Back from 19 days back to back on the Spirit

[luv2cruz44]

Judy,

 

Hawaii has a great roll call going...come and join it!

[MalGee64]

OK, then. We did the Glacier Bay roundtrip back-to-back with the Hawaii itinerary. To say that the scenery in the Inside Passage was spectacular would be a complete understatement. Every day brought another round of "Wow, did you see that?". We saw a huge pod - around 60 or so, someone said - of orca while in transit. The weather was utterly beautiful; everyone we spoke to in each port said that this was the best weather in four months. In most ports we were walking around in t-shirts, shorts and thongs (that's flip flops to you northen hemisphere types, not the unflattering underwear - I wouldn't do that to humanity:rolleyes: ); it was that nice. We prebooked an excursion in each port through Carnival as follows:

 

Juneau - we did the Mendenhall Glacier and Gold Creek salmon bake; Dave and Elesa did a half day sportsfishing charter. Our trip was fantastic, very informative and a great feed at the salmon bake. I had my first taste of proper clam chowder, and I want more! The fishing trip was not so good - unprofessional was the general opinion (Dave is a pro fishing guide in Darwin, so he knows). However, the pursers office onboard took their comments onboard and resolved things satisfactorily.

 

Ketchikan - all four of us went out to Neets Bay bearwatching. A big old black bear finally made an appearance about two minutes before we were due to leave, which was nice, and the float plane trip was marvellous, but on a whole the tour left a lot to be desired - mainly due to the state of the facilities at the bay and the staff who escorted our group. It looked nothing like the photos in the excursion brochure, for one thing. However, we saw our bear so things were not so bad.

 

Skagway - had to do the White Pass Railroad up and bus trip back down. This was a ripper - chock full of history, breathtaking scenery, and very informative as well. The show at Liarsville was cheesy but lighthearted fun, and the crew out at the camp were a lot of fun to talk to as well.

 

Aside from these tours, we had a good look around each place. I managed to have a beer in each port (the Red Dog, the Red Onion, and the Totem Bar), we had a good stroll around Creek Street (and ran into an Australian store owner, for gawds sake), and bought far more souvenirs than is generally healthy. We had lunch onboard most days (sometimes late, sometimes a quick bite and then out again) and there were no major hassles with getting onboard and off again. We didn't tender once in Alaska, which was handy, and in a couple of ports there were three other ships alongside - but the place never seemed crowded. By the way, I had some of the best BBQ pork I've ever had in Skagway - just down the main drag on the right hand side of the street, I can't remember the name of the store but follow your nose and you'll find him. Deeee-licious.

 

The day in Glacier Bay was amazing - we got really close to all three glaciers (within 1000 ft or so) and it was incredible. We saw calving glaciers, wildlife, more mountains and snow than I've seen in my life, and the whole day was spent in brilliant sunshine. Unreal. Our naturalist (Michelle, from memory) was very informative without being intrusive or annoying, and the CO did a great job making sure that both sides of the ship got equal time viewing the glaciers. To cap it all, the girls spent half an hour in the fantail hot tub, and we got some great photos of them swimming with mountains of ice looming in the background. They made a VERY quick dash for the robes when they got out, for some reason...

 

The Alaska portion of our trip proved to be everything we'd hoped for, and more. With the exception of the couple of tours that were a bit of a letdown, the whole week was spent basically pointing at things going "Oooh! Aaah!", and I would go back there in a heartbeat. It was a real shame when the last sea day came around, and we realised that a whole lot of our new, very dear friends would be leaving us tomorrow.

 

Next up, the food (Mmmm-MMMM!), the spa, casino, and life at sea in general for the first week...

[lnew1gd1]

We will be looking forward to your review. DH and I will be doing that cruise in reverse in April-May--Hawaii to Alaska. How was the weather and water your five days at sea. Were any of them pool days?

We have never been to Alaska and are looking forward to it. Coming from Connecticut, I always look to the warm climate for our one cruise every year. When I saw this Hawaii to Alaska I figured this is my chance to enjoy the beautiful Hawaii weather and then see Alaska.

Would you believe, the Hawaii leg of the cruise has been booked solid for about 3 weeks now!

Looking forward to your review! Judy

 

We are sailing Hawaii with you! Come join our roll call, it's a great group and we would love to meet you!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=272238

[candigirl41]

I loved your thong reference. My DD thinks they are underwear, having English parents they are shoes to me!!! Thanks for the laugh. Review is great.

