sydney chic

After about half an hour we decided to hit the gym to work off some of the wine and desserts! An hour later we went back and changed and sat in the sauna and the hot tub for a while.

Then I went and got a sandwich from the deli for us to share with a cup of tea and sim had a nap. She woke up when there was an emergency medical call to a room just near ours. I ended up dozing off for a little bit after that.

Then we got up and got ready for dinner with our fabulous team again.

We LOVE the mushroom soup so super excited to have this tonight. I also had duck dumplings which were amazing. For my main I had steak and sim had the fish in the banana leaf. We shared the apple pie for dessert.

Day 4 - Sea Day 2

Another glorious sleep in until about 930. Took my time getting ready then we headed to sea day brunch. I was looking forward to the pork chop and sim was excited for tomato soup and huevos rancheros - alas these have been taken off the menu!

Sim had eggs with some extra stuff and I had steak and eggs. Once again couldn't finish it! So much food!

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We sat and did the crossword and sudoku then headed back to the room to get changed. I was determined to get sun today!!

We set up camp outside the stage area on lido deck. There are so many places to lay out, not so many chair hogs. Maybe helped that it was about 11am?

Anyway next to us was a restaurant called Freshies. This is where Guys burgers normally is. This has fresh seafood and burgers for a cost. Not too expensive though.

Freshies

Unfortunately the weather was against us! After about an hour and a half the rain kicked in. HARD. So we went inside and found the pies and snags place and shared a delicious beef rendang pie. Had some mash and mushy peas on top. And my weakness - chips and gravy! Everything tasted fantastic. The rain was really hard now and the captain told us we were about to hit some 2m swells. So we decided to head back to our balcony and see if it was getting rained on. It was mainly clear so we sat outside and read our books - and I started this review!

Then the waiters danced for us! I got up and joined in, along with another family. So much fun! Then I ordered the strawberry dessert. Fantastic but once again couldn't finish it!!

Sim wanted to try some of the other stuff that was on the menu, so we went up to the buffet for samples. Everything tasted great - yet again! Then we hit the casino. Had a great time playing, but this time the slot machine decided to not be as friendly!

Oh I should mention - there is no smoking inside now. Not in the casino or the nightclub. Only smoking areas are outside on deck 10, I think starboard. This is probably for Australian laws.

Up to pizza pirate for a quick pizza! They also had fresh bread rolls with shrimp and avocado. Someone ordered a gluten free pizza and it actually looked fantastic.

Watched some tv then headed to bed.

It was a pretty rocky night for the ships movement!!

Tonight I had the tuna and beetroot appetiser and also a fire roasted little chicken drummette. Both delicious! For my main I had crispy pork with veggies. Nice bit of chilli in there!

Sim had the mussels to start and the mushroom pasta for main. The pasta was a pretty small serving.

Everyday Menu

Today's Menu

Mussels

Sorry about the blurry!

Chicken drumette

Day 3 - Sea Day 1

A couple of other differences with the Legend and Australia cruising - There's no Guys burgers or Blue Iguana, but there is Serenity and Red Frog Bar. You have to pay for room service here as well.

Now because we have five sea days in a row straight away, we weren't sure what to expect with the sea day brunch. And sure enough after reading the fun times, it wasn't offered on the first sea day. So we slept in then headed up to the lido for buffet. I got a bit of everything to start with, it was all really good. AND NO BACON POLICE! Aussie bacon tastes a bit different to Canadian bacon. But it was just all there and you could help yourself.

Today was always going to be a super lazy day for both of us. We had both worked right up until the day we left and had really busy weekends, so we were looking forward to doing nothing.

We decided to walk around the ship outside to familiarise ourselves as it was dark last night when we went exploring. It was soooo windy! Then we went inside and discovered the super cute enchanted forest around near a kids club (not sure which one) and took some pictures there.

Theatre

Gigabytes

Enchanted Forest Ceiling

Sim enjoying the view

Library

The fun shops were open but far too crowded to see anything. It was raining outside so clearly everyone had come in. We then stopped off at the casino and had a little bit of a win. Continued the exploring then back to our room to sit on the balcony and read. We were starboard so we got the sun in the afternoon. I started getting sleepy so had a GLORIOUS afternoon nap! Then we woke up and went to serenity for a hot tub and watched a fantastic sunset.

Back to the room for a shower and we headed down to dinner. We were seated on level 2. Being on level 5 was actually great because it was so easy to run up or down a few flights of stairs!

Day 1 - Sydney to HNL via AKL

Finding a one way flight to HNL was expensive! So instead of flying Jetstar direct and having to add on all the extras, we went with Air NZ and had a stop in AKL airport for three hours. First flight was great, we got a sky couch so our foot rest came up to 90 degrees. These seats are super comfy anyway, but that was nice to have! 3 hours later we landed in AKL airport. Whisked through internal security for transfers and on to the international terminal.

