Pictorial Trip Report: Legend OTS ~ December 15, 2014

[DarthGrady]

The Diamond Lounge

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

The Solarium

 

 

 

Park Cafe, in the Solarium

 

 

[DarthGrady]

The tiny gym and aerobics room

 

 

 

 

A small relaxation room in the spa

 

[DarthGrady]

A nod to Royal Caribbean's history sits just outside the Windjammer. A miniature of the Sun Viking, one of RCI's earliest ships.

 

 

 

The Windjammer buffet area

 

 

 

 

A nice outdoor patio for the Windjammer with a view of the pool

 

[DarthGrady]

The main pool on deck 9

 

 

 

The teen club on deck 10

 

 

 

[rubrrick]

DarthGrady............you bring back some great memories of the post drydock Legend of the Seas.

 

She was our first Royal Caribbean ship to sail aboard in 2003, not that long ago. We fell in love with her then, and in the course of time, have spent about 70 days aboard, the most recent was last year doing the Southern Caribbean after her last refurbishment.

 

Thanks again for the great pictures, and Happy Holidays!

 

Rick

[DarthGrady]

Aft on deck 10 is the mini golf course and rock climbing wall

 

 

 

My first (and thus far most-cruised) Royal Caribbean ship also has an homage on board the Legend. A miniature of the Monarch of the Seas sits proudly on deck 10 at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

 

[DarthGrady]

DarthGrady............you bring back some great memories of the post drydock Legend of the Seas.

 

She was our first Royal Caribbean ship to sail aboard in 2003, not that long ago. We fell in love with her then, and in the course of time, have spent about 70 days aboard, the most recent was last year doing the Southern Caribbean after her last refurbishment.

 

Thanks again for the great pictures, and Happy Holidays!

 

Rick

 

Thanks Rick, glad you're enjoying it! You have a great holiday as well!

[DarthGrady]

The Viking Crown Lounge

 

 

 

 

Chops Grille

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

Izumi Sushi. IMO it should have been made about half of it's current size. Or better yet, not made at all. There was rarely more than a handful of people in it, and it blocks the awesome views from the port and forward sections of the VCL.

 

The way Royal handles their sushi bars is very odd in the first place. It's almost like they don't want anyone to use them. They used to charge an entrance fee, which many refused to pay since the restaurant then charges by the item. Now they've ended the cover charge, but jacked up the prices for the rolls. Monarch was the only ship that got it right. The old Jade Steakhouse had free entry and reasonably priced sushi at the bar.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2014 by DarthGrady

[papaflamingo]

Great pics! We were on Legend last Feb. for 11 night Southern Caribbean. It was by far one of the best cruises and best ships ever. Loved the intimacy of Royal Caribbean's smallest ship. The crew was fantastic. We got to know many over the course of the cruise. That doesn't happen on the larger ships.

[DarthGrady]

Day 1, Port Everglades:

 

My wife did a three night trip on Enchantment with her mother the weekend before this cruise. I picked her up along the way and we drove down to Ft. Lauderdale. From our town it's about four hours, not a bad drive at all. We met a friend who was also on this cruise for lunch before embarking. We parked at Park N Go as usual. Their rates are much cheaper than the official port parking, and it’s only a short tram ride to the terminal.

 

The Legend was pulled up to Terminal 4. It is the same building we had gone through for Vision in 2012, and also for a tour of MSC Poesia a few years ago. It has been totally renovated, and looked very nice. It now has the same central check-in desk concept as the Oasis/Allure terminal. There was no wait for priority check-in, and we were on the ship within minutes. My only small gripe about Terminal 4 is that you now get dropped off on the far side of the building from the entrance. The old drop off area in front is now only used for the nearby Terminal 2.

 

We stopped at the room to drop the bags and unpack. We had room 6573, an interior cabin just off the Centrum on deck 6. It was a nice location being near the mid-ship stairs. Cafe Lattetudes was only a few feet away and served as a convenient meeting spot. The room is installed sideways, meaning that it runs parallel to the hallway. We've only had one of them before, many years ago on the Carnival Paradise. On Royal, I think it gives the room slightly more space. The closet is where the door would usually be, which spaces out the rest of the furniture and cabinets. My only complaint with the room is that it was constantly too warm. Even after repeated complaints, they were never able to get the A/C working right.

 

We then went by the Schooner Bar for an unofficial Cruise Critic meet up. It was lightly attended,but it was still nice to meet the ones who stopped in. I joined the roll call well over a year ago, so the anticipation had been growing.

 

The obligatory muster drill was followed by a trip to the miniscule gym. I was glad to find that the ship still has its steam/sauna rooms in the spa. They have been removed from the Enchantment which was disappointing.