 

Candi

[MalGee64]

The food service was great. DW and I ate dinner in the Empire (late seating) almost every night (we liked the silver service treatment), and had no complaints. If there was one negative, I guess that the lobster on the first formal night wasn't the best ever - but hey, lobster is lobster, and I managed to force myself to eat the whole thing :p . I had the prime rib every time it was offered on the menu, and it was some of the best beef I've had in a long long time. The hot soups were uniformly delicious. Breakfast we usually had in the La Playa; queues were never a problem, and the selection and variety was more than adequate. We had formal breakfast twice, and the service was very good. Same with lunch - the two times we ate in the Empire, it was very good and the service was fine. The tucker on offer in the La Playa was great for what it was - quick, convenient, and filling. The taste of the Nations choice each day was quite popular - the queue on Tex Mex and Barbeque days was quite long, but no real drama. All four of us got hooked on the Reubens and grilled turkey sandwiches - I get the growls just thinking about them even now. We had room service three times, just for the novelty, and the order was delivered warm and promptly (usually inside ten or fifteen minutes). For a spoil DW and I went to the Nouveau club on one of the sea days, and I would recommend it to anyone. Our table staff were marvellous (especially Leya, our lovely Russian waitress) and the meal itself was wonderful (the prawns were the best I had onboard). Thirty buckas a head was well worth it for about two hours worth of special service and pampering.

 

Other facilities - I used the spa once, for the Ultimate Shave treatment for a spoil. It was a lovely way to spend an hour, cost me 65 dollars, and the young lady who gave me the treatment didn't hard sell anything, which was nice. I used the steam room and sauna a couple of times, just to unwind and get all "vacationy", and looked in the gym a number of times - well, exercise is 50% mental, and I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Seriously, the fitness facilities were very good, and the gym had the nicest view of any I've been to. The dome over the midships pool got opened on the first sea day towards Hawaii, and it was very nice once the weather cleared up by day two, but the slide stayed closed all trip :( .

 

The casino got a good workout - there were a number of blackjack and slots tournaments, and every night at least one Hold 'Em table got up and running (usually 2/4 limit, one or twice 5/10). The casino staff were all great, and if the table was slow would take the time to teach inexperienced players the finer points of each game - which didn't increase our winnings at all, but was a nice gesture. If you get Brian as the casino host onboard, say hi from us and ask him how his shark swim was : )

 

The entertainment was pretty good - notable was big Bruce McGhie in the Shanghai piano bar. He was good for a singalong every night, and by the third night he had a full house going. On the whole, the musos onboard were all good. The shows were usually pretty good, but we didn't attend many (big Las Vegas style entertainment isn't our kettle of fish). We had Mrs Hughes for the comedian, and she was a gutbuster - very funny, and her midnight show was outstanding. The usual hairy chesters, trivial pursuit and suchlike were a big hit, and the Carnival Pool Olympics were a lot of fun.

 

Next up I'll run through the Hawaii portion, and try and wrap this thing up in some sort of reasonable time.

 

Cheers!

 

Mal

[MalGee64]

We will be looking forward to your review. DH and I will be doing that cruise in reverse in April-May--Hawaii to Alaska. How was the weather and water your five days at sea. Were any of them pool days?

We have never been to Alaska and are looking forward to it. Coming from Connecticut, I always look to the warm climate for our one cruise every year. When I saw this Hawaii to Alaska I figured this is my chance to enjoy the beautiful Hawaii weather and then see Alaska.

Would you believe, the Hawaii leg of the cruise has been booked solid for about 3 weeks now!

Looking forward to your review! Judy

 

Yep, apart from the first day-and-a-half out of Vancouver (overcast but warm), the sun broke through brilliantly for the rest of the trip and the pool decks were the place to be. No chair hogs, which was nice, but a lot of people need to learn about sunscreen - there were some really painful looking cases inching their way around. The weather for the whole Hawaii leg was just what we wanted - warm without being tropical oppressive.

[bdog1]

If I may ask, how was the entertainment on the Lido deck during the sea days. The last time I was on the Spirit they had a calypso band playing who wer quite entertaining. Also, did the 5 days at sea bother you at all?

[MalGee64]

If I may ask, how was the entertainment on the Lido deck during the sea days. The last time I was on the Spirit they had a calypso band playing who wer quite entertaining. Also, did the 5 days at sea bother you at all?

