A Cruise To Be (Or Not To Be?) Eclipsed, Alaska August 15-22, 2017 Carnival vs Disney Cruise p. 7

You got some really great shots of the eclipse :thumbsup2
I love how pretty Victoria looks but like you I'm always a wee bit wary of empty streets at night-time so I understand how uneasy you felt. Funny your higher legal drinking age really irks my eldest son sometimes when we are on holiday at WDW as here he can legally have a drink from age 18 but as he's only 20 he still has a year to go in the US. Doesn't bother me that he can't have a drink one little bit :rotfl::rotfl:
I didn't realise it had changed to 21 quite recently and that you and Mark (young'uns that you are, got in early):drinking1
The photos of Seattle are beautiful and immediately reminded me of the series Frazier lol
My mum has taken to watching it recently and between that and her views on President Trump (which I know you know) I'm kept entertained. Addin her friendship, from childhood, with the Royal Family and honestly I don't understand why I'm not rich beyond my wildest dreams lol. For anyone who doesn't know me, my mother is a happy Alzheimer's sufferer who has clearly delusions of grandeur but who is happy and cared for and loved by my sister and I and our families. Sometimes her comments on current political leaders (home and abroad) are truthful and not always in a good way!:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

When I saw your breakfast buffet photos I immediately thought of my youngest son's comment to his auntie that his favourite thing about holidays to Florida was "buns for breakfast":rotfl: Imagine how much we could have saved had we only known we could stay home and buy a few chocolate mini muffins and he'd have been a happy chap:goodvibes:thumbsup2
 
Love all the pictures from your room
Smart idea grabbing your own bags and I'm glad you get another night and day to explore Seattle.
 
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this! I'm doing Alaska this summer on Princess (not DCL gasp!) We are renting a Jeep in Skagway...I'm hoping we can see the dog camp even though we aren't doing a tour. We're also doing Whale Watching in Juneau! The rest of my family is doing the sea plane in Ketchikan but I said I would pass and find something else to do for the two hours that they are gone. We aren't doing verandahs because it was double the price so I'm glad to read that you didn't use yours as much as you thought. I've only cruised with a verandah or an "obstructed" one so this will all be a whole new world for me! I think I'll miss the evening entertainment like DCL offers and even as an adult, the characters so I'm hoping they have things to do on Princess!
 
All caught up!

I love your pictures of the bears! I can see why that was your favorite tour of the trip.

Your eclipse photos came out really well! My high school bought glasses for all the students and employees and we were able to go outside and view the eclipse. It will probably be one of my favorite memories of the 2017/18 school year.

Was the weather you experienced pretty typical for August in Alaska? It seemed quite chilly.

Overall, were you happy with Carnival? Would you cruise with them again?
 


Your pictures of Seattle at sunrise are beautiful. The harbor looks jammed packed with boats. I guess it is a busy place.

I would be a little irked if that happened to us.

I loved the Seattle skyline at sunrise. So many lights and pretty colors.

I didn't realize until we visited that Seattle was such a busy port. Water transportation is so important to the city- for commutes, for shipping and for travel to other locations like Vancouver and Victoria.

:boat:


You got some really great shots of the eclipse :thumbsup2
I love how pretty Victoria looks but like you I'm always a wee bit wary of empty streets at night-time so I understand how uneasy you felt. Funny your higher legal drinking age really irks my eldest son sometimes when we are on holiday at WDW as here he can legally have a drink from age 18 but as he's only 20 he still has a year to go in the US. Doesn't bother me that he can't have a drink one little bit :rotfl::rotfl:
I didn't realise it had changed to 21 quite recently and that you and Mark (young'uns that you are, got in early):drinking1
The photos of Seattle are beautiful and immediately reminded me of the series Frazier lol
My mum has taken to watching it recently and between that and her views on President Trump (which I know you know) I'm kept entertained. Addin her friendship, from childhood, with the Royal Family and honestly I don't understand why I'm not rich beyond my wildest dreams lol. For anyone who doesn't know me, my mother is a happy Alzheimer's sufferer who has clearly delusions of grandeur but who is happy and cared for and loved by my sister and I and our families. Sometimes her comments on current political leaders (home and abroad) are truthful and not always in a good way!:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

When I saw your breakfast buffet photos I immediately thought of my youngest son's comment to his auntie that his favourite thing about holidays to Florida was "buns for breakfast":rotfl: Imagine how much we could have saved had we only known we could stay home and buy a few chocolate mini muffins and he'd have been a happy chap:goodvibes:thumbsup2

Thank you. It was not easy to take pictures of the eclipse- I was trying to hold the glasses over the lens of my cell phone and my camera and it was awkward. One of the photos, probably the best one with the stars, was taken by Nate with his phone.

My family still thinks I am ridiculous for being concerned with the lack of foot traffic.

It was really weird when we were in college- the drinking age differed from state to state, so you could be too young to drink in your home state and then cross the border to Vermont where the legal age was 18... not saying that ever happened... :rolleyes1

I haven't seen an episode of Frazier in ages, although I remember it being a well-written, intelligent comedy with a very talented cast.

