Just back from the Spirit. Any Questions???

I will be monitoring this site for 5 days so if you have any qiestions just let me know. I do not have copies of the daylies or the menus.

juju, can you confirm the pools are heated? I have two kids going next week and they love to swim. Thanks

Yes they are. The kiddie pool was open every day and was slightly heated. Saw a few kids in it here and there. The Triviani pool was only open on the day at sea on the way back. (not sure why) but this too was also slightly heated. Found the hot tubs to be too cool considering the weather--would have liked them slightly hotter.

Thanks, one more ? How did the electronic boards showing waiting time for the dinning rooms work? I have a group of 10 going and waiting for a table for a long period of time would be a bummer.

Boards worked OK......... not very accurate. If you are eating in a specialty restaurant then no problem just make a reservation. If eating in Windows or The Garden then you may have a wait (we never waited but were a party of 2..saw others with a bigger party waiting) To avoid the wait...eat early (before 6:30) or during the shows. The wait isn't bad though if you must because they give you a beeper and will beep you when your table is ready so you can go anywhere on the ship to wait.;)

Did you do any excursions and how were they? Also do you know how the teen activities were as I have a 16 year old son going on the cruise.

Some people say wait and book excursions locally .....what do you think?

I heard that the Spirit has special 2 for 1 nights in the Speciality restaurants. Is this true?

Oliver

06/11/05 Spirit

Not sure when you are going but I don't think any of our excursions booked up. If there is something you absolutely want to do then I would book it ahead of time (you always have 24 hours to cancel before the excursion without a penalty.) We did an excursion in almost every port:

Ketchikan - Rope challange and zip line: fun but definately not worth the money in my opinion. This is in the process of being built so there is hardly anything to do so you keep doing the same challenges over and over to get your 3 hours worth.

Juneau - Mendenhall glacier and whale watch: OK- We live on cape cod and have seen many more whales at a much closer up position. We did see a brown bear (if you had binoculars and did not blink), some seals (again with binoculars), some sea lions, One humpback and several orcas (we were informed that the orca were highly unusual to see and that this was no usual (however you only saw their dorsal fin come out of the water and after attempting several times to get a picture, we came home to find out we missed them each time)

Skagway - Kayak: this was 6 hours long and encorporated only about 1 1/2 hours of paddleing the rest is just waiting around (for the bus--ferry--talk-getting suited--lunch--waiting for the ferry back). This was probably our facvorite of our excursions.

If I could do it again????? Well I think the price of the excursions are completely too high for what you get. But again if your heart is set on something then it will be worth it for you. Our excursions took up most of our time in port that we had little to no time for shopping. If you are a shopper don't wait to see if there is something better in the next port As the trip goes on the shopping gets limited. Prince rupert: has basically no shopping at all. You are just in the middle of a city where there is a small mall and plaza but no real tourist area. What I wish we had done was gotten off the ship right away and rented mopeds (Very reasonable) and then we could have gone off on our own to see the sights. Probable the best port to do an excursion (or stay on the ship).

Yes there are 2 for 1 specials for all the restaurants (one night or the other) but they are early bird specials so your reservations have to be between 5:30 - 6:00 to get this deal.:(

Here are a few ?s -

Are the plugs two or three pronged? We plan to bring an extension cord but were not sure what kind.

What time did you arrive at the ship in Seattle? Would you have gone earlier or later?

Any tips for a first time cruiser? Any areas of the ship you enjoyed, maybe not as well known or as busy?

Did you participate in any ship activites while at sea that you would recommend or not recommend?

Thanks!!

What kind of entertainment did you have? And were there shows in other places besides Moulin Rouge?

How would you rate the food? Which were your favorite places to eat?

Hikini:D

On the 1st 2 nights (Sat & Sun) the 2 for 1 was all evening but only in Shogun and Le Bistro. For the remaining 5 nights the 2 for 1 was also in Maxim's but was changed to 'early bird' seating by 6PM in all 3 restaurants.

Each evening there was a show in Moulin Rouge (some nights music, some nights comedy). Live musical entertainment in Champagne Charlie's (can also be heard below in Atrium) and also in Galaxy of the Stars.

