Carnival Legend Review
By Dave | August 12, 2009
The funnels of Carnival Legend and Carnival Imagination
I returned a couple days ago from my Carnival Legend cruise, which took place August 2 – August 9. It was a very nice cruise. We took hardly any pictures, so there won’t be any photo posts unfortunately. I’ll run down some of the areas I’d like to talk about. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!
The Ship
This was my second time on the Legend, and it was just as good as the first. The ship was always clean and looked nice. The ride was very smooth, unlike last year’s sailing on the Carnival Miracle (which rocked the entire time). The ship appeared to be in great shape. Inside, everything still looked fresh. Sometimes ships’ insides can look run down and old. This wasn’t the case with the Legend.
As I’ve said in other posts, the layout of the ship is great. There’s no need to go up and down to get from one end of the ship to the other, like on other classes. Since this was my third time in a row on a ship of this class, I found everything very easily. Despite that, the ship is very easy to navigate nevertheless.
The amenities of the ship were very nice. The mini golf course was great, which me and grandmother played several times. The lido area was very nice, as were the buffet areas (of course). Our stateroom was kept very clean and tidy the entire time — more on that later.
The Food
What can I say? I’ve always enjoyed Carnival’s food. As usual, I got the chilled fruit soups every time they were served. They were all excellent. I noticed they served these soups a bit differently this time. They first serve you a bowl with a piece of fruit in the center. The waiter will then pour the soup into the bowl. The first time this happened, I thought there was a mistake! I got a bowl with a strawberry in it, and our waitress called it strawberry bisque. Then she brought over the soup itself and poured it into the bowl. Why the change? Who knows. Maybe I’ll ask Carnival.
The dinners were all very good. I only had one bad dinner. That was the ribs on the first night. Then again, I’m not a big fan of ribs, so perhaps that’s why I didn’t like them. Other than that, the food was all very good. The prime rib on night 2 was delicious and tender. The pasta dishes were always good. The filet mignon was a bit tough for a filet, but it still had a great taste. One thing I noticed about the filet is that they give you a thinner piece of filet (which might account for the toughness) along with another piece of meat. No doubt this was to cut costs. Either way, the filet was still good. I’m not too picky about my food. I’m on a cruise for goodness sake! Sure it didn’t cut like warm butter, but it still tasted great and was chewable.
Anyway… I also had chateaubriand for the first time. It was also very good. It had a great taste, and a great sauce to accompany it. That’s another improvement I noticed. The sauces/graveys that were poured over the meats were so tasty. I don’t recall the meats always having sauces poured over them, so perhaps this is something new? If it is, I commend Carnival for this change. Very good!
What’s next? Let’s talk about the desserts. I thought the variety lacked in this area. I didn’t see a whole lot of choices that appealed to me. The desserts that I did have, however, were very good. The apple pie, diet pumpkin pie, etc. were all good. Nothing extraordinary, but they were good.
The lunches were all good. We ate in the dining room twice on this cruise, which is unprecendented for me. I ate in the dining room for lunch more on this cruise than I have on all my other cruises combined. What does that tell you? Anyway, I don’t think I’d do it again so quickly. I didn’t like having to wait for my food for lunch. Dinner (and sometimes breakfast) is one thing, but I don’t like having to wait for lunch. Either way, the lunches were good, whether they were in the dining room or on the lido deck. The pizza I had the first day was very good, better than on previous cruises. The grille had great food too.
The Staff
I’d like to send my thank to our wait staff in the dining room: Valentina and Igusti. Valentina, our head waitress, was very nice and would talk with us. She made sure our needs were met and tried her best to serve us. Our assistant waiter Igusti was a very charming person. He always had a smile on his face and was very attentive. As a platinum cruiser on Carnival, I can say that I’d be happy to have Igusti as my head waiter on a future cruise.
Our room steward Budi was up there as one of the best room stewards we’ve had. From day one he addressed us by name and would ask us how our days were. Any requests we had were met promptly by him. As I mentioned earlier, our room was kept very clean. He cleaned our room twice a day, every day. Good job Budi!
The Ports
We only got off the ship once (well, twice including the last day). That was in Roatan Island in Hondoras. That port was a big disappointment. Outside of the ship there’s a little shopping area and that’s it. Cross the gates and you’ll be surrounded by taxi and tour people asking you to go with them. It was overwhelming. Some people even told us there was more shopping “around the corner.” I don’t think so. We turned around and went back to the ship.
That should cover just about everything I had to talk about with the cruise. Until next time…
- Carnival Miracle July 4 Cruise Review – Part Two: The Food
- Oh, the Food!
- Carnival Miracle July 4 Cruise Review – Part One: The Ship
Topics: Reviews | 383 Comments »
2 Weeks
By Dave | July 19, 2009
Two weeks from today, I will be on the Carnival Legend for the second time! I can’t wait. Next Sunday at this time will be even more exciting.
Until then, a lot more work…
Topics: Countdown | 72,736 Comments »
Carnival Dream to Feature its Own Onboard Social Network
By Dave | July 16, 2009
Carnival FunHub
Carnival just announced an innovative new idea for cruising that will debut on the Carnival Dream when it sets sail in less than 50 days from today. Carnival Dream will feature its own social network onboard. Dubbed FunHub, this new social network will allow passengers to interact with each other like never before. You will have the chance to meet new friends using this social network, probably similar to how Facebook and Myspace work. In addition, you can find the daily dining options, activities, ship information, and more on FunHub.
You can access FunHub at any of the FunHub stations onboard, located on decks 3, 4, & 5. There are also 12 stations within Ocean Plaza, which is another new feature on the Carnival Dream: an indoor/outdoor cafe.
