Legend of the Seas review with pics

[J_T_]

Like most travellers I include forums and recent reviews in my pre-trip research.

 

Given that this trip was to be shared with family and friends we were keen to get a true idea of what we might expect. Past experience has taught me that a lot of reviews are more of a whinge than an overall impression.

 

While there are usually things that can be improved on any trip, it is good value to provide useful information and helpful tips rather than focus only on negatives.

 

So, for this review I would like the reader to bear in mind that the home port of Brisbane tends to get the scrapings of the barrel when it comes to a cruise fleet; the older ships that are one step away from being sold off to third world countries or used as reef building material.

 

So there was much fanfare about the arrival of a Royal Caribbean ship to cruise from Brisbane.

 

This can tend to raise expectations to the point of hysteria once the media gets involved. (But I love it so don’t stop ;-)

 

Between the media hype and the negative reviews exists a place where the actual travel experience reveals itself.

 

So push all of this aside and look at the actual experience of this trip as it transpired.

 

Embarkation –

Drop off at Portside is simple. There is a large carpark where our designated driver pulled up and left us to do battle with our humungous bags. (Start of trip – “Man I packed way too much.” Last few days of trip – “I’m going to run out of clothes!”)

 

We had our Sea Passes all prepared and ready to put through the counter process.

 

(Tip – Organise your Sea Passes before you get to port. If this doesn’t make sense to you contact your travel agent and make them do it.)

 

(Tip – Do Not bring a power board in your luggage. It will be confiscated.)

 

(Tip – all prices are in US dollars so learn the exchange rate and get a good travel agent who can sort out MyTime dining for you before you board)

 

Sit, chat, board. Simple.

 

Cabin –

We were on Deck 6 right next door to Café Lattetudes.

 

A more perfect location could not be had for us. We have an excellent travel agent who takes very good care of his clients. Thanks Cameron.

 

(Tip – Café Lattetudes offers free cakes, pastries and biscuits for the asking, also iced water – Espresso coffee and icecream from here goes on your bill, but you can get a frequent sipper card that earns a free coffee every so many)

 

Overall our cabin provided for all our needs. We didn’t have a fridge but could have requested one. The room was a comfortable size with adequate wardrobe room. A few more drawers would have been handy but no biggie. The shower and toilet worked as they should. The toilet did malfunction on one occasion but was fixed within half an hour.

 

The balcony was furnished with comfortable chairs and a table.

 

The Centrum area was directly out front of our cabin. This meant that live music filtered in through the cabin door until a reasonable hour at night (about 10pm at a guess). This didn’t bother us at all, but if you can’t abide live music, go to bed at 7:30 and are a light sleeper then stay at home or book a cabin at the far end of the ship.

 

Our cabin steward was the best yet. Not because he fussed around and pestered us but because he discreetly slipped in when we were not there and worked magic on our cabin so that on our return it gave the impression that elves had been at work.

 

(Tip – if you want a truly spacious room book the Panorama cabin. Our sisters had that one and were three to the room with enough space for a full sized cow to graze on the carpet.)

 

Food –

Well that’s what its all about really. How good is the food? This was easily on par with any other ship we have ever sailed on as far as good food goes. And we have sailed on a few fancy schmancy ones that don’t regularly grace the shores of Australia.

 

We tried Chops Grille, twice, just to make sure it really passed muster. It was good as expected, however I have to say that my favourite meal was enjoyed in the Romeo and Juliette dining room. The best menu was Asian salad, Rack of Lamb, Pav.

 

Our waiter advised us of his opinion of what was the pick of the menu and quite often one of us would go with his suggestion. He was right about 80% of the time.

 

Our waiters were a delight at all times. Couldn’t be faulted.

 

We also tried the Park Café. Very good. Gets crowded further into the sailing once word gets out that it is included in your fare. And the overall chlorinated air effect usually sent us back to the dining room or the buffet.

The buffet. Normally a place to be avoided at all costs. The food here was genuinely good. Fresh salads. Fresh hot food. Little surprises now and then. (Pleasant surprises I mean, no elaboration required…)

 

Top deck barbeque. On two occasions the chefs fired up the barby and cranked out a cracking good dish (Do I sound like George Calombaris? Should I mention salivating?) First it was ribs, always a winner, and then Paella, turned with shovels!

 

There is free soft serve ice cream available on the top deck near the coffee station.

 

On the whole trip the only food I spat out (discreetly of course) was the yellow cheese that tasted like granular plastic. Now having been to the odd Leagues Club buffet my overall experience in comparison was extremely high.

 

Oh and the tea was a bit ordinary, as was the buffet coffee. We developed a technique for improving the coffee that usually involved going to Caffe Lattetudes and ordering lattes.

 

Entertainment –

Top marks for having a live orchestra. They were great.

 

The Beatles tribute band were most enjoyable.

