Its LEGEND time!! Cruising with kids too!!

[marci4tony]

EMBARKATION

We are from Idaho, and only are able to cruise about every 2 years (It takes that long to save!!) But nonetheless, we decided to take our 15yr dtr and 9yr son on the Legend. We sailed on her 11/08 and had a magnificent experience and so we were familiar with the ship and 3 out of the 4 ports.

 

We were blessed to have friends in Tampa to visit, so we flew in a couple days early and hung out in Tampa - Visited Busch Gardens, had dinner on the beach, thoroughly enjoyed the "heat advisory"... Idaho gets HOT, but we rarely have more than 20% humidity. SURPRISE!! hahaha

 

I know the travel docs say not to show up more than an hour early for embarkation, but based on past experience, we decided to be dropped off at 1030. Pulled around the Aquarium and a porter was very quickly there to help. We have always been dropped off at the aquarium, and there are always porters ready to help.

 

We only checked on bag on the airplane - cant afford to check them all good grief!! But we didnt want to carry ALL the stuff while we were waiting for our cabin. So, we checked 4 bags - the BIG one, and 3 carry-ons. We had rum runners in three of them. So the porter loaded up his dolly, and we tipped him - and we were OFF!!

 

We start looking around and notice...where were all the people waiting to get on? No line? Empty benches? Hmmmmm So we approached the magic door, and the Carnival Rep there said "Do you have your funpass ready"? WHAT?? No waiting? CRAZY!! But seriously folks - I whipped out the funpass, 2 passports and 2 birth certificates. Now my 15yr dtr has her drivers license, so they looked at her photo ID also, but it was not required. Badda Bing Badda Boom - we were IN!! (No line!)

 

Off to the security - no shoes removal, thank heavens! Toss our stuff on the belt, through the detector, and WOW... (No line!) Up the escalator we go! My 9yr old is jumping up and down by now... At the Top, we are shown the checking lines....well, no line. We walked right up - there was a small group of people in front of us, but they only had about 3 or maybe 4 Carnival Reps checking in at that time. Oh how soon THAT will change I laughed to myself! Up to the desk - more paperwork, pull out the credit card, and our magic number...."2" - Dangit! I always thought I was number 1.... No worries. So we work our way over to the waiting chairs, cop a squat, and hit the vending machines. Nothing like Cheetos for breakfast! Didnt matter to me - I knew we'd be eating on the LIDO very very soon!

 

The ship is docked directly through the window area, so I was showing her off to the kids...they didnt seem to care much; I think they stayed up too late the night before. My son settled down with the laptop and played games, and my dtr was trying to get caught up with her texting while she could. There were SEVERAL wedding parties - duh, its SUMMER - So they started with them first, then they took the PLATINUM members, then group one - THEN....GROUP 2! Thats us!!

 

We buzzed right by the goofy camera area - couldnt keep that 9yr old roped in...but we werent worried about pictures at that exact moment either - across the gangplank and ON BOARD.

 

I can honestly say - that was the EASIEST, most PAIN FREE Embarkation I have ever experienced! Major KUDOS to CARNIVAL!! (Im sorry to admit, I have no idea what time we stepped foot onto the ship...my bad) My kids were amazed at the GLASS ELEVATORS that went clear up to the top! And of course, the 9yo wanted to go play - but Dad said - FIRST THINGS FIRST - a TABLE!! So we buzzed up to the Lido deck and grabbed a window table

near the rear of the buffet. Dropped our stuff, and viola - FOOD TIME! (And we were starving - did not do anything for breakfast!) THEN...9yo discovered...ICE CREAM. Thats all she wrote. So we grazed, nibbled and people watched for a while. We meandered around the ship a little - stopped for a few photos at the bow of the ol' lady - but the humidity and heat was stifling. Something us Idaho'ns arent used to.

