Review: Carnival Legend, March 27 - April 3

[vt2flkel]

We paid $100 US per person for 2 tank (2 dives) with guide. That included the gear rental and the guide.

 

We spent the entire time going through the swim throughs. They have some details on their web site at www.edenrockdive.com. We didn't go near the ship, which would have been a bit dangerous since the tenders were going back and forth by it. On the other hand, it sure would be cool to see those massive anchors in the water!

 

To reserve the dive, we were told we would have to *fax* credit card numbers and other personal details. We weren't comfortable doing that, so we took our chances, told them we were coming, and hoped for the best. It worked out just fine.

 

DVD's DW says: I believe the gear rental alone was kind of high, something like $65-75US. Hear is a link to their gear rental: http://www.edenrockdive.com/equipment/equipment.html

So, it seemed like a pretty good deal with the guide through all of the coral swim throughs and stuff. I was really apprehensive about diving through those. I have clostrophopia issues, especially under water. But there was plenty of light and room to move through. This was my most enjoyable dive to date.

Do note that even though we had not officially "reserved", because we were early, we were able to be accomodated. However, later they had run out of rental gear. So plan accordingly. Get there early.

You will love it!

[dvd77]

Wednesday, March 30 – Roatan

 

OK, I said we were really looking forward to GC, but we were *really* looking forward to Roatan too!

 

We slept in (aaaaahhhhh!), then got up and watched our arrival from the balcony. The scenery was breathtaking! I’ll post some pics of course. As we were watching the lush scenery, dramatic shipwrecks, and the sunrise, it took several minutes to notice that the ship was *backing* in! It would have been neat to see the direction change—but perhaps not enough to justify waking up early. J

 

We all went down to the MDR at 9:00 for breakfast. Same menu as before, so we weren’t excited by it. We went back to our rooms, grabbed snorkeling gear, cameras, and were ready to depart.

 

We had booked a tour with Victor Bodden tours. We had read many positive reviews, their web site was informative, and—no deposit required. Since there was always a chance of an itinerary change, we viewed that as a major benefit.

 

The ship docks at Mahogany Bay. This is privately owned by Carnival. As such, local tour guides cannot come in to the pier area to pick up people; that is reserved strictly for Carnival-booked excursions. Thus, our instructions, repeated in emails and on Victor Bodden’s web site, were simple: Get off the ship, walk past the shops, between the red-roofed buildings. When we see *the* road (the only one), walk over the hill, and our tour guide would be there with a sign that said Victor Bodden tours. There was even a map posted online, which was helpful too. We were also encouraged to try to disembark as early as possible to avoid crowds and chaos.

 

Armed with this info, we went to the lower decks and followed the signs to where we would be disembarking. There were maybe 15 people already queued up and waiting, and we took our position with them. Then, at 10:58 a.m., we left the ship!

 

There were ship photographers, ready to take the usual pictures, as well as a girl dressed in what we called the “Chiquita Banana” costume ready to pose for pics. Mahogany Bay actually reminds me of Disney World: immaculate, landscaped, and touristy.

 

Before we headed over the hill, our girls insisted we stop in the Tanzanite store so they could redeem their cards for the Tanzanite studs. We went in the store, presented the cards, and were told: “We’ve run out of those, you’ll have to try again at your next port.” Hmm… we moved on.

 

Walking quickly, we followed the directions—and our group of 4 was the first one to crest the hill! J There were 20 or more tour guides there, including some with a Victor Bodden sign. We checked in with them, and then were assigned to an air-conditioned car with Frankie as a tour guide.

