All Things Carnival Spirit

[jrmende63]

Thank you. I know calving is not a guarantee but it does help to be in a place where it's more likely to happen.

 

The oldest is coming home to spend the night tonight (he goes to college about an hour away) so I'm going to sit everyone down and explain the situation and see if they want me to check into something else (in the way of excursions) that might give us a better opportunity.

 

I see that Major Marine gives discounts on more than one tour and we are already booked through them in Seward - so maybe I can get us on something that won't cost an arm and a leg (I'd settle for an arm). Just want to be sure everyone wants to spend more time on smaller boats. We are already doing a dinner cruise in Seward, whale watching in Juneau and a 5 hour fishing trip in Ketchikan.

 

I guess I'll find out here shortly.

 

If anyone can give me more info on the Prince WIlliam Sound tours I would appreciate it. I will also check the other threads.

Cheryl,

I was on the same Carnival Spirit sailing as David Jacobson. (We actually met in the Lido after we boarded:D I recognized him from his Avatar!)

We sailed ( as will you) through the College Fjords. We saw LOTS of calving. I know this is not a for sure guaranteed thing, but most of the glaciers we saw in CF were active, esp Harvard glacier. I have beautiful pics of Harvard glacier calving. We WERE impressed!

[jrmende63]

Hi there David! I see you will be platinum soon! Sorry to butt in your thread Cheryl! Just had to say hello to my buddy!

[jrmende63]

Cheryl,

also we had a starboard cabin. But the Captain turns the ship around the College Fjords and both sides see the glaciers...Harvard glacier is the "crowning glory" in College Fjords.

Carnival does go to Glacier Bay but only the first trip in May and the last trip in Sept. I don't feel like I missed anything by not going to Glacier Bay.

You are on a Southbound? I belive I remember reading that somewhere. If so you will come to the College Fjords first and not last like the northbound trips.

[sea_u_onboard]

No problem - off topic is perfectly fine.

 

I'm SSSOOOOOO glad we MAY get to see something. I ran it past the guys tonight and basically they said that whatever I have planned they will do. If I want to book something in Whittier then fine but they weren't going to hold me to calving ice - wasn't that nice of them :) . Of course I know the entire cruise they will tease my RELENTLESSLY about it - thats' just the way they are.

 

My DH and oldest son did however say that since I brought it up - if we didn't do the tour in Whittier they want the $80 each we were going to spend on the tour for the casino - so I don't think they will be too heartbroken if we don't go.

[kellywhitehills]

I was worried about seeing glaciers calving..Thats one of the reasons we decided on a Tracy Arm Tour instead of the whale watching trip we had planned for Juneau..Goldbelt Tours said they saw calving on all but 3 of their tours last year...They also saw whales on 80% of their tours last year...Soo we decided to take our chances and do Tracys Arm..They go all the way up to Sawyer Glacier....Some Cruise ships go that way but alot of the time they have to turn back because of weather and ice...

[tinkerbell1951]

Does it matter whether you are starboard or port side on V to V G.B. sailings in Sept ?

 

Thanks. Tink:)

[greatdanemom]

Does it matter whether you are starboard or port side on V to V G.B. sailings in Sept ?

 

Thanks. Tink:)

 

Hi Tink, it looks like we're on the same Alaska cruise! :)

 

I've been researching this and what I've found so far is:

 

Port - The advantage is on the day you go into Glacier Bay since entering GB the glaciers are on the left side and the ships pull closer to them in here; They do turn around for the Starboard side to see but I've read varying opinions on how long Starboard actually got to see the glaciers...some were even blocked by another ship entering GB

 

Starboard - Seems to have the advantage when docked in the towns by facing the town scenery

 

I may be WAY wrong on my summary here but to me it seemed to come down to the choice of what did you want to see the most - glaciers or towns. We chose glaciers and booked a Port Aft. Heck, if I got it wrong I'll just have to book a second Alaska cruise and try the other side!! :D Besides, I trust my fellow Cruise Critics will jump in here and set me straight if my choice is backwards.

