Legend of the Seas
Legend of the Seas Overview
Tonnage: 69,130
Passengers: 1,804
Passengers (all berths): 2,076
Crew: 720
Registry: Bahamas
The oldest ship in the fleet, but newly renovated in 2012 with new entertainment, drinking and dancing
Best For People Who WantPlenty of windows for ocean view in the public rooms and dining room. A small and somewhat quiet experience, a real bargain for a longer cruise
Should Be Avoided By People Who PreferPeople who want a high-tech, mega-ship cruise experience with tons of activities and beautiful interior space.
Onboard ExperienceThe first of what are now called the Vision-class ships, also including Splendour, Enchantment, Grandeur, Rhapsody, and Vision of the Seas. These ships are all nearly identical with many things in common, the only difference being that each iteration gets a little bigger and carries more passengers. The all have the distinctive Royal Caribbean "Centrum", seven decks high on these ships, atop of which one finds the Viking Crown Lounge. The decor is light and contemporary, and mostly in good shape because the Royal Caribbean keeps it that way, though it isn't unusual to see some wear and tear in pockets.
The ship small and will appear dated even with the recent upgrades.
DecorAll of the ships of the class have public rooms full of large expanses of glass to let in glorious sunshine and sea views. She was hailed in her day as a large ship that still preserved the sense of being at sea. Today, she's an older ship, and actually considered small, but still elegant and classy enough to attract a younger clientele looking for sea escapes and action at night.
Public RoomsYou'll find the Champagne Terrace at the bottom of the the Centrum, where live palm trees and a string embellish the ambiance of brass, marble & glass. This is also the shopping area, where three large duty-free stores offer plenty of browse time. There are light woods and marble set fountains throughout the ship, which along with the live foliage and open expanses of outside windows, give the entire ship a feeling of aliveness.
The extensive 2013 upgrade gave the ship:
- Outdoor movie screen
- Centrum aerial entertainment
- R Bar
- Viking Crown Lounge
- Park Café
- Chef’s Table
- Chops Grille
- Giovanni’s Table
- Izumi Asian Cuisine
- Digital Signage
- Pervasive Wi-Fi
The new Centrum experience features enriching daytime activities and "dazzling" nightly entertainment with aerial spectacles acrobats
The new R Bar features a sophisticated 1960s vibe, complete with iconic furnishing and signature cocktails created by a savvy and personable mixologist
The 2013 upgrade also brought an outdooor movie screen, a new glass-enclosed area known as "The Centrum" which features aerieal entertainment at night. During the day it is like a large "Winyer Garden" with open seating for some of the eateries inside the area. It is a lovely combination if what feels like outdoor space in a climate dontrolled area.
High atop the Centrum, on deck 11, is the ever popular Viking Crown Lounge, perfect for watching the scenery go by (a near 360 degree field of vision near the very top of the ship) in Alaska or the Panama Canal. It is also the place to be at night when it becomes the ship's late-night disco. There's more dancing in the evening in the Anchor's Aweigh Lounge, albeit at a less frenetic pace, while another popular bar is the nautically-inclined Schooner's. Vegas-style floor shows are presented in the That's Entertainment Theatre with generally good sight lines from all seats. And as if all that is not enough, Casino Royale has all the table games and slots a non-professional gambler could ever need.
There is a library as well as The Crown and Anchor Study, with computer assisted visual aids to show the ship's position and more information from the bridge. Nearby is a card room and conference center.
CuisineBreakfast in the Windjammer Lido cafe includes cooked to order omelets, or scrambled eggs at the buffet, but fried eggs are not available. Lunch in the Lido is equally pleasing albeit a simple selection. Most interesting is the afternoon tea bread pudding or cobbler along with sandwiches, cakes, cookies and ice cream. Overall, passenger satisfaction ratings for the dining room meals are good, as well as for the Windjammer buffets for lunch and and afternoon teas. The option for a late night snack seems to vary on a nightly basis.
RestaurantsThe two-story restaurant, amidships, with great views, features a raised platform for pianist or small ensemble. While large enough to handle a thousand people per seating, tables are far enough apart to preclude a feeling of crowdedness. The Windjammer, forward end of Deck 9, also has floor-to-ceiling windows.
New restaurants added in 2012 include:
The Windjammer Café, pizzeria, Seaview Café with sandwiches, soups, and snacks, and room service
Royal Caibbean signature Specialty restaurants Chops Grille steakhouse where for one low cover charge you can choose any items off the menu from appetizer to dessert.
Café Latté-tudes, a specialty coffee house
Complimentary Park Café for sandwiches, wraps, soups and carry away desserts like cookies and cannoli.
Chef's Table intimate dining experience
Giovanni's Table Italian restaurant
Izumi Asian-fusion cuisine, featuring a la carte sushi selections
The Izumi, Park Cafe and Lattetudes are within the new Centrum for a hospitable open seating ding and relaxation environment.
