Ron & Jill Line

Age: 59 & 52
Occupation: Retired
Number of Cruises: First Cruise
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Carnival Spirit
Sailing Date: April 4th, 2002
Itinerary: Panama Canal

This was our first cruise and boy did we pick a good one. Seventeen day Panama Canal cruise sailing April 4, 2002. Carnival Spirit is a fabulous ship, with lots to do if that is what you like or lots of quiet places if you just like to read etc. Seventeen days is a long cruise and we had lots of time to explore the ship and take advantage of the things that interested us. The shows in Pharaoh’s Palace were very good, with a nice variety of acts that appealed to many age groups. There were also areas throughout the ship where you could sit and listen to musicians and singers in a variety of musical styles. We spent quite a bit of time in the casino and we also made use of the internet cafe to send e-mails home to keep the family up to date on our experiences. We didn’t go to any of the lounges or bars, but there are quite a few to choose from.

The food was excellent. We ate in both the buffet area, the La Playa Grill and in the main dining room. The only meal I got sick of was breakfast. There were all the usual choices, but the same every day. Lunch and dinner on the other hand, were wonderful. Never the same thing twice, and that’s saying something on a 17 day cruise. The service in the dining room was very good, and the wait staff were always friendly and cooperative. The only negative thing I could say about the La Playa Grill was that once you got your food (and it was very good) you sometimes had to walk around a while to find a table.

On the Carnival website, they mention that you can get a card, similar to your sail and sign card, for a certain fee, that you use to purchase soft drinks. At home we usually drink a lot of soft drinks so we considered getting a card but luckily we found out that we really didn’t need it. There are areas in the La Playa Grill and near the pool area where you can get coffee, tea, hot chocolate, ice tea, lemonade and apple juice, 24 hours a day for no extra charge. We found that was all we needed.

Our stateroom was Category 8, with a balcony. We were in room 6204 which is just about in the middle of the ship. We really enjoyed the balcony and feel that is was well worth the extra money. The room was tastefully decorated and there was plenty of space for the two beds (which were pushed together) and a small couch and table along with the full wall length of drawers and cupboard space. It really does look just like the pictures on the Carnival web site, only the colours are less gaudy.

Embarkation was extremely easy. From our arrival at the airport, Carnival representatives were right there and helpful, to actually boarding the ship, everything went smoothly.

We booked shore tours for every port we stopped at. Every tour we took was interesting and informative and we really enjoyed them BUT, at the end of every tour, they took you to a shopping area. This wasn’t too bad the first time, but it didn’t take long to realize that at every port, they had the same jewellery shops that sold the same merchandise. These stores are the ‘preferred shopping’ stores and are plugged by the cruise line. That was the only thing that disappointed me. We really didn’t get too many opportunities to purchase quality local crafts.

Debarkation was the only part of the trip that was not a pleasant experience. In this case though, I don’t fault Carnival, I fault the bus company that was providing transportation from the dock to the airport. They were so disorganized, the two people in charge didn’t know what the other was doing. Also, the people getting on the buses were pushing and shoving and butting in front of others. It was a situation that could have been handled much better. I would recommend just taking a taxi from the ship to the airport. There was a line for that too but it seemed to be orderly and a lot shorter.

All in all, this was the trip of a lifetime. I don’t know how we are going to beat it, but we’re sure going to try. It’s true what they say; once you’ve cruised you’re hooked.

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