brilliantseas Posted December 4, 2021 #1 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Good morning, everyone! It is time to load up the Tesla here in sunny Ohio and start the roughly 6.5 hour drive down I-68 to Baltimore. This was truly a last minute cruise for me as I still had a week of vacation time to burn before the end of the year and refuse to spend it doing all of the things that I really should be doing at home. Who wants to organize the garage or pick the dead weeds out of the landscaping when you can go on a cruise!? After a few days of trying and failing to find an inexpensive last-minute flight to South Florida or New Orleans to sail on the Horizon, Allure of the Seas, or Norwegian Getaway, I finally came to the realization that my best option for a cheap, last-minute cruise was going to be to suck it up and drive to either Baltimore or New York for a 7-night Bahamas sailing. My options were Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas out of Cape Liberty, or Carnival Legend out of Baltimore. I've never had the opportunity to sail on a Quantum class ship, but after a few days of watching YouTube videos and reading reviews of Anthem, as well as contemplating my previous RCCL experience on Independence of the Seas, I decided that the Royal Caribbean experience just really doesn't appeal to me. I find them to be lacking in entertainment, and I don't enjoy being forced to make a reservation for every show and activity that I want to enjoy on my vacation. I finally settled on Carnival Legend's 7-night Bahamas sailing from Baltimore on Tuesday evening and booked one of the last balcony cabins (there were around 10 available across all decks, according to the deck plans) with a great past guest offer that made a last minute cruise truly affordable. With only five days until sailing, I quickly got approval for the time off from work and started preparing for my cruise. $116 later, I have premium wifi reserved, and I've spent the last three days unpacking and re-packing my suitcases and getting ready to set sail on the Carnival Legend. Follow along on my journey as I'll be posting regular updates from my trip to Baltimore and my 7-night sailing to Nassau, Half Moon Cay, and Freeport onboard the Carnival Legend. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieShip Posted December 4, 2021 #2 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Will you be parking your Tesla at the port? I'm going back and forth on it, since I have a ICE option with my travel partner. Can't wait to hear more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karriec Posted December 4, 2021 #3 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Hope you have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 4, 2021 Author #4 Share Posted December 4, 2021 4 hours ago, CookieShip said: Will you be parking your Tesla at the port? I'm going back and forth on it, since I have a ICE option with my travel partner. Can't wait to hear more! Yes. This will be my third road trip with the Tesla. I've also taken it to Tennessee and Orlando. Charging does add a bit of extra time to the road trips, but I enjoy having the autopilot feature on the highways and find the Tesla seats to be more comfortable than my old Chevy for long road trips. I was a bit nervous to leave it parked in the cold for a week without charging, but it seems to only lose around 4-5% per day in the cold (20s-30s). I plan to supercharge to around 85-90% in Baltimore tomorrow morning and expect to come back to a pack that is still well more than half full. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jamman54 Posted December 4, 2021 #5 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Looking forward to your review. We are on the Legend for a B2B next August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcwalker Posted December 4, 2021 #6 Share Posted December 4, 2021 I will be we eagerly awaiting each post! I'm cruising on the Legend next month. Your posts will make my wait that much more bearable. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilovesailaway Posted December 4, 2021 #7 Share Posted December 4, 2021 OP I can't wait to follow along. I just made that road trip to sail the Legend and it was awesome being back on a ship. Btw I am a big fan of Tesla as well. I have a deposit on the CT. Looking forward to driving that to a cruise some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfone Posted December 4, 2021 #8 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Hi Brilliant, we are sailing on the Legend tomorrow as well. We booked back in May. Our First carnival cruise was on the Legend about ten years ago. I grabbed gloves and hat for tomorrows sail away. We have an aft facing balcony so it's going to be cold outside for a day or so. See you tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 4, 2021 Author #9 Share Posted December 4, 2021 2 hours ago, Ilovesailaway said: OP I can't wait to follow along. I just made that road trip to sail the Legend and it was awesome being back on a ship. Btw I am a big fan of Tesla as well. I have a deposit on the CT. Looking forward to driving that to a cruise some day. I bought my Model Y in June and have a deposit in on a Cybertruck as well. Based upon my reservation number and model type, one of the online tools is projecting delivery in 2024. Of course, this is a moving target, but might not be that far off given that first deliveries are now projected for Q4 2022. By 2024, my Y will be in the neighborhood of 75,000 miles and due for an upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted December 4, 2021 #10 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Following.....Spirit Class is our FAVORITE class of Carnival ships! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #11 Share Posted December 5, 2021 First supercharging stop is at the Sheetz off of I-70 in Triadelphia, WV. This supercharger is one of the latest generation 250 kW chargers, so we're kicking off the charging at a rate of approximately 1,043 miles of range per hour. The rate will slow as the battery fills, but these are extremely fast if you only need to add 20-30% to make it to your next stop. 30 minutes until I can continue the trip, and 30 minutes until kickoff of the Big Ten Championship. Looking forward to listening to what is hopefully a great game as I drive through Western Maryland. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #12 Share Posted December 5, 2021 Impressive win by Michigan tonight! The game provided listening entertainment for the drive through Maryland. Spending the night at the Courtyard by Marriott Frederick, MD this evening. My check-in appointment isn't until 2:30 PM, so I might go check out the Inner Harbor in the morning? I'm thinking either the museum ships or the National Aquarium. Any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma1980 Posted December 5, 2021 #13 Share Posted December 5, 2021 Following! Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilovesailaway Posted December 5, 2021 #14 Share Posted December 5, 2021 17 hours ago, brilliantseas said: one of the online tools is projecting delivery in 2024 prob the same one I used, it gave me a projected delivery of 5/24... Have a great cruise!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #15 Share Posted December 5, 2021 I had a decent night at the Courtyard by Marriott in Frederick, MD last night. The building is older, but the rooms are fully refurbished and clean. For the price, I certainly can't complain. I'm off to the cruise terminal for a 2:30 boarding appointment! 52 miles to go! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #16 Share Posted December 5, 2021 (edited) The parking line is moving very slowly... luggage drop off prior to the parking toll booths. $15/day and parking is an outdoor lot. Edited December 5, 2021 by brilliantseas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #17 Share Posted December 5, 2021 25 minutes to drop off luggage and pay for parking. 40 minutes to get inside the terminal. They are being strict with early arrivals. If you are 1-30 minutes early for your arrival window, you go into a separate line outside. More than 30 minutes they ask you to come back. They let me go with the 2:00 arrival group (30 min early) because I'm traveling solo. The security line for on-time arrivals goes outside of the building, but they do have radiant heaters to keep you warm-ish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #18 Share Posted December 5, 2021 Onboard at 2:25, around 50 minutes from the time I entered the port parking line. The new check-in process is very efficient and keeps the lines moving. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #19 Share Posted December 5, 2021 They are busy setting up Christmas decor in the atrium. I'm hoping the Menorah was here last week... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwokpot Posted December 5, 2021 #20 Share Posted December 5, 2021 (edited) On 12/4/2021 at 2:07 PM, brilliantseas said: I was a bit nervous to leave it parked in the cold for a week without charging, but it seems to only lose around 4-5% per day in the cold (20s-30s). Don't turn on Sentry Mode and you'll lose a lot less per day. Just returned from 10 day days away cruise and South Beach weekend and my 2018 M3LR lost only 2%, from 89% to 78%. Parked on the streets in Center City Philly and NO SENTRY MODE on! Edited December 5, 2021 by kwokpot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #21 Share Posted December 5, 2021 90 second muster drill with myself and two other guests. "This is how to put on a life jacket. Don't forget to watch your safety video." Now off to Blue Iguana Cantina for some tacos! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #22 Share Posted December 5, 2021 Best lunch on the ship. Tacos from Blue Iguana Cantina. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #23 Share Posted December 5, 2021 3:00 appears to be the best time to arrive without a wait for parking or luggage drop-off. Not a line to be seen. All-aboard time is 4:00, and sail-away is at 5:00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #24 Share Posted December 5, 2021 I'm sad to report that they have changed Guy's Fries! What used to be a fresh-cut French fry is now a frozen, skin-on fry. The seasoning is the same, but the taste and texture is far inferior to a fresh cut fry. First and last Guy's Fries of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brilliantseas Posted December 5, 2021 Author #25 Share Posted December 5, 2021 First test of the "Premium WiFi" package onboard Carnival Legend shows encouraging speeds. 30 Mbps download at 4:00 PM on embarkation day, which appears to be enough to stream the Bengals game on YouTube TV without buffering. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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