Legend Review 7/12/09 by a Newbie

[lancenjulie]

DH and I were on the Miracle this past January and went to both Belize and Roatan. Two of our most favorite ports ever! We used and outside vendor for both excursions - Cave Tubing in Belize (absolutely breath-taking) and in Roatan we had a private tour of the island along with a boat ride through the mangroves and then a stop at an iguana farm. Our guide, Anthony, gave us a lot of history and information on the island...but one thing he stressed is how much they love the "Amercians". They very much value our visits to their country and go way out of their way to make sure our safety is priority one! Go and enjoy!

[katiel53]

Thanks so much for your review. We are not first time cruisers by any means, but I loved how thorough your review is. We haven't been on Legend, so really appreciated all your info.

 

I am hoping that we have as good a time as you did when we sail in April 2010. Thanks again for the great review.

[CrusieToy]

We are planning on the 12/20/09 out of Tampa and cannot wait

[ScottsSweetie]

Howdy, neighbor! Thanks for the review - looking forward to the Legend.

[KimberleyFL]

Thanks for the great review! Which restaurant has anytime dining? We're going on the Legend in January.:)

 

Your dining (anytime, traditional early, or traditional late) and the dining room will be on your sail and sign card when you check in on the first day.

[popcorngal]

Thanks for the great review! Which restaurant has anytime dining? We're going on the Legend in January.:)

 

The Legend only has one dining room and from what I hear, the anytime dining is done on the upper level.

 

What date are you going on the Legend Tabitha? We're going on the 17th, our fourth time on the Legend. Can you tell we love that ship??:D

 

Thanks for the great review Mont! Just makes the anticipation all that much greater...

[winakork]

Great review! Thanks for writing! We too are leaving in 2 weeks for the Legend's Western Caribbean circuit. We have all excursions locked and loaded. Can't wait to go.:)

[speedster]

The Legend only has one dining room and from what I hear, the anytime dining is done on the upper level.

 

What date are you going on the Legend Tabitha? We're going on the 17th, our fourth time on the Legend. Can you tell we love that ship??:D

 

Thanks for the great review Mont! Just makes the anticipation all that much greater...

 

 

Correct, there is one main dining room, with two floors. A portion of the second floor (level 3 on the ship) is designated for anytime diners.

[Cathy p]

WONDERFUL REVIEW! We will be on the Ledgen in October and you make it even more exciting. Thank you for taking the time and now you are no longer a newbie!:D

[Mrs.Vanus]

We board the Legend THIS Sunday for our honeymoon cruise. This is an excellent review and is greatly appreciated! We are sooooo excited to board that ship!:D

[carncruiser1964]

Great review - very informative, even for those that aren't newbies. We are leaving on the Legend on August 16th. My husband & I actually drove to the port of Tampa the day that you left (July 12th) just to watch the ship leave.

We are possibly interested in the cave tubing in Belize, but a little concerned about the outside venders and also I would like to see more pictures and a pretty detailed review of the excursion because I'm clastrophobic and not sure if I could handle the caves and the darkness (from what I've heard). Although we have heard that it is absolutely incredible.

Anyone out there that can accomodate would be greatly appreciated.

[klmorg]

I thank you for the review as well! Quick tender question... it sounds like you DON'T need a tender ticket for Grand Cayman, but you DO need to get a tender ticket for Belize, right? And everyone in your party must be there to get the tender tickets? Thanks!!

[MontTheDonk]

Thanks all for the kind comments. After reading and using this board to get information before the trip - I felt I needed to give back.

 

You only need to get tender tickets for Belize because the ship anchors so far from the dock - and then only if you want to get in there early. If you wait until the "rush" is over - you don't need a ticket - just walk on.

[xtandt]

I will be also on the Legend this Sunday. Thank you for the review. I am getting more excited with every passing day. thanks again

[marshhawk]

:rolleyes:Thank you so much for your review. I'm not sailing the Legend until next year, but am extremely excited. You answered a lot of questions that I didn't even know I had. Thanks, neighbor!

[gman0119]

Great review - very informative, even for those that aren't newbies. We are leaving on the Legend on August 16th. My husband & I actually drove to the port of Tampa the day that you left (July 12th) just to watch the ship leave.

We are possibly interested in the cave tubing in Belize, but a little concerned about the outside venders and also I would like to see more pictures and a pretty detailed review of the excursion because I'm clastrophobic and not sure if I could handle the caves and the darkness (from what I've heard). Although we have heard that it is absolutely incredible.

Anyone out there that can accomodate would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

My DW is also claustraphobic, and had no trouble at all with the cave tubing. The caves are very large. There is only one time where they tell you to turn off your headlight to see how dark total darkness is. 99.9% of the time, you can see around you and know what is going on.

