Mediterranean Cruise with Children Review – Legend of the Seas 7 Night W. Med

[Travel R]

Now a few pictures of the Pantheon

 

 

 

The Pantheon [not the Parthenon]- amazing architechture from the height of the Roman Empire that still stands today. I wish that sign was not in the way.

 

 

A hole in the ceiling:

 

 

Inside the Pantheon

 

 

Tomb of V. Emanuel in the Pantheon

 

 

Not to worry, there are more pictues coming.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

The following is not a glowing review of the Windjammer (WJ), nor is it scathing of this dining venue. However, it by no means, ruined or had much of an effect on the enjoyment of our cruise. Note, that in this review I am also not comparing the WJ to a 5-Star restaurant or even a land-based buffet. It is merely a comparison of my experiences and expectations compared to my previous cruises on Royal Caribbean (RCI).

The Windjammer and Me

Although I prefer dining in the Main Dining Room (MDR), I have also always enjoyed the Windjammer on previous cruises. I am also no stranger to the crowded and fast paced culinary style of AYCE dining (All-You-Can-Eat) either afloat or ashore. [There is a fabulous establishment near where I leve that not only has some great and authentic Asian dishes, but also has a made-to-orderKorean BBQ.] I was a little disappointed with my experiences with the WJ aboard the Legend of the Seas during this last holiday. The venue provides a variety of food, but fewer variations in cruises compared to yesteryear. The aesthetics of the room is appealing enough for a casual meal, although the hustle and bustle of the people and the obvious buffet type service provided an automatic sense of casual dining (although cleaning the windows (from the outside) during meals was not to my fancy).

Although the food was warm/hot (a complaint I have read by other CC critics), my dissatisfaction was in the food, and I found many dishes to lean towards the bland side. Albiet, it may have taken some searching, I did discover dishes that I did enjoy after sorting through others that looked good, but lacked in taste. A majority of the dishes which I did enjoy happen to be the Southeast Asian and Indian dishes. I would also like to add that the paella was very good and two of the Italian sauces that complimented the pastas were also very good as well. Since I did try to supplement the cars with some healthy choices, I also want to add that the choices on the salad bar were decent (although I would have liked the types of dressing to be more clearly labeled). For the most part, I cannot declare that the food in the WJ was “horrible,” it would be more proper of me to state that many of the dishes were just not to my personal taste.

Our expectations for the WJ were not outrageous, and they provided a decent selection of food for the masses. I was a professional chef at one time at a small restaurant, and currently cook large breakfasts & brunches for events at a local charity for 80-150 people [the first day I came in to volunteer, they moment they found out I was a former chef, I was automatically placed in charge of all future food-related events], and I know how hard it is to make items that will make everyone happy – and I must give kudos to the chefs and all kitchen staff that have to make food items for 2,000 to 6,000 people for each and every meal (and in-between).

I must proclaim that the one item that I can say was horrible, especially to the chagrin of my daughters, were the hot dogs. To quote my DDs in their own juvenile dialect “they are like yuck!”

The Windjammer and Children / Teens

The Windjammer is more enjoyable to (my) kids than the Main Dining Room. Although I have some friends that have children that are indiscriminate eaters, most (I believe), are finicky in their eating choices. Depending on the day they either found something to eat or they did not. One afternoon my older DD did not eat more than a few bites of a hamburger (which were “okay” at best), a few slices of bread, and something for desert. [As mentioned before they found the hot dogs to be terrible.] However, knowing my daughter, she will eat when she is hungry. But for the most part, there was something they would find that they would eat (at least a little bit). Although my kids do prefer other land-based buffet restaurants that they have dined, the Windjammer, to them, was not that bad. One of the things that they enjoyed most about it is that it is quick and they can take very, very small portions of food items and large plates of desserts. They can get their food, eat, and then get the heck out of Dodge. On two or three occasions towards the end of the cruise, one or both of my daughters opted to eat at the WJ instead of with us. We allowed them to go (only once my younger DD went with her big sister) to allow them a greater sense of independence. Most of these times was so the DD13 could eat with her friends. After spending most of the morning/day with us, we figured that we would not torture her the entire cruise. When she took my younger DD, it allowed my DW and I to have a few meals by ourselves (which only happens on rare occasions, even at home).

The WJ and my DW

My DW did not enjoy the WJ, and although I have to disclose that she does enjoy buffet restaurants in general, she would usually find something at the WJ. What made her unhappy on this past occasion was the selection of deserts – or lack thereof. My DW is allergic to chocolate and in the past RCI has always had a much larger selection of non-chocolate items at the dessert table. On this past cruise, the variety of non-cocoa infused sweets seemed severely limited. On one occasion there was only one type of non-chocolate cookie and one non-chocolate delicacy (which she did not like). I know, most people like chocolate, and RCI caters to the majority, but there was a wider selection available for her in the past.