 

Frankie was very friendly and answered our many questions as he drove, and pointed out interesting sights as we went. At this point, while driving up a hill, a truck was overtaking us, misjudged things, and cut back into our lane, forcing Frankie to take quick action, braking hard and going off the road a bit. A moment slower, and we would have been plunging off an embankment—not desired! To his credit, Frankie handled this without swearing or wetting himself. J

 

Frankie brought us to a scenic overlook, where there was a rickety-looking (but sound) platform with a breathtaking view. We hopped out and took many pictures. Right next to it were a couple roadside stands, with locals selling jewelry and trinkets. The girls looked at them, but didn’t buy anything, reasoning that it was the very first thing they were seeing, and there would be other opportunities later. In retrospect, they regretted that decision and wished they had made some purchases there.

 

Back into the vehicle, and our tour continued on. We had asked Frankie to show us a local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and he obliged, stopping and letting us snap some pics. We continued on our way until we got to our destination: zip lining!

 

We got out of the vehicle, and Frankie walked us up to the building where we met Victor himself and paid for our tour and activities. Then he turned us over to our zip lining guides. They outfitted us with harnesses and helmets, and walked us up to the first tower.

 

To put it simply: zip lining is FUN! Good stuff. Our instructions were:

- Your harness would ALWAYS be clipped to something when you were on a platform/tower. A guide would always go in front of your group and one would also go at the end of the group.

- You were shown where to hold on, and where NOT to put hands or fingers.

- You were shown how to twist the cables if you wanted to orient yourself in a particular direction.

- You were instructed to step, leap, or otherwise leave the platform, and to pick your legs up at the other end, letting the guides do the work of stopping you.

 

And that was it! Off we went. At first, we would just launch ourselves and zip along in a “seated” position. Our guides, though, were doing every possible move and position a human being could do. So we thought, Hey, WE can do that too! And that’s when we really started having fun. Each run we would hang upside down, backwards, whatever we could think of, hamming it up for our cameras. (The zip lines go from tower to tower to tower. I don’t remember how many individual runs there were—perhaps 15 or so? Some short, some long.) On some of the runs, the guides would bounce the cables, adding a little fun to the run.

 

So we had a blast doing this. Negatives? Only one I can think of. I pictured the zip lines running over the lush tropical landscape we were seeing around us. In actuality, they run over cow pastures. That was a bit disappointing.

 

When we finished up, our guides helped us out of our gear. They also had a photographer there who was taking pictures of us, and he showed them to us and offered to burn a disc of them for (if I remember correctly) $20. We declined, since we had 2 cameras with us and took scores of pictures ourselves. It is very commendable that they don’t forbid you to take cameras with you in an effort to force you to buy their pics.

 

There are no lockers there, but since we were able to leave valuables in the locked car, so that wasn’t much of an issue.

 

Next up: monkeys. We had paid to interact with the furry little guys. We weren’t given any instructions—they were there, in unlocked enclosures, and we left on our own on what to do. Here we were in for a disappointment. At this point, the area was now very, very crowded. All the enclosures were packed with people, with everyone clamoring for a chance to hold/touch/pet a monkey. We finally found one enclosure with no one in it. Three of us went inside—Kellie decided she was fine viewing the monkey from OUTSIDE the enclosure, thank you very much! ;-)

 

This was serious fun. The little guy was intent of robbing us of our possessions. He would jump from one individual to the next, putting his little hands in every single pocket, backpack, or other place he could find. His hands felt like soft worn leather. We never felt threatened by him, like he wanted to bite, fling poo, or any other anti-social behavior. He didn’t want to sit still and be cuddled though—too busy attempting petty larceny.

 

One enclosure had a baby monkey in it—but it was mobbed. L We couldn’t get close to any other.

 

So we found Frankie, and continued our tour.

 

If we were to do this part again, we would have viewed the monkeys first, before the crowds arrived. So if you choose to do this, base the order of your activities on the crowds.

 

We asked Frankie to take us to someplace off the beaten path, where we could do some snorkeling and eat at a non-touristy place. We had heard of Half Moon Bay, and asked if that would fit the description. He said it would, and drove us there.

 

He got there and parked at the beach. Literally—AT the beach. When we opened the passenger-side doors, we were standing in the sand. Palm trees shaded the area. Very few people there. Idyllic!

