Live from NCL Spirit 06/21/23-07/05/23 - Alaska B2B Vancouver to Seward to Vancouver

[Seas2mountains]

5 hours ago, bomabound said:

My husband and I did B2B on the Spirit two weeks ago and loved it.  Yesterday evening we watched the beautiful Spirit cruise by from our living room window on Vancouver Island and wished we could be back on her. 😀. I hope you have an amazing cruise!

Thank you! I’m glad to hear you loved your cruise.  I can understand why as we are having a wonderful time! 
 

That’s really neat that you can watch cruise ships from your living room window. 😀

[YVRteacher]

Does the Spirit have a promenade deck that you can walk around?

[McKJohnOlip55]

Thanks for any suggestions on packing.  Looks like it's going to be cold & rainy next week.  Besides outdoor clothing what do you recommend for time on the ship? Are the hallways & venues cold and should take a wrap everywhere?  Anything else I need to think about?

[jdc987]

6 hours ago, KDebreuil said:

The only recent change I'm aware of is around the discharge of waste water. Perhaps the storage and treatment capabilities of the ship are not enough to satisfy the new requirements Canada put in this year?

 

https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/ship-safety-bulletins/enhanced-environmental-measures-2023-cruise-season-ssb-no-08-2023

Bingo

[YVRteacher]

14 minutes ago, McKJohnOlip55 said:

Thanks for any suggestions on packing.  Looks like it's going to be cold & rainy next week.  Besides outdoor clothing what do you recommend for time on the ship? Are the hallways & venues cold and should take a wrap everywhere?  Anything else I need to think about?

I’ve been to Alaska 12 times on NCL.  Here are some packing suggestions:

1.  Dress in layers: t-shirt, fleece, waterproof outer layer 

2. have waterproof, comfortable footwear

3. Sunglasses

4. sunscreen

5. bathing suit and flip flops for the pool/hot tub/spa

3. avoid jeans which are heavy to pack and cold when wet. Purchase some outdoorsy, water resistant pants. I wear Lululemon Align pants most days and pack 3 pairs.

5. Yes, the theatre and dining rooms can be cold. Pack a sweater, cardigan, hoody or shawl 

6. take some warm socks

7. I always pack a waterproof foldable rain poncho that is in my shore bag at all times

8. even on sunny days glacier viewings are cold. Pack a toque, scarf and mittens

9. if you’re using your phone as a camera, consider purchasing a waterproof pouch for your phone that has a neck strap. This is good for small boat excursions and rainy days

10. have a really comfy pair of shoes for the cruise ship. Choose comfort over style. NCL is casual.

11. If you forget anything, the Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan has an upstairs and this is a great place to pick up outdoor gear and clothing.

Edited June 23, 2023 by YVRteacher

[McKJohnOlip55]

6 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I’ve been to Alaska 12 times on NCL.  Here are some packing suggestions:

1.  Dress in layers: t-shirt, fleece, waterproof outer layer 

2. have waterproof, comfortable footwear

3. Sunglasses

4. sunscreen

5. bathing suit and flip flops for the pool/hot tub/spa

3. avoid jeans which are heavy to pack and cold when wet. Purchase some outdoorsy, water resistant pants. I wear Lululemon Align pants most days and pack 3 pairs.

5. Yes, the theatre and dining rooms can be cold. Pack a sweater, cardigan, hoody or shawl 

6. take some warm socks

7. I always pack a waterproof foldable rain poncho that is in my shore bag at all times

8. even on sunny days glacier viewings are cold. Pack a toque, scarf and mittens

9. if you’re using your phone as a camera, consider purchasing a waterproof pouch for your phone that has a neck strap. This is good for small boat excursions and rainy days

10. have a really comfy pair of shoes for the cruise ship. Choose comfort over style. NCL is casual.

11. If you forget anything, the Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan has an upstairs and this is a great place to pick up outdoor gear and clothing.

Thank you so much! Those are such great suggestions.  

[KDebreuil]

22 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I’ve been to Alaska 12 times on NCL.  Here are some packing suggestions:

1.  Dress in layers: t-shirt, fleece, waterproof outer layer 

2. have waterproof, comfortable footwear

3. Sunglasses

4. sunscreen

5. bathing suit and flip flops for the pool/hot tub/spa

3. avoid jeans which are heavy to pack and cold when wet. Purchase some outdoorsy, water resistant pants. I wear Lululemon Align pants most days and pack 3 pairs.

5. Yes, the theatre and dining rooms can be cold. Pack a sweater, cardigan, hoody or shawl 

6. take some warm socks

7. I always pack a waterproof foldable rain poncho that is in my shore bag at all times

8. even on sunny days glacier viewings are cold. Pack a toque, scarf and mittens

9. if you’re using your phone as a camera, consider purchasing a waterproof pouch for your phone that has a neck strap. This is good for small boat excursions and rainy days

10. have a really comfy pair of shoes for the cruise ship. Choose comfort over style. NCL is casual.

11. If you forget anything, the Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan has an upstairs and this is a great place to pick up outdoor gear and clothing.

