a magical time by
delia h from valencia, ca
Sailing date: Sep 2009 Pros:
the places we visted and the excursions
Cons:
nothing
the crew were so nice and friendly. the room was always clean and so was the ship. they kept you updated with information.
they have a naturalist who tells you what you are seeing.
always watch the morining show it will give you insite to what you will be seeing at each port and what the events will be for that day. it is also funny
having the balcony room was great, but because the weather was great most of the cruise so we were on deck on lot but having your own is the best way to see alaska
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Dining/Food
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ALASKAN CRUISE by
A Traveler from Concord, CA
Sailing date: Aug 2009 Pros:
Our Room was wonderful
Cons:
Waiting in Lines
The food buffets were ordinary and long lines so food was always cold before you sat down to eat. I did however, enjoy the "sit down" dinners.
Some service people were rude (in the bar/lounge areas and didn't even smile); some did not speak English.
Room service does not include hot breakfast, so I was disappointed with that.
The room we had was fabulous and so was the steward! They took really good care of us.
People who sign up for cruises should have ground rules; some behavior was unacceptable. Shoving in lines, etc.
The auctioneer for Park West was really rude. Although we ended up buying several pieces, I thought he was rude to customer. Tom was very nice and respectful and even the auctioneer was rude to him.
I would not buy art from the cruise ship again because of the auctioneer. He didn't care about anybody.
Ship Quality Crew did a good job and keeping things clean and neat.
Dining/Food Buffets were ordinary; dining time 6:00pm was great and a fun experience.
Stateroom Quality I loved the balcony and jets in the bathtub. The steward was excellent!
Ship Staff Quality Out of all the staff, there were five staff that went above and beyond.
Entertainment & Activities
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Juneau, Alaska We went whale watching, but I thought it was too expensive for the price. I wouldn't go again or would try another service.
Ketchikan, Alaska Just shopping in town was fun. The must see was the bird rescue man who had rehabilitated owls, hawks, and eagles. He was a must see.
We went zip lining, but it wasn't worth the time and money and you didn't see any wildlife at all.
Don't Miss: The Bird rescue man in town
Skagway, Alaska Don't do the kayaking. It was strenuous, cold, and the water was choppy. It wasn't work the money.
Sitka, Alaska I loved the totem park and seeing the salmon run in Sitka. Sitka has a different feel; it felt more native than the other parts and it was a cute place.
Don't Miss: The Totem Park and Historical Society
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Alaska is breathtaking! You have to go! by
A Traveler from southern california
Sailing date: Aug 2009 Pros:
Scenery
Cons:
service at breakfast
Ship was very nice. We had a balcony, and highly recommend this for Alaska voyage. All areas of the ship were clean and nice.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food dinners were excellent, lunch was good, breakfast was ok in general, but service at breakfast was slow and unattentive.
Stateroom Quality our steward Ketut was excellent!
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities A lot of shows started quite late for us. Would have appreciated more earlier show options.
Children's Programs
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Juneau, Alaska The Mendenhall glacier is worth the trip. Saw lots of spawning salmon too.
Ketchikan, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska We went on the White pass railway. Nice scenery and history.
Sitka, Alaska My favorite port. Gorgeous! Went on Otter and wildlife adventure cruise. We saw Grey whale, humpback whale, otters, bald eagles, and sea lions.
Don't Miss: whale and wildlife spotting
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Amazing Experience by
Melissa B. from Bakersfield, CA
Sailing date: Jun 2009 Pros:
I loved the wonderful staff members throughout the ship. The ocean view and glaciers were an amazing sight I will always remember!
Cons:
My only complaint is that it did not last long enough!
This cruise was an awesome experience! The ship and its crew were great! There were fun activities and they helped you get the best out of every port! You can tell that the crew loves what they do! I can't wait to go back!
Ship Quality The ship was a beauty!
Dining/Food The only problem was that we were signed up for the earlier dinner because we had a small child and some senior citizens with us and we were somehow moved to the later dinner which was a slight inconvenience.
Stateroom Quality Loved our room and the view from the balcony, one of my favorite parts.
Ship Staff Quality The staff was amazing, their enthusiasm made me want to work there!
Entertainment & Activities Katherine was our best friend and helped us not feel overwhelmed at each port and we loved all of the shows but the last show which included some of the ships guests was our favorite.
Children's Programs The fun house was a great place for the child of our party to go. She loved to play and the staff was very helpful.
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Juneau, Alaska My husband really enjoyed the Knife shop with the ulu demonstrations.
