Legend Review Apr.1-8. 1 Complaint at the end

[Rainbowdayz]

I've been trying to find time to write a review of our cruise on the Legend April 1st. This was a special cruise as it was my parents 60th Wedding Anniversary and we had the entire family coming, including relatives in Germany. We had been planning the cruise for a year so you can imagine how anxious we were that everything would go smoothly. We could not have hoped for a better cruise or a more perfect week. It was almost scarey!

 

My DH and I had cruised on the Splendour last Feb. and thought she was a beautiful ship. Normally, we would not choose to cruise on a sister ship because we like to try different ones but since this was a special occasion, we didn't want to take any chances and felt like we knew what to except with the Legend.

 

Embarkation

This could not have gone smoother. We arrived at the terminal a little after 11a. There weren't many people there and we were able to check in immediately. We were given prioriy boarding since our mother is in a wheelchair and we were offered coffee and pastries during the short wait. Within ten minutes we were asked to board. As we were welcomed on the ship, we were advised our staterooms would be ready at 1P. We went directly to the Windjammer for lunch. My sister and I then excused ourselves to check our table and as requested, we were given the first large table inside the dining room, which provided easy access and a perfect location for us. I might take a minute here to tell people it's easy to fax a request to the Maitre 'D and request a particular table or area within the dining room. Just call RCC and ask the rep for the fax #. I have done this on our last three cruises and have had my request granted each time.

 

Ship

 

Since we prefer the glass and brass ships, we found the Legend as elegant as her sister ship, the Splendour. No surprises there. It has a beautiful centrum, comfortable and well decorated lounges, a beautiful show lounge and a splendid dining room. We booked balcony staterooms as well as large oceanview, large insidea and small inside rooms. Everyone was very satisified with the exception of the two who had the small inside room but they knew what they were getting so they didn't complain. We did feel the bedspreads had worn out quite a while ago and were badly in need of replacement. Also, they have discontinued printing a TV channel guide as well as a movie schedule which makes in room movies totally pointless since we never knew when one was going to be on. Most people would not care but my parents, who are 80 and 82, enjoy relaxing with a movie some afternoons and it was never possible, although they did go to the movies shown in That's Entertainment and one of the lounges.

 

Muster Drill

 

A mess as usual. Always makes me anxious to think what would happen in a real emergency. We were directed in six different directions by various personnel. I thought my dad was going to pop his cork. No one seemed to know what was going on at any station. It was crowded and hot and total confusion but as usual, it mercifully ended. That's an hour of my life I'll never get back and that's how I always feel aboat Muster.

 

Excursions

 

We were all over the map here with some people opting to stay on board, some choosing to go out on their own and others booking excursions on the ship.

In Grand Caymen, some in our group signed up for the Snuba excursion and came back raving about it. They enjoyed it so much they wanted to switch from Cave Tubing, which they had signed up for in Belize, to Snuba again but found the tour sold out. Instead, they opted for Power Snorkel at Renezvous Caye and again, had a marvelous time. In Costa Maya we all went ashore for a brief shopping trip and a cool drink in an outdoor bar with plenty of shade and fans that made it most comfortable. Then the younger members of our group returned to the ship for lunch and bathing suits and then took a cab to a beach ( sorry I don't know the name) where they paid $19 for use of the facilities and unlimited drinks. In Cozumel, some opted for the Tulum Mayan ruins.

 

Now a word about Cozumel. We had been told the night before we arrived in Cozumel we would not be docking and that was a bit of a disappointment. However, the next morning we awoke to the captain's voice telling us we were the only ship who had received permission to dock. That was great because it meant we could take my mother and dad off for a change of scenary. We had been in Cozumel last April and the damage done since then was just unbelievable. We had been led to believe by news accounts it was pretty much back to normal. Don't believe it. Those docks were destroyed. They have partially rebuilt one and that's the one where we docked. The skyline has completely changed and many hotels are going up but far from completion. We wanted to go into Old Town but were advised against it because of the difficulty getting there as well as a lot of destruction.

