Carnival Legend 12/12-12/19/2010

[JillGoBlue]

We were so looking forward to this Western Caribbean cruise with Carnival. We did an Alaskan cruise with Holland and loved it but wanted a younger crowd so we decided to try Carnival this time. We were on the Legend from 12/12-12/19/10 which was scheduled to visit Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel.

 

We flew out a day early and it was a good thing we did- a lot of people had trouble with flights, and we barely made it out ahead of a snowstorm. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Tampa which was nice- the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, I think- but not particularly close to anything. We ended up taking a cab to go shopping for some things we had forgotten. Though it wasn't a super convenient location to shopping, they offered a free shuttle to some local restaurants and Ybor City, and took us to the port for free on embarkation day. And it was a lot cheaper than the hotels closer to the port.

 

Tampa was rainy and cold which put kind of a damper on things. However, embarkation was smooth- we ended up getting there really early - before 11:00. We ate lunch and checked out the ship. We didn't care much for the decor- all dark, and plastic painted to appear like dark wood with etching. But hey this was vacation, and we weren't going to let that get us down...

 

We went to our room and it was very nice- the layout made it feel larger than expected. The balcony was terrific and we made good use of it, spending a lot of time reading out there. It was the only place on the ship we felt we could find a quiet space to relax. The only problem with the room was that the A/C was constantly on, and we couldn't get it to turn off.

 

We didn't have the best weather and the first day at sea was rough for a lot of people. It stayed relatively cold and we were excited to get off at Grand Cayman. However, our ship made it all the way there, we could see the Island and were ready to go.... and then we turned around! Apparently the water was too rough to tender. They didn't tell us this under awhile after we were scheduled to begin tendering so we had gotten up early and gotten ready for nothing. We were disappointed- Grand Cayman and stingray city were the things I was most looking forward to on this cruise. But we tried to roll with it and enjoy the vacation. They adjusted the schedule so we had extra time in Cozumel and Roatan, which was nice, but it would have been nice to try to go to an alternate port.

 

Our first stop ended up being Roatan and we did a tour with Bodden Tours. Willford was our guide and he was great. We did the iguana farm and really enjoyed that. We got to touch the iguanas which was really cool! There weren’t a ton of them at first as it had been raining, but as the sun came out, more of them joined us. DH laughed at me because I was amused by a random turkey that was roaming around. Cute spot- was worth a visit. Monkey business was cool, but felt very rushed- it was incredibly busy and we were herded through without getting to spend much time with the animals. We did some shopping and found some beautiful mahogany boxes that we bought for ourselves and as souvenirs for friends. We were scheduled to do a glass-bottom boat/snorkel tour but the water was too rough so that got cancelled. We ate lunch and then Willford returned us to the ship four hours before departure. We were hoping maybe that he would take us to do something else since we still had so much time remaining but it had already been about 5 hours, so maybe we overstayed the time already. In hindsight, we should have probably asked Willford to take us somewhere else, but we weren’t sure where or what to do. Anyway, we hated Mahogany Bay- it’s so fake, and not like the rest of the island at all- but we didn’t know the place well enough to go do anything else ourselves, so we just got back on the boat. A tip- if you go to Roatan- make sure you get out and see beyond the port. It’s beautiful and the people were incredibly nice, but the poverty there will really open your eyes and make you appreciate what you have! We really enjoyed the tour - Willford was very informative and drove us all around the island giving us a good view of what it might be like to live there.

 

At Belize, we toured the Xunantunich ruins through the ship and it was fabulous. My husband really wanted to do this, but I wasn't that excited about it; however, it ended up being my favorite port. The city itself doesn't look great, but once you get out of Belize City, Belize is such a beautiful country. The tour guides were terrific and we learned a lot about the country and the culture from them. The area where the ruins is located is absolutely stunning. We were able to climb El Castillo, the largest building on the ruins. This is not something for the faint of heart- it's really high and there aren't many railings to the top. DH didn't make it all the way, but I did, and it was so worth it- incredible view! We also saw a howler monkey in the trees nearby and a vulture circling. We stopped for lunch on the way back from the ruins and it was by FAR the best meal of the cruise. We made it back to the ship with about five minutes until the last tender- it was no problem. We definitely intend to go back to Belize and see more of this beautiful country.

