Legend Christmas review - a bit long....

[countercast]

My DH and two teenage sons booked the Legend Dec 21-29, 1A guarantee (2 cabins). It was our third cruise (second with Carnival). We met over a dozen people from our CC roll-call at a local Outback restaurant the night before and became good friends and cruising companions. It was a full ship with families of all ages and we had a terrific cruise. Sorry if the review is long. For anyone interested, here’s my viewpoint:

 

 

 

Embarkation: The ship was delayed due to a medical emergency and it did not get into port until 11:15 am. Luckily, one of our fellow CC’ers knew this info the night before so it was not a surprise. We all decided to get to the port for 11:30 anyway since we could not get late check-out at the hotel. After receiving our S&S cards, we were told we could board a bus laid on by Carnival to a local plaza, do a bit of shopping and get lunch, a $15 per head shipboard credit and transport back because of the delay which we all did. Once we returned to the terminal, we played scrabble, cards, etc. We were very glad of the companionship as the time passed quite quickly. Boarding began at 3:30 and we were on the ship shortly after.

 

 

 

Cabins: We ended up getting category 5A even though our docs said rooms 1114 and 1118 so it is true that one can be upgraded last thing. The rooms were great, spacious, clean with tons of storage. I really enjoyed the bathrobes and shower. However, the beds were hard and the pillows thin and lumpy (one of the downsides of traveling away from home!). Our steward (Jaimie) did an adequate job, all the basics were seen to, but he wasn’t a steward that went the extra mile (no extra ice/buckets despite requests, capers didn’t arrive for 2 days, didn’t want to unlock our fridge for our own bevies, etc). Overall, no serious complaints.

 

 

 

Ship: Wow! She’s a beaut! Clean, large but manageable, well-equipped and the service staff were almost always very friendly. She really wasn’t THAT gaudy and we enjoyed all the lights and decorations.

 

 

 

Buffet food: Excellent selection and very good quality overall. Some stand-outs were the seafood dish in the Asian corner; the Caesar salad at the pizzeria if freshly made (sometimes they’re lazy and give you what’s left in the bowl); the lamb at the rotisserie; the mixed salads at the salad bar (e.g. lamb, couscous and green bean); the chicken Tikka Wrap at the deli; simple fried eggs instead of an omelet at the breakfast station (sprinkle with onions, peppers, tomatoes – delish!); and Walnut and Green Tea cheesecake and Peanut Butter Chocolate pie at the dessert bar . At the Grill by the pool, you can order Chicken breast or a minute steak instead of the burgers and hot-dogs. They will tell you that it will take 7 minutes (for a minute steak?) and it was never more than a 4-5 minute wait (I think they were trying to put you off!).

 

 

 

Truffles dining room: We had late seating for the first time and loved it. There were more small tables than large and we ended-up at a 4-top. We asked about switching since we like to meet people but the MD said that people around us had kids the same age and to try it which we did. Turned out that one table never came again and we made good friends with the other table. But fair warning, table 164 suffers from cold, cold drafts, particularly one seat. Our waiter sort of shrugged when we mentioned it and when we saw the MD a couple of nights later, he said it was to do with the venting for the ship in that area or something and that he’d get it seen to. Of course nothing changed as it was obviously a structural/mechanical thing later confirmed by the dozens of napkins we noticed stuffed up around the dropped ceiling! The waiters probably drew straws for our section! My DH and sons were chivalrous and took turns each night sitting in the Arctic zone, depending upon who had on an undershirt and jacket! The upside is that we really enjoyed our neighbours and wouldn’t have met them if we had moved. As for the food, it was very good overall. Some stand-outs were the prime rib; excellent and hot soups; chateau-briand; beef Wellington; the best duck breast I have eaten; the Indian medley; and the lamb. Portions were on the larger side and very well-presented. Some disappointments were the crab cake appetizer (cold and full of mayo); chocolate meringue cake (sawdusty) and most of the desserts (mediocre and ho-hum. Go to the Lido deck!) except for the apple pie. Our waiter (Anil) was good and very accommodating for extra entrees. His assistant (Marieja) was even friendlier and always had a big smile and conversation when we saw her anywhere else. The MD had an excellent singing voice although he sounded just like Arnold (my sons kept sniggering, “Get into the chopper!”) He roused many of us into dancing without us feeling embarrassed and we had a good time.