 

Ship Personnel

 

We found every single encounter we had with ship personnel to be extremely pleasant, courteous and helpful. These people do a great job and and we really cannot say enough about them. They attended to our every need and request from our room stewards to the Pursor's Desk. In fact, we had a anniversary bouquet delivered to our parents stateroom and the roses were brown and wilted. We contacted the Pursors's Desk and within two hours fresh flowers were delievered. Ditto on a problem with sticking balcony doors. One call to the steward's # and within the hour both doors were fixed. Bravo and kudos to them all!

 

Food

 

When my DH and I sailed a year ago on the Splendour we found the one area RCC really was below average on was the food. In fact, I had gone to great links to prepare those who had not sailed RCC before not to expect much. We were pleasantly surprised by the change in quality since our last cruise. We all found the Windjammer food, where we ate breakast and lunch, quite good and we overindulged in the afternoon snacks.I almost overdosed on the daily scones with strawberries and clotted cream. The hamburgers in the Windjammer were dry but they were great in the Solarium as were the hot dogs and pizza. We also found the food in the Romeo and Juliet Dining Room much improved. I did not gain a pound on our RCC cruise in '05. Not so this cruise. The food, while not exceptional, was nevertheless quite tasty and very good. We didn't feel we had quite the selection we've had on other lines but what we had was always enjoyable and we have some picky eaters in our crowd. The only complaint we had is they need to get rid of the wilted salads, which all looked and tasted as though they had been fresh a couple of day ago.

 

Entertainment

 

This was a disappointment. It just was not up to what we've seen on other lines. Even the production shows were lacking. They are working on a much smaller stage than many of the newer ships and this may have something to with that aspect of it. Their individual acts were disappointing as well. We are used to a full hour show. I don't remember any show lasting longer than 45 minutes. The nightly entertainment is something our parents always look forward to so this area was a let down. It also seemed to me and my DH that there was much more going on for our age group (58/66) on the Splendour. There was always dancing, music and fun shows, which never seemed to fit in with our 8:30p dining, if they had anything scheduled at all. Not much was done in the way of entertainment during the day either. I remember on past cruises taking my mother to afternoon teas ( there were none), demos by the chefs ( one short one that combined cooking and vegetable carving). It seemed to us a lot of what we remembered on the Spendour had been replaced to amuse all the spring break kids on the ship and there were a ton of them. We spent so much time in lounges we never set foot in on this cruise because the activities were always aimed at teens.

 

Salon

 

My niece had her hair done for the first formal night and our mother during mid week. The charge was $55 and $45 (before the tip )respecetively and not worth it if you can do a thing with your hair.

 

Pool and Spa Areas

 

Again, this was left to the younger generation who seemed to have a great time. They found a nice place most days behind the Rock Wall which they said was very secluded and quiet. They also enjoyed the Solarium.

 

Dining

 

We had a wonderul waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter who did their utmost to please. Our waiter quickly learned what each of our preferences were and had them in place shortly after we arrived. He always made recommendations which we found were sound and he was quick to bring extra plates for us to try or to replace anything he noticed was not being eaten. He was prompt in asking each of us if our food was good and if there was anything else he could get us. On the third night, I was stopped by our head waiter as I left the dining room and she asked if we did not have some one celebrating a 60th Wedding Anniversary. ( We had ordered a lot of extras for the anniversary but opted to skip the anniversary cake that can be ordered in advance). I was not feeling well that night was anxious to return to my room. She caught me off guard and asked if we would like a cake one night and I said fine. I suggested the second formal night. Then I forgot about it. As we entered the dining room on Thursday, the head waiter greeted me and discreetly asked me if we were "on." I replied, yes. I assumed this would be the cake that you could pre-order or request once on board for a charge. Instead, it was a slice of cheesecake with strawberries and chocolate with a candle on the top. A Happy Anniversary decoration was centered in it. Several waiters gathered around the table and sang happy anniversary and it was a lovely touch. No charge. Courtesy of RCC!

