"Legend"ary cruise May 2-9, 2010

[blroper]

We left our home just north of Atlanta on May 1 at about 7 AM. We arrived at the hotel, Country Inn and Suites about 4 PM. The hotel was about 15 minutes from the port and was nice. The room was clean. The hotel had a pool, business center, and exercise room, none of which we used. They also offered a hot breakfast the next morning. It included waffles, sausage, eggs, bagels, juices, and fruits and was very good. We traveled with my sister and her husband. We shared a room with 2 queen beds and a sitting area. It was plenty spacious enough for the 4 of us and we only paid $78 for the night.

The next morning we had breakfast and left the hotel about 9 AM. We decided to go ahead to the port and try to figure out parking and just see what was going on. The Legend was of course already ported and my sister and her husband were impressed with the size of the ship as they had never cruised before.

We drove around the port area and stopped to ask a police officer about parking. He told us about parking and told us we could go ahead and drop our luggage then. It was about 9:20. My sister and I stayed with the luggage to wait for a porter while the guys paid and parked. We had previously cruised out of Port Canaveral and Tampa is a little different. You have to park across the street from port. The porter took our bags and was very informative about what we should have kept with us and how much alcohol we could take on board with us. We tipped him and waited for the guys to return. When they returned we went to the short line of people that was already forming. We went in rather quickly and did all the paperwork, etc. The lady who checked us in was filling in for someone else and this proved to be a little bit of a problem later on. We were in zone 2 for loading and waited about an hour in the terminal for that to begin. They started at 11:30 AM. We boarded quickly.

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We had decided to use cash on our Sail and Sign to avoid the holds and such on the credit card. We also had to switch rooms around since we had booked my husband and I in separate cabins to let our travel buddies take advantage of the past guest rate. Our first stop was the purser’s desk. The lady was very nice but told us that the voyage had not yet been loaded to their computers and that we should have lunch and come back. So we were off to the Lido deck. We ate lunch and returned to the lobby area near the purser’s desk. We enjoyed our first DOD, the Fun Ship.

We returned to the purser’s desk to do our deposit and room switch and this is where we first encountered the problem with our SS cards. My husband was not checked in at all and I was checked in twice, once with my photo and once with his. It took quite some time before they were able to get it straightened out. In fact, by the time we were done with it the staterooms were open.

We made our way to deck 7. Our stateroom was lovely.

We had been upgraded to balconies so this is the first place hubby checked out.

Because we were right next to our travel buddies we wanted the divider between our balconies opened. We found our awesome room steward, Hendra. He said we had to call the purser’s desk. They, of course told us we both needed to come down and fill out paperwork for it to be done. Had we only known. I was kind of tired of that place! Paperwork consisted of a member of each cabin signing a line saying we wanted it open. If you want a divided open, be sure to ask early in your cruise as they only allow a certain number to be opened. They opened it the next morning. Here is a picture of our double balcony.

So in all of the visits and chaos to the purser’s desk, I forgot all about our CC Meet and Greet. L

I will return in a bit, hopefully, to post some more.

[okwriter]

I'm anxious to see the rest of your review!

 

But we don't sail the Legend until December, so I know reading about your trip is going to be unbearable for me! :)

[blroper]

Feel free to ask any questions you have and I will try to answer them. Now on with the review.

 

After settling all of that we wanted to check out the aft, adult only pool. It was very nice and we met the most amazing bar waiter, I Gede. My sister and I remained there while the guys went to explore. We wanted to get pictures going under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Our cruise director was Wee Jimmy. He was soo funny from the get go. We skipped dinner in the dining room and went to the Unicorn Café on the Lido deck. My sister is a very picky eater so it was hard for her to find anything she wanted. She ate a lot of salads and fruit for lunch and breakfast. Everyone else enjoyed the food the whole time. After dinner we went to unpack. Then my sister and I went to explore. We found the Enchanted Forest

and everything else the ship had to offer. We checked out the spa’s free tour and my sister tried acupuncture. She was amazed that she didn’t feel it at all.

