jilly08

Thank you very much for your review and link to the photos.

 

Would you happen to remember who the piano players were in the Billboard Onboard dueling pianos area?

No, I'm sorry I do not. I only remember that they were both young and the dealer in the Casino told me that they'd only recently joined the ship.

Jill

I have never eaten or drank dishwater, can you tell me what it tastes like????

It tastes just like the French Onion soup on the ship!

We loved our cabins -- 6155 and 6159. We felt the location was perfect.

A bit of a belated review of our cruise. This was posted on my travel blog Please see the link in my signature if you would like to read more about our cruise and view the pictures and the Ports we visited!!!

This was our first time sailing on Holland and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. I had expected the demographics to skew much higher in age. I don’t know whether or not it was because it was Easter that were far more children aboard than expected. It seemed as though there were many family groups and not nearly as many older people on this trip.

Despite being platinum on Carnival, I was not happy with how the dining experienced has been cheapened on that line. I love the white tablecloths, charger plates, extra services etc and that does not happen on Carnival any longer. I was feeling like I was eating at Chili’s or someplace similar. That is not the experience I want on my vacation. I want that ‘extra’.

Carnival has also increased the number of cabins a steward has to clean and the last cruise we were on, we were asked to choose either morning or evening cabin service and Ice is now a special request.

So, we were searching for a line that still provides the level of service we want on our vacation.

Cabins:

We had two inside cabins, aft on Deck 6. I would highly recommend this location. Three floors up to the Lido and three down for dinner. I didn’t notice excessive movement in this area but then I don’t notice it unless it’s really bad.

The cabins themselves were nicely appointed. Large bed, 2 nightstands, a desk/dressing area with chair, the mini bar to the right of the desk area—built in and a small table. Closet space was ample and I loved the fold-down shelves in the closets!

I also loved that there were USB ports on either side of the beds! No need to fight over outlets on the desk.

The bathroom was a standard cruise ship design—our rooms had a shower and no tub. The shower was equipped with Spa shampoo, conditioner and body wash and also had 2 grab bars. The sink was wide and had glass shelves on the right side.

One thing I noticed in all the hallways were the bars on one side of the hallways to the cabins. These would come in handy for those not so steady on their feet.

The Lido Market

We ate here many times and enjoyed the variety of food that was served. The thing I liked the most is EVERYTHING was served by employees. That appeals greatly to my germophobic personality and has got to cut down on the spread of Noro-Virus. There are also hand sanitizer placed in the entrances.

Back to the food though. We loved the cooked to order eggs station. It was very organized and the line moved quickly. You could also get bacon, turkey bacon, sausages, hash browns, bagels and toast here. Depending on the day, they also served pancakes or French Toast too.

There were self-serve plated items on chill trays such as Yogurt, fresh fruit, cereals & milk.

Lunch

In my opinion, lunch was the best meal. Again the Lido deck had such variety. They had one station completed devoted to fresh fruit and another making these huge fresh salads to order. They had sandwiches made up and wrapped with varied ingredients too.

They had a made to order Thai food area as well as made to order pasta. The Thai food was wonderful and I ate there twice. The pasta bar should have been wonderful as well, but I found the sauces very bland despite having them add lots of garlic and some other seasoning. I think that was really the only “miss” we had.

We ate at the Burger Joint and the Pizza place a few times and enjoyed the food. The French Fries were a huge hit.

The Ice Cream station was also a huge hit (and this is also where you can find Bread Pudding!) They serve regular ice cream and soft serve in waffle cones or bowls. Toppings can also be added. They did have varying flavors or regular ice cream too.

Late Night Snacks

The Lido also provided a surprising amount of food between 10:30pm and 11:30pm. You could get an entire meal if you wanted to. Mostly my companions hit it up for the French fries!

Dinner-Main Dining Room- late seating

We ate in the main dining room 5 of the 7 days and most everything we ordered was good—but nothing over the top. We did not go hungry by any means, but I felt most of the food was just average. The only below average item I had was the French Onion Soup. The broth tasted like dishwater. On another night, all the croutons in the Caesar Salad were soft. Blah. The group at the table next to ours did mention this to their water and one of the Chefs came out to apologize.

The one standout for me was the Lobster Tail. It was cooked perfectly and very tasty. The steak that was served with it was “meh”. I think I just prefer things a bit more seasoned.

Regarding desserts—the items we chose were good, but I have to say I miss the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on Carnival’s dessert menu every night!