 

First, some food. Frankie led us to a restaurant, hidden behind some buildings. It was right on the water. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name. The food was very tasty. They were very nice, but also—very, very, slow. We were there for about an hour and 20 minutes, which seemed like an eternity with our limited time ticking away. While there, we took turns going into the bathroom to change into bathing suits.

 

Now with some nourishment in us, we headed back to the beach. Right across the street from where we were parked were 2 dive shops. Frankie pointed out that one was much more reasonably priced than the other. Andy ran in there and rented snorkeling gear for him and Lisa.

 

We then snorkeled around the bay for about an hour. BEAUTIFUL. Saw a baby moray eel, a nice-sized rock lobster, and plenty of coral formations and fish. Oh—something I forgot to mention: At both GC and here at Half Moon Bay, there was NO LITTER in or under the water. Every place I’ve ever dived, there was the ever-present beer can, fishing line, and other debris to be found. Not here. A nice change.

 

We reluctantly got out of the water, headed for the car, and—um, anybody know where Frankie is? The car is there, safely locked—and no Frankie. Andy returned the snorkeling gear, came back, and we were still waiting for him. We were feeling a bit out-of-place right now, in wet bathing suits, standing outside the car, and unable to do anything.

 

Another Victor Bodden guide was going by, so we asked him if he knew where to find him. He pulled out a cell phone and said he would track him down. About that time, Frankie came walking up. He had gone back to the restaurant for something to eat, figuring we would be longer in the water. Crisis over! He took the gear we owned and rinsed it with fresh water for us, and we all got loaded up and on the road.

 

While tour guides aren’t allowed into Mahogany Bay to pick you up, they are allowed to drop you off there. So we wouldn’t have to walk like we did in the morning (not that it was a long or difficult walk anyway, though). So we were close to Mahogany Bay, and then: traffic stopped. Ahead, there was a car vs motorcycle accident, and a broken down vehicle, all of which stopped traffic. Now we were getting a little nervous. We were picturing being dock runners, or watching the ship sail off without us. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only 10 minutes, we got past the accident. We made it to the pier with 10 minutes to spare!

 

BUT—not to be denied, the girls still needed their Pandora beads! We ducked into a store, and they picked them out, made their purchases, and we safely made it aboard the ship. Yay!

 

We went to our cabins, showered, changed, and went to the MDR for supper. We ate duck, fried mozzarella, and seafood newburg, all of which were excellent. For dessert: more chocolate melting cake, and also—drum roll—Bitter and Blanc. We had never heard of that before. It was warm bread pudding, with dark chocolate melted in it, and vanilla poured over it. Extremely yummy! Don’t miss it if you have an opportunity to get it.

 

We went back to our cabins, hung out on the balcony, and watched our departure. And at this point I let you down, dear readers. I have in my notes that we watched the ventriloquist, which is also what I have for Tuesday night. Obviously we didn’t do so both nights, so one is wrong. Sorry!

 

What I *do* have, though, is that after we watched [whatever], we went to Superstar Live. This is karaoke meets American Idol. Audience members can sing while being backed by a live (and very talented) band. We enjoyed this, especially when some natural entertainers really put on a show for the rest of us. (I’ve never been a fan of “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-lot, but these guys had us hysterical with laughter! If you guys are reading this, you know who you are!)

 

We then wandered the ship, made our obligatory stop at Satchmo’s and watched a little karaoke, and then—the day was done! Needless to say, we slept well that night.

[Dallen*]

LOVE your style of writing! Thoroughly enjoying your review so far.

Can you tell me 'what' zipline company Bodden took you to? I know there are several on Roatan, and we are looking to do this too.

[Time2CruiseAgain]

MORE! MORE! MORE!!! What an awesome Review! Makes me even more excited to leave in 26 days!

 

We did Victor Bodden last year and we were very Happy! Loved the ziplining especially! Half Moon Bay sounds wonderful. We will probably do a Bodden tour and may ask to go there!

