Lauren Cash

Age: 47
Occupation: Teacher
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Carnival Spirit
Sailing Date: June 12th, 2002
Itinerary: Alaska - Seward to Vancouver

This was our first cruise. We did a lot of checking with other cruisers, and were advised to go with Carnival for a "younger crowd". There were quite a few families onboard, so my 18 year old son had no problem finding other teens to hang out with.

Our cabin was Category 8C, starboard side, directly above lifeboat#1, and directly below the Lido deck. The balcony was recessed from the others to accommodate the lifeboat equipment, which limited our view a bit forward. Also, the majority of the scenery going south is on the port side. Consider that in booking your cabin if you plan to spend a lot of time there. During the most scenic parts of the cruise, we chose to be on the Lido and/or Sun decks to take lots of pictures. The scenery is breathtaking.

The cabin itself was fine - two twin beds pushed together (but still made up individually?), a small sofa, and a bed that pulled out of the ceiling for my son. We were a bit skeptical about his bed due to his 6'2"/200 lb stature, but he was quite comfortable. There were two full length closets and a third with shelves - plenty of room for our clothes and luggage. Bathroom was comfortably roomy, lots of hot water in the shower. Our steward Jose was very pleasant and efficient. We didn't order room service or anything special for him to take care of, so I can't comment on that. His animal creations from our used towels were lots of fun!

We flew into Anchorage, were met (along with about 200 other folks)by a Spirit representative holding up a sign. There was another ship's rep there as well, and things got quite confusing. We were concerned about being left behind because our luggage came off the plane last, but we got onto a bus after questioning half a dozen other guests who were also milling around looking nervous. The luggage was loaded into a truck and sent ahead to the ship. Word of warning - if you want to change out of your travel clothes when you get to the ship, bring a change of clothes along. You won't see your luggage until after 10PM.

The bus ride was over three hours, with a quick stop at a glacier outside Anchorage. The bus seats were more comfortable than our airline seats, for which our butts were grateful. The driver pointed out the sights, told jokes, etc, which helped the time pass. We got to the pier around 7PM.

I was rather appalled at the check-in at the pier. We were in what looked like an empty hangar - no chairs, and the kind of wrap-around lines you find at Disneyland. We waited well over an hour to check in, walked through a security checkpoint (carry-on x-ray and metal detector wand), and finally got to the gangway, hungry, exhausted, and somewhat annoyed. That's when someone yells "Smile", and a flash goes off in your face. (Get used to it, it'll happen a lot during the cruise.) We found our stateroom, wandered around the ship a bit, went to dinner at 9:15PM. Dinner was a cattle-call; we were herded in and felt quite rushed. After dinner we collapsed in bed and slept great until...

Another warning: The ship gets underway late Wednesday night. At 5:30AM Thursday, I thought there was a woman talking loudly on my balcony. It wasn't - it was the naturalist babbling about what animals we might see as we enter College Fjord. I was plenty annoyed with only a two-hour jet lag. I felt really bad for the people who flew in from the east coast. This would have been fine if we were warned the night before, or if she actually SAW something. Hubby and I got up, dressed, and ate breakfast on Lido deck (pretty standard buffet, omelets to order, small pastries, coffee and juices). The glaciers were awesome. From such a large ship, the few marine animals were pretty hard to see without strong binoculars. We saw lots of moving brown blobs.

There's plenty to do on the ship if you get tired of the scenery (which is difficult.) Hubbard Glacier is spectacular, and we had a gorgeous day to see it. We attended a couple of dance classes, shopped in the ship's stores, explored, fed the casino slot machines, read books on our balcony, etc. Although it didn't rain, the first few days were overcast and cool, so we wore jackets a lot.

The first night we went to the Nouveau Supper Club. You must make reservations for this once you get onboard, and jacket/tie is required. Don't miss this opportunity. The food, service and ambiance were topnotch. We tried to go back later in the week, but it was booked solid. There is an additional $25/person surcharge, but we felt it well worth the money. We had our own little band (which was excellent for dancing), and there was no rush whatsoever. Best three hours onboard the ship. My son also had a 1/2 body massage, the first day (his first ever). He was delighted, and managed not to buy $100 worth of therapeutic stuff.

First port of call was Valdez. I had heard it was not overly exciting, so I took a nap. My husband shopped on the pier from a number of vendors. My son took the free bus into town and returned an hour later. According to him, there's "not much there."

Our next port of call was Juneau, and the weather was awesome. We took the Mendenhall Glacier and Scenic Wildlife tour. First we rode a bus to the Glacier Visitor Center, where we had about 45 minutes to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. There was a very large waterfall near the glacier you could hike to, but you may miss the bus if you do, as a few of our bus-mates found out). Then we went to the pier and boarded a large jetboat that with two glassed-in decks, plus lots of open area. Again, the weather was perfect, and the animals cooperated. We saw lots of eagles, sea lions, several humpback whales, including a youngster who entertained us for at least 20 minutes with its gymnastics, porpoises, and a variety of birds. The naturalist on the boat and the "captain" were very knowledgeable and made sure we had lots to see. Later that day we took the aerial tramway to the top of the "mountain" overlooking the city. Nice hiking trails and great views. Great shopping in Juneau.

