SPIRIT to ALASKA May 8 - 15 Review ... LOVED IT!!!

[LambKnuckles]

Just peeking back in... Happy June to everyone!!!

 

A month ago, I was just dreaming and scheming about this cruise and Alaska. Now, I know what a treat it was, and is!!!

[LambKnuckles]

I am only at the beginning..Lambie you are a priceless positive Woman...I loved the decor on this ship too..you honored and loved the NW and Aaska (have not been yet) so beautifully...I LOVE Montana but love the NW times 10 and am praying i can get back there to live one day...God bless you..thanks for such fabulous photos of the NW and all it's beauty and the ship and alaska...God bless...Sarah

 

Sarah... I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I can't believe how beautiful it is. I have so many memories and pictures in my mind, that a camera and words couldn't reveal.

 

I lived in Idaho for a while, and loved it! And in upstate NY, and loved it -- so I guess the snow and cold wasn't too much of a bother. I visit my Uncle in Montana, Great Falls -- but only in the summer. It's beautiful there!!!

Lambknuckles, it is so much fun reading your review and the photos are great. We are getting even more excited after reading this and looking at your photos. We will be on the Spirit on June 5th and this will be our 2nd Alaska cruise. We are just as excited as our first one in 2002, even more so because I have a sister and BIL that will be with us for their 1st for Alaska. Wow are they in for a very memorable adventure. :D As for the rain we will be expecting for most of the week is no biggy and all part of being in Alaska for sure.

 

Only days till you're there and lovin' it!!! I'm so excited for you!! I hope you'll bring back a great story and lots of photos to share!!! And taking a newbie to watch them see it all!!! I'll bet that's a gas!!!

 

What a good attitude... knowing and expecting and accepting the rain. Afterall, that is Alaska!!! My uncle, served in the USAF and was stationed in Alaska for some time. He loved the cold and nature and beauty! He planted some seeds of wanting to travel there!!!

 

Thank you for YOUR service!!!

 

Thank you for taking us, your readers, on such an amazing journey. This is in the top 3 reviews of all time,IMO.

A couple of comments. Are you sure your pictures were not postcards?;) They were truly amazing and your review really made it feel we were experiencing it with you!

Whales do not breach very often. It is very inefficient energy wise for them and there is no known reason why it is done. Breaches tend to occur on days of increasing winds, so not sure if this was the case when you saw a whale breach and not all species of whales breach. That is always a privilege to see a breach in the wild. Only about 10% of the time is a breach seen.

Since whales are in Alaska to feed, that is sometimes happening subsurface. It depends on where the food is.

 

Your one-legged seagull? They do that sometimes. Go figure. They tuck the other leg up into their feathers.

 

I hope you don't mind if I bookmark your review to get my "Alaska fix". I will go one day.

 

Thank you! It's so funny what I expected about whales... but, I was so pleased to see them wild and in their home! You're so right about them!!! And the Seagull -- you know, I'll bet it was up there in his feathers!!! I have to say, it was a bit windy -- they've got great balance!!

 

Your comments flatter me and thank you!!! :o

Edited June 1, 2012 by LambKnuckles

[LambKnuckles]

Lambie, loved, loved your review. I am always so sad when they come to an end. I totally agree with the other poster, your pictures could be post cards, they are that good. Hope to see ya in either OKC in June, SA in July or NO in Sept for sure. Give Nana an extra hug!

 

Thank you!!! Nana will appreciate the hug, I know!!! See you soon!!!

 

Thanks so much for the info. Especially that SUV. That might be an interesting "option"...

 

Thanks too for the info on excursions...now to decide...hmmm :rolleyes:

 

GOOD LUCK!!! There are many different things to choose!!! You'll have a BLAST!!!

 

Very nice review, Lambie

Take a bow!

 

THANK YOU!!

[LambKnuckles]

Have to echo what everyone else is saying---this was one fabulous review!! Thank you for taking me on your journey! I've got a much clearer picture of what will work for my multi-generational group now.