 

 

 

The Golden Fleece: We had booked this for our anniversary which was also the second formal night and it was worth it. We had brought a bottle of French champagne that we had purchased in Martinique (corkage was charged). The food was superb and the presentation was phenomenal – we were almost overflowing! The surroundings were very nice and elegant with soft piano music. However, the calibre of our waitress was not near the same level. She was rather cool with a heavy accent so we missed some of the descriptions she rattled-off. And when I asked if the Flourless Chocolate Cake (a personal favourite) was the same as in the dining room (a poor rendition) she said she didn’t know as she never ate there. I said if it wasn’t the same recipe, I’d order it but she just shrugged, never offered to check with the chef! I ordered the Mousse. It was good. BTW, the gratuities are NOT automatically added in the Supper Club contrary to what I think I have read so make sure you read your bill carefully.

 

 

 

Entertainment: We enjoyed Mike at the Piano bar and a group called the Music Zone. One of the late-night comedians was much better than the other two. The Jazz show was excellent. The Lido band was okay (singer wasn’t great). Didn’t do the talent show. Went to one art auction out of many, it seemed. Champagne was good!

 

 

 

The Gym: My DH and sons went everyday, sometimes twice (I went 4 times) and they were impressed. They liked the equipment and thoroughly enjoyed the steam-room/sauna and jet showers (bliss!). Everything was clean.

 

 

 

Disembarking: Easy-peasy. The quickest yet. We breakfasted on the Lido deck and said our final good-byes. Would you believe we were at FLL at 9:40? And to think I was worried about making our 12:43 flight… Waited nearly an hour for our luggage in SEa/Tac though. What a long day.

 

 

 

Some observations:

 

We did manage to find lounge chairs when we wanted them but boy, some days it took forever!

 

Although we booked an inside guar, we’d always had outside cabins so we were pleased with our upgrade. But I would never PAY for an obstructed balcony.

 

Our family hates smoke and it was never a problem. Apart from the assigned bars (cigars allowed) where it was thick and sometimes as you walked through the casino, it just wasn’t anything to get uptight about. And to think I’d been worried.

 

We never saw kids running up and down the corridors and playing in the elevators or being extra bratty. Heard plenty of the usual adult whiners, though. Gave them a wide bearth.

 

Order beer by the bucket, save nearly a buck and a half.

 

With six glass shelves in the bathroom, my over-the-door shoe-holder was unnecessary as was my multi-outlet plug (who needs to plug more than one item in at a time 24/7??)

 

 

Never used the crock-pot.;)

[finoky]

We absolutely love the Legend. Thanks for sharing your cruise and bringing back some great memories.

[Starlake666]

Great review...we also loved the Legend! I had to laugh though "who needs to plug in more than one thing at a time?" Remember you're traveling with two teenage BOYS....try it with a teenage GIRL or two. Think...curling iron, straigtening iron, make up mirror, hair dryer, hot rollers, charging the digital camera ....you get the picture. Not needed 24/7, but when everyone is getting dressed for dinner at the same time...the extra outlets come in very handy!

 

Glad you enjoyed your trip!!

[steveNcindy]

Thanks for the review. We are leaving Thursday - can't wait.

 

Question - how was the weather? Have had enough snow and cold this winter already and really hoping for some nice hot sun and warmth!!!

[Cruising89143]

Nice review showing both the postive and negatives. The Legend is a great ship. One of my favorites.

[countercast]

Starlake - I hear ya and stand corrected!

 

 

Stevencindy - the weather leaving FLA was cool for them (50's to 60's) due to the cold front that had come down and was then quite windy for the first 1 1/2 sea days. The Carib. was great - nice and hot with some cloud, even when it sprinkled with rain in St. Martin. Again, the last sea was cooler with some wind. Still have a nice tan. :cool:

[enzee]

We were on the Legend cruise that returned on the 21st. Sorry about delaying your embarkation, but we had 3 extra stops throughout the cruise for medical emergencies.. last I heard, 11 people got off for these emergencies. So, sorry you were late:rolleyes:

 

I LOVED the Legend. Our waiter and assistant (Val and Martina) were EXCELLENT!! They were right on the ball from day 2 (remembering our drinks and desserts from Day 1, and taking the initiative to bring them each day from then on ). To respond to your comments, The shows were "okay," the fitness center was excellent, the food was great, we had no problems with any dishes or servers, and our cabin steward was great, too !!! I agree, that the Legend is a BEAUTIFUL ship. We also enjoyed the Piano bar -- what fun !!!!

 

Anyway -- would recommend the Legend to anyone. And Kudos to the crew on it and the Captain for handling those many medical emergencies so well. He really tried to make-up the time, as we were FLYING across those seas to try and get back as soon as he could and as close to the scheduled time as possible. FLYING !! but with three unexpected detours, it was kind of hard !!

Much praise to the Carnival Legend and it's entire staff. They were the friendliest group ever !!!!@!

[countercast]

enzee - glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as we did. I would sail her again in a heartbeat.

[ljc576]

We were on the same cruise! It was great... I think one thing that made it so enjoyable was meeting our CC buddies the night before at the Outback. Especially for the guys... (6 young men from 16-19 yrs old). It was great seeing them hanging around together.

 

We also had a great time. I can echo some of the previous comments.

 

Food at the Unicorn was good. The Ruebens were good, you could get eggs over easy instead of an omlettes... pizza was good. The desserts seemed to have a better selection on the Lido deck.

 

At Truffles, our waiter Hendra was great. Traveling with a four year can be challenging and each night, he had her menu and crayons ready for her. He would bring her apple juice, put ketchup on her plate, ask my older two if they would like extra entrees (My older son had surf and turf every night!)... the only drawback was that we were seated in the Private Club so we missed out on some of the excitement in the main dining room. The MD did make it a point to come over to us and talked to us for several minutes early in the cruise. One of the best kept secrets is to eat in the dining room for lunch. Not very crowded and the food was great. If you order an entree salad, it's a very small portion so you might want to order a second entree... the Grand Manier souffle was to die for on the last night!!!

 

Some of the shows in the Follies could be improved, especially Take II... it seemed a little disjointed. OUr favorite was the singer who performed the tribute to Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra. He was good! The adult comediean were good, especially the first one and the last one. The one in the middle of the cruise, I think, saw all the under 18's in the crowd and tried to tone it down a bit. (yes, there were a lot of under aged teenagers in the crowd).

 

Except for the very hard bed, we had a great time and would sail the Legend again in a heartbeat.

[judyf]

Loving the review on the Legend. I can't wait to sail her in March. Great tips on food, pool chairs. I always have a problem with getting a chair by the pool. I'm guessing there's 3 adult shows at midnight?

 

Anyone have copies of the capers? We're doing the Panama itinerary.

 

Thanks

[ljc576]

There were three adult shows for our cruise.

 

The other area that we found really great was Camp Carnival. We used it every night for our 4 year old. She would wake up each day wanting to go to Camp Carnival. The counselors were great. The cost for evening babysitting was $6 per child. She came back to the cabin as a rabbit, giraffe and a pirate. (face paint!)... because of the late nights (she wouldn't go to sleep there), she usually took a nap in the afternoon or if she missed her nap, fell asleep at dinner.(we had the early seating).

[WhansaMi]

Loving the review on the Legend. I can't wait to sail her in March. Great tips on food, pool chairs. I always have a problem with getting a chair by the pool. I'm guessing there's 3 adult shows at midnight?

 

Anyone have copies of the capers? We're doing the Panama itinerary.

 

Thanks

 

 

Judy, my husband, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and I will be on that ship. I've becoming VERY impatient!

 

What excursions do you have planned? My husband and I will be going to the sloth sanctuary in Costa Rico, and he and the BIL and SIL will be going on the ferry through the Panama Canal. I've opted to go to the Embera Indian Village that day, instead. Belize is still up in the air.

 

Sheila

[judyf]

Judy, my husband, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and I will be on that ship. I've becoming VERY impatient!

 

What excursions do you have planned? My husband and I will be going to the sloth sanctuary in Costa Rico, and he and the BIL and SIL will be going on the ferry through the Panama Canal. I've opted to go to the Embera Indian Village that day, instead. Belize is still up in the air.

 

Sheila

 

We our on the Legend 3/19/05 sailing. What sailing are you on?

 

I have private tours planned in Panama and Costa Rica. In Panama doing the Indian Village, the river and the locks with Mario. In Costa Rica doing a Tour with Oscar Brown and MIGHT zipline. Belize is also up in the air, I was trying to book the shark ray alley tour with Coral Breezes but they don't have a tour the day we are there. I'm still searching leaning towards a snorkeling tour.

[WhansaMi]

We our on the Legend 3/19/05 sailing. What sailing are you on?

 

I have private tours planned in Panama and Costa Rica. In Panama doing the Indian Village, the river and the locks with Mario. In Costa Rica doing a Tour with Oscar Brown and MIGHT zipline. Belize is also up in the air, I was trying to book the shark ray alley tour with Coral Breezes but they don't have a tour the day we are there. I'm still searching leaning towards a snorkeling tour.

 

We will be on March 19th sailing, as well. We are doing all of our excursions through the ship this time. We've only gone on one other cruise -- to Alaska on the Spirit last summer -- and we booked independently then, but we felt less comfortable doing it internationally.

 

Sheila

[judyf]

We will be on March 19th sailing, as well. We are doing all of our excursions through the ship this time. We've only gone on one other cruise -- to Alaska on the Spirit last summer -- and we booked independently then, but we felt less comfortable doing it internationally.

 

Sheila

 

Have you joined the 3/19/05 roll call?

[VanessaC322]

What was the crock pot for?

[halos]

nice review! Thanks for taking the time...it is very much appreciated!

[scubaRN]

Thanks for the review. Can't wait for our cruise in Feb. Question, how did your fellow cruiser find out the Legend would be delayed? We will be in FLL for two days prior to the cruise and don't have access to a computer.

[countercast]

vanessa - the crock-pot is a tongue-in-cheek item. Cruisers are infamous for their huge lists of items and packing lists. Crock-pots are often cheekily added along with table-top grills!

 

 

scubaRN - I know our fellow CC'er called carnival to get the info, but I believe she wasn't just talking to the front desk as some did not get the current, correct info. Probe for the right department. But delays are not that common anyway.

[Markel]

We are struggling with this decision. We are trying to decide between the Legend or going RC Mariner of the Seas. We know that the Mariner has all the bells and whistles but you also pay for that. We have 4 kids and the only concern we have with the Legend is that there really isn't a "teenage area". My oldest will be 18 and know he will not be allowed to the teen meet and greet so how will he get to know others his age? None of my kids are very outgoing so they really need the extra push of the meet and greets. We did Carnival last year and they had a good time but the Legend is a longer cruise with more sea days so I would like them to have stuff to keep them busy. They like hanging with us and we enjoy them but I think if they had a teen place to meet others they would enjoy that also. Any thoughts? (P.S. I realize that this particular "struggle" is one that many would love to have---------so, I'm not complaining, just asking for others opinions. Thanks!)

[judyf]

I Love CCL and leaving in 9 days on the Legend. With kids the age of yours I think they would enjoy the RCCL rock climbing wall, roller skating and ice skating and mini golf. I think that's what is offered on some ships. Those things didn't mean a thing to us but if I were 18 (wishing) again, I would have loved them!

[lcpagejr]

Markel -

 

My kids loved Carnival....We've cruised them 6 times and will be going again on the Legend next week. We also have cruised RCCL. My teens (late teens) liked Carnival better. Probably because they had a bit more freedom and options late at night (24 hour pizzeria) so they had a place to group and hang out. They sorta migrate together and over the 1st few days they meet up with others and spend time together during the day and/or at night. AS my son calls it...'They just like to chill together". Remember on RCCL, with your waiver, 18-21 year olds can drink wine or beer...Evem with this option my 18 and 20 year old still felt they had more fun on the Carnival ships. Just another opinion to consider. Good luck with your decision...You can't go wrong either way!!

[Markel]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. We still haven't made our decision but it helps to have others opinions. Hopefully a few more will weigh in on this one. Thanks again!

[LornaT]

FIRST OFF ..................... HI TO KAREN & LINDA! WE MISS YOU!

 

Great seeing the review, and I have to agree it was a great cruise, of course what made it great was meeting everyone we'd been chatting with for what about 6 months...............and how great was it that all our young men got to meet and hang out together.............plus besides the wonderful gentlemen you Mom's have made them into...........Jessica still talks about them (she & Mom send a BIG HI and HUGS also) and loves showing off the pictures of heself and her GUYS as she titles them.

 

scubaRN - I was the one that passed the news about the delay, which I heard from another member of the group (CC'ers we'd been chating with .... HI JIM & PEG!) who happened to get a call from his Travel Agent and he called me to pass the word along since his family wasn't driving over to Fort Lauderdale til the next morning...........I also called Carnival direct to verify (would you believe the only department there that answered with a live person was x70025 the Medical Assistance folks ...........super nice lady there too by the way!) and did verify the information...............so we got to meet, drink, eat and mingle a little later than we might have since we could all sleep in a little more. Also let the hotel (Amerisuites 17th Street) where most of us were staying (that was handy for breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, cereal, make your own waffles, pastries, etc ....... yummy and free!) the next morning.......got to meet and bond some more!) about the delay also for their shuttle drivers (yup......free airport & pier shuttle) info.

[countercast]

Hi Lorna! We miss you all too! Oh, what wonderful memories.....

 

Markel, your teens will have fun on the RCI cruise without a doubt (although we found there was a wait for the rock-climbing wall when we went but our ship was full.) But, they would find lots to do on the Legend as well. Our teens (16 & nearly 18) did not got too a teen meet and greet and met lots of friends. There is a nightly dance and there are a couple of places to hang out as mentioned above. My two also went to the gym every day, watched movies, hung around the pool (that's where they tend to meet in the day), played ping pong, basketball, drove some golf balls, and went to anything that was happening. Most other teens do not come in a group so everyone wants to get to know someone. And remember, with long lie-ins after late nights, full day port excursions, and eating, there's really no time to be bored! You will not go wrong with either.