Carnival Legend Review Oct 21-28 - Very Long

[Ms Belvedere]

Great review...I don't know where my brain was. I wish I had realized you were headed out on the Legend. Michael was in the piano bar on your cruise. He is a truly nice guy. I am jealous!!!

BTW, here is a blog where you can keep up with what is going on with John!http://johnhealdsblog.com/2007/11/02/miami-nice/#more-1853

 

Thank you for that link, Linda. The music on the Legend was excellent all over the ship, you don't always have that. :)

[DonMar]

I'm a big guy myself and also was stuck on the slide(Miracle) in the first turn.....I even yelled up to the guy to turn up the water pressure LOL

 

On the third attempt another guy told me the secret..........lay flat feet first and as you go put pressure on your heels and shoulders arching your back lifting your rear off of the slide................I was like a freaking rocket!! one time I made it on to the stairs.

 

That's the way! DP and I had so much fun on the Legend slide. We were 8 years old again. We would laugh all the way down.

 

[sallyb]

Ms. Belvedere,

What did you do with your luggage while waiting for your flight at the airport hotel after the cruise? Did you just lug it around, or how early were you able to check it? I like this idea, since our flight out isn't until 3 pm and we've already seen the aquarium. A nice lunch by the pool sounds good. They don't mind you using the facilities even if you are not staying there?

Thanks,

Sally

[Ms Belvedere]

Ms. Belvedere,

What did you do with your luggage while waiting for your flight at the airport hotel after the cruise? Did you just lug it around, or how early were you able to check it? I like this idea, since our flight out isn't until 3 pm and we've already seen the aquarium. A nice lunch by the pool sounds good. They don't mind you using the facilities even if you are not staying there?

Thanks,

Sally

When we got to the airport it was still too early for us to check in at the Kiosk, it wouldn't allow us to check our luggage since the flight was later. We just went to the counter and they took our luggage there so we were free to wander around and headed straight for the Marriott. There was a seminar going on in the one ballroom but other than that we didn't see any hotel workers except at the snack bar which is inside but over closer to the pool. If you were not obvious, I know you could change in the restooms and use the pool. At a minumum you can sit by the pool and have lunch, it didn't even feel like being at an airport.

 

We went through security later and there was no line, best of all, we were not all tense and stressed out like everyone else that was sitting around us. :)

[sallyb]

Thanks for the info, we will go to the counter, then head for the hotel for a nice, relaxing lunch!

Sally

[Ms Belvedere]

Thanks for the info, we will go to the counter, then head for the hotel for a nice, relaxing lunch!

Sally

 

You'll love it, it's like an oasis in the middle of the airport!

[lulufuk]

Hi Miss B

My name is Lucia ,and I am from Slovakia , Europe.

couple days ago i was reading your letter about your cruise in Carnival Legend last year

your letter made big impression to me because you was writting about Remberto , head waiter from Guatemala.

You know i was working for Carnival crusie line 10 years ago and Remberto was my boyfriend for 1 year. He was my best boyfried in my life, i still have nice remerbering of him, he was the best

and i know was all the time very good server

I didnt see him since 2000, becuse in year 2000 i quit work for Carnival and i find some job in Europe

now i am in Europe and i plan to go for crusie for Carnival this year probably in September

Did you find some more information about Remberto during cruise in Carnival Legend

i dont know after his vacation if he is coming back to Legend or another ship.I really really wanna see him andits too difucult for me find out in which ship he is now

because i lost contact with him and i totally know nothing about him

Maybe you know some more info about him

Thanks for your answer lucia from Europe

take care dHote=Ms Belvedere;12234570]We drove to Hyatt in Dulles on Friday, 19 October, they have a park and fly package where you park for free for up to two weeks with a shuttle to and from the airport. The next day we headed to the airport and flew United to Tampa, it was a cattle call, horrible airline, but we were on vacation and didn’t mind too much! Got to Tampa and hailed a cab to the Grand Hyatt Tampa, 26.00 cab ride, tip is extra. We got the Grand Hyatt on Priceline for 66.00 and it was alright, we either had a 3 block walk to the Trolley or had to take a cab anywhere we wanted to go. We did find out later that there is a shuttle at the entrance by the front desk that will take you to Publix for $5.00. The Westin shuttle was in the Publix parking lot, too. Someone else buying beer and wine before the cruise? We bought salads and san

 

Next day was cruise day and we were ready! Took the shuttle to the port at 10:20 for $7.00, another couple went with us and we talked to them along the way. Turns out they were first time cruisers and we saw them frequently during the cruise. We were on the ship by 11:00 and touring around, a few weddings were taking place and the guests were there along with the usual crowd of Travel Agents wandering around.