 

Your pictures are absolutely priceless!

 

GREAT!!! If you have any questions, ask away!!! I'm happy you're traveling with others on your cruise!!! I have to tell you how much my daughter LOVED Camp Carnival's different levels, when she was younger... so much, she hated to turn 18 and be denied!!! And my Mom loves the cruises -- but I do know, this one wouldn't have done well with her health and body! She just can't get warm after getting cold.

 

That said, I also know she would have LOVED the beauty and scenery!! If she ever goes, she'll stay inside and be one of those sitting on the lido deck, watching from the warmth of inside. She would not debark in rainy or cold weather -- but would have loved the weather in Ketchikan and Victoria! So, it would be manageable!!!

 

A great review. Wonderful pictures

 

Thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

Hugh in Dallas

 

Thank you for taking time to read it!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[LambKnuckles]

Hey Lambie... sounds like you had a wonderful time.... thanks for sharing!!! I loved reliving my Alaska cruise as I read your review!!! Alaska is definitely a place that should be on everyone's "bucket list"

 

I marked this one off my bucket list... but I know I'll have to go back to experience more and different things!!

 

I'm sure as I read reviews in the future, my memories and smiles will be revived!!!

 

THANK YOU!

[Pee-ah]

Thank you for the amazing review!

 

I'm so looking forward to going back! Spirit's last trip to Alaska is my next cruise! (insert happy dance)

[CanWeGoYet?]

I marked this one off my bucket list... but I know I'll have to go back to experience more and different things!!

 

I'm sure as I read reviews in the future, my memories and smiles will be revived!!!

 

THANK YOU!

 

Thank you so much for posting that fantastic review. My sailing was a little different for the itinerary, but still your review reminded me of so many great things about the cruise I took.

If you love beautiful settings with ice, glaciers & snow, you might want to consider putting Iceland on your bucket list. I found a fantastic deal with IcelandAir, I don't know if you live near one of their hubs. I loved it so much, after spending 5 days there it is back on the bucket list for a re-do.

[LambKnuckles]

Thank you for the amazing review!

 

I'm so looking forward to going back! Spirit's last trip to Alaska is my next cruise! (insert happy dance)

 

Pia... a 9-11 cruise to Alaska!!! WOW!!! ...and the sales and sailing... What a treat!!!

 

Thank you so much for posting that fantastic review. My sailing was a little different for the itinerary, but still your review reminded me of so many great things about the cruise I took.

If you love beautiful settings with ice, glaciers & snow, you might want to consider putting Iceland on your bucket list. I found a fantastic deal with IcelandAir, I don't know if you live near one of their hubs. I loved it so much, after spending 5 days there it is back on the bucket list for a re-do.

 

You know, my uncle, who loves Alaska, also loved Iceland and Greenland!!! I think the trip sounds wonderful!!

 

I also would like to cruise Australia. And LOVING the SPIRIT, I think that may be something I'll do too!!!

 

The picturesque landscape and the wonder and amazement of the Alaska cruise... It was just FANTASTIC!!! ...and thank you for the idea of Iceland!!

[law638]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review. It brought back so many memories. To

this day, I can't decide which cruise was my favorite, Alaska or Hawaii. We did the Alaskan cruise in mid July and the weather except for the snow, was comparable. It rained constantly but it just added to the beauty. Thanks again.

[PattiPB]

That said, I also know she would have LOVED the beauty and scenery!! If she ever goes, she'll stay inside and be one of those sitting on the lido deck, watching from the warmth of inside. She would not debark in rainy or cold weather -- but would have loved the weather in Ketchikan and Victoria! So, it would be manageable!!!

 

Almost all of my cruises have been with my parents, my children and different siblings and their children, so we've been blessed in many ways. My parents request is that we have dinner together each night---we mostly scatter during the day. On each cruise I organize one excursion for my parents to share with my family (our kids are 18, 16 & 14 this year). Based upon your pictures and description, the Yukon Railway will be a perfect blend of exciting and comfortable for all of us.

