Carnival Legend Review 5/6-5/13

[mj]

Just off the Carnival Legend on Sunday. Thought I would do a pictorial review and see how it goes. Took a lot of pictures. Had a great time. There were some areas for improvement and will mention those along the way.

 

Saturday 5/5

 

I live in the Columbia, SC area and my mom lives on the coast of SC. So, Tampa is a 8 hr drive. Went to the Hertz Rental Car place in Columbia to pick up the car. We normally rent a car and drop it off near the cruise port and pick it up on the way home. The reason is I normally put 20-25,000 miles per year on my car.

 

Went to Hertz at 11:30 and it was swamped. Got on the road a little just before twelve and headed down to Tampa to stay at the Holiday Inn Express on Elms Fair Boulevard. It was a pretty uneventful drive down to Tampa. Got there a little after 8pm and went to 5 Guys next door for burgers.

 

The hotel itself is in decent shape. It is not the nicest of Holiday Inn Expresses's but it is not the worst. Right down the road was a Comfort Suites, which looked newer and nicer.

 

Don't really have a good picture of the room, so this will give you an idea.

 

So, this is my second attempt on doing a picture review and lets see if it works.

[mj]

5/6 Sunday

 

This is the big day. It still is exciting to me, no matter how many cruises I take. Got up at 7am. Went down to the breakfast area and got one of those great cinnamon rolls that the Holiday Inn Express has. Put the luggage tags on our luggage. We had to make sure that the rental car was returned by 12 to thie Marriott Waterside near the cruise port.

 

The hotel was only 15 minutes from the port, so we left at 11am. Got the port and dropped off the luggage and that was relatively easy. No line at all to drop off the luggage. Got the rental car to the Mariott at 11:45am.

 

Now, I am the type that likes to get on the ship as soon as possible. My mom likes to get onboard when the rooms are ready. On Carnival, as you well know, that is 1:30. She suggested that we go the Florida Aquarium, which was next door. Found a $3 dollar off coupon at the hotel and so the tickets were $18 or 19 for me. They have an area that you can check your luggage. Spent about an hour there.

 

The aquarium was ok. My mind kept going the whole time, " I wish I was on the Legend." Think I would had a better time if I was not so anxious to get on the ship. Here are some pictures at the aquarium.

 

 

 

 

 

This last picture was my favorite one of all.

[ChefSusan]

We're on her in 6 days - cannot wait to read your review!

[vivavegas]

Nice review! Can't wait to read more!:)

[JerseyshoreBruce]

Looking forward to your review...thanks for taking the time to do one!

[mj]

5/6 Sunday Continued

 

Finally, it was time to get on board the ship. It was around 1:15. Everybody must have already checked in, because there was no one in line. Security was a breeze and check in was even faster. Went to VIP line and got the sail and sign passes. This was my 16th on Carnival and my mom's 10th. She got her Platinum card on this cruise. By that time, the room was ready. We had room 5192 and it was a balcony. We sailed the Legend last year and had the exact same room.

 

Went up to the Lido deck for lunch. Did not want to eat very much as we had reservations for the steak house at 7:30 and did not want to eat very much. The lido lunch was ok, nothing special.

 

Had the lifeboat drill at 3:15 and here was one difference between the last lifeboat drill. At the end of the drill, they called out people's name and room numbers over the speaker and asked them to make their way to have a lifeboat drill.

 

We left at 4 and headed out. At some point, we passed under the bridge. Don't remember any annoucement.

 

 

 

 

Before you know it, it was time to go to the Golden Fleece. There was a change here that was different. You are know limited to ordering one appetizer and one salad. Or you can get two appetizers/two salad,etc. You cannot order unlimited anymore. Was going to order a crabcake and share. That is when we found out. Don't know when this was implemented. Our primary server was Joy and she was great. Found out she was going to get married in November.

 

Had the escargots, lobster bisque, and filet mignon. Everything was great. While waiting for the food, started noticing this huge piece of cake people were ordering. Turned out it was the cheesecake. It was huge. Most people didn't even finish half of it. Here is a picture:

 

[mj]

5/6 Sunday continued

 

The cheesecake was pretty good. We shared it and only finished half of it.

 

Here are some pictures of the Golden Fleece

 

 

 

 

They also had the deal where you got a bottle of free wine. We do not drink wine, but a lot of people were taking advantage of the deal.

[mj]

Went outside and noticed the beautiful moon. It was gorgeous. Here are some pictures from the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

Went back to the room and retired for the evening. Did not want to see the Welcome Aboard Show and retired for the evening.