DH and I went to the show. It was a comedian named Happy Cole and he was pretty funny. The night dwindled away and I have forgotten what we did with our time the rest of the evening. Our towel animal was a heart for that evening.

The next day was a sea day. We had breakfast from room service. I had a bagel and cream cheese and hot tea that I did not care for. Hubby had cereal and a banana. They were very quick and efficient. We all spent time at the aft pool that day with our fav waiter, I Gede. The guys don’t like the pool quite as much as my sis and I so they found the casino! Hubby played Blackjack for the first time in his life and won $50. He was hooked! I had pizza and key lime pie for lunch and it neither was my favorite. The key lime pie tasted like lemon. We also saw that hairy chest contest this day. It was funny. That night we went to the Truffles dining room since it was formal night. We did the customary pictures and headed on in. Our waiter was Jose. He is from Nicaragua. Assistant waiter was Supercana. Lo and behold our bar waiter was I Gede!! They were a great bunch. They were very attentive and kept us entertained with their nightly show. Jose was an older guy and he got down with the best of them. The first picture is of Jose dancing to "Low".

This is Supercana ad Jose on the last night singing a good bye song:(

[Biffer1997]

I am sailing on the Legend in 32 days so I am excited to read your review! Thanks!

[blroper]

Sorry this is in such short little pieces but I can't upload more than 6 pictures in each post. I know you guys love pictures!!:)

 

We managed to remember to take pictures of the food this night. I had vowed to remember but it is sooo hard. I had the Strawberry Bisque for a starter.

While it was good it was a lot like melted ice cream. I probably would not order it again. The boys had Stuffed Mushrooms.

My sister had the Greek Farmer’s Salad.

Main dishes were flat iron steak, lobster tail and shrimp, mahi mahi and prime rib. We forgot to take pictures. L For dessert, I had Caramel Apple on Puff Pastry which was good.

Hubby had Warm Chocolate Melting Cake almost every night as he loves that stuff. I have to have it once each cruise, but I love to try different stuff.

After dinner, we all decided just to chill since we had an early day in Grand Cayman tomorrow.

[waiting4acruise]

We sail on the Legend for the first time Sunday. We can't wait.

Where were you on the ship when you went under the Skyway Bridge?

[blroper]

We had booked a private excursion through Nativeway Watersports called Rays, Reef, and Rum Point. It included feeding, petting, and kissing the sting rays; snorkeling; and a 1.5 hour stop at Rum Point beach that included lunch for $62.50 per person. They bus you from the port to marina where you board there boat. The sand bar where the rays come was beautiful

and the rays are amazing creatures.

We have many more pictures of the rays on the water proof camera that is not developed yet. I was really nervous about snorkeling as I am not the best swimmer. I can swim but tire easily. The guides were amazing and hooked me up with a life jacket that they put around my waist and I was fine. Snorkeling was beautiful but my mask was not a great fit and it kept filling with water even after many adjustments. My sister loved it and hopefully got some wonderful pictures. I would suggest that if you can you practice snorkeling before you go because it is a little weird for your brain to comprehend that you can breathe underwater. If you don’t have the opportunity, don’t worry about it. You will still have a great time. The guys weren’t that into it. They tried it but quickly went back to the boat and chilled. Our last stop was Rum Point. By the time we got there we were wiped out!! We had lunch. I had a grilled chicken sandwich that was so yummy. Hubby ate chicken wings. I can’t remember what others had. This excursion was well worth the money! I wish we had more time at Rum Point and had not been so tired as it was a beautiful place.

On the way back to the marina, we went by some very big houses and saw lots of iguana. They were just hanging out in people's yards, like dogs.

