Just Off Legend (6-day Bermuda)

[Abr155]

We booked the Legend for its embarkation port (Baltimore is 1.5 hours from us), itinerary (just Bermuda - a place we've been before and LOVED), and size of ship as it was our 2-year-old's first cruise (and our first cruise as parents). I read a ton of reviews, looked at a ton of pictures, and watched a million videos - so I knew exactly what to expect from the ship.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. We had a 12:30-1 arrival time. Pulled in to park around 12:15, and were on the ship less than an hour later. The ship is outdated compared to the new, modern ships BUT, we all agreed that we enjoyed the classic, traditional feel. We did not find the ship dirty, broken, or in need of repair. Our statement (extended balcony), was clean and a good size for our family. My mother-in-law had the stateroom next door, so we went down to guest services and had them open the balcony partition creating a mega-balcony.

 

Food: The MDR food has definitely gone downhill since our last Carnival cruise many moons go, BUT it was still tasty and the staff worked tirelessly to try and appease you. We had Your Time dining and never waited longer than 10 minutes for our table (always around 7/7:30 pm) for a table of 5 adults and toddler. Bonus: despite Your Time dining, we were always sat at the same table with the same waitstaff which was great! There was never a dish I did not like, but no wow factor. The food always came out room temperature which was actually perfect for our toddler haha, but maybe not so much for others. The lava cake was of course delicious. We also ate Guy's Burgers multiple times (YUM), Pizza Pirate (amazing), sushi (best dinner we had), and steakhouse (while the food was great the service was HORRIBLE).

 

Our steakhouse reservation was at 7:30. Despite only a few tables, we did not have water or drinks until 8:15 and that was after flagging someone down. Sadly, service took so long that the daycare called bc our kiddo was tired resulting in them keeping my steak "warm" for me as the food was just coming out - at 10 pm - by the time I could back with my kiddo snoozing in her stroller, it was cooked way over done. They did give us a bottle of wine to make up for it. The bad service also caused the rest of our party to miss the show that night which was a bummer.

 

Sea day brunch was good - and we found the service fast. Buffet was comparable to other ships I've been on - as expected. Dr. Seuss breakfast was AMAZING.

 

I cannot speak to any of the shows - didn't make a single one.

 

Bar service on the pool deck wasn't the best - slower and weak drinks. Bar service at Alchemy, casino bar, Serenity, MDR were impeccable with great drinks!

 

The ship was decked out with Halloween decor and activities which was a nice touch. They offered a TON of kid friendly activities: Dr. Seuss trivia, parade, story time (which was like a mini-play production in the theater), and breakfast. They also offered trick or treat throughout the ship which was so fun! And a build a bear workshop.

 

Pools always seemed busy, but we never get in cruise pools anyway. The kids' splash pad area was empty - literally had it to ourselves, as were the water slides (very few kids on this cruise).

 

I believe the ship was close to capacity if not at capacity and it never felt crowded. Very rarely did we wait in lines for food, drink, or elevators.

 

Bermuda was awesome (we spent a week there a few years ago, so were very comfortable with the island). We were also blessed with beautiful weather both in Bermuda and the entire trip. For our full day in Bermuda, we got a day pass to Cocoreef Resort (booked directly with resort). Took a cab from dockyard to the resort (about $60 each way). Had full access to their beach with umbrellas/chairs, pool, and included 3 course lunch. Highly recommend. For the half day we just walked around the dockyard shops and ate at Frog and Onion. This felt like a wasted day and in hindsight, I wish we had booked a Carnival excursion for this half day.

 

The live music was great. Serenity was busy, but we always found a lounger - same with the clam shells.

 

We paid $5 for the chat feature in the Hub which was worthless. Had premium internet which was great for a few days, but useless on some. Hit some rough water coming back, and WHEW does this ship rock. I am still wobbling and rocking 3 days off.

 

Debarkation was also easy.  We had WAY too much stuff to carry off, and we picked the latest time (11:15 am) since we didn't have flights to catch etc.  We were booted out of our rooms at 9 am, and went to buffet for breakfast.  Oddly, this was the best breakfast we had. TONs of bacon and delicious choices (maybe trying to use it all up?).  Hung out on Lido deck for a few hours and walked right off at 11:15, no lines, no fuss, and luggage happily waiting for us. 

 

It was a great ship for our toddler's first cruise - small, easy to navigate, etc. Not sure if we'll be back - mainly because as she grows, we'll likely get more adventurous with the ship and ports and choose. They did tell us at the start of bingo that she is undergoing a full refurb in 2024, so we'll see how she is after that!

Edited October 19, 2022 by Abr155

[pcvtmom]

Thanks for taking the time to post your informative review! We have fond memories of the Legend (both of our children got engaged on her 😃). I'm a big fan of the Spirit class ships, and I hope they're around for a long time.