Soon to be new cruiser!!

[Sandal-ette]

My husband and I are new to cruising, but have heard that RCCL is a nice cruise line to start with. We are interested in going on the Legend of the Seas ship, cruising from Tampa to Georgetown, Costa Maya, Belize, Cozumel, and back to Tampa in Feb of '07. I was wondering if anyone had been on this particular cruise before? If so how is the weather that time of year? How is the ship? And finally, how is Tampa to get in and out of for cruising?:confused: Sorry for all the questions, but being new to all this, I'm just checking things out. Thanks for your time....

 

Sandal-ette

[foneguy]

the only bad thing is you will be in george town for a short time, but you will love it there, all the places you are going to are awsome!!! we did the same iteniary last feb on grand princess, this march will be our first time w/ rccl, and we have heared nothing but good things, as for just the vacation you will be spoiled. if i may, in cozumel get lunch at pancho's backyard.....and in costa maya, if you like seafood,....get the lobster burrito........yum:D:D

[Sandal-ette]

the only bad thing is you will be in george town for a short time, but you will love it there, all the places you are going to are awsome!!! we did the same iteniary last feb on grand princess, this march will be our first time w/ rccl, and we have heared nothing but good things, as for just the vacation you will be spoiled. if i may, in cozumel get lunch at pancho's backyard.....and in costa maya, if you like seafood,....get the lobster burrito........yum:D:D

Thank you so much!! And thanks for the lunch spots. It's always great to get helpful hints when you are going to be in another country!!:) We are very excited and can't wait!!

 

Sandal-ette

[Philly Steve]

February is a great time for a cruise! I recommend the river tubing experience in Belize. :)

[bouhunter]

Can't help with Tampa, but as for the weather:

 

Of course Florida is hard to predict in January-February. Most likely in the 70's but it could be 60's or 80's. Once you're in the Caribbean the forecast is always the same:

 

"Low-mid 80's, chance of rain."

 

I want to be a weatherman in the Caribbean, they can just program that same forecast every day for months:D Odds are it will be warm and sunny most of the time, with an occasional rain shower. Of course there are always exceptions. When we were in Labadee last February it rained, HARD, ALL DAY:rolleyes:

[barbaragrace]

I'm just checking things out. Thanks for your time....

 

Sandal-ette

Did you know that once you have a balcony cabin, you ALWAYS have a balcony??

Enjoy!

[Nurse Daybreak]

Congratulations on booking your first cruise. I really don't know about going out of Tampa, but we did Grandeur out of NOLA a few years ago and once we were in the gulf the weather was fantastic (NOLA was cool/cold and rainy) . The week we were traveling the US was having an unprecedented cold snap and we were swimming with the stingray's and snorkeling:D . We always cruise the end of January/early February as school is not out (less kids, cheaper prices) and by then we need to get away from snow and ice.

 

If you can afford a balcony then do go for it. My favorite part of the day is sitting on the balcony having coffee and dainish from room service. I personally would do any balcony stateroom, but DH is now so spoiled we only do JS's. It is true that once you go up a category it's hard to go back....I'm flexible but DH isn't. Whatever cabin you decide on is sure to be smaller than you would expect as ship cabins aren't comparable with hotel rooms, but the ship is better than any resort I've been to. And no matter if you book an inside on the lowest deck or a JS on the top deck the room stewards treat you with the same excellant service.

 

Get ready to become addicted. I can think of no other vacation I would like to do. :D

[KillaFee]

We did the Grandeur (same as Legend pretty much) out of Tampa and it was the easiest port to leave out of EVER!!! We jumped out of the cab, unloaded our luggage, stopped at the desk w/Seapass info and literally walked straight on this ship. All less than 5 minutes - I was in shock! No lines, no waiting, and I understand it was like this all day. We were parked right by the Legend and we left at the same time. If you click on my link to Grandeur pics you can see pics of the Legend during our sailaway, she was right behind us!

We are from Connecticut and ours was only a 5 day so we stayed in Clearwater Beach, FL for two days before the cruise. It was a blast and is only about 20 minutes from the port. We rented a car and drove to all the Islands that are connected by bridges off of Clearwater, and went to many fantastic restaurants recommended by fellow Cruise Critic members. Our hotel was very inexpensive and probably the best location of all of them. Again, if you click on my link you can see pics from pre-cruise in Clearwater. Any more questions ask away! You're gonna love cruising!!!!

Laura

[Sandal-ette]

Thank you for all your input!! And thank you Laura for your Pics of the Legend, I now know exactly where I want to stay!!:) I'm getting really excited now!! I'm sure you all will hear more questions from me as cruise time gets closer!! Thanks again!

 

Sandal-ette

[aldewitt]

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe there in Grand Cayman, and there is a nice camera shop right off the pier. We bought a nice Pentax there a few years ago. Had a ball down there.

[foneguy]

just remember when dining in mexico.....if you ask for HOT salsa.....you get HOT salsa.......my mouth is still numb!!!lol:eek:

[forpaws]

My husband and I are new to cruising, but have heard that RCCL is a nice cruise line to start with. We are interested in going on the Legend of the Seas ship, cruising from Tampa to Georgetown, Costa Maya, Belize, Cozumel, and back to Tampa in Feb of '07. I was wondering if anyone had been on this particular cruise before? If so how is the weather that time of year? How is the ship? And finally, how is Tampa to get in and out of for cruising?:confused: Sorry for all the questions, but being new to all this, I'm just checking things out. Thanks for your time....

