Ashkir's LIVE San Francisco to Alaska Inside Passage Cruise September 5 to September 15, 2022 on the Carnival Miracle!

[SDPadreFan]

We did that cruise back on Jun 20. Had a fantastic trip and really perfect weather. We were lucky to have one of the bowling alley balconies which is perfect for an Alaskan Cruise. Shame you won't get to do any excursions, but understandable. We did the Rainforest Trails & Whale Watch one in Juneau. For Skagway, we just took the train. Icy Strait Point we did the cooking demonstration and it was very enjoyable. For the finale, we did the small boat excursion off the ship while cruising Tracy Arm. There is NO BETTER WAY to get close and really enjoy the majesty of the Sawyer Glacier. I'll post a few pics of that one. Besides a pretty good shot of the glacier calving, it was also pupping season for the harbor seals and got some great shots of them as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by SDPadreFan

[SDPadreFan]

First calving event I grabbed on my camera. We actually were lucky enough to see 4 of them. Missed the first one though. Not fast enough with my camera.

[SDPadreFan]

The best one. Later on - my wife actually got to witness an iceberg invert (flip over). That's even more rare but I completely missed that.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by SDPadreFan

[SDPadreFan]

And I got a couple of harbor seals to smile for the camera.

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by SDPadreFan

[SDPadreFan]

Final pic. I call this my cruise ship iceberg.

[ashkir]

6 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

And I got a couple of harbor seals to smile for the camera.

 

 

 

I really want to do this. But the excursion cost was rather pricey. Almost $300 when I asked. I don’t want to do it alone so it’d cost me double. I think it’s $200 now. 
 

Maybe if I win something in the casino 😂

[ashkir]

Dinner was fantastic. Almost a 3 hour experience. It was elegant night, you know where they give the free lobster. It was so busy. 
 

the food was fantastic. The waits were very long. The waiters were all amazing. Several people from our table got up to dance with them. 
 

lobster, steak, prime rib, and root vegetable pie! Check out the photos. 

I’ll add the videos when I’m on land with a stronger connection. The premium wifi is really bad. I keep losing connection.  Making grad school breaks a bit difficult. Had downtime for almost 3 hours today. Super clear sky so far. 

 

[ashkir]

As the dinner lasted so long we got to the show, 88 Keys about five minutes before it started. There’s three showtimes it seems like. We missed two to our dinner. 
 

we got there. It was packed. We got seats and let me tell you anything on the first floor past the middle of the room isn’t a great seat. 
 

the show 88 keys has rising platforms. We weren’t able to see the performers for over two thirds of the performance. Check out the photos to see how they’re cut off. 
 

great music. I’d you’re on the Miracle definitely get here early and sit closer or your view and experience will be impacted. 
 

 

[ashkir]

The show just ended. We tried to flag down the waiters a few times. We weren’t able to order any drinks. 
 

just know even if you’re on the first floor you may not get served any drinks. You might want to bring your own in. 

[ashkir]

I did get a photo with our cruise director, Georgina. 

[ashkir]

We went to the comedy show after the 88 keys. There were two headliners back to back. 
 

first one was hilarious. We really enjoyed it. Paul Lyons was funny. 

The second headliner John DeCrosta wasn’t that funny. His phone gag was good. However he resorted to racism. That isn’t okay. But, he resorted way too much to overly racist jokes and directly made fun of a deaf guy. 

[jimbri]

Have a great time!

[SDPadreFan]

Don't miss out on the Alligator Beignets in the MDR when they have them. It will be listed under the "Rare Finds" right below the Appetizers. Pretty tasty.

[ashkir]

Fall back time! We're now on AKDT time and we have one more day to go! As my paycheck dropped today, I am going to talk about Spa packages! I had already pre-planned the spa experience. Sadly, the excursions nope! But,  spa, I can go alone and not get lost. Haha. Excursions I wouldn't want to do it alone. I'm doing free things in the ports, and will share my free tips and what I did for others who wanna save on excursions! Especially those of you with big families, as those can get costly! 

 

I went to the Ladies Pamper Party! Only guy there but I don't care! It was pretty good. Here's how it went down:

 

Go to the pamper party and you get a free facial. You have to do it for yourself, but, you get to try out Carnival's "premium" product line. Elemis is a British product line that is very popular there in the luxury circles. Carnival uses it fleetwide.  We got to try 5 different facial products, and they explained each one. They went into detail of how they work for the face, etc and finding your balance. Dr. Miguel Cano (oh man did he look dapper, handsome, and perfect) came in and spoke a little about botox. After that they showed us their GoWhite teeth whitening pens and gave us all a free sample. 

 

So after we tried the 5 different products, they gave us a list of discounts. 

 

Here's their deals for the Ladies Pamper Party

 

TOP TO TOE SPECIAL
Indulge yourself from head to toe for 75 glorious minutes with all of these treatments for
only $199:
• Swedish Body Massage
• Pro-Collagen Eye Treatment
• Foot and Ankle Massage
• Neck and Shoulder Massage
• Hand and Arm Massage
Add Hot Stones or Bamboo with your back massage for only $20.

