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

[summercruisin']

DD put on her floatie and went in, despite still being a bit nervous.

 

 

I point out this detail, because we didn't know for sure whether or not she'd be able to wear her floatie. We knew water shoes weren't allowed, so we weren't sure, but it was no problem.

 

I lost track of time while in Stingray City, but I'd guess we were there about 45 minutes. During that time, the tour operators captured a big sting ray for kissing (7 years good luck?) and for pictures (and took pictures that you could buy if you don't have a waterproof camera...$65 for all the pics taken of your group). They also caught a live conch.

 

 

Now, DH and I kissed these stingrays the first time we met them, because we had had a few years of really bad luck and hoped it would turn around. It didn't. Things actually got worse for some time...so we decided to give it another try! This time with the kids' help.

 

 

 

 

Too soon, it was time to leave Stingray City. DD was worn out...

 

Edited August 6, 2012 by summercruisin'

[marshhawk]

I love that picture of your daughter asleep amidst the towels and beach bags! So much, I copied it to our roll call.

[summercruisin']

I love that picture of your daughter asleep amidst the towels and beach bags! So much, I copied it to our roll call.

 

 

awww! Thanks! I love it to, and I'm glad to share :D

[summercruisin']

well, I've spent the last hour and a half fighting my Internet and Photobucket, resulting in another four attempts at posting just disappearing before my eyes! I really have to make myself remember to copy what I've written before hitting "submit reply"! I've got to take DS to taekwondo, so I'm going to have to take a break. I'll try to finish this up tonight, though....I've stretched it out long enough. :D

[marshhawk]

Really you should enter that one in a contest. Theme, subject, color, it has a history and a statement. The viewer knows that something exhausting but not frightening has just happened and can feel empathy for a sleeping child. It's just great.

[KroozFoolz]

I'll try to finish this up tonight' date=' though....I've stretched it out long enough. :D[/quote']

Oh no! I have so enjoyed your review and looked forward to each new episode - I don't want it to be over!

[NeuroQueen]

I would like to nominate you for "Cruise Critic Mom Of The Year"!!! Your love for your family, (who are adorable, by the way), shines through in every post! I've really enjoyed this review. Many happy years of cruising to all of you!

[summercruisin']

I would like to nominate you for "Cruise Critic Mom Of The Year"!!! Your love for your family, (who are adorable, by the way), shines through in every post! I've really enjoyed this review. Many happy years of cruising to all of you!

 

 

Now, see? You just made me cry! Thank you very much. I DO love my family so very very much, and I devote my life to making sure I do the very best to do right by them, to raise my kids to be happy, good, loving human beings, and to enjoy this oh-so-brief life we have together. Life is so very short, and in my opinion, success, work, popularity, beauty, and "stuff" just don't mean anything compared to the relationships and experiences you build with people you love. In my four years of He!!, I lost my mom and three pregnancies and almost lost DD (she was a "threatened miscarriage" for almost half my pregnancy). I learned a lot from those years.

[summercruisin']

Okay, so Carnival's description of this excursion claims that we would have the option of returning to the port OR going to Seven Mile Beach (with the responsibility of returning to port our own) after the excursion. Now, if you have been reading this whole review, you know which one we would have chosen! I have never been to the world-famous Seven Mile Beach (or any beach in Grand Cayman, for that matter), so I was eager to go there no matter how short the visit may be or how frustrating arranging a taxi back. But, WE DID NOT GET THAT OPTION!!!!! Ugh! The driver of the bus just took us straight back to the port.

 

Now, I would have said something, but I wasn't sure I had read it right (maybe I was remembering it incorrectly????) and I didn't want to make a fool of myself not being sure; plus, I didn't want to inconvenience the other 20-something people in the bus. But when I got home, I checked the description, and there it was.....bummer. I was glad I got sand at Stingray City, but I was still very disappointed.

 

I did get a few pictures of the famous beach.....as it was whizzing by!

 

 

 

I guess that just gives me another reason to return one day

 

We also caught a glimpse of the ship on the way back

 

Edited August 7, 2012 by summercruisin'

[travellover39]

Now' date=' see? You just made me cry! Thank you very much. I DO love my family so very very much, and I devote my life to making sure I do the very best to do right by them, to raise my kids to be happy, good, loving human beings, and to enjoy this oh-so-brief life we have together. Life is so very short, and in my opinion, success, work, popularity, beauty, and "stuff" just don't mean anything compared to the relationships and experiences you build with people you love. In my four years of He!!, I lost my mom and three pregnancies and almost lost DD (she was a "threatened miscarriage" for almost half my pregnancy). I learned a lot from those years.[/quote']

 

That's to much to go through in 4 years:( I can tell by your writing how much you appreciate your family. Hopefully those stingray kisses will bring you more than 7 years of good luck. Great review.:D

[summercruisin']

When we got back to the port area, we had about an hour and 15 minutes before "last tender." We considered going back to the ship right away, but since this was our last port, I wanted to enjoy every last minute of our time there. We decided to walk across the street and check out Margaritaville, and I'm so glad we did! I have been to Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach, SC, a time or two and wasn't very impressed either time...it was just okay. My kids and I love Jimmy Buffett (who doesn't?), so we headed over. I had no idea that they had a curvy slide and pool IN their restaurant (on the roof)!!!! Very cool!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were directed to their "cabana" right by the pool where we grown ups could sit and eat while the kids played in the pool

 

 

 

 

Mom enjoying the cabana within view of the kids....

