Hi all. I was on the Legend on January 18th for a seven-day Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa. It had its ups and downs, and overall it was kind of a mediocre experience.

The ship. The Legend is a great ship, hands down. Beautiful on the exterior, sturdy in the water even during 60-knot winds and creatively decorated. Some people knock Carnival ships, including the Legend, for their gaudiness, but this ship really doesn't deserve it. Sure, the Legend has more than the four materials of other cruise lines' ships (marble, brass, wood and glass/mirror), but a little neon or loud paint in small doses keeps you younger. The Legend is showing its age a bit, but, like a new car, it's still cool even after that first rock hits the hood. The decks are laid out well, with the bars/casino/shops/lounges all on decks 2 and 3 and the sunny decks up top, and the ship is very easy to learn.

The itinerary. This was an "exotic" Western Caribbean cruise, meaning that it sailed to the expected ports of Cozumel and Grand Cayman, but traded in Jamaica for the lesser-known ports of Belize and Roatan. Cozumel and Grand Cayman are what they are, take them or leave them. I prefer to leave them, but that's just me and I can understand their appeal at any rate. Belize is a beautiful country, and the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich are stunning, but they really have a long way to go. Understandable for a country that has only existed for 25ish years, and it remains to be seen whether cruise traffic will help or hurt their development. I don't really know what you would do in and around Belize City besides shop in the terminal or take a typical touristy shore excursion that you could take in any island in the Caribbean, but we found the ruins to be our best experience of the week. Roatan (island off Honduras) either was or could be a real gem, but the locals seem to have no concept of the asset they have there. This is a beautiful, largely unspoiled island, but the locals seem to be trying their hardest to turn it into a dump. I fear that Roatan is going in one of two directions: either it will become just another island with more resorts than trees, or it will be overrun with so many panhandlers and so much garbage that nobody will want to go there. Read more