The Windjammer lido area was remade with "action stations to make food service faster and more a la minute.
ServiceIt's obvious that the multinational staff and crew enjoy watching their passengers enjoy themselves. They're uniformly cheerful, knowledgeable, and eager to help. The wait staff in every restaurant is noticeably solicitous and conscientious.
Cabin service staff is efficient but unobtrusive. The purser's desk is notably responsive, especially in view of how much troubleshooting they must have to do on a ship this size. Room service, though, can be pretty slow.
TippingRoyal Caribbean suggests a per person per day gratuity of $3.50 for the stateroom attendant ($5.75 if sailing in a suite); $3.50 for the waiter; $2.50 for the Assistant Waiter; .75 Head Waiter. These gratuities may be paid in cash or charged to your onboard account. For children sailing as third or fourth passenger in the stateroom, tipping is at the parents' discretion.
A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all beverage tabs. Gratuities for room service, spa, casino and other staff are at your discretion.
EntertainmentRoyal Caribbean is one of the few cruise lines to offer "name" performers, and comedians. Lounge performers are also seasoned and polished.
CabinsLegend's cabins are cleverly designed to make them feel larger than they actually are; even the smallest feature a small sitting area, and there's a lot more storage space than you'd have any right to expect. Inside cabins start at a tiny 135 sq.ft up to 172 sq.ft. while Oceanview staterooms measure 154 sq. ft.. Family Ocean View Staterooms (237 sq.ft.) can accommodate up to six people. Standard amenities include TV with pay-per-view movies, CNN, safe, lighted vanity, individual temperature control, hair dryer; bathrooms have showers and medicine cabinets; minibars and tubs are found in the highest category stateroom.
Superior Oceanview with private balcony are 195 sq. feet plus a 41 sq.ft. balcony. The five categories of suites include the Junior Suite (241 sq. ft. 64 sq.ft. balcony) and the Royal Family Suite, accommodating up to eight people, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms (463 sq. ft., balcony 55 sq. ft.).
With the 2013 upgrade all of the staterooms received:
- Flat-screen TVs
- iPad in staterooms
- Updated decor
The gym's awfully small for a ship this size. The main pool on Sun Deck is adjacent to the Solarium, a stunning glass- enclosed second pool with whirlpools and comfortable lounge chairs. In the "ShipShape" fitness center, you'll find a spa operated by Steiner's of London (they of the notoriously pushy staff). A rock-climbing wall has also been added to Vision.
Children's FacilitiesIn addition to separate play areas for kids aged three to 12, there is also a teen lounge that converts to a disco, making Vision an excellent choice for families with children of many different vintages. The "Adventure Ocean" youth program has age-specific facilities and programs supervised by youth counselors for Aquanauts (age 3-5, must be toilet trained), Explorers (age 6-8), Voyagers (age 9-11), Navigators (age 12-14) and Teens (age 15-17). The program runs year-round in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Bahamas, Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. Parents can leave their children at Adventure Ocean while they take shore excursions. For this purpose, the facilities open 30 minutes ahead of morning shore excursion departures. Otherwise, organized activities are offered from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with group babysitting from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a fee. Teen centers are now open past 2 a.m. Teens will find their own private coffee house and disco.
The 2013 upgrade brought:
The new Royal Babies and Tots Nursery comes with specially designed Fisher-Price® activities. Other kids features include:
Complimentary Adventure Ocean Youth Program
Expanded teen-only hangout areas
Splash Deck with interactive play fountain
Bungee trampoline area for kids of all ages
Family-friendly activities including games, contests, enrichment classes and lectures
A new program for infants and toddlers 6 months to 3 years, in partnership with toy maker Fisher-Price, offers 45-minute playgroups for children accompanied by an adult, involving storytelling, creative arts, music and a variety of Fisher-Price learning toys and games. Aqua Babies are six months to 18 months old while Aqua Tots are 18 months to three years old.
Private babysitting is offered from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., provided sitters are available, for children from one year old. The rate is usually between $8.00 and $10 per hour depending on the number of children in the family. Cash payment is made directly to the sitter. Arrange through Guest Services at least 24 hours in advance.
AttireThere are two formal nights per cruise. Maybe it's this ship's particularly festive reputation that induced most men to don tuxedos for formal nights, even though a dark suit would work fine. In general, though, this ship offers so much to do that you're likely to see fellow passengers dressed every which way.
User Reviews
by DEEN
1 Review
Publication Date: March 9, 2008
What an awesome cruise ship!
Third cruise with Royal Caribbean, and this by far has to be the most tastefully decorated ship I have ever been on.
The staff was fantastic, as was the food.
I would recommend this ship to anyone looking for a great cruise and great food.