 

After snacking on some Asian food we headed to our room, they weren’t finished cleaning them yet but our room was ready and we talked to our steward, Ketut, and dropped our bags. We had an 8A and were bumped to an extended balcony on the Verandah deck, 7200 by our excellent PVP. Very good location, close to stairs, elevators, center of the ship and the laundry was nearby. Ketut was an excellent Room Steward and we tried to make his job easier by keeping things up and out of the way.

 

A few weeks ago I read a review where someone had Remberto for a Head Waiter, I knew it had to be the same Remberto who was our Assistant Waiter 11 years ago on our first cruise, Celebration. I brought a picture of him along and wanted to give it to him so we headed back to Lido to ask if anyone knew him, of course they knew him! A great guy, just like he was back when we first met him, BUT, he got off the ship two weeks ago for his vacation. :( We were very disappointed but it gave the Lido deck staff something to talk about, I told them about how Remberto used to dance the Forbidden Dance and they said they loved to work with him. I really hope that we’re lucky enough to see him on a future cruise and am thankful that someone posted his name, I would never have guessed he was still working for Carnival.

 

I’ll try to cut to the highlights now since we did the things that all cruisers do, looked for our dining room table, went to the casino and walked up and down halls looking into the rooms to see what the suites and aft balconies looked like. We had a drink in the atrium and watched people coming on board, it rained for sail-away and began to rain again as we went under the bridge but we still stood on deck and watched.

 

At dinner we had Donavan, Head Waiter, and Alex, his assistant. Donavan was not much fun and Alex was trying, but over all, we’ve had better servers. Donavan sort of tossed our utensils on the table between courses, like you’d do with a piece of lint you just pulled out of your pocket. DH asked for butter for his baked potato and Donavan just pointed at the little dish we’re given for rolls and without saying a word, walked on to the next table. :eek: Honest to God, we are some of the easiest going people you’ve ever come across and we laughed about it since it’s such a far cry from how servers usually treat you on a cruise. We wondered what the other tables thought about him but let it go and enjoyed our meals.

 

I noticed that either Donavan brought me the smallest lobster he could find in the kitchen or the lobsters are getting smaller, I swear mine was only about 4 oz. It was okay, I always over eat and it was just enough to enjoy without getting too full, but if you want a lot of lobster, be prepared. Maybe ask your waiter to bring you the biggest he/she can find.

 

For the evening entertainment we went to Satchmos to hear Music Network, they were excellent, and many people were up dancing when they played. We saw some officers come in, too. so they must know where the good bands are playing. The officers were drinking Miami Vices. The music all over the ship was very good to excellent, David who plays bass in the orchestra stopped to talk to us one day and said that Carnival is cutting back on their music, others have reported that on Cruise Critic already. He said they’re going to try to go to a 5 piece orchestra, cut out the bass section and use canned music to fill in. The final decision will be made at a Board Meeting in December.

 

The casino didn’t pay squat all week, I asked the singer at the bar to sing Johnny Cash’s "Burning Ring of Fire" in honor of my losses. Even that didn’t change my luck, but towards the end of the cruise I did hit for $200.00 and paid the S&S down, it ended up being $453.00. We had the internet on the bill, about 35.00, along with a 90.00 + tip shave for DH and a 65.00 + tip pedicure for moi. Neither one of us would do it again but it was fun to try the Spa services. DH said for the price he’d rather have a massage next time.

 

On Friday there is an Internet Extravaganza where you bring your receipts from Bingo, the Spa, Shore Excursions or the Gift Shop and they'll double your internet minutes in the internet cafe. So wait until Friday and then do the By-the-Minute and you'll get twice as much time on the net. Keep in mind it's a slow connection, like a dial up. The details will be in the Capers so keep an eye out for it.

 

Deck 10 above the main pool area had seating available both days at sea up until about 10:00 am, then it filled up quickly. Bring clothes pins to hold your towels to your deck chair. We saw kids in the hot tubs, kids occasionally dove into the pools, children ran around other pax with no parent reigning them in. But there were no serious injuries and we ignored it for the most part.