This is a good segue into the service in the WJ. At the end of our midday meal, my wife decided to have some sweets. There was a vanilla cake next to a cake covered in chocolate. Some of the cake had come off on the chocolate and the tongs (serving utensil) also had some chocolate on it. My wife decided to use the tongs from the vanilla cookies nearby. When she did this, the culinary crew staff near the table actually yelled at her. My wife explained that she was allergic, but he did not care and told her she could not do it. When my wife asked him if she can get clean tongs, he refused. At that point, she used the cookie tongs and took the piece without the chocolate on it (and returned the tongs to the cookie tray) and walked away to another of the crew member’s remarks. Yes, she could have gone to the supervisor of the WJ and complained. But didn’t want to fuss about it, so she came back to the table and enjoyed her vanilla cake (my DW was not really phased about it and did not tell me about the incident until the next day when we came back to the WJ).

Windjammer Service (continued)

Since we purchased the soda package, we wanted to make use of its benefits. However, in the WJ, the wait staff rarely came around to ask if we were in want of anything. Every now and then someone from the bar would come around asking if we wanted alcoholic drinks, and we would say no, but please give us soda (and showed the person our passes emblazoned with the Coca-Cola logo). Any time we asked, the server would give us a face, and would eventually bring the drinks to us, but after a bit of a wait. It was easier and much more pleasant (although a pain) to walk to the bar by the pool and get the sodas ourselves. During past cruises always remembered going to the WJ and having a person from the wait staff come over and ask us when if we wanted something to drink (or coffee for breakfast) upon first sitting down, but that was not the case on this past cruise for either breakfast or lunch (we avoided the WJ for dinner every night). The only way we received the attention of a non-bar server was when they occasionally came by to take away a dirty plate (and that was not often).

The WJ was extremely crowded during any of the times we had arrived for breakfast or lunch, and always needed to hunt down a table. The avoidance of clearing the tables of soiled dishes was one of the issues as to why there were no tables to be found in the WJ. On some occasions, after a few minutes of trying to stake-out areas for eating, we would be forced to go outside to eat. Being a party of four also limited our ability to sit at table with 2 or three empty chairs and ask to join other parties (although we had invited others to join us when my whole family was not eating together – on one occasion met a lovely couple (a professor and a professional chef) by offering them a seat after our DD went to go sit with some friends). We ate two breakfasts in WJ due to an early departure one day and an early excursion on the other. Breakfast was not as bad as lunch. One reason may be that we drank coffee, milk, and juice ourselves and did not have to “bother” the wait staff for any other libations. They have a decent selection of breakfast items (not that there is a large selection to begin with), and there is a table where they will make omelet’s made-to-order. Since we arrived at the WJ for breakfast when they first opened, the table seating was not as bad (although one morning my DDs ate by themselves, they had to eat at a table outside).

 

Summary

Is the Windjammer a horrible place to go eat? No. Did the poor service ruin our vacation? No. Compared to past RCI cruises, did it meet up to our expectations? No. Did I ever leave the Windjammer hungry? No. Our strategy for future cruises may be to wait a little later to eat lunch at the Park Café (or similar venue) or order in room service for lunch – or go on a Transatlantic (TA) cruise which is almost all sea days to eat in the MDR for lunch. I know some people love the WJ and as I mentioned, it has not been bad in the past, but it just was not that good this time around – for us.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Travel R

[mjm325]

great review so far! Do you have any pictures of Adventure Ocean on Legend? we sail in Dec and our DD will be 5.5 and I'm trying to get an idea for how large the space is??? and if you could possibly describe some of the toys or things they have, that would be great! thanks :D

[Travel R]

I was going to mention this in an upcoming post, but we (myself and my DW) were not allowed to look into the Ocean Adventure room ourselves. When you walk into the room there is a 3' x 5' space that parents can stand in to register or sign the child in/out. Before you is a door that opens electronically from the inside and a desk to your right. There is a little space behind this area (maybe 20 sqare feet in total) and to your right is a door to the play area. On the first day we took her there, another parent of a younger DD (maybe 6ish) right behind us on line also asked if she could take a look, and the person said "sorry, no parents."

 

I could fully understood this, since we are adults and there were kids in the room and they were responsible for their safetly. In hindsight, if we arrived before they opened or at closing time and no children were in attendance, if we would have let us look if we had asked.

 

In fact, on one occastion, my DD8 wanted to look into the room to see if any of her friends were in the OA before we signed her in, so we asked if she could look into the room. The person/counselor at that time said she could not walk inside unless we had her signed in (however, this was the only time -- on alll other occasions the other counselors did let my DD peek in before signed her in).

 

As mentioned, we were not allowed inside, and when I tried to take a picture of the sign-in area, the counselor very quickly said I could not.

 

My daughter did not provide any details regarding the size of the room, but did mention that the area just beyond the door was for younger kids, and the older kids (her age) played & hung out at the other side of the room.

 

I know this does not directly answer your question, but hopefully some of the info will be of some assistance.

 

[FYI - I do have a few pictures of the Teen Lounge from various angles (although emty of teenagers) which I will post in the next day or two.]

Edited July 24, 2013 by Travel R

[dforeigner]

Great review so far! Thanks for taking time to write one. I cannot wait to read the rest. Again, thanks.

[Travel R]

Since I had just discussed the Ocean Adventure (OA) in my previous post, let me continue with a more in-depth discussion of the kids club in relation to my 8 year old daughter. Allow me to also divulge that this is the first time for my family to take part in the OA service (yes, it was the first time we have taken the kids on a cruise).