 

We decided to wander down to the floor and see if the cabin was ready yet. The door that closes off the cabin corridor was still closed, so we dropped our stuff and waited. It was cool and semi quiet there - worked for me. When they opened the doors, it was 1:29! Our cabin was not far forward. (7256)

 

It was a great location - Close to the rear elevators - two decks down from the food. Perfect. We had an ext balcony - 3 chairs, 1 table. The room was your standard room - Bathroom on the right hand side; closets on the left. There were 4 in the room, and at night, the housekeeping staff would pull the top bunk out of the ceiling. The sofa made into a bed - So we were all very comfortable with the sleeping arrangements. (DH said the bed was too hard for his liking, but I slept like a BABY) The balcony showed signs of wear - saltwater is so corrosive, and there is only so much paint! We didnt care - we were on vacation. I will say, however, that the extended balconies - were as "short" as all the rest, but they were deeper. I cannot give the dimensions, I'm sorry. I saw a picture of a standard balcony, and the person sitting in the chair had his feet kicked up and that was all the room there was. So, it was bigger. BUT...the ext balconies are directly above the life boats. DH did not like not having a view directly straight down??? But - I was the one that lived out on my balcony for days and days. The view was very limited. And as far as privacy - Holy crap! No one - unless they are looking AROUND the railing - can see in. You see feet, and hear voices. Thats it.

 

Time to relax - unwind - digest. Kids wanted to roam around, Dad wanted a nap before muster. We did not allow them to wander at this time - there were still people getting on the ship, and no one wanted kids running amuk yet! hahaha

[kimber814]

Thanks for your very thorough review - keep it coming...We leave on the Legend on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait.

[marci4tony]

The muster drill did NOT require the wearing of life jackets. There were a couple of “intercom” warnings about the drill prior to and so we were prepared for the noise…or not! Wow – Loud!! If you have hearing aids...TURN THEM DOWN!! Your ears will ring for weeks. We also knew, from prior cruising, that being early is NOT the way to go! So we gave it a few minutes and headed down. Since we had a 9yo, we had to get a special wristband put on him that he was NOT TO REMOVE the entire trip. Identification and instruction stuff if there were an emergency and he got separated from us. We were in muster D – and there were not hoards of people there. The muster was broadcast over the intercom, and the crew demonstrated the life vests, pointed out the life boats – reminded me of the safety drill on the plane! It was pretty quick, and because it was so hot, I suspect they tried to keep it short! We were excused, and we headed up to the Unicorn for the CC meet and greet!

 

There weren’t many people out in the sun; most hung out under the shade. We did not have any distinguishing “beads” or “leis” or anything like that, but we soon found each other. What a GREAT group of people – putting names to faces. My kids weren’t remotely interested, but since the ice cream was right there…they were semi-amused. So we waited for what seemed like eternity before I hear…WERE MOVING! Its official! IM ON VACATION!! Where is that DOD?! The music is playing, we are socializing and meeting others, Marci is dancing and my 15yo said – Mom, you are embarrassing me. ????? Too bad! I have waited so long for this voyage! I heard her, but I rolled my eyes, and kept dancing!! She will get “it” one of these days.

 

I don’t know how long we were out there, but my make up had melted by 2pm, and my hair was wet enough to be mistaken for just getting out of the shower – Probably not many photos of me…and for a good reason. We were ON OUR WAY! Dh took the 9yo on an adventure seeking tour – and to head down to Camp Carnival. I had preregistered him before we left, and he was CERTAIN he’d hate it. But we had to just let things “happen” – My 15yo stayed with me. We watched the world go by – from the port side, to the starboard side, then back again. Next thing I know, DH returned alone. Ok – I guess the 9yo stayed! Good for him. We explore the boat for a while, work our way from back to front, and then back to the cabin. It was nearly time for “THE BRIDGE” – So, we headed up the smokestack and waited for what seemed like forever to pass under the bridge…with only 5ft clearance.

[Ren1216]

Great start... anxious for the rest!

[HaliMakai]

Keep it coming - interested in your take on Camp Canival we are taking the g-kids with this time, since Me and Poppy have had them 7 months (daughter in the Navy). We are looking forward to some us time while on the cruise.

[firstcruiser2010]

Anxious to see if the Rum Runners made it!! Great review so far. We are heading out in 31 days!!!

 

JB

[marci4tony]

The passing under the SKYWAY must be a spectacle from other viewpoints because there were a lot of boats out there just watching! I felt like we were on parade! Everyone WAVE!!! My dtr is still – whats the big deal – I said….just WATCH!! The actual passing is only a brief moment, but I swear everyone held their breath – I even saw a couple ladies duck!! No worries – I do that on roller coasters ALL THE TIME!! And then….we are OFF! Everyone power down your cell phones. Put them in the safe and do not TOUCH them until we are back. I did not know how far out the INTERNATIONAL WATERS and INTERNATIONAL RATES started, so better safe than BANKRUPT, right?! 15yo and I wandered off and settled down on deck 2 starboard side towards the back of the ship. We were looking out the window, when we noticed the PILOT boat riding along side. I told her – MOON HIM!! (just kidding) and she laughed. We wondered what they were doing – then…one of the Carnival employees comes running by…DID HE JUMP YET?! Jump? What? So we kinda herded around the people watching the person jump from our boat onto the Pilot boat. Apparently, there is a “pilot” that brings the ship into the harbor, and parks her – then takes her out to sea. Once she is out to sea, the PILOT jumps onto the little boat, and the Captain takes over. That was VERY interesting!!

