Legend of the seas

Hey. So i am still a newbie to cruising and as yet have not formed an alliance/love with any one cruise company :). I have been looking at a few cruses out of Australia and stumbled across one by royal Caribbean. I had heard some good things about the company so i checked it out and it looks good. then i went on the review section on here and well.... Not so good. Ship wise that is. In the past i have read a few bad reviews about the other ships i ended up cruising on but had read some good responses about those ships on the forum itself rather than the specific review section. In the end some, (not all) of the things people didnt like were things that effected me and i had a good time on the ships.

S i was wondering any recent Legend of the seas travellers on here. Your thought's? It was pretty cheap and no i am kind of wondering if it was so cheap for a reason.

help!!!!

We haven't been on Legend recently but did do a transatlantic on her in April of 2014 and in over 20 years of cruising, we thought it was one of our best cruises ever. There is nothing spectacular about the ship (however, it was in excellent shape for it's age) but there was plenty spectacular about the officers and crew. They all went way above and beyond to make certain that the cruise was the best it could be.

I did an 11 night on the Legend this spring (Feb/Mar 2015) and had a great time.

The Legend is the smallest of all RCCL Ships (sister to Splendour). And doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the larger ships do, but it had a great crew.

If you are going on expecting the Flow Rider, Ice Shows, etc you won't find it on that ship.

We also did a transatlantic on Legend a couple of years ago and thought the ship and crew were exceptional. I'd cruise on Legend again without reservations.

We did a consecutive cruise on Legend this past April that amounted to 30 days and it was the best 2 cruises ever.

Yes, the ship is showing her age, but very gracefully.:) The staff & crew made up for all the minor nicks and dents that we saw.

I haven't looked at reviews for a while, but a few months ago there were quite a few reviews from people that had sail "many cruises", but had only just joined cruise critic, done no other reviews, and some of the combinations of complaints were just so silly they didn't even make sense.

Have a quick look at the reviewer's profile. When I see a whole bunch of people giving bad reviews that have joined 2015, done no post at all and 1 review, it just starts to smell a bit off.

I believe that there is another cruise line baiting these reviews. I could be wrong, but the same stuff comes up in so many reviews on all the different RCI ships.

One of my favourites was the bins at the waiter stations, I have never actually found myself staring at them! What was that about? There was a lot of silly statements on a lot of first time reviews, and it just doesn't sit right. They throw in a few positives but it really is very transparent.

There are a smattering of reviews from more experienced cruisers, and I would take those more at face value. Remember also that many people only review when they want to vent because they are unhappy. Cruise critic membership, as I understand from other posts here, is something like 3% of all cruisers on all the ships, and then the percentage of those that do a review is very small.

You are right to do your research. Just dig a little deeper and don't be put off by reviews that really sound very unconvincing. The experienced cruisers' replies on this post are something I would give far more weight to than 20 of those bizarre ones.

We were on the Legend of the Seas this past May, doing an Ensenada to Hawaii transpacific. The only bad memory of the entire trip, was the bus ride from San Diego to Ensenada.

Once we were aboard, the crew went out of their way to make everyone happy. The Legend of the Seas was our first Royal Caribbean cruise some years ago, and I'm pleased to report, save for wear and tear, which is normal, the ship is in great condition, and has one of the best crews that Royal Caribbean employs.

She is part of the Vision Class, which are great, but don't have all of the bells and whistles of larger class ships. We love the Vision Class and look forward to once again cruising on the Legend of the Seas.

I don't believe that you would be disappointed.;)

Rick

We did a B2B2B on the Legend 2 years ago in the Mediterranean and had a fabulous time on the ship. Everything was always clean and tidy, the crew were really great and, being a smaller ship, got to know you and remember who you were (which doesn't seem to happen on the larger ships). We're doing another cruise on the Legend later this month and are really looking forward to it.

Love the forum. So many helpful people. So you have brightened my day that's for sure all you lovely cruisers.

