We were a mother and son pair traveling aboard the Carnival Legend for the first time. I am 30 years old and my mother 58, and this was the fifth cruise for both of us. We both started cruising on Sitmar Cruises, then Costa Cruises, then Norwegian. I have sailed with Royal Caribbean and my mother once with Carnival. We started our trip flying into Tampa from Dulles Airport in the DC/MD/VA area. We stayed in the Embassy Suites Hotel Downtown ($127.00 per night) after reading another review on Cruise Critic. It is a beautiful hotel with spacious rooms. The cab ride from the airport to the hotel is $22. The night before we sailed we took the city Trolley, which stops right in front of the hotel to Ybor City, which boasts many restaurants and a large movie theater. We ate at the Columbia Restaurant, which is about four or five blocks from the center of Ybor City. The food is delicious and it is a well-known restaurant in the area.

The next morning we were up and out of the hotel by 11:00am. You can walk to the pier, however it is a little arduous when you factor in the heat and carrying your luggage. So we opted to take a cab, which was $6 from the hotel to the pier. We were standing in line at the front door of the pier by 11:30am. We were in a category 11 cabin so we had VIP check-in, which worked out great. However, it appeared that the line for general embarkation was running smoothly as well. After all was said and done, we were walking onto the ship by about 12:00pm. Once onboard you are directed straight to the Lido deck for lunch as they are still cleaning and setting up the rest of the ship. Lunch was good, especially the Italian selections. This is the only time where the ship felt crowded. My advice is to get to the ship early (between 11:00am and 12:00pm). We looked for a place to sit for about 20 minutes before we secured one.

Before we checked out our rooms, we talked to the Maitre'D, which you can do from 1:00pm to 3:00pm if you would like to adjust your table assignments. We requested a table for two because we were more comfortable that way, and he graciously changed our assignment without a problem. I am not sure if that is the normal response, or if our category 11 room assignment was a factor. But nevertheless we were happy. We made it to the room by 1:30pm and the crew was still very busy cleaning, but our room was completed. The room as well as the rest of the ship was immaculately clean ALL THE TIME! I am very picky when it comes to these things and observant, and I was impressed by the cleanliness of the ship and the overall appearance. We were in cabin# 7298, which we booked because of a cruise review from this website. It has a wrap around balcony, which is HUGE! It also has a separate bedroom area, vanity area, whirlpool tub and two televisions. It was a perfect set up for the two us, since we could share a room, but both have our separate living areas. This was our first time having suite accommodations on a cruise. The price of the carnival suites is about the same as a regular balcony room on other lines. So we went for it! Read more