Is Spirit nice and what is midship? (My search function is not working)

[luckyprincess]

Thank you everyone!! You've all been very kind and helpful! I'm now going to try to find the best way to book this, lol! I've never sailed Carnival before so no points or discounts :( :p

[ChefSusan]

Hi Carnival lovers!

 

I haven't done a Carnival cruise yet but have been on RCCL three times. I LOVED Radiance of the Seas, but didn't really love Freedom - it was too big, service wasn't great, food not as good - I think it was just too big for us. And we are young, active people, so nothing to do with that.

 

Well, this time, I would really love for my sis and I to take my parents on an Alaskan cruise. They would love this - my Dad had gotten laid off from work last year from the factory he worked at and at his age, isn't getting picked up at a new job. My Mom is a cancer survivor and works at Target a few days a week. They are both taking social security to make ends meet and were able to make a deal with the mortgage company to keep their house. So its been a tough year. They went with my sis and her husband five years ago on a cruise (RCCL) to the Western Caribbean and loved it! My Dad climbed the Mayan ruins, which was nothing but a far away fantasy dream for him before he went on this trip. He never thought he would see that in his life. :D They have never even had a honeymoon and don't have passports. So an Alaskan cruise would seriously blow their minds!

 

I need some help from you good folks, though. I get motion sick on a porch swing and take dramamine and ginger on my cruises. The last one on Freedom, we rocked so much that our drinks actually slid on the table in our room and the hot tub up on deck was having water slosh out of the sides back and forth as we rocked. Awful! Even with all my meds, I felt a little bit sick :( Can anyone give me an idea of ship movement in Alaska around June? In general, of course. For me, mid ship, higher up (8 or 9) and balcony work perfect! I usually get a hump cabin but I have NO idea where to be looking on Carnival Spirit for that type of category. I also don't want to really break the bank, as I can't afford to, so if anyone can give me a tip as to find the best price, that would be great. Also, the category on their website really confuses me - I'm not sure what I should be looking for. Okay - sorry for all the neediness!:D

 

Thanks for any help that may come my way!:)

We were on Spirit this past August, and had an absolutely amazing time! The only time we felt the boat rock around was in the middle of the first night. We were making our way around the tip of Vancouver Island, and it felt as if we were going over Class 4 rapids! The rest of the time, we had smooth water (only the "normal" amount of choppiness).

 

We had two balcony cabins portside towards the back of the ship, and had a blast watching the scenery from there! If you guys can afford it, book a balcony for you and your husband, and either an oceanview or inside for your parents! This way, the four of you can enjoy everything from your own private space!

 

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I just ordered a brochure and will look for those elevators!:)

 

I have a question for mkindidtn, or anyone else that knows the ship. This will sound strange probably but I'm wondering if this ship or the Alaskan itenerary caters to all types of folks? What I mean is, my parents are good, honest, simple and loving people. They are blue collar working class through and through - they believe an honest days work, having a loving, happy family and keeping your family name honorable is the hallmarks of a good life. They don't really have 'stuff' or a lot of means. I don't want them to feel 'lowbrow' or anything or made to feel like they don't fit in.

 

They liked RCCL very much but they didn't eat in the MDR except for once because they felt it was too 'fancy' :p They LOVED the variety and quality of the buffet and acutally really liked both pay restaurants. I just have heard that Alaska caters to maybe an older, maybe more wealthy crowd and I just want them to have fun and see some amazing stuff. I hope this doesn't sound silly or judgemental at all. And I hope this is the right place for a question like this.

Your question is not out of place in the least!

 

The huge difference that we found between RCL and Carnival is that you don't have to get "dressed up" every night in order to eat in the MDR! As long as your parents have "nice" clothing to wear for the two "cruise elegant" dinners (for your father a button-down shirt and a nice pair of slacks, for your mother a nice dress or pants suit), they should not feel out of place! They always have the option of going to the buffet if they prefer.

 

Regardless, you guys are in for an amazing cruise - make sure to savor every single memory you have!

