Legend Review from 6-29 sailing

[Lforlisa]

I'll start out by saying that despite a few behavior problems with our teens, it was a fabulous cruise! This was hubby and I's 5th cruise, son's 3rd. Hubby and I traveled with our 17 yr. old son Brandon and his best friend Spencer who is 18. Pre-cruise night was spent at the Embassy Suites hotel in Tampa. It is decent but could use some updating and major power washing/cleaning by the pool area. We got a shuttle to the port at 11:30 the next morning and although the line was fairly long by the time we got in it, it did move quickly. I was impressed with the Tampa port, it was very organized. We got on the ship with a few carry ons and went straight to the dining room to check our seating arrangements, and then headed to Lido for lunch. We couldn't get into our rooms after eating so we toured the ship for a while. The first thing I noticed was how small the pools were. The ship was very clean and well maintained.

We got back to our room and it was ready and so was our luggage so I started unpacking while the boy's took off exploring. Our cabins steward (room #1238) was Idewa and he was a sweetheart, always smiling! Although the room was going to be tight for the 4 of us, there was enough space for all of our things, we even noticed more storage under the twin bed the day we were leaving. I always bring one of those hanging fabric shoe shelves and it really helps as I can fit everyone's shoes in a small space. Had our extension cord and power strip, and an alarm clock. I also always bring a small organizer that I hang on the back of the bathroom door for toiletries, etc. The boys' said that the shower gel provided was awful so they were glad I had brought some from home.

We then had to be upstairs for the muster drill which went more quickly than I remember. Hubby and I came back to the room and relaxed until dinner.

First night at dinner was lonely, the other tablemates were not there. It was just John and I at a table for 8, we felt a little silly. Our boys' wanted to eat on their own the first night. Our waiter was absolutely wonderful! I honestly can't remember what I ordered but some of my favorite food dishes throughout were: black tiger shrimp dish, strawberry bisque, mango soup, and chocolate melting cake!

After dinner we were beat so we called it a night early.

More tomorrow!! Thanks for reading!!:o

[snc421]

Thanks for sharing! I'm looking forward to hearing about it. I loved my trip on the Legend, and love hearing about others' trips. Did you take pictures, or do you have them uploaded yet? I know it takes some time to get back to the real world....

[cruisebie]

I'm looking forward to reading more.....I'll be on the Legend in 24 days!

 

The missing tablemates thing happened to my DD & & on the Glory. We felt funny sitting at that big table by ourselves. We had a great waitstaff, though, so we enjoyed ourselves anyway.:)

[cjkumbaya]

Thanks for a good beginning - can't wait for more. We will be on the Legend in a few months and enjoy hearing what people have to say about it.:)

[Luanne21]

Thanks for sharing.

[alwaysmomof1]

Can't wait to hear more!

[Lforlisa]

Monday was our first at sea day and we slept in. We had breakfast at the "buffet". You could get omelets made but I'm not much of an egg eater. They had everything from fruit, sausage gravy/biscuits to hard boiled eggs and lox/bagels. I just love those little danishes they have so I usually had one of them with fruit and coffee.

This was a relaxing day to just explore the ship some more and hang by the pools. They do have a water slide but my the boys' didn't like that it was separate and didn't end in the pool. The pools were packed, you definately could not "swim" if you wanted, you could basically sit or stand. I heard several people talking about how small they were.

This was the first formal night (I'll try to post pics, never done it on her before) We always prefer late dinner seating as it gives us more time to get back from shore excursions and clean up without having to rush. Our dinner mates showed up tonight and they were wonderful! We had told the boys' in advance that they didn't have to eat in the dining room with us every night but they did most of the time. They got burned out on the buffet food after a few days. We did have quite a few pictures taken as there are so many beautiful backgrounds to choose from. That's where they get ya - you see all these pics afterwards and you want to buy them all, and at $20 a pop, it adds up! They have some new backgrounds and props that were cute for kids that I had never seen before. We did end up getting a nice formal pic and having it put on a 16x20 canvas, can't wait to get it framed!