 

Cozumel was our last port and we had a long day there- 7:00 am to 10:00pm! We had a more relaxed morning and got off the ship to head to Chankanaab where we did the Royal Swim with Dolphin Discovery. A cab there costs about $10- make sure you bring change! We asked in advance if they had change, and the cab company said it wasn’t a problem, and then when we got there, the cabbie said he didn’t have any change. Luckily we found someone in the area who had some, because I didn’t want to give a $10 tip when I felt we’d been tricked. Anyway, on to the dolphin swim. The experience was so cool- it went way too fast! I wish we’d been there at a less busy time, as it felt very rushed through. But DH and I both loved the dolphins. We also got a 10 minute interaction with the manatees which was great- they are so cute! After that, we walked to the beach portion of the part and rented snorkel equipment which was great! Busy, but not too crowded. We both enjoyed the experience. We stayed on the beach until the park closed. We then had dinner in port. We would have liked to have gone out and seen more of Mexico, but since we weren’t originally planning on staying so long, I hadn’t researched the safety of the area or things to do there, and we didn’t feel safe randomly exploring.

 

A few notes on Carnival. First- the food was a huge disappointment. Most of the meals were not great. The chilled fruit soups were excellent, and some of the desserts- the bitter and blanc, the tiramisu, and the melting cake were excellent. As for entrees, we liked the lobster, the panko shrimp, and southern fried chicken. But that was pretty much it. Breakfast in particular was subpar- more like dorm food than the excellent breakfasts we enjoyed on Holland. The one time we ate in the dining hall for lunch, it was pretty terrible- fish and chips looked like frozen fish sticks. While there was a lot of food to be had with long hours at the Lido, 24-hour pizza and ice cream, and other options, I would have preferred less food at a higher quality.

 

Additionally, there was music playing on all of the outdoor decks, even the adults only deck, which was kind of frustrating if you wanted a little peace and quiet. I was glad we had a balcony for that.

 

We did love the comedians on board- they were terrific! We spend four nights at the comedy shows and it was the highlight of our time on the boat. We particularly enjoyed Thomas Brown- if he's on your ship, don't miss his show! Also, the spa was very nice... overpriced, but that's normal on cruises. The hot stone massage was fabulous. Wee Jimmy, the cruise director, was great- very entertaining. And the marriage show was a blast.

 

The other thing we really did not like was Carnival's sales pitch everywhere we went on the boat. Your picture was taken everywhere- when we got off the boat in Belize, they even tried to block people by putting a large paddle in front of them while getting off the boat. Spa treatments are great, but the 5 minute upsell at the end is annoying. And there was pressure from the waiters to buy drinks- one "no thanks, I don't need anything" was often not enough. It was a bit frustrating.

 

Even with all of these things, we would likely have given Carnival another try, but the kicker was that they threw luggage around enough that they busted my laptop computer- which was in a heavily padded bag. I guess I should have known never to entrust it to someone, but the bag has protected it through many drops and the like from me, so I didn't worry about it. They busted off the entire side piece on the laptop and it hit it hard enough that the battery popped out. This would have taken some effort folks. When I went to complain about it (and I wasn't expecting them to pay for it or anything- just an apology), their response was that I signed a waiver, and wasn't supposed to check it. The waiver they were referring to was signed in port, AFTER we had already checked our bags. Anyway, I was pretty unhappy with how they handled that situation. Needless to say, we will not be returning to Carnival- next time, we'll give another line a try.

[hubofhockey]

Yikes, I would never let my laptop out of my sight or my backpack.

 

After going on HAL, and enjoying the more upscale line, you might have done better going on Princess for a younger crowd. It's not as young as Carnival. But there's a good mix there.

 

edit - for what it's worth, Carnival buffet breakfasts are awful. To me, it is the worst part of the Carnival experience. Breakfast in the dining rooms, if you have time is decent. But, too often, we'd settle for bagels, lox, and cream cheese from room service.

[zqvol]

We could have swapped balcony cabins. We could not get ours cool enough.

[travelntreats]

Sorry your CCL cruise did not meet your expectations. But after a cruise onboard an HAL ship, that is entirely possible. As for the laptop... that would never be an item you should let anyone else handle. Error on your part there and if that is the reason that you are not cruising with ccl again as you said.... I'm not buying it !

