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

[Travel R]

Looking out the window whle leaving the Civi port:

 

 

 

An Italian farm on the way to the airport:

 

 

 

The sun had begun to descend in the late afternoon of our return (as shown over the NJ Transit subway stop in Newark):

 

 

 

 

 

A vistor was in our backyard welcoming us home (taken through a window):

 

[Travel R]

Reminiscence About The Vacations of My Childhood

 

 

I feel very, very fortunate to have been able to go on a Mediterranean cruise with my family. Growing up, my family did not have money. Cruises were vacations that rich and famous people went on, like on the Love Boat. Vacations growing up for me consisted of my parents packing the station wagon with clothing, tents, sleeping bags, food, and camping gear, then heading out to places unknown. I had traversed the most states east of the Mississippi (including Canada) by the time I was ten years old. We enjoyed travelling, and since we had no money to fly to Europe, much anywhere in the U.S., we visited each state one at a time. We stayed at campsites while visiting different sites. Breakfast was cereal, lunch was sandwiches (bread & filling bought in the local supermarkets), and dinner was cooked over a campfire (or little Coleman stove). The great outdoors was our MDR, the tent our cabin, and lakes and rivers our pools. I do not remember ever staying at a hotel (actually a motel) until I was nine years old. Don’t get me wrong, those were great vacations and everlasting memories, but a long way from sitting in a dining room with china plates and white table cloths being served scallops, lobster, and steak (regardless of what some CC members say about their quality). It had also fostered my love of travelling, seeing new places, and meeting new people (our fellow campers were great people, and met many nice people during those years). Luckily, things got much better for my parents and myself over the years that has allowed me to travel not all over this country, but all over this world (and stay in “real” hotels). I feel very fortunate to be able to do so, and to be able to share my love of travel with my children.

 

I do not know why I just wrote the above paragraph, or sharing these feelings, but I know that many people will not have this same type of opportunity, and that there are some that travel the world yearly (or monthly) and do not even understand how lucky they are. It is like some of the threads about tipping. Having been the waiter/busboy, I understand how important tips are to the working poor, while some of these people that have never worked for tips, or have never known what poverty is about have no qualms about giving less than the suggested amount. But then again, unless they are in that position, they really will never know.

 

But I digress . . . .

 

Wonderful Cruise & Vacation

 

If you have read this entire review, I guess you have a pretty good idea that we had a most wonderful time throughout every day of our holiday. Being in Rome, for me, was an amazing experience. I am a student of history, and have been to many Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields, towns, museums, etc., and have been in many of the castles and museums of England, France, and Spain, but there was no feeling like being in the center of so much history spanning two millennium. Most of the ports we visited added to the cultural and historical aspects of travelling through Europe, and lastly, cruising aboard the Legend of the Seas was magnificent. I have to say I was nervous choosing the Legend over the Liberty, but everything worked out to our satisfaction. The service onboard was fantastic with an amazing room steward (Richard) and Assistant Waiter (Anthony), with a not to the rest of the crew. I may have complained about a thing here or there during the review, but none of it affected how much we enjoyed ourselves. Having a good attitude is one of the primary things that everyone needs to bring with them on vacation, and we did.

 

My DW and children all enjoyed themselves, which also makes me, the planner, especially happy. My DD13 met up with some very nice kids her age which kept her entertained each night, and we went on some very nice excursions which she enjoyed during the day. My DD8 enjoyed the excursions, although maybe not as much, but also enjoyed the Adventure Ocean and even at times being with her parents. As a family we really enjoyed Rome and it has tempted us to come back and enjoy not only Rome, but all of Italy. Barcelona was also one of the most beautiful cities we visited. Valencia, however, was one of our favorite family days during the cruise. As to the ship itself, although I did not take advantage of many of the activities, it was nice and relaxing, and I enjoyed my balcony very, very much. The food, for the most part, was good with some exceptional dishes and some that tanked. Depending on the itinerary, and what you want out of the cruise, I would recommend the Legend of the Seas to others, and would have not problem sailing her again myself.

