Alaska 9/1/15 (w/Glacier Bay) - Carnival Legend Review from a First Time Cruiser

[sunvikes]

We were on the 9/1 cruise with you as well! Your pictures are amazing!

[tea4ular]

Great review!! Love the pictures. What kind of camera do you use?

 

My question as well - your pics are gorgeous!

[Jota62]

My question as well - your pics are gorgeous!

 

I have a canon t3i dslr. I mostly used my 18-200mm lens because it worked well for alaska being able to get some wide angle shots as well as zoom for whales and such.

[toosaxykk]

Your review is FANTASTIC! DH and I are sailing on the Legend, in the SAME CABIN, in June 2016 and this review has me giddy with excitement! I cannot wait to experience all of this!

 

I can't wait to read more! Thank you so much for posting this review! :)

[Jota62]

Your review is FANTASTIC! DH and I are sailing on the Legend, in the SAME CABIN, in June 2016 and this review has me giddy with excitement! I cannot wait to experience all of this!

 

I can't wait to read more! Thank you so much for posting this review! :)

 

That is great that you have the same cabin. I thought it was definitely worth the extra money. We didn't have any issues at all with it. The balcony isn't fully covered, as I'm sure you know, but we didn't have issues with that. Like I said earlier in the review, being at the back definitely was warmer as it was way less windy. We got amazing panoramic views and it was a good, quiet location of the ship. If you have any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them for you!

[Jota62]

I'm sorry for such a delay in finishing this review. My first full back at work was a little insane. I'm hoping to finish up my review of the cruise here tonight. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them. I'm trying to remember everything as best I can :)

 

Ok, so to continue with the day we were at Glacier Bay, we left the park around 3ish or so. Contrary to what I originally thought, tonight was not the second formal night. It was just another cruise casual night in the dining room. We took a short nap because we were tired from waking up so earlier, went to dinner, and then that evening did a little pub trivia and saw the comedians. We still would go and check the lido deck each evening to see if a clear night in hopes of more Northern Lights, but it was pretty cloudy the rest of the trip.

 

Day 6 - 9/6/15 - Ketchikan

 

We docked in Ketchikan early and our excursion was the Totem Bight and Lumberjack show combo tour. We met in the Follies Theater again to meet our group and then were led to our bus. There were I think 14-16 people on this excursion. Our guide met us at the bus. He was ok. We first went on a short little tour of the town and then off to Totem Bight Park.

 

I enjoyed going to see the totem poles, but I found the tour to be a little annoying as the guide seemed a little self-impressed. I think I maybe would have preferred wandering the park alone. The park itself was fairly small. There were a series of recreated poles, they were constructed by the native americans and a recreated clan house, but it would have easily been a place you could walk around on your own. The only thing is you may not have gotten the stories behind the poles, which was interesting. We were fortunate that it didn't actually rain while we were at the park, but it was a very cloudy day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After walking around the park there was a built in 20 minutes are so to spend at the gift shop. They had a lot of hand carved totem poles so if that is a souvenir you are looking for this would be a good place. They also offered free shipping if you bought one of the totem poles. They ranged in size and price from maybe $50- into the hundreds.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Jota62

[Jota62]

After leaving Totem Bight we were driven back into town and dropped off at the Lumberjack Show. Now, I've never seen a lumberjack show before so it was all new to me, but we loved it! I thought it was entertaining and very funny. It was also great that the seats were covered and there was a heater so it was very comfortable. The lumberjacks put on a great show and it was actually very comedic. I'd definitely recommend going to it and it was family friendly so good for any age.

 

It was set up to be 2 different camps competing against each other. The crowd was divided so that you were either cheering for the American camp or the Canadian camp. It was good fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jota62]

When the show finished we had about 30 minutes left before the all-aboard time. That left just a little time to walk around and explore before heading back to the boat. It started to rain as we got back towards the boat and there was a pretty long line to board. I would have liked more time to explore Ketchikan, but I was happy with the combination of totem poles and the lumberjack show. I would have liked to have explored a little more on foot, but maybe I'll just need to head back.

 

The weather was rainy, but not too cold. I think I work a long sleeve shirt under my rain jacket and was comfortable without the fleece.

 

 

 

When we got back on the sip we headed to the Lido for lunch and so did every other person, haha. It was very crowded. If I did it again I'd probably try to wait a little to see if the rush would pass. It took forever to find a seat.

 

This was also the second formal night on the cruise. We actually took a little time after lunch to pack a little and then I wandered down to the casino. I'm not a big gambler, but tried a few slots. I ended up winning about $150 on a penny machine and walked away. I applied the winning to my sail and sign card and then went back to my cabin to get ready for dinner.

