Carnival Legend
Carnival Legend Overview
Tonnage: 88,500
Length: 960 ft
Passengers: 2,124
Crew: 930
Registry: Panama
One of our favorite "Spirit-class" Carnival vessels due to its smaller size but modern amenities. Lovely staterooms, best Carnival service.
Best For People Who WantA budget/mid-priced cruise; a high energy, Las Vegas-style atmosphere with A vast array of activities in a glamorous atmosphere at a budget/mid-priced range; spacious spa and fitness facilities, plenty of activities for children; large fitness/spa facilities; large cabins, many of then with balconies, many for three and four passengers; many choices of excellent nightlife; an expansive casino, above average food and friendly, although unpolished, service.
Should Be Avoided By People Who PreferShould Be Avoided by People Who Want: A quite vacation way from large crowds and children; a more subdued atmosphere.
Onboard ExperienceThe 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend is the third ship in Carnival's new Spirit-class of ships (sister ships Carnival Spirit, Carnival Legend and Carnival Miracle). As with her sisters, this ship has some great new ideas for carnival including a wedding chapel. With 80% of all outside cabins on this 88,500-ton ship having balconies, from the outside the ship looks more like a hotel than a cruise ship, which is appropriate because from the supper club located high in the funnel down to the the dance club tucked away literally on deck one, the amazing "turned on its head" interior decoration on these ships is so state of the art that the fact that the entire vessel actually moves on water becomes ancillary to the experience at hand, which is just enjoying your vacation. These are some of the most well-designed ships in the industry, with Azipod navigation outside, and easy to navigate insides with good crowd flow and lovely cabins with everything right where it is supposed to be.
DecorCarnival Legend features (what else?) "Legends" as its unifying theme. While at times the irrepressible Joe Farcus goes for more ethereal themes such as "inspiration," this is one of those ships where the theme is obvious and pervasive, almost like a theme park interior. It begins with a large mural of the Colossus of Rhodes filling the nine-story atrium. All over the atrium one finds the banisters and pillars take on the shape of a congratulatory loving cup. It is hard not to feel like a hero in such surroundings, "Congratulations, you've arrived." Unlike her sisters, Legend has more carpet on the floors instead of marble, making her a little quieter. The colors tend to be more muted as well.
Public RoomsDeck 2, the Promenade, is the deck from which one learns to navigate the corridors from the atrium to the Follies Showroom in the bow to the Truffles Restaurant in the stern. At the base of this spectacular atrium is the lovely Legend Lobby with a bar and a stage featuring a pianist or string trio playing relaxing music. The Shore Excursions and Purser's desks are also on this deck. Most of the action on the ship is on Decks 2 and 3 where the shops, main dining room, lounges, and casino are located. The shops offer perfume, jewelry, and $10 bargains - all duty-free.
You will find the Satchmo's Dance Club across form the Legend's Cafe, and a sports bar entitled The Dream Team Bar (featuring large portraits of famous athletes). The generous (in proportions, anyway) Club Merlin Casino spans the entire width of the ship and features slots and and a variety of table games. Four glass elevators take you to the Lido Deck (number 9), which features the ship's spa, pools, and fine dining, including alternative options, along with the glass staircase to the Golden Fleece Supper Club on deck 10. This swank restaurant requires jackets and reservations to enjoy their famous stone crabs from Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant and prime beef.
Follies, three decks high on Decks 2, 3, and 4, is Legend's primary showroom, and it has everything a state-of-the-art cruise ship theater could ever boast of including great sight lines and plenty of seats. Also on Deck 4 is the children's video arcade called "Gigabytes Arcade", while the children's club Noah's Ark is on Deck 5. Kids can be kept busy with the computer lab, PlayStation area, candy-making machine, and sand art area, all connected by tunnels. The Enchanted Forest on Deck 3, while skirting the showroom, provides a peaceful rest-place to recharge before heading back to the excitement. The passenger cabins are on the remaining decks.
CuisineAs we have mentioned before, the dining room food on Carnival is surprisingly good, much better than one would expect from a mid-price ship formerly known as a party boat. Carnival deserves a lot of credit (and they have a lot of experience) for getting this part of the cruise experience right. There are standard items on the menu every night, as well changing entrees that include low-carb and vegetarian selections.
RestaurantsTruffles is the one dining room for all 2100+ passengers serving up to 1000 people at any given time surprisingly effectively. There are booths as well as tables for two (and four, six and eight), and an annex called the Private Club with tables for eight and sometimes 10. The main dining room has early (5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m.) and late (8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.) seatings. The Supper Club is open from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.. Table service is also available in the informal Unicorn Cafe from 6:00 to 9:30.
