Breathtaking Alaska Cruise
Carnival Legend Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 40
7 Night Alaska With Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 03, 2019
Ship: Carnival Legend
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review summary
Overall, this was a great 1st cruise going to Alaska that had such breathtaking views, great ports, great staff, excellent wait staff and it has gotten us into becoming cruisers.Embarkation
We (party of 4) arrived an hour before our scheduled boarding time which was 12:00. We stepped on board around 11:30 and were eating lunch at Guy's Burger Joint by 11:45. For being a first time cruiser, this was awesome!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Our group (4) ate almost all our meals at Truffles where the food was absolutely delicious. We picked anytime dining which I highly recommend. That way you can choose when you want to eat. We had no problem getting in with no lines with the exception of dress up night and we only waited a few minutes. While waiting in line they came down and took your name and by the time you got in, they were seating you right away. The wait staff group we had was Aristotle, Joel and Zor who we asked to be seated with at every dinner. I applaud this group for being the best in service, conversation, suggestions and just making our meals the best. I can't say enough about them. We did eat on the Lido deck for the buffet for breakfast one day and several lunches. The food was delicious and you had so many different options.
Onboard Activities
The weather was unusually warm and saw several people in the pool and hot tub (always bring your bathing suit as one of the pools is enclosed). We enjoyed just walking around the ship and seeing the decor which was unique and interesting. We played miniature golf, shot some baskets, sat at the Serenity section (adults only), went shopping along Rodeo Drive and took advantage of some great sales (make sure you check out your daily Fun Times which you get each evening). Went to the Tea Time at Truffles which we enjoyed a lot! There's always some kind of activity going on.
Entertainment
Highly recommend if going to Alaska, you go to all the Lectures on Alaska, the glaciers, and whales with Nancy Caruso, who is a marine biologist and naturalist. Her talks were so interesting and informative and our group learned so much and knew what to look for and when to look for different animals and what to expect at the glaciers. We would have missed so much if we didn't go to her talks. We enjoyed the comedy shows with Paul Lyons and Stanley Ullman--very funny! Loved listening to the violin music with the Emerald Trio, also enjoyed the different shows at the Follies Theater - Showtime: Motor City, Showtime: The Brits!, The Hasbro Game show to name a few. Make sure you go to the Meet the Park Rangers on Glacier Bay day. Tip: Make sure you have good binoculars!
Service and Staff
As I stated in the food section, I can't say enough about our waiters at Truffles -- Aristotle, Joel and Zor. By the end of the cruise, I felt as if they were part of my family. Service was always excellent, suggestions were always delicious, and they were so friendly and engaging but always professional. I never came across any ship personnel that didn't give you a smile or were helpful in asking if you need any help when you looked lost.
Ship Quality
I never cruised before so I have nothing to compare the design of the ship. I thoroughly enjoyed the layout, by the 2nd day I knew where I was going. Bathrooms were in spots that were very convenient and always clean. The ship looked clean whereever I went. I only gave 4 stars because nothing can be perfect.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our room was more spacious than I had heard from others. We asked to have our beds made into a king size which will give you more room. Loved the balcony--next cruise we will definitely be getting another one. I brought magnets which was perfect to put near the door to hang our lanyards and also to hang our light jackets. There were 3 closets, plenty of drawers and the bathroom had plenty of shelves to put all our things. There is only one outlet so make sure you bring an extention without a surge protector. Ours had 2 outlets and 3 USB ports which was perfect. We asked to have ice each day which worked out great.
Ship tip
Enjoy all the amenities, go to as many shows as you can, enjoy the food and try something you never had before, engage in conversations with the staff, go on excursions, ask any questions of the staff if you don't know something, and again enjoy yourself!
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
The port is great as well as the porters and helpers with your luggage. We only went to Pier 57 area, walked around a bit and ate a late lunch at The Crab Pot which was so delicious! We found things to do there are expensive and the city not so clean in areas.
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
Went to the Gift shop and walked around a bit. When we rode the small tram to go back to the ship, we saw there was more to see (mall-type shops in an old cannery building, ice cream shop, etc.) Wish there was more information about this port and what you can see. We did not do any excursion this time but if we come back will definately do one. Such a quaint place, beautiful scenery!
We did the 8-hour Ultimate Yukon & White Pass Railroad Adventure which we thoroughly enjoyed. After riding the train which was a great experience, we took a bus up into the Yukon area where we stopped at Caribou Crossing and had a delicious lunch, saw the petting zoo, puppies, sled dogs, shops, etc. Would have loved to stay longer so we could see everything here. The bus also stopped at two other stops which were great to see and walk around. This excursion was definitely worth it--we really enjoyed it a lot! We also walked around the town a bit and visited some of the shops. A truly excellent port to visit.
This port is my top choice. The scenery is breathtaking. Matt and Becca, park rangers on board gave great talks as well Mamie the Alaskan native with her talk and dance We did see some whales spouting and orcas. The crackling of the ice and then the calving with the loud cannon-like noices were unbelievable. Tip: Make sure you learn about the glaciers with Nancy Caruso, the naturalist.
We did the Magnificent Misty Fjords Flightseeing which was fantastic! I volunteered to fly up front in the co-pilot seat -- highly recommend it! There is so much to see at this port, after doing a 2 hour excursion we didn't have time to see everything we would have liked to see.
Because of the timing, we only went to the small gift shop and then back to the ship. Would have liked to be here during the daytime so we could go on some kind of excursion.
Disembarkation
After a good breakfast at Truffles we did the late disembarkation which went very smoothly and we got off the ship very quickly.