Tutontow

My premier cruise on the Legend was absolutely fantastic. Here is a cut and paste of a review I did and posted in the Carnival forum.

This was a Premier Cruise on the Carnival Legend. A Premier Cruise is one where they invite certain gamblers to special cruises with special perks for those gamblers. I cannot stress enough, if you get one of these offers do it at least once. It is sooooo worth it.

We live thirty minutes from the port of Tampa so the ride over on a Sunday afternoon was a breeze. We used valet parking and had priority boarding. We arrived at roughly 1 PM and were on the ship ten minutes later. Our cabin was ready and my Bombay Sapphire was waiting. A nice drink on the balcony and an envelope waiting for my better half with all of the information concerning free drinks while gambling and the welcome reception for her as a gambler. This was the oh no moment. I booked the cruise and she was supposed to get $400.00 from the casino and I was to get $600.00 from the casino in addition to both of us getting free drinks while gambling.

Like I said uh oh, nothing for me waiting in the room. I had contacted the players club at least five times and had received five different answers. Well $600.00 and free drinks is worth pursuing in my book. A quick call to our casino host Vicky and all was made right.

At five O'clock we headed down to the meet and greet and my paperwork was waiting there. Vicky came through for me. That meet and greet for the Premier Players is not to be missed. It was a first class operation.

They had at least twelve servers running around with gourmet appetizers, the one that stands out in my mind are the panko crusted prawns. The servers also served any drink you wanted from the open bar.

After the meet and greet a quick trip to the casino and we had our casino cash.

We gambled to the wee hours and ordered room service. On the advice of CC members we ordered two turkey sandwiches and two BLT's then we turned it into a club sandwich. Topped off with the wonderful chocolate cake and all is well with the world. BTW our cabin steward Erfan was the best we have ever had. He kept our room spotless, the ice chest full and was just a very pleasant individual. He receivedt high praises on our comment card as well as some additional green.

The next day being a sea day we slept in late and had room service again. We had salmon and bagels along with the chicken fajita wrap. Decaf for her caffeine for me. All was excellent. Room service is a real plus, those two pots of coffee alone have cost me close to $50.00 many times while staying in Las Vegas.

Anyway plenty of Black Jack being a sea day and Carlos another casino host asks us what time we would like to eat in The Steakhouse. He comped us the Steakhouse and two bottles of wine were also waiting for us. We only drank one and took the other back to Tampa with us. All in all a wonderful meal.

It seemed like just about every night the casino had some sort of nice gift waiting in our room. One night was champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, another it was two plush beach towels embroidered with "Carnival Players Club". We also received a $25.00 bar credit, a box of really nice cookies from Cherry On Top.

We ate in the MDR several nights and the food was good, some better than others. Yes the portions are small but I guess that is to cut down on waste. I just ordered a lot and always left satisfied. The Beef Stroganoff was wonderful as was the red snapper and lamb shank. The prime rib was just okay. All in all considering how inexpensive Carnival is I am surprised the food was as good as it is. BTW make sure you try the bitter and blanc.

Our service was over the top. We had your time dining and never had a wait to get in. Another great tip I learned here is if you have your time dining and like your waiter you can request him every night. We had Rodrigues at table 363 and we sat in his area everytime we used the MDR.

In Conzumel we did the La Casa en La Playa - A Select Retreatit was just okay. They did everything that was promised but quite frankly I don't think it was worth the money. We talked to some people who did Xplor Park - All Inclusive which cost $30.00 more pp and they couldn't quit raving about it. I mean they were really pumped up about it. Oh well we still had a good time and had plenty to eat and drink.

