Review: Legend 05/11/08 - 05/18/08

[KenMo]

This was my 9th cruise, the 8th cruise for DH (Kenny)...all with Carnival. This was our first cruise on a Spirit class ship.

 

Here's my review....FWIW. If you have any questions, ask away. I'll answer the best I can!

 

Precruise:

We flew non-stop from MCI to TPA on SWA. Flight was uneventful.

 

We stayed at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel Saturday night. I got the hotel on Hotwire for $92.02 including tax. We arrived at the hotel before the official check-in time, so our room wasn't ready. She gave us another room which was a king w/water view. The room rates were posted in the bathroom and apparently ours went for $389 per night. The room and hotel were very nice, but I didn't see anything worth paying the full rate for.

 

The hotel has a shuttle that will take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius. There is a Publix nearby, so we took the shuttle there and bought our sodas to take on board.

 

 

Also, the hotel is non-smoking.

 

Embarkation:

 

We took the shuttle to the port, arriving shortly after 10:30am. Check-in was quick and easy. We didn't start boarding until after noon. We were on board and eating by 12:30pm.

 

I think they were having some kind of issue with the previous cruise. I heard the Carnival employee, who was checking in VIP's, tell a guest that they were running about 1/2 hour behind. Never heard why.

 

We had our luggage by 2:30pm.

 

Oh...almost forgot! I had 3 12 packs of soda in my carry-on. I've never put them in a carry-on before, but I thought it would make DH less stressed if he didn't have to lug them around outside the carry-on for me!

 

So....the carry-on goes through the scanner and the screener makes a big production of my bag needing to be checked. She took my bag in a nearby room, opened it, saw it was soda, and away I went. I played dumb and asked if they thought there was a weapon because of all the metal. Nope, she said. They thought it might be alcohol. I didn't tell her that I know alcohol needs to be in checked luggage (which made it safe and sound to my cabin)!

 

We went to the MD and had our 6 top changed to a table for 2.....no problem!

 

Cabin:

 

We had balcony cabin #4183 (Main deck, starboard). No compaints about the cabin.....good location, not too far from the midships elevators.

 

There were two chairs and a little table on the balcony. One of the chairs reclined. I liked the fact that the chairs had the mesh material instead of the plastic.

 

Our cabin steward was Lawrence of Nicaragua and his assistant, Evandi. They did a great job for us! First time I had my cooler filled with ice everyday without having to hunt the cabin steward down or leaving a note everyday.

 

I've usually had trouble getting my cooler iced, so on Monday I left my cooler on the table in the cabin with a note so he couldn't miss it. Well....the cooler fell over and water was all over the carpet. We came back to the cabin and they had a machine going to dry the carpet out. Sorry, again, Lawrence! (Extra tip for him....he was sooo nice about it!) From now on, my cooler stays in the bathroom! The purser's desk also called to make sure the carpet was okay. I told her everything was fine and it was totally my fault....didn't want Lawrence to have any trouble!

 

The Ship:

 

Okay.....this was my first Spirit class and I have to say I'm not in love with it. I had a heck of a time finding our cabin! The hallways are not straight....you have to make lots of turns. Just really confusing for me. By midweek I was getting the hang of it. If I just could have stayed on another week, I would have had it down pat!

 

The bars/lounges are spread out over two decks. The karaoke was on Riveria deck, forward....by itself. I prefer the Conquest class, where just about everything is on one deck....makes it seem like there is more happening.

 

I did like the adult only pool/hot tub area. That was nice. There are ice cream/yogurt stations back there. I thought it would overrun with kids, but not so. I did happen to glance around once and saw two kids quietly sitting at a table eating their ice cream.

 

Food:

 

Lots of the food places weren't marked. The Deli did have a sign, but otherwise you had to get close enough to see what was being served, rather than just looking for a sign. Seems like there were 3 stations port and 3 starboard.

 

If you want an omelette, don't let the sign fool you.....it's not cooked to order. You'll get it with the ingredients he feels like putting in. I ordered mine with no tomatoes. I saw the tomatoes in it, asked if that was mine...I don't want tomatoes. He informed me there was just a "little bit". I had to pick out the tomatoes and bell peppers (which I also did not order).

 

The hamburger grill is outside by the midships pool. Bring a tray with you...there are none at that station. For the life of me, can't figure out why they would not have trays there.

 

I love the hot chocolate....but on this ship, it was like drinking warm water the first night. It did improve the second or third day. I was wondering if they were trying to cut costs by not putting in much chocolate.

 

Dining room food was wonderful! No complaints at all! Our dining team was Edy and Imade.....they were wonderful!

