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Spirit to Alaska Review With Pics


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Alright, I see a few reviews going on here so I thought I would post my own. I have done one review before and know I have a tendency to drag them out. However, I do have a lot of pictures to break up the monotonous text! Let's get the statistical stuff out of the way....

 

My partner (Wade) and I have become major cruise junkies in the past two years. This was my 10th cruise and his 6th. This was my 8th cruise with Carnival. We also took along my parents for this trip as they love to cruise as well. They have been on around 8 or so cruises and this was their third with Carnival. They tend to be big fans of NCL. Lets not judge them for that (just kidding, I actually have an NCL cruise booked).

 

We live in Atlanta and decided to fly into Seattle three days early. I have never been out there and the more I read about the city the more I realized there was a ton of stuff to do out there. It is a LONG story as to how we came about booking this cruise, but have always wanted to go to Alaska. About five months out we booked over priced airfare on Delta so that was settled. Honestly, I just about lose it checking air prices all the time so I finally caved one day, called Wade at work and yelled "Book the damn flight! Now don't ever look at the price again!" So the flight was booked and we were coming in early Saturday afternoon. Of course, that didn't stick and by the time we actually flew out our flight left at 4:15.

 

A couple months before the cruise I started the whole search for a hotel. i actually love to check them out, but sometimes you have to just pick one and move on. After much debate I decided on the Grand Hyatt since it seemed to be central and it had a rockin bathroom. I am a sucker for a separate stand up shower and this one was beautiful. Sold. Hey sometimes it is the little things.

 

My other big pre-cruise planing came with excursions, etc. Let me tell you, if you haven't been then Alaska can be daunting to plan for. There is SO much to choose from. I finally nailed down a couple things and then decided to just go day by day at other places. I knew weather would be a factor and also my parents would be doing some things with us. Now, they are older, but they can get around on their own. In other words, I didn't have to worry about recharging anything to get them going.

 

Another issue is packing. Give Wade and I a Caribbean cruise and we can be packed in minutes. This was another story. I had no idea what to expect and asking around really didn't help. When asked about the weather people would say things like "Oh, Alaska in May? Well it could get really cold, or it could be pretty warm. You might have beautiful weather, but be prepared for rain all day". So yea, no help there. We finally decided to take the 'ol "Pack it all" method and broke out the steamer trunk. Alright, it isn't exactly a steamer trunk, but it is one huge piece of luggage that we have only used once (see my CCL Victory review). As for clothes, well, we took it all from sweaters to T-shirts, shorts to long johns. You know what? We used all of it. That reminds me, I need to fold another load of laundry right now......

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Oh yea, I will not post my signature after every post in this review. I am aware that it is obnoxious....

 

So the big day rolls around and we have a friend pick us up with our gigantic luggage. We actually live in Atlanta so getting to the airport is a 15 minute drive. This makes it very convenient to travel for us. After getting a bunch of angry glares from other cars in the drop off lane at the airport, we have everything rolling. Check in was easy and our bags were about 47 lbs each which made Wade very proud. We were taking this flight alone as my parents were coming in the next night. After an uneventful (read horrible) lunch at the airport TGI Fridays we head off to get on the plane. This is the point where I lie to myself to try and make a 5.5 hour flight seem like an adventure. "I can catch up on my reading....I bet there is an interesting second rate movie to pay for.....I have always wanted to see how long I can sit with my knees curled up beneath my chin....etc"

 

I tend to black out long flights as they can be painful memories for me. besides, I really didn't care because we were landing in Seattle soon and I was officially on vacation. The flight wasn't too bad and I did watch a decent movie (Crazy Heart). We fly Delta, so they do provide snacks and drinks. We landed in Seattle and got our bags around 7 or so their time. Now I didn't have any transport set up and figured we would just grab a cab. However, I never found the cab stand.

