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coolcruiser86

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Posts posted by coolcruiser86

  1. Can you give more insight into the transition of Flamingo Grill to Margaritaville? I hadn't heard they were doing this. Thanks!

     

    Overall the food was pretty good. The only non complementary place we ate at was the Illusionarium. The food there was okay.

     

    We ate in the main dining rooms every other night. There were a couple odd items (shrimp and guacamole salad).

     

    The buffet was good too. I'm sad to hear the Flamingo Grill is changing to a margaritaville. The coconut pastry was SO good. Try the warm cobblers I the buffet too. They were really good.

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

  2. Welcome! We were primarily Royal Caribbean and then we made our way to NCL for a couple cruises. We just returned from an RCCL cruise and can say we are firmly in the NCL corner! They're entertainment is great, food is consistent and the activities on board are amazing.

     

    Hope you have a great cruise!

  3. Thanks for the insight. I reached out to the operator and they said that they typically get back by 430-5 and we don't leave until 6. I was skeptical until I looked at a map and saw just how close the two piers really are. I think we will be booking directly through Dive Cairns Down Under. Thanks!

     

    The GBR trips are really one of the cruise lines cons. They don't guarantee that you will be alongside before the 10.amm sailings and often their sail times put one in conflict if a private tour gets back late. What is worse is that the ships cost is nearly twice as much as the private cost. IF arrival time is around 8.00 am and departure around 6.00pm I would chance a private excursion if tying up at the cruise terminal. The GBR boats are just a few minutes walk from the cruise terminal
  4. Hi All,

     

    I am looking to book a tour for the GBR during our March cruise and am trying to figure out how close the cruise terminal is to the tour. The tour operator said they thought the Legend of the Seas docks at Trinity Wharf. Has anyone recently sailed that can let me know if that sound correct?

     

    Thanks all for your help!

     

    Mitch

  5. Hi there! Which sailing are you guys on? My wife and I will be on the March 6th sailing out of Brisbane

     

    Hi, we're going on Legend out of Brisbane in March and we're wanting to find out about activities in the evening, particularly if there's an evening trivia or gameshows scheduled most nights at about 8pm ish? 8pm would be the ideal dinner time however we've been on cruises where there was a great 8 pm trivia in the schooner bar every night which was a true highlight so we'd hate to miss out on that! We're a party of 22 so we need to make MTD dinner reservations well in advance but need your help so we don't want to miss out on anything. :D:D
  6. Hi Raina,

     

    Thanks for giving a counter experience. I think its great to hear both experiences and honestly, I am hoping that my experiences will be relatively low and end up being impressed. :D

     

    My experience was very different.

     

    I must walk around with my head in a bag! I didn't see a tired old ship. I didn't see any rust! At all - but then I got to relax not inspect metal on railing.

     

    I just did 28 days on Legend - Singapore to Hong Kong to Brisbane and had a great time.

     

    The negatives.

    The WIFI was bad. Slow but I was able to upload photos. It just took time. It was fine for emails and checking facebook. But considering that I was floating on the ocean on a ship, I'm glad to have any wifi.Strangely it got worse in Australian waters. Some days it went for hours where you couldn't log on.

     

    I had a few issues with two ships tours (some activities omitted, and a very sub standard zoo visit) - I went to discuss my issues with the appropriate people.

     

    My air conditioning was not very cold....but like a grown up I picked up the phone and had someone come and work their magic. Then it was great.

     

    I HATE the art auctions. I think they are a terrible waste of space and so much noise pollution. But obviously many people love them or they would not be in business.

     

    I saw a few of the comedians and thought they were not even average. But other shows were good.

     

    Meet and Mingles were very basic with an urn and some tea bags provided, and a plate of cookies.

     

    The rest.

    I had my first experience of a Junior Suite and I can total understand the obsession with them. It was amazing. SO BIG! So much storage. Giant deck with 2 chairs and table and a bed chair. I did have a coffee table, and a coffee machine. Bathroom was clean and well stocked.

