Legend Cruisers - Exotic Western Caribbean

[dansu]

From what I have been able to find out on the CCL website, next week the Legend switches to their biweekly cruise schedule of the Exotic Western Caribbean, which includes Panama, Costa Rica and Belize.

 

My hubby and I are taking our 1st cruise, for our 25th Anniversary , on the Legend in January 2007, and have been waiting anxiously for a review of this cruise, as the last reviews posted on CC were last spring.

 

Anxiously awaiting your reviews...Ship...Excursions...Shopping in port....things you enjoyed, and those you didn't.

 

Bon Voyage :)

 

Suzi

[zebramatie1]

We set sail on the Legend Nov 16th for Thanksgiving. We will be glad to let you know how it goes. There are 22 of us going , all different age groups, so we should have some info for you. Less than 3 weeks away, YEAH!!!!

[iluvcruisingtoo]

We cruise on the legend (panama, costa rica and belize) on Dec 18th. We will let you know how it was when we get back...:)

[dansu]

THANKS....I'll watch for your reviews.

[yst347]

We sailed this itinerary in January 2005. Though our group was a bit dubious about the ports it turned out to be one our of very favorite cruises. :D

 

You can view our pictures here:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/497949607xiYMXX

[SueSea]

Since you can find plenty of reviews regarding the ship, I'll limit my comments to the ports. My sister, her son, and I did this itinerary specifically because it stopped in Panama. My sister was stationed there in the Army when she was pregnant with my nephew, so we were delighted to have the opportunity to visit Colon so my nephew could see where he spent the first 7 months of his life. ;) We docked in Colon and our plan was to take a cab around to see where my sister used to live and go see the Miraflores locks, then on to the Free Zone for the best shopping my sister has ever done. Since we had an ex-resident with us who is fluent in Spanish, we didn't have any qualms about going off on our own. The day before we arrived in port, however, we learned that we would be in Panama on their Mother's Day and the Free Zone was closed.

 

When we arrived in port and went out on our balcony to take pictures, we found it was as wickedly humid as my sister had warned us it would be. It took a while for our cameras to unfog. When we got off the ship, we saw where a man was guided people to taxis. We asked for an English-speaking driver and we were told, no problem. We got into the taxi we were directed to, and found our driver spoke no English. Since my sister could translate, we didn't insist on another cab. He drove us to the Miraflores locks and waited while we watched a ship go through. I had studied the Canal and knowing its history, I found it fascinating. Then we drove to where my sister used to live. Afterwards, our driver told us that he knew of someone who rescued animals and that he would take us to see them. The man had monkeys and other animals that he found wounded and nursed back to health. He did not charge us for the visit, but we left a small donation since the animals looked very healthy. Had I not been with someone who lived in the area for some time, I don't think I would have taken the taxi driver up on his offer, though. A note - if you plan to rent a car and drive through the jungle to the Pacific side, it is a common ploy for policemen (PDF) to pull you over and threaten you with a ticket when they are really looking for a bribe. My sister said it happened all the time.

 

In Costa Rica we took a canopy tour through the rain forest, purchased through the ship. The drive took a while, and you will see people living in extreme poverty. The scenery in the canopy tour was stunning, but we didn't see much wild life.

 

We did the Shark Ray Alley in Belize. After snorkeling, they dropped us in San Pedro for lunch and to walk around the town. Again we saw people in extreme poverty. We liked this itinerary because it was much different than the ports we've called at, and it gave us insight as to just how tough people in those countries have it. This itinerary is not for people who are expecting tourist resorts like St. Thomas or Cozumel. Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize are Developing countries. While I feel everyone should experience them, not everyone will want to.

[LizaMM]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!

 

I will be on the 11/16 sailing (w/ ZebraMatie...Hi there!!) and I will DEFINETLY be writing a review when I return and will put photos up on webshots.

[dansu]

Still anxiously awaiting your reviews...Ship...Excursions...Shopping in port....things you enjoyed, and those you didn't.