 

After dinner we went to the Rock show. In my opinion, this was the best production of the cruise. I thought the costumes and back drop were a little over the top, but the actually singing and performance was really good. I liked the song selection and thought it was very entertaining. The other 2 productions, motown and british invasion, were both offered on 2 different nights of the cruise. The Rock show was only offered this one night so I'd recommend definitely checking it out, but I'm sure the productions change year to year.

[Jota62]

Day 7 - 9/7/15 - Victoria, BC

 

We weren't scheduled to reach Victoria until the evening, so today was very much like a sea day. We slept in a little and then went to brunch. We again had a great meal and then we went back to our cabin and completed packing. It didn't take us long and then we went to the Lido to catch the Labor Day party. It was the groove for St. Jude. There actually weren't that many people up there and we ourselves didn't dance, but we enjoyed a cocktail and had a good time enjoying the music and talking to some people we had met on the ship.

 

Afterwards we checked out the Love and Marriage show and it was hilarious. It was very entertaining and I'd definitely would see that again on another cruise. It was basically the newlyweds show, but they had a newlywed couple, a couple married 51 years and then the middle couple was married 6, I think.

 

Also, it was important to read the Fun Times because the casino closed at 2 so if you wanted to cash out your account you needed to make sure you did by 2pm.

 

Dinner was normally at 5:30, but they moved it up to 5 to accommodate us getting into Victoria. So we actually went down probably at like 10 of and got in line to get into the dining room so we would have plenty of time to enjoy dinner and then get off the boat as soon as we docked.

 

We didn't have an excursion in Victoria. We took a cab into town, it was $10. We walked around and explored for a little and then we actually walked back to the boat. It is not a bad walk, maybe 30-35 minutes at a leisurely pace. We basically just walked along the shore and there were signs marking the trail that you just followed along. We were only there at night and it did get dark while we were still out. It would have been cool to see during the day. It was cool to see, but I can't say I'd purposely go back again.

 

We got back to the boat by 10pm and then put our luggage tags on and put them outside of our door. We opted to do the Luggage Express program. It was $20pp and what happened was we filled out a form and showed a printed out copy of our flight itinerary. We received luggage tags and boarding passes the day before and then needed to have our bags outside of our rooms by 11, I believe, for them to be picked up. For $20 it was totally worth it! Our flight the next day wasn't until 11pm so we knew we were going to be wandering Seattle and not having to worry about our bags was awesome.

[Jota62]

Day 8 - 9/8/15- Seattle & Some final thoughts

 

As I mentioned, we participated in the luggage express program, so we needed to be off the ship by 8:15am. So, we woke early and got breakfast and then we disembarked when an announcement was made for those with luggage express to exit. The announcement occurred during the self-disembarking floors were told to leave.

 

We sadly left the ship and then got a cab back to downtown seattle. We explored more and enjoyed a final day of vacation exploring Seattle before heading to the airport. Because we didn't have our bags with us we took the train to the airport. It was $3 and maybe a $30 minute drive. They had a train leaving to the airport about every 30 minutes so it was very affordable and easy.

 

Ok, so now for some final thoughts. I'm sure I haven't been able to remember everything so if you have a question let me know and I'll do my best.

 

Overall, we loved this cruise. It definitely exceeded expectations. I know that I will take another cruise after this experience. I think, like most things in life, it is what you make it. We had a great time and so much fun at every port. I'm happy we did excursions and I'm happy that we booked them in advance. We actually booked all of excursions ahead of time and prepaid tips. With my casino winnings applied to my sail and sign card I walked off the ship with only a $70 bill from the whole week. I found it was very affordable on carnival and don't feel like I missed out on anything.

 

I also think we really took advantage of the offerings of the ship. We saw 3 productions, 4 comedians (saw each multiple times), went to every bar, tried the casino, etc. There is so much to do to have the vacation that you want.

 

I probably would not buy FTTF again. Sure, we had miscommunication so maybe I would have felt differently, but I'm a patient person. We did not have any tendering ports and so I didn't really see the need for any of the other perks associated with it. When we arrived at the port to get on the sip a little after 11am there was very little of a line for anyone. The only time I needed to go to customer service there was barely a line also. I'm sure the lines and everything are cruise specific and I don't feel bad that I paid $50, because in the scheme of life that is nothing, but if you can handle waiting in a little line then it really isn't necessary, in my opinion. Now based on your circumstances it may be different for you, only you can judge.

 

I would do the luggage express again. It was great not having to deal with my bags. Even if my flight wasn't so much later I would probably do it because it was nice not having to deal with them and having my boarding passes.

