Chose this cruise for price and destination. The ports were excellent on the South Island of New Zealand. The ship was shabby, lots of external rust, and our cabin grubby on arrival. This was attended to when shown to cabin staff. Food of average to poor standard even in the dining room. Long queues to enter. Buffet selection limited, especially with salads and fruits. Coffee in buffet the best I've had in a cruise buffet. Entertainment in theatre not very professional compared to other cruise lines. Some of bar entertainers good, some average. Crew excellent. Cabin good but no frills, eg toiletries, tea and coffee making facilities. As an older couple we found the ship very noisy as most passengers seemed to be in family groups with many children even though schools had resumed after summer break. The ports were wonderful, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin and the cruising in the fiords amazing especially with the commentary. Tender service at Akaroa insufficient for the number of people and caused some mild anger among those left waiting until almost time to return.We had a total of $600 OBC for our cabin which was generous. Definitely a ship for the young who love take away style food and lots of it. Read Less

I saved my pension for this holiday with my 3 grandkids Rooms 4217 air cond so cold had to wear jacket called to get it fixed she came and tested it and said yes it is cold I will go turn it up Nothing happened still cold 4215 air cond not working replaced dial as okay then Hygeine no one getting people to wash their hands before handing utensils to dish up food Food well below heating standing it was always warm not hot Not a very good variety of food in the food part Food went off to early it said closing at 2 30 closed at 2 10 Wanted to BUY a good coffee was told only skim milk we have run out of milk (what no cow on board) great service could someone have gone and got more ??????? Golf course closed more times then open due to wind Why put it up there anyway.Movies in firebird lounge screen way to small not enough seating why dont you use the follies lounge ???????? Not planned very well at all. My grand daughter wanted to play carnival challenge we went down early FRAN came out with the blocks Mahalia asked if she could play and was told their are other people playing first How could that be we were there first and no one else then she said you can play the winner we waited waited waited the other team played 4 games she ignored Mahalia and never came over to her we left she cried we went and got an iceream We have been on the Golden princess twice hygeine there is first class stairs cases are cleaned daily so are lift buttons and some one is always there to watch you wash your hands before going into the food sections So disappointed in Legends cruise Read Less

This cruise came up for a great price. Both my husband and myself hadn't cruised with Carnival before so we were keen to give them a go. My daughter and her husband had cruised on the Spirit and were very happy when they went a couple of years ago. Once on-board the Legend, our initial reactions were that we were surprised at the dated and over the top decorations! They are certainly not to our taste! In fact,very very unpleasing to the eye. However, this should not deter from the overall experience. Other factors influence us as well. The pros: #I have coeliacs and need to have gluten free food. Carmen looked after me very well and ensured that i had gluten free food every day . I could not have asked for a better person to assist me! #Great cabin size #Fun activities offered through out the day and evening that include, an assortment of trivia led by fun staff, good night time shows in the theatre, hilarious comedians at Punchline, dance lessons, crafts and movies shown on sea days inside the Firebird lounge. #Well equipped gym with an indoor spa and great showers with massaging shower heads from the side as well as the top of the shower stalls. #The adults only section, "Serenity"...loved hanging around here without noisy ill mannered children! The Cons # poorly organised muster...this was a joke. Everyone either piled onto the port side or the starboard side of the ship. Put roughly into 4 or 5 long lines and expected to see a safety demonstrations past hundreds of people. Then mayhem getting off the deck! #Anytime dinner. Always lines to get in the restaurant and then given a buzzer to alert us when the table was ready. From what we could see, there was always free tables inside, but not enough staff. The staff were always running around busy. # Staff inside the restaurant were so busy, we couldn't even have a conversation with them to ask a simple question! # The food was very average and at times just not very fresh. I understand that we are at sea, but do not give black bananas or black lettuce on a plate #Unlabelled gluten free food in the buffet #In some parts of the buffet, people helped themselves to the food, it is healthier for the staff to dish out the food as some passengers have no idea about hygiene. Read Less