As mentioned above, my DW received initial information about the club from someone at a table at embarkation, including the Kids Compass (I believe I still have all of them and will be posting each of them (eventually)). Also note, we did perform web-related research on the OA pre-cruise, and have heard great things about it from others that have used it.

We decided on the first evening to bring her to the OA after dinner. I had told her a lot about it and she was excited to go. For the most part, she is a fairly outgoing kid.

We first took her to our room to get dressed in something more apropos for a kid to run around in (I think shorts & T-shirt), then headed up to the 10th floor where the OA is located on the Legend of the Seas. There were already two parents ahead of us that were signing up their children (neither girls, nor my DD’s age). After a short 5 minute wait, we talked to the counselor and signed her up (my DW filled out a short form) and then signed her in for the evening (you need to provide the names of the people who will be allowed to sign them out – and they checked my SeaPass every time).

Although my DW asked, they did not allow us to look into the room that the children were going to be using for their activities (see my last post for what the sign-in area looked like). The counselor was nice and answered whatever questions my wife had. For instance, we needed to pick her up at 10 pm (or they charge $1 every minute). For this cruise, she would be in the 6 to 8 age group. My daughter, being 8 ½ may have would have preferred the 9 to 11 (at school she is the youngest in her class, so many of her friends are already 9), however, they seemed fairly strict on sticking by the age. Later that evening, when my DW returned to pick her up, we found out that she was not very happy with being in the Ocean Adventure. At first she was taken back since the younger kids were situated when you first entered the room (according to her) and there were many of them compared to kids her age. The kids in her age group were either around 6 or if 8ish, did not speak English (at least as a first language) and did not want to include her in their play. My DD said she either played with the younger kids or hung out with the counselor. Of course, she did not want to go back there. She had had fun earlier that afternoon at the pool with an 11 year old girl she met with my older DD, and another girl that she also played with that was also 8 – so to her, it was much better by the pool.

The following afternoon my DW went back to the pool for a little while with my DD8. Once again, she found a few friends to play with. During her conversations with them, they told her that they had gone to the OA and loved it. That night she was hesitant once again to go, so we did not force her, but eventually she broke down and said yes. She saw one of the kids from the pool early that day, and met some other kids her age as well. All I can say is that for the rest of the cruise, she looked forward to going to the OA. In the afternoons she still tended to hang out with her dear old parents, but after dinner, she would go every evening. The waiter would bring them their deserts early, then my DD13 would take them back to the room to change, and then bring my DD8 to the OA (and sign her in) before going to the Teen Lounge to meet her own friends (located right next door).

On one of the days (I believe when we were in Palma – I have to verify), the OA had extended lunchtime hours and would not only watch the children for that time, but also take them to the WJ for lunch. They ate at one side of the WJ (which they roped off from the rest of the passengers) and all the kids (and counselors) enjoyed their lunch together.

My daughter said that she enjoyed various activities during the week including arts and crafts (i.e., coloring a RCI pillow, pirate costumes, making cut-outs with paper, etc.), games, singing, and even some contests (my daughter received a medal for winning the hula-hoop contest). Note, they did not take the kids into the pool, but did bring them to other areas of the ship depending on the activity they were undertaking.

The only issue I had with the Ocean Adventure [i am not bring this up to complain, but to notify other parents of this], and it was a one-time issue, was that on one afternoon we went to pick up my DD8 so we can get her ready for dinner. When we arrived at the OA, the door was locked and there was no one in the room. Another parent was already there looking for her child, and two other parents had also come afterwards. The counselors in the baby room did not know where they were. We did not worry that anything had happened to the kids, but as parents, you want to know where your kid is. All they had to do was place a sign on the door that said – “We are at the ______ and will be returning at X’oclock.” The incident was quickly forgotten, and we did not hesitate to bring our DD back to the OA the following day, or will not hesitate for subsequent cruises.” About ten minutes later the kids and counselors began walking up the stairs leading up to the tenth floor where we were situated.

My DD8 loved being at Ocean Adventure. She enjoyed the activities and made a lot of new friends, and many from different countries. Growing up in NYC, she has had many friends that were born in other countries, but to her it was interesting that these other children were currently living there. Too bad they do not a short circuit TV/Internet monitor hooked up into the OA rooms, it would have been interesting to see what she was doing from time to time.

Myself, my DW, and my DD8 would give Ocean Adventure two thumbs up!!!

[xxHadleyxx]

I'm so glad that (other than that first night) your kids both enjoyed their clubs :)

And it is nice to know that I am not the only parent who feels compelled to walk by and listen for, or peek in at, my teens :rolleyes:

[Travel R]

I'm so glad that (other than that first night) your kids both enjoyed their clubs :)

And it is nice to know that I am not the only parent who feels compelled to walk by and listen for, or peek in at, my teens :rolleyes:

 

We think alike (as probably do most parents) on this issue..

 

I believe it is not that we do not trust our children (and from reading your reviews, I can see you & your DH do as well), as a parent, it is just reassuring to know that they are there (and having fun). For me, it is our first cruise with our kids, so it also placed a little more need for that reassurance upon us - although I can still see myself with the same need for reassurance on future cruises. As a parent, the worrying never ends.

 

I must say, I did enjoy my late nights chillaxing out on the balcony until she came back. But more on this tomorrow, when I will post my review of the Teen Club.

