A Legendiary Review 11/14/2021

[sparks1093]

My thoughts on our Legend cruise for 11/14/21.

 

Pre-Cruise

So this was our 10^th sailing and it was my self, DW and our two youngest sons (DS4 and DS5). We originally booked this cruise to make up for our cancelled Bermuda cruise as we already had a cruise booked for February of next year on Legend. About two months before sailing our itinerary was changed from Bermuda to the Bahamas. Since we paid a great price for Bermuda (equal to a good price for Bahamas) and we really needed to get away we decided to stick with it. Carnival gave each cabin $150 OBC for the change and I understand that people were able to cancel without penalty if they chose to. We have sailed with NCL (4 times), Royal (once) and this was our 5^th cruise with Carnival (DS4 has 3 sailings on NCL, 2 on CCL and DS5 has 3 sailings on NCL). This was Legend’s first sailing with passengers in almost 2 years so I expected to face all sorts of service issues as the crew learned to work together, but that expectation was not met and service was not much of an issue for us. We had a great time and look forward to being on Legend in February.

 

We did our COVID tests from eMed on Friday. I had to order them from a different website because the 6 pack tests were sold out but was able to order 2 packs of tests. I ordered 2 sets to be delivered to my address and 1 to be delivered to DS4 since he lives an hour and a half away. He joined us Friday evening to make it easier of a drive on Saturday and did his test when he got here. The proctored test was easy to do and there was hardly any wait in line to connect with a guide. We each were negative (which you probably figured out, since if anyone had been positive I wouldn’t be writing this review). We drove to Baltimore from Vermont on Saturday, leaving at 8:15am and arriving in Glen Burnie by 8:30pm. It was dark as we drove past the port but could see Legend all lighted up, waiting patiently for us.

 

11/14/21 Sail Away

 

We had a 1:30pm check in time so I let everyone sleep in. I met a couple of families at breakfast who were also on this sailing and we chatted a bit about what we would be doing (and of course we kept seeing each other on the ship throughout the week). After going to church DW heard from someone on Face Place that they weren’t adhering to the check in times so we headed directly to the port. Parking was $105 for the week payable in advance and they take cash or card. We dropped off luggage to the porter then headed in to the terminal. There was a pretty decent line but it moved very quickly. I normally try to make a note of times but in my excitement I failed to do that, but did note that we were in our cabin by 1:15pm, 15 minutes before our check in time (we arrived at the parking area around 12:30pm). We showed all of our documents including vaccine cards and test results and then went through security into another line to check in with the cruise line staff. We were required to wear masks throughout the process. Stopped for a couple of embarkation photos then onto the ship and, since no passengers needed to disembark, we went straight to our cabin. Most of our luggage was there so we took time to unpack before heading out to grab our first drinks of the day. Our Funshop orders were in place, water and rum (we carried on 2 bottles of wine and 2 12 packs of soda) We are in a mid-ship balcony on deck 4, 4177 and the boys are in an interior on deck 1, 1118.

 

Headed up to lido where the site that shall not be mentioned was having an informal get together and chatted with a few folks as we ate our first Guy’s burger (note- I am not sure that this burger actually lives up to all of the hype but I do like them and think for an included burger they are very good). We went to muster and I hope that the procedure they are using is carried over post-COVID because it much more civilized. You watch the briefing on TV then go to your muster station where your sail and sign is scanned and the crew demonstrates how to wear a life vest. Sat on lido for the sail away party then went down to the MDR for dinner. Pik, Kesuma, and Loyani were our waitstaff and we were at a 4 top with booths. The menus are available on a QR code so bring your phone to dinner (I think that I saw some paper menus, though, for those who don’t have phones). There are no bread baskets due to COVID and you order your bread from the menu. The QR codes was something that was in place at all bar venues. The menus were also on the Hub App which worked for the most part throughout the cruise although it was spotty. (We paid $5 each to be able to chat through the app.)

