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Published: September 23rd 2015
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Six days and seven nights on Carnival Legend, cruise to Alaska.
- excitement hearing that lunch is served as soon as we embarked. That started our culinary adventure on board.
- Prabha was nominated and elected as food director. Found out what desserts would be served, discovered 'tea time' with scones and macaroons. She was also the most knowledgeable about 'cruise protocol.' - Dining at 7:45 in the Truffles Restaurant. At the first dinner Nagen and Muktha presented us all with T-Shirts 'Cruising Cousins' with nice appropriate and close to reality pictures of plane, cruise ship and a white van on them. We wore them the next day and on our River Adventure day in Skagway.
-Day At Sea: got our bearings of the ship, found our different favorite food stations. At the end of the day, Prabha was elected 'most enthusiastic' , Renu 'most knowledgable about shops and such', Latha 'best eye-sight' as she spotted humpback whales and dolphins, Rajaram ' most fit as he worked out everyday at the gym, Muktha and Nagen 'most adventurous ' as they visited every place possible and tried everything possible - whirlpools and saunas, Kinis 'most relaxed' Chukki 'most humorous', Mina 'etiquette expert'
especially in the sauna and steam room.
- excellent weather in Juneau, woke up to sunny skies and crisp air. Rao, Blore Baligas and KCK went on a helicopter ride to Hubert Glacier. They didn't need heavy coats. Walking on the glacier was a unique experience. NC Baligas, L.A Kamaths, Renu, Prabha, and Lalli took a shuttle to the 'town glacier'- Mendenhall. Bonus after a 20 minute hike was a close-up of Nugget Falls. Saw sockeye salmon swimming upstream to spawn and just missed a black bear with 2 Cubs.
- Skagway: cold, wet, windy enhanced by the jet -propelled river boat ride on Chilkat River. First sight of bald headed eagles and a nest in natural habitat. Ferry to Haines, bus driven by Jolly Green aka Rene to Chilkat River, boat navigated by Xavier, jackets, ear covers, gloves, ponchos provided by the company. What warmed us was the chili, hot dogs, and hot chocolate at lunch with chips and brownies. Back in Skagway, walked around the town, looked in the windows of shops, and the Red Onion Saloon (which houses a brothel museum), inspected a locomotive with ice cutters, and watched coho and humpback salmon swim upstream at Pullen
Creek. It was sad to see quite a few of them dead in their attempts to reach their spawning place, because of rocks and stream currents.
- Glacier Bay: no words to describe these sights and beauty. Silence on the ship as all passengers crowded on the deck or against the windows as the ship slowly turned at Margorie glacier to give us a complete view and we watched and heard some calving of the glacier. This is chunks of ice breaking off the glacier and falling into the water. Also passed by John Hopkins, and Dirty Glacier. Rangers Dan and Randy came on board via a small boat and spent all day on the ship answering questions, and giving talks.
- Ketchikan: island town with totem pole villages. Kinis and Renu went ashore early and went on a tour, others went ashore a little later and took a similar tour. All saw waterfalls, bald headed eagles, Saxman village of totem poles that has the workshop of 93 year old craftsman Nathan Jackson. All were taken to a spot where black bears come to a stream to catch fish. Only Latha, Muktha and Nagen saw a cute little black bear
walk over rocks, amble along to the stream, catch fish and go back into the trees! Muktha got good pictures of it. It was drizzling all day here, and the second group passed on the opportunity to tour the Dolly's Museum(included in tickets). Married Man's trail at the Salmon ladder in Ketchikan is supposed to be the back door trail to Dolly''s house.
-Victoria,BC Canada: Docked at 7 pm and had to be back on board by 11:30pm. Raos, Blore Baligas and Renu went by cab to Butchart gardens and were rewarded with beautiful sights of flowers and lights. NC Baligas, LA Kamaths and Prabha had the last dinner on board, said goodbye to Joirdan and his 'shadow' then took an abbreviated cab ride-tour of Victoria city.
Night view from Mt. Tommy was romantic. Kinis had been feeling under the weather and decided to rest in their cabin.
Went to bed, all ready for disembarking the next morning at Seattle, dreaming about personal highlights-
Prabha: Glacier Bay
Lalli: being with the 'cruising cousins'
La : Skagway/Haines River Adventure
Chandru: Riding with Ricky to the helipad, and the helicopter ride to the glacier.
Ga: Glacier Bay
Renu: Walk to Mendenhall Glacier
and Nugget Falls with warm sunshine.
Muktha: Ketchiken bear sighting.
Nagen: River Adventure at Skagway- Haines.
Sudheer: Helicopter ride to the glacier.
Rajaram: Mendenhall Glacier.Mina: Cruising Glacier Bay and being with family, feeling the togetherness.
Chukki: Joirdan's excellent service in Truffles for 7 days, thambi's pizza, and cousin's company.
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