 

Debarkation

 

Again, it could not have gone smoother. We left our cabins around 7:45a. About half of our group proceeded to the main dining room and the other opted for the Windjammer. Our color code was called shortly before we finished eating. We finished and met the other members outside the dining room where we proceeded quickly through customs. I did not note the time we actually made it out but it was before 9a.

 

Only Complaint

 

We had only one compliant but it's major. For years we chose early dining but over the last five years have opted for the late seating. I want to say that NEVER did we see a child in the dining room even when we chose early dining. However, I realize more famililies are cruising and prehaps that is the reason we have not seen children at the late seating. Unfortunately, that was the one blight on our cruise and it was a big one. We sat behind a table of eight with four children ages six and under. One was in a highchair and used a bottle. What were these parents thinking to bring children to an 8:30p dinner? It was way too late for them to be up much less eating. Long before dinner was over at 10:30p, they were cranky and crying. The one thing I absolutely expect on any cruise is a pleasant dining experience ( even if the food isn't great). I expect it to be quiet and somewhat dignified. I expect to be able to hear those directly next to or across from me. We were so disgusted with the behavior of these people, we asked the maitre 'd for a change of table but he informed the ship was full and there was nowhere he could move us. On our very last evening at the end of the meal, and after putting up with this unruly brood for a week, the father stood up at the table and yelled his son's name ( the child had moved to the aisle just a few feet away) at the top of his lungs no fewer than six times. I guess he wanted the people in the Windjammer as well as the lounges to be aware of it. Heaven knows we all were. How can people be so obnoxious and unthoughtful? I have written a letter of complaint to RCCL asking them to change their policy and ban children under 12 from the late seating. At least those of us who choose to eat in relative calm would then have a choice. We are not rich and went spent quite a bit of money on this cruise. The Legend does not offer specialty dining but we would not have opted for it, if it had been available. I think we paid enough to expect a nice meal in the main dining room. Since some parents obviously don't have enough sense to see that very young children eat at a reasonable hour and behave, I think the cruise line should make it mandatory that children under 12 be seated at the earlier dining hour or select the Windjammer. I also had this as my only complaint on my survery form. I would like be curious to know what others think and what they would have done in a similair sitation. I especially would like to hear from people who have children. Also, before anyone reminds me we "chose" to cruise during spring break, it was the only time we could all get together and spring break or no, small children do not belong at the late seating IMO but maybe I'm just a cranky old fuddy duddy.

 

As I said, one complaint. Otherwise, wonderful cruise!

 

Carnival Mardi Gras 1974

NCL Seaward 1986

World Renassiance ( Greek Islands) 1989

M.S.Lenin OdessAmerica ( Russian Waterways) 1994

Island Princess ( India to Eygpt/Israel) 1995

NCL Dream 1999

NCL Wind 2000

Celebrity Summit 2001

NCL Norway 2002

Celebrity Millennium 2003

Celebrity Constellation 2004

RCCL Splendour of the Seas 2/5/2005

Carnival Miracle 4/15/2005

Holland America Zuiderdam 10/01/2005

RCCL Legend of the Seas/ 2006

[Cruisechick82]

Great review! Thanks for sharing. I can't believe that a family would take 4 little kids to late seating unless they couldn't get in main seating. That is pretty crazy.

[TKinAZ]

I don't think the answer is to ban all children from late seating, but for RCCL staff to be more proactive in dealing with disruptive children. Just like they had to take action to prevent chair hogs from disrupting others' experience, they need to do it with other situations. We will be attending a late seating with an almost 8-year-old child. I believe she can handle it. If not, we'll be responsible and make sure she isn't present in the dining room. Remember, however, that for some of us, an 8:30 dinner time is a 4:30 dinner time in our own time zone. We have purposely scheduled events on our cruise so that DGD doesn't have to make a complete switch to a new time zone. Personally, as a school administrator, I can usually squelch misbehavior in other people's children with "the look," one I practice freely when the parents aren't watching. ;)

[masonpips]

We chose late seating last fall with a 6 and 7 year old. They ate with us 2 nights, one formal night and my son's birthday. We had a table for 4 and they were far better behaved than some of the drunkards at other tables.