 

I would stay in an Aft Facing Balcony again. It was worth every penny. I loved having the panoramic views and loved that it wasn't too windy and found it was a great spot for enjoying such a scenic sailing.

 

I wouldn't have packed as much. Everything I read said not to pack too much and I definitely overpacked. I like options, but there was a lot I didn't wear. With Alaska, layers are key. I liked having a fleece jacket and then having a rain coat to layer.

 

I hope to do Alaska again in the future. Until then I may try out some more sailings, whether with Carnival or another line. If you are thinking about going on this sailing I'd recommend it without a doubt!

[mimmy52]

Thanks for your review. Your pictures are great, and I enjoyed reading about your experiences.

[prmrolltide]

Loved your review. We are sailing next July. We have booked the whale watching and photo tour also. I like that it is a small group and that they help with your camera since I'm definitely not a photographer:)

[Gremraf]

Great review. We were on the same cruise. Nice photography!!!

[trippingpara]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing! An Alaskan cruise is one of our bucket cruises!

[onespots]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing! An Alaskan cruise is one of our bucket cruises!

 

Hi,

 

Curious as to " how to post pictures " with your review. Would appreciated any detailed information.

 

Thanks, John

[Jota62]

Hi,

 

Curious as to " how to post pictures " with your review. Would appreciated any detailed information.

 

Thanks, John

 

You have to out your pictures on another site like photo bucket and then copy the photo links in by hitting the photo icon while drafting your post. If you google "cruise critic forum how to post photos" there are a few threads with better instructions. I just followed those in making my review. Hope that helps.

[txwriter]

Great review with amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing!:)

[crazycruzer68]

I loved your review, my daughter and I are doing this cruise in Sept '16. Looks like fleece, gloves, hats and raincoat. I have yet to find a raincoat that really works and doesn't tear on the first use, what kind did you use? Also, are there any of these items for sale on the ship if we need more?

[Jota62]

I loved your review, my daughter and I are doing this cruise in Sept '16. Looks like fleece, gloves, hats and raincoat. I have yet to find a raincoat that really works and doesn't tear on the first use, what kind did you use? Also, are there any of these items for sale on the ship if we need more?

 

I wore a colombia rain coat. I find it to be durable and I like that it is rain/wind proof. There are shops on the boat, but I didn't really look much so I'm not sure if they have more iavkets, but probably. If you have warm enough clothes I'm sure you could wear ponchos for rain protection if really have a problem with tearing.

 

I'd also recommend good waterproof shoes.

[crazycruzer68]

I wore a colombia rain coat. I find it to be durable and I like that it is rain/wind proof. There are shops on the boat, but I didn't really look much so I'm not sure if they have more iavkets, but probably. If you have warm enough clothes I'm sure you could wear ponchos for rain protection if really have a problem with tearing.

 

I'd also recommend good waterproof shoes.

 

 

I had planned on wearing Uggs, if treated correctly they are waterproof. What did you wear?

[crazycruzer68]

Looking at Carnivals excursions...WOW!!! I don't usually book any through Carnival, but there's not as much info on private tours in Alaska. Have any of you got any information you would like to share?

[Jota62]

I had planned on wearing Uggs, if treated correctly they are waterproof. What did you wear?

 

I actually wore colombia brand hiking/sneakers. But I live in a cold climate so I wear what I bought all the time. I guess it probably depends on your excursions what kind of footwear you would want, but definitely waterproof

[Jota62]

Looking at Carnivals excursions...WOW!!! I don't usually book any through Carnival, but there's not as much info on private tours in Alaska. Have any of you got any information you would like to share?

 

As stated in my review, I only did carnival excursions so I'm not sure about the private tours, but there is a lot of info in the alaska forum on here.

 

We choose to stick with carnival tours because it was our first cruise and liked the safety in that. Also, I didn't find the prices for the excursions I wanted to do to be out of my budget so for me it wasn't a concern.

 

Sorry I can't be of more help to you!

[Shellback801]

Wow, just found this excellent review. Allow me join the chorus of CCers in thanking you for the write-up and pics. We're thinking of booking an Alaska cruise when we get back from Hawaii.

[marshhawk]

Thanks for the great review-my boss has shut us off from seeing pictures, but I will check them out tonight. I am also going to forward your review to my friend, I was looking for a Funtimes, and found your review. It was great!

 

My DH and I are doing the scenic Yukon Drive too, while our friend is going to do the Laughton Glacier Hike. I had planned to do Totem Bight, but changed over to the Crabfeast! I want to eat crab. What I was amazed at were your whales, I thought September was about bears, and that the whales were headed to warmed climes? Not true. So thanks for the heads up.