Carnival Legend Review & Pictures!

[crusinpsychRN]

Why did you like Boden's tour so much?

[psbaldi]

Why did you like Boden's tour so much?

 

 

Our Driver was very knowledgable and professional....the van we had was clean...the arrangements through victor and the instructions how to get to his van were easy to follow....reasonably priced....I did not want to get into "any" cab...

[marshhawk]

Truly enjoying your review. We sailed the Legend last year, and are booked for next year too. Your pics are fabulous, and I so understand just going to the beach in Roatan, we stayed on board last time(we were unable to dock at Mahogany Bay) but the water there is incredible, so man made or other wise, I can't wait to wade on in. Thanks. Can't wait for your Grand Cayman day!:)

[shelkate1]

We want more, we want more:) Bring it on!

[nasa1974]

Alyse, In Belize did you do the Xunantunech Mayan Ruins excursion? It looks like it in your pictures. We have that scheduled and if that is the one you went on could you pass on some more information and more pictures, please. Thanks.

[KruisingMarina]

Hi Alyse, thanks for your review! Everytime I see a review, I try to read it, as each and every one takes me on a mental journey on my own ship...:eek: Although, I've been to some of these ports, I don't mind going there over and over :o.

[EricaLovesCats]

"Our tour guides in Belize spoke perfect English."

 

Totally not trying to be a jerk...but they probably spoke perfect English because English is their official language! :p

[dotheyes]

Love the Legend and you are doing her justice

dot

[psbaldi]

Love your review...I am reliving my Legend cruise I just took in July...

[LovableGluttons]

Love the review, but you are wrong about Roatan. It is the most beautiful island in the Caribbean. Mahogany Bay was made by Carnival and the beach there is man-made. Next time you go get out of the port area and go to the West End, see the beaches and you will really enjoy your time there.

 

 

mystone99 is right! Roatan was my favorite port! Vic Bodden runs a great private tour. Cozumel and Grand Cayman were my least favorite, Roatan was the best. We didn't go to Mahogany Bay. You'll need to take the Legend again so you can do Roatan the right way!!

 

The snorkeling was awesome! My daughter and I walked in from the beach by the Mayan Princess, within a few yeards were snorkeling a healthy LIVE coral reef just teeming with fish.

[LovableGluttons]

Why did you like Boden's tour so much?

 

 

I was traveling with just my tween daughter and I had a shoulder injury. I had some big concerns about safety. Bodden's took great care of my daughter and I. Olie was our guide, he worked on Celebrity cruiseline for four years before returning to Roatan after his father passed away. He knew the right places to get great food, great shopping, great pictures, and fantastic snorkeling.

[loltastic]

Loving this review, thanks for posting it!

[ceneljeyan]

Great review looking forward to more. Do you by any chance have any pics of the childrens pool on the legend?

[michigyrl]

I did not bring my passport. I had read on these boards the danger of doing so, I brought my FL Drivers License as a form of ID, and a credit card just in case.

 

Thanks for the tip on the waterproof bag--just placed my order! I'll be on the Legend in a little over 3 weeks--can't wait.

[leesy007]

Leaving Roatan!

 

After a nice shower and change we walked around the ship for a while before it set sail again.

 

This is for the LOST fans. We were taking pictures of the island and all of a sudden my husband yells out “It’s the Smoke Monster!”

 

 

After setting sail, the wind really picked up. We walked around Deck 3 marveling at the mountains

 

 

We could not get over how much it looked like the LOST islands. Well, I guess Hawaii really. It was just much smaller and not as bright green, but still gorgeous.

[leesy007]

Grand Cayman

 

The next morning was GRAND CAYMAN! I was super excited about this port, I mean the Cayman Islands! How awesome. We were in Grand Cayman from 10am to 6pm.

 

In Grand Cayman, like Belize, you have to tender ashore. The tender however, is only like 5 minutes and really easy.