 

I had the shrimp cocktail (5 small shrimp), calamari, flat iron steak and tiramisu. DW had tomato soup, veggie lasagna and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (WCMC). Everything tasted very good and was filling. We had early seating and we were done eating by 7pm. Went back to the cabin and were greeted by our first towel animal of the cruise from our steward Bryan. We walked around for a bit checking out the ship (and noticed some sail and sign cards still beside some cabins, which was sad) and then went to our first trivia, which we lost (with 17 correct answers). Leigh is our cruise director and he hosted the Welcome Aboard show. Leigh is from Australia and is very funny and engaging. The Playlist players were up to par. Leigh said that we had just under 1500 guests onboard, 1455 from the U.S. and a handful from other countries. Went to the two Punchliner comedy shows, Jason Andors followed by Vargus Mason. Went up to lido and grabbed a snack following the shows. Ham and cheese baguette for me and meatball sub for DW. DS5 went to Pizza Pirate and said the pepperoni was some of the best he’s ever had.

 

First impressions- layout is similar to Pride with different venue names. Décor is a bit better than Pride. Crew is friendly and professional and they are all glad to be working again. Masks are required in elevators and venues and compliance doesn’t appear to be a big issue. Legend has the new livery paint job and it looks really great in person.

 

11/15 Sea Day

 

I’m up at 6 as usual and went up to lido for the first of many coffees. It’s 48 degrees outside and should start warming up tonight. Walked around a bit and played some slots and broke even. Walked through the Funshops to check it out. Played trivia and lost. Got the rest of the family up and off to brunch at 11. I had an omelet and Eggs Benedict and the banana cream pie. Up close magician, Kalai, stopped by and entertained us with some tricks. We recognized him from his time on Pride. Did some more trivia before heading to Guest Services to put my card on DS4’s account and to report a whistling noise from our balcony door. I went up to Serenity for our Cruise Critic meet and mingle while the rest of the family went to Game of Thrones trivia. We had 3 people show up and we chatted for about an hour or so. DS4 won a ship on a stick for trivia (we play as a team and rotate who gets the ship on a stick if we win and since this was DS4’s first sailing with Carnival he received it). Went to the Atrium and played Wheely Big Trivia, trivial pursuit meets wheel of fortune. After going to the cabin to freshen up and change for elegant night, headed to the MDR after having some photos taken. Doors were open for early seating by 5:30 and we quickly found our table. I had the fried oysters, prime rib and crème brulee’ and DW had wild mushroom soup, carbonara (2 helpings) and WCMC. I think the food actually tastes better than it used to but we definitely enjoyed it. Another victim of COVID is no table clothes even on elegant night, probably because it’s easier to keep the tables sanitized. Went back to the cabin and met Bryan. Service is only once per day because of COVID. Went to the first Punchliner show and there was no available seating so we sat and chatted for a bit before going to the main show. It was a very entertaining show put on by the Playlist players. Caught the second Punchliner show, Carl Faulkenberry and he is now one of my favorites. Went to the Red Frog pub for a couple of drinks then called it a night.

 

11/16 Sea day

 

Up at 7 and up to lido for a bite from the buffet and coffee. Morning is much warmer and seas are calmer. I walked around for a little bit then woke DW. We played some trivia…and lost. Lounged around Serenity for a little bit but didn’t go in the water. Grabbed some of the Asian food from Chopsticks for a snack and it was quite tasty. I had the escargot, veal parmesan and fruit plate. DW had spring rolls, baked ziti and WCMC. Went to catch Vargus Mason’s first show and he is very funny. Watched the variety show with juggler/magician Thien Vu and he’s pretty entertaining (warning- a lot of puns, “write it down”). Caught Jason Andors’ act at Punchliner, then finished off the night at Red Frog pub.

