Alaska Carnival Spirit

Hi,

We just booked the Carnival Spirit for July 2005, anyone have any infor on the ship? We've never sailed carnival. nor been to alaska so we are super excited, we need help booking tours, we want to do it all in advance with independent companies so to save money. Any imput would help.Mary-Ellen

We went on the very same ship to Alaska about 3 years ago. It was double fantastic. I can't say enough about the ship or the trip. We definatly will be going again to the other part of Alaska maybe next year. He said was the best money we ever spent on a trip.

Exercursions are not cheap. It's been awhile, but let me see. We took all the excursions offered by Carnival, not on our on. We had only been on one other cruise.

You MUST do the Skagway railway and gold rush tour. (It may not be the exact name but you will find it) It was the highlight of our cruise. If you go, SIT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TRAIN. This is a must. The conductor told us and was he right. It's the best side to get all the pictures and everyone wished they had sat on the left. Breathtaking.

We also went water rafting. We are in our mid 50's and we had no trouble doing it. I was scared silly but got over it. Funest thing I ever did. We went the end of Sept. and the weather was great. Cold on the deck but pleasant and sunny. In Kitchikan the day was overcast but only a light jacket was necessary. We also took the tramway from one of the ports. Can't remember which one.

The ship I liked very much. Once I found my way around, it was great. Food excellent. We had a great stewart and a balcony room. We figured what the heck, how often will we get to Alaska. I am sooooo glad we did. To sit out there in the wee hours of the morning. (you'll need an extra blanket) and watch the scenery was awesome. Entertainment was good. I can't tell you specifics, it's been 3 years, almost 4. I just know we will go again. This time maybe a longer trip and would love to do a few days on land and then catch the cruise. Gotta win the lottery first.....have a great time. What month will you be going? If you want to email me I will try to answer more questions. dotbear1@yahoo.com. Will you be flying into Vancouver? We did. That's a big cost also. We live near Orlando. It brings the cost up a bit, doesn't it? We booked air thru Carnival. Next time, maybe do it on our own. Vancouver looked like a beautiful city and would love to stay one day before there. Enjoy and it will come faster than you think.

We're booked on the Spirit for June 2005, northbound. I have already spent hours looking at excursions, tour companies and schedules. We've made a couple decisions, but most places aren't accepting reservations until after November 1st. We did book with Orca Enterprises (Captain Larry) in Juneau, already, based on the advice from this board.

There are a couple of things that we HAVE to book through Carnival, like the Snorkling in Ketchikan and the Submersible in Sitka. They won't let us book independantly, because of their deals with Carnival.

Is it the White Pass Railway that we should sit on the left side? That's a really good tip!

I'm trying hard not to think about the prices.....

Hi Mary Ellen, I am also booked for Alaska on the Spirit, but in May 2005. My husband and I sailed in Alaska on the Spirit in Sept 2001. It was over 9/11 so the mood of the cruise was different than you find on most cruises. We loved the Spirit and found her to be a beautiful ship, comfortable with a great lay out. I feel Carnival is a great choice. I have been on Royal Caribbean and Princess, but Carnival fits best. I have been to Alaska 4 times, 2 were cruises.

In Ketchikan, we did a tour with sourdough, off the pier and it was many years ago. We went to Totem Bright ( or what ever the name is ) and were suppose to go to the Saxman native village to. We didn't make it to Saxman because of road construction and time factors. We were given a vote and the group decided on the fish hatchery instead. We saw many totem poles, lot's of eagles, some fish and learned about part of the native culture. We paid $15.00 each and arranged the trip on the pier. They used a van and we had less than 10 people in the group. This tour was interesting, but nothing to brag about.

