Our "Legend"ary Panama Canal Cruise October 2019

[NWACruiser]

After dinner, we headed to the theater for Epic Rock!  We got decent seats for the show.

 

 

 

Paolo entertained us with a guitar solo before the show began

 

 

 

 

 

Epic Rock Begins!

 

 

Jennifer had to take the role Kayla had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reiss enters the stage

 

 

 

Reiss and the shadows

 

 

 

 

 

Jen and Jacob

 

Andrea

 

Jordan

 

 

Jackie-Ross

 

 

Kimberley swinging on a rope.

 

 

 

 

Andrea as a shuttlecock?

 

 

Great effects.

 

Welcome to the Machine?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cast members were all really great people. 

Left to right: Reiss, Jen, Jackie, Andrea, Kimberley, Jacob, and Jordan

After the show, C headed back to the cabin.  W went to the Red Frog Pub to listen to Hot Shots! 

 

Tonight was another time change as we went into Eastern time as we started the trip to Tampa.

[NWACruiser]

Sea Day #7

Today was a bright and sunny day.  The Gulf of Mexico was calm.  Today is the last day of the cruise.  My voice was still gone.  I was not going to let it stop me from having a fun day. Breakfast was at the Lido deck today. 

 

The Lido had been invaded with towel animals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we returned, we had our last visitor in the cabin.

 

 

I took some time to walk around the ship and take a few photos

 

 

 

The coffee bar

 

 

 

Maria was very nice to us all trip.

 

The hairy chest contest was held today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winner.

 

The Clue game reveal was today

 

 

Not the killer

 

Not the killer

 

Also not the killer.  The guys were innocent.

 

One of these three girls was the killer.

 

Was not innocent, but was not the killer, either.

 

Poisoned right before stating who the killer was...

 

Innocent?  Yes she was innocent…

 

The killer is trying to escape

 

I was correct.  Scarlett did it!

 

Bingo was next in the theater.

Edited November 25, 2019 by NWACruiser

[NWACruiser]

The 50's Crew Connection Show was about to start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crew Elvis Impersonations

 

Mary Rose, the photographer, was the winner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up is the Passenger Glee Club

 

Great voice.

 

Jackie led the Glee Club

 

Reiss and a passenger

 

 

 

 

Andrea was next with her passenger

 

 

 

 

Kimberley was next up

 

 

 

Jen was next

 

 

 

Jordan was up

 

Best move of the show

 

 

 

Jacob was last up..

 

 

 

 

 

The dancers

 

It was getting near the end of our last day on the ship.

 

Emerald Trio was performing in the atrium

 

Rocía

 

Cecelia

 

Miguel

 

Cecelia always had a serious face when playing

 

 

 

 

She is a great barmaid

 

 

The MDR staff

 

Marius is the Maître D.  Sanita, and Ciprian were the assistants. 

 

Our MDR crew.  They were one of the best crews ever.

 

The Red Frog Pub bar staff.

 

 

Tonight's Red Frog Bar show was going to be a little different  Hot Shots! Started off playing.

 

Pheona

 

Emerald Trio joined in for a set.

 

 

 

 

 

The next set included Musical Nomads.  Oliver was on drums.

 

 

 

 

 

Lucas singing it up

 

After they were finished playing for the night, we headed back to the cabin to get a good night's sleep.  We had a long day tomorrow heading back to NWA.

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by NWACruiser

[NWACruiser]

The cruise was over.  We were in Tampa, Florida.  The skies were clear and the ship was docked.  I went to the Lido for a quick snack and to take a few photos.

 

 

 

 

We headed down to the MDR to await our departure.  Disembarkation was easy.  As we were disembarking, we ran across Karmila who was helping a passenger disembark.  It was nice to say goodbye to her.  We saw several other crew members in customs waiting to catch their flights.

 

After customs, we got on a but to the airport.

 

We were dropped off about 10:00 AM.  Our flights were not until after 2:00.  We were able to check-in and head to the our gate.  We stopped in the Delta Sky-Club to wait.  They had free beverages and lunch.  It was nice to sit in a comfortable chair while waiting.

 

I got onto a social media site and found out that an EF-2 tornado passed through the city while we were on the cruise.  I was not sure how close it was to the house.  It added to the anxiety of getting home. 

 

The flights were smooth and we arrived in NWA ahead of schedule.  I was not sure if the car had been damaged by the storm or not.  It appeared to be fine, even though the tornado missed the airport by a few hundred yards.

 

Our house was fine, and we had made it home. 