 

Cheryl

[sea_u_onboard]

That is exactly what I have have read.

 

Personally I don't think any cabin is a bad cabin - but I have heard port is the best for Glacier Bay.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Cheryl:

 

We sailed the northbound itinerary on the Spirit on our last Alaska cruise (doing southbound this time). We spent a lot of time in College Fjord--which was beautiful, but we didn't see any calving. :(

 

In the hopes of increasing our chances this year, we've booked a PWS four-hour tour before we board. No guarantee of calving, of course, but I've got my fingers crossed. Just being in a smaller boat and getting closer to some glaciers will be worth the price of the tickets for me! The Toursaver book has a coupon for Prince William Sound Cruises and Tours (http://www.princewilliamsound.com) and I made our reservations just a couple of days ago.

 

As far as the side of the ship to be on, I've read here that port is the best side if you plan to view College Fjord from your balcony as that's the side the naturalist is talking about when she does her talk (you can hear her on your balcony).

 

Cheers!

Jayne

 

:)

[sea_u_onboard]

Yeah - we discussed it and basically they told me whatever I wanted to do they are game. We already have a tour booked with Major Marine in Seward and they do PWS as well. I think we are going to play it by ear. If we get to Whittier early enough and there are spot then we will go. Major Marine will give us a discount because we are doing the other tour with them. Tour Saver is a great book - but since I didn't plan on buying one (have everything booked now) it really won'[t be an advantage for the one excursions - especially since there are 4 of us - unless they allow you to buy multipules with one coupon.

 

Thanks for the tip on College Fjord. I'm so glad we opted for port side.

[tinkerbell1951]

Hi Tink, it looks like we're on the same Alaska cruise:) .

 

I've been researching this and what I've found so far is:

 

Port - The advantage is on the day you go into Glacier Bay since entering GB the glaciers are on the left side and the ships pull closer to them in here; They do turn around for the Starboard side to see but I've read varying opinions on how long Starboard actually got to see the glaciers...some were even blocked by another ship entering GB

 

Starboard - Seems to have the advantage when docked in the towns by facing the town scenery

 

I may be WAY wrong on my summary here but to me it seemed to come down to the choice of what did you want to see the most - glaciers or towns. We chose glaciers and booked a Port Aft. Heck, if I got it wrong I'll just have to book a second Alaska cruise and try the other side!! :D Besides, I trust my fellow Cruise Critics will jump in here and set me straight if my choice is backwards.

 

Cheryl

 

Hi Cheryl :) . Yes we are. Have you or anyone else started a roll call ?

Cinci :)

[tinkerbell1951]

Well, I guess I blew it but I didn't want cigarette butts and ice cream cones on my balcony ... so that left me starboard. Perhaps, I'll just have to jog across the stern to your cabin ;) .

[xbaci]

hi

just curious, love the photo on the bridge, How did you manage that?

on our last couple of cruises, there were no bridge tours, due to security.

thanks

[xbaci]

hi cheryl

do i see va beach in your location. We are in va beach too. are you on spirit july 18.

[vfb2girls]

We are also sailing on the Spirit for our Alaskan vacation but for the life of me I can't find anyone else sailing the same time we are. We will be doing the southbound route out of Whittier June 20, anyone else sailing this time or are we the only ones on this ship?

[sea_u_onboard]

hi

just curious, love the photo on the bridge, How did you manage that?

on our last couple of cruises, there were no bridge tours, due to security.

thanks

Well - It's a long story (which I have told on here before but it's been awhile). I will try and give you the short version.

 

My son is learning disabled and LOVES to cruise. He collects the models of the ships. We were set to sail on the Conquest only a few months after it was sailing and I kept asking on CC if anyone knew if the gift shop had the model yet - as my son, Nathan, had been saving his money for months in order to buy one. Everyone was telling me no. So I emailed Carnival Guest Relations and explained about Nathan and how he loves to cruise and wants to be a Captain someday (though that will never be - at least not a cruise ship). I told them about his big plans to buy a model - which it appeared would not be available and I was hoping they could tell me if they would have them by the time we sailed. Imagine my surprise when I was cc'ed on an email from Uncle Bob to the Capt of the Conquest asking how the "plans" for Nathan's visit were coming along. (Trying to keep this short.)

