Another Legend(ary) Review 1/13/13...Now with Full Frontal Nudity

[headhurt]

Got your attention, didn't I? :D

 

Just got back from the Legend, and am working on my comprehensive review, in which the nudity part will be explained, and for which I am still traumatized.

[thehip]

Yes, you did get my attention! Can't wait for the review.

[grumpyjr88]

haha! Look forward to the pics...maybe!

[navybaby1113]

Definitely got my attention! Looking forward to your review.

[bartrise]

If you are talking nudity. uh hum I mean LEGEND you have my attention. My favorite ship in the fleet, looking forward to it :o

[KirkNC]

Welcome home, look forward to the review.

[headhurt]

A brief background on us. I sailed with my siggy-o. His online name is Logtar, sometimes referred to as Log. We are both in our mid-thirties, no kids, and we live in the Midwest. This is his second cruise ever, his first being an awful experience on an older RC ship. This was my sixth, all on CCL. Log and are both foodies, and we both agree that life is too short for crappy food.

 

I feel the need to add my own disclaimer. This is my review of my vacation experience, and some of my opinions may not to be to everyone's liking. I'm not really interested in hearing if someone's opinion is superior to mine. Just agree to disagree and move forward amicably.

 

Let's begin, shall we?

 

We flew into Tampa the Thursday before we sailed for a couple days of unwinding before was embarked. Log got a great deal on Orbitz for our hotel and rental car. The resort, Beachcomber Resort, is located in beautiful St. Pete Beach.

 

This is not a resort for those looking to be spoiled, but the rooms are clean, they have a pretty awesome beach, and the staff very friendly. They have a beach bar behind the hotel where they serve food and drink. People go there to watch the sunsets, and I think they offer free sunset shooters. I can't elaborate futher because I didn't witness these shooters. It's just what their flyer announced. They didn't serve breakfast, but directed us to a nearby resort that offered a breakfast buffet and a coupon for a discount. The buffet was lackluster, and we would not recommend it to anyone. There were plenty of other great restaurants within walking distance, and we were particularly interested in seafood. Fresh seafood is not exactly abundant in the middle of the continental US. The first restaurant we visited is called Snappers, and the experience was amazing.

A definite favorite.

 

We tried a Cuban restaurant (Bella Habana) with awesome seafood empanadas and out of this world seafood paella.

And our favorite morning hangout was at a place called Chill and Steam. Despite not being a full-service coffee house (no french press, which is our favorite), they still had pretty good lattes, and the breakfast offerings were unique and delicious.

 

Tampa is a beautiful city, and we really enjoyed our visit. So much, that I wouldn't mind living here full time if it meant I got to see that sunset everyday.

Edited January 22, 2013 by headhurt

[headhurt]

Why am I having a hard time getting my pics to upload from my Flickr account. I have tons! Including food porn!!!!:(

[CrusingGolfers]

I'm subscribing!! We will be on her in 6 short days.

[headhurt]

We returned our rental and took a cab to the port. Carnival reps wait around the airport to pick up booked passengers, but will also take you even if you didn't book the transfer...at a price of $40 per person. So, Log and I would have dropped $80 for a transfer from the airport to the ship. A taxi ride cost $25 for both of us. So, unless the Carnival transfer included a happy ending, it's not worth paying $40 for.

 

 

We arrived at the port around 11-ish. No long lines, we breezed through security and through the embarkation desk without difficulty. We waited in the seating area for maybe 15 minutes before we were called to board the ship. We waited on Lido until our rooms were ready, having a dismal lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs at the grill.

 

In ye olden days, folks had to don bulky, musty smelling life preservers, and haul cookies down to the lower deck, where the game of Survive Muster Drill Before Passing Out would commence. I'm glad it has been streamlined more...passengers were made aware of where they could find their preservers, but did not have to wear them to Muster. Also, if you tried to skip out on Muster, your name was called out over loud speaker. I have no idea how they figured that one out.

 

Muster over, everyone races out of the deck like it's the last day of school, and returns to the community trough, or just stand around the deck and watch ourselves sail out of port. It was then we noticed that the largest demographic on board, were those of the Rocking Senior Citizen variety. For a minute, I wondered if we had mistakenly boarded a HAL ship. Most everyone I encountered was nice, some of them spicy (in a good way), but was almost ran over by someone on a Rascal.