 

If you go past the baggage claim you will see a neat atrium. On the other side their are doors leading to the outside bus terminal. On the right side of the doors is a couple booths where you can pick up a bus ticket. I walked over to the Grey Line stand and bought a ticket on their bus. They provide service every half hour to most major Seattle hotels. The bus was big so there was no problem with getting on. One was sitting there about to leave so we ran out and grabbed it. I will say the driver was nice and gave a little commentary as he drove us into town. I was really excited to be here so I was wide awake at this point. We looked out the window and "The mountain was out". Apparently this is a term a lot of Seattle folk use when Mt Rainer is visible. Let me tell you, if you have never seen this then you are in for a nice surprise. The thing is HUGE and beautiful. Knowing it is a volcano makes it a bit frightening as well. Oh yea, we were in Seattle during the 30 year anniversary of Mt St Helens erupting. This was all over the TV while we were there so it made for an interesting bit of paranoia during our stay.

 

The airport is a bit of a way from the city, but it was a cool drive. We dropped off a lot of people at other hotels and soon we made it to the Grand Hyatt.

 

This is also the point where I got my camera out of my bag....so yea, you faithful readers will now have pictures!

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I loved your first review and am anxiously awaiting the rest of this one. We did our first Alaskan cruise last summer on NCL. It did not compare favorably to our past Carnival cruises, so we decide if (or when...) we do it again, we will do the Spirit! Can't wait for the photos!

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So we get checked in and head up to the room. At this point it was getting dark and we wanted to explore a bit. We did splurge a bit and had an awesome corner suite on an upper floor. The views were fantastic and the rooms were huge. Night view from the living room:

 

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Evening view from the bedroom:

 

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The bathroom that sold me on the place:

 

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Overall, the hotel was very nice and I would stay there again. They had a Ruth's Chris in the lobby that had a surprisingly good and reasonably priced breakfast. Seriously, I had two eggs, yogurt and the best bacon I have ever had in my life for around $7, coffee included. There is also a deli, a sushi restaurant and a Starbuck's (imagine!) attatched to the lobby. The hotel was convienant, about six or seven easy blocks to Pike's Market, right across from the free underground bus system and about two blocks from the monorail that will take you to the city center. There is also a mall across the street and restaurants everywhere.

 

We wanted to walk around a bit before going to bed so we dropped our bags and headed out. It was late by our time, but people were out everywhere. Seattle is very walkable as things are relatively close togeather. It is also easy to grab transport if you need it. I recommend looking into the bus system that is free in the downtown area if you are going to be there for awhile.

 

We basically just walked down the street to the edge of the market. Immediatly I liked the city as it had a lot of life to it. We passed a lot of neat stores that I wanted to look into. It was a cool night, but great for just taking it all in. We really were not hungrey, but couldn't resist stopping in at "The Chocolate Box" for some hot chocolate and an wesome brownie. heading back to the hotel I heard someone call me name. I turned around and was surprised to see a couple from our previouse Roll Call on our Freedom cruise last October. They were actually leaving on the NCL Pearl the next day. We talked a bit and laughed about seeing each other in Seattle. Small world. After that we headed to bed as I had booked a tour of Pike's Market for the next morning.

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I am going to rip through our Seattle part of the trip so i will try to avoid any long dissertations. I hadn't really planned much for Seattle, but knew a lot of what I wanted to do. To be honest I would have loved to get out of the city and check out some of the outer areas for hiking, etc. However, with my parents coming in I decided to stick to the city itself. There is still a lot to see and do in the city.

 

The only tour I did plan was a tour of Pike's Place Market with Savor Seattle Food Tours. This was an excellent choice. It was a two hour tour of the market with stops at many of the booths for tastings and a bit of history. Savor Seattle runs three different tours (a Gourmet Restaurant Tour and a Chocolate Indulgence tour in addition to the Market tour). I am sure they are all great. For $39 we got to see a lot of the market and meet many people that make it run. We also got to try some awesome food. The tour started at 10 AM and we met at the Starbuck's across from the famous red sign.

 

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One great thing about the tour is the way they set everyone up with individual earpieces to hear the tour guide. It was a small ear bud attached to a receiver that fit on your belt. This allowed you to hear the leader clearly without him having to yell. You could also walk around a bit and take pictures, etc without fear of missing some info.