 

Later in the evening we went to the Viking Crown Lounge which was being used as overflow for the Diamond and Concierge lounges. What's odd is that neither the DL nor the CL were even half full. We got there after early seating dinner started, which may explain the light attendance.

 

We skipped both Chops and the dining room, opting for a casual dinner in the Windjammer buffet instead. It wasn't crowded at all, as is usual for dinner. The food was good, and the staff in there was friendly and helpful.

 

We missed the welcome aboard show, and there wasn't much else going on around the ship. Doug D, the piano player in the Schooner Bar was doing very well. But the crowd was totally dead. No one at the bar around the piano. No one singing along. No rowdies. I didn't want to be the only buffoon that early in the cruise, so we left. Seeing Royal's tame piano bar makes me really miss Carnival's. They are much louder, crazier, and prompt more audience participation.

 

It was an early night, but that wasn't altogether a bad thing. There were notices on the bed that the official Cruise Critic meeting was the next morning at 9:30. Sigh. I hate waking up early on sea days. Eleven would've been better.

 

Terminal 4 at Port Everglades

 

 

Our cabin

 

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

A few gifts in the cabin upon arrival

 

 

 

And of course, some decorations

 

 

The drink menu for the CL and DL

 

 

As seen in the WJ on the first night. Most would assume it's just a typo. I think it might be a clever crew member commenting on the average guest's diet.

 

 

Cafe LatteTudes has some free confections along with the for-fee coffee drinks. I have never heard of the Willy Wonka pie before, but it was good. I think the pink ones below were snozzberry tarts.

 

Edited December 26, 2014 by DarthGrady

[DarthGrady]

Day 2, At Sea:

 

After breakfast in the Windjammer we attended the Meet and Mingle being held in the Anchors Aweigh lounge. After that we relaxed on deck for awhile. The main dining room has a nice salad bar on sea days, so we went there for lunch.

 

In the afternoon I did my time in the gym before getting ready for the lounge. We had our evening drinks in the VCL again. As with the first night, it wasn't busy at all. Service was a bit slow, I think the poor guys were having to do double duty serving Chops and Izumi. So we eventually moved down to the Concierge Lounge.

 

Late in the evening I tried my best to Carnival-ize the piano bar. I sat by piano, I sang as loudly as I could to the standards. A few brave souls joined us up there. For a few minutes the room loosened up, but it didn't last. The place was dead by 11. We checked out the late night disco in the VCL which was equally dead.

 

Not that it mattered on this cruise, but the Vision Class VCL doesn't do well as a nightclub. They're too small, and too chopped up. Had this been a party cruise, the Anchors Aweigh would have been the better choice. It's larger, more open, and everything faces the central dance floor.

 

The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle

 

 

Proof for the paranoid that they do indeed change out the glasses in your bathroom if you use them.

 

 

Our first towel animal

 

[DarthGrady]

That's all I've got time for tonight unfortunately. I'll be going back out of town for a couple of days, so the first port pics will have to wait until then. Lot's more still to come, stay tuned! :D

[DarthGrady]

Great pics! We were on Legend last Feb. for 11 night Southern Caribbean. It was by far one of the best cruises and best ships ever. Loved the intimacy of Royal Caribbean's smallest ship. The crew was fantastic. We got to know many over the course of the cruise. That doesn't happen on the larger ships.

 

Yes, I totally agree. The small ships are much better than the mega ships IMO. They really need to snap out of the notion that very ship has to be big and gimmicky.

[JamesEM]

Enjoying your report and photos, looking forward to the next installments.

[DreamingBig1]

Thanks for taking me along for the ride. The pictures are awesome and I love the journalizing of your daily events.

 

Great job!

[DonnaK]

Great review! Thank you for taking the time to share your trip with us

[sharonlacey]

Thank you for sharing your trip. We will be on Legends in March, we love the smaller ships. Easier to find your way around, lol.;)

[Thetrail]

Yes, I totally agree. The small ships are much better than the mega ships IMO. They really need to snap out of the notion that very ship has to be big and gimmicky.

For the photos and your take on this ship, much appreciated....K.O.:)

[dprcan]

enjoying your pictorial review. Thank you

[Mickeefan]

Day 1, Port Everglades:

 

Our cabin

 

 

 

We have one of these "sideways" rooms, 6051. After seeing your pictures, I'm a little leery of the room. It seems very small in your pics. Maybe I'll see if we can upgrade...

 

I can't determine where the door is, either. Can you explain the door location? We will have our bed separated, will that make the room seem larger or smaller? Thanks.

[PH8]

Following along,since you do the best reviews ever!!:D:D:D

[judygund]

Did they use the drink tickets for the diamond? Did you have to use your tickets in the Diamond Lounge? Just wondering. Thanks for the great pictures. will be our first time on this class ship. Sailing in February...

Thanks, Judy