What a relaxing time it's been. Tampa was great. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency, which was within walking distance of a lot of things, just not a beach. We walked down to Channel Side; took a trolley about; had a blast at the Lowry Zoo - Check with the Concierge for recommendations and deals, Randy gave us coupons for BOGO for entrance to the zoo and then extras to hand to those in line around us. He also recommended Jackson's Steak and Sushi (excellent food, and the dessert was so yummy - strawberry shortcake in a huge brandy glass, Don had tiramisu). The Hyatt Regency had a nice restaurant inside, and a pool and hot tub on the roof. There was a shuttle that was pay-as-you-go, at the pier we prepaid for our fare to the airport, saved us about $25.

Sunday, The Carnival Legend. Embarkation was okay. The porter gave us a heads up to finish our coffee before reaching the top of the stairs. I was tired and hungry so I wasn't in the best mood to stand in lines and be misdirected. Going through Xray I was told to take my camera out of its bag- then told by another to not take it out. Since it was buried at the bottom of my carry-on, I was irritated by the time I was through that line. Checking in, the elderly gent behind the counter was more interested in the college football game scores from Saturday than getting us pleasantly checked in on a Sunday morning.Then we sat around for an hour to be allowed to board the ship; granted we got there at 1030am. We got on board, found our way to Lido and grabbed a delicious juicy cheeseburger, chili fries, and a cold glass of Lemonade before heading off to explore the ship. Note: Fifth level, Follies Theater, second row from the top, the seats rumble from the ships engines, so it feels like a massage chair. We were there for most of the shows. We then went to Putt-Putt and watched the Tampa Bay around us. NOTE: It's two hours from sail-away to the Sunshine Bridge, so you have time to do a meet and greet during this time.

Monday, day at sea. We slept late, finally getting up about 10. Coco-Loco drinks by the pool. A Pina Colada in a coconut carved like a monkey's face. Pondering choices for lunch, we opted for Lido buffet, which unfortunately didn't start serving until just after noon. We then registered for the Art Auction. Our Cruise Critic Meet&Greet was at 2pm in Billie's Piano Bar, wonderful time of drinks and chatting. Read more