Review w/ photos - Legend OTS - Jan 3 - 13, 2014

[Cuizer2]

The arrow points to where the prior and next photographs were taken from ...

 

 

Caribbean to the left - Atlantic to the right ...

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

Saturday, January 11 - Day at sea

Well, today I'll get to watch the playoff games. They are all late games, especially since we are one hour ahead of East Coast time, so I'm going to sleep in, walk around the ship a bit, take a few sea day photographs, do a little swimming, work on this, sort through some of photographs and then watch the games in the late afternoon and early evening.

 

 

 

There is nothing special going on around the ship, but I do see a rainbow and get a few good pictures of it. Mostly though I just walk around the ship long enough for my cabin steward to do his thing and then I watch TV for a bit. After lunch I finally do a little swimming and then come back to the cabin to dry off and work on this for a while. I put the wet swim suit out on the chair on the balcony so it will catch some of the afternoon sun and dry off so I don't have to pack a wet bathing suit tomorrow.

 

 

 

I did catch up with my cabin steward long enough to give him my WOW card. He has done a good job and he is always greets me with a smile when I see him. He was very appreciative. Finally when the games come on I get my football fix. The top seeds won, and the Seahawks are looking very good. My friend is a 49er fan and I'll be at his house for the NFC championship game. It should be a good game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

Sunday, January 12 - Day at sea

 

Today is another day of football. The games are all in the afternoon today. I'm up in time for some sunrise photographs. Not great sunrise photographs, but not bad. As I walk around I see a ship off in the distance. It has a strange shape. Could it be the NCL Epic? I take a few photographs and hopefully I'll be able to enlarge them enough to read the ship's name. A short time later I run into the captain who is taking a morning stroll around the ship. I ask him if he saw the ship on the port side and he says yes. I ask him if it was the Epic and he says that it looked like the Epic, but he hasn't been on the bridge yet, so he can not confirm it. I was able to enlarge the photograph enough to confirm that it was the NCL Epic.

 

 

I also take some time to get a few more day at sea pictures. Then after lunch I head back to my cabin to find out who will be playing for the conference championships. No real surprises today. Even though San Francisco was a low seed, the 49ers had the same record as Carolina. It is just the Seahawks had a better record, so San Francisco was in the playoffs as a wildcard team. Denver is looking pretty good too. I think Manning might be able to beat Brady this year. We will find out next week.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, after the games are over, it is time to pack. I don't finish before it is time to go to dinner. But fortunately I do have everything organized, so that packing after dinner is quick and I get my luggage outside before the deadline.

 

 

 

I actually considered going to the buffet tonight, as I was not interested in sitting through a slow dinner tonight. However, I did not want anyone to think I was skipping out on tipping, so I attend dinner in the main dining room . This is the only cruise where I had pre-paid tips. Though I purchased the cruise about eleven months in advance, the only dining option at that time was My Time Dining, which requires pre-paid gratuities. I switched to late seating after final payment. In this case it worked out well for me, as it meant a smaller onboard account, which I appreciated this time. However, I still prefer to pay the gratuities when they are earned, not in advance.

 

 

 

And speaking of dinner, I never knew who would show up. The first night there were five of us and we never had more than four for the rest of the cruise. Twice there was only one, and since I then moved to a nearby table, twice there was actually zero. The woman I met the first evening never showed up after Sunday night's dinner. I later saw her sitting at a different table.

 

 

 

Homes of the very rich along Ft. Lauderdale's water ways ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

Monday, January 13 - Travel day

I woke up early and as I usually did, picked out my breakfast at the buffet and then brought it back to my cabin. I had a fairly high debarkation number, given that I was on shore excursion. Normally shore excursions get priority (numbers one, two or three). But I had number seven which had a planned departure time of 8:45am, which seemed late to me. I checked with guest services yesterday, and they confirmed that I had the correct number.

 

 

 

Departure was a breeze. I did not stop walking until I was third in line to go through customs. Some gentleman moved up to the customs counter with me. I looked at him and said, "You are not with me." The customs officer ask a question to determine if there was any connection between us (related, same address ...). I said no and the customs officer told the man to move back behind the yellow line. This is the first time I ever had someone try that.

 

 

 

At any rate, I am about the fifth person to board the bus. After about fifteen minutes only a few more had boarded. The tour guide gets on a says that we are waiting for 28 more people. It turns out Guest Services made a mistake. The tour was scheduled to depart at 8:45am, not begin boarding at 8:45am. We should have had an earlier number. We didn't leave until 9:30am, 45 minutes late.

