Legend Review!!!

[gman0119]

Ok, a little more!!! I have worked so stinking much since we got back that it is ridiculous, but I'll post more when I can!

 

There is always talk on these boards about getting alcohol on board... Well, I have a photo to show you what we brought. Before I show the photo though, I want to say publicly what I think of Carnival's policy about not looking through the checked bags. When you see the photo, you are going to think that I'm a serious alcoholic. Well, we brought back everything in the photo except one bottle of wine (which we could have brought anyway) and the small bottle of rum. It is a lot more convienent sometimes to just buy what's available. I will cruise Carnival as long as they keep this policy in place. I like to be prepared, but I end up not using most of it. Carnival still made plenty enough money off of me in alcohol!

 

So here is the photo of our stash...

 

 

:D

 

Ok, now on to other things! Here is one more photo of Tampa. Just before we got in to Tampa Bay, there is a little airport at the end of the land.

 

 

Since it is winter time, the sun sets a lot earlier, so by the time we got to the bridge, it was dark. We had to go up there, freeze our hineys off, and get a few photos!

 

 

 

 

Ok, so now we are on the boat, and the boat is moving... I'll post more later tonight, or tomorrow. Probably tomorrow...

[CMJFamily]

You know that can be concidered stalking :eek: LOL,

 

Did you know the Parrotheads will be on the ship I think I read March 15th 2009. You might want to look into that. They took over way too much of the ship last year, to many places off limits for thier parties. So glad we booked for February!!

 

Please don't tell me that! We are on the Legend March 15th. Ended up on a Parrothead cruise last March break and it drove us nuts!

[hockeyluver]

Please don't tell me that! We are on the Legend March 15th. Ended up on a Parrothead cruise last March break and it drove us nuts!

 

lol you must have been on the same cruise as us. I am so glad we are booked a month before them!!!! I hated how they closed so much off to the other passengers, hell we paid for the same cruise and didnt get to use alot of the area's. UGGG and dont get me started on thier congo through the promenade and casino deck.

[Codfish]

Loving your review and all the great pics! We are leaving in TWO WEEKS!!! and I can't wait!

 

Thanks!!!

[MrPete]

OK.

 

Where's the review? :confused:

[gman0119]

Ok, I finally have some time to sit down and do some typing. I'll try and get some of the review in.

 

First, a pointer for anyone going on a cruise. When you print out your luggage tags, get some clear packing tape, and tape them all the way around. Not just the ends. When our luggage got to our room, 3 out of 4 bags made it. We waited and waited for the 4th, since it was the big one that had the alcohol in it! At about 7PM, when we saw no more activity of luggage, I went to the purser's desk. I noticed next to it, there was a bunch of luggage. I looked through the pile, and noticed that none of it had tags on it. Mine was there, so I took it and hauled that heavy sucker up. What Carnival staff was doing was looking for name tags, and then looking up the rooms. That was a new piece of luggage for us, and like a dummy, I hadn't even put a name tag on it, so I'm glad we had the horse sense to go check down there.

 

Ok, now on to some review. I honestly fell in love with the Legend, and hope to sail it again, and as much as possible. The staff was very good. Our room attendants were great, and although it was a little unusual, they were scarce. We didn't see them much, but everything was always done to the usual perfection. Our waiter was fantastic, and like most, always remembered what we drank. I threw him off, by changing almost every night, so he kind of joked with me when I sat down and asked what I wanted.

 

There was one group of employees that seemed to have a small attitude... The bartenders. I always buy the soda card. I drink Diet Coke like there is no tomorrow, so it comes out a savings. Everytime I went for a Diet Coke, it was like it disappointed the bartenders, and they would get to it when they had nothing else to do. Some of the bars that are usually staffed with an adequate number of bartenders seemed to be shorthanded some of the time, like prime time. It often took a while to get served. I saw many of the "hawkers" who wait on you on the deck stand around for a while waiting to get the drinks they ordered, and sometimes even going behind the bars and assisting. I guess Carnival is feeling the economic crunch also, and may be trying to cut corners. Now one thing that ticks me off to a degree to where I plan on sending a letter to Carnival is a thing about the Soda Card. Since it is unlimited soda, anytime I want one, then I CAN'T STAND IT when a bartender says he can't fill the glass I bring!!!! I carry a 32oz. insulated mug. Since I am on the deck most of the time, a regular glass will have the ice melt in minutes. Some of the bartenders that had their head up their butts would refuse to pour a diet coke into my mug. They would say they were only allowed to fill a regular glass. I got so mad at a few of them, that I gave them a sermon on the water and soap they were wasting by having to wash the glass I was never going to drink from, and what that did to the ocean! Made a few of them think when I told them I was going to report them to the Environmental Officer. (No, I didn't plan on doing that...) Most of the bartenders have enough common sense to just fill the mug. Some of them even asked where I got it, because they wanted one like it! I guess there are always a few in every crowd...

