Here ya go.....another Legend review, another perspective

[pcrum]

Thanks so much for the information on the cooking demo. It is definitely on my "to do" list for our next cruise.

 

After 3 trips to Cozumel, I have only had a safe cab driver one time. All the other times have been as you described...weaving in and out of traffic, passing on a 2 lane road and horrifying speeds! Cozumel is one of our favorite ports (and I like Paradise Beach as well), but the cab ride is always a bit harried!:eek:

 

BTW, you look better without makeup on formal night than many others who get all gussied up!! Loving the review and can't wait for the rest. Add me to the admirers of how your family deals with your son. Sounds like he has a very good support system!:)

[summercruisin']

And now......what I had been waiting for.....the Chef's Table :D. I booked this way in advance, almost as soon as I booked the cruise, because I did not want to get left out! After getting back on board in Cozumel, I sent DH to the grill to get DD a cheeseburger while I showered and got her cleaned up. At 6:15 we took her to the buffet area to find the Camp Carnival people. We had checked the CC kids' menu for the night, and DD didn't want what they were having (cheese quesadillas), so we asked them to just give her the apple slices they were serving. No problem :). We dropped her off, gave last minute directions to DS, and headed to the lobby to meet the chef. Chef Panda was a few minutes late, so we struck up a conversation with a really nice couple from Tampa who were on their 17th (I think) cruise.....lucky people!

 

When the chef arrived, he gathered the 14 of us and led us to the galley. As we walked through the first few areas, he gave lots of really interesting information about how they order the food, how he decides how much to cook each night, how they prepare the food, who does what and why, and just all kinds of interesting info. Pretty soon, we were led to a long steel table to talk about how the galley operates and how to make warm chocolate melting cake. While the chef talked, we were served champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Our glasses never got empty. On the first plate, we were served an olive stuffed with parmesan and "chorizo and dates, piquillo sofrito"....don't know what that means, but it was really yummy! Next came the "focaccia, mascarpone cream, and prosciutto crudo" and the "langousine and sundried tomato jam fritters." I really wish I could have taken pictures so I could remember what I loved (it was all good, some better than others).....all this time y'all thought I was taking pictures of my food to share with you, right? :rolleyes: But, we are not allowed to take pictures in the galley. According to the chef, that is a Carnival policy.

 

While we were in the galley, early seating diners were near the end of their meals but hadn't had desssert, so it was cool to see the servers doing their thing. I saw one of our servers, and she waved. This gave me an odd sense of relief....some sort of connection coming from her recognition that was comforting since I knew that in just over an hour, my DS would be dining alone at our table.

[summercruisin']

After the reception and the galley tour, we were led to Medusa's Lair, the dance club, for our dinner. The table was set so beautifully! The ladies sat on one side of the table, the men on the other. Our names were printed on cards to indicate our seats, and I was so thrilled to be at the end of the table near the chef! We had a menu rolled up at our places, and the chef asked us to look at them while he described our meal.

 

 

By the way, I was worried about my clothing choice for this evening before the cruise, and I dug through whatever I could find about what others wore for Chef's Table. I chose a long, cotton, summery, kind of dressy dress (one I'd wear to church if it weren't for the cleavage), and DH wore khakis and a collared print shirt. Neither of us felt out of place, and most of the other dinner guests were dressed along those same lines. Had we worn more formal attire, we may have felt a little different. Just a little tidbit of info for those of you who may have the same concerns!

 

As soon as we sat down, the wine was poured. I asked for both red and white so I could attempt to use my newly acquired info about matching the food with the wine (and I think it paid off). Soon after, the first course came. It was the "tomatoes our way". Basically it was three cherry tomatoes (no skin). Two of them were bare (I guess they were the "chardonnay poached" ones) and the third had a thin layer of "cocoa butter" - basically it tasted like white chocolate. I am not usually a tomato fan (I know....weird that I'll devour salsa but otherwise avoid tomatoes. Just something about cilantro!). I did eat this dish, and I noticed DH looking at me funny. He said he was surprised I was eating it. It was pretty good though. Wouldn't be something I'd ask for more of, though (unlike some of the hors d'oeuvres!).

