vadersprincess12

After you disembark the ship and walk into the terminal area for customs you will simply step up to the monitor which will capture a photo of your face and then you'll be on your way. They do recommend that you keep your passport handy in case there is an issue with the photo. It's a very quick process.

For those who have sailed from California to Hawaii and back, how did you do with all of those sea days? Just got off a cruise that left at 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday and then had two sea days before we stopped in a port. Not sure we can handle all those sea days. Not interested in sailing Pride of America or doing a one way or repositioning cruise. Would love to hear opinions. Thanks.

We have experienced this with the gym on both the Pride and the Legend.

The Pride (previously) and now the Legend are our homeport ships so we have sailed them before. We have also sailed the much larger ships and my perspective is not "off". I gave an honest review of this past trip. On previous trips on the Pride and Legend our experiences were different, especially concerning food quality and the entertainment talent. We have had similar experiences on the larger ships too. We are not picky people, but we do know when we are eating fatty foods and of course we have our own opinions on what we like talent-wise ~ it just so happens that on this particular sailing we felt things were off for us.

I did not run around the ship taking picture of rust spots or railings that need varnishing ~ it's just observations as we went through our days on the ship. We've sailed the Legend before and at those times the food was better as was the particular entertainment staff.

Hello ~ can any recent cruisers post menus from the Horizon and/or the Mardi Gras? Thank you.

My husband and I just completed our 7-night cruise aboard the Carnival Legend out of Baltimore. First and foremost, I don't know what's happened recently but we've sailed twice in the past 5 months from Baltimore and it's been horrible getting through the embarkation process. It's taking over an hour to get through the luggage drop off and parking payment process. Both recent embarkation lines were out the door and to the back of the building even though we arrived during our scheduled timeframe. Quite a number of years ago there was a project in the works to put up plexiglass panels around the outside of building so that people would be protected from the elements. Don't know why it was never done but for our February sailing it sure was cold waiting outside!!! CABIN: We booked an inside cabin for this sailing. It was a cool square layout on deck 6. It is an older ship so there are only two outlets available (we bring an adapter), and the hair dryer is very weak (we brought our own this time). The bed was very comfy and there was plenty of storage space. As with most of the cruise lines, the TV selections stink. We usually like to watch something before bedtime. FOOD: We had my-time dining but only ate in the main dining room twice, by choice. Carnival really needs to update the menus. Seems like every sailing we have been on, the entree selections have been the same. And even choosing not to eat in the main dining room, it was usually most of the same food on the Lido Deck. On this sailing in particular the meats were very fatty, including the short ribs, the prime rib, and the filet mignon. Bacon is still every other day. Guy's Burgers were great as usual. Pizza was good and the lines weren't unusually long. There were issues with the ice machines on the Lido Deck so they had large bins with cubes and ice scoops. There were no sugar packets, but instead canisters of sugar. The floor was constantly wet so we were walking around the "wet floor" signs any time we were there. Don't know when they got rid of the trays for carrying your dishes but that sure makes things cumbersome. We went to Sea Day Brunch once and the service was horrible!!! It took over 10 minutes after we were seated to even be acknowledged. We had to ask for the bread/danish choices because they weren't offered. My husband had to ask for his tomato juice three times. They brought things out piecemeal ~ my husband got his english muffin long before his entree was served, and I had to ask for my toast after my eggs were served. Our entire time for a simple breakfast was 1 hour and 15 minutes. ENTERTAINMENT: This was hit and miss. We felt that the talent in the Playlist Production shows was mediocre at best. A show toward the end of the cruise just suddenly didn’t appear in the daily “What’s Happening” area on the hub app. There was never any mention about why it was canceled. We saw one 18+ comedy show which was pretty entertaining, but the PG show in the main theater was just so/so. There was a trio playing electric violins and they were very entertaining. The band in the Red Frog Pub was also so/so. SERENITY ADULT AREA: We didn’t get off the ship this sailing and instead spent time in the Serenity area on the port days. It was, of course, much less crowded. We NEVER saw children in the area. SHIP MAINTENANCE: We realize it’s a 20 year old ship and there was a refurbishment in 2018, but she is in need of some major cosmetic surgery. Many of the public ladies rooms are in rough shape. Toilets aren’t flushing, hand dryers are not working, and there is crumbling of the walls in many areas near the floors. There is rust showing on many outside areas. Lights were out in numerous areas such as the Trump Card Room ~ unless you know the name of it, too many lights were out to read the name. We noticed maintenance about 5 times on the ATM during the cruise since it’s in the cafe area near the theater. Elevators were constantly not working. One of the glass elevators in the lobby area was out the entire cruise. Two in the bank of elevators just outside our cabin were in and out of service the entire time. The windows could have used a good cleaning. OVERALL: We had an enjoyable time. Weather was beautiful the entire week with one quick rain shower. While they had the entire crew still wearing masks for Covid protocols, things like the ice scoop issue and the sugar canisters didn’t promote the same type of protocols. Too many times we saw men coming into the Lido food area without shirts and people without shoes and no one was enforcing the need for shirts and shoes. We even saw people walking the ship in other areas without shoes ~ again not promoting healthy protocols. Here’s hoping the Legend gets some much needed love before we sail her again.

