Just back from Spirit - ask away!!

We just got back from the Spirit. Had an awesome time. I had kids in 3 different age groups in Camp Carnival - they all loved it. Would be happy to answer any questions.

cat

What dates did you sail?

We sailed 11/17-11/25.

cat

Hi there--thx for your offer.

How was the entertainment?--Specifically--midnight comedians, piano bar player, CD, and louge bands?--Was there a band by the name of "Music -------"(four piece Phillippino band that plays a lot of oldies).

We're on the 1-4-05 sailing.

Any other info would be appreciated--a short review if you get time.

Did you leave your car, or did someone drop you off. I see you live close to the port... I saw the Spirit on the Web Cam yesterday, wishing I was leaving as it sailed off...I still have till April 2, and it is snowing here in Canada...

Glad you had a great time.... If you did park, where did you?

Hello Caddvt I am taking a 9 year old and 11 year old. I was wondering will they keep busy or should I expect to stay with them most of the time? My boys are the kind that come home do their homework and watch TV. They loved boys scouts but this year they did not join they have other thinks that are keeping them busy homework, my 11 year old is going to middle school and their mother is a teacher so they do more home work than anything else. I am hoping that I can leave them there and they can have fun. Also I bought a set of two way radios with a 7 mile range will there work? Or did I just waste my money? Thanks you for your reply. I see the spirit every time it is in port I work at Naval Training Center so watch it come in sometimes when I go in early and go out when work late. Soon it will be my turn to sail out and watch everyone going to work and going home.

Can you tell us about the ports and what you did, specifically manzanillo? Thanks.

Hi there--thx for your offer.

How was the entertainment?--Specifically--midnight comedians, piano bar player, CD, and louge bands?--Was there a band by the name of "Music -------"(four piece Phillippino band that plays a lot of oldies).

We're on the 1-4-05 sailing.

Any other info would be appreciated--a short review if you get time.

I am probably not the person to respond to this as we sailed with our kids and didn't do a lot of late night stuff. The hypnotist was AMAZING. I was completely convinced that the people were plants until I saw them all the rest of the week around the ship. Some people went to all 3 of his shows that night and said they were great.

We did see the early show of the comedian. The guy that opens was OK, but the comic was very funny. I did not see the piano bar player. The cruise director, Todd, I thought was great - but this was my first cruise. The reggae band on Lido in the afternoon was good but repetitive. I don't remember the band called 'Music' but I have a few of my capers so when I have time I will take a look.

There was a country singer in the casino that some people said was annoying and (I think) a husband and wife playing in Club Cool at night that never looked too crowded so that might tell you something about them.

Sorry I'm not much help here but that's about all I have. I will try and post a review when I have more time.

cat

Did you leave your car, or did someone drop you off. I see you live close to the port... I saw the Spirit on the Web Cam yesterday, wishing I was leaving as it sailed off...I still have till April 2, and it is snowing here in Canada...

Glad you had a great time.... If you did park, where did you?

Sorry, we were dropped off. I have seen other posts regarding parking in San Diego though. I think some of the hotels offer it if you stay the night before. Do a search and you will probably find something.

cat

Hello Caddvt I am taking a 9 year old and 11 year old. I was wondering will they keep busy or should I expect to stay with them most of the time? My boys are the kind that come home do their homework and watch TV. They loved boys scouts but this year they did not join they have other thinks that are keeping them busy homework, my 11 year old is going to middle school and their mother is a teacher so they do more home work than anything else. I am hoping that I can leave them there and they can have fun. Also I bought a set of two way radios with a 7 mile range will there work? Or did I just waste my money? Thanks you for your reply. I see the spirit every time it is in port I work at Naval Training Center so watch it come in sometimes when I go in early and go out when work late. Soon it will be my turn to sail out and watch everyone going to work and going home.

The groups on board are 2-3 and 4-5 (they are together), 6-8 and 9-11. The 9-11's are allowed to sign themselves in and out of the activities as they please. I was a little concerned about this but as the week went on I was very comfortable with it. I got him a lanyard for his card so that he could check himself out and get back in the room himself. We mostly hung out on Lido during the day so he could find us easily. The first night they have an information meeting and they hand out the kids capers for the week. My son participated in most of the stuff early but by the end of the cruise was exhausted and picked and choosed a little bit. He also found other kids on board with their game boys and they were trading Pokemon all week. There were a wide variety of activities from free arcade time to arts and crafts (they actually made very cool necklaces).

Sorry I'm kind of rambling here. I saw several people with the walkie talkies so I am pretty sure they work fine. The kids club closes twice a day (from 12-2 and from 5-7 most nights) so I would just tell him where to meet us. You are actually lucky - the sign in and out process takes a while so it will be nice for you that they can do it on their own.