 

 

Next up was the Tuna Bahn Mi with sesami crisp. Now, this stuff was not too pretty, but it was really, really tasty! One of those things that if you reject it for its looks, you are going to miss out!

 

 

Next was the cornish hen. It was really good. Tasted like chicken ;)

 

Edited August 2, 2012 by summercruisin'

[GeorgiaMomof4]

real quick....

 

the view of the beach from the kayak

 

 

and the view getting lined up to go back on board. The line to get back on was not very long' date=' and it moved very quickly!

 

[img']http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/pmain13/DSCF2308.jpg[/img]

 

 

We are thinking of doing Paradise Beach also. I know you said you've been to Cozumel several times - have you ever been to the "wild side"? It looks beautiful, but I'm wondering if we should check it out using a "driver for the day" and then go to Paradise or just go straight to Paradise. Our little ones will be 10 and our son will turn 8 the day we debark so I'm wondering if they will be big enough to use the slides at Paradise.

 

Also, you mentioned early on in your review that you made an insane amount of pictures. Do you by any chance have a full shot of the Legend that might be appropriate for putting on a t-shirt? We are wanting to do matching shirts for our cruise in October and I need a good full length shot of the ship with the bow to the front. If you can look and let me know, I would appreciate it a bunch!

[summercruisin']

I'm sorry so many of my pictures are a bit blurry! I swear they are not like that on my computer, but in photobucket they are a little blurred. Grrr.

 

Anyway, next up was the "bavarois" - spinach, green peas, warm turnip, and apple juice. The chef said it was kind of soup and salad mixed. Some of our tablemates were apparantly surprised by the small serving, and I have to admit, although I did not voice it, I could have used another leaf or two. It was tasty though. I am a veggie fan, and I tend to avoid fruit, so the salad part was better (to me) than the sweeter, fruit based soup part.

 

 

 

With this course, we were given a clay pot with a really yummy bread topped with a roasted garlic clove. The chef recommended not adding butter to the bread, and after one bite it was clear why he said that. I'm willing to bet each clay pot bread serving included at least half a stick of butter! Goodness......a melty, yummy, delight that made my arteries cry for mercy (just another reason to drink more of the heart-healthy red wine, right?).

 

 

Someone suggested mashing the garlic clove against the bread and rubbing it around before eating it....it may have been the chef or someone else. By this time, the wine was interfering with my concentration :D....perfect timing for the magician! He was GREAT! He came along about this time to do some card tricks, and I tell you, it was mind blowing what he could do! And, since I was at the head of the table, I got to do be involved in some of the tricks, yet I STILL have no idea how he did them. There was this one where I was holding two cards. Seriously I was holding them, and they changed into two different cards. Crazy! He did another trick where every single person at the table drew a card (and put it back in the deck). He shuffled the cards (even offered to let us shuffle them) and then found all 14 cards in order and in creative ways, like popping them in the air, producing three at a time, and so on. Now really. How in the world???

[summercruisin']

Next up was the salmon. This was my favorite course, and it was really yummy....cooked perfectly, good sized portion, matched with lovely accoutrements...just right.

 

 

by the time I finished the salmon, I was stuffed. And then came the wagyu.

 

 

This was really yummy, too. But, I was too full to enjoy it as much as I should have, plus it had some sort of gravy on it (and, as I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of putting gravy on a good piece of meat! Not much of a southern girl on that count!). The "potato pebbles" and "pumpkin fudge", despite their funny names, were tasty sides.

 

As the night wrapped up, our dessert came. This was the famed "chef in a candy shop" that many people have expressed distaste for even its appearance. I was prepared to hate it...

 

 

but it wasn't bad. It definitely is not a traditional dessert, but it was kind of fun to match the flavors, trying different flavored waifers with different dots of flavored gel or sauce. The chef recommended leaving the sweetener-free cocoa cookie at the top of the plate until the end. Let me recommend leaving it. Period. Ugh.

