My husband, 4.5yo daughter, 15mo old daughter and I sailed on the Carnival Legend out of Tampa on 1/9/11. This was our first cruise ever and we LOVED IT! I was really nervous about cruising, especially with small children, but it was the easiest vacation ever!

I have read every single other review here of this exact sailing and have to say I am not sure we were even on the same cruise as some of these folks....as their reviews were SO different than our experience!

Embarkation - So smooth! We drove to the port that morning - got there at 11am and dropped bags with the porter and our car with the valet parking attendant. Not sure why someone said valet parking was $70. We paid $115 for valet, versus $98 to self park. SO worth it if you ask me! We were on the ship in about an hour or less. Once one we were welcomed nicely and directed where to go for lunch. I have to say this was the only "chaotic" part of our trip. Seeing as this was our first cruise ever we felt a bit "lost" at times not sure where to go, what to do, etc. However, we did muddle through. We went to our room shortly before 1:30. We did leave port a little late, but it was about 4:30/ 4:45, not 7pm as other posters stated. I know this as we were getting readay for dinner by 5pm and the ship was already moving - I had to put my seabands on so I wouldn't feel it as much (slightly prone to sea sickness). Read more