Back from the Legend 3/28 - 4/4

[aunttyne]

We celebrated my parents' 50th wedding Anniversary on the Carnival Legend, March 28 - April 4. It turned out to be a really great week, and an unforgettable celebration for my parents. Our group included my parents, my Dad is 72, my Mom 68, my aunt 67, my uncle 73, my parents friends who are also retired, my husband 49, me 48, my son 14, daughter 17, my brother 42, my sister in law 38, my nephew 21, my best friend 49 and her son 23. We were on the Veranda deck (level 7) which we found to be perfect- not under the Lido deck, but an easy walk up the stairs to the Lido deck if we didn't want to use the elevator. Our room was great! We enjoyed the balcony very much, and were pleasantly surprised by how well the room functioned for the 4 of us- we sometimes had 6 people in the room quite comfortably. We brought TONS of stuff (we teased my 17 year old that she had brought so many cocktail dresses she could change between courses and not repeat) but we were able to unpack all of it and store all the suitcases under the bed. My daughter slept on the folded down sofa, and son in the bunk that came out of the ceiling each night. The beds and linens were heavenly, the pillows soft, very comfortable. And we found our location to be quiet and peaceful- we rarely heard noise from the hallway, and none trough the walls.

 

We did early seating to accommodate my parents who didn't want to be watching shows at 10:30 pm. There were some port days when I wished we were eating later so we could nap a bit before dinner, but overall it worked well. We ate dinner every night in the dining room, and had two tables in the balcony area situated close to each other. We mixed up where we sat each evening. One of the tables was by the window, and it was a race each night to see who could get those prime seats. I would recommend the balcony, it seemed quieter on this level. The food was fine, some dishes were really scrumptious and some merely adequate. I enjoyed the appetizers the most, and one night I made a meal out of 4 appetizers instead of an entree. My son LOVED the melting chocolate cake and had one every evening (sometimes 2!) and I really looked forward to a cappuccino each evening- my tiny little 125 pound best friend had FOUR lobster tails which were served quite graciously, even though the waiter had to keep putting in new requests for more. We did a lot of room service (again my 14 year old who is 6 ft 2 inches and needs to eat constantly was the biggest consumer)and we were pleased with how quick it was and how tasty. Had breakfast in Truffles several times- nothing terribly exciting, but nice to be waited on. I never did the hot food line on the Lido deck for breakfast- it was TOO crazy. I actually enjoyed the cold foods best,the cereals, yogurt, rolls etc. Lunch on the Lido deck was fine also, the grill makes some excellent sandwiches and I actually thought the desserts were better than in the dining room.

 

We went to most of the shows and were quite impressed by the quality of the big show numbers, the sets and costumes were unexpectedly professional. I thought some dancers would just come out and do a number on the stage, but the sets were marvelous and changed frequently through out the show. We spent some time in the piano bar singing, and also tried Karaoke. (Thank heavens I'll never see these people again! It's harder than it looks) I went with my Mom and her friend to tea on our last sea day, very soothing activity. We got off in each port, but only did a Carnival Cruise excursion in Belize. Expensive but worth it for us- we went to the Mayan Ruins and then down the Wallace River- our guide was SO bad, but so BAD that she has become legendary and we are still imitating her, so maybe it was even better than having a competent guide. She did better on the river where she pointed out crocodiles, howler monkeys, manatees, iguanas, bats, and yes even a toucan! At one point I was thinking, this is like the Jungle Cruise at Disney except this is the REAL jungle cruise. I was completely enchanted. In the other ports, we took taxis to shopping and beaches. In Roatan, we used the beach at Mahogany Bay ~ HEAVEN ~ I realize it is not a natural beach but it was still lovely. One tip, although it is free, I would buy the $38.00 package- you get shade clam shell, floaties and wristbands- they weren't renting the floaties, but luckily 2 people in our group bought this package so I used theirs.

 

My Mom wanted to do a little service, but not a vow renewal package. The events person told us we could use one of the lounges, and offered to send one of the photographers. It worked out so nicely, it was just our group, we played a little music my Mom selected, my parents made some comments, and we got some really nice photos. The event planner came and checked to make sure everything was fine, and she did it all without any charge. I was very impressed and grateful that she went out of her way to give my parents this experience. The cruise director weee Jimmy congratulated them from the stage before one of the shows, causing people to stop them all evening and offer their congratulations on 50 years of wedded bliss :) It was very touching to me me to see how genuinely kind and warm the other passengers were towards my parents. Their gracious comments and well wishes made the cruise even more special for them. If you were one of those kind people THANK YOU!

[papanh]

Great review and best wishes to your parents on celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Papanh

[kandrsmommy]

Thank you for the review. We are on Legend in June. Did your 14 yo go to Circle C? My 14 yo went last year on the Pride and loved it. Hope her experience is the same this time. She still texts and facebooks some of her friends. We are also staying on The Veranda Deck. What room number did you have? Loved the idea of being close to the lido, but not underneath it.

[aunttyne]

Neither of my kids ended up using the clubs- with so many family members aboard they always seemed to have something to do or someone to hang out with. My nephew and my best friend's son, who are both in their 20s, however, rarely made it back to their cabins before sunrise. :) they would have dinner with us, and then the next time I'd see them they'd be standing bleary-eyed, waiting to go ashore with us after about 2 hours of sleep. Ah youth! :D We had room 7238, my parents had 7236, my aunt and uncle had 7234, my brother had 7242, the others had inside cabins. I was very happy with our room, and quite surprised about how well it accommodated four people. Only snafu was when we were getting dressed- we were all in the little hall in front of the closets trying to get our stuff out at the same time ~ we learned to do that in shifts the next evening.

[kandrsmommy]

Neither of my kids ended up using the clubs- with so many family members aboard they always seemed to have something to do or someone to hang out with. My nephew and my best friend's son, who are both in their 20s, however, rarely made it back to their cabins before sunrise. :) they would have dinner with us, and then the next time I'd see them they'd be standing bleary-eyed, waiting to go ashore with us after about 2 hours of sleep. Ah youth! :D We had room 7238, my parents had 7236, my aunt and uncle had 7234, my brother had 7242, the others had inside cabins. I was very happy with our room, and quite surprised about how well it accommodated four people. Only snafu was when we were getting dressed- we were all in the little hall in front of the closets trying to get our stuff out at the same time ~ we learned to do that in shifts the next evening.

 

 

We have 7240 when we go in June. The 4 of us always share a room and just do shifts ( I always get to go first :D)

[TigerStar]

Nice review. I will be on the Legend in June (20-27) so it is nice to read the reviews.

[clearwatergirl]

Thank you for your review. I'm glad you had a nice cruise. Congratulations to your parents. My dad passed 8 months before their 50th so your family is very lucky.

 

I love the Legend and look forward to our 3rd cruise on her in November. :)

[SkyMaster]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. We truly LOVE "Legend", and have her booked again this September. Can't wait! ;)

 

"SKY"

[SunnieC]

Thank you for your review! :D

[gatorphin]

Thanks for the post. I'll be setting sail on the Legend this coming Sunday just a few doors down from where you stayed. Can't wait! :D

[FAD]

aunttyne was the pool open on Sunday afternoon? I've heard some threads that say it's closed because you're in port.

[aunttyne]

aunttyne was the pool open on Sunday afternoon? I've heard some threads that say it's closed because you're in port.

 

Sorry I didn't notice- it was raining the day we left, so I didn't go on the outside decks until the next morning. when I did get in the pool later that week, it was pleasantly warm, albeit, very small. (I used the adults only pool)