 

The Lido deck entertainment wasn't too bad - a very nice Hawaiian duet who played a wide range of island-style music, gave hula lessons each day (hilarity ensued, but it was a nice touch) and taught us Hawaiian words-of-the-day. They set up on the stage at the midships pool. If anything, they were a little overamplified, but move one section forward or aft and it ceased to be as loud.

 

The five sea days we loved. It was the best time to just do "cruise ship life", for want of a better phrase. Sleep in a bit, late breakfasts, promenade the upper decks in the sun, or just grab a table on the lido and spend the day sunbathing, reading, playing cards, whatever. The first day caused some seasickness for a bunch of people - I didn't think there was any motion, but that's after 20 years on much smaller warships. When the clouds cleared and the sun broke through it was glorious. Entertainment a-plenty, and lots of activities to keep us occupied if needed. The crew worked their backsides off.

 

Cheers! Mal

[Lovincruisin1321]

How did you do on your Optifast?

[rvrgirl]

How do you pack for a cruise like that...Alaska cool and wet....and Hawaii warm and humid...

I have a hard time just packing for one location LOL!

[MalGee64]

How did you do on your Optifast?

 

Brilliant - I went from 118 kg (260 lb roughly) down to 104 kg (around 236 lb) in about five weeks. I put about four kilos back on over the course of the cruise :o , but am working on losing it again. Optifast gets my recommendation if you need to kickstart a weightloss program.

[Fun~N~Sun]

Brilliant - I went from 118 kg (260 lb roughly) down to 104 kg (around 236 lb) in about five weeks. I put about four kilos back on over the course of the cruise :o , but am working on losing it again. Optifast gets my recommendation if you need to kickstart a weightloss program.

 

Okay, I have to ask and I hope you are not offended. I mean it to be perfectly innocent. You don't have to answer but here it goes.......for this B2B how much was the total of your S&S accounts. I had to ask but you don't have to answer. I know what mine was for just a 7 day!:o

[MalGee64]

How do you pack for a cruise like that...Alaska cool and wet....and Hawaii warm and humid...

I have a hard time just packing for one location LOL!

 

We learned a great lesson with regards to packing - pack everything you think you'll need, then dump three quarters of it. By the end of the Alaska leg we'd doubled up on clothing, simply due to souvenir T-shirts, sweaters, jackets and suchlike. Same happened with Hawaii, which led to an emergency WalMart run for extra luggage at the end of the trip. Next time, we'll pack the essentials (underwear and whatnot), the formal night clothes, and maybe three changes of clothes (jeans, shorts, and shirts) tops. The laundry facilities were fine, so washing is not an issue, and you always pick up more than enough clothing to do for the trip.

 

Cheers! Mal

[MalGee64]

Okay, I have to ask and I hope you are not offended. I mean it to be perfectly innocent. You don't have to answer but here it goes.......for this B2B how much was the total of your S&S accounts. I had to ask but you don't have to answer. I know what mine was for just a 7 day!:o

 

Without being too specific, the S&S account for the three weeks was under what we'd allowed for. It came in at a shade under 80 bucks a day on average; considering that out of 19 days 11 were port days, that wasn't too bad. We'd actually originally budgeted for about $100 - $120 a day (I'm known for enjoying a cold beer or two), not knowing what prices were, so that was a nice result. That figure also included some casino money for me (which I donated to Carnival), and DW's blitzkrieg on the "Inch of Gold" stand :D

[Fun~N~Sun]

Without being too specific, the S&S account for the three weeks was under what we'd allowed for. It came in at a shade under 80 bucks a day on average; considering that out of 19 days 11 were port days, that wasn't too bad. We'd actually originally budgeted for about $100 - $120 a day (I'm known for enjoying a cold beer or two), not knowing what prices were, so that was a nice result. That figure also included some casino money for me (which I donated to Carnival), and DW's blitzkrieg on the "Inch of Gold" stand :D

 

Thanks for sharing. You are right, that's not too bad. My husband and I averaged $85 a day (each) on our 7 day. OUCH!

[Lovincruisin1321]

Brilliant - I went from 118 kg (260 lb roughly) down to 104 kg (around 236 lb) in about five weeks. I put about four kilos back on over the course of the cruise :o , but am working on losing it again. Optifast gets my recommendation if you need to kickstart a weightloss program.

Good job! I start OptiFast for 22 week program on November 4th.

[PaddleAddict]

I'm dying for the rest of your review! Considering this ship for the Hawaii to Ensenada in 2007....

