Legend review, 3/38-4/5 Southern route, it's a long one!

I will break this review down into sections so that you may skip over any things that do not interest you.

Who are we- Traveling was myself, 44, my wife Beverly, 41, daughter Jennie, 10, her friend Brittany, 11, her parents Kevin, 40, Judy 42, my mother in law Barbara, 62, and her fiace JR, who is 65. This is my sixth cruise all with Carnival.

Pre Cruise- We flew in a day early and stayed at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper. We had got two rooms on Priceline and called ahead requesting two doubles in each with no problems. The hotel was nice and right on the beach. Shelly, from cruise critic, said the building she was in had a smell but we never noticed it in ours. They do have the bar that a scene from Analyze This was filmed. It's the one where Billy Crystal and Robert Deniro are standing at the bar in front of the windows with an underwater view of the pool. We took a river taxi, $5/pp r/t, over to stop 12 and ate at Mangos. I highly recommend this place as the food was very good, reasonably priced, and fast service. Just get off on stop 12 and walk up to the end of the street. It is directly on your right. That night we are at Bahia Cabana which is right across the street from the hotel. It was just ok nothing special. The next morning we ate a $5 breakfast buffet there just to tide us over till we got to the ship.

Ground Transportation- We used Limos of Miami and they were terrific. It was $85 plus a $20 tip to take 8 of us from Miami airport to the hotel in FLL. We communicated via cell phone once we landed and they met us right outside. It is sort of like playing human frogger to get your luggage from the curb to the second island where the you can get in the limo. We also used them on our return trip to the airport for the same price. I highly recommend them. Eric will take good care of you.

Embarkation- I will preface this by saying it was not so great. We arrived amid the mass of confusion at 10AM. We unloaded the luggage from the limo which dropped us right in front of the terminal. Found a porter to take it from us and place it in the bin. Tipped him the customary buck a bag to ensure none was lost. Then we proceeded to the glass doors on the end that someone on here had mentioned. Well this is where things took a turn for the worse. When we got to this area there were already about a hundred people there. All of us were jammed in and the doors hadn't opened yet. I figured no problem mon' and they would open soon enough. Wrong! Carnival was having a luncheon for their employees in the Truffles. We watched hundreds of them walk right on in for over an hour while we were stuck all jammed in together in the heat. There was no communication as to when the process would start. There was a lady walking around prechecking the docs if you could squeeze your way to her. Picture yourself trying to get an autograph from your favorite celebrity and you are reaching out desperately with your paper for them to sign. They finally opened the doors two hours later just shortly after noon. From there the process went very quickly. They had the lines all roped off like at an amusement park. One for fun pass and one for everyone else. Then we walked right past a huge waiting area of about 400 empty chairs. I don't know why they couldn't just let us into the terminal, check in, and wait there instead of outside standing for two hours. But anyway we walked right upstairs to a table and picked up the sail and sign cards. Then we had the photo taken and walked right onto the ship. We were onboard by 12:15 which was great but it really was a tiring two hours in the heat. When we walked into the atrium I was in awe. Not of the sheer beauty of it but because I was standing where the "Great One" had once stood. No not Jackie Gleason but our very own Cruisingislife had twice sailed this magnificent vessel. I wondered out loud what he would do at this point as to which my wife said "who's Chris"! I gasped at her lack of reverence and we proceeded to find our cabins to drop off the luggage.

Cabins- We all were upgraded from 4B inside handpicked cabins to 8D and 8E balcony cabins. Thank you James! At the last minute we switched the kids from a balcony to an inside across tha hall. We had cabin numbers 6249, 6253, 6273, and 6265. The location was mid-aft, starboard side, and terrific. Elevators were right down the hall and there was no problem with noise. There is a 1250 watt hair dryer in the deck drawer that worked great. The a/c worked great too and is easily adjustable to your desired temperature. I like how they did the water in the shower. One knob sets the temp and the other turns the water on and off. We found that setting 38 worked for us and never had to change it. We booked the kids in separate cabins with no problems. Once boarding we picked up two extra room keys at the pursers desk for us and Brittany's parents. We didn't have to switch sail and sign cards nor did we have to put any money down on the kids cards. Even if we had allowed them to purchase we could have just let them use our account and not add any additional money just for them. The shipboard credit that we got was right on our account when we boarded.

