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Carnival Legend - staying on ship while docked


gwenslibrary
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Hi all - we are first time Alaskan cruisers. We have a family of four, and we have not booked any excursions. We tend to not do the "tourist" things when we travel - some of our perfect vacations in the past have been renting a cabin in the mountains for a week, staying in a cabin on a lake for a week, etc. We generally notice the usual "must-sees" along the road, take note of them, and then continue on to our more low key vacation plans. Partly because of this tendency, and partly because of finances, we haven't booked any excursions. In our minds, we are thinking we will enjoy our Alaska experience from our balcony, possibly getting off the ship to wander around the towns a bit, but also enjoy a quieter atmosphere on the ship when everyone else leaves for the day. :)

 

It seems that most people who post on here take a lot of excursions - we just can't afford to add $800 to our tab every time the ship stops. Can anyone give us feedback on what the ship is like on the days it is docked? Do most people get off? Is everything on the ship still up and running for those who choose to stay onboard?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! I should mention that we ARE toying with the idea of a fishing excursion, but it would be weather and finances dependent. That is the one excursion our kids (14 and 16) seem most excited about.

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Hi all - we are first time Alaskan cruisers. We have a family of four, and we have not booked any excursions. We tend to not do the "tourist" things when we travel - some of our perfect vacations in the past have been renting a cabin in the mountains for a week, staying in a cabin on a lake for a week, etc. We generally notice the usual "must-sees" along the road, take note of them, and then continue on to our more low key vacation plans. Partly because of this tendency, and partly because of finances, we haven't booked any excursions. In our minds, we are thinking we will enjoy our Alaska experience from our balcony, possibly getting off the ship to wander around the towns a bit, but also enjoy a quieter atmosphere on the ship when everyone else leaves for the day. :)

 

It seems that most people who post on here take a lot of excursions - we just can't afford to add $800 to our tab every time the ship stops. Can anyone give us feedback on what the ship is like on the days it is docked? Do most people get off? Is everything on the ship still up and running for those who choose to stay onboard?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! I should mention that we ARE toying with the idea of a fishing excursion, but it would be weather and finances dependent. That is the one excursion our kids (14 and 16) seem most excited about.

 

I almost never get off the ship anymore.

 

Most people (and especially in Alaska) do get off the ship, so it's a very quiet atmosphere. Everything on the Lido is open and the Lobby bar and Guest Services are open but everything else is closed until after sailing.

 

So you can't shop or gamble while in port.

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Thanks for your response! We aren't gamblers or much into shopping, so that won't be an issue for us. We are more interested in whether the athletic facilities are still open (ie mini golf, etc), restaurants still open - things like that.

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I would recommend that you look at the Alaska forum under "Ports of Call" for some ideas about some less expensive things you might do in port. Juneau is very walkable and you can get a bus that goes to the Mendenhall Glacier. Or, you might want to ride the Mt. Roberts Tramway. It's $33 per adult. Skagway similarly is walkable and there are some National Park Service sites that tell you about the Gold Rush. And in Victoria we just walked over to the breakwall for some nice harbor views. (We didn't make it to Ketchikan - last year it wasn't a stop for us - but from what I've seen it is also fairly easy to walk around.)

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Hi all - we are first time Alaskan cruisers. We have a family of four, and we have not booked any excursions. We tend to not do the "tourist" things when we travel - some of our perfect vacations in the past have been renting a cabin in the mountains for a week, staying in a cabin on a lake for a week, etc. We generally notice the usual "must-sees" along the road, take note of them, and then continue on to our more low key vacation plans. Partly because of this tendency, and partly because of finances, we haven't booked any excursions. In our minds, we are thinking we will enjoy our Alaska experience from our balcony, possibly getting off the ship to wander around the towns a bit, but also enjoy a quieter atmosphere on the ship when everyone else leaves for the day. :)

 

It seems that most people who post on here take a lot of excursions - we just can't afford to add $800 to our tab every time the ship stops. Can anyone give us feedback on what the ship is like on the days it is docked? Do most people get off? Is everything on the ship still up and running for those who choose to stay onboard?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! I should mention that we ARE toying with the idea of a fishing excursion, but it would be weather and finances dependent. That is the one excursion our kids (14 and 16) seem most excited about.