[EVACruiser]

Can't wait to see your review of the Hawaii portion of your cruise. We are booked on the 4/15/07 sailing of the Spirit. We want details and suggestions on shore excursions.

Did you sail past Kilauea and the Na Pali Coast?

Thanks so much for the info.

EVACruiser

[pinkbuggy]

I am so happy to read your review of Spirit and am looking forward to your Hawaii adventure. My husband and I are booked on the Spirit October 2007! Your itinerary will be the same and I have so many questions. I cannot wait to read more of your amazing trip :D

[candigirl41]

I hope you post some more today. I am leaving on the Serenade of the Seas tomorrow. Can't get enough cruise reviews and information. Keeps the waiting bearable.

 

Candi

[tracyvansmith]

My family was on the Alaska part of this cruise too. Sorry we did not get to meet up with you Mel.:(

 

In Juneau we just shopped, Skagway the 6 of us went on the train and bus back to Liarsville. The train is a must. While on the train I saw shoves, pails, barrels and a record that the miners left behind along their trail. In Ketchikan my youngest son Tony and I went to the Lumberjack show while my husband and other 3 kids went to the zip line. We all had a great time and each event. My son Tony age 12 got to know a lot of people on board and if any of them are reading this he says HI. Hubby and I had a lot of cruisers stop and say "So you are Tony’s parents."

 

When planning this trip I had planned $150 spending money for each person but with this being the end of the cruise season for Alaska much of the stores had sales on. You could pick up stuff for 50% to 75% off. So we did not come close to spending our allotted money. Even the ship had some stuff for 50% off.

 

Glacier Bay was my favorite part of the whole trip. I just loved it. Being from Canada it was nice out side for me. All I needed was a fall jacket on and I was set for staying outside the whole time.

 

Our table staff, Nadia (Peru) and Attila (Hungary) were the best I have had so far. We loved Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Skagway. We did not like the other comedian they had on the ship. The hypnotist was entertaining but we have seen lot better. We also did not care for the Las Vegas style entertainment. We would rather have Broadway shows like the ones Disney put on during the cruise we took with them. My husband and I went to the Karaoke almost every night even though we did not get up and sing. The host there was great. My father who turned 73 on the cruise is planning on going back next year to do one of the one way cruises or do a back to back cruise up and down he has not decided yet. My dad was the model for the spa’s Shave and my husband was the model for the Teeth Whitening lucky them.

 

Mel I can’t wait to read about the Hawaii part of your cruise as we are going to be doing that next year, the Sep. 19, 2007 Vancouver to Hawaii.:D :cool:

[MalGee64]

Sorry for the delay, folks. Back at work :( , and we're having hassles with our 'net at home.

 

So, Hawaii! Here's a rundown on what we did for the port visits in the islands:

 

Lahaina - we tendered off for this one. Lovely little port, I really liked the town. We did the Maui Ocean centre tour here. A little disappointing, because the driver was on a schedule and left before the feeding in the shark tank. But a very nive aquarium, nonetheless

Kahului - the Wonders of Haleakala tour. Highly recommended, if only for the unbelievable vistas you get - and make the effort and climb the extra 200 or so feet to the summit; it's worth it.

Nawiliwili - the Heaven and Earth and North Shore Experience. Another great tour, mainly because our tourguide Jorje was an absolute gem who made our day for us (Jurassic Park photos and all). The helo flight was good, but maybe a little overpriced - having said that, the flight through Waimea canyon was spectacular.

Hilo - Volcano National Park. Once again, a good tour made excellent by having a wonderful, very knowledgeable guide take us around. The views at the Mauna Loa caldera were unreal; the walk through the Thurstons Lava Tube was memorable.

Kona - Captain Zodiacs Snorkelling Adventure. Without a doubt, the best excursion of the whole trip. The boat ride out and back was almost worth the price alone, and the snorkelling was awesome. Again, the crew were fantastic (Captain Carl and Pirate Shecky), and we'd happily do that excursion all over again. Kona was another tender port, and because of this we had lunch ashore. Quinns Nearly By The Sea serves the best fish'n'chips (among other dishes) and cold beers in the islands at the best prices; they're about a block back from the wharf, behind the banyan tree.

Honolulu - couldn't visit Honolulu without paying our respects at the Arizona Memorial (Navy is Navy, brothers in arms all over the world), and the rest of the tour was good as well. However, this was another one where you might get better value for money organising things privately.