Cruise Critic Members- We had arranged an informal meeting in the atrium lobby for 3PM on the roll call board. Most everyone came and we talked and laughed right up until the life boat drill. Everyone was so nice and it was great crossing paths all week. We saw a few shows with a few of them, gambled with a few, and ate with a few up in the Unicorn. Hello to Gary(GSB), Jackie, Larry and Valerie(Vheinsohn), Beth and Art(nosnobunny), Kevin(Pitchblue), Allen and Mary Ann(allenee), Justcruisin, and Shelly(Shellkov) and her husband.

Food- We loved the food on this cruise. Everything was good from the lobster to the prime rib to the pumpkin soup. We tried a few new things too and everything was good. Up in the Unicorn Cafe there are lots of choices. We loved the asian corner which is in the smaller of the two sections. Taste of the Nations was great and it changed daily. The deli and pizza was also good. There is ice cream, actually frozen yogurt I think, and yes they have fruit punch! Burgers were very good as well. We ate all breakfast and lunches in the Unicorn and all dinners in the Truffles. We did not go to the Golden Fleece. The one thing we didn't like was our dinner arrangement. They stuck us in the Private Club which is a small room off the main dining room. It took only a few moments for me to realize why. It was filled with families and kids. I would have liked to have been out in the main dining room. It was decorated nicely but we felt left out being back there. It is our own fault for not requesting a change. There were other familes with kids out in the main dining room so not all of them got stuck there. Davor and Margarita were our team waiters and they did a great job. There was one table that our waiters served that showed up 20 minutes late every night. Shame on them!

Room Service- They are very very very slow!!! The average wait time to get your order was at least 45 minutes. This didn't matter when you ordered. One hint is to not use the speed dial but to dial them direct. They will at least answer you sooner but your food will still take a long time to get there. This is the first time we have encountered this bad of service.

Formal Nights- The formal nights on this cruise are the first sea day and the third sea day.

Casino- I did pretty good coming out $300 ahead playing blackjack. My wife actually made a few dollars as well playing the slots. Congrats to Allen on your $450 dollar hit on the slots. I want to especially say thanks to Anna from Finland and Michael from Australia. Stay away from Brian and Leah. Both are very very nice but they will break your heart and take your money. There is one craps table, two roulette tables, caribbean stud, three card poker, let it ride, $5 fun 21, $5 face up blackjack, one nonsmoking $5 blackjack table, two additional $5 blackjack tables, one $10 and one $25 blackjack table. Plenty of slots ranging from $5 to a nickel. They charge 3% to use your sail and sign card. Here is my one pet peeve that always happens in a ship's casino. If you think you are the worlds greatest blackjack player DO NOT come into a cruise ship casino, plop your bling bling wearing self down at a table, and expect everyone to be playing perfect blackjack strategy. I like to consider myself to be a fairly accomplished player but I saw several times some guy would get all huffy cause he thought someone made a bad play. I mean I saw people split tens, stay on soft 16, stay on 12 when the dealer has ten up. It's their money and let them play it how they want. Get over it! Go to Vegas and leave the cruise ship casino for those that want to gamble and have a little bit of fun.

Entertainment- Most of the shows were absolutely terrific. The second Vegas type show called Take II was perhaps the best we had seen. Do not miss the hypnotist as he had everyone rolling in the aisles. All of the vocalists were really good. The comedians I thought were just average. Melinda Chapman did a mowtown tribute show which was wonderful. If you like Frank Sinatra you will love the show with Roger Homefield. The cruise director's magic show was decent too. We also loved the deck band. They started each day at noon and played most of the afternoon.

Deck Chairs- There are plenty to go around but you might not get a prime spot near any of the pools. The chair savers are out in force. But you can easily find a sunny spot to plant yourself or your group with no problems. There are stacks of deck chairs unused up on deck ten. We liked the spot up above the lido deck on the sides overlooking the pool area. We found it cooler and could still see and hear all the action.