Ketchikan, Alaska Jim our bus driver was a great guide through this port, we learned a lot and it was neat to hear it from a local!
Don't Miss: Do not miss the canapy zip line adventure! Katie and Chad made this activity a blast!
Skagway, Alaska We visited the new klondike brewery, we made if for their grand opening and the atmosphere was great! The brewmaster was very knowledgeable and generous! Plus we had the pleasure to help raise money for the skagway girls basketball team. The goldpanning next door was also very fun--this was our other favorite activity of the trip!
Don't Miss: Don't miss the brew and view! Great fun, food and people!
Sitka, Alaska We loved this sight because it seemed to be the most authentic alaskan town. It seemed the majority of the people were locals and not seasonal workers.
Don't Miss: The inside of their beautiful church!
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not what we expected by
Dennis W from BC Canada
Sailing date: Jan 2009 Pros:
The ports of call
Cons:
The costs while aboard
We were very dissaponted with the costs while aboard. Drinks costs were excessive $8 to $14. We did not enjoy paying for every little thing once on board. Nothing is free except food. Even bottled water was expensive.
We did not receive the rooms we wanted even though we booked early in May. They offered a room change for $250. Thanks so much. We have decided to never cruise Carnival again because of that and no one seemed to care when we told them that. A bad experience to say the least
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Acapulco, Mexico Big and busy. Not very clean. Taxi costs were priced out or sight.
Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico Clean and nice beaches
Manzanillo, Mexico To spread out to do anything without hiring one of their expensive taxis
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Carnival Spirit to Alaska by
Peggy J from Corvallis Oregon
Sailing date: Aug 2008 Pros:
Cruising among the inner islands; glaciers and wildlife
Cons:
Food
Ship was impressive if you like Las Vegas venues and over the top commercial moments and endless promotions. Perhaps this is what cruising is all about but since this was our first cruise we were not prepared for the lousy food, the crush of 2100 plus people in what amounts to a small hotel space or the endless sales pitches. Our balcony stateroom on the top level was wonderful, the ship overall was clean and well maintained, but afternoon tea was delivered in one of the salons like sitting at a counter at Walgreens a sort of rushed affair with the staff moving on to the next event. I wouldn't call this experience gracious or refined, more like an end of season sale at Wall Mart. If we cruise again - and we met many people who adore this kind of vacation - I think we'll opt for a smaller and more intimate, in terms of size and destinations, cruise line.
Carnival is in the business of moving vast amounts of people around with the efficiency of an army sargent, very impressive. The staff was very hard working but many who didn't speak English gave me the impression of false cheerfulness - anything to please the customer. It was uncomfortable to watch. We ate as many meals as we could in port.
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Ketchikan, Alaska We lucked out on the day we visited - no rain, a rather unheard of state in Ketchikan. Be advised that smoking takes place EVERYWHERE in Alaska.
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A Fun-Filled Cruise by
A Traveler from Los Angeles, CA.
Sailing date: Dec 2007 Pros:
Good food, great on-ship activities, great shows, friendly and fun staff.
Cons:
This Spirit could have been cleaner and with all the on-board activities, it's hard to find time to just relax. This could be a pro though!
I thought the Spirit was a really nice ship. Cool decor. Different themed bars depending on what you're in the mood for. Tons of different activities to participate in. Whether you want to take an exercise or dance class, play golf, participate in fun trivia games, do arts and crafts, get a massage or just sit on a deck chair reading a book, you will definitly find something to enjoy on the Spirit. The staff was great, very friendly and always ready to accomodate your every need. The spa is beautiful and offers daily specials. I had the Hydralift facial and it was amazing.
Ship Quality The Spirit is beautiful. Love the decor. Overall, fairly clean, but I noticed that in the Lido grill it took the workers a long time to clean the tables. The public areas like the bars and lounges were always very clean and nice areas to spend time in.
Dining/Food Most nights the food was really great. I especially liked the Empire dining room for breakfast and dinner. The Lido grill is average. Decent sandwiches and "taste of nations" themed lunches. Loved the daily drink specials you can purchase anywhere on the ship, and also loved the "mojito madness" and "martini madness" evenings. I prefer the late seating for dinner because you do not have to rush from whatever fun activity you are doing to get ready for the first seating at 5:45. Plus, less children at the late seating.
Stateroom Quality I was surprised at the size of the room; bigger than I thought it was going to be. The balcony was wonderful. Love the cute towel animals left by our cabin steward. One complaint is that once you turn out the lights, the room is pitch black. Bring a nightlight if you're afraid of falling or tripping in the middle of the night.