In Belize we stayed on the ship and recovered from a very late night in the casino

At Mahogany Bay we wandered around and enjoyed the beach. I will tell you next time I won't be so self conscious about this 57 yo body and I will bring my trunks and flip flops and get in that crystal clear water. A good tip, if you get back to the ship early go to The Red Frog and people watch out of the windows. You have a great view of all of the activity at the beach. Nice and cool in there and a nice Miami Vice makes it even better. Muriel the waitress is a real hoot and the foosball and shuffle board is a nice touch

Grand Cayman we wandered around and shopped. We did find a place that rents snorkels, mask and lockers for $15.00 total and you explore a reef right at the beach where they rent it. Here is a link http://paradiserestaurant.ky/

As stated above next time I will definitely not be so self conscious about being thirty ponds overweight and I will just enjoy myself. For that matter I might get motivated and just lose the weight.

In closing debarkation was a breeze. My wife who only cruised because of me is now a convert. On prior cruises the tipping thing drove her nuts. By the time we left The Legend she was handing out $20.00's everytime I turned around in addition to our prepaid tips. On the last morning we had a letter from the casino stating we have a free inside cabin on any cruise that last from 3-8 days as long as we sail before July 2014.

We both were very impressed with how polite everyone was, crew members and passengers alike. My DW stated of course the other passengers are polite, they are in a good mood because they are having fun like us.

We are not high rollers. We are just friendly outgoing people who get to know all of the casino workers and we also tip well when we are playing. We also play quite a bit when we are on the ship.

From the looks of things I think I just might take them up on that free cruise.

I do believe a vacation is what you make of it. My DW and I have never had a bad cruise and that’s because we have fun no matter what. With that said you can still have a bad opinion about things on your vacation. I have to say unless the Sunshine is going to a place I have to visit I wouldn’t book the ship again. Some of the things Carnival did were amazing and added to the enjoyment of the trip. The Serenity area was a gem and we took advantage of it most of the week. The fact that you hear the lido noise can really put a damper on the fun but I was able to ignore it with my headphones when I wanted to. The comedy club area is really a joke. I know they restructured the format for 3 shows in a night to try and move more people in and out but it just doesn’t work when you pack in the people for the standing room only and it crowds the people with seats. The lido buffet does seem to flow better but the narrow spaces down each side leading to the burrito bar and the Guy’s burger place is almost impassable at times. The Havana bar in the back where the pool used to be is a pretty cool spot to hang out but the aft adults only pool was our favorite hang out on a ship so I wasn’t thrilled with the change. I loved having a pool with a bar, ice cream station, pizza, and the lido a few steps away all with the great view off the back of the ship. The other part that I really missed was the seats next to the windows on deck 5 by the casino and down the hallway. They used to have a band that would play and lots of seating both close and far to listen to the music and gather and talk with friends. I can appreciate trying to open it up and clear some congestion but this change really takes away from the experience. Well I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a review and if you have any questions I will be happy to try and answer them. If I don’t know I will ask Gina and she will probably know. Like I said in the beginning she is addicted to cruising. :)

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us. You are so correct, a vacation as with most things in life is what you make of it. I often scratch my head at some of the comments I read hear. A cruise and cruise ships have to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. I tell the story of talking to a someone who helped write WordPerfect in the good old days. He explained that they know no one will use every feature of the program but you have to make appeal to a lot of different users. To me that sounds like cruise ships.

What really gets me is when somebody goes on a week long cruise and they let 4 or 5 things ruin their cruise. If it is something major I would have to deal with and get it fixed, otherwise I would just have to work around it. Much like you if it is too noisy or too busy some place I would find a work around. As far as the dining room goes if I am getting slow or poor service I would have to move and keep moving until I was happy. This isn't like going to a local restaurant where if it is bad you don't go back, you are stuck there for a week

The other thing is we are not afraid to comment, complain or generally ask questions. Rather than sit there and fume find out why they do things the way they do. You never know they might accommodate you or give you an acceptable answer. Or you just might have to deal with it.

Once again I enjoyed your report and we will be on the Sunshine in three weeks and I guarantee you no matter what we will have a good time.

I was on the NCL Getaway Last week.

 

And to my surprise the only Black Jack Table with a dealer Shoe and Hand Shuffle was at a $50 minimum table.

 

I was told by the Casino Manager that This $50 Shoe table and higher was a corporate decision on all NCL ships.