 

My parents are Floridians, and we are from Southern Nevada---on the warmest August cruise we're going to be C-O-L-D!!!! But with Baileys in my hot chocolate, I'll be just fine thankyouverymuch ;).

[cruising3times]

Thank you for the great review. We will be on the Spirit Sept. 11, the last cruise of the season. I have a couple of questions, I have read other reviews where it was recommended that we bring binoculars, I was wondering your opinion on this and also we are thinking about doing the train excursion, were there restrooms on board? And one other thing, is the guest laundry open during this cruise? Thanks, Barb

[JaniceB]

Lambie I finally finished reading your review and loved it! Great pictures and comments. What different weather you had for your cruise a week after mine. We had the worst day in Ketchikan. It looks great in your pictures. I would have loved to have weather like you had. We also had blowing wind in Skagway, but not until late afternoon. Our train ride was sunny and then we had snow in Canada. The guide said it was the best day she had seen. Another thing I noticed was the buses were parked next to the ship. The buses were staged in front of the ship in a parking lot when we were there. I wonder if whales are common in May near Victoria? We saw them, too. What a great sight and you were able to capture them in many photos.

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.:)

[WyKnott]

Lambie, thanks for the great review and photos! It brings back memories of both my Alaska cruise a few years back on the Noordam and my cruise on the Spirit in February this year. The photos all looked so familiar!

 

To the poster who asked about whether binoculars are necessary. There's so much scenery in Alaska, and the ship is never far from land, even when sailing between ports. We saw so much wildlife, waterfalls, glaciers, etc. that I'm glad I brought one along.

[CanWeGoYet?]

And one other thing, is the guest laundry open during this cruise? Thanks, Barb

 

No problem for me accessing the laundry room. I did laundry a couple times & there was no else in the room - nothing in the machines even.

[sjn911]

Sarah... I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I can't believe how beautiful it is. I have so many memories and pictures in my mind, that a camera and words couldn't reveal.

 

I lived in Idaho for a while, and loved it! And in upstate NY, and loved it -- so I guess the snow and cold wasn't too much of a bother. I visit my Uncle in Montana, Great Falls -- but only in the summer. It's beautiful there!!!

Thanks so much Lambie..Great Falls I have heard is really enjoyable and many people here enjoy a weekend there now and then..I have relatives dating back to CM Russell from there..he ate WWI issue Soda Crackers and a coke on my so many of a great grandfather's hardware store glass case counter and made him mad as hec every noon for lunch strolling over from his art studio cabin. My grandma was born in Belt;close to there on her dad's ranch.

 

I hope you keep enjoying that Bucket list and get to repeat alaska sometime..love the Marine with the Mountains in the NW...Sarah

Edited June 5, 2012 by sjn911

[cruisinsly]

Well, it has taken me a few days to read the entire review. LOVED IT!!! Great review! Wonderful pictures. Thank you for taking the time to share them.

[LambKnuckles]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review. It brought back so many memories. To

this day, I can't decide which cruise was my favorite, Alaska or Hawaii. We did the Alaskan cruise in mid July and the weather except for the snow, was comparable. It rained constantly but it just added to the beauty. Thanks again.

 

Having never done Hawaii on a cruise... I can't help you! But this one, to Alaska, was just WONDERFUL!!!

 

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise!!! ...and just took the rain and weather is stride!!!

Almost all of my cruises have been with my parents, my children and different siblings and their children, so we've been blessed in many ways. My parents request is that we have dinner together each night---we mostly scatter during the day. On each cruise I organize one excursion for my parents to share with my family (our kids are 18, 16 & 14 this year). Based upon your pictures and description, the Yukon Railway will be a perfect blend of exciting and comfortable for all of us.

 

My parents are Floridians, and we are from Southern Nevada---on the warmest August cruise we're going to be C-O-L-D!!!! But with Baileys in my hot chocolate, I'll be just fine thankyouverymuch ;).

Bailey's and Cocoa... PERFECT!!!

