sallyb

I had asked earlier if anyone knew if you had to get off the ship quick to get a lounge in the shade, but I think my post got lost in the cabana discussion. Does anyone know if the chair hogs are running wild at HMC?

Also, what if I brought my own inflatable raft? Anyone done that?

Thanks,

Sally

Are there chair hogs at HMC? :eek:

How early do you have to get to the beach to get a lounge in the shade?

Or you can order 2 lobster dinners, or you can order lobster and steak! We were on Legend at the end of January, it's a great cruise.;)

I am looking to spend one of our days in port diving. I am certified but usually end up diving once a year while cruising. Any recommendations on which port would be best for me to book dive?

cringo,

I would suggest that when you leave the tender area in Cayman, you walk down to Eden Rock for shore diving. I have info I pulled from the Cayman port of call board about them. There are also other spots you can walk to, but they seem to have a good reputation.

Yes, but "everyone" has insisted that there are NO secret doors on the spirit-class ships. There have been threads here about them and people have pics and directions on where they are on every other class of ship.

 

On the Miracle, after we docked in San Juan, I went to the front to take pics of the Fort and there was an area with a deck. For some reason, I didn't not include it in my Webshots album, or I'd post it here.

 

But there is no visible means of reaching this deck. I'm guessing it's a crew area that can only be accessed via a crew door and everyone has said that the "secret door" are NOT crew areas.

 

If anyone finds it, please post it here. It's OK to share secrets among friends. :D

You are right. I looked back at all my Miracle pics and not one from the front of the ship. I'll have to remember to look on Legend and report back here. It's usually on deck 4, 5, or 6. Sometimes they are locked because of wind.

Looking for a couple...or another person who would like toshare a private fishing charter out of Roatan, honduras??? The cost is $563.00 total.

 

Sailing 04/13/2008 - Carnival Legend Tampa round trip

Look for or start a roll call for your cruise and post your question there. That's really the only place this kind of post is allowed according to the guidelines and also you have a better chance of finding people on your sailing. Good Luck!

We have found "secret doors" every time. They go to little decks near the front of the ship. We will find one on Legend, but we can't tell you where it is because then it won't be secret anymore;)

Duck,

Glad you liked that cabin. We've got 7296 on the Legend in 2 weeks, and was wondering about the things you mentioned. This is our first cruise, and we were hesitant to take a cabin near the aft. Did you think the feeling of motion was any too excessive (as I see you've been on many cruises)?

You have a most excellent cabin. We had one just like it on the Miracle. The balcony is huge. I'm going to put a note on your door to visit us.

SallyB

We are sailing out of Tampa on Jan 27th. We are flying in the day before and have not arranged any ground transportation to the pier. Taxi from the Best Western? What about going directly from boat to Tamp airport - any recommendations?

cringo,

Come join our roll call, We're starting to talk about arranging a meet & greet or two.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=577604

Sally

schndr,

I looked at HIE too. I just liked the looks of Hampton better- we are 4 in a room. Also, Hampton has the local shuttle, maybe HIE does too, but we will be in early enough to take advantage of that and also to get to Bahama Breeze for an early dinner.

From our roll call, there are others driving and staying at Hampton, lets go over to the roll call and set up some meet & greets, both in Tampa and on Legend!:D

Cracker Ken,

Thanks for the heads up on Landry's, you've been a big help in planning our pre cruise stay in Tampa. Last time, we stayed with parents in Zephyrhills, but we have too many people for them to keep us this time. We are hoping they might come to Tampa for dinner.:cool:

SallyB: Right now we are booked @ Hampton/Rocky Pt. @ supposed Military Rate @ $99 but w/shuttle pkg. it's $159 for early Feb.. Looks like your 4 ppl rate is right but we must not have spec. rate! I'm pretty sure we'll be staying pre-cruise w/friends 1 hr. S. of Tampa but haven't cancelled yet. They are very difficult to communicate w/even without language barrier! Could not get a confirm. / e-mail from Reserv. Mgr. & never did receive snail mail from her or a 2nd girl. Finally got a 2nd shift girl who confirmed our reserv. & shuttle. I got the same story about booking the shuttle early! Not the same easy process nor lower rate as we're used to in PC. Frustrating!

winncove,

Called again, was told by a second person that you can't reserve the port shuttle until check in. Also found out that the first shuttle is at 11 am.

kebboli,

Are you lost in Florida, dear? :eek:

Thanks, Ken!

Where we live, Walgreens doesn't sell wine. I would never have thought of it!

