Carnival Legend Review 5/6-5/13

[mj]

Every day this week I have set aside some time to read and see your review. Loving it so far,please come back(you are like the tooth fairy) I only seem to get updates the next morning.:D

In Roatan I noticed the picture of the plants being raised protected in tubes, were these mangrove trees that they are trying to reforest with?

 

Yes those were mangroves. Thanks for the positive feedback.

[KuffMUp]

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

 

OMG did you say it was elegant night? Are those shorts and Tshirts in the MDR???:eek:

[mj]

OMG did you say it was elegant night? Are those shorts and Tshirts in the MDR???:eek:

 

Since this is a long post, i accidentally posted the wrong picture and what you.are seeing is the breakfast line that morning. My apologies.

[mj]

OMG did you say it was elegant night? Are those shorts and Tshirts in the MDR???:eek:

 

Since this is a long post, i accidentally posted the wrong picture and what you.are seeing is the breakfast line that morning. My apologies.

[KuffMUp]

My bad. I missed that it was breakfast. I do have a question tho. Is Mahogany Bay near Coxen's hole?? If so, boy has that place changed since I was there!!! Looks stunning!:D

[jules1121]

Great review! Brings back memories from last year. 10 days and we will be on the ship again. ;)

[Roswell_IcePrincess]

Excellent review. Thanks for posting. Will be on the Legend end of June.

[mj]

May 11(Friday) Grand Cayman

 

Wow, the cruise is almost over and the last port day. Again, another gorgeous day on this cruise. We went to breakfast at 9:00 in Truffles and pretty much had non-existant service. Took your orders and that was about it. One lady actually just walked over to where the coffee pot was and poured her a refill. I actually prefer the breakfast in the dining room to the Lido. In the olden days, you could get sausage links at the Lido, but now they have all sort of concoctions.

 

Really had no gameplan for Grand Cayman. Actually discussed going to the beach, but decided just to explore the town. Got off around 12 and no line for tendering. Here is a couple of pictures of the Legend as we were in the tender boat.

 

 

 

 

Got off the tender and got around the area where the tours left and went to someplace called Its Just Sugar and both had gelatos. My mom had a coconut basil and I had salted caramel gelato. Both tasted good or at least we thought so.

 

 

Then we were approached by a man offering a tour of the island. It was 1.5 hours for $15. Not a bad price compared to what the ship charged. We left around 1. It had been awhile as mostly we had been doing the beach thing at GC. Here a few of the pictures as we drove alone.

 

 

Apparently, this is the guy's house that ran GC

 

 

More on GC coming up

[mj]

Grand Cayman continued

 

The guy that lead our tour was named Tony and really enjoyed the tour. Off next to the where the dolphins were. It just across from the Turtle Farm. Saw this as we were going to see the dolphins.

 

 

 

Now we are inside and off to see the dolphins. It was free to get in and you can take pictures of the dolphins. This is a preview of things to come in Alaska. It was difficult to get pictures and can only imagine it going to be more difficult to get pictures next year of whales in Alaska. Here a some pictures of the cute dolphiins:

 

 

 

 

 

Up Next: More of GC

[mj]

Next Tony took us next door to try some Rum Cakes. We left there and went straight to "Hell" It had been 10 years or more since stopping there and it hadn't changed. Just a quick stop to get some pictures. Here are some:

 

 

 

 

And now a couple of pictures of our tour guide: Tony

 

 

 

What was even more scarier is that "Hell" is next door to a gas station and take a look at what they have to pay for a gallon of gas.

 

 

Up Next: GC continued

[mj]

Grand Cayman continued

 

Got back in GC around 1:45 and went shopping. Found this wandering around the pharmacy:

 

 

After shopping, went to board the tender around 3pm. Before getting onboard, took a couple more shots of the Legend.

 

 

 

 

We left just before 6pm and it was not long before dinner. Went to the dining room around 7:30 and again no wait. This was the night they had duet of filet mignon along with short ribs. Had the lasagna something another as a starter. Liked it, but would not want it as a main course. The biggest disappointment was the filet mignon. It was tender, but, had a weird taste to it. Ate about half of it and quit. The rib portion was good and tender. Had the warm melting chocolate cake for dessert and it was good, not the best, but still tasty. Our waiter's name was Zaldy. Here is a picture of him doing a dance routine for the evening.