 

This was discounted to $119 at the party only, also includes FREE HOT STONES. 

 

GO SMILE™M TEETH WHITENING $149
Everyone wants a whiter, cleaner smile so why not make yours
the best and brightest it can be? Did you know that a whiter,
brighter smile makes you look more youthful and radiant?
Try our advanced GO SMILE ™M Tooth whitening treatment.
It is a safe, effective way to add a sparkle to your smile.
30 minutes $149 | Couples $258 (Save $40)

 

This got discounted to $99 for the people art the party only! Also, they're throwing in a free take home kit. 

 

ELEMIS BIOTEC FACIALS $199
IT'S TIME TO SWITCH YOUR SKIN BACK ON
BIOTEC facial treatments use groundbreaking technology, active ingredients, and
transformative
touch to switch the skin back on for thriving, visibly healthy, and energized skin. Book a
complimentary consultation.
• BIOTEC Line Eraser
• BIOTEC Firm-a-Lift
• BIOTEC Skin Resurfacer
• BIOTEC Super Charger for Men
INCLUDES A FREE SKIN LAB HD CONSULTATION.

 

This got discounted to $119 for those at the party only. 

 

 

Okay now here's what went down: If you book ALL THREE or a combination of THREE. like 2 massage and 1 facial, etc you're discounted to $100 per treatment. So I booked a facial, teeth whitening, and the massage, for $300 total! I added a fourth massage on for my friend in my cabin. They gave me the $100 deal. It applies to everyone in your cabin. So for $400 we got 2 massages, 1 facial, and 1 teeth whitening treatment. I planned no getting a facial and a massage this time around as I never had done it and my party swears by it. 

 

So I bought an AARP gift card rofl, so these are effectively $90 each. I pay around $80 for a massage on land, plus $15 tip. 

[ashkir]

Hey hey hey. The teeth whitening went rather well. I really enjoyed the experience and results. They gave me another discount for adding a fifth spa appointment. I’m enjoying it and that’s important. 
 

we were informed that it is very likely our Juneau excursions are going to get canceled due to the weather. 
 

I spent some time in the casino today. Had a lot of fun. Didn’t win anything. But had fun 🤩 

[ashkir]

There are no more straws in the dining room or any of the bars. The now charge $4.95 plus tip if you want a metal one. 
 

Also they took all of the Alaska gear out of the shops. It’s all for Hawaii now. They’re not selling jackets or anything. Super disappointed. Wanted to get an Alaska windbreaker. 

[Essiesmom]

Don’t despair about the windbreaker.  If this is the last Alaska cruise, chances are they will have a sale, tables out in front of the shops, or up by the pools.  Watch for it in the Fun Times, and get there early, as sizes sell out fast.  But you can always buy one in a shop onshore.  EM

[ashkir]

14 hours ago, SDPadreFan said:

Don't miss out on the Alligator Beignets in the MDR when they have them. It will be listed under the "Rare Finds" right below the Appetizers. Pretty tasty.

I am a vegetarian but my friend tried it. He liked it! 
 

also the fjord excursion sold out!

[SDPadreFan]

7 hours ago, ashkir said:

I am a vegetarian but my friend tried it. He liked it! 
 

also the fjord excursion sold out!

 

Not a surprise that the small boat is sold out. Also be aware that both weather conditions (mainly fog) as well as the amount of icebergs can effect cruising the fjord. They can even change to Endicott Arm instead. Hope you have a great time.

[jtcoolk]

On 9/7/2022 at 10:09 AM, ashkir said:

Fall back time! We're now on AKDT time and we have one more day to go! As my paycheck dropped today, I am going to talk about Spa packages! I had already pre-planned the spa experience. Sadly, the excursions nope! But,  spa, I can go alone and not get lost. Haha. Excursions I wouldn't want to do it alone. I'm doing free things in the ports, and will share my free tips and what I did for others who wanna save on excursions! Especially those of you with big families, as those can get costly! 

 

I went to the Ladies Pamper Party! Only guy there but I don't care! It was pretty good. Here's how it went down:

 

Go to the pamper party and you get a free facial. You have to do it for yourself, but, you get to try out Carnival's "premium" product line. Elemis is a British product line that is very popular there in the luxury circles. Carnival uses it fleetwide.  We got to try 5 different facial products, and they explained each one. They went into detail of how they work for the face, etc and finding your balance. Dr. Miguel Cano (oh man did he look dapper, handsome, and perfect) came in and spoke a little about botox. After that they showed us their GoWhite teeth whitening pens and gave us all a free sample. 

 

So after we tried the 5 different products, they gave us a list of discounts. 

