Sunday, July 10, 2016

A Legendary Trip North to Alaska- Disembarkation

10 Year Anniversary Cruise 2016- Carnival Legend

Goodbye Alaska and #8 & Baseball Bucket-list
Seattle, WA
Tuesday, June 28, 2016



Goodnight Seattle... WE LOVE YOU! 

Our Alaskan cruise had come to an end and as I sat on the balcony watching the approach to Seattle I was humbled by what I had just experienced and the incredible beauty that is Alsaka and the Pacific Northwest. 

Morning
Our alarms went off at 5:30AM and we were up and zipping our suitcases for one last time. We made our way to the Lido buffet by 6AM and had one last made to order omelet, as these truly were our favorites. After we had breakfast we went back to the room to get all of our luggage as we were using the self-assist disembarkation. This is a service that you can use if you plan on carrying off your luggage by yourself and unassisted. This means you have little enough luggage to haul down flights of stairs and can go through the cruise terminal without help. Usually this group is off the ship earlier and this is the method we like to use when disembarking. We also had the Faster to the Fun (FTTF) perk and were able to get off even earlier. 
I am so sad that it is all over... The trip I have been looking forward to for well over 3 years is now history! I will be honest, I did shed a few tears! That is how good this trip was! 

Oceania Regatta coming into Seattle from an 11 day cruise to Alaska.


This FTTF perk has good and just OK perks but this one is WELL worth it! 


Lucky for us this ship had 3 elevator bays (not including the glass elevators in the atrium) and the aft elevators were not being used/ blocked off by the crew so we were able to haul all 6 pieces of our luggage in the elevator instead of the expected stairs. As far as catching elevators, this was the trip of the lifetime.  Almost everytime we called an elevator, it was already waiting for us, and we rarely had to share with anyone else. We met with the FTTF group in the MDR by 6:40AM and there was no rhyme or reason to this area. Usually there is a crew member carefully placing you in a holding area but this was wide open and free. Within 20 minutes we were out the door and in line to disembark. By 7:16AM we heard the last "DING" and were off of the Carnival Legend. This is always a very sad yet anxious time as we are sad to leave and the fact that it is over but anxious to get home. 

We made our way through the cruise terminal with all 6 bags in tow and through customs within minutes. In fact, we were some of the first people in the customs line and it was a breeze. We made our way outside and waited for our Seattle Express shuttle to take us back to our hotel for the evening. We were at our hotel in SOUTH Seattle, near the airport and checked in to our hotel room by 8:30AM. This is easily the BEST disembarkation time and process we have ever had! 


Goodbye Carnival Legend... It's been REAL! 


Yep... back in Seattle! Within minutes we see a Starbucks! 

When we booked this cruise nearly 2 years ago, we expected the Seattle Mariners to be in town as I wanted to see a baseball game in Seattle's Safeco Field. I have been to a game in EVERY MLB stadium except 7 so this was a real Bucket-list item for me so we had to see a game no matter what. Unfortunately, this meant the day AFTER the cruise instead of the days prior. It was an AMAZING day and just as good as all of the days of the cruise! You can read about that experience HERE


Check out our baseball bucket-list post HERE

This cruise was AMAZING and all that we had hoped for and more. The sights and the scenery were absolutely breathtaking and I was humbled by God's handiwork and the true beauty of Alaska and this region! I am a real planner and we are now planning ANOTHER Alaskan cruise for our 17th anniversary in 2023 (The next BIG one is Baltic/ Mediterranean for our 15th anniversary in 2021), that is unless I can talk Chris into it SOONER! 

Thank you all so much for following along and I really hope these posts have helped you in planning your Alaska Adventures or cruise. We appreciate y'all's support! 

This was cruise #8 and we are so excited for cruise #9 in December! Next up... 

Carnival Liberty- Christmas with the Kids- December 2016
 Carnival Dream- Bahamas 11th Anniversary Cruise  March 2017 
Carnival Breeze-Summer with the kids- Summer 2017
Carnival LibertyMY 35th Bday Celebration/ Girls Cruise-September 2017


 Thank you so much for following along and until we meet again... 

Keep Calm and CRUISE ON!  



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