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What a way to bring in the New Year! by
Bruce from Auburn, AL Sailing date: Dec 2006Pros: Striking lobby with glass elevators. We rang out the old year with a weeklong Carnival cruise that visited St. Martin, Barbados, and Martinique. It was a wonderful respite from winter. We had an unexpected extension of our voyage when a medical emergency forced a detour to evacuate a sick passenger. I wish I could find a similar cruise that fit our vacation so neatly. Dining/Food
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15 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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   Not Bad for Our First Cruise by
Megan L from Bloomington, IN Sailing date: Oct 2010Pros: Food, Staff, Entertainment, Stateroom Cons: Older Ship, Some Ports only So-So My husband and I decided to take a cruise for our second wedding anniversary and we decided to try out the Legend's Western Caribbean cruise. To be honest, my husband and I really didn't looks too much into the ship features before we booked, we were more concerned about the ports we would be visiting. I wish I had done a little more ship research before deciding which one to book but we had a really great vacation. The ship is a little bit older but the staff, food, and entertainment were all great! Ship QualityMy first impression of the Legend was that it was somewhat gaudy and overdone but now I realize I think this is just the cruise ship way. It didn't take away from the cruise at all but it was just a surprise to me personally. The ship does have a theater, comedy club, dance club, two small shops that were surprisingly reasonably priced, a casino, pools, a slide, huge sundeck, mini-golf, basketball, gym, and things to do for kids. Our stateroom was wonderful and bigger than I expected. Overall the ship seems a bit dates in it's decor but it's still very nice. Dining/FoodThe food was amazing! For breakfast there was the traditional stuff in the buffet every morning - french toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, biscuits and gravy, bagels, cereal, etc. There was the option to dine in the formal dining room for breakfast as well but we never took up that option. Lunch always had a great variety of food, our first day on the ship we had prime rib for lunch. They have a pizza bar and deli that are open 24 hours, which was great if we wanted a late night slice. They had a grill with hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs and more. They don't have the same stuff in their buffet selection every day too which was nice. The dessert station was excellent as well.
Dinner was always lovely. You still have the option to go to the buffet at night but most people dine in the formal dining room. It set up like a restaurant with servers and a menu but the cool thing is you can order whatever you want and as many as you want and it's all included. Stateroom QualityMy husband and I opted to book an interior stateroom for our first cruise, we wanted to save money just in case we didn't like it that much. When we books, we had the option of a small interior room in the back of the boat, or the room all the way at the front of the boat at the end of the room row. We took the room in the front of the boat and we are sure glad we did! It was twice the size of a normal interior room and was really spacious. We didn't feel any extra movement due to being in the front, the only con of the room was that if we wanted to do an activity or eat at the buffet in the back of the boat, we had to walk a ways (which isn't really that far but I could see how a room in the middle of the boat would be more convenient). Ship Staff QualityThe staff was truly wonderful on the ship. I was surprised to learn that most of their staff is from all over the world. Everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful. They were top notch. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere were a ton of activities to choose from but my husband and I usually took advantage of the sun deck and the evening shows. During the day they have activities like trivia games, dance lessons, bingo, and more. There's always something going on it's just a matter of someone's interests. We went to most of the evening shows and comedy acts and really enjoyed those. 
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Cozumel, MexicoCozumel was great. My husband and I went snorkeling and we enjoyed ourselves. Of course everyone and their mother wants to sell you something but that's to be expected with anywhere in Mexico or the Islands. The shopping here was a lot better because there was a large variety of products (their vanilla extract is some of the best in the world and a must buy at this port). There are lots of activities to choose from in Cozumel and it's a beautiful place.
Don't Miss: Vanilla Extract George Town, Grand CaymanI did not enjoy this port at all. I assumed that a port would include a beach nearby since it is an Island but everywhere near the main port is just shopping. If you don't want to shop, be prepared to either stay on the boat, book an excursion, or find a taxi to get you somewhere more interesting. The shopping, for me, wasn't that great either. it was either really poor quality tourist souvenirs or high end fine jewelry. I didn't go on vacation to buy diamonds and tanzanite, I just wanted to sit on the beach and relax. I didn't find much of interest at this port.
