Carnival Legend-Info and Ideas

[bguppies]

What week? We're there Sept. 4 - 11.

 

Sept. 18th....

Can't wait to try out some nice cigars on this balcony....:D

 

 

DW is great at finding the "special" balconies for a regular balcony price.

 

Bill

[GayleR]

Sept. 18th....

Can't wait to try out some nice cigars on this balcony....:D

 

 

DW is great at finding the "special" balconies for a regular balcony price.

 

Bill

 

Which cabin is this? I think we may have it booked the week after you. :D

[beachbum6264]

I have a review (with pictures!)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1057414

 

If you are deciding between Belize and Roatan for a beach day - forget Belize. You can do an excursion that will take you to a 'beach' or do an island beach excursion (like Bannister Island - is that still on?), but the best beaches between the 2 are in Roatan, hands down. And I DO NOT mean the Carnival made beach right at the port. Don't miss one of the most beautiful islands around - grab a cab and head to a real beach, or do a Carnival beach or snorkel excursion. We LOVE Maya Key, been twice and will most likely go again in August.

Enjoy, Legend is my favorite so far (even with all those urns, what's up with them, anyway???)

[babyblue78]

For Grand Cayman, I highly recommend http://www.stingraysailing.com. It was much cheaper than booking through the ship, but they were very professional and the Far Tortuga was a nice catamaran. When you get out to the stingrays, you will see other boats packed on like sardines, we were very happy with our choice. The snorkling was not great due to weather conditions (strong current stirring up the reef), but that happens.

[babyblue78]

Sept. 18th....

Can't wait to try out some nice cigars on this balcony....:D

 

 

DW is great at finding the "special" balconies for a regular balcony price.

 

Bill

 

I think I know which balcony this is, but I am curious! :D We are considering Legend for our anniversary cruise, we are trying to decide between the aft-wrap suite and a regular balcony. The regular balcony is $600+ cheaper, if I can get a balcony like that it would be a tough choice...

[OpalFaerie]

I have a review (with pictures!)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1057414

 

I am loving your review! Great pics and good to know where the good beaches are. I am so excited to be back on the ocean!

[bguppies]

I think I know which balcony this is, but I am curious! :D We are considering Legend for our anniversary cruise, we are trying to decide between the aft-wrap suite and a regular balcony. The regular balcony is $600+ cheaper, if I can get a balcony like that it would be a tough choice...

 

8232 on the Legend....

Somebody was kind enough to post that picture of 8232's balcony in one of the Legend threads.

 

DW got us a double wide balcony on the Freedom for our 10th anniversary cruise.

 

Bill

[y7anks3]

We did the Legend last July and had a great cruise. I think the Legend is well priced and you get 4 very good ports. This ship is in good shape, but I think it just went through a dry dock for upgrades....even better. We had a 7A balcony its a very good price for a balcony. Food was great and if not for a little rain in Belize...Perfect week.

I believe the French doors rooms have very little view looking out...Thinking you will be

looking at the side of the life boats....You guys will like the Legend. We had great excursions at each stop that really made the trip complete....

 

 

Hey did you have an obstructed view or did you get a room between the boats?

You have any pictures of the room ..... book 7a on the legend for august..... just curious

[OpalFaerie]

So I have been gone for a week or so, busy training for new job. But now I'm back and ready to talk cruise. I am curious to find out where everyone's favorite spots on the Legend are. I like to find the little nooks that other people don't seem to notice.

[AmandaKaye79]

We are on the Legend, July 10th sailing for our 1st anniversary cruise. This will be our first time sailing with Carnival. We have only done RCI in the past. You should come and join the roll call board for July 10th. We have already discussed planning excursions and pre cruise hotels. There is a lot of good information on our board. You should try to get a balcony. You will love having a balcony for your honeymoon.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1207543

[psbaldi]

Anyone else cruising July 10th on the Legend? Would be interesting to see how many members here are going. I've always cruised Nov/Dec, so I'm not sure how popular summer cruises are(I imagine the weather will be very hot, or so I hope).