 

The Photos

 

Reading many other reviews on CC, some members added many pictures to their reviews. As you can see, I have included over 100, but kept them fairly minimal only showing one or two (although four at Gaudi’s Cathedral) pictures from each place we visited. My intention was to give you, the reader, a sense of where we had visited, without taking too much of my own time in selecting, downloading, and editing, hundreds of pictures.

 

I also tried to keep pictures of my family out of this review. Due to privacy issues, I have kept these photos from being posted. Unlike other vacations, I spend a lot of time looking for the perfect photo and many of them are of nature, architecture, etc. – and not of my family (although there are still many). On this vacation, I just did quick click and shoot photos of the art and architecture, and took many, many photos of my family (by themselves, and with our surroundings). The results are not those that would be placed in a photo gallery, but perfect for a family photo album of our vacation.

 

This Review

 

In preparing for our cruise I had read reviews from many other members, including a few regarding this ship and this itinerary. After seeing how much those reviews were of help to myself and others, I broke down and decided to write one myself and to hopefully be of help myself. I also tried to add the focus of cruising in the Mediterranean with children to try to help this segment of the cruising population. There is a ton of information about cruising with infants and toddlers, but nearly as much when it comes to older children and young teens. This is where, I believe, this review helps to fill out some of that missing data.

 

But, by placing that dastardly “c” word into the title of my review probably soured many people from reading it. You know the word – children. More and more families are cruising and the age of the average cruiser is getting lower. In 1996 I was way below the average age of my fellow passengers on my last cruise. Now, being 17 years older, I am catching up to the average age. On an interesting note, on my 2009 cruise, we sat at a table of 8 with three other couples. All of us had children, but none of us brought them with us. Yes, it was a short cruise, and it was the first time we had been away from our children since they were born.

 

Hopefully readers enjoyed the style of my writing. Most reviews are written like this post, just shooting from the hip. I know that my style is a little different than usual, and although I am “one of those people” that enjoy dressing up for formal night, I always try to be a little different when possible. I also placed the photos separately from the reviews themselves, which I am not sure most readers like, but I think it breaks up the textual portion where the reader can create images in their own mind, then supplement it with the photos to either add graphic details to the prior text, or to provide a different visualization from what the reader had originally perceived.

 

What’s Next

 

Well, this review has allowed me to continue my vacation, at least metaphorically over the past month and a half, and as I end this review, the cruise will finally come to its final and logical conclusion. Although it will be shortly revived when I post a shorter review on the “official” CC review page. I must admit that it is in a way sad that it is finally over.

 

There are no cruises in the planning in the near future. Although we love cruising, we also love other land-based vacations as well. The past few years have been full of Orlando theme parks with a number of other travel destinations along the east coast of the U.S. (especially if they have or are near amusement parks). Although we will again have several of these shorter trips over the year, our big family trip (with grandparents) next year will be getting into a car and travelling through the New York, New England, and Canada. I have already begun planning the trip. I am giving them the option of camping at any of these locations, but I am pretty sure they will opt for hotels.

 

We have not begun planning our family vacation for 2015, and a cruise on Quantum is possible, or finally going on that cruise with my parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, etc. However, my parents are big fans of NCL, and since it will probably be their preference, I will be able to see what it is like to cruise like a Norwegian. For 2016, we are already planning to go across the seas again, although this time not to Europe (and not on a cruise).

 

I will be around the Cruise Critic boards for another few weeks, especially come back to this thread and the All Things Legend of the Seas thread to answer any questions, but then only sporadically after that, unless another cruise appears upon our horizon.

[19Ladybird67]

We have always gone to Revolutionary and Civil War sites since she was young, but seeing the places of the ancient civilizations was a different experience for her.

 

I am really enjoying your review. I would love to do a med. cruise with our DD11.