We didn't go to any shows this cruise, although I did drop in on the first comedian, can't remember his name, he was very funny! Usually I schedule so many things to do for every cruise that hubby feels like he doesn't get to relax so this time I promised not to.

The next morning was Cayman Islands. We had decided ahead of time that we would just grab a taxi and go to 7 mile beach so that is what we did. The beach was beautiful but the food was very expensive! My husband paid $9 for a hotdog and small drink!! The prices for U.S. dollars was in very small print at the bottom of the menu that he didn't notice until later. Shopping was expensive here also, which I knew from a past cruise. Save your shopping money for Cozumel.

Went back to the ship, grabbed a bite to eat and took a snooze. We had dinner reservations late at the Golden Fleece Supper Club. Let me just say that the Supper Club is worth every penny! The filet mignon I had melted in my mouth, the best I have ever had. My hubby had that Surf & Turf and he said it was excellent. My only complaint was that it did take a while in between courses, we were there for 2 1/2 hours. There is a lady that sings on stage while you are eating, it was very nice, and romantic. A few couples slow danced, my hubby didn't ask me so he got the evil eye! We were tired so went back to the cabin, hubby had an upset stomach from all the food he ate!

More tomorrow!!

[Lforlisa]

and it says they are too big, how do I make pics smaller to upload them?

[Lforlisa]

We slept in a little bit b/c we were doing our own thing in Cozumel. I have to say first that I sleep like a baby on cruise ships! I even asked my cabin steward if they sell the pillows, they were so comfy. They do not. Our plans for the day were to shop and take a cab to Paradise Beach. We dock right at the pier which is so convenient, you just walk right off the ship. There is a 2 story "plaza" that you walk through with lots of shops. They have an area that has a few snakes and a spider monkey to hold (too expensive), a Carlos O' Charlies and lots of other neat stores. We shopped for maybe 45 minutes and then found a cab to the beach. Paradise Beach is awesome! They have trampolines in the water, a huge inflatable "iceberg" that you can climb (more on that later), jet skiis, massages, rafts, etc. I believe it was $10 to rent all of the fun stuff. We laid out for a while, they had music playing and a restaurant/bar. The boys' made a few trips to the bar for sodas, I THOUGHT! The drinking age here is 18 but our son is 17 but, they don't card anyone here! What I thought were Sprite's were spiked with lots of Bacardi. Spencer, our son's 18 yr old friend, who doesn't normally drink much, felt the effects quickly. After a few drinks, he was drunk! (I found out later, he had 3-4) After noticing that the normally quiet Spencer was laughing and talking loudly, we knew we were in trouble. Spencer was leaning on Brandon to walk straight, it was very embarrasing. Brandon had only had a few drinks of his alcohol laden Sprite when John and I discovered it so he was fine (we made him dump it immediately) We made Spencer lay in a chair b/c we didn't want him in the water. Brandon swam for a little bit and climbed the iceberg. He started to jump off which everyone does, but he slipped and landed sideways on his ear, about a 15 foot drop. He was in severe pain right away. So we got a cab and headed back towards the ship, with Spencer acting like a crazy man along the way. We got dropped off at the plaza b/c Brandon wanted to buy a souvenir, his ear pain had calmed a bit. We decided to meet in 15 minutes b/c we had to get back on the ship in half an hour. Well when we came back to meet, only Brandon was there. He said that Spencer had run off in the opposite direction and never came back when Brandon called him and he couldn't find him! Now we have 30 minutes to get on the ship before it sails off without us, so we start to panick. Long story short, Spencer had eventually went back to the ship and came back, barefoot, looking for us. It was a tense moment and John and I were extremely upset with him. He was staggering all over the place and making a scene. We got back on the ship and went to the infirmary for Brandon's ear but it was closed for some reason so we had to wait. I made the boys lay down in the room so Spencer could sober up. Finally made it back to the infirmary and let me just say that the ship Dr. was a joke! He was an elderly man that thinks that Benadryl is a cure all for every ailment. (He said he hooks himelft to a Benadryl I.V. for headaches) He said that Brandon's ear was "just red" and to take Benadryl. Brandon couldn't even hear out of his ear and it was painful. He ended up having a HOLE in his eardrum and Swimmer's ear, when we went to a Doctor after getting off the ship.