 

Boy, what plans they were. First - all the crew we came in contact with knew who we were when we gave them our name (we found out later that we were "discussed" every morning at the staff). Camp Carnival went out of their way to be sure he had a great time. Everyone was fabulous. It was my SIL and BIL first cruise and we told them not to expect this type of treatment ever again. We were all invited to the Capt Private Cocktail Party and then when we were parked in Cozumel we were invited to visit the bridge. We were told we were the first civilians to be on the bridge and that they just don't allow anyone up there. Boy was he tickled. They presented him with the picture from the night before at the party with an inscription and the Capts seal and then the coffee table book with an inscription. I was even shocked and surprised when they pulled out the model because they still weren't selling them and I was told that they would come up with SOMETHING to make up for it not being available.

 

As far as I know it was several months before they started selling the models - I don't know how they got it for him. If I have been thinking I would have had him sign it - but I think I was more flustered than he was.

 

So it is possible to get on the bridge - just don't know how we got so lucky.

[sea_u_onboard]

Confusing with 2 Cheryl's - Great, but confusing :D

[feelin_peachy]

We are also sailing on the Spirit for our Alaskan vacation but for the life of me I can't find anyone else sailing the same time we are. We will be doing the southbound route out of Whittier June 20, anyone else sailing this time or are we the only ones on this ship?

 

We almost went on that sailing, but ended up having to go NB a week earlier. :(

But since you board right after we disembark, we'll try to keep her clean for ya! ;) :D

[feelin_peachy]

Well - It's a long story (which I have told on here before but it's been awhile). I will try and give you the short version.

 

My son is learning disabled and LOVES to cruise. He collects the models of the ships. We were set to sail on the Conquest only a few months after it was sailing and I kept asking on CC if anyone knew if the gift shop had the model yet - as my son, Nathan, had been saving his money for months in order to buy one. Everyone was telling me no. So I emailed Carnival Guest Relations and explained about Nathan and how he loves to cruise and wants to be a Captain someday (though that will never be - at least not a cruise ship). I told them about his big plans to buy a model - which it appeared would not be available and I was hoping they could tell me if they would have them by the time we sailed. Imagine my surprise when I was cc'ed on an email from Uncle Bob to the Capt of the Conquest asking how the "plans" for Nathan's visit were coming along. (Trying to keep this short.)

 

Boy, what plans they were. First - all the crew we came in contact with knew who we were when we gave them our name (we found out later that we were "discussed" every morning at the staff). Camp Carnival went out of their way to be sure he had a great time. Everyone was fabulous. It was my SIL and BIL first cruise and we told them not to expect this type of treatment ever again. We were all invited to the Capt Private Cocktail Party and then when we were parked in Cozumel we were invited to visit the bridge. We were told we were the first civilians to be on the bridge and that they just don't allow anyone up there. Boy was he tickled. They presented him with the picture from the night before at the party with an inscription and the Capts seal and then the coffee table book with an inscription. I was even shocked and surprised when they pulled out the model because they still weren't selling them and I was told that they would come up with SOMETHING to make up for it not being available.

 

As far as I know it was several months before they started selling the models - I don't know how they got it for him. If I have been thinking I would have had him sign it - but I think I was more flustered than he was.

 

So it is possible to get on the bridge - just don't know how we got so lucky.

 

Cheryl, I think this is a wonderful story! It brought tears thinking how special that must of been for Nathan. He looks so happy it the pictures! When a big corporation takes the time to do something like this, it is impressive. It should make people want to be a loyal customers to them. Thanks for sharing!

[bobbie_81348]

We are getting ready to book the Northbound cruise for July 25. We are debating on whether to let the cruise line book the flight or do it ourselves. Is it not harder or more expensive to do that yourself since it won't be a round trip, but coming into one place and flying out of another? Any comments or suggestions please.

