Trip Report: CCL Legend, Alaska, Very Photo Heavy! And it's late, from Sept. 2017

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2018 by Tennessee Rose

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

 

[Tennessee Rose]

Sun., Sept. 10, Ketchikan, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.:

It was 53 degrees when we woke up and there were a few light/bright spots in the sky that looked like the sun might actually come out. We had breakfast on Lido then got off the ship about 9:00 a.m. to finally do our souvenir shopping that we hadn’t done at the other ports. We were going to use our coupon book at theTongass Trading Company store---we could see the store right down the dock. (Hint—you can download TTC’s coupons onto your phone or just pick up a coupon book just inside the door. There were tons of special priced items; many half price or more off. But I got the impression that they have these sales most of the time, not just at the end of the season. In addition, the ship’s shops only had a few items that were sale priced for end of season; I was disappointed there wasn’t more based on what I had read beforehand.) As we were getting off the ship, the light rain had already started. This is really bad but we were probably in the store for about 1 ½ hours! When we walked out with our huge bags of goodies, the rain was coming down pretty good. We covered the tops with our coats and hightailed it, as best we could, back to the ship.

 

After going back to the cabin to drop off our bags and check on Hurricane Irma news, we headed to Lido for lunch. Then just lollygagged the rest of the day, mainly sitting in the café at a window table, snacking and watching the wet scenery outside. I did go out o Serenity a couple of times, bundled up from the rain and cold, to take a few more pictures. I got several of a red float plane coming in. And did't realize it until I had the photos on my computer (bigger view for these old eyes) that I saw the sea bird tailing the plane for the landing on the water! Back to the room for a bit then back up deck for sailaway. Not only was it raining good but the mists were settling in over the mountain tops. It was a spooky goodbye to Ketchikan. Later, we went to our dinner waiting spot in Atlantis then to Truffles where I had the beef tenderloin & short rib, mashed potatoes, green beans, key lime mousse (new, and liked!), and AP. We did go to the show in Follies this night, Studio VIP, which was 70s/80s music. It was okay; not overwhelmed though.

 

And now for the kinda soggy Ketchikan pictures. I was sad that this was our last port, which meant I was being forced to leave the ship and go home in another day! Why can't vacation last longer!

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

Mon., Sept. 11, Sea Day:

We had breakfast at 9:00 a.m. at the sea day brunch in Truffles MDR. Then, we wandered around our usual spots of Lido and outside to Serenity where we saw----the sun! Not kidding, the sun was actually out as we headed south into the Inside Passage. I really liked the setup of Serenity on Legend, better than on the other ships I’ve been on. Immediately out the doors from the Lido buffet area is a covered area which has the bar at the back, then a short, curved wall with some tables and chairs on the bar side and wicker sofas and chairs in a double row on the other side. Just outside this covered area begins the normal area of hammocks, loungers, and clamshells. To the side of the bar was the towel check out desk, but, guess what, since we were in Alaska and the cold, you could check out blankets also! This was great for when you needed to warm up but didn’t want to go or stay inside. While on the outside deck, Jaime saw a whale spouting and we looked for whales but didn’t see any more.

 

About noon, we headed back to the cabin to pack our bags. Then we went to Lido for snacks about 2:00, followed by tea time at 3:00 p.m. For our last day on the ship, we made sure we didn’t miss any opportunity to snack or be waited on! After tea, it was back to the cabin for a short nap, then wandered up to Pixels and the shops to see if there were any new sales. Nope, nothing new. By this time, the weather had changed to mist and fog but we still wandered around the outside open deck anyway. Dolphins once again started jumping and following the ship on both sides near the rear for about 20 minutes. Around dusk, we went to our regular spot in the Atlantis Lounge to await dinner time. As soon as we were being seated at our table, someone noticed dolphins again jumping right outside the dining room windows which was on deck 2, so they appeared to be right there. Those of us who were there plus the servers in our area all ran to the windows to watch them. That night’s dinner was, what else, marinated pork chop, mac ‘n cheese/bacon, mashed potatoes, my AP, and the new key lime cheesecake stuffed apple (wasn’t really that great).

 

After dinner we were back in the cabin by 9:30 to finish up our packing and had our bags in the hallway for pickup by 10:30 p.m. We had zone 20 debarkation tags.

 

That afternoon we had stopped by the Guest Services desk and purchased the bus transfer from Canada Place port to the Vancouver airport. They had the info in the Funtimes and at $28 per person we felt it was a good price for a transfer we wouldn’t have to worry about. So, everything was done to finish up our cruise and get ready to return home the next day.

[Tennessee Rose]

 

 

 

 

 

Canada Place, port in Vancouver

[Tennessee Rose]

Tues., Sept 12, Vancouver:

We were up and having breakfast in the Lido buffet by 7:45 a.m. After breakfast, we grabbed our carry on bags and found seats on the deck 3 public area to wait until our zone 20 was called to debark. We were called at 10:00, got off the ship, through customs and on the big comfy shuttle bus very quickly. This was a super quick and easy process, except for actually finding our checked bags. At the Vancouver port, they just put all the bags out in rows all together, not in numbered sections by their zone number. So exactly why did we even have to put zone tags on them?? With having a high number, most people were already off the ship and had claimed their bags. It took about 5 minutes to locate ours. Thankfully, they were together. Our bus left the port at 10:15 for the 1-hour ride over to YVR. Our flight on Delta wasn’t until 3:15 p.m. and we arrived back in Nashville about 11:30 that night. Tired and exhausted!