 

 

Me and my friend will be on this cruise....we are late 30 early 40 somethings that have decided we need a girls' week away from the family...we have only one excursion booked through Carnival and it is in Belize and it is the Goff's Cay Snorkeling...we are not necessarily going to snorkel just relax on Goff's Cay...in Cozumel we hope to take a private bar hop tour but not enough people have signed up yet...GC we are taking a taxi to Royal Palms on 7 mile beach and have not decided what to do in Roatan...we are flying out the night before and staying in Tampa. We are looking forward to a fun and relaxing week...

[kml2000]

We were on the Legend last week and it was great. So many talk about the urns, and there are a lot of them, but they didn't bother me at all. They were just part of the decor.

 

We were in a 7A obstructed view balcony - 5176. This cabin is between 2 lifeboats and we could somewhat see down. There is a platform on deck 4 between the boats that kind of obstructs the view down. I would highly recommend you book the cabin you want, don't depend on an upgrade/upsell call. I booked the 7A "hoping" for an upsell/upgrade and didn't get one. I wasn't disappointed because I booked what I would be happy with in the first place.

 

Serenity deck - if you want a chair on the Serenity deck get there EARLY. I mean like 6:00 to 7:00am early. You might get up there and then get the rest of your sleep there. We went the first sea day about 8:30 and were able to get two chairs (some of the last) but the 2nd sea day everyone had learned their lesson. By 1:00pm the first sea day people were like vultures waiting on you to leave. I went to the bathroom and had 2 people ask my daughter for my chair.

 

Dining - All the food was good. I really enjoyed the deli on the Lido for lunch. The sandwiches were very good. I do wish they would have had potato chips (but I certainly didn't need them). We were a little disappointed in the MDR service, but it was just luck of the draw. Our wait staff was "adquate", just not good/great. If I ordered a baked potato I was never offered sour cream. The prime rib night I noticed the other table being offered sauce and toppings for the potato, but they never came around to our table. We got our food, it was good, the waiters were just not very attentive and didn't offer any suggestions.

 

This gets its own paragraph - DO NOT MISS THE STEAKHOUSE. We went for the first time in all our cruises and it was worth every dime. I am the typical "why pay more for a meal when you have all the food you can want included" thought process. I wanted to honor my daughter's accomplishments (this was her SR trip) so we did the Steakhouse. YUUUMMMMYYYY. I had surf and turf and it was one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. The crab cake and lobster bisque are out of this world. Budget for this!

 

I have to get back to work, but will try to reply back a little bit our ports. Cozumel = Nachi Cocum - best place EVER and Roatan = Victor Bodden Zip n Dip - my daughter's favorite port EVER. LOVED Roatan.

 

Happy cruising, I would sail this ship again in a heartbeat.

[Chowder_17]

Hi to all on the Carnival Forum!

I am new to Carnival, though I have cruised many times with Disney. I am getting married this summer and my fiancee and I are considering booking with Carnival. The Legend is sailing on July 10th and we would really like to book this cruise. We will likely book an IS guaranteed room(mostly because of the price) but would love to get one of those French Door rooms. Any secrets or tips, or just good info about Carnival and the Legend would be greatly appreciated. My fiancee has never cruised before but I know the ropes pretty well, though I'm not sure what to expect with Carnival. Anyways, any comments or recommendations are welcome!

 

Hello! We did the Legend last year for our 5yr anniversery/belated honeymoon. Check out my review in my signature.

[lorilew]

We sailed on the Legen for our honeymoon too!

 

In Grand Cayman we did a swim with the stingrays trip with Nativeway Watersports, it was fantastic and included transportation, boat to the stingray island, a stop for about 2 hrs at rum point beach that included lunch. It was such a great day! $65 each and includes lunch.