 

May I make a suggestion for Juneau? When we got off the ship, there were more than a dozen booths of people selling excursions. We wanted to go to Mendenhall Glacier on our own so we stopped at the first booth that sold bus tickets. It cost $20 pp round trip for the bus ride. The area around Mendenhall is beautiful. There were trails for walking around. We couldn't get right up to the glacier but pretty darn close. We spent about three hours enjoying the sights. The buses ran regularly so we had no trouble planning our return to the ship.

 

As far as walking around the shops, one thing that did surprise and disappoint me about the ports was that they had the same Diamonds International, Tanzanite International, and crap shops as the Caribbean ports.

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Hi all - we are first time Alaskan cruisers. We have a family of four, and we have not booked any excursions. We tend to not do the "tourist" things when we travel - some of our perfect vacations in the past have been renting a cabin in the mountains for a week, staying in a cabin on a lake for a week, etc. We generally notice the usual "must-sees" along the road, take note of them, and then continue on to our more low key vacation plans. Partly because of this tendency, and partly because of finances, we haven't booked any excursions. In our minds, we are thinking we will enjoy our Alaska experience from our balcony, possibly getting off the ship to wander around the towns a bit, but also enjoy a quieter atmosphere on the ship when everyone else leaves for the day. :)

 

It seems that most people who post on here take a lot of excursions - we just can't afford to add $800 to our tab every time the ship stops. Can anyone give us feedback on what the ship is like on the days it is docked? Do most people get off? Is everything on the ship still up and running for those who choose to stay onboard?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! I should mention that we ARE toying with the idea of a fishing excursion, but it would be weather and finances dependent. That is the one excursion our kids (14 and 16) seem most excited about.

 

Problem is, you aren't going to see a lot during your sailing, overall, you are cruising the least scenic route- 2 open ocean sea days.

 

I find your "thinking" of staying on the ship- a poor choice, for Alaska. Why are you going there- what was the reason you chose this itinerary? I would think, if you wanted to stay on the ship, you could have done so, on a cheap Caribbean sailing. :)

 

Of course, the ship is essentially going to empty on port days. Most people will be getting off the ship- enjoying Alaska. Reason why many chose this itinerary. I'm one of the people your "comments" mention about tours- I never skimp and do all the tours I want to. My preference.

 

HOWEVER- there is PLENTY to see and do that is low cost. IF of any interest to you?

 

IF you want ideas- I can give you some- but- it sounds like you have a ship priority? In that case, I'm certain you will enjoy the emptiness of the ship. :)

 

It's your trip- no right or wrong- but don't compromise and do nothing- IF that is not what you want to do. My opinion only.

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We found that Ketchikan had the most authentic Alaskan artwork once we got away from the ship. Skagway (to us) felt like a tourist attraction, although we thoroughly enjoyed the White Pass/Yukon train ride, and I don't think it was crazy expensive (we booked independently, not through the ship) - the scenery was exquisite! Juneau is walkable from the ship, and a sweet town.

 

Maybe consider just getting off the ship and walking around.

 

I will say this, Alaska, for us, was a trip we considered to be "once in a lifetime" so we did splurge on "once in a lifetime" excursions. We would like to do the trip again, but now we can do so without those "once in a lifetime" expenses. I would hate for you to get home and wish you'd done some of those "once in a lifetime" excursions (for us they included a privately booked helicopter in Juneau that landed on 2 separate glaciers (and not the ones the ships do) - a seaplane in Ketchikan that landed and got us up close to bears fishing, and the train ride in Skagway - in Victoria we walked from the ship into the art district and gallery hopped for hours).