We had prepaid entry into the Emperor's Lounge, only $49 when you book online. This isn't associated with an airline, just the airport. Highly recommended!! It was fantastic! If you don't prebook it's more expensive, only like $5 or $10 more. But there are fantastic showers there and shower packs you can use. Free wifi, Lounges, computers and a large buffet of hot food and finger food. All alcohol is also included! Fantastic NZ wines and all spirits as well.

So after lunch and a great shower and a few wines (just to help me sleep on the plane of course!) we boarded the next flight for 8 hours. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of sleep on this one. Lots of coughing and talking and kicking around us. But it was only us two in a three seater so we were comfortable. Great food and service.

Landed in HNL at 730am and we were staying at the Princess Sheraton Kalauni. We booked a shuttle through the hotels website with Roberts transport. They were great! They gave us a beautiful flower lei and off we went. Forty minutes later (peak hour traffic) and we were at the hotel - Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. They were fantastic there. Obviously our room wasn't ready but they gave us a hospitality room for an hour to shower and change. Stored our bags with the bell desk and headed off to Ala Moana.

After sitting on the plane for so long we decided to walk there. It was an easy half an hour walk, very safe. After shopping for about 5 hours we decided to hit up Walmart for our toiletries and snacks for the cruise. Also some naughty contraband. (Which successfully all got on - No judging here!) Walmart, Ross and Walgreens is two blocks behind Ala Moana, away from the water. Again, easy walk.

After that we were EXHAUSTED! 25000 steps and a cab ride later we are back at the hotel trying to repack our purchases. The good thing about cruising home is that we don't have to worry about weight restrictions.

Then we shower and head down to the Cheesecake Factory. We get given a buzzer and told to come back in an hour. So we walked around, had a look in Macy's, bought some Christmas presents (everything is just so much cheaper over here!)

Then in to Cheesecake Factory for a delicious meal and a takeaway slice!

Now Sim and I love food. We are trying to not stack on the weight on this holiday, but we take the stairs everywhere and share a dessert. I tried to remember to take photos of the menus and all the food we got but I know I forgot some. Sorry in advance! For dinner Sim got this massive guacamole salad (I HATE coriander/cilantro so that wasn't for me!!) I got a combo meal of chicken Madeira and steak dianne. Managed to finish all the meat but nothing else!

Then a piece of lemon meringue cheesecake for dessert, but take away. Back to our room with really sore feet and we pass out!!!

Day 2 - Snorkel and Embarkation Day

After not enough sleep, the alarm goes off at 6am. We are being picked up at 645 by Ike to go and snorkel at Hanauma Bay! Ike is fantastic. Use him if you are ever in Hawaii and want to visit the bay.

He can take you right in because he has a large car, not a van. Using a van means you have to be dropped outside and walk. It's $25 per person, includes pick up and drop off and all snorkelling equipment. He also gives you a voucher for a free mai tai at his brothers bar in Waikiki! He shows you the best places to snorkel and gives you a lesson on how to use his stuff. Sim and I have our own equipment. We met some lovely people that were in the car with us.

We chose the earliest pick up as it gets PACKED there. It was already crowded when we went in but not too bad. You have to pay an entry fee of $7.50 per person. It is a protected bay so you have to watch a safety and history video first. It's only ten minutes and very informative! We walk down the massive hill (there is a shuttle for $1.25 a trip).

We head straight into the water. Unfortunately today is pretty choppy and visibility isn't great. It's really shallow so you have to really pay attention otherwise you end up on top of the coral. There is a food stall outside the park, you can get a stamp for multiple entry and exit. We get the shuttle back up the hill and then straight back to the hotel.

We shower, change, check out and ask them to mind our now super heavy bags. We head over to Duke's for breakfast/lunch. I had a delicious pulled pork burger and sim had fish tacos. Then a last wander around Waikiki and back to the hotel.

Our check in time is 2-3. The cab drops us off at 1.50pm. Perfect! We grab a porter and tip him nicely to take our 4 bags. The line wasn't too bad to get through security, about ten minutes and we are putting our carry on through the scanner. The terminal is DEAD!

There are about 35 check in counters and only half have people with them.

Now here is where things change. I'm not sure if it's just this repo cruise and specific ports that Carnival are doing this for, or all international ones now. We had to hand in our passports for most of the cruise. We picked them up again after Tahiti. They said it was to streamline the entry into each port. You could tell everyone felt very uneasy about it, but if we didn't hand it in, we couldn't board. We were given a receipt number for our passports, our gold sail and sign cards and headed up to get our photo taken.

Now Sim and I like to have some fun, so we thought we'd dress up a little for this shot!

Once onboard we headed straight to the dining room to speak to the maitre'd about getting a table for two instead of the 12 seater we were at. He said all requests would be looked at and we would get a note in our room with our new table number.

We then headed to our room to drop our carry on off and two bags were already there! Perfect!