Edited January 22, 2013 by headhurt

[newcruiser08820]

We returned our rental and took a cab to the port. Carnival reps wait around the airport to pick up booked passengers, but will also take you even if you didn't book the transfer...at a price of $40 per person. So, Log and I would have dropped $80 for a transfer from the airport to the ship. A taxi ride cost $25 for both of us. So, unless the Carnival transfer included a happy ending, it's not worth paying $40 for.

 

 

We arrived at the port around 11-ish. No long lines, we breezed through security and through the embarkation desk without difficulty. We waited in the seating area for maybe 15 minutes before we were called to board the ship. We waited on Lido until our rooms were ready, having a dismal lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs at the grill.

 

In ye olden days, folks had to don bulky, musty smelling life preservers, and haul cookies down to the lower deck, where the game of Survive Muster Drill Before Passing Out would commence. I'm glad it has been streamlined more...passengers were made aware of where they could find their preservers, but did not have to wear them to Muster. Also, if you tried to skip out on Muster, your name was called out over loud speaker. I have no idea how they figured that one out.

 

Muster over, everyone races out of the deck like it's the last day of school, and returns to the community trough, or just stand around the deck and watch ourselves sail out of port. It was then we noticed that the largest demographic on board, were those of the Rocking Senior Citizen variety. For a minute, I wondered if we had mistakenly boarded a HAL ship. Most everyone I encountered was nice, some of them spicy (in a good way), but was almost ran over by someone on a Rascal.

 

I know how... Since our Legend was delayed due to fog, we boarded around 11 pm. Muster drill was around 12.15 am. After waiting to board for 12 hours my 4 hours old couldn't stay up any more so I left in the middle of the drill. Walking back to the cabin I saw that every empty cabin had a yellow sticker on. So someone walk the hallway and if the sticker is not on the door they page that cabin # to report to muster drill. Cabin attendants knock on the door ( or maybe even pic inside) and put sticker if nobody answer, meaning they left for the drill.

[headhurt]

Log, being the tech wizard he is, helped me figure out why I was having difficulties. So, here's some pics to catch you up to speed.

 

Best paella ever.

 

Lattes for breakfast

 

Sunset in the Gulf

 

Stuffed Grouper from Snappers. You might pee your pants when you first bite into it...sooooo good.

[navybaby1113]

That grouper looks delicious!

[headhurt]

Having been to Cozumel plenty, I've done the shopping thing, and the Chakanaab Park (or however you spell it) thing. Log isn't certified to dive yet, and neither of us cared to feel like being on an island with at least 5 ships in port. A nice beach break sounded good, but we didn't wanted to be crowded with a gazillion other people, all jockying for prime beach seats. On the Cozumel boards, someone mentioned Nachi Cocom. I did some research, including reading reviews on Trip Advisor, we decided to spend the day here. It surpassed all my expectations, and amounted to the most perfect port day ever, in all the history of port days.

 

 

We caught a taxi at the port, paid $8 each for a ride, which may have taken 15 minutes or so. When we told her that we wanted to go to Nachi, she made sure we had a reservation there, because if you don't have one, they are not allowed to take you to the resort. A lot of places take walk-ins. Nachi apparently doesn't. Book in advance (it's $11 deposit per person), and print off your confirmation letter to expedite things.

 

 

After arriving, we posed for an obligatory sombrero souvenir pic (which we opted not to buy). Some folks complain about having to do the pic, but it takes less than a minute to do, and it's easier to just do it. A worker met us at the entrance, confirmed our reservation. We paid the balance of our day (which amounted to $55 per person). They walked us to the cabana area, where we picked out our own little spot. They set up two chairs under a thatched roof cabana, took our drink orders, and then we proceeded to chill for the rest of the day.

 

 

Nachi has a cap of 100 people per day, and I don't even think we had that many people there. The beach was clean, the water a perfect temperature for swimming. Vendors did no harass you. Only a couple Nachi workers stopped by to tell you about the other amenities you could utilize (for a nominal fee)....wave runners, snorkel tour, floatie mats, and an open-air massage table.

