8 Day Alaska on the Spirit - I got's questions

[MrSmoofy]

While I've joined my roll call for this cruise (Apr 27th 2020) not much activity there yet.  I've actually have had this booked for about 4 years now and every year I change it because something comes up.

 

Well this time it's happening and well I have questions for you experts.  I've done dozens of Carnival cruises so it's not about cruising itself it's more specific about this cruise, Alaska, weather, air travel. 

 

Let's start with bags and air travel.  Looking at temps for April in Alaska well while I like the cold 30's to 50's is to cold for this Florida boy to wear shorts all the time.  That means instead of 1 maybe 2 suite cases I'm probably looking at 3 because at 6'1" 260lbs my warmer cloths (jeans, jackets, etc) start to get bulky and heavy. 

 

In looking at flights it looks like I can fly in same day, how ever flying back looks like I will need to fly back the day after unless I take a red-eye.  I've also considered shipping lugage.

 

First now I'm considering flights on Alaska with Bag fees seem to be the best rates and have a direct flight.  Also considering spending the night on the trip back and flying the next day to avoid the red-eye situation.

 

Excursion wise I'm definitely interested in the Deadly Catch and one of the train rides but outside of that am open to suggestions of must sees/dos

 

So would love feedback from those that have done this cruise and what to expect and any tips you might have.

 

 

[marci4tony]

If you are used to Florida weather, you are in for a shock.  Even in late April, it will be chilly.  Pack hoodies, sweatshirts that you can throw over your shirts -  pants are a must.  It's chilly on the water/ocean.  

 

Binoculars...if you cant pack/bring them, you can probably buy them when you get there.  But binoculars!!  Whales, glaciers calving, shoreline, waterfalls.

 

We did a float-plane crab feed tour in Ketchican - If you can spring for an "plane" ride of some sort, you will see parts of Alaska that you did not know existed.  

[pe4all]

Layers, layers and more layers will be the best bet.  We wore underarmour thermals, a fleece, a heavy hoody, and a waterproof (Northface) short raincoat/windbreaker over that. The north face raincoat really helped a lot to stop the wind from cutting through us on deck, or on an excursion.   Gloves, chemical hand and footwarmers, hat, sunglasses, heavy socks will be needed also. You can carry the jackets onto your plane to save room in your luggage.   We did the boat into Tracy Arms - great experience, as you got right up to the glaciers, saw them calving, seals, etc.  Our favorite (and by far the most expensive ever) was the helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier, where we went dogsledding.  Really a once in a lifetime excursion.  

   Our CCL cruise left from Seattle, so we flew in a day early, as we had never been there before.  Did a duck tour, saw the space needle, pike market (beware of flying fish!).   On the way home our flight was right after the cruise so we were lucky.  

[Mutumbojimbo]

If you're flying from Seattle and flying home the day you disembark, the port offered a complimentary service to get your luggage to the airport, which definitely made it easier to sight see. I would look in to that and at least see if it is an option.

 

[glrounds]

This SoCal boy froze his butt off on his Alaska cruise. Admittedly, it was the first cruise of the season on Princess and I loved the ship in spite of the cold, rain and probably typical weather. Growing up in Iowa I fully expected this kind of weather and couldn't find any store in SoCal that carried thermal underwear which is what I wanted to take. The run up Glacier Bay was almost spiritual. The sun came out and stopped at the terminus rotating around for an hour to watch the glacier calving. Of 32 cruises it is without a doubt one of the best cruises of my life. The snow-covered mountains, emerald green water, and a plethora of wildlife just yards away was almost beyond belief. Wish I could afford to do it again. ☺️

Edited October 30, 2019 by glrounds

[mmb3124]

A few thoughts:

 

* As folks have said, layers. Thin, wicking, water repellent. SO much easier to peel off as you go, than regret being under dressed. Don't ignore footwear, particularly if you're planning on hiking.

 

* Bring something (Clips) to keep your curtain closed. LOTS of daylight, well into the night. I base this on July...may not be as bad, in April?

 

* Check the weather, close to departing. I know...sounds obvious. But, Alaska has been really warm, the past couple years. You may not need as much as you think.