[oncruisecontrol]

Wow. I am really enjoying your review. Please post more soon:D. Perhaps I missed it in the beginning, but was this your first cruise?

[dvd77]

Wow. I am really enjoying your review. Please post more soon:D. Perhaps I missed it in the beginning, but was this your first cruise?

 

Actually, it was our third; second on Carnival. Our last one, though, was December 1999, so we were out of practice. ;)

[ReadytoGoAgain]

We will also be going on the May 8th Legend cruise! Love your review! Can't wait for more!

[nasa1974]

dvd77, really enjoying the trip novel. :) Keep it coming. 144 days.

[pambud96]

Loving the review!!

 

Is there a midnight buffet? I was on the Legend 3 years ago and there was one but all the reviews I have read leading up to my May 1 cruise on the Legend haven't mentioned one!! Just wondering, love to take those food porn pictures!!

[dvd77]

Backing in to Mahogany Bay...

 

 

 

 

 

[dvd77]

The platform we were taken to, and the view (pics don't do the view justice!)

 

 

 

 

Local Kingdom Hall...

 

Ziplining pics next!!!!

[dvd77]

A nice view of one of the platforms...

 

Lisa skimming along...

 

Andy zooming along...

 

 

 

 

 

This run went through thicker foliage...

 

 

 

Kellie on an early run...

 

 

Andy says hi!

[dvd77]

Yours truly enjoying life upside down...

 

 

Andy in mid-flip...

 

 

Here Kellie goes for style points...

 

 

Upside down is addictive!

[Gecko7]

Are there any zip lines that go down to any of the beaches? Looks like fun, but more of a ride through a plantation rather than a jungle expereince. Who did you book with?

 

Thanks

Geoff

[Sparky2]

Love your review so far. Looking forward to the rest of it.

 

We're going on this ship & itinerary 1/29/12. Our last 2 cruises have been on her sister ship, Miracle. Love the size and so easy to navigate.

[dvd77]

Are there any zip lines that go down to any of the beaches? Looks like fun, but more of a ride through a plantation rather than a jungle expereince. Who did you book with?

 

Thanks

Geoff

 

This was through Victor Bodden tours. They only offer the one set of zip lines. There may be others on Roatan that offer zip lines on the beach. As you observed, it's not exactly a "wild" setting.

[dvd77]

Loving the review!!

 

Is there a midnight buffet? I was on the Legend 3 years ago and there was one but all the reviews I have read leading up to my May 1 cruise on the Legend haven't mentioned one!! Just wondering, love to take those food porn pictures!!

 

I believe midnight buffets are a thing of the past, at least on Carnival. Which worked out OK for us--we were always too tired at the end of the day anyway!

[dvd77]

LOVE your style of writing! Thoroughly enjoying your review so far.

Can you tell me 'what' zipline company Bodden took you to? I know there are several on Roatan, and we are looking to do this too.

 

As far as I know, the ziplines we used are owned and operated by VB.

[dvd77]

Exploring Andy's backpack...

 

Admiring Lisa's sunglasses...

 

 

 

[dvd77]

Exploring every single pocket!

 

 

 

 

 

"I'll trade you a camera for a monkey..."

[dvd77]

Our zip line guides

 

 

This is the view from our table as we were eating lunch.

 

 

Rats! It looks like NONE of us took any pictures at Half Moon Bay! I know, I know, we failed at our assignment. ;-) I think that, after the LONG lunch, we were eager to quickly get into the water, and then we were just as anxious to get in the car and moving again when it was time to go.

This was the only picture I could find of Frankie. I think this was taken while we were waiting in the stopped traffic.

[dvd77]

The obligatory food porn pics!

 

 

 

And the towel critter!

[mprince4]

I love the pics!! The ziplining looks so fun - I'm still trying to figure out what to do in Roatan.