 

At this time, we let her roam – Dinner was 815 – late seating. We only booked the trip less than 60 days out and really did not want the anytime dining… So we did get confirmed for late dining. Our luggage came – with love letters. Remember the 3 RR’s we packed? Well, 2 of them were confiscated with the letter – YOU KNEW THE RULES DUMBBUTT!! Its all good – One made it, but truth be known, I don’t even know if it was even opened the whole trip! Not worth the hassle, in my opinion. We wont do it again. A little unpacking; a little freshening up. Then off to Dinner.

 

We get off the elevator, and there was a line clear down the hall. The doors to the dining room are closed until 815. We were on level 3 – The line to the right were the assigned tables, the line on the left was for anytime dining. I understand the secret to anytime dining is to go between 645 and 715. You get right in – no waiting. We are shown to our table, and am pleasantly surprised to have a table for 4 – no dining with strangers. Then….the train wreck. The wait staff for this table, Im sorry to say, sucked. No introductions, no questions, no personality. We were handed menus – 9yo did not see anything on our menu that looked good, so we had to stop him as he walked by and ask for a childs menu. He was annoyed. He brought a childs menu – and grabbed his notepad. No suggestions of food – just a “you sir?” So we ordered. The shrimp cocktail was always good – probably because it was a chilled dish. Most of the food we got was lukewarm at best, and needed salt. I assume they had to cut back on the salt in their cooking so that was really no bother. The fact that I had to ask for more water bothered me. So, the first dinner was good – not great. The dessert was AWESOME though. DH had crème brule, and we, of course, the chocolate melting cake. We chalked up the service issues to “first night adjustments” and assumed the second night everything would be worked out. That was NOT the case.

 

By now, its 9pm, and we are all just BEAT! The beds were turned down, and the bunk had been dropped. The towel animal was on the bed – I think it was a seal. I hit the balcony – That has to be my most favorite place on the whole ship…My Balcony. The stars are out, and they seem like they are close enough to touch. The sound of the water going by is quite soothing, and I’m content. Not going to let a bad dining experience ruin my vacation. 15yo went off to Club O2, and we collapsed! We turn on the movie channel, watch HORTON HEARS A WHO – And the next thing I know, its morning. Don’t know what time 15yo came in…but I’ll never admit that to her!!

 

1st Sea day – no one gets up early. We will have plenty of that. Up to the Lido for breakfast – the usual fare – pancakes, scrambled eggs, oatmeal and grits, and the omlette station. I chose to wait for an omlette and probably would have been better served just to have the scrambled eggs…the wait was long, and some of the passengers are rude. I didn’t see a whole lot of line cutting, but there were a few that were “more entitled” than others…That’s just the way life is, I guess. The food was good, but the pastries…Ahhh. I so miss my daily croissant! BIG TIME! Boxes of cereal, milk, yogurt, fruit – We never did the Main Dining Room for anything other than dinner. Kids are much easily amused, entertained, and DONE with a buffet. None of the waiting… 9yo changed into his swimsuit and off to Camp Carnival he went. 15yo dtr and I went exploring. She had made some friends at the club the night before and ditched me!! WTH??? Anyway, I told her to meet me for TEA at like 2 – she never showed up. So I enjoyed my TEA and CRUMPETS by myself – and it was actually quite relaxing. A nap here and there – some exploring -

 

Back to the cabin, dh tells me – the suits are still hanging up in TAMPA! WHAT?! He had removed the boys suits from the checked bag and hung them up not to wrinkle them. And forgot to repack them. He had no other pants, and neither did the 9yo. Being very tight on fundage, we elected NOT to rent anything, and he and the 9yo missed out on the 1st formal dinner.