 

 

 

I have been to the Everglades three times before, once from Miami and twice from Fort Lauderdale. So a tour of Fort Lauderdale's water ways and the expensive homes and yachts on the water ways sounded like a good change of pace - and it was. Some of the homes exuded WEALTH. One of the homes looked like the White House. There was some vacant land that I would estimate it was five or six acres, that had an asking price of twenty million dollars (for vacant land? - location, location, location). There were also several very impressive yachts, including the Seven Seas, a 282 foot luxury yacht owned by Steven Spielberg. It was a very impressive tour which got me back to the airport in plenty of time for my 2:55pm flight back home. This was a very enjoyable tour, and the next time I have an opportunity to do it again, I will.

 

 

 

I realize that the ship has been called old (it entered service in May 1995) and small (it is tied with the Splendour as the smallest ship in the fleet - even smaller than the Majesty). However, in my opinion the ship looks fine. That said, I've taken several photographs of the ship that I am posting and will leave it to the reader to decide what condition the ship is in.

 

 

 

Nonetheless, if you have been on the Allure (my last cruise was on the Allure) then the age and size of the ship shows through. Though it has been upgraded to interactive signs near the elevators (just like the Allure) it clearly does not have all the bells and whistles of the newer ships. Nor does the Legend have all the options of the bigger ships (there is no ice skating rink, no Flowrider, not enough lounges, no basketball court ...). This is not the best ship for active children as their options are rather limited when compared to the bigger ships. However, its small size does offer some advantages. It gets into smaller ports that cannot handle the larger ships and you can bump into fellow passengers more than once, which makes for a friendlier atmosphere (in my opinion).

 

 

 

I made it home with no problems. So now it is time for me to look back. Did I enjoy the cruise - absolutely! The service was great and the food was good. I was able to visit two islands that I had never been to before. Everything went well, with the exception of the satellite feed on the first weekend (TV does not make or break a cruise for me). If the Legend offers another itinerary that I am interested in, then I'll be on her again.

 

 

 

For the first time I bought a photo package. I will get ten photographs for $160 less a 10% diamond discount, which is $144 or $14.40 each. A 6x8 costs $15 and I believe the normal price for an 8x10 is $22. So the photo package does save some money. The way it works is you can get the printed photographs or get them on CD. I picked out photographs I liked during the week and the photo center kept them in a folder for me. I made my final selection of ten on the last Saturday and asked to have the pictures on a CD. When I picked up the CD on the final day I was in for a little surprise. First there is a notice that an Internet connection is necessary. Okay, I have one, but that notice should have been made clear before I bought the package.

 

 

 

Then I find out the CD has ALL the photographs of me (thanks to face recognition software). Why are all the photographs on the CD? The thumbnails that I view for picking out the ten I wanted are small. I had picked out the photographs I wanted by viewing the printed photographs. I don't remember which photographs I picked out. Nonetheless, I pick out ten and those photographs are exported to my computer along with a copyright release.

 

 

 

Okay, then why were all the photographs put on the CD? Because for an extra price I can by more. One more photograph would be $25, five more photographs is $100, ten more photographs is $175 and 25 more photographs is $300. These prices are more expensive than purchasing the photographs on the ship. I understand that the cruise prices are kept low by all the onboard selling/spending, but this kind of nickel-and-diming (along with all the onboard announcements for things that cost extra) does subtract from the cruise experience.

 

 

 

I hope this review (and the pictures I have posted) provides some help to anyone contemplating a cruise on the Legend of the Seas. She may not be the latest and greatest, but she does have her charms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

This is Steven Spielberg's yacht ...

 

 

 

 

 

The following are some videos I shot while on the cruise ...

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_0384_zpsa5ad9d92.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_0409_zps2f38d3ae.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_0427_zps11cc8ae0.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_0508_zps1b24adfe.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_0542_zps6770f21f.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_0609_zpsaa36275d.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_1506_zpsa6bb785c.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/mov_1666_zpsfd0d0f08.mp4.html

 

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/ZefH/media/RC%20Legend/Legend%20videos/MVI_1058_zps91ef60e2.mp4.html

[JohnBoy in NC]

Thank you for posting all of the great pictures and details of the ship! We are doing this same cruise next January. (Great pic of the airplane/St. Maarten!)

 

Glad to hear the food was good....do hope the entertainment shows get better--maybe change? I haven't been on RCCL in awhile...heard the entertainment is better than Carnival...and I am bringing 2 couples who have never sailed RCCL and like shows.