[Trolleydolly80]

Excellent review on the kids club. My DD9 is really looking forward to joining. Like yours, she is quite outgoing & makes friends quite easily. Looking forward to your teens review. My DS is 14 and not so outgoing & quite shy, but is still willing to give it a go. Well done, really enjoying this thread :) 6 weeks & 3 days until we sail :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[J&Bsail]

. . .

 

Everyone else - thank you for the kind word and encouragement. I hope this is not too much detail - especially about all the planning and pre-cruise stuff.

 

Excellent review--great writing! I have been following you since your posts, 'All Things Legend of the Seas'. We are on the Legend for the transatlantic, October 30th and your review (all except the WJ comments :rolleyes:) helps with the cruise countdown. Thanks! :)

 

--------------------

Brad

[Travel R]

Excellent review--great writing! I have been following you since your posts, 'All Things Legend of the Seas'. We are on the Legend for the transatlantic, October 30th and your review (all except the WJ comments :rolleyes:) helps with the cruise countdown. Thanks! :)

 

--------------------

Brad

 

Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying this review and the All Things Legend thread. Please note that although I started that thread, it belongs to everyone, and hope that other Legend cruisers continue to add and enhance the information I had already provided. Now that she is coming back to the US this year, there will be many more CC members enjoying her voyages, which means more individuals that will need information.

 

My intent is to provide a fair and balanced review. Although most of my cruising experience has been with RCI, I would not deem myself an RCI Cheerleader. The company has provided me with a good product since we first used them in '97, and they have not failed me since - so I keep coming back [on the other hand, if the price is right, I have no qualms about sailing on any other cruise line (and if anyone from another cruiseline is reading this -- I will gladly write a full review of my experiences on your ship, if you give me a free/discounted cruise)]. Even though I like RCI, they are not perfect, so I am trying to highlight not only the good (e.g., the OA), in order to provide a good review, I also have to highligh the bad (e.g., the WJ). I am giving my own subjective opinion, and hopefully everyone will take it into consideration with all the other reviews ot there. I am sure that another member could have been on this same ship with me and had a completely opposite experience.

 

I had a chance much earlier this morning to read what I have posted and discovered that I have not been proof-reading my ramblings prior to posting and will try to spend the few extra minutes to do a read-through before hitting Submit Reply.

 

For instance, in the WJ post, I would like to make the following corrections:

 

* I found the food to be hot/warm, while other people on CC had complained about it being cold.

* When I wrote "I did try to supplement the cars with some healthy choices" - I meant to write "carbs"

* I was also trying to convey that unless you got to the WJ very early when they openned, there were not many seats available. We were able to get there early for breakfast (we had no choice if we wanted to eat before leaving the ship), but on one occasion my DDs went to the WJ for breakfast themselves, and they had to eat at a table outside since there was nothing available inside.

 

Also, in the review of the first night in the MDR, the table we were seated at was #111 not #11.

 

TA on Legend - I am jealous!!!

 

[Note: Many more pictures are on their way tomorrow when I get back home. If I have time, I'll try to add something to the review later today.]

Edited July 25, 2013 by Travel R

[Gabrielle R.]

I remember seeing on an earlier Legend of the Seas post (When it was still in Asia) that the WJ had really low tables- coffee table height with 'normal' sized chairs placed at these low tables.... so... the question: Did they get rid of those tables or are they still there? Or were these in an area set up to just sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee and visit... not really to eat at. I hope the question makes sense. I just remember the posting of the picture and thought it was an oddity.... and stuck with me. Thanks

Gabrielle

[Travel R]

A few pictures from the Piaza Navona in Italy, where we hung out a little bit before dinner. The restaurant was only two blocks from this the piaza. A little history: This area used to be a race track.

 

A look at the Piaza from the North end looking South (Fountain of Neptune in the foreground):

 

 

One of the fountains at the south end of the piaza (Fontana Moro):

 

[Was it the pigeon on the statue's head that you noticed first?]

 

The fountain at the middle of the Piaza (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini):

 

I am sure you remember this statue from above, but this is from the other side:

 

Edited July 26, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Photos of some other places we stopped by on the way back to the hotel after dinner.

 

Largo di Torre Argentina:

 

 

Capitoline Hill:

 

 

Victor Emmanuel Monument:

 

 

Trajan Forum (looking South):

 

 

Trajan's Column (it was hard to get the moon and a flying bird in this shot):

 

 

Looking down some steps (Trajan's Column in the background). Note: to the right of where I took this picture is a little grocery store with cold bottles of water for 1 euro and decent bottles of wine for a decent price:

 

 

More pictures on their way tomorrow . . . .

Edited July 26, 2013 by Travel R

[mjm325]

I was going to mention this in an upcoming post, but we (myself and my DW) were not allowed to look into the Ocean Adventure room ourselves. When you walk into the room there is a 3' x 5' space that parents can stand in to register or sign the child in/out. Before you is a door that opens electronically from the inside and a desk to your right. There is a little space behind this area (maybe 20 sqare feet in total) and to your right is a door to the play area. On the first day we took her there, another parent of a younger DD (maybe 6ish) right behind us on line also asked if she could take a look, and the person said "sorry, no parents."

