Legend 5/18/2008 - Thoughts and Information

[joepeka]

This really is not a review but just some thoughts on our week on the Legend. Hopefully there’s some useful information for those with upcoming cruises out of Tampa and on the Legend itself.

 

We flew from Phoenix to Tampa (self-reserved) the day prior. Cab ride from the airport to our hotel (the Embassy Suites downtown, booked through CCL) was a flat $25 fee for three people and six pieces of luggage. The hotel was $180 for the night and the check-in clerk (as well as the manager on duty) had some problems with the e-Docs, apparently they were accustomed to the old paper docs with the tear-out coupon and not my printed copy of the eDocs. They finally believed we really did have a pre-paid room booked and all was well. We took advantage of the Embassy Suites manager’s free happy hour as well as the free breakfast the next morning.

 

We used Blue One transportation (van service) on the day of the cruise to go from the hotel to the port. Charge was $3 per person and the trip was like 5 minutes. Check-in was great, we were able to use VIP (we booked an aft, wrap balcony – very nice) and were on the ship by 11:30AM. It was weird, we were like the only people on the boat and it was wonderful.

 

Debarkation was a very well done, very smooth. The first groups (after the self-debarkation people) were called at approximately 8:45 and we were off the ship and in line for a taxi to the airport by 9:15. The taxi fare back to the airport was the same as the in-bound trip ($25) and we were at the Tampa airport and checked for our flight by in by 9:45.

 

High Points of the Cruise:

1. Muster drill was quite minimal compared to other cruises we’ve been on. We waited until our room steward chased us out of our cabin (I know that’s bad…. but we didn’t get stuck against the bulkhead once we got on deck) and it really only lasted about 5-10 minutes.

2. Yusuf our maitre ‘d was great, the best we’ve had since our first cruise 12 years ago. Very entertaining, friendly and approachable.

3. The Golden Fleece supper club was terrific. Very elegant and the food was superb, very much worth the $30pp charge.

4. Sting ray city tour and snorkeling (via Native Way) in Grand Cayman, cost was $35pp. We were in a small group (about 15) with a very helpful and funny crew who made the sting ray interaction very safe and entertaining. Can’t say enough good things about Native Way.

5. The dolphin encounter excursion (via CCL) in Roatan was likewise very cool ($110pp as I recall). You don’t just get close to the dolphins from a dock or platform, you get into the water with them and hold them, kiss, etc. The RIMS (Roatan Institue for Marine Science) staff were very friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable.

6. Pancho’s Back Yard in Cozumel was all we remembered from two years ago. Excellent margaritas… perhaps a bit TOO excellent. :eek:

7. For once, I think we came out ahead in the casino. Not by a lot (perhaps $200) but it’s better than $200 in the hole!

8. The weather was fantastic although very warm and humid (to be expected). Not a single drop of rain and lots of sunshine all week.

 

Low Points of the Cruise:

As usual, leaving the ship was a huge bummer but otherwise there was nothing negative to report. During the night Thursday (enroute to Roatan) and then again Friday afternoon (after leaving Roatan) the winds kicked up pretty high (40kn according to the TV) and the ship really rocked but it just made for a lot of fun trying to walk (especially after more than a few cocktails).

 

All considered, this was probably our best cruise (outside of our first, of course). Questions are welcome!

[LHP]

Joe:

 

So glad you had a good time.

 

We were on the week before you and had a great cruise also!!!

[Loving My Life]

Thanks for your thoughts/review. We will be on the Legend on Sunday and can't wait! I will definitely have to try the supper club. Everybody seems to rave about it.

[love2relax]

Thank you so much for sharing all of the information. We are staying at the same hotel if it is the one by the convention center. The Blue One transportation sounds like a good idea to get to the port and also from the airport (since there are four of us and we probably wouldn't fit in a cab). Thanks for including the time you were able to board. We're going to try to get on as early as possible too.

Questions: 1) What sort of drinks were served at happy hour? 2) Was there any charge for the drinks or soda? (We have a teenager with us.) 3) If there was a charge, how much was it? 4) Was it hot on your balcony? I have heard that the afts are unbearable in the humid climates, but we booked an aft wrap and the balcony cabin next to it. Thanks in advance for your answers.