Anyway, Cozumel is a fun place to visit and the shopping is great, Paradise Beach is beautiful. Next stop is Belize!!!

[Carnival Game]

Oh my! Hope your son's ear is better!

 

Enjoying your report!

[KyleesMom]

Great review!!! Keep it coming!! Hope your sons ear is ok. Ouch!

[jrmende63]

We slept in a little bit b/c we were doing our own thing in Cozumel. I have to say first that I sleep like a baby on cruise ships! I even asked my cabin steward if they sell the pillows, they were so comfy. They do not.

Lisa,

They DO sell the Carnival pillows...I have 4 of them on my bed right here at home. I just went through the Carnival website.

Julie

[cruisebie]

I hope your son's ear is better. That was quite a fall. I can't believe the ship's doctor though benedryl would be good for that!:confused:

[DG2004]

I hope your son's ear is better. That was quite a fall. I can't believe the ship's doctor though benedryl would be good for that!:confused:

 

 

no kidding

 

my wife is a nurse and would fall out of her chair laughing at the doctor if he said that to her

[Lforlisa]

You just made my day - I'm buying pillows, yipee!!

[Lforlisa]

For our day in Belize we had scheduled the ATV/Cave Tubing excursion through Yohnni as he came highly recommended from this board. If I remember correctly, we tendered here and it was quite longer than your typical tender ride. It was easy to find where we needed to meet Yohnni and his group and our name was written on his sign as well. Let me say, they are a great group of guys! So friendly and willing to accomodate you with anything you need. We loaded onto a comfortable bus for an almost hour long ride, although it went fast. They let us sample cashew wine along the way and had us laughing. We did the ATV's first and let me telly you, it was the BEST time! I had never ridden one before, neither had my husband so I was a little nervous. The instructors lined everyone up and gave us instructions on how to operate the ATV's, and said if we got stuck somewhere along the way, not to worry, they will come and help. The path was muddy but that made it all the more fun! The instructors followed along, some on the ATV's, and some just running on foot, guiding everyone along the path. My only complaint was that when someone in the front got stuck, it slowed the entire line up and you had to wait, this happened often. It was an adventure though, and we were a mess when we were through, but it was a great time. They gave us a short time to get washed off and changed if we wanted and then we got back on the bus. The drive to the cave tubing area wasn't far. The walk after that was though. We had no idea we were going to have to walk SO FAR! It was not a hard walk by any means but I had new water shoes that made me develop blisters immediately so I was having a hard time. One of the instructors saw that I was having a hard time so he said "let me carry your tube, mama", he was so sweet! I did end up walking barefoot on the dirt path and now I have nightmares that I am infested with a worm! When we got to the water, they held the tube while we sat down in it, and then they lined us up and attached us to each other by our feet on the tube in front of you. We also had head lamps on and life vests on. We got to tube through 2 caves and they were very beautiful. Afterwards, we didn't have far too walk b/c of where we ended up. Now our 2 boys said that this excursion was too "boring" for them, and that they hated all the walking involved. They loved the ATV's but could have done without the cave tubing. The ride back went quickly as Yohnni and his guys kept us entertained. Yohnni's wife had prepared food for us to purchase and we really wanted to try it but by the time we got out of the restroom, they were sold out. I can't remember what she made, tamales? I'm sure it was excellent. We ended up with ice cream bars and chips but we were starving. Yohnni dropped us off near the tender, right in front of a few shops that were safe to shop at. Belize is not a safe area to run around on your own. I did buy a tank top here. We tendered back to the ship and were so tired! We relaxed in the room for a while and showered. I forgot to mention that after dinner the waiter's/staff sing and dance. We danced to YMCA. Our waiter wore an afro wig and an apron that had a g-string bottom painted on it, it was hilarious. We did walk around the lido at night, it is so black out at night, you can't tell the sky from the water but it is so peaceful. Tomorrow is my favorite stop - ROATAN, I loved it here!! I'm going to test out posting pics. Thanks for reading!!