Ship Staff Quality Our waiters were the best. They always called us by name and anticipated any of our wants and needs. It was fantastic. The assistant cruise director, Jamie, was awesome.
Entertainment & Activities The shows were surprisingly good. Bear in mind you won't be getting Broadway quality shows and the dancers are fairly mediocre, but still very entertaining singing (the singer Rudy Lowe was really great) and dancing with great sets and costumes. One night there was a hypnotist and that is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen.
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Acapulco, Mexico Really didn't enjoy Acapulco at all. Everything is very overpriced. There are no posted cab rates, so cabbies pick and choose what they are going to charge you. A cab ride from the ship to Senor Frogs cost $40 there and $30 back. Outrageous. We took the cultural and picturesque shore excursion and that was pretty good.
Don't Miss: The cliff divers are fantastic
Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico Loved this port. Quaint little fishing village with a nice beach. Ixtapa is the resort part of the town and it is beautiful. The City Tour shore excursion was wonderful and gave a great overview of the town.
Don't Miss: Buy Pomegranate Tequila at Casa de Tequila and enjoy the warm beach waters
Manzanillo, Mexico In Manzanillo, the ship docks in an industrial area and then shuttles you to downtown. There's really not much to the downtown area. The beauty of Manzanillo lies outside of town, so take a shore excursion or have a cab driver take you to the beach or to the gorgeous Las Hadas hotel overlooking the bay of Manzanillo. I spent a week there a couple of years ago and it's wonderful. Don't judge Manzanillo for it's downtown area.
Don't Miss: Lunch at El Fogon, beach at Las Hadas (or any other beach for that matter), and cute arts and crafts at Miramar
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A Perfect Vacation by
Walter and Patricia Newell from Gainesville, Georgia
Sailing date: May 2007 Pros:
The entire staff was wonderful and amazing. Everyone made an impression on us - they were always smiling and pleasant, did their jobs to perfection, and even remembered our names. We loved the entire experience.
Cons:
I was thinking as a disembarked about this question -- there was absolutely nothing to complain about. The entire experience on this cruise was perfect!!!
The ship was beautiful and well appointed. There was so much to do and the food was abundant and delicious. We have already started planning our next trip with Carnival!!
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Juneau, Alaska Juneau is a beautiful city.
Ketchikan, Alaska This was my favorite city!
Sitka, Alaska
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Alaska northbound. by
Marge from Liverpool England.
Sailing date: May 2007 Pros:
The scenery and the places visited.
Cons:
The ship was a 'fun ship'.
This is a fun ship.......huge casino.....silly games etc.
Ship Quality The ship was well maintained. the standard of decor very good...just not to our taste...gave it a dark enclosed feel....and Egy
Dining/Food The constant muzak in the selfservice grill was awful!!!! but it was a fun ship!!!
The other bars had excellent live music...some was exceptional.
The food was excellent, well presented, good service....as always.
Stateroom Quality On this trip an outside cabin is a must.
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities We were not interested in the type of activities and entertainment on offer. It was a fun ship and we are not fun people.
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Juneau, Alaska A nice place to walk around.
Don't Miss: Walk off the ship and pick up a tour to the glacier from one of the local firms on the quayside
Ketchikan, Alaska Dont shop in the cruise ship shops in port.
Don't Miss: Totem pole museum.....but just walk there.
Skagway, Alaska Even nicer place to walk around.
Don't Miss: Go to station and take a train trip.
Sitka, Alaska Don't Miss: Go to the point where N parks have Indian river centre.
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great time on the Carnival Spirit by
A Traveler from abbotsford B.C
Sailing date: May 2007 Pros:
food was superb, room was a good size, staff were really friendly
Cons:
smoking areas were unpleasant, the cabaret in particular
We had agreat time on this ship. It was large enough to accomodate a full crowd without feeling too crowded. Except for morning of debarkation. The staff were very friendly and accomodating and the ship was very clean. The Supper Club was amazing and worth the extra money. The overall dining eaxperience was good.
Ship Quality
Dining/Food Supper Club was amazing
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities Hypnotist was great as well as "Mrs. Hughes"
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Juneau, Alaska repetion of "made in China" souvenirs
Ketchikan, Alaska Enjoyed a walk through the town but found all of the souvenir shops and jewellery stores repetitive and somewhat aggressive
Skagway, Alaska took the town naturalist walk and thouroughly enjoyed the guide. This was a free tour and was very imformative.
Sitka, Alaska enjoyed readeing about the history and found the locals very friendly and informative.
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