 

Up Next Day 2

[Malinger]

Thanks for posting! The cheesecake will be mine...oh yes....it will be mine. :D

[marshhawk]

Great start for your trip. Love the pictures!

[mj]

Thanks for posting! The cheesecake will be mine...oh yes....it will be mine. :D

 

That is one huge slice. Enjoy and make sure you don't eat anything for days. Did not see anyone finish it.

[AZNative2000]

Thanks for posting! The cheesecake will be mine...oh yes....it will be mine. :D

My sentiments exactly! Although DW and I will probably split one.;)

 

Thanks for taking the time to write your review! Your photos are wonderful. Can't wait to board ... in just 5 days.:D:D

[Yankeegirl]

Great start, can't wait to read more. I have to a agree, that cheesecake looks AWESOME!!!!!

[RedbirdFL]

We were on your cruise and just down the hall from you in 5178! Can't wait hear more about what you thought and see more pics. :)

 

We had an awesome week!

[gelo7]

Nice start, keep it coming.

[reerun25]

Great review so far, really enjoying it!

[bonvoyage88]

Enjoying your review, can't wait to read more. :)

 

Linda

[CruzerDeb]

More, please!:)

[GeorgiaMomof4]

You said your reservations for the steakhouse were at 7:30. Do you by any chance remember what time you were finished with dinner? We are considering booking the steakhouse for the first night so we don't miss going under the bridge, but aren't sure what time to book or how long our dinner might take if we do.

 

Keep the review coming - anxiously awaiting October!

[mj]

You said your reservations for the steakhouse were at 7:30. Do you by any chance remember what time you were finished with dinner? We are considering booking the steakhouse for the first night so we don't miss going under the bridge, but aren't sure what time to book or how long our dinner might take if we do.

 

Keep the review coming - anxiously awaiting October!

 

It took around 2 hours

[Skywench]

We were also on the same cruise. This was my second time doing this itinerary on the Legend. Had a great week.

[marshhawk]

You said your reservations for the steakhouse were at 7:30. Do you by any chance remember what time you were finished with dinner? We are considering booking the steakhouse for the first night so we don't miss going under the bridge, but aren't sure what time to book or how long our dinner might take if we do.

 

Keep the review coming - anxiously awaiting October!

 

I've been reading a lot fo Legend Reviews recently-seems you will be OK for 7:30 as most people have posted getting to the bridge between 6:15 and 6:45. Have a great cruise!

 

However if you are cruising in October-it may already be dark by the time you get to the bridge? That's what happened to us in February, that and it was too cold to go outside!

[mj]

Monday May 7 (Sea Day)

 

One of the great things about a balcony is having a cup of coffee in the morning. Ordered room service for between 8:30 and 9 and the guy was at the door at 8:20. They were prompt. Ordered throughout the week at the same time and the latest they came was 8:30.

 

Did not really do a whole lot this day. Do not participate in the activities. Don't remember a whole lot going on that day either. Just took the time to read my book on the balcony.

 

The cruise director was Kirk (cannot remember his last name). He was fine. Boy, could he fly with the annoucements and they were long, in my opinion. He was going so fast some times, I had difficulty with the annoucements.

 

 

This was the first elegant night and our first night in the dining room. We have done the my time dining and normally works well. Last time, half of the upper deck was used for the open seating. This time, the entire dining room on the third floor was being utilized. It is definately getting more popular. Went just a little after eight and there was a line to get in. It moved real quickly and was seated. This is my favorite dinner from Carnival and had lobster, as usual. The food that night was cooked well. That was not the case the entire week. The food seemed a little uneven at times. One thing I noticed was there was always someone from the Steakhouse outside the dining room. Not a criticism, just an observation. Here is the line to get in.

 

 

Came back in and retired for the evening. There was a production show that evening, but did not go.

 

Up next Cozumel

[travellover39]

Your doing a great job with your picture review. Can't wait for more:D

 

That's some line for "elegant night" and passengers don't look to elegant. I was surprised to see that.;)

 

Can't wait for more. We sail in October. 159 days :)

[mj]

May 8 (Cozumel) Tuesday

 

This was our first stop. I have been to Cozumel a hundred times, it seems. Generally, just get off and shop in the area around the ship for a couple of hours. We were not alone in the port today as the Carnival Elation docked beside us. There was another Fantasy Class ship that docked beside us. Got off the ship and it was hot. Here are some pictures in Cozumel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up next: something a little different in Cozumel and some more pictures