cause). I couldn't believe my eyes when I read and watched the news about it this morning. Pray for everyone, indeed.

I saw another video that shows the lights going off on the ship as it was coming under the bridge, then turning back off. Then you can see dark smoke coming from the ship. Then the lights go off/on one more time before it finally makes contact with the bridge. It seems like there was some loss of power or a mechanical issue prior to the impact. What a horrific accident. Water temps are around 48 degrees in that area right now with overnight air temps in the low 40's. Hard to believe someone could sustain life in those temps for very long. Praying for everyone involved in this tragedy! 

We will be in Juneau from 7AM to 3PM and would like to do both a Whale Watching Tour and the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. 

Has anyone done both of these tours on a cruise stop with a similar amount of time in port? I was initially looking at using Harv & Marv or Jayleen, but I did find a couple tour company sites that offer tours that include both activities. The sites are Alaska Travel Adventures and Alaska Shore Excursions. Are there any other companies who offer this combo tour? 

Is anyone familiar with Alaska Travel Adventures or Alaska Shore Excursions? Would love direct feedback on these companies! Has anyone been able to use Harv & Marv or Jayleen and been able to combine the tour with a drop off at Gold Creek for the Salmon Bake? 

Also, how early do these Whale Watching tour typically start? It looks like the lunch Salmon Bakes are at 11AM and 12PM. 

Thanks! 

On 3/16/2024 at 12:08 AM, Elaine5715 said:

I used Harv and Marv for whale watching in Juneau.  6 person boat for pretty close to same price as the larger boats.  

I'm looking at Harv & Marv...but also looking at Jayleen as well. Jayleen will work with you on timing and drop off locations if you have a second tour booked. And we would love to try to fit in the salmon bake along with whale watching. So that may tip us toward Jayleen instead. But if not, Harv & Marv are my next choice! 

On 3/15/2024 at 11:07 PM, Linsuesue said:

I am traveling with a group of 28 this July on the Spirit. I have checked the port schedules for how many ships will be at each place we stop. The ports are very full each day so I am telling my group that if they see an excursion they really want to try-they should book it. There is an extent to how many can fit on each whale watching boat, or kayak group, or helicopter and seaplane excursion. I would say book excursions that you really want to do as soon as you can. I love the Spirit and all of the Spirit class ships; you will have a wonderful cruise!

We're still 500+ days out and we have quite a few people still deciding if they want to go with us or not. But I want to get excursions booked asap so all the reasons you mentioned! 

On 3/15/2024 at 2:47 PM, SDPadreFan said:

And a few other shots that I never would have gotten from the cruise ship.

 

Harbor seals and their pups.

 

 

The perfect shot.

 

Baby catching some rays.

 

I call this my "cruise ship iceberg"

 

And finally, some waterfalls.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the photos! They are gorgeous! 

The excursion is already listed and they actually have it under Tracy Arm Fjord. We have already planned to book it and I can't wait! It is pricey, but I've read from several people that it is more than worth it! 

1 hour ago, disneyochem said:

I second the recommendation to go on the sled dog excursion in Dyea.  We took our girls there when they were 8 and 10 years old.  They still talk about how much fun it was!  We enjoyed it more than the sled dog kennels in Caribou Crossing.  My girls also did not enjoy the train ride nor the 'scenery' going to the Yukon.  Were much happier with the sled dogs in Dyea.

 

If your daughter is into the Junior Ranger Program, she can participate at Skagway before/after the sled dog trip.  Klondike Gold Rush National Park does a great job.  Also, if your ship visits Glacier Bay, she can be a Junior Ranger there as well (US Rangers board the ship).

 

Juneau is for whales.  Jayleen is great.  We've really enjoyed our trips with Harv and Marv (https://www.harvandmarvs-juneau-whale-watching.com/).  One can also see whales from the ship during the cruise.  I don't know if Carnival has a naturalist on board but last summer I saw more whales from cruise ships than I did on an excursion in Juneau!

 

The Bering Sea excursion is a good excursion for wildlife--lots of eagles, seals, etc.  My kids really enjoyed the experience especially holding crabs and other critters that were brought up in the trap.

 

For a less expensive experience in Ketchikan, the Lumberjack Show is always a hit for multi-generational groups.  It's corny but good fun.  Kids (and grandparents) seem to really like it.  There is also a science discovery museum and a totem in Ketchikan we like to visit--good cultural and environmental information about the area.

 

 

Thanks for the detailed info! I think we'll definitely do that sled tour in Skagway! Do you know if there's time to do both the sled dog and a train tour? Did you book the sled dog tour through a local company or thru the ship? 

I also think we will do whale-watching in Juneau. 

For Ketchikan - I would love to do a bear encounter. But one would be $1500 for our family and the less expensive one says it's for 12+ only. But that Bering Tour caught my eye as well. I think my girl would love that! And so would the hubby! Wonder if there's time to do that and the lumberjack show? If not, we may just do a chill day in Ketchikan with the lumberjack show and just exploring Creek Street and checking out the totems downtown and trying all the food! 

13 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Go to the top of the threads page, upper left.  Right beneath where it says Find your roll call, in smaller print is See posts about: and to the right of that ‘select ship.  Click on that and you will get a dropdown menu of Carnival ships.  Click on Spirit and you will get pages of threads about the Spirit.

 

Nice! Never knew to do that! Thank you! 

15 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Do the Summer Camp Dog Sled excursion.  It's a lot of fun.  Plenty of puppy time.  The sled ride in the woods is fun and you aren't freezing

Who did you book this through? And was this in Skagway? 

15 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

Don't plan on doing anything in Victoria. Look at the time you will be there. Mostly, that stop is just to satisfy the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.

 

Most people glance at their itinerary and think yay, I'll get to see a little Canada. And then they look at the actual time they will be there and it's no longer "yay"

 

Don't know your sailing date, but saw some, where Spirit was just there from 8pm to midnight.

Yes - it's just the 8-midnight stop to satisfy the international requirements. But I've read it's still nice to get off and take the shuttle into the city and walk around. The pics I've seen show that Victoria is really beautiful at night all lit up! We have 8:15 assigned dinner, but I'm thinking we may do the Steakhouse this night earlier and get off and walk around for an hour or two. But we'll see! We may be wiped out by then and want to just chill! 

2 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

I'll be in those ports and more later this year! Stay tuned...

Can't wait! 

8 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

My Alaska page includes everything Alaska from my NCL Jewel and Carnival Splendor cruises.

 

I did the sled dog musher camp which had a lot of interaction with the dogs and puppies. I did Whale Watching in Icy Strait Point. Doesn't look like you're going there. A lot of people do that in Juneau. The white pass train is usually the thing to do in Skagway. They do have some free museums and things in town if you just want an easy inexpensive day. I would say the best tour I've done in Alaska from a cruise ship is Neets Bay Bear Encounter in Ketchikan.

 

I'm already about 1/2 way through your Alaska posts! And I showed my kiddo your pics and videos of the bears. She was in love! Thank you for sharing your travels! 

Just now, dbrucern said:

Look at Parodeejay on Youtube they will make recommendations for tours and companies and discounts that you can get

Thanks! I think I did come across some of their video's from looking at cabin videos posted on cruiseshipdeckplans website. Then I went somewhat down their rabbit hole! LOL But I'll need to circle back and check them out again! Thank you! 

Just now, dbrucern said:

This will be our 4th trip to Alaska but always on another Carnival ship however I was curious too and found excellent information on Youtube

Yes! YouTube is my next stop! 🙂

Hi all! I tried to use the search function, but I'm either terrible at it or it's just not a user-friendly search engine (it's probably me, TBH! 😆). But I am looking for any detailed trip reviews w/ photos on Carnival Alaska cruises (bonus points if it's also on the Spirit!). In major info gathering mode for our first Alaskan cruise! I know we likely want to do a whale watching tour and my daughter really wants to interact with some sled dogs (don't need to pay the $$$$ for the glacier sledding tour - and that probably won't be happening based on our cruise date anyway). But still very open to things to do on our port stops - Juneau/Skagway/Ketchikan/Victoria. 

Thanks! 

51 minutes ago, Coral said:

It really depends on the year (dog sledding on the glacier). When the snow is gone, it stops. Dog sledding with wheels on land can be done through out the season. There definitely is a difference in price. As stated, on ice can run $500+ per person as it involves a helicopter landing on a glacier.

We aren’t looking to spending $1500 on one excursion. So the encounter at the farm and pulling on wheels would be fine. Thank you! 

57 minutes ago, SightCRR said:

for whales in Juneau search Jayleen but likely full already. 

Search youtube for all the tours. I TOOK MY MOM DOG SLEDDING IN SKAGWAY ALASKA! | PLAYING WITH HUSKY PUPPIES (youtube.com)

The train also has one ride up and dogs visit during the bus down. I haven't been so cant recommend it. 

 

We’re going next August - 2025. Would Jayleen’s tours already be full a year and a half out? 
 

I’ll check out the YouTube video…thanks! 

1 minute ago, Coral said:

Depending when they go in August, dog sledding on glacier may be over anyway for the season.

We’re going the very beginning of August. 

2 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Where are you departing from?  Years ago we did an orca whale watch in Vancouver which was amazing! 

We depart from Seattle. 

On 3/4/2024 at 6:16 PM, BenBar1 said:

It’s been a few years, but the last time we were in Alaska, as we got off the ship, there were a lot of excursion seller booths and one had an offer for the Gold Creek Salmon bake that included a shuttle ride up and back in the price. We booked the salmon bake for later in the afternoon and went on an excursion shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier. When we got back, we went to the salmon bake. I think we booked both with the same group. Everything went as planned and we had an enjoyable day in Juneau. We will be back on a cruise to Alaska in May and will probably do the same Mendenhall tour. May also do salmon bake again. Have a great time in Alaska

How long does the Salmon Bake take including the shuttle there and back? Would this be possible to fit in after a whale watching tour? We're in Juneau from 7-3. 

Thanks, 

On 1/13/2024 at 10:05 AM, MississippiMom said:

It is very clear on these boards that Princess and HAL are the Alaska specialists.  It’s also obvious that the majority of posters are Glacier Bay itinerary cheerleaders.  From a financial and available vacation days perspective, we are really, really struggling with what to book for August or September 2025.  We have completely ruled out HAL (sorry, HAL lovers), because we do enjoy a more party atmosphere than it appears we would find on their ships.  We have priced some Princess itineraries with the Princess Plus package in a balcony stateroom and are getting around a $300 a day (per person) price tag BEFORE we even add in airfare and excursion costs. 

 

I would love to hear from the cruisers who saw Alaska on NCL, RCCL, Carnival or Celebrity?  Those seem to be better for our budget, plus we are familiar with those lines, since we have sailed all but the latter. A non-obstructed balcony is a must for my husband.  I need indoor space and indoor activities, because I don’t love standing outside in the cold.  Both of us would prefer more casual attire in the dining rooms, since we need to pack clothing layers in our suitcases and do not want to waste space on formal wear.  We are accustomed to driving to ports, so airline weight limitations will be a concern this time around.  We love a fun piano bar, trivia, karaoke, and the silly cruiser participant shows.  We have zero interest in a casino or in a sports pub.
 

From a flight expense perspective, round trip Seattle sailings would be the most cost-effective for us.  We would also consider round trip Vancouver or, maybe, a one-way Southbound 7-day.  
 

Decisions . . . Decisions . . . Decisions . . .

I didn't go through the whole thread, so you may have already made your decision. But I was in the same boat (no pun intended) as I looked into planning our first Alaska cruise. My initial research, like yours, was pointing more to Princess. We will have our 10-year-old daughter with us, and HAL did not seem like the best fit for traveling with children. We are typically Carnival cruisers for our Caribbean/Bahamas sailings, so that is very much my comfort zone. I initially wasn't even going to look into Carnival based on the recommendations for Alaska being so skewed toward Princess. I was also initially looking at one-way cruises (Anchorage to Vancouver, etc.) based on what I'd read here. 

After much back and forth in my brain, we ended up booking the Carnival Spirit, 7-day, round-trip from Seattle....exactly everything that I was leaning away from in the beginning. Here is what swayed our opinion: 

1. Cost - I narrowed my search down to two similar itineraries/dates on Carnival and Princess. We decided on early August as the weather seems to still be more favorable, but prices start coming down after July. We also need to be back before school for the kiddo starts. I also decided against the one-way itineraries mainly due to the added expense/time for traveling there via the airlines. As mentioned, we will have our daughter and my in-laws may travel with us as well. My MIL has severe restless leg syndrome so we wanted to minimize the air travel as much as possible for her. Comparing as close of apples to apples as I could, the Princess itinerary round-trip from Seattle was about $1100 more just for the basic fare than the Carnival cruise. Additionally, we may have a larger group of family/friends join us for this cruise. Booking Princess may be too expensive for others to consider. 

2. Traveling with our daughter - she loves Carnival! And their children's offerings are great for her. I want to make sure she has plenty to keep her entertained for the times we are on the ship. I think there is also a better chance of having more kids on the Carnival itinerary since the lower costs makes it more affordable for larger families. 

3. Given this is our first trip to Alaska, I think it will be a great introduction to all this beautiful state has to offer. I think the hubby would very much like to book another trip to Alaska in a few years just the two of us. We can splurge more then. 

4. With the cost savings by choosing Carnival, we can easily spend more on our excursions. 

Hope this helps! Don't feel forced into something that feels right. I'm learning there is NO wrong way to see Alaska! If you want to see more after your first trip there, you can always book another or do a land trip! 

Just booked our first Alaska cruise on the Carnival Spirit for next August. Right now, it is myself, my husband and our 10-year-old (at the time of the cruise) daughter. My sister has also booked the cruise and I expect more friends and family to join us as well. 

My daughter really wants to see the sled dogs and whales! Like really, really bad! Our ports of call are Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Which of these ports would have the best offerings for a sled dog tour and whale watching experience (not at the same time of course)? Given we will likely have a larger group, we are very open to booking private excursions. So, if there are tour vendors that come highly recommended, please pass those along as well!