"Buns for Breakfast" If it were only that simple- buns from home are just not the same as Florida buns. Not sure why, they just aren't

:laughing:


Love all the pictures from your room
Smart idea grabbing your own bags and I'm glad you get another night and day to explore Seattle.

It was neat that we had some interesting scenery and critters to watch while waiting to be called to exit the boat.

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Seattle before and after the cruise and I hope to give a brief report from those days soon.

::yes::


I'm so glad I stumbled upon this! I'm doing Alaska this summer on Princess (not DCL gasp!) We are renting a Jeep in Skagway...I'm hoping we can see the dog camp even though we aren't doing a tour. We're also doing Whale Watching in Juneau! The rest of my family is doing the sea plane in Ketchikan but I said I would pass and find something else to do for the two hours that they are gone. We aren't doing verandahs because it was double the price so I'm glad to read that you didn't use yours as much as you thought. I've only cruised with a verandah or an "obstructed" one so this will all be a whole new world for me! I think I'll miss the evening entertainment like DCL offers and even as an adult, the characters so I'm hoping they have things to do on Princess!

:welcome: aboard!

How exciting that you have a cruise to look forward to!

I don't know much about the Princess line, but the real star of the show is the Alaskan scenery. My first Disney cruise was actually a month after this one. I'm not sure the Disney price tag for this itinerary (which was double what we paid) would have been worth it for my family. They definitely didn't need (or want) the character interaction. Our meals were not Disney-quality, but they were fine. We were always able to find something we wanted to eat. We didn't do any of the shows on the Carnival cruise, but we had never gone to shows on past (Royal) cruises.

I didn't skip any of the nightly Disney entertainment, though!

Are you doing a ship excursion for whale watching in Juneau or one of the private trips?

My boys didn't want to do the dog camps, so I never researched that. Sorry I can't help you with that.

I loved the short time we were in the port of Ketchikan. I normally do not enjoy the pastime of "shopping", but the stores here had quality merchandise that wasn't terribly expensive. The other excursion I considered in Ketchikan was an ocean snorkel.

:fish:


All caught up!

I love your pictures of the bears! I can see why that was your favorite tour of the trip.

Your eclipse photos came out really well! My high school bought glasses for all the students and employees and we were able to go outside and view the eclipse. It will probably be one of my favorite memories of the 2017/18 school year.

Was the weather you experienced pretty typical for August in Alaska? It seemed quite chilly.

Thanks for coming back over!

The bear tour was incredible!!!

What a great thing for the school to do!

:cool2:

I don't think there is "typical" weather in August for Alaska, much like Florida in the winter. The main recommendation I read again and again was to dress in LAYERS! You could have warm days, probably not shorts weather, but close, definitely prepare for rain and some days may be downright chilly. Of course, being outside on a moving boat, with the cold and wind, made it feel extra chilly.

The weirdest sensation for me when I was on the Disney cruise was walking out on deck into the heat, when I had just returned from a trip where it was colder outside than in.

:cold:




Overall, were you happy with Carnival? Would you cruise with them again?

A great question.

Cruising is still not my favorite type of travel, even after the trip to Alaska and the Disney cruise. It was the easiest way for my family to experience the different ports in Alaska, and Carnival got us from place to place at the best price we found, so I'm glad we did it.

We are not picky eaters- the food was nothing spectacular on Carnival, but it was fine. We were always able to find something we wanted to eat.

The nightly shows didn't matter to us, so I can't really rate the entertainment. If that is the important part of your cruising experience, then Disney is the winner hands down.

Excursions- I was happy with what was offered at the ports by the ship, but there were also private tours in all ports that are comparable.

Carnival was fine for Alaska and I would probably cruise them again for this itinerary. We didn't experience any of the party atmosphere that is often associated with Carnival cruises and I think that was due to the destination. I don't think I would cruise to the Caribbean on Carnival, both because I prefer land vacations, and I would be willing to pony up the extra $$$ to sail with Royal or Disney.

:sail:

 
Thank you for the help! We are doing the whale watching through, Weather Permitting Alaska (Captain Harry.) Apparently he comes highly recommended on Trip Advisor and cruise critic. Being that the rest of my family is doing the seaplane and I'm not..I was looking at maybe the lumberjack show....I know, total tourist trap 8-):D:rolleyes1 and booking it through the ship since I have a $150 SBC already and free gratuities (Thanks Princess for having sales!)

Their seaplane is through Island Wings and we are renting Jeeps in Skagway and will stop at the Tagish Lake Kennel to see the sled dogs!

Any other advice would be great! About how much cash should be brought vs. using a credit card while in port???

We are flying into Seattle 2 days prior, taking a train up to Vancouver and spending a night there before the cruise.

(sorry to hijack the TR!!)

ps....did I read that you will do a DCL TR after this one??
 
Thanks for your response, Dee. I can see how the cruise fit your family's needs for a trip to Alaska.
 