 

 

We planned on walking around the port shops for a little while, and then take local transport to Governors beach. We went into the shops directly across from the pier, not the ones inside the “pier area”, I don’t remember what they are called but you can’t miss ‘em!

 

I found him! Big Black Dick!

.

You can see the Legend in the background, it really isn’t that far away.

 

The shop we went into was on the second floor and we found a phenomenal deal on liquor . It was an simple 2 for $20, but we also got a voucher for a free large rum cake. Super sweet deal (we gave the cake to the in-laws as their souvenir…shh!!!).

 

Father down to the left of the port exit are a ton of shops. We just weaved in and out of them with really now discernable plan, but we stumbled across this really neat cigar shop.

 

We continued to walk down the port and found some really neat buildings. I just loved this Caribbean architecture!

 

 

 

After about an hour or so of exploring (surpise!) . We decided it was time to hit the beach! We hiked it back to the port area.

 

Being the awesome explorers that we are we decided to find the library and pick up the local transport to Governors Beach. I was a little worried about finding the library but it was actually super easy. We walked about two blocks inland on Edward St. The library was across from Hero’s Fountain. Wasn’t hard to spot at all. The drivers were really friendly and helpful.

 

I found the bus schedule here: http://www.caymanislands.ky/family/transportation.aspx

 

We asked the driver to take us to Governors beach, the fare was only 5 US dollars. ** Make sure you pay attention to the colored stickers on the bus. For more details see the website.

[leesy007]

Governors Beach, Grand Cayman

 

I spent a long time researching the perfect beach for us to spend the day at. I didn’t want the busy hub bub of Seven Mile beach, but I also didn’t want to be as secluded as Cemetery beach. Governors Beach was the perfect medium for us. It is a free beach, right next to the governors house, which is kinds cool to see.

 

 

As you can see there is almost no one around. It was incredible. While we were there we only saw a few people, and many of them were actually residents of the island not tourists.

 

The only downside of this location is that there are no rentals. No beach chairs so that kind of stunk, but we brought towels and had no problem laying on the beach. I spent most of the time laying in the water reading.

 

…and the water! Oh my god. It was incredible. I have never seen water that clear in my life, and I am from Florida. I usually hate swimming in the ocean because it can be really sticky and I do not like not being able to see what is around me. But this water was unbelievably clear. I could have stayed there forever.

 

After a few hours we decided to head back to the shops. Since we took the city bus there, we weren’t exactly sure how we were going to make it back. We decided to just start walking back towards the port.

 

In Grand Cayman the city buses will slow down as they drive pass you and honk twice. That is their way of asking if you need a ride. We walked for about 5 minutes before a bus pulled up to us. After we asked is he was headed to the port, we got on. Not a problem!

 

 

For Grand Cayman I really made use of Google Maps to see exactly the area of the port.

 

I also really loved this website: http://www.caymanislands.ky There is a walking tour map that might be fun to try, and a list of helpful numbers for the island.

[PercyPup]

Alyse, this has got to be the best Review I have read since we booked this cruise. You are amazing in many ways.... how thorough you are, how alive and full of vitality you are, your honest and wonderful way of descibing your adventure.... you should think about doing this forever. Plus you and your husband are indeed a most beautiful couple. My wife and I are going on this cruise in December and because of you, we are now REALLY looking forward to it. Thank you sooo much and never stop cruising!!!

[leesy007]

Love the review, but you are wrong about Roatan. It is the most beautiful island in the Caribbean. Mahogany Bay was made by Carnival and the beach there is man-made. Next time you go get out of the port area and go to the West End, see the beaches and you will really enjoy your time there.

 

Thats what I had heard, but we were on a pretty tight budget so excursions in every port were not in the cards for us this time :( . Other Legend reviews I have read, especially the ones that have details about Victor Bodden, made Roatan seem amazing. I am sure the rest of the island is wonderful, Mahogany Bay just wasn't my cup o' tea.

