Carnival Legend REVIEW with PICS! 10/2 - 10/9/11

[limboman]

We were on this cruise, too - I'm surprised we're not in your picture crossing under the bridge! Enjoying the review so far - keep it up!

[nessz79]

Subscribing to your wonderful review! We are seriously considering booking this cruise for the first week of April. Looks great!

[DalovelyDamanda]

We were on this cruise, too - I'm surprised we're not in your picture crossing under the bridge! Enjoying the review so far - keep it up!

 

Oh, ya? Were you standing up by the whale tail? I loved that everyone clapped after we went under the bridge like "Phew! We actually made it!" haha

 

Thanks everyone for liking the review. I was going to write some more last night but I fell asleep around 8pm. :eek: Guess my body is all out of whack from the cruise because I'm still dizzy and swaying like crazy.

[Oskial]

Since we didn't really eat a big lunch, we grabbed burgers & fries when we got back on board from the Unicorn. They weren't too shabby. So we decided to catch the family friendly comedy act and then head to a late dinner. Well there was some confusion about the time the show started. I read the FunTimes wrong and thought the show started at 7:00pm. So we go to the Firebird and I ask the guy "Is this the 7pm show?" and he verified. And I swear I saw a sign outside stating the show was at 7pm. So we sat down and waited. Needless to say, we were the ONLY ones there.

 

 

So the lights go down, the guy announces the comedian (Jimmy Carroll) and he starts by making fun of the size of the crowd. haha Since we're the only ones there, he starts talking to us. Apparently, the show was suppose to be at 7:45. We offered to come back, but he said not to worry about it, he was already on stage. He asked us to come sit in the front row since he couldn't see us. So we got our own personal comedy act! It was great! He asked the kids their names, what they liked about school. He catered his act just for us and made up jokes on the spot. He was pretty funny and it was neat having the one on one attention from the comedian.

Your review is great! We sail in feb. 2012 on the Legend. The comedian you had sounds very professional. Our son is a stand-up comic and he has had a similar experience when only a few people were there. He said it was one of the better experiences he's had a comic. All comics love to play to a full house but this comic probably had as much fun as you did. So a big shout out to Jimmy Carol for doing what he does and the way he did it for you and the rest of the gang.

[limboman]

Oh, ya? Were you standing up by the whale tail? I loved that everyone clapped after we went under the bridge like "Phew! We actually made it!" haha

 

We were up on the whale tail deck that has the windows that look down on the steakhouse. I told my 9 year old daughter that the tail had to retract to fit under the bridge... she was really mad when she found out that didn't really happen :eek:

[Julienatul]

Love your review!! We are sailing 4 weeks Saturday on The Legend!!

[elainmir]

awesome review...we leave in 24 days for my birthday cruise:D can't wait!

Loved your pics I do have one quick question though when you were in paradise island how deep is the water where the water toys are? My 9 year old is very worried about the water depth ;)

[DalovelyDamanda]

awesome review...we leave in 24 days for my birthday cruise:D can't wait!

Loved your pics I do have one quick question though when you were in paradise island how deep is the water where the water toys are? My 9 year old is very worried about the water depth ;)

 

I asked hubby and the kids. They said the ones nearest to the shore (the slide and the rocket see-saw) were out in about 5 foot deep water. The ones farther out (like the iceberg mountain) were in about 10 foot deep water. I guess they are out further because kids were climbing to the top and then jumping off into the water, so the water needs to be deeper.

 

They do have life jacket vests and we got one for my 11 year old. (She wasn't comfortable swimming out that far by herself without one.)

 

I do have to say that the kids found it very tiring, swimming out in the ocean to the toys, and then trying to climb onto them. The girls couldn't climb up on the iceberg at all because they didn't have enough upper body strength. (The adults and teen boy had no problem climbing it.)

 

But they also have kayaks and snorkel gear for use. So there is lots to do and the kids did have fun.

[DalovelyDamanda]

Thanks again everyone for reading and enjoying my review so far.