 

 

Went back to the room and had this waiting

 

 

Up Next: Last Sea Day

[mj]

May 12(Saturday) Sea Day

 

This is always sort of a sad day to wake up and realize that tomorrow you will go home. However; this still one more day of fun. Went to the casino around 12:30 to play in the slot tournament. Being platinum, you get one free entry. Normally play in the blackjack, but missed it this time and decided to play in the slot tournament. Basically, you hit the spin button over and over for 5 minutes and hope you get lucky. I did pretty good and got almost 40,000 points. However; that was not enough to qualify for the finals, but gave it my best shot. Went back around 2:30 to see the finals and see someone else win my $500. It was fun, though.

 

Did some packing and rather than go to the dining room, went back to the steakhouse on the final nights. It was great again, but did not have the cheesecake this time. For the main course, had the lamb chops and for dessert had some homemade banana ice cream. Much smaller portion the cheesecake, but still very good. Food and service was excellent.

 

Went back to the room and realizing that a wonderful vacation was about to end.

 

May 13 (Sunday) Disembarkation

 

We were Zone 1. However; we were not scheduled to be called until 9:30. We were to meet in a lounge at 9:15. Got some breakfast and meet a nice couple out of Atlanta. They were big fans of Princess. They stated they had a good time, though. Interestingly enough, she did not care for the steakhouse and found it disappointing. Just goes to show the different viewpoints out there.

 

Got called at 9:30, found our luggage very easy and went to the customs line. I did not realize it, but I was way over the yellow line while waiting for the customs agent. He stated that you need to get behind the line and we have signs posted up there. Don't remember exactly how he said it, but he was rude. Oh well, never have to see him again.

 

Got in the rental car at 10 and was home around 6:30. Not too bad of a drive. The last hour of the trip did seem to take forever as it was raining and just anxious to get home.

 

It did seem that disembarkation took longer this year for some reason. I was hoping to be on the road before 9. Last year, we were out of there around 8:30. I have had better experiences with RCCL on disembarkation that Carnival. On the Allure of the Seas, we were Zone 27 and was called at 8:45. At that time, they had already called half of the ship. Really don't know if customs is different in Tampa than in Miami or Ft Lauderdale, to be fair.

 

I will write some random thoughts tomorrow and post some random pictures and wrap up the review. Thanks for reading so far.

[Zoey]

MJ.......Great photos!!! I HAVE read this entire thread but can not remember if you mentioned what kind of camera your were using????

 

Also, how were the short ribs (one of my favorite foods)?

[mj]

MJ.......Great photos!!! I HAVE read this entire thread but can not remember if you mentioned what kind of camera your were using????

 

Also, how were the short ribs (one of my favorite foods)?

 

I used a Panasonic Lumix 16x camera. In the past, always had Nikon, but was disappointed with the picture quality on their lower end cameras.

 

Thought the short ribs were good on the third night. That was the one with the eggplant and the rice. If you are refering to the ribs they have on elegant night, found them a bit disappointing. Tried some of my mom's and they have changed the sauce, it had more of a bold taste. It was okay. Food was uneven in the main dining room on this cruise.

 

Hope this answers your questions

[Kentucky60]

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

 

Do you have a picture of the room and balcony I have room 5222 booked for aug which is on the other end.

[mj]

I will check my pictures and see if I do. If I do, will post them tomorrow when my internet connection will be faster.

[mj]

Do you have a picture of the room and balcony I have room 5222 booked for aug which is on the other end.

 

Sorry it took awhile to get back. Unfortunately, did not take many pictures of the room. There were none that I had that would give you a good idea of what the room itself looked like.

[mj]

Some Random Thoughts

 

 

One thing that stood out in a positive way on the Legend cruise was the service of the room steward and his assistant. The room steward name was Protos. Never caught the name of his assistant. He was really a very friendly guy that was very visible throughout the whole cruise. He did a very good job. Just wanted to post a picture of him and his assistant.