 

We all met a t a large table and got to know each other a bit. They cap the group at 16 so it isn't that crowded at all. We had a pretty diverse group and I enjoyed many of them. We had people from Texas to Australia with us so it was interesting to get every one's reaction. From there we were led into the market. We had something to eat or drink everywhere we stopped. The first was a donut stand with fresh hot mini cinnamon donuts. After it was a tea place that gave us a small cup of their signature hot tea (we bought some later). Then it was on to the famous fish counter to see the guys that throw fish.

 

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Now this is a total tourist stop, but it was fun. The guys that work there are beyond personable and you can't help but get swept up in the whole thing. The place always has a crowd around it and everyone wants to see a fish sailing through the air. We sampled three kinds of smoked salmon there. This is a great fish and a treat to eat if you ever see it on a menu. It is often referred to as a "Poor Man's lobster".

 

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From there we went all over. I also want to add that it was the Seattle Cheese Festival that weekend so the place was jam packed. We headed over to a fruit stand and sampled some jazz apples and some kind of pear:

 

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We also went to a cool pepper stand that had all sorts of things made out of hot peppers:

 

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We meandered through the alley to a chowder place to try the best Clam Chowder I have ever had (I should note that I work for a high end seafood restaurant), We also had some seafood chowder that everyone loved but me. Other stops included a cheese place (awesome mac and cheese there) and a Russian place for some Perogies (sp?). We headed past the flower district to get behind the counter of Chuckers Cherries

 

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There we sampled about five different kinds of covered cherries. They were all fantastic. I am sure I am forgetting some of it but we finally ended up at a nice restaurant for some Crab Cakes. With that we said goodby and parted ways. I loved this tour and it was great for the money. I understand why it is #1 on Trip Advisor for "Things To Do". Other then that, the market is incredible. I loved that place and only wish they had something like it in Atlanta. Go if you can.

 

Here is the link to the tour company:

 

http://www.savorseattletours.com/

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I will be back soon. I had to go to the store since I haven't been home in 12 days.

 

Your trip report is fascinating, so hurry back from the store and keep writing. My family will be on the Spirit to Alaska in July, so I've really enjoyed your synopsis of Seattle, so far.

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I have ALWAYS envied you your cruise countdowns! ;) I had a B2B CCL Spirit (our fave ship) cruise planned for Sept. '09. I think it was RT, then SB/NB or visa versa; can't really remember. Like you, I am a "Caribbean cruiser" and just throw my shorts, t's, swim suits and 2 Elegant Night dresses in a suitcase and OFF I GO. :) And we live 15-20 minutues from Manhattan cruise terminal, so most of our cruises are just hop, skip and jump. So THIS AK cruise was going to be a CHALLENGE. I researched for MONTHS every night until I fell asleep at the computer. Then....the dr. I worked for for 33+ years had a heart attack and closed the practice and I was out of work....so we cancelled our trip...after ALL that "work." :eek: We are still fortunate enough to be able to go on ONE cruise/year from Manhattan, but I am living AK cruises vicariously thru everyone else's reviews! Can't wait to read more of yours!! Thank you for posting it.

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Hi, I look forward to your reviews, thanks so much for taking the time especially to add the photos. We sailed with you on the Valor back in 2008, had a great time.

 

Cindy

 

Really? Did we meet? I am trying to remember. That was our first cruise (my second, but my first was when I was a teenager). It was before I found CC. I was active on the Carnival boards though.

 

Thanks to everyone else for your comments. We were actually booked on the Spirit Glacier Bay cruise in September, but for (insert long story) we had to cancel it. Then we were booked on the Dream for May 15th. After wrestling with transport, etc to Port Canaveral I just said "Forget this! We are doing Alaska!" and changed it before I could second guess myself. We are big outdoor people and have always wanted to do this cruise. However, it can be a bit daunting to plan, etc so we kept putting it off. Finally, I just said we are going to make this work and stuck to it.