I cannot comment on the islands, as we were not too impressed with Martinique and Guadalupe. They were awful islands and people.
by Cruiseman1228
1 Review
Publication Date: June 24, 2007
Anyone get the call from Royal Caribbean that someone paid 8 million dollars to charter this boat for the 6-24-07 cruise and kick all the booked passengers off. Royal, in all their generosity, is offering $200.00 per cabin on board ship credit plus pay up to 200 bucks if your airline reservation had to be changed. This line is the worst I have ever dealt with and I have been on 8 prior cruises.
Talking to these people was unbelievable with their workers playing dumb, cutting me off, leaving me on hold and just generally actintg ignorant. I have already talked to a lawyer and American Airlines told me that they have never heard of a cruise line doing this before. It feels like when an airplane is overbooked and they give you a low ball offer to get off the plane.They acted with me like this was just something normal to be expected. Celebrity, Princess, NCL ,and even Carnival never treated us like this.
by Jim Thorn
1 Review
Publication Date: May 19, 2007
Going to Europe in May 07 (from Australia) to attend my daughter's wedding my partner and I also decided take the opportunity to book a Med cruise.
We were date constrained so had to choose a cruise that met our somewhat demanding schedule. Though we did have some choice between lines the best option was a 12 night foray with Royal Caribbean. To say we were hesitant at first would be an understatement as we had once previously sailed with RCI back in 2000 on a three day mini cruise out of Miami. That was on Majesty of the Seas and was noteworthy for the tiny cabin, ordinary and tasteless food and a ship sans personality. In short, it was all very ordinary and hardly inducive to getting us to experience RCI again.
Thus we did not expect that much when we boarded the Legends of the Seas at Civitavecchia which is the port of Rome for a cruise that would take in Mykonos, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Cyprus, Alexandria, Athens and finally Naples. Well, Maureen and I have between us done more than three dozen cruises/ocean voyages including a dozen in the last
decade and to say we were blown away by the current era RCI product is an understatement.I don't think I have ever been on a more tastefully decorated and well set out ship as Legends and that includes P&O's beautiful Oriana and Aurora. I just wish I could drag the interior designers of the latest designs from NCL to see how a ship interior should look. But that's another story. Also beyond compare was the variety and quality of the food at every level. Usually the buffet breakfast and lunch I can generally (be good!) and pass up but in RCI's case not so. As strong as I like to think I am when it comes to not overeating I was tempted each day to the point of giving in. The overall quality and variety of food in both the main restaurant and Spinnaker buffet was of such a high quality that it left any other ship's cuisine for dead. Well done RCI.
Something else we particularly picked up on was the very high 'morale' of the crew and staff. Most were Eastern European and Asian and they continually provided just the right amount of service without being in your face or overbearing as is often the case. At one stage we had a noise complaint and this was also dealt with sincerely and effectively, something that on most ships would be simply shrugged off.
We would also like to compliment RCI on their innovative wine packages which can save upwards of 25% on the cost of wine. We always enjoy wine with dinner but on some lines (particularly NCL, which seems to use alcohol purely as a cash cow to bleed every cent they can from their customers, not a smart long term policy as we and our friends now avoid them) you simply cannot afford wines that you know are marked up by as much as 500%. RCI's wine package allows you to prepurchase your selected wines via three packages of varying quality and the savings are significant.
Despite its size (70,000t) Legends never seemed to be crowded and tendering was also better organised than what we have experienced in the past. Our standard internal cabin was also of a good size and well designed. The soft warm colours and art deco style lights and design gave it a particularly welcoming and calming ambience. What would have made it excellent, and RCI are not alone here, is if it had a small fridge and more importantly simple tea and coffee making facilities. The latter consists of a small electric jug, two mugs, a small tray and two spoons and some satchels of coffee and a few teabags. Not a big deal but something that would be greatly appreciated by every passenger and also cut down on needless calls for room service tying up personnel and galley time unnecessarily. Is this so hard to do?
One bugbear, and RCI aren't alone here, is smoking. In Australia less than 15% of the adult community now smoke. I appreciate that that figure is higher in Europe but it is also low in North America. Considering the demographics of cruisers I would suggest that in most cases smokers would account for less than 10% of passengers. So why have small bars where smoking is even remotely tolerated. In a small area, a single smoker, albeit even in a corner, will still affect the vast bulk of non smokers who enjoy breathing fresh non stench filled air. Consequently we were never able to enjoy drinks in either the Schooner or Champagne bars. It simply wasn't worth it.
There will come a time when all ships (like enclosed public areas elsewhere nowadays) will be totally smoke free and quite frankly that will be looked upon as a major positive by far more people than it will be derided by. There is also the fire risk. Most ship fires in the past have been started by a smoker, usually falling to sleep in bed whilst smoking. I am sure Princess Cruises understand this problem since it has already cost them several hundred million dollars in dealing with just such a situation less than two years ago. A smoking room could still be thoughtfully provided, like at airports, for those who can't kick the nicotine addition.
We will definatly be cruising with RCI again. In fact, we have already booked their positioning cruise from Hawaii to Sydney via Tahiti this September aboard Rhapsody of the Seas.