[marci4tony]

Lunch on the Lido was uneventful – I did find that I really liked the ASIAN food. Im not a huge curry fan, and some of the dishes were loaded with curry. 9yo liked the pizza – go figure. The cheese pizza was ok, the pepp was good – I liked the mushroom and goat cheese …sounds ucky, but was quite good. Those were the only varieties that I tried – Now I must add here – the CEASAR salad at the PIZZARIA is 10 times better than the dining room!! Good stuff….not fishy! I think this was the only time we all ate lunch together – pretty soon, the kids had the run of the ship, and we napped quite a bit. I figured that we’d be playing hard, and needed our rest! By now, the water color is changing and is BEAUTIFUL!!

 

I did make “me time” with the sushi bar. From 5 – 8 every day, sushi was made fresh on deck 2 – up in front of the casino. And at 5, I needed a snack to curb the hunger; eating at 8 was pretty late. I even convinced my dtr to try it the first day. They give you 3 varieties – there is soy sauce, wasabi, ginger, and a few other items. Sake is available for purchase, but I never tried it. I did not always like the sushi, but I made it a point to try it every day. Yesterday, at 5pm, I missed my sushi…

 

 

 

Time to glamourize up – its dinner time. But, it just wasn’t the same without the boys. I was bummed, and Im sure my husband was bummed, but he told me he wasn’t going to let that ruin our trip – he put on a smiley face, and they went and found pizza. DD and I headed off to the dining room – this time, we waited until 820 and there was no line!! Woot Woot! (of course, we had to go do a photo first – lots of opportunity for photos!) We headed back to our table, and when the asst waiter filled our water glasses, we told him there would only be two of us tonight. A puzzled look, but no questions. He removed the napkins and water glasses from the table, and left. It took our waiter 20 minutes to present us with menus. 20 minutes to acknowledge our presence. By then I was pretty pissed. We ordered our dinner, which came quickly, but the food was cold. My lobster tail – was pink. Not white. Hmmm – not cooked. I ate the shrimp and picked around it – when I finally caught the waiter running by, I asked him to please get me a cooked one. Annoyed again – for requesting COOKED LOBSTER??? He brings back another plate, and it WAS cooked. And very tasty. But that was the end of this table for me. We cornered the 3rd floor maître d and asked to be reassigned to another table – I even told him we’d take your time if that is what was all that was available. He asked why – and well, I let him have it. Politically correct, and not degrading – I’ve been a server in a fancy restaurant before, and I’ve cruised with Carnival before. There was a problem here. So he gave us a table in a nearby station – he even introduced me to the server, and SHE was WONDERFUL!!

 

Back to the room – dh and son were watching tv – I was ready to go out and do something, but he wasn’t up to it. So, I changed out of my formal, and headed down to the casino. After walking around, people watching, I grabbed a drink, and headed to the karaoke – they were auditioning for the Legends show. I watched for about 10 minutes, then headed up to the pool area – needed some fresh air. Of course, we were getting up so stinkin early the next day, I figured I’d relaxed enough – time for some sleep before our big day in CAYMAN!! (One of my favorite places in the WORLD!) Standing out on MY BALCONY, I watched an impressive thunderstorm off in the distance and reluctantly went back inside to sleep.

 

I will be back later this afternoon with more info on the stops!

[Pattyjo9951]

I have a 9 yr old boy so I would love to hear more about what kind of things he did in camp carnival!! Did your son go alot? Thanks for the review!!

[cruisin1982]

We have been on the Legend 2 times and loved it. Was the cabin big enough for the 4 of you. We were thinking about going next year I have 2 kids 21 & 15

 

Mike

[ssatterly]

5 days to go for me and I am on the Legend!! Whoo Hoo!!!

[MSRussell]

Your posts are wonderful....I am going on the Legend on Sept. 5th, and am living through other experiences until then.

As far as croissants, when I was on the Sensation, every morning I ordered croissants, coffee and OJ from Room Service, and enjoyed my breakfast in my jammies on the balcony. Nothing like it.

I also take a one lb. round box of sugar, as I hate the sugar packets.

keep the posts coming!!

Melanie

[More to go]

Going on a btb in sept solo. You thing I love the legend.Man can,t wait for sailing day to get here.

[MSRussell]

I go Solo also...pay by the nose, but to me it's worth it,

Melanie

[More to go]

Thanks for the post. Loven it.

[MrFancypants]

Eagerly awaiting the rest of your review! My group of 10 adults plus one 2 year old sails the Legend on 9/26. We can hardly stand the waiting!