 

The Epic last february had $25 and above Tables with A dealer shoe and hand shuffle.

 

I was on the Breakaway Last August and the $25 and above Had the dealer Shoe with hand shuffle.

 

All other tables on these 3 ships had those Continious Shuffle Machines which I contend give a unfair House advantage.

 

It seems to me that the Casinos profit More from these Continious Shuffle Machines And the players lose more. ( As a general experience and observation )

 

In reality you could get the same first 2 cards as the last hand, as all cards are reinserted into the automatic continious shuffle machine before another hand is dealt.

 

Does anyone know if the Breakaway and Epic still have the Dealer shoe and Hand shuffle on $25 tables as of resent ???

Actually a CSM gives the basic strategy players slightly more of an advantage than a shoe game. Where they get you is because they deal 20% more hands an hour over a shoe game, therefore they grind you down faster.

Here is more information http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/10/

As far as getting the same first two cards it really shouldn't make any difference, they could be two tens or an ace and a ten or two sixes. My point is you have just as much chance of those cards being a blackjack as a stiff hand. What is good about a CSM for a basic strategy player is every hand is just like the first hand after a shuffle.

I personally prefer a double deck game because you don't get all of those crazy hands you see on six and eight deck games. One month ago on The Legend I saw a player split eights and he wound up with four hands and then he drew eights to the first two hands. IOW he had six, eights in a row dealt to him. You don't see that crazy type of stuff on a double deck game.

No conditioner and a $4.00 bottle cost around $14.00 on the ship. Make sure you bring enough so you don't run out.

You took the words right out of my mouth...one GIGANTIC toilet.

Ditto on the toilet and somebody from Carnival needed to step up to the plate and deal with this guy. Maybe start serving him virgin drinks and then when he half way sobers up try to talk sense to him because if he is as drunk as I think he was you will create one heck of a scene dealing with him when he is blind drunk.

I am no prude and believe me I get plenty wasted around my house but it really is a shame people have to drink to that excess and ruin everyones fun. We spent a ton of money on a house warming party and it was completely ruined by a very good ex friend of mine. I forgave him but he just can't seem to forgive himself.

You will love the gifts you get every day in your cabin, the daily drawings/raffles in the casino, the bottles of wine/champagne.

 

Happy sailing!

How about it. Every night when you come back to your room it is like Christmas and the tournaments were a blast. The cookies made for a great snack along with RS milk before bedtime.

We jumped in our pool the other day and my wife said why don't you use the Players Club towels. I said because they are too nice to use :>)

That is not always the case.........I've reached over 5000 points on my last 2 cruises and the most that I ever got was a 25% off offer and only when I didn't already have a future cruise booked.........What the 5000 points has gotten me every time was the "On Us" card as part of my future perks.

See Janey, that is the one big problem I have with Carnivals Players Club, there seems to be a lot of misinformation given out by them.

On another note I am most appreciative of anything they do for my wife and myself but it is frustrating trying to get good information out of them, especially when it comes to how they rate players.

I will say they are the only casino I have ever heard of that takes into account whether you won or lost when it comes to comps for table players.

For now life is good and the offers seem to keep coming in but to be honest if they dry up I will be trying NCL.

We went ahead and booked on the magic for august. Didn't want to pass it up. See you there.

You will absolutely have the time of your life. I just took one on The Legend and in my 30 years of gambling I have never been treated so well. I am a low roller and we were treated like whales.

By all means do not miss the welcome reception. We almost passed and I am so glad we didn't.

We got the casino cash in the form of Ben Franklins and after the first hour in the casino everyone knew our names, including the bar waiters.

Like I said you will believe how you are treated, the really roll out the red carpet for you. If you reach 5000 points you will be given a letter for a free cruise on you last day.

We always use Radisson at the Port. They have a restaurant and bar on site and offer a free shuttle to the port. And they have a beautiful pool with a hot tub and waterfall.