 

John in NC

[michl8705]

Thanks for posting this - we are on the Legend this summer for a Baltic cruise!

[dln929]

Excellent trip report. I appreciate all your wonderful photos. I had to chuckle about things going on sale after you'd bought them--that happens to me a lot, too! ;)

[papaflamingo]

Thanks for a great review. Your pictures are great. We are on Legend in 2 weeks for the 11 night (different islands). But we are in cabin 8048 right next to the cabin you were in. So your photos helped tremendously. I love this class ship. I am really looking forward to the cruise as it goes to islands we have never been to also. But your review and photos has really made me look forward to it even more. Thanks again.

[NitaBcruising]

Thanks Cuiz! Great review and excellent pics! Thanks for sharing! We were on Legend T/A in Nov. and going again on the T/A in April! :D

[mattwright]

Thank you for the great detailed review and all the pictures! We're considering doing this itinerary on Legend in February 2015, and it looks like a great trip.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Great review and pictures. :)

 

We're on Legend in April for b2b2b cruises. Do you mind if I share the link to your review on those Roll Call threads?

[Cuizer2]

Great review and pictures. :)

 

We're on Legend in April for b2b2b cruises. Do you mind if I share the link to your review on those Roll Call threads?

 

No I don't mind. Go ahead and provide a link, I'm glad you found the review helpful.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

No I don't mind. Go ahead and provide a link, I'm glad you found the review helpful.

 

Thanks.....I know others will enjoy your beautiful pictures and review as much as I have.

 

Question about MTD.....is it on deck 5? If so it looks like lot's of large tables. Sure hope they have some 2 tops. :)

[tallcva3344]

Great review and pictures. I liked the way you pointed out the good and not so good things. I was on this ship for the next two sailings after you. We loved the pictures. Especially of the Ft Lauderdale tour we took at night 8:00pm prior to our cruise. We were suppose to do a daytime tour, but the wind was high and the temperature was 65. So we felt we missed what you got pictures of. I had a few comments, but this is your review, and I agree with your observations. Since I did the 21 days, that will be the last time on this ship. You pointed out many of my reasons. However, I am sure some will like this ship as it compliments their needs. I would say, based on my curiosity of who would cruise this ship again from the reviews I had prior to this cruise, I asked many many folks if they would cruise this ship again. I presented it in a way they would think I liked the ship. I found less than 5% would rebook this ship. However, I think that is enough for RCCL to continue sailing this cruise, and like I said the itineraries will meet peoples needs. H

[tallcva3344]

Thanks.....I know others will enjoy your beautiful pictures and review as much as I have.

 

Question about MTD.....is it on deck 5? If so it looks like lot's of large tables. Sure hope they have some 2 tops. :)

 

We found that tables for two were a problem. Some were squeezed into very tight places. One We got up and got back in line when the ladies long hair landed on our table. She was at a table for 6. Here are the table numbers that are best. Number 41, number 221, number 177. You will love these tables. Privacy and room along the balcony. I will attach a picture of table 221. H

 

[Cuizer2]

 

The Main Dining Room (MDR) ...

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks.....I know others will enjoy your beautiful pictures and review as much as I have.

 

Question about MTD.....is it on deck 5? If so it looks like lot's of large tables. Sure hope they have some 2 tops. :)

 

The MDR is two decks tall (decks four & five). The top photo is of deck five. The 2nd from the top photo was taken from deck five, but shows mostly deck four. The third and fourth photos were taken from deck four.

 

As to the two top tables, I really don't know as I asked for a large table and don't really look for the smaller tables.

[Cuizer2]

I had a few comments, but this is your review, and I agree with your observations.

 

This is Cruise Critic. Feel free to comment.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We found that tables for two were a problem. Some were squeezed into very tight places. One We got up and got back in line when the ladies long hair landed on our table. She was at a table for 6. Here are the table numbers that are best. Number 41, number 221, number 177. You will love these tables. Privacy and room along the balcony. I will attach a picture of table 221. H

 

Thanks for the picture. Love the table you and your DW had and hope we can get one of your suggested tables. :) What time did you dine? Did you have a reservation each night?

[suzyluvs2cruise]

The MDR is two decks tall (decks four & five). The top photo is of deck five. The 2nd from the top photo was taken from deck five, but shows mostly deck four. The third and fourth photos were taken from deck four.

 

As to the two top tables, I really don't know as I asked for a large table and don't really look for the smaller tables.

 

Thanks Zef. :)