Thank you for the help! We are doing the whale watching through, Weather Permitting Alaska (Captain Harry.) Apparently he comes highly recommended on Trip Advisor and cruise critic. Being that the rest of my family is doing the seaplane and I'm not..I was looking at maybe the lumberjack show....I know, total tourist trap 8-):D:rolleyes1 and booking it through the ship since I have a $150 SBC already and free gratuities (Thanks Princess for having sales!)

Their seaplane is through Island Wings and we are renting Jeeps in Skagway and will stop at the Tagish Lake Kennel to see the sled dogs!

Any other advice would be great! About how much cash should be brought vs. using a credit card while in port???

We are flying into Seattle 2 days prior, taking a train up to Vancouver and spending a night there before the cruise.

(sorry to hijack the TR!!)

ps....did I read that you will do a DCL TR after this one??


Are you spending any tourist time in Seattle? I am at the point in this report (the end) where I will describe our time in Seattle pre and post-cruise.

Yes, I will do a trip report for the Disney Fantasty- Western itinerary, as soon as I wrap this one up. It has been VERY slow going, between the Yacht & Beach thread, my Disney trip report, the holidays and making preparations for moving my dad AGAIN! But hopefully I will get started on that soon.

I haven't seen any info on Captain Harry, but I trust the reviews that are posted on TA and CC.

I'm not going to be much help in recommending cash amounts for a couple of reasons. My family does not do much shopping while on vacation and when we do, we mostly use credit cards. I will say that the stores in Ketchikan were actually interesting to me. They had "reasonably" priced, practical items for sale.

::yes::


Thanks for your response, Dee. I can see how the cruise fit your family's needs for a trip to Alaska.


:thumbsup2
 
Are you spending any tourist time in Seattle? I am at the point in this report (the end) where I will describe our time in Seattle pre and post-cruise.

Yes, I will do a trip report for the Disney Fantasty- Western itinerary, as soon as I wrap this one up. It has been VERY slow going, between the Yacht & Beach thread, my Disney trip report, the holidays and making preparations for moving my dad AGAIN! But hopefully I will get started on that soon.

I haven't seen any info on Captain Harry, but I trust the reviews that are posted on TA and CC.

I'm not going to be much help in recommending cash amounts for a couple of reasons. My family does not do much shopping while on vacation and when we do, we mostly use credit cards. I will say that the stores in Ketchikan were actually interesting to me. They had "reasonably" priced, practical items for sale.

::yes::





:thumbsup2

Thank you! I might have a half day or evening in Seattle. I haven't booked my flights yet but I got free drink coupons from Southwest today so they might be the deciding factor lol!!!!!!!!
 
Thank you! I might have a half day or evening in Seattle. I haven't booked my flights yet but I got free drink coupons from Southwest today so they might be the deciding factor lol!!!!!!!!

I'm getting close to being ready to post my wrap-up chapters on Seattle. I have the photos loaded and just need to write the commentary.

I had SW drink coupons for my cruise in September/October and my Disney trip at the end of October. My choice of taking a car service was somewhat influenced because I had the coupons, but due to circumstances outside of my control, I was not able to use them on my flight home...

:drinking1


Enjoying your report!

Thank you so much and :welcome:

:goodvibes
 
Can you believe I just found this TR (he says to the lady with double digit TR's in her sig).
I thinks I will go read 3rd Annual We are "NEVER" report again!!! :) :sail::).


:wave2:

:welcome:

So glad to see you here! Thanks for reading.

Pretty soon I'll be starting the report for the Disney Fantasy cruise with Teena. I may give that one more publicity!

:thumbsup2
 
Monday August 14/Tuesday August 15
Exploring Seattle Pre-Cruise
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Space Needle, Pikes Place Market, Ten Sushi


Our travel schedule to and from Seattle allowed us to have a couple of days of sightseeing. We didn’t originally plan it that way. We intentionally flew into Seattle the day before the cruise because we didn’t want to run into any problems. We had an early flight and with the time change, we had a full afternoon and evening to hit the attractions. When we first booked our flights, we had an early afternoon flight on the day we were disembarking, but the airline changed our flight home to an earlier one. We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to make the earlier flight and they didn’t have any later ones that day that we were satisfied with, so we opted to stay another night in Seattle.

My husband has been to Seattle a few times for work, but this would be the first time here for me, Nate & Ben.


After doing some pre-trip research, I was convinced that getting the Seattle City Pass would be a good purchase for us as it would be valid for both of the days we were in the city.


CityPASS Admission Includes

· 1 Space Needle (2 same day visits)

· 2 Seattle Aquarium

· 3 Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour

· 4 Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) or Woodland Park Zoo

· 5 Chihuly Garden and Glass or Pacific Science Center


On our arrival day, when we got to the hotel our room was not ready yet, so we left our luggage with bell services, grabbed a drink and some pastry from the snack area. Then it was time to explore!

We walked the couple of blocks to Seattle Center, which is anchored by the Space Needle, has shops, places to grab food and other attractions.

We got in line to purchase our City Passes and to get time ticket for the Space Needle. It was going to be about an hour before we could go up, so we decided to go to the nearby Museum of Pop Culture.

www.mopop.org


Dedicated to the history and exploration of popular music, science fiction, and pop culture.