 

The next day was a struggle, as it was my first day back to work. By the time we got back, we both were suffering from bronchitis, and were not feeling well. 

 

There was an empty spot where BK worked.  He and I were close and I took it hard.

[NWACruiser]

In Closing

The Carnival Legend has been around since 2002.  Like any ship, it has signs of age.  There were rusty areas visible.  Carnival has done a great job of keeping it in Great shape though.  The additions made to the ship since we were on the Alaska cruise have been very positive.  I would be happy to sail her again!

 

Jen, the Cruise Director, has a lot of energy and keeps everyone going.  The Fun Squad were all wonderful.  I give a lot of credit to them.  Cristina,  Nicky, Gerry, Chelsea, Erick, Oscar, and Stephanie were entertaining and enthusiastic. 

 

All of the musicians were great, save one.  I was very impressed by the live entertainment we had on the ship, except for the Piano Bar entertainer.  He was, in my opinion, not a good PBE by any means.  I stopped in a few times to a small crowd.  I passed by once and he was the only one in the piano bar. 

 

Carnival has done a great job of hiring musicians that are talented, and personable.  The entertainment staff are friendly and fun to be around. 

 

We met a lot of crew members that were pleasant to be around.  Many of them would remember your name the next time you see them. 

 

The photography staff did a great job.  They were friendly and pleasant. 

 

The housekeeping crew worked very hard to keep the ship clean.  Mary Lace is a prime example of someone who works hard, but takes the time to get to know passengers.  I was watching her sweep the floor, even though there were no large crumbs present.  After that she was wiping down the handrails.  Then she was doing something else.  I observed a multitude of the housekeeping crew working hard to keep the ship clean.

 

The food on the Lido deck was very good.  I did not have anything up there that was not delicious and well prepared.  The food preparation staff at the buffet did a fantastic job.  The servers did their job with a smile and hello. 

 

The Main Dining Room staff and crew were wonderful  The staff were friendly and open to conversation.  Our crew was one of the best crews we have ever had on a ship.  The food was delicious, except for one meal I ordered. It was overly salty (considering we do not cook with salt) for me.  Rocky immediately took care of it and replaced it with something else from the menu.  The entire crew worked hard to take care of the passengers. More than once did I observe the staff working to help the crew when things were getting backed up.  Kudos to everyone in the MDR.

 

Rocky, Minguel, and Pracha were friendly, and efficient.  They made us feel like family.  They also had a great sense of humor and made our trip.  They also worked hard in the Lido buffet during the day, and they would ask us if we needed anything.  They went and picked up drinks, if we were out.  I miss them.

 

We went on three excursions while cruising.  The excursion in Cabo was nice. Everything went smooth.  The excursion in Costa Rica was not that good.  We went to the river to see crocodiles.  That part was great. We were able to see the countryside while on the bus.  The refreshments at the crocodile tour were great.  The bananas and pineapple were absolutely the best I have ever had.  I was totally disappointed with the train trip.  It sounded like the trip would take you through plantations.  Unfortunately, it took us through a poverty filled area of squatters.  The people would wave at us as we passed and seemed to be happy.  It was not what I was expecting was the problem.  The excursion in Santa Marta was great.  We had a great time at the beach.  The food was good, and the people were friendly.  It was a nice relaxing day.

 

We lucked out in Cartagena.  C spotted Karmel when we approached the tour buses.  She was a great tour guide, and only having the four of us on the tour allowed her to give us a more in-depth tour.  She was able to do a few extra things we asked for.  Cartagena is a beautiful city and one should see it.

 

The Panama Canal was the highlight of the trip.  It is an amazing feat.  Granted the passing is more like a river cruise, than an ocean cruise, it was a beautiful way to see it.  The canal workers have the process down to a fine art.  As we were passing they enjoyed seeing us as much as we enjoyed seeing them.

[DontTreadOnMe]

Thanks for the super-detailed review.

 

Still hoping you have Karmel's contact information and are willing to share it!

 

[NWACruiser]

2 hours ago, DontTreadOnMe said:

Thanks for the super-detailed review.

 

Still hoping you have Karmel's contact information and are willing to share it!

 

Do you want a personalized tour?
Would you be interested to know Cartagena with my company?

Contact me on my networks:

https://www.facebook.com/karmencartagenaplus
https://www.instagram.com/karmencartagena
https://www.tripadvisor.co/Profile/karmencartagena

Email: karmenfreile@gmail.com

Edited November 26, 2019 by NWACruiser