TR: Carnival Legend May 4th

[bobandkelly]

The original bridge was not taken out by a hurricane. It's southbound span was hit by a freighter during a storm in May 1980. A very sad day for the families of those who lost loved ones.

Kelly

[Okie Cruisers]

Thanks for the quick reply!;) I'm so sorry you had no appetite during your cruise, the food has always been a great experience for us on our cruises.

We'll keep an eye on whats going on. I has asked about the band 'cause it seemed that on our last 2 cruises the band around the pool and dancing around the pool was very minimal:( and that has always been a favorite.

I won't be able to check in on your review til tomorow, but at least I'll have several post to read.

Thanks again for review and info.:D

[mom2girls]

I'm really enjoying this review. I don't suppose you'll have it done by Friday? We're going a day early so that we can go to Busch Gardens. :)

[cruisebie]

So much I want to show! I'm still only on Embarkment Day! But it's cool because I'm living my trip again, well... kinda! :(

 

More to come......

 

I love all the detail you are putting into your review and all the pictures! While you are re-living your cruise, we are all living it right along with you! I was especially glad to see the pictures of your suite! We have one for our August cruise and I love seeing pictures of them! Just makes me want to get there that much faster! :p

[alfngf]

Great so far!! I just hope you finish before we leave on the 13th to head out. :)

[snc421]

I'm really enjoying this review. I don't suppose you'll have it done by Friday? We're going a day early so that we can go to Busch Gardens. :)

I'll try real hard to have it done by Friday. It is taking awhile because I can only put 6 pics in a post. I do want to put all the detail in I can for everyone to see. But I want to get it done while it's still relatively fresh. (Lucky for me I have a steel-trap memory!) It doesn't seem like one month ago today I was embarking..... Anyways, I'll really try to do it. I hope you enjoy Busch Gardens... and I hope your cruise is awesome, too! Thanks for the :) !

I love all the detail you are putting into your review and all the pictures! While you are re-living your cruise, we are all living it right along with you! I was especially glad to see the pictures of your suite! We have one for our August cruise and I love seeing pictures of them! Just makes me want to get there that much faster! :p

Thanks! Come on August! (Then I'll see yours!)

Great so far!! I just hope you finish before we leave on the 13th to head out. :)

I would think I can have it done by then! WooHooo! 9 days for you! Thanks for the :) !

[snc421]

Thanks for the quick reply!;) I'm so sorry you had no appetite during your cruise, the food has always been a great experience for us on our cruises.

We'll keep an eye on whats going on. I has asked about the band 'cause it seemed that on our last 2 cruises the band around the pool and dancing around the pool was very minimal:( and that has always been a favorite.

I won't be able to check in on your review til tomorow, but at least I'll have several post to read.

Thanks again for review and info.:D

My appetite did come back slowly, by Thursday it was better... but still not A-ok until Tuesday the next week! Do ask questions if you want. I will do my best to address you and everyone else who takes the interest and time to post in my thread. Especially those who give me :D ! Thanks!

The original bridge was not taken out by a hurricane. It's southbound span was hit by a freighter during a storm in May 1980. A very sad day for the families of those who lost loved ones.

Kelly

Thank you for correcting me! What I said was my own personal interpretation of something I read/heard. I should have taken the time to find out exactly before I put misinformation out there! I am truly sorry. It showed disrespect, and disregard for the area I have grown to love. I am embarrassed! I heard it was early 80's, and something about a storm... I figured it had to be a hurricane. I did not hear about a freighter. Thank you for teaching me what really happened!

[snc421]

May 4, continued: Embarkment Day

 

A couple more Fort DeSoto pics, just cuz I love it so much!

 

 

Now this is when Fort DeSoto starts to wrap around to the North Beach, and also where if you go to the other side of the ship you'll see Egmont Key.

 

 

Egmont Key is not too far away from Fort DeSoto Park. You can reach that island by boat and passenger ferry only. I went there last year on the day we got engaged. We took the ferry from Fort DeSoto Park. There are other ferries in the general area to take you as well, I think. I have pics, but those are last year's pics.

 

There is a working lighthouse on the island. I saw the light of it every night of my engagement weekend and the start of my honeymoon from the Dolphin Beach Resort. I think it may be the main lighthouse to signify the mouth of the Tampa Bay.

 

 

As I said, the main shipping channel into the Tampa Bay goes between Egmont and Fort DeSoto. There are buoys you see from really when you first start moving in the Bay until long out into the Gulf that line the shipping channel. They're almost like markers on the side of a road; green on one side, red on the other. It is real obvious at night. I saw their lights the Saturday night when we were returning. It was lit up like a runway. Anyways, the channel goes between the two. At first I was running from one side to the other trying to look at both. But by this time, Egmont is the main attraction, even against Fort DeSoto.