The Lido restaurant, Unicorn Cafe, also features a variety of specialty food stations in addition the usual buffet line. The international stations offer such tasty choices as Japanese, Indian, Chinese, deli-style sandwiches, pizza and other pasta, and hamburgers and hot dogs. There is a different meat featured at the carving station daily.
If beef is your passion, you will be very pleased with the 18-ounce prime rib and porterhouse, 14-ounce New York strip, or 9-ounce filet mignon found at Golden Fleece Supper Club, where reservations and jackets for men are required (and a $25 charge is added to your Sail & Sign card). Obviously specializing in special occasions, they also offer champagne and caviar (at an additional charge).
Room service is available 24-hours a day, but is not really a great reason to skip a meal outside your cabin. You don't want to miss the coffee bar's delightful desserts and pastries. The pizza bar, including an excellent Caesar salad, and New York deli are also available 24/7. For dessert, there is a self-serve soft ice cream and frozen yogurt stand.
ServiceCarnival has developed a new way to serve its guests that ensures prompt and efficient service from friendly and courteous staff. This 'team service' concept entails four tables being attended by a headwaiter and several assistants. The enthusiastic staff learn the passengers' names and preferences, resulting in their favorite drinks, bread, and extras being on the table when they arrive. The nightly entertainment and dances performed by the staff give the whole ship a warm and informal feeling.
TippingGratuities include $5.50 for the Dining Room staff, $3.60 for the stateroom steward, and $.90 for the service in the alternative dining rooms. This makes for a total of $10.00 per person per day (excluding children under two). You can prepay this charge or have it automatically added to your Sail & Sign card. The pre-paid gratuities are mandatory on the Cruises-to-Nowhere. The purser's desk will increase or decrease this amount at your request throughout the cruise. The $10 charge does not include tips for the spa, casino, room service, maitre d' or other staff. All beverage tabs have a 15% gratuity already included.
A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all beverage tabs. Gratuities for the maitre d', room service, spa, casino and other staff are at the passenger's discretion.
EntertainmentAlong with regularly featured entertainers such as magicians, comedians, jugglers, ventriloquists, and various types of musicians (all at the Versailles Lounge), the Carnival's main entertainment is its Vegas-style show. This multi-million dollar production includes two singers, five male and nine female dancers, along with special guests, and is sure to leave you feeling well and truly entertained. The costumes alone cost half a million bucks!
CabinsThe spacious cabins, 180 sq. feet, are cleverly designed with a subdued décor of peach and beige along with wood-toned furniture in warm caramel colors. Their layout features a sofa and vanity near the twin/king bed configuration and ample closets. Other amenities are the several movies found on the color TV everyday, hair dryer and safe. The bathroom has a shower and enough shelf space for two people, along with a complimentary basket of toiletries. Other room options are the 230 sq. feet deluxe ocean-view balcony cabin and the 245 sq. feet cabin with a 220 sq. feet wrap-around balcony. Other suites are the 300 sq. feet suite with a 115 sq. feet balcony and the 275 sq. feet suite with an 85 sq. feet balcony. The highlights of the suites and Oceanview staterooms are the well-stocked mini bar and cozy terrycloth robes. for disabled passengers are available.
Fitness/SpaLegend's 13,700 sq. feet, two-deck gym is simply not to be missed, not even by the resolutely indolent. With floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic views, you may find yourself enjoying your time on any of the stairmasters, rowing and hydraulic weight machines, elliptical walkers, stationary bikes, or treadmills more than ever before. There's a jogging deck surrounding the forward Sky Deck; 15 times around equals a mile. Saunas and steam rooms are available for both sexes, along with an adult only whirlpool. Steiner's of London operates the nearby Helen of Troy Salon where guests can indulge in any beauty treatment or massage they desire. Ladies are very apt to feel like Greek goddesses in the salon, which features Doric columns and Greek vase motifs as part of a beautiful mural.
AttireDuring the day casual attire is the norm, but don't' try to get into the dining room after 6 p.m. in shorts or jeans. There are two formal nights, but most men wear dark suits rather than tuxedos. Other evenings, men typically wear a sport coat and tie or other resort-type clothing. For the Alaska cruise, you are encouraged to bring warmer, waterproof clothes, along with comfortable shoes for outings.
User Reviews
by Scott B
1 Review
Publication Date: November 4, 2012
We (wife and I are 57 yrs old) just returned on 11/11/12 from our 6th cruise. This was our 4th Carnival cruise and our first on the Legend. We chose it because we had never been to Honduras or Belize and we like Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Also because Tampa is an easy flight destination from where we live in the midwest. Because of bad fog the ship was late getting into port (not their fault) and we could not board until about 9 pm. Carnival sent us texts and emails all day keeping us up to date. Carnival also made the choice to credit our account $15 each for lunch and $25 each for supper and $11 each for gratuities because we could not get on ship until late the first day.
