July 12th Carnival Legend Alaska trip report

[jonsmom]

Yes, Seattle R/T.

 

 

Great review. We are sailing next August on the Pearl R/T from Seattle.

 

We have booked the Wilderness Safari as well. Looks like you had some heavy weight clothing. Do you recommend a heavy jacket? My husband and son have fleece lined pants. WOuld it be a good idea to take those?

 

Thanks!

[kctwinmommy]

Great review. We are sailing next August on the Pearl R/T from Seattle.

 

We have booked the Wilderness Safari as well. Looks like you had some heavy weight clothing. Do you recommend a heavy jacket? My husband and son have fleece lined pants. WOuld it be a good idea to take those?

 

Thanks!

 

Honestly, I wish I had packed a little bit more of heavy clothing. It was hard though, packing for 11 days! I ended up buying the jacket I'm wearing in the pictures on Carnival. It was a decent price, like $40, and was pretty warm. It's not a winter parka of course, but with layers, it worked well. I would bring the pants just in case. I get cold easier than most people though. It is a lot of walking around though, so make sure it's comfortable. We really enjoyed that excursion a lot! The guys that run it are great! Very fun and interesting! LOL!

[jonsmom]

Honestly, I wish I had packed a little bit more of heavy clothing. It was hard though, packing for 11 days! I ended up buying the jacket I'm wearing in the pictures on Carnival. It was a decent price, like $40, and was pretty warm. It's not a winter parka of course, but with layers, it worked well. I would bring the pants just in case. I get cold easier than most people though. It is a lot of walking around though, so make sure it's comfortable. We really enjoyed that excursion a lot! The guys that run it are great! Very fun and interesting! LOL!

 

Thank you for your quick reply. I am afraid if I were cold that I would not enjoy it. I guess it would be worth the $25 luggage fee for an extra suitcase if everyone's warm clothes were packed.

 

Last Summer we went to Maui. We went to the sunrise on the Haleakala volcano. I had read many many reviews of how cold the temps were at the highest elevation which was 10,000 feet above sea level. HOWEVER, I only brought a sweatshirt and I was freezing. Standing there for 2 hours waiting for the sun to rise and it was spectacular but not as enjoyable since I wasn't prepared. Don't want a repeat of that.

[kctwinmommy]

Thank you for your quick reply. I am afraid if I were cold that I would not enjoy it. I guess it would be worth the $25 luggage fee for an extra suitcase if everyone's warm clothes were packed.

 

Last Summer we went to Maui. We went to the sunrise on the Haleakala volcano. I had read many many reviews of how cold the temps were at the highest elevation which was 10,000 feet above sea level. HOWEVER, I only brought a sweatshirt and I was freezing. Standing there for 2 hours waiting for the sun to rise and it was spectacular but not as enjoyable since I wasn't prepared. Don't want a repeat of that.

 

Haha! You sound like me! So yes, I think you'll regret it if you need it and don't bring it. I thought I over packed, but I just mis-packed. :p I brought a few too many lightweight things that I didn't need. I think I was hopeful. :D They do sell many things on the ship though, obviously they know their passenger's needs.

[joanskid]

Any opinion on whether the morning or afternoon Tracy Arm small boat tour would be better in mid July?

[joanskid]

Thanks in advance for you advice!!

[kctwinmommy]

Any opinion on whether the morning or afternoon Tracy Arm small boat tour would be better in mid July?

We did the first one. I don't know that there's any real preference between the 2 though. I just wanted to make sure we got out there. Plus, I liked that when we were done, we got right back on the Legend. If you do the later one, then you'll get onto the small boat, see the glaciers, then take your time cruising to see the wildlife and such, and then follow the Legend out and reboard it further out in the fjord. But the first one, you get on the small boat, cruise down the fjord, see the wildlife, then get to the glacier and spend some good time there, the Legend eventually catches up with you there, but they're about 3 miles away from you.

