Legend Review - May 27-June 2, 2012 - Long/Lots of Pictures

[shwabob]

Your cave tubing pictures are soooo coool! Can't wait to do that excursion!

 

How long did the actual cave tubing part of the tour take?

 

They tell you 30 minutes, and judging by the timestamps on my camera...

We hit the water right at about 1:16 and exited the cave at 1:51...35 minutes.

Then there was another 10-15 minutes of river cruising before we exited. Be prepared because the sun does beat down on you during this time.

 

Mario's Camera has a GPS on it, so here's the geo-tag info for everyone:

 

 

 

[shwabob]

What’s that…

 

Looks like my kind of place..

 

 

 

 

 

Next up…Tabyana Beach, Roatan.

[marshhawk]

The next spot of Sand after this island would have been Goff's Cay. The outer islands of Belize are beautiful. and small. very very small.

[gred1994]

I'm loving your review, and I'm waiting for more!

[Disney180]

He has to get special clearance for the visit to Cozumel, but we're really hopeful that he'll be able to go.

 

 

Hi Why does he have to get special permission? Is Cozumel on a do not travel list.

Cheers Disney180

[FloridaGram]

Have you traveled on a larger more modern ship before? Was this ship OK after that, if you have? I cannot imagine getting my expectation up for a huge RCCL and then going on a smaller CCL.

 

I am considering going out of Tampa for the convenience but went on the Disney Fantasy in May and I am afraid I would be disappointed in the ship. I don't think the size is so much different but just the age of the ship and perhaps lack of more modern amenities.

[sunripndrazbry]

My hubby and I will be on the Legend in September, so excited!! We want to do the ATV/cave tubing combo with cave-tubing.com. With the hassles you experienced with the tenders, should we nix the ATV part and just do the tubing? I'm afraid of the timing issues and we've never done excursions on our past cruises, let alone non-Carnival excursions :confused:

[sunripndrazbry]

oh and great review by the way!! =D

[cruisinginseptember]

Have you traveled on a larger more modern ship before? Was this ship OK after that, if you have? I cannot imagine getting my expectation up for a huge RCCL and then going on a smaller CCL.

 

I am considering going out of Tampa for the convenience but went on the Disney Fantasy in May and I am afraid I would be disappointed in the ship. I don't think the size is so much different but just the age of the ship and perhaps lack of more modern amenities.

 

I guess it's all subjective. I had heard Carnival was a totally different atmosphere than say RCCL, so I had a mindset of different expectations upfront. I had set my expectations low purposely. I went from going on RCCL Freedom of the Seas one year, to Carnival Legend the next, for price and convenience. I thought the food was comparable. As far as amenities, I look at it this way. Many of the extra amenities on Freedom you had to pay for, and this helped my budget. I think a cruise is what you make of it, not necessarily all the bells and whistles on the ship. Those are there to generate more revenue, in my humble opinion. The more money I can save, the more I can cruise. :D I had such a good time on the Carnival Legend, I'm sailing on her again. Just one persons humble opinion, though. Your mileage may vary... :rolleyes:

[FalconSteelerFan05]

Great review! We are scheduled on a cavetubing.com excursion on our cruise of 7/8. I know this may sound weird, but what shoes were folks wearing. I'm of the opinion that beach shoes should be ok. My wife, on the other hand, has bought these uber cool water/river shoes that probably cost me some serious hard earned $$$. So what was your findings? Thanks!

[marshhawk]

Have you traveled on a larger more modern ship before? Was this ship OK after that, if you have? I cannot imagine getting my expectation up for a huge RCCL and then going on a smaller CCL.

 

I am considering going out of Tampa for the convenience but went on the Disney Fantasy in May and I am afraid I would be disappointed in the ship. I don't think the size is so much different but just the age of the ship and perhaps lack of more modern amenities.

Floridagram- I've done the Legend before, am doing it again, what do you mean by Modern Amenities? The size of the ship is nice. Just the right size.

