To start, I have to admit I was very nervous about the Legend after reading so many negative things about the ship, the crew, the ports, and the issues so many people have written about. Skepticism and anxiety about the trip were the order of the day. But, as you'll see, we really had nothing to worry about!

We arrived in Tampa on 2/20 and stayed at the Tampa Marriott (booked through Carnival), mainly because it was our first time and we didn't want to chance flight delays and missing the ship (we were coming from NM). Check in was great, the rooms comfortable, and things fell right in to place.

The next morning, we were on the shuttle to the port by 11:30. Tamara, our driver, was great fun, as were most of the other folks on the bus. The embarkation process, however, took much longer than I anticipated, but being patient and understanding about getting 2,500 people through the security lines, checked in, S&S cards, and S&S photos really helped. All in all, I think we were on board in about 90 minutes. Read more