 

If you get them to ban the drunks, I'll agree w/them banning children. If not, to each his own.

[ZPOOD@AOL.COM]

I agree with you. I will be going on my 12 th cruise in 3 days and have another planned in Oct. And we always chose the late seating just for that very same reason. Parents should have better judgement and feed their children earlier. I for one do not want the small one's running around my dinning experience. Many parents think as long as they can tune it out others should too. And they just don't care. I see this everyday. I work for a Pediatric Practice.

 

While I am cruising I just don't want to share my dinner with small children. It's funny we cruised the Legend a few months ago (Dec. 05) and we were sandwiched between to very large tables that happened to be sailing together. They had 3 or 4 small ones that ran between the tables on most nights. Gimme a break.

[Fury1995]

Thanks for the review!

 

We were on the Splendour and shared the dock with you guys on the Legend in Costa Maya!

 

Here's the proof!LOL

[nhrenee]

That was a very nice review. Thanks for posting it. Too bad about your poor dining experience.

[jaycor]

Great reveiw

On the MOS in Feb we had late seating-there were alot of kids but we had no problem .

mind you no babies were screaming-most kids seem to stay for 30 minutes or so to eat and then headed off to the kids club.

Sometimes if people do alot of touring and stuff than it is hard to get back and cleaned up for 6;00 pm.

Myself -have no problem with kids there as it is a family cruise line-but do still understand your concern.

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for the review but good luck on getting RCI or any cruise line to change their policy on dining. It comes down the the parents knowing their children well enough and if they can sit through dinner that late. I do think that the cruise lines should do a better job of seating all families with children in the same area and that would help the situation some. One former ship that I sailed on was the Starship Atlantic of Premier's Big Red Boat and it had an adults only dining room which was great. Would be nice to see the mass market lines do this. Maybe make one level adults only.

[Rainbowdayz]

I agree with you. I will be going on my 12 th cruise in 3 days and have another planned in Oct. And we always chose the late seating just for that very same reason. Parents should have better judgement and feed their children earlier. I for one do not want the small one's running around my dinning experience. Many parents think as long as they can tune it out others should too. And they just don't care. I see this everyday. I work for a Pediatric Practice.

 

While I am cruising I just don't want to share my dinner with small children. It's funny we cruised the Legend a few months ago (Dec. 05) and we were sandwiched between to very large tables that happened to be sailing together. They had 3 or 4 small ones that ran between the tables on most nights. Gimme a break.

 

I compare it to going out to a really nice restauant at home. You look forward to it, you get dressed up, you're prepared to accept a large bill but you expect some pampering and quiet time as well as good food, and you're seated next to four small children including a baby on a bottle! Sometimes I think the whole world has gone nuts. My parents would not have dreamed of taking us out for a fine dining experience at that age never mind it was past our bed times. :eek:

[hurls88]

So because you had "ONE" bad experience RCCL should adopt a new policy about when families need to eat. I have a better idea people without children to have their own dinning room so there are no kids or Better yet if you have children under 12 you can only order room service. I am sorry that you had a bad experience but to say that you are going to tell a family (who paid just like you) when to eat is insane. I am bringing my 10 year old and 3 year old with me on Freedom. I am not going to say they will be perfect. They are kids, but if they are acting inappropriate I will have them removed. Hope you have better luck next cruise.

[saintsgirl]

I don't think the answer is to ban all children from late seating, but for RCCL staff to be more proactive in dealing with disruptive children.

