Linsuesue

Carnival picking your room is the least of your worries. We are at the mercy of the airlines. 2 years ago American cancelled our flight 12 hours before we were scheduled to leave. Even though we we were planning to arrive the day before the cruise left, it was a nerve wracking amount of chaos to book any flight to get us at or near Tampa. We finally landed at 4:00 am the morning of the cruise. Thnaks to the airline snafu, there was a group of 70+, out of Pennsylvania I think, that missed the ship. They caught up with us in Costa Rica. Nothing would make me fly in the day of the cruise-my blood pressure couldn’t take it!😀

Thank you so much for the quick response! I will be traveling with a group of 14 there next January. It is not easy to find a decently rated hotel with a free airport shuttle, free breakfast, nearby restaurants, and a bookable shuttle to get us to the pier that is very reasonably priced. I appreciate your input!!

Do they have a shuttle that can be arranged to take us to the cruiseport? If so, do you arrange it in advance, or set it up when you get to the hotel? How much is it? How was the breakfast?

Post away! We will be on her in September.

Someone in my group will be parking at that garage this July. When they get to the pier 91 should they drive through the drop off line so one of them can get the big bags to the porters from the curb and the other can circle back and park in the parking area? I just want to be able to tell them the most efficient way that they don’t have to drag their luggage too far. Do you know the current price for parking?

The Spirit class is our favorite class of ships! Last time I priced a Spirit vs the Luminosa cruise, the Luminosa was more expensive. The 4K Interior obstructed view are the best deals in the fleet. They are only slightly more than a typical inside cabin, have plenty of space, and floor to ceiling windows with plenty of natural light. The view is pretty well blocked by life boats, but you can still see a bit of water. The location is great too. One floor down and you are at the entrance to the dining room at the aft. Shopping, restaurants, casino, bars…are mostly on decks 2 and 3. Two bad things about the 4K category-it sells out quickly- and you will probably not see a price drop on those rooms. I am bringing a group of 30 on the Spirit this July. Many in the group are in the 4K cabins. That category was sold out 5 months before our sail date. Check out the Jungle on deck 3 for a very interesting fun place to sit with a great view.

We might have had to use a key card to access that door, but it has been so long ago that I honestly can’t remember that. I just remember that there were a few nice shops to see, some food variety in the food court upstairs, and the easy peasy access to the monorail on the top floor.

I fully understand what you are saying. We have been to Seattle 5 times from 2010-2022. It is sad to see the decline of a city that embraces tourism and art. It is shocking to see people set up camp in front of businesses and parks, needles everywhere, and people with drugs down by the waterfront. I might be rethinking our plan to save a buck on the Link and pay more for the security of an Uber.

We took that same tour many years ago and had a great time!

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!

I have sailed on NCL and Carnival ships and prefer Carnival myself. If you really enjoy these cruises coming up and will be booking more, check out the 4K cabins on the Spirit class ships—Spirit, Miracle, Pride, and Legend. They are very cost effective spacious cabins and a very unique type of cabin. They are called an Inside Obstructed view, have floor to ceiling windows(that don’t open), and have the lifeboats directly outside of them. They are on deck 4 which we find a very convenient location. The price is just barely more than a typical inside cabin down on decks 1 and 2 yet is the size of a balcony cabin and has windows. There are a few of the 4K’s that have a bit of a better view than the side of a lifeboat. Check out 4K cabin 4122 on Youtube for an idea of the view. Happy sailing!

But doesn’t the Carnival fare include port charges and the NCL fare doesn’t? That would close the gap between the two cruislines.

Many years ago we stayed at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle. It seems like there was a pass through from the hotel lobby to the Westlake Center. We will be staying there in July and will be taking the Link Light Rail from the airport to the Westlake Center. Do you have to go outside of the Westlake Center to enter the Mayflower Hotel?

Did you also bring 2 bottles of wine per person too?

Seattle Express is very convenient and dependable. They also offer 2 and 3 hour tours of the city that you could take before they drop you off at the airport.

I hate to say it, but I so hope you are wrong!😃 I will be tracking the first ships to go out to Alaska like a hawk. Plan B is always to schlep our bags off on our own, but I hope we won’t have to do that. I appreciate your input, especially since you work at the port. Thank you! If you hear of any concrete decision about it-yay or nay-I would appreciate it if you would post back here.

I have known of a couple of posters who have said that they used Seattle port valet in 2023. I just phoned the port in Seattle and was directed to the baggage command center. They just told me that they absolutely participate with Carnival and port valet service is available for my July cruise! They said that you can sign up in advance online, or just as easily sign up onboard ship. As long as your airline qualifies, your flight is the same day that the cruise returns, and your flight is after 12:00.

Pre covid, we used Port Valet and absolutely loved it! After covid, we were the 2nd Carnival ship to go to Alaska, and there was no port valet. After that, I noticed port valet started up again, but depending on the cruise line, you could book it in advance online. For some reason that didn’t include Carnival, as I recall. You just had to sign up onboard like we did in the past. Now it looks like all cruise lines can book it in advance or you can sign up for it onboard. I will be traveling with a group of 26 this July. Having port valet would be a great benefit to us all. Has anybody used the Seattle port valet service for Carnival more recently, and did you need to sign up in advance?

How do you sign up for the Soul Play crafts classes? Do you have to sign up for the whole week as soon as you board the ship? Do they get booked up immediately?

I thought all of the ships were switching to Starlink. Are the Spirit class ships the last ones, or is it taking a really long time to roll that out?

We will be doing the reverse of your cruise in October of 2025. I hope you post some tips and thoughts of your cruise on the Spirit!

Spirit class is our favorite and we will be on that cruise with you and doing a b2b to the Panama Canal. The Spirit is a beautiful ship. and I look forward to every post on this thread.

I pulled it up for our date next January and it said sold out. I am wondering if there is a convention or something in town or they just have a limited number of rooms available to the hotel site I was searching on. I will try calling them directly next. Thanks for the info!

In January of 2023 on our way to Hawaii there was a medical emergency onboard. The ship had to turn back and get close enough to the California coast so that a helicopter could fly out to meet us. We missed a day in Hawaii due to how long it took us to backtrack. The patient made it to the hospital and got the heart operation he needed!