On our second trip to Ketchikan we did the Tatoosh Islands Kayaking tour . I had talked to this lady several times before the tour and she was willing to give us a private tour of a different Island. We went with the ship tours because Ketchikan has lots of rain. We were there Sept 10th and it was the 11th day of sun that year. The tour was very reasonable and we had about 12 in our group. We boarded a bus, then a kodiac type raft for a ride to the Islands. It was sunny, in the 75-80 temp range, with flat calm seas. They had very stable two person kayaks, nice fitting life vest and you have a dry skirt thing that keeps water out of the kayak. We paddled around a group of Islands. We had a group of seals follow us around and watch us. We saw some salmon jumping and lots of birds. They had a cold hot drink at the end of the tour and a few cookies. They had a primative bathroom. The women had a private area surrounded with bushes. A bucket with a toilet seat and some paper available. It was greatly appreciated. The men just had a area, I heard, no seat or bucket. The kodiak was late picking us up, but no big deal. We had a great time. My Uncle did this tour this last summer and loved it to. They had cloudy weather and a larger group in thier tour. Our's was great because it was a small group.

I have never made it to Creek Street, but I am looking forward to a quick browse next year. Shopping has been good. One year they had the cheapest prices and the next time prices were better in Juneau.

Skagway- My favorite part of the cruise is through Lynn Canal, Especially in May when its still covered with snow. It is very pretty and we have always seen whales here. Skagway is a cute town. We did the train one year. It is very interesting and the views are great! The price has tripled since our first cruise here. On our second trip we did a kayak trip out of Haines. We tried to arrange it on our own, but we could not get a ferry and make it back to the ship. Carnival had booked the fast ferry owned by the natives for that day and the times we needed. The kayak trip can be ocean or lake when you book. They took us to Chilkoot lake. We had 4 in our group. Two people in there 20's joined us. We have some experience with Kayaking. We had a guide with us and one on shore. This spot is beautiful! We had forest in front with huge cedar trees. You board from a dock. The kayak were stable 3 people kayaks, and we had 2 in each kayak. The guide went alone. We had a glacier at the back of the lake. We had forest with spawning salmon in the lake and the streams to our left and the right had a huge mountain, green, with melting snow and several water falls from the run off. The salmon were the sockeyes and Silvers and there were hundreds of them. It was early September. Our guide was a lady name Sunny. She was great and loved what she was doing. They served us sandwiches and drinks, after the tour. Everything was fresh and well prepared. We got a short bus tour of town before getting on the ferry and heading to Skagway. We saw lots of eagles here to.

There are many good shore excursions available in Haines and Skagway. They have rafting, biking, tours to see the eagle perserve in Haines, Glacier and flight tours. Fishing. They have tours that combine the train with rafting or biking. Becareful if you pick a bike tour. I hear the mountain gets steep.

Juneau- We did a independant Kayaking trip our first time here. It was through Alaska Discovery. They don't offer this day trip any more, but the ship has one that is 6 hours long and goes to the same area. We enjoyed this tour. It included a gourmet Alaska lunch of Salmon, raindeer, etc. mostly native dishes. We stopped a Mendenhall Glacier. It is a glacier that feeds into a lake instead of the ocean. We enjoyed walking around it and the visitors display area. There is a city bus that stops here at the end of the road. It was $1.00 when we were there years ago. We did the Mt. Roberts tram once. Great views of the area! We saw many Marmots here. They have a short hiking trail and a longer one to the bottom. The trail in nice and the carving are done in the living trees. I liked this idea. The price $16.00 then included unlimited rides up and down for the day. They have lot's of educational displays, films, gift shop. I don't remember if they had any food services. We also did the float plane tour off the ship that went over the Juneau ice field. We saw to many glaciers to count. It was a amazing trip. The plane landings and take off were very smooth. The pilot was not very freindly. Hi and bye was all we got. The plane was cold, take a jacket and noisey. They gave you head phones and had the tour narrated. The color of the ice is unbelieveable. Pictures never do it justice. The cracks and crevices in the ice are also incredible. We enjoyed this tour. The helicopter tours were cancelled the day we were there, and we got the last plane tour before the clouds moved in. Juneau has lots of other tours also that have good reviews. I will either do the Whale watching, which always gets good reviews or go to Tracy arm and the twin Glaciers.