 

The train excursion would be perfect!! If you pay for the whole thing and it's hard to total that... The bus tour would probably also be fun and is about $80 per person less.

 

Of course, I didn't do the bus, and on the train you can get up and walk, there's a bathroom, and you have the outside platform to stand on... But it's $125 each... and I don't know your budget! The bus was $40... The train is 3 hours (scheduled to be, at least...) and the bus is 90 minutes...

 

Just a thought, if budget is critical!!!

 

I love cruising with Mom and daughter. That's my family! Mom and I are both widows and never remarried. (Only one man has ever touched each of our hearts!!) But I love the gathering for dinner!! It really is a wonderful time to share the day, unwind and pass the cameras around to show what we saw!!

 

I have friends leaving on Saturday for their cruise on Norwegian. I told her to expect rain... but probably warmer weather. But nothing hot or over the 60s.

 

Thank you for the great review. We will be on the Spirit Sept. 11, the last cruise of the season. I have a couple of questions, I have read other reviews where it was recommended that we bring binoculars, I was wondering your opinion on this and also we are thinking about doing the train excursion, were there restrooms on board? And one other thing, is the guest laundry open during this cruise? Thanks, Barb

 

I didn't bring binoculars. But my eye was looking through the camera all the time!! And the 30X aoom was so helpful!!! If I hadn't flown, and pounds in luggage were limited... I would have taken them! One roommate took them and she was constantly looking!!! And saw things that helped me look in that direction! I would suggest taking them... and if you LOVE to watch... maybe a binoculars for each person going!

 

The trian's bathrooms were clean and nice smelling! Our car was NOT crowded and that may make a difference. It was a pump toilet, with blue water. The sink had soap and running water. The pot belly heater was right by the bathroom door, and it's a perfect place to stand right when you come back in from outside!

 

The guest laundry was available. I sent my clothes out,so I didn't use them. I can't give you more than that... They are located:

Deck 1 -- Opposite 1219

Deck 4 -- opposite 4230

Deck 5 -- opposite 5270

Deck 6 -- opposite 6120

Deck 7 -- opposite 7267

They also have ironing boards and irons!

[LambKnuckles]

Lambie I finally finished reading your review and loved it! Great pictures and comments. What different weather you had for your cruise a week after mine. We had the worst day in Ketchikan. It looks great in your pictures. I would have loved to have weather like you had. We also had blowing wind in Skagway, but not until late afternoon. Our train ride was sunny and then we had snow in Canada. The guide said it was the best day she had seen. Another thing I noticed was the buses were parked next to the ship. The buses were staged in front of the ship in a parking lot when we were there. I wonder if whales are common in May near Victoria? We saw them, too. What a great sight and you were able to capture them in many photos.

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.:)

 

I'm glad you got to see the whales too!! It was so KEWL... Hearing your story about the train... it just illustrates how a week can change the weather and what different experiences we'll all have!

 

Thanks for reading through it all... I do get wordy!!!

Lambie, thanks for the great review and photos! It brings back memories of both my Alaska cruise a few years back on the Noordam and my cruise on the Spirit in February this year. The photos all looked so familiar!

 

To the poster who asked about whether binoculars are necessary. There's so much scenery in Alaska, and the ship is never far from land, even when sailing between ports. We saw so much wildlife, waterfalls, glaciers, etc. that I'm glad I brought one along.

 

You're welcome!!! Thanks for reading!!! I do love the Spirit!

 

I'm glad you added more about the binocs...

No problem for me accessing the laundry room. I did laundry a couple times & there was no else in the room - nothing in the machines even.

 

Excellent... More about the launderettes!!!

[LambKnuckles]

Thanks so much Lambie..Great Falls I have heard is really enjoyable and many people here enjoy a weekend there now and then..I have relatives dating back to CM Russell from there..he ate WWI issue Soda Crackers and a coke on my so many of a great grandfather's hardware store glass case counter and made him mad as hec every noon for lunch strolling over from his art studio cabin. My grandma was born in Belt;close to there on her dad's ranch.