One other thing. For this age group they had two late night parties where they did activities from 10-3:30 a.m. The cost was $26 each time but it was one of the highlights of my son's trip. He did it both times. They escort them back to the cabin for you so you can just go to bed.

Let me know if you have other questions.

cat

When we were on the Spirit last may we hade Manuel.Is he still there?:)

Can you tell us about the ports and what you did, specifically manzanillo? Thanks.

The ports:

Acapulco - There were 5 of us so we got off of the ship and hired a taxi driver to take us around and show us the sights. His name was Simon and he spoke excellent english. Just agree on a price before you get in the cab. We told him we wanted to do some souvenir shopping so he took us to a little market where the kids bartered for necklaces and stuff. Then he drove us up to see a bunch of the famous houses on the cliffs and then we stopped at Senor Frogs for a while for drinks and snacks. (The view from Senor Frogs is awesome - I could have stayed there all day!!)

He then took us back to the ship so we could retrieve one child who wanted to stay on board and took us to the cliff divers. The show we went to was at about 7:30. We ended up paying to sit at La Perla because I had no idea where they dove from or where to stand. Also, it was Saturday and quite crowded with locals. If you do want to do it on your own just keep walking down the stairs all the way down to the bottom. I think that is the best view. La Perla is actually above and I don't think its as impressive because you really don't get a sense of how high up they are climbing. This option worked out for us though because we had somewhere for the kids to sit and we could get them snacks.

After that we just went back and spent the rest of the night on the ship.

Ixtapa - We took a cab to Playa Lindo and then the ferry ($3 each) to Ixtapa Island for the day. The front side of the island is about 6 restaurants with beach chairs in front and basically, you use their chairs if you pay for their beer. We hung out and drank and ate all day for about $20. The front side of the island is calm for swimming but there is a little path to the other side of the island where the snorkling is. I would recommend water shoes or good sandals as it is quite rocky. The back side of the island is a little wavy and a decent undertow. It is all giant rocks but they aren't sharp. My 9 year old had the time of his life as the fish are everywhere. This is not snorkling in the caribbean by any means, but for a first timer - he loved every minute.

We were here on Sunday, so there were also quite a few locals. There were also some shops set up at Playa Lindo - I'm not sure if that was just because it was the weekend. There were also plenty of shops right where the tender dropped you.

If I was there again without my kids, I think I would have just taken a cab to the Carlos and Charlies in Ixtapa and hung out there for the day. That place looked AMAZING.

Manzanillo - You dock in a very industrial area (it was actually quite interesting to watch the container ships). We got off and took a cab to the Karmina Palace which is the same resort the ship does their resort package to. We ended up not having to pay a day use fee and just paid for drinks as we went. We actually hung out with some people staying there and they got us quite a few drinks for free. There were like 8 pools, a water slide and a beach area. Las Hadas is right next door and I think their beach area is a little nicer.

Also, a little bit past these two resorts is a small flea market area that had the best prices on junk for the kids (necklaces, T-shirts etc.) There is no shopping anywhere near the port.

Our dinner tablemates got off the ship and met a guy at the dock and paid him to take them out on his boat for the day and they had a blast. I also heard the ship tour to Colima was very interesting.

Hope this helps.

cat

When we were on the Spirit last may we hade Manuel.Is he still there?:)

Yes, it is still Manuel.

cat

Hey, thanks for all the great info.

Were there any historical Places, Forts or Mexican Ruins near any of these ports ?

Hey, thanks for all the great info.

 

Were there any historical Places, Forts or Mexican Ruins near any of these ports ?

In Acapulco, there was a historical fort right across from the dock. You could see it from the ship.

There was also a ship tour to Colima (I think while you were in Manzanillo) and that was a historical tour. I think they saw ruins. I heard someone talking about it and said that it was a good tour.

cat

Your a savior...of sorts...we sail on the spirit Feb 5, and have been patiently waiting for people to start posting their reviews....I was looki ng for the Ports of call info...hope you don't mich one question...when you took cabs, baught drinks on the beach etc...did you use US $ or peso's

bob&france

Your a savior...of sorts...we sail on the spirit Feb 5, and have been patiently waiting for people to start posting their reviews....I was looki ng for the Ports of call info...hope you don't mich one question...when you took cabs, baught drinks on the beach etc...did you use US $ or peso's

 

 

bob&france

We used all US $. We brought a lot of small bills. We would change larger bills in the casino before going out at ports. I actually only got pesos for change once and I kept it for the kids. I probably could have gotten US change if I asked. Everyone took US $.

cat

Very curious about the weather. I know it should be warm while in Mexico. But what about the long trip down & the long trip back. Do you need long pants, sweaters, etc. Packing can be a very difficult task when your not sure what the temperatures are.

Thanks so much for all the info,

Lisa

Very curious about the weather. I know it should be warm while in Mexico. But what about the long trip down & the long trip back. Do you need long pants, sweaters, etc. Packing can be a very difficult task when your not sure what the temperatures are.