 

I could fully understood this, since we are adults and there were kids in the room and they were responsible for their safetly. In hindsight, if we arrived before they opened or at closing time and no children were in attendance, if we would have let us look if we had asked.

 

In fact, on one occastion, my DD8 wanted to look into the room to see if any of her friends were in the OA before we signed her in, so we asked if she could look into the room. The person/counselor at that time said she could not walk inside unless we had her signed in (however, this was the only time -- on alll other occasions the other counselors did let my DD peek in before signed her in).

 

As mentioned, we were not allowed inside, and when I tried to take a picture of the sign-in area, the counselor very quickly said I could not.

 

My daughter did not provide any details regarding the size of the room, but did mention that the area just beyond the door was for younger kids, and the older kids (her age) played & hung out at the other side of the room.

 

I know this does not directly answer your question, but hopefully some of the info will be of some assistance.

 

[FYI - I do have a few pictures of the Teen Lounge from various angles (although emty of teenagers) which I will post in the next day or two.]

 

thank you, I appreciate it!

[Travel R]

Below are a few pictures from our trek through time at the Coliseum, Palentine Hill, and the Forum. There are only a few of the many pictures I took but should serve to provide you (the reader) with a good glimpe into what we saw and experienced.

 

A nice view of the Coliseum at the end of the street we had to traverse. I like the contradiction of the ancient ruins to the architecture of the streets to the modern additions of automobiles and street lights.

 

 

Although it needs no intruction, The Coliseum . . .

 

 

Looking down into the bowels of the Coliseum under the arena:

 

 

The Arch of Constantine:

 

 

Another look at the Colisuem (from the walkway between Palantine Hill & The Forum):

 

 

There were reports of labor disputes - marches, demonstrations, etc. every day we were in Rome. One of these arches was going on while we were walking to Palentine Hill:

 

[Travel R]

A look up Palantine Hill (at the ruins of one of the baths). My DD8 thought it funny that they had public baths:

 

 

 

One of the relief etchings on the Arch of Titus:

 

 

Temple of Antonio and Faustina:

 

 

Funeral Pyre of Julius Ceasar -- his ashes are buried under that mound:

 

 

House of the Vestal Virgins. Note the statues in the courtyard. These are of the outstanding Virgins of the day. Most Virgins did not do their jobs sufficiently and were fired (they were buried alive with a loaf of bread).

 

House of the Vestal Virgins. Note the statues, they are of past Virgins that did an exceptional job. Most, according to what I read, most wound up not fulfilling their duties and were buried alive with a loaf of bread:

 

 

A picture of the Roman Forum looking North:

 

Edited July 26, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Another look at the Forum, with the Temple Vesta on the left (and the columns for Basillica Julia just behind):

 

 

Yet another photo of the Forum with the Arch of Septimus Severus in the background:

 

 

One last look back at old Rome before heading back to the hotel and lands beyond . . . .

 

[Travel R]

I remember seeing on an earlier Legend of the Seas post (When it was still in Asia) that the WJ had really low tables- coffee table height with 'normal' sized chairs placed at these low tables.... so... the question: Did they get rid of those tables or are they still there? Or were these in an area set up to just sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee and visit... not really to eat at. I hope the question makes sense. I just remember the posting of the picture and thought it was an oddity.... and stuck with me. Thanks

Gabrielle

 

The tables were not very high - but lower than a usual table. When you are sitting you would not even realize it. I just checked and do not have any pictures of the tables (and the first day I was in the WJ, I did say to myself to take one or two) -- all of the pictures are of my family and do not really show much of the dining room itself.

[Travel R]

Genoa and the Aquarium: Legend of the Seas Review, Day 2

 

An Early Morning

 

We felt the hands of the ocean rock us back and forth for most of the evening into the next day. It was far from the worst we had ever experienced, but still the ship moved back and forth. I had awoken before the four o’clock hour and could not regain my slumber. I do not know if it was the two hour siesta I engaged in the prior afternoon, the differential of time, the swaying of our quarters, or the mere fact that I was still energized with the excitement of being on a cruise in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

After a half hour had passed, I made use of the open air appendage to our room, the balcony. The joy of sitting outside, feeling the wind against your face, and seeing the waves and the outline of the shore still many miles to my north in the dim light of the upcoming dawn was priceless. Although it can be argued that an inside stateroom is all that is sufficient for any traveler’s needs, but to me, being able to sit out there in the early morning was priceless. The thought did cross my mind to do my morning run, but the effects of the fatigue from the walking and strain of the last few days were still importunate upon my body. When my family began to awake, I made my way to the Solarium for a few quick snacks to bring back to the room to satisfy our morning hunger.

 

[Note: There was a table set up next to Park Café 24/7 with coffee, tea, and a few snacks (such as cookies). Depending on the day, even as early as 6:30 am, they would begin to bring out breakfast type items such as cereal, yogurts, pastries, fruit, etc. A very nice way to get something to eat to break the morning fast before the full Park Café or the other two breakfast venues (WJ or MDR) would open. It was also very quiet there early in the morning and would be a nice alternative to sitting on the balcony or out on deck. The few passengers that were there were enjoying some coffee, listening to music, or reading a book.]

