Carnival Legend Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,462 reviews

Wonderful 06/09 cruise on the Legend!!

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Legend
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amylouky
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

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Sail Date: Jun 2009
Cabin: Balcony

My husband and I booked the June 14, 2009 sailing of the Legend to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. This was hubby's first cruise, my second. I had previously sailed on RCCL, and was a bit hesitant of booking Carnival due to some reviews I had read, and its reputation as a party line.. we were really looking for a relaxing, romantic vacation. I booked the Legend because it had an itinerary that would have us on the boat on our actual anniversary, which was really important to me.We booked most of our travel outside of Carnival. We flew Southwest from Louisville on Saturday morning, as we wanted to spend a day at the beach before the cruise. We rented a convertible and took a 30 min. drive to Fort DeSoto park, which was gorgeous. We stayed at La Quinta Inn by the airport, not exactly a luxury hotel but it was much much better than I expected. The rooms were very clean (cleaner than some much more expensive places I've stayed), and it was right by the expressway, which was convenient. The air conditioning was ICE cold, the staff was friendly, and the pool was very clean as well. Plus, there's an IHOP in the same parking lot as the motel, if you need some late night munchies or a good breakfast.Embarkation day: We took Blue One shuttle service to the cruise port.. no problems at all, the driver was very friendly and helpful with our baggage. The embarkation process was a little tiresome but nothing major, all in all I think it took about 45 minutes from the time we arrived at the port, until we were on the Lido deck sipping the drink of the day. We got on board at about 11:50, and were allowed into our cabins at 1:30. Our cabin steward was I.Nunghum from Indonesia (I probably spelled that wrong), and was very friendly. He came around and introduced himself shortly after we got into the cabin.The cabin: Our cabin was on the Empress Deck, which was nice because it was sandwiched between two other decks of cabins. We made a friend on the cruise who was on the deck below the Lido, and he said it was really noisy. The cabin itself was nice, definitely roomy enough for two. The bathroom was a little small but that's to be expected. It was very clean, but there was a slight smell at times (not from us! I think it was coming through the pipes). It would have been nice if they had an exhaust fan and air freshener in the bathroom. The decor was nice in the cabin, not too gaudy.. the balcony was showing a bit of age (rust spots, the chairs were  a little worn, etc.) but was still wonderful. I'm very glad we booked a balcony, we spent a lot of time out there. I think it ruined other cabins for me, I'm spoiled now! The mattres was pretty firm (at least to me, I'm a pillowtop kind of gal). I heard from someone that you can request a mattress topper to make it softer, but we didn't bother. We emptied our minibar, since we had brought a few 12-packs of soft drinks and a couple of bottles of wine on board with us.

Cozumel: This was scheduled to be our second port, but was cancelled due to the swine flu. While I wasn't originally bothered that it was cancelled, I was a bit disappointed that Carnival did not make alternate arrangements, such as another port, or staying in Grand Cayman longer. Also, even after Cozumel was back open, they did not change our itinerary back.. they added Cozumel back for the week after we went. They had modified some other ships' itineraries to return to Cozumel, but not the Legend. I think that Carnival could have handled this better, and $20 was not really adequate compensation.Days at sea: Well, what's to be said about these? Cruise director Jen was okay.. she was very enthusiastic but I kind of found her voice to be grating after a couple of days, especially with the large number of announcements that were made. Since we were looking for more of a quiet, relaxing experience, we mostly hung out at the aft pool, where I was very happy to see that the adults-only rule was almost always observed. It may have been wishful thinking, but I think the drinks were a little stronger back there, too! One tip about the drink of the days.. if you don't have a souvenir glass with you, they'll automatically put it in one (for a dollar extra!) unless you request just a regular cup. We did catch a few of the shows.. the adult comedy shows at midnight were hilarious (and definitely R-rated). The juggling/comedy act was really entertaining as well. We didn't do any of the game shows or anything, but we caught a few on the TV that looked like they were fun.Dining: The food was for the most part wonderful. The Unicorn cafe was our choice for most breakfasts and lunches. The food was good, and kept fresh and well-stocked. It was very crowded and hard to find tables most days, because the tables weren't being cleaned off very quickly. Also, I was disappointed that the tea was instant, not brewed.. I ended up drinking ice water most of the week. We ate in the dining room every night except one, when we went to the Supper club. The dining room food was very good, with a few exceptions. The prime rib was overcooked and tough, and there was a turkey and farfalle dish that pretty much tasted like Turkey Helper. The rest of the food was wonderful.. my husband declared the rack of lamb his favorite meal of the week. The lobster tails were really small, so we ordered two. They were good, but not the best I've had. The chocolate melting cake was divine, and my husband really liked the diet desserts (even on a cruise, he was counting carbs!). We dined in the Golden Fleece on our anniversary night (Friday), and it was heavenly. The service was flawless, the food was plentiful and delicious. I had the Surf & Turf, and was very happy with it. My husband had the 24 oz. Porterhouse, and said it was one of the best steaks he's had. The appetizers were a little odd.. they brought us a "compliments of the chef" appetizer that was mustard ice cream with fish pieces. Weird, but oddly tasty.Debarkation: This was very simple. We chose not to do the self-assist, since we had several large bags, but we were still off the ship by 9:30, and at the airport by 10.Overall, we had a fantastic week, and would definitely sail the Legend again.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin 8C

Very quiet deck, beautiful views, decent size and closet space for two people.

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