I second that

Hello , I just received an email today regarding the same thing from Michael at the Ocean players club. I to received a free cruise for 2 (inside cabin) and was told I was entitled to nothing else . Even though I spent enough on the cruise in December to pay for 10 inside cabins LOL!!! I cant explain how they work it .

I appreciate the Premier Cruise offer Carnival sent my wife and I but I have to admit there is no rhyme or reason as to how they rate table players.

One thing that threw me for a loop was the fact that they take into account how much you win or lose when it comes to awarding comps. My wife and I played side by side (blackjack) literally every time the casino was open. She received nothing because she showed a win. I got a free cruise and a drinks on us card upfront on that free cruise because I showed a loss. In 30 years of gambling that is the first time I heard of win / loss coming into play when it comes to comps.

I've been reading lots of posts lately about casino offers but I just don't understand how "spending" (:rolleyes:) oodles of money in the casino in hopes of getting a cheap cruise offer is such a great deal. Why not just save the extra money you plan on "spending" in the casino and buy a cruise? :confused: It would probably be cheaper in the long run...no?

 

Like I said, I'm not much of a gambler.:o

Let me preface by saying I am a gambler and I love playing Blackjack. Having said that your logic could also apply to me when I pay $1000.00 to go on an 8 hour offshore charter. If I did the math my grouper probably costs close to $200.00 a pound.

You see it is all about the entertainment. Quite frankly I have never been to a show on a cruise ship. It is just not my thing. Laying out in the sun, not my thing. I can do that 10 months out of the year next to my own backyard pool. I like to gamble. I budget for it and have never played hoping for comps. If they come my way great, if not I would have gambled anyway.

Back to your original statement. My last cruise three weeks ago was a Premier Cruise on The Legend. My wife and I gambled everytime the casino was open. The players club gave us 1K in cash. I lost that and $600.00 of my own money. We had 60 drinks we never had to pay for. We must have had at least 40 hours of entertainment in the casino. We had two bottles of wine, one bottle of champagne and a steakhouse meal courtesy of the players club. To top it all off I just booked a "free cruise" they gave me the last day. If I had to pay for that same cruise it would have cost us $2000.00. Did I mention I get a drinks on us card upfront on that cruise.

I don't gamble for comps but that sounds like a pretty good deal for me.

As soon as you get off the ship, there is a casino right across the street from the pier:)

Thanks

My husband called twice to no avail and finally emailed asking to speak to a supervisor. That has been 8 weeks ago & NO RESPONSE FROM CARNIVAL!!

 

I have never gotten an email response from anyone in Carnival customer service. I have tried emailing people concerning my booking and I have emailed people at the players club. I don't even know why they have email addresses for some of these people.

Two things do strike me when it comes to fast action on Carnivals end. As soon as I push the send key to book a cruise it show on my Amex card and when it comes to surveys there is no shortage.

In all fairness to Carnival when I am due a refund or credit on my Amex it comes through just as fast as when I book.

BTW sailed the Dream this past December and even though the ship was not full had lines all over lido.

 

It appears Princess has come up with a design to prevent crowds. Will know better probably next year when we will hope to do another TA probably on a older ship.

The Dream just "seemed" crowded to me no matter where I went. The elevators always had a line. Trying to get anywhere on the ship was a nightmare. I would love to know who the brain surgeon was that made it impossible for me to get from one end of the ship to the other without have to go up around and then back down.

I never once tried the Mongolian Wok because the line was a mile long.

Okay my rant is off and I am glad you had a great cruise. I will say the Legend with the 2.0 upgrades seemed much less crowded and the Lido was actually very easy to navigate on her.

We did it on The Dream in September of 2012. IMHO it is worth doing at least once. The food was very good, the problem we had was it was very loud in the galley and the chef had a very thick accent, therefore we really gained very little from the tour and the description of the food.

Don't get me wrong it was a very interesting experience but we were oh so looking forward to interacting with the chef. My wife is a gourmet chef so we were really looking forward to the food descriptions etc. and I was really looking forward to learning about the logistics of preparing dinner for over 3000 passengers.

