Alaska-Carnival Spirit May 23, 2011 Trip Report

[tinkerboo]

Hi Everyone!

 

When I was planning this Alaskan cruise for my husband and I, 95% of my research was done on these boards. I wanted to give back and do a quick trip report of our experience.

 

We had an AMAZING time in Alaska! All the research and planning completely paid off.

We took a 7 day roundtrip from Seattle with Carnival that left towards the end of May. We stopped in 3 ports- Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. In Skagway we rented a car and drove into the Yukon. We took a blue shuttle bus to Mendenall Glacier in Juneau. Finally, in Ketchikan we took a 2 hour floatplane tour of the Misty Fjords.

We had beautiful weather and were actually able to sit out on the decks while we cruised Tracy Arm Fjord and soak up some rays!

I'll update day by day with more detail, but if anyone has any questions in the mean time I'll be more than happy to answer.

 

Thanks to everyone who posts on these boards for all the helpful tips!

 

Jessica

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Jessica, thank you so much! We board three weeks from tomorrow, so I'll definitely be following your report! :D

 

:D

[not in ks anymore]

Jessica,

We will be on the June 14 sailing of the Spirit, so I'll be waiting to hear all the info about the ship and the ports. One question - did they move the fixed dining times earlier as was mentioned for the first Spirit cruise of the season?

Thanks for taking the time to do this - hope you can get a couple of days at a time posted.

[tinkerboo]

Jessica, thank you so much! We board three weeks from tomorrow, so I'll definitely be following your report! :D

 

:D

Great! I was stalking the boards before we left hoping for reports!:)

 

Jessica,

We will be on the June 14 sailing of the Spirit, so I'll be waiting to hear all the info about the ship and the ports. One question - did they move the fixed dining times earlier as was mentioned for the first Spirit cruise of the season?

Thanks for taking the time to do this - hope you can get a couple of days at a time posted.

 

They did move the dining times up. Early seating was at 5:30 and late seating was 7:45. The last night they were changed as well to help accommodate the short time we had in Victoria; early was 5:15 and late was 7:15.

[tinkerboo]

Our cruise left on a Tuesday morning. We always fly in the day before the cruise so we left San Diego at 6PM on Monday. We arrived at SeaTac around 10PM and grabbed a shuttle to the DoubleTree down the street. We were able to book this room using priceline for a super reasonable price. The only downside to the hotel was that it was huge! It was about a 10 min walk to reach our room and easy to get lost.

 

The next morning we used the Seattle Express service and they picked us up at our hotel promptly at 10:50. The whole experience with Seattle Express was great. We did all of our correspondence through email and received confirmation.The driver even had donuts for us when he arrived! We stopped to pick up one other couple and then headed to the pier.

 

The embarkation process was really smooth. We dropped off our bags downstairs and headed upstairs to check in. The check-in line moved quickly. Once we moved to the actual line to board the ship it was slow going but we made it on. We arrived about 11:30 and were on the ship around 12:15.

 

We had been on the Spirit previously so we knew the lay out of the ship already and headed straight to the lido for lunch. Rooms were ready at 1:30 and we were back up on the lido for sail away at 4.

 

The theme throughout our trip was beautiful weather! Sailaway from Seattle was gorgeous as well as our first Sea Day and Tracy Arm Fjord day. The first Sea Day was uneventful, typical Sea Day activities. We attended a presentation by the naturalist and throughout the day she would make announcements of wildlife sightings. We also really enjoyed the comedy shows in the evening.

 

For Tracy Arm day we were on on Deck 9 forward by 10:30. The day started out overcast but cleared up pretty quick. We thought the best views were Deck 9 forward, if you can brave the wind. A few times we went down to Deck 3 which was less crowded but we enjoyed the panoramic views that were on Deck 9. We ate lunch about 1 in the lido and still had great views. Unfortunately we were not able to get very close to the glacier due to the ice. Also, because the fjord’s a quiet zone the naturalist wasn’t able to make an announcement so if you blinked you might have missed it. The explorer excursion did not appear to make it much closer to the glacier than us.

Crusing the fjord was my husbands favorite part of the cruise. It’s amazing and makes a cruise ship feel small. I would try to describe it but my description wouldn’t do it justice.

 

Sail Away from Seattle

Tracy Arm Fjord

Lounging around

Two Bald Eagles

[tinkerboo]

This is where our ship stopped at the end of the fjord. Didn't quite make it to the glacier.

[Bucket Listed]

Thank you for sharing the amazing photos. Heading to Alaska next month on our first cruise EVER, and can't wait!

[Wannaknow]

Stunning photos - thanks so much! Will look forward to your next post.