[CUJO5150]

Hi Lforlisa,

Here is the Carnival pillow web site if you need it. We have 4 here at our house and love them

http://www.carnivalcomfortcollection.com/store/index.cfm

[Carnival Game]

I wouldn't like all that walking to the cave tube either.

 

Keep writing when you get a chance. :)

[phinfan63]

The pillows are wonderful ~ a little pricey but worth it.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[FrannyK]

Lisa: Did you bring a computer and do you remember if there were any internet "specials" during your week?

[phinfan63]

Where's Lisa? Still waiting to hear about the rest of this cruise :)

[Lforlisa]

I'm so sorry it took me this long to finish my review, been so busy!

Let me say first that I am in love with Roatan! We had initially planned on doing the zipline tour, I should say the boys had planned on it, and John and I were going to take a tour. When we woke up, the boys were so tired and worn out, they changed their minds. We had heard so much about Tabyana Beach and knew that when we got off the ship we would be able to find a taxi to take us there. The taxi driver dropped us off at the Banarama? resort. There was a bar area and a beautiful beach. One of the first things I noticed were the small children walking around carrying strands of jewelry for sale. It broke my heart honestly. This is what they do all day long. There were several of them, and they were all competing with one another. I did buy something from each of them, as I couldn't resist. There was small "shops" set up along the back of the beach with the typical souvenirs. The water was the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life, crystal clear. We wished we would have had more time here, we hated to leave, but had to get back on the ship by 2:15 which we didn't think was fair. I am having trouble posting pics, maybe someone can tell me how?? We took a taxi back to the ship and there were a few shops we wanted to stop at that were right near ship. Several people offered the boys' marijuana and a man saw my husband and offered him "special cocount milk", b/c he saw that my hubby works out and is built. We just ignored them. We got back on the ship and relaxed/cleaned up, grabbed lunch on lido.

I did a few loads of laundry on the ship, as we were spending a few days in Clearwater, Fl after the cruise and I wanted to have clean clothes to take with us. I believe it was $2.00 a load. On a few of the days, the laundry room was full so I ended up doing a load a few decks higher. I also ironed our clothes for formal night in the laundry room, that was free. I always bring a travel steamer and use that on the rest of the clothing. I know that for $15 on one of the days, they have a bag that you can fill up and they will launder for you. I brought my own travel size laundry soap and dryer sheets as well as a roll of quarters. You can get change if you need it at the purser's desk or casino.

This was our last cruise elegant night. They did have something fun in the jewelry shop, you could try on all the diamonds and "bling bling" you wanted and they would take a picture of you. I missed that. Dinner was wonderful.

We didn't do much after dinner, we were party poopers most of the nights, but hubby was usually ready for bed. I know that night they had the midnight buffet, we have seen it before on past cruises. Always makes for great pictures if you have never been to one.

Someone asked earlier about internet specials. I dug out my Capers and what I found was that there were several specials. Tuesday was: 50% off Time Charges, log in between 4-6 and recieve a credit for half the time. On Wednesday: Bring your Spa, Photo, bingo, Shore Excursion or Gift Shop reciept and recieve 2 for 1 minutes between 8 am - 10 pm. Limit 60 free minutes per user. Friday was: Buy 20 min get 10 fee, and Saturday was 50% Off Time Charges. Hope this helps. Tomorrow was a relaxing at sea day!!