[mkinmidtn]

Your parents should be just fine in the MDR. All the nights but elegant night, there were lots of jeans in the MDR. The Alaska cruise is just much more laid back and casual. Who wants to take the time to go change for dinner when you might need to run outside to see whales or whatever scenery is going by. On elegent night, nice slacks and shirt/blouse will be just fine. Alot of women on our cruise wore black pants and nice blouse and men were in dockers and shirts. Oh yeah... we were in an ocean view room and it was great. My Grandmother (79 yrs young) took us on the cruise and the balcony's were just to high...LOL.... It never effective the view for us... My Sis and I were on the Lido deck going back and forth from side to side to see everything. ;)

[highbridge5]

Get out the deckplans and you can pretty well gauge where the middle is, but yes, the atrium is very near the middle. My best suggestion for you would be an 8F or 8K on the Panorama Deck if you want to be high up the ship.

 

I believe the Pride is the same class ship and I can say, from experience,

that deck 8 forward was worse than deck 4 forward in terms of motion sickness. We encountered some rough seas for a good 24 hours coming up the east coast in January from the bahamas back to Baltimore.

 

We were in an 8C (balcony on deck 8 foward of the forwardmost elevators) (cabins 8116 and 8120) and my sister was in a 4K on deck 4 and a little less forward (just aft of the forwardmost elevators in cabin 4112 I think) and by far, her room was the better place to be in rough seas. A LOT better.

 

On our cruise, my guess was the deck 2 atrium area was as close to the center of gravity for the boat and my thought was that was where you should go to find the least movement. We found that being on a lower deck was better than an upper deck and that there was more motion in the MDR (decks 2 and 3aft on the ship) and the theater (decks 2, 3, 4 forward) and less in the atrium area (decks 2 and 3 midship).

 

The 4K was nice. It had a door to the outside like a balcony room

but there was no balcony - just a railing and lifeboats. So,

you could get some fresh air while still being lower on the ship. If I

were sensitive to motion, it would be the kind of cabin that I would get.

 

 

hb5

[5waldos]

Low and midship is best for people who get seasick. You might consider getting your folks a balcony that you can also use, and putting yourself on the lowest deck in an oceanview. Cheaper than 2 balconies and you won't feel queasy at night. Can't say about Carnival in Alaska but on the Princess the range of people was huge- all sorts of folks so I don't think your parents will feel at all out of place. We will be on the Spirit next spring on the same trip- looking very much forward to it. Come along on the 10th of May- best we can tell we have about 12 people on the ship so far- well, at least on the roll call here. We'd welcome more company!

[luckyprincess]

Low and midship is best for people who get seasick. You might consider getting your folks a balcony that you can also use, and putting yourself on the lowest deck in an oceanview. Cheaper than 2 balconies and you won't feel queasy at night. Can't say about Carnival in Alaska but on the Princess the range of people was huge- all sorts of folks so I don't think your parents will feel at all out of place. We will be on the Spirit next spring on the same trip- looking very much forward to it. Come along on the 10th of May- best we can tell we have about 12 people on the ship so far- well, at least on the roll call here. We'd welcome more company!

 

I was JUST going to ask if the middle/end of May was an okay time to go! :D I tried to check weather but it seems like Alaska is pretty steady around that time - I think it said between 56 - 66 around then which sounds great to me!

Whenever I did RCCL I did a hump balcony on the eight or ninth deck and that seemed okay for me. Maybe we should go with somethign lower on Carnival.....thanks to everyone that pointed that out for me!

[jmorgania]

I was JUST going to ask if the middle/end of May was an okay time to go! :D I tried to check weather but it seems like Alaska is pretty steady around that time - I think it said between 56 - 66 around then which sounds great to me!

Whenever I did RCCL I did a hump balcony on the eight or ninth deck and that seemed okay for me. Maybe we should go with somethign lower on Carnival.....thanks to everyone that pointed that out for me!