 

 

Included with the $55 fee is unlimited beverages, four-course meal (and I don't even think we ordered a fourth course because the food was plentiful. The ceviche was the best I've ever had), your own cabana and chair, use of the fresh water pool, the facilities, and best yet, the peace and quiet of the resort. If you are looking for a spring break party atmosphere, this place is not for you in. In fact, the openly discourage it. Children are welcome.

 

 

The staff was more than accommodating, our glasses never stayed empty for long. They checked on us on a regular basis (without being intrusive). The food was outstanding, and we met an awesome couple from Canada that we ended up having dinner with in the Supper Club at the end of the week.

 

 

This was our best and most favorite port day, bar none. And we are looking forward to a return visit to Nachi.

[Counsel]

... Cocum - we have been there twice before and will be there a week from today :D.

 

The problem is that it is tough to keep it secret!

 

Bruce

aka Counsel

Edited January 22, 2013 by Counsel

[headhurt]

I've been to Belize a couple times, and have already done the ruins tours. The idea of floating around in caves does not appeal to Log, and there really wasn't an excursion here that blew our collective skirt up. We were pretty ambivalent about this port. The night before we arrived in Belize, a letter was left in all the staterooms, letting us know about some incidents of violence committed by a small, random gang in Belize City. And while the violence had not been targeting tourists (yet), Belize police assured blah, blah, blah.

 

Both hating tender ports anyway, Log and I decided to just camp out on the ship and get a decent deck chair for a change.

 

So, we found some chairs in a choice location (without engaging in the loathsome practice of chair hogging), had another meh lunch on Lido, and spent the day reading. It was glorious.

 

Other family members in our group decided to chance it and found their own excursion off the ship that took them to Altun Ha for $40 a person. They enjoyed it, and no harm came to them, unless you count the questionable intestinal whoa that my aunt got that night, which may or may not have come from eating a roadside stand tamale.

 

We spoke with other people on the ship. One of which reported that someone tried to grab money out of his wife's hand when she was getting change back from a vendor. A few others complained of the overall quality of the port. None of which expressed a desire to go back. After coming home, and reading more about what is going on in Belize right now, I'm inclined to not ever visit. You can argue all you want that nothing has ever happened to a tourist there, but I don't fancy the idea of being the one who finishes first in that contest.

 

So, enjoy this lovely view of Belize from our ship. There were two other ships there besides ours. I'm sure that made tendering a breeze.:rolleyes:

 

 

And to think I actually considered retiring there. /shudder

[headhurt]

With Sante Wellness closing shop, I was at a loss as to what to do in Roatan. I was sunburned to a crisp from the day before, and had no desire to sit on a beach that day. Most all the excursions in Roatan have you on a beach, or in the water, especially in the sun. Log and I opted for another chill day, and do nothing in particular.

 

 

Our ship was docked next to HAL Whateverdam, so the amount of AARP card-holders on the island grew exponentially.

 

 

Roatan is a beautiful island. I visited once before back in 2003, our ship stopping at the other port (Coxen?). Since then, CCL purchased a chunk of land and made their own modernized terminal, complete with Diamonds International, some other shops, and a drinking establishment that is a chain, and serves you tequila shots in a squirt gun...or something equally quirky, wild, and zany. They have a private beach, and for a nominal fee, you can purchase a ticket to ride on the not-ski lift to cart you to and from the beach.

 

 

Log and I left the ship long enough to do a quick scan of the little artisan booths within the port area before my skin sloughed off in one giant blister. Roatan is known for it's mohogany carvings. We were eyeing a chess set, but noticed it had a deep scratch on the board. The woman promised that she had more in boxes, and she pulled on out. We spotted a little emblem on the box that indicated it had been made in China. We did not buy the chess set.

 

 

We did, however score some coffee beans, which appeased my inner coffee snob. We stopped for a cold drink before heading back to the ship. CCL's port area reminded me a lot of an amusement park. I think to get a real feel of the island, you have to venture outside this port.