 

 

 

Overall, the week was very good. Yes, there were some cutback that have been noted by other reviews. Truly do like the Spirit Class ship compared to the Conquest Class. Just do to the smaller size, but pretty much having the same amenities. Will probably due a Dream Class ship one day just to see how I will like it.

 

Here are a few more random pictures:

 

 

This was an airplane while we were on our balcony in Grand Cayman

 

 

Me at "Hell"

 

 

Another one of my favorite towel animals for the week

 

Up next: Wanted to give some thoughts about cruising on the Carnival Legend after sailing on the Allure of the Seas

[wrigley80]

Great Review.

[marshhawk]

I just love that frog towel animal! A friend of mine came over to the house a couple months ago and said, gee you really do have frogs, and she went and counted them, and there were over 30 frogs in the gardens and in the house. I need to learn to make that one!

 

I love the picture of the Legend while you were tendering in to Grand Cayman

[Ryancoke]

....... Just a quick stop to get some pictures. Here are some:........... even more scarier is that "Hell" is next door to a gas station and take a look at what they have to pay for a gallon of gas.

 

 

Up Next: GC continued

 

When converted from Imperial gallons and Cayman dollars to the US equivalent that is a bit more than $4.00 US per US gal. Considering Cayman Islands are very expensive in most other respects this isn't out of line. And with everything within easy biking or walking distance (about 20 mi from one end to the other??) and considering the country has less than 500 mi of road their average fuel bill is probably as reaonable as could be expected.

[mj]

Ok before getting to the comparison of Royal's Allure vs Legend, had some miscellaneous pictures of some various items:

 

Here is the room service menu. On my last cruise, started looking for the room service menu and didn't realize they were doing the paper menu. More than likely, threw it in the trashcan.

 

 

Here is the current benefits for the platinum members. One thing to notice is there is less benefits than the less cruise and the ones they offer, there are more restrictions.

 

 

The last item is the schedule for disembarkation in Tampa.

 

[mj]

Comparison between Allure of the Seas and Legend.

 

 

 

vs

 

 

 

Last October, we went on the Allure of the Seas and had a wonderful time. For me, the ship and experience was a notch above all of the cruise ships that I have went on, including Royal. So I was wondering how I would do going back on a cruise that did not have the amenities and entertainment of the Allure. Did just fine. Guess, I just love cruising.

 

Entertainment

 

This to me is where the Allure really shines, in my opinion. With Chicago, Aqua Theater show, ice skating, and their production show, there are plenty of entertainment options. On this ship, stayed out the latest at night on a cruise ship in a long time.

 

They also have parades, characters from Dreamworks, and lots of activities for families. The parade was so much fun.

 

The shows that I attended on Legend were good, but found myself not attending a lot of the shows.

 

Food

 

Carnival wins in dining room food, still. Allure's food was good, but, in opinion, Carnival still is better. The Allure gave you a lot of options, pay and free. You could literally eat in a pay restaurant every night, if you choose. Carnival's steakhouse beats Royal's Chop Steakhouse. The cuts of beef are simply much better on Carnival.

 

Carnival still has lots of free options such as decent burgers, pizza, and other options. Royal does have a lot of free options, but think Carnival's food is better. Royal has the Park Cafe, which is very good and get the roast beef sandwich or made to order salad. Royal wins for breakfast in the lido deck by giving plenty of choices in the lido deck for breakfast, whereas Carnival is very limited. The downside of Allure was no made to order omelettes in the lido deck.

 

Carnival will give a good value and will continue to cruise them. Royal is definately more expensive, particularly Oasis and Allure. Will continue to cruise Royal and my next cruise is on the Oasis. Paying $300 more to cruise Oasis this year than Carnival and I am sailing Oasis in the off season. Unfortunately, all of the cruise lines are cutting back and will continue to do so. I do want to expand my horizons by sailing with other lines like taking a NCL or Princess cruise down the line.

[RedbirdFL]

We must have been neighbors on the cruise because Protos was our room steward too! We were in 5178.

[mj]

We must have been neighbors on the cruise because Protos was our room steward too! We were in 5178.

 

I was in 5192