I decided I was well over due for a cruise so threw out the idea of a north Queensland cruise to the female s in my family and got a few people interested. At the moment exact numbers and people are unknown. Could be 2 could be 6 depending on dates ,ship , price. There are two other cruise lines offereing similar dates and itinerary. Our ages groups would be early 60s. early to mid 30s. 2 year old. But nothing official yet. 2 first time cruises. So I've kinda been made the cruise coordinator. So want to make sure it's the best possible experience for everyone.

So apart from it being a decent ship things I noted from responds were. Smaller. No bells and whistles. No flow rider or ice show. Umm no idea what they are lol. In regards to extras I might need to do some research on the actual ship to see what features it does have.

I know my mum(one of the 60s) liked the night time singing dancing shows. me (30ish) personally not so much. I preferred comedy acts and dancing the night away. So not sure if that's the sort of bells and whistles you were talking about .

Any other advice would be great and I'll show it to my potential cruise mates along with some legitimate looking bad reviews to be objective

Thanks

Love the forum. So many helpful people. So you have brightened my day that's for sure all you lovely cruisers.

 

I decided I was well over due for a cruise so threw out the idea of a north Queensland cruise to the female s in my family and got a few people interested. At the moment exact numbers and people are unknown. Could be 2 could be 6 depending on dates ,ship , price. There are two other cruise lines offereing similar dates and itinerary. Our ages groups would be early 60s. early to mid 30s. 2 year old. But nothing official yet. 2 first time cruises. So I've kinda been made the cruise coordinator. So want to make sure it's the best possible experience for everyone.

 

So apart from it being a decent ship things I noted from responds were. Smaller. No bells and whistles. No flow rider or ice show. Umm no idea what they are lol. In regards to extras I might need to do some research on the actual ship to see what features it does have.

 

I know my mum(one of the 60s) liked the night time singing dancing shows. me (30ish) personally not so much. I preferred comedy acts and dancing the night away. So not sure if that's the sort of bells and whistles you were talking about .

 

Any other advice would be great and I'll show it to my potential cruise mates along with some legitimate looking bad reviews to be objective

 

Thanks

Claudio posted a WONDERFUL review of his Legend cruise:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190500

 

~snip~

 

So apart from it being a decent ship things I noted from responds were. Smaller. No bells and whistles. No flow rider or ice show. Umm no idea what they are lol. In regards to extras I might need to do some research on the actual ship to see what features it does have.

 

I know my mum(one of the 60s) liked the night time singing dancing shows. me (30ish) personally not so much. I preferred comedy acts and dancing the night away. So not sure if that's the sort of bells and whistles you were talking about .

 

 

Thanks

The flowrider is rather a "surfing" machine. You can try googling it and even see it on You Tube probably. The ice show is a production show on ice in the ice rink. Legend does not have an ice rink.

There will be singing and dancing (production shows) for your mum and assuredly a comedian or two for you. Their skill levels vary but some have you laughing until you cry.

Carol, what are you doing up at 2:41 AM. :eek: A true night owl!

Claudio posted a WONDERFUL review of his Legend cruise:

 

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2190500

Oh Merion_Mom you are the greatest. This is exactly what I need. Recent, real person pics. I've only just quickly looked at it and i'm already loving it. Getting excited and am not even booked yet lol. Organising a bunch of reviews and links for my cruise mates. Gonna sit here with my wine now and slowly enjoy it. Cant wait it show my mum tomorrow.

Truffles2. Oh thanks for explaining flow rider and ice rink. Meh. Probably would have been cool to see but i doubt i would have used them, so no loss.

Oh and in regards to Legends being a smaller ship. Well I went and Goggled the stats on the ship and the two others both my mum and I have been on for comparison. In regards to length it was bamm in the middle. Pearl was a bit bigger Dawn a bit smaller but not by much. Not sure on passenger capacity and number of decks but i guess it gives us an idea.

Oh I do have one more question. Room capacity? Realistically 3 adults in a room? What cabin do people recommend and what is manageable but maybe a bit tight. It may come down to price and one is on a slightly tighter budget .I want to make sure I have got all the correct info when I present a few price scenarios.