[kellywhitehills]

we booked ours though Carnival....It was easier and they pick up up and take us to the airport..In the long run it was cheaper..I still dont know what time we fly out or what airline..I was told they only use major carriers..We will find out when we get our docs...

[Cruiser Joe]

We are getting ready to book the Northbound cruise for July 25. We are debating on whether to let the cruise line book the flight or do it ourselves. Is it not harder or more expensive to do that yourself since it won't be a round trip, but coming into one place and flying out of another? Any comments or suggestions please.

I say book yourself. You have control over which flights to take, and gives you more freedom. When booking on-line, the larger travel sites have a "multi-leg" option or something similar to book a non-round trip flight.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

When we cruised the Spirit to Alaska in 2001, we looked at the price and timing for booking our own air and what it would cost to book through Carnival. At that time, they beat anything I could find by more than $300 per person, so we booked through Carnival.

 

I would never do that again! It wasn't Carnival's fault, but we almost missed the ship! You'd think we would have been safe since the flight from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, BC is less than an hour and 15 minutes, but we had mechanical delays. So, our flight that was scheduled to land in Vancouver mid-morning didn't land until late afternoon!

 

Now we book our own and fly in at least a day early. Carnival will typically fly you in the day of for an Alaska and all it takes is one flight delay and you risk missing your cruise. I know people say that they'll hold the ship if you booked your flight through them, but that's not necessarily true. In our case, I called Carnival a few times that day and they let us know it was up to us to get to the first port if we missed the ship--they would reimburse us later. And, I've read other stories here on Cruise Critic about booking air through the cruiseline and the ship wasn't held.

 

Personally, even if Carnival's price is slightly less than what you can do on your own, I'd still book on my own and fly in at least one day early. If you've never been to Vancouver, it's worth a day or two anyway!

 

JMHO.

 

Cheers!

Jayne

 

:)

[greatdanemom]

Hi Cheryl :) . Yes we are. Have you or anyone else started a roll call ?

Cinci :)

 

Hi Cinci! I haven't found a Roll Call yet and haven't started one. We're heading to Bermuda in 4 weeks so I've been pretty focused on that research. But Alaska is so appealing I keep finding myself reading this board!

 

Tinkerbell, I'm sure your cabin choice will be fine. Especially if I have cigarette butts and ice cream cones raining down on my head in mine!!:eek: There probably isn't a bad choice you can make for a cabin to Alaska. The beauty is outside no matter what ship you're on or cabin you're in.

 

Xbaci, nice to meet a fellow VBer!!! We're actually on the 9-10-08 Spirit. I envy you going so much sooner.

 

Sea_u-onboard, that was a beautiful story about your son. Bless his heart! One of our boys grew up with some learning disabilities, too. Boy did he struggle. He's now a Dean's List student in his junior year of college. Hang in there because things can always get better. Raising him was the toughest of all 6 of my children but the rewards have been incredible. Hey, we "Cheryls" need to stick together, right?

 

As to booking air...we always book with the cruise lines and then monitor airline costs as we get close to cruise time. If we find a deal we call and cancel the air with the cruise line. Usually we do better finding our own flights. The one exception we had was when we did the Transatlantic. The open jaw flights involved were very high $ and the cruise line saved of a LOT of money. I suspect those doing the Nothbound/Southbound Alaska may occasionally encounter the same situation. It's always worth keeping all of your options open until you have to totally commit if you want to save $.

 

Cheryl (#2)

[sea_u_onboard]

Cheryl, I think this is a wonderful story! It brought tears thinking how special that must of been for Nathan. He looks so happy it the pictures! When a big corporation takes the time to do something like this, it is impressive. It should make people want to be a loyal customers to them. Thanks for sharing!

How can you help but be loyal to a corporation when they do that :) . It was a fantastic trip. He was on the moon. He has the ship in one of those model cases with the picture of the Captain presenting it right next to it in his room. I hope to someday sail with Captain Cutugno again. He was fantastic with Nathan, as was all the staff.