Overall, Great Cruise

Carnival Legend Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

VeronicaH

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Exotic Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 24, 2009

Ship: Carnival Legend

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 15 years ago

Review summary

My boyfriend and I weren't sure what to expect on our Carnival cruise but overall, we were very pleased with our trip. We booked the least expensive room on board and were expecting to sleep in a tuna-can. Our room was both larger and nicer than we had expected and we even had a window. Daylight! One of the best parts of the cruise was the service. Our stateroom steward was very attentive and helpful. The food staff was friendly and prompt. The cruise director was informative and enthusiastic. The entertainment (musicians, performers, etc) were all extremely talented! The food on board was killer. The lunch buffet was really top notch food. No Old Country Buffet-type food here. Anything from Indian, to Asian to Italian to French. The dining room food was equally good and the 'nice restaurant' on board that you pay a bit extra to eat at was out of this world. Definitely worth the extra $30 per person for the five courses. The food was more like edible art. There is some down time during the 'days at sea' but you definitely won't be bored. There are TONS of activities every day. From comedy shows, to tons of live music. One complaint I would have is that some of the activities are extra (ie: pilates, bingo, etc) so that is a con. Some of the activities are a bit cheesy (ice scupture demonstrations, some of the shows) but it's all in good fun and if you go into it knowing it may be a tad cheesy you'll have a good time. One big complaint I had on board was that I always felt like somebody was trying to sell me something. The photographers on board are extremely annoying and ask you 100 times if you want a picture taken in front of a tacky background. Also, the drink waiters are a bit pushy trying to sell you the 'specialty drink' of the day. I felt like every minute I was being reminded of the "$20 bingo going on" or the "duty free liquor" or "all the great shopping with Diamonds International at the ports." On a side note, I am pretty certain that Carnival owns Diamonds International because they advertise the crap out of those stores. Honestly, if I never have to hear about Diamonds International again, it will be too soon! The Carnival people make it seem like the shopping at the ports is SO amazing, but it really wasn't at all. Drinks are obviously not free and you are warned from Carnival not to take alcohol on board. I will just say that you CAN, in fact, take alcohol on board if you are smart. You can also get alcohol at the port stops if you are smart. Drinks add up fast on board so check your bill throughout the trip (you can check it on your tv) to make sure you aren't spending a fortune. I will say that there is a liquor tasting that is free that you should definitely check out! Also, when you get on board the boat you won't have your luggage for a few hours so make sure you take a small bag with you for a bathing suit and change of clothes, because you'll definitely want to hit the pool when you get on board the ship. We stopped in Cayman Islands, Belize and the Island of Roatan on our trip. Belize was a total dump. And that is coming from someone who took a pretty extensive tour and saw a lot of extreme poverty. I would avoid cruises that stop in Belize. We went snorkeling with sting rays in Cayman Islands with a Carnival excursion and had a blast. In Belize we saw Mayan ruins with a non Carnival excursion to save money, and while we had a great time it definitely wasn't as organized as Carnival. At the Island of Roatan we didn't book any excursions cause the main thing to do is the beach which is public. So, anybody can go without being in an excursion (ie; why pay $35 to simply be transported to a beach?). However, be warned that the taxis are EXPENSIVE and per person, rather than per taxi. We booked jet-skiing and it included transportation to the beach. Overall, the cruise was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend Carnival.