We were disappointed that the Horror exhibit was closed for renovations and the Jim Henson was an additional fee, but we did enjoy looking at some of the displays in the fantasy and science fiction sections.







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The museum was ok, it kept our interest for the amount of time we needed to kill. The alternative attraction we could have done was the Woodland Park Zoo. This would have been a better choice for my animal-loving family, but the zoo was not close by would have been difficult for us to get to without having a car.

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Even though we had a timed ticket for the Space Needle, the line to get in, and to get to the elevator, was pretty long. I think we were waiting about 20 minutes before we got to the photo spot where a photographer takes a picture of your party for a free download.

The boys wanted to skip this, but I was firm that I wanted a picture of us all together.





We made two more trips to the top of the Space Needle. As part of our City Pass, we could do a same-day return. I think it is intended so you can see the view at night, but we did our second family visit in the early evening, before dinner.

I didn’t make the boys stop for a picture during that visit.

Then, the next morning, Mark and I went for a walk while the boys stayed in the hotel room, and we took another trip to the top of the Space Needle.





I’ll be posting the pictures from all 3 of our Space Needle trips here.

The driver who picked us up at the airport had told us that the smoke from the wildfires in British Columbia had been really bad, but was just starting to clear in the past couple of days. We found that there was a big change from our noontime visit and the early evening visit and it was better still the next day.


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During our early afternoon ascent, we could not see Mt. Rainier. On our second trip up, Mark and I looked and couldn’t find it. Nate then said “There it is!”

“Where?”

Once he told us we had to look much higher than we expect to, we saw it!


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The next morning when it was just the two of us, we excited to see our Carnival ship which had docked earlier in the day. We would be boarding in just a few hours time!






And an even BETTER view of Mt. Rainier.





**************************************************************************************

Continued in Next Post
 
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Continued from Previous Post, Seattle Monday August 14, 2017

Back to the Monday afternoon of our arrival day:


At this point we were pretty hungry. We decided to take the light rail monorail train from Seattle Center to the waterfront/Pikes Marketplace to find something to eat.


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On our way over, Nate was searching on his phone and found Pikes Place Chowder. He said he wanted to eat there.


Pike Place Chowder







We rounded the corner and encountered a HUGE line for the chowder place. We were starving, but Nate had his heart set on eating here, so we joined the queue. It was probably 30-40 minutes before we got to the counter to order.




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We got a crab roll, the chowder sampler (4 cups) and a lemonade to share. $79 pre-tip.

The chowders were the daily special (lobster and scallop), smoked salmon chowder, a coconut and lime chowder and the oyster and crab with chorizo sausage. All of the chowders were tasty, but the best were the smoked salmon and the coconut lime. The crab roll was also fantastic.


Once we had something in our tummies, we explored Pike Place Marketplace a bit.


We found the famous fish counter where the workers toss whole fish that are purchased by customers.

It was mobbed there, and pretty impossible for a someone height-challenged like me to see well.

These are the only pictures I was able to manage


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Can you see the flying fish in this blurry picture???



I loved all of the fresh fruit and seafood out on display.


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We purchased a pint of raspberries to eat on our walk back to the hotel.


On our journey, we passed by the gum wall.


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Yes, it’s what it sounds like. GROSS!


I can’t remember what time we got back to the hotel, but our room was ready so we grabbed our luggage and headed up to room 504. We spent an hour or so relaxing. I peeked out the window and was excited to see the Space Needle!





Zoomed in




At night





************************************************************************************


Following our afternoon break, we walked back to the Space Needle with the boys (pictures already posted above)


On our way to and from the Space Needle we had noticed a sushi restaurant. We saw the sign, saw the windows, but couldn’t find the door! Finally, after backtracking and walking past the building a few times, we went in the corner door which lead to the QFC Market, and found that Ten Sushi was on the second floor.


We looked at the menu, placed an order to go.


Ten Sushi Seattle http://tensushiseattle.com/


While the food was being prepared, we went to the market to purchase some drinks and dessert (ice cream).






The food was so good that we returned to the restaurant and ate there after our cruise.


Here’s the food porn from both the take out pre-cruise and our dinner at the restaurant the night we returned.


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Space Noodle Udon




Tonkotsu Ramen




We were exhausted at the end of our travel day that started with a 6 hour flight, visiting the Space Needle (twice), the Museum of Pop Culture and Pikes Market.

We crashed early, around 8-9 pm (which was more like 11 Eastern Standard Time).


The next morning we woke, had breakfast at the Hampton Inn buffet, Mark and I went to the Space Needle and then we waited for our shuttle to the port for the cruise.


The next update continues with the Seattle update on the day we returned from the cruise- we went to the Aquarium, The Fisherman’s Restaurant and the Pacific Science Museum.


Next Up: Seattle Tuesday August 22, 2017
 
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Tuesday August 22, Seattle Sightseeing

Seattle Aquarium
Fisherman’s Restaurant
Pacific Science Museum



After disembarking from the cruise and eventually getting on the Seattle Shuttle, we arrived back at the Hampton Inn. Our room was ready so we went up to ditch our luggage- we were one room away from the room we had before the cruise (504 and 506). We had the same view of the Space Needle!

