ss75511

Wow! Incredibly rude and bigoted post. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Amen! Like a true, proud American I'll pray for the sad soul who feels the need to bitterly judge those they don't know. I actually laughed out loud when I read that post! The irony in and of itself was literally laughable. The need to judge others due to one's opinion on how many people can fit in a cabin shows an interesting (and sad) outlook on life and on others. Further choosing to jump to conclusions, stereotype, and make undue commentary on how race and country of origin plays into opinions on something as simple as the OP's question is simultaneously sad and humorous. I truly feel sorry for them. I feel as though we all should :( what a sad half-empty way to view life and the others humans with whom we are surrounded.

I guess most people on these boards are Americans. Chinese, Japanese and Indian are probably laughing at how pathetic some people seem to be posting about how this would be intolerable and cramped! This might be why most of the world hates Americans.

 

I think you would be just fine with 5 in a room. Of course it depends on your family, but there are other bathrooms on the ship that you can use if needed. Maybe some of these other posters just hang out in their room the entire cruise, but if you're mostly out and about enjoying the cruise, you will be fine with 5 in one cabin.

hashtag bitter much?

We are a family of 5: Husband, Wife & 3 daughters: 18,13,5. Have you ever had 5 in an inside cabin before? I know there’s not much room in the inside cabins, but it is about $700 cheaper than getting 2 inside cabins or 1 ocean view.

 

 

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$700 is worth peace of mind. One of my life mottos is make the decisions in life that limit regret the most. You are much more likely to regret being cramped and miserable than you are going to regret spending $700 extra. It's very unlikely that many people (esp 4 adults) remember the trip favorably stacked against those odds. I agree, get adjoining cabins, enjoy your cruise, and don't look back :)

There is a meeting of friends of Bill W everyday except Saturday there’s also a meeting of the friends of Jimmy K the afternoon I went Bill didn’t have any friends except me😄there’s a lot more people that need Bill as a friend than have him as a friend on this cruise. Suggestion would be to get the internet package and stay in touch with your “friends “ back home if you don’t have some of them with you one day at a time John Y

LOL! Thank you for the info John! Maybe there will be more on the Christmas cruise, as I imagine there will be several friends of Bill/Jimmy traveling with family over the holidays etc. This is my first Christmas as a friend, so I am slightly anxious. Thank you for the information! Glad you had a fun cruise :)

Hi! If you still have all of your fun times can you please let me know how many evenings/days there is a "friends of Bill W" meeting? Also would be curious of dates/times of "friends of jimmy k". I've only noticed it once in your fun times but it's hard to zoom in. My understanding is they had these every day or every other day. Thank you so much for your help! We are on the 8 day Christmas cruise in a couple of weeks!

Thank you so much for sharing!!! We are embarking on the christmas cruise for 8 days (Dec 23rd) and I am so excited!!!! Reading your review is making me even more excited and it's super helpful!

5 Pools all no charge

Deck 15, Neptune's Reef and Calypso Reef with Hot Tubs

Deck 14 Aft, Terrace Pool adults only

Deck 16 fwd, Lotus Spa Pool with Hot Tubs and adjacent sauna and steam rooms, adults only

Deck 17 aft, Chill Out pool for youth

Thanks so much for the information!!! Makes me feel like the Sanctuary isn't necessary which is good, because we weren't too excited about it.

That Aft terrace pool was our FAVORITE on the Caribbean Princess!! I'm very excited that it's also on the Crown and also adults only!!

S

Yes you can take them out of the sports bar! My fiancé got one a few of the nights---I remember the Mexican buffet for sure and we sat in a lounge and drank the beer and ate our Mexican food and were never bothered!

The Legend was unbelievable! The best Carnival ship out there, I truly believe. It's so easy to navigate---It usually takes me 1-2 days to get my bearings on any ship that is new to me but we had this one figured out in a matter of a couple of hours.