 

Anyway, back to the review......

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So the market also has street performers and there is an interesting way they regulate them. They have designated spots that are marked out on the sidewalk with a "music note" symbol. There is also a number which tells how many people can be a part of the group at one time. Once the performer(s) claim the spot they have a certain amount of time, then if someone else is waiting they give it to the next person. There is more to it then that but I am unsure of the exact details. Here is one such performer:

 

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After the tour ended we walked along the waterfront and noticed a silent demonstration going on in the small park next to the market. They were demonstrating for human rights in China and it was interesting because they held this position without moving for hours:

 

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We decided to walk across Belltown and head to the new Olympic Sculpture Park that was put up along the waterfront. The park itself was alright but a bit sparse. I like what they are doing and I would love to see it when it is a bit more developed. They had various large sculptures out in the open there. The kicker was the view of Puget Sound. Everyday in Seattle started off overcast and turned sunny and beautiful later in the evening. This is a beautiful spot, but the picture can't capture the beauty due to the clouds:

 

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We walked around and looked at the sculptures. I really liked this one as it was stainless steel polished to reflect everything:

 

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We then left the park and began our uphill treck to the Seattle Center

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We took our time because there are some d*&% big hills in Seattle. You know, the kind of hills that force you to realize you are not in the shape you have been telling yourself you are in. We made it to Seattle Center and let me tell you, this is almost tourist overload. You have a ton of stuff all in one place including the Space Needle, the Experience Music Project, the Science Fiction Museum and more. On top of that they have a cheesy "amusement park" with the kind of rides you only put your kids on if you want to terrify them (sorry if I offend...). Still, I had to do the Space Needle. There was some great art on the grounds that we walked under:

 

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You have to buy your tickets outside and let me tell you, it cost a pretty penny to take that dang elevator up to the top. From the booth you have to go to the elevator they direct you to. Once inside the teen operator slightly came out of her bored as hell stupor to recite some facts as the elevator shot us up to over 500 feet. It is coll at the top. You have the full 360 degree view from inside as well as a platform outside. There are a lot of facts listed everywhere and some awesome electronic "toys". One was like a web cam that displayed the view on a large monitor. You could maneuver the camera and zoom in on anything that could be found from the view. So yea, we spent some time up there before heading back down. Here is one of the view shots:

 

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After that it was on to the Science Fiction Museum and Experience Music Project (EMP). They are both in one building and your ticket buys you admission to the whole place. Sop we headed into the SFM first. It was pretty cool and had lots of info to read on just about anything dealing with the Sci-Fi world, from books to movies. There were a bunch of movie props and a couple of interactive displays as well. I don't want to bore you with a bunch of pics but here is one of me in front of a Jetsons Display:

 

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After we went through the whole thing we crossed over to the EMP side. The opening is a massive screen that throws up images to whatever song is playing. I was shocked to walk into it and find they were playing my favorite song by one of my favorite bands (The Smiths and "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"). So yea, I liked the place already. From the screen you walk right into the center piece of the place. A giant sculpture made out of hundreds of guitars and a few other instruments (Good lord is that a xylophone stuck in there???):

 

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Now if you are into music this is the place for you. It is really cool and not really a 'museaum" per say. It is more of an interactive experience. There are a ton of exhibits set up that let you fool with all aspects of making and creating music. We were also lucky enough to see a limited phot exhibit that had many outstanding music photos displayed. Again, if you are into the creation of music you could spend hours here.

 

After that we were pretty tired and took the monorail back to our hotel. The monorail only has one route and it goes from Seattle Center to the mall on Pine St. It was quick and cheap.

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So we went and rested for a bit and then headed to grab some quick food before my parents arrived. We decided to head to a Mexican place at the top of the mall across the street. They had an outdoor patio way up in the sky so we sat out there as the weather had gotten sunny again. Later on my parents arrived and we sat around and talked a bit. My dad was feeling kind of bad so he wanted to rest. Wade and I wanted to take my mom to the market tomorrow and check out some more sights so we headed to bed early.