 

We used the rest of the day to pack our gear (with an emergency Walmart dash for extra luggage - who knew t-shirts and funship glasses took up so much space), get our photos of the crew and our new cruise friends, and have that last Hawaii 5-0 on the fantail while we overnighted in Honolulu...

 

... and just like that it was time to disembark. The whole procedure went very smoothly indeed; from the time our number was called to being in the cab heading for our hotel took about an hour and a half or so. And yes, we got that sinking, drag-me-off-kicking-and-screaming feeling.

 

We spent three nights at the Resort Quest Waikiki Circle. A good, budget priced no-frills hotel that has the unmatched bonus of being right on Waikiki Beach. The hotel is handy to everything in town, and is about a half hour cab ride from the airport.

 

By the way, if you get the chance in Honolulu, got to the North Shore and take a trip with Hawaii Shark Encounters. It is worth every penny, plus a nice tip for the crew, believe me...

 

So that's it - three weeks of our dream vacation. Lessons learned:

- Next time, we'll only book the essential excursions through Carnival. There are more than enough operators in each port who will tailor any excursion to your taste, and will work within the ships schedule.

- Pack everything, then dump two thirds of it. You will not need all that stuff from home, and it only means more to lug around.

- Definitely get in at least a day beforehand, and stay a day after; I couldn't imagine going straight from the airport to the ship and vice versa. Have a day to relax either side - it's a holiday, for gawds' sake!

- Try as many different things as you can in the dining room. The portions are not big, and there are so many nice dishes on offer you rip yourself off by not trying something new.

- Give a smile and a hello to any of the crew you pass; we did to everyone, and the smiles and reactions we got in return were warm and genuine. Makes your day as well as theirs.

- Don't sweat the small stuff. The positives and the good points far, far outweigh the odd annoyance. The number of fellow passengers we ran into who seemed hellbent on finding anything to whinge about was mindboggling, considering the efforts a lot of people went to to make our vacation memorable.

- Be nice to your cabin steward; he went a long, long way to making our holiday the wonderful experience it was.

 

Hope you all enjoyed my long-winded ramblings; if anything else springs to mind, I'll bang it downas I think of it. Finally, to Robert and Jan, Stewart and Janelle, Randy and Kath, Rose from Washington State and Dana-from-Montana, James, Pat, Belle Starr and the rest of the guys at the poker table, Jose from Miami, Dave from Detroit, big Tim and his mob from New York, Ron and Nancy (Lordy! It's the Reagans!) from Phoenix, Arizona, all the Red Hat Ladies we met, the fine pack of gentlemen we met at the Veterans' get together, ALL the crew of the Spirit (you guys are a credit to your line), and everyone who we met, chatted with, shared a drink or a laugh with, or generally left slightly bamboozled by their first encounter with live Australians, Dave, Elesa, Lex and I all say a heartfelt "G'Day mate!", we miss you all a hell of a lot and look forward to meeting you all again over a bourbon on a fantail somewhere as they let go lines...

 

Have we caught the bug? Well, that Freedom eastern Mediterranean itinerary looks good...

 

Cheers! Go Eagles! :D

 

Mal

[MalGee64]

Can't wait to see your review of the Hawaii portion of your cruise. We are booked on the 4/15/07 sailing of the Spirit. We want details and suggestions on shore excursions.

Did you sail past Kilauea and the Na Pali Coast?

Thanks so much for the info.

EVACruiser

 

Certainly did, EVA, and the captain (bless his cotton socks) made sure we cruised past at night, and did a nice slow 360 degree turn, so that everyone got a great viewing of the lava flow. Awesome sight in the dark, and I even managed a couple of useable photos.

 

Cheers!

 

Mal

[tracyvansmith]

My kids would like to know if you noticed if there were more kids on the hawaii cruise than on the alaska one.:confused:

[MalGee64]

My kids would like to know if you noticed if there were more kids on the hawaii cruise than on the alaska one.:confused:

 

Yes, there seemed to be more kids on the Hawaii leg - BUT, that's not to say that there were heaps. On the whole, we hardly noticed them around the ship, and my brother has zero tolerance for other peoples' loud offspring. There were no hordes of marauding adolescents, and even the younger kids were pretty low key. There was one bunch of teenagers in the grill who were polite, well-mannered and conversational when we bumped into them at night - I mentioned that to their parents when we saw them next, and Mums smile of (I guess) relief was a thing to behold :p . I guess the kids program onboard was doing its job keeping the younger crowd busy.

 

Cheers!

 

Mal