 

 

 

 

We had a view of the ship...

 

 

DH and I really enjoyed our time together sharing a snack (coconut shrimp and calamari.....yum!!!! I had a margarita; DH had a local beer). Another heavenly hour.

[marshhawk]

How were the prices for food in Grand Cayman? We are still debating between the Marriot day pass and snorkeling at Eden Rock. I'm thinking you would say to go to the beach, as it has been on my bucket list for years.

[summercruisin']

How were the prices for food in Grand Cayman? We are still debating between the Marriot day pass and snorkeling at Eden Rock. I'm thinking you would say to go to the beach, as it has been on my bucket list for years.

 

The food prices in GC were ridiculous! We got two appetizers and two drinks (granted, we did get the larger drinks in souvenir glasses)...with tips, it was close to $70 :eek:. But it was worth it. The kids LOVED the pool and DH and I enjoyed both the food and the relaxed time together.

 

I would always recommend the beach :D when making a decision about what to do at a port...but that's just me. :rolleyes: If you can do an excursion that offers a little culture or sightseeing as well as the beach, in my opinion, that is ideal! I think you can't go wrong, though, between the Marriot and snorkeling at Eden Rock. Tough decision! To me, a lazy day on a beach with a nearby room with private showers and a place to cool off/rest,....pretty awesome! It would depend on what else I had planned for the week too, though.

[summercruisin']

The last tender for the ship was scheduled for 5 pm, but we knew from experience and reading CC that it was really a little later. Nonetheless, we were back at port just before 5 and heading back to the Legend. We were a little sad knowing that our cruise was coming to an end......final port day was over...only one day left on the ship...

 

 

After getting back to the ship, we showered and rested in preparation for dinner. My batteries in my "good" camera died, so I only had my waterproof camcorder that doesn't take the best still shots (sorry!). At dinner I had the brocolli soup, and DH had mixed green salads to start,

 

 

and then DH had the lasagna bolgnese

 

 

and I had the filet mignon and short ribs

 

 

The steak was better than the ribs, but it was ALL really, really good.

 

DS had salmon again!!!

 

 

I'm pretty sure DD had chicken nuggets again....no more pictures of that!

 

After dinner, once again we were told that the chef had made us a special desert. God bless that man, he is some kind of wonderful! The servers brought us this....

 

 

Isn't that pretty??? It was chocolate mousse with something in the middle (not sure what the white stuff was) surrounded by a thin delicate crust of what tasted like flourless chocolate cake. Really good! This time we thought to ask for a cover for the kids' (they just can't appreciate a good dessert! :rolleyes:), and it was brought to us with no problem, so we were able to take theirs to go.

Edited August 7, 2012 by summercruisin'

[summercruisin']

Another great dinner topped with more table dancing for DD

 

 

(enjoy it now, girlie! Mama's not gonna allow that in a few years!)

 

After dinner, we walked around the promenade for just a bit and then headed to bed once again. It had been a long day!

 

When we got back to the room, we were happy to find our favorite towel animal...the monkey!!! He was hanging from the ceiling right above the balcony door.

 

[summercruisin']

So I thought I'd wrap up tonight, but I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow I'll tell you about our last day at sea and how they kicked us off the ship! :cool: Not sure when I'll be around, as DS has a steel drum lesson tomorrow (he's learning to play.....how cool is that??), but I'll check in sometime!

 

Good night, friends!

[CRMack]

The food prices in GC were ridiculous! We got two appetizers and two drinks (granted' date=' we did get the larger drinks in souvenir glasses)...with tips, it was close to $70 :eek:. But it was worth it. The kids LOVED the pool and DH and I enjoyed both the food and the relaxed time together.