 

 

DAY 4 - Wednesday, October 5, 2011

 

Today is Belize day! Which means early day with a long tender! We ate a fast buffet breakfast and made it down to the Follies by 7:30 to wait in line for the tender. We wanted to be one of the first out as we had a reservation to go cave tubing. (more on that in a minute)

 

So we get down to the Follies, and they are very well organized. If you were taking a Carnival excursion, you sat on one half of the theater. If you were taking a independent excursion, you sat on the other side. We were given stickers that had the letter "I" on it for "Independent." Wee Jimmy, the cruise director, (LOVE him!) and Megan (she was always with him...his backup cruise director?) were down there giving us instructions, telling jokes, showing us cruise footage from earlier in the week...basically keeping us entertained, and doing a great job at it! Before I knew it, they were calling rows to get on the first tender...I would say half Carnival and half Independent. So we were on the first tender! Yea! (I think the tender boats held about 230 people)

 

Here's a shot of the ship and the beautiful sun as we saw it from the tender boat:

 

I think we were off the tender and onto Belize land by about 8:45. (The boat ride wasn't that long, but it took awhile for us to load up the boat and actually leave.)

[DalovelyDamanda]

I had done a lot of research and decided to book our cave tubing excursion through V.I.V. tours. They have what seems to be bigger tubes with headrests and you hook together using tube links, not your feet in the armpits ahead of you like the other tours.

 

So we walk out of Terminal 1 and easily see the VIV Tours sign. Unfortunately we find out that ALL cave tubing tours (not just ours, but ALL with every company) had been cancelled due to three straight days of rain. It was deemed unsafe and they closed the caves. Talk about disappointing! VIV Tours was great though. They offered us a discount rate to take a tour to the ancient city of Altun Ha. We had nothing else to do so we said "why not?"

 

So the 8 of us (2 decided to go scuba diving instead) and a couple on their honeymoon (Louise & James....they were awesome! We end up spending more time throughout the cruise with them) get put in a nice van with A/C. Our driver and fabulous tour guide was named.....(get this)....FABULOUS!! hahaha No really, his name was something like Favilius, but he said we could call him Fab or Fabulous, so of course we do! He was AWESOME! He was so informative! He answered all of our questions about Belize and more!

 

We start our tour by driving out of Belize City. They don't use stop signs or traffic lights. And even if they had them, I doubt they'd be used! The drivers are crazy! Here's a photo of the intersection with drivers doing what they felt like:

 

Fab pointed out that they didn't have fast food restaurants. Here was their "McDonald's" he said. hahahaha

 

So we're driving for awhile and we pass the 1 Barrel Rum factory, that Fab says makes the best Belize Rum. Of course I ask "Where does one acquire such rum?!?" Why at the local grocery store, of course! "So can we stop, Fab, please?!?!" Sure! So we pull over and I grab some 1 Barrel Rum (which was only about $6 USD!) and some Cashew Wine (about $4 USD!) and the rest grab some Belize snacks (and of course some Skittles and Pringles) and some different Fanta flavored sodas.

 

We end up heading out of the city and towards the rural area. Before we know it, there are horses in the middle of the road! What??? They were being taken to another farm Fab guessed. But they did not feel like moving!

[DalovelyDamanda]

So we get to Altun Ha and Fab is great with his wealth of knowledge about everything! We're some of the very few there and it's great to see the ancient city up close.

 

 

 

Here's a picture of us on top of the tallest one with James & Louise (the newlyweds). Fabulous is on the right in the white shirt.

 

And here's a picture looking down after one of Carnival's tour buses arrived.

 

Funny thing is (no offense if anyone was on that tour) but from what we heard, their tour guide was like "Umm, over there is a temple. And over there is a structure. You might not want to climb up the steps..." Whereas OUR fabulous tour guide was chock full of info and saying "Yes! Let's climb to the top!" "Yes! Let me tell you about this tree...and would you like to try this coconut??" We noticed after awhile others from other tours were starting to listen in to our tour guide too! haha

 

It starts to rain/drizzle while we're on top of the tallest one. So we're trying to carefully climb down the steps. (They are kind of steep and slippery) We make it down, throw on some ponchos and make our way out of the park. It's lunchtime and we're hungry! There's a little restaurant with an outdoor sitting area right at the parking lot. Fab says the food is great...beans, rice, chicken, pork chops, plantains, fresh avacado... We're in! The food was so good! And Kendra (the server) and her dad (he worked there too and her sister was the cook) were so nice!