 

I hope you keep enjoying that Bucket list and get to repeat alaska sometime..love the Marine with the Mountains in the NW...Sarah

 

You're welcome!!! I have a Russell and I treasure it!!! My grandfather was a western author and it was his. Dandear said that Russell captured the western landscape and he could imagine being there and seeing the same thing!!!

 

Thanks for the comment about my bucket list! I am aiming to get to ALL of them and get back to see the BEST of them!!!

 

Well, it has taken me a few days to read the entire review. LOVED IT!!! Great review! Wonderful pictures. Thank you for taking the time to share them.

 

WOW!!! Thank you!!! I truly enjoyed this cruise!!! I'm glad I got to share it with!!!

Edited June 6, 2012 by LambKnuckles

[luluwantstocruise]

Lambie...Thank you for this great review!! I relived the cruise thru it!! So glad I got to meet you. You were very nice every time I saw you. I think with Alaska being our first cruise my head was in the clouds!! Just an awesome experience. We are looking at a Caribbean cruise in early 2013 on either the Dream or Breeze.

Just two more words for you Lambie, "Absolutely Brilliant"!!!!!!!!!

[LambKnuckles]

Lambie...Thank you for this great review!! I relived the cruise thru it!! So glad I got to meet you. You were very nice every time I saw you. I think with Alaska being our first cruise my head was in the clouds!! Just an awesome experience. We are looking at a Caribbean cruise in early 2013 on either the Dream or Breeze.

Just two more words for you Lambie, "Absolutely Brilliant"!!!!!!!!!

 

AB-SO-LUTE-LY.......................Brilliant!!!

 

I can't believe it was a MONTH ago!! A MONTH AGO!!! I'm so ready to go again!!!

 

I'm glad I got to meet you and see you!! Being a first cruise -- and having it be a cold weather cruise... WOW!!! You know, my first cruise was the ELATION to Progreso and Cozumel! I was HOOKED!!!

 

I'm so glad you're already planning another .. and a WARM weather one!! The ships, the BIG ONES, will be a bit different than the SPIRIT... But I think from a decor point of view, the BREEZE looks classier than the DREAM. (I'm speaking only from photos, since I haven't seen them in person!) The SPIRIT had class and charm, too!!! An elegance that seems to be happening on the BREEZE.

 

I hope and pray your second cruise is THE BEST!!! ...and I hope to cruise with you again, soon!!!

[cruiseclues]

Very interesting photos...thanks for the enjoyable photo review. :)

[flounder315]

Thanks for the awesome review with tons of pictures. I am in the research stage of my June 2013 Alaskan cruise.

I have a question, after the CD talk, you decided not to do the boat excursion at Tracey Arm. But at the end of your review, you recomend doing it. Do you wish you would have done that excursion?

 

I couldn't help but share this picture with you, it was taken on July 8th on the Magic the 1st leg of B2B

[Blueboss]

WOW! Love reading your reviews and seeing your pictures. Glad you are enjoying your new camera so much, the pictures looked great! Sorry I was late in finding this thread. Both of my kids decided they would have life events in the same week! Son left for the Army and 5 days later, daughter got married. Didn't leave much time to be lurking on CC. I am so ready for my cruise in Jan.! It looks like it will be the last one for a couple of years, son is going to Germany so our next vacation will be in Europe to visit him. After reading this whole thread and looking at your pictures, I think I would like to take an Alaska cruise when we get back to cruising. Excellent job my friend! So glad you enjoyed it.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Blueboss

[pe4all]

I just have to say thank you for this review. We just got off the Spirit this past Tuesday (8/28) and your review was a great preview of what we were to encounter! We loved the cruise, loved Alaska, and I actually would love to go back in the near future. We did the small boat in Tracy Arms, the Yukon/White Pass 3 hour exursion in Skagway, the helicopter/dog sled on the Glacier in Juneau, and the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan. Our weather was terrible in all ports except Ketchikan, but we dressed correctly and enjoyed the incredible scenery.

Edited September 3, 2012 by pe4all