 

We finished up our conversations with our new friends and headed out of the dance club to get DD from Camp Carnival before the babysitting charges began at 10. We just barely made it, and DD was upset with us for picking her up before "the party." Two or three nights on this cruise, they dressed up the late babysitting service by calling it a "night owl" party, with a theme and a dare to stay up as late as possible (the 9-11s are encouraged to stay until 3 am! :eek:). No thanks to that. We picked up DD and made our way back to the room to meet DS. He was so pleased with himself for having eaten on his own in the dining room. If he told me any details about what he ate (I'm sure I asked), I have no idea what they were. I'm going to say he didn't tell me many, but I suspect the wine absorbed them for me. At any rate, it wasn't long before we were all out for the night...ready for our big day in Belize the next morning!

Edited August 2, 2012 by summercruisin'

[summercruisin']

Well, I'm heading to bed after answering a question or two. Tomorrow I'll relive Belize :) and I'll tell you why I think even those who feel a bit threatened by the poverty in Belize should get off the ship while in port...and, if you know me, you know it involves a great beach!

 

Thanks to those of you who complimented my appearance :). That's very kind of you. I'd like to say my refusal to wear makeup (ever....even at work) and fix up my hair is because I'm some kind of hippie type who believes in being all natural, but while that is true to some small degree, it really boils down to laziness.

 

Good night, friends!

[hockeyluver]

Loving your review, the Legend was our first cruise and it will always be a special ship for us :D

 

Awesome news about your daughter and peanuts!!

 

I drive special needs school bus and have had a few kids with autism, downs and other special needs for 19 yrs. It brought a huge smile to my face reading about your son trying something new!! I know it is hard for some of the kids on my bus when I go away for my winter cruise, me and their parents start discussing that i will not be driving them for a week, about 4 weeks before we go. Change is not a fun thing. :p Anyway enough about me and my kids ( i figure after they have been on my bus for a couple years they are part mine :p) continue with your review please :)

[summercruisin']

We are thinking of doing Paradise Beach also. I know you said you've been to Cozumel several times - have you ever been to the "wild side"? It looks beautiful, but I'm wondering if we should check it out using a "driver for the day" and then go to Paradise or just go straight to Paradise. Our little ones will be 10 and our son will turn 8 the day we debark so I'm wondering if they will be big enough to use the slides at Paradise.

 

Also, you mentioned early on in your review that you made an insane amount of pictures. Do you by any chance have a full shot of the Legend that might be appropriate for putting on a t-shirt? We are wanting to do matching shirts for our cruise in October and I need a good full length shot of the ship with the bow to the front. If you can look and let me know, I would appreciate it a bunch!

 

We have been to Chankanaab, and we have taken a ferry out to Playa del Carmen, but we have not been to the wild side. I'd love to get brave enough to do that one day. If you choose to do that, be aware, people seriously drive crazy there...like nothing I've seen anywhere else (and I have travelled to many, many places). I'd research any potential tour companies in great detail before allowing my children in a vehicle with them.

 

The slides at Paradise beach are bigger than the look and farther out from shore than they appear as well. Even the trampolines are high up. Nonetheless, I saw people of all ages enjoying the water toys, even smaller kids, so your children may enjoy them if they are a bit brave. The $12 does include the use of the kayaks (must have 2 people), some water mats, snorkeling equipment, and other stuff, so it would not have felt like a waste of money if the pool weren't there. With the pool, my kids were less inclined to try out more ocean stuff.

 

I do indeed have a huge selection of pictures, and I am certain I took a good number of full-ship shots. I will dig through them tomorrow and see what I can find. If I have any you would like to use, you are welcome to do so! My pictures are coming out blurry through photobucket, though, so if you find one you like, you may want me to email it to you instead to see if it comes out any clearer. Glad to do so!

[summercruisin']

Loving your review, the Legend was our first cruise and it will always be a special ship for us :D

 

Awesome news about your daughter and peanuts!!