[ShineOn]

What a great review We sail out on the 16th of May, but we are flying to Chicago to take the Amtrack to Seattle (combining 2 bucket lists in one trip!). This creates a bit of a packing challenge since we will be doing a plane, train & then ship. We are packing with a variety of layers but I'm a little torn on what to wear for the dining room. We've done 11 Caribbean or Mexico cruises & I like to dress up for dinner but Alaska seems a little more casual with the dress code. Would I be safe w/jeans & a nice top for non elegant nights in the dining room? I've searched the forums for advice on this without luck. Thanks in advance!

[nycfa]

What a great review We sail out on the 16th of May, but we are flying to Chicago to take the Amtrack to Seattle (combining 2 bucket lists in one trip!). This creates a bit of a packing challenge since we will be doing a plane, train & then ship. We are packing with a variety of layers but I'm a little torn on what to wear for the dining room. We've done 11 Caribbean or Mexico cruises & I like to dress up for dinner but Alaska seems a little more casual with the dress code. Would I be safe w/jeans & a nice top for non elegant nights in the dining room? I've searched the forums for advice on this without luck. Thanks in advance!

 

Yes Alaska is much more causal in general then the Caribbean. We actually rarely changed for dinner on causal dining nights and came from the excursions to the dining room

 

Jeans are permitted on causal nights. But not allowed on formal nights (you don't need a suit just some nice slacks would be fine!)

 

Enjoy Alaska was my most favorite cruise!

[ShineOn]

Thank you so much! That's what I was hoping. I just threw a couple sparkle tops w/black microfiber dress pants (love how light they are are & don't wrinkle!) My husband is throwing caution to the wind & only packing dress pants, dress shirts & ties for elegant nights - no dress coat on this cruise, feels a little weird. But our luggage space is taken up with extra layers of clothing so I'm relieved to hear this. Really looking forward to watching for wildlife and enjoying some great time with family who live across the country from us.

[kctwinmommy]

What a great review We sail out on the 16th of May, but we are flying to Chicago to take the Amtrack to Seattle (combining 2 bucket lists in one trip!). This creates a bit of a packing challenge since we will be doing a plane, train & then ship. We are packing with a variety of layers but I'm a little torn on what to wear for the dining room. We've done 11 Caribbean or Mexico cruises & I like to dress up for dinner but Alaska seems a little more casual with the dress code. Would I be safe w/jeans & a nice top for non elegant nights in the dining room? I've searched the forums for advice on this without luck. Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks! And what a trip that will be then! We didn't have the traveling challenge, but spending 4 days in Seattle before hand also meant extra things to bring. I actually bought a jacket on the ship. I packed rain gear, but it was colder than I thought it would be (for me), and the jacket was like $25-30. It had warm fleece on the inside and rain resistant on the outside. I also packed too much "fancy" stuff. I brought some capris and cute tops for dinner, but rarely wore them. We still have nice clothes for the 2 formal nights, but yes, in general, it was nowhere near what it is on the Caribbean cruises.

[ShineOn]

I have thin gloves, heavier gloves, a stocking cap & scarf. Light weight jacket, heavier zip up sweater that is dressier, medium weight jacket & a gortex rain coat w/hood that has a zip in fleece lining. Finger crossed that I have it all covered, lol! I have the sizes so I can layer one on top of the other if need be! Since I have 3 nice tops & 2 dressy tops to go with the black dress pants, I'll probably be a little overdressed for dinner too. I finally broke down & bought new luggage w/spinners since we were taking so many different modes of transportation. As I was grumbling about how many jackets I had to pack I decided to weigh my new suitcase with all the coats in it. It was exactly (14.4lbs) the same weight as my old suitcase was empty - score! We start making our trek to Seattle on Saturday - so excited!

[crusinpsychRN]

Your pictures are stunning!

[kctwinmommy]

Your pictures are stunning!

 

 

Thank you!