Did you encounter many mosquitoes in Juneau and Ketchikan?

[Quilting_Cruiser]

More! More! Must have more! :D:D

 

Loving it so far! Thank you!

[Prairie_Gal]

Great start! Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

[tinkerboo]

We arrived in Skagway at 7AM, my husband and I were off the ship by about 7:15. We decided to forgo the train excursion and adventure out on our own by renting a car and driving to the Yukon. This ended up being one of our favorite days in port. We wandered around Skagway for a little bit waiting for the Avis rental office to open at 8. We were surprised to see a number of stores were open. Avis opened promptly at 8. There were 5 people ahead of us in line and it took 20 minutes to process them. By 8:30 we were checked in and walking to our car. I had printed out Murray’s Guide so I was prepared to narrate a great tour, we popped in our cd and off we went. We decided that we were just going to drive straight through to Emerald Lake and then make stops on the way back. That changed quickly because the scenery was so breathtaking. We made 4-5 stops on the way to Emerald Lake, including Carcross. If you’re planning on renting a car you can’t go without Murray’s Guide, it’s so detailed and full of great information! Make sure to stamp your passports in Carcross. Emerald Lake was beautiful! We took some pictures from up top and then drove to the bottom and took a small hike around the lake.

 

We decided we wanted to stop at Caribou Crossing on the way back and check it out. I had read on the boards that they had great donuts! We grabbed some at the coffee shop and they were super yummy! We then paid the $7.50 each to meet the sled dog puppies. You can go on a cart ride pulled my a team of dogs for $30, which we chose to skip. We then started the drive back stopping along the way and taking a deserted road down to what used to be Conrad City.

 

We arrived back in Skagway about 3PM. We grabbed a bite to eat at a bar and walked through town for some shopping. We then decided to drive over the Gold Rush Cemetery. From the cruise ship you can follow the train tracks and walk there, it would be a lengthy walk (about 20 minutes) but well worth it. If you follow the trail at the back of the cemetery it leads to a beautiful waterfall. We boarded the ship around 5, we were in port until 9 this evening but we wanted to be back in time for dinner in the dining room.

 

This was the one port on the trip where mosquitoes were an issue. Around the cemetery and walking along the decks while in port, the mosquitoes were noticeable. That evening I counted 10 bites on my arms, my husband only had 2. Those were the only mosquito bites of the trip however. We really only noticed them again at the Mendenhall Glacier, but not nearly as much.

 

Emerald Lake

Puppies at Cariboo Crossing

Tagish Lake (from the deserted Conrad City)

Deserted Conrad City

Lower Reid Falls (trail from the cemetery)

[tinkerboo]

Thank you for sharing the amazing photos. Heading to Alaska next month on our first cruise EVER, and can't wait!

You are going to love it. It was one of our favorite cruises!

 

Stunning photos - thanks so much! Will look forward to your next post.

 

Did you encounter many mosquitoes in Juneau and Ketchikan?

Thank you! We encountered most of our mosquitoes in Skagway in the early evening. There were some at Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau but not too noticeable. We didn't notice any in Ketchikan.

 

More! More! Must have more! :D:D

 

Loving it so far! Thank you!

 

Thanks, just posted an update! :)

[AussieKathy]

Keep it coming love the photos. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[Bucket Listed]

We are going to Emerald Lake and Carcross with Chilkoot Tours next month. Also will meet the pups and take a cart ride. :) Thanks so much for sharing a glimpse into our ports. It helps add to the excitement of actually being there. Gorgeous photos!

[Serangel71]

We arrived in Skagway at 7AM, my husband and I were off the ship by about 7:15. We decided to forgo the train excursion and adventure out on our own by renting a car and driving to the Yukon. This ended up being one of our favorite days in port. We wandered around Skagway for a little bit waiting for the Avis rental office to open at 8. We were surprised to see a number of stores were open. Avis opened promptly at 8. There were 5 people ahead of us in line and it took 20 minutes to process them. By 8:30 we were checked in and walking to our car. I had printed out Murray’s Guide so I was prepared to narrate a great tour, we popped in our cd and off we went. We decided that we were just going to drive straight through to Emerald Lake and then make stops on the way back. That changed quickly because the scenery was so breathtaking. We made 4-5 stops on the way to Emerald Lake, including Carcross. If you’re planning on renting a car you can’t go without Murray’s Guide, it’s so detailed and full of great information! Make sure to stamp your passports in Carcross. Emerald Lake was beautiful! We took some pictures from up top and then drove to the bottom and took a small hike around the lake.

