Carnival Legend Review (2 28 07)

[Cinnamon2]

We left cold and clear Albany, NY on Feb. 28th. Our flight to Washington DC was delayed about 45 minutes and our connection time was only about 55 minutes so I was a nervous wreck. The pilot made up time and we made our connection to Ft. Lauderdale, arriving a little after 11:00 a.m. After the usual wait for luggage (whew, it was all there) and wait on the bus to the port, we were onboard and having lunch on the Lido deck by 1:20 p.m. Our room was a very nice balcony room, exactly the same as on other Carnival ships and with a larger balcony.

 

Dinners in Truffles dining room were very good every night. Our waiter was friendly and efficient. One night he noticed I was having trouble with my chateaubriand (it was too tough for me) and he insisted on bringing me another dish. He brought me a wonderful shrimp dish – not sure what it was but it hit the spot. This week was the assistant waiter’s first week and things were a little slow each night, but we really weren’t in a hurry so it was OK with us. We met our tablemates the second night and enjoyed their company all week. We even got them hooked on the roulette table in the casino!

 

We decided to splurge on the Golden Fleece supper club one night and what a treat that was. On past cruises we always figured that the regular dining room had great food and service and we didn’t require any more than that and the food and service in Truffles dining room was fine for us. But what we experienced at the supper club was above and beyond what we’ve ever experienced. The food was wonderful – I had the surf and turf and DH had filet mignon. They were great. The desserts were unbelievable – I had a chocolate thing that was actually 3 desserts in one. DH had to help me finish it. The service was superb. We danced to the live music and had a really nice time. The singer came to our table and asked what we wanted to hear and dance to.

 

We had a total of four sea days. We were very careful to not get sunburned, staying out of the sun during high noon and using plenty of sunscreen. It worked – I only got a little color and DH got burned a little, but he’s OK. We had all of our breakfasts and most lunches in the dining room. We enjoy being served and find that we eat healthier that way. We used the buffet on port days because the dining room is closed when in port, and the food was OK, not nearly as nice as being waited on. One day I had room service lunch and that was better than the buffet in my opinion.

 

We (well actually mostly ME) played in the casino every night. On the second night I did very well at the roulette table and put a deposit on my S&S account. Gradually during the week I gave most of it back to Carnival but in the end I came out ahead. We bought lots of pictures and a few drinks and misc. items so I think we did very well.

 

The shows were all good as usual. The talent show was “small but mighty” as the cruise director said. Only one couple signed up – an elderly couple doing a dance routine. They did really well and looked exhausted when it was over. The staff did the “If I Were Not at Sea” routine and it was funny as usual. The other shows: late night comedy, jugglers, hypnotist, dancers, singers – were all very entertaining. The piano bar was disappointing; the piano player was a good enough singer/piano player but the guests just didn’t get into it. We went to Satchmo’s a few nights and danced to the music.

 

Ports:

 

We made a fast, unscheduled stop at the pier in San Juan to let off 3 passengers for medical reasons. We watched from our balcony as 3 ambulances met the ship and took them away. We never heard how the people made out and I wish them the best.

 

St. Maarten: We took the water taxi to the beach and rented an umbrella/chair for the day. We walked up and down the street looking in some of the shops. There are jewelry stores galore but we prefer to purchase jewelry at home and I already have enough. Then we sat under the shade of the umbrella at the beach, had a morning beer (LOL) and just watched the ocean and world go by. Many women tried to sell us stuff like towels, tropical shirts, beads etc. We swam in the ocean until we thought it was time to eat lunch. We looked at the menus at the beach side cafes and didn’t find anything that appealed to us. We didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on mediocre food and decided to go back to the ship for lunch where at least it wouldn’t cost anything. I know . . . I’m a cheap skate. I’ll spend money if it’s worth it, but resent spending money on stuff I really don’t want. We took the water taxi back to the beach area and shopped around some more and bought a couple of t-shirts. Souvenirs are much cheaper in St. Maarten than at the other ports.

 

St. Lucia: We had booked on-line the Caribbean Pirates ship (the one used in the movie) but the tour was cancelled due to a problem with the ship. We were disappointed . . . but booked another tour – Scenes of St. Lucia. It was an air conditioned bus tour with a few stops and our tour leader was very informative and friendly. We saw a mansion and took pictures of beautiful scenery, visited a “batik studio” and bought some wall hangings and visited an old sugar mill.

 

St. Kitts: We got off the ship and walked around town on our own. The area where you get off the ship has many new shops and many areas still under construction. We walked a few block away and looked at a cricket stadium, went into a church and stopped for a snack at an “American Bakery”.

 

The last two days were sea days. We got a little sun the first one and it rained the next day. I went down the water slide 5 times and that was great! I was proud of myself because I was able to remain in the recommended sitting position – before I lost my weight I was always thrown on my back and that’s not as much fun. (I have lost over 90 pounds in the past year) I guess those workouts at the gym have given me strength. Speaking of the gym, I visited the gym on the Legend the first two sea days and then one port day. After that I got lazy and figured I’m on vacation and can get back into the gym routine when I’m back at work. I used the hot tubs often and they are chlorinated water – not salt water. We went to the towel animal class and bought the book. DH made a really cute monkey!!!

 

We booked our air through Carnival and they did a great job getting us to the cruise early, but our return flights were really late. We were booked to leave Ft. Lauderdale at 6:40 p.m. and get to Albany at almost midnight. We self-disembarked and got to the airport early and were able to change our flights (paid $25 pp to do so). We were home by 7:00 p.m. Self disembarkation worked well – the line was long but continued to move.

 

Now it’s back to the cold and snow and the working world.

[JustCruisin']

Thanks for the review. It sounds like you had a great time. We can't wait 'till its our turn - next week!!!:D

[Bunkie103]

Thanks for a nice review.....heading out for the Legend in an hour!:D

[queenofdasea]

I Enjoyed The Review..thanks!

I'm A Bit Jealous Though. I Still Have 73 Days Til The Legend(w/ Different Itinerary)

[cruisin4life1993]

I love the Legend, it is a great ship.

[dansu]

Sounds like you had a great trip. We loved the Legend Exotic Western Caribbean so much, that we booked her sister ship, the Miracle, Southern Caribbean, for next year. We wanted the Legend, but it's changing out; we're hoping the experience will be as good.

 

Hubby and I are visiting St. Maarten next January. Could you please tell us about the beach you visited in St. Maarten...it's name....was it nice (clean)...where did you pick up the water taxi, and how much the water taxi cost.

 

Thanks

 

Suzi

[Cinnamon2]

Suzi, I don't know the name of the beach but it's right within view from the ship. The water taxi can be taken from the pier a short walk from where the ship is docked. I think it was $8 pp for a wrist band - you can take the water taxi back and forth all day long. A one way ticket was about $5.

[dansu]

Suzi, I don't know the name of the beach but it's right within view from the ship. The water taxi can be taken from the pier a short walk from where the ship is docked. I think it was $8 pp for a wrist band - you can take the water taxi back and forth all day long. A one way ticket was about $5.

 

Thanks

[jpmaximus]

Yes the 8 day Southern trip on the Legend is alot of fun. The ship is one of the grandest in the fleet. The captain is great! He could have his pick of any ship but he chose the Legend (rumor i heard while i was onboard)

[TakeMeAway1001]

Thanks for sharing your experience :)