The one thing about Carnival this year is that they don't include Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier this year. It's a big shame. They include cruising in Prince William sound and College Fjords. I have been twice on two different lines. It is beautiful, but not spectacular like Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay.

We missed Hubbard Glacier due to 75 mph wind, 18 ft swells and ice bergs.

I suggest that you book a cruise on Portage lake with grey line tours. It is not expensive. $ 25.00 - 50.00 per person. They take you right up to the face of this giant glacier. You will get the full effect of the sound and sight of the glacier Calving. Don't miss it. Portage lake is less than 1 hour from Anchorage and right before the tunnel going to Whittier. If you have more time in Anchorage. I like the day cruise out of Seward to Holgate arm and the big glaicers there. I perfer Kenai Fjords tour to Major Marine. Better and free food and the ship is nicer. Do at least a 6 hour tour not the 4 hour and take sea sickness medication!!!! It gets rough. We saw over 100 whales on our last tour in 8 hours. On our first trip we only saw two whales.

If you are spending any time in Alaska, Denali is a great place to see. They have a State bus that goes back into the park. To go to Wonder lake or Eiselman?? spelling?? it is reasonable. It's run kinda like Yosemite, You need reservations for a seat and they don't let private cars drive this road. We have seen lot's wildlife here including bears. Call the visitors center in the park for information.

Get a Alaska official state vacation planner web site travelAlaska.com

for more information. You can order brosures on each port of call. I have never been to Sitka. Other things to do in the Anchorage area are to see Exit Glacier in Seward. $5.00 for parking and to enter the park. They have a paved path most of the way and you can walk up to the glacier. Matanuska Glacier is near Palmer. You pay $8.00 each to walk up to and on this glacier. The access road is owned by a private party. I love Seward and Talkeetna. We did a boat tour in Talkeetna that was great. I think the name was Mahay's. I want to go back and do the canyon run. The mile post has lots of great info, but I would only recommend spending the $30.00 if you are going to spend time on your own. Good luck on cruise. Alaska is my favorite vacation place. Carla

Hi Dot, Remember me? My other computer crashed with your address. We are well, healthy and booked with Carnival again on the Spirit. I also have a more positive attitude. ( got over the disappointments of 9/11 and remember the great time we had, about time huh )

I have been thinking about you this last summer. How did you do in the Hurricaines? Hope your Daughter in law is good and hopefully with a new baby. I am looking forward to hearing about your vacations. I just got back from the panama canal on RC and enjoyed our back to back cruises on the Jubilee in 2002. 2003 took us to Alaska for a 16 day camping trip. We rented a motor home. Then in Oct we went on a 3 day cruise to Baja Mexico. Life is good. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Carla

I am so sorry, but I do not remember you and I don't have a daughter. I have two sons. Perhaps my daughter in law. Has it been 4 year? If it has, she had a baby girl. Are you thinking of another dotcruiser in Fl?

We got damage twice, and put in claims. Still trying to get someone to fix. It's all a mess and everyone waiting so long for repairs. Things have calmed down and we are going on a cruise in one month on Legend to Panama Canal. We can't wait. Let me know if you know me or am I going nuts. It will bug me till you refresh my memory. Hey, this old brain ain't what it use to be!

I think it's you. If it is, you were on the Carnival Spirit I think on Aug. 28, 2001 sailing. Your Husband is in construction as is mine. Don't remember which field. You sailed the week before us. My memory is not that good either. It's been a few years. I think you did the rafting trip on the Lowe River in Valdez???? Keystone Canyon river rafting tour? You were planing a road trip or a cruise to Canada in the fall of 2002. Your Daughter in law was tring to start a family at that time and had a problem. I was disappointed in the cruise because of weather ( we missed Hubbard glacier ) and then we missed part of the cruise because of 9/11. You were very understanding and always positive. I liked you alot. We emailed a few times over a year time period. Carla