That's all good advice, but be careful as on this cruise Ketchikan is only on the southbound leg, and it's the last port. So it isn't helpful for supplies, but still good for keepsakes.

[McKJohnOlip55]

10 minutes ago, KDebreuil said:

That's all good advice, but be careful as on this cruise Ketchikan is only on the southbound leg, and it's the last port. So it isn't helpful for supplies, but still good for keepsakes.

Yes, that's what I was thinking, we're only on the southbound portion. All suggestions very helpful.  

 

[bluesea777]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Does the Spirit have a promenade deck that you can walk around?

Yes, on deck 7, and also you can walk/jog around on deck 13.

 

 

[singleflyer]

I'm nervous; my cabin is just below the gym.  Sounds like people start working out early.  I guess I'll bring some ear plugs.

[YVRteacher]

@singleflyer we are on the same cruise

[singleflyer]

2 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

@singleflyer we are on the same cruise

 

Please refrain from using the gym until after 10am 😉

[YVRteacher]

Oh, I can do better than that! I can refrain for the whole cruise!!!

[boltnut55]

On 6/21/2023 at 12:29 AM, YVRteacher said:

Yes, I can help you! I’ve gotten stuck on that loop myself before so I know exactly what you mean.  I’ll come back to this tomorrow with some photos and diagrams. The biggest tip I’m going to give you is to park either at the aquarium or where the horse drawn carriage tours start. This way you will be entering Stanley Park off of Georgia Street and not off Robson.  Stay to the right to ensure you don’t get in a lane that goes over the Lions Gate Bridge.  (However, if you do go over the bridge, keep on going to West Van for a stop at Savary Island Pie Company!)

I remember seeing Lions Gate Bridge... I feel so much better than a local got stuck in the loop because I was very much feeling Twilight Zone😁

 

Also Georgia Street seems to be where 49th Parallel/Donuts is!

Edited June 23, 2023 by boltnut55

[GINNY L]

On 6/21/2023 at 11:18 PM, Seas2mountains said:

We had the perfect 10/10 first day!  The embarkation process was one of the smoothest of all the cruises we have taken.  
 

We had a great dinner at Cagney’s and did not take any photos. 
 

We are enjoying the beautiful views of mountains and islands while listening to a band we already love - B12.  
 

Here are some sunset photos. 

Thanking you for taking the time to do this.  I was on the Spirit in October going around Hawaii then to the French Polynesian.  Now I will be back on this ship July 5.  I enjoyed the ship especially the workers on the ship.  The restaurant manager Manoel and the Food & Beverage director, Mohammed are top notch.  Make sure to say hello to them and tell them I say hi.  Ginny aka Magnetic Mamma.  If you go to Henry's Pub see if the bartender Chip A Hoy is working.  He does some neat tricks.  If he is not working can you see when he is coming back on the ship.  Thank you again for your time.

[Seas2mountains]

Daily Day 2 PDF 

NCL Spirit Day 2.pdf

[Seas2mountains]

Daily Day 2. 

[Seas2mountains]

We had another 10/10 day on the Spirit. I’ll write more about the Behind the Scenes tour and Wines of the World experience. 
 

Today was a weird weather day but normal for Alaska. We woke up to overcast skies. By the time we went to the fitness center before breakfast, we saw almost completely blue skies. By lunchtime, it was overcast again. An hour or two later, the sun was out again and we saw mostly blue skies. A bit later it was not only overcast but drizzling and foggy. 
 

After lunch, we enjoyed spending time in the H20 kid free aft area in the hot tub and enjoyed chatting with other guests. We did pay  for spa passes which gets us unlimited time in the steam room, sauna, and the heated lounge chairs.  We have heard fhe heated lounge chairs don’t get hot enough but that must have been fixed.  
 

We are beyond happy with the entertainment options so far. 

[Seas2mountains]

Photos from the Women’s costumes and dressing room in the Theater. 

[Seas2mountains]

Photos from the Taste galley. There were a lot of Latitudes members on this tour.  If we weren’t standing next to the person giving the tour, we could not hear what they were saying. 
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

More galley photos. 

[Seas2mountains]

After seeing the galley and all the crew members working hard on preparing our food, we have a great appreciation for all that is involved.  
 

Before we went into the laundry, the Cruise Next representative giving the tour asked our group to refrain from touching the laundry.  Despite that request, for some unknown reason, some people could not keep their hands off the neatly stacked piles of clean sheets.  Ewww and ugh.  You can look with your eyes and don’t need to admire the sheets by putting your hands all over them! 

[Seas2mountains]

The machine that produces the perfectly folded sheets. Robes and the stack of baskets used when returning guest laundry. 

[Seas2mountains]

Here is the lovely Spice H2O area with cushioned lounge chairs. My husband and I think this is like a Haven area without the expense.  There is a bar here, too. 
 

Proof of the period of time we had beautiful blue skies again for a few hours. 

[Seas2mountains]

Photos of the Great Outdoors seating area overlooking Spice H20 taken on embarkation day.