I selected the cruise because a friend was on board with her children and mother-in-law. The service in the restaurant was slow especially at the end of the meal. I was on anytime dining and on the two nights I ate in the main restaurant it took 15 minutes for them to take my dessert plate so I could leave and free up my otherwise empty table, mean while there is a huge queue outside of people waiting for tables. I then started having dinner in the Bonsai Sushi Restuarant where there was no queue and I could be out in about 45 minutes. The quality of the food in the bistro seemed to be sub par whereas some ships have the same food in the Bistro just without the service staff. I went to many of the comic shows in the basement under the showroom. Overall a mixed bag with some comic's being funny and others just being abusive to people in the audience for laughs. The stage shows were good even though they only consisted of 8 performers. Embarkation was quick but as a suite passenger you get priority boarding. Then again apart from having a larger room the only other benefit was a complimentary bottle of water (value $4.50) and a packet of biscuits. Priority boarding for the tenders consisted of joining the end of the queue of people. One port this was a queue of anybody who wanted to get off the other day it was the people who had been send on wards from the showroom in numbered groups. The mini golf course is next to useless if the ship is moving. Read Less

I don’t want this to be read as a negative review, but there were things Carnival Australia could improve on. We cruised on Carnival Legend ex Sydney 17th Dec 2018 for 10 nights to Pacific Islands. This was our 11th cruise holiday (Cunard, 2xRoyal Caribbean, 2x Princess, MSC, 2x P&O Aust, P&O UK and Carnival Caribbean). So we have other cruises to compare this with. We were warned Carnival Australia was considered more budget conscious, and we were happy with that, but didn’t expect their penny pinching to be so blatantly obvious. It started within minutes of us boarding the ship and making our way to our stateroom. Our room attendant welcomed us and showed us around, before he asked if we’d like our room serviced in the morning, OR the afternoon. All previous cruises, our room has been serviced twice a day. Not on this ship. For breakfast I like a muesli. In the Unicorn buffet, there were Corn Flakes, Rice Bubbles, Cocoa Pops, All Bran. No muesli. So on the 1st morning, I asked, just in case I had overlooked it. I was told yes, they had it over at the “Continental” counter. Oh yes they had it, but it was hidden under the counter, out of sight. Some days I was told they’d run out, then it reappeared the next day. So I spoke to a crew member dressed all in white (unsure of his position, but he was involved in the restaurant or the food). I then got it every morning after that. But it was always hidden, under the counter. The only reason I can think why it was hidden is muesli is a lot more expensive than the other cereals available. It was summertime. Think of all those lovely summer fruits. Strawberries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, pineapple. Yum. But not on this ship. At the breakfast buffet you had the choice of various types of watermelon, prunes and I recall canned peaches. I did see whole apples, oranges and pears. Guess what. The other summer fruits cost more. I like kiwifruit with my muesli. Not on this ship. Prior to the evening dinner, we would always go to a bar for a drink. Most other ships, we’ve been given complimentary nibbles with our drinks. It doesn’t have to be much – just a saucer full – but not on this ship. Lunchtime, I like to have a salad. Yes, they had lettuce and tomato, grated carrot, corn etc, but nothing special. I cannot exactly remember now, but I was struggling to find other foods to put on my plate. Before bedtime, I like a cuppa tea and a bikkie. I’d go to the Unicorn buffet and get a cuppa tea but there was nothing else to nibble on except a freshly made pizza!!! During the day they had nice little cookies available to have with a cuppa, but not later in the evening. Whynot? They had a kiosk machine guests could check their onboard account. Opening a new bank account would be easier. I thought the machine was going to ask for a blood sample. Ridiculous. We gave up. A suggestion box in Guest Services area may have been helpful. Some guests complained some of the dishes served at Truffles Restaurant were never hot. By the time they were delivered to the table, they were warm +. I personally didn’t have a problem with this, but some did. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE. We did have an issue with some noise in our room during the early hours of the morning. Anytime from 2am – 4.30am. We spoke to neighbouring rooms and they heard it as well. We could never pinpoint its origin exactly, but we guess was it was coming from the Unicorn buffet (we were the floor below it) and the noise was travelling through the air conditioning system. When we contacted room services, Carnival Legend never questioned our reports and compensated us very generously. We assume it’s an ongoing issue for guests in these rooms. Everything was clean and tidy on the ship, all the staff were excellent and I was happy with the food in Truffles Restaurant. Would I go Carnival Legend again? YES I would (but if there was another cruise line doing a similar cruise, I would choose the other cruise line). I think Carnival could improve some of the things I’ve mentioned, without costing them too much extra. An ‘enjoyable cruise’, could become a great cruise. Read Less