That's one of the things I love about sailing on the Legend. You don't feel rushed to get off the ship since it docks at 10:00 a.m. Plenty of time to get up, showered, have breakfast, and get ready to go home.

Kinda doesn't make sense if you ask me. Once you're on the ship, you're on the ship, so it shouldn't matter if it's 6 days or 8 days, etc.

Hello Everyone ~ for those who have recently cruised, is there a service charge for room service? I believe the continental breakfast is still no charge, but I've seen the newer menu and it says "A little $, a lot of yummy" for some of the items but doesn't list any pricing for those items or whether or not there is a charge for the delivery. Would appreciate any input as we are sailing in a few days. Thanks!

Absolutely hated it ~ it was so slow and boring we walked out after 30 minutes, along with most of the people in our aisle. There were many others that left too. I have never seen so many people walk out of a show before and we have sailed on 20+ cruises.

I just double checked and there is no charge for room service ~ you are only paying for specific food items that have an upcharge; there are many food options that are free.

The Legend is our homeport ship. It's a smaller ship but overall a really nice ship. Other responders were correct about Serenity ~ it's usually pretty full and tough to get a lounger or clam shell. I personally have never seen the pizza lines too long but I guess it depends on the time you go. I also thought that there was no service charge for room service but maybe that was pre-Covid. There were some items that were chargeable and some that were not, but we never paid a room service charge. The casino is small with a "non-smoking" section but on our cruise earlier this year as in the past, the smoke permeates throughout the entire area and of course it gets worse toward the end of the cruise. There are slots and table games, and a few of those coin type arcade games. Love the Red Frog Rum Bar, they usually have bands each evening. The do have a sports bar and a piano bar. They have Cherry on Top ~ a candy store which is cool. If you like a quiet place to sit and read, or enjoy your coffee, there is the Enchanted Forest Interior Promenade on Deck 3 forward that is a cute place to sit; you can walk all the way through the front of the ship there. Outlets are few and far between in the cabins since it's an older ship so you might want to bring an adapter or a non-surge power strip and if your cell phone has a plug remember to bring it as there are no USB ports. The outlets are at the desk area only. Deck 7 is a good deck because there are cabins above and below you. I hate being in a cabin below restaurants or pool decks because it can get noisy when crew is moving furniture, etc. during the late or early hours. The area behind your cabin is more than likely a storage area for the stateroom attendants. Bring your own hairdryer ~ the ones in the cabins pretty much suck. We are sailing the Legend again this month. Enjoy your cruise.

Just found another cruise in the same timeframe on the new ship (not yet sailing) the Celebration which will begin sailing in November ~ it's the sister ship to the Mardi Gras. We would have had to fly for either cruise and I can get an Oceanview for the same price, so think we're "jumping ship."

I've watched a couple of videos on YouTube and it seems that it's a little better to get around, especially moving around the bed. Even in an ocean view or balcony that is more rectangular it's sometimes a struggle walking past the bed.

Wondering if anyone has had the opportunity to stay in one of the square inside staterooms on the Mardi Gras. From what I've seen they are pretty nice, and it looks easier to navigate. Thoughts?

With the way things are going in Baltimore these days with all the shootings, you'd be better off finding a hotel right at the airport and then going to the cruise port the day of your sailing. It's only about a 15 minute drive from the airport area to the cruise terminal. Check cruisemaryland.com as they usually have a listing of hotels that can provide transportation. Otherwise you could Uber.

Baltimore has taxis on site when you debark; that's your best bet.

Thank you everyone for the information.

Wow, thanks for all of the information. Looks like it may be more trouble than it's worth. Think I'll book my own airfare!

Hello All ~ we are looking to book the Joy out of Miami in the Spring of 2023. Just wondering a few things about using NCL air since it's currently one of the perks when booking. We will be flying from the North East US to Florida. 1. Does NCL use specific airlines? 2. Are you able to choose seats? 3. Does NCL book direct flights if available? 4. Will they sit us (two people) together? 5. If you don't like the time of the flight, can you change it? I did a false booking and the cost was great for the first person, but still not sure if it's worth it? Thanks for any input.

Hello ~ looking for information on the Portland Lighthouses Excursion for Royal Caribbean. Has anyone done this? Wondering if you actually get off the motorcoach and have the opportunity to visit the lighthouses? Thanks.

Hello Everyone ~ has anyone done the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island? Looks like a great way to spend the day, but it also shows some areas that may be challenging. I'd love to hear any feedback. Thanks.

Thank you.

Hello Everyone ~ if we purchased just the VOOM Surf Plan (not surf and stream) are we able to use Facebook? Thank you.