Thinking about legend

[crazidude1400]

legend out of new york

 

can anyone tell me some basic information about this ship

 

service, itinerary, food, cabins, cleanliness, had a good time??

 

thanks

[roger1955]

Crazidude,

 

We're sailing on her for the first time this coming Saturday (9/10). Will bookmark the thread and let you know what I think when I get back.

 

Roger

[Bran8778]

Crazidude,

 

We're sailing on her for the first time this coming Saturday (9/10). Will bookmark the thread and let you know what I think when I get back.

 

Roger

 

I will set sail next month on the 12th and would love to here a recent review. Don't forget about us Roger.

 

branden

[xraygirl]

We sail the Legend on 9/18....I'll let you know every detail I can think of! If you have any specific questions I'll certainly check it out while on board.

[toesockrock]

I loved loved LOVED the Legend. Sailed August 9th to the 17th. I have a review posted, if you want to check it out: LEGEND REVIEW

 

xoxo

Maggi

[XmindyX]

Hey XRaygirl , We will be on at the same time .. There will be 5 of us comming from Mich

[Cruise Fever]

We've sailed her twice. The first time was great and the second time was our best ever Carnival cruise. Here's a review of the last time

 

 

 

EMBARKATION

 

We arrived at Port Everglades early, about 9:30 A.M., as usual and were the first passengers onboard. Using Carnivals online registration “Fun Pass” system we breezed right through the embarkation process and onto the ship. Actually I think that arriving early at the port is the way to go and do so every cruise. We end up getting a few more hours on board, ahead of the crowd, in which we can check our dining room table assignment and cabin, take a quick tour of the ship and have lunch, all before most passengers even step foot on board. If we’ve been traveling this is a great time to pop in a load of laundry too. We’ll have all that done and be relaxing on our balcony with a glass of champagne as most all other passengers are lined up to board.

DINING

 

As Carnival food goes, this one rates very highly with us. Our Early Seating dinner was well attended every night in contrast to our previous cruise on this ship when, as the cruise progressed, fewer and fewer passengers attended due to poor service and cuisine.

 

Carnival has revamped the dining room menu. Some of the old favorites are gone, replaced by new creations, some of which will surely become popular and some that probably won’t make it. It’s good to see them mixing things up a bit, we were getting tired of the same menu cruise after cruise.

 

One area that they have made great strides in is desserts. Previous comments about desserts being bland and lacking of creativity have been heeded. Each and every creation was exquisitely prepared and presented in table-service restaurant style, a marked departure from the mass-feeding procedures and appearance of past cruises.

 

Lido deck offerings were both varied and appealing. Scattered into several different stations with plenty of space between them the lines were not long at all but peak times and then they moved along quickly.

 

In addition to a regular buffet, duplicated in two easy access stations, a “Taste of Nations” offered a rotating cuisine which changed daily. Mexican and American day were especially well attended. “The Deli” offered carved to order sandwiches (their Reuben is out of this world) and an outdoor grill served up hamburgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken sandwiches.

 

Back inside the Chinese Place served up oriental cuisine daily with a menu that rotated and some selections that were both unique and very well received. It was not uncommon for passengers to line up a half hour early for this station to open. Spring Rolls and Shrimp Won-tons were huge crowd pleasers

 

PUBLIC ROOMS

 

The design and layout of this ship really helps promote her theme; legends. From Medusa’s Lair, the disco to Stachmo’s, a live jazz bar named after the legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the one area flows into another with ease. The transition from Holmes Library, the home of the internet café to Billie’s bar, the piano bar named after Billie Holiday is tastefully made. On the way you’ll walk by the onboard Wedding Chapel where newlyweds take their vows and long married couples are offered the opportunity to renew theirs on board. Bringing it altogether is a recurring theme of urns which are ever present.

 

Hand blown glass urns, displayed in lighted shadow boxes on staircases are true original works of art numbering over 100 throughout the ship. Incorporated into everything from wallpaper to handrails, urns, presumably a vehicle for the mystical transfer of legends through time, make for an smooth flow from one area to the next.

