|
 |
 CRUISE SHIP REVIEW Index: All Ship Reviews Expedia's cruise reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community, to give you objective, unbiased information to help you choose the right ship.
Overview The central theme of the third in Carnival's "Spirit-class" ships is great legends of the world. The "Legend" theme carries throughout Carnival Legend's 12 passenger decks, 16 lounges, bars and nightspots, four swimming pools, corkscrew water slide, Internet café, 14,500-square-foot health spa and salon, indoor and outdoor promenades, nine-deck-high atrium, on-board golf program, duty-free shopping mall, wedding chapel, video arcade, and 1,800-square-foot children's play area. Eighty percent of the Carnival Legend's cabins offer an ocean view, with 80 percent of those featuring private balconies. Carnival Cruise Lines currently has five new ships on order or under construction—including a fourth "Spirit-class" ship, Carnival Miracle—and four 110,000-ton "Conquest-class" ships: Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor, and an as-yet-unnamed vessel. Cabins Eighty percent of cabins have outside views, and 80 percent of those have private balconies. Interesting to note is that inside cabins measure the same 185 square feet as outside cabins without balconies. Balcony cabins increase to 225 square feet (including the balcony). There are 58 suites in three categories, starting at 360 square feet and going up to 465 square feet (including a wrap-around terrace). All cabins and suites are tastefully furnished with twin beds that convert to a queen, large closets, plenty of drawer space, televisions, and refrigerators. You'll also find the usual amenities found on new vessels: Telephones, private safes, and tub and shower or shower only (depending on your category). Suites (Categories 11 and 12) include separate dressing and sitting areas, refrigerators, double sinks and bathtubs, showers, and large balconies. Good design and soft lighting add to a feeling of spaciousness in interior cabins (Category 4). Category 5 cabins have obstructed outside views and French doors that open. Dining Three restaurants are available: An expansive poolside eatery featuring breakfast, lunch, and dinner alternatives and a 24-hour pizzeria; a two-level 1,250-seat full-service dining room with extensive menus and wine lists; and an intimate "steakhouse-style" supper club offering USDA prime aged beef, as well as crab claws from Miami Beach's world famous Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant. Entertainment Carnival Legend offers 16 lounges and bars with a variety of themes to fit any mood or taste. As you enter the ship, you are greeted by the bar in the nine-deck-high Colossus Atrium, which is dominated by a towering mural of the Colossus of Rhodes. Popular for pre-dinner cocktