MistyRo76

I could handle 81 degrees! This coming from a dedicated CARIBBEAN cruiser!

The Alaska weather is so unpredictable! I feel like I'm going to need to pack two separate wardrobes to account for the different weather we may encounter! We are looking at going early August, so hopefully that gives us a chance for some decent weather!

Thanks for your feedback! My husband is a tobacco pipe smoker. He usually likes to go enjoy 3-4 pipes in a day. Though with the Alaskan itinerary, he may not have that many opportunities. On our Sunshine cruise, he enjoyed the smoking area on Deck 3 outside of the atrium. It was quieter and not as busy. Is there a secondary smoking area on the Spirit? It is concerning about the retractable roof not working on the Spirit. I would hope they'd get that fixed quickly. That can make a big difference in your cruise experience on an Alaskan cruise. But you have given me quite a bit to think about as far as reasons to maybe go with Luminosa. I'll check into it a bit more before we decide.

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! From comparing the ships online, I also thought the Luminosa seemed lacking in things to do for my kiddo! So I think I was on the right track in leaning toward the Spirit. I'm not really a spa person either - so that probably won't be a deciding factor for us. But we do love food - so the better food options on Spirit are also a plus. We usually do Guy's and Blue Iguana at least once or twice each on our cruises. We are also looking at going the first full week in August to get back before school starts (which for us is usually after my daughter's birthday which is the 19th). Figured we may have a shot at some better weather then as well. I'm so used to packing for the Caribbean when I cruise. I'm going to need a whole need wardrobe for Alsaka!

Unfortunately, it looks like only one of those cabins with the super long balconies holds more than 2 more people - and it holds 4. We will have 3 in our cabin. But if hubby and I every sail on one of this class of ships without the kiddo - I will definitely look for one of those! I watched a video tour of one of those cabins and that balcony is insane!

Yeah - this will definitely be a departure from my normal cruise experience as well! I'm normally an up late in the casino or out dancing and sleeping in till mid-morning kind of gal! But Alaska is on our bucket list, so we're gonna take that Caribbean hiatus! I thought about just doing an Oceanview on this one with the weather being very unpredictable. Not sure how much use a balcony will really get. But we usually like to stay up on a higher deck (usually deck 7). So not sure how I'd like being down on Deck 1.

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! 😆

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

We have been looking into booking our first Alaska cruise for next summer (2025). Had looked into other cruise lines, but Carnival is my comfort zone and pricing can't be beat (plus I have a booking offer right now that includes $500 OBC). So, I think we may end up just doing Carnival. My ship choices are between the Luminosa and the Spirit. In looking at deck plans and comparing the two ships, I'm leaning toward the Spirit. The Luminosa is lacking some of our fave eating spots in Guys and Blue Iguana and no waterpark or waterslide, which I'm hoping our 10 (almost 11 year old) will be able to use at least some on our sea days out of/into Seattle (in early August). And we've never cruised a Spirit class ship and always wanted to. I'm interested in hearing of others' experiences sailing Carnival to Alaska. So please hit me up with all of your feedback - the good, bad, ugly. Even as it compares to other cruiselines, if you've sailed multiple. If you've sailed both the Spirit and Luminosa - please also let me know your opinions of both ships. Our cruise group will include me, my husband and our daughter. There will likely be other friends and family booking as well once we decide what we are doing. And finally - any cabin recommendations for the Spirit? Initially, I'm leaning toward an extended balcony as the price between a regular balcony and extended is only $90 total. Looking at booking on Deck 7 to have cabins above and below us. Any hidden gem cabins we should look for? Preferred locations? Thank you!

I’ll be making my first trip to Amber Cove hopefully in October. Are these cabanas booked through the ship’s Shore Excursions page? Or through some other means? After my first cabana in HMC last year, I’m hooked!!! lol

Working my way through yours & Sid's live reports and @Jamman54's post trip report simultaneously....no easy feat! 🙂 10 pages down on both lives and.....many, many, many more to go! It's interesting piecing it all together from the different perspectives! Looks like a good time was had by all!

Thanks, all! I We have decided to go ahead and move forward with the Magic! Excited to sail another new (to me) ship and have some fun girl time with my sis and my kiddo!

I'm WAY late to the party! 10 pages down, 97 more to go! 🙂 Off to a great start as usual!

No coffee for this gal....never acquired a taste for it! But I'll take a Tiramisu Martini any time!

Shewey....spent all morning getting caught up on both yours and @willdra's reviews. It's a CCer's heaven in here right now! As always, you're off to a fantastic start! So happy your friends were able to make this cruise! And it's fun to have a peak behind the Tribe curtain! Can't wait to read about ALL the shenanigans! You & Patti are true CC gems!

So excited to have another Willdra review to occupy my "work" days! LOL And I had to chuckle about wanting Chick Fil A on a SUNDAY! Why, oh why, does nothing on this planet sound as good as Chick Fil A on a Sunday?? So many times coming home from church, I'll say to the kiddo, "do you want to grab Chick Fil A on our way home?" at which point I can almost taste those amazing chicken minis! Only to be denied! Chick Fil A is also my go to morning meal at our local airport....which makes Sunday morning flights problematic! Can't wait to read the rest of your adventures!

Sounds like the perfect spot for me!

Awesome! I think this is where I’ll be hanging out most evenings!

Getting ready to book on the Magic and I was looking at the deck plans and noticed that the casino is split between Decks 4 and 5. Is one of the casino areas non-smoking? If yes, which one? 🙂 thanks!

We actually cruised the Sunshine out of Charleston this past October during our daughter's fall break and the cruise was packed with tons of kids. Overall, we didn't find it too bad! The kid-centric activities had very long lines. Pick up night one at kids camp was insane! The Build-A-Bear workshop line was ridiculous - and we even got there 30 minutes early! But other than that, we didn't feel like lines were too out of control anywhere else. Food lines went quickly, we don't usually take elevators, seats for shows weren't too hard to come by. I had read the horror stories about the crowds on Sunshine and was prepared, but it was better than expected.

Hey cruise friends! Looking at booking a cruise for this fall likely with my sister and my daughter, who will be 10 at the time. We are planning on going over my kiddo’s presumed fall break week. I say presumed because our school district had yet to put out the school calendar for next year due to the planned opening of our new intermediate school…waiting to make sure there are no big delays over the winter with construction. Her fall break has historically been the week of Columbus Day so I think we are just going to chance it and book! If they flip the script on me and her break is another week, she’ll just miss a week of school, which I’m sure she won’t mind! lol We have narrowed down our choices between the Magic and the Sunrise. Both would be new ships to me. Both go out of Miami. The itineraries would be: Magic 6 Day - HMC, Amber Cove and Grand Turk. Sunrise 5 Day - Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. Prices are similar, with the 6 day being only nominally higher than the 5 day. And FWIW, airfare is slightly cheaper if we book for the dates of the longer 6 day trip (by about $40 pp). I’ve been to all of the ports except Amber Cove and my sis has never been to HMC. The kiddo has been to HMC and loved it but the rest would be new ports for her. Of course, we are leaning toward the Magic cause of the extra day! But is there anything else that we should consider ship wise that may sway us in another direction? Would love any and all feedback on the ships themselves or ports for a 10 year old! The Magic itinerary would be more geared toward beach days. The Sunrise itinerary would have more options for fun excursions (turtle farm, stingray swims, climbing the falls, etc.). take it away!

Yeah...I knew RU1 was the best offer including Cheers. But couldn't remember how RU0 was until I priced it out! I did a girls cruise in 2022 and my BFF and roomie isn't a big drinker, so she would never buy Cheers at the regular cost as she wouldn't get her money's worth from it. But on that cruise, she got the RU1 offer! At that price, it was a good deal even for her! And I more than got my money's worth! LOL

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the Interior w/ Picture Window cabins on Deck 3 of the Sunrise. I know they look out on the public deck which is often used as a smoking area. So it will be busier outside our window than the same type of cabins on Deck 6-7 all the way forward. That doesn't bother me too much. Most interested in how the noise level is here from the Atrium down the hall and the lounge above it. Would love to hear other's experiences. Thanks!

Thanks! That's what I thought...but wanted to be sure! I don't think the RU0 is going to be worth it for us when I do the math! It's not one of the really awesome Cheers offers! 😞 lol

Quick question on the Cheers on Us Offer (RU0) - are you billed for the 18% gratuity that is assessed on the Cheers package separately or does the offer also cover that gratuity cost? My sister just noticed she had this offer in her VIFP page, and it expires today. I'm trying to do a cost comparison between that and the offers her and I both have to see what the best deal is. Trying to compare apples to apples - so need to know if we book under her RU0 offer if that's all inclusive of the taxes and gratuities or if it just covers the cost of the Cheers package only. The terms and conditions of the offer don't mention anything about gratutiy. thanks!