 

Here's Gabe devouring the gibnut along with his rice and beans:

 

The what? The gibnut. We had no idea what it was either. Fab informed us that it's a Belize rodent. "Like a rat?!?" I ask. No, more like a big guinea pig he tells us. But apparently it was good. Gabe loved it! Click here to see what the gibnut looks like if you're curious.

[serene56]

did you take any pictures of the cave tubing

[gelo7]

So we get to Altun Ha and Fab is great with his wealth of knowledge about everything! We're some of the very few there and it's great to see the ancient city up close.

 

 

 

Here's a picture of us on top of the tallest one with James & Louise (the newlyweds). Fabulous is on the right in the white shirt.

 

And here's a picture looking down after one of Carnival's tour buses arrived.

 

Funny thing is (no offense if anyone was on that tour) but from what we heard, their tour guide was like "Umm, over there is a temple. And over there is a structure. You might not want to climb up the steps..." Whereas OUR fabulous tour guide was chock full of info and saying "Yes! Let's climb to the top!" "Yes! Let me tell you about this tree...and would you like to try this coconut??" We noticed after awhile others from other tours were starting to listen in to our tour guide too! haha

 

It starts to rain/drizzle while we're on top of the tallest one. So we're trying to carefully climb down the steps. (They are kind of steep and slippery) We make it down, throw on some ponchos and make our way out of the park. It's lunchtime and we're hungry! There's a little restaurant with an outdoor sitting area right at the parking lot. Fab says the food is great...beans, rice, chicken, pork chops, plantains, fresh avacado... We're in! The food was so good! And Kendra (the server) and her dad (he worked there too and her sister was the cook) were so nice!

 

Here's Gabe devouring the gibnut along with his rice and beans:

 

The what? The gibnut. We had no idea what it was either. Fab informed us that it's a Belize rodent. "Like a rat?!?" I ask. No, more like a big guinea pig he tells us. But apparently it was good. Gabe loved it! Click here to see what the gibnut looks like if you're curious.

So, what does gibnut taste like?

[limboman]

Here's a picture of us on top of the tallest one with James & Louise (the newlyweds). Fabulous is on the right in the white shirt.

 

Funny - Louise and James were on our ziplining tour in Roatan! I always think it's hilarious how many cruise critic people you end up running into on the excursions.

[DalovelyDamanda]

did you take any pictures of the cave tubing

 

No, we didn't go cave tubing. They cancelled all of the cave tubing excursions for the day.

 

So, what does gibnut taste like?

 

I asked Gabe and he said "It was great! It kinda tasted like goat. I like goat meat so it was DELICIOUS!!! It wasn't too tough either. I would definitely recommend it! Two thumbs up!!!"

 

 

Funny - Louise and James were on our ziplining tour in Roatan! I always think it's hilarious how many cruise critic people you end up running into on the excursions.

 

That IS funny! James & Louise were great. We kept running into them on the ship. We ended up sitting with them for the Marriage Show, the Fun Farewell, we had dinner with them one night and we sat together before we disembarked. I loved meeting them and hope to keep in touch with them.

[DalovelyDamanda]

After the delicious lunch at Altun Ha, we headed back to Belize City. We wanted to do a little shopping before getting back on the tender boat. (And we did NOT want to be late for that last tender!)