We set out for the waterfront area on foot.


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Our first stop was the Seattle Aquarium on Pier 59:

Experience the wonders of Puget Sound and our world’s one big ocean at the Seattle Aquarium. Discover playful sea otters, graceful octopuses, luminous moon jellies and more. Be amazed by Window on Washington Waters, a 120,000-gallon exhibit with daily dive shows. Touch live sea creatures in our tide pools. Immerse yourself in our Underwater Dome’s 360 degree view. Take a virtual trip to the tropics in our Pacific Coral Reef exhibit.



Here are a few pictures from our visit:





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With anemones like these, who needs friends?



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Do you see Sea Stars? Don't call them starfish. Seriously. Don't!




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Being around all that seafood- ahem, I mean aquatic animals- worked up an appetite. I searched for some nearby places to eat. The Fisherman’s restaurant at the next pier sounded good. We were seated at a table that overlooked the Wings Over Washington Ferris Wheel and the waterfront park.

The food was amazing!

We started with incredible crab cakes.



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For entrees we got fish tacos, rainbow trout (a daily special), prawns and chips and fried oysters. It was all great! Nate declared the trout to be the best he had ever had. Granted, I think this was just the second time he has had trout.



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For some reason, we thought we would be able to tackle dessert. We ordered the strawberry shortcake. It was HUGE!



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Our bill was $125 pre-tip.



We were stuffed. We walked off our meal by strolling back through Pikes Place Market and then walking the several blocks back to the hotel for short break.



Later that afternoon we used our admission to Pacific Science Center which is near the Space Needle. This also included an IMAX show. There was one on innovations, I think. We chose the movie about ancient China and the Terra Cotta Warriors, which was fascinating. There was also a travelling exhibit of the Terra Cotta Warriors that you could visit for an additional fee, but we chose not to do that.

I think the museum is tailored more to preteens and younger kids, but it was probably the better choice for my family between this and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit.







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Not so many years ago, Ben would have loved the dinosaur section!


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And here’s my forestry scholar checking out the tree cross-section


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“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow” *SIGH*


We walked through the butterfly garden- I loved it but the boys found it too hot, so I spent some time there alone, while the boys hung out with the naked mole rats and reptiles on display.








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We still had one coupon left in our City Pass booklet- a harbor tour through Argosy Cruises. I would have loved to do that to see the city skyline from the water and hear about the Seattle waterfront. I also like to maximize the value I get from my purchases. But we had just spent 7 days on a boat, and frankly, we were all too exhausted to move once we finished our meal at Ten Sushi (covered in a previous update).

We packed up our bags and called it a night in anticipation of our return flight to Boston.

Just a couple of pictures and anecdotes from that:

Mark proves how much he loves me every time we fly together. He is a nice guy and all, but he doesn’t necessarily want to interact with the general public. But he knows how important the window seat on the plane is to me, so he sucks it up and takes the center seat. He is definitely a keeper!

Here’s why I love the window seat








Mark really earned his brownie points on this flight. The seatmate to his right was a young mom flying with her 18 month old son. He was small, and in a Baby Bjorn for most of the flight. This could have been trouble, but Mark and the woman chatted a lot through the flight. She was really concerned with how he was going to behave (he was great) and Mark was very sympathetic and understanding of her concern about flying alone with her son.

She was very “granola-crunchy”. She explained to Mark that her son had never watched tv and she wanted to keep it that way. She kept her screen off, but Mark had his on during the flight. The funny thing is, the baby kept hitting the button to turn on her screen and she kept turning it off, and then tried to distract him.

Eventually the baby fell asleep and I swear, not 2 seconds after he closed his eyes, she hit the on button and watched Grey’s Anatomy while he slept. It was hilarious!

We knew from the flight to Seattle that we would be provided with a lunch.





Mark was curious about the veggie wrap and asked me how I thought it would be. I told him to wait until his fellow passenger ordered it.

And of course, she did.

As I read in a current trip report

Q: How do you know if someone is a vegan?

A: Don’t worry. They’ll tell you.


All kidding aside, she and her son were great traveling companions and we could have done much worse!


I think that’s a wrap for our Alaskan Cruise and trip to Seattle.


But no need to be sad, I still have the report on my Disney Fantasy cruise with Teena to chronicle.


Coming soon!
 
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Carnival Legend (Alaska, August 2017) vs. Disney Fantasy (Western Caribbean, October 2017)









In 2017, I had the opportunity to go on two cruises within two month’s time. My family- my husband, two teen boys and I took a Carnival cruise on the Legend to Alaska in August. In early October, I traveled with a dear friend Teena, my first time on a Disney cruise. This was a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Fantasy.

Everyone who hears about these two trips has been curious about how the two cruises compare, so I will do my best to point out the pros and cons of both experiences. To some extent, the analysis will be difficult because the destinations and traveling parties were so different.

I also need to add that although both of these trips were spectacular, cruising is not my favorite form of vacation. I prefer a land-based trip, where I am able to walk on the beach when the mood hits me and where I don’t have the pressure of a deadline for returning to a ship that will sail away without me if I miss it.


