cruising the legend in 05

[finfan13]

hello all, this is my 2nd cruise. went on ncl for the first. my wife and two kids and i are cruising the legend on may 5 2005. we are also bringing along another couple with there two kids. my children are 10 and 8. we got a balcony on the empress deck. can anyone advise me of things i should know when cruising this ship. ncl adds your tip to your onboard account does carnival do this as well? please give me any info you can as i want this to be an outstanding vacation for my wife and kids. where do i find out about shore excursions etc etc etc. thanks and hope to hear from all you wonderful cruisers!!!

[MrPete]

my wife and two kids and i are cruising the legend on may 5 2005

I'll be on the cruise immediately following you.

 

The Legend is a beautiful ship, but I was on and off it so fast for a CTN that it was a blur. I've since been on two sister ships. I still think the Legend is the nicest.

 

In regards to your specific questions, your tips will be on your s&s card, and you can get excursion info right from the carnival website (www.carnival.com).

[hstrybuf]

Have to agree with MrPeteLI on this one. The Legend is the best of the Carnival ships we've sailed to date. :)

 

You should be able to check your account on FunVision from the TV in your cabin. Our tips showed up right away, first thing on the account. You can also order shore excursions through the FunVision. We tried to do that as soon as we were in our cabin, around 1:00, but it wasn't set up for the new passengers yet. We just went down to the shore excursions desk and made our choices. We were second in line but noticed that others had their requests in the "box". No problems getting what we wanted. You can't tell what they cost from looking at Carnival's site, but it will give you a good description of each tour.

 

Where on the Empress deck is your cabin? We had 8231 which was under the edge of the buffet area on Lido deck. There was some noise but not enough to really bother us. You should have an extended balcony. We could fit one lounge chair out there with the table and two regular chairs. We tipped our steward extra to get the lounge chair. ;) It was great having that extra room and perfect for napping. :)

[Laurab23]

We sailed on the Legend this past May and loved it so much,we want to go agian next May. Starting to make plans just don't know what week yet. We 're looking for a way to get there by driving close to NYC and then leaving our car and taking a limo the rest of the way in. Any suggestions from either of you? We're from a small town and don't feel comfortable driving in the Big Apple. Last May we met people here on cruise critic that lived in PA. We met them at their house and all of us hired a van to get to the port. Something like that again would be great.

Laura

[hstrybuf]

Laura, sorry I can't help you there. We took the last cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale before the Legend began it's summer route out of NY.

[finfan13]

Laura, here is what we did when we went out of NYC. first we parked at a place called port imperial its in weehauken. right across from the ny pier, yes you can see the ships. its secured parking and cost us 66.00 from sunday to sunday. you walk about 100ft from the parking lot and get on the ferry boat luggage and all no problem. cost is 5.00 adult, under 10 free. takes couple minutes to get across river, then you can either walk to the ship about 6 blocks or take a cab for 8.00 we took the cab!!. its great and cheaper than a limo!! hope this helps you.

[finfan13]

hello all, does anyone know what the fun pass thing is?? thanks pat

[PollyNJ]

I have sailed this itinerary twice May 2003 & July 2004. I am booked on the Aug 1 2005 for next year. My one suggestion to all of you that have children is that if you want to do the Dolphin Swim/Encounter in Tortola Book this excursion AS SOON AS YOU BOARD. We were a family group last July 2nd and I told everyone that I learned on these boards that this particular excursion sells out fast. I waited on line for about 45 minutes while DH got luggage food etc. My niece did not go down right away and it was sold out that first night. You might not have this problem in May as there won't be as many children on board but I wouldn't chance it. It is also quite expensive $ 120.00 pp for the encounter. I think the swim was $160.00. Personal note I liked the sailing in May much better. The weather was nice and less crowded. In San Juan we got off the ship and walked to the visitors center which is to your left about 1/4 mile. You can take carriage rides through Old San Juan. DH myself his sister and my niece that is 10 it cost us $ 45.00 total and she loved it as did I.

 

Have a great time

[hstrybuf]

You fill out the Fun Pass on Carnival's website then, if it will let you, print it out and take it with you. Carnival will print some of the info you give them on the FunPass on your docs.

[finfan13]

hello hystrybuf, thanks for the help. i went to carnival site, and saw the descriptions for excursions. but i could not find how to book them ahead of sailing date. is this possible or can it only be done aboard ship??

[hstrybuf]

At this time, Carnival doesn't allow you to book excursions before boarding. You might be able to do it if the FunVision is working on your cabin TV. If not, just head on down to the shore excursion desk in the main lobby and they will give you a sheet to fill out. :)