A Legend Review so Dang Good it Doesn't Need Pictures

[galawdog]

We also went on the Jubilee on our Honeymoon in 1987! May24th 1987 we embarked on her!!! We are also in our early 50's. I had to dig through to get a photo of us, it was the embarkatuion photo showing the date. I faxed a copy of that and they also wanted a copy of our drivers license's and about 2 weeks later it appeared on our cruise history. Will be going on the Legend for the 4th time in 32 days!!!!!!!!!! My favorite ship!:D:D

 

Surely I can find a picture somewhere to ratchet our VIFP status upward by seven days. (By the way, we sailed on May 31, 1987, the day you arrived back in Miami!)

 

We had actually been booked on a four-night sailing on the Tropicale or Carnivale, and an ancestor of the Upgrade Fairy called to tell us that our ship had been chartered by a bunch of graduating seniors from Cincinnati. She suggested we change to the Jubilee. I told the Fairy "I can't afford a $2800.00 cruise for a week on a new ship." Not a problem. We were upgraded to the week-long Jubilee at no additional charge.

[myangel]

well you won't believe this , seems the same had happened to us! We booked a 3 day cruise ( I forgot which ship) because we were young, poor and could not afford a longer one). We had used a travel agent and 3 weeks before the cruise she had called and said Carnival overbooked and were seeking out honeymooners first to upgrade them to a 7 day on the Jubilee. I thought I had won the lottery!!!!I can still hear the announcement in my head " the bordeaux and burgandy dining rooms are now open for your dining pleasure"!!!!!!!!!!! It was in inside cabin,but who cared, we were going on a 7 day honeymoon, lol!!! my new husband got to skeet shoot, we had the traditional flaming cherries jubilee, waiters parading out with the baked alaska........... what fun times!!! can't believe 25 years have gone by!

[galawdog]

----and there’s more.

 

PAST GUEST PARTY: This event feels a little more exclusive now that one has to be Gold, rather than on one’s second cruise. The crowd is smaller, the drinks are larger, the horse doovers are tastier, and the Carnival Love Us video is just as fun.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: The singers in the production shows were much, much better than on last year’s cruise. Our favorite show in the big room was Marcus Anthony, of course. However, he really made some magic by sitting in with four of the show-band musicians in one of the promenade lounges for some jazz improvisation late one night. I’ve never heard Autumn Leaves performed better.

 

For the first time ever, we were disappointed by the lobby and casino musicians. I have high standards for music, but these folks couldn’t even hold pitch.

 

CRUISE DIRECTOR: James Dunn and his staff were a weaker team, in my opinion, than Wee Jimmy last year. I know that Wee Jimmy grates on some people’s nerves, but he was EVERYWHERE. He was a better on-board ambassador for CCL.

 

CASINO: We spent more time in the casino than before, and broke even for the week, plus or minus 20 bucks. We love to play Caribbean Stud, and had some success. I realize that it’s a horrible game for the player (house has 5%-plus advantage), but it’s more socially fun game than blackjack.

 

DRESS CODE: My dining experience is not generally affected by the dress of others, but Cruise Critic has caused me to look around the dining room more than I normally would. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see the gym shorts, flipflops, and sweaty tanktops. Other than an elderly veteran who proudly wore a ball-cap that said "USNR," I never saw any hats. Overall, I thought the dress to be in keeping with the dress code.

 

SUMMARY: This was our second September cruise on the Legend, and we are sad that it will be in Europe next fall. As our cruise was during the last few weeks of the "Future Cruise Certificate" promotion, we bought two. We are booked on the Carnival Dream next September. There is a Cove Balcony with our name on it.

 

Many thanks for you who have commented and asked questions. Cruise Critic has made DW and I better travelers. I now understand that some cruise to eat; some cruise to stay on their balcony and catch up on a year’s worth of reading; some cruise to gamble; some cruise to soak up the sun; some cruise to snorkel in every possible port. We view our cruise experience as a buffet—we try a little of everything.

 

Wishing I were aboard the Carnival Anything instead of just writing about it, I am very truly yours,

galawdog

[Andoria]

:::::::::::::Applause::::::::::::::::::::! Well done!

[deedle7544]

Love your review, and your writing style, I've been on the Legend twice and she is still my favorite. Looking forward to your next review, and happy sailing!

[jesron1269]

:::::::::::::Applause::::::::::::::::::::! Well done!

 

I will second this! Nice read indeed!

[Florings]

Most excellent! Thank you.

[galawdog]

MORE ON EXCURSIONS:

There have been several recent threads about non-Carnival arranged excursions. Until a few years ago, we wouldn't have dreamed of taking a non-cruiseline excursion. However, I would urge everyone to use Trip Advisor dot com to aid in selecting an excursion.

 

These independent companies live and die on their reliability and safety. If the Cozumel Bar Hop, for example, used unsafe buses or failed to get passengers back to the pier, their ratings would plummet.

 

If you are willing to put a deposit on your credit card or PayPal account, try an independent excursion. The only downside is that you may receive an e-mail that says "Meet Mindy downtown in the plaza next to Starbucks at 10:00 am, and be prepared to pay the rest of your fee in cash." I'm perfectly willing to take that risk, and we've had wonderful results.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your review!