 

* We LOVED the White Pass Railway, real highlight for us. Plan on walking around Skagway, afterwards. Drop by Skagway Brewing.

 

* Yes, the excursions are both expensive....and worth it. If you're going to skrimp on something...don't make it on excursions.

 

* Ketchikan is another town, that's worth just walking around. Particularly Creek Street. Cheesy fun.

 

* Whatever you decide to do in Juneau, make sure it involves Mendenhall. Frankly...that was the only thing we found that was outstanding there. Well, was fun to grab a beverage at the Red Dog, on the way back to the ship, as well.

 

* Take advantage of the presentations the onboard naturalist does. I almost skipped them...glad I didn't.

 

* Take a day in Seattle, if you haven't been there. It's a unique place.....well worth the extra cost (flight, hotel). I enjoyed it, frankly, more than Juneau or Victoria.

 

* Be prepared to just sit...and watch. If you don't have a balcony, stake out a spot. Particularly on Fjord day.

 

* Don't over pay for seafood in ports. It's often not in season & not all that much better than you'd get at home (IMHO, of course).

 

 

[MT_Sea_Cruisers]

We have always cruised later in the season (August or September).  For us, the weather is nice as we are from Montana and are used to much colder weather.  However, this past August we had a friend join us from Florida and and he was sooooooooo cold!  So be prepared to be cold if you are not used to milder weather.

[MrSmoofy]

9 minutes ago, MT_Sea_Cruisers said:

We have always cruised later in the season (August or September).  For us, the weather is nice as we are from Montana and are used to much colder weather.  However, this past August we had a friend join us from Florida and and he was sooooooooo cold!  So be prepared to be cold if you are not used to milder weather.

 

Believe it or not I was in MN for 11 months starting in Oct a couple of years ago.  I am well aware of what cold is as it snowed a couple of inches in Oct.  Born and raised in FL but I do like the cold.  I'm sure it won't be to bad for me but my +1 is cold here in Florida.  

[tallnthensome]

You should ask in the Alaska forum. That’s where there is a lot of discussion on this stuff daily. 

[amypintx]

We went in July (me, my 13 year old son and my 72 year old mom) so I can't help you with weather but here's what we did in the ports:

 

Tracy Arm - Highly recommend the small boat tour through the ship. I debated it due to the cost but I'm so happy we did it. We got to get up close to both glaciers.

 

Skagway - We rented a car and drove the Klondike highway (basically the same path the train takes) to Emerald Lake and back. We loved being able to stop anywhere we wanted to take pictures and to not have to wait for a giant tour bus of people to get on and off at all the picture stops. Plus we could stay as long as we wanted. We used Murray's Guide to pick where we wanted to stop and to learn more about everything we were seeing.

 

Juneau - Whale Watching/Mendenhall combo through Juneau Whale Watch. We had a great day... got to see several baby whales breaching and had plenty of time to walk the trail to Nugget Falls. 

 

Ketchikan - We loved the Deadliest Catch excursion. Definitely worth the $. 

 

We stayed in Seattle for 2 days post cruise and got the CityPass to see all the sites. Definitely worth it to get the pass if you're planning to do those attractions anyway.

[silvercrikhix]

Our 1st Alaska trip was in July and it snizzled the ENTIRE time. .

I still thought it was as beautiful as a dream anyway. 

Hopefully we’ll have better weather there this summer. 

Had we not had the following, we would have been wet & miserable: 

 

Definitely waterproof comfy ankle boots. Mine are Clarks. 

A hooded waterproof raincoat. 

Take a baseball hat and waterproof the bill of it. 

Put on under your raincoat hood. 

Gloves, winter hat. 

We also water proofed our slingpacks for excursions. 

We stayed dry & had a fabulous time. 

 

Excursions - 

Skagway - Took ferry to Haines & did a Gold Rush (tv show) Tour no longer avail - sorry. We had the tour guide drop us off at the Haines airport and were picked up by Fly Drake (also on tv show)   He flew us about an hour or so around the mountains, glaciers and wildlife. He dropped us back at Skagway airport. This is the most fantastic scenery we have ever seen in our lives, just breathtaking. We then rented a Jeep and drove around for several hours.  Beautiful scenery everywhere. 