 

I drive special needs school bus and have had a few kids with autism, downs and other special needs for 19 yrs. It brought a huge smile to my face reading about your son trying something new!! I know it is hard for some of the kids on my bus when I go away for my winter cruise, me and their parents start discussing that i will not be driving them for a week, about 4 weeks before we go. Change is not a fun thing. :p Anyway enough about me and my kids ( i figure after they have been on my bus for a couple years they are part mine :p) continue with your review please :)

 

 

Oh, so cool that you drive the bus for them and even "adopt" them somewhat! And how kind of you to help them deal with changes when they come up. That, of course, is a huge problem for DS! He is very routine oriented, and does not like changes or surprises! In fact, if you see our dining room pictures, you may notice that the four of us sit in the same spot each night. Once the arrangement is established, we would have a tough time changing it. I'll bet my last dollar that when he ate in there on his own that he sat in the exact same spot! He's like Big Bang Theory's Sheldon about HIS spot once that spot is found. And other changes make him fall apart as well. His teacher last year went out on maternity leave in January, and I sincerely thought we were not going to be able to finish the school year. So difficult. Kudos to you for being a positive influence!

[AutumnBM]

Loving your review! You are psyching me up for our own cruise on the Legend in , oh , 23 days now ;)

 

 

I'm also glad to see a review about the Legend that isn't 90% complaints!! I love reading happy cruise reviews.

 

 

We also have the Chef's Table booked & my husband has been worried about the new menu but I'll make sure to show him this & let him see that it'll be awesome!

[summercruisin']

Loving your review! You are psyching me up for our own cruise on the Legend in , oh , 23 days now ;)

 

 

I'm also glad to see a review about the Legend that isn't 90% complaints!! I love reading happy cruise reviews.

 

 

We also have the Chef's Table booked & my husband has been worried about the new menu but I'll make sure to show him this & let him see that it'll be awesome!

 

Oh, I am soooo jealous of you right now! I really really wish I could have a do-over! And not because it was bad, but because we had a great time. Just fabulous!

 

I was worried about the new menu as well. I never got to try the old one, but it looked so good (I still wish I could try it!) and there were so very many people criticizing this new one and even talking about cancelling their plans. I even considered it at one point, but I'm so glad I didn't cancel it. It was really good. Even if it wasn't the extra-expensive stuff that appeared to be in the original menu, the chef did some really cool things with what he had, and despite what anyone says, it was not your typical cornish hen or salmon that anyone could pick up at the Aldi and whip up in an hour for the fam.

[vegadog2]

whew! Photobucket and I were really struggling there for a while' date=' but I think we are friends again! Then I took a break for dinner, and let me tell you, it was nowhere near as good as last week's meals! But I'm back. So, where was I.....oh yeah, just arriving!

 

We dropped off our bags, checked out our space, looked over the goodies left in the room, and then headed to the Lido deck for lunch! Now, I have a serious love for Carnival's caesar salad (real anchovies! YUM!) as well as their bagel with smoked salmon, so that is always my first meal choice! And it didn't disappoint!

 

[img']http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/pmain13/DSCF2155.jpg[/img]

 

I also got a drink of the day to make this whole vacation thing official!

 

 

Before getting my own meal, I picked up pizza for DS and DD. She didn't like it, but DS did. This is odd, since DS is usually my really picky eater (with his sensory issues, he limits himself to literally about 7 meals). DD will usually eat just about anything, but she didn't touch the pizza all week after this try. This was just the first of several odd occurences to come, and I'm allowing myself to believe that cruising may actually be good therapy for autistic kids (I'm completely ignoring the fact that our last cruise was very much overshadowed by DS's many adjustment challenges).

 

DH went to the buffet, but I don't remember what he ate...probably a really big messy salad (his typical choice at any buffet)!

 

After that, DS and I went to guest services because I had contacted them in advance about his Aspergers. I had only asked for two accomodations - one I was assured of in advance: a table just for us four at dinner (to avoid bothering any other diners if he had a meltdown, which is more likely in any situation where things that appeal to his senses are enhanced, like meals in busy dining rooms) and an alternate safety drill (same thing...having to stand in the heat lined up with strangers who may brush up against him, listening to hard-to-hear yet magnified and possibly distorted verbal instructions while smelling everyone's smells is more than he can take). After a very short wait, we spoke with someone who clearly didn't know what Aspergers is or what I was trying to say about verifying and getting instructions on the alternate safety drill. But, she soon went in an office in the back and apparently asked someone else, came out with a list of people with special needs, pointed out DS's name and instructed me to stay in the cabin with DS and DD. She said one adult had to appear at the drill for our cabin and could relay instructions to us afterwards :o. DH agreed to go (okay, I didn't give him a choice. I MAY have even told him that she said the father had to go....can't remember thanks to that DOTD...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!). DH went to the drill and, honestly, it was a good thing that DS didn't have to go, because just as the drill started, the rain and thunder did as well. Since, DS's biggest anxiety is storms, he would have been a complete mess standing out on that deck. At home he hides and only comes out to check the weather radar on the computer, a coping mechanism he has used (and understood) since he was 4.