 

The slide looks bigger on this ship but it didn’t work very well, even when I swung around the bar at the top to propel down I still got hung up after about the second turn and had to push myself to keep going. Now I’m not a big person but there’s something wrong with that – LOL. I had to ask one of the kids what the trick is, she said you have to swing around the bar to get going fast, then lean back on your back and pull your knees up to your chin through the first few turns, then stretch out long with your arms above your head for the rest of the ride. I was laughing out loud and she was, too. Good times! :D

 

Hot dogs are always delicious and the fries, deli sandwiches and pizza are just as good as we remembered. The salad bar didn’t have a lot of variety but there is plenty of food to keep everyone happy. They have egg white omelettes in the morning.

 

There were never any long lines anywhere on the ship, the sign on the purser’s desk said the ship was full but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Many, many first time cruisers and it was fun to talk to them and hear what they thought of the cruise. No obnoxious drunks, no running in the halls at night and we liked that there was a very wide range of ages on board. We had breakfast in the dining room twice, once for the Belgian waffles and once for the Eggs Benedict. Guess who our server was the first time? Kheeeee, yep. :rolleyes: We wondered if anyone has ever brought a bottle of Champagne or Asti Spumante to breakfast and asked for a pitcher of orange juice to make Mimosas?

 

One night we went to the Golden Fleece for drinks and to see if they offer any food at the bar, maybe Beluga Caviar, a shrimp cocktail, or some little chef’s delight, anything? But no, the waiter said he’d ask the chef (I guess he has total control up there) if we could have Beluga Caviar but I told him no, we were just asking. I’d be willing to pay for a little bit of something different at the supper club if you could sit at the bar and nibble, the music there is always very good. So DH had a glass of port and I had a glass of wine. The same Officers we saw in Satchmos were having dinner, it was late in the evening and the singer was just swaying back and forth smiling while her partner played the guitar or keyboard. Very civilized.

 

On the last day we stayed on the ship, in the Lido area people watching and just relaxing. No one kicked us out and we stayed until about a quarter till 10:00 before they announced that everyone had to be off the ship. We took a taxi to the Crown Plaza, 25.00, we had a free night and they offer a free shuttle to the airport. They also took us to the Bradentown Town Mall and we walked around there for a while, ate at the Cheesecake Factory then called the shuttle to pick us up.

 

The next day we headed to the airport to begin a long day of sitting around waiting for a delayed flight to take us back to Dulles. Now here’s a tip. If you ever find yourself in the Tampa Airport with a long delay or wait, head to the Airport Marriott right there in the terminal. They have beautiful, comfortable furniture with nice views to sit and read either inside or outside. Walk past the front desk and keep going, it’s a large oval that goes past the Ballrooms and meeting rooms, very nice restrooms and there’s even a pool that you could change in the restroom and go out and use. There was one family using the pool and hot tub. They also have a snack bar with sandwiches for 6.50 and Chicken Caesar salads for 7.00, the best buy was a large container of fruit for 3.00. You can take it out by the pool and eat, for hotel/airport food it was very good. This is a good tip for either the Orlando and Miami airports, too. We always look for the hotel in the airport for comfortable waiting rather than sitting in those hard seats out with the masses. Orlando has big screen TVs and nice sofas, just ride the escalator to the second floor.

 

I won’t get into what we did in port, this is long enough, but overall we’d sail this same itinerary tomorrow if we had the time. The ship is beautiful and clean, nice people working on her, great food we always enjoy, and we had a Fun Relaxing Cruise! Tomorrow is unpacking and laundry day, then restocking the bags for our next vacation. ;)

If anyone has any questions, I’ll gladly try to answer them.

Ms B

[lulufuk]

Hi Miss B

my name is Lucia and I am from Slovakia

i was reading your letter couple days ago, about your cruise in Legend and made big impression on me because u was writting about Remberto from Guatemala , head waiter

U know i used to work for Carnival 10 years ago in Celebration ship and Remberto was my boyfriend for 1 year

he was my best boyfriend i had in my life and i still miss him so much

i quit work for Carnival in year 2000 and since this time i didnt see remberto anymore in my life

i lost contact with him

and i was so happy i find your letter and info Remberto is still working for Carnival

He was in Legend but now maybe u find out if he is still there after his vacation