We were on one of the last tenders back to the ship, but we did make it. My husband and I went to the past guest party. I Gede had encouraged us to bring our guest with us but they were too tired. It wasn’t until much later that we realized my sister had motion sickness. We had thought the whole time that she had too much booze or because she is picky and hadn’t ate much she felt bad. The seas were incredibly rough. We had 6 foot waves one day and my sis and her hubby tried the gym one day but couldn’t stay on the treadmill! On our first cruise the sea was a smooth as glass. Back to the past guest party, it was really nice. The orchestra entertained us. We had appetizers and drinks. Boy did we have drinks!! I had 7 drinks in 45 minutes and it was all I Gede’s fault. He just kept putting them down. How can you say no to free alcohol? We met up at dinner. I was really drunk and I Gede and my sis thought it was sooo funny!! I ordered a Sangria and it made it worse of course. For dinner, I had a salad and the pork loin, but I don’t know how they were. After dinner, we were going to go to the casino. The guys made it. My sister wound up babysitting me the whole time. I got sick and passed out in the bed. Later, I am told she went but I don’t know.

[blroper]

On Wednesday, we went to Cozumel. We were booked for the day at Nachi Cocom.

For $49, we had unlimited drinks of any kind, and 3 food items. You can order appetizers, main courses, and dessert or any combo of them. For those of you not familiar with Nachi, they only allow 100 people in per day. I think there were 45 on the day we were there. They have jet skis available for rent, a snorkeling tour available, massages on the beach, a pool with swim up bar, and shower area. We loved the pool! It was the perfect temperature.

We enjoyed a massage which was one of the best I have ever had. You could hear the water. They were very attentive, drying you and removing the sand, working on trouble spots that they found even though they spoke very little English.

Everyone enjoyed lunch. I know I had fajitas but don’t remember anything else. The beach in Cozumel is not as pretty as in Grand Cayman but still beautiful. The sand at Nachi Cocom is pretty coarse and is more like crushed shells. My hubby loved this and the shower area as he is not a big fan of sand. On our last cruise, our day on Carnival’s private island was ruined because they did not have showers and sand got in his food. He is really funny about it. LOL We spent from 10:30 til about 3 there and would have gladly stayed longer but we wanted to do a little shopping back at the port. We bought some handmade pottery for my mother as we were returning on Mother’s Day. She loved it.

Back on the ship, we had dinner. I had the Black bean and vegetable enchilada. It was delicious!! Probably one of my favorites. Even my hubby who doesn’t care for black beans liked it more than his. The show that night was a juggler named Max Winfrey. He was a good juggler; it was just not my type of entertainment. My sister was amazed by him. The Marriage Show was this night also and it was one of the funniest things we saw the whole cruise!! The older couple was soo cute and funny. We went to Medusa’s Liar, the dance club and danced for a while. We met one of I Gede’s friend, Eli and she was great too.

The next day we stopped in Belize. We decided not to get off the ship because we wanted some down time but mainly because we had heard that it was not safe past the port area and we didn’t want to tender 30 minutes just to walk and shop. We didn’t do much of anything. We watched a movie and rested most of the day. That evening we ate in the dining room again. I remember having Corn Chowder for a starter. It was good but not the best I have ever had. This was my night for Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. Brother in law had the penne tossed in Vodka tomato sauce. It looked good. We went to the show. It was a comedian named Carl Strong. He was really funny and we were looking forward to him doing the adult comedy the next night because the PG rated one was funny enough. Sister and brother in law retired for the evening but we went to the Bathrobe deck party. It was really fun. Lots of dancing and drinking. We did not check out the buffet. We ordered room service. I had a BLT and hubby tried the steak and brie cheese sandwich. Both were excellent. I have a suggestion for room service. They will bring the tray all the way in the room. Be sure to have tip money ready before you open the door or they will escape before you can get it in your hand and give it to them. I felt bad that the poor guy didn’t get a tip but he should have hung out for just a sec. Hubby had qualified for a Blackjack tournament early in the week. The last round of qualifying was just prior to the tournament and he was knocked out.

Roatan was the most beautiful port in our opinion. It is mountainous.

We did get off the ship but just checked out the shops at Mahogany Bay. I am a little disappointed that the port area is pretty far away from anything else. You have to get a cab to do anything. I know that Carnival just recently purchased this area and I hope they improve the area. We heard the beach was gorgeous. You can take a chair lift to get to it.