 

Do you do any civil war re-enacting? DH has been doing it for almost 30 years.

[Travel R]

I am really enjoying your review. I would love to do a med. cruise with our DD11.

 

Do you do any civil war re-enacting? DH has been doing it for almost 30 years.

 

I am glad you have enjoyed the review.

 

No, I have not performed in any myself, but have been to a number of reenactments over the years. Always a fun, educational, and loud experience.

[Travel R]

A Table of Contents of my Mediterranean Review on the Legend of the Seas with Children

 

I do not believe I have seen a table of contents created for any reviews, but thought it would be a great idea so that researchers can go directly to pages for specific ports or items discussed. It is also a good way to just go back to a specific page without searching through every page of the thread (this is a pretty short review compared to some of the other ones out there).

 

Full Review (First Page)

 

Individual Posts:

·

Preface

·

Planning

(Choosing the itinerary; Is Europe good for kids?; Right time to go; Picking a cruise ship/cruise line; Our itinerary; Pros & Cons)

·

Booking the Cruise, Flight, & Excursions

(Booking cruise, flight & excursions; Packing)

·

Travelling from the US to Europe with 8 year old and 13 Year Old

(More preparations; The airflight; Losing wife in Rome (FCO))

·

Steps, Fountains, and Old Buildings – Our Walk through the Heart of Rome

(Hotel Aberdeen review; Street signs; Spanish Steps; McDonalds; Trevi Fountain; Pantheon; Piazza Navona; Italian Pizza; More monuments & Roman ruins)

·

A Walk Back In Time – Coliseum & Forum

(Coliseum; Roman Forum; Palatine Hill)

·

Embarkation and First Night aboard the Legend of the Seas

(Embarkation; First night in the MDR; After dinner)

·

The Windjammer – A Review

·

Ocean Adventure – Kid Tested, Parent Approved

·

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

(Early morning; Breakfast in MDR; Genoa Excursion review)

·

A Memorable Evening on the Legend of the Seas After Genoa

(Scheduled cruise activities; Dinner & change of waiters; wine; favorite cruise memories)

·

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!!!

(Words you do not want to hear on a cruise ship)

·

The French Connection – Marseilles and Cassis

(Early excursion; Seaside travel & Cassis)

·

An Afternoon in France (Well, on the ship, in French Waters)

(Windjammer; Afternoon activities; Cruise director; First formal night; Evening’s entertainment)

·

Review of the Teen Program / Teen Club (Optix/Teen Disco)

·

Review of My Time Dining (MTD)

·

Barcelona, A City of Beauty

(Relaxing late morning; Tour of Barcelona; Las Ramblas on our own; Which country has the best pizza?)

·

Our Quiet Evening After Barcelona

(with Dinner, Shuffleboard & Bingo)

·

Review of our Balcony Stateroom

(Our stateroom; Stateroom description; Benefits of a balcony)

·

Palma and a Day to do Nada

(A morning walk; Breakfast & Palma; Afternoon in the pool; Dinner & company; Acrobats & violinist)

·

Family Day in Valencia

(Morning meal; City of Arts and Sciences)

·

The Second Formal Night and an Invitation to Dance

(Nice meal in Windjammer; Formal Night & Change of Plans; Evening’s Entertainment)

·

Sea Dayz – Our Only One

(Early Stroll & breakfast; Our Cruise Tradition; Lunch & Relaxation; Last Dinner; Acrobatics)

·

What I Didn’t Do

·

Crime in Europe

(Transport between FCO, Hotel, and Civi Port; Rome; Las Ramblas; On the Ship)

·

Food & Services on the Legend of the Seas

(Romeo & Juliet Dining Room (MDR); Windjammer; Park Café; Room service)

·

Refurbishment

·

The Big Four: Tipping, Smoking, Rum Running, and Formal Attire

(and Chair Hogging)

·

The Journey Home

(and Disembarking)

·

Packing List / Checklist – For Europe with Children

·

Coda: A Cruise Summary

[cruise pup]

Your Civi departure photo reminded me of the time I was leaving and there was a shepherd leading a flock a sheep down the road. Not a sight I see in the Big Apple. It broke my heart because I was leaving. As others have already said, great review. I enjoyed learning and also reminiscing. My Legend adventure begins in 76 days. Chair hogs, I'm giving you fair warning!

