Perfection for the Price, Panama Canal Dec. 12, 2005 (14 nights)
Written: Feb 06 '05 (Updated Feb 06 '05)
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Pros: Great staff/crew, superb itineraries, few kids, good food, super clean, laid-back style
Cons: Grumpy travellers expecting more than they pay for, lack of healthy food options during day
The Bottom Line: Excellent value for money. Clean, attractive ship. Friendly staff. Great food. Older crowd means activities to yourselves. Long cruise on this ship was very comfortable and loads of fun.
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| jrandalls's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas |
This ship is perfect in the mid price range, with exciting itineraries worldwide. We LOVED our Panama cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas! Here's why...
ITINERARY: 14-night trans-Panama Canal, San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale, departed December 12, 2004.
Day 1 Depart San Diego (Loved it!)
Day 2 At sea (We LOVE sea days!!!)
Day 3 Cabo San Lucas (Loved this port)
Day 4 At sea
Day 5 Acapulco (Very interesting...we'd go back)
Day 6 Huatulco, Mexico (skip the shore excursions...head to town for Mole!!!)
Day 7 At sea
Day 8 Puntarenas, Costa Rica (Go zip-lining...check out finca-daniel.com. This was a highlight of my life.)
Day 9 At sea
Day 10 Panama Canal, Cristobal Pier, Panama (WOW! Go experience this wonder for yourself!!)
Day 11 At sea
Day 12 Oranjestad, Aruba (Disliked this port. Expensive, commercial, no charm at all in our opinion).
Day 13 At sea
Day 14 Arrive Ft. Lauderdale (problematic disembarking...but after a perfect cruise, who cares? Be patient, and enjoy some extra time on board!)
REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS TRIP
My partner and I had a goal to be in GREAT destinations for both our our 40th birthdays. We spent his (2003) in New York. For mine, we originally planned to go to an all-inclusive in the Caribbean for 2 weeks. Just as we started planning, we saw a Royal Caribbean "Get Out There" ad on T.V., and Kevin said "let's go on a cruise." I hopped on the internet, and found this cruise for exactly the dates we wanted at exceptional prices. The only con vs. a land-based all-inclusive is that booze is extra on a cruise.
HOW WE BOOKED AND GOT A GREAT PRICE
I searched several major "you'll never find a better price" websites, but didn't feel entirely comfortable. Then I discovered CruiseCompete.com. You put in your itinerary and the best price you've found, and within days several travel agents are bidding for your business. We chose to go with an agent from that list because she previously worked at Royal Caribbean, and had solid knowledge of the line.
WHAT WE BOOKED
We chose the very cheapest route, a "guarantee" category, inside room. We're both exceptionally social, and can't see spending our time or money on an outside cabin (let alone a balcony) when there are entire decks to lay around on, and fascinating people to meet.
We received a squeaky-clean, "large inside cabin." The beds were originally in the two-twins config, but the room steward had them done as a queen in no time. Not an eye blinked at two men making such a request. The bed was very comfortable--firm. The room temperature was easy to adjust and perfect. We had one problem with the toilet not flushing, and it was repaired within minutes--and with a smile!
The shower was always hot and had plenty of pressure. All the fixtures worked fine. Plenty of lights and mirrors making it feel open and larger than it actually is.
The room had PLENTY of space for everything we brought along. Our luggage fit beautifully under the bed, there were lots of shelves and little spaces to tuck things away. We ended up using the little sofa as a "drop spot" a lot of the time, since we didn't hang out in the room.
Our cabin was 6009, at the front of the ship. It was really, really quiet, despite being above the Anchors Aweigh lounge. We met people with fancy suites on deck 8 who had HUGE complaints about noise from the busy deck nine activities above them. Our room steward (Leon from The Grenadines) was fantastic. Never got in our way, was loads of fun to banter with, and kept the place sparkling.
THE SHIP...AND DEMOGRAPHICS
The Legend was a great ship. A few folks mumbled that it's "old." Who cares? It was impeccable--they were constantly cleaning a polishing every nook and cranny. It was just the right size for us. We didn't feel overwhelmed by it's size, and could get around very easily, and feel at home.