Price:

For this piece, I will compare the Carnival/Disney Alaska itineraries so that we have an apples to apples comparison. Which is more like a Kia to Rolls Royce analysis. My husband researched and booked the Alaska cruise for our family. The cost for the Carnival cruise (not including airfare or tips/other expenses) one week, one cabin, 4 adults, extended balcony room was $4,500. I believe he ever-so-briefly checked what a similar Disney cruise would cost and it was at least double that.

Since the highlight of a trip to Alaska is the destination, and the bells and whistles offered by Disney were not important to us, Carnival is the clear winner here. No regrets about booking with “The Fun Ship” for our family’s trip to Alaska.


Except for a couple of other features, Disney takes the win in every other category.


Ship:


Carnival Legend
First Sailed in August 2002
963 feet long, 12 decks
2,124 passengers/930 crew members
Ship's Godmother: Dame Judi Dench

Disney Fantasy
First Sailed in March 2012
1,115 feet, 16 decks
4,000 passengers/1,458 cast members
Ship's Godmother: Mariah Carey
(Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Christening ceremony and Jerry Seinfeld performed)


The Carnival Legend is an older ship, and in fact will be going into dry-dock soon for a refurbishment. It is a (relatively) small ship, compared to the Disney Fantasy, but I still found it difficult to navigate.

I am directionally challenged, so I had trouble finding my cabin on both ships when I was alone, but it was ESPECIALLY bad on the Legend. I got lost for several minutes more than once. It was so bad that at one point my family forbade me from wandering alone (AWWW! They DO care!)

The directional signs on the Fantasy were clearer and easier to understand. I did still have trouble getting from the theatre area back to my cabin on the Fantasy when I was alone- not all of the elevators went to the floor I needed, and I really had to study the maps to find my way around. Is the adult Serenity area at the front or back of the ship? I don’t know, but I could eventually find it given enough time.

The Disney Fantasy is newer, brighter and the Disney touches are fantastic. Disney does details! Both ships were kept clean, but the crew on the Fantasy makes sure it is immaculate! A few days before we boarded the Fantasy, the ship had hit a dock, but I’m pretty sure the scratch was repaired before they even left that port.

The theming for the Legend is Greek/Roman mythology, which is cool and all, but DISNEY!!! From the Minnie statue in the lobby to the movie artwork on the stairways and throughout the ship and the added bonus of the Halloween touches, the décor of the Fantasy wins ears-down!


Lobbies:


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Fantasy Lobby, Halloween on the High Seas décor



ETA:
A few people have mentioned in replies that they prefer the look of the Legend lobby, with a good point being the use of the space. I did spend more time in the Fantasy lobby- I went to a pin trading event and I happened upon a character dance party one afternoon at sea. There is a popular bar in the Legend lobby, but we don't really spend any time at bars, especially when traveling with the boys. The entertainment in the lobby was literally the same duo of singers every time we walked through. Hardest working couple on the seas!



Cabin:

I am not sure if the cabins on the Legend and the Fantasy were the same category of room. Both of the cabins I stayed in had balconies. The Disney cabin was larger, or at least seemed to be. The bedding we had on the Fantasy was a large bed and a sleeper couch, with a curtain that divided the spaces. On the Legend, we had a cabin with a large bed and bunk beds for the boys.

The Fantasy had two bathrooms, one with a shower but on the Legend the four of us had to share a single bathroom. The second bathroom was a huge advantage because someone could be showering while someone else was brushing teeth or whatever.

The storage seemed pretty comparable in the two cabins. But there was one feature I really loved in the Fantasy. Next to my sleeper couch was a large storage chest where I put all my beach gear and snorkel stuff.


Carnival Legend Cabin 7178


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Disney Fantasy Cabin 8678


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Battle of the Towel Elephants:





Dumbo:




Entertainment:

This one is a slam dunk!

Disclaimer- on previous cruises, and on the Legend Alaska cruise, we have not attended shows. Well, one afternoon ice skating show on a Royal Caribbean ship, but I think that’s it. We are just not that into it, and we are also early-to-bed, early-to-rise, so the entertainment is usually too late for us.

On the Fantasy, I did not miss any of the nightly shows. The performers in all of the shows were super talented.

Aladdin was incredible! Costumes and staging were awesome, Genie was hilarious.

:genie:

The other custom shows- The Welcome Fantasy Show, Wishes, Believe and An Unforgettable Journey were all excellent, with original stories interspersed with Broadway-style vignettes from popular Disney movies.

But what impressed me most of all were the live performers on the show. The hypnotist Ricky Kalmon blew my mind (although he failed to control it). I liked his performance so much that I went to see his adult-themed show another night at a lounge. Again, I did not get hypnotized, but the guy sitting next to me did and it was unbelievable.

Another night, juggler Max Winfrey entertained and amazed me. 4 tennis racket. Kitchen sink. Hilarious audience participation. What else is there to say?

Oh, and the Pirate Party followed by fireworks at sea? BOOM!