Edited August 15, 2013 by cruise pup

[jrmint427]

I will be sailing on the Legend of Seas on my first cruise in just a few weeks, and I found your review to be very helpful. Your review answered many of my questions about what to expect on a cruise ship, and has made me very excited for our trip! I just started reading a few days ago, and realized how lucky I was that I did not have to wait for your next posts as you were writing - it was like watching a TV show on Netflix and being able to skip right along the whole way!

[BobbyN]

An upgrade that I would have liked to see, that they did not add, was to hook up the TV screens to your onboard account so you could see it from the privacy of your own room, or maybe the option to book excursions from the TV screen.

 

Great review and really helpful as we are sailing in approx 3 weeks.

 

I find it strange that the cabin TV's are not hooked up to on board accounts nor have the ability to book excursions etc. RCI advertise that this system is available, and indeed I remember it was over 7 years ago on Explorer.

 

Could you clarify please.... was this not available at all or was it just not functioning at the time. Many thanks

[Travel R]

Your Civi departure photo reminded me of the time I was leaving and there was a shepherd leading a flock a sheep down the road. Not a sight I see in the Big Apple. It broke my heart because I was leaving. As others have already said, great review. I enjoyed learning and also reminiscing. My Legend adventure begins in 76 days. Chair hogs, I'm giving you fair warning!

 

Thanks again for reading and I am glad you enjoyed the review. Enjoy the Legend when you board her.

 

[Note: In your signature, I see that you list all of your 79 cruises by ship (yeah, i'm jeaulous) - however, I would love to see the list of ports and places visited.]

[Travel R]

I will be sailing on the Legend of Seas on my first cruise in just a few weeks, and I found your review to be very helpful. Your review answered many of my questions about what to expect on a cruise ship, and has made me very excited for our trip! I just started reading a few days ago, and realized how lucky I was that I did not have to wait for your next posts as you were writing - it was like watching a TV show on Netflix and being able to skip right along the whole way!

 

I am happy that the review was of help to you. If you have not done so, also take a look at the All Things Legend of the Seas thread (the link is in my signature below). There are also a number of great threads about the Legend (I have listed a few of them in the All Things Thread). If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

 

You lucked out coming in at the end of the thread instead of waiting for each installment to be posted. Luckily for most reviews on Cruise Critic, we will finish up in a few weeks, unlike George RR Martin who takes many years between each installment of his Game of Thrones series.

 

You will have a great time on the ship - enjoy!

[Travel R]

Great review and really helpful as we are sailing in approx 3 weeks.

 

I find it strange that the cabin TV's are not hooked up to on board accounts nor have the ability to book excursions etc. RCI advertise that this system is available, and indeed I remember it was over 7 years ago on Explorer.

 

Could you clarify please.... was this not available at all or was it just not functioning at the time. Many thanks

 

My previous cruise was also on the Explorer (4 years ago), and I did enjoy and used this feature. I did look for this feature when I first turned on the TV. When I did not see it (or any matarials relating to it), I was going to ask the room seward or the front desk about it, but just forgot. It is possible that it did have that function, but somehow I missed it.

 

Glad you have enjoyed the review - sailing in only three weeks - that is awesome -- have a great time!

[gbntmom]

Many, many thanks for a beautiful and heartfelt review. I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. What wonderful memories your girls will have. My husband & I feel the same - making those memories with our children will last them a lifetime. Thanks for taking the time to share all of your tips, photos and lessons with us.