My husband and I thought it to be a great idea to spend the Christmas holidays onboard a luxury cruise ship, Oh dear what a mistake. Forget luxury .It was a disaster right from the beginning with a filthy state room. The food was awful with mostly the same menu everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the buffet. The dining room also seemed to have the same menu each night and certainly not to a standard we had expected and the service was terrible, The entertainment was practically non-existent during the day apart from a 30minute quiz session and only 3 shows on a 10 day cruise and out of the three one was a rock show, certainly not our cup of tea. Any purchases onboard whether it be alcohol or lollies was very expensive. To top it all Noumea is a very scruffy place and it cost us $50 to get there and $100 for lunch and one drink each. Lifou is disgustingly filthy and a tiny beach. With all the beautiful beaches we have in Australia it is silly to go to these awful places. Read Less

The cruise was great, fantastic dining room staff and cabin Steward. Need more details given to FTTF passengers of where to go and what they are entitled to. Photographers were the biggest issue, not very good quality, too quick, out of focus, dirty equipment which left marks on photos, would have bought more if they were of any decent quality. Mare should be taken off the the islands to visit unless hey include the bus trip to the beach in the price of the cruise. It is pointless going to an island where you can't see anything or do anything unless you pay more for the privilege. Entertainment was good, however most of the comedians lacked anything comical. If you use a US comedian they need to ensure they know their audience, 90% of people had no idea of the references he was making. Other than the photographers, I can't fault any of the service staff, they were all fantastic and welcoming. The Fun Squad were also very "Fun". Read Less

First, I write this as a guy in my early 40s travelling with my partner and no kids. That should give you an idea of my perspective. We found this cruise through a Carnival promotion and we couldn't pass this up at the price. We didn't get to choose the cabin but we were given 5114, a balcony room closer to the front of the ship. The room was clean and well-presented, no complaints here. My first cruise ever was on Legend last year and it felt like visiting an old friend this time 'round. Some of the Fun Ship upgrades had been put in like Alchemy, Blue Iguana and Guy's Burger Joint but there was no Fat Jimmy's C-Side as there is on Spirit. Embarkation was easy enough, we rocked up to and dropped off the bags and went through customs. Carnival have changed the process a little since our last cruise on Spirit this year. They now issue you a paper boarding pass rather than the Sail and Sign card just before you get on. The Sail and Sign card awaits in the little mailbox out the room. I was told the paper is quicker to print and you can still use it in place of the proper sail and sign card. Our card arrived fairly quickly. The old Roman/Greco theme has grown on me and it never really bothered me anyway. Some may not like it. I went straight up to Unicorn café and had the fish and a few other sides. Exactly as I remember it on my first time on Legend. The food was great on the Lido deck, be it Unicorn, Guy's or the Iguana. I then purchased the bottomless bubbles package and started getting into the good stuff. The service started off excellent and didn't really deviate from any of the bar staff throughout the cruise. They were pretty much always friendly. One thing I like about Carnival are the drinks prices. They might be a little higher than the local leagues club but they're tolerable. Beer and wine is probably a $1 or $2 higher than the local club. Even spirits (Scotch is what I had) is reasonable. Cocktails are as expected. My local club does them for about $12 - $15 and that was about the price onboard. The first day is always chaotic and we had people with their kids in Serenity. Seriously, there's plenty more ship to keep your kids but Serenity is for those 18+. They weren't rowdy but these families take up cabanas that could be for someone over 18. Staff didn't do anything and ask these families to move to another area. The subsequent days didn't have kids parked at Serenity. And anyway, who takes their kids out of school before school holidays start? That's what school holidays are for. After a day or so, people's movement flows well through the ship. The ship is well laid out and there's always an area where you can sit and have a quiet area. You may not get the lounge beside the pool but on sun deck there's always a few chairs empty. Bars are easy to access and not crowded unless there's an event on. I could sit at one of the bars and enjoy a few drinks especially the more quiet ones such as Dreamteam and Odyssey. Even before dinner times, Alchemy was accessible. All-in-all, I think the Spirit class ships have a good passenger to amenity ratio. Waiters for drink service seemed to come more regularly than I remember on my last Carnival cruises. Our cruise director was Jen and she was great; always around and ready to have a chat and she looked after us. She was always letting passengers know what was going on. Entertainment was generally good and they had Epic Rock on the last night, the second time I've seen the show. DJ Max was our main DJ and plays a good mix of music that would appeal to most anyone. His playlist doesn't feel like it was contrived by a CCL suit in Miami for use onboard all their ships. Unfortunately, Music Manilla weren't on this ship but the other entertainers were good. Music volume levels were good including in areas where piped music was playing so you could easily maintain a conversation. As one would expect, the jams were pumped up a little for the Lido deck 80's theme night. That joint was bumping and it was a good turn out. In terms of cleanliness, Unicorn tables were being cleaned promptly. I'd barely finish a meal and a courteous staff member would be there cleaning. I only encountered one or two public toilets not working but they seemed to have been repaired promptly. Toilets are quite handily located all over the ship so you can leave things on a table and be back quick enough for no one to have removed anything. Toilets were always clean and there'd be someone cleaning/maintaining them often enough. Again, the food was excellent and other than breakfast, changed regularly. Breakfast was mostly things like bacon, eggs, toast, etc. along with cold cuts and even salad. Truffles was excellent and the service astounding. We were able to change our assigned table and we were given a note the next day in our mailbox informing us of the new table number. We also did the Chef's table again as well as Nouveau. Again, both were excellent. Nouveau has bumped up the price but it's still worth it. Just a note, we've had the escargot before so didn't think to order them this time. Our chef came out and had chat with us about the meu. Apparently, Carnival will be taking them off the menu so get in while you can. Our chef quickly had some cooked up for us. Amazing service. Some minor criticisms with the ship include inconsistent bar prices. Most staff will process the mixer component of spirits and it will be then credited back on the bill because soft drink is included in the Bottomless Bubbles package but even at the same bar, other bar staff will not credit it back. In some of the areas, parents would simply not bother controlling their children. Others would let nappy-donned rug rats in the pool. Even with a swim nappy, you can't go in the pool. People don't want to swim in diarrhoea and urine. Staff didn't seem control this whereas they were strict about it last year on Legend. Other than that, I know I've been on a stellar cruise when I shed the odd tear knowing I have to disembark and get back on with life. Well done, Carnival. Read Less