Hi everyone, so glad to see more posts about Alaska. Seems that since this years Alaska cruises are over there isn't much on here. We are also booked on the Spirit-Northbound, June 29, '05. This is our 7th Carnival cruise but our first to Alaska, but something we have talked about since our first cruise. We decided to do this trip to celebrate our 25th anniv and my husband's 50th birthday, which both are in Aug. We originally planned on going closer to those dates, but had an opportunity to book this with a local TA that has put it together as a package. We are so much looking forward to this trip, didn't take our annual cruise this year and have been in cruise withdrawal since spring.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful input on Alaska, I am more excited now after hearing everyone say how beautiful Alaska is, also anxious to give Carnival a try. We have only sailed on RCCI, and we like them. We could not afford a balcony cabin on RCCI Alaska cruises, with Carnival we can and we have never had a balcony so figured this was the cruise to try one out. Any suggestions for hotels in Anchorage? We are flying into anchorage on July 18that 9pm, ship leaves whittier on the 20th at 9pm, we are renting a van so we are hoping on the 19th to get up and drive up to Denali, spend the night and just take our time driving down to Whittier the next day, anyone know if I have time to fit anything else in while I in the anchorage area? Thanks Everyone, Mary-Ellen

Carla??? Oh my I DO remember you. I think I just deleted your email address a few months ago because we lost contact. Of course, hello, hello, hello. It's truly a small world and I do appreciate you remembering me. Email me at dotbear1@yahoo.com to catch up. Identify yourself as Carla in subject so I will know it's you.

My Mom and I were on the Spirit in August. This has always been one of my Mom's dream trips and since I love cruising agreed to go along. I really wasn't that thrilled about Alaska - not a scenery type person, but I am now reformed. Alaska was absolutely beautiful. Really beyond description.

In Skagway we did the railroad. I usually don't book my excursions through the ship, but this one I did because then you can then board right next to the ship. I did this as soon as we could after boarding from our cabin. I also read on this board to sit on the left and we did, although I spend much of my time outside and again beyond words. Once you get to the top you are instructed to flip your seat up (so now if you were in the front of the car you are in the back and to switch sides), so everyone has the same viewing opportunity. I would still suggest starting out on the left, because we had an awesome view on the way up and then coming back down the clouds had come down a little, so you couldn't see near as much.

In Juneau we did the whale watching with Captain Larry. I know that I'm in the minority here, but yes we did see whales, but overall I was quite bored. Our total trip was about 90 minutes and we saw the whales in the 1st 20 minutes and spend the rest of the time just driving around. From speaking to others on the ship that went through the ship they had a much more enjoyable time that we did. You have to visit the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau - you can't miss their location. It is an absolute blast. The guy playing the piano continues to harrass people - he is so funny!

The other two ports we just walked around. We started out in Vancouver and did most of our shopping before we got to Sitka. We found Sitka to be very nice, but not the place to find any bargains. The exact same thing we had purchased early in the week would be like 3 times more expensive.

I really look forward to cruising Alaska again in the future with my husband.

The ship was beautiful - smaller than the we had previously sailed on the with the Conquest and Glory. We booked a balcony guarantee and were upgraded to the highest level on the back of the ship. We spent alot of time on our balcony. We had great weather, got rained on in Juneau, but otherwise I spent alot of time on our balcony in shorts and a t-shirt. I wouldn't sail without a balcony, but it was especially nice to have with viewing the glaciers.

Have a great time!

We are calling our Carnival guy tomorrow to book a July 6th cruise on the Spirit, so I look forward to reading all your comments and suggestions. Keep them coming!!!! (I am actually getting a balcony this time!!) 11 cruises and no balcony til NOW!!!

I am most concerned with the weather. We are going to run around a few days before the cruise on our own in rental car before heading South Bound.

I am also looking forward to seeing Pat Moore (he plays the guitar in the Promenade) We have sailed with him several times on other ships and he said he would be on the Spirit starting this past Sept. I hope his contract lasts until we get there in July!!!