 

[snc421]

May 4, continued: Embarkment Day!

 

There are minimal buildings on Egmont, and no roads. There are trails. You are free to explore some of the island, but not all. It is mostly a bird sanctuary. There are fort structures to check out, and awesome shelling opportunity can be had there. There is a decent beach.

 

[ronrythm]

I found out on the LAST day that I could have had a caesar salad almost anytime... they had a salad buffet! :mad: I guess it's because I didn't have much of an appetite all week, so why bother looking at food.

Just to make it worse, the 24 hour PIZZA place also has ceasar salad plus you can load all the parmesan you want on it!:D

Enjoying the show

Ron

[snc421]

I just started reading this about 6 pm this evening.....I feel I need to keep checking for the next part ......This review is so well done...............Thanks:)

 

Thank you!!! Awesome!

[snc421]

I'm really enjoying this review. I don't suppose you'll have it done by Friday? We're going a day early so that we can go to Busch Gardens. :)

 

I am SO sorry Mom & everyone else! I started to continue my review a little while ago, and my modem was acting up!!!!!!!! :mad:

 

I hope I can get more going now!

[snc421]

Just to make it worse, the 24 hour PIZZA place also has ceasar salad plus you can load all the parmesan you want on it!:D

Enjoying the show

Ron

 

That IS worse... I stayed as far away from the pizza place as I could! Darn it! Good to know for future reference, for myself and everyone else! Thank you for that and for the :D !

[snc421]

May 4, continued: Embarkment Day!

 

So once we were beyond Fort DeSoto and Egmont, I knew there would really be nothing more to see as far as land goes. By this time, the shops were open, so we went to check them out. We bought cigarettes like 2 cartons for $42.00! I really didn't pay attention to the prices on liquor, though. We couldn't have the bottles to drink on the cruise, and we're not big drinkers at home.

 

As time got closer, we got ready for dinner and headed back down to Deck 3 and got some pics taken. We stepped outside on Deck 3 to watch the sunset and have a smoke before dinner. One advantage to late seating.

 

 

DH took a picture of the reflection of the sunset and us (I was turned around!) off the door.

 

 

When it was time, we went inside and down the stairs to Deck 2 to enter the dining room. The mural on 'our' staircase said Nike, which of course I thought was cool. I now know that Nike is the name of a mythological figure.

 

 

We showed our card from Yusef with our table number, and were escorted to our table, #142. It was a window table! That was cool, if nothing else for one reason, which happens in the coming days.... You'll know when we get there. Our table was for 6 people. We were the first to arrive. Our tablemates joined us soon, well one couple anyways. The other 2 people never showed all week, or maybe it was left unassigned. We hit it off with our tablemates right away, and every night of the whole cruise we pretty much closed down the dining room talking with this couple. Which of course was great; they are great people and it was a great way to wind down... but I didn't necessarily wanna wind down, with the nightclub and bars and shows! I had a New York, but after having an appetizer and salad, I was full. But I did manage to eat some of my steak. See my frustration! I got so full so fast. But it was delicious. My steak was always cooked to order.

 

Anyways, this day has come to a close, so we return to our room and find our first towel animal... I think it's a stingray.

 

[snc421]

May 5: Day at Sea

 

We used our balcony quite a bit. We did ask our steward for an ashtray our first day. While I knew we could smoke in our room, something didn't feel right about it. We do not smoke inside our home. So we were thankful for our balcony we could step out on and have a cigarette. The water sure is blue... I guess that's the saying, the Deep Blue Sea.

 

 

 

We spent a lot of this time today at the jewelry store, the inch-of-gold sale, the photo gallery, and the pool areas. We never participated in any activities or really even went by Capers to plan our days... Just kinda whatever, whenever. We did buy a lot of jewelry for ourselves and some as gifts at the inch-of-gold sale. I wonna go back!

 

Tonight was the first formal night, and the Captain's party. We went to the Follies lounge for the Captain's party. We had a couple drinks and slow-danced on the stage for a couple songs. As the party closed, we made our way to deck on Deck 3 for a smoke and a sunset.

 

 

We then went to the back of the ship and got a couple good shots.

 

[snc421]

May 5, continued: Day at Sea

 

Another fantastic dinner. More good conversation. Tonight our tablemates told us they met a young couple also on their honeymoon. Tablemates said they thought this couple was from near our area, and had late seating. Tablemates told them our table number and invited them to stop by and meet us. They did come by, and they do live in the town DH works in. Very cool! We again closed down the dining room, basically. Again, we missed any shows.... but did return to our room and found our new towel animal.