Pinnacle

We ate here the last night and the food was amazing. Between the 3 of us we got: Filet Mignon, King Crab Legs and Halibut with Shrimp Scampi. Each main dish was excellent. The portion of Crab legs was enormous—far more than one person could eat. The sides were very good, beginning with a Caesar Salad mixed at the table. Shareable sides included mashed potatoes and asparagus. I ordered a baked potato.

For dessert, the Molten Lava Chocolate cake with a side of ice cream and raspberry cheesecake. Both were delicious but we couldn’t finish them—we were too full.

I felt it was worth the money and normally would tip here. However, our waiter was not the caliber we expected. Not once, did he notice our water glasses needed to be filled. And we had to ask him more than once for more water. He did not check back with us regarding our entries to see if everything was good. He just acted like he didn’t want to be there and that we were disturbing him with our requests. We did not let that stop us from enjoying the meal—we all loved it and would go back there again.

Shows

The only show we managed to see was the BB King Tribute. The performers were so talented and the show seemed to be full always. We enjoyed the set and at only about 45 minutes to an hour long, it was just the perfect length.

Piano Bar

They relocated the Piano bar and increased the space to allow more people to attend. For us, and others on the cruise, the fact that they moved it to an area directly across from the casino was rather painful. Had the dueling piano players been talented, I’m sure it would have been entertaining. However, I think I can speak for the majority of people on the cruise and report that they were AWFUL. The dealers were grimacing at the off-tone, voice cracking noises and we actually heard more than one person say they were leaving the casino because they couldn’t stand it any longer. Not good news for the casino.

Casino

The casino is quite small on the ship but does have a nice selection of slots. The table game area is small and they only had 1 3-Card Poker table. Most nights it was challenging to get a seat. They did not increase the number of tables yet Black Jack table were idle. Not sure about the purpose—but I did manage to spend some time at 3 Card Poker-with decent results I might add.

Seaview Pool and bar area

We spent most of our time in this area. The pool was a decent size and over seven feet deep. Plenty of loungers were set out each day but during peak hours you had to watch and wait for a chair. (The chair hogs were out in force as they are on every line) There was no policing by any staff that I saw despite the notice about the 30 minute rule.

The pool itself is supposed to be for adults only and, again, that was not being enforced. I know the Lido pool was closed one day for cleaning due to someone vomiting in the pool so all the kids were allowed. However, on days when the Lido pool was open, I still saw children in and out of the Seaview pool all day.

The starboard side of the bar area is the only place to smoke on the entire ship. (The info in the room stated the Casino would allow smoking on certain nights. However, they did not allow smoking there at all as far as I know.

There were quite a few smokers onboard and, at times, it was challenging to find a spot to sit. I understand the non-smoker’s point of view, but smoking is LEGAL and they should have more than one spot for smokers to congregate.

Shops

There was a small area of shops on the ship but the biggest surprise for me—and others: They did not have cartons of cigarettes for sale, and their liquor selection tended toward the very high end stuff and was quite small.

They did have a shop with all the cruise wear you expect, a perfume cosmetics area and several higher end jewelry stores.

Ship Décor

I absolutely loved how this ship was decorated. You could spend hours just wandering around looking at all the interesting art. The NYC skyline piece hanging in the atrium was gorgeous. The walls in the passenger cabin hallways were filled with black and white photos of people and places in NYC ‘back in the day’.

There were comfy seating areas scattered all over the ship making it very easy to rest your tired self. The Crow’s nest area, we only visited once but it was also very nice and ‘user friendly’. There was a bar up there and lots of seating, including tables where folks could play cards or boards game or just sit and look at the ocean. Lovely area.

Bars/Drinks

We did not have a drink package but did indulge in 3-4 adult beverages most days. They had a nice variety of alcohol and I thought the drinks were very good. I heard people complaining about the prices, but I think $10 including a tip is about the norm on any ship.

There are an adequate number of bars on the ship for the size.

Service

The service was excellent (with the exception of Sterling!) Most of the staff went out of their way to make sure you were comfortable and had what you needed. For example, one morning I stumbled up to the Lido deck to wake up a bit before breakfast and right there was our favorite waiter, Noel, asking if he could bring me a coffee. Ice water, iced tea or lemonade was served to you in the Lido seating area. Our cabin stewards were like genies, popping in and out of our cabins and leaving them made up beautifully even if we were only gone for 15 minutes or so.

