This was our 16th cruise with Carnival and we sailed on the Western Caribbean cruise on 5/31/09 on the Legend.  There were 7 of us altogether ranging in age from 24 to 56.  We arrived into Tampa the day prior to our cruise.  Unbeknownst to the rest of our party, our 24 year old son who is in the Air Force was able to join us as a surprise!!!

Tampa:  Stayed at the Mainsail Resort in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo which worked out well for the 7 of us.  They provided transportation within 3 miles of the hotel so we were able to get sodas and water to take on the ship with us.

Sunday - Embarkation and the Ship:  This was one of the prettiest terminals we had ever used.  We arrived around 11:00 a.m. and were checked in within 30 minutes.  My husband and I are platinum status and it actually took longer for us to check in than the rest of our party who went through the standard lines.  They only had 1 person working the platinum/VIP area so this might have had something to do with it.  Still it went quickly and smoothly.  We dropped off our stuff in our room and went to get lunch in the buffet.  After the muster drill, we met several families from Cruise Critic who we had been corresponding with prior to the cruise.  The ship was very easy to navigate but it wasn't one of my favorites as far as the decor was concerned.  It was very dark and a little ornate for my taste.  This was our first cruise on one of the Spirit class ships. We had a great dining room staff and a wonderful room steward team that took very good care of us during the week.  I didn't care at all for Jen Baxter, the cruise director.  I heard several other people say the same thing so I guess I wasn't the only one who didn't care for her.  A couple of the other members of her staff were great but she was definitely lacking as a CD.  Read more