Alaska Questions

[thesmiths]

For those that have done the Legend , would you go on her again or would you go on another line with a newer ship?

 

We are going on the Vista in May (surprise 25th) and unsure if going on older ship after the Vista would be a let down?

 

Is an Aft cabin better for an Alaska Cruise?

If not why?

 

Let me know your thoughts.

 

Thank you,

[Alaskan Joe]

For those that have done the Legend , would you go on her again or would you go on another line with a newer ship?

 

We are going on the Vista in May (surprise 25th) and unsure if going on older ship after the Vista would be a let down?

 

Is an Aft cabin better for an Alaska Cruise?

If not why?

 

Let me know your thoughts.

 

Thank you,

 

Any ship in Alaska for a surprise 25th would be awesome:D. As for Aft cabin my dw and I are trying our first one in August '18 on the two week splendor Journeys cruise. Our first thought is, yes it will be cold but Aft you will not get the wind. Second you will see a panoramic view of both coastal lines which we thought would be cool.

[ABQrobin]

The Legend is very quirky, but hey.....you are in ALASKA! We really did like it, except that we missed Guy's and Blue Iguana at lunch. I think they are adding those at next dry dock though. Crew is fantastic, shows were excellent. Music selection was a bit limited as everyone was playing the same 80s-90s hits, so got boring by end of week. Hopefully they have a little more variety next time.

 

Will we do it again............ heck YEAH. I am trying to get DH to let me book for next summer. So many great ports and we didn't get to do everything we wanted. Only so much time, too many cool excursions!

[A&Jfamily]

I love the legend but personally I would choose Princess for Alaska - as they are the industry leaders. We actually prefer side balconies - no matter how you look at it (unless you get an aft wrap) you are getting a 180 degree view and when aft, in Alaska, you are not looking at the shore line and are more likely to missing passing pods of whales etc. We also really enjoyed the Caribe deck which had huge half covered, half uncovered balconies.

[Micahs Grandad]

Just back from doing Alaska on the Miracle.

 

To me the cabin does not matter so much as being able to go forward where the naturalist and hang out with him and have him point out what we were seeing and talk about it

[Budget Queen]

I don't sail Alaska for the ship, but I definitely prefer other Carnival ships.

 

If you are going to Alaska for "Alaska", then this itinerary is limited. It actually is the least scenic route. But, they do have a superb ship naturalist who really enhances the trip.

 

IF you aren't going to Glacier Bay, then in my opinion, I find it "necessary" to purchase the add on ship tour for Tracy Arm. Grossly superior to the cruise ship transit- IF you want to see a glacier.

 

Carnival does do a good job. But I wouldn't choose them for Alaska- if that choice is only because you sail the line. Have you looked at the Alaska Ports of Call board? There can be a lot to Alaska planning depending what you want out of your trip. I do find a lot of people doing little and missing out in my opinion, but it's great for them.

 

As for aft, you are out of the wind, a big plus, but, it's still cool, jackets, are necessary for me, don't cound on having breakfast on your balcony. :) It is a poor location for wildlife as mentioned which need to be tracked from ahead.

[kctwinmommy]

Like others, we didn't chose Carnival for Alaska, we chose Alaska. But we have sailed with them for most our cruises, so we got a good deal and we didn't feel like spending a few thousand more for a different line. We saw many great things, had a wonderful time, and did what we wanted. We always tell people if they're thinking of doing Alaska, then do it right. Do what you want to do, see what you want to see, etc... I don't like to fly, but I really wanted to try the helicopter trip, and we did it. It was beyond amazing!! It wasn't cheap at all, but we figured there's a very small chance of ever doing it again. Our excursions were very expensive, but again, worth it.

 

Our room was fine, standard balcony. The ship is fine too, nothing fancy. But we didn't go because of the ship. For us, once was enough, which is why we did all that things we wanted to do on this trip.

[winddawn]

I've sailed to Alaska on Carnival, Princess, and Norwegian. My first choice after experiencing all 3 is Princess. Carnival would be my last choice. And that is not because of the ship, but because of the Alaska itineraries available. I would choose a northbound or southbound itinerary vs. the Seattle-roundtrip Carnival offers.

 

As long as you have an unobstructed view balcony cabin, you'll be happy. I'd think the aft-facing balcony cabins would be less windy.

 

Be sure to pack a poncho. Those disposable ones that only cost a couple dollars are ideal because they are so small to pack, and you can put them into your pant's pocket or handbag. Also plan to dress in layers. Weather can be pretty fickle in Alaska.

[nealstuber]

We did the Legend last Summer after Sailing much newer and nicer ships from Galveston (LOTs, Caribbean Princess, Oasis, Magic). We were not disappointed with the Ship, Alaska, somewhat.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Micahs Grandad]

As we learned in August cannot have too many layers and also be prepared for rain lots of rain

[winddawn]

The month you cruise can affect your overall chances of rain, but also consider Ketchikan is considered rainforest. Alaska has microclimates. The first time I cruised Alaska was late May, and didn't experience any rain, and in fact, the weather was picture perfect with 70 degree temperatures with bright sunshine all week (more typical of July). The second time I cruised Alaska was early September, and there was more rain, but it wasn't port specific. The third time I cruised Alaska, there was off and on rain all week in June. So Alaska weather is unpredictable. You might be cool in the mornings, and warm in the afternoon in the summer months. It pays to watch the weather forecast before you leave, and be prepared for varying weather conditions.