I would put this service on-par with what I experienced on the Pacific Princess 2 years ago.

Conclusion

The size of the ship is great. I think it’s about 2000 guests. Perfect size. The mega-ships are not for me and I’m glad Holland still has a variety of smaller ships to choose from.

Overall, I felt the ship is very elegant and one I am looking forward to sailing on again. Our vacation was perfect and just what we all needed. For details on the ports, please see the link in my signature to view my travel blog.

jilly

I am also a Platinum Carnival Cruiser. I will be sailing on HAL for the first time at the end of the month. One of the main reasons I started looking at different lines was because of the dining room changes. I love to be a bit pampered when I am on vacation. I look forward to the more formal dining experiences--napkin in your lap, table clothes, charger plates--just a more upscale experience. The other reason is ship size. I loathe the mega-ships and prefer the smaller cruise ships.

For several years, I chose Carnival ships that had not yet been converted to the "American Table" experience.... until that was no longer a choice for the Caribbean. Last year, we chose the Sunshine and while the dining experience--among other things---was not the best, it didn't spoil my cruise either. I just know now that I prefer the more formal experience of what I would now call an equivalent to eating at Chili's or Applebee's. In addition, I felt the new menu was rather underwhelming overall.

(there is a link in my signature for my travel blog if you would like more information. We sailed last year over spring break)

The last time I was on the Carnival Legend, it was moving from Alaska to Australia for the season and that ship still had the old dining--and I loved it. I'm not sure how it operates now though.

It will be interesting to see how this cruise, dining - wise, will stack up to my expectations. I will be posting a review.

I've only been on 1 Princess cruise--and I thought it was the best cruise I've ever been on. Although, it sailed around Tahiti and it was only 640 passengers--so that may be part of it. But the other thing was the service. I've never felt so special and pampered in my life. It was 10 days of heaven.

Just another question to add to the others....

 

When the Carnival Legend is repositionning to Australia via Hawaii, say the Hawaii to Sydney leg.......what is the currency onboard? and are grats included?

I was on the Legend last year from Vancouver to Honolulu. On the last night of our cruise, the casino was closed down because they were changing all the slots to take AU currency. So, I believe everything would change.

Just curious ,any thoughts on the comedy club ?

Overall, I love the comedy club and generally try and see each comedian, at least once. On this cruise, we started off with 2 men. I thought the one guy was hysterical--dirty, but very funny. The second guy did a show called "At least I had a guitar" or something like that and he was the most UN funny person. People actually streamed out of his show early--something I have never seen before--and hope to never see again. It was really sad.

These men left at one of our ports and I was disappointed that for several nights, there were no comedy shows--not sure why. On the last 2 days of our cruise 2 new comedians were brought on and I did not have a chance to see them---the casino and 3 card poker were holding me hostage. :p

Hoping they continue the comedy and even step it up a bit. It's definitely something I always give Carnival extra points for.

jill

You actually scared me for a minute. I'll be on the Sunshine, next cruise, but it doesn't leave until Friday. Tomorrow you should be in Bahamas, not a sea day unless they cancelled the port. And they won't be picking up your luggage tonight. And today isn't a sea day, the ship was 'supposed to' be in Nassau. I'm wondering if you accidentally wrote the wrong ship name. Are you returning to Port Canaveral?

 

My questions about the Sunshine are if the pool is very crowded. It looks like there is only the one pool. Also, I am wondering if the dining room was open on the day you board. I heard that they offer ber-b-que there on the 1st day and I am very curious.

Actually, this was from last Saturday--when I was aboard the Sunshine! The main dining room was open when we boarded. And I believe you are correct regarding them serving BBQ.

We did not go there--I headed straight for the Mongolian Wok. YUM!

There are actually 2 pools--the main one and then there is one on the Serenity Deck, forward, it has a waterfall! The main pool looked ok. There were people using it but it was not wall to wall people. The tiered seating around the pool is kinda nice too. I used Serenity the entire cruise.

I'm glad you are enjoying the Sunshine. I was enjoying your review until you got to the part about the CD. We were on the Sunshine in July 2016 for a 4 day and we had the cruise director you speak of. We loved her perky demeanor and did not find her annoying at all. We had the pleasure of meeting her and she is a doll. She is the most interactive, sweetest, and personable CD we ever had and would love to sail with her again.

Oh, on another note..And yes, she is British and I honesty thought your comment of her teeth was harsh and "stereotypical". Not really called for for someone you never met. Never judge a book by its cover.