 

11/17 Nassau

 

I got up at 7 just as we are pulling into port. Warm and overcast. Other ships in port with us are the NCL Gem (hello, old friend!), RCCL Odyssey of the Seas, Disney Magic and Celebrity Summit. We grabbed breakfast from the buffet and were off the ship by 9 to meet up with the Blue Lagoon staff. Boarded the transfer boat at the pier, which is a change from the past when we went outside the terminal to board it. We are doing the swimming with the sharks excursion and when we arrived at Blue Lagoon found out our time was 12 noon. Arrived at Blue Lagoon around 10:30 and were given life vests for the excursion. Grabbed some loungers and when on the beach didn’t need to wear masks (did have to wear them on the boat coming over). Lounged until it was our time to meet up for the excursion and it took about 10 minutes to walk to where the sharks are located. The excursion was great and everyone got to pet and hold a shark and they were 7 to 8 feet long. They are docile nurse sharks and we were warned to keep our hands away from their mouths because we could be mistaken for fish. Their teeth are too small to take a hand off but it would tear your hand up. Our family got to be in the water together with the sharks which made the pictures easier. I found out that if a shark is swimming behind your wife and she knows it that it is a bad idea to grab her butt. After the excursion we walked to the photo pavilion and checked out our photos. Photos are $17.72 each plus tax or you could get all of your photos via email for $133, which is the option we went with. They do come with a release for non-commercial use. Tried to order food at the bar but they were only doing drinks, food had to be ordered at the food pavilion. Had a couple of local beers while we waited for the boat back to the pier.

 

We were back onboard by 3:15pm and the boat dropped us off on the pier so we didn’t need to go through security to get into the port area. Grabbed a Guy’s burger and then lounged in the hot tub. The tubs were hot enough but a common part was broken so none of them had a lot of bubbles. Dinner was shrimp cocktail, beef tenderloin and Bitter ‘n Blanc for me, mozzarella sticks, linguini with Italian sausage, and double baked pineapple for her. Am noticing the waitstaff is moving around the dining room faster as they get used to the layout and traffic patterns. Have heard a few people complain about slow service due to system issues but our service has been acceptable. Did trivia and played a game of Bingo. Love and Marriage show was hilarious thanks to Leigh. An aside- many people say that the Cruise Director doesn’t impact their cruise, but I have found that a good cruise director can make the shows more entertaining and this is something Leigh excels at. We were too late to catch a seat for the early Punchliner show so we hung out until the 11:30pm show and saw Carl Faulkenberry again. Put out the room service card for breakfast and turned in after a drink at Red Frog.

 

11/18 Princess Cays

 

Room service delivered without a phone call but I was up anyway. I ordered a breakfast sandwich (biscuit, sausage, egg and cheese) for $3 and the slip had no tip or delivery charge so I added a tip. We had also ordered complimentary coffee (the pot had 4 cups in it), fruit and yogurt. The yogurt was warm so DW didn’t eat it and I only ate half of the sandwich. It wasn’t the best I’d ever had and the biscuit was too sweet for a breakfast sandwich (as near as I can figure out). It was definitely a decent size for the cost. Neither of the boys cared much for their breakfast sandwich, either. Went down to the rendezvous for the first tender since we had purchased a bungalow for the day. We had one on our previous visit and figured since we were going to be there all day it was worth it. We headed out at 8 for the first tender and once on the island checked in at the desk for our bungalow (#3). We rode in a van over to the bungalows and arrived at about 8:45am. The AC was on for us and the food and drinks were ready. A fruit plate, veggie plate and chips with guacamole and salsa. We were allowed 8 soft drinks in addition to bottled water and had ordered an assortment. (A paper had been delivered to the cabin to order the water equipment and soda which had to be turned in to the Excursion desk by the day before, but when you turn the paper in you choose your bungalow, so go early if you want a good one). Staff stopped by with plates, cups and utensils since set up hadn’t been completed yet. The bungalow comes with 4 beach towels and 4 floats, also (we didn’t order snorkel equipment but 1 set is available for each guest, up to 4). It started raining around 9:20am and I am glad we didn’t go with a clamshell because it was torrential at times. It finally cleared up by 1020am. Walked over to the main beach to swim and the bottom is very rocky. Of course I had forgotten to pack the water shoes when we left Vermont.