We spent most of our time on the serenity deck--we never had experience with chair hoggers like I read everywhere and was afraid of before we left. I did see a giant (albeit entertaining) fight break out over chair STEALING...but the attendants were very good about removing towels/items of people who left their chairs unattended for too long, especially if you bring it to their attention. We never had a hard time finding a place to sit and found this our favorite part of the ship. Not to mention the best bar, the best towel attendant (Jessrill from the Phillipines--don't know if she is still there but she's the sweetest person I've ever encountered on ANY cruise), and super close to some great food options for snacks.

The enchanted forest is another great aspect of this ship...if you ever get to a place where you feel overcrowded or claustrophobic, go to the forest. We never saw another soul there the couple of times we visited. It's tucked in the very front (or back--at this point I can't remember) of the ship where nothing else is really going on. GREAT location and VERY peaceful. Great photo op too!!

Some other great tips of things not to miss: The midnight Mexican buffet, cooking demonstration, High Tea, The taste bar & sushi, Lunch in the MDR (try to do it at least twice--its so worth it), THE MARTINI TASTING (if that's your thing they have certain nights where they have 4 martinis for $17 in the explorer's lounge, try it during karaoke time--makes for a lot of fun!), the piano bar (one of my favorite parts of this ship!...especially if you're lucky enough to have Jordan as your pianist..we often skipped shows we really wanted to see because we didn't want to leave the fun of the piano bar!), love and marriage show, the salad bar on the lido (a lot of lido food was just plain not good--SKIP THE PIZZA, I REPEAT: SKIP THE PIZZA ALTOGETHER---and the Chinese made me very sick, etc---but the salad bar was SO FRESH and DELICIOUS!)

Finally I am a Foodie, don't know if you are but here are some tips on plates in the MDR to skip and ones not to miss!!

Don't miss it!!: Prime Rib was amazing (if you like medium rare, order it rare...if you like medium order it medium rare & so on and so forth), LASAGNA WAS SOME OF THE BEST I’VE EVER HAD & I CONSIDER MYSELF A FOOD SNOB (with Italian being my favorite type of food), Lobster & Shrimp was good but honestly the shrimp was way better than the lobster, Fried shrimp, Short Ribs/Filet duo, Stuffed mushrooms, Spare Ribs (I didn’t love the sauce…a little too smoky for me but my boyfriend wouldn’t stop talking about them so I have to include them), TOM KA GAI SOUP (Do yourself a favor and order this! It sounds too intense on the menu but it was one of the most flavorful and delicious soups I’ve ever tasted in my life! Seriously! Do it! You won’t be disappointed), chicken noodle soup was also pretty good, Crabcake, Beef Stroganoff (I know this has overwhelmingly bad reviews but the Legend is different…this guy takes great pride in this dish, trust it!) Oysters Rockefeller (SURPRISINGLY GOOD & I’ve eaten oysters all over the world---they aren’t the best in the world but again surprisingly good for what I was expecting), Frog Legs (Not joking…they were actually delicious and I’ve had them before & not liked them. They were prepared with garlic & butter (both of which I love) and they were fall-0ff-the bone tender. If you ever wanted to try frog legs just to say you’ve tried them this is the place to do it!), and last but not least: Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp (fried shimp is good and served many days as an appetizer but this dish is served on the last day with this awesome horseradishy cream sauce and it’s just delicious!)

SKIP IT:The shark & langoustine firecracker roll, alligator fritters (these tasted basically the same---no meat, just breading) bacon macaroni & cheese (I don’t eat bacon but my boyfriend said this was terrible, cold, & desperately needed salt&pepper), arugula and mint salad (just wasn’t good at all…tasted like mint leaves with olive oil on them), baked eggplant (tough & underseasoned), chilled asparagus soup (just eww. I had high expectations and man was it bad!), Smoked Duck & carmelized oranges(inedible. Tasted like raw bacon. My boyfriend couldn’t even finish it & made me try it JUST to taste how awful it was…he was right), assorted seafood entrée Newberg style (it was SO fishy. Smelled to high heavens…the whole dining room smelled like rotten fish because of the number of people that had ordered it. The sauce was even fishy because the fish was so fishy), greek salad (underseasoned minus the REALLY salty feta), Fried Chicken (dry & underseasoned…the potatoes were pasty & c’mon I’m from North Carolina, I know my Fried chicken & this just isn’t good.) Tomato soup (tasted like campbells), Braised Beef Brisket (just not good at all.), linguini with Italian sausage (the sausage was the only good thing in this entrée, the pasta was overcooked, the sauce was underseasoned and the vegetables were undercooked. NOT good), and the chicken a la grecque (just not good at all. Dry, poor seasoning, pretty inedible)