 

Next, meals. We ate in the formal dining room every night. The food was great!!! I was never disappointed by the selection, or the quality. (I ended up eating 4 lobsters on lobster night!!) There was a night when I went in with blue jean shorts and a polo shirt, and never got noticed by anyone. On formal nights, I wore a suit. I never saw anybody "out of line".

 

One thing I really liked about the Legend. On the Conquest, I remember that on the Lido deck, the main buffet lines always had the same stuff, and then little windows had other ethnic food. On the Legend, all the lines have something different. I ate at most of them, and enjoyed them all. Now breakfast was the same at them, but lunch was different. Each one would have a special day, where they were like the feature for the day. Breakfast was plain ole stuff, but it never disappointed me. Scrambled eggs, meat, grits, oatmeal, bread, etc.

 

I brought my GPS with me, and had fun tracking us. The Legend can cook it up pretty good. When we left Tampa, and got in open water, we did about 25 MPH most of the way to Grand Cayman. Then, when we left there, we putted along at about 12-15 MPH for the short trip to Cozumel. They have it planned to a science. The highest MPH I saw was after leaving Roatan. We did 26-27 going into a strong north wind! We were close enough to Tampa to get to it on Saturday night, but the Captian knows where international waters are, so the casino can stay open!!!

 

Shore excursions: In Grand Cayman, we went to a hotel. I really can't remember the name of it. It is not advertised anywhere. It is just a place you can go, and the hotel lets you go by their pool. They have a beautiful pool, with water going down the rocks. Here is a photo -

 

 

Notice the big iguana on the top rock!!!

 

 

 

 

They also had a sit down, or swim up bar.

 

 

It was a really nice place to just take it easy, and enjoy the sun.

 

More in a few minutes...

[gman0119]

Ok, now for a little fun!!!

 

Since my wife is the love of my life, I have to brag and show her on the first formal night.

 

 

We had an extended balcony, and really enjoyed the extra space. We were on the Upper deck, so the only extended balconies were way up front. There were only a few rooms between us and Camp Carnival. I have to say that I was a little concerned about what the noise was going to be like, but it was never a problem. The rooms are insulated good enough that we were never bothered by the noise of kids, or anything else. I also learned something else, and it is just my opinion... I have been very prone to seasickness, ever since I had brain surgery. I have to wear the patch, and do everything I can to stay in good shape. I never had trouble in our room. As close as we were to the front, I thought it would get really rough, but to me, it didn't. We hung around the aft pool on the Lido deck the large majority of the time on the boat, and I had more trouble aft than forward. Interesting...

 

More to come...

[gman0119]

We met some great people on the cruise. Some of the faithful CC'ers came to a meet and greet on our first sea day. Here is a photo of some, and they can now all come and claim their spot in the photo!!!

 

 

 

Now the person besides my DW that I hung around with the most was Mr. Popsec. Outstanding man, a tremendous amount of fun, and did like to cut up. Here is the proof...

 

 

I bet Popsec is going to regret teaching me how to post photos!!!!!

Here is a photo of DW and the other 2 women. Moe, Larry, & Curly??? LOL

 

 

Ok, I'm going to call Popsec now and see if they are still speaking to me...

[gman0119]

Alright!!! I'm not on their s--- list!!!! It really is amazing how easy it is to find people who will be friends forever when you go on a cruise!

 

Ok, I covered Cayman. Our next stop was Cozumel. DW and I went to Nocho Comos (I think I butchered the spelling...) Beautiful place. It is one of the private beaches where all is included. Drinks, meal, beach, pool. You can rent waverunners, parasail, and other things. What I absolutely love about this place is that they limit how many people they book a day. It never gets overcrowded, like Playa Mia and some of the others. We got there kinda early, and were the only 2 guests there for a while. We loved it. More showed up later, but we never had our "space" invaded. Here is a photo of the beach area.

 

 

 

 

They also have a swim up bar, but being November, the water and the Carribean were too cold to swim.