In contrast, our only experience with the entertainment on the Legend was during our dinner one night. A guy wearing a tuxedo came over to our table and asked “Do you recognize me? I’m on tv!” Then he proceeded to do some card tricks at our table. He then invited us to his magic show the next day. This was SO CRINGY and awkward! The next night he was working more tables at dinner but fortunately, he didn’t make it back to ours.


On Board Activities:

On the Legend, in Alaska, the focus was really on excursions in port, and observing the scenery while we were at sea. We played trivia a couple of times. One was general trivia, the other was Harry Potter-themed. Both sessions had challenging questions and cramped conditions. The lounge where we played was much too small for everyone who was playing. They would have been better off doing it in the theatre.

We also went to a sushi making demo on the Legend- There were only two rows of seats for about 20 people, so we watched from spot overlooking the lobby.

On the Fantasy, there were always interesting things to do during any downtime:

Ship tour, animation class, characters to meet, movies at poolside and in the theatre*, an interactive detective game. Trivia was held in a large lounge and there was plenty of room to be comfortable.

ETA:

* There were 3 movies shown during the Legend cruise. On our Skagway (Friday) day, Boss Baby in the afternoon and Rogue One at 10:30. On our final day, Beauty & the Beast was shown. On the Fantasy, Disney movies were playing non-stop when the pool was open and other first-run movies were being shown a couple of times a day in one of the theatres.


Food:

On the Legend, we chose the YTD: Your Time Dining- where we could arrive for dinner at a time that was convenient for us. This was great, especially with the port itineraries that had us on crazy time schedules. The only times we experienced a wait to be seated was on the first sea day/formal night and on the night we were docking in Victoria since anyone who wanted to get off the ship at 7:30 needed to dine early.

We also liked that we could choose to dine with our family only, instead of being at a table with others we didn’t know.

One of the downsides of this style of dining is that we didn’t have the same waitstaff from night to night. Service varied from professional and excellent (once), to adequate, to poor.

The food was mostly decent. We are not picky eaters, so we were always able to find something we wanted to eat. On the menu, they call the appetizers “Entrees” and the dinners “Mains” which screwed us up for a couple of nights.

Carnival offers an “if you dare” appetizer each night- things like frogs legs, beef tongue, rabbit. We would often get this appetizer, or another “for the table” to share in addition to each ordering our own.

Standouts we had during the week were an Indian vegetarian dinner that Mark got and a fantastic chocolate cake. The dining low point was during the lunch where we were served inedible sushi and a pepper pot soup that had no flavor.

Note: Traditional cruise dining, at set times, was also available in the lower dining room for anyone who wanted to do that.


The food on the Fantasy was incredible, service was impeccable, the dining room theming was really cool! More about all that when I am writing my report, but I do want to comment on the exceptional job our waitstaff did in dealing with the extreme dietary restrictions of one of our friends who dined with us. The assistant waitress reviewed the menu for the following night with M to ensure her meal would be prepared as she needed it. Every night she was able to enjoy a custom-made dessert that was safe for her. KUDOS!


Buffets:

We didn’t eat at the buffets much at either ship.

Disney had much better offerings and selections- shrimp and crab claws at the lunch buffet!

I didn’t like the set-up on the Legend. There were too many stations, and they were spread out on deck, in more than one room. Made it difficult if you wanted to sample a lot of different things. I did enjoy the Chopstick buffet station that offered delicious Asian food.

One morning on the Fantasy I ordered an omelet. They gave me a number and asked where I was seated so they could deliver it to me when it was ready! That rocked!!!


Specialty Dining

We dined at the Nouveau Steakhouse on the Legend on our arrival night. At $35 per person, plus tip, I found this to be a pricey meal. There was plenty of food, though. The appetizers and salads were all excellent. Nate got a huge steak. We were served Caribbean lobster even though the menu promised Maine lobster. The desserts were good, although we were already full by the time they were served.

Palo on the Fantasy was unbelievable! Here you order mini main courses (as many as you want) and there is also a serve-yourself buffet with serveral stations. The seafood selections- OMG! I could have just been happy with just that. There were many tempting desserts, too.


Nouveau Steak House:


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Palo:


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Pools:

Because we were in Alaska, we didn’t try out the pools on the Legend. They were surprisingly crowded with families, though.

The Fantasy pools were always crowded as well, both the family pool and the adult pool. I took a couple of dips in the adult pool to cool off, but there was no place for me to “swim”

I never tried the slide on the Legend, but I did have a few rides on the Fantasy’s Aquaduck. So fun! My wait times ranged from about 10 -30 minutes. I regret that I never got the chance to ride at night.


Fantasy:


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Excursions- it is not really fair to compare excursions between these two cruises since the destinations were so different, but I will make two comments:

At Carnival, you book and pay in advance. With Disney, you reserve your spot and then you are charged when you are onboard. This is very convenient and allows for last minute changes if you want to do something else (within a certain timeframe)

Also, I would be remiss not to mention that Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island stop, is paradise!


Photos:

This one is a mixed bag.