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There are a lot of interesting things to see in Alaskan posts without going on excursions. Take a slow stroll around town (good exercise), check out some neat art shops, local museums, salmon stream etc. that won't cost a penny. In Ketchikan, you can ride a shuttle bus around town for free.

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We did a 13 day (with 10 ports) Med cruise without booking a single excursion and most of out time was spent off ship coming back on an hour or 2 early.

 

The Legend is fab but if I were you I would be spending a lot of time sitting on land and enjoying the view with some local eats and a cuppa.

 

Failing that you can probably find cheap ways of getting around and seeing a bit here and there once you port.

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In Skagway, we reserved and rented a car from AVIS for $145 and drove up to the Yukon Territory (there were 4 of us, but you may be able to rent a minivan or something larger). Before we got on the cruise we bought "Murray's Guide" for $5, downloaded it and printed a paper copy. Here is the link: http://*****************/

 

We were in port from 7 am to 9 pm, which is the longest port day. We picked up the car around 8:30 am and got back around 3pm. We stopped a lot for photos and then for lunch in Carcross, drove to Emerald Lake and then turned around.

 

It's a less expensive way to experience the unbelievable beauty of this area. It would be a shame to just stay in port here. Please consider this option.

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Thanks for all the advice! I should clarify that we aren't planning to stay on the ship because we are trying to just play on the ship and ignore the fact that we are in Alaska! :) We were thinking more along the lines of getting off, exploring a bit on foot, and then taking it from there. My question about what happens on the ship on port days because we aren't necessarily going to be off the ship the entire time, because we are not doing the big excursions.

 

I don't know if this is a once in a lifetime trip for us or not - at this point, this is a bucket list trip to do before the kiddos leave nest - one of two remaining vacations we want to do before they aren't at home anymore.

 

I appreciate the information on lower cost things and on the ability to explore on our own. I really like the idea of renting a car on that long stop day and just striking out on our own - that is right up our alley! I think I was getting a little nervous since the info on the cruise website I was seeing about the ports was all pointing to fairly expensive excursions in each stop. I'm glad to hear that there are more affordable options for us - I will definitely check out the parts of this website that were mentioned as well.

 

Thanks!

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Thanks for all the advice! I should clarify that we aren't planning to stay on the ship because we are trying to just play on the ship and ignore the fact that we are in Alaska! :) We were thinking more along the lines of getting off, exploring a bit on foot, and then taking it from there. My question about what happens on the ship on port days because we aren't necessarily going to be off the ship the entire time, because we are not doing the big excursions.

 

I don't know if this is a once in a lifetime trip for us or not - at this point, this is a bucket list trip to do before the kiddos leave nest - one of two remaining vacations we want to do before they aren't at home anymore.

 

I appreciate the information on lower cost things and on the ability to explore on our own. I really like the idea of renting a car on that long stop day and just striking out on our own - that is right up our alley! I think I was getting a little nervous since the info on the cruise website I was seeing about the ports was all pointing to fairly expensive excursions in each stop. I'm glad to hear that there are more affordable options for us - I will definitely check out the parts of this website that were mentioned as well.

 

Thanks!

 

Head over to the Alaska Port of Call board, and spend some time reading trip reports. Loaded with all kinds of information.

 

Depending on when your trip is, you do need to book car rentals way in advance. Avis in Skagway- Always sells out. I too highly recommend Murray's Guide as a "necessary" reference, Plan on about 5 hours for the round trip Emerald Lake drive.

 

Juneau is also an excellent port for a car rental. Only 2 downtown vendors, again, reserve early. I've written many times about places to drive to.

 

The bargain in Ketchikan- if interested in Native History is Totem Bight. If of interest I'll give you the exact details.

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Late DH & I did Alaska on the VERY cheap. Had to as our daughter was getting married 2 months later. Mot have hop on/off busew hitting major sites.