 

We went to the Supper Club Friday night (the second formal night). Service and food were wonderful, as usual. My only little complaint was this: at other supper clubs, they bring out three butters....garlic, plain, and, I think, paprika. This time it was plain butter, some kind of tomato concotion (here we go with the tomatoes again!) and some kind of eggplant concotion. I was sooo looking forward to the garlic butter. Don't know if this is just on Legend or if the other ships are doing this, too. I'm a simple girl.....I like butter on my bread.

 

Oh....I had made my Supper Club reservation online, but never received confirmation. I checked on this onboard and they did have my reservation.

 

On my last cruise I ordered the Open Faced Shrimp Salad Sandwich on French Roll for the first time......loved it! Sooo looking forward to it on this cruise. Grab the room service menu.....yep, they still have it......great! So I ordered it. I got my Open Faced Shrimp Salad Sandwich on.......English muffin??? What's up with that?? Not quite the same. I ordered it again a couple of days later to see if it was a fluke. No fluke. That's how you'll get 'em from now on, I guess. Maybe the English muffins are less expensive than French rolls.

 

So....there were a couple of little food issues for me. But, believe me, I did not starve to death!

 

Entertainment:

 

We went to "Paris Hot". Pretty dull show. I would have got up and left, only Kenny likes to see the shows, so I sat through it. Found out later he didn't care for it, either.

 

"Take II" was much better. We both enjoyed it.

 

There were two main woman singers and two main men singers. I don't know what it was....maybe because the women had such strong voices, but when they sang it would about blow you out of the theatre.

 

Saw the hypnotist's main show. We laughed our butts off! Went to his midnight adult show. Didn't seem as funny to me, but still enjoyable. Seemed like about half of the show was him putting them under. I wish he would have put on a little longer show.

 

We went to the Legends show. It was one of the better Legends shows I've seen. Even "Elton John", who had the words to "Crocodile Rock" written on his hands, and couldn't get it right, was funny! Got to see fellow CC member, LHP, do Cher. I applaud anyone who gets up there to sing....I wouldn't do it!

 

I went to the casino once. Won a little bit and lost it.....of course!

 

I'll be back with the ports.....getting tired of typing....lol!

[tinkerbell_82]

I concur about Linda- fantastic job as Cher!!!:D

 

Thanks for the review so far. I'm working on one too.:)

[crusinpsychRN]

Oh, we want pictures of LHP as Cher!

 

Did you ask room service for a roll instead of English muffin?

[KenMo]

Oh, we want pictures of LHP as Cher!

 

Did you ask room service for a roll instead of English muffin?

 

I didn't get pictures of Linda.....no flash photography and mine flashes...dang! Maybe someone else got pictures....I hope so!

 

Nope....didn't ask for a roll. The menu said French roll, so that's what I was expecting. I didn't want to bother them with sending it back (if they did have rolls). Was a little disappointing, but still tasty!

[LHP]

Hey folks!!!

 

We did have a blast....and yes, I was Cher.

 

They gave us a free DVD, so I will see if I can download it on You Tube and post a link here.

 

Normally, guests do not do Cher. It is usually the Assistant Cruise Director.

But Brad (the ACD) was tripped on the cruise by a kid and tore his ACL in his knee. It was all bandaged up and it looks like he will need surgery.

 

Anyway, he asked if I would do Cher, since I have done the shows as other artists many times and knew the routine. Of course, I jumped at the chance!!

 

But it had to be kept a secret (sorry to anyone I lied to about not being in the show this time). Not even my husband knew until I walked out on that stage!!!

 

We had a blast!!!!!!

 

Josh (ricky martin) is my son. This was the first time he has ever done anything like that.

[phinfan63]

Hey Linda. Be sure to post the link if you get it on the youtube. Sounds like ya'll had another wonderful cruise :)

[KenMo]

Grand Cayman:

 

We did Nativeways Rays, Reef and Rum Point. We used them last year and had a great time. They have a stop at the rays, a snorkel stop at the reef and on to Rum Point Beach for lunch. Drinks are on your own and beware....it's Cayman Dollars!

 

Seems like they are getting so popular (thanks to these boards!) and along with the other excursions going to the sting rays....it's getting more and more crowed out there.

 

I love Rum Point Beach. Looks like Carnival has discovered it, too. They now have an excursion that goes there. The Carnival excursion arrived just before us.....I heard one of the waitresses say they had 120 people on that boat. I think there were about 14 or so on ours. So the beach experience was not as private as I remembered from last year.

 

The evil side of me got a kick out of watching the sticker shocked faces when the Carnival group was ordering lunch and drinks!