Thanks awesome CC's

We've just booked an eight night cruise on Legend with six of us girls in January.

I take most reviews with a grain of salt. (Unless they have pics & are done by someone who has been a member longer than a few months!)

We just did cruises on Vision & Splendour & had terrible reviews about both... We had a tremendous time & the only thing I could fault on Vision was a nasty piece of work at the front desk who made me cry- (I since put in a very formal complaint about her to head office!)

Cruises are what you make of them.

Good luck! :-)

I loved sailing on the Legend. We were on Legend two years ago for a Western Med. itinerary, but I did write a pretty detailed review (see signature below) - in addition, there is also a very good All Things Legend thread (also see signature below), which provides a lot of info on the ship.

Legend is an older ship...and the inside cabins can be pretty tight.....although the D cat balcony cabins are pretty good size. I wouldn't consider it "small"...although it's nowhere as large as the Oasis class!!

I think the older ships give you more of a 'cruise" feel!

We took a TA on the Legend in the fall of 2013.

Here is a review I did. If you start at post # 12 --I have a lot of pictures of the ship. I have some pictures of the type of activities there are on this ship.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1943590

You will have a wonderful cruise.

Oh I do have one more question. Room capacity? Realistically 3 adults in a room? What cabin do people recommend and what is manageable but maybe a bit tight. It may come down to price and one is on a slightly tighter budget .I want to make sure I have got all the correct info when I present a few price scenarios.

 

Thanks awesome CC's

Hey Merion_mom... thanks for the shout out on my review :D

Nelie, in my review you'll see I too struggled with some info, and especially with room sizes. As you go through the review, you'll see I was magically upsold into that aft balcony which was a Godsend for 3 people. Also note that the best balcony cabin was the same size as the J interiors!! Take a quick read through this short thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2053926

I cannot stress to you enough that if you are on a tight budget, looking to have 3 adults in a room, and specifically looking at interior rooms, absolutely pay the little bit extra to get one of those much larger J interiors vs. any other interior cabin.

edit: Here's another awesome photo review by DarthGrady: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2141192&highlight=legend

Oh awesome more real person reviews. Thanks so much Dragon of the seas and Travel R.

Also a very big thank you to all of you for being so friendly and helpful.

I'll let you all know on how things go.

Also 3 adults in a balcony cabin. Is what I'm currently looking at. now the price is it the per person rate the a 3 rd person extra rate ?

I was on the Legend of the Seas August 16th sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore:

Ship: Shows her age in a few places, but otherwise in good shape and kept spotless. We liked the small size and the friendliness of the other passengers (high percentage were Australians.)

Crew- A real mix. The Entertainment staff were fun (especially Orlando). Our cabin steward was the best we have ever had. Our waiters were good. However, the Guest Relations staff were the worst I have encountered in 40+ cruises. They rarely smiled, you never got the same answer twice and they did not follow RCCL policy (see the comments I am about to post.)

Entertainment: A mixed bag. In addition, instead of stating what an entertainer did, the Compass said something like "a utube sensation" which was annoying.

Food: Average or a little better for RCCL.

Embarkation: An unbelievable mess taking 2 hours or more with people packed into a room without sufficient air conditioning. I understand that it was due to the old terminal and Hong Kong Port Authority regulations; however. RCCL should have put some thought into ways of alleviating the situation and taken some responsibility rather than placing the blame elsewhere. Most of all, they should have made sure that the disabled and elderly were cared for. There were women with walkers leaning against the wall and a woman pushing a wheelchair and 2 bags because no one directed her to the bag drop. That should never have happened!

Or, if you do, do not go to the doctor!

I was on the August 16th sailing of the Legend of the Seas and I was generally enjoying the cruise (other than the horrific embarkation.) Then I came down with what I thought was a bad cold and sore throat.

At my daughter's inssistance, I went to the doctor who told me that I had Influenza B, gave me a mask, the room service number an envelope full of Acetaminophen packets and confined me to my cabin for 24 to 48 hours. He also told me that there would most likely be a special procedure when we landed in Singapore. He did not address my cough or sore throat,

After returning to the cabin, I sent my daughter back for cough syrup. They gave her a multi-relief syrup with no instructions.