 

I would always recommend the beach :D when making a decision about what to do at a port...but that's just me. :rolleyes: If you can do an excursion that offers a little culture or sightseeing as well as the beach, in my opinion, that is ideal! I think you can't go wrong, though, between the Marriot and snorkeling at Eden Rock. Tough decision! To me, a lazy day on a beach with a nearby room with private showers and a place to cool off/rest,....pretty awesome! It would depend on what else I had planned for the week too, though.[/quote']

 

 

We always rent a car in grand cayman and drive around the island doing different things (we're going on the Legend on this itinerary in October and reading your review makes me wish i was already on the ship);) ANYWAYS, wanted to drop in about the food prices in Grand Cayman. I have had a couple different experiences with food there. :D We (my mom & i) stopped at the Lighthouse Restaurant while driving around the island on our first trip. BEAUTIFUL restaurant prices only in GC dollars. We ordered Conch Fritters as an appetizer, 2 sprites, 2 cokes, an order of lasagna, a hamburger and the bill was $58 plus a mandatory 18% tip for only 2 people :eek:, lol the next time we saw a wendy's and went in. It was over $35 for 2 people for the value meals.......so long story short........be VERY careful when eating there it gets expensive quick.

[justretiredarling]

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.

 

Hello again..I continue to enjoy your posts & pics. Thank you so much. I am new to this board and am not sure if I posted this question correctly before....anyway, can't find it. Did you book the semi-sub through Carnival? Did you book it on board or before you sailed?

Thank you :) Nancy (newly retired kdg.teacher)

[summercruisin']

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.

 

Hello again..I continue to enjoy your posts & pics. Thank you so much. I am new to this board and am not sure if I posted this question correctly before....anyway, can't find it. Did you book the semi-sub through Carnival? Did you book it on board or before you sailed?

Thank you :) Nancy (newly retired kdg.teacher)

 

Hi Nancy, thanks for the compliments! I'm sorry I didn't answer this earlier. Yo did post correctly; I just put off answering it (for no good reason) and then forgot. My apologies!

 

I did book it through Carnival (on their 'manage my cruise' page), because I couldn't find it elsewhere and because I wanted to skip the tender into Belize. I booked it two months before we sialed, and I used an online coupon code to get a discount. Easy! When we got on the ship, the tickets were delivered to our stateroom.

 

This excursion and the Grand Cayman ones were the only ones I booked through Carnival, and although they were expensive, there were some benefits to booking through Carnival. Hope this helps!

[justretiredarling]

I have heard the warnings about Honduras as well, but with all that I have read the warnings mainly apply to the mainland and not Roatan. Mainland Honduras is not a very safe place to be, but from all I've read about Roatan its fairly safe. You mainly have to worry about petty theft.

 

I was in Roatan on the Legend 2 summers ago...my very 1st cruise. This was my favorite beach ever! If you like the beach there is no need to book an excursion in Roatan.The one right next to where the ship docks is perfect. I did pay for the chair lift & float and a few drinks but very reasonable. This beach was very private...for cruise ship only I believe and seemed very safe. No worries! I can't wait to get back.

[perleLucinda]

Some great pictures.

[RNGALNG]

I am a Princess sailer but have enjoyed reading the summary of your cruise too! Great job!

 

We took a cruise a few years back that took us to Roatan. One of the selections on that lines excursions was the swimming with the dolphins. My DH and I took that trip and really enjoyed our time with them. We were in groups of 8, had lots of shade along the way and spent lots of time in the water with them.

 

But the one thing everyone has been talking about were the men with the guns! The first one I saw was on the bus going to the dolphin swim. There was a man standing on the back of a big truck with his rifle aimed over the cab of it. I quietly pointed it out to my husband and he said, ' no, it was a broom.'

 

When we arrived at the dolphin place, we got out of our van and were led to an area that had a small museum and a place to change into swimsuits. There was another man in uniform with one of those 'brooms' in his hands. After we were out of hearing, I told my DH that that was no broom! We were left alone in the holding area with no one telling us what was next either. That was the only time. But they have to get the last group out of the water and across the bay before they can get the next group (ours) over. I felt we had ample time with the dolphins and enjoyed it very much!

 

One thing that we learned about stopping at this port is that it made us exempt from donating blood for a full year! My DH is a universal donor so this was a bummer.

 

We went on a cruise through the Panama Canal this winter and again were told we can not give blood for a year.

 

So, our only warning is that if you are regular donors be careful where you choose to sail! We have been learning the hard way.

 

keep on sailing and enjoying your lives. . .

[madeth313]

Thank you very much for a wonderful review. My friend and I are going on this cruise at the end of September and are looking forward to it.

 

Also, as a Mom to DD8 and DS6, I just have to compliment you on what a wonderful mom you are!!

[summercruisin']

Laughing because we saw a man with a "broom" in Cozumel as soon as we left the port...

 

 

That one didn't surprise me as much as the ones on the beach!

[summercruisin']

Thank you very much for a wonderful review. My friend and I are going on this cruise at the end of September and are looking forward to it.

 

Also, as a Mom to DD8 and DS6, I just have to compliment you on what a wonderful mom you are!!

 

Thank you. You are going to have a great time on the Legend!