The chef was very personable and made every effort to communicate but between the noise and the accent it just didn't work.

Our tablemates were great and by coincidence I was seated next to a fellow firefighter. Being a gourmet meal everyone was savoring and commenting on every bite....except the guy sitting next to me. He would woof his down in one or two big bites. Even his wife commented on how fast he was eating. I finally turned to him and jokingly said you must be a firefighter trying to get it down before your next alarm. Sure enough he is a firefighter, I commented I just retired after 33 years and I am on this cruise celebrating getting out in one piece and healthy.

Chocolate sampler

Yes & Yes

Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

That's not the case for everyone. We were offered two free cruises last year on BOTH of our numbers. We took ourselves and our kids for port charges/taxes only. The second one was an 8 day on the Breeze with connecting balcony rooms. It's been a GREAT reward program for us. ;):D

Ditto, it works for us.

Cut me some slack if this has been posted before. I am sailing the week of June 14th and was wondering if the Sunshine docks at Old San Juan. Also if you have been there are there any casinos in the area where The Sunshine docks.

Carnival's booze prices have risen substantially (two different ties) in the last two years. My guess would be that HAL is the same or approx prices. As example, in Carnival we used to be able to get a one liter bottle of absolute from BV for $40 then it went to $60 then it went to $75.

Check out the room service menu at the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa.

Absolute is $100.00, Bombay Sapphire is $110.00, Crown Royal is $150.00. all things considered I don't feel that Carnivals prices are that bad. I know at a hotel you can bring your own booze and Carnival doesn't give us that option but I really don't mind Carnival's prices. I can justify it by say what the heck I am on vacation.

Did the Breeze last year, a great ship, but just did the Ecstasy and it was awesome, bigger isn't always better :cool:

Totally agree we much prefer The Legend to The Dream. It seems to me the public areas aren't any bigger on The Dream. They added 1000 more passengers and left the amount of staff the same as The Legend. Everyone on The Dream seemed overworked and all of the public areas seemed over crowded.

I found The Legend very mellow and relaxing. When I got off of The Dream I was grinding my teeth.

I have 4 of them that we use for around our pool.... Like you I like being reminded of our cruises.

Same here. Used them yesterday by our pool.

My math looks like this: 1 liter (33.8 ounces) divided by 1.5 ounces ( Standard shot size in US ) = yields 22.533 shots of alcohol per bottle.

I have my doubts that Carnival pours 1.5 ounces.

I have no problem with what Carnival charges for drinks at the bar or through Bon Voyage. Their prices are right in line with what most hotels charge for booze. Check out the room service charges for a bottle of booze in any Las Vegas hotel the next time you cringe at the Bon Voyage prices.

My Bombay Sapphire cost $85.00. If I ordered that a drink at a time it would run $210.00 before tips.

Someone asked why would they only charge a $40.00 - $60.00 fee when they charge already charge $60.00 - $85.00 for BV. The reason is because we are providing the booze we are just trying cover the profit they would make on that bottle of booze if they sold it through BV.

To put it another way, myself and several others don't have heartburn with the BV prices, they just don't carry what we like to drink. If they had a liter of Woodford Reserve through BV I would pay $100.00 for that bottle. It is worth it in the long run to be able to drink it on my balcony for the seven days I am on the ship.

Let's do some math. 39 ounces in a liter. 39, one ounces shots. Premium bourbon most likely would cost $10.00 a drink with tip.

Even if they poured 1.5 ounces the BV bottle is still a bargain.

My OP wasn't about trying to cut into Carnivals profits. I am amazed at what a bargain Carnival is. I am just trying to come up with a solution for Carnival and the passengers so that we can have our poison of choice and Carnival can still make money on it.

That $100.00 bottle is a bargain at that rate.

Did you post on his FB? I've posted twice about the tequila selection and he said he'd bring it up with the Beards. I don't think the Beards drink much tequila. Sadly. :(

Yes I did.