[Buffettfan 225]

Sailed end July 2016 Carnival Legend Alaska. Happy to answer ANY questions, no question too small. Must do Tracy Arms tour- ship does not get close enough to see glacier otherwise. We have sailed Legend a few times and would gladly sail her again. No worries. We sailed in Empress balconies midship and glad we did. We were able to see the wildlife,shore homes,seaplanes fly right by. Did not see amount of wildlife I had envisioned, but still nice.

So many things could go on positively about. Only "rough" sailing date was after left Seattle until got into protected area with land on both sides. After that glass like water. Ship was great - missed Guys burgers, but drydock should help that.

Must do Tracy Arm through Carnival. Wore jeans most of cruise,North Face jacket and really needed my "real" raincoat for Tracy Arms tour as rained heavy but made for great calving of glacier. Also invested in Merrell. hiking boots,so worth it. Questions please ask, I even have menus. We did a shopping trip,others in family outdoor hiking and our adult kids adventurous kayaking,walking and going "into glacier cave" so can give feedback on all activities.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Buffettfan 225
added info

[winddawn]

Suggested reading:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1715960

[Micahs Grandad]

The month you cruise can affect your overall chances of rain, but also consider Ketchikan is considered rainforest. Alaska has microclimates. The first time I cruised Alaska was late May, and didn't experience any rain, and in fact, the weather was picture perfect with 70 degree temperatures with bright sunshine all week (more typical of July). The second time I cruised Alaska was early September, and there was more rain, but it wasn't port specific. The third time I cruised Alaska, there was off and on rain all week in June. So Alaska weather is unpredictable. You might be cool in the mornings, and warm in the afternoon in the summer months. It pays to watch the weather forecast before you leave, and be prepared for varying weather conditions.

 

Could not believe how much rain Ketchikan gets average 160 inches a year

[jimmyp]

Can you prepurchase the Tracy Arm small boat? I don't see it listed on Carnival's excursion website. If not do most people go right to the Shore Excursions desk once onboard?

[sksummers]

We cruised to Alaska on the Legend in 2015. It was a great cruise. Yes you can purchase the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion from the Carnival site. I think it was not in the excursions until January. It is a must do. They get you really close to glaciers.

[nealstuber]

Can you prepurchase the Tracy Arm small boat? I don't see it listed on Carnival's excursion website. If not do most people go right to the Shore Excursions desk once onboard?

 

 

 

One point in Legend’s favor (at least when we chose her), it was the cheapest Alaska cruise by far and you can put those cruise price savings towards shore excursions such as this. We saw that we could pay for one day’s excursions with those savings and another day with R/T air to SEA Vs Open Jaw rates. The remaining day and a half excursions cost about what we spend on excursions on a full Caribbean Itinerary.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thesmiths]

. We were not disappointed with the Ship, Alaska, somewhat.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Why?

[bakersdozen12]

If I go back to Alaska (more like when than if) I will be choosing the cruise based on itinerary only. I didn’t hate the Legend, but I did get sick on that cruise this year. As did a ton of people in our role call. A week or so after I read a report about how the Legend barely passed a health inspection and I remember thinking that I wasn’t surprised. Now, I wouldn’t let this one experience keep me from booking the ship again, though. For the right itinerary I would. But it does give me reason to weigh my options elsewhere.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[picomullet]

Can you prepurchase the Tracy Arm small boat? I don't see it listed on Carnival's excursion website. If not do most people go right to the Shore Excursions desk once onboard?

 

When we went to Alaska several years ago we had purchased the Tracy Arm small boat. That was fantastic and the best excursion ever. They only took 2 trips so very limited. We booked well in advance from the website.

[kctwinmommy]

If I go back to Alaska (more like when than if) I will be choosing the cruise based on itinerary only. I didn’t hate the Legend, but I did get sick on that cruise this year. As did a ton of people in our role call. A week or so after I read a report about how the Legend barely passed a health inspection and I remember thinking that I wasn’t surprised. Now, I wouldn’t let this one experience keep me from booking the ship again, though. For the right itinerary I would. But it does give me reason to weigh my options elsewhere.

 

Interesting, my husband also got sick the one night. He was the only one of us to eat the sushi, and I thought that could be the most likely culprit. I mean, he was up half the night throwing up. But he was fine the next day and we still went on our excursion. But it gave us a little fright thinking this was going to last long and ruin the whole trip!

[kctwinmommy]

One point in Legend’s favor (at least when we chose her), it was the cheapest Alaska cruise by far and you can put those cruise price savings towards shore excursions such as this. We saw that we could pay for one day’s excursions with those savings and another day with R/T air to SEA Vs Open Jaw rates. The remaining day and a half excursions cost about what we spend on excursions on a full Caribbean Itinerary.

 

Yep! We spent 4 days in Seattle pre-cruise, so that cost a bit (hotels are expensive there). But yes, I wasn't going to spend extra money for a different ship just because it might be nicer. I was going for the scenery and to do things. I realize it's all about personal preference too. This is just what worked for us.

[nealstuber]

Why?

 

 

 

The whales and Ice were a nice novelty for the first day, but we’ll take beaches and palm trees. I enjoy wild life, but prefer a good portion of it to be in bikinis.

Lot of extra work and expense and it did not strike us as that much more beautiful than some places you can find 2 hrs drive from Seattle.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thesmiths]

Thanks all for the great replies.

I am looking into booking the Legend for an 8 Day in May19

 

No Glacier Bay but would do a Helo Tour of it from Juneau.

 

I did check out that link, thank you. Helped me make my decision.

 

And will advise if I have an Questions... Buffett!

[ABQrobin]

The small boat excursion in Tracy Arm....

my video:

 

worth every penny...even tho we went to Endicott instead of Tracy Arm due to icebergs.