 

 

When we wake up, we'll be in Grand Cayman!!! (I wish!) :rolleyes:

[snc421]

May 6: Grand Cayman

 

A funny thing happens while I am on vacation. I have never slept past 9:30 when I know there's palm trees outside. (I am a night owl, as you can see by the time of these posts... and I live in Wisconsin.) Today was no different. Wait, yes it was. I was waking up to Grand Cayman, and was awake before the sun came up...

 

 

Ahhh... the first light over Grand Cayman. I enjoyed a cigarette. I woke up DH at some point, and he joined me for some sunrise on our balcony.

 

 

Channel 14 is a great reference channel. You can see at any given time exactly where we are, the route we have taken, current ship speed and current wind speed. It was especially interesting when we went to Belize, but I didn't get a picture of that, though. Just here at Grand Cayman.

 

[snc421]

May 6, continued: Grand Cayman

 

We went up to the Lido for a quick look around. The Disney Magic was anchored not real far away, and toward shore there was a pirate ship.

 

 

We went down to where we had first came onboard. Signs there directed us to where we needed to be to get the tender. We punched out and got onboard to Grand Cayman!!!

 

 

There were stores in the immediate area where we came ashore.

 

 

Just outside the port, there was a random cannon. I think it is a monument or memorial.... and palm trees.

 

[Carnival Game]

Great pictures!

 

Looking forward to hearing about the ports.

[snc421]

May 6, continued: Grand Cayman

 

We did not have any excursions for this day. We had our shopping map, and intended to do some shopping at some point. We walked around a little to familiarize ourselves a little.

 

 

Wooo Senor Frogs! As this place and most others weren't open at this early hour, we figured we'd hit the beach for a little while and come back to shop. We went back to the general port area and had no problem arranging a taxi to Seven Mile Beach for $4.00 USD each.

 

The driver took us to a place not real far from the port, probably a 10 minute ride. I didn't catch the sign of where we were. He said there's public restrooms and changing areas here, and that a restaurant and bar were setting up and would open soon. We walked out onto the beach and we were all by ourselves.

 

For whatever reason, we decided to walk the beach for a while. The sand was pretty soft, and white. There were no shells to be found, but here and there are white pieces of coral. Like rocks. Well, they're smoothed, though. We came up on a stand where you can arrange your own parasailing, jet skis, snorkel tours, etc. There was a young British guy at the stand. We chatted with him for a little bit. He told us we could use the restroom of the building behind us to change. There was an open-air restaurant... the smells were wonderful, but I'm here to swim!

 

This water is so amazingly clear. It's clearer than a pool, clearer than a glass of water. Words cannot describe it.

 

 

The last pic is perhaps the best representative of the clarity. Those ripples you see is the sand under the water.

 

The water was cool at 8:00 AM local time, but I loved it regardless. I have an unnatural fear of swimming with fish, or should I say, of fish touching me... but I had the sudden strong urge to snorkel! I never thought I'd ever say that, even when I lived in Cancun. But at Cayman, it's like you can see the fish from soooo far away. Plenty of time to get away from any fish... **fingers crossed!**

 

The guy at the stand told us that the hotel next door would soon be brought down and condos put up.

 

[snc421]

May 6, continued: Grand Cayman

 

It is getting to be time to head back for shopping. Again, we grabbed a taxi for $4.00 USD each. As we were heading back the driver pointed out some construction. Still rebuilding after Hurricane Ivan. He explained the flooding brought on by that storm. Unimaginable! Did I mention that we were on the opposite side of the road? Our taxi going to the beach had the steering functions on the opposite side of the car, but the Jeep we had on the way back had steering on the side I am used to. We saw Wendy's, Burger King.... and gas at $4.83 Cayman dollars. Probably like $6.50 USD. At that time, gas was like $3.40 here. (Gas went up $.40 here in the 11 days we were gone!)

 

So back to the shopping area. In and out of stores.... then a photo op, but the parrots just would not look up.

 

 

 

 

Neither of us wanted our picture taken with a Big Black Dick.;)

 

[snc421]

Great pictures!

 

Looking forward to hearing about the ports.

 

Thank you! I'll continue to put lots of pics in, to give the best idea possible of where we were and what we did.

[abby and nathan's mom]

I am enjoying your review very much!! What about dinner on non-formal nights...How were people dressed?? Did the men seem to be taking advantage of being able to wear shorts to the dining room?? What did the women wear?? We cruise on the 22nd, and I'm just trying to get a basic idea of what to bring to eat in!! Thanks!!:)

[Al's_gal]

I'm loving your pictures!!! beautiful review, can't wait to read the rest!

[bobandkelly]

This has been fun so far reliving our March trip on the Legend and looking forward to our November trip! We loved it so much we booked it again!

Kelly