 

Most public areas including showrooms, shops and dining are located on Decks 2 and 3, the Atlantic and Promenade decks. Lido and Spa activities along with alternative dining options are on decks 9 and 10 leaving 6 basically cabin decks sandwiched in between.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

I’ve always been impressed with Carnival’s big Vegas-style production shows and this cruise was no exception. From the costumes to the lighting, they did a first class job on the shows presented in a manner second to none. In addition, Cruise Director Bret Alans and staff did a good job providing a week of non-stop activities and fun for those that wished to participate without intruding on those that did not.

 

Basically there’s something going on in the showroom every night after dinner. There’s an early show for those at the early seating of dinner and a late show for those at the late seating or who those who may have taken in the Golden Fleece alternative dining restaurant. From magic shows to comedians there seems to be something for everyone. While I saw a lot of the same people at all the shows it was obvious that many passengers had picked just the ones they knew they’d like, opting to do something else, or nothing at all at other times.

 

At the end of this cruise I bought both the Fun Ship Video and the Video Travelog offered by the onboard photography department. They do a real good job capturing both the flavor of each particular cruise and the ship in general. While these same videos are played in-cabin throughout the cruise as they develop, it will be nice to reminisce about the activities we attended and sneak a peek at the ones we didn’t but just might on the next cruise.

 

 

 

CABINS

 

As is our practice we went directly to our cabins on deck 8, an inside and a balcony cabin all the way aft, to deposit our carry on luggage. Our steward was still working on preparing our cabins but actually seemed genuinely happy to see us. I was impressed that he remembered our names for the rest of the week and took care of our every need in a professional and unobtrusive manner. The cabins are spacious at 185 square feet and efficiently laid out. There’s plenty of storage space for both our belongings and luggage without cluttering up the cabin.

 

The inside cabin we had for the kids is a good example of why we prefer to book specific cabins rather than guaranteed, “run of the ship” cabins which are assigned by the ship. I chose this particular cabin because its placement indicated that it might be slightly larger than the standard inside. It was and the layout offered much more floor and storage space, a real plus for teens that would probably be having friends met on board over for moves and late night pizza parties.

 

SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

One of the best features of this cruise was the 8 day itinerary with two full sea days on the front and end framing 3 ports of call; St Maarten, Barbados and Martinique. While there are many varied shore excursions offered we chose, as usual, to go it on our own, in search of the perfect beach.

 

In St Maarten, one of our favorite ports, we headed directly to Baie Rouge, a quite and secluded beach on the French side of the island with full services but not huge crowds. Cab drivers don’t want to take you there, opting for the popular tourist beaches that pay them by the head for the number of visitors delivered, but they’ll take you there if you ask.

 

We had met a couple of nice families onboard by now and followed them to the Boat House beach on Barbados, a bit too crowded and bar-like for my beach pleasure but tons of fun nonetheless and a real highlight of the cruise for the kids.

 

Martinique is a port that if I ever visit again I will stay on the ship. We’ve been there twice and always gone ashore to explore but on this itinerary it is a short call with all passengers expected back on board by 1:30 P.M. It’s difficult to go very far and do much here. Although I’ve always gone ashore at every port, this might be one to stay aboard and enjoy the amenities of the ship to get full value out of this day of the cruise.

 

DEBARKATION

 

A real nightmare compared to the last time we cruised this ship. On our last cruise we bought a Carnival post-cruise excursion of Ft Lauderdale. This is really the way to go. Post cruise excursions get off the ship early, keep you from waiting for your deck/color group to be called, have a nice transition between the wonders of “cruise world” and reality, and they drop you at the airport in time for your flight.

 

This time we waited in line after never-ending line to get off the ship then fought the same hoard of people scrambling to claim their luggage and find ground transportation. It doesn’t have to be that way and we’ll not make that mistake again. OVERALL their

 

FITNESS

 

In our party were two people really interested in the fitness center. Lisa, who works at a local hospital, works out frequently when on land and wanted to continue at sea. Sydney, on her college rowing team, needed to keep in shape while on break from school so she would have to play catch up on her training when she went back to school. In addition, I looked forward to visiting for the steam room and sauna. The only exercise I had planned on doing was an occasional staircase if the elevators were running slow.

 

Nobody did what they had planned.