 

The waves were powerful and I had to be careful about being knocked off my feet. Water was very warm and it didn’t take much time at all to get used to it. Grabbed lunch from the grill and while the hot dogs, jerked chicken, and potato salad were good the burgers were charred on the outside and raw on the inside. We went to lunch a little later in the day and it seemed like they were rushing the burgers to keep up with the crowd. Wifi on the island is free, so if you don’t have an internet plan on the ship you can catch up on things here. Most of the shops on Princess Cay accept the sail and sign card as payment. Went to the tender at 3 and were back onboard by 3:30pm. Dropped our stuff off in the cabin and then went up to the lido deck for hot tub and pool time. Decided to eat dinner in the buffet but they didn’t have anything DW liked. Made reservations for the steakhouse for tomorrow night and are waitlisted for 6pm. The maitre’d called the steakhouse manager for us and she said she would see what she could do. We made it to the MDR a little after 6 and our waitstaff didn’t miss a beat. I had alligator beignet, mussels, spare ribs and WCMC (with a side of peanut butter). DW had the onion soup, lasagna and WCMC. She wanted to go to the handbag sale after we ate, but I didn’t let that interfere with my appetite. She had pity on me and only bought one. Watched Jason Andors at 830pm and then a variety show with Chuck Wagner, actor, Broadway star, and former ring leader for Barnum and Bailey circus. He has a great singing voice and the show was very entertaining. It was the story of his career in song and we loved it. Saw Vargus Mason at 1030 then closed down Red Frog before turning in.

 

11/19 Freeport

 

We were already docked by the time I woke up at 715am. Up to lido for coffee and to update my notes. Today is a laid back day that we’re treating as a sea day, but we’ll visit the shops on the pier. (When we first called on Freeport in 2010 they didn’t have much of anything on the pier, now it is like a small city.) Tonight is elegant night #2 (the first was on the first full sea day). We went ashore around 10:30am and walked around the markets, buying souvenirs along the way. The vendors all have similar wares to each other. DW paid $25 for 2 French braids and the lady did a super job. Many of the card readers were down for the vendors so they couldn’t accept credit cards. DS4 bought a wooden sword for a friend and had to check it with security when we went back onboard. Found out that our steakhouse reservation was confirmed for 6:30pm. Played trivia and stayed busy until dinner. Started getting rough once we were underway and it stayed that way for much of the remainder of the trip. The steakhouse was awesome and we were both sorry that we had waited so long to try it. DW isn’t a big beef fan and I didn’t want to spend that much for her to get a chicken breast, but she tried a filet mignon and they cooked it medium well for her (yes, I know, that’s the other issue with her is she needs everything well done, which you just don’t do to a good cut of beef). We both agreed that we would have to add the steakhouse as a regular part of our cruise routine. I had the jumbo shrimp, NY strip with mushrooms and onion rings. DW had the stuffed mushrooms and filet mignon. Both boys got the Wagyu beef (Australia). DS5 loved it and DS4 was a bit disappointed because he didn’t think it lived up to the hype (he is a meat cutter for a family owned market and while he isn’t very experienced he does know his meat cuts). DW and I both loved the food and we added the wine pairings where you get half a glass of wine paired to each course, which cost $18 more. I forgot to make a note of the exact name but we got the art dessert and one of the chefs brought a board to the table where she made designs with the sauces and laid out different dessert items. It is something that needs to be ordered for the table so that is what we all had for dessert.

 

Finished up dinner around 8:30pm so we missed the first comedy show. Watched the Playlist players in a Motown themed show and it was entertaining. Watched Thea Vidal’s late show and we remember her from our sailing on the Pride in 2018 (ok, she looked familiar and when I got home I checked my old reviews to find out the ship and year). Closed down Red Frog again and called it a night.