And that is the beauty of everyone being entitled to his or her opinion!

I get on in 10 days! Could you tell me when the Chef's Table is when you get back?

I'm so sorry, I honestly have no idea when it was. It is not mentioned in the daily Carnival Fun Times. I'm sure if you call, you can find out. I believe you can even reserve it online!

Happy Sailing!

Jill

Happy Earth Day from the Deck of the Sunshine!

Today is the last day of the cruise and a Sea Day. I think that is a good way to end a cruise—it gives you a chance to mentally prepare for the end of the vacation. More practically, it gives you a chance to pack and organize things for the trip back to reality.

I am using my last day to pack up the cabin and get the luggage ready to go out in the hallway tonight so it can be taken off the ship for me and ready for pick-up tomorrow morning. Another perk of being platinum is that my luggage will be ready first and I can be one of the first off the ship tomorrow, if I choose. I will choose that tomorrow as we have a car rental for the day.

I’m sitting in a sunny window taking advantage of the faster Wi-Fi in this location. The water is that deep, dark blue indicative of the ship being in very deep water. God, I will miss this.

I am also using this last sea day, which by the way is very calm, not windy and just partly cloudy, to gather my thoughts about the cruise and this ship.

While there were many things I loved about the ship there were other things I did not care for. In no way did any of the things I didn’t like have an impact on the great time I had. Instead, it will make me carefully consider choosing this ship for another vacation. Just consider this “first world ramblings”.

We are so privileged to be able to have a vacation like this on a regular basis and I am very aware of how blessed I am.

First, the things I loved:

·The Crew – these people are the friendliest, most hardworking people you will ever meet. From my Cabin Steward, Ryan, our wait staff in the dining room, Mario, Rocky and Slav, and just generally any staff member on the ship had a smile for you and behaved as if your happiness was their purpose in life.

·Mongolian Wok – I am going to have severe withdrawal when I leave the ship!

·The variety of areas to have a meal or a snack was incredible. Guy’s Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Mongolian Wok, the Deli, and the Pizza place, the lido buffet-with too many selections to name, the Main dining room, the Taste Station and ALL included in the price of your cruise. There are also several up-charge restaurants you can choose to dine at—Bonsai Sushi, a steakhouse, Japanese restaurant, Cuban food at the Havana Bar and an Italian restaurant.

·The cabins were somewhat updated from standard Carnival décor, which was a nice change.

·The port selections on this cruise were wonderful and the main reason I chose this cruise.

·The Comedy Club was great and something I attend multiple times during a cruise.

·The Serenity area on this ship was beautiful and spacious.

·Increasing the number of outlets in the cabin from 1 to 2.

·The décor and seating areas on the Lido deck were updated and very cherry and inviting.

·The Havana Bar was my favorite area to sit and eat lunch. It was in the aft of the ship with large, aft-facing window to watch the wake. The décor is also Cuban-like right down to fake palm trees that look like they are growing up and out of the room. It also usually features an acoustic guitar player, which was very nice.

·The Soups and desserts in the main dining room.

·The overall cleanliness of the ship. That has been a constant on every ship I’ve sailed on.

·How the wait staff dances for us a couple of times during the cruise. It’s pure Carnival and it looks like the staff really enjoys it too.

Now, the things I did not care for:

·The persistent sewage smell that was present in several areas of the ship for the entire cruise. One place it was very noticeable was in the lobby on Deck 3—which is a heavily used area. It caused us to relocate more than once.

·Items that should have been repaired or replaced. There were several in my cabin: the caulking in the shower was pulled loose in an area about 8 inches long, there was black mold specks in the caulking and a screen sticking out of the shower plate that I caught my toe on. An outlet plate that was on the verge of pulling out of the wall.

·The biggest thing for me was the American Table dining experience in the Main Dining Areas. I did not like it at all. I prefer (and expect) the same level of service in the dining room as I’ve had all the other times I cruised with Carnival. I missed the white table cloths, charger plates, the large assortment of silverware at your place setting, having your chair pulled out and your waiter placing your napkin in your lap, waiters coming around with warm bread and allowing you to choose a piece, having your water glass filled almost the moment it was empty. Just the whole decadent, pampering experience. Instead, we had a water bottle on the table, a bread basket placed on the table, less silverware, etc. Even the wait staff was attired more casually.

