Legend Halloween Cruise Review

[MagSeven1413]

 

 

 

Legend with the Star and Spirit

 

Hit the spot

[rhcpchika1]

Ive been waiting a few days for this; keep it coming! loving the review and pics :)

[rockymtn]

That's all I have right now. I have to go through more pictures and add to the review, probably over the weekend.

 

Joe

Joe, great review. Is it possible to send me the contact info to book the 2 hour cocktail party. We are on the Nov 27th Legend cruise, and would like to do it with our roll call group. How much per person did it cost. Did you have a good turnout. Please email me KIDSEXPLORE@SHAW.CA or please vist our Nov. 27 Roll Call. Thank you, Glen

[MagSeven1413]

Thursday Roatan

 

The morning was overcast with slight showers. We had booked a tour with Victor Bodden to tour the island, stop at one of the beaches and then the cameo factory. Dave was not feeling well after splurging on tons of food at the Wet Lizard the previous day, so he stayed behind. We met up with Bill and Denise and the 7 of us left for our excursion. We managed to get to the ship’s excursion pavilion before it began to rain again. We waited about 10 minutes for the downpour to let up; then we hiked up and then down the hill to our rendezvous point.

 

Victor’s brother Francisco was our guide for the day. He was very friendly and enjoyed talking about the island. We got to see a lot of the island and managed to get some great pictures. When we got to West End Village, I was disappointed to see how congested the beach area was. The shops seemed to crowd the beach so we asked Francisco to drive us over to West Bay. We made a few more stops but the skies stayed overcast. I think we all had the same idea – just go to the cameo factory before heading back to the port.

 

The cameo factory was interesting. No, it is not a factory as one would imagine. It is a little store with the individuals making the cameos on the premises. While everyone went inside, I bought a bottle of Coke from a lady outside who also happened to have some baked goods. I bought a pineapple filled cookie for $1 – it was amazingly delicious. Once I let everyone take a taste, they all went out to buy one. Kim managed to find a cameo for herself and one for our puppy sitter.

 

After the cameo factory, we went back to the pier. Francisco was very nice, but overall, we were all disappointed in the island. Yes, we did get many nice pictures from the different vantage points, but the beach at West End Village left a lot to be desired. We all agreed that we probably could have enjoyed ourselves at Mahogany Bay right there by the ship.

 

We managed to get a lot of shopping done and reboarded the ship. Dave was feeling much better and was his old self. We talked about our private excursion that was booked for the following day with John Michael Stafford’s 27 foot boat, but decided to cancel for 2 reasons. Jamie was having off and on equilibrium issues, and I didn’t want her to feel like that all day on a small private boat. Also, I developed a sore throat and didn’t want to be miserable either. We headed to the excursion desk and booked a beach excursion on 7 Mile Beach.

 

Jamie had received her instructions for the Carnival Legends show, but it was going to require a lot of her time on Saturday, our last sea day. Since it was her honeymoon, she didn’t want to waste her day doing that, so she let them know that she wasn’t going to participate.By the time dinner (2nd elegant night) came around. Dinner was great but the throat was beginning to bother me. I stopped at the shops to get throat lozenges and I was good to go (or so I thought). We spent some time in Satchmo’s listening to the show band and went back to the room around midnight.

 

 

http://s546.photobucket.com/albums/hh440/MagSeven1413/Cruise%202011%20Roatan/

[MagSeven1413]

 

The 'Gringo Tree' - peels and looks red like a sunburn

 

 

 

 

[boowaaccaa]

Joe, great review. Is it possible to send me the contact info to book the 2 hour cocktail party. We are on the Nov 27th Legend cruise, and would like to do it with our roll call group. How much per person did it cost. Did you have a good turnout. Please email me KIDSEXPLORE@SHAW.CA or please vist our Nov. 27 Roll Call. Thank you, Glen

 

I would also like this info. How much does it cost and how many people do you need?

[MagSeven1413]

I would also like this info. How much does it cost and how many people do you need?

You need 20 people. For one hour it's $11.74; two hours is $19.55. It is an open bar. Those prices include the gratuity.

[boowaaccaa]

You need 20 people. For one hour it's $11.74; two hours is $19.55. It is an open bar. Those prices include the gratuity.

 

Is there an email or a link on the Carnival page?

[MagSeven1413]

Too much has been going on and I haven't had a chance to finish the review until now.