 

Janet

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Loved your review. I will be on the Legend in a little more than 2 months. You have given me many ideas. Thank you for taking the time. :)

 

As for your comment regarding children--I think most of us enjoy well behaved and/or busy children. I am glad children get to see the world. I wish I had at their age. You and your DW knew where the children were and what they were doing. They will likely always remember this trip. :D

 

I think the trouble is when parents have the "this is my vacation and the kids can't get in any trouble while they are on a ship" attitude.

[cruise pup]

Note: In your signature, I see that you list all of your 79 cruises by ship (yeah, i'm jeaulous) - however, I would love to see the list of ports and places visited.

 

You've got to be kidding. LOL. The best I can do is tell you I've done Alaska, Hawaii, The Caribbean, The Mediterranean, Canada & New England, Mexican Riviera, Norwegian Fjords, Turkey/Greece/Israel, Transatlantics and Nowhere. Obviously there were more than 1 visit to some of the regions. The reason for the high number of cruises is because a lot of them were 4 nighters.

[Travel R]

Great review and really helpful as we are sailing in approx 3 weeks.

 

I find it strange that the cabin TV's are not hooked up to on board accounts nor have the ability to book excursions etc. RCI advertise that this system is available, and indeed I remember it was over 7 years ago on Explorer.

 

Could you clarify please.... was this not available at all or was it just not functioning at the time. Many thanks

 

I asked this question on the On the All Things Legend thread, two members in JS cabins both weighed in. One member that sailed just after the refurb had this in their JS, another one that sailed afterwards did not. As mentioned, my balcony cabin did not have one as well. I wonder if they stopped placing them in any cabins (maybe due to some type of glitch), or have not yet finished placing them in all of the cabins.

[Travel R]

Many, many thanks for a beautiful and heartfelt review. I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. What wonderful memories your girls will have. My husband & I feel the same - making those memories with our children will last them a lifetime. Thanks for taking the time to share all of your tips, photos and lessons with us.

 

Janet

 

Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed the review.

[Travel R]

Loved your review. I will be on the Legend in a little more than 2 months. You have given me many ideas. Thank you for taking the time. :)

 

As for your comment regarding children--I think most of us enjoy well behaved and/or busy children. I am glad children get to see the world. I wish I had at their age. You and your DW knew where the children were and what they were doing. They will likely always remember this trip. :D

 

I think the trouble is when parents have the "this is my vacation and the kids can't get in any trouble while they are on a ship" attitude.

 

 

I agree, most people do enjoy well behaved children, I just believe that by placing the word "Children" in the title, I have probably soured people from reading the review, although I believe I did add a lot of information that would benefit those cruising with or without children. On the other hand, I did want to highlight, where I could, the pros and cons of activities, ports, etc. for those cruising with older children and younger teens, since most reviews (and threads) do not really highlight those items.

 

 

Enjoy your time aboard the Legend and glad I was able to give you some ideas for the upcoming cruise/itinerary. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.

[Travel R]

You've got to be kidding. LOL. The best I can do is tell you I've done Alaska, Hawaii, The Caribbean, The Mediterranean, Canada & New England, Mexican Riviera, Norwegian Fjords, Turkey/Greece/Israel, Transatlantics and Nowhere. Obviously there were more than 1 visit to some of the regions. The reason for the high number of cruises is because a lot of them were 4 nighters.

 

Wow, amazing repertoire of countries/regions. Thanks fof sharing!

 

I find that the more I travel, the more places I keep adding to my bucket list.

[Elkpad]

Thanks so much for providing such a comprehensive review! DB and I will be taking her on a 16 day TA next year and I was pretty nervous about being on the ship that long, especially since it is a smaller ship than we usually sail on. Your review provided some much needed reassurance in terms of the ship, service and food!

[Travel R]

Thanks so much for providing such a comprehensive review! DB and I will be taking her on a 16 day TA next year and I was pretty nervous about being on the ship that long, especially since it is a smaller ship than we usually sail on. Your review provided some much needed reassurance in terms of the ship, service and food!