[markkw]

Very Nice Review...Love to see the pics...

 

Attaching pictures, in your text window( the one u use to write your review) scroll down to "Additional Options" and look for "attach files"

click on Manage Attachments button, new window opens and at the top of window, it should read "upload file from your computer". click browse and just navigate to where you have the pics u want to upload and click upload..do the same thing over until all pics are uploaded and attached hit send and they should upload with your review... I did it in this reply....it should look like this when u r done...

 

I'm so sorry it took me this long to finish my review, been so busy!

Let me say first that I am in love with Roatan! We had initially planned on doing the zipline tour, I should say the boys had planned on it, and John and I were going to take a tour. When we woke up, the boys were so tired and worn out, they changed their minds. We had heard so much about Tabyana Beach and knew that when we got off the ship we would be able to find a taxi to take us there. The taxi driver dropped us off at the Banarama? resort. There was a bar area and a beautiful beach. One of the first things I noticed were the small children walking around carrying strands of jewelry for sale. It broke my heart honestly. This is what they do all day long. There were several of them, and they were all competing with one another. I did buy something from each of them, as I couldn't resist. There was small "shops" set up along the back of the beach with the typical souvenirs. The water was the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life, crystal clear. We wished we would have had more time here, we hated to leave, but had to get back on the ship by 2:15 which we didn't think was fair. I am having trouble posting pics, maybe someone can tell me how?? We took a taxi back to the ship and there were a few shops we wanted to stop at that were right near ship. Several people offered the boys' marijuana and a man saw my husband and offered him "special cocount milk", b/c he saw that my hubby works out and is built. We just ignored them. We got back on the ship and relaxed/cleaned up, grabbed lunch on lido.

I did a few loads of laundry on the ship, as we were spending a few days in Clearwater, Fl after the cruise and I wanted to have clean clothes to take with us. I believe it was $2.00 a load. On a few of the days, the laundry room was full so I ended up doing a load a few decks higher. I also ironed our clothes for formal night in the laundry room, that was free. I always bring a travel steamer and use that on the rest of the clothing. I know that for $15 on one of the days, they have a bag that you can fill up and they will launder for you. I brought my own travel size laundry soap and dryer sheets as well as a roll of quarters. You can get change if you need it at the purser's desk or casino.

This was our last cruise elegant night. They did have something fun in the jewelry shop, you could try on all the diamonds and "bling bling" you wanted and they would take a picture of you. I missed that. Dinner was wonderful.

We didn't do much after dinner, we were party poopers most of the nights, but hubby was usually ready for bed. I know that night they had the midnight buffet, we have seen it before on past cruises. Always makes for great pictures if you have never been to one.

Someone asked earlier about internet specials. I dug out my Capers and what I found was that there were several specials. Tuesday was: 50% off Time Charges, log in between 4-6 and recieve a credit for half the time. On Wednesday: Bring your Spa, Photo, bingo, Shore Excursion or Gift Shop reciept and recieve 2 for 1 minutes between 8 am - 10 pm. Limit 60 free minutes per user. Friday was: Buy 20 min get 10 fee, and Saturday was 50% Off Time Charges. Hope this helps. Tomorrow was a relaxing at sea day!!

[phinfan63]

Thanks Lisa ~ enjoyed the review.

[markkw]

Very Nice Review...Love to see the pics...

 

Attaching pictures, in your text window( the one u use to write your review) scroll down to "Additional Options" and look for "attach files"

click on Manage Attachments button, new window opens and at the top of window, it should read "upload file from your computer". click browse and just navigate to where you have the pics u want to upload and click upload..do the same thing over until all pics are uploaded and attached hit send and they should upload with your review... I did it in this reply....it should look like this when u r done...

 

Or you can just hit the paperclip in the text window, opens the same window....hope that helps...