 

Juneau - Whale watching boat tour (used coupon from Alaska Toursaver book). 

 

Ketchikan - Harley Tour with guide. Very reasonable and he knew all the great roads to ride on. It was snizzling but the scenery made us not even care. LOL  The Totem Museum (?) was very very interesting, we watched a guy making one. It takes years. We had no idea. LOL  He was gracious and answered all of our questions.  We went to two locations that had zillions of eagles in trees and poles. Amazing sight. 

 

Victoria - We arranged for a carriage to pick us up at the port. We had a beautiful tour through the 

Gardens and around town, amazing homes, castle, etc... It’s one of the most beautiful cities. It started pouring 1\2 way through the tour and the poor uniformed driver just stoically continued on. LOL

We tipped him very well. 

 

You’ll love Alaska, Enjoy ! 

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by silvercrikhix

[martincath]

This is a Seattle RT, so unless you are willing to have a backup plan of spending 8 days in Seattle don't fly in same day... regardless of whether you book through the cruiseline, if you have any flight issues and don't make the ship your cruise is over before it begins (flying on to join in Juneau would make this a PVSA violation as you'd be getting transported by a foreign-flag vessel between 2 US ports, which means even a cruiseline flight 'guarantee' to get you to the cruise is utterly meaningless). Even if you have good travel insurance which will refund your losses you'll still miss your cruise - and be careful about minimum connection times in the small print, as insurance companies general like to avoid paying out as much as possible... make sure your scheduled flight is enough earlier than the latest pier arrival time (90mins pre-ship-departure) to meet any minimum delay specified in the policy (often 6 hours, so e.g. for a 5pm cruise you'd need to be arriving at SEA by 9:30am).

 

It's also more logical to be spending pre- than post-cruise time for flying in from the east coast too - so you can adjust to local time zone before boarding. Since 27 April is a Monday next year if you're on a typical M-F work week flying in Sat or Sun means no extra days off work so it's just the cost of accommodation that you need to worry about. Think of it as spending a bonus day or two in Seattle that also comes with free insurance against missing your cruise 😉

 

As to your other logistics - we're virtually identical in size, so while I might be happier in the cold than you are if you layer clothing that means the only extra clothing you might need compared to me would be one extra middle 'warmth' layer. Since that layer goes over your base layer and under your shell, you don't need to wash/replace it much - my single 28" suitcase which I only use maybe 3/4 of for a trip this long easily has room for another couple of sweaters and an extra pair of thermals; Alaska cruises run more casual than others, you don't have to worry about much in the way of formal wear, so even if you're a total clothes-horse you shouldn't need huge amounts of extra suitcase space even if you normally wear shorts rather than long pants.

 

Jeans are a poor choice where rain is likely - much better to have water-resistant lighter pants with thermals under, or a cheap set of waterproof pants on top - and a warm coat is also suboptimal as they only work when it's actually cold. An unlined shell to keep the water & wind off is what you want - then temp control consists of how many layers you wear under it - warm but wet day? T-shirt and shell. Cold and wet? Stick a fleece on too. Gets warmer while on an excursion? Remove layers as needed, instead of sweltering inside a heavy coat.

 

Plus, extra base and warmth layers are cheaply and easily acquired in all AK ports - plenty of stores selling Ts, sweaters, fleeces in your ports - and they make for souvenirs as well as being useful. Acquire too much stuff to fit your existing suitcase for the flight home? Just visit a post office and use the excellent USPS fixed rate parcel service to send non-perishable stuff back. A large flat-rate box that holds up to 70lbs of stuff costs <$20 to ship anywhere in the US... cheaper than airline bag fees!

 

What to do? Personally I don't believe there's such a thing as a Must See for everyone and I have no idea what your personal tastes are, so while lists of what other folks enjoyed are potentially very useful if their tastes are similar to yours, far more useful to ensure you maximize your limited time in port with the things that are the best for you is doing your own research. Trip Advisor is a great way to see what Joe Q Public thinks is best (even with fake reviews, popular sites with hundreds or thousands of opinions can still be assumed to be accurate in their comparative rankings with other options). Work your way down from most to least popular and see which jump out as you as a thing you, your S.O./family etc. would enjoy the most - you know you, we don't!