 

I don't think the staff should be responsible for dealing with disruptive children. They should be responsible for dealing with the disruptive children's parents. Since more families are cruising, the cruise lines should decide on a way to handle this issue to appease both families who want to dine late, and adults who want to dine late without having to listen to children when they become disruptive.:)

[Rainbowdayz]

So because you had "ONE" bad experience RCCL should adopt a new policy about when families need to eat. I have a better idea people without children to have their own dinning room so there are no kids or Better yet if you have children under 12 you can only order room service. I am sorry that you had a bad experience but to say that you are going to tell a family (who paid just like you) when to eat is insane. I am bringing my 10 year old and 3 year old with me on Freedom. I am not going to say they will be perfect. They are kids, but if they are acting inappropriate I will have them removed. Hope you have better luck next cruise.

 

Reading so many posts on these boards on this subject tells me we are fortunate indeed to have had only one bad experience. You sound as though people with children have no options when in fact, the opposite is true. People with children have ALL the options. They can eat anywhere at any time. I recently read a thread where people paying at specialty restuarants with policies against children under 12, nevetheless find themselves dining with unruly kids and paying for the privilege. If you discipline your children when their behavior is inappropriate, kudos to you but you cannot be naive enough to believe that is true of all parents. Far from it. Do I think cruise lines need to adopt new policies on small children and dining? You betcha! As you pointed out,those families paid just like we did but they received preferential treatment.They are allowed to disrupt others dining experience night after night with no regard to fellow passengers and no consequences? I'm sure you'll understand my POV when you are my age. ;)

[Babs66]

Sorry you had such a bad experience at dinner. We were on the 4/8 - 4/16 cruise on the Legend and had late seating with my 5 year old. She came only on the first night when the kid's club was not open, but she was very well behaved. All the other nights she spent dinner time in the kid's club then at 10:00 pm my DH would get her and bring her to the dining room to have her ice cream dessert. Of course our waiter, Mario, would always have it ready for her and looked forward to seeing her every night.

 

We also docked in Cozumel which was great, kinda weird with half the dock missing but still a godsend.

 

Everything else on the ship was wonderful, however being my first cruise, I now understand the chair hog thing which was only a problem on sea days.

[NHRedSoxFan]

Why did you stay at the same table all week if it was that bad? I would have requested a change to a table away from any children if I was overly bothered.

[hurls88]

 

The difference here is when I am your age (?????) I hope to be cruising with my grandkids (if I am so fortunate to have some). I think I will start a thread and ask why senior citizens pay less at IHOP.

[terri23]

LOL some textbook "me, me, me - don't tell me to make my kids behave in the DR" responses. :rolleyes:

[Rainbowdayz]

Why did you stay at the same table all week if it was that bad? I would have requested a change to a table away from any children if I was overly bothered.

 

I stated in my original post that we requested a change after the first evening but the cruise was full and the maitre 'd could offer no alternative table.

[Rainbowdayz]

I think I will start a thread and ask why senior citizens pay less at IHOP.

 

Many live on a budget and take advantage of every price break they can. They pay less and they get less. Senior portions are always smaller. ;)

[Inshape]

here is my take on this situation. When my DH and I go out to dinner and LEAVE our kids home, I refuse a table near other kids. I do not want to hear them whinning throughout dinner when I went out to have some peace away from my kids.

 

As far as cruising goes, we can not move tables. We just hope that the people next to us have respect for others around them and remove unruly children. This is no different than in a restuarant. Your unruly children should not take away the dining experience of others. It is the parents job to remove themselves with the child. To heck with I paid for my meal so I am entitled to staying. We do cruise with our kids, who are now 11 and 9.

We do eat at late seating. WE do eat at a small table so that our children do not diminish the dining experience of others who want to converse with Adults at dinner. We are losing out on this experience to mingle with other adults , but I feel they should not have to sit with my children. Now my kids are very well behaved and make no trouble. They do slouch a bit and they do giggle at times... but they are not loud and they do not run around. It is the parents job to monitor the kids in respect to others around them.

[Rainbowdayz]

I think you missed the point.

I traveled with my kids when they were younger (11 and 13 now), and at the first hint of trouble they were taken OUT of the dining room and spoken to if there was a problem.