 

I'll be back to GC in September with my mother. I want her to see the rays. Don't know yet if I'll use Nativeways again or look into another company. After that.....it's 7-Mile Beach for me or making it a sea day! (Unless I cruise again with someone who hasn't seen the rays.)

 

Just checked the price difference between Nativeways and Carnival. The Nativeways excursion was $55 pp and includes lunch. The Carnival excursion that goes to Rum Point is $57...no snorkel stop at the reef and does not include lunch.

 

Cozumel:

 

We went to Nachi Cocum for the first time. This is the place for me!

 

Food and and open bar is included in the price. The food was delicious. Kenny said it was the best fajitas he's ever had. And they don't skimp on the food. We both had nachos for an appetizer, Kenny had the fruit plate. For the main course, I had the fried tacos and Kenny had the Chicken and Beef Fajitas. We didn't order dessert.....couldn't cram in another bite!

 

You can get a lounger and umbrella on the beach or a lounger at the pool. You can go back and forth between the two if you like.

 

They also have a hot tub. It said for "Adults Only". There was a family there with 2 or 3 kids who were in the hot tub. I wondered why they didn't ask them to leave, but I wasn't going in there anyway.

 

I will definately be going back here in the future!

 

Belize:

 

We went cave tubing with cave-tubing.com. The cave tubing was the most boring excursion I've ever done. In all fairness, the water was low. I would recommend going during or shortly after the rainy season. I think it would be much better then.

 

We had to walk for about 1/2 hour. By the time we arrived, the cool water felt really good!

 

Like Nativeways.....this excursion is getting more and more popular and it was fairly crowded. We were all linked together. At times we were at a complete standstill and the rest of the time.....barely moving.

 

Definately do "butts up". You could feel the tube bouncing along the rocks at the extra shallow parts. They really had to work to get everyone over the rocks.

 

At times I was almost asleep. One of the guides asked me "Mommie, are you awake?" "Almost asleep.....are we there yet?"

 

When I saw the stopping point up ahead, we just unlinked and walked the rest of the way.

 

Now the fun begins!!!

 

We're all getting on the bus to go back to the port. I could hear him trying to start the bus.....it's not turning over. I knew the bus was not going to start. It was sweltering in there with no AC.....I wanted off the bus. But everyone keeps piling on. Finally, the guide says the bus is not going to start....everyone off. We have to wait for a replacement.

 

About 15-20 minutes later, the replacement shows up. Of course, it doesn't have enough fuel to get back to the port and they have no money! So.....we made a stop along the highway, where they apparently knew someone, and they got some money. (Looking back....I don't know why I didn't think of it at the time, but I would have paid for the cost of my excursion so they wouldn't have had to stop to get money.) Then, of course, another stop to get fuel.

 

There was great concern about getting back to the port for the last tender. Harry, the driver, was going like a bat out of hell to get back to the port. He was cutting every corner he could to get us back. The gas station was on the other side of the road. No problem. Get to the opposite shoulder of the highway against oncoming traffic....drive down the shoulder to get to the gas station. Yeehaw!!!!

 

We were passing other vehicles and could see oncoming traffic ahead. He had the pedal to the metal.....as fast as that rickety bus could go!!

 

Once back in Belize City, we took short cuts to get to the pier. We were driving down very narrow streets with vehicles parked on either side and people walking and riding bikes....seemed like there was inches to spare on either side of the bus. Harry honking the horn trying to get people to move out of the way.

 

Well....we made it back with minutes to spare!! Thanks for the ride guys!!! That was exciting and made the whole excursion worth it!!!

 

Roatan:

 

Here we went to Fins and Flippers.....another piece of paradise we will return to. There is a beach area and a pool. We stayed at the pool and loved it!

 

Food and drinks are on your own....but very reasonably priced.

 

Fins and Flippers is owned by Anthony's Key Dive Resort. It is a very beautiful place. Just walk a few blocks to the dock and a boat will take you to the short ride to the island. Go into the gift shop and pay $20pp + tax. All that's left to do is enjoy!!!

 

The boat that takes you back and forth runs about every 1/2 hour. But if the boat's not there when you're ready to leave, the gift shop will get in touch with the boat and it will come back for you.

 

I'll be back with debarkation and misc items.....tired of typing again!!

[KruznKel]

Mona thanks for the great review.. you hit on 2 ports I was looking for info on.. Nachi.. and F'nF's.. would love to see pics of both if you have.. thanks again :)

[KenMo]

Mona thanks for the great review.. you hit on 2 ports I was looking for info on.. Nachi.. and F'nF's.. would love to see pics of both if you have.. thanks again :)

 

Yes, I have pictures of both. I'll get them downloaded in the next day or two. I'm slightly computer challenged so it takes me a little bit with the pix!