[gsu_paintballer]

Port employees could have broken your laptop. They don't work for Carnival. Might want to consider that.

 

Those guys are generally idiots anyways. I'm sure I'll get blasted for that, but when someone chases me down to ask for a tip for moving my bag from the ground to his push cart, I'd say that's an idiot.

[pcrum]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We really like the spirit class ships, although we have not sailed Legend. I would have been angry about the laptop too!

 

Regarding the pressure to buy drinks, I have read about this on several threads, however we have never experienced this. I tend to lay out on a chaise on sea days while DH reads at a table and after the waiter comes around one time asking me if I want a drink and I decline, I find that I am pretty much left alone after that! On the other hand, DH sat by the adult pool reading at a table and never saw a drink waiter on our last Liberty cruise. He actually had to go up to the bar to get a drink. So, I think it is just the luck of the draw! We do see a lot more waiters on embarkation day pushing the DOD, but we usually buy one of those, so it's not a bother at all!

 

I do agree that HAL's food is a step above Carnival's, but the younger crowd and choice of activities on Carnival makes it more appealing to us. Even on a spring break cruise with HAL, I did tend to feel like I was in a retirement home! But the food was great and loved the option of ordering a hot breakfast in the cabin.

[gargoyle999]

Your picture was taken everywhere- when we got off the boat in Belize, they even tried to block people by putting a large paddle in front of them while getting off the boat.

 

I do wish they would do away with stopping the debarkation line trying to take everyone's picture. Do it away from the gangway. Those that want the pic and will buy it will walk a few feet to get it taken.

 

The rest of us just get annoyed with it.

[pcrum]

 

edit - for what it's worth, Carnival buffet breakfasts are awful. To me, it is the worst part of the Carnival experience. Breakfast in the dining rooms, if you have time is decent. But, too often, we'd settle for bagels, lox, and cream cheese from room service.

 

I agree...we try to avoid the buffet breakfast on Carnival and plan our wake up times according to the breakfast times of the MDR. If you must do the buffet, go to the omelet station for freshly made eggs, they will do any style eggs besides omelets. Much better than the pre-made eggs! I have found the french toast on the buffet to be ok though.

[racegrrl]

Thanks for your review! We are on the Legend in just five weeks...and we need a vacation so bad I am ready to deal with just about anything to get away from real life for a week....pb&j and some Boone's Farm to wash it down would be sufficient for me right now! LOL

 

Our very first cruise was on the Inspiration and our very first port was to be Grand Caymen - and of course we missed it due to weather. Ugh. We still came back to cruise more, but I understand your frustration. As much I want to swim with the stingrays when we go in January, I have already tempered my excitement as I have low expectations we will be able to get off the ship. The lower the expectation, the better the chance I won't be disappointed, right?? ;)

[JillGoBlue]

Sorry your CCL cruise did not meet your expectations. But after a cruise onboard an HAL ship, that is entirely possible. As for the laptop... that would never be an item you should let anyone else handle. Error on your part there and if that is the reason that you are not cruising with ccl again as you said.... I'm not buying it !

 

Though I was disappointed that the laptop was broken, I get that I shouldn't have checked it. I was ticked about it, but mostly at myself... but more ticked about how customer service handled the whole thing. Totally non-responsive. Luckily I have a warranty that includes accidental damage, so it's not an issue of getting it fixed. The whole handling of the incident was really discouraging though. And it's not the ONLY reason I'm not going to use Carnival again, but it was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back with all of the other things I said.

[travelntreats]

Even with all of these things, we would likely have given Carnival another try,

 

Again.... you said you might give them another try....but just because of the laptop issue you now won't......Sorry...you just are using that as an excuse, and thats OK, but just be straight with your story !

[hubofhockey]

Again.... you said you might give them another try....but just because of the laptop issue you now won't......Sorry...you just are using that as an excuse, and thats OK, but just be straight with your story !

 

Give OP a break. No need every time someone writes a tough review to go after OP as if it's some kind of trial. Looks like cruise was below expectations. It's okay to leave it at that and move on.