 

In Cozumel we used a carnival excursion to see the Mayan Ruins, it was fantastic and very cool to see. We had lunch in a little mexican restaurant with such fresh, delicious food!

 

In Belize we did cave tubing with Major Tom cave-tubing dot net. that was sooo much fun! $55 each included lunch

 

Roatan-rentend motor scooters and toured the island and bars. We loved it here! $50 each for the day.

 

We are actually going again on the Legend with the same itinerary 3/12.

 

We did several excursions on our own b/c the cost is so much less! I hope you have a great time!

[AmandaKaye79]

Me and my friend will be on this cruise....we are late 30 early 40 somethings that have decided we need a girls' week away from the family...we have only one excursion booked through Carnival and it is in Belize and it is the Goff's Cay Snorkeling...we are not necessarily going to snorkel just relax on Goff's Cay...in Cozumel we hope to take a private bar hop tour but not enough people have signed up yet...GC we are taking a taxi to Royal Palms on 7 mile beach and have not decided what to do in Roatan...we are flying out the night before and staying in Tampa. We are looking forward to a fun and relaxing week...

 

Where are you planning to stay in Tampa? A few of us booked the Hampton Inn Rocky Point. They have 7 day parking and a free shuttle to and from the port. Seems like a good value. In Cozumel, we may do the Nachi Cocum. The price is only $49 and it is all inclusive, drinks, food, and beach for the day. Most people have given it excellent reviews. I think they only take 100 guests daily, so be sure to book early if you are interested. In Belize, we may do the cave tubing. We hesitated to book because of the problems with Belize and the tendering. However, I think those issues have been resolved. Come over and join our roll call for the July 10th Legend. I posted a link to the board on one of my above postings.

[psbaldi]

Where are you planning to stay in Tampa? A few of us booked the Hampton Inn Rocky Point. They have 7 day parking and a free shuttle to and from the port. Seems like a good value. In Cozumel, we may do the Nachi Cocum. The price is only $49 and it is all inclusive, drinks, food, and beach for the day. Most people have given it excellent reviews. I think they only take 100 guests daily, so be sure to book early if you are interested. In Belize, we may do the cave tubing. We hesitated to book because of the problems with Belize and the tendering. However, I think those issues have been resolved. Come over and join our roll call for the July 10th Legend. I posted a link to the board on one of my above postings.

 

I recently joined the roll call. Thanks for the invite. My friend, her name is Grecthen, and I already have a reservation at the Hampton Inn Rocky Point, how fortuitous. We rented a car and have to return it July 10th at the airport and the rental cat company has a shuttle that will take us to the port. In Belize we have signed up for the Goff's Cay Snorekling excursion. I am not sure I can do the cave tubing as I am not a big fan of dark enclosed spaces. My TA says the Belize tenders have an agreement (at least for now). We had looked at Nachi Cocum or Paradise Beach in Cozumel if the island bar hop tour does not work out. In GC I have a cabana reserved at Royal Palms. It is "beach resort" that boasts oceanfront dining, entertainment and watersports on 7 mile beach. The cabana is around the pool but I requested a cabana as close to the beach as possible. The pool is adults only. No fee for the cabana RP just requires you to spend $100 for the day. I believe between drinks and food my friend and I can easily cover that. Their web site is reefgrill.com if you want to check it out. We are still up in the air for Roatan but I have read that the excursion to Tabyana Beach is worth the money. I have read that people take taxis on their own but not sure I feel comfortable doing that there.

[OpalFaerie]

My hubby-to-be and I haven't decided on pre-cruise hotel yet. We're flying down from Maine the day before, so I'll definitely be reading the reviews and ideas on the roll-call. I did join, I just haven't been very active. Busy with work, but cruise boards are so addictive that once I start I do it alot! Thanks for all the great ideas though, can't wait to get onboard!