 

There is no reason they should disrupt other passengers dining experience.

 

Nobody here feels that they are "above others." They simply do not want to deal with parents who refuse to teach their children proper dining room etiquette. It's not the fault of the kids if they're acting up, and it's the responsibility of the adults to minimize this.

 

Certainly there are always incidents of "worse behaviour with adults..." but that's not what is being discussed here: this is about parents who are inconsiderate to their fellow passengers and let their kids bother others.

 

Why must the comparison to "drunk adults" always be brought up when the topic turns to kids who aren't properly disciplined?

 

:rolleyes:

 

You made my point more eloquently than I could! :)

[TRadle]

Wow, what a sore spot for people. :eek:

The poster who pointed out the time difference has been drowned out here. That is a valid point that I had not considered. For many of those kids the late seating is dinner time not bed time. People should not make assumptions about other people’s schedules.

I also strongly disagree that the cruise line should make the first seating for children, for the reason pointed out above. I also select the first seating because I prefer to be out and about in the evening and not in the dining room at 10:30. Most people have preferences that have nothing to do with the number of children present. I would much rather be surrounded by cute children (and they do make noise) than snotty obnoxious adults.

As far as adult only options, there are cruise lines that cater to adults. While not being “adults only” they really don’t offer anything to entertain the young ones, so families choose lines such as RC that provide lots of children’s spaces and activities. So, if you really don’t want to see a precious child on a family vacation sail Celebrity, Radisson Seven Seas, or one of the other lines that do not cater to families.

[Rainbowdayz]

here is my take on this situation. When my DH and I go out to dinner and LEAVE our kids home, I refuse a table near other kids. I do not want to hear them whinning throughout dinner when I went out to have some peace away from my kids.

 

As far as cruising goes, we can not move tables. We just hope that the people next to us have respect for others around them and remove unruly children. This is no different than in a restuarant. Your unruly children should not take away the dining experience of others. It is the parents job to remove themselves with the child. To heck with I paid for my meal so I am entitled to staying. We do cruise with our kids, who are now 11 and 9.

We do eat at late seating. WE do eat at a small table so that our children do not diminish the dining experience of others who want to converse with Adults at dinner. We are losing out on this experience to mingle with other adults , but I feel they should not have to sit with my children. Now my kids are very well behaved and make no trouble. They do slouch a bit and they do giggle at times... but they are not loud and they do not run around. It is the parents job to monitor the kids in respect to others around them.

 

There would be no problem if everyone had your approach. You simply show consideration for others. How thoughtful. I'm sick to death of the "I paid and I'll do want I want" attitude. Also, children 11 and 9 are quite different from children under the age of 6 and with four of them at the table they just played off each other. Even the best behaved children tire at a late hour at such young ages while enduring a two hour dinner. I would have been bored out of my mind to sit through such a thing at 4 years of age. I felt sorry for the kids. It was the adults I wanted to hit over the head with a frying pan. Those kids were rags by the time they left the table every night. The baby was just a wreck. She didn't particularly like holding a bottle for two hours I guess......;)

[Rainbowdayz]

So, if you really don’t want to see a precious child on a family vacation sail Celebrity, Radisson Seven Seas, or one of the other lines that do not cater to families.

 

I don't know about Radisson but we've sailed Celebrity and Holland who do not "cater" to children but you will see plenty of them. Also, I didn't over look the poster who brought up the time change. I just don't agree with it. When we travel overseas, I adapt to their time. It would be impossible to do otherwise. If children are not of an age to do that, maybe they aren't ready for international travel? Just a thought........:rolleyes:

[It'sRC4ME]

I do like the idea up thread that they could group people travelling with children together in one area in the dining room. I've noticed that people travelling with kids seem to be a little more tolerant of "bad" kid behavior than the rest of us. Plus it might make it easier on the staff since all the high chairs, strollers, orders of chicken nuggets would be kept together in one section.