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasMahogany Bay is owned by Carnival so there wasn't actually much that was "native" to this port. There were a few shops and a man made beach but there wasn't anyone at this port who wasn't a cruise ship tourist. Unless you found a way to venture out from this port that is closed in my trees and vegetation, there's not a lot to see. It's a beautiful port and we really enjoyed the beach but there's not a ton to explore and I wish I could have seen more of the island.
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Exceeded all expecations! by
Kim from Orlando, FL Sailing date: Jul 2007Pros: All of it. My boyfriend and I had ever cruised before and didn't really know what to expect. Never could we have imagined the elaborate decoration, prompt and friendly service or endless entertainment. The adult comedy show (Thomas Brown) was one of the highlights as well as the nightly dinner where we met some amazing staff. No matter what we were in the mood for- peaceful relaxation or loud music and drinks- it was all right outside our cabin door! We will definitely be taking another cruise and it will be with Carnival Cruise Lines... maybe even the Legend again! Dining/Food
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Belize City, BelizeOff on the wrong track.
Unfortunately/fortunately for us we decided to hook up with one of the local taxi drivers and relied on him to show us the city. We ended up in a very poor part (Queen Street) where most would feel uneasy and as if they might be in danger of crime. I myself enjoyed this experience as I got to see how people really live in countries other than America but if you went to Belize looking for beach you definitely should take a tour.
Costa Maya (Mahahual), MexicoTourist trap!!!
Total tourist trap. I was disappointed and let down. It was nice to lay on the "beach" and relax at our last destination of our cruise but I was hoping for a little more culture.
Cozumel, MexicoHighlight of the trip!!
The live Cozumel was beautiful and relaxing. The people were amazingly friendly and helpful (it helps if you speak Spanish). We enjoyed a private beach while sipping our Dos Equis and looking off into the horizon. Shortly after we had our Taxi driver take us to a local, authentic restaurant where I thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful Margharita and delicious food! Very romantic setting and beautiful weather.
Don't Miss: The beaches!! George Town, Grand CaymanThe weather wasn't stellar...
The weather was crummy and we hadn't booked any tours so we basically just walked the island looking for the highlights. I was born on this island and had visited Cayman in 1995 and it was nothing like I remembered it. I believe previous hurricanes have influenced the spirits of the island as well has the structures.
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Good time on Legend by
Kevin from MInneapolis, MN Sailing date: Jun 2010Pros: Excursions Cons: No late night snacks (other than pizza) Overall the ship was really good. Never been on a cruise before and was impressed. It was like a floating resort -- not much different than a large hotel complex. UJust about everything about the experience was good. Always plenty to do from just relaxing to entertainment options. Ship QualityConsidering that the ship is only in port for a short period of time before they start a new cruise I was really surprised by the overall clieanliness of the place. All the public areas were really nice. A real care goes into taking care of the place. The decor and theming is nice. Althought the ship was full, never got the impression of it being crowded. Dining/FoodThe primary eating place was the large buffet with wide selection of foods. It wasn't great but what you would expect from an above average buffet. The nicer or premium restaurants were really good -- can't say enough about the friendliness of the staff. the overall atmosphere was nice as well. The dining times were really flexible. Stateroom QualityAgain, being my first time I was really surprised by the quality of the rooms. Very comfortable and spacious. Good pressure in the shower. Having the balcony was smart choice even though having to pay extra because it allowed us to hang out wet swiming clothes; they would never have dried just hanging them up in the bathroom or some place else in the room. Selection of rooms is smart; we slected ours away from the elevators. Ship Staff QualityThe staff are really friendly and helpful with a willingness to go above and beyond. Seem to get more information or insight from the lower level staff. Great interacting with those from around the world. Entertainment & ActivitiesGreat variety of activities and enteratainment on the ship from top level comedians, too general music and movies. The bingo and trivia games are fun! For us, we were having so much fun during the day that it was tough not being able to stay up and enjoy some other fun things planned in the evening.