 

“Crowded and hot” was the way Lisa described the fitness center and the reason she only went one time. Perhaps an earlier visit might have gone better but when I went early I could not find anyone working to help me with the spa and steam room although I and another passenger searched the place twice.

 

While the fitness center is, as advertised, well stocked with all the latest machines that you’ll need to keep fit, finding a good time to do so seemed to be a problem not only for us but for other passengers I talked to.

 

In addition, I got complaints about the “pushy” spa staff, trying to sell the next spa treatment all the time they were performing the current one. While I did not get any complaints about the price of the individual treatments, the value was discussed throughout the ship as being less than expected. Salon customers, in many cases, felt rushed and that whatever treatment they had signed up for was “barely performed before they were given the bums rush” out the door.

 

 

 

VALUE

 

We chose this cruise because of what I viewed as a great value the first time and again for this second cruise. Comparing pricing, sailing this cruise gives us an 8 day cruise for about the same price as a comparable 7 day cruise. An extra day is a lot. All things considered this cruise was an excellent value, coming in at just about $100 per person, per day when it was all over.

 

 

 

FAMILY AND CHILDREN

 

Although our children are not of Camp Carnival age anymore, I feel I should mention what I observed to be very well organized and fun activities for the kids that did participate in the Camp Carnival program. Holiday cruises are somewhat notorious for being overrun by kids. Although there were over 700 kids on board, in the Camp Carnival program, there was never, ever, a problem with them being out of control. I saw them around the ship from time to time in organized activities but they always seemed under control and, more importantly, having the time of their lives.

 

As far as points of interest for families with older kids, we had a great time too. With so many dining options, meals alone were a great time to get together as a family, try something new, and catch up on where we’ve been and where we’re going. Other great family time was spent on deck during the day or in the cabin with a firs-run movie at night before bedtime.

 

OVERALL

 

The Legend is a great ship, and this itinerary was fabulous. We’ve been on this ship twice and that’s probably enough considering how exquisite the staff was. I’d like to end it on a high note and this one surely was. Carnival’s Spirit Class ships are just the right size for me. They’re not hugely mega ships, but they offer all the amenities you’d expect from a mega ship. In addition, I think the 8 day itinerary draws a more sophisticated passenger mix, but one that knows how to have a good time, Carnival style, on this FunShip.

 

[Conte Biancomano]

I'd be inclined to think Norwegian Dawn or Explorer of the Seas are superior. Carnival Legend is one of the ugliest ships I have ever seen in person, possibly one of the ugliest ever conceived. If you like urns, dark colors, cheap looking finishes, and color schemes that go together like death metal and ballroom dancing (Firebird Lounge)- then you may love her. I also had some major gripes with the design, and the narrow pool area- but since I did not actually sail on her, I cannot speak with certainty on that matter. If not, then the other two ships I mentioned are far superior- and judging by my cruise on Carnival Liberty, better in the food, entertainment, and cleaning departments.

[viennacruiser]

We sailed the Legend from Aug 1-Aug 9 , it was one of the most wonderful vacations I have ever had. We went with our entire family 17 of us ages 5-72 and everyone had a great time. I got my sister hooked on cruising on it.

 

I have a full review posted :)

[Bran8778]

Thanks for the reviews>

[nosnobunny]

We sailed on the Legend a couple of years ago. Once you get past the decorating, you'll find it to be a very enjoyable cruise. The food was better than I expected, especially the Golden Fleece. It's definately worth the extra expense. No the service isn't up to Celebrity but it isn't lacking either. All in all, a good time. I'm not a huge Carnival fan but this is their only ship I would sail again.

Beth

[Momma Donna]

Sailed on the Legend out of NY last August...had a great time. We didn't make our ports but the ship was great, food was great, and the shows were great.

It was so nice we didn't want to get off...wanted to turn around and get back on. Looking forward to sailing again on September 18. Keep your fingers crossed about the weather!

[xraygirl]

On the roll call page there's a few others on our cruise too......check it out. There are tentative plans to meet in the piano bar the first night. :D

 

There's 8 of us from NJ, including my 3 kids.....DS 12, DS 9, and DD 5. Any children in your group? I hope we all get a chance to meet!