 

We decided we wanted to stop at Caribou Crossing on the way back and check it out. I had read on the boards that they had great donuts! We grabbed some at the coffee shop and they were super yummy! We then paid the $7.50 each to meet the sled dog puppies. You can go on a cart ride pulled my a team of dogs for $30, which we chose to skip. We then started the drive back stopping along the way and taking a deserted road down to what used to be Conrad City.

 

We arrived back in Skagway about 3PM. We grabbed a bite to eat at a bar and walked through town for some shopping. We then decided to drive over the Gold Rush Cemetery. From the cruise ship you can follow the train tracks and walk there, it would be a lengthy walk (about 20 minutes) but well worth it. If you follow the trail at the back of the cemetery it leads to a beautiful waterfall. We boarded the ship around 5, we were in port until 9 this evening but we wanted to be back in time for dinner in the dining room.

 

This was the one port on the trip where mosquitoes were an issue. Around the cemetery and walking along the decks while in port, the mosquitoes were noticeable. That evening I counted 10 bites on my arms, my husband only had 2. Those were the only mosquito bites of the trip however. We really only noticed them again at the Mendenhall Glacier, but not nearly as much.

 

Emerald Lake

Puppies at Cariboo Crossing

Tagish Lake (from the deserted Conrad City)

Deserted Conrad City

Lower Reid Falls (trail from the cemetery)

 

In the Taggish picture are animal tracks --did you see any animals when there?

 

We went on the train to Frassure, BC and turned around. Next time -- all the way!!!!

[tinkerboo]

Today we were in port from 7AM-3PM. Many of the people on the cruise chose to do whale watching tours or helicopter tours out of Juneau. We had no major plans this day but knew we wanted to make it to Mendenhall Glacier. We had contemplated adding in a Mt. Roberts Tramway ride however it was very overcast this day and we didn’t think we’d be able to see much once we were at the top.

We disembarked the ship by about 9 and walked through the port. Ironically enough there were a row of vendors called “Last Change Tours” with they we were able to book a blue shuttle bus to Mendenhall glaciers for $16 a person round trip. Totally worth it! The shuttles depart every 30 mins from the port and pick up every 30 minutes from the Glacier. It was a quick drive out to the glacier. If you’re looking for a good narrated tour while on the drive out I wouldn’t suggest this company. Both our drivers spoke way to quickly for you to fully understand what they were saying. However, we looked at the little information we did understand as an added bonus because we had only payed for the transportation! There are many hiking trails that we simply didn’t have time for but would have loved to do. We did take the trail down to the waterfall, I believe the signs said it was 3/4 of a mile one way. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the Glacier and never made it inside the visitor’s center. I love taking pictures so most of time was spent outside enjoying the view and taking pictures.

We took the 12:30 shuttle back to the port and they were nice enough to drop us off closer to the Red Dog Saloon. I had my picture taken with Patsy Ann, I just loved her story! We were slowly walking back to the ship when I spotted Tracy’s Crab Shack. I had completely forgotten this was in Juneau. I don’t eat seafood but my husband is a huge fan. Again, I can thank everyone on the boards for suggesting this place. He loved it. It was about a 20 minute wait after we ordered but hubby loved the crab! Hubby ordered the crab claws. He said he ordered that because it was the least messy and I wouldn’t look on in horror as he broke crab legs. We boarded the ship at about 2:30 and sail away was at 3. Our table mates each had a spectacular time whale watching, they were on different boats and each of them said they saw over a dozen whales, all humpbacks.

Next up, Ketchikan...

 

 

 

 

[tinkerboo]

Keep it coming love the photos. Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

Thanks! It's fun to look and it's motivating me to get through all my pictures.

 

We are going to Emerald Lake and Carcross with Chilkoot Tours next month. Also will meet the pups and take a cart ride. :) Thanks so much for sharing a glimpse into our ports. It helps add to the excitement of actually being there. Gorgeous photos!

 

Thanks! The cart ride looked like fun! And all the dogs were barking/begging to be taken out it, it looked like they enjoyed it as much as the paying customers!

 

In the Taggish picture are animal tracks --did you see any animals when there?

 

We went on the train to Frassure, BC and turned around. Next time -- all the way!!!!

 

Unfortunately, we didn't see any animals. The only wildlife we saw on the trip were bald eagles and a few whales from the cruise ship. It's definitely worth it to go all the way!

[Wannaknow]

Your pics are just awesome. Am enjoying them so much! The ones of Mendenhall Glacier made me so excited - we will be there ourselves in a few weeks! It is even more beautiful than I imagined.

Thanks for the mosquito report - really appreciate it.:)