 

Breakfast in the MDR

 

On that morning, with a time of 8:30 am to meet for our impending excursion, we decided upon the main dining room to partake in our morning meal. Upon entering the establishment, we were quickly seated by a kindly mannered waiter at a table large enough to fit ten hungry travelers. We were not the first to arrive, and the remainder of the table filled to capacity in only a few minutes. A very short time after all the guests were seated, the waiter came around to take our orders. I ordered the special of the morning, eggs prepared with an“Asian inspiration.” Soon afterwards, the assistant waiter offered us some bread and breakfast pastries, to which I quickly accepted a piece (or two). My curiosity also got the better of me and I left our table to see what awaited guests at the breakfast bar. Laid out upon the display cases were fresh fruits, cereals, cheeses, yogurt (with accompaniments), coffee, hot water, and a granola concoction that beckoned to me the moment I saw it. Being adventurous that morning, I placed a few heaping spoonfuls into a dish and brought it back to the table. I am glad I did, it was delicious – and had continued to help myself to it on every subsequent morning we ate in the MDR (although I did begin to add additional items to the concoction like raisins, nuts, and other assorted sides).

The breakfast was leisurely, the waiters attentive (including the enjoyment of my two sodas brought hassle-free from the assistant waiter), and the discussions with our table-mates very agreeable. There is so much to learn from our fellow human beings, and a slow paced meal is one of my favorite times to do so. I really enjoyed breakfasts in the MDR and we frequented that venue as much as possible for the remainder of the cruise.

 

[Notes: The “Asian inspired” eggs were not bad, although there was too much bell pepper which overshadowed the other Asian flavors. The portion itself was also very small, and as one person mentioned in another thread, the amount is the same as you would get from an ice cream scoop. I was glad that I had taken items from the breakfast bar, or I would have gone hungry. For future breakfasts in the MDR, if I had eggs, I mainly stuck to omelets, and asked for them to be prepared with three eggs (yeah, I had a lot of cholesterol this week). My DDs had hot chocolate and chocolate milk, which they enjoyed, and ate half of their food (as they normally would). My DW had the lox plate, and ordered a toasted bagel on the side, which she enjoyed each day (which she had almost every morning). Although they automatically sit you at large tables (10 top), you may request to eat at a private table. Although I do cherish my alone time, I also enjoy talking and socializing with new people, so we preferred to sit at the larger table with strangers that would leave the table as friends.

 

A quick note on coffee: My DW hated the free coffee they gave her (as she had on every cruise we have ever been on, except maybe our first). On every subsequent day we ate breakfast in the MDR, we would stop off at Café Lattetudes and purchase her a coffee for her morning enjoyment. It was on the way. We would walk down one flight (we are on deck 7), walk to the coffee shop mid-ship, continue walking to other end of the Legend, then walk down two more flights to the MDR (main seating) on level 4 [we always try to use the stairs as much as we could]. As I mentioned above, I had two ice cold glasses of Diet Coke to help start my morning – a big change from my cup of java every morning that would jumpstart my day at work back in the real world. Note: If you drink a lot of coffee, get the coffee loyalty card – after you order five cups, you get the sixth for free.]

 

Excursion Review: Genoa City and Aquarium (thru RCI)

 

We were to meet with our excursion party in the Theater at 8:30 (as it stated upon the ticket), and arrived a few minutes earlier. The girls were armed with their sweatshirts and we also had some bottles of water to share. A mass of other passengers awaiting to go on their own expeditions also began to file into the room. As we entered the room, we were herded down to the bottom of the grotto to check in and receive a sticker from the excursion professionals. Each sticker was to be worn by everyone partaking on a tour that day, and they corresponded to the bus you were to be travelling on. At ten minutes to nine, they called our number and we made our way off of the ship and onto the awaiting coach.

 

[Note: What did we do with our passports, SeaPasses, and money, you ask? Glad you asked, and here’s what we did: Passports were locked up in the room safe. Sea Passes were placed into body wallets (wallets that are worn and concealed beneath our clothing). The bulk of the money (and credit cards) we took onshore with us was placed in these body wallets, with a few Euros left out as spending money for souvenirs, and other miscellaneous items. Although the girls brought the sweatshirts because it was a little cool in the morning, most days they stopped wearing it within the hour and carried them (or had me carry them) during most of the time on the excursions.]

 

The bus was big and roomy, and the tour guide had provided us with small devices attached to earpieces in which she could more easily talk to the group without the need of screaming too loudly. It was only a twenty minute ride into Genoa and we arrived in the old port section of town near a small farmers market and across from the Genoa Aquarium. The guide had a very thick accent, and was not very fluent in English (although she did give it her best). Before touring the Aquarium, she first wanted to take us through this “historic” part of town so that we can see and feel what the city was all about. She took us down a few old twisting streets that abounded the city with the highlights being the old merchant building, a jail that once imprisoned Marco Polo, and my favorite, a Cathedral that allegedly housed the bones of John the Baptist. The architecture and dual tone striped exterior of the building were magnificent, and the inside was just as impressive with huge arches, columns, and stained glass windows.