 

Thanks so much for all the info,

Lisa

I am one of those people who are freezing all of the time. I had a sweater that I would take to the dining room at night (or a wrap) and I was fine. The lido inside (the grill) and the dining room are always air conditioned. The first day out and the last day back were cool out on deck. If you were up on Lido, one of the sides of the deck was in the shade most of the day so you had to plan to get chairs in the sun. The ports were plenty warm, Acapulco was actually quite hot. The first full sea day on the way back was quite windy (20-25 kts.) so that made it seem cooler. It seemed like the aft pool got the least wind (I'm not sure why). I wore shorts every day but the last day. I also packed a velour tracksuit, because that was quite versatile to wear during the day.

Hope that helps.

cat

I was also on that Spirit sailing!!! My first time cruising with my husband and 6 yr old daughter and 12 yr old son.

I was also amazed at the hypnotist- he's from Santee, very close to me in La Mesa CA.

The first comedian at the Midnight show was a 5 out of ten, my husband said 2/10!

I know there another comedian so i'll have to see which one was the sucky one.

Food was awesome and you are never bored.

Have fun.

Oh yeah.... I met Cruznon in Manzanillo. we did not know eachother and found out we both wrote on these boards- while floating around in the pool!!

Thanks for the weather update. That helped alot.

This will be our visit Carnival cruise on the Spirit to Alaska Sept/05.

What were people wearing to dinner (not formal nights) ie; men-open neck shirts, dress pants and ladies - slacks and nice top or more dressy-tie and jackets and dresses.

We have asked for early seating. When and how did you find out where you sat.

Did you use room service. What did you have.

Did you eat in any place other than the dining room. What did you have.

Is one of the pools covered.

How much was the soda card. I have heard they serve lemonade.

What type of cabin did you have.

This will be our visit Carnival cruise on the Spirit to Alaska Sept/05.

 

What were people wearing to dinner (not formal nights) ie; men-open neck shirts, dress pants and ladies - slacks and nice top or more dressy-tie and jackets and dresses.

 

Ok, The dining room was more casual than I thought it would be. It did seem to be the younger people who were 'dressing down' more. My husband wore a nice shirt and nice docker type pants on every night but the first formal night. On the first formal night he word his suit but for the second one he said forget it and just wore a nice dress shirt.

 

I wore dresses for the formal nights and nice slacks or a skirt the other nights.

 

We have asked for early seating. When and how did you find out where you sat.

 

The table # was printed right on your sign and sail card and they just directed us to the table when we got to the dining room.

 

Did you use room service. What did you have.

 

We used room service several times but mostly for the kids. We mostly got sandwiches and salads and BROWNIES!!. Usually took about 20-30 minutes. The BLT's are excellent.

 

Did you eat in any place other than the dining room. What did you have.

 

We ate lunch every day up in Lido. Usually the grill area where they make burgers and chicken sandwiches and have french fries as the kids were usually in the pool at lunch time.

 

We stared out at the beginning having breakfast up on Lido (giant selection) but found out we could get exactly what we wanted served to us in the dining room. (less running around for mom!!)

 

We did try dinner one night up at Lido - BAD MOVE - there is almost nothing up there at dinner time and the grill closes at 6:30.

 

Is one of the pools covered.

 

I believe the center pool on Lido can be covered.

 

How much was the soda card. I have heard they serve lemonade.

 

We were on an 8 day cruise and the soda card was like $50. My husband sent my son for soda SEVERAL times and never had a problem. They have Lemonade, Iced Tea, Fruit Punch, Orange and Apple juice free on Lido. I think Sodas are also free with dinner. I know they're free for the kids at dinner.

 

What type of cabin did you have.

We had cabins 5191 and 5193. I believe these were an 8B (Balcony) and 7A (Obstructed Balcony). The obstruction wasnt' too bad as it was on the end. We were pretty much dead center on the ship which was an awesome location. We were right be the main elevators which I was a little nervous about but it wasn't bad at all (and I am the world's lightest sleeper). There were kids a few times running down the halls but I think they were pretty much all over the ship.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

cat

Do you remember how much you paid for the cab in Acapulco?

Are there any good places to buy nice souvenirs and tequila?

Do you remember how much you paid for the cab in Acapulco?

Are there any good places to buy nice souvenirs and tequila?

There were 5 of us and the guy drove us around all day. I think he wanted $100 but my husband gave him $120. As far as we were concerned it was a bargain.

We just asked to be taken to like a flea market to buy junk for the kids. I know the city tour from the ship takes you to like a mall but I heard it was absurdly expensive. Our cab driver (Simon) spoke excellent english and would have taken us wherever we wanted. I would just try and find a guy you can communicate decently with and he'll go wherever you want.

cat