LEGEND 9/2 review....Part 2

For part 1 of the review, click here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=624665

The next morning we awoke, all gathered for breakfast in the Unicorn Café (yes, all 8 of us still sitting at one table!) and watched the ship dock at Key West. We were fortunate to be able to dock right at Mallory Square, which meant we would walk right off the ship into town. There is another cruise ship dock located at the military base further away, and when you are docked there you MUST (since you are on military property) ride a tram into town. No biggie, but just a little inconvenient especially since you have to stop halfway to have your IDs checked and inevitably there is someone who hasn't listened and doesn't have a picture ID. Luckily, we were the only ship in town that day so we got the “good” dock.

This picture shows my parents and the ship at the "good" dock, and how you can easily walk on/off the ship.

NOTE—my DH insists that I inform everyone that he made-to-order omelets are fabulous in the Unicorn Café. He dutifully ate one every morning.

The in-laws had never been to Key West, so they immediately got off the ship and began to explore. They ended up buying tickets for the Key West Trolley tour off-the-ship, and spent several hours seeing the sights. One of the many things that Key West is famous for is chickens. They roam the streets and sidewalks and are protected. Really! Here are 2 of the many thousands of chickens you might see while there:

My parents and us had been to Key West many times so we were in no rush to do anything. The kids opted to dash off to Camp Carnival, while DH opted to lay in a lounge chair in the shade near the pool and examine the insides of his eyelids. ZZZZ……

My parents and I power shopped until noon, with a goal of purchasing new pearl earrings (Key West pearl, check!), several t-shirts (check!) and soda for DH from the Walgreens on Duval (check!) Once again we looked like pack mules when we approached the ship. Well, OK, I looked like a pack mule with a 12 pack of Diet Coke and (2) 2L bottles of Diet Mt Dew. With our power shopping mission complete, we returned to the ship in time for lunch at high noon at the Unicorn Café. And no, the soda was not confiscated even though I was blatantly carrying it onboard.

NOTE-throughout the week we regularly ate breakfast at 9am and lunch at noon. This was primarily because my mother is all about being on a schedule, but also because Carnival session usually ran from 9am-12 noon in the mornings.

Having had enough of Key West, the kids and I opted for some Fun Ship slide time after lunch. The slide was usually open 12-5 on port days, and 10-5 on Sea Days. The kids slid about 30 times while I went twice. Fun! I sat there for several hours underneath the slide, and admired the neat view of the slide from below:

NOTE—Be aware that whether or not small children can slide is dependent on what type of crew member is working the slide. On this day, the slide was staffed by Room Attendants. Seriously! However, the following day the Camp Carnival counselors were on-duty and they “banned” my daughter from the slide deeming her too short. She fit appropriately on the lower-level measuring ruler, however the ruler at the top of the slide was just 1/2 inch higher. When I explained that my daughter had been allowed to slide the day prior, they just roller their eyes and said, “Yeah, those Room Attendant guys don’t care….” A few waterworks from DD, but nothing that wasn’t quickly resolved with a trip to the ice cream counter!

But back to our Key West day…. We spent the entire afternoon at the pool and the slide. We missed sail away from Key West since we had to retire to our inside cabin to prepare for dinner.

Back in our cabins we all discovered a note from the Maitre’D explaining that he had worked miracles and had accommodated our seating request. Hurray! So, when we arrived for dinner we found we had a fabulous table. All was right and well with the world again. That is, until the Maitre’D announced those dreaded words…"SHOWTIME". Ugh. Why, oh why do the dining staff feel they must entertain us during dinner? We are not big fans of this at all. Just leave us alone so we can eat! I discovered a few days later that by excusing myself from the table to drop the kids off at Camp Carnival between the meal and dessert, I would actually MISS the singing. (I’m quite clever, aren’t I?)

On a positive note, our new server Nuteera from Thailand was excellent. The old one, I can’t even remember what his name was. He was forgettable. The Asst.Server was Parichard from Thailand as well. She was silent but deadly. Always watching to see what we needed so she could be there with it in a flash. Awesome!

After dinner we made a very wise decision. We opted to go outside on deck 3 for a few deck photos. Why was this such a good decision? Well, we were sailing amongst dolphins. As we were pleasantly posing while a passer-by took our photos, I nearly caused everyone to jump overboard when I screamed DOLPHINS!!!! They were jumping in groups of two and three. It was so amazing and magical. I tried to get picture, but as you can imagine, it is quite difficult to try and predict where in the big, blue ocean the dolphin jumpers will surface next. IF you look really closely in this picture, you will see one of the dolphins:

With our photo session out of the way, the grown-ups wandered the ship, played bingo, had a few drinks, watched the show, while the kids dashed off to Camp Carnival again. The show was so-so and featured the lead singer in a recital of sorts showcasing his favorite songs. He’s a good singer. I just get bored WATCHING someone sing. I need some movement too! There was also a juggler who performed the standard juggling pins, balls, blocks, etc. It was OK.

At 10pm we collected the kids. Or, should I say we collected my DS and (1) oh-so-cute bunny rabbit. Every evening the 2-5 group would participate in some sort of activity that involved funny hats and face-painting. So, my DD emerged from the Camp with a pair of bunny ears and a cute bunny face.

OK, I have exceed my space usage for this post, so you will just have to wait a little longer to find out about the First Sea Day. And, here’s something to mull…where were we when the LIGHTS WENT OFF? Find out in next edition of the review...

aargh...waiting for more!!

Seriously thanks for the indepth review and pictures!!

Payd:)

Celebrat ... I love both your reviews so far and cant wait to read the next ones! Thanks for these reviews ... also love the pics included!

Thanks for reading the review. I'm having a blast writing it! Unfortunately I must go to bed now. So, you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow for more.

CeleBrat

great review and what a cute bunny.

something to mull…where were we when the LIGHTS WENT OFF? Find out in next edition of the review...

I had such a good time, I forgot all about the power going out. Which probably wasn't all bad since I needed some time to catch up on some sleep. That first sea day was pretty fun in the aft adult pool.

Great review

can't wait to hear more!!! I'm supposed to be working, but the boss has been gone all morning.

I am just dying to hear more of your great review:D We sail Nov 4th on the Legend!

I am loving it! Thank you for a wonderful review. Looking forward to the next part.

Posting now....

CeleBrat