 

We cruised the first Alaskan sailing on the Spirit in early May. Granted we departed out of VanCouver and returned to Seattle but we experienced absolutely no rough seas. The weather was cool in the evening and night. Being on open decks while moving was quite chilly at all times. Layers of clothing is highly recommended. We didn't have any pesky mosquitoes that early in the season. Those can be a big problem up there. The ship is very well maintained. There is a large variety of people. I never felt that the ship was full of upper/high class people. The main thing it was missing was the drinking party crowd, and that's perfectly ok with us. We had a balcony mid ship on deck 6. Can't remember the category but I think it was one of the lower 2 balcony categories so it was cheaper. We had no movement there, no noises. It was awesome. Alaska and the Spirit are amazing. Book it and enjoy.

[5waldos]

I was JUST going to ask if the middle/end of May was an okay time to go! :D I tried to check weather but it seems like Alaska is pretty steady around that time - I think it said between 56 - 66 around then which sounds great to me!

Whenever I did RCCL I did a hump balcony on the eight or ninth deck and that seemed okay for me. Maybe we should go with somethign lower on Carnival.....thanks to everyone that pointed that out for me!

 

May will be a wonderful time to sail (I hope!!!).

 

If you were ok on the 8th or 9th deck of RCCL you will be just as fine on Carnival. Maybe you get sick on swings but not cruise ships?

 

Anyway- if you decide on the 10th do come and join our very very lonely roll call.

[5waldos]

PS Not from the Chicago area are you or your folks? Everyone but me seems to live there so if you are it is obvious that you are supposed to be on this cruise;)

[Fazzdaan]

I believe the Pride is the same class ship and I can say, from experience,

that deck 8 forward was worse than deck 4 forward in terms of motion sickness. hb5

 

You are correct. But the OP specifically wanted high.

 

Personally we sail in a VS on the main deck.

[5waldos]

I assume you have taken a look at this but in case you have missed it- The Spirit, full of pictures. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1270083 Just beautiful review.

[luckyprincess]

PS Not from the Chicago area are you or your folks? Everyone but me seems to live there so if you are it is obvious that you are supposed to be on this cruise;)

 

Hi! Nope - Jersey Girl here with a dash of Brooklyn thrown in for good measure, lol!! Close enough, though :p

 

 

We cruised the first Alaskan sailing on the Spirit in early May. Granted we departed out of VanCouver and returned to Seattle but we experienced absolutely no rough seas. The weather was cool in the evening and night. Being on open decks while moving was quite chilly at all times. Layers of clothing is highly recommended. We didn't have any pesky mosquitoes that early in the season. Those can be a big problem up there. The ship is very well maintained. There is a large variety of people. I never felt that the ship was full of upper/high class people. The main thing it was missing was the drinking party crowd, and that's perfectly ok with us. We had a balcony mid ship on deck 6. Can't remember the category but I think it was one of the lower 2 balcony categories so it was cheaper. We had no movement there, no noises. It was awesome. Alaska and the Spirit are amazing. Book it and enjoy.

Oh - thank you so much for the descriptions! Very exciting!!:D

 

I assume you have taken a look at this but in case you have missed it- The Spirit, full of pictures. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1270083 Just beautiful review.

 

Yes, that's the one I was looking at!! :) Such gorgeous pictures!! Love it!

[luckyprincess]

I was rereading these posts to my sis when I noticed someone mentioned a 'covered pool'. Is that the case? Do they have a pool on this ship that would be usable on an Alaskan cruise? I ask because my mom looooves to swim as does my dad and it would be awesome for them to be able to!:)

[Deloresgardella]

I am not too sure of this, but I think they will need at least a passport card to go to Alaska because the ship has to stop in a foriegn port and most ships now stop in Victoria, BC. when they cruise Alaska. To get off the ship there you would all need one. The last time I went to Canada they checked my passport real close. I may be wrong about this but you may want to check, The Spirit is a great ship. I had a balcony last year on mid-ship. It was great. We were on deck seven. I don't like it real high so that was perfect for us. Have a great time.

[luckyprincess]

I am not too sure of this, but I think they will need at least a passport card to go to Alaska because the ship has to stop in a foriegn port and most ships now stop in Victoria, BC. when they cruise Alaska. To get off the ship there you would all need one. The last time I went to Canada they checked my passport real close. I may be wrong about this but you may want to check, The Spirit is a great ship. I had a balcony last year on mid-ship. It was great. We were on deck seven. I don't like it real high so that was perfect for us. Have a great time.