[BOUDREAUX]

I have a 8 boy this will be is 2nd cruise first on glory.......HE LOVED CAMP CARNIVAL he wanted to go there every night after dinner I would come and check on him and see if he wanted to leave..... nope all he wanted to do was stay at the camp. So looking forward to the Legends camp I cruise in 12/05/2010

[marci4tony]

PattyJo - He enjoyed MOST of Camp Carnival, but to be honest, when you have 4 ports of call, there wasnt a whole lot of CC time. He did like the 330am party! I think probably because he could stay up that late...haha

 

Cruisin1982 - surprisingly, the 4 ppl in one cabin worked great! I was a little worried, but the 9yr old LOVED the bunk ('cept the ladder rattled all night - a little tissue under the clip, and problem solved!) The 15yr old had the couch - if you remove the cushions of the couch, its quite large. They placed those cushion under the bed. And of course, the twins pushed together - still amazes me that you cannot detect the CRACK!! hahaha It was difficult to keep extremely tidy, however - but again...WE ARE ON VACATION! If you cannot find your underwear, tough! Can you say commando?! :eek: (j/k)

 

ssatterly - I'm thinking in 5 days, they will have been able to re-stock the ice cream. Im sorry, Im quite certain my son depleted the entire eastern seaboard! Have fun! And BOARD EARLY!! You can watch all those people trying to board the ship comfortably from your very own table at the LIDO deck!!

 

Melanie - I've heard of smuggling alcohol, but sugar?! WOW...hahaha Well, you will just have to think of IDAHO when you enjoy your Carnival croissants!! Maybe some "potato - hash browns" or something... And solo? I can certainly see where that has its advantages!! hahaha

 

More to go - B2B??? How can that be affordable?? This trip put me in the clink, dang near! Will get a few things paid off and start saving for our Alaska trip in 2012...That sounds like a blast! I'd like to try that some day!!

 

MrFancyPants - Have a WONDERFUL time! I know it can be stressful with a "group" but as long as everyone realizes that not EVERYONE will want to do the same thing, and to RELAX...you will have a good time!!

 

Well - I have run out of time today - I will try and log on tonight and at least cover GRAND CAYMAN - again, she is one of my highly coveted stops! I'm in love with the rays. Plain and simple. Of course, I did NOT KISS anything this time - in 08, I kissed one TWICE thinking it would bring me 14 years of good luck instead of the ol' 7. BOY WAS I MISTAKEN...however, that could have been when I started craving sushi! :cool:

[BOUDREAUX]

I'm above you on deck 8 in Dec was your room facing the ports or at sea? I love what you wrote so far can't wait to here more.

 

B

[marci4tony]

On the PORT side - our balcony overlooked the EASTERN side of TAMPA BAY, a WHOLE LOT of ocean, a little of Cuba, NOTHING of Cayman (its a tendered port), a little of Coz as we came in the peninsula, a whole lot of nothing until we hit Roatan, then we got to see the whole island. They actually BACK THE SHIP INTO ROTAN, so we could see the entire beach area and the chair lift! From the tender area at Belize, not a whole lot of anything - however, leaving Belize, there were some gorgeous islands that proved to be GREAT photo ops. I must admit - my aft balcony in 08 was the bomb. You didnt see much until you PASSED it, but the photo ops were outstanding!!

 

You really dont see much because stuff is so far away - I guess you could bring binoculars?!

 

Later!!

[vlngirl]

I am going on the Legend in a little under two weeks, so reading your review is so exciting! Keep the posts coming :)

[ssatterly]

4 days and counting!!!!!

[BOUDREAUX]

I keep think of getting a aft bal I'm just unsure if it is really worth it. I was told that there is no wind back there and if someone is smoking that the smoke smell is very strong.

[HaliMakai]

Marci4tony - where are you? Can' wait for your excurison experiences!

[marci4tony]

BOUDREAUX - The aft balcony is great for 2 maybe 3 people. They are skinny, (width) but deep. We had two chairs and the little table on ours. That being said, there is very little air flow. And when the sun is out, the deck was very hot on bare feet. There is little shade from the deck about because of the tiered design. I would NOT aft during the summer. I would not hesitate to aft November-February!

 

As far as the smoke smell, you get what you get. We had smokers to the rear of us, (down wind) and got the smell. Cigars! YUK!! Until they ban the smoking in the rooms and balconies, theres not much you can do. There was no soot - no garbage - no "spit" - hahaha Loved it - it was just hot.

 

OK - Heres CayMan!