 

MommaDonna----did you miss all the ports due to weather? Yikes! I will have fun regardless, but I'm really hoping to see the scheduled ports. On my first cruise in April we missed our ports due to a propulsion problem. :(

[Momma Donna]

I'm on the roll call. My roomies and I have grown children. So no children or husbands or boysfriends just the girls/moms. We missed the ports due to an engine problem and we went to Bermuda for 2 1/2 days. A lot of unhappy sailors! Bermuda was beautiful.

 

Not counting on anything with the weather situation. Just looking to relax and have fun!

[Momma Donna]

XRAY: One more thing, hope to meet you. It's always nice meeting new friends. Also, we are late seating for dinner and we like to go to the shows so 10:30 at the piano bar may not happen on the 1st night. But will definitely be there whenever I can.

[roger1955]

Well, we hope you have patiently awaited this brief review of the Carnival Legend, and our trip to San Juan, St. Thomas, and Tortola.

 

First, an apology for the delays - but a few excuses are due here:

1. Getting back to work was tougher than we expected.

2. the 22nd - was Kathlene's birthday so we celebrated as we could - including a trip to West Springfield, Mass for the Big E yesterday.

3. We were trying to decide exactly what to write.

 

so here goes....

 

It was not as good as the Empress trip, but it had its moments.

 

Kathlene says that her greatest moments took place each morning when she was able to get a deck chair without 'fighting' to find an empty one every morning.

 

To do a one to one comparison would be unfair to both as each had its own strengths and weaknesses. So here is a listing of what we found to be good and bad:

 

Production shows: Very Good, and widely varied.

Other shows:

The first comedian, Will Malfori, was mildly humorous in his family show, but we skipped his late (ADULT) show. The second comedian missed the boat, literally. He couldn't get from San Jaun to Tortola in time for the ship's sailing for home.

The specialty 'nights' like 50's & 60's did not start until 11:30P and we did not make them. (But now you know why we had no problem finding a deck chair every morning.)

The vocalists:

Jason French, Trent Webb, and Cecil Parker - all were excellent and were enticing enough to buy copies of their CD's .

 

FOOD:

Breakfast: no complaints, with four serving station handling made-to-order eggs/omelettes, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, hams, hash browns and hot cereals. They also had a single station that handled the pastries,and cold cereals. They had a fruit station that also had the cold breakfast meats and cheeses, and if you wanted it there was the 24 hour pizza station also in operation.

 

Lunch:

The serving stations were:

Asian Corner - mixture of Japanes, Chines, and Thai which changed daily,

Taste of Nations - featured different nationality daily ie: Italian, French, American, Indian etc.,

NY Deli - custom-made sandwiches both hot and cold - Reubens, Roast beef on baguette, grilled cheese, pastrami on rye, etc.,

Pizza - 5 kinds of pizza and calzones,

Grill - Burgers, Franks, Chicken breast patties, minute steaks and veggie burgers and fries,

Salads/Cold Cuts - ,

Rotisserie - hot meat and vegetable selections, and carving board which served a different type of roasts daily - pork, beef, turkey, etc.

Desserts - Pretty to look at, but..... They were better left on display.

 

Dinner:

To start - It was a good thing that they also had 24-hour ice cream... now to dinner: Our table was on the second level of the two floor restaurant - which was a plus. How do we comment about the meals: For Roger - they usually had a beef selection, and how badly can you screw that up? Don't ask...but once I got them to understand RARE (Mooing), things wern't to bad, but the side dish selctions were strange and unusual. Kathlene - who usually eats alot of fish, actaully had a lot of lamb. The fish left everything to be desired - taste mostly. Blame that on the wierd sauces that they used. On top of that it took until she asked before they offered mint jelly for the lamb.

 

Unlike RCCL, there was no standard beef, chicken, fish entree offered if you didn't find something on the menu.

 

The high point of dinner was that after the first night, Kathlene was able to have a Cappuchino ready for her when we arrived for dinner each evening. Also our Bar Server, Zuleika, had our Diet Coke w/Lime ready almost before we asked for it.

 

As far as the dinner desserts, see the lunch dessert note.