 

The song and dance shows were made all the more enjoyable by fabulous costuming.

 

The combination of music shows, jugglers, comedians and dancers made for a nice mix which we thoroughly enjoyed.

 

The movie screens could have been better. The giant one over the pool was under used and had serious pixel issues. The entertainment lounge one was out of focus. Those who travelled with me persevered with these issues but I gave up and went flying fish spotting from our balcony instead.

 

The “secret” dance classes that resulted in flash mob performances was a great highlight for those of us who put in the effort to learn the steps.

(Tip – the Flash Mob dance was a lot easier than the Thriller dance, but I think the ghouls had more fun, although it does use up a lot of one’s dark blue eyeshadow)

 

The Ship –

It is a beauty. It is old (Brisbane remember) and a bit smelly (for the first few days the water had a definite pong to it which seemed to be resolved once they pumped the bilge or scrubbed the poopdeck or whatever they did to clean the water).

 

(Tip – wear earplugs in the shower when you wash your hair)

 

The design of the ship was pleasing with fresh air decks, a good running track, bars and restaurants with excellent views.

 

The ship seemed to be quite a bit more stable than those I’ve sailed out of Brisbane on before.

Shore tours –

We didn’t do any.

Well that was easy,

but I did watch a few of the promotional videos.

 

They had their wires crossed a few times. This trip visited several familiar old haunts of ours and I can tell you, despite their well-meaning advice –

 

Don’t eat the coconut crab! It is an endangered species!

 

There are no overwater bungalows on Mystery Island or Champagne Beach. That photo was of the Holiday Inn huts on Erakor Lagoon in Vila. I am quite certain of that fact because my husband and I were married there some years ago and have spent a lot of time in the region.

 

The best and the worst of it –

Worst bits

The nail spa, my “two week, no chip” manicure lasted two days with no recourse to repair the damage unless I agreed to fork out more dollars for the most expensive manicure of my life. Apparently the manicure cannot be guaranteed if you go into salt water. The fact that we have been visiting the South Pacific for well over ten years and I have often had a shellac manicure to get me through the weeks of ocean swimming is not good enough proof that the nail technician owes my nails a touch up.

 

That smelly water, which has hopefully been resolved.

 

Top bits

The delightful crew and the genuinely yummy food.

 

Ten nights of being waited on hand and foot by gracious and professional personnel.

 

Visiting spectacular beaches, the source of many a screensaver.

 

Would I recommend this trip to my friends – of course. Read the tips. That’s what they’re there for.

 

And the first cruise company to trust Brisbane with one of their ‘better’ ships might be in for a pleasant surprise. ;)

 

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

[Cassalou]

Thanks for the great review. I'm booked on the cruise departing 11 April and a lot of the recent reviews had me feeling a bit nervous

This will be our 4th RCI cruise and I've always had a great time but was starting to think that the Legend may well be a dud!

 

It seems that most of the disgruntled reviewers were on the 2 night sampler cruise with a lot of of people complaining about the understaffed bars. The reviews I have read from the longer sailings seem to be much more balanced.

 

Glad you had a great time, you've made me feel much better! :)

Edited January 5, 2016 by Cassalou

[J_T_]

Yes I was certainly worried because we booked this trip and then threw out an open invitation to all family and friends to join us. Then I saw some of the reviews and was quite concerned.

 

Everyone has their own opinion but we've been on quite a few ships and I would say this is the best cruise we have had out of Brisbane so far but then we have enjoyed all of them really.

 

There have been good and not so good things about every trip we've ever had whether on a ship or via some other means.

 

If people have such a terrible time on cruises then maybe they should go camping or something.

 

I do wonder if there is some kind of other agenda in action when a review is really bad or over the top good, for that matter.

 

The point of the forum, for me, is in the tips that help other people have a better experience because of their research.

 

Cheers,

J

[CoopColbie]

Thanks J_T_ for your review. Great review and great tips. We are on the same itinerary in March. We are even staying on the same deck, very close to the Cafe. One quick question ... Can you remember if there were a few $8 wine options on the wine lists? We bought the Select Drinks Package (worrying about the exchange rate issues) and I'm now concerned that there won't be enough options for me.

[J_T_]

Well we didn't order any wine. I had a couple of brandy and sodas, T had a few beers, we had a bottle of sparkling mineral water with dinner (which worked out to about $10 in Aussie dollars) so drinks were quite expensive but the few that we had didn't warrant doing a drinks package.

 

Where we got value was from the coffee card which cost nothing at Cafe Lattetudes and allowed us a few free coffees over the course of the trip.

 

Some of our family members had wine by the glass and by the bottle so I'll ask them and let you know.

 

Regards,

J :)

[Arnie65]

thank you so much for posting this.We are going on our first family cruise on Legend this coming Sunday. Like others I had been getting seriously worried at the almost non-stop negative reviews of this ship. but these last few have been MUCH better. I have just written down some of your tips on our travel documentation, so you have already helped me!