 

I highly recommend cave-tubing.com Their attention to the customer was outstanding, and their sense of humor was great. Made you feel very comfortable.

[gman0119]

Great review - very informative, even for those that aren't newbies. We are leaving on the Legend on August 16th. My husband & I actually drove to the port of Tampa the day that you left (July 12th) just to watch the ship leave.

We are possibly interested in the cave tubing in Belize, but a little concerned about the outside venders and also I would like to see more pictures and a pretty detailed review of the excursion because I'm clastrophobic and not sure if I could handle the caves and the darkness (from what I've heard). Although we have heard that it is absolutely incredible.

Anyone out there that can accomodate would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Forgot the other part... To meet cave-tubing staff, we did leave the port building, but were not hassled by outsiders at all. There were plenty of cops around. The port has a nice shopping area, so that only vendors with government permission are there. I DO NOT recommend "going on your own" on Belize. Not worth the risk. Get a tour guide whom you have heard about, and stick to them. For cave tubing, it is a pretty long bus ride, and the guides are great about giving you some history lessons as you go through the city. Never felt at risk on our tours.

[carncruiser1964]

Forgot the other part... To meet cave-tubing staff, we did leave the port building, but were not hassled by outsiders at all. There were plenty of cops around. The port has a nice shopping area, so that only vendors with government permission are there. I DO NOT recommend "going on your own" on Belize. Not worth the risk. Get a tour guide whom you have heard about, and stick to them. For cave tubing, it is a pretty long bus ride, and the guides are great about giving you some history lessons as you go through the city. Never felt at risk on our tours.

 

Thanks for the info. Was the bus airconditioned? We will check into it.

[UF G8R]

My DH and I were on this same cruise too and I thought it was great. We have cruised before on older, smaller ships with short itenararies: Fascination, Fantasy, Majesty of the Seas X2, and last year we did the Coral Princess to Alaska. We also had a balcony, on upper deck. And we also drove from ATL.

 

Before you go, check out Bern's Steakhouse online. We saw it on FoodTV and made a reservation and we were glad we did. While it is priced similarly to other upscale steakhouses, there are lots of sides that come with the steak. It was a good value and a lovely evening.

 

We made a reservation with Hampton Inn in Ybor City but all of their parking was taken up with a local event and they agreed to release us from our reservation. We saw the Weston Harbor from afar, drove over to it, and stayed there for 115 including parking. It was a beautiful room with a view.

 

I agree with main poster on everything. Food was great. The main economy I noted was that in the past they had New York Strip on the menu every night and now it was the Flat Iron steak that you could choose every night. We did the anytime dining because we prefer to have a table for two and we only had a 15 minute wait one night. We actually did sit in the same area almost every night and did get to know the wait staff. Slobadan, the bar waiter, brought us our favorites every night. I thought that Jen was terrific. She wasnt pushy or obnoxious, just lively and energetic. Really added to the whole experience. We are not big on the singing and dancing shows but the comedians were great. They had a real orchestra in the theater and they were fabulous too.

 

I had read on this board that the captains party with free drinks was being phased out but there were actually two nights on this ship with free drinks and hor dourves. First was the captains party and second was the return cruisers party. While they distributed tickets there was noone checking tickets at the door. There was an amusing and interesting Carnival Trivia contest.

 

In the carribbean, I find that all ports are identical unless you plan an excusrion outside of the port. We have a tradition, we take a photo in front of the Diamonds International in every single port. In Roatan we did a Carnival excursion: semi submursable and city tour. Since we dont scuba or snorkle it was a great way to see under the water. With all charges it was 144$ for the two of us. SoSo value but for me the biologist on board telling us what we were seeing mad it worth the price.

 

I brought a little alcohol on board. I put two 12 oz bottles of tonic in my big bag and one was filled with gin. On the first night I bought two bottles of gin (31$ for TWO LITERS of Bombay Saphire) and was entered into a raffel the next day. It was a miricle that my DH remembered and I went to the shop in time to hear my cabin called! I won 4 bottles of Absolut!

 

I really want to take my adult DD's on a cruise, with their significant others, but getting everyone's schedule sync'd is a real challenge. If I am able to get it together, I may choose carnival just for the chocolate melting cake! We had it every night and I know my family would be wild about it.

[cruisinsly]

Great review. We are going to be on this ship in January, and I cant wait. Enjoyed reading all about it.

[2plus2]

Unbelievable! I have been reading and reading about the Legend and I would have to say that 98-99% of the posts I read say mostly positive things about this ship. This is great because we're there in March 2010. So looking forward to it.