 

 

 

I would definitely go back to this place. If you like to be a beach bum, I highly recommend it. If you are the life of the party, and have to have people around, consider another place. The staff was very friendly, and were eager to serve. The food was good, and they have their menu listed on their web site.

 

The only thing I don't really care for on Cozumel is the fact that the Taxis are a strong enough group, that they get their way. Resorts cannot offer transportation. A taxi ride to and from most of the private resorts are about $15 each way. You can still go cheaper than booking some of the ship excursions, but you have to be careful, or it could cost more.

 

The day we were on Cozumel, there were 5 other ships there. There were 2 on our dock. Makes you feel small when you walk between them...

 

 

DW in front of our home for the week!!!

 

 

 

The next day was Belize, and we did an ATV - Cavetubing combo. We booked with Cave-Tubing.com and I cannot say enough good about them. Our tour guide was fantastic. He often chewed us out for doing things for ourselves! He carried our tubes most of the way. Since we had gone ATV riding, our group was small, just 4 of us, so he had us by himself. The other tube lines had 2 guides, one front and one back. Our poor guy was by himself, and often would have to run from the back to the front. We were never in any danger, and he would kid around with DW, and make her paddle like crazy, then he would pull us where we needed to go. He got her a few times on that! We laughed and had a great time. His name is Joel, so if you book with them, try to get him. He is a descendant of the Mayans, and his knowledge of Belize history and nature is amazing! Another thing that really surprised me about this company is that they never tried to collect any money until we were on the bus returning to port. They are also not real demanding about tips, and don't hesitate to tell you that all the tips are totalled and shared. Joel was so good, I tried to give him some individually, but he actually refused! Not often you see that! He said, to just put it in with the rest! The ATV ride was a blast! Down here in my area of Louisiana, we have the same type of riding, so I was at home. It is trails through a forest. Lot of bumps, mud, and fun. You rarely get out of 1st or 2nd gear, but you still enjoy it! If I return to Belize, I will never hesitate to book with them again. They met us at the airport, got us to and from there with plenty of time. It was great too, that all during the day, they would keep asking guests what time it was, and then they would say how much longer it was until we would be at the port. No one ever doubted our time. They put us at ease. Since we were in mud and water, I didn't bring the camera. On the bus ride, they did give us a sample of Cashew wine. Here is a photo of our reaction to it!

 

 

They love taking pictures of people as they taste it!!! It really isn't bad though. We ended up buying some at the port.

 

Enough for tonight... My fingers are getting tired. I'll try and finish tomorrow evening when I get off work.

[hockeyluver]

Thank you, looking forward to reading and seeing more tomorrow.

[Chigirlcruzin]

Great review. I had Joel when I did cave-tubing.com in April. He IS great!

[Irishlinny]

I'm loving the review and pics...thank you Gman! We sailed the Legend last Nov & loved absolutely everything about the cruise...looking forward to sailing her again next fall. And it sounds like she is keeping up her good rep!

So funny when you posted the pic of the lobby...I thought, wow they must have changed things...I don't remember that. But when you corrected it to be the supper club that made sense, as we never went in there.

You mention the Carribbean was too cold to swim in in Nov, but I don't think that's standard. It was beautiful last November (but was a little rough when we went, so had to cancel some snorkeling:().

Look forward to more when you get the chance!:)

[Irishlinny]

Please don't tell me that! We are on the Legend March 15th. Ended up on a Parrothead cruise last March break and it drove us nuts!

Oh boy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here's a link to a site that shows all kinds of group gatherings, both for hotels and for cruises:( Sounds like this may be their annual time to cruise?

http://shoretrips.com/common/groups2.asp?grpsrch=GRPNAM

[popsec]

Hey, Glenn......I'm enjoying your review and pics...it's fun reliving the good times we had. Keep it coming! :D

[Santaa]

Legand departing Tampa :p

 

Muster Drill :D

 

View from the Bar

[gman0119]

Santaa, you have my respect!!! If I was at a bar watching the ship leave, I would either have to be too drunk to take the photo, or I would be so jealous, I wouldn't want to take the photo!!!!!

[gman0119]

Ok, here is my attempt to maybe end my review, but as always, I will be open to questions, remarks, etc.

 

Our final stop was at Roatan. Roatan is an interesting island. I am familiar with it due to the fact that my ex lives there. I know a lot about it. It had been about 5 years since I had been there, and I could not believe the growth that the island has seen. The only problem though, is that the infrastructure hasn't grown with the population and expansion. I think there will probably be more civil unrest there in the future, especially if the mainlanders keep sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. The people of Roatan vary. There are different "tribes" and factions there. They do get along when left alone, but if the mainlanders keep coming over, things are going to get weird.