 

In the morning we ate breakfast with my parents in Ruth Chris's and got dressed to head out. We walked down to the Market again and checked out the streets. I like this city park and fountain:

 

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At the market we took my mom around and also checked out some smaller venues we had missed the day before. Being a Monday it was less crowded, but I loved being there once again. Walking back we went up a different street and headed up near the convention center which I thought was beautiful:

 

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After a rest at the hotel we decided to go to Pioneer Square. We took the underground bus for free to the stop. I will say that the underground bus system was really nice and very clean. Once we figured out what we were doing we really liked it. Once we got off at Pioneer Square I spotted the Smith Tower which I knew had an old elevator to an observation deck:

 

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The inside was beautiful and the old time elevator (complete with a dressed up operator) was fun. The day was beautiful so the views were outstanding:

 

Looking towards downtown:

 

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A view of the stadium:

 

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And one really cool looking building (i really need to look this up):

 

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We were the only people up there so we took our time. After we headed down and walked on.

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Pioneer Square is about six city blocks that has restored buildings and a beautiful park in it. If you are not expecting anything more then beautiful buildings, etc then you will enjoy it. It is also where you will find the popular Underground Seattle tour which we didn't get to try. Here is a shot of a tree lined park there:

 

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There is an Ivy covered building that was beautiful as well. Inside it had a good coffee shop (imagine that) and led down to the underground shops.

 

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I guess the center of Pioneer Square is this beautiful pergola:

 

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Of course, there is the infamous totem pole:

 

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After that we headed back to the hotel. My parents had a date planned at Ruth Chris's and Wade and I wanted to try out the smokehouse near the hotel. After that it was time to pack (Wade, can you please wait until I have had my shower before you steal all the bathroom stuff???) and get ready for embarkation the next morning. I was wiped out so sleep came fast for me.

 

When I woke up I opened the blinds to see our ship docked off in the distance. Today we set sail!

 

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Now before I head into the cruise part of the review I thought I would say a few things. I did this in my other review and it is basically me setting up what kind of a cruiser I am and what you can expect from my review. We have become travel junkies over the past couple years and found cruising to be a great way to see a lot. I used to be a "cruise only for the ports" kind of person. Now I enjoy two kinds of cruises. The ones for pure relaxation and others for the experience ff the places we are going to. This cruise was all about the destination for me. In other words you won't find much in here about the clubs, the shows, etc. We really focused on the ports and the places we cruised.

 

A few other things. This was my first Spirit Class ship and I have heard so much about them on here. I liked the ship itself and loved the decor (my mother said it was the most beautiful ship she had been on). I loved the layout of the Lido deck, but didn't care for the split Promenade. Like the Fantasy class, it left the poor Piano Bar out of the loop and therefore was dead the whole time. I also didn't care for having the Promenade Deck on the lower part of the ship and so far below the Lido Deck. Again, not a big deal. I sail on the Miracle in October so I am looking forward to seeing how the ship is in a tropical setting with a lot of people outdoors. As far as decor though, this was probably my favorite carnival ship.

 

As for the size. I kind of wondered how the ship would feel since my last cruise was on Oasis of the Seas (which I loved by the way). Going back to a "smaller" ship was easy and I loved it. At times it felt crowded (the buffet was a nightmare a few times) but people were spread out for the most part. Again, I am sure when the Lido deck is in full use the dynamics are totally different.

 

The crowd. This was a different crowd then I was accustomed to. I don't mean this in a negative way or anything, it was just different. I guess it was the fact that a lot were west coast people, but there were also many, many Midwestern people on this cruise. The overall age was a little younger then expected, but there was more of a scooter crowd then I am used to. Kids were virtually non-existent from what I could tell (there is one glaring exception which I will get to later). I did see some families though. There were also a good number of first time cruisers on the ship, but I think the itinerary accounts for that.

 

All right, I got some of that out of the way. Tomorrow morning I will start on the rest.

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