 

Late Night Food:

Only one 'GALA' buffet. Opened for pictures at 11:30P and for eating at 12:30AM. It was not what I considered particularly spectacular.

 

However, every other night, they had the following available:

Pizza - 24 hours

From 11P - 1A: Burgers, franks and fries station, and desserts.

The NY Deli was open from 11AM - 11PM.

Also there was also one ice cream and frozen yogurt station open at all times.

 

Lounges:

We frequented Satchmo's - a lounge that boasted a 4 piece band. The music was great, but the lounge was too hot and smoky.

 

As a matter of fact, most of the public lounges were too warm.

 

Our Cabin:

We were in cabin 8181, an extended balcony cabin. The cabin was spacious and clean, with a queen bed and a doulble pull-out sofa. Our balcony had two chairs and a table. Three large closets, and enough drawer space that we didn't use it all. The bathroom was decent in size, without a 'friendly' shower curtain, like most ships.

 

General Ship Info:

The decor of the Legend was very dark. The name Legend refered to the myths and legends of both English and Greek origin.

The games were standard in nature, but the prize was LAME! It was a "24 KARAT GOLD PLASTIC SHIP ON A STICK". If I get a chance, I'll post a pic of this joke, I mean prize.

The Cruise director was only seen when he was running an activity, but his staff was a bit more visible and friendly.

The ship was clean and well maintained. The staff was friendly and attentive. And while we had taken teh soda, we were pleased with the service as we were never ignored or passed over when ordering a drink.( Not like the disaster on NCL!)

Tipping - While it was included onto the Sail & Sign card @ $10/day, the amount could be adjusted easily either up or down, and unlike NCL - you could give extra in cash to a particular server and they were allowed to keep it.

Attire - There were two "Formal" nights. That said, formal did not seem to be a requirement, or even a suggestion to some people. Our 8 nights included 2 formal and 6 casual. There was never a REQUIREMENT to wear a jacket. But they did enforce NO SHORTS IN THE DINING ROOM policy at all times, but the 'No T-Shirts' seemed only enforced only on the formal nights.

 

Ports of Call:

San Juan - Took the Bacardi Factory and City tour. Baqcardyi tour was fascinating - but a bit rushed. It was a self-guided audio tour and we would have liked more time iin each section of the building before being escorted not the next area. But we had plenty of time at the tasting bar!! Also would have liked to see more of the city, but it got dark to quickly and most of the shops closed before we got to them.

 

St. Thomas - The Journey to Paradise was a open air bus ride straight UP to a spot named "Mountain Top". It was appropriately named and afforded a beautiful view of the Virgin Islands. Shopping was great, and liquor prices were better than at the factory in San Juan. Customs allows 5 bottles instead of only one, if they are bought in St. Thomas (There is also an extra allowable bottle, if it is MADE in St. Thomas.) Can;t wait to go back in January. (Remember, check the prices and bottle size on the ship before shopping on shore!)

 

Tortola - British Virgin Islands - Not as developed as St. Thomas (which is USVI), but again a straight UP tour. Though at this top, it was not as impressive. This was probably the "Out of U.S." stop that is required of non-US flag ships. There wasn't much to do, so the fact that we arrived at 7AM and sailed at 2PM was not a problem. We won't miss it, if we never get back there.

 

DISEMBARKATION:

If you were able to carry ALL of your luggage, you could take advantage of the EXPRESS departure. However, if you check any luggage, you could not walk off and grab your luggage on the way, you left via a different exit, and were not permitted to re-enter the building to claim it. That said, the regular debarkation proceeded much smoother than expected, considering that there were five ships in port that morning.

 

Now that we have given you our thoughts - you make your decision as to whether you would opt to travel with Carnival or not.

 

Have a great night and we'll be back on soon.

 

Roger & Kathlene

[danfiveoh]

Roger:

Thanks for the frank and informative review! We were on Carnival 15 years ago and have done at least a cruise a year since but never back on Carnival. Of course our cruise was a 3 night party barge to the bahamas, not really something one should judge a cruise line on. We decided to book the Legend since we haven't been to barbados yet. I'm going in with fairly low expectations so maybe I'll be surprised......