Shogun was excellent. Windows and Garden have same menu (themes for dinner most nights).

Any word on what they plan on doing in the upcoming drydock??

Thanks for the info:

1) Which side of Vancouver Island did you sail on on the return leg?

2) Did you purchase a soda card, and if so, were you glad you did?

3) 110 volt outlet - two or three (grounded) prongs?

4) Did YOU see the basketball/volleyball court? Were they used much?

5) How was the movie selection?

Thanks

(The waiting is killing me)

Thanks for the info:

 

1) Which side of Vancouver Island did you sail on on the return leg?

2) Did you purchase a soda card, and if so, were you glad you did?

3) 110 volt outlet - two or three (grounded) prongs?

4) Did YOU see the basketball/volleyball court? Were they used much?

5) How was the movie selection?

 

Thanks

(The waiting is killing me)

We cruised south on the west (outer) side of Vancouver Island.

The soda card is $35 + 15% = $40.25 (per drink they charge $1.50 + 15% = $1.72) so you have to drink at least 24 sodas to break even. They only have Coke products. We brought 24 cans in our carry-on with no problem.

Can't remember plug - only saw 1 near desk - all others are 220V

Basketball/volleyball cage seemed to have guys casually shooting hoops (never saw a game being played).

In cabin movies on channels 4 and 5 (saw The Aviator, Day After Tomorrow, Taxi, The Terminal, Collateral and some other fairly recent movies. In the Picture House there was a different movie each day (usually 3 showings per day) - Ocean's 12, Finding Neverland, The Incredibles, National Treasure are some that I remember.

Have a great time. It sure goes quickly...

Have a great time. It sure goes quickly...

:)Thanks for the info.:)

But don't say it goes quickly!:p Wait and wait and wait and then - bam, you're back home answering questions on the boards!:D

How big is the movie theater on the Spirit? Do they have shows each night?

I will be going to Alaska on the 28/08 on the Spirit can you e-mail me the dailies please and any other info you have. kz@futura-multimedia.com

Thanks

Kate

Hi Jujubie:

Thanks for all of the wonderful information.

I wonder if you could give a few brief remarks on the overall experience of being on the Spirit.

Is she a stable feeling ship?

Is the housekeeping top notch?

Is the staff helpful and polite?

Does she really have an unpleasant vibration in the Windows restaurant?

Food topics seem to bring more comment than necessary for us, so I don't need to know about that - unless there is something to really avoid.

Was the trip as enjoyable as you had expected, and what would you have done differently?

We will be on the Spirit to Alaska in September.

Thanks again for your comments.

:)

Hi Jujubie:

Thanks for all of the wonderful information.

I wonder if you could give a few brief remarks on the overall experience of being on the Spirit.

Is she a stable feeling ship?

Is the housekeeping top notch?

Is the staff helpful and polite?

Does she really have an unpleasant vibration in the Windows restaurant?

Food topics seem to bring more comment than necessary for us, so I don't need to know about that - unless there is something to really avoid.

Was the trip as enjoyable as you had expected, and what would you have done differently?

We will be on the Spirit to Alaska in September.

Thanks again for your comments.

:)

Hi SailAways, We loved the Spirit and found her to be a very stable ship. We did not notice the vibration in Windows and was actually very surprised because of "negative" comments here. We were always seated at a window table and were very much impressed. Way less noise and vibration than Versailles on the Star. We thought the staff was very attentive, friendly, and polite. Our room was very clean as was public areas. The only thing I would have done is not go to Teppanyaki. We did not care for it much but others here love it. The decor is elegant as opposed to fun spirited. Enjoy!

Thanks so much.

Many have commented about the vibration; but, it seems only at maximum speed.

We will have a wonderful trip. Reviews like yours cause us to know that we have made the right choice.

You have been very helpful - thanks again! :)

Do many people use the swimming pools on the Alaska Cruises. Also my 16 year old was wondering about Pizza and Hamburgers and are they available most of the time at snack stands?

Thanks to all your answers about the Spirit!!!!

