Brief but fulfilling visit to AK

Carnival Legend Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 67

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Legend

7 Night Alaska Tracy Arm Fjord (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 21, 2016

Ship: Carnival Legend

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 5158

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The best part of the cruise were the excursions to the dog mushing camp (Yukon), the adventure carts (Ketchikan), and the tour of Victoria with the castle.  The cruise itself was OK -- sometimes the stop in a port is so brief that you cannot see the port city if you take an excursion, but if you don't take an excursion you're just seeing the same tourist trap shops - particularly the imported jewelry stores.  Be very careful with on-board expenses, you can easily spend more on board than you paid for the cruise.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
The menu in the dining room is different every night and you can try as many dishes as you want. The maitre d' will help you if you have a seating time that doesn't work for you.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Many of the activities end in a sales pitch - particularly anything presented by the spa/gym.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The view was slightly obstructed by lifeboats, but it was really a bonus to have the balcony, a lot of natural light, and a quiet place to hang out (the "Serenity Lounge" is right under the water slide so it's not very serene).

Ship tip

Don't let them pressure you into making spa reservations when you board the ship. They tell you spaces are filling up, you need to come in at 7am, etc. That's a bizarre pitch because every day there are spa specials that offer better prices and time slots.

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5

Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska

5 out of 5
The glaciers are worth seeing up close, but you are seeing them over the engine of the boat. If you can afford one of the excursion where you can walk out on the glacier and hear it moving, that is quite a different experience.

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5
Try to visit all of the Alaskan native stores. The imported jewelry in all of these cities (Tanzanite!) is ridiculous. The Alaskan people are friendlier and have better prices.

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5
If your excursion takes up most of the port stay, leave the ship early and come back to meet the excursion. The shops will open early and it's your only chance to see Juneau.

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5
Definitely get off of the ship and take an excursion at every port that you can. The was one of the most beautiful cities ... ever.
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