[KruznKel]

Yes, I have pictures of both. I'll get them downloaded in the next day or two. I'm slightly computer challenged so it takes me a little bit with the pix!

 

LOL tis OK.. will wait.. again thanks for the review.. ;)

[tinkerbell_82]

Oh, we want pictures of LHP as Cher!

 

 

I got one with her!! I'll have to post it tonight. She looks fantastic!!! :D

[KenMo]

Josh (ricky martin) is my son. This was the first time he has ever done anything like that.

 

Josh did a good job as Ricky Martin.....he knew how to shake his booty!!!

[Carnival Game]

We had a cute energetic "Ricky Martin" on the Victory.

[LHP]

David and Josh did Cave-tubing with them as well. They got back to the port about 2:15. Tina and Ryan were with them. They had a good time but also wished the water had been higher. Those guides really had to work to pull them through those caves.

 

They were in the very first group to head out and get back.

 

 

I tried to post this to You Tube, but I am obviously not doing something right because it keeps failing. I am not very computer savvey.....

[LHP]

Josh did a good job as Ricky Martin.....he knew how to shake his booty!!!

 

It's genetic!!! :D

[LHP]

BTW, we had a great Cruise Critic group. Loved meeting all of you and a HUGE THANKS to Ronnie and Susan for coordinating everything!!!!

[KenMo]

Debarkation:

 

We had Zone 17 luggage tags. We were off the ship around 9:30ish. Easy getting off.

 

We had a late flight. As we were coming down the escalator, I saw a sign about luggage storage.

 

Just go out the doors, go to the left once outside to the door on the other side of the phone booths. You can store your luggage there.

 

It was $7 to store luggage. They had a shuttle to the airport for $9pp. We also bought tickets for the Aquarium there for around $17pp. I don't recall the exact price but it was $1.95 cheaper than it would have been to buy them at the Aquarium. There were also tickets to other sites in the area at discounted prices.

 

We toured the Aquarium....it was okay, but I think geared more towards children.

 

After we were done there, we walked over to Channelside Mall. We got something to eat and watched a movie.

 

Made for a long day, but it was nice to have something close by to do to kill some time.

 

We had a non-stop flight from TPA to MCI on SWA. What a bumpy ride that was.....I'm not a good flyer so I white-knuckled it til it smoothed out.

 

This was the first time I've flown SWA since the new boarding procedures. I like it a lot better. No more trying to be the first in line at the A section and sitting on the floor for two hours.

 

Security:

 

Pretty much non-existant.....no surprise there! There were several babies with swimmies in the midships and forward pool.....yuck. There was a security guy standing by the bar, looking right at the pool and he did nothing. When I walked by him I told him about the babies in the pool....he had a blank look on his face.....like I was speaking a foreign language....lol! He still did nothing. Later on, I went to my cabin to get another Pepsi (I tell you that just so you know I didn't make a trip to my cabin only to make trouble) and called the purser. I asked if swimmies were allowed now....for all I know they could have been, so I wanted to double check. She said absolutely not! Well, I said.....they're in the pools. By the time I got back to my lounger a different security guy made his way to the pool and told the moms the babies couldn't be in there.

 

That was the first Sea Day. Don't know if they stayed out the second Sea Day.....I was at the Aft Pool so I don't know what was going on at the other pools.

 

Tendering:

 

Didn't have any problems getting off the ship when I needed to. I met my independent excursions with time to spare.

 

If I've forgotten anything, I'll post.....my mind is kinda blank right now. I came home with terrible head congestion and a sore throat. No....I don't think I got it from anyone on the ship....I think it was coming in and out of the AC all week....finally caught up with me!

[chandom]

I just wanted to add two observations about debarkation. We were in group 17 as well so I am not sure if this applied to the earlier groups or not.

 

Number one was the porters had to wait in line with everybody else, no line by passing using a porter. The other one was the Customs person seamed to be more concerned about the declaration slip then showing proof of citizenship. The guy never asked to look at our passports.

[KelSug]

Hi everyone,

Loved reading your posts today. I am bummed that I missed meeting everyone.

 

I definitely will have a review of our trip especially since we did things that others didn't.

 

I had a blast and my youngest son Brian was asleep, so my husband took my older son Nathan to the Legends show....all they could talk about was Cher and Britney Spears...so Lynne, if you can post the link after you get it uploaded to YouTube...I would be so happy! I am so bummed that I missed it.