Thank you!! I'll have to get them to get passports - who knows? Maybe this will start a new life of traveling for them!:D

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Yes the main pool by the stage has a sliding/retractable cover. They don't usually close it on the Mexican Riviera route but they often do for alaska. I've never been on the Alaskan route but I've been on the Spirit and the Pride and going on the Spirit again next month. I love this ship and you will too.

 

We are also blue collar workers and we feel more comfortable on Carnival than on RCL. I am sure your parents will really love it.

 

You can also go to cruisedeckplans.com and that will give you some more info and deck plans. For some of the functions like pictures requires a one time payment but you shouldn't need to pay anything to just look at the deckplans. I have had an aft extended balcony on deck 6, a 4K on the Pride midship and have a 8K extended balcony midship on deck 7 next month. 4K's are a great option for limited funds. You pay an inside cabin rate but you get doors that open with a railing against the door. If you look at the deck plan, pick a cabin that is between lifeboats so you will have a little view.

 

You asked about pricing and how confusing it is. Early saver is the cheapest but there is some risk with it so I personally don't book ES. But if you do, you can reap rewards back in on board credit or reduced invoice if the price drops before you cruise. Too many things can happen especially with your parents God forbid something medical go wrong and they can't sail you would lose money so be cautious and understand all the terms and conditions. The most expensive rate shown is you pick the cabin you want and only discounts possible is if the price drops before final payment. After final payment, you won't get any further discounts. The middle price is a guarantee which means you are guaranteed a cabin in that category (balcony, inside etc) but they assign it later with what is left so you might get stuck near a club, above the theater or under the lido deck which CAN all be noisy places.

 

This is a picture of my aft balcony and the 4K view:

[jmorgania]

I was rereading these posts to my sis when I noticed someone mentioned a 'covered pool'. Is that the case? Do they have a pool on this ship that would be usable on an Alaskan cruise? I ask because my mom looooves to swim as does my dad and it would be awesome for them to be able to!:)

 

Midship pool is covered when in Alaska. I can't say the water is incredibly warm though. Obviously it is warmer than the outdoor uncoovered pool but it's still on the cool side. It didn't get a lot of use on our cruise to Alaska in May.

[mohavemommy]

Hi Carnival lovers!

 

I haven't done a Carnival cruise yet but have been on RCCL three times. I LOVED Radiance of the Seas, but didn't really love Freedom - it was too big, service wasn't great, food not as good - I think it was just too big for us. And we are young, active people, so nothing to do with that.

 

Well, this time, I would really love for my sis and I to take my parents on an Alaskan cruise. They would love this - my Dad had gotten laid off from work last year from the factory he worked at and at his age, isn't getting picked up at a new job. My Mom is a cancer survivor and works at Target a few days a week. They are both taking social security to make ends meet and were able to make a deal with the mortgage company to keep their house. So its been a tough year. They went with my sis and her husband five years ago on a cruise (RCCL) to the Western Caribbean and loved it! My Dad climbed the Mayan ruins, which was nothing but a far away fantasy dream for him before he went on this trip. He never thought he would see that in his life. :D They have never even had a honeymoon and don't have passports. So an Alaskan cruise would seriously blow their minds!

 

I need some help from you good folks, though. I get motion sick on a porch swing and take dramamine and ginger on my cruises. The last one on Freedom, we rocked so much that our drinks actually slid on the table in our room and the hot tub up on deck was having water slosh out of the sides back and forth as we rocked. Awful! Even with all my meds, I felt a little bit sick :( Can anyone give me an idea of ship movement in Alaska around June? In general, of course. For me, mid ship, higher up (8 or 9) and balcony work perfect! I usually get a hump cabin but I have NO idea where to be looking on Carnival Spirit for that type of category. I also don't want to really break the bank, as I can't afford to, so if anyone can give me a tip as to find the best price, that would be great. Also, the category on their website really confuses me - I'm not sure what I should be looking for. Okay - sorry for all the neediness!:D

 

Thanks for any help that may come my way!:)

 

I have sailed Radiance (last year) as well as Carnival Spirit in the past. I will be sailing Spirit again next month. I think these ships have the same feel to them. Nothing like the mega-ship feel of Freedom. I have also sailed to Alaska last summer and will be returning next summer with a Cruise Critic group. It is a beautiful cruise.