[shwabob]

Hi Why does he have to get special permission? Is Cozumel on a do not travel list.

Cheers Disney180

 

Not so much Cozumel, but Mexico in general has serious security issues which are predominately in the northern part of the country. While these issues aren't present on touristy Cozumel island, the Air Force cares not and treats all of Mexico the same.

 

Have you traveled on a larger more modern ship before? Was this ship OK after that, if you have? I cannot imagine getting my expectation up for a huge RCCL and then going on a smaller CCL.

 

I am considering going out of Tampa for the convenience but went on the Disney Fantasy in May and I am afraid I would be disappointed in the ship. I don't think the size is so much different but just the age of the ship and perhaps lack of more modern amenities.

 

This is my 2nd trip on Legend. Previously I've only sailed on Fantasy-class ships, RCCL Monarch of the Seas, and Carnival Victory. Victory was much larger and I hated it. I'm tempted to try the Breeze, but I keep hearing nothing but negatives about crowding on Dream-class ships so I'll probably stay away. However, even Carnival's older ships like the Sensation have all (and in some cases more of) the modern amenities that the newer and larger ships have.

 

My hubby and I will be on the Legend in September, so excited!! We want to do the ATV/cave tubing combo with cave-tubing.com. With the hassles you experienced with the tenders, should we nix the ATV part and just do the tubing? I'm afraid of the timing issues and we've never done excursions on our past cruises, let alone non-Carnival excursions :confused:

 

I think you'll be okay, they're really good about how they handle it. We we back at the port with probably 30-45 minutes to spare before the "last tender" (since there was a delayed Carnival excursion this ended up being later). They brag about never having had anybody miss the boat...regardless of whether it's true or not, they're very aware of the time constraints they are facing.

[debster11]

Have you traveled on a larger more modern ship before? Was this ship OK after that, if you have? I cannot imagine getting my expectation up for a huge RCCL and then going on a smaller CCL.

 

I am considering going out of Tampa for the convenience but went on the Disney Fantasy in May and I am afraid I would be disappointed in the ship. I don't think the size is so much different but just the age of the ship and perhaps lack of more modern amenities.

 

Didn't you know they have prisoners in the bottom of the ship rowing as their punishment. No running water and pots used for, well, you know. Please. I am not one to bash, and I am not trying to but really?

[marshhawk]

Please come back! My whole roll call is reading your review! We need you back!

Sorry if I sound so desperate!

[shwabob]

Sorry if I haven't been posting as much, been a little crazy...I'm in Austin all day tomorrow for a meeting with a client so hopefully I'll get a little time in the airports.

 

Just noted that the night we were in Belize was the midnight Mexican buffet:

 

 

[shwabob]

Great review! We are scheduled on a cavetubing.com excursion on our cruise of 7/8. I know this may sound weird, but what shoes were folks wearing. I'm of the opinion that beach shoes should be ok. My wife, on the other hand, has bought these uber cool water/river shoes that probably cost me some serious hard earned $$$. So what was your findings? Thanks!

 

No worries...you should probably pick up a pair of inexpensive water shoes (like this) before you go. It was something both of us were caught unprepared for even though they tell you to bring them. You can rent them for $3.00 when you get your tubes, but the rental shoes leave something to be desired. Go pick up some cheap ones at your local wal-mart or target and you'll be thankful even if these are the one time you'll use them.

[shwabob]

Day 4 - Roatan

 

For Roatan, we decided to do the Tabyana Beach Break excursion through carnival. At $49/pp it's not expensive given it includes a 30 minute or so ride to and from on a regular basis. We woke up to the boat docking at Mahogany Bay and went up to Lido for some quick eats before hitting dry land. We got off at about 9:15 and milled around the shops a little before heading out with our excursion group to the beach. It was a fairly long ride through some very mountainous terrain (certainly for a native Floridian like myself). Once we got to the beach we were amazed by how beautiful the beach was. Snorkeling was good as well. Water, Lemonade, and Sweet/Unsweet Tea were available by the snack bar area for free, and they had a few small gift/craft shops in addition to the bar/cafe. The staff on the beach were very helpful and easy going. It was over all too soon...the last bus is at 1:30 ship's time and we were on the 1:00 one. Gave me some more time to pick up a few things in port before heading back to the boat for our usual lunch on Lido and to get ready for the second Elegant night of the cruise.