Luckily I read labels. If had taken the syrup with the Acetaminophen tablets as prescribed, I would have been taking 2 1/2 times the maximum dose. The next day my daughter bought me cough syrup on shore.

Over the next 2 1/2 days (so much for the 24 to 48 hours,) I was dependent solely on my daughter and cabin steward for anything I needed. Not once did I receive a call from the Customer Relations desk or anyone else from RCCL. The room service menu was definitely not designed for a sick person so my daughter brought me all my meals with the exception of lunch the day we were in port. Even then, given my sore throat, I primarily ate oatmeal for breakfast and mashed potatoes for lunch and dinner.

By the last day I was getting upset about the possible special procedures in Singapore so my daughter went to the Guest Relations desk, and after not getting an answer, demanded to speak to the manager. She did speak to Jorge who immediately called me and apologized. He said that it was RCCL's policy that I should have been called at least twice a day to see if I needed any special food or anything else to make me comfortable. He also said that there was no special procedure and we could disembark normally.

That night after we went to bed early, the nurse came in to take my temperature. Right after she left, our bags were thrust back into our cabin. Upset, I called Guest Relations and was turned over to the person in charge of disembarkation. She told that there was a special procedure to "help us" and we would be last, but gave me no explanation why. I spoke to her and she finally agreed we could disembark as scheduled at 9 AM so we went back to sleep. Over the next 2 hours we received 2 more calls saying we would be last. Each time, my daughter went to .the Guest Relations desk and was assured that someone would be there at 9 AM.

Disembarkation morning. knowing there was no room service, my daughter brought me breakfast, Then we received another call saying we would be last. I called Guest Relations, asked for Gorge and was told he was on the gangway. When I again insisted on speaking to a manager, the person I was speaking to hung up. Angry, I then went up to Guest Relations and spoke to a manager who said he would send someone to help with our bags. this did not happen. However at 8:15 I did receive my first call from RCCL asking if I wanted breakfast.

At 9:15 my daughter went to the gangway and said she needed to speak to Jorge. He was surprised to find out that our bags had been returned to the room and sent the Diamond Concierge and another officer to help with our bags. However since there were 3 of us, my daughter still had to take her big bag off and I was left with the 2 carry-ons.

I was never happier to get off a ship!

In retrospect, I should have been more demanding. But I was not feeling well and did not know I could request special food (like a boiled egg for lunch) so I made do with what my daughter could find in the buffet. Regardless, RCCL made a bad situation worse not only by not following its own policy, but more importantly be not providing explanations when requested.

This was my 14th RCCL cruise and until last week, RCCL was my favorite cruise line. I assume that I will eventually cruise RCCL again, but doubt it will be anytime soon.

We were on Legend in April 2014, 15 night PC full transit San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. We like the Vision class ships. In fact our sailing out of Sydney was on another Vision ship, Rhapsody Of The Seas.

If not having all the bells and whistles of the big ships doesn't bother you, go for it. :)

The next size/class up is Radiance, and I just checked it looks like Radiance Of The Seas is sailing Australia also. Very pretty ship, a little bit larger then the Vision class. Also without out the big ship stuff.

Oh Merion_Mom you are the greatest. This is exactly what I need. Recent, real person pics. I've only just quickly looked at it and i'm already loving it. Getting excited and am not even booked yet lol. Organising a bunch of reviews and links for my cruise mates. Gonna sit here with my wine now and slowly enjoy it. Cant wait it show my mum tomorrow.

 

 

 

Truffles2. Oh thanks for explaining flow rider and ice rink. Meh. Probably would have been cool to see but i doubt i would have used them, so no loss.

 

Oh and in regards to Legends being a smaller ship. Well I went and Goggled the stats on the ship and the two others both my mum and I have been on for comparison. In regards to length it was bamm in the middle. Pearl was a bit bigger Dawn a bit smaller but not by much. Not sure on passenger capacity and number of decks but i guess it gives us an idea.