 

Sandal-ette

 

I feel it my duty to warn you that if you try it once, you'll be ADDICTED like many of the rest of us!!!! :)

[RDeagazio]

Being an ex-resident of Tampa. I can tell you the weather in Feb might be a bit chilly the day of departure, especially when the sun goes down. Once you wake the following morning and for the rest of your cruise, you can expect warm (sometimes hot), humid weather with lots of sun!! The last day at sea may be very windy and as you get closer to Tampa it will get cooler.

 

One thing not to miss is when the ship sails under the Skyway Bridge-- this happens about 2 hrs after sailing, and the best place to be is all the way forward on the highest deck. The ship will only clear the bridge by about 5 feet-- look up at the mast and funnel as they pass under the bridge-- it's amazing. Sometimes the Capt. will sound the ships horn several times as he passes under, which is cool, but I can't believe that would be allowed since I know if I were driving across that bridge at the same time, I'd have had a heart attack and wrecked-- LOL.

 

You will love RCCL, this ship and itinerary. I have pics of all the Legends cabins and public rooms if you want a sneak peak.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/rdeagazio

[Chuck & Q Express]

[B]Did you know that once you have a balcony cabin, you ALWAYS have a balcony??[/b]

 

You are absolutely right BarbaraGrace once you go balcony there is no going back. We are hooked for the rest of our cruising lives!

[Sandal-ette]

Thanks so much Bob for the pictures of the Legends Ship!! I'm even more excited now. We booked on Sun, and my parents and their friends are booking today. The more the merrier!! Now if I can just figure this tendering business out, I'll be doing good:)

 

Sandal-ette

[imatarb]

We did this exact itinerary aboard the Legend almost a year ago and it was PERFECT. I love the Western itinerary. You won't be sorry...

 

If I can answer specific questions, please let me know!

[Momeof3]

Congrats on booking your first cruise, you will definately be hooked. Like others have posted book a balcony, I wouldnt cruise without it. I have to post my story for you dont worry its not that long.

 

I tried to get DH to go on a cruise 14 yrs ago for our honeymoon and his quote was "you will never get me on a ship in the middle of the ocean.....ever hear of the Titanic?" Well, with a little help from my neighbors and them wanting to go we finally booked one, which was April 06. After 14 years of pushing for a cruise vacation with DH he finally agreed. So, I booked us all and by the 2nd day on board DH was saying that as soon as we get home we are booking the next one! Well, we have 74 days left to wait and everyone is getting antsy. This will be my 5th cruise and DH as well as the neighbors 2nd, we also have a single friend who has agreed to go with us, this will be his 1st.

 

Be prepared you will be booking again!!!!!!:D :D :D

[Sandal-ette]

We did this exact itinerary aboard the Legend almost a year ago and it was PERFECT. I love the Western itinerary. You won't be sorry...

 

If I can answer specific questions, please let me know!

Thanks so much Lisa!! Actually I do have a ? or 2. I think the thing I most am perplexed about is the best way to be tendered off the ship in a timely manner. I know I can book my shore excursions with RCCL, but I have checked on other Legend reviews, and found the places where I can book directly from at a much better rate. But I'm afraid if I haven't booked from RCCL that they won't tender us off as quickly. Any ideas?? So far I know that we are thinking of going to Xcaret in Cozumel, snorkeling and swimming with the sting rays in Grand Cayman, the ruins in Costa Maya, and the river tubing in Belize. Any better suggestions?? I appreciate everyone's input. I am just too excited. We just booked and my husband is already talking about another cruise on the Princess line! YIPPEE!!:)

 

Sandal-ette

[Cruiser052]

My husband and I started cruising in Feb. 05 on RCCL. We absolutely fell in love with cruising and have only booked on RCCL. No interest as of yet to "jump ship" ;) We have found no reason to try other lines. We went on the Enchantment to Cozumel, Belize, etc. the weather was picture perfect and we have a lot of great memories from that 1st cruise. In Cozumel we did the snorkeling and Playa Mia beach break - so, so much fun and the crew on the tour boat were absolutely superb and in Belize - we took the Myan Ruins excursion to Altun Ha. A long ride, but we found it interesting and worth it. Again, the tour guide on our bus was an archeologist student and very passionate about the ruins/history. Hope this helps some. Enjoy your cruise. I hope you get hooked as well. :cool:

 

Cruiser052

[sdear]

to suffer from PCD !! :eek: I know it sounds scary, but there is help for it !!

 

(PCD = post cruise depression )

 

Treatment is simple.......BOOK ANOTHER CRUISE ONBOARD !! :D

 

You will have a ball......and study this site.....go to the ports section.....tips section...you will learn so much here from the members..we sure did !

 

Have a great cruise :)

 

Sue

[Sandal-ette]

Thanks so much for the info!! I heard that you can get a good deal, or some kind of bonus points to use on your next cruise if you do book on board. Do you know if this is true? We have been getting flurries here, so I am ready to go now!! It never fails, we get our 1st burst of cold weather, and I'm looking for our hot spot to go to for our anniversary at the end of Feb. Last year we went to the Sandals in St. Lucia. Now that was awesome! I expect this to be fabulous also.

Sandal-ette

[samtig]

Our routine in Cozumel is take a cab to Paradise Beach ($12-$15 each way, no admission at beach, $8 for extra beach activities, great food & margueritas - they have a web site), then go to Panchos Backyard & walk back toward the ship shopping. Take cab back to ship when tired. A very fantastic day! Be prepared to become addicted. Have a great cruise!