 

I will see if I can post my kids dancing from the Kids Party part of the Voyage Video.

 

Does anyone recognize them? I wonder if I may have met some of you during the trip...a random hello...have a nice day?

 

Kelly

[KenMo]

About the the "rockiness"....I thought this trip was rocky more days than any other cruise I've been on. But it wasn't bad.....I liked it! I don't know if it had anything to do with the size of the ship or stabilizers, but it did seem a little rockier.

 

Kenny and I both commented that the seas seemed more choppy while we were sitting out on the balcony....maybe that had something to do with it.

 

We had a great cruise.....like I said, I'm not wild about the Spirit class but would do it again! But if I were to do this route again, I think I'd choose Valor. Just my personal preference!

 

Sorry for not going to the M&G....I thought I'd just rest for a few minutes before I went. Next thing I knew, it was almost 6. I had to get up on the higher deck to get pictures going under the bridge. Man.....it was windy up there. That's where the putt-putt golf is. I don't think that would have been much fun with all the wind.

[KelSug]

Debarkation:

 

 

Security:

 

Pretty much non-existant.....no surprise there! There were several babies with swimmies in the midships and forward pool.....yuck. There was a security guy standing by the bar, looking right at the pool and he did nothing. When I walked by him I told him about the babies in the pool....he had a blank look on his face.....like I was speaking a foreign language....lol! He still did nothing. Later on, I went to my cabin to get another Pepsi (I tell you that just so you know I didn't make a trip to my cabin only to make trouble) and called the purser. I asked if swimmies were allowed now....for all I know they could have been, so I wanted to double check. She said absolutely not! Well, I said.....they're in the pools. By the time I got back to my lounger a different security guy made his way to the pool and told the moms the babies couldn't be in there.

 

That was the first Sea Day. Don't know if they stayed out the second Sea Day.....I was at the Aft Pool so I don't know what was going on at the other pools.

 

 

Mona,

About security. I hardly saw them all week. That stinks that they were lax on the swimmies thing. We had no worries since our youngest was potty trained (finally!) about 60 days before sailing! On Saturday, they sure were there if someone had a drink in the deepest part of the pools.

 

We were in the activity pool area most of the time, but ventured back to the Aft pool a few times for some frozen yogurt!

 

Kelly

[KenMo]

I just wanted to add two observations about debarkation. We were in group 17 as well so I am not sure if this applied to the earlier groups or not.

 

Number one was the porters had to wait in line with everybody else, no line by passing using a porter. The other one was the Customs person seamed to be more concerned about the declaration slip then showing proof of citizenship. The guy never asked to look at our passports.

 

Yes....I noticed this as well. Porters waiting in line with everyone else. Not running you over like in Miami...lol!

 

We handed the Customs guy our passports and declaration forms together....he barely gave them a glance.

[chandom]

Freedom cruise back in Nov 2007 the porters had to wait in line as well. Plus customs in Miami looked like they logged every person getting off. In our case they scanned the code portion of our passports.

 

Another 2 cents I wanted to add...

Karaoke and the late dinner seating do not mix.

[KenMo]

Mona,

About security. I hardly saw them all week. That stinks that they were lax on the swimmies thing. We had no worries since our youngest was potty trained (finally!) about 60 days before sailing! On Saturday, they sure were there if someone had a drink in the deepest part of the pools.

 

We were in the activity pool area most of the time, but ventured back to the Aft pool a few times for some frozen yogurt!

 

Kelly

 

Yes....that's what I couldn't understand. They were right on top of getting the drinking people out of the pool, who were right next to the swimmies!

 

At the aft pool on Saturday.....lots of people in there with drinks. Up until around 2 it was fairly quiet back there. After 2, it was really crowded in the pool.....most people with drinks. I had been out there since about 8am so it was time for me to go!

[KelSug]

The Ship:

 

I did like the adult only pool/hot tub area. That was nice. There are ice cream/yogurt stations back there. I thought it would overrun with kids, but not so. I did happen to glance around once and saw two kids quietly sitting at a table eating their ice cream.

 

 

Saw the hypnotist's main show. We laughed our butts off! Went to his midnight adult show. Didn't seem as funny to me, but still enjoyable. Seemed like about half of the show was him putting them under. I wish he would have put on a little longer show.

 

 

Perhaps, you saw my two boys quietly eating their yogurt. We would go back there at times during the week to sit in the shade out back, enjoy the back of the boat and eat our yogurt. That would be funny if it was us. :-)

 

I loved the hypnotist show. Did you go to the early or late show? We went to the early one.

 

Kelly