Some other features of FunHub will include:
- Create your own profile
- Create groups based on different interests
- Invite your friends to attend activities with you
- A private messaging system
- And more, including what was detailed above
This sounds like a pretty cool feature. Carnival is definitely taking advantage of the current hype around social networking.
One thing that wasn’t mentioned that would be neat would be an online photo gallery, where you could view the photo gallery online, which would be useful for when the photo gallery is closed. You could also purchase photos online. If they added this, that would be pretty neat.
- More Carnival Dream Pictures
- Carnival Miracle July 4 Cruise Review – Part Five: The Activities
- The Future’s Looking a Little Brighter
Topics: Cruising | 1,017 Comments »
50 Days Until a “Legend”ary Cruise
By Dave | June 13, 2009
Today marks the 50-day countdown to my cruise on the Carnival Legend! I can’t wait!
Topics: Countdown | 275 Comments »
Carnival Does Not Re-instate Fuel Supplement
By Dave | June 11, 2009
After Carnival took away the fuel supplement, they said they could re-instate it should oil prices rise about $70/barrel. Well, over the past couple days they did rise above that level. However, Carnival issued a statement saying they wouldn’t re-instate the supplement due to economic conditions. I’m sure if prices continue to rise they will re-instate it, but for now, we’re still good!
At the time we suspended fuel supplements for our six North American brands, we reserved the right to reinstate them if the price of light sweet crude oil, according to the NYMEX, should increase above $70 per barrel. While we have now exceeded that threshold, in light of the economic crisis and resulting consumer weakness, we presently have no plans to institute a fuel supplement. We will continue to monitor the situation in the markets and review our position as the situation warrants.
Topics: Cruising | 274 Comments »
RCI Presents New “Why Not” Blog
By Dave | May 7, 2009
Royal Caribbean has a new blog. It is written by RCI’s CEO and President, Adam Goldstein.
Follow Adam as he discusses the latest news, happenings and ship innovations from Royal Caribbean, the different types of experiences Royal Caribbean cruisers can expect from their journeys at sea, and Adam’s personal insights on the travel and cruise industries as a whole.
Why Not will showcase exclusive Royal Caribbean content including: video and photo features from aboard their latest voyages. In addition, readers will discover and learn more about the vast array of onboard activities and get a first-hand feel for what the adventure will be like from the crew’s perspective, all through recurring series posts.
Why Not is now live. Hear what Adam has to say:
http://www.nationofwhynot.com/blog.
- Carnival Dream to Feature its Own Onboard Social Network
- Our New Home
- Boardwalks, Zip Lines, and Water Shows, Oh My!
Topics: Cruising | No Comments »
Tags: rccl, rci, royal caribbean, why not
Cruise Lines Being Hit by Swine Flu
By Dave | April 27, 2009
So far no incidents of swine flu have been reported on a cruise ship, and I hope none ever do. But the cruise lines themselves are taking a toll, along with other travel companies. Carnival’s stock fell almost $4 per share today, that’s nearly 15% in one day! Royal Caribbean took an even bigger hit, falling $2.36, over 15%!
While it’s a shame our cruise lines are taking a hit, it’s good news in my quest to buy Carnival stock. It’s getting closer to my $20/share mark. I don’t want to wish any bad news on any cruise line, especially Carnival since it’s my favorite, but I just wish it could get back down to $20 so I could afford it.
Okay, enough ranting for now. I’m sorry if this post seems negative.
97 days! Yay!
Topics: Countdown, Cruising | 7 Comments »
Tags: swine flu
100 Days!
By Dave | April 24, 2009
There are 100 days left until my cruise on the Legend! Can’t wait…
I’m hoping we get Roberto again as a waiter, if he’s still on the Legend (which is probably unlikely).
Topics: Countdown | 2 Comments »
Cruising Dave on Twitter
By Dave | April 17, 2009
I’ve finally bitten the bullet and have created a Twitter page. I’ll be updating (when I remember about it) every now and then. Go see what I’m up to!
Topics: Site Updates | 3 Comments »
Carnival Stock
By Dave | April 3, 2009
For quite a few years, probably since about 2002, I wanted to buy stock in Carnival. Back then I had no money, and when I finally did have some money to buy stock, Carnival’s price was in the $40s. Well, several days ago, I checked out CCL again just out of curiosity. To my surprise, it was about $20. Apparantly it went as low as about $15. So I’m reconsidering purchasing stock in Carnival again. Since I’m not filthy rich, I’d like for it to go back down to $15 again before I buy, but anything below $20 would be very reasonable for me.
Based on what I’ve been reading, it seems like it could be a good stock to buy too, at least compared to other cruise stocks. From what I’ve heard, RCI is having trouble financing their two new ships (or to-be ships), and their CEO said he does not want to lower prices. So they’re sailing with empty cabins and are having trouble getting financing for their ships. Their S&P rating has also fallen to a BB-, compared to Carnival’s BBB+.
There’s no doubt Carnival has also been hurting recently due to the economy and prior to that, gas prices. But compared to RCI, they seem to be doing well. They’ve halted new ship building so they won’t be carrying much new debt. They’re also discounting their fares so they sail with near-capacity ships. Empty cabins don’t bring in any revenue on board. Occupied cabins, whether paid in full or discounted, are much more likely to. In addition, Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill has said Carnival won’t be making any cutbacks that are similar to RCI. That doesn’t mean they won’t cut anything, but things like past guest perks will not be affected. Smart move on Carnival’s part, in my opinion. John Heald has also alluded to the fact that new changes are in the works, but he didn’t mention anything specifically.
So, I will be following the Carnival stock closely. And if the price is right, I’ll make the buy.
In other news, 120 days until the Legend!
- Fuel Supplements Being Eliminated
- Cruise Lines Being Hit by Swine Flu
- Another Reason I Love Carnival
Topics: Cruising | 3 Comments »
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