 

We were scheduled to go on a zipline on Roatan. We got off the boat, went to the street, and waited... and waited. Some of the people there at the street were very helpful, and told us that the service we had contacted had not been there that day. We waited for about an hour, and gave up. There are not many places where I would feel comfortable standing on a public street for an hour. I will give that to Roatan. I talked to a couple of people that were trying to sell tours, or anything that anybody wanted. I respected them, and let them go after people and give their sales pitch, but for the entire hour, I never saw anyone get hassled after they said no. The sales people would say ok, and move to the next person. In between crowds of people coming off the boat, I would talk to them. Nice people, trying to make a living. That is becoming more and more difficult on Roatan. The rich are getting richer, and the poor poorer.

 

After our Zipline fell through (no pun intended...) we went and met our friends at Fins & Flippers. Absolutley beautiful place! The only thing I have to say is that I'm not sure the fee to get on the island is justified where it is. I know the place is new, and they have to pay bills, but you don't get anything for the money you pay to get there. Everything, i.e. food, drinks, etc. still costs after you pay the fee to get there.

 

I do have to respect some of what they are doing. They are becoming a habitat for wounded or neglected animals. They are expanding their cages as fast as possible. The American girl who greets everyone gave us a tour of the animals. I have plenty photos of the place, so stand by for a couple of posts of photos...

 

 

 

Here was me acting like a monkey...

 

 

 

Our group!!!!

 

 

 

A weird cactus that acts like Medusa's hair!!! It was even growing up the tree!!!

 

 

 

Ok, next post will be just some more photos.

[gman0119]

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Roatan, the closer we got to Tampa, the more depressed we got. I do have some other photos, and if you want to see them, I saved them on photobucket.com. Just search for my nickname: gman0119

 

There are more photos of Roatan, the port being built, towel animals, etc.

 

All in all, I will give Carnival a very good thumbs up for this trip. I think this boat, and its itenerary is a good match. The places you visit are similar enough to keep you in the same mood, and the ship is built to get you to so many places in such a short time. I really and truly fell in love with the Legend. I have already said what I didn't like, but the good outweighed the bad by a large margin. I will sail on that boat again the first chance I get!

 

I hope you have all enjoyed sharing my trip with me, and as I have said many times, please don't hesitate to ask questions, or post comments.

 

Later!

Glenn

[popsec]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review and pics.....great job!...especially since I know how busy you were this week:D

[Santaa]

gman0119 thanks yes we had several drinks however if you are at the same bar this Sunday I will tak your picture from my Balcony :D:D:D

[agusto1999]

Thank you for taking the time to review your trip. Newbies, like myself, appreciate it very much.

 

In Roatan, which Zipline tour did you book with? Since they were a no-show, this info will be helpful when making my zipline tour decisions.

 

Thanks again!

[gman0119]

I hesitate to mention the zipline name, because I have heard good reviews about it. I did contact them when I got back home, and found out that they fired 2 guys for us not getting picked up. The guys had lied, and said they couldn't park, due to construction, and couldn't find us, and I guess they went on their merry way for a while. When I told them how long we waited, they knew the guys were lying, and fired them. They were very apologetic, and to be quite honest, I would book with them again if I went back. They proved that they cared, and they also have the longest and highest lines on the island.

 

So with that said, I will mention their name. Pirates of the Carribean Ziplines. They do have their own website, but I can't remember exactly what it is.

[gman0119]

gman0119 thanks yes we had several drinks however if you are at the same bar this Sunday I will tak your picture from my Balcony :D:D:D

 

 

I won't be there, but raise a toast in a westward position, and I'll swear I saw you, all the way from Louisiana!!!! See, I'm giving you another reason to have another one!!! Have a great time!

[gman0119]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review and pics.....great job!...especially since I know how busy you were this week:D

 

 

You forgot an important part. Since you didn't take any photos, and didn't write anything when you got back, the least you could have done was post:

 

Yeah, what he said!!!

:D:D:D

[popsec]

You forgot an important part. Since you didn't take any photos, and didn't write anything when you got back, the least you could have done was post:

 

Yeah, what he said!!!

 

:D:D:D

 

Yeah, what he said!!!....'cept for the part abt the soda card since we don't drink the stuff :D