 

[Note: I think the places we saw were most of the highlights to the city. The tour guide was okay and only gave brief summary descriptions of the few sites we had passed by. It almost seemed at times that she was trying to stretch the historical significance of the city. Also a short note regarding the Cathedral –since it is holy place, guests are supposed to be covered appropriately including women not wearing garments that exposed their knees. There were a few women that had on “inappropriate” attire, and a priest came over to yell at them, including our tour guide, before kicking us out. I was not without sin myself, I also got yelled at for taking a picture of the area that held the bones of John the Baptist.]

 

The next place which we visited was the Aquario di Genova. The aquarium was a place which my children were excited to visit. They have traversed to many of them throughout the U.S., but this was to be their first visit to one on International soil. One of the advantages to being with a group was that we were able to skip the long lines and quickly enter the facilities. However, once entering, we came to a dead stop. The que trudged along for almost another half hour until we came to the cause of the congestion, the staff was taking pictures of each and every person/family that entered (you could not bypass this, even if that was your intention). It was not hard to navigate through the structure, since you were always being moved along one continuous path. There were no alternate routes or forks in the road; you either went straight or not at all.

 

Compared to aquatic zoos in American, they did not seem to have as many fish or ocean mammals on display. There were some decent exhibits, like the shark tank, and my DD8 enjoyed looking at the octopus moving around in its tank, but nothing really struck any of us as being magnificent, or enticing enough to say that we would want to return. Within forty-five minutes we completed the entire circuit, which left us outside and a half-hour too early to return to the bus. We perused the local farmer’s market next to the bus pick-up point until our ride finally arrived. The market, although merely incidental, was actually one of the highlights of the trip. There were a number of vendors selling various foods (unfortunately, most you need to eat before returning to the ship), and some had various wares that made for nice souvenirs.

 

[Note: Genoa was not a city I did very much in terms of research (and even the guide books did not have much on this port), but it did not seem there was much more to offer us (as tourists) beyond the few things that the guide showed us. The aquarium itself was very disappointing in terms of what it offered, how it was presented, and even the fact that I could not take pictures while inside. The tour guide, even though I think she tried her best, was just okay. If I were to ever come to Genoa again, I would either do the city myself, or go on the tour of Portofino, which many of my shipmates said they enjoyed. Because we went to an aquarium here, we probably missed out on a much nicer aquarium at another port later on during this vacation. Even with waiting to get back onto the return bus, we still returned twenty minutes before the stated time on the excursion itinerary.

 

Also note, if we had wanted to tour Genoa a little longer, we could have stayed in the city after the excursion and made use of the RCI city transfer buses for FREE as long as we continued to wear our stickers. We had not notification of this before any of our RCI excursions (nor was it mentioned in any of the literature – it may have been mentioned in one of the excursion talks, but I never go to those). This was not limited to only Genoa, they did offer this additional option on all three RCI tours in which we partook and I know that they also offered it in Valencia (but we did the city DIY). By the time we arrived back at the bus the kids were tired and since there was not much more to see, we decided to go back to the ship.][/COLOR]

Edited July 26, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

A view of the port of Civi from our Balcony. I should note that we were on the Starboard side of the ship. Not the most beautiful of port cities, but sitting out there was nice (although it was a little hot that afternoon):

 

 

A nice shot of the soon to be setting sun piercing the clouds before it says it's goodbye for the evening:

 

[Travel R]

Food items being sold in the Genoa's Farmer Market. It was near the drop-off/pick-up location for the busses:

 

 

An alleyway in Genoa:

 

 

A Native Genovian (and a great study shot):

 

 

A view of the entrance to the Cathedral of Genoa as we emerged from a long arched alleyway:

 

 

A random picture from inside the Cathedral (note the painted cieling, sky light, stained glass windows, and other architectural features):

 

 

The alter where the bones of John the Baptists are being kept. I got yelled at by a priest soon after this picture was taken (not sure if it was the picture or the use of flash):

 

Edited July 26, 2013 by Travel R

[Travel R]

A nice street shot illustrating where old meets new:

 

 

A picture of the fountain in the Piaza de Ferrari:

 

 

One of the very few pictures I was able to take at the Genoa Aquarium -- no pictures were allowed to be taken:

 

 

This is a picture of the port of Genoa taken from a window near Cafe Lattetudes:

 

 

 

The night's activity - imagining what shapes the clouds are taking before a sunset over the Italian skies (taken from the balcony):

 

 

 

Here you have to use your imagination. This is a picture taken from my balcony of a lightning storm on shore miles away:

 

[Travel R]

How I Spent My Afternoon

After fulfilling our quota of souvenirs we made our way back to the bus and returned uneventfully to the ship. Soon after boarding, we made our way directly to the Windjammer to hopefully beat the crowds (which we did not). The WJ served the usual fare on its buffet tables, but one dish really stood out for me, the Indonesian Rice with Peanut Sauce.