We skipped the dining room because it was the second formal night and we couldn’t convince the guys to dress up again. It was ok with us. The show was “The Big Easy”. It was well put together. Next was the adult comedy show. Up until this point all the shows had been in the Follies Lounge but for some strange reason to all of us including the crew, they moved this show to the Firebird Lounge which is smaller. We were so upset when we got there. We left the show in Follies and went straight downstairs into Firebird. It was completely full. There was nowhere to sit or hardly stand. We decide to just leave. The next day I Gede told us that a lot of people left and that he only sold 3 drinks because it was so crowded he could not walk around to take orders and serve!!

Saturday is a sea day. Brother in law did a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament in the morning but was quickly eliminated. We shopped on board a little. Hubby bought a watch. We got a ship ornament. We took a nap. You know how time is on a ship. You waste time and before you know it, it is time for dinner. Then you realize it is the last time you will eat dinner on this cruise. We ate something…The highlight of dinner was the wait staff singing a good bye song. We got pictures with everyone and that was it. We went to the casino for a while. Then we headed to Follies. We played BINGO for $5000. Hubby was one number away from winning. He was just about sick when someone else called “BINGO”. The first show was a production singer who is on board. She was leaving the ship the next week so she did a show. It was HORRIBLE!! So many people left during her show. We stayed only because we wanted to keep our seats for the Legend show. Thank God for the Legends show that night. It was cool. It seemed a little short but all the fellow cruisers did a great job. Some of them sang better than the poor production singer!

[okwriter]

VERY much enjoying your review!

[MrTexasAggie]

Sailing in 31 days...YAY...Cant wait...:D

Thanks for the review...

[Biffer1997]

Mr. Texas--you must be sailing on the Legend on June 13th, correct? Have you checked out the roll call?

[ocut]

sailing dec 5 can't wait first time on the Legend but this will be my 10th carnival cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

AWESOME review by the way

[clearwatergirl]

We sail on the Legend for the first time Sunday. We can't wait.

Where were you on the ship when you went under the Skyway Bridge?

 

go to the very top deck, can't remember if it's 10 or 11. You should pass under the bridge between 6:15 and 6:30 if you leave port at 4pm. It's about a 2-2.5 hr sail from port.

 

Have the camera ready. It's the most amazing feeling. There's only 12' between the funnel and the bridge. Way cool.

 

have a great cruise. I'm back on the Legend for a 3rd time in November.:D

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Enjoying your review. Keep it coming.

[lulamc]

Great review! We're going June 6 and I cannot wait!

[FLCruiser001]

I Gede, did you say I Gede??? The G-MAN??? Is this him (the one on the right)? He was a bar staff waiter on our Glory cruise last September and was Fabulous! Best service we have ever received on a cruise!

 

 

Here's a link to the photo if it isn't showing up. Sorry!

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2749488270102309982FPgJCH?vhost=travel

 

 

Anyways, thank you for the reveiw. We sail her this September, and are stoked!

[Catz4001]

do the balcony cabins have refridgerators? enjoyed your trip report

[Delta Dear]

Yes, the balcony cabins have refrigerators. We were on the 2/7/2010 Legend. Loved EVERY minute of it.

[paper1122]

Do you recall how much the jetski rentals were at Nachi?

[blroper]

FLCruiser: Here is a pic of I Gede

 

Seriously the best!!!

 

paper1122: I want to say they were $50 for an hour for a single rider and $60 for double riders

 

Catz: They do have frideges but they don't work great! :)

[nancyb715]

We leave on the same cruise in 8 days! Can't wait!!! Sounds wonderful!!!

[rick&james]

Sounds great i leave in the AM ;0) first spirit class im so excited.........

[blroper]

nancyb and rick&james: Have a blast! I can't wait to hear about your trips. Find I Gede if you drink. He will take care of you.

[FLCruiser001]

Do you have copies of the "Fun Times" capers to post? We are going on this cruise in September, we can't wait!

[snipper2]

Do you have copies of the "Fun Times" capers to post? We are going on this cruise in September, we can't wait!

 

Hey, FLCruiser001, we'll be on board with you! I'd love to see the Fun Times also.