    Yes the room did creak a bit - that's part of being on a ship. Yes I did hear noise from the Solarium above (trollies being moved with food), but again that is what happens on a ship with steel floors.

     

    If I could.....I would always be in a JS - even under the noisy deck..

     

    I really don't understand all the 'tired' references. I saw a lovely ship with brilliant staff. Yes she is a different layout to the Rhapsody, but much of it, in my opinion is much better. I so prefer Legend for the Concierge and Diamond Lounges. So much better than Rhapsody. I did miss Giovannies!

     

    I never saw anything dirty, or broken or rundown.

    I did see lots of the usual ongoing maintenance like sanding and painting/varnishing. I did see all the new mattresses changed out (whole ship) in Singapore. I did see carpets being replaced.

     

    I though the Cruise Directors team were really good. They ran some fun activities.

     

    I didn't see my room steward a lot. But I did see my room cleaned beautifully, twice a day, with my ice bucket filled each time etc. To me a good room steward is one who learns my movements quickly and slips in when I am gone. I don't understand the need to 'see' them all the time. I did see the housekeeping boss heaps - walking the corridors asking if everything was good.

     

    I did see general cleaning staff everywhere - handrails, toilets, glass hoppers etc.

     

    I did MTD and usually late - so there was never a queue, always go the table size we wanted and had super service. We even got the big Maine Lobsters for free on Lobster night.

    I only went to the Windjammer twice...but was able to find a table without any trouble and the place was cleaned quickly. I'm not a fan of buffet food.

     

    They changed the smoking rules in Singapore as there was no smoking in the casino from there! Fantastic.

     

    In public bars I didn't have to wait long for a drink. And If I did i could have walked to the bar and got one much quicker. I know there had been a lot of criticism of drink prices but I think $10 cocktails to be great!

     

    I didn't have to get into the queues for tender rides. But the people I was travelling with all got first tender tickets without trouble. The queues to get back on were some of the quickest I have ever seen (apart from Airlie Beach but it is always slow there and as said above the swell did mess them up a bit.)

     

    On the occasions I went to the pool deck I was able to get a chair or bed in the shade every time.

     

    True the Legend doesn't have any of the bells and whistles that the bigger ships have but there was never any shortage of things to do. There were some great lectures (as well as a few shockers by one speaker), lots of trivia, crossing the equator, sexy man, belly flop etc. as well as all of the sports comps - golf, climbing, shuffleboard. I didn't manage to fit in all the things I wanted to do.

     

    The Ports were fantastic. An amazing itinerary.

    Koi Samui - private driver and a fantastic day. Temples

    Bangkok - huge day with a few hours drive. Grand Palace and temples.

    Cambodia - such a poor country with so much beauty. Amazing markets.

    Saigon - Another long drive. SO MANY SCOOTERS and history. Much fun.

    Nha Trang - Great Temples. Amazing food.

    Hue - Great Temples. The Incense Village was so pretty.

    Manilla. So much to see - Paco Park , American War Cemetery, Slums, up to Tagaytay for amazing food and views over the volcano - even a whiff of smoke, and Old Town.

    Puerto Princesa - Batak Tribe and a canoe ride up the mangroves.

    Kota Kinabalu - a cultural village and a disgusting zoo.

    Bali - a drive up to Ubud - Monkey Forest, $13 four handed massage, great food, rice paddies and more.

    Darwin - HOHO bus and a visit to Crocodylus to watch fools hop in a perspex tank and go into the water with giant beasts :eek:

    Cairns - a drive up into the Daintree rainforest and a walk through the elevated walkway.

    Airlie Beach - Segway through the rainforest.

     

    I have heard people complaining that the ships were a long way from places like Bangkok and Saigon. How rude of those people to build there cities inland away from cruise ship ports. All port but Hue Vietnam, had plenty to do close by. It's just that I wanted to see the big attractions that were and hour or two away!

     

    So basically I had a great time. Heaps of great people on board. Crew were fantastic.

    Looking forward to going back next week for another 10 days!

     

     

    So that's my take on the trip

    Raina

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