[Jen1000]

I have sailed the Spirit 2 times. Once in a balcony, 8B (?) to Mexico and then a 4K to Alaska. The prices for balcony cabins are much higher in Alaska so we booked the 4K which has doors that open for fresh air but there is no where to go. We were just a bit forward of mid ship on deck 4 and it was pretty smooth there. Of my 3 crusies, this was actually the smoothest, even the dreaded first day out of Seattle was not very rough. Two in our group had the 7A obstructed balconies and those are fine and you can get close to mid ship deck 5. One cabin was an 8?, cabin 7175, extended balcony. The balcony was deeper than the regular but you can see the life boats below you and their cabin was too far forward for my taste. It was a "free upgrade" that I would not have wanted. You usually pay more the higher you go, so you can save money by staying on a lower deck.

 

Even though I love Carnival, I am not crazy about the port times for Alaska next year, especially Ketchikan. We were there 11 to 7 and I could have easily stayed longer. I don't know if any other cruise lines have a better schedule.

 

We booked Early Saver and one in our group actually got to use it, his fare came down about $200 for a 7A. When the prices came down for balconies, the Early Saver worked out because another cabin upgraded from a 4K to 7A pretty reasonably. We all booked independent travel insurance just in case. Your parents are probably also eligible for the senior rate if it is available. If you book ES, check rates up until close to sailing for price drops.

 

As for types of people, there was a variety. We live in SoCal and don't dress up often. I did wear a dress for formal nights because I had one with me for more brother's wedding the first day, otherwise I would not have worn one and would have felt comfortable. Nice shirts and pants are fine and jeans are fine as well in the MDR. I did see people in jeans in the MDR on the second formal night but that was the exception and we had been in port all day. I really did not notice much difference in MDR attire between my two Mexican cruises from San Diego and my Alaskan cruise. It may be due to the fact that many on board the Mexican cruises were from SoCal and many people here don't dress up very often.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Hi Carnival lovers!

 

I haven't done a Carnival cruise yet but have been on RCCL three times. I LOVED Radiance of the Seas, but didn't really love Freedom - it was too big, service wasn't great, food not as good - I think it was just too big for us. And we are young, active people, so nothing to do with that.

 

Well, this time, I would really love for my sis and I to take my parents on an Alaskan cruise. They would love this - my Dad had gotten laid off from work last year from the factory he worked at and at his age, isn't getting picked up at a new job. My Mom is a cancer survivor and works at Target a few days a week. They are both taking social security to make ends meet and were able to make a deal with the mortgage company to keep their house. So its been a tough year. They went with my sis and her husband five years ago on a cruise (RCCL) to the Western Caribbean and loved it! My Dad climbed the Mayan ruins, which was nothing but a far away fantasy dream for him before he went on this trip. He never thought he would see that in his life. :D They have never even had a honeymoon and don't have passports. So an Alaskan cruise would seriously blow their minds!

 

I need some help from you good folks, though. I get motion sick on a porch swing and take dramamine and ginger on my cruises. The last one on Freedom, we rocked so much that our drinks actually slid on the table in our room and the hot tub up on deck was having water slosh out of the sides back and forth as we rocked. Awful! Even with all my meds, I felt a little bit sick :( Can anyone give me an idea of ship movement in Alaska around June? In general, of course. For me, mid ship, higher up (8 or 9) and balcony work perfect! I usually get a hump cabin but I have NO idea where to be looking on Carnival Spirit for that type of category. I also don't want to really break the bank, as I can't afford to, so if anyone can give me a tip as to find the best price, that would be great. Also, the category on their website really confuses me - I'm not sure what I should be looking for. Okay - sorry for all the neediness!:D

 

Thanks for any help that may come my way!:)