Booked the Legend for its Halloween cruise!

[MagSeven1413]

Six of us are going for Halloween. My DW and I offered our son and fiancee cash for their wedding or a cruise for their honeymoon - surprisingly, they chose the cruise with the condition that they could travel with us. We didn't think that Mike would want to cruise. In addition, our good friends who have cruised with us in the past are going too. Our TA got us 3 balconies together.

 

We won't dress up for Halloween. Been there done that once already. It's just more luggage space for 2 extra outfits. Instead, we take halloween T-shirts to wear that night.

 

Sailing out of Tampa is new to us; we've sailed from Miami, Lauderdale, Orlando and our favorite San Juan. Now the fun begins as I look for hotels pre- and post-cruise. I think I would prefer to get something near Channelside since the ships berth there. I'm also looking forward to sailing beneath the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

 

Has anyone attended Guavaween in Ybor City? Since we will be there that Saturday of the festival, I thought that might be cool to see. (I'm thinking of the photo-ops)

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Hi Mag, we sailed the Legend last year on the 10/31 Halloween sailing. All I can say is, wow, you all are going to have a great time. Don't worry about not dressing up. There were several that wore the Halloween tee shirts like you are thinking about and still others did not dress up at all. There were lots of extra Halloween activities such as costume contests, a scary movie in the Theatre ( it was Disney's Haunted Mansion to keep it family friendly) a special dessert offering in the MDR, special Halloween music and so on..... Also, lots of folks decorated their cabin doors with Halloween themed decorations. It was quite fun to walk all of the decks and see what everyone came up with. Do not miss the judging of the Halloween costumes, it is a must see. There were some very, very unique costumes. The contest was held at midnight in the Theatre.

 

As far as a pre-cruise hotel, we had a large roll call group that stayed at the Holiday Inn Rocky Point. It is not in the Channel side area but we got a great cruise pkg for only $99. It incl airport pick-up, free hot breakfast and shuttle service to the port and from the port back to either the airport or hotel after the cruise. In addition, they offered a free shuttle anywhere within 4 miles. This came in handy for those that flew in and needed to pick up pop, water and snacks prior to the cruise. The hotel was spotless and had a nice tropical pool area that overlooked the water on Tampa Bay. The hotel is less than 2 miles from the airport and was only a quick 15 min drive the morning of the cruise.

 

As far as Guava-ween, I havn't been there in years as it gets way too crazy for my taste. If you go, be carefull. It will be a lot of fun but as in any large city be careful. If you have children coming along, I would NOT recommend this area. Ybor is noted some crazy happenings.

 

 

We didn't leave port unitl 4:30 and went under the Skyway bridge about 6:40. It was quite a sight to see.

 

Good Luck to you, You are in for a great cruise. Cari :)

[MagSeven1413]

Cari,

 

Two years ago on the Victory the four of us wore halloween shirts and the girls had nice fold up witch hats that they wore halloween night. I have a lot of interesting photos from the halloween cruises; the women just love to have their pictures taken! I have always enjoyed the way Carnival decorates for Halloween. This will be a fun cruise.

 

Thanks for the info and your input. Now is when the fun really starts!

 

Joe

[Clearwater]

I love the Legend! I am booked right befoe you on the October 9th sail. Last yr we went on the Sensation on 10/19 and while it wasn't Halloween, the ship was decorated and everyone was dressed up which was fun.

 

Well it was all fun and games until my family saw a pack of clowns and told them I was petrified of clowns. They decided they had to torment me, follow me, and even touch me. That is where I drew the line.... strangers dressed as clowns touching me. It was almost an overboard situation. (for the clowns AND my family)

[MagSeven1413]

I love the Legend! I am booked right befoe you on the October 9th sail. Last yr we went on the Sensation on 10/19 and while it wasn't Halloween, the ship was decorated and everyone was dressed up which was fun.

 

Well it was all fun and games until my family saw a pack of clowns and told them I was petrified of clowns. They decided they had to torment me, follow me, and even touch me. That is where I drew the line.... strangers dressed as clowns touching me. It was almost an overboard situation. (for the clowns AND my family)

Sounds like my DW when we went to the Phantom Fright Night at our local amusement park a few years ago (only they weren't clowns). Her GF told the ppl walking around on stilts that she hated them, so of course they followed her around all evening.