·The more casual attire allowed into the Main dining room. I don’t want a formal atmosphere but just people decently dressed. Make people take off the baseball hats, turn them away when they look like they are dressed in their pajamas, things like that. I guess ENFORCE the dress code they state in the Carriage of Contract. Resort Casual is not specific enough for some people. UGH

·This was one of my biggest complaints—but not with Carnival, with the azzhole parents that allowed their children to go stomping down the halls at all hours of the night—just generally letting them run amok. And adults, clomping past the staterooms at 1-2 in the morning, not bothering to lower their voices and carrying on like no one was sleeping a few feet away from them. WTH is wrong with people? I find myself asking myself that more and more. I think that may be a true sign of getting old. LOL! I need to remind myself of the time of year of the cruise and not pick a Spring Break cruise or any time when the possibility of lots of children are aboard.

·The American Table menus. I think I can honestly say there was no night in the main dining room where I was ‘wowed’. Don’t get me wrong, the food was edible and you certainly wouldn’t starve but the entrée selections were not that great. One night I had an appetizer of soup, a salad and a chicken entrée that was really gross—tough and tasteless. I ordered another soup and called it dinner.

·Along that same vein—the fact that they moved the salads to the appetizer section and honestly if you didn’t know you would probably limit yourself to an appetizer or salad, when, in fact, they are different courses.

In summary, I will look for ships not using the American Table Menus and if Carnival decided to move this across the whole line, I will look for a different line—platinum status here or not. I will choose to cruise at times when schools are in session unless the itinerary is one in a million.

In closing, I will tell you that the vacation was fabulous. I had wonderful traveling companions and would not hesitate to cruise with them in the future. And as stated, the dislikes were relatively minor but when spending my money, I like to have the vacation meet the expectations I have and this one missed on a few items.

Oh and the cabin I choose—be warned, it was 9177, on the Lido deck forward. It was convenient obviously to the Lido deck and Serenity—the reason I chose it. And it is directly below the spa. I thought there would be little noise in this location. HA! Every day, early morning, afternoon and evening, they drag stuff around up there and it’s a bit annoying. If you are a light sleeper, reconsider.

Oh and if you want more info regarding ports and lots of pictures, please see the link to my blog in my signature!

Until next time,

Gypsy Jilly

Hi Everyone,

If you are interested, I am posting a daily blog from our cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. The internet is so-so, so will be unable to answer questions until I return. If you click on the link in my signature, it will take you to the blog.

Happy reading!

Jill

I agree. We did Marc's tour in 2015 and it was wonderful!

If you are interested, if you expand my signature, there is a link to my travel blog and lots of pictures from my time in French Polynesia!!!

Enjoy!

Many thanks Jilly, I have had a quick look and as you say there is tons to read so I look forward to going all through it in the coming days/weeks.

You are welcome. That was my favorite vacation ever. The snorkeling was amazing! Please feel free to comment on the blog or use the email link if you have questions! Or here--but sometimes I don't get on here for awhile.

Happy Planning!

The Lagoonarium is amazing. The snorkeling is wonderful. There are a few pictures and a description of my day with the car rental and the Lagoonarium in my blog!

see the link below in my signature!

Happy Planning!

jilly

Ship excursions always seem to be more expensive so looking to book online ourselves. More into snorkelling/beach/jet ski type tours and possibly ATV. Any recommendations etc much appreciated for the following :

 

Moorea

Tahaa

Raiatea

Bora Bora

Huahine

 

Will be there early April.

I blogged my trip there last year (see my signature for the link) And a friend of mine spent months doing B2Bs of the area and she also blogs under the name pescado amarillo on blogspot. Both contain tons of information on those islands.

Happy planning!

jilly

This just goes to show how cruisers are different. I would have given up both my stops on the Big Island of Hilo and Kona, for more time on Kauai and Maui.

 

The trip up the volcano, the road to Hana (although I wish I knew it was the road itself that was the attraction), the trip over to Lahaina, and much much more. Not enough to do in two days there.

 

Kauai? OMG. No words. It was actually our first stop, so seeing land for the first time in almost a week brought tear so everyone's eyes. And the treasures that island held. BREATHTAKING.

 

Oahu? Eh. It was exactly as I expected, except for the trip to the north shore to see the waves. There weren't any that day.

Yes, it all about personal preference. Glad we are all different though! Would be boring if we weren't

Jilly

Nicely, done, really enjoyed your blog. DH and I love Hawaii and are planning another trip for 2017.