[snc421]

During the night Thursday (enroute to Roatan) and then again Friday afternoon (after leaving Roatan) the winds kicked up pretty high (40kn according to the TV) and the ship really rocked but it just made for a lot of fun trying to walk (especially after more than a few cocktails).

 

I was on the 5/4 Legend, and this is something I can say for our cruise, as well. Winds were out of the East at 33 MPH for us this part of our cruise. As we were heading south and then back to the north, it was rocky! It smoothed way out before our Sea Day after Roatan.

 

Anyone else who has recently been on the Legend noticed this? Is it a normal occurance in this area? Just wondering....

 

Thanks for posting your thoughts, Joe!

[chandom]

I was on the 5/4 Legend, and this is something I can say for our cruise, as well. Winds were out of the East at 33 MPH for us this part of our cruise. As we were heading south and then back to the north, it was rocky! It smoothed way out before our Sea Day after Roatan.

 

Anyone else who has recently been on the Legend noticed this? Is it a normal occurance in this area? Just wondering....

 

Thanks for posting your thoughts, Joe!

I think it might be, about the same winds for that segment on 5/11.

[joepeka]

Thank you so much for sharing all of the information. We are staying at the same hotel if it is the one by the convention center. The Blue One transportation sounds like a good idea to get to the port and also from the airport (since there are four of us and we probably wouldn't fit in a cab). Thanks for including the time you were able to board. We're going to try to get on as early as possible too.

Questions: 1) What sort of drinks were served at happy hour? 2) Was there any charge for the drinks or soda? (We have a teenager with us.) 3) If there was a charge, how much was it? 4) Was it hot on your balcony? I have heard that the afts are unbearable in the humid climates, but we booked an aft wrap and the balcony cabin next to it. Thanks in advance for your answers.

Hi Mary,

The Embassy Suites happy hour did not seem to have a limitation on their drink selection. DW and I had margaritas and DD had a Coke; we saw people getting wine, cocktails, etc. There was no charge, just whatever tip you felt the bartender earned. On the aft-wrap balcony, it was warm but anywhere outside you went on the ship (except the most forward part where the wind blew a gale) was going to be warm. I was really surprised at the lack of wind on the balcony (even when the ship was under full speed at sea), it was really very calm and we had to go to the 'wrap' side of the balcony to get much wind at all. There was an incredible amount of space on the balcony and it has really spoiled us now.

[poptart]

Joe,

thanks for sharing! As you know it sure helps the wait until our turn on the Legend.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

[nitenurs2]

All considered, this was probably our best cruise (outside of our first, of course).

 

Oh so glad to read this! We're not sailing on the Legend until Oct, but, I love reading all of these positive comments!

[joepeka]

I think it might be, about the same winds for that segment on 5/11.

I was thinking the same thing - the rocking during the night then again the next late afternoon-evening were about the same spot in the ocean so I assumed it was just a phenomenon of that area, for that time of year.

[mom2girls]

Thank you so much for your post! We're planning on eating at the supper club on the night we go to Grand Cayman. What did you order? We'll probably get surf and turf, but I'd still like to hear about it all! ;)

[joepeka]

Thank you so much for your post! We're planning on eating at the supper club on the night we go to Grand Cayman. What did you order? We'll probably get surf and turf, but I'd still like to hear about it all! ;)

DW ordered the surf and turf (lobster and filet mignon) with the shrimp cocktail appetizer. DD had the veal chop with with the sushi sampler appetizer. I had the NY steak and lobster bisque (the bisque was superb). There was also a "chef's compliments" pre-appetizer that was delivered - I honestly don't remember what it was but it was very good. They bring out the meat entrees prior to ordering so you can see what you will be getting - the steaks were huge as was the lobster (didn't know they grew that big!). The whole meal (from sit down to get up) was 2.5 hours but you never felt like you were just waiting - the timing of the servings was very good.

[joepeka]

Thanks for your thoughts/review. We will be on the Legend on Sunday and can't wait! I will definitely have to try the supper club. Everybody seems to rave about it.

In case you're wondering about reservations, we did not make ours until the afternoon prior and had no problems getting the time we wanted. In fact, we could have gotten a table the same day but it was a bit late (9pm) so we decided to go a day later.