 

Here's their deals for the Ladies Pamper Party

 

TOP TO TOE SPECIAL
Indulge yourself from head to toe for 75 glorious minutes with all of these treatments for
only $199:
• Swedish Body Massage
• Pro-Collagen Eye Treatment
• Foot and Ankle Massage
• Neck and Shoulder Massage
• Hand and Arm Massage
Add Hot Stones or Bamboo with your back massage for only $20.

 

This was discounted to $119 at the party only, also includes FREE HOT STONES. 

 

GO SMILE™M TEETH WHITENING $149
Everyone wants a whiter, cleaner smile so why not make yours
the best and brightest it can be? Did you know that a whiter,
brighter smile makes you look more youthful and radiant?
Try our advanced GO SMILE ™M Tooth whitening treatment.
It is a safe, effective way to add a sparkle to your smile.
30 minutes $149 | Couples $258 (Save $40)

 

This got discounted to $99 for the people art the party only! Also, they're throwing in a free take home kit. 

 

ELEMIS BIOTEC FACIALS $199
IT'S TIME TO SWITCH YOUR SKIN BACK ON
BIOTEC facial treatments use groundbreaking technology, active ingredients, and
transformative
touch to switch the skin back on for thriving, visibly healthy, and energized skin. Book a
complimentary consultation.
• BIOTEC Line Eraser
• BIOTEC Firm-a-Lift
• BIOTEC Skin Resurfacer
• BIOTEC Super Charger for Men
INCLUDES A FREE SKIN LAB HD CONSULTATION.

 

This got discounted to $119 for those at the party only. 

 

 

Okay now here's what went down: If you book ALL THREE or a combination of THREE. like 2 massage and 1 facial, etc you're discounted to $100 per treatment. So I booked a facial, teeth whitening, and the massage, for $300 total! I added a fourth massage on for my friend in my cabin. They gave me the $100 deal. It applies to everyone in your cabin. So for $400 we got 2 massages, 1 facial, and 1 teeth whitening treatment. I planned no getting a facial and a massage this time around as I never had done it and my party swears by it. 

 

So I bought an AARP gift card rofl, so these are effectively $90 each. I pay around $80 for a massage on land, plus $15 tip. 

 When does the Ladies Pamper Party take place?

 

[Tennessee Rose]

2 hours ago, jtcoolk said:

 When does the Ladies Pamper Party take place?

 

I need this info also!

[ashkir]

So the excursion I booked I was told it’s closed by carnival’s shopping expert, Allison. It was not. So I spent the entire day in the ship because anything else I was interested in I didn’t a) plan for it or b) it’s sold out. 
 

so now I’m out $80 because carnivals expert is a liar. 
 

She was always rushed and was never patient. Didn’t quite enjoy. Her talks always last way longer than schedule so we miss other things. 
 

she told me there’s no more jackets available at fun shops. We saw someone with one. Apparently the fun shops had a sale and it wasn’t announced. I asked multiple people multiple times. 
 

😠😢

 

in the future I’m going to avoid the shipboard experts. 

[ashkir]

4 hours ago, jtcoolk said:

 When does the Ladies Pamper Party take place?

 

Usually the second day. It’s called the ladies pamper party or fun party. 

 

2 hours ago, Tennessee Rose said:

I need this info also!

Usually the second day. It’s called the ladies pamper party sometimes or the fun pamper party 

 

I attached the planner event below. If you ever plan on using the spa 100% never book online or in the app. Always go to this party. 
 

after this party I booked A lot. 
 

facial went down from $199 to $100

massage went down from $199 for a 75 minute down to $100 and hot stones for free. 
teeth whitening also down to $100

 

on top of this they reduce the price of most Elemis products down to $37 this trip. The only expensive thing is the capsules at $103. 
 

They reduced the price of the fire and ice pedicure and manicure down to $93. 
 

I got the shave and the haircut scheduled for Sunday at $69

 

pamper party is the key to carnival 

spa. 

 

 

[ashkir]

As expected, Skagway  is canceled. We knew this in our Facebook group for months. Carnival kept saying no no well go. Today they told all excursion guests waiting for tenders they’re canceled. The ship turned around and left. The captain waited 1.5 hours to make an announcement. The winds are too rough to lower the tenders. The rockslide stopped the port from being open to the actual ship. 
 

what bothers me the most about this, is this weather prediction was known for a month. The rockslide known for months. They could have possibly found a second port for a day. This is the last trip for the Miracle. The splendor has 2 more. The other lines are in their last week too. 
 

There’s other options like Haines, or go back to the capitol and tensor there as the waters are calmer. 
 

we passed by Haines and there was only one boat; Holland there. 
 

safety first of course. Always. But, my entire group; and many in the ship are basically facepalming. We knew this port was unlikely to happen for months. Carnival could’ve cruised another fjord, another stop, something. 

Edited September 9, 2022 by ashkir

[ashkir]

Hey all! It's been hard to post updates. The internet has barely been working (even on the Premium package). I haven't been able to get into my schools websites all day.

 

The weather seems to be taking a turn for the worse.