My wife, Lynn, and I sailed on the Legend on December 21. This cruise was 8 nights with two full sea days going and two full sea days returning. Christmas Eve was at St. Maarten, Christmas Day in Barbados and Boxing Day on Martinique.
Due to a medical emergency, the ship was late docking on Dec. 21. As a result, boarding began at least 4 hours late. Carnival gave everyone $15 shipboard credit for the inconvenience and provided bus transportation to a nearby shopping area with restaurants. They also provided some basic food, such as hot dogs, in the waiting hall.
The boarding process was tedious and long. The cruise lines need to provide separate lines for those wanting pre-boarding photos and those who want to bypass that option. But, the process was reasonably well organized if less than smoothly efficient. We boarded around 4:30 p.m.