 

After leaving Roatan, we took a nice nap for a few hours before getting ready and heading down to the dining room at about 7:30 so as to avoid any waits, which we did. Service was better tonight than on the first elegant night, we had excellent waitstaff who didn't say a thing about the bottle of wine we brought with us (luck I guess). For dinner tonight there was Chateaubriand which was cooked magnificently (so much so that I had 3 reorders of it). Probably the best meal of the entire cruise there.

 

We proceeded to mill around the casino and some of the other lounges before hitting up the last Adult comedy show of the evening with Scotty K, which was stellar. Absolutely awesome comic that I caught all of his remaining adults-only shows on the trip. We then proceeded to Medusa's Lair for a White Party and had a great time getting to know quite a few of the entertainment staff on the ship that were having fun in the dance club that evening. After closing Medusa's Lair down, we finished up with a few shots on Lido deck, pizza, and ice cream. It's a good life.

 

Hello Roatan:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming up...Tabyana Beach!!!

[Disney180]

Thank you so much for the work you have done for this review. I am getting so excited and making sure my DH and friends are following too.

[shwabob]

On our way to Tabyana Beach:

 

 

Here we are...the pictures truly can't do it justice:

 

 

 

 

 

[chipq]

Great picture review of your cruise. Love them. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[gooberpea17]

What resort was near you when you were at the beach break. There are several resorts along that strip of sand and I was considering doing Bananarama instead of Carnival for a little less scratch.

[grgsgrl]

In Nachi, how many folks do you think there were? Know they have a limit but seemed liked a small crowd, which would be Awesome.

We are cave tubing in Belize also and want to know if you felt it was worth it? I am looking at it as a new adventure and something to talk about for a long while - really hoping it is not like a Disney ride:eek:

Your review is amazing - KEEP it up - the crowd wants MORE

[shwabob]

Great picture review of your cruise. Love them. Thanks for sharing.

 

You're very welcome. I'm glad you and so many others enjoy it.

 

What resort was near you when you were at the beach break. There are several resorts along that strip of sand and I was considering doing Bananarama instead of Carnival for a little less scratch.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure. Tabyana is here (GPS: 16.272263,-86.600067). Looks like Bananarama is just a few properties up, as Tabyana is at the southern end of the beach near 'gringo hill'. It was a good 30-35 minute bus ride out there. I didn't check taxi rates but that'd be something to consider.

 

In Nachi, how many folks do you think there were? Know they have a limit but seemed liked a small crowd, which would be Awesome.

We are cave tubing in Belize also and want to know if you felt it was worth it? I am looking at it as a new adventure and something to talk about for a long while - really hoping it is not like a Disney ride:eek:

Your review is amazing - KEEP it up - the crowd wants MORE

 

Probably 30 or so at peak, it was really quiet. I think only one other party was from the Legend, everybody else that was there was from Triumph. Towards the end we were some of the last people there, which was fine by me.

 

The cave tubing through cave-tubing.com was excellent and worth every penny of the $40pp we paid. They had things well put together in a no-frills sort of way. Be prepared for the hike to the river though, it's a good 30 minute hike in a very hot jungle. You get a few dips in the river to cool off, but it's something one should be prepared for. Once your in the river you forget all about it and just enjoy the ride.

[shwabob]

Simply Amazing:

 

 

 

 

On our way back to Mahogany Bay:

 

 

 

[ComeSailWithME]

Your beach pictures are murdering my motivation here at work.. just so you know. :p