Smoking- None in our group are smokers but we never found it to be a problem. Getting a seat at the non smoking blackjack table can be tough though. Sometimes certain areas of the casino would get smokey but that was really it. Smoking was truly a non issue. The only exception was the two separate times I came across rude ladies that were smoking in the elavator.

Cruise Director- I am not one to put a whole lot of stock in a cruise director but I must say that Brett Alans is perhaps the worst we have had. He seemed to talk fast, too rehearsed, and struggled to laugh at times. His welcome aboard show was the lamest ever. Just picture used car salesman and that's Brett. I can't believe he is the senior cruise director for Carnival. Now his assistant Brent, aka Nancy, is very good. He is getting his own chance very soon. Owen was ok at what he did as social host. Percy, the bartender at lido deck bar, is the best ever. You will enjoy him.

Ports- St Maarten we just went on our own to Everytings' Cool. Watch out for those pain killers. I think the pain killer is the stuff they sprinkle on the top. We took the water taxi for $5 r/t. Just walk to the end of the pier and look to your left and you will see it. We also rode the jetskis there for $40/30min. Somehow we managed to tip it over. I am blaming it on the pain killers! But we flipped it back over and continued to ride. In Barbados we took an island tour we negotiated for $25/pp which was nice. He dropped us off at the Boatyard later in the afternoon for some swimming and drinks. He also let us sample a bottle olf Banks beer which is brewed right there in Barbados. In Martinique we took the Calypso Party tour for $39/pp. They take a 45 minute sail over to a nice beach. There is free flowing rum punch and music. Did see some topless women on the beach. Then on the way back they sail by a small fishing village and a bat cave. Of course there is more free flowing rum punch. All in all a nice tour.

Shopping- If you like to shop do it in St Maarten. That was the best by far. We found great bargains right there in the town of Phillipsburg. None of the shops right by the ship are any good in any of the ports. I bought my wife a 15th anniversary diamond ring in St Maarten that got me attaboy points for the rest of the cruise.

Disembarkation- This was perhaps the easiest ever. You wait in your assigned areas until they call your color. Ours was the first color called and we were off the ship by 9:15. I had already been in contact with the limo company via cell phone and they were waiting outside as we exited. Within 5 minutes of walking out the doors we were loaded up and on our way to the airport. We arrived at the airport at 10AM and was all checked in by 10:15. We bumped up to an earlier flight to get us out of Miami earlier but we still had the layover in Atlanta. We booked our flights on our own with Air Tran and they were just terrific. The planes were nice and had all on time departures.

Overall- This was an excellent cruise. There were a few minor glitches but nothing to get all worked up over. Carnival has done a wonderful job with the Spirit class. The ship was full but we never felt crowded. The buffet lines were short and moved quickly. The only log jam would be on formal nights during picture taking. Some of the aisles would get blocked by people waiting to have their picture taken. We will definitely sail this class again. We are already looking at the Miracle for next spring. Anything that I have possibly not covered feel free to ask.

Tony

2004 Legend March 28th

2003 Paradise

2002 Paradise

2000 Destiny

1999 Fascination

1998 Fantasy

so glad you enjoyed your cruise....i agreed about the cd...the pits...wonder what happened to host chris?

ecstasy 10/30/97

victory 8/22/00

sensation 9/17/00

jubilee 11/26/01

conquest 12/02/02

legend 11/29/03

destiny 12/12/04

Thanks for the review Tony, glad to have you back, glad you had a good time!

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/04

Star Princess 10/04

Carnival Spirit 12/04

Thanks for the review and for your help on our thread for our upcoming Legend cruise!

So Bahia Cabana food wasn't that great eh? Hmmm, may have to rethink eating there. What about the breakfast buffet? Okay or not?

Thanks again!

Navigator OTS 10/04

Legend 04/04

Grand Princess 09/03

Dawn Princess 01/03

Enchantment OTS 10/02

Destiny 01/02

Sensation 08/99

Glad you had a good cruise. We loved the Legend,too. I had wondered what the Private Dining Room thingy was all about..I thought you had to be somebody special to get in there...but I guess not. I asked a Carnival employee who sat in that dining room and he said he didn't know...

