Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Legend Cruise Review
Southern Caribbean

Teresa Hershey

This was our third cruise with Carnival and the second on a Spirit class ship (last year was the Miracle). This ship was clean, modern and well kept. The cabin stewards and the food staff were awesome. All in all the cruise was a wonderful Christmas experience. All that being said, I thought I would write a review with a different twist. Since we met numerous people that had not previously cruised, we thought we would write a review with their perspective in mind.

First off, tours -- you do not have to pay the overpriced tour cost Carnival offers. Bare in mind that they utilize the same tour companies that you can hire on your own. We always purchased tours on the dock or internet and in 6 cruises we have always had a great experience. First off, only go with operators at the dock and don’t go with anyone you feel uncomfortable with. Also, it is customary (except Costa Rica) to pay for the tour after it is complete. Use common sense, no large amounts of cash, flashy jewelry, etc. We paid $20.00 for the canal tour in Panama, this was with a private minivan and very comfortable, with the tip of $20.00 it was only $120.00 for 5! In Costa Rica we went to the banana plantation, butterfly farm, riverboat cruise, and beach for $35.00 per person (5 ½ hours) with tip, all 5 for $200.00! And Belize we went to the Mayan ruins for $30.00 per person -- We saved thousands!!!

Beverage service - first, kids and heavy soda drinkers - get the drink card, worth every penny. Otherwise, carry onto the ship what you want to drink. Carnival will let you carry on any quantity of soda, mixers, wine, etc. Put this in you checked baggage and be smart about it, don’t make a 200 pound bag, mix it between your bags. Also, pack you favorite liquor and mix you drinks in the cabin. They will be better drinks and you will save a fortune.

Food - we met several people that actually shared their meals so that the could taste what each tasted like. If you want two entrée’s, ask for them. As long as you are eating the food, and not being stupid, the dining room staff will bring you anything you ask for. The two shrimp cocktails my daughter had EVERY night became standard fare. Also, if you starve on one of these ships, it’s your fault! The daily themes are great and the Mexican day was out of this world. Also, the breakfast bars cook omelet’s and cook to order eggs - many people don’t realize this and get the same stuff every day. I would get four eggs, sunny side up with broken yokes and cheese sprinkled over the top - no problem! These guys are great! The sushi bar, every night between 5 and 8, the stuff is cute, tastes ok, but leaves much to be desired. I lived in Japan and travel there frequently, nothing like this in Japan - I wish they would just do simple rolls or nice sashimi. But, it’s better than nothing. Pizza bar, room service and the buffets are all standard fare, nothing great, but nice to have. The Grill is one of the best things going. My pastrami on rye was always great and the smoked salmon with bagel is out of this world.

Purser’s desk, the staff of this desk were incompetent and should be fired. If you have any dealings with them, document names and plan on going back. Request everything twice, and watch with humor as they struggle through the simplest requests. No sense tarnishing this review.

Kids and teens clubs - These are nice, but, if your kids are not in the same age group (12-14 or 15-17) then it is very likely they will have nothing to do with each other during this cruise. And if you have one over 18 and 1 under, well - too bad. The segregation is well intended, but it really does put a damper on the trip. We have 3 kids - 14, 16 and 19 and they could not dance together anywhere unless you count the Lido deck with the sill “quack-quack” and electric slide music, or the Satchimo’s with 80’s soft listening. My kids like to dance, they like the new sounds and yet they did not have a chance at being together this entire 9 days! That really ruined it for them and for that reason we will spend our $10K with another line next year. Carnival - take note, let parents decide where their kids dance and what they do --

Karaoke, Vinz Brown - what a treat he was - definitely the wrong person for this type of activity. He liked taking “music breaks” and singing -- all this while the paying customers sat in wait. Then his jokes, don’t take offense to his scolding you about being on vacation - I think he is just trying to be funny… Also, what is with the over 18 only being aloud to sing? I can see policing the venue, keeps the little kids from sing “who let the dogs out” and not realizing there is more to the song than just barking. But isn’t that why Vinzy is there, to make it go smoothly? Drop the age limit, let the crowd decide and let all participate. My kids have some great vocal talent, but then again - they weren’t allowed. Also, Vinz, maybe spend an hour or two and clean those song books up, organize them and put them in order.

Cabins, The rooms were great. We always get two and adjoin them through the balcony. We had a bit of a problem getting them to open the doors, once done all was smooth. The Cat 11’s are really the only way to go. The rooms are comfortable and having a bath tub is a nice touch. They are roomy enough and the beds are very comfortable. The VCR’s are there why? No library of tapes and aren’t DVD’s the new VCR??? Anyway, the TV and channels are adequate and if you need more than they offer, maybe you should just stay home. The refrigerator would have been nice to have, but it is packed with mini bar stuff, so --- The stewards were AWESOME, best we have ever had. All in all, the rooms are nice and no complaints other than the water pressure on the showers. Do not plan on enjoying a shower on this cruise, the water pressure is non-existent -- Carnival really needs to fix that.

In closing, I think Carnival is trying to cater to the older crowd and trying to shake their "fun ship" reputation - what a shame, there are enough stuffy cruise lines out there - wish they would be what they were - FUN!!!