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

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Beautiful pictures! And what a blessing you had blue skies and 60 degree weather in Juneau. It was the same conditions when I went there in May a few years back. The whole area around the Mendenhall Glacier was so overwhelming. It was so big and it was like I was in a nature documentary or something the scenery was so awe inspiring. Alaska truly is America's last frontier.

[NOSaints1]

How was the ship/decor/food?

[dogbert's mom]

Your pictures from Juneau are just gorgeous. I have been on 2 cruise to Alaska and each time I've gone Whale watching it rained. It was exciting to watch the whales but it would have been much better in sunny weather. You are so lucky to have seen the Northern Lights. They are still on my to do list.

[busynurse2015]

Your pictures are amazing!!! I never even considered cruising to Alaska but your review is beautiful and I may have to plan a cruise there in the future.

[greeneyedancr89139]

Thanks for writing and the beautiful pictures. We are planning on doing Alaska next year around the same time.

[Jota62]

How was the ship/decor/food?

 

I can't compare the Legend to any other ship, but I thought it was fine. It was easy to navigate once you figured out where everything was. The decor was a bit over the top, but that didn't bother me personally. A lot of the reviews I read about the Legend mentioned that there were a ton of urns everywhere and they were right! Every where you turned you saw them. You can youtube the ship and find some tours if you want to see all the various areas and the decor.

 

I did't find any issues with the condition of the ship. There were a few areas where you could see a little wear, but nothing crazy that I saw.

 

Food is so subjective, as is decor I guess. I liked the food. We enjoyed eating in the dining room more than the Lido for the atmosphere. Every night the dinner menu had every day items that had some good go-to options if you couldn't find anything you liked, for example a grilled chicken breast. The other half of the menu changed daily. I found something on the daily menu that I enjoyed. I wouldn't say it was 5 star or the best meals I've ever had, but they were all good. The ship, overall, had so much food. The pizza was a good late-night go to and from 11-12:30 they had hamburgers and hot dogs with fries and such.

[Jota62]

Day 4 - 9/4/15- Skagway & the Yukon

 

I was pretty tired after staying up to try and see more of the Northern Lights, but Day 4 was an early day. We docked around 7am, but my excursion was to meet in the Follies Theater at 7:30am. If you buy your excursions through Carnival they issue you tickets and on the tickets it will let you know the time and location for where you are to meet your group. When we got to the Follies Theater they had it divided into sections and each row was labeled.

 

For Skagway we decided to do the Yukon Scenic Drive excursion. A popular activity seems to be the white pass train ride, but we opted for the drive. After reading the reviews and seeing how on the drive there were lots of stops for picture opportunities we decided to give it a try. It was a small bus and our group was 16 people, I believe. I really enjoyed our tour guide, Doug. He was a ranger, had worked in Antarctica even, and had been coming to work in Alaska for the last 20 years. He knew so much information about the area and gave such a detailed account of the history of the area. If we saw something interesting from the side of the road we would just pull over and you had the option to hop out and take a look. We saw a Bear up the mountain, but unfortunately my picture didn't turn out too well. We also saw some goats and sheep along the way.

 

The scenery was breathtaking! The whole drive there was something to look at. Saying that, I would recommend sitting on the right side of the bus, so not behind the driver. I'm sure those on the left had plenty of great views also and I enjoyed the ride back on that side, but I read in 1 review that as a tip to sit on the right and I really was glad I followed that tip. I felt like there were more expansive views from that side for the majority of the drive into the Yukon. Obviously on the way back the views switch, but I feel like in the morning where more of the talking is happening you are looking around more. Either way, you'll have a great time I'm sure. Just something to consider.

 

 

Doug also was a great photographer. At certain spots he was more than happy to take a picture for you. Because he has done the tour so many times he had it down to a science for how to get through everyone quickly to get a good angle on the sign.

 

As you can see from the picture above, we no longer had Juneau weather. In the Yukon it was much colder. I don't know the exact temperature, but I would say it felt like maybe low 50s. It was drizzling rain at some points, but didn't pour, thank goodness. We both wore jeans, waterproof shoes, a shirt w/ a fleece over it and then as necessary the raincoat. Layers are definitely key in Alaska. I never felt freezing or anything like that and I didn't need to use gloves, but if you are coming form a warmer climate just be prepared and pack some layers.

 

The summer will be warmer than September, but we were able to see a little fall foliage.

 

 

 

 

The views were stunning all around.

 

 

[Jota62]

 

 

We stopped at the Carcross Desert, which is considered the smallest desert in the world.

 

 

 

 

We stopped for lunch at a small little place. The lunch provided was sandwiches or a chicken wrap and then there were homemade soup options. I had a chicken wrap and some homemade chicken noodle soup. It was good on a cold day. My sister had a turkey sandwich and cream of spinach soup and she really enjoyed the soup. They also had homemade pie. My sister had some strawberry pie, I'm not much of a pie fan myself so I skipped that, but she enjoyed it. The meal wasn't anything crazy amazing, but it was a good little lunch. Plus, we were there to just refuel and get back on the road to have more time to see more.

 

Right near where we stopped for lunch was Emerald Lake, it was gorgeous.

 

[Jota62]

 

 

 

Then we headed into the small town of Carcross. We spent probably 35 minutes or so there. My sister and I walked around the town, stopped in some of the local stores, and checked out the visitor's center.

 

 

I took a few pictures there, but most on my cell phone because the rain picked up. It was pretty little, but interesting. After that little stop, we were on the road again back into Alaska.

 

We stopped along the way at some more scenic spots. We even stopped to walk down to the water. The rain was at its worst, but the clouds looked cool over the water.