[mom2girls]

DW ordered the surf and turf (lobster and filet mignon) with the shrimp cocktail appetizer. DD had the veal chop with with the sushi sampler appetizer. I had the NY steak and lobster bisque (the bisque was superb). There was also a "chef's compliments" pre-appetizer that was delivered - I honestly don't remember what it was but it was very good. They bring out the meat entrees prior to ordering so you can see what you will be getting - the steaks were huge as was the lobster (didn't know they grew that big!). The whole meal (from sit down to get up) was 2.5 hours but you never felt like you were just waiting - the timing of the servings was very good.

 

Thanks for telling me what you ordered. It sounds heavenly. As for the reservations we made them online for the same time as our dinner. I'll go make sure they have them once I board the ship. I'm really getting excited now!

[love2relax]

joepeka, thanks for the info on the happy hour at the hotel and the balcony. Mmmm I can taste that steak now. I think we'll wait 'til we board and opt to go some night when we don't like the food in the dining room. I know the official rules, but how informal can we dress to go there?...i.e. what were other people wearing. We are not taking formal clothes.

[miss nikki]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! Glad to hear you had a great time. We have three days to go and we'll be on the Legend for our first cruise!

Question: was the muster drill over before sail away? I hope it was!

[snc421]

Question: was the muster drill over before sail away? I hope it was!

For my 5/4 sailing, we left the Muster Drill when allowed. We went to our room and put our lifejackets away. DH looked out our window and realized we were moving. We had just started to pull away.... so basically it ended minutes before sailaway, but I guess we left early by a few minutes. HTH

[Al's_gal]

thanks for the review!! we leave in 9 days and can't wait =)

[TheCruisingBrewers]

Thanks for taking the time to write! Gotta love all the positive reviews, makes waiting all the harder, but at least there is still pretty much nothing but great about the Legend! Hurry up July!

 

Nancy

[halos]

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. :) We sailed the Legend back in March and I agree that it is a great ship and Yusuf (sp??) is just awesome.

[coconutball4u]

Thanks for the thoughts. We are thinking of taking the Legend in August and staying at the downtown Embassy as well. I was wondering if you knew how the price you got through Carnival for the room compared to doing it on your own.

[joepeka]

joepeka, thanks for the info on the happy hour at the hotel and the balcony. Mmmm I can taste that steak now. I think we'll wait 'til we board and opt to go some night when we don't like the food in the dining room. I know the official rules, but how informal can we dress to go there?...i.e. what were other people wearing. We are not taking formal clothes.

Hi Mary,

The dress code for the Golden Fleece is the same as for the main dining room for the evening. Our night it was "elegantly casual" (or whatever they call it). We wore the same things we would have to the main dining room (DW wore slacks and a nice top, DD wore a dress and I wore slacks and a silk shirt).

[joepeka]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! Glad to hear you had a great time. We have three days to go and we'll be on the Legend for our first cruise!

Question: was the muster drill over before sail away? I hope it was!

Hi Nikki, Yes the muster drill was over prior to sailaway. It started at 3:30 and was over within 10 minutes or so and we were back on the balcony for sailaway. I saw another thread here on the board about some ships doing muster drill during sailaway but we've never had that happen to us.

[joepeka]

Thanks for the thoughts. We are thinking of taking the Legend in August and staying at the downtown Embassy as well. I was wondering if you knew how the price you got through Carnival for the room compared to doing it on your own.

The CCL price was $60pp and when we checked in to the Embassy Suites, the papers I signed mentioned $125 per night. So.... I really am not sure what that $125 represented - the hotel's charge back to CCL and CCL kept the balance? I really don't know and I didn't price the hotel independantly since I was satisfied with the $180.

[joepeka]

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts. :) We sailed the Legend back in March and I agree that it is a great ship and Yusuf (sp??) is just awesome.

Yes, Yusuf (and that's how it was spelled, I thought it was Yusef at first) was a crack-up. Also, because you mentioned him, I looked for Putu for several days before I finally found him hanging out around the main Lido pool. Nice guy and very attentive... but then most of the beverage people were! ;)