 

 

Back on the ship, we participated in a cutthroat Harry Potter trivia contest and tied for second because we are nerds that way. The person who declared herself the winner, we speculate, could not math very well and ended up with more points than possibly obtainable. The second place winners got medals (which I will wear proudly in the shower, and whenever we watch or read Harry Potter), the first place got the ship on a stick (and hopefully a calculator). There was great butthurt amongst those who did not win, one being the only teen on the ship, who stomped off. The air of mutiny hung thick in the air as the crowd dispersed. The CCL trivia guy lingered briefly, thanking whatever God he prayed to for sparing his life.

 

[Pellaz]

Back on the ship, we participated in a cutthroat Harry Potter trivia contest and tied for second because we are nerds that way. The person who declared herself the winner, we speculate, could not math very well and ended up with more points than possibly obtainable. The second place winners got medals (which I will wear proudly in the shower, and whenever we watch or read Harry Potter), the first place got the ship on a stick (and hopefully a calculator). There was great butthurt amongst those who did not win, one being the only teen on the ship, who stomped off. The air of mutiny hung thick in the air as the crowd dispersed. The CCL trivia guy lingered briefly, thanking whatever God he prayed to for sparing his life.

 

THIS is the sort of funny, quirky stuff that I love to see in reviews! Looking forward to more! (And possibly the full-frontal, although I suspect this may be misplaced. :) )

[headhurt]

Out of all the ports, I would have to say that this was my least favorite...which is kinda hard considering I didn't even get off the ship in Belize. But it's true. And at the end of the day, I know there were plenty on Legend that echoed my sentiments.

 

It was a windy day, and the sea was raging, so it was announced that we would be tendering from a different location that day. We never heard this announcement because for whatever reason, announcements were not piped into our room. I don't know if this was just an issue with our cabin, or if this is something CCL doesn't do anymore. But, if you want to hear the announcements, you had to be out of your room to do it. So, the tender chance was a nice, port-day surprise.

 

Itinerary said we would be in Cayman from 10am to 6pm. All the water activities were cancelled by the Cayman Port Authority, so no one got to see stingrays that day. CCL still had some excursions available, but they all seemed so overpriced...which is what they should call the island...Overpriced Island.

 

Anyway, by the time we got our tender stickers, and were herded off the ship, we set food on land at 12:15pm. We had tender sticker 24. We talked with people who had earlier ones, they didn't get to the island not much earlier than us. I don't know if this was because of the choppy water, or if it had to do with two other ships visiting, and tender boats had to be divvied up between the three. To their credit, a HAL ship seemed to use their own tender boats.

 

 

Back to the island...

 

We set foot on ol' terra firma, and what greeted us nothing short of chaos. There were shuttles and taxis there. Tour operators waving signs around and asking if you wanted to go "kiss a stingray". (Slutty stingrays!) Log and I just wanted to go visit the Turtle Farm and stop downtown. We were passed off to at least five different drivers, each one giving us different quotes on how much they would charge us that day. Another family (with two cute twin girls) were also having a frustrating time as they wanted to charge the same rate per little kid as they did grownups...which was $15 per person. So, for a family of four, it cost them $60 just for a cab right. Not including the $10 per person to get into the Turtle Farm (I hope they charged a reduced rate for kids).

 

 

 

So, the cab driver packed his van tighter than grandma's colon, and we were whisked away to the Turtle Farm...we we were allowed 30 minutes because the driver was not willing to wait any longer than that for us. We were not able to join a guided tour. Instead, we raced around, snapping pictures, touching turtles, and doing a fly by the gift shop. I would have enjoyed staying there longer, but Dale the Sullen Van Driver would not have allowed it.

 

 

We inquired if there was a restaurant that served plantains (Log loves them). Dale recommended a place called Breezes. Oh, they had plantains, but it was only served with only one particular dish (they were not willing to budge on this) and you could not order them as a side. The drinks cost just as much as the food, which wasn't that stellar to begin with. Between Log and myself, we each had an average lunch, and one drink each. Total cost $70. I understand that the Cayman dollar is stronger than the American one. And I understand that they have to import pretty much everything on the island. But $70 for a subpar lunch seems a bit ridiculous to me.