I'm going to just keep checking back for infor, you all have so much to add, I know this is going to be a wonderful trip, ages away but I'll still be scurrying around next July even though I am planning everything early,ha,ha Thaks Everyone! Mary-Ellen

Mandrews2U, I have been looking for my milepost. Haven't found it yet. I know of a couple of hotels. We stayed at a med priced place. The Clarion Hotel located downtown. The rooms were all suites. They have 24 hr shuttle to the airport, includes breakfast and has a indoor pool and hot tub. The exercise room was nothing special. They have lots of parking to.

We stayed at the Econolodge one time. I do not recommend it. The room had no heat, the bath tub was dirty, and they have no elevator. When we tried to carry our bags up the stairs there was furniture in the stair well. It was four years ago.

The Diamond Center hotel opened in the last few years. It had promotions going on our last trip, but they cancelled our reservation because the hotel did not open in time. You might check them out.

We stayed at 8th ave Hotel one time. This place was more like a apartment. We needed 3 beds for privacy . It was cheap for the 2 bedrooms, living room ( hide a bed ), kitchen and bath. It was clean, but well used. We took my son and his 14 year girl friend on this trip and needed to keep them apart at night, so we got separate rooms. They stocked dishes and cleaning supplies. They have 1 room places to. Parking was in a lot to the side of the building and it was in downtown. If you like real nice things, don't go here. They didn't have screens on the windows, no shades either. The couch was old, and the coffee table and carpet had some cirgarette burn marks on it. I'm not trying to put this place down. We liked it and it fit our needs. My brother in law would never stay at this place , just not up to his standards. This was in 1997, I think they have new owners.

We got a coupon book. I have been looking for the name and email address. It gave 2 for 1 discounts to hotels and tours. Some things are free with the coupons to. We used it on our land tour of Alaska and it saved us over $1000.00 on the tours and reservations we made. You can buy it at any Carr's market when you get to Alaska. I will find the name and give it to you. You can plan your trip and then check the web site for the coupon book and see if it is worth the $99.00 to use it. Good luck, Carla

Thanks Carla. I am going to check out the clarion, that sounds good, we really would prefer a suite as we are traveling with two teens, I will check and see what they havefor rates. That's was originally looking for rooms under 100.00 cause I needed 2 rooms, but maybe I'll make out the same with the suite, thanks for the suggestions. Mary-Ellen

Mary Ellen- Finding a hotel room for under $ 100.00 might be difficult unless you can find sometype of discount in Anchorage. I think this room was around $170.00 a night and we had coupons that brought it down to $112. and a coupon for 2 for 1 night. We stayed 2 nights at the begining of our trip and 1 night coming back. Prices are very high in June, July and August. The same room will be $60.00 in the winter. Keep looking and get a tour book like the vacation planner. You have plenty of time to find something in your budget. We travel mostly in May or Sept so they have the lower prices. Carla

Mary Ellen the name of that coupon book is the Great Alaskan tour saver.

Check out the deals on their web site. I think you will enjoy looking at it. Carla

mary-ellen, check "alaska" area under 'ports of call' section of these boards. u will find so much useful info from the posters there. lots of websites, how to book indep tours, hotels, packing tips etc. as suggested above, check milepost. also your local library probably has several tourguides on alaska: frommers etc as well as milepost. the tram is in juneau, a nice ride on a clear day. you can hike down if so inclined. there is a restaurant & giftshop as well as trails at top. alaska ports are fairly walkable. sitka has raptor center, i think, and st michael's church. train in skagway as suggested but dont forget to stop in to natl park center. glaciers in juneau (mendenhall) as well as exit in seward as mentioned above. ketchikan has totem poles, park center and creek street and good shopping.the spirit is a medium-sized ship, the class i prefer. its nice, beautiful and easy to find your way around. just remember for alaska: think layers, take a lightweight, waterproof, windproof jacket and one of those rain ponchos from walmart. spray your walking shoes with campdry or silicone. (take a couple pairs of water-proof comfy walking shoes.) it was the best trip i've ever taken. dont forget lots of film or a few digital camera cards for the beautiful pictures you will take. as mentioned above, start with the tourism website and u can find links to many sites and to visitors' info sites for most ports and areas. if you're doing pre or post-cruise land tours lots of info to be found.