 

You are so right...I booked Victor Bodden to tour the island and hang out at West Bay...it was the best decision I made and Roatan is my favorite port I have visited...

 

I am so glad you enjoyed it! Next time we go I want to take his tour to sea more of the island :) .

 

 

Truly enjoying your review. We sailed the Legend last year, and are booked for next year too. Your pics are fabulous, and I so understand just going to the beach in Roatan, we stayed on board last time(we were unable to dock at Mahogany Bay) but the water there is incredible, so man made or other wise, I can't wait to wade on in. Thanks. Can't wait for your Grand Cayman day!:)

 

Thanks for reading! I am glad you like it! Have fun on your next cruise. Isn't is funny how many repeat customers the Legend has?

[leesy007]

Alyse, this has got to be the best Review I have read since we booked this cruise. You are amazing in many ways.... how thorough you are, how alive and full of vitality you are, your honest and wonderful way of descibing your adventure.... you should think about doing this forever. Plus you and your husband are indeed a most beautiful couple. My wife and I are going on this cruise in December and because of you, we are now REALLY looking forward to it. Thank you sooo much and never stop cruising!!!

 

Awe!! Thanks :) That is so nice of you to say! We really had the time of our lives, I am glad it comes across in this review. I would just die to write cruise reviews forever...could you imagine?! You and your wife are going to love your cruise. The Legend is an amazing ship, and the staff is great. I hope our Tampa port treats you both well! Thanks for reading!

[leesy007]

Great review looking forward to more. Do you by any chance have any pics of the childrens pool on the legend?

 

I don't, sorry! I honestly did not even know there was a childrens pool?... How the heck did I miss that in all my exploring?

 

Loving this review, thanks for posting it![/quote

Thanks for reading!

 

Love your review...I am reliving my Legend cruise I just took in July...

 

Thanks for keeping up with it! I hope you had a wonderful time in July, but I am quite sure you did :)

 

Love the Legend and you are doing her justice

dot

 

Oh good! I am glad :) This was my first cruise and first review so it's nice to hear that!

[leesy007]

Alyse, In Belize did you do the Xunantunech Mayan Ruins excursion? It looks like it in your pictures. We have that scheduled and if that is the one you went on could you pass on some more information and more pictures, please. Thanks.

 

Yep! What else would you like to know? Let's see... The bus ride takes you through Belize city, and just so you are not surprised, it is very impoverished. It is a long ride, just under 2 hours, with no bathroom break so watch the water!

 

Our tour guides were fabulous. They talked about the different nationalities of people in Belize, the language spoken (a kind of Creol), the different landscapes, the history... just a lot of information. If you like that kind of thing, which I do, then it is great.

 

We went in May, so it was really really hot. We were able to climb the ruins, but I have heard that if it has rained they will not let you climb.

 

I really enjoyed the excursion, if you are into that sort of thing than the two hour ride wont be a big deterrent I think. The excursion was a whole day affair, we were the first ones off the ship and the last ones on.

 

If you have any specific questions I would be more than happy to answer them :)

[T C 2]

Leaving Roatan!

 

This is for the LOST fans. We were taking pictures of the island and all of a sudden my husband yells out “It’s the Smoke Monster!”

 

 

 

OMG ... I just spit my ice tea all over the place laughing at this! :D I was an avid LOST fan and I totally see Smokey in the pic! :p

 

Leesy, this is an excellent review, loved your pictures, and your view of the islands you visited. Congratulations, well done! ;)

[crusing48/51]

I followed your adventures from beginning to end, and I must say that you have had a different perspective that any other review of the Legend that I've read lately. I absolutely LOVED your take on this cruise. I can hardly wait until October when it's my turn! Thank you so much for such a great review!

[2tall]

^^^Love that gorgeous dog^^^

 

To the OP, love your photography. It's a nice mix of architectural detail (the kind of pictures I take), people and places. You have a good eye.