[going to see the world]

Lots of lawyers on this site :rolleyes:

[Knights on the Beach]

We cruised on the Legend four years ago, during the same timeframe as the OP. Oddly enough, the food that week was not on par with other Carnival cruises we've been on.. It improved as the week went on, but it was definitely a disappointment during the first part of the cruise. I also didn't care for the dark decor (and strange urns) on the Legend. Our cruise on the Legend was for eights nights out of Ft. Lauderdale and it was most definitely not a young crowd -- quite the opposite. The majority of the passengers on that cruise were MUCH older than us. We did have a nice time on the cruise -- it was our 25th anniversary that week. It just didn't live up to our other Carnival cruises. I know a lot of people just love that ship, but I have to say Legend is our least favorite Carnival ship and we are now Platinum cruisers. I'm glad it wasn't our first time on Carnival, because it wasn't anything like our other cruises.

[cruiser fanatic]

Any FunTimes?

[travelntreats]

Give OP a break. No need every time someone writes a tough review to go after OP as if it's some kind of trial. Looks like cruise was below expectations. It's okay to leave it at that and move on.

 

ahhhhh another cheerleader incognito !:rolleyes:

[boaterette]

Happy cruizing on whichever line you choose next. And always keep your laptop with you.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We were so looking forward to this Western Caribbean cruise with Carnival. We did an Alaskan cruise with Holland and loved it but wanted a younger crowd so we decided to try Carnival this time. We were on the Legend from 12/12-12/19/10 which was scheduled to visit Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel.

 

We flew out a day early and it was a good thing we did- a lot of people had trouble with flights, and we barely made it out ahead of a snowstorm. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Tampa which was nice- the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, I think- but not particularly close to anything. We ended up taking a cab to go shopping for some things we had forgotten. Though it wasn't a super convenient location to shopping, they offered a free shuttle to some local restaurants and Ybor City, and took us to the port for free on embarkation day. And it was a lot cheaper than the hotels closer to the port.

 

Tampa was rainy and cold which put kind of a damper on things. However, embarkation was smooth- we ended up getting there really early - before 11:00. We ate lunch and checked out the ship. We didn't care much for the decor- all dark, and plastic painted to appear like dark wood with etching. But hey this was vacation, and we weren't going to let that get us down...

 

We went to our room and it was very nice- the layout made it feel larger than expected. The balcony was terrific and we made good use of it, spending a lot of time reading out there. It was the only place on the ship we felt we could find a quiet space to relax. The only problem with the room was that the A/C was constantly on, and we couldn't get it to turn off.

 

We didn't have the best weather and the first day at sea was rough for a lot of people. It stayed relatively cold and we were excited to get off at Grand Cayman. However, our ship made it all the way there, we could see the Island and were ready to go.... and then we turned around! Apparently the water was too rough to tender. They didn't tell us this under awhile after we were scheduled to begin tendering so we had gotten up early and gotten ready for nothing. We were disappointed- Grand Cayman and stingray city were the things I was most looking forward to on this cruise. But we tried to roll with it and enjoy the vacation. They adjusted the schedule so we had extra time in Cozumel and Roatan, which was nice, but it would have been nice to try to go to an alternate port.

.

 

just an FYI for the future.

 

Grand Cayman gets cancelled a lot due to rough seas.

 

They have to wait un til they get there to actually decide if it's safe or not so they can't let you know in advance so you don't have to get up unfortunately.

 

As for visiting another port that doesn't usually happen as you can't just pull up at another port of call unannounced and dock.

 

Plus this time of year almost all cruise lines have numerous ships in the Caribbean and it's very crowded.

 

Hope your next cruise is a better one.:)

 

 

Bill

[Kingtro]

Give OP a break. No need every time someone writes a tough review to go after OP as if it's some kind of trial. Looks like cruise was below expectations. It's okay to leave it at that and move on.

 

When you post on this board my friend, you never know what you are going to get from the "i'm never going to cruise with carnival again" to Carnival "cheerleaders"...from personal reading experience and if you read these boards alot, you learn real quick that if you intend to complain about Carnival in ANY FORM OR FASHION, someone is going to stand up form them...it is just how it is...for crying out loud, this is a CARNIVAL BOARD! So no, it's not okay to "leave it at that and move on"...OP posted on this board obviously for some reaction...isn't that why we all post on here?

 

As for you JillGoBlue, I do apologize for your cruise not meeting your expectations, I do hope you find a line more to your liking. Personally, I've had my run in's with Carnival but for me it's more budget friendly and port friendly...I'd be ticked about my laptop too...heck, I'd be ticked about anything breaking...lol but seriously, thanks for your review...