During our cruise the pools were not used for the first 6 days and only the day back at sea was it opened with a handful of people aruond it. (maybe too early in the season for pool fun?) Hamburgers were only available on a few days during the (weather permitting) bar-b-que's. Pizza slices are available everyday at snack in the buffet. Room service (24 hours) has pizza available.

We also just got back (May 21-28) and thought I'd post some tips I found helpful.

1) I took an electric strip that I plugged into the desk outlet for the cell phone charger, my curling iron and the alarm clock. There are NO clocks in the cabin-- and we took a small one and found it very helpful.

2) We did not do any shore excursions except in Juneau. Originally I had booked the helicopter/dog mushing directly with NCL, but after reading some posts here I found it less expensive ($395 vs. $450 each) with Coastal Helicopters. This was the highlight of our cruise experience!! Coastal did a fantastic job........ and this was something we will never forget. No one can believe our photos!!

3) We tipped our cabin stewards on the 2nd day out -- cash in an envelope and also tipped room service each time they brought ice. We drink ALOT of water, and we needed ice constantly. Never a problem.... and after the 2nd day our cabin stewards had 2 full ice buckets in our room without asking.

4) We took our own ashtray and smoked out on the balcony.

5) We did the 2 for 1 Shogan's one night and the service was excellent, but my main course (beef) was a bit salty. We made friends with our server and she made a point to say hello any time we saw her the rest of the cruise.

6) We purposely booked a balcony cabin on the starboard side for viewing of the Sawyer Glacier. This worked perfectly -- as in Ketchikan and Prince Rupert we were able to sit out there and view these picturesque towns as that is the side the ship was positioned.

7) I also thought the hot tubs could have been warmer! We did not ever get in them for just that reason.

8) If you like Fisn N Chips-- two afternoons they were served in Henry's Pub-- which is a small bar-- so you may have to wait for a table.

9) The weather was rainy in Ketchikan and Juneau-- but the rest of the time we did not even need coats! We came home with suntans from sitting on the balcony so much. We even wore shorts in Prince Rupert.

10) Because the sun rose so early each day, we were up very early. We slept each evening with the balcony door wide open-- but if you want to sleep late -- make sure to shut your blackout curtains. We had about 18-20 hours of sunlight each day-- and seeing a sunset at 10pm was quite something!!

11) Everything we had read had said absolutely no jeans at any restaurant in the evening. But, the dailies said "no torn jeans" and we did see some folks in jeans. We dressed up for formal night (sequins for me and suit for husband), and again for semi formal (black slacks with black lace "poncho" for me and another suit for husband). The rest of the evenings I wore either a dress or slacks and my husband wore polo shirts with khakis.

12) The casino is only open while on the water, and although I had always heard that cruise ship casinos do not pay-- we saw one gal win $3500 and I won 1300 quarters! My husband did pretty good at the tables. If you want to gamble the last night out-- go early as once you get in Washington waters-- the casino closes.

13) As far as embarkation goes, we were in our room by about 12:30pm and our bags came by 1:30pm. The morning back in Seattle waiting to get off the ship was really smooth-- as they let you off according to colors of luggage tags based on your plans. Most everyone was off the ship by about 10:30am.

14) Make sure to take a carry on-- as you must put your bags outside your room the last night by 2:00am.

15) If you want to eat right as you board in Seattle-- the buffet is open at Raffles. However, we did not realize it closes by 3:30pm and the mandatory lifeboat drill was at 3:30pm-- and we had to rush through the buffet and actually carried our trays back to our cabin to stuff food in our mouths while putting on our life jackets!!

16) In Ketchikan, the ship ports right at the Visitors Center. We went in there and got some area brochures and we ended up doing the self guided walking tour. It was a good hike up to the Eagle Sanctuary and Salmon Hatchery, but well worth it. We got within 10 feet of 2 bald eagles in captivity-- and it was fascinating.

I'll write more later-- or feel free to ask more questions!

We had a fabulous time...........

"1) I took an electric strip that I plugged into the desk outlet for the cell phone charger, my curling iron and the alarm clock. There are NO clocks in the cabin-- and we took a small one and found it very helpful."

:cool: Was the plug for 110 volt two prong (ungrounded)

or three prong (grounded)? :cool: