Aug. 15th Legend Family Cruise...with Photos

[ChefSusan]

Great start to this review! Legend is one of our favorite ship - cannot wait to read the rest!

[bplazo]

 

 

 

After the 2 days of hub-bub and traveling I sat down to eat that lunch and finally felt it…I was on vacation!

 

OMG! What is that? Are you suppose to eat it?

[Meyer2]

Wonderful review so far & great pictures!!

[AryMay]

 

 

OMG! What is that? Are you suppose to eat it?

 

I think the correct term is "langoustine"...a type of miniature lobster. However...I grew up in Southern Illinois and we knew them as "crawdads"...and they were fish bait...not an ingredient for gourmet dining!

 

BTW...I don't think he ate it!

[AryMay]

Finally at 1:30 we are able to get to our cabins. The 8 of us had 4 adjacent cabins…all category 4K (4136, 4138, 4140, and 4142). These cabins are classified as “inside” cabins, but have French doors that open up to a wonderful view…of the side of a lifeboat. They are considered “obstructed”…and they were unless you pick a cabin that is between lifeboats. The kids all checked out their cabins and were surprised to see that we could actually see the water from our cabin (4140). Since I was the one that did all of the planning…this didn’t happen as an accident!

 

Here are some pics from 4140…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides having natural light from the French doors, these cabins also have a couch. I don’t believe the standard inside cabins do.

[AryMay]

These photos are from 4136 so you can see the difference…

 

 

 

 

 

I love unpacking on the first day of the cruise knowing that we have a whole week to look forward to. There is plenty of space to put everything and then we stash the empty luggage under the bed.

 

This was our first time at a muster drill where we did NOT have to wear those beastly lifejackets. It was still very hot…but I know it is necessary. We joked that if the ship was going down we would just jump out the French doors of our cabin and we would be in the lifeboat. Our muster station was on the deck right below our cabins.

 

[Litewait]

I want more! I want more! Oh wait thats what my preschoolers do at lunch..:rolleyes: I forgot I wasnt dealing with them for a minute. Please for give, LOL!

[Eeyoregon]

Enjoying your review - sailed on Legend June 6th & will again in 44 days - Oct. 24th!!!!! Great ship and crew..... :D

 

Hi! We're sailing with you. Are you on our roll call? I forgot to look, so forgive me if you are and I just forgot.

 

If not, come on over! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=967439&page=19

 

Gina

[Lady_Jag]

Thank you so much for posting cabin pics! We'll be sailing in April in one of the 4K cabins too. (I think it's 4130). Would you happen to have pictures of 4138, the cabin next door to yours? Just curious, since it seems to be in the same relative position to the lifeboats as our future cabin. :)

 

Still loving the review.

[AryMay]

Thank you so much for posting cabin pics! We'll be sailing in April in one of the 4K cabins too. (I think it's 4130). Would you happen to have pictures of 4138, the cabin next door to yours? Just curious, since it seems to be in the same relative position to the lifeboats as our future cabin. :)

 

Still loving the review.

 

No I don't have any photos. Two of my sons were in this cabin but neither had a camera. If I remember correctly the view was pretty much still blocked by the lifeboat. The layout of the room was a mirror image to ours in 4140.

 

Thanks for taking time to read the review! More to come as I get time...

[NeedATan]

This is a great review! The Legend is my favorite ship, so it's bringing back a lot of great memories. Keep up the good work. :)

[AryMay]

DH and I tried sushi for the first time on the Freedom last summer…can’t say we cared for it much. But…the kids love sushi and had been anxiously awaiting the sushi bar on the Legend. After getting all of our luggage (except DS2’s bag that had been confiscated with the over-sized wine bottle) we were unpacked and ready to find the sushi.

 

The sushi bar is set up outside Satchmo’s lounge each night (except formal nights). It is a very pleasant spot to sit and enjoy the ocean through the windows and do a little people watching at the same time. In spite of their anticipation they only got the sushi on two nights due to our days in port and our early dinner time. I’m jumping ahead, but here is a photo of DS2 and DS3 enjoying their sushi on Saturday (the last sea day). The 3 boys even tried some saki that night as well.

 

 

I think DS3 got a little aggressive with his eating and somehow spilled…but on his shoulder?? DIL takes on the job of trying to clean him up before dinner! (FYI...The future cruise vouchers can be purchased at the counter in the background!)

 

 

DS3 also ate smoked salmon every chance he got during the week…and it was quite a few times. Appetizers, sandwiches at tea time, room service, breakfast, etc. Between the salmon and sushi he consumed quite the quantity of raw fish!

 

[AryMay]

Main Dining Room

 

OK…how many of you really want to know what time we brushed our teeth or what magazine I read by the pool? Didn’t think so. This review is going to be massive as it is, so to make it a bit easier to write (and read) I will consolidate all of my thoughts & memories of the dining room together rather than day by day. Our time together as a family in the dining room was one of the highlights of our cruise for all of us.

 

Our table (366) was on the upper level in the far corner…but at least we were by a window.

 

 

Being on the upper level we missed out on much of the entertainment and activity that took place down below. We had the wonderful Ken Byrne as our maitre d and every evening about the time we were enjoying our dessert, Ken would announce the names of those celebrating special occasions.…birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, etc. After that he would entertain the dining room with his wonderful singing…very Frank Sinatra-ish in style. It would have been even more enjoyable if they had turned down the sound system just a bit. Every night when he started singing we would all jump! (Maybe it was just loud in our area…I don’t know.) One night I walked over to the railing to watch Ken on the lower level as he would go form table to table singing.

 

If you never had the pleasure to be entertained by Ken, here is a video I found: (there are many on YouTube!)

 

 

Our waiters for the week were Mario from Croatia and German (pronounced “Air-mon”) from Columbia.

 

 

What great guys…they were one of the reasons that we enjoyed being in the dining room so much each night! Several nights German would give us little “puzzle challenges”. He would lay down small wood pieces or even toothpicks in a certain pattern and then tell us we had to move a certain number to make a new pattern. Usually there was some trick or twist to the puzzle. We tried…but usually weren’t very successful in figuring it out.

 

[AryMay]

The first night my sister and I debated about skipping dinner in the MDR so we could watch the Legend go under the Skyway Bridge. In the end the idea was scrapped so we could all be together as a family. How fun it was to be looking out the window and realize we could see the bridge from the dining room! I’m sure it wasn’t as amazing as being on the top deck watching the funnel barely clear the bridge…but it was still a treat to be able to see the bridge AND share dinner together.

 

 

The first formal night of the cruise was DS2 and DIL’s 2nd wedding anniversary. DH whispered this to German & Mario just before we sat down at our table and at dessert they brought a small cake with a candle and sang to them along with a couple of other waiters from our area.

 

 

GF's birthday was the last day of the cruise…again Mario & German made sure to bring a special dessert and sing to her.

 

 

Besides the anniversary and the birthday, this cruise was a celebration of life and the blessings of our family. Three weeks before the cruise DH was mountain climbing in the Tetons. The day his group tried to summit the Grand Teton, they (along with several other groups) were caught in an unexpected lightening storm. They were wet from the snow and rain and there was no place to avoid the lightening. All of the climbers experienced lightening strikes and my DH was struck 4 times as they tried to retreat down the mountain. The incident made national news the next morning. According to the reports, the largest rescue mission ever in the Teton National Park was launched to airlift all of the climbers from the mountain. Sadly, one of the guys that my DH was climbing with was thrown from the side of the mountain when the lightening struck and he fell 2000 feet to his death.

 

In my DH’s words…”I was in the valley of the shadow of death”, but somehow by God’s mercy he and the other six in his group survived. The events of that trip have made us all look at life a bit differently. We realize that every day is a gift from God and how truly important is the time we spend with our loved ones. Our family always enjoys being together and having fun…but this trip was…extra special.

[Litewait]

Blessings to you and your family~ Life is precious. enjoy every minute. We dont often get "wake up calls".

 

My parents worked and worked to provide for us. I dont have alot of memories of family vacations and special times other than the holidays, which were huge. It has become extremely important that I do these things with my two. So, I know when I am gone they can laugh together and say.. remember when mom...:)

[YB Nrml]

Great review! We're sailing on the Legend 11/14/10. Love the details and background you supply, keep up the good work, looking forward to more.

[Eeyoregon]

Besides the anniversary and the birthday, this cruise was a celebration of life and the blessings of our family. Three weeks before the cruise DH was mountain climbing in the Tetons. The day his group tried to summit the Grand Teton, they (along with several other groups) were caught in an unexpected lightening storm. They were wet from the snow and rain and there was no place to avoid the lightening. All of the climbers experienced lightening strikes and my DH was struck 4 times as they tried to retreat down the mountain. The incident made national news the next morning. According to the reports, the largest rescue mission ever in the Teton National Park was launched to airlift all of the climbers from the mountain. Sadly, one of the guys that my DH was climbing with was thrown from the side of the mountain when the lightening struck and he fell 2000 feet to his death.

 

In my DH’s words…”I was in the valley of the shadow of death”, but somehow by God’s mercy he and the other six in his group survived. The events of that trip have made us all look at life a bit differently. We realize that every day is a gift from God and how truly important is the time we spend with our loved ones. Our family always enjoys being together and having fun…but this trip was…extra special.

 

What a powerful story and very touching...it brought tears to my eyes and made me stop and think about how good life is and how blessed I am. Thank you for sharing.

 

Gina

[MicksMom]

Loving the review!!! You have a beautiful family. Only 29 days til our 25th anniversary cruise.:D

 

I too am trying to figure out how to schedule a cruise next year between work & future SIL's med school. Not many dates to work with...

 

Thanks for taking the time to post & keep it coming!

[AryMay]

Loving the review!!! You have a beautiful family. Only 29 days til our 25th anniversary cruise.:D

 

I too am trying to figure out how to schedule a cruise next year between work & future SIL's med school. Not many dates to work with...

 

Thanks for taking the time to post & keep it coming!

 

Congratulations on your 25th! It was for our 25th anniversary in 2002 that we took our first cruise...now we're hooked!

 

Working around family schedules is tough...but in the end the effort is worth it to all be together!

[freddymale]

great review, as I'm writing this the time changed to midnight..and i am doing the single digit dance.

on another note..reading the last part reminded my why I love to spend time with my family,,like you said..you never know

 

looking forward to the rest of the review...excellent job

[AryMay]

Before I move on to a new topic, here are a few more photos from the dining room. Fun times…and lots of memories! The smiles say it all...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Oakman]

Such a GREAT review!!! It is so special to be able to share such memorable times as a family. You all seem to get along beautifully. So many families don't.

[DEERINH2O]

Great review... thinking of booking legend for the holidays.

[AryMay]

Breakfast

 

This is the first cruise where we ate almost all of our breakfasts in the MDR. Usually port days are too rushed to make it to the dining room, but the Legend has later arrival times for Cozumel (10 am) and Roatan (11 am) so it is nice to have time to sit down as a family instead of rushing around the buffet and trying to find a table. I think there were only 2 days we didn’t make it to the MDR in the morning.

 

I especially enjoyed having the eggs benedict for breakfast…a treat I only have on cruises. My DH also discovered the chicken sausage and thought it was good. Since breakfast was open seating it gave us a chance to see the beautiful lower level of the dining room.

 

 

 

My biggest discovery this cruise was how nice it was to have breakfast in the MDR on the LAST day of the cruise. The Truffles Dining Room was open until 8:30 for open seating. Since our flight didn’t leave Tampa until 2 pm we waited until around 8:15 to leave our cabin and then had a leisurely breakfast…this made our last day a little less painful!

[3redheads]

What a wonderful review. Legend is a beautiful ship!