Thank-You for teh heads up on checking the other boards such as ports of Call for more great info on planning this Alaska trip.

We went on Spirit to Alaska in August 04. Spectacular weather..not a drop on rain the entire week and temps in the 70s and 80s everyday. We joked around the pool that our next port would probably be Barbados!!:D Hope you have weather like we did!!:)

Did you go on the Carnival Spirit or NCL Spirit? How did you like it? I am so anxious to see the Carnival Spirit, it's a long ways away, but lots of time to plan and plan. Mary-Ellen

We were on the Celebrity Galaxy on July 16th. Weather was pretty warm for us with very little rain - 60s and 70s the whole time. I had a flannel lined nylon jacket with a hood that I only really needed when viewing glaciers at Hubbard Bay and when we did the Helicopter Glacier Tour in Juneau. The rest of the time, a long-sleeved shirt and pants were fine.

We did the Glacier Tour on our own through Temsco and upgraded from the 1-glacier landing (45 minutes to and hour) to the 2-glacier landing with almost an hour in the air and it was fantastic - the highlight of our trip. It was very expensive though - about $250/pp. Prices on the ship were about $25/pp higher. In Skagway, we did the land dogsled/mushing adventure which lasted about 2 1/2 hours include the 1 round-trip drive to Dyea - it was fun, but you only spent about 20 minutes doing the actual sledding using a wheeled dogsled and the rest of the time petting the dogs and just looking around. I didn't think it was worth the $100/pp that the ship charged (and they won't let you do this independently any more). Finally, in Ketchikan, we just did a cheap tour to the Totem History museum and the Eagle/Fish Hatchery which really wasn't worth the $19/pp since all they did was drive you about 2 miles to these joined places and pay your entrance fee of $11/pp - $8/pp for a 5-mile roundtrip drive is pretty steep. We were dropped off at Creek Street and found a lot of fun shopping there.

Again, I got all my info from the Alaska board so frequent it often!

We are flying in before the cruise in July for some interior time. We are booked the first night at the Holiday Inn Express for about 153.00 a night. (one room, 4 people) We are renting a car and making a big loop. Denali (staying at McKinley Chalet) Fairbanks (Springhill Suites) Glennallen (The New Caribou Hotel) and then back to Anchorage (Hilton - next to the Egan Civic Center where Carnival is going to pick us up). Since we are leaving from Whittier ( instead of Seward)...we are going to take one day and trek down from Anchorage to do the Kenni Fjords.

I figure between all that and the cruise to Vancover... I will be completely exhausted by the time I get home!!!

Thanks for all the help guys. Keep the shore excursion ideas coming!!

We went in June on Radiance of the Seas. Two thumbs up on the train at Skagway and yes, sit on the left side of the train. Spectacular. Juneau was 83 the day we spent in port. We did whale waiting and had the incredible luck and pleasure of having a mother and baby spend about 45 minutes cavorting around our boat. The naturalist on board was so excited. she's done several seasons up there and it had never happened before. It was absolutely amazing to see. Hubbard Glacier had kids (local) swimming because of the heat wave that day. Glacier Bay...wow..was so still and chilly. It almost had a surreal feel because of the clouds covering the entrance while we were there. The color was actually very much like the scenes in "The Titanic" after it sank. I have a camera that switches from B&W, Sepia, Color and negative art. I had a lot of fun with it up there. The sepia look like oldtime goldrush pics. I think Kectkikan had the best shopping area.

Hi LHP,

We are flying into Anchorage on July 18th 9pm, our ship doesn't leave whittier until 9pm on the 20th, so I have rented a van and was thinking of driving up to Denali on the 19th and then down to Whittier on the 20th OR instead of Denali just driving down to seward on the 19th, spending the night somewhere there and over to Whittier the next day, which do you think sounds like it would be a better choice from your research, I wish there was time to do both, but sounds like driving up to Denali is a good 7 hour drive. I just want to make full use of the time we do have and cram as much in as possible. Thanks, mary-Ellen