 

We also did Tubing the Ditch. I remember lunch was included and we stopped by this little waterfall and were served fresh sandwiches, and our guide went over and pulled a few fresh avocados off a tree to add to our sandwich. oh em gee :)

 

It is sad the Arizona Memorial has to remind people how to act. I was sitting behind someone during the movie who pulled out his phone...I leaned over and told him not so nicely to turn it off. :mad: Absolutely no respect.

 

I know you said you probably won't go back, but you definitely did not get the whole vibe of Maui. Just a trip to Haleakala is amazing. We went for the sunrise and words can't describe it - watching the sun rise above the clouds is breathtaking, but cold. lol

 

We also stayed at Paradise Bay in Kaneohe, which is right down the road from the Tropical Farm/Mac Nut place. Did you happen to pass a roadside stand where they were grilling chickens on a rotisserie? Amazing huli huli chicken and has been visited twice by Diners Drive-ins & Dives. :)

We did have good snacks and drinks at the natural pool after the tubing--just not a real lunch.

I know there are places in Maui that are beautiful. The son of a good friend of mine lives Up Country in Maui and the pics are beautiful. I can't explain it but I just didn't like the vibe of the place. The big island was definitely more my place. I immediately got that "I could live here feeling".

I don't recall seeing the place that sells the huli huli chicken but could have easily missed it as we were pretty intent on watching that boar in front of us and getting pics. (LOL)

I went to Tahiti last year and if I repeat anyplace, it would be there. Even the city of Papeete I loved. Had a small town feel. I would repeat Moorea but skip Bora Bora for Raitea and Ta'a. (Actually looked into the freighter cruises there)

RE: The Memorial--it took everything I had not to stick a foot out and trip some of those little monsters and to not smack some of the adults up side the head. You can definitely see where the term "Ugly American" comes from. <sigh>

All in all a GREAT trip but honestly there are too many other places I need to see!

Thanks for following along everyone and for your comments.

jilly

What? No visiting Walmart & Kmart on these Islands? C'mon now. :)

LOL. Not me--but there were free shuttles and people on them... I don't get that but to each his own.

Jilly

I wrote this summary about my trip. There is more specific info in my blog (link below)

Some Final Thoughts on my Latest Adventure

Seattle: It was so awesome to visit this city for the 1st time and see my cousins. Regarding the actual sites I visited, the Dale Chiluly museum was the highlight for me. To have the opportunity to see all those gorgeous glass works of art was a huge treat for me. If you have the opportunity to see his work, take it. You won’t regret it!

Vancouver: The Amtrak train ride up the coast was a really nice way to travel—very relaxing. They do offer baggage check so you don't have to schlep your luggage aboard. It’s very reasonably priced—even when you upgrade to the business class. And I do recommend you do that.

Only having part of 1 day to explore this city did not really allow me to do a whole lot. But I always like to get the ‘vibe’ for any city I visit. Walking around is the best way to do this. The area I stayed in – downtown – had a very young and hip feeling. There were tons of local restaurants and shops.

Carnival Legend: This is one of my favorite ships in the fleet. I’ve sailed on her 5 or 6 times over the years. To me this class of ship is the perfect size and the Serenity area is the best one on all the ships I’ve been on. The décor is not over the top either. There are beautiful public areas with tasteful art all around.

The Cabins are pure Carnival. They are pretty much the same on every ship I’ve been on. This trip I stayed in a 4K cabin, which is considered an inside. However, these cabins do have Juliette balconies allowing you to get some fresh air and if you are lucky, even a view of the ocean. They are a great value for the money.

The service on this ship was excellent as was the food.

In addition to the shows, comedians, the casino, bar entertainment, there were plenty of activities to choose from as well as lectures to attend. And there was plenty of space to lounge if you just wanted to chill. I love that this ship has 3 pools—one in the Serenity area as well as a hot tub!

Speaking of lounging, the ‘clam shell’ loungers are brilliant! I spend many hours gazing out at the sea.

Oh and Carnival listened when they saw how popular the Mongolian Wok’s were and made a much more efficient process to enjoy the Chinese food. It’s called Noodles and they have a wonderful selection of food to choose from every day!

Hilo: An excellent excursion here is by MaryLou’s Big Island Tours. I found them via Google. Her husband, Ken, handled the correspondence and was very responsive to my emails. They are local folks and very trusting. They did NOT require payment up front! Both MaryLou and Ken do tours and although they don’t advertise it, they will also do tours in Kona.