 

Anyway....after the drill, we stood out on our balcony to watch sailaway and take some pictures...

 

goodbye, terminal 2

 

 

YOUR REVIEW IS HURTING ME ALREADY (8 weeks til I get my smoked salmon).

I love the SMOKED SALMON.The CESAR SALAD WITH REAL ANCHOVIES,Not anchovie paste.(I didn't know other folks liked that as much as I do).

I am not really sure how some people can't find anything good to eat.I can always find GOOD STUFF.

On to read the rest of your review.GREAT STUFF.

[esd087]

Thanks for taking the time to detail the whole cruise---and keep posting pics! We are going on the Legend (our first cruise) on Sept. 1 so I'm researching every detail as much as I can! :)

[justretiredarling]

I forgot to mention that we also fit in Camp Carnival registration that first night' date=' and good gracious there were a LOT :eek: of kids on this ship!!! I almost always cruise in the summer (hence the login name) since I'm a teacher, and I know summer cruises typically have lots of kids, but seriously......lots and lots. The good news is that we really didn't notice any troublesome ones for the most part. The kids we interacted with were well behaved. In fact, a group of 4 preteens went out of their way to make friends with DD and even played along as she declared them all her mermaid sisters and gave them all mermaid names. Every time we saw them around the ship, they smiled and said "hi" to their "mermaid friend"! I think the very worse behavior we saw was kids running past people without being very mindful of personal space, and we did hear some pretty foul language near the basketball court. Other than that, all those "great kids" that we hear about on these boards must really exist ;)...and a bunch of them were on this cruise![/quote']

 

Thank you for the review, pics, and tips. I am also a teacher (39 years in Kdg.) however just retired. Can't wait for my first September cruise on The Legend!

[justretiredarling]

I forgot to mention that we also fit in Camp Carnival registration that first night' date=' and good gracious there were a LOT :eek: of kids on this ship!!! I almost always cruise in the summer (hence the login name) since I'm a teacher, and I know summer cruises typically have lots of kids, but seriously......lots and lots. The good news is that we really didn't notice any troublesome ones for the most part. The kids we interacted with were well behaved. In fact, a group of 4 preteens went out of their way to make friends with DD and even played along as she declared them all her mermaid sisters and gave them all mermaid names. Every time we saw them around the ship, they smiled and said "hi" to their "mermaid friend"! I think the very worse behavior we saw was kids running past people without being very mindful of personal space, and we did hear some pretty foul language near the basketball court. Other than that, all those "great kids" that we hear about on these boards must really exist ;)...and a bunch of them were on this cruise![/quote']

 

Thank you for the review, pics, and tips. I am also a teacher (39 years in Kdg.) however just retired. Can't wait for my first September cruise on The Legend!

[summercruisin']

Thank you for the review, pics, and tips. I am also a teacher (39 years in Kdg.) however just retired. Can't wait for my first September cruise on The Legend!

 

 

Congratulations on your retirement, and thank you for giving so many years to the profession! Very awesome! I am going into my 20th year, and I'm thinking there is no way I'd make it to 39! :eek:

[summercruisin']

Let's talk about beautiful Belize! DH and I had been to Belize once before, and we did cave tubing through a private company. It was beautiful; we had a great time; we enjoyed seeing the city and the countryside even with the poverty. Since the kids were with us this time, we didn't think cave tubing would work. We also wanted to go to a beach (we didn't get to do that the first time) for reasons already mentioned and also because when DS travels with us, we always collect sand from each port for a souvenir. I painted DS's room to look like you are in the ocean, with lots of sea animals all around, and I put up a shelf that holds things we bring back from our Caribbean trips, including labeled tubes of sand from each place he visits.