After getting on board, we went to our cabin and then we went and enjoyed a meal etc at the casual buffet on Lido deck then we went to our cabin and found our luggage was there and waited to be called for Muster station training. We actually had the Muster station training about 11:00 pm. The
next morning our cabin steward introduced himself. He was a joy all week! Always smiling and willing to talk and very genuine. His name was Camelo Carmada on Deck 5 starboard (I think).During the week we enjoyed the various shows at The Follies theater. The talent was extraordinary. Singing, dancing, comedy ventriloquist, etc. Also, the clean family comedy at the Firebird lounge was great. We tried bingo a couple times and once my wife was one of three people standing that only needed 1 number to win $750. Someone else won but we had fun. There was so much to do on board we didn't do everything (mini golf, ping pong, basketball, spa, gym, chess, board games, casino, etc etc etc) We did get use out of the hot tubs and pools.
We tried Truffles restaurant (resort casual /semi formal signature dining) for breakfast 2 times and for supper 4 times and ate the rest of our meals at the Unicorn Buffet or Unicorn Cafe/Deli (all on Lido deck-Casual dining) and usually tried to carry our plates out the back of Unicorn Buffet to Serenity area (21 and over) to eat. On our first night in Truffles we liked the head waiter so much we kept asking for him. We had "your time dining" in Truffles deck 3. Our waiters name was Kamal. On the first night we liked one of the desserts (Creme Brulee) so much we asked if it would be on the menu every night.
He said no it is not but if we tell him which nights we will be at supper he would have it specially made for us on that day. Sure enough he did. We had the Creme Brulee 4 times! On Thursday night we had an extra-ordinary formal night dining experience at the Golden Fleece Steakhouse (see menu here: http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-food/~/media/CCLUS/Images/pdf/Steakhousemenupdf.ashx ). It costs $35 per person extra and is worth it. Every item all 4 of us had was very good. We had a waitress who was so very delightful. Her name was Dragana Jankar from Serbia (and I wish my 24 year old son could meet her). Constructive Suggestion: We only ate at this restaurant once because of the extra cost. We wish it was less expensive or that the menu items were priced or somehow included (reservations only) so we could have enjoyed it more often.
Most Carnival employees were friendly and were doing their jobs good and seemed to go out of their way to be helpful. We rented a jeep on Cozumel and went shopping in town, then went sight seeing and went to Coconuts for lunch on cliff on south side of island. Then we went to Mr Sanchos beach and snorkeled and relaxed on the beach. Note: when we arrived at Mr Sanchos a man told us it was $50 per person all inclusive. I knew from previous visits that it was optional and told him we just wanted to swim, snorkel, buy some food and refreshments, and relax for a couple hours. He said we could do that if we buy some refreshments and food and he let us in. The lounge chairs, umbrellas, swimming pool, rest rooms, and showers were no extra cost. The best snorkeling on Cozumel is still Chankanaab Park. There is a entry fee there.
At Belize we went Zip Lining and Crystal cave tubing. It was safe and fun, but because of the 90 minute bus ride each way we do not recommend it. However you do get to see how poor Belize is.
At Roatan, Honduras we were supposed to do dolphin swim and snorkel, but it was changed because of murky water (no underwater visibility) because of weather the day before. They gave us a choice of full refund of dolphin encounter with partial refund which is what we did and greatly enjoyed it. On the 20 minute bus ride to Anthony's Key Resort we saw how poor the Island people are. Constructive Suggestion: At Grand Cayman we were scheduled for the Snuba excursion. It got cancelled because of murky water from the weather the previous day. This is the time we would have liked to have been told before getting off the ship about this cancellation. We waited in Follies theater for our excursion group to be called until 11:35 am, and all other people without excursions could get off ship at 10 am. So when we arrived on shore we were told it was cancelled. We would have wanted that 90 minutes back to enjoy Grand Cayman more. So we took a shuttle for $5 each way per person to Sea Grape beach (part of seven mile beach, but less wind) and while snorkeling there the water was crystal clear and we saw large schools (hundreds) of fish or many varieties and saw a small stingray and it was great at Sea Grape beach.
