Review Legend 12/13/04

[AllenF]

First let me say Hello to the great group of people we met from the Roll Call

Reggie his wife Julie and child Isabella. Jim and Bette. Les and Earle. Sandy and Mark her dad Jerry and sister and 3 sons I still cant remember all the Boys names :eek: .

We met for a pre cruise dinner Sunday all of the above except for Les and Earle and we hit it off right from the start.

We arrived at the port around 11:30 via a shuttle from La Quinta where I parked my car for the cruise. We were onboard by 12:45. There where a ton and I mean a ton of senoirs on this cruise over 500 I will never speak badly of kids again. Can you imagine 500 Tefs :D JK Tef I am sure you are worse ;) . Let me also say that at least 10 poeple had to be emergency evacuated from this cruise we made a pit stop in Cozumel the 2nd night to drop off 3. 3 got off in Belize 2 in Costa Rica we left Panama and 2 hrs later we had to turn around and go back to drop off 1 person and Finally we made a 5am call to Grand Caymen to drop off the last person. And no they were not all Old people LOL some were crew I belive there were at least 2 of the who had to have apendectomy anyway we were late getting back to port imagine that LOL. Ok the room Steward Anthony and his team were fantastic. So was are Waiter Robert and his wife Roberta great service and very friendly the entire crew was very friendly. I used the gym quite a bit it was very nice and the showers are HUGE there. In Belize we had planned to do a private tour of Altun Ha but we arrived late 12 pm and used the ships tour instead. In Costa rica we all (group above except for reggie and Julie) went to Almonds and Corals and did the Zipline tour it was a blast even though it was raining in the begining. ALmonds picked us all up in a nice small bus and off we went they got us back in plenty time to catch the ship. They would have stopped at banana platation but we did not want to. One thing Carnaval did that i did not like was even though we were docked in Costa Rica they would not let us get off until the ships tours had gotten off. For those of you interested once we got to Almonds and Corals about 30 minutes later two busses of Carnival tours arrvived but not to zipline but do bike and walking tours so we knew we would not be left because the driver for Almonds and corals made sure we left before them and they were behind us on the drive back takes about 1 1/2 hrs to get there and you are only 5 miles from the Panama border. Reggie and Julie were doing the walking tour and got some great pics of all of us Zipliningthanks Reggie :). In Panama we used GoldCoast to do a Kayaking tour of portabello me my wife, Mark and the 3 boys. GC did a good job and provided a private and very personal tour. After Kayaking we did a short walking tour of the town and checked out the Spanish forts oh yeah you could only get to 1 by water so of course that was part of the Kayak tour plus it gave a a nice break from paddling. We did not do the shows but those in the Roll call group said they were very good. We check out the comdians 1 was really good and 1 was so so. The ship was very clean and easy to get around we had an aft balcony cabin Jim and Bette were above us and Les and Earle were on the corner down from us so we could talk to each other. The only issue I had was how Carnival would not let us get off in Costa Rica until the ships tours did I mean I can understand when you tender in but at a DOCK. But it was a great cruise and the weather was pretty good a little windy at sea 2 days and raining a little in Costa rica but all in all great weather.

[Gingee]

I see that you had a aft cabin? How was motion back there and what floor were you on?

[AllenF]

We were on Empress deck and the motion was not all that bad except for when the captain had to pull in the stabilizers to make up time we did 25 knots the last to days so there was a little motion but all in all it very little IMO but you could feel it

[robbyxoxo]

Allen, welcome back:)......10 medical emergencies on one sailing!.....and wouldnt you just know, that the topic of medical emergencies while cruising has been a recent discussion here on the boards......did you miss hours in all of your ports? or just one or 2?..........I TOTALLY understand your frustration concerning Costa Rica and not being able to get off the ship at your desired time.......that is SUCH bs.....why should those people who book tours outside of Carnival be penalized?......that would be like giving a larger lobster tail at dinner to those who spend more on their bar tab:)......they've tried a couple of times to not let me off for the same reason.....I would explain to them that i had asked at the pursers desk to be able to get off early and that they said OK....i actually DID ask once at the pursers desk and she pretty much told me to just hop on with one of the tour groups getting off early..........most times they dont even ask us, and we have no problem getting off on the first tender.........like you said, the fact that the ship was directly docked makes the whole thing even more goofy.......im curious as to what EXACTLY they told you when you tried to get off early and they wouldnt let you?......or did they just make a public announcement that stated you had to wait til after the carnival tours?...........we are going to costa rica in 2 weeks and are planning on going off on our own.....did you feel safe when you were there?.....hear any stories of cruisers getting mugged while there?....

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Allen - glad to hear you had a great cruise!

 

Our Thanksgiving Legend cruise was also a somewhat OLDER crowd. I assumed it was just because it was Thanksgiving - but it seems that many of the Legend reviews mention lots of older folks - not a problem, mind you, but it does change the nightlife feel of the cruise! I guess the longer the cruise, the older the crowd? I know the 3 and 4 day cruises we have gone on are definitely a younger group.