 

 

 

 

 

These last 2 were taken from right after we changed planes in Seattle to head home. The Washington wildfires were still burning/smoldering; you can clearly see the smoke from them in the mountains.

 

 

[Tennessee Rose]

Thoughts on this cruise:

I had been really excited about going to Alaska and about being on Legend. But this cruise far exceeded what I expected. Alaska, the southeastern ports we visited, is incredibly beautiful. I had read others’ reviews of Legend and how much everyone seemed to like this class of ship. I now fully agree, having experienced it myself. I love the size and the layout; it is very easy to get around and she’s a beautiful ship. Of course, I want to go back! And on Legend!

 

To those of you who have your first Alaskan cruise booked and are just counting down the days, you are going to be amazed and in awe. I promise. To those of you who have already been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about! Our Earth has so many beautiful and unique areas and this is definitely one of them. At least, to me. I'm sure there are similar areas that many of you "have" seen and visited, but I had never been to any place like this. It just makes me want to see more and more!

 

Thanks for visiting my report, and being patient with the amount of time it took me to finish. Happy Cruising, everyone!

[kt6453]

Loved your pictures and report!! Thank you!!

 

 

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[FLCruise7]

Thanks for the wonderful review & outstanding pictures! I especially like that you got some whale pictures - when we did a whale watching excursion I never saw any! Thankfully, we did one in Hawaii with better results.

 

We head back to Alaska in August for our 3rd visit. We plan on doing the Mount Roberts tram this time as we haven't done that before. We'll be hitting Glacier Bay again. We generally cruise Princess and GB is on a lot of their schedules. We just make sure it's on any itinerary we pick.

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise & thanks for sharing!

[Cruise_More_Often]

You should be very proud of the pictures you got. With the super cloudy weather you had, it's not easy to get the detail you got in your pictures, especially those in Glacier Bay.

 

You chose the perfect week for your cruise. I've always cruised early in the summer, but early Fall was just gorgeous.

 

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us.

[Kevin's girl]

Thoughts on this cruise:

I had been really excited about going to Alaska and about being on Legend. But this cruise far exceeded what I expected. Alaska, the southeastern ports we visited, is incredibly beautiful. I had read others’ reviews of Legend and how much everyone seemed to like this class of ship. I now fully agree, having experienced it myself. I love the size and the layout; it is very easy to get around and she’s a beautiful ship. Of course, I want to go back! And on Legend!

 

To those of you who have your first Alaskan cruise booked and are just counting down the days, you are going to be amazed and in awe. I promise. To those of you who have already been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about! Our Earth has so many beautiful and unique areas and this is definitely one of them. At least, to me. I'm sure there are similar areas that many of you "have" seen and visited, but I had never been to any place like this. It just makes me want to see more and more!

 

Thanks for visiting my report, and being patient with the amount of time it took me to finish. Happy Cruising, everyone!

Thank you again for the wonderful review and all of the photos. I can't wait until it's our turn to go.

[bnorris10]

[quote name=Tennesse

Legend doesn’t have Guy’s Burgers but I’ve found I like the regular grill burgers better than Guy’s; and love the chicken tenders!

 

They do now we are going June 12th and super excited for this trip - my heart about dropped out when you said no Guys had to go check the ship and guess they must have added it during the last dry dock - I love Guy's burgers

[Great Sky Girl]

Wonderful pictures! And the Ketchikan pictures were perfect. They always have rain!! Great report.

[hpugirl27]

Thank you for this review! We are leaving for this trip in a couple of weeks and I can't wait! Your review has helped pass the time...beautiful pictures!!!

[luckybecky]

Fantastic review! I love your pictures. Glad you had such a marvelous time. :)

[Quilcruisers]

Thank you for this review. I agree, you have a great eye for detail and took excellent pictures. I have never done an Alaskan cruise but this looks like fun.

 

 

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[Sailin Gal]

Thank you for taking the time to share your review and photos. All the pics were great. My fave is the seal in the rain!

 

We sail on Legend in 16 days, and you provided some very helpful info!

[FLCruisinMom]

Thank you for the great review! I am even more excited now. 79 more days...

[Tennessee Rose]

Loved your pictures and report!! Thank you!!

 

Thank you and you are very welcome!

 

Thanks for the wonderful review & outstanding pictures! I especially like that you got some whale pictures - when we did a whale watching excursion I never saw any! Thankfully, we did one in Hawaii with better results.

 

We head back to Alaska in August for our 3rd visit. We plan on doing the Mount Roberts tram this time as we haven't done that before. We'll be hitting Glacier Bay again. We generally cruise Princess and GB is on a lot of their schedules. We just make sure it's on any itinerary we pick.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I think I was totally spoiled by seeing GB. Not sure I could go back and miss seeing it again. I don't see how anyone could get tired of seeing that beautiful place. Our port times are what messed us up with not being able to do the tram, but I'd loved to see the top of Mt. Roberts. Y'all have fun----I know you will!