 

 

Oh I do have one more question. Room capacity? Realistically 3 adults in a room? What cabin do people recommend and what is manageable but maybe a bit tight. It may come down to price and one is on a slightly tighter budget .I want to make sure I have got all the correct info when I present a few price scenarios.

 

Thanks awesome CC's

Nelie, back to your questions. Room capacity, IMO 3 adults would be tight.

A deluxe ocean view is about 190 sq ft with 37 sq ft balcony. Pace that out and see what you think.

There are family cabins but you have to call to book them.

Firstly I want to thank you so much for all the advice.

But I do have some bad news. While I was showing my mum all this stuff my dad asks when we are going(he's not coming) when we mentioned the date he gave us the bad news. He is part of the club that put on an event every year and that's the some weekend. My mum and I help out in a huge way and even though my dad was like someone else can do it, he doesn't really understand how much we do. So it looks liek its a no go.

:(:(:(:(:(

I was so looking forward to it. There is another date but its in January and a bit too early for us. So its back to the drawing board for me. I am still looking at the Legend for a South Pacific cruise possibly along with a few other crusielines for both North Queensland and South Pacific. Figuring out dates has been the most frustrating. So many birthdays in my family to avoid.

So I am sorry you guys put so much effort in but i at least hope it might help someone else. Thanks once again. Ill see you around the message boards

Nelie--sorry this cruise didn't work for you on Legend.

We were first on Legend when it was a new ship--sailed through the Panama Canal when she was less than a year old. We just did another cruise on her this past February for 10 nights, in an interior cabin. The ship was in great shape, and the crew was amazing--some of the friendliest and most helpful staff we've had in a while. The service was the best we've had in many cruises. Interior room was small, but well-designed, and the ship had plenty of places to sit inside and enjoy the ocean views.

I would not hesitate to sail on Legend again. Hope you get to experience this wonderful ship sometime soon.

Good news.

Maybe.

I stated looking at the South Pacific itineraries after the first time cruiser in my party, my aunty said she would be prefer to do South Pacific (SP) over North Queensland. I was really getting interested in NQ as I had originally discussed a land based tip up that way with the Hubby a few months ago that never happened. However now I m not doing the cruise we may look at going up that way for our anniversary next year. (hubby don’t cruise) So ill get to see NQ eventually.

So when looking at SP itinerary’s Royal Caribbean and Legends came up again. We were looking at a P&O cruise that my mum and I have already done and would have been okay to do again but then Royal kept lurking in the background. It’s an extra day at sea over the P&O one but it leaves later in the day so we can fly in on the day. It visits Mystery Island over Lifou. It does have a better time frame in Noumea too. It’s 9 till 5 rather than 3-10. They both visit Vila but that was our favourite port out of the three and it will be interesting to see if they have recover post cyclone.

So I am contacting travel agent tomorrow. AHHHHHHHH . So excited. Well trying not to get too excited as I need to apply for time off of work which may take a few days for them to process but I figure contacting a travel agent to get the ball rolling will be okay. Then once a deposit is paid then ill be dancing.

We are looking at an outside room. 3 in a room bit tight I know. But I joke we are all short. And I’m small all over in general so ill squeeze into a corner LOL. Good excuse to get out of the cabin and mingle with people.

SO we have a few selection fo cabins… Our budget only allow for an outsded cabins which are on deck 2 and 3. We prefer to be as high up as possible. 3 lol yeah I’ve only even been as low as a 7 on a cruise before I think. Oh well new experience. So our options are pretty much FWD cabins 3004 to 3012 and across the hall 3504 to 3512. Deck plans show this is right on the elevator, stairs and restrooms area. OR AFT 3102 to 3006 and across the hall3598 to 3602. Deck plan shows single stairs. Restroom and elevators and a bit further midship. No injuries and we often took the stairs on previous cruises. Being near the elevator and restroom could mean more traffic noise? Any thoughts .

Looking forward to conversing with more Royal Caribbean cruisers soon . ahhhhhh