 

Ketchican: bus to SaxmanTotem Park, walk Creek street

Juneau: hop on/off trolley, state museum

Sitka: walk to asst sites

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I did only one Alaskan excursion - a train to the top of White Pass (from Skagway) followed by riding bicycles back down. Awesome trip, but obviously not for everybody. All of the ports are very walkable, and there's plenty to look at for free. Make sure you buy some Ulu knives - they make some kitchen chores a breeze and are not easy to find in the US.

 

I love Toms port guides dot com - we used them extensively on our Med cruise (your other bucket list item, I hope). He only has one for Alaska - Ketchican.

 

But, to answer your original question, the ship still runs during port days. All of the eating venues are open, and a fair amount of the activities are still available. I assume the spa, workout area, mini golf, climbing wall, and surf rider are all open and working. Rain may put a damper on some upper-deck activities.

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A good, very well traveled friend of mine came over a few weeks ago, she knows that I cruise "on the cheap" (I did a 7 day cruise, got off on all four ports and didn't spend more than 40.oo per person for the whole cruise, and we did a history museum and snorkeled in three ports) BUT she said, you must get away from the towns, if you want to see Alaska.

 

I am still in the planning of the trip, but the first thing I did was Google a map of each town, check out the walkable tourist things to see, and the second thing I did was contact the Tourist information for each town, and have them mail me some info.

 

The third thing I did was to check out the excursions on line with Carnival, because once you have booked the cruise, you can check out the excursions and see what time of day they are. Since meals on the ship are paid for, if an excursion didn't include a meal, and it was during lunch, it wouldn't be one that i would take, because there is extra money coming out of pocket. But if an excursion is at 8 a.m. and gets back by one, then I would consider doing that vs booking an excursion that leaves at 11 and gets back at 5.

 

I think that cruising from Alaska is all about doing research, for many of us, it is a once in a lifetime thing, and I would hate to come home with a lot of regrets of, oh, I wish I had done something rather than just walk around a town. Budget and plan, and good luck.

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We researched and found that there were small, local type museums in most Alaskan towns/cities.

 

They were cheap to enter and mainly centered around local history and local life in the past. Most artifacts belonged to folks who once lived in the area.

 

You can get a good feel for the town you're in while strolling to the museum.:)

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An EASY concise reference- in addition to chasing down some of the above, is to head to your library. Anne Viapod has an excellent Alaska Port of Call book, Frommers Alaska and Fodors Alaska, along with their Alaska Port of Call books, all, have walking tour maps.

 

Frankly, with "once in a life time" cheap trip- I wouldn't be giving the priority to any meals. I think for many- with the ship sailing away that could be a significant "regret".

 

In my opinion, half of an Alaskan cruise is what is outside the ship- port activities. I don't skimp on what I do- this only works for me. Those who have the priority of not spending much money- there are HUNDREDS of options. Look past the common selections.

 

There are several very experienced experts on the Alaska port of call board, use their knowledge.

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Hi there,

 

Would you mind sharing your info about the excursions you did (helicopter and plane) that were not ship connected.... We are going next summer and are looking at non ship excursions to gain more of those "once in a lifetime" opportunities. What you described sounds like something we would love to do:)

Thank you

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We did a helicopter glacier with dogsledding trip directly with Temsco. It was slightly cheaper than the ship. The reason we booked direclty was that we had a wheelchair bound person in our group and found it much easier to deal with them direct than the cruiseline. I also think they may have offered childrens prices and the cruiseline didn't, although I am not sure, it was 10 years ago. That was in Juneau I think.

 

We walked around at most of the other ports and National Parks often have museums and guided tours that are/were free or small donation.

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We often stay on the ship during port visits in the Caribbean - been there so many times and enjoy having the ship to ourselves. Last year I did an 8-night sailing on the Breeze and didn't get off in any port.

 

But for Alaska, I'd never make that choice. It is so different and so special that, at the very least, I'd walk to explore the port area.

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