The photographers on the Legend were voracious! They were pushy about trying to take our pictures frequently. Every port had costumed characters or mascots as we were leaving the ship. The photographers also roamed the dining rooms. We eventually figured out we just needed to say “No, thanks”, but on the Disney ship, there was absolutely no pressure by the photographers because plenty of families had purchased photo packages and wanted keepsake pictures.

The environmentalist in me hates that all photos are printed out for display and then are destroyed if not purchased. I like the procedure at Disney, where you can look at the screens, edit and choose the pictures you want.

HOWEVER, the one time I wanted to purchase a picture on the Fantasy (a picture of me in front of the Fantasy on Castaway Cay), it was difficult to find a working monitor due to the crowds. A Cast Member needed to help me figure out what to do, but he was stretched thin and couldn’t stay with me. When I saw the price for the single picture I wanted-$20 or $24 for a 5x7” or something like that- I balked. I would have preferred a 4x6” or a digital download but I don’t think that was an option and I couldn’t find anyone to help me. I didn’t end up purchasing the picture.

On the Legend, I purchased a package of 4 photos- our boarding shot, the boys’ pictures with the “Alaskan Blind Bear” and a picture of me that Mark liked from our first day. When I was deciding about the pictures, the person at the counter was very helpful and offered to put aside the pictures I was considering, which is not the usual procedure. I think it was around $40 for 4 photos, a MUCH better deal than the Disney cruise photo prices.

We never checked to see if there is an unlimited photo package through Carnival, because getting my family to pose for pictures is like pulling teeth. I know Disney has a package, but it is uber-expensive.


Muster:

As experienced cruisers know, Coast Guard regulations require that all passengers gather at a muster station to familiarize themselves with emergency and safety procedures before the cruise ship can set sail.

The muster drill on the Legend sucked! We got to our station, which was on one of the decks by the lifeboats, when called. We lined up and then had to stay on deck for about 45 minutes, in the heat, crowded against a wall, prohibited from using any electronic devices, while we waited for everyone to check-in. It seemed like people in the know realized that others would be late, so to avoid having to wait around, many people did not show up until the last minute.

The muster on the Fantasy was so much better. Our assigned station was in the Tube nightclub- INSIDE! AIR-CONDITIONED- WITH SEATS!


Wifi:

For me, Carnival actually wins on this one. With Carnival, you can get an unlimited package for around $70/week. Only 1 person in the cabin can be online at a time (unless you make one of the devices a hotspot). You could purchase in advance before the cruise for a discount, which we did. Instructions for logging on were in the cabin when we arrived. The advantage to this plan is you didn’t have to remember to logout or be concerned about what was running and consuming data. You could be connected as long you wanted or until someone else in the cabin wanted to use the ‘net.

The Connect@Sea package with Disney is more confusing. You purchase a certain amount of data. The more data you pay for, the cheaper it is per unit, BUT you won’t get a refund for any unused data. It can be tough to know how much data you will need. If you run out of the data and need to purchase more, you don’t get the advantage of the bulk pricing. You also needed to be careful about automatic update to apps on your device, or uploading/downloading apps like One Drive or DropBox that could use your data in the background without you knowing it. Do not forget to logout when you are not using your device. I tried for the past 15 minutes or so to find the prices so I could post here, but I couldn’t find them on the Disney Cruise site or doing a simple search. I checked my receipt and I paid $39.00, I think for 300 MB of data. I think that was the least expensive plan. Note- I also received 50 MB of free data for signing on the first day. I think every cabin can get this, whether or not you sign up for a plan. The data I purchased ended up being sufficient for me. I was able to keep in touch with my family and friends back home through WhatsApp and Facebook while I was away for a week.

Overall Atmosphere/Would I book with Carnival or Disney again?

That's a good question. My answer is yes, depending on the opportunity. For me, cruising is about experiencing a variety of amazing ports.

Carnival has the reputation of being "The Fun Ship" To me, this means a younger, partying crowd. This is not our vibe, and fortunately, we didn't experience this on our Alaska cruise. The guests consisted of multi-generational families, couples, friends. I don't know if the atmosphere is different on sailings to other itineraries, but that would be a consideration for me to book with Carnival again. For the price, depending on where the cruise was sailing, I would consider Carnival.

The passengers on the Fantasy, not-surprisingly, were made up of a lot of multi-generational families. Because we were sailing during the school year, the kids on the cruise were skewed to preschool ages. I saw a lot of poorly-supervised kids- I suspected an attitude of "we paid a lot of for this vacation, so my kids (or grandkids) can do whatever they want." The characters and all of the Disney fun was awesome, but for my family with two teen boys, these Disney extras are not important features. In later years, if we are blessed with grandchildren, a Disney cruise may be on the horizon. I would love to share the experience with Mark, but as a couple, this is not the vacation we would choose together without other factors- the opportunity to sail with friends, at a decent price.


As I am writing the report about my Fantasy trip, if I think of anything to add, I’ll update this post.

:sail:
 
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Seattle looks like a lot of fun! I have never been on the West Coast but Seattle would be on the list if I get out there.

That Strawberry Shortcake looks fantastic. I love strawberries and cake so I think I would love that.

I loved following along as always! Interested to hear your thoughts on Carnival vs. Disney.
 

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