That Asian food on the Lido deck was tooo fine.ummmmmmm....

bev

Commodore '93

Carnival Conquest 3/9/03

Carnival Holiday 11/8/03

Carnival Legend 3/12/04

Hstrybuf, the food at the Bahia Cabana was ok but the service was rather slow. Maybe they were just having a bad night. The breakfast buffet is sort of like what you might find at Holiday Inn Express. It's a continental breakfast buffet. They do have a full breakfast buffet at the hotel that I think was $12 something a person.

Tony

2004 Legend March 28th

2003 Paradise

2002 Paradise

2000 Destiny

1999 Fascination

1998 Fantasy

I had to go back and read this again. I love this line:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> There were a few minor glitches but nothing to get all worked up over. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/04

Star Princess 10/04

Carnival Spirit 12/04

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>When we walked into the atrium I was in awe. Not of the sheer beauty of it but because I was standing where the "Great One" had once stood. No not Jackie Gleason but our very own Cruisingislife had twice sailed this magnificent vessel. I wondered out loud what he would do at this point as to which my wife said "who's Chris"! I gasped at her lack of reverence and we proceeded to find our cabins to drop off the luggage.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Chris...

Are you sure this isn't the section you "had to go back and read again" ?

Ken & Nancy

Thanks for the great review Tony.

11/02/03 Carnival Inspiration

03/20/04 Carnival Glory

12/13/04 Carnival Legend

04/17/05 Carnival Spirit

Thanks for the great review. Having sailed on the Legend in Feb I am having withdrawals bad. Great to read about her and glad you had a good time.

Seems to be a consistent thread that everyone was unimpressed by the CD. I agree with you that Brent (the ACD) will make a good CD soon - good Canadian kid!!!!

Thanks again.

Carnival Legend 02/04

Our Cruise Pics

http://community.webshots.com/user/stevencindy

Hello, We sailed 3/28 also. We missed the meeting on Sunday---our 2 year old was napping. Sorry I again did not get to meet anyone, really we are nut snobs. We agree Brett is pretty bad, and Brent will be great someday. I have to apologize, we did get to sit in those chairs inside the terminal..I don't know why they only let some people in. We were among the lucky few who got preprocessed outside. We were on the ship at 12:15.

Cabin: We had cabin 8277 rear facing balcony. We loved it. We will always be in the back from now on.

Camp Carnival. I did not notice anyone mention this, our son loved camp carnival, and it great to have some time just us. The staff was great.

Dining Room: Our waitstaff was not great, plus we got late seating, with a little guy it was too late. We only ate in the dining room twice. We should have asked for a change so I won't complain about that.

Cabin steward: Birute was good, but not great. Our first 2 trips on Victory we had great service all around. Not true on the last 2 but it still beats any other vacation we take.

Casino: I love the casino, I would love to play blackjack but I am too afraid I will hit on the wrong cards and make the guy next to me mad, so I stay away. I will keep practicing on the computer and maybe next time... For now, roulette and slots for me.

Food: The Unicorn was great, the way they divided it up made it seem less crowded. We never found the long lines that always seemed to be present on Victory.

Shows: Sorry we did not make it to a single show this time... the casino was calling.

Ports: We love St. Maarten it is our favorite port, and we always do our own excursions here.

Barbados, we made the mistake of not booking a ship excursion here. I think we would have liked this island had we seen more of it. As it is we spent the day at the boatyard and had a good time but I am afraid we missed the true beauty of the island.

Martinique: We did the Fun, Sun and Sailing at 7:15 am. This was a great trip, the crew was great, and ship catamaran was very nice, we really enjoyed this excursion. Then we went into town to the craft market and walked back to the ship through the downtown area. We enjoyed our day here.

Kids: Last April on Victory we were covered up with kids that had no where to go and nothing to do, the Legend has a better layout for the kids. They seemed to spend most of their time in the enchanted forrest and gigabytes at the front of the ship. I did not encounter a single rude, loud, or disrespectful kid on this entire trip. Kudos the the parents of all these kids, they did you proud!

We had a great time, and can't wait for November to go again...thinking about Panama in the fall, have not decided on the ship. Who knows maybe we will visit the Legend again.

Amy

Victory 1-01

Zenith 1-02

Victory 4-03

Victory 11-03