[hubofhockey]

When you post on this board my friend, you never know what you are going to get from the "i'm never going to cruise with carnival again" to Carnival "cheerleaders"...from personal reading experience and if you read these boards alot, you learn real quick that if you intend to complain about Carnival in ANY FORM OR FASHION, someone is going to stand up form them...it is just how it is...for crying out loud, this is a CARNIVAL BOARD! So no, it's not okay to "leave it at that and move on"...OP posted on this board obviously for some reaction...isn't that why we all post on here?

 

As for you JillGoBlue, I do apologize for your cruise not meeting your expectations, I do hope you find a line more to your liking. Personally, I've had my run in's with Carnival but for me it's more budget friendly and port friendly...I'd be ticked about my laptop too...heck, I'd be ticked about anything breaking...lol but seriously, thanks for your review...

 

In general, the attacks on the OP had nothing to do with the cruise not meeting her expectations but in getting her story "straight" about not cruising on Carnival again. It got to the point of being absurd. OP's review was useful, as are most reviews from people who actually cruise Carnival after taking cruises on other lines. It really creates a good frame of reference. As you suggest, Carnival works well for those interested in price and port friendly cruises. As OP learned, there are other areas where the budget oriented Carnival will fall short of HAL (or other more expensive cruise lines).

[clearwatergirl]

I have sailed on the Legend three times, the last being in November. I've been lucky enough to sail on a couple of other Carnival ships as well. As far as decor, each to his own. Some ships are more ornate than others. IMHO, the Legend is more low key. Yes, there are a lot of urns and a lot of dark woods with faux pax inlaid but not really over bearing. Try the Miracle with huge grapes all over the dining room. Yikes!

 

Food on the line has definitely gone down. Mostly in quantity rather than quality. Same menus across the fleet. I think it's just OK. Nothing spectaular but nothing exceptional. I would agree that the breakfast buffet isn't that great. It does remind me of the college dining experience. Most times, we order room service or go to the dining room for breakfast.

 

There were times where I felt we were being over taken by photographers and the bar waitstaff. On our last Legend cruise, we took the Behind the Fun tour. Here we learned that the photo staff takes approximately 20,000 pics on every cruise. They sell 20%. You do the math, they're making money. If you don't want a picture taken, kindly say no thank you and move on......Same with the bar staff. If you don't want a drink, say no thank you.

 

These things are minor to me and wouldn't make me NOT want to sail Carnival. I doubt these issues would be much different on another line. They have to make money and this comes from beverage and photo sales.

 

I look forward to my next Carnival cruise. Not sure when yet.....

[zqvol]

Any FunTimes?

 

I have last weeks and will answer questions about them. They have deteriorated and really don't have any valuable information any more.

[JillGoBlue]

There were times where I felt we were being over taken by photographers and the bar waitstaff. On our last Legend cruise, we took the Behind the Fun tour. Here we learned that the photo staff takes approximately 20,000 pics on every cruise. They sell 20%. You do the math, they're making money. If you don't want a picture taken, kindly say no thank you and move on......Same with the bar staff. If you don't want a drink, say no thank you.

 

These things are minor to me and wouldn't make me NOT want to sail Carnival. I doubt these issues would be much different on another line. They have to make money and this comes from beverage and photo sales.

 

FYI, this was more than just asking once. The bartenders, at both dinner and at the comedy club would ask if we would like anything, and when we politely said no thank you, they would be like oh come on, don't you want to do something special for your vacation? And we'd say no again and they would continue to push. This happened to me multiple times on the cruise. I have no problem with being asked to take photos/get drinks/etc, but don't want to be pushed after I've said no once.

[navybaby1113]

No way would I have checked my laptop. Anything important or of value should always come with you in your carry-on luggage. Luggage gets lost all the time. Would you check your laptop at the airport?

 

I'm curious how you would have liked Carnival to handle the situation.

[gtalum]

It sounds like you had a rough trip, but in their defense most of your problems seem to have been beyond Carnival's control. I can sympathize with the sales pitches and the photo bullying, but the rest seems to have been things they had no control over.

 

Lastly, you should never ever check valuable or fragile items on any mode of common carrier transport.