If you want anything explained in more detail...feel free to check out my review at length here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1728115

There is still an adults only pool at the back of the ship. I've never used the Sanctuary (the $10 area) but as far as I know it doesn't have a pool anyay. The small adult pool up by the Lotus Spa (the one with a current) is still free, I think.

that's great news! Is the Lotus Spa Pool outside?

Hi!

I know the Crown has a adults-only area that costs $10 per half day. However, when we cruised Princess a few years ago (Caribbean Princess) there was a smaller adults-only pool on the very back of the ship. Is that option present on the Crown or do you have to pay in order to enjoy adults-only swimming onboard.

Thanks!

Thank you so much for the info, we are definitely snorklers/beachy types. My mom isn't much for the thrill-type excursions (atvs, jeeps, watersports, etc)...even though those would be right up my alley, I think this trip is going to be more laid back and relaxing. READY to disembark :)

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I am ready to leave now!!! I know I will spend the next six weeks online constantly researching....half of the fun of a cruise is the buildup! WE CANT WAIT!!!!

Recently booked two stern cabins on the new Royal Princess after extensive research. By chance, learned that an upgrade was given, Suite @ front of ship, and original cabins were given away because "someone else wanted them." I"m not new to cruising,but is this common? I was infuriorated, and cancelled the booking. Booked HAL instead.:confused:

I hate to burst your bubble but HAL and PCL are owned by the same company---and you ended up on a not-as-good line :( I definitely like princess WAY better than HAL. Only cruised Holland once and will never return. Boring passengers, the ship shuts down at 10pm, service is lacking, drink prices are asinine compared to other lines, 80% of the ship is over the age of 65....the list goes on and on. The only upside to HAL is the beauty of the actual ship. It is so nautical and well-maintained. And honestly how much does the beauty of the ship matter? I think you made a pretty large mistake and then still managed to support the same company.

BE CAREFUL! Once you go Princess, you can't really go back! I cruised CCL one more time after PCL and it just was never the same!! :( Princess is SO much nicer, better food, better service, better PASSENGERS, just better overall! I know you will enjoy it. In addition, my first cruise was on the Caribbean Princess. It is a marvelous ship---great layout and still to date my favorite cruise even though our company wasn't my favorite (strange family members---you know the drill) even though we didn't particularly enjoy the travel companions we chose, the remarkable service, food, and surroundings managed to shine through!

We had a balcony room and it was perfect. If you think it is worth it based on your individual deal's price difference to have the extra space and quiet time I highly recommend booking a balcony. We are trying our first Princess oceanview room on the Crown Princess Dec 21st so I will let you know when I get back the differences (assuming my mother doesn't cave and end up booking a balcony. She's nervous about the small square footage in the oceanview room)

ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!! You're making a fabulous choice to jump ship. (hehehe little cruise pun for ya)

Hi! My mom and I are traveling on the Crown Princess over Christmas and we will be going to Aruba, Curacao, and the Princess Cays....

Does anyone have any particular tips or recommendations for things to do while in these places?!

What about the best beaches & best restaurants?

Thanks so much!!

Hi! My mom and I have booked 7 days on the Crown Princess last minute over Christmas :) We are SO EXCITED---just a little over 6 weeks til we are on our way!! This is the last Christmas before I get married and I asked my sweet fiancé to let me have one last Christmas trip with my mom before it becomes all about him and eventual children.

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SHIP!!