[dvd77]

Thursday, March 31 – Belize

 

We were watching the Fun Times closely leading up to Belize day. You see, in recent months Carnival had been having issues with tenders, weather problems, whatever—and as a result, skipping Belize and going to another port. We really wanted to see Belize, had excursions booked with third parties (but once again, no deposits required—yay!), and didn’t have a “Plan B” ready in case we went elsewhere. But our worries were unwarranted; we went to Belize!

 

Belize is a tender port. And this is where CC really, really helped us. You see, Carnival naturally gives the people who booked excursions through them priority when it comes to boarding the tenders. As room becomes available, they will then work in those who booked their own excursions or who are just going shopping. Thus, many CC members advised being at the boarding area early. Also, the company we were using asked that we do our best to be in the early groups leaving the ship.

 

So: despite the fact that it just feels WRONG to get up early while on vacation, we did so. We were ready to go and eating breakfast on the Lido deck at 6:40 a.m.

 

Here’s how the crew worked things that morning. They used Follies as a staging area. You were directed to go there and wait. As you entered, you were asked what your destination was (Carnival excursion, third party, etc). Based on your answer and documentation, you were given a small sticker to put on your shirt, and directed to a certain section of Follies to wait. During this process, they were very well organized and did their best to keep everyone happy, excited, and entertained.

 

We arrived at Follies before 7:00 a.m. and were given white stickers with a lower-case “i” on them. That probably stood for “independent,” but we chose to believe that it stood for “incredible.” ;-) Some also flipped it over and wore it as an exclamation point. We were directed to the forward starboard section, second row. That meant that there were about 10 other “i’s” in front of us—not bad!

 

I don’t remember how long it was before it was time to start loading tenders, my guess would be around 7:15 or 7:20. They took a load of Carnival excursion folks out, and then grabbed the first 3 rows of our section to join them. They had us go in row order, so if the tender filled up it would be first-come first-served. We made it on the first tender no problem.

 

Side note here: The folks running the tender in Belize seemed very happy, and were helping people on and off. In contrast, the folks running the tender in Grand Cayman all looked like their dog had died that morning, and our very presence was bothering them. Interesting contrast.

 

We set foot on Belize soil (well, actually, concrete). As we had come to expect, it was a shopping area, with some restaurants as well. This area was sectioned off from the rest of Belize City. To get out to the city, there were sliding doors, protected by armed guards! They take security very seriously here.

 

We still had those cards for the free Tanzanite studs, so first stop had to be the store for those. This one had them. (Check them carefully, on one of them the stone had fallen out, which they cheerfully swapped out.) We spent 10 or 15 minutes here, while the girls looked at jewelry and made bathroom stops.

 

We were now ready to report for fun. We went to the exit doors, where the guards asked which outfit we were using. We told them cave-tubing.com (I will refer to them as CTC from here on out to save typing). They opened the doors, looked outside, and then pointed out where they were standing, holding a sign with our name on it. They then permitted us to exit and meet our guides.

 

We were told, “Just in time! You are the last people to make it on the first bus!” Woo-hoo! We climbed aboard, took the last 4 seats, and off we went.

 

Our guide was Manny. He did very well at keeping us entertained and informed as we traveled. While in Belize City he told us about the country, its citizens, demographics, and so on. While it might sound boring, it really wasn’t. He kept the information relevant and was full of self-deprecating humor.

 

Manny was standing in the front of the bus, facing the passengers. At one point, he said, “We are now coming to a traffic light. I don’t know if it is red, yellow, or green. What I *do* know is that our driver will not be stopping at it! In Belize, traffic signals, traffic laws, the police—they are all viewed as suggestions.” J

 

They also broke out a bottle of cashew wine, and little cups so we each could try some. Then they picked someone to “chug” the rest of the bottle. Apparently, it is low in alcohol, and he didn’t suffer any ill effects.

 

A little bit about cave-tubing.com (CTC): They have different activities you can book. Cave tubing (duh!), riding an ATV through the jungle, and zip lining. Manny polled us, trying to figure out how many on the bus had booked each activity. He then gave us a recommendation. We were ahead of the Carnival buses, so we should do the cave tubing first, before the buses and crowds got there. We all felt that was a good idea.