 

 

[Jota62]

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I'm posting so many pictures, but I took so many. They can't even do the area justice. It was amazing views. I liked that we were able to stop and take time to look around and snap a few pictures on the way there and back. If I go back to Alaska, and I would like to, I would probably do the White Pass train ride.

 

I think that is what was so great about this trip. No matter what you were looking for I'm sure you could find an excursion that interested you. In the end it is your vacation and find the activity that you personally would enjoy. I felt like I learned a lot on the scenic drive and loved that we stopped at both the Yukon and Alaska signs.

 

At the end, Doug gave us the option of being let off in downtown Skagway or being brought back to the ship. We opted to get off downtown and do some shopping. We were probably back around 2pm and had until 7, I believe, to be back on the ship.

 

We used that time to do some shopping for our souvenirs and wander around. It is definitely a cute town!

 

[Jota62]

 

 

 

 

 

It probably took us 15 minutes to walk back to where the ship was docked so I would recommend making sure you allow time for that. We had a great time, but we got back around 6ish and then went to dinner.

 

That night we went to the British Invasion production and it was probably my least favorite of this ship's productions. I love the beatles and everything, but I thought the costumes and backgrounds for this one were the most hooky. The singers weren't bad and it was entertaining, but like I said it was my least favorite of the 3 productions offered on this ship.

 

We ended the night with some comedy shows and headed to bed so we would be rested to wake up early for our day sailing Glacier Bay.

[Jota62]

I really love you're photography skills. Amazing!!

 

Thank you! I took most of the pictures with my canon T3i and the rest were from my cell phone.

[Sailor_Sally]

Your photos are amazing ! I was on this cruise four years ago and my photos are nice but yours are so much better !

[Biffer1997]

Enjoying your review! Thanks!

[Jota62]

Your photos are amazing ! I was on this cruise four years ago and my photos are nice but yours are so much better !

 

Thanks so much! I really enjoy taking pictures. I do it as a hobby, but I was happy with what I was able to capture form this trip!

[Jota62]

Day 5 - 9/5/15 - Glacier Bay

 

We were scheduled to be entering the Glacier Bay National Park around 6am, I believe. We woke up at 5am and got ready and headed to the Lido for breakfast. We enjoyed breakfast while sitting at a table near the window and watching the amazing scenery.

 

That whole morning there is scenery all around as you are sailing, but we didn't reach any of the glacier's until about 9:30ish. Before then the rangers boarded the ship and they did have tables set out with information and they were answering questions. They had a map of where we were sailing and you got a good idea of where you should be and what you should be looking for.

 

That morning was really cold, in my opinion. Standing out on deck was really cold with the wind. I had my fleece, rain jacket, and gloves. I was definitely layered to the max that morning. Because we were so cold, we decided to head back to our room to watch us sailing by from our aft facing balcony. It was so, so much warmer from our balcony. The back of the ship really cut the wind. We had amazing views and I don't feel like we missed out as we were sailing along, but it was difficult at times to hear the announcements by the rangers. I have a lot of pictures of the day sailing through Glacier Bay so I apologize in advance if you don't like reviews that are filled with pictures, but I know when I was researching I really wanted to see and idea of what I would be seeing. Also, if you are narrowing down your choices of itineraries I would, without a doubt, recommend a sailing with Glacier Bay on the itinerary.

 

 

 

 

My first glacier sighting!

 

 

 

 

I really loved the water sailing through Glacier Bay. I've never seen water that shade before. It was absolute gorgeous!

[Jota62]

The Margerie Glacier was spectacular. When we knew we were getting close we did go up to the top, forward deck to see us sailing up to it. The ship stays there for about an hour and fully rotates so everyone will get a view. We stayed up on the top deck until the ship turned and went back to our balcony to get another look. It was great from our balcony too because we had a completely unobstructed private view. The view was amazing from the top deck, but there are lines of people all along the rail so it was nice to have your own private place to enjoy the view also. Plus, I liked being at the aft because we were able to watch the sail away from the glacier and it was warmer, which was a definite plus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jota62]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jota62]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jota62]

 

 

So, as you can see from all the pictures, after we left the margerie glacier, we kept sailing towards more glaciers. We ended at the John Hopkins Glacier and there the ship did turn again. No matter where you are you will get a great view, I'm sure. If you are on the top deck you can view from one side and then go over to the other side once the boat turns. If you stay on your balcony then you will see it from our side, or from the back like we did. I liked being on the aft for the end so we could see the glaciers as we sailed away. I definitely loved having our balcony.

 

The ship then sailed out and we exited the park around 3pm.

[wxguyinms]

Thanks for the great review, Jota62!

 

I was on this cruise with you and your sister, and it was nice to meet you both on the last night of the cruise as we stood in line to disembark in Victoria. Glad to hear you both had a great time on what was an awesome cruise.

 

Your pictures are excellent. It really makes me wish I'd brought my camera instead of just relying on my cell phone for photos.

 

Cant wait to read and see more just to relive the experience.

 

Ben

[Jota62]

Thanks for the great review, Jota62!

 

I was on this cruise with you and your sister, and it was nice to meet you both on the last night of the cruise as we stood in line to disembark in Victoria. Glad to hear you both had a great time on what was an awesome cruise.

 

Your pictures are excellent. It really makes me wish I'd brought my camera instead of just relying on my cell phone for photos.

 

Cant wait to read and see more just to relive the experience.

 

Ben

 

HI Ben! It was so nice meeting you in line too :) I enjoyed our conversation and I'm glad to hear you really enjoyed your trip too.

[tiggerttfn61]

What an awesome review. Loved all the pictures you have posted. Stunning

[crazycruzer68]

Thanks for your review, can't wait to read more.

[BigB0882]

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