 

I see you are going to try the Legend southern route next year - we are going to try the southern again - because we were rained out in 2 of the 3 ports...

 

Tom

[Zeta3]

Great review Allen! I guess I need to organize my thoughts and get a proper review out too. I also thought it was strange that they wouldn't let y'all off in Costa Rica because we saw Sandy and the crew waiting when we walked down for our tour.

 

I think it might have been due to the number of passengers requiring assistance on and off who had booked shp tours. But yes it was strange.

 

Robby to answer your question they had the stairwell leadng to the gangway roped off with a Carnival employee standing there blocking the non-ship tour people while the tours got to come down the other side of the starwell.

[AllenF]

Robbie

 

We were met by the driver of Almonds and corals right at the pier so we did not really go offon our own besides there were 13 of us. Now in Panama I dont think I would go out alone. There were tons of huckers trying to get us to use them but Skip from Goldcoast Tours ran a nice buffer for us against them. Like Julie said they just had area roped off, in hindsight we should have just went into the follies lounge and walked out withthe ship tours we had to wait an extra 20 minutes not that long but still it was BS

 

Hey Tom,

Hope you and your family have a great Xmas. Yeah I guess the Senoirs love the legend this time of year. They were a little cranky but I just took them with a grain of salt only pushed three of them overboard in there wheel chairs :D

[springersgirl]

I was on the same cruise and I was very disappointed. Never again will I sail Carnival. I think you overestimated the people who got off, but regardless it was TOO MANY! I was told by the nurse that one person had an epileptic seizure, and the rest were heart attacks.

 

I never hooked up with anyone from this board which was disappointing! All I saw were old people from New York that complained! Having to dodge wheelchairs, walkers, motorized scooters and guide dog all week was a challenge. One night we saw this parking lot of walkers outside the lounge - it was pretty funny, too bad we didn't have our camera with us to take a picture of it!

 

I thought this was a very boring cruise, I really missed the little things that I have experienced on Princess and other cruise lines, and felt that they were charging for everything. Talk about sell, sell, sell - every day we got at least four pages of "sale" items to buy that day on carnival. Boy they sure push buying on that ship. My sail and sign balance was $1250 when we got off (2 people). For the amount of money I spent on this cruise I could have gone on a Princess Cruise - next time I will.

 

Cruising at Mach 5 speed 4 nights and many of the sea days was not very leisurely. Our cabin was on Main deck at the rear of the ship and there was a LOT of movement in the cabin all night long. Every thing was rocking and rolling and there is so much stuff that moves around and makes noise, it was not a restful sleep.

 

I would not recommend the Legend to anyone that was under 65. :(

[Zeta3]

Springersgirl sorry you didn't get to hook up with our roll call group they are a great group of folks. Really helped maintain my sanity seeing them in the dining room and out and about on the ship. Allen's numbers are right there were at least 10 people who had to leave the ship. Brett gave the numbers during his morning shows. This was definitely not your typical Carnival cruise. I agree though that I have never seen so many ornery seniors in my life!

[LauraG]

Thank you for the review.

 

We leave for this same cruise next week and now I'm really nervous-- we've been planning this for almost a year. I've only found a meager handful of CC people that are going and I'm worrying about the people that will be on board. I want my kids to meet people. Seniors don't bother me (I hope to be one some day!)-- in fact, my husband and I got placed with two elderly couples at dinner on our first cruise and they were a hoot. Really, they were the ones that made us love the cruise. Grumpy complainers (of all ages) drive me crazy though-- especially if they are nasty about children (I have four). Perhaps since we're going on a holiday cruise it will attract more families. Hope so.

 

Sounds as if you were able to have fun even though not everything went as planned. I can't wait.

 

Laura

[AllenF]

Sorry you were so disapointed Springersgirl. The older folks were a bit cranky for sure but hey I was on vacation and I did not let them bother me too much. As far as partying goes I quit drinking many years ago and could have really cared less about the nightlife on the ship I have been there and done that. I did notice though the later it got the less you saw of the senoirs. I try to keep my expectations realistic. I wanted to relax, get some sun, eat, gamble, spend time with my lovely wife, meet new people. All that I accomplished so my vacation was great. The people we met form the roll call were fantastic and very Fun and interesting just spending time with them made the cruise for me. You know when i use to drink i use to complain alot and I still do sometimes but the cruise met my needs for a vacation. Life is too short to complain about the small stuff so i try to make the best of each situation once onboard. But you know one persons view is always different from the next persons. I try to always see the postive and make the best of things no matter which way they go. There was alot of movement in my cabin also ;) perhaps thats why the ship bounced so much

[judyf]

How was the ziplining? Any tips on this? I'm booked with Oscar in March and hope I don't get scared and nopt do it!

 

What did you do in Belize? Do you remember the time on the islands compared to ship time? Is the only port that has tenders is Belize?

 

Any other info on these ports or The Legend?