Except for the fog delaying the boarding the first day we had decent weather with sunshine and temps in the 80's. Ocean temps were around 80. In Roatan, Honduras there was morning rain and mostly cloudy with some sun all day. On the last day at sea coming back to Tampa through the Gulf of Mexico the wind was 45 mph out of the Northeast and I asked about the waves and I was told 15 to 16 ft waves. The weather was like this all day and into the night (over 14 hours), yet none of us got sick because of the stability of the Legend, and possibly because we were going into the wind and waves, and because we took Meclazine (non drowsy Dramamine or Bonine) that morning when we saw the weather. My wife is very susceptible to motion sickness and she had to lay down for a few hours in the afternoon on the Lido deck but she never got sick.
Constructive Suggestion: We had a balcony with obstructed view. That means the top of the lifeboat is even with the floor of the balcony and that was not a problem in any way. We had a good view of the ocean. However, the balcony is approximately 3 ft less wide then balconies on other floors. I wish that would have been made plain to me when I chose the cabin at booking. Also, cigarette smoke in the slightest amount makes my wife feel sick very quickly. Smokers in the cabin next to us used their balcony to smoke every morning and evening and for that reason we could not enjoy our balcony. I would like to see Carnival offer non smoking sections on balcony cabins. The only other thing about the cabin that I feel needs an upgrade is the TV. They need new flat panels with larger then 20" screens instead of the old 19" tv's.
Constructive Suggestion: The internet on this ship (the Legend) was soooo slow. I have purchased internet time on every cruise and I have never been this frustrated by such slow internet on other ships. I tried using the ships computers a couple times and I tried using my new laptop a couple times. It was a waste of my time. I ended up leaving about 60 minutes unused internet time on the account. The Legend needs to upgrade their equipment for speed and bandwidth. In fact, all the ships I have been on, Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, were slow and need to upgrade their internet equipment. The Legend's internet was more then twice as slow as all others. I should have asked for a refund. It was useless.
One more thing. We flew into St Pete/Clearwater Airport on Allegiant Air 2 days before and flew out 1 day after the cruise. For about the same money as a shuttle to the port for 4 of us from our hotel in Clearwater I kept a rented car the whole time (rented from Tampa airport, returned to St Pete airport to save money) and parked it at Premier Parking with a free shuttle to Cruise Port. Having this rental car gave us a lot of freedom to go to beaches or other area attractions.
We arrived back at Tampa on time and had a decent debarkation experience.
by Charlene Hempler
5 Reviews
Publication Date: March 18, 2012
Our Group of 8 have been back home from our cruise for less then a week now.. We had the time of our lives!! It was the very best cruise I ahve ever been on. The ship is beautiful. well kept. The food was good. A little bit of cutbacks to be expected. But all in all the food was Good! We were always full and satisfied. We have been to Cozumel and Grand Cayma many times. But we had the best time on these stops. Did some different excursions and had sooo much fun! The two stops that were new to us were Belize and Isla Roatan, Honduras.. Not real impressed with Belize.. But cant get enough of Roatan. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Love it!! Carnivala nd Honduras have done the best job at the great place they put up there. The beach is wonderful. The shopping was so much fun. nice shops and easy to get to. our ages of our group are from 37yrs old to 63 yrs old. We all did things together and had a ball. I cant
say enough about how great the workers on the ship were. So friendly and always a great smile for us. Kirk... He is a blast. saw him many times out and about and always stopped to say hello to us all. He is soooo funny! kept us all laughing. We took a Go Jeep and Tequilla factory excursion and went through Carnival for that. We had the best guides. Ricardo and Carlos were sooo very good. Knew there business and gave us a fun time.my cabin steward was not the very best. but i talked to him and got things straightened away. he got better... There was nothing that could ruin our wonderful cruise but Carnival did the best job ever. This was my 7th cruise with Carnival. We are already looking for our next cruise itinerary. Cant say enough... Sooo muchhhhh funnnnnn! Great cruise was had by us all!
by Marshall J. Gruskin
1 Review
Publication Date: June 5, 2011
For the record, I have apparently been banned from the Carnival blog site written by one of their cruise directors. No explanation was provided to me, but I imagine I was just a tad to honest. Anyway, my wife and I just recently got off 7 days on the Legend. About 48 hours after returning home my wife noticed on our bank account charges - $375, $425 for petrol purchases at a Texaco station in Mahogany Bay. The total, we hope, for these charges was about $1350. During our time "in port" there we never left the Carnival "compound."
We purchased the usual t-shirts and returned to the ship. Well, our bank was great although we had to take time away from work to go to the bank and sign the necessary affidavits and close the accounts. They returned the money to us. Another attempt to buy petrol at the same station for $325 thank goodness did not go through. We called Carnival and received a lukewarm response and was told it will be reported. As I said, I was not allowed post the problem on the Carnival blog. All we're
looking for at this point is an apology from Carnival and some indication that the guilty parties will be punished.Similar Cruise Ships
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