The crowd was pretty senior, and that was fine with us. We don't have kids, and don't want holidays with other people's kids screaming all around us. A longer holiday while school was in session virtually guaranteed few kids on board. And those who were there were exceptionally well-behaved. Kudos to the onboard kids' staff!
ACTIVITIES
It has plenty of public spaces. We always found deck chairs when/where we wanted them. The pool areas weren't too busy (old crowd doesn't like the sun). We are a gay couple, and we easily connected with about 20 other gay couples on board. We sort of took over a couple of different zones on the decks, and that was never a problem. The bar staff were always handy with another round of drinks, and other passengers were really friendly around the decks.
We eventually took over the unused piano bar area of the Viking Crown cigar lounge (there was rarely a cigar smoker to be seen, and the ventillation system was amazing). I'm a cocktail pianist, and lots of people came along to listen. I should have been paid!!
We enjoyed using the gym, steam room, mini golf course, rock wall, etc. They are all very modern. The golf course is showing some age, but was still a fun diversion. The staff helped us organize a golf tournament. I LOVED the 4-laps/mile running track! WOW!
DINING AND DRINKING
We love good food. But for a middle-of-the-road price, I didn't expect excellence. I was blown away by the quality...it was excellent! The dining room had the best food. Every night featured an unusual cold soup option, which I always enjoyed. The breads and baked goods were exceptional. The mains were very, very good. The lobster evening was superb...and they dashed out with second lobster tails for everyone before we could even finish the first! WOW! Our dining staff were outstanding, and very, very fun. Avi (our Indian waiter) was hilarious, always ready with a joke. Exeptional professionalism.
Our main complaints about the food was a lack of healthy choices around the ship when the dining room and buffet were closed. You could always find pizza or a burger, but not a salad or fresh turkey sandwich. Other complaint was that this ship didn't include a premium dining room. Also, traffic was a constant problem in the buffet. But the friendly staff made up for any inconvenience.
Drinks were reasonably priced--about what I'd expect in an average on-land bar ($4-6 usually). They were always pushing some sugary "drink of the day," and I found the best bartender was in the Viking Crown. I'm a mojito drinker, and he did them right.
Royal doesn't want you buying cheap booze on shore and skipping their bars, and will confiscate any you buy...returning it at the end of your trip. They have SUPER cheap prices in their on-board duty free booze shop, but will charge extra, about $10/bottle if you want to consume it on board. We managed to bring a fancy bottle of tequila on board from Acapulco without hassel...they'd already closed the "confiscation cart." Other people slip bottles under their clothes to bring them onboard, but we generally enjoyed having our drinks made for us.
ENTERTAINMENT
The ship's cruise director Carly and her staff were OUTSTANDING. They were always around, and so friendly. The pool games were silly but a hoot (everyone always won something). The shows were excellent. The "Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers" were generally very good in their revues (and cute, too!).
The casino was always fun, and both of us broke even for the trip. Rare that that happens! Casino staff weren't the friendliest lot...but I suppose they're not encouraged to frat with guests too much.
The staff were great in organizing a "Friends of Dorothy" cocktail party and later, golf tourny for all the gay guests on board. Lots of cruise staff are gay (on all ships), and were plenty happy to have us around.
DISEMBARKATION
This was a circus. But practically every cruise seems to have difficulty with it. (This was my 3rd cruise, it's always a problem). But we tipped our room steward well, and were friends with him, so he gladly let us keep our room later. Then we found our friends, and kept laughing and having a great time until they finally let us off the boat.
A LOT of people missed their flights (for some reason, the Port of Ft. Lauderdale couldn't handle the quantity of cruise traffic on Dec. 26). Those who booked their flights via Royal Caribbean were taken care of. We smartly gave ourselves a couple of days in Florida at the end of our trip, so it wasn't a problem. I must say, I will seriously consider booking future cruises and airfare through the cruise line if I have any concerns about delays.
OVERALL...
This was a great trip on a very fun ship. It was much higher quality than I expected, and the staff/crew made it perfect. We are both well-seasoned world travellers, and have done everything from budget-backpacking to 5-star luxury. We both agreed that this trip was our best vacation ever. It's great when your expectations are exceeded.
Go. Go on. Get out there!!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
jrandalls
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Location: Calgary, Canada
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
World traveler. Gourmet cook. Musician--singer, pianist, accordion.
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