[AustralianJetsetter]

Thanks so much for posting this JT!

 

We are off on Sunday for the Queensland Coast cruise on the Legend.

We are on deck 6 too but I am not sure where our stateroom is located.

You said we can request a fridge if there isn't one in our room....do you know if there is a charge for this? Also are we likely to get one?

 

Really looking forward to our first RCI cruise. Only other cruise we have done was on Disney Cruise Line in the Bahamas...so we've been very spoilt!!!

[Clarea]

Very nice review. We did a transatlantic on Legend two years ago and very much enjoyed that ship.

[Willow45]

Very interested in your "nail spa" experience. I, as well, have never had a manicure that cannot be guaranteed if you go into salt water. What a load of crap.. Something I won't be doing on my cruise.

[ladytaekwondo]

I, too, have never heard of a professional manicure that would not hold up to salt water. I have my nails done professionally a day before each cruise and swim all the time in salt water. Never had an issue. I would be furious if the spa did not do the repairs. It sounds like they had old materials or did not use a good quality sealer over the polish. I will avoid the mani/pedis on board! Thanks for the advice!

[Setting sail for fun]

Thanks for your review. We enjoyed sailing on her last March. She was the smallest and oldest ship we have sailed on, but we enjoyed every minute!

[J_T_]

As promised I asked our sister about the cost of her bottle of wine and it was $28 from the Romeo and Juliette dining room.

 

They were very happy with the fact that they bought a bottle of wine and had a glass each (they were a party of three and had a permanently booked table) then their waiter kept it for them for the following night when they finished off the bottle via another small glass each.

 

So this, for these ladies was more satisfying than a commitment to a drinks package.

 

On another note, you are allowed to bring two bottles of wine on board with you. T's brother and his wife tested this and found it to be true.

 

This was also the reason why they requested a fridge, in order to keep their wine and cheese cool for a late night treat after the shows.

 

I believe there was no extra charge for the fridge as T's parents also requested one to keep their yoghurts in, the late night snack of choice for these two over seventies ;) and we would have heard about it if they had been charged extra.

 

One other thing worth mentioning is the fact that room service before midnight is also included in your fare. So if you have a sudden need for a snack at 11pm you can order through room service.

 

Hope this helps,

 

J

[ratacake]

Dear J T,

 

Thanks so much for a balanced, well-thought about review.

 

We're off in a month on Legend, and can now relax and get ready to have fun! What with the US dollar comparison and the other reviews before you, I was convinced our first trip with RCCL was going to be a dud. Also, our last trip was on the Solstice, so it seemed we were about to go on the ship from hell by comparison..:eek:

 

Again, thanks for your wit and kindness and balance in your review.

 

Kind regards,

ratacake

[Jumping Castle]

Hi

 

Thanks for the review, wonderful to be hearing positive things about the Legend. We are travelling for the Easter holidays and the negative reviews have been very worrying so it is great to have some well balanced thoughts from you.

 

So pleased to hear that the ship, entertainment and food were good. Did you see anything of kids club? I have a 10 year old boy who is keen to know how that was! Also how were the queues at both check-in at the port and for drinks on board at the bars as there have been reports that lines have been very long.

 

Thanks again for your review and putting my mind at rest.

[J_T_]

We saw pretty happy kids doing their thing. There seemed to be a "Famous Five" trend with walkie-talkies, so I'm guessing they were hired? Unless Target had a major sale on kids walkie-talkies in December.

 

Lots of groups of kids had them and they were all playing a version of hide and seek girls versus boys sort of thing.

 

I did hear conversations about the kids club and they all sounded positive. There were also a lot of kid friendly activities like dance classes. Boys seemed to enjoy the Thriller one. It was a blast.

 

There are also free activities that a ten year old boy might enjoy like the rock climbing and mini golf, plus movies like Max (dog movie) at the 1:30 matinee.

 

The queue for espresso coffees varied but because our cabin was next door we just kept an eye on it and jumped in the queue when it was short.

 

The cafe also houses the library with board games and a daily puzzle selection.

 

We had drinks each afternoon to catch up with the family and never had a queue problem. We went to either the Schooner Bar or the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

As to check-in, again we just dropped off the bags then did the check-in. It took about 15 minutes once they were organised. The only hold up is from passengers who don't have their paperwork together. You need that green customs form, plus your Sea Pass, plus your passport, plus your credit card. You will also be given a health card to fill out so take a pen.

 

We did our check-in online so at the desk we only had to show proof of ID and have our photo taken. The Sea Pass is the document you print out once you have done the online check in. If you don't know how to do this get your travel agent to do it for you.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jen

[CoopColbie]

As promised I asked our sister about the cost of her bottle of wine and it was $28 from the Romeo and Juliette dining room.