[MrSmoofy]

martincath you my friend win the internet today.

 

We think a like on the flight.  I got to thinking it's vacation why do I want the added stress on the flights in and out.

I booked the flights through Carnival they were the space price as Alaska Air had on their site and I can use my carnival gift cards that I get at 10% off through Allstate.  Flying in the day before now and leaving the day after so there will be some time to at least see the space needle while there.

 

I know of the 2 excursions that I know I want to do don't care what the reviews say but I still like seeing others opinions even if I ignore them.  It's like Movie Critics there are often movies with poor reviews that i love and often movies with great review that I hate.  It's all public opinion.

 

The layers make sense specially something the keep the wind out.  Your body will keep you warm if you keep it from losing the heat and keeping the cold wind out.   I spend 11 months in Minnesota during the winter for work so I know what cold feels like and I was really only cold 1 day that whole time and that was the day the wind blew right through my jacket and me.

 

Appreciate everyone's feedback so far.

[nicoleinwi]

I just wanted to touch on the clothing portion a bit as you have so many responses on the other aspects.  We live in WI so the temp for us will be fine when we cruise in May but it's not going to be warm for us either. 

 

DH & I both have Eddie Bauer down jackets that pack up into a pocket on the jacket.  Check out their Storm Down series.  We love them because they aren't bulky.  They're rated for like 40 degrees with no activity but down to -15 with activity.  They're great because we will wear them on the plane as not bulky to too warm for that as just sitting and if get too warm just stuff them into our carryon.  They have wind spoof and water repellent (we'll still take an actual rain jacket though for a downpour).  It's the wind that is going to get you.  Right now in WI we're in a bad cold snap, it's been upper 30's and 25mph winds.  I went for a walk the other day in this jacket and my top part was comfortable with just a long sleeve t-shirt it was my legs that got cold.  And, I think with how "warm" this jacket goes to it might not be a one time use as in FL if a cold snap it could be good.  

 

You could also look for hiking pants that have wind protection in them (and will usually beed off the rain if light enough).  They look almost like casual dress pants.  Kuhl, Eddie Bauer and Outdoor Research make some decent ones.  

 

You'll probably want a lightweight pair of gloves.  And, if you don't get a jacket with a hood, maybe a hat.  

 

Lastly wool socks to keep your feet toasty.  If you aren't doing hiking boots then they will sure help if wearing sneakers.  I think though we'll be living in our hiking boots for all the excursions.  Ours have goretex in them to keep them waterproof.  If you don't have already, I wouldn't spend the extra money to get winter insulted ones.  We are fine in winter in our regular ones with wool socks.  

 

Good luck in all your clothes shopping :)

[MrSmoofy]

So next thing is hotel.  I've looked at several.  Do hotels even offer airport/hotel transportation or even hotel/port transportation anymore?

 

Carnival suggested using theirs $30 each way each person but that would require going back to the airport on sale day and having transportation from the airport to the selected hotel.

 

Obviously there is Uber/Lyft/Taxies but that's an added expensive so was wondering if hotels offer such a thing anymore so i can look at those and compare their rates vs ones that don't and using a car service.

[martincath]

No hotel in Seattle offers an included transfer to the pier and the airport - there's far too much driving through potentially god-awful traffic between them!

 

Cheapest transportation from airport to downtown would be LINK light rail ($3pp) if you can handle your bags easily, but no hope of that if you do end up with 2 or 3 suitcases! Otherwise there are indy shuttles that pick up at airport hotels and take you to the pier for IIRC $20pp-ish, much better deal and more convenient than a cruiseline airport-pier transfer. But for 2+ people, fixed rate car services are going to end up costing you even less in total.