Scheduled Cruise Activities

There were no activities that really interested me after lunch, so I took another trip to Slumber Land while my DW and DD8 spent their afternoon at the pool, where my daughter made some friends by the pool. My DD13 met up at the WJ that she had met the previous evening, and wound up spending the afternoon with her new mates. Although I did not expect to take part in many onboard activities during this cruise, I will comment that the number of activities available seemed to be limited. By my best estimation, this is most probably due to the port-intensive nature of this cruise. The schedule for the activities that interested me the most seemed to have been planned in opposition to my own schedule. For instance, they held family activities every evening at a quarter after six, however we, like most other families, had earlier dinner seatings because we had kids. The timing just did not make sense. Every evening they would have some type of interactive activity in the Centrum, however, it became very crowded early, and unless you got their before the activity started, there were no seats to be found. Most of the trivia games were also held at times I could not attend, and spent my cruise trivia-free. Even the Beatles hour one hour in one of the lounges conflicted with that night’s 9:30 show for late seating (the Beatles hour started at 10:00 before the show was over).

Dinner & A Change of Service

After getting dressed for the evening meal, we made our way once again to Deck Five, but entered the MDR from a different door (there are two to chose from). When I gave the person my room number, he told the waiter to seat us at table #11. I was going to ask to be moved to a different wait staff, but when he stated the table number, I realized why they had trouble finding my seat and had to move us the night before – they messed up and sat us at #111 instead of table #11. We sat at our new table and happy to see that we had new waiter. All I can say is that the table service between the first and second evenings was like night and day. Although poor service in the Windjammer did not make much of a difference to me, a week of poor service for dinner every evening would have had an impact upon my overall vacation. The assistant waiter, Anthony from Singapore, was extremely attentive the remainder of the cruise – he brought us our sodas every night without asking (including bringing me two), and it was just the little things like cleaning off the crumbs between the main course and the dessert or getting rid of dirty dishes after we had finished with them. Except for one other evening, we kept coming back to the same wait-staff although not always the same table (but always in the same vicinity).

If you want to know what we had for dinner on this evening:

Appetizer: Garlic Soup. The soup was fantastic. It was seasoned just right – and maybe just the fact that it had taste was what made me drawn to it.

Main Course #1: Tiger Shrimp. This was a tasty dish, however, the shrimps themselves were fairly small and it was difficult to undress them from dif their shells. The dish was too much work for what it was worth.

Main Course #2: Chicken Marsala. This dish was just okay and a little on the bland side (for my taste). Once again, another dish served over mashed potatoes. This would have gone perfectly over a nice wild or brown rice with a little thicker sauce.

DW’s Main Course: Eggplant Parmesan. I tried a taste and it was okay, but too dry.

Dessert: BBB Crème Brule. This dessert is out of this world – and available on most evenings.

Wine With Dinner

Like many cruisers, we brought aboard two bottle of wine. Depending on the vacation, I may drink a little or a lot. I was initially expecting to drink a bit on this cruise (in my initial planning), but did not expect to be as tired as I was. Wine has the effect of putting me asleep if I drink too much. However, I planned on having a drink this evening, but when I tried to open the bottle (the steward had brought me a corkscrew the night before) the corkscrew broke in the cork itself. During dinner I had left the bottle out and upon returning to my cabin, I found the bottle had been opened (the broken one taken out) and two empty wine glasses on the counter as well. [We also had a rabbit towel animal on our bed as well – to the delight of our daughters.] Kudos to my room steward.

My Favorite Cruise Memories

MY DW13 met up with her friends soon after dinner, but my DD8 wanted to spend the evening with us. So we walked around the ship for a while, went back to the room to watch some TV (some stupid, but funny Kevin James movie). The main show this evening was a variety show starring the regular ships troupe of Royal Caribbean singers & dancers. However, I have long ago grown tired of these shows so we decided not to attend.

At some point my DD8 was hungry, so we decided to take advantage of the food at the Park Café. They had a bunch of items, but it was sadly lacking in variety that I remembered from the Café Promenade on my last cruise I had on the Explorer. We took two slices of pizza and an egg salad sandwich (they only had pre-packed) with some cookies back to our room to share (I was also able to get soda from the bar next to the Café). The pizza was no better than the cheap frozen cardboard covered with cheese you can buy in any grocery, and the egg salad was okay at best, but it came on a very, very soggy piece of bread.

After we ate, I went out on the balcony with my daughter (it was my DWs time to sleep) on my lap. It was beginning to get a little dark, but there were plenty of clouds in the sky. We played the time honored game of using our imagination to tell the other what shapes we can make out of the cloud formation. I have to tell you, that was one of the best times on this cruise – it was a great bonding moment between myself and my DD8. Yes, we could have done this back at home on our back porch, but all of the powers of the cosmos seemed to line up during that one hour but the time and place was just perfect. Eventually she became tired, and I brought her back into the room to fall asleep.

By the time I brought her inside, there seemed to be a storm brewing on shore (maybe 20 or so miles to our North). When I came back outside, I watched the storm grow. The pyrotechnic display of the lighting was completely mesmerizing and it almost seemed like it was in synch with the music emitting from my iPod. This was another high-point of my cruise. I spend the next hour or more sitting out there watching the light show until my DD13 came back from her evening festivities at almost midnight. My midnight snack each evening with my DD13 became something I looked forward to, and was also another continuous highpoint of my vacation.

It was a very good evening!!!!

Up Next . . . . Review of the Teen Lounge, Review of MTD, and France (Marseilles & Cassis)

Edited July 26, 2013 by Travel R

[K9Sixtwo]

An exceptionally informative read, I can see why it's taking a while to write, ver in depth, I take my hat off to you ..