 

So we went straight to the cave tubing location. The bus ride was at least an hour, perhaps hour and a half?

 

When we got there, we disembarked, picked up a tube with a life jacket strapped to it, an LED light that strapped to your forehead, and then followed a guide on a hike to the river. Now, I just summarized that. To be honest, we were very confused through this whole section. There were other groups there, which added to the chaos. We were unclear on what to bring with us and what to leave on the bus, unclear on what to pick up and where, where to assemble… clear direction was a bit lacking at this point.

 

But we eventually had our tubes and lights, and began the hike. The hike is about 15, maybe 20 minutes. The path is rocky but wide, and the scenery is beautiful. The temp was probably in the upper 80’s. While you didn’t have to be an athlete to make the hike, it would be very difficult for anyone with a disability. Some people seemed very put out that they had to WALK, and couldn’t be driven right up to the river.

 

We arrived at the point where we were to get in. The river is beautiful here; I’ll post some pics later.

 

Those under the age of 10 were told to put on life jackets; it was optional for the rest of us. (We had seen other groups wearing life jackets and helmets, that made us raise an eyebrow or two.) The guides then divided us up into groups of 8 or 9. We were instructed to form “trains,” with each person putting their feet under the arms of the person in front of them. We were also to STAY IN THE TUBE, and remember to keep your butt up! (“Butts Up!” is the motto of CTC)

 

And in this fashion we headed down the river. The water lever was very low, and the river running very slowly, so the guides had to wade along beside us and push/pull the trains of tubes down the river.

 

We entered a cave almost immediately and—it was dark. C’mon, what did you expect? ;-) We turned on the LED lights on our foreheads, and you could see the stalactites hanging above and the neat shape of the cave. It was very cool just being in a cave while floating in a tube.

 

I really wished we didn’t have to form trains. I completely understand why they do so; I sure wouldn’t want to keep track of scores of tourists floating willy-nilly down the river. But since you are holding onto the feet of the person behind you, you can’t support your head. And since you are reclined in a tube, after about 10 minutes, your neck is very, very, unhappy. If I were to do this again, I would try to use the life jacket as a pillow (it was still strapped to the tube).

 

We then heard rushing water ahead. Cool, rapids! Getting a little excited now… and then found out it was water falling into the river from a tributary. Rats!

 

25 minutes after entering the cave, we emerged into bright daylight. We continued floating lazily down the river, being pulled by our guide when necessary (he was still wading along next to us—these guys are in great shape!). After 15 minutes, our guide started collecting our lights. I was a little confused—wouldn’t we need those for the caves coming up? After we rounded the bend, it was time to get out of the river—cave tubing was done.

 

I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed. I really thought we would be in caves much longer. I’ll address this a bit more later.

 

We then had a 5 minute hike back to where the bus was, and deposited our tubes there. As Manny had predicted, there were LOTS of buses there now. And lots of confusion.

 

We had signed up for ATVs. Where do we go? Same bus? Different bus? When? Where? After a while, those of us who were going on the ATV’s were back on the same bus. It was about a 10 or 15 minute ride to the location for the ATV’s.

 

The bus dropped us off and left for other CTC customers. We were in front of a round, open-sided building with a thatched roof. At the center was a round counter, where a pleasant young lady sold refreshments and souvenirs. We were also told we could leave our bags with her while riding the ATV’s. So we did so, and headed out to the idling machines.

 

They had about 20 ATV’s ready to go. They were sitting there idling in 2 long columns. We could ride singly or doubly, it was up to us. I was proud of Kellie, she opted to drive her own ATV even though she had never been on one before! Because the ATV’s had been running for who knows how long, and the day was quite warm, the engines were HOT. And we were all wearing swimwear. It was singeing the hair on my legs! It goes without saying that we were being very, very careful to keep body parts away from warm engine parts.