 

All airport hotels have a free shuttle to & from SEA; a very few downtown hotels (fancy ones) have 'free' towncars that will take you wherever; many hotels in downtown, esp Seattle Center area, are also visited by cheap cruise shuttles that charge a few bucks pp to the pier on the day (last time we did this is was $5pp; last reports I've seen indicate that's gone up to $7+ now); a cab from most downtown hotels or LINK stations to the Pier 66 should run <$15 on the meter, but out to Pier 91 could go >$20.

 

If you do stay out at SEA, then LINK to downtown for sightseeing is extremely affordable and without lots of luggage is very easy to use - but personally, since you don't seem to have visited before, I'd be inclined to eat the extra cost and stay in a hotel you can walk to attractions from to maximize efficiency (depending which hotel at SEA, you could easily spend over an hour each way between the hotel shuttle and LINK). Seattle Center hotels run cheaper than downtown, and are very convenient for the Needle, Science Center, MoPop, Chihuly...

 

 

 

[MrSmoofy]

Thanks for that info.  Was hoping to find a hotel that at a minimum had transport from and to the airport would be 1 less car ride will be 2 of us with a  minimum of 4 bags possible up to 6 depending on how many each of use take.

 

 

[martincath]

26 minutes ago, MrSmoofy said:

...Was hoping to find a hotel that at a minimum had transport from and to the airport ...

As mentioned, all Seatac area hotels have 'free' shuttles to/from the airport. You should be able to get the shuttle drivers to drop you at LINK rather than airport terminal if you decide to stay out there. When we get a bargain flight out of SEA we stay nearby and use LINK - but then we've seen and done everything of interest to us in Seattle, usually multiple times, so a wasted couple of hours is no big whoop... for a first-timer who only has a couple of days to see it all, 2 hours per day of your very limited time should be worth a lot more of your $ than for the likes of us who pass through 20+ times a year.

[MrSmoofy]

Is there some magic to finding which hotels are considered Seatac area hotels or should I just call the hotel I'm looking at and ask?

[mapleleaves]

16 minutes ago, MrSmoofy said:

Is there some magic to finding which hotels are considered Seatac area hotels or should I just call the hotel I'm looking at and ask?

just go on www.hotels.com and for your city say SEATAC, then enter your dates. 

When the next screen comes up,  look for LANDMARKS ..... choose 'Seattle Tacoma International Airport', then select 2 miles.   I'd also choose guest rating of 8.  Under Amenities, select 'airport transfer'. 

This link should work for you. Just chg the dates:

https://www.hotels.com/search.do?resolved-location=CITY%3A1469829%3AUNKNOWN%3AUNKNOWN&f-guest-rating-min=8&f-guest-rating-max=10&f-distance=2.0&f-lid=1645603&destination-id=1469829&q-destination=SeaTac, Washington, United States of America&q-check-in=2020-06-12&q-check-out=2020-06-13&q-rooms=1&q-room-0-adults=1&q-room-0-children=0&sort-order=PRICE

 

Seattle Express is a popular cruise transfer but it's $27RT so you might as well use Carnival.

 

ps  I suggest you look thru past trip reports above.  Concentrate on the ones with lots of photos.  Pay attention to what people in the background are wearing.  It's usually jeans, sweatshirt, and topped with a rainproof jacket.  If you think you'll be cold buy some long underwear.

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by mapleleaves

[MrSmoofy]

2 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

just go on www.hotels.com and for your city say SEATAC, then enter your dates. 

When the next screen comes up,  look for LANDMARKS ..... choose 'Seattle Tacoma International Airport', then select 2 miles.   I'd also choose guest rating of 8.  Under Amenities, select 'airport transfer'. 

https://www.hotels.com/search.do?resolved-location=CITY%3A1469829%3AUNKNOWN%3AUNKNOWN&f-guest-rating-min=8&f-guest-rating-max=10&f-distance=2.0&f-lid=1645603&destination-id=1469829&q-destination=SeaTac, Washington, United States of America&q-check-in=2020-06-12&q-check-out=2020-06-13&q-rooms=1&q-room-0-adults=1&q-room-0-children=0&sort-order=PRICE

 

Seattle Express is a popular cruise transfer but it's $27RT so you might as well use Carnival.

 

 

 

 

Perfect thanks.  I was just using google and look on google maps to get an idea of where hotels were.