Their son has a business in Kona too, and from what I read does snorkeling tours.

Kona: I did a ship tour here. Captain Zodiac. It was a competitively priced tour. I highly recommend the snorkeling location – The Captain Cook Monument.

If I return to Hawaii someday, I would go back to the big Island and spend most of my time there. I love that it is still unspoiled by development.

Kauai: I saw a You Tube video a couple of years ago called “Tubing the Ditch” and that started all of the research into visiting Hawaii actually! The actual excursion was booked through the ship due to the distance from the port and transportation not being great there. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Most definitely. This was such a unique and fun day. It’s suitable for all ages. It’s not a bit strenuous. Wear your bug repellent though—lots of biting bugs around.

Maui: If you read the blog, you know I wasn’t impressed with my day in Maui. If I go back, I would opt to go to Hana or Up Country and see what that is like. Maui is very commercialized and appears to be getting worse with all the construction I saw.

Honolulu: A place I’m glad I visited. It’s a shopper’s Mecca, if that’s your thing. And it has the famous Waikiki Beach, which is a must see. I did enjoy some of the beachside dining. You also must see Pearl Harbor. Tours leave from all over Honolulu. It’s a moving experience and puts all of your daily ‘struggles’ into perspective.

However, I think you MUST leave the city and explore the other side of the island. It was just beautiful and unspoiled. Plus, there were Mom and Pop fruit stands and little family owned shops selling unique gifts and edible items.

If I go back again, I am renting a car and avoiding Honolulu altogether and heading to the other side of the island!

In conclusion, am I glad I went? Yes, I am. Will I go back? Probably not. There are too many other places in the world I want to see. Having said that, it’s time to start planning my next great adventure!!

That's all for now. TTYAL!

jilly

Hi everyone,

Thanks for following along. I'm going to write a summary of the trip and will include more information about the tour operators. Leaving for the airport in a few. RTFM

Jill

Hello Everyone!

Greeting from the Pacific Ocean on the last sea day of this cruise. :(

I will be blogging in more detail later tonight, but wanted to specifically post these observations about the Legend and Carnival in general.

First, I will say, this ship remains my favorite and I have no idea why people would write negative reviews. I would sail on this ship again, anytime.

I'm not posting this on my travel blog--this is really for Carnival cruisers.

So here goes:

A couple of things I noticed on this cruise:

Room Service:

• No more individual cartons of milk. You get your milk in a plastic cup covered in saran wrap

• Same with the cereal

I can see this would be a great savings

• No more cloth napkins—heavy paper napkins wrap the silverware

Buffet

• Same as above for milk and cereal. Chocolate milk is still served too but in an urn type thing

Cabin Steward

• You are given the option of once or twice daily room cleaning.

• No room service menu in the cabin, I had to ask

• No robes in the room, I had to ask

• No ice automatically in room, I had to ask

• Mini bar is empty

Cloth napkins used in the buffet area are smaller than what is used in the MDR.

Drink prices are higher. You can still get a basic drink for $7.95 but overall, I’ve seen higher wine prices and definitely higher prices for ‘specialty’ drinks

• Though they are now offering a 2nd shot in your drink for a couple of bucks more.

Food Selection at the Buffet

• They have a daily buffet station called Chopsticks that serves the popular Chinese cuisine you used to find at the Mongolian Wok. The line is still quite long throughout lunch but it moves quickly. (I thought the food was excellent but would have preferred more vegetables stir-fried into the entrees.)

• They have the normal themed foods from different countries on a rotating basis.

These things seem to be fairly new--I cruised in May and did not notice any of this.

Having mentioned all these things, I still think Carnival offers one of the best products/value but I imagine all of these things combined keeps the profit margin up.

Oh and for the OP that asked, here is the address to my blog:

https://gypsyjilly.blogspot.com

Jilly

Thanks all! Appreciate the comments. I just uploaded a new post. There hasn't really been anything special going on in my world except relaxation. I feel very sloth-like and rested though. I really needed this break from reality!

Expect the posts to be daily when we reach Hawaii. I am there for 3 nights afterward as well.

Jilly

FYI:

I am on the Carnival Legend to Hawaii and blogging the journey.

If you are interested in following along, click the link in my signature!

Jilly

So you can't just buy minutes anymore? UGH

I have a blog--would I have to buy the middle package in order to connect?

thanks,

Jill