We actually chose this cruise because it was a last minute special, no other reason. The decor is Las Vegas on sea, it takes a little getting used to the lavish decorations but hey, you are on a holiday and bland is not exiting. Our luggage was delivered to the cabin after an easy check in, smooth embarkation process. The cabin was fine, lots of room for clothes etc and a balcony actually big enough for sitting on, our cabin steward was polite and helpful. There is a lot of food and drink on board, free drinks include ice water, ice tea, coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice and apple juice all day. Alcoholic drinks are pricy but as there is no daily charge or enforced tipping on this ship it is still affordable to have a great time, prices are about the same as at a nicer venue on land in Australia. Free food includes good pizza to well after 11pm, hamburgers, tacos and wraps made to order on deck. The buffet is similar each day with several different stations serving foods as in seafood, sandwiches etc. Think Siz***rs. The sit down restaurant serves breakfast lunch and dinner, it is a little hit and miss but the good thing of course is that if you meal is not to your liking you just ask your waiter and a different meal turns up for you. We never asked for another meal. Every evening the waiters dance for you and there are theme nights during the cruise with the dining room decorated and special dishes on the menu. We had a Chefs table dinner which is served in the kitchen between the excitement of the kitchen. Amazing food and all drinks included. This was the highlight of our cruise and well worth the $120 per person it cost. It made for an extra special night as we chose formal night to do this. The entertainment on board includes things like games and quizzes during the day and a show at night as well as late night comedy. We went to all of these and had hardly any time left to read a book. The shows are great, we went to some twice. I have to say the last night was a rock and roll night and you would have to buy a pricy ticket to go see a show this good on land. Our cruise director Jen was on hand when needed and it seems she had 3 doubles walking around, she was just everywhere. My husband and I are in our early 60 so had no kids with us this time but as we are thinking of bringing our grandchildren some times we went down to the kids club to have a talk to the parents and they all seemed happy, so did the kids. The only remark was to wait till the youngest is over 2 as there are no facilities for younger children. Over all, we enjoyed our cruise and would go on this ship again, there is a good mix of all ages on board and something to do for everyone. Read Less

Did a 3 night cruise and loved it. Great ship, great entertainment, alcohol at pub prices, comedy club fantastic, cabin we booked an interior but got a free upgrade to balcony which was good. I don’t get sea sick but did need to take sea sickness tablets as our first night was rough. Thoroughly recommend. Ship didn’t feel crowded lots of spaces including serenity deck for peace and quiet. If you want a daybed get up there early. Weather not too warm so didn’t swim but pools are good. We did cash just deposit when you get on and keep topping up card. Casino area huge, red frog bar great music and vibe. Food was plentiful and pizza to the early hours of the morning. Ship decor was different but for the value we thought it was great. Lots of lifts for easy access. You can get Carlton draught just ask at different bars. Cocktails so many on offer. Read Less