 

I am glad the review was of help.

 

No need to worry - there are still plenty of activities and things to do, although without all the bells and whistles. I thought the service was excellent. I gave my honest opinion of the food - some I loved, some I hated, but most was good to very good -- however, remember that food and taste are all subjective.

[Travel R]

My review on the "official" review page has been posted . . . . http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=225931

 

I had written this about two weeks ago, and looking at it now I cannot believe I had given so many high ratings. Not that the ratings are incorrect, but would not have thought I would have given so many 5s.

 

But since there is no definitions for the rankings, I ranked 4's for good, 5s for great, and 5+s for exceptional. I did not give any 3s or below, but if i did, 3s would have been for average, 2s for poor, and 1s for horrible. [Note to CC, maybe creating a scale designating the rating for each number would be advisable in the future.]

 

Maybe the high marks I gave are because I am easy to please, but more probably it is because anything negative that did happen on that trip quickly rolled off my sleeve and quickly forgotten. The best think to pack for any vacation is a good attitude.

 

I also rated this cruise against past cruises, so if I was to compare accomidations against a land-based 5 star hotel, it would have garnered a 2.5 at best, but since it was compared to other cruises along with reasonable expectations (which is another item vacationers need to bring with them), the ratings are higher.

 

You may also notice that the "official" review is not written in an articulate narrative, nor in as much detail, as I had provided in this thread. I believe I am providing the most help to readers by simply listing the items CC wants us to rate, along with the reasons I provided the specific rating.

 

With this, my post-cruise scribblings are over. CC, however, is addicting, and I will be around these boards eventhough I do not have a cruise booked in the near-future.

[lah66]

Thank you so much for your amazing review! So much thought and time went into doing this for us! You are such a gifted writer! Your writing style and the amount of detail was wonderful! I am curious about your profession...once a cook, but also an excellent writer, a history buff....professor??

 

We will be using a lot of details from your cruise to plan ours in 2015! In Feb, we will do an 11 day Southern Caribbean on the Legend and in the fall we will celebrate our 25th anniversary with a European cruise, ship and itin undetermined as of now. Excited for those itins to be released next Spring!

 

So glad that you had a wonderful cruise..one that your girls will remember forever! Thank you again for your informative, entertaining review!

 

Lauri

[Travel R]

Thank you so much for your amazing review! So much thought and time went into doing this for us! You are such a gifted writer! Your writing style and the amount of detail was wonderful! I am curious about your profession...once a cook, but also an excellent writer, a history buff....professor??

 

We will be using a lot of details from your cruise to plan ours in 2015! In Feb, we will do an 11 day Southern Caribbean on the Legend and in the fall we will celebrate our 25th anniversary with a European cruise, ship and itin undetermined as of now. Excited for those itins to be released next Spring!

 

So glad that you had a wonderful cruise..one that your girls will remember forever! Thank you again for your informative, entertaining review!

 

Lauri

 

Lauri:

 

Sorry for the late response, but I have not been back on this thread in a while. I am glad that you enjoyed the review. In answer to your question - I have been in the publishing industry for almost 20 years. Going back and re-reading my posts, I realized that I did not edit them very well before posting -- there was too much to write, and not enough time for me to review.

 

Wow, an eleven day cruise followed by a European cruise -- I am jealous. I am currently working on planning a shorter cruise for next year, and pre-planning stages of another overseas family vacation (non-cruise) in three years.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Lauri:

 

Sorry for the late response, but I have not been back on this thread in a while. I am glad that you enjoyed the review. In answer to your question - I have been in the publishing industry for almost 20 years. Going back and re-reading my posts, I realized that I did not edit them very well before posting -- there was too much to write, and not enough time for me to review.