 

I had the hardest time picking an excursion for this stop. I couldn't find much information at all about the one Carnival excursion that we kept looking at, the semi-sub and Rendezvous Cay, but I suspected my family would enjoy it. I finally decided to go out on a limb and try it out. One of the reasons I picked it was because we would not tender to the port and then tender again; the tender for the excursion picked us up directly from the ship.

 

 

There are two groups on the tender; some are going straight to Rendezvous Cay, a very small island out in the ocean, for snorkeling and beach fun and the others are going to the semi-sub before returning to the island. The tender ride was pretty long (35-40 minutes, if I remember correctly), but one of the guides gives lots of information about Belize on the way (they all acted REALLY eager to teach visitors about their country, which was awesome!). They play music as well (including local music). Plus the water is so amazingly beautiful, so it really didn't seem like an unbearable tender to me. I will give you a bit of advice if you choose this excursion. The tender will probably be packed, so if you want to stay fairly cool, choose one of the benches in the middle instead of sitting around the outside. You get shade and the best breeze there!

 

We finally got out to the island...very cool

 

 

 

and dropped off the first group...the snorkelers.

 

 

Then we headed out to a boat within view (so close to the island) that was tied up with the semi sub. I liked the name of the semi-sub :)

 

[javamom]

The line for the dining room was very long this first night (I guess people were struggling to find their tables or even which way to go?)' date=' but it moved quickly and we were soon seated with probably the best dining team I've ever had.

 

[/quote']

 

Do you remember the names? Thanks

[misstopgun]

For dinner' date=' DS got the salmon (holy cow!!!). Granted, he has always liked fish, but he likes it fried the traditional Carolina way (and who can blame him. If you've ever had Calabash-style seafood, you probably understand why that is on his short list!). He has never tried salmon though, which is, of course, not much like the flounder that is typically fried here in NC. He loved it! He ate almost all of it, and I just couldn't be happier (can you tell?).

 

[img']http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/pmain13/DSCF2255.jpg[/img]

 

DH and I each had lobster tail...

 

 

AND we shared a plate of the prime rib.

 

 

DD got chicken nuggets. She was given a kids' menu this night, and much to my dismay, chicken nuggets became her meal of choice most nights. They didn't look good to me, but she seemed to like them.

 

 

Just as I was all happily wrapped up in the events of the evening thinking it couldn't get any better, the head chef came by to introduce himself and ask if we had any allergies (in advance of the chef's table meal that was scheduled for the next evening). I LOVE chef Panda. He is so friendly, funny, lighthearted, eager to please...just ideal. He talked with us for a little while, joked with the kids and asked where they would be the next night (he seemed genuinely concerned!), and wrapped up telling us that if there was ANYTHING we wanted, all we had to do was ask. He said we could now say we know the chef and get whatever we wanted. It was so nice of him! He insisted on getting the kids something special, and so we finally asked him to get them some strawberries and grapes. Both of our kids love fresh fruit, but DS is not fond of melons and tropical fruits like pineapple. So, he decided not to order the "fruit cocktail" because he didn't think there would be much fruit that he would eat. When we mentioned they'd like to have just berries and grapes, Chef Panda pulled out his cell phone and ordered them up on the spot before sending our server to go get them. Wow.

 

 

Yep, he had me at "anything else?...whatever you want!" It was an awesome experience, and it made me even more excited about the chef's table the next night!

I have to agree with you. We have been to 4 Chef's tables on various ships and chef Panda was our favorite!

 

We are sailing the Legend for the 4th time in Oct. so am really enjoying your review. It make the wait more barable. Thanks for writing it!

[summercruisin']

It happens that the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world is located off the coast of Belize (and Honduras, too). Our family loves nature stuff, so we were pretty excited to see a tiny little bit of this amazing place! When we got on the semi-sub, we were led downstairs to an airconditioned space (thank goodness) with little fold-down seats along windows looking out right under the surface of the ocean.