 

I have to say, even though we were very disappointed that all cave tubing had been cancelled that day, Fabulous really made up for it! I think he knew we weren't too crazy about seeing Altun Ha, but he made it an awesome day for us! He was the best part of the day! I would definitely recommend V.I.V. Tours! I would love to come back some day and actually experience the cave tubing. (See honey...we HAVE to go on another cruise! haha)

 

So Fabulous drops us off back at the port. (Hugs all around...we'll miss you Fab!) Now I gotta say...where everyone gets dropped off is outside of the actual terminal. There are 2 "guards" standing outside and they have to check your passport/passcard before letting you back inside the terminal. That was all fine. BUT, there are these crazy locals that get RIGHT in your face trying to sell us stuff...even to the girls. "Pretty girl...I braid your hair?? You want pretty beads??" They were annoying!!! Especially when we were trying to say goodbye to Fab and get some money out to give him a tip. So beware! Keep your money put away, say NO thank you, have your passports ready and head for the Terminal ASAP. I know they were just trying to make a buck, and they weren't rude, they were just IN our faces and it was a little frustrating. But once we were up by the guards and back inside the Terminal 1, it was very nice. The vendors inside are laid back, and not pushy at all. It was nice doing a little shopping inside before the tender arrived.

 

Goodbye Belize!

[DalovelyDamanda]

Back onboard, we freshen up for dinner. Great food tonight!

 

I had the Duet of Roasted Rack and Leg of Spring Lamb. It was really good!

 

Here's the Farfalle with Roast Turkey Breast and Green Peas: (they weren't too crazy about this)

 

Here's the Assorted Seafood, Newburg Style:

 

I guess I forgot to take pictures of the starters...oops!

[DalovelyDamanda]

The Tiramisu:

 

The Coconut Cake:

 

The Fresh Fruit Tropical Plate:

 

The Bitter and Blanc:

 

I didn't order the Bitter and Blanc, but I had a taste. It was really very good! I think he ordered two of them!

[rhcpchika1]

Bummer the caves were closed.

 

Did they announce this prior to you boarding the ferry?

[DalovelyDamanda]

Bummer the caves were closed.

 

Did they announce this prior to you boarding the ferry?

 

Yes, bummer indeed.

No, they didn't announce this before we got on the ferry. We rushed to be on the first tender out since we were supposed to meet up with VIV Tours by 9am. To be fair though to VIV tours, they weren't 100% sure the caves were closed when we checked in at first. The VIV lady we were talking to kept calling someone to check. (Is it like a State Park? Do the caves belong to the country of Belize?) I guess she was calling her boss and they kept checking with "whomever" to make sure they were officially closed. After she called and checked a few times, we found out they were for SURE closed. It was all due to the weather and I guess it was a last minute closing.

[JenaMH]

Yes, bummer indeed.

No, they didn't announce this before we got on the ferry. We rushed to be on the first tender out since we were supposed to meet up with VIV Tours by 9am. To be fair though to VIV tours, they weren't 100% sure the caves were closed when we checked in at first. The VIV lady we were talking to kept calling someone to check. (Is it like a State Park? Do the caves belong to the country of Belize?) I guess she was calling her boss and they kept checking with "whomever" to make sure they were officially closed. After she called and checked a few times, we found out they were for SURE closed. It was all due to the weather and I guess it was a last minute closing.

We'd looked into the cavetubing.bz folks, and I think they say on their website that the caves do close if the water flow is deemed unsafe.

I hate your excursion was cancelled, but it's good to know this - I was still kicking myself a little for not booking this one for while we were there.

[rhcpchika1]

It is a state park... and I know that they don't have any control of the closing. ALWAYS better to be safe!!!

 

. . . I just wish there was a way to notify people before they tender over- It would be a massive sadness for my 6 yr old if we tender over and then have to turn around and tender right back to the boat, but I know I have no other interests in Belize...

[cuted126]

Loving your review!! You guys looked like you had a lot of fun!! The hostess Nancy was very,very kind and talked to us everyday were on the Legend! I miss her!

[mosweet]

OMG..I love the bitter and blanc as much as the warm chocolate melting cake..mmm good ;)

 

The Tiramisu:

 

The Coconut Cake:

 

The Fresh Fruit Tropical Plate:

 

The Bitter and Blanc:

 

I didn't order the Bitter and Blanc, but I had a taste. It was really very good! I think he ordered two of them!