 

We had to chuckle at the briefing. Not what we’ve come to expect from the litigious US. It basically consisted of: Don’t change gears. Don’t tailgate. Use both brakes when you stop. And that was it. Helmets? We don’t need no stinkin’ helmets! They made sure each person knew where the accelerator was and where the brakes were, and then we were off. A guide would lead the way on an ATV, and the rest of us would follow single file.

 

We were flying at breakneck speed, ducking branches, jumping rocks, sliding around corners… OK, I’m kidding here. In reality, we plodded along slowly, going down a well-worn trail. In fact, another guide would walk up to you, take your camera, and then walk along next you taking pictures. This was a great service, but is also shows how slowly we were going—walking speed. The guide taking the pics was very good at his job. At one point, he grabbed Kellie’s camera, and jumped on the back of my ATV facing backwards, and took her picture—all without anybody stopping. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

 

The ATV ride lasted 15 minutes, and covered a loop of, I would guess, about a mile, perhaps a mile and a half. And then we were done.

 

If that sounds anti-climactic, it was. It was cool in that, as Andy pointed out, “Hey, I’m riding an ATV in the middle of Belize!” And it wasn’t expensive at all. (If I remember correctly, I think it added on $25.) And it was completely safe and anyone would feel comfortable doing it. But we really didn’t go anywhere or see anything—just an “out and back” trail that was pretty short.

 

We went back inside the open building, and our hosts had chicken tamales, wrapped in banana leaves, waiting for us. Yay, some local food! We were starving at this point and devoured them. We then used the changing facilities to get out of our damp clothes, and killed some time looking at the souvenirs. (Another side note—if you buy a “Butts Up” t-shirt, get it a size or two larger than you need. Mine shrunk a LOT when I washed it.)

 

We were getting antsy, looking at our watches, wondering when the bus was going to arrive to take us back to the ship. Finally, after an hour it showed up, loaded down with the rest of the group. But—they still had to eat! (And allowed time to shop, of course.) So we waited another 20 minutes, and then got on the bus to head back to Belize city.

 

Bear in mind, we still haven’t paid a cent for all these activities! Truly amazing. So now on the bus ride back the guides collected the money. One guide collected the straight fee for CTC, and the other collected any tips if you felt like adding them. That way they kept the funds separated. They also told us that everyone split the tip money—the driver, the river guides, ATV guides, etc. That sounded like a good arrangement. We were glad they told us that, since we had already tipped the river guides.

 

Most people, when collecting money, are a little uncomfortable doing so and tuck it away quickly. Not Manny! He had fun with it, fanning out the cash, posing, and generally doing his best to entertain.

 

So, in retrospect, I wish we had only signed up for the cave tubing. While the ATVs were nice, I think those who were doing the cave tubing ONLY got to go longer in the river, and see more actual caves. I didn’t confirm this with anyone though, this is just my guess. I also would have liked to have seen their zip lining, to see how it compared to what we did in Roatan.

 

Once we got back to Belize City, the bus pulled up right in front of the guarded doors that led to the protected shopping area. Once there, the girls did a little more shopping, and then we caught the second-to-last tender back to the Legend.

 

We showered and changed, and headed down to the MDR. This was the second elegant night. I didn’t note specifically what we ate that night (the quality of my note-taking was deteriorating as the trip wore on!), but I’ll post a couple pics of it.

 

After supper, we posed for more pictures. We really liked that they had so many stations set up each night. We then went to Follies to watch “The Big Easy.” This was the big production themed on New Orleans. While a couple acts weren’t my personal taste, the troupe did an excellent job performing throughout the entire event. On top of that, the ship was really rolling that night—how they possibly did the dance routines—many times at the edge of the orchestra pit—is beyond me! They completely redeemed themselves from the dismal Welcome Aboard show.

 

One more day of excursions left—Cozumel.

[Time2CruiseAgain]

Love it!!