I just had a few questions for anyone that has been on the ship before or has some insight.

1) Who is going to be the CD and is he/she good?

2) Do you have any insider tips about the ship that we should keep in mind!?

3) We are both giant foodies! Is there any specific meals not to miss in the MDR or elsewhere on this ship? I've heard good things about the tapas/sushi bar---any particular selections that you remember being good?

Thanks so much in advance for any information you may be able to provide :-)

Yay! Thanks for the review!

 

I'm pretty excited about the Serenity area - I was on the ship back in...06 maybe before the change happened and the aft deck was our favourite spot, now that there will be no kids its even better.

 

Question though, is the aft deck bar, which is now the Serenity bar, still open really late?

 

Thanks!

You will just LOVE the serenity area. It really was my favorite spot on the ship & that's saying something on a ship this beautiful, well-maintained, with lots of nooks & crannies like the enchanted forest!!

Unfortunately no the serenity bar isn't open past 7 or so. Neither is towel service. That part of the ship pretty much shuts down past 7 but the pool & hot tubs are still open til midnight!! you just have to get a drink from an indoor bar & take it up there with you. Or a pitcher from the sport bar if you're a beer drinker because that's a really good deal! Pretty much all of the outdoor lido bars close before dark except for the deck party/mexican buffet night! Hope this helps, have so much fun on your cruise....you're gonna love the Legend!

Ok, I have to ask. What did the guide say about December 2012? ;)

 

Thanks for the review, by the way!

Don't kill me but the last thing I would want to do is take away patrons from this wonderful man by telling people that!! This experience was literally a once in a lifetime type of a situation & I cannot say better things about it! PLEASE go if you're looking for a truly cultural & serene experience unlike anything else you can do anywhere.

We booked the spa excursion, super excited now :). Thanks for recommending it so much you really sold us on it!

OH IM SO HAPPY FOR Y'ALL! Please come back & let me know how you guys liked it!! I hope it's as empty as it was when we went! We had the whole spa completely to ourselves which was so serene & romantic and honestly after being on the ship for that many days with so many people it was really needed to have that peace & quiet. I really am so happy for you. if you feel like it email me at ss75511@appstate.edu & I will send you some of the pictures we took! They're breathtaking & it will get you so excited!! I wish I could post on there but photo bucket was taking like 2 full minutes per picture upload and I wouldn't even know where to begin considering we took 300 pictures in all over the course of the cruise. I would LOVE to send you the one from the spa though!! just email me!

Unfortunately, the $11.50 daily tip does not go to the room service people. According to Carnival the gratuities are distributed this way:

 

For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $11.50 per guest, per day as follows(our recommended guideline effective voyages departing December 1, 2011 and onward):

$ 3.70 USD - Per Day Stateroom Services

$ 5.80 USD - Per Day Dining Room Services

$ 2.00 USD - Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to kitchen, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members.

 

Many of us have tried to find out who gets the $2 but Carnival won't say. Somehow, I think that part of it goes to the Maitre D' because Carnival stopped giving out envelopes to tip him when this new policy went into effect. Anyway, room service expects a tip. JMO.

WOW you learn something new everyday!! :) Thank you so much for letting me know...now I feel like a jerk! i've always just assumed they did get part of that! good to know---I will be sure to rectify in the future!!

Thanks for your review :). We are going in 16 days and now I'm considering booking that spa day!

Personally I think you would be very happy!! This was one of our favorite excursions! It was a great way to see the island via car and when we got to the spa we couldn't have been more impressed! It was literally in the middle of a lush & beautiful jungle...there were animals everywhere & we had the spa completely to ourselves. This was my boyfriend's first professional massage, whereas i've probably had more than 100 in my life. The therapists were very professional & was just such a great treatment. I noticed their prices went up a bit on their website since we went but it's still about HALF of the price of the ship & when do you get to be in such a serene environment like that?! Very comfortable sheets, airconditioned treatment cottages, & clean showers. They've really done everything right. Not to mention its like a beach excursion too! You get to use all of their equipment & their beach front which is beautiful & pristine. Take the time to look on the tripadvisor link because there are great pictures on there but even those don't do the picturesque setting justice!