[psbaldi]

My hubby-to-be and I haven't decided on pre-cruise hotel yet. We're flying down from Maine the day before, so I'll definitely be reading the reviews and ideas on the roll-call. I did join, I just haven't been very active. Busy with work, but cruise boards are so addictive that once I start I do it alot! Thanks for all the great ideas though, can't wait to get onboard!

 

I picked the Hampton Inn Rocky Point for 4 reasons:

 

1. price

2. free breakfast

3. got good reviews on tripadvisor.com

4. proximity to airport...we rented a car for the night and have to return it to the airport and get a free shuttle from the rental company to the port...a little bit of chaos but we want the car to go to WalMart or Target to pick up supplies we dont want to pack and take on the plane and maybe drive to Clearwater to find a local place and eat on the water. We get into Florida in the AM. Have to keep busy are the excitement of the cruise will kill me.

[lorilew]

We stayed at the Mainsail Suites in Tampa. They have a cruise special. We were picked up from the airport about 15 mins after calling them that we were in and dropped off at the main office to check in. We were hungry so the driver took our bags to our room while we ate at the restaurant. When we were ready the driver then came to get us at the main office and drove us to our room. The property is pretty large. The next morning we ate at the restaurant and went back to our room. The driver came and picked us up and took us to the port. The hotel room was great also. It was basically a one bedroom apartment size. It was clean and comfortable. The grounds are really pretty. They've got a nice pool and hot tub along with a bbq area.

 

We are staying here again on our next cruise out of Tampa. mainsailtampa dot com

 

:D

[Thebox]

I feel like we're building a mini roll call here - plus great info from experienced Legend cruisers. It's good info

 

Just thought I'd chime in here. OpalFaerie, we stayed at the Best Western Bay Harbour before our Legend Christmas cruise and will stay here again in July. The view from the balcony was right over the water and felt very beachy, which was a great way to ramp up 'vacation mode'. They have a $109-$119 cruise and stay package they're promoting now on their website (you have to call the hotel directly for the promo.) They'll take you/pick up at Port included in price. Don't know their airport shuttle system. It's only recently become a Best Western and feels like a nicer hotel. Just another option - reviews for Mainsail and Hampton Inn are just as strong

 

Psbaldi - We went cave tubing Christmas. Info here is that it wasn't at all enclosed. You're basically floating through a huge cave. Also, we went to Royal Palms Christmas and loved it. Never even investigated the pool. Will look into it. Thanks! Last time we spent the morning at Royal Palm, which is a 10 minute cab ride from the pier, and then went back to the port to snorkel at Eden Rock which is right by the cruise tender. Was our favorite day of the cruise.

 

We're going to Nachi too!

 

At the risk of repeating myself - if anyone has ideas for Belize that would interest two teen/young adults other than cave tubing and zip lining (done it!) please let me know. I think we're going to end up snorkeling at ray/shark Alley. Not my favorite choice

[092306]

My husband and I took our first cruise together on the Legend for our honeymoon and we loved it. It got us hooked on cruising and we'll be on our 10th Carnival cruise this September to celebrate our 5th anniversary. We would definitely go on the Legend again and hopefully will get the chance. Congrats on your wedding and whatever you choose to do, enjoy!

[luv cruising 007]

cabins with the french doors 4140(i've been in this room twice on the sister ship spirit) or 4141 are between the lifeboats, have doors that open & are below the shops so its a quiet room at night! Thats my advice, hope it helps

[grobbins]

Does the Legend do the luggage express? We are flying SW. Anyone have any info on this?

[True Texan]

In Roatan if you want a laid back beach Tabayana Beach is just beautiful. We have been on 5 cruises and this is still my favorite beach. You can book it through Carnival and it is not too expensive.

[kml2000]

Does the Legend do the luggage express? We are flying SW. Anyone have any info on this?

 

I don't have any information on it, but I did see paperwork in our room about this. I would assume they do since the papers were there. We drove to the port so I didn't pay any attention to it.