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Belize City, BelizeCheck out cavetubing.biz. This is smaller company than the other one during the the cavetubing and zipline tour. Both the cavetubing and zipline were fantastic. Don't forget to bring the waterproof camera and bug spray. Also, afterwards don't miss out on the rum punch.
Don't Miss: cavetubing and zipline Cozumel, MexicoWe did Discover Mexico and Chankanaab Park. Discover Mexico was interesting, but OK to skip since we had since a short period of time at the port; would have loved to have much more time at Chankanaab. Discover Mexico gives a big over view of the old culture of Mexican culture, not just of the Yucatan, with ancient art on display and minatures of historic sites. Chankanaab has more Mayan cultural things to see within a juggle tour but also a great water park for snorkeling and swiming with dolphins and manatees.
George Town, Grand CaymanIf youi've never been here before you have to do the Stingray City that everyone raves out. It was weird and awesome experience. We also did a bit of snorkeling.
Don't Miss: Stingray city. Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasI would like spend a week here, there's so much to discover. We took and variiety tour. Really you can skp the iguana farm, but the butterfly and botanical gardens was fantastic. We wanted to do some snorkeling but ran out of time, but I heard it was good here. We hooked up with Victor Bodden tours where we got personalized service.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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An absolute nightmare by
Dijana P from New York, NY Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: The stops the cruise made Cons: lack of empathy and customer service from the Guest Services staff Will probably not cruise with Carnival again Ship Qualitythe ship was ok, nothing special...the tiles in the pool were falling off and there was visible wear and tear...also the water in the pools didnt seem to have been changed one day so the second day the water was filthy. The hot tubs werent working for 3 days of the cruise. They were full of water but the heaters burned out so it was just a tub minus the HOT Dining/Foodfood was ok but there were occasions where you couldnt self serve. BreaKfast for example you had to get bacon, ham etc from the server and they'd give you two pieces of bacon and basically roll their eyes if you asked for more. The 24 hour pizza station attendants were just strange. They would give you 1 tiny slice of pizza and if you asked for another they'd tell you that other people are waiting too.well I guess then they should have made more pizzas. The dinner were great. They changed the menu every night and there was penty of variety. Stateroom QualityHad bed bug in suite and reported it 3 times and 2 times they checked the suite and didnt leave any messages or information on the outcome of the investigation. On last day of the cruise they basically told us they didnt find anything and to get over it. I guess 50+ bites on each of our bodies wherent enough to convinve them there was a problem Ship Staff QualityGuest Services were terrible. The worst I have ever encounteres, however the poor cabin stewart did everything he possibly could to ensure all of our sheets were changed every day to eliminate the insects as he was the one who saw the bites. Aside from his excellent service the rest of the staff was just ok Entertainment & Activities
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Awesome Adventure by
Martha from North Carolina Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: ponies on the beach, cave tubing, dolphins at Chankanaab and Roatan monkeys and zip line Cons: It's over Clean, well organized, friendly personnel but we arranged our own shore excursions for less money. Ship Quality
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Belize City, BelizeI felt attacked by the women in the market at the port trying to braid hair and paint toe nails
Don't Miss: Cave tubing and ATV combo Cozumel, MexicoDolphin Adventure
George Town, Grand CaymanPampered Ponies
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasObviously a problem with government with lack of infrastructure
Don't Miss: Mayan Jungle Canopy, West End Beach, Half Moon Resort 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Great service from everyone and great he by
Gina from Tucker, GA, USA Sailing date: May 2007Pros: Casino.
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Belize City, BelizeBelize.
Go cave tubing for sure!! Some of the ruins are there but better ruins are in Costa Maya. If you are choosing between the 2 cave tubing in Bleize then the ruins in Costa Maya.
Don't Miss: Cave tubing. Costa Maya (Mahahual), MexicoCosta Maya ruins.
Make sure to see the ruins here they are the best.