The Hampton Property looks nice, probably could go less expensive without the cruise packakge, but it's nice to have it included so we don't have to worry about trying to get cabs.

Sally

winncove,

I went to Hampton Inn web site and saw our reservation. Have not gotten anything from the hotel itself except verbal confirmation number, but I'm OK with that since it works on the web site.

They also say that they have a local shuttle, I suppose they will take you to the mall or any place close by.

Does anyone know if there is a place to purchase a few bottles of wine to take onboard within the shuttle limits?

Thanks!

Sally

We are booked at Hampton Inn Rocky Point at $179 for 4 people in one room pre cruise. I called today to see about pre booking the port shuttle & I think the girl said we could not make a reservation until check in, but there was a small language barrier going on, so I am not sure. I also asked, on their web site, it says $129 for the cruise package, plus $10 more per person, so why am I paying $179 instead of $149? She said that the rate was higher in January. OK, no problem, but I will call back again, because it was not an easy conversation.

We reserved Hampton Inn Rocky Point for our pre cruise stay. I called the hotel directly to book and got the package with transportation. It seemed like it would cost a bit less than cabs and I like having it all arranged ahead of time. We will be there the end of January.

Sallyb - Go here:

 

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/main.adp?formtype=address

 

For Rocky Point, search on - Courtney Campbell Causeway & Rocky Point Drive.

 

For Westshore, search on - Westshore Blvd and W Cypress St.

 

Rocky Point is to the W of the Tampa Intl Airport, about 3 miles. The area is a business district, with hotels, office buildings, and restaurants. Clean, quiet and safe - My office is there.

 

Westshore Blvd is S of the Tampa Intl Airport, and primarily a business district. Clean and relatively safe area. Two malls. Several restaurants nearby.

 

FYI - As Tuggers said, the Westhore Hotel was a Best Western. Looks OK from the outside, but I've no idea what's inside. NOTE: Regarding the "gentlemens club" - You could stay at this hotel and not even know that club was up the street. Seriously. It is separated from the hotel property by a large hedge, and a car rental lot. The place isn't a rowdy place, rather low key, and I seldom see anyone outside of the building. If you are at the hotel, you won't even know the club exists. The Double Tree on Cypress would indeed be a better place - my trade organization held a one day conference there in Oct and we liked it a lot.

 

Ken

Ken, Thanks for your reply. Our problem is that we have chosen to fly in on the day of the pirate invasion, so downtown hotels are not available unless you book 2 nites, and the rates are even higher than usual. What a shame, I had hoped to be downtown, but it just doesn't make good sense.:eek:

So I am thinking that since we are arriving at the airport at the height of the invasion, our best bet is to avoid all traffic concerns and stay at the airport, Rocky Point, or Westshore.

Ken,

Where are Rocky Point & Westshore on your map?

Thanks,

SallyB

Actually, you could probably drop your luggage with the porters, then shop before boarding the ship.

We have an aft on the Legend too. I must admit that I am slightly concerned, but prepared with ginger pills.

We had the last Verandah deck cabin before the aft on the Miracle, which was the same itinerary as the Legend, except no Costa Maya now.:(

I had no problems except the last full day. We ordered room service for lunch as we were packing, and coming back into the Gulf of Mexico, we could really feel the motion.

As a person who spends lots of time on the water, I was really surprised that I got seasick!:eek:

I felt much better after going down to deck 4 to stare out a window & drink a ginger ale. Lesson learned, I now take ginger pills every day while on a cruise.

That was the only time we really felt a lot of motion on the ship, but we were all the way aft and very high up.

Please forgive me for not searching this huge thread.:o Just need a quick answer, what nights are formal nights on Legend now? Trying to plan shore excursions for 8 people.

heypeety,

We are on the same cruise, come join our roll call. Here is the link.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=577604

I tried to get a reservation at Chase, but they wouldn't take one night. I'm still looking for a pre cruise hotel, but I just made final cruise payment tonite.:D

Sally

Oh no! I plan a cruise and Tampa gets invaded by pirates!:eek:

I should have remembered, it happened when we sailed the Miracle from Tampa. That time we were staying with relatives, so it didn't affect us.

We have a group of 8 this time, so the relatives can't accomodate us.

What is going on in Tampa the weekend of January 26th? All the downtown hotels are booked.

If I can't stay downtown, would Rocky Point, West Shore, or airport be better?

Thanks,

Sally

Really need an answer- has anyone done the Turneffe Snorkel Excursion with Carnival from the Legend? I need to know if you get picked up from the ship without having to tender in to shore.

Thanks,

SallyB