Another word of warning: the shore trips are extremely expensive when purchased from the ship. I talked to quite a few passengers who bought their tours off the pier, and saved a substantial amount of money. To give you an idea, our Mendenhall Glacier/Wildlife Cruise, tramway and train ride in Skagway cost us almost $700 for the three of us.

Another big warning: the Sail and Sign card can be dangerous. The ship doesn't deal with cash (except in the casino, obviously), so everything is charged to your card and you get a bill on the last evening. It adds up fast, even if you're frugal. Drinkers, beware!! Buy a soft drink card for your kids from the bar. At $20 for the week it's a bargain. Better yet, try to do without. Juices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and lemonade are available 24 hours on Lido deck. The spa treatments, beauty salon, jewelry sales and souvenirs will all end up on your charge card. Also plan on the bill including approximately $10 per passenger per day in tips.

Our next stop was Skagway. Very pretty little town with lots of fun shops. We took the 3-hour railroad trip which leaves right from the pier. The scenery is beautiful as you go up the mountains. Definitely take your camera. We saw a cinnamon colored bear about 50 ft. from the tracks (which we were informed was a black bear - they come in different colors.)

Final port before Vancouver was Ketchikan. Probably the best shopping opportunities here. My husband found the totem village to be interesting. The ship was docked port-side-to, so our balcony was looking out over the harbor. We really enjoyed the seaplanes coming and going, eagles flying by, kayakers, and a pod of killer whales who came meandering through (I'm not sure the kayakers were too thrilled with the whales.)

We did not sit at our assigned table (1st seating) until the third night. We shared the table with two retired educators, who helped us celebrate our son's graduation (much to his chagrin.) They were delightful. We were spoiled from the Supper Club - the food in the dining room was very good, though the desserts were pretty mundane. Our waiters Zoran and Ruslan were very professional and tried to take good care of us, though I think the waiters are spread too thin. Zoran rounded up a chorus of waiters to sing "Happy Graduation" to my son, which we enjoyed at his expense. We had two formal nights - jackets and ties for men, dress or pantsuit for women. This was their big opportunity to take "formal" pictures to sell you. If you are interested in the pictures they take, they develop them quickly, so look for them no later than the next day. It can be difficult to find yourself amongst 200 pictures of a family posing with a black bear. Another warning: do not plan to linger over coffee after dinner. They run you out right after dessert. I heard they weren't in such a hurry for second seating. We ate two suppers in the La Playa Grill (Lido Deck) because we missed the dinner seating while on shore excursions. The food was good, served cafeteria style. At times it was extremely crowded and very difficult to find a place to sit. We ate all of our lunches on the Lido Deck, usually fairly late. If all else fails, there is Pizza and a Deli, both of which were quite good. Never made it to the Midnight Buffet, but my son said it was pretty good.

The entertainment on the ship was highly varied; we thoroughly enjoyed a string trio, jazz trio, two country western singers, and loved the ship's orchestra/jazz band. The duo in the Shanghai Lounge was not great - I thought it was passengers doing Karaoke. That lounge was usually close to empty.

The Pharoah's Palace theater had its ups and downs. We loved the salute to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, and the Big Band Review. The last show was awful - called High Spirits. We stuck it out, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. It was a hodge-podge of unrelated and poorly executed singing and dancing. Unfortunate, after the other shows were so good. Here's another warning: If you're at all claustrophobic, do not sit in the back of of the theater on the first floor - it's like looking out of a cave. We much preferred the second floor, but another problem there. The seats directly behind the glass partitions are not good. When you are seated, the partitions come right to eye level, so you either have to scrunch down and look through them, or crane your neck to look over them. I'm 5'7" and chose to crane. Not comfortable.

The ship itself is HUGE. We got lots of exercise just getting from place to place onboard. We failed to find a unifying theme in its decor, and found it a bit "glitzy". It was, however, immaculate at all times, fairly well ventilated (we're not smokers and smoking is allowed in most of the common areas of the ship except the dining areas), and laid out in a way that you could get around easily. Looking at it from the shore, it looks like a floating condominium building. The ship's staff was wonderful - very courteous and helpful in all cases. I enjoyed talking with all the young people from different nationalities - all of whose English was excellent, though obviously not their primary language. We saw little of Shawn, the cruise director. I found her a bit "over the top", like a hyper game show host.

The debarkation process was not impressive. We got pointed in different directions by the staff, then ended up having to run (literally) through customs to catch our bus, which brought us to SeaTac.

Overall, we had a great time. The two highlights were the scenery and the Nouveau Supper Club. My son and his new friends found plenty to do to keep them up to 4AM most nights. I managed to make $100 last a week playing quarter slots, and actually left with $91.25 - small price to pay for lots of fun (we're talking several hours per night in the casino.) There was a good mix of passengers - lots of seniors, many families, some newlyweds. Even though there were almost 2000 guests onboard, we could still find quiet spots. Although we had no problems that needed resolving, I felt that the ship's staff would handle anything that may arise in a friendly, professional manner. The few negative points were minor, and may be just because we have never been on a cruise before and didn't know what to expect. One souvenir we found worthwhile is the cruise videotape. Very professionally done, and you're in it! We will definitely cruise with Carnival again, but with careful attention to purchases onboard. The extra money we paid the ship for the convenience of getting our tickets there (and not realizing we could get them off the ship for much less) was exorbitant.

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