 

 

By this time, we were completely turned off of the whole island, so we decided to forgo the shopping, and just go back to the ship. We found a really nice shuttle driver this time, and she gave us a ride back to the tender loading area, where they proceeded to overload the tender boat and chug back to the ship. Just as we got back on the ship, the skies opened up and rain came down like the angry fist of God. Which sort of summed up our feelings about Cayman nicely.

 

[NCbmwmom]

Enjoying your review! Very disappointed to hear that about Caymen though. That was the port I was most looking forward to on our cruise in April.

[headhurt]

Based on our experiences on the ship, the Lido deck places were really disappointing. If you are a late riser, your options are pretty limited. We did find the pizza parlor to be good, and we enjoyed good sandwiches and wraps from the deli (mostly because they were the only things that were open longer than two hours). When we did eat from the buffet, it was marginal. We had some luck with Chopsticks (Asian fare) a couple times, but even that was more misses than hits.

 

We ordered BLTs from room service, and they were always good. Coffee sent to our staterooms in the mornings. Main dining room fare was okay. Nothing mind-blowing about it (but keep in mind that we are foodies, and our tastes tend to run on the more eclectic or exotic side). They had some really good options for people to try, but for those who wanted to play it safe, they did have the "everyday" menu.

 

We visited the Taste Bar when they were open, which wasn't every night. When they were open, they featured something different, a "taste" of the new eateries they are incorporating in 2.0.

 

We did visit the Golden Fleece a couple nights, and that will it's own post to allow for more food porn!

 

The Hits: The Chili Relleno was pretty awesome. The Indian Pumpkin soup has been improved. The beef cuts were always tender and juicy. The Taste Bar. The Warm Chocolate Melting cake was great, as always. The Indian vegetarian dinner (available everyday) is good and packed with flavor, even if the presentation is a bit off. I got this fish and fennel offering one night that was really good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Misses: The Entire Lido deck...food that is mass-produced and it shows. Burgers and hot dogs were bland (they also serve those same burgers in the MDR for lunch btw). Oysters Rockefeller were lost in a mountain of spinach. The stuffed mushrooms were cold and didn't seem to be cooked all the way (which sucks because I love mushrooms in the way Log loves plantains).

 

My overall feeling is that CCL really dropped off with the quality of the food that is included with your cruise. Anything that you paid extra for was good, which leads us to...

[headhurt]

Log was a bit skeptical of the food by day 2, so I suggested we try the supper club, praying silently that CCL didn't screw that up as well. I am happy to report that the food was not only edible, was it was still a memorable dining experience. So much, that we did it twice. Upon thinking about it, you could do this option every night, and it would more than make up for the rest of the food. Some folks may find the $35 per person fee too steep, but back in the mainland, a dinner like this would easily cost $200-300, maybe more depending on what city you were in.

 

First night: Surf and Turf for me. Prime rib for Log. Both tender and juicy. The steak felt like it would melt in your mouth. They make their own ice cream each day, so the flavors are different. Of course, I went for the cheesecake, which is obscenely large and could easily feed a table of four. They could have offered a fraction of what the did, and I would have been pretty satisfied. The sommelier was very helpful and introduced us to a really great Moscato that we enjoyed with dinner.

 

Juicy shrimp cocktail

 

Log got the Ahi Tuna Tartare, and it was sushi-grade tuna. We were impressed.

 

Beefsteak tomato salad

 

Surf and Turf...Smaller portions of the larger one-plate offerings.

 

Prime Rib

 

Mount Cheesecake

[BeautifulPlumage]

THIS is the sort of funny, quirky stuff that I love to see in reviews! Looking forward to more! (And possibly the full-frontal, although I suspect this may be misplaced. :) )

 

Agreed. Love it!

[cardbucfan]

Loving the review so far! I tend to agree with your description of the food but I'm O.K. with it-I don't have to cook it or clean up after it. Luckily we are all certified divers so that takes care of our excursions in every port and one reason we like this itinerary. Other than the diving, I've never been that impressed with the Caymans. It reminds me of Naples, Fl. Glad you liked your visit to Tampa/St. Pete. It is a lovely place to live :D

[BeautifulPlumage]

So sorry your experience in Grand Cayman was not great. It is my favorite port and I hope you give it another chance if you ever make it back there. On a sunny, calm day it's beautiful.