 

 

The steps were wide enough to be easy to navigate, and had the people in front of us thought to go to the end of the row or wait to pull down their chairs, it would have been very easy to navigate that space as well. It still wasn't bad.

 

There were pictoral cards located in each window so we could identify some of the fish and coral we might see, and the windows were nice sized, making for easy viewing.

 

 

The semi-sub moves along the reef for about 25 minutes and then turns around and goes back, so although only one side is facing the reef at one time, both sides get a chance to get a clear view. If you turn around, you can see some stuff even when it is on the other side. There is a guide that gives lots of interesting information (he was awesome! I wish I knew his name) and points out different fish, coral, and other things. We saw lots of things, including a squid right beside the window (yum! calamari!). I didn't get many very good pictures, as my camera didn't like the angle of the windows, and (as the guide pointed out) there is no artificial lighting to help make the view clearer.

 

After riding along the reef, we headed back to Rendezvous Cay, where the guide told us we could hang out on the beach, use the kayaks, buy snacks or grill food, swim, and even snorkle at no extra cost. He asked for a show of hands of who might want to snorkle, because they send a guide out with small groups, and I raised my hand. When we got off the boat, however, DS and DH headed straight to the kayaks and took off, leaving me with DD...no big deal, I just realized I might not be able to snorkle.

 

 

I took the chance to take some pretty pictures of DD and the beautiful water!

 

 

 

[summercruisin']

Do you remember the names? Thanks

 

I know two of them. One was Zeljka and another was Gede (he told us to call him G). The third was really helpful and kind, but he didn't reach out to us as much as these two. Zeljka danced with my daughter most nights and just loved on her...come to find out she was trained to be a teacher but couldn't get a teaching job in her native Croatia due to politics. G really connected with my son and took exceptionally good care of him. He even gave DS his Facebook info so they could keep in touch (through my account; DS does not have FB).

[summercruisin']

After a few minutes, the guide who had offered snorkeling after the semi-sub ride saw that I was still on the beach and said, "I thought you wanted to snorkle!" When I explained why I wasn't snorkeling, he said, "well, we will be sure to tell papa he is on duty when he comes back to shore so you can snorkle!" I put DD's floatie on and let her play in the water (it is shallow way out, and there were no waves). A few minutes later, the guide came back and offered to watch her so I could go ahead out and snorkle. Since DH was in sight and I would also be still in sight, I agreed. Very cool of him. DH came back before long and said he found DD happily playing in the water while the guide stood on the beach watching her.

 

After a little snorkeling (we got to hold a sea cucumber...ewwww and see several fish), I returned to the island to get a few pics

 

The dock with the boat that brought us on the left, the boat with snorkle gear on the right.

 

 

the changing room

 

 

the beach mats were free to use

 

 

the grill

 

 

there were several palapas with benches under them

 

 

looking all the way across the island!

 

[summercruisin']

the swim area beside the dock

 

 

DS got brave enough to take a single kayak out....again, amazing! I was so proud, as this is something he normally wouldn't consider! And yet he was so brave and so proud of himself!

 

 

All too soon, we had to head back to the ship. The tender ride was pretty easy (still long), and the guides served fruit punch and rum punch on the way back. They also cranked up the music and even danced with the passengers. Before too long, we spotted the Legend, and DS decided to let me try to take a fun picture.

 

 

There she is

 

 

 

And here's a pic while getting back on board from the tender. That's the tender that goes to the mainland. Both doors were opened for reloading, which saved a little time.

 

[summercruisin']

oops! I posted the wrong "fun" picture. Here's the right one...

 

 

Also, I think I forgot to mention, the kayaks are "glass bottom" so DS was really thrilled to be able to see the fish swimming under him. And the water is clear enough to see fish even from above the water. I got a picture of a fish underwater from the dock.

 

 

 

Now, for those of you who are a little unnerved by or not very impressed with Belize, let me suggest (if you can stand the tender ride) that you visit Rendezvous Cay instead of staying on the ship. This was really a fantastic way to spend the day. Beautiful beach, snacks available, wonderful water...really, just perfect.

Edited August 2, 2012 by summercruisin'