[Concord]

I was pointed to this post and asked what I thought of it outside of this forum (website). I have mixed thoughts, and have felt as a newbie maybe I shouldn't post my 2 cents. "BUTT" ... My spouse and I felt the time ashore was too short, so I highly concur it's not right to hold people while tours get to leave the ship first. A simple "be here at this time" should do. With regards to returning to a port for medical reasons, think about it. The ship has (so we are told) a competent medical staff. If the Captain turns the ship around, he must fully know this is a real situation that will of course, prompt complaints. It may be easy to think we paid for a smooth sailing vacation, but I'm actually comforted a little to think LIFE means more than MONEY to Carnival. If this were a member of my family, I'd be greatful. If this were a member of your family, I'd be understanding. Misquoting, the valid reply "I hope to be a senior one day" was a great comment. Factually, more elderly people had money to spend on cruises than younger people did and made cruises popular. I believe it will become easier to purchase cruises to your taste when we (as consumers) target what we want to buy. Give your input to websites like this and the cruiseline directly, and we will all have a great time.

[AllenF]

Concord,

I too am glad the Captain made the call to do the stops for those who were sick. If it was me or my family I would want that done also. After a while it was almost expected to make emergency stops LOL I made a bet with a nice guy named Nate who we met at La quinta and stood in line with while waiting to get onboard with on the way back from panama that we would stop in Grand caymen also because it just seemed that this was the week for medical emergencies. I just hope those who needed the stops are ok now. Yes at 1st it was a bummer but I would want the same for me or my family and you and yours.

 

Judy

The ziplining was fun. My wife is afraid of heights but was glad she did the tours the guides were very good and very safety oriented. Belize and Costa rica were 1 hr behind and panama was the same as ship time. Belize was the only tender port we went to Altun Ha there.

[judyf]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to zipline! It's the first tour I booked months ago. Hearing they were safety oriented helps a lot.

 

Thanks

[TropicsR4me]

I will also be cruising on the Legend 12/11/05. Less than 1 year away but the time will go quickly. Starting to scan these boards about info regarding the Legend which will be my first time on a Spirit Class ship.

[AllenF]

Sounds great Tropics......guess we will need to get a roll call going for 12/11/05 huh:)

[TropicsR4me]

Sounds great Tropics......guess we will need to get a roll call going for 12/11/05 huh:)

Yep, we can start a roll call. Since I see you have been on this ship before, is the Panorama Deck a good deck to have a stateroom ? Happy Holidays to you and yours :).

[AllenF]

Well we were on the Empress deck balcony aft , but any room is a good room to me. Maybe somebody who has had a cabin on that deck can give you a better answer.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

is the Panorama Deck a good deck to have a stateroom ?

It TOTALLY depends on what you want to be close to. Panorama would be the best deck, if you mainly want to be close to LIDO (Pool, Gym, Buffet).

 

MAIN deck would be the best if you want to be close to : Entertainment, Dining, Gambling, Shopping, etc...

 

Typically, for whatever reason (aka: because they CAN), Carnival charges MORE to be on higher decks... I suppose as you pay more, you are then entitled to FEEL more movement! So when someone says they had a GREAT upgrade "from a Cat 8A to an 8E", I just : :rolleyes: ... lol

 

On the Spirit class ships - the only deck we desire is MAIN... that suits us best!

 

Tom

[AllenF]

Great answer Tom......I like the empress because of it being in the middle 3 deck down or up to all the Stuff. Plus I liked having decks above me and below me that were staterooms only but once again any cabin is a good cabin to me. Tom is right on the fact that a room on the panarama deck is the same as a room on the main deck only the height is the difference and the price of course

[TropicsR4me]

for the info. Looks like it would be a matter of preference then which deck would be good, was thinking of upgrading to a higher deck & stateroom since right now I am on the Riviera Deck and with 8 days on the ship, wanted to have the best location that would work for me. I see it depends on what I require to be close to. Thanks very much for the insight, not new to Carnival but new to the Spirit class ships. Still are plenty of cabins available but I want to decide soon.

[kiberkid]

We were on the Panorama deck of the Legend. The balcony had a roof that was slightly larger than the roofs on the balconies below us. This was great the day we had a little rain. Not a drop touched our balcony.

 

On the other hand it was a bit noisy in the morning when they were putting out the deck chairs.

 

We did not notice any more movement on that deck than we did on any other deck.

 

We were close to the aft & very close to the stairs that led up to the Unicorn Cafe, we found that very convenient to just run upstairs & grab a coffee or something & run back down to enjoy it on our balcony.

 

We were very happy with the location & the cabin. :)

[TropicsR4me]

kiberkid, thanks for your info for the Panorama Deck. I was thinking that with a total of 4 days at sea, that location would be best for access to the Lido Deck. But then it would take longer to get to the entertainment/dining decks. I was on the Empress Deck on the Valor and found that location to be ideal, hardly ever used the elevators. As I look at the deck plans of the Legend, I am beginning to think that the Empress Deck would be the location since there are only 2 decks to travel between before getting to where I want to be.