Have fun & enjoy your cruise! you're gonna love it!!!

I loved your review and living in FL, I don't know why we haven't sailed Legend. I think you were very objective and based on our cruises on other Carnival ships, you were pretty much right on.

 

Having said that, I have to make a comment and it's just my opinion and I know you disagree. I don't think anyone should order room service for anything without expecting to tip the delivery person. In hotels, there is usually a 15-25% fee for room service and a tip is still expected. So, even if we just order coffee, we tip $1 or 2, and that's probably why the server waited for a tip. Some tip is expected. It doesn't matter what you order, a tip is expected and it should be or you could go get your own juice etc.

 

I am NOT trying to be snarky or anything, but I am basing my post on many cruises.

Not to argue but don't we tip 11.50 per person per day? Don't the people that deliver our food get a portion of that? That's $80.50 PER PERSON which for us was $161 which was more than our airfare (given we got VERY reasonable airfare :) ) but I feel like with the cost of the cruise + 20% added onto every drink we ordered + $161 in gratuity no one should EXPECT anything additional. Especially in a rude & awkward way. Don't get me wrong I understand where you're coming from, I just don't particularly agree considering the close to $200 in tips we spend over the course of 7 days.

Thanks for the great review - I really enjoying reading a review that is balanced with both the positive and the negative!!

 

I'm sailing the Legend in a few weeks and your review makes me super excited to get on her!

 

If you have a minute, I'm curious as to what sorts of activites were offered on Sea Days ... for instance were there any arts & crafts classes, or was there more than one cooking demonstration?

 

Thanks so much for the info!

 

Cheers!

You should be very excited! Based on the decor & size of the ship I would DEFINITELY sail her again. I also GREATLY enjoyed the itinerary & I think you will too! To answer your questions there are TONS of activities during the sea days. Probably 3-4 activities in every time slot ranging from art auction activities to ice carving demonstrations to bingo to trivia to free health/wellness activities (like a footprint analysis telling you where you place your stress when you walk & free aerobics classes) to a murder mystery game (that lasted throughout the cruise...and people really seemed to have fun with it) to diamond/shopping seminars to slot tournaments to big "sidewalk" type sales...don't miss the $10 sale! it's a great one! They also have beanbag toss contests, Putting competitions on the minigolf course, freethrow competitions on the bball court, dance classes, limbo competition, and karaoke hours.

I don't remember any particular arts & crafts type of activities.....they probably have that for the kids but not as much for the adults. If you're talking about for your kids, definitely utilize camp carnival, I've heard they're great!

To answer your question there was only one cooking demo unfortunately and it was at 11am on the first seaday. Directly following it (at 12:30) was a wine pairing seminar outlining how to pair wines with certain foods & that offered free food & wine. We didn't do it because the cooking demo made us hungry! We hadn't eaten all day so we went to the MDR for lunch! But those are the only two food type seminars and they're on the first sea day one directly following the other!....

Hope you have a great cruise...I have NO DOUBT that you will!!!!!

I was on the same cruise with my mom and sister :)

 

Was the fight over the Serenity deck clamshell bed on the day we boarded? My sister was in one and left to have a smoke and some guy threw her stuff off saying she had been gone 30 minutes when she was only gone 5-7 minutes. Just curious :)

 

My sister didnt like the pizza either. I had one of the specialty pizza and it was really good so maybe their regular pizza is no good.

HAHAHA yes that would be the one...and for the record your sister was totally in the RIGHT. I knew there was gonna be trouble when that guy and his girlfriend showed up with a member of the crew, telling them that your sister had been gone for 30 minutes. She definitely had been gone less than 10. I, being the self-proclaimed nosy person I am, kept an eye on it knowing it was going to go downhill & it definitely did! After your sister left, the drunk guy that stole her chair offered to buy everyone staring a beer! That was definitely my entertainment for the afternoon!