M
Mysterest
Guest
My wife and I vacationed on the Carnival Legend on Feb. 3 2008 to the Western Caribbean. We have been on 5 other cruises, mostly Princess and Royal Caribbean. In 2006, we were on the Crown Princess and we liked it so much, we did that same exact cruise, six months later. My older brother, who has cruised Carnival several times, recently took the Crown Princess cruise and came back saying that Carnival was much better than Princess.
We left from home and parked our car at JFK in NY. It was Super Bowl Sunday so there was no traffic that morning. The airport was mostly empty and everything was a breeze. The flight on Delta was a direct flight to Tampa, and getting from the airport to the pier was very organized and enjoyable. The lines were long but they moved quickly.
We were on the ship and went up to our room. We usually take an inside room because my wife cannot sleep if there is any light. The room was very small. Barely enough room to move around with our 3 suitcases in the room. The closets had hangers, but not enough of them. The bathroom was the same as every other ship we’ve been on, so we didn’t have a problem there. Our cabin steward was very good and kept the room tidy. We were disappointed there was no small refrigerator in our room. The brochure stated that all cabins had them. We were on Verandah deck which was quite. I liked that you were able to check your billing on the TV in the room.
We went to the Unicorn Café for lunch and I will say that the lunches on this ship were real good. There were always a variety of foods to choose from.
The pools on the ship we small compared to what we’ve experienced on the Crown Princess but similar to Royal Caribbean. You basically stand around in the water with other people standing around you. The pools are not made for swimming. The adult only pool had good music, but many smokers in the area.
We had the early seating for dinner, and found that to be a problem on the days we were not at sea. We would get off the ship in the morning, be out all day, and come back to the ship around 3 O’clock with an appetite. After eating that late in the afternoon, we weren’t hungry for dinner at six. We like flexible dinning but it wasn’t offered on the ship. On the nights we didn’t have main dinning, we found the buffet upstairs to a huge disappointment! There was only one type of meat offered with some sides. The only other choices were a grilled chicken breast or a hamburger. Usually, when we cruise, if you choose NOT to go to the main dinning room, the buffet has mostly the same menu. This ship did not, and that was one of the two things that made this our first and last cruise on the Carnival Legend.
The shows in the theatre were great. We really enjoyed the shows every night, especially the midnight comedy shows. The production shows were also wonderful. We normally avoid the casino because of all the smokers so I can’t say much about that, but it looked like a fine operation.
I was surprised at how many places on the ship that DID ALLOW SMOKING. Most of the bars allowed smoking and although the Firebird lounge was a non smoking venue, some people occasionally “snuck†a cigarette during the Karaoke shows.
The ports were all great, especially enjoyed Grand Cayman where we did the Stingray City tour with Captain Marvin. Paradise Beach on Cozumel had poor snorkeling but it was a nice beach. Food and drink at Paradise Beach was very reasonable. Belize was a rain out, so we just walked along and went into the shops. I was surprised to see that they sell prescription medications over the counter. The water at the dock area was very dirty and I was informed there were no beaches to be reached by taxi. Only boat excursions were available. I tried to get transportation to Goff’s Kay but was only offered boat tours to Kay Caulker which was more money. We just went back to the ship and stayed by the pool.
Roatan Island was what made this cruise all worth while. We hired a Taxi and went to Tabayana Beach/ West End. It was fantastic! The best snorkeling I’ve ever done! Very clean beach, even the water where the ship docked was crystal clear!
I am starting to believe that it is NOT the Cruise Line, but the individual ship that affects people’s decision on what their best cruise experience was. Also, it is important to realize other people’s priorities are a big factor in what they find to be enjoyable. My wife and I are more interested in the water activities and the entertainment. My brother’s focus is more food, midnight buffet, Ice Cream and shopping. Overall, I would say we did enjoy our vacation but I think we got spoiled by the bigger ship we were previously on and had high expectations for the trip.
Anyone who reads this is free to add their own impression, I welcome all comments.
We left from home and parked our car at JFK in NY. It was Super Bowl Sunday so there was no traffic that morning. The airport was mostly empty and everything was a breeze. The flight on Delta was a direct flight to Tampa, and getting from the airport to the pier was very organized and enjoyable. The lines were long but they moved quickly.
We were on the ship and went up to our room. We usually take an inside room because my wife cannot sleep if there is any light. The room was very small. Barely enough room to move around with our 3 suitcases in the room. The closets had hangers, but not enough of them. The bathroom was the same as every other ship we’ve been on, so we didn’t have a problem there. Our cabin steward was very good and kept the room tidy. We were disappointed there was no small refrigerator in our room. The brochure stated that all cabins had them. We were on Verandah deck which was quite. I liked that you were able to check your billing on the TV in the room.
We went to the Unicorn Café for lunch and I will say that the lunches on this ship were real good. There were always a variety of foods to choose from.
The pools on the ship we small compared to what we’ve experienced on the Crown Princess but similar to Royal Caribbean. You basically stand around in the water with other people standing around you. The pools are not made for swimming. The adult only pool had good music, but many smokers in the area.
We had the early seating for dinner, and found that to be a problem on the days we were not at sea. We would get off the ship in the morning, be out all day, and come back to the ship around 3 O’clock with an appetite. After eating that late in the afternoon, we weren’t hungry for dinner at six. We like flexible dinning but it wasn’t offered on the ship. On the nights we didn’t have main dinning, we found the buffet upstairs to a huge disappointment! There was only one type of meat offered with some sides. The only other choices were a grilled chicken breast or a hamburger. Usually, when we cruise, if you choose NOT to go to the main dinning room, the buffet has mostly the same menu. This ship did not, and that was one of the two things that made this our first and last cruise on the Carnival Legend.
The shows in the theatre were great. We really enjoyed the shows every night, especially the midnight comedy shows. The production shows were also wonderful. We normally avoid the casino because of all the smokers so I can’t say much about that, but it looked like a fine operation.
I was surprised at how many places on the ship that DID ALLOW SMOKING. Most of the bars allowed smoking and although the Firebird lounge was a non smoking venue, some people occasionally “snuck†a cigarette during the Karaoke shows.
The ports were all great, especially enjoyed Grand Cayman where we did the Stingray City tour with Captain Marvin. Paradise Beach on Cozumel had poor snorkeling but it was a nice beach. Food and drink at Paradise Beach was very reasonable. Belize was a rain out, so we just walked along and went into the shops. I was surprised to see that they sell prescription medications over the counter. The water at the dock area was very dirty and I was informed there were no beaches to be reached by taxi. Only boat excursions were available. I tried to get transportation to Goff’s Kay but was only offered boat tours to Kay Caulker which was more money. We just went back to the ship and stayed by the pool.
Roatan Island was what made this cruise all worth while. We hired a Taxi and went to Tabayana Beach/ West End. It was fantastic! The best snorkeling I’ve ever done! Very clean beach, even the water where the ship docked was crystal clear!
I am starting to believe that it is NOT the Cruise Line, but the individual ship that affects people’s decision on what their best cruise experience was. Also, it is important to realize other people’s priorities are a big factor in what they find to be enjoyable. My wife and I are more interested in the water activities and the entertainment. My brother’s focus is more food, midnight buffet, Ice Cream and shopping. Overall, I would say we did enjoy our vacation but I think we got spoiled by the bigger ship we were previously on and had high expectations for the trip.
Anyone who reads this is free to add their own impression, I welcome all comments.