 

Saturday at Sea

 

We woke up relatively well rested but I was still drained from the cold. We ordered room service breakfast and took our time getting ready for the day. After breakfast, we took the camera and walked the ship taking pictures. I was impressed by the glass vases in the display cases in the stairwells. The ship itself is beautiful; probably one of the nicest Carnival ships we have seen. Yes the décor can be considered gaudy, but that’s to be expected from a Carnival ship.

I thought the Enchanted Forest on Deck 3(Atlantis) was unique, but pointless. I want to say it is a waste of space, but I don’t know what else to do unless you just expanded Follies Lounge. I never saw anyone utilizing the seating there when I walked through.

The Atlantis Lobby Lounge on Deck 2 (Promenade) was always downright COLD. I am never cold, but I learned very fast to head down to the Atlantis and go forward from there rather than walk through the Atlantis.

The Legends’ Café on the Promenade forward made excellent milkshakes and had some great specialty desserts – all for a relatively nominal fee, as far as I was concerned.

The Serenity Area was anything but serene. I tried to spend some time out there, but there seemed to be the same group of drunk adults hanging out in the pool being obnoxiously loud.

The Unicorn Café Restaurant on the Lido had some delicious food. The deli made some of the best corned beef, pastrami, reubens, combos, and other sandwiches any of us had ever tasted. It never seemed to be busy and the guys behind the counter were more than willing to put extra meat on the sandwiches when asked. The Asian and Italian counters had some nice selections also. As far as the pizzeria, definitely try the pizzas. They also make a mean calzone and awesome garlic toast.

[MagSeven1413]

We never ate breakfast or lunch in the dining room so I can’t speak to the food or the service. The buffet was good enough for us for breakfast after we had our morning room service coffee. The buffet was never crowded and we never had to worry about a big line anywhere. I know I’ve read another review somewhere and the OP complained about having to wait in line for pizza – I guess they must feel privileged.

The ship is the right size for the number of passengers – we were even able to get chairs near the pool just about anytime we wanted.

This was the first Carnival cruise that I can remember where the shows for the late seating started at 6:30 or 7, which defeats my purpose of having a late dinner seating. If I wanted to get ready for 6:30, I’d request an early dinner. Obviously we never saw a show. However, we did enjoy 2 adult comedy shows in the Punchliner Comedy Club in the Firebirds Lounge. We did see the same comedienne, but her show was different each time.

The Dreamteam Sports Lounge was okay but mostly showed the Spanish ESPN network. We did have NFL games on Sunday, but on that Saturday sea day the satellite connection was down so there was no USA networks on at all – CBS, NBC, ABC, or ESPN. People were complaining because everyone wanted to watch some college football. Some were upset because the LSU-Alabama game was being played that evening and they were hoping to see it. Sometime around 4pm, the satellite was restored and everyone was happy. J

For dinner we just ate at the buffet. Dave, Mike and I made a trip down to the MDR to give our waiters their tips. We hung out in Satchmo’s for awhile after dinner so we could smoke our Cubans before leaving the ship the next morning.

 

http://s546.photobucket.com/albums/hh440/MagSeven1413/Cruise%202011/Cruise%202011%20The%20Legend%20itself/

[MagSeven1413]

Sunday – Debarkation and Tampa

 

We woke up in Tampa Sunday morning to a beautiful day. The 6 of us went up for breakfast and had no problem finding a table for all of us. After that we grabbed our luggage and waited on the Atlantis Deck overlooking the main atrium where debarkation was occurring. It’s always entertaining to watch the people that don’t have a clue how to follow instructions. Eventually we made it off the ship and straight to a taxi to take us to the Best Western Bay Harbor hotel for our post-cruise stay.

 

One of our 3 rooms was available which enabled all of us to drop off luggage and explore the grounds. The bay was pretty and the pool was inviting, even though it was very windy. Kim and I had made reservations at Bern’s Steakhouse for that evening, but with my cold I couldn’t taste anything so we decided not to waste the money. The six of us had lunch at Crabby Bill’s on the premises. After lunch, Kim and I spent some time at the pool until I decided that I shouldn’t be out in the wind with my cold. That night we ate dinner with Pam and Dave at Crabby’s again while we watched the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

 

 

http://s546.photobucket.com/albums/hh440/MagSeven1413/Cruise%202011/Cruise%202011%20Tampa%20post%20Cruise/