 

11/20 Sea Day

 

Up at 7 as usual. The seas are rough and it’s partly-cloudy with blue skies poking through and 49 degrees. Got DW up in time for lunch and we played a few games of trivia. Had my first ever Blue Iguana burrito and that is something that I will make sure I have on every trip. Did our first round of packing in preparation for putting our bags out later. Went to Pixels and picked out our photos. The photo staff does a great job with the pictures but we can’t buy them all. Dressed for dinner and I had the fried shrimp, penne mariscos, and Baked Alaska. DW had the lemon dill soup, grilled chicken and WCMC. The Hotel Director and Captain came to the dining room and spoke to the passengers briefly, then the staff did the march of Baked Alaska and then the farewell song. The comedy shows were moved to the theater for the last night and we were a few minutes late for the first show. Stayed for The Showdown where one half of the theater competes against the other half. Everyone who goes up on stage gets a medal so naturally I went up for one segment. Our side of the theater won. We watched the second comedy show and at some point Leigh mentioned that our eta had been changed to 11a.m. I had noticed during the day when looking at the ship’s status screen that we were fighting a 40 knot headwind and that undoubtedly slowed us down. Closed down Red Frog again then turned in.

 

11/21 Disembarkation

 

I got up around 7:15 and then went to lido for morning coffee. Word is out that we are delayed until noon now. They gave us extra time in our cabins and are now serving lunch. They added some trivia events and we won 2 ships on a stick, one for cryptic puzzles and one for acronyms. There wasn’t much competition because everyone was waiting for disembarkation in different areas, but our scores were high enough to be in the running for a tie breaker. Had our last Guy’s burger as we waited for disembarkation. They started clearing the ship around 1:15pm and we were off the ship by 2:30 (we were zone 6). CBP officer glanced at our documentation but didn’t even make a show of checking anything on the computer and we had nothing to declare anyway. It took about 30 minutes to make it to I-95 north because of the traffic waiting to get into the parking area. Made it back home at 4a.m.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Some of the acts that we enjoyed at the various bars were the Accidental String Trio, The Nice Guys, Alter Idem, and guitarist Edd Carr. We never caught the piano bar performer, Dara Jazzlyn. If you access your bill on the app you can expand the gratuities charge and find out that the steward gets $30.45 for the week, the dining team got $48.23 and alternative services got $19.25 from each passenger. We received excellent service from our teams and left an additional gratuity for our steward and wait team. I did hear Bermuda mentioned a few times but for the most part passengers were upbeat and glad to be sailing again. I did hear a few comments about slow service in the MDR, but that wasn’t an issue for us. Some of the changes that are made for COVID should be permanent fixtures, especially the way muster drill is handled which is much more civilized (although one of the people from our meet and greet did say that it took him several attempts to be registered so he had to go to his muster station multiple times). Because everything is on the Hub App there are no papers cluttering up the cabin each night and I didn’t miss that (although if you want to keep anything from the Hub App for after the cruise you will need to take a screen shot because once you leave the ship that info disappears). We really enjoyed Legend and are looking forward to sailing her again in February.

 

Cruise Critic member ilovesailaway was on this sailing and took a lot of pictures and posted them here 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by sparks1093

[Cruise, J.D.]

Thank you, I appreciate the detailed review. Glad you had a good time.

 

[CookieShip]

Thank you for sharing, will be boarding her in about two weeks.

[Ilovesailaway]

Gordon that's a very informative review.... I am sure many will benefit from you taking the time to write it. Again it was a pleasure to meet you and your family. Good luck with your Feb Legend cruise.

[sparks1093]

49 minutes ago, Ilovesailaway said:

Gordon that's a very informative review.... I am sure many will benefit from you taking the time to write it. Again it was a pleasure to meet you and your family. Good luck with your Feb Legend cruise.

Thanks, it was good to meet you and the boys as well. 

George 🙂

[Ilovesailaway]

9 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

George 🙂

omg sorry... lol

why did I think Gordon? 

I'm terrible with names 🙃

[sparks1093]

25 minutes ago, Ilovesailaway said:

omg sorry... lol

why did I think Gordon? 

I'm terrible with names 🙃

LOL, it's all good, as long as you don't call me late to dinner.🤣