 

Wow, an eleven day cruise followed by a European cruise -- I am jealous. I am currently working on planning a shorter cruise for next year, and pre-planning stages of another overseas family vacation (non-cruise) in three years.

 

Thank you for all of the detail. There have been several not so positive comments about Legend in the last couple of days. I am glad you had a mostly good experience.

[cruiseclues]

A Table of Contents of my Mediterranean Review on the Legend of the Seas with Children

 

I do not believe I have seen a table of contents created for any reviews, but thought it would be a great idea so that researchers can go directly to pages for specific ports or items discussed. It is also a good way to just go back to a specific page without searching through every page of the thread (this is a pretty short review compared to some of the other ones out there).

 

Full Review (First Page)

 

Individual Posts:

·

Preface

·

Planning

(Choosing the itinerary; Is Europe good for kids?; Right time to go; Picking a cruise ship/cruise line; Our itinerary; Pros & Cons)

·

Booking the Cruise, Flight, & Excursions

(Booking cruise, flight & excursions; Packing)

·

Travelling from the US to Europe with 8 year old and 13 Year Old

(More preparations; The airflight; Losing wife in Rome (FCO))

·

Steps, Fountains, and Old Buildings – Our Walk through the Heart of Rome

(Hotel Aberdeen review; Street signs; Spanish Steps; McDonalds; Trevi Fountain; Pantheon; Piazza Navona; Italian Pizza; More monuments & Roman ruins)

·

A Walk Back In Time – Coliseum & Forum

(Coliseum; Roman Forum; Palatine Hill)

·

Embarkation and First Night aboard the Legend of the Seas

(Embarkation; First night in the MDR; After dinner)

·

The Windjammer – A Review

·

Ocean Adventure – Kid Tested, Parent Approved

·

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

(Early morning; Breakfast in MDR; Genoa Excursion review)

·

A Memorable Evening on the Legend of the Seas After Genoa

(Scheduled cruise activities; Dinner & change of waiters; wine; favorite cruise memories)

·

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!!!

(Words you do not want to hear on a cruise ship)

·

The French Connection – Marseilles and Cassis

(Early excursion; Seaside travel & Cassis)

·

An Afternoon in France (Well, on the ship, in French Waters)

(Windjammer; Afternoon activities; Cruise director; First formal night; Evening’s entertainment)

·

Review of the Teen Program / Teen Club (Optix/Teen Disco)

·

Review of My Time Dining (MTD)

·

Barcelona, A City of Beauty

(Relaxing late morning; Tour of Barcelona; Las Ramblas on our own; Which country has the best pizza?)

·

Our Quiet Evening After Barcelona

(with Dinner, Shuffleboard & Bingo)

·

Review of our Balcony Stateroom

(Our stateroom; Stateroom description; Benefits of a balcony)

·

Palma and a Day to do Nada

(A morning walk; Breakfast & Palma; Afternoon in the pool; Dinner & company; Acrobats & violinist)

·

Family Day in Valencia

(Morning meal; City of Arts and Sciences)

·

The Second Formal Night and an Invitation to Dance

(Nice meal in Windjammer; Formal Night & Change of Plans; Evening’s Entertainment)

·

Sea Dayz – Our Only One

(Early Stroll & breakfast; Our Cruise Tradition; Lunch & Relaxation; Last Dinner; Acrobatics)

·

What I Didn’t Do

·

Crime in Europe

(Transport between FCO, Hotel, and Civi Port; Rome; Las Ramblas; On the Ship)

·

Food & Services on the Legend of the Seas

(Romeo & Juliet Dining Room (MDR); Windjammer; Park Café; Room service)

·

Refurbishment

·

The Big Four: Tipping, Smoking, Rum Running, and Formal Attire

(and Chair Hogging)

·

The Journey Home

(and Disembarking)

·

Packing List / Checklist – For Europe with Children

·

Coda: A Cruise Summary

 

Very nice organized, extensive, detailed photo review...liked your packing list too. :):):):)