 

 

 

They were very happy with the fact that they bought a bottle of wine and had a glass each (they were a party of three and had a permanently booked table) then their waiter kept it for them for the following night when they finished off the bottle via another small glass each.

 

 

 

So this, for these ladies was more satisfying than a commitment to a drinks package.

 

 

 

On another note, you are allowed to bring two bottles of wine on board with you. T's brother and his wife tested this and found it to be true.

 

 

 

This was also the reason why they requested a fridge, in order to keep their wine and cheese cool for a late night treat after the shows.

 

 

 

I believe there was no extra charge for the fridge as T's parents also requested one to keep their yoghurts in, the late night snack of choice for these two over seventies ;) and we would have heard about it if they had been charged extra.

 

 

 

One other thing worth mentioning is the fact that room service before midnight is also included in your fare. So if you have a sudden need for a snack at 11pm you can order through room service.

 

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

 

 

J

 

 

Thanks for checking on wine/drinks for me ... Very helpful.

 

I had heard that there were no fridges in some of the cabins on deck 6, and that is one of the reasons why we went for a package instead of bringing our own. However, if I had of know they are relatively easy to get, I might have reconsidered. Oh well ... Not to worry ... I'll just mix myself up a couple of mimosas in the morning to get my money's worth [emoji6]

 

Tania

[Jumping Castle]

Hi Jen

 

That's great thanks for the information. All sounds really positive and getting excited for what I hope is going to be a great trip for our family.

 

:):):):)

[Aus ATC]

A great, balanced review. We travelled on Legend in mid 2015 and enjoyed the experience. Yes - there were things that could be done better (absolutely agree that the cinema projection in the theatre was terrible!) but we prefer to focus on the positives. The food, staff, and overall presentation were part of what made our trip.

[AustralianJetsetter]

Hi JT, can I bother you with another question?

 

At Brisbane, what time do we actually get onboard? Our ship departs at 4:00pm so what time will we actually be onboard?

Will the restaurants (MDR & buffet) be open for lunch?

We are getting dropped off around lunch time so I am wonderng whether to bring snacks for the kids.

 

Cheers :-)

[KiwiFunCruiser]

Thank's for the great review.

[J_T_]

Hi JT, can I bother you with another question?

 

At Brisbane, what time do we actually get onboard? Our ship departs at 4:00pm so what time will we actually be onboard?

Will the restaurants (MDR & buffet) be open for lunch?

We are getting dropped off around lunch time so I am wonderng whether to bring snacks for the kids.

 

Cheers :-)

 

Hi Jetsetter,

Our boarding time was scheduled for 11:30am and we were on board filming by 11:50am. The ship departed at either 4:00 or 5:00 (there are two time stamps on our video and I'm not sure which one is the more accurate).

 

We went to the Park Cafe for lunch. That was a really nice quiet spot. Most people did battle with the ravenous throngs in the buffet.

 

So if you are looking for somewhere nice and quiet for your first meal head up to the Solarium and go to the back of the pool area where the Park Cafe is situated.

 

It can get a bit hot under the glass around here so aim for a table in the shade. There are not many tables but most people think the Park Cafe is an extra cost so we found it to be nice and quiet on that first day.

 

The Windjammer buffet is open pretty much all the time up until 9pm.

 

If all else fails, there's always the free icecream on the pool deck. :cool:

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jen

[Goodyab]

Fantastic review...:)

 

We are leaving on the 25th Jan around NZ and you have given me some great advice. Well informed with lots of tips and recommendations.

 

Thanks

Goody :)

[Hailzmick]

Thanks for the great review. I'm booked on the cruise departing 11 April and a lot of the recent reviews had me feeling a bit nervous

This will be our 4th RCI cruise and I've always had a great time but was starting to think that the Legend may well be a dud!

 

It seems that most of the disgruntled reviewers were on the 2 night sampler cruise with a lot of of people complaining about the understaffed bars. The reviews I have read from the longer sailings seem to be much more balanced.

 

Glad you had a great time, you've made me feel much better! :)

 

 

I'm on April 11th too, but doing Jan 17th on Legend too. Very excited after reading this review! :-)

[J_T_]

Hey thanks everyone for your kind words. :p

 

My intention was to provide the sort of information we would have found helpful prior to our trip.

 

On that note there is one more important tip.

 

Tip - The power outlets are US fittings. You will need a US or universal power adapter for your plug in devices.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jen

[DianeandMark]

Hi J_T_,

 

Thanks for the review, certainly refreshing after a number of unkind reviews over the past month or so.

 

We are travelling on the Legend in 17 days ( yay) and are curious about the mattresses. Comfy or not? I've heard of people taking their own toppers and wondered if it was necessary.

 

Thanks

 

Diane [emoji2]

Edited January 8, 2016 by DianeandMark