You know we paln to go on the cruise with my friends in september and i will be very happy if i will see Remberto again after very long time

but i dont know in which ship he is now

If u have some more information about him please answer me i will very appreciate

i just wanna see him so much , i really wanna see him

my email luciahal@yahoo.com

thansks

thansks take care lucia from slovakia

if u have some pictures of him please send me i will be very happy

We drove to Hyatt in Dulles on Friday, 19 October, they have a park and fly package where you park for free for up to two weeks with a shuttle to and from the airport. The next day we headed to the airport and flew United to Tampa, it was a cattle call, horrible airline, but we were on vacation and didn’t mind too much! Got to Tampa and hailed a cab to the Grand Hyatt Tampa, 26.00 cab ride, tip is extra. We got the Grand Hyatt on Priceline for 66.00 and it was alright, we either had a 3 block walk to the Trolley or had to take a cab anywhere we wanted to go. We did find out later that there is a shuttle at the entrance by the front desk that will take you to Publix for $5.00. The Westin shuttle was in the Publix parking lot, too. Someone else buying beer and wine before the cruise? We bought salads and sandwiches and took them back to the hotel, up to the pool and had dinner, with wine, under the stars. Very different and surprisingly romantic. :)

 

Next day was cruise day and we were ready! Took the shuttle to the port at 10:20 for $7.00, another couple went with us and we talked to them along the way. Turns out they were first time cruisers and we saw them frequently during the cruise. We were on the ship by 11:00 and touring around, a few weddings were taking place and the guests were there along with the usual crowd of Travel Agents wandering around.

 

After snacking on some Asian food we headed to our room, they weren’t finished cleaning them yet but our room was ready and we talked to our steward, Ketut, and dropped our bags. We had an 8A and were bumped to an extended balcony on the Verandah deck, 7200 by our excellent PVP. Very good location, close to stairs, elevators, center of the ship and the laundry was nearby. Ketut was an excellent Room Steward and we tried to make his job easier by keeping things up and out of the way.

 

A few weeks ago I read a review where someone had Remberto for a Head Waiter, I knew it had to be the same Remberto who was our Assistant Waiter 11 years ago on our first cruise, Celebration. I brought a picture of him along and wanted to give it to him so we headed back to Lido to ask if anyone knew him, of course they knew him! A great guy, just like he was back when we first met him, BUT, he got off the ship two weeks ago for his vacation. :( We were very disappointed but it gave the Lido deck staff something to talk about, I told them about how Remberto used to dance the Forbidden Dance and they said they loved to work with him. I really hope that we’re lucky enough to see him on a future cruise and am thankful that someone posted his name, I would never have guessed he was still working for Carnival.

 

I’ll try to cut to the highlights now since we did the things that all cruisers do, looked for our dining room table, went to the casino and walked up and down halls looking into the rooms to see what the suites and aft balconies looked like. We had a drink in the atrium and watched people coming on board, it rained for sail-away and began to rain again as we went under the bridge but we still stood on deck and watched.

 

At dinner we had Donavan, Head Waiter, and Alex, his assistant. Donavan was not much fun and Alex was trying, but over all, we’ve had better servers. Donavan sort of tossed our utensils on the table between courses, like you’d do with a piece of lint you just pulled out of your pocket. DH asked for butter for his baked potato and Donavan just pointed at the little dish we’re given for rolls and without saying a word, walked on to the next table. :eek: Honest to God, we are some of the easiest going people you’ve ever come across and we laughed about it since it’s such a far cry from how servers usually treat you on a cruise. We wondered what the other tables thought about him but let it go and enjoyed our meals.

 

I noticed that either Donavan brought me the smallest lobster he could find in the kitchen or the lobsters are getting smaller, I swear mine was only about 4 oz. It was okay, I always over eat and it was just enough to enjoy without getting too full, but if you want a lot of lobster, be prepared. Maybe ask your waiter to bring you the biggest he/she can find.

 

For the evening entertainment we went to Satchmos to hear Music Network, they were excellent, and many people were up dancing when they played. We saw some officers come in, too. so they must know where the good bands are playing. The officers were drinking Miami Vices. The music all over the ship was very good to excellent, David who plays bass in the orchestra stopped to talk to us one day and said that Carnival is cutting back on their music, others have reported that on Cruise Critic already. He said they’re going to try to go to a 5 piece orchestra, cut out the bass section and use canned music to fill in. The final decision will be made at a Board Meeting in December.

 

The casino didn’t pay squat all week, I asked the singer at the bar to sing Johnny Cash’s "Burning Ring of Fire" in honor of my losses. Even that didn’t change my luck, but towards the end of the cruise I did hit for $200.00 and paid the S&S down, it ended up being $453.00. We had the internet on the bill, about 35.00, along with a 90.00 + tip shave for DH and a 65.00 + tip pedicure for moi. Neither one of us would do it again but it was fun to try the Spa services. DH said for the price he’d rather have a massage next time.

 

On Friday there is an Internet Extravaganza where you bring your receipts from Bingo, the Spa, Shore Excursions or the Gift Shop and they'll double your internet minutes in the internet cafe. So wait until Friday and then do the By-the-Minute and you'll get twice as much time on the net. Keep in mind it's a slow connection, like a dial up. The details will be in the Capers so keep an eye out for it.

 

Deck 10 above the main pool area had seating available both days at sea up until about 10:00 am, then it filled up quickly. Bring clothes pins to hold your towels to your deck chair. We saw kids in the hot tubs, kids occasionally dove into the pools, children ran around other pax with no parent reigning them in. But there were no serious injuries and we ignored it for the most part.

 

The slide looks bigger on this ship but it didn’t work very well, even when I swung around the bar at the top to propel down I still got hung up after about the second turn and had to push myself to keep going. Now I’m not a big person but there’s something wrong with that – LOL. I had to ask one of the kids what the trick is, she said you have to swing around the bar to get going fast, then lean back on your back and pull your knees up to your chin through the first few turns, then stretch out long with your arms above your head for the rest of the ride. I was laughing out loud and she was, too. Good times! :D

 

Hot dogs are always delicious and the fries, deli sandwiches and pizza are just as good as we remembered. The salad bar didn’t have a lot of variety but there is plenty of food to keep everyone happy. They have egg white omelettes in the morning.

 

There were never any long lines anywhere on the ship, the sign on the purser’s desk said the ship was full but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Many, many first time cruisers and it was fun to talk to them and hear what they thought of the cruise. No obnoxious drunks, no running in the halls at night and we liked that there was a very wide range of ages on board. We had breakfast in the dining room twice, once for the Belgian waffles and once for the Eggs Benedict. Guess who our server was the first time? Kheeeee, yep. :rolleyes: We wondered if anyone has ever brought a bottle of Champagne or Asti Spumante to breakfast and asked for a pitcher of orange juice to make Mimosas?

 

One night we went to the Golden Fleece for drinks and to see if they offer any food at the bar, maybe Beluga Caviar, a shrimp cocktail, or some little chef’s delight, anything? But no, the waiter said he’d ask the chef (I guess he has total control up there) if we could have Beluga Caviar but I told him no, we were just asking. I’d be willing to pay for a little bit of something different at the supper club if you could sit at the bar and nibble, the music there is always very good. So DH had a glass of port and I had a glass of wine. The same Officers we saw in Satchmos were having dinner, it was late in the evening and the singer was just swaying back and forth smiling while her partner played the guitar or keyboard. Very civilized.

 

On the last day we stayed on the ship, in the Lido area people watching and just relaxing. No one kicked us out and we stayed until about a quarter till 10:00 before they announced that everyone had to be off the ship. We took a taxi to the Crown Plaza, 25.00, we had a free night and they offer a free shuttle to the airport. They also took us to the Bradentown Town Mall and we walked around there for a while, ate at the Cheesecake Factory then called the shuttle to pick us up.

 

The next day we headed to the airport to begin a long day of sitting around waiting for a delayed flight to take us back to Dulles. Now here’s a tip. If you ever find yourself in the Tampa Airport with a long delay or wait, head to the Airport Marriott right there in the terminal. They have beautiful, comfortable furniture with nice views to sit and read either inside or outside. Walk past the front desk and keep going, it’s a large oval that goes past the Ballrooms and meeting rooms, very nice restrooms and there’s even a pool that you could change in the restroom and go out and use. There was one family using the pool and hot tub. They also have a snack bar with sandwiches for 6.50 and Chicken Caesar salads for 7.00, the best buy was a large container of fruit for 3.00. You can take it out by the pool and eat, for hotel/airport food it was very good. This is a good tip for either the Orlando and Miami airports, too. We always look for the hotel in the airport for comfortable waiting rather than sitting in those hard seats out with the masses. Orlando has big screen TVs and nice sofas, just ride the escalator to the second floor.

 

I won’t get into what we did in port, this is long enough, but overall we’d sail this same itinerary tomorrow if we had the time. The ship is beautiful and clean, nice people working on her, great food we always enjoy, and we had a Fun Relaxing Cruise! Tomorrow is unpacking and laundry day, then restocking the bags for our next vacation. ;)

If anyone has any questions, I’ll gladly try to answer them.

Ms B

[qprrules]

Cheers for the review:cool: Only 20 months to go:eek: ...LOL