Don't Miss: Ruins. Cozumel, MexicoCozumel beach party.
Went snorkleing, kayaking and played volleyball on the beach. Had a great time.
Don't Miss: Beach party / snorkeling. George Town, Grand CaymanSwimming with the Stingrays in Grand Cayman.
We went swimming with the stingrays and had a great time.
Don't Miss: Stingrays. 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Fantastic Adventure!!! by
Josh F. from Lexington, KY Sailing date: Aug 2012Pros: Crew of the ship Cons: Montego Bay, Jamaica Even though the ship was built in 2002, it was in exceptional condition. Our room was quite a bit more spacious than the one we had on another cruise company. We could actually turn around in the shower! Ship QualityEverything was in top shape! Dining/FoodThe food was always fresh and diverse. We used the "anytime dining" which made it very convenient for our ever-changing schedule. Both the Unicorn dining room (buffet) and Truffles dining room (evening meals) provided exceptional dining experiences. Stateroom QualityThe room was much bigger than anticipated. Plenty of space for us and our 3 year old to run around. It was kept very clean and every piece of furniture/equipment was in working order. Ship Staff QualityThis was the best part of the entire trip. Our stateroom attendant, Camelo, was the best! He was exceptionally friendly, a very hard worker, and went above and beyond to meet our every need.
The junior hostess of the Truffles dining room, Aleksandra, greeted us the first evening with such warmth and care. We quickly became great friends with her, so much so that she had our favorite dessert special ordered for us each evening.
Our food service team (Luis the head team waiter and Aliyasa the team waiter) were simply the best anyone could ask for. Since we had "anytime dining" we had the liberty of sitting wherever we chose; however, after the first evening meal, Adiyasa requested we ask for his section the following evening. We enjoyed his service so much that we returned to his area each night thereafter. Both Luis and he took great care of us, especially our 3 year old son. They always brought his food immediately and would include special treats with his meal - small acts of kindness Entertainment & ActivitiesWe did not participate in many of the activities; however, there was plenty to choose from. Children's ProgramsWe took advantage of Carnival's children's program and placed our son in their Noah's Ark camp on several occasions throughout the week. The girls were excellent; extremely attentive and professional, yet caring. They kept the activities moving throughout the day, which never gave the young children time to get restless. Our son often begged to go to the "play area", wanting nothing to do with us. 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Better than we expected, very successful by
Jean M. from Rochester, NY Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: Our veranda suite was luxurious, the service was perfect, crew and passengers were friendly, the evening shows were polished and high quality, the movement of passengers on and off was efficiently handled, everything was very clean. Cons: Lots of smoke, especially in lounges, shows, while good, were way too loud, especially vocalists, not enough signs saying Although we have done several small ship cruises, we have not been on a large ship cruise before, though we did cross the Atlantic on the QEII 20 years ago, so we were not sure what to expect when we booked a western Caribbean week on the Carnival Legend. Yes, there are a lot of people aboard, and not all of them are polite, but on the whole the passengers were pleasant, friendly, & helpful. We heard there were 600 children under 18 on board but they were well behaved and must have been enjoying their own activities, as we rarely saw them. The crew keeps a spotless ship, even in the constantly-in-use cafeteria and around the other public spaces. The food is quite good, not gourmet but with lots of variety, and when one tires of what is being served there is even more choice in the self serve areas, including pretty good ice cream (custard).
The shows, which I had expected to be mediocre, were quite fabulous, with excellent dancers and gorgeous costumes. As I mentioned above, the singing was miked too loud for our ears (a modern phenomenon I suspect). The specialty shows, magician, juggler, etc. were top notch.
Our veranda suite was roomy, attractive and except for the constant engine/a/c noise very quiet. Watch out for occasional soot on the chairs if you get a rear suite; the steward will give you towels to sit on to protect your clothes. If you don't like walking take note of how far your cabin choice is from the elevators.
The ship's decor, what can I say? Really kitchy, but it grows on you after a few days. It is kept in immaculate condition, however, for we frequently observed crew cleaning the molding, the decks, the windows, everything.
There is a lot of emphasis on shopping, on board and in every port, so brace yourself and decide ahead of time what items you might really need or want--all those diamonds make for a heady atmosphere!
We took two of the Carnival planned tours and particularly enjoyed the Goff Caye snorkeling expedition with great fish and lovely beach. The Roatan sail and snorkel trip was less successful as the snorkeling area was quite riled up. Watch for big changes in Roatan as they are building a whole new Carnival docking area there. The other two stops we built our own trips, being very careful to get back to the ship on time.
Yes, I'd go again, and I think I would choose the Legend. Ship QualityStill think an occasional sign to fore or aft, starboard or port would help Dining/FoodDesserts were their weakest point, appetizers their strongest, with lots of variety and beautiful presentation. Stateroom Quality
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Belize City, BelizeWe have been here before and find the fenced in secure shopping area offensive and annoying. Much too much emphasis on spend, spend, spend. Go snorkeling instead, or even see the ruins.
Don't Miss: Snorkel on Goff Cay, or one of the other islands available Cozumel, MexicoTook cab to Dzul Ha area to snorkel off beach. Beautiful! Palmar Estates there rents lockers and gear, and has a pool to relax by as well.
Don't Miss: snorkel!!!! George Town, Grand CaymanWe booked ourselves onto the Atlantic submarine and enjoyed the experience. We had planned to snorkel off the shore afterwards but returned to ship when rain threatened. It looked as if the Eden Rock facility would be easy to negotiate, however
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasThis is a pretty spot, very welcoming, and so far not so aggressively commercial as the busier ports. However with a new dock and shopping area being built this ambiance may not last. I thought the catamaran sail and snorkel was a disappointment. Yes, it did sail, but essentially went no distance so we ended up returning to snorkel in a roiled up area with minimal fish. Given the length of the trip (3 1/2 hours) I would think they could find a better location. Also, this is not an easy vessel to get out of and into, so don't choose it for your first snorkel experience or if you have trouble climbing ladders.
9 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Not what we expected at all! by
Grace R from Florida Sailing date: Feb 2010Pros: Possible the entertainment Cons: The food The overall trip was pretty bad.....the food was inedible and we are not picky eaters. The coffee was so black not even cream would change the color and it always tasted burned! The buffet's were terrible, how can you ruin desserts?? Only thing good were the hamburgers, pizza and deli sandviches! Everything else they should have just thrown overboard, and I don't think even the fish would eat! The yogurt and icecream machines and the pizzas that were to have been open 24 hours/day....were not....the icecream machines would frequently just spit out nasty water! The swimming pools for adults were filled with children (they had their own pool!) The smoke in the casino filled/spilled out into other areas. Our cabin had smoke from our neighbor's cabin billow under the adjoining door into our room.....when we complained they said "you should have told us right away!" Well, we didn't know right away as they didn't start smoking until about the 3rd day! We almost gagged on the smoke daily! AWFUL. Also, everywhere you went, someone was shoving a camera in your face, on the ship and when getting off/on the ship from shore excursions. Very annoying. Also, wanted us to give tips at the end to the Maitre D....we never saw him/her......never introduced themselves to us, did nothing for us, so why tiip them?? We did not do so. They also wanted us to pay for sodas, juices etc......that should have been included in the price of the cruise. We will never go on another Carnival cruise again, unless our expectations drop into the basement! At the end our ship had engine trouble and we limped back to Tampa almost 8 hours late.....then they shut down 2 banks of elevators and expected about 2000 passengers to use the only remaining bank of elevators!! Are they crazy?? They never even called our deck for disembakement....forgot us altogether! Never again! Ship Qualitykept very clean Dining/Foodburnt coffee and inedible food Stateroom Qualitysmoke coming into our cabin from the neighbors the entire trip! Ship Staff QualityRarely said anything Entertainment & ActivitiesIf you could tolerate the cruise directors very annoying voice! Children's Programsshould have made the children use their own pool! 5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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