ABOARD THE S.S. LEGACY – As a solo traveler for many years, I’m accustomed to finding my way to most anywhere I need to go. So it was a wonderful surprise to receive detailed confirmation information weeks before my cruise on the S.S. Legacy.
Seems they are going to take care of all the details from my arrival to my departure – and everything in between.
Stepping off the plane in Portland, Oregon, I’m greeted by a young lady carrying an Un-Cruise Adventures sign. She escorts me to a large luxury bus where the driver stows my luggage and we are off for a short drive to our meeting place at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel. There we enjoy tea and coffee in a comfy conference room while we get to know fellow passengers and wait for our welcoming committee.
I knew our greeters had arrived before they even entered the Marriott room. A little stir out in the hotel lobby from other guests alerted me as our cruise directors stepped in clad in old-timey costumes. After all, we will be spending the week on the beautiful S. S. Legacy, a new replica of a 1900s coastal steamer.
Assistant heritage leader Julie Kehr leads a pilot house tour aboard the S.S. Legacy.
Leading the way, our guides from yesteryear walked us to the waterfront to board the ship. Our luggage had already preceded us to our rooms. By the way, anyone with mobility problems needn’t worry about walking, climbing stairs or any other situations that might prove problematic for them.
The S.S. Legacy is equipped with an elevator and the crew is always available to lend a hand. Several passengers on my cruise are using crutches or walkers and the ship has a wheelchair that a crewmember can push up a dock to meet the bus that travels along with us.
Once on the ship, we gather for the mandatory safety drill, then our cruise officially begins. I can hardly wait to learn all the charms and quirks of the S.S. Legacy. Plus the itinerary looks fascinating – tracing the path of Lewis & Clark.
Cocktails and hors d’ oeuvres await us in the Victorian-style Grand Salon, then dinner is served in the open and airy Klondike Dining Room. We are told by Hotel Director Patrick Rice that meals usually follow a schedule of early riser breakfast in the Salon at 6:30 a.m., regular breakfast in the dining room at 8 a.m., lunch at 12:30, cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. in the Salon and dinner at 6:30 in the dining room.
The big dining room has windows down both sides, plus comfortable large tables and booths. The river is the star of this cruise and it can be seen in all its magnificent glory from almost anywhere on the ship – including our dining place where we can savor our meals while watching the changing landscape roll by the windows.
After our first-night’s dinner, we adjourn to the Grand Salon for a presentation from crewmembers about our week’s journey through time. With the three-hour change in my Indiana time and my two flights today, I am ready for bed when our evening program is done – but first another peaceful stop on deck to watch the river flow. I must have been a mermaid in another life because rivers and oceans fascinate me. Never can get enough of them. Talk more with you tomorrow.
May 26, 2014
Photos and video by Jackie Sheckler Finch