We wanted to get off and grab some soda, so we put on our sneakers and headed back outside. This is where Carnival Australia possibly let themselves down in communication with the port. But it worked in our favour!

We spoke to a security guard to confirm what we could bring on.

His words - 'look, you can really bring as much soda as you can carry on. And a bottle of wine each. We just care about the liquor'. We also asked about bottles of water and he said we could bring them on too. (Carnival Australia doesn't have the fun shops online to purchase things before the cruise, so we couldn't pre order bottled water).

So off we went on a little walk. We knew there was a Walmart in downtown Honolulu. We walked around this beautiful area with street art everywhere. It was stunning. Then on King Street we found another Ross, a smaller Walmart and Walgreens. This area has a lot of homeless in it. They approached for money but once we said no they moved away. So you just need to be firm. To find this area from the port, you exit the car park, turn left and head up Bishop Street and turn left on to King Street. It's about fifteen minutes. However with some more clothes, two 12 packs of Coke Zero, one 12 pack of ginger ale, two bottles of wine and four massive bottles of water it was a long walk!!

We didn't want to push it with the big case of 32 bottles of water. We had everything in carry bags from Ross so we didn't flaunt it. But security didn't care! Straight through, no lines and back on the ship. Another bag had shown up so we started unpacking. Then showered, changed and headed to dinner for the late seating - 745pm.

The Legend only has one dining room, it's pretty massive though. So anyone who wants anytime dining lines up there as well. It's the old menu, not American Table dining. And quite Aussie-fied. Everyday menu has chicken schnitzel, etc.

Our wait staff were FANTASTIC! Suwarma, Aditya, Tirta. So friendly and personable. Even the drinks waiter was awesome! Previous cruises we have had to wait a long time for drinks or just had bad service.

But I ordered a bottle of wine and he kept popping by to see if I wanted a refill or anything different. We had a great time in the dining room.

I LOVE the Carnival spring rolls, so that plus a salad with no dressing was my first appetiser. (Side note - Australians call appetisers - Entrees. We call entrees main meal.)

Sim had the Tom Yum soup. She said it was lovely. For my main I had the Cantonese prawns with rice. Sim had grilled mahi mahi but substituted mac and cheese for mash. For dessert we shared a creme brûlée, but we didn't finish it.

We then walked around and explored until the super late muster at 10pm. They were knocking on doors and walking everyone up, so there were a lot of people in pyjamas! We were still jet lagged and shattered, so headed down to bed straight after muster. What a day!

Review carnival legend 9/22/16

After we booked this cruise I started looking on cc to find a review and couldn't find one, so I thought I'd write one just in case other people are thinking of doing this one!

This is a repo cruise from Honolulu to Sydney. Ports are Papeete, Moorea, Bora Bora, Suva, Noumea. 18 days.

I travelled with my friend, we are both 33 years old from Australia. Disclosure about us - we LOVE cruising, so we are very easily pleased. Have only cruised with Carnival and only around the Caribbean and Bahamas. This is my seventh and Sim's fifth. We can't stand people who make major fusses over tiny issues. You're still on holidays, just enjoy it! We also love food. Never really had a problem with carnivals food - some is always better than others. But this review is probably going to mainly be about food and ports haha. Anyways. Feel free to ask any questions as I go.

The Legend is a totally different to any of the other ships I've been on. We had balcony room 5197, which was interconnecting. Thankfully very lucky to have quiet neighbours through the thin door, but they did enjoy slamming the balcony door early in the morning!

Here we go! (Also apologies for grammar, posting issues, etc. Never done one of these)

Thanks guys. My PVP said it was totally doable if we get on the Carnival shuttle by 2pm in Miami.

:(

The ship gets in at 7am and there is an 840am flight that gets to Miami at 1130 which is plenty of time. Then there is also a 1035am flight that gets in at 1.18pm.

Is general consesus that it is too risky? And I should find something else for a B2B?

Hey guys,

A friend and I are looking at booking two cruises in a row on a casino rate that I have been offered.

Frist one is Carnival Liberty from Puerto Rico on 6th September and second is Carnival Conquest from Fort Lauderdale on 13th September.

My questions

- Do you think it's too risky to fly out of San Juan the same day we leave? There are two flights that get us to Miami airport by 2 (Nothing appropriate for flying into Fort Lauderdale)

- Do you think I would be better off booking the second cruise when I am onboard the Liberty to get some OBC? I only have $40 of casino cash anyway. Or does that Southern Caribbean cruise get quite busy and popular?

Thank you in advance for your help!!

Hi there!

I've just been given my room assignment for a Nov 29 sailing. I had originally booked an OV, but I would love to be offered an upgrade to balcony. Should I wait and hope for the upgrade fairy to call me a little closer to sailing?

Or should I call them and ask what the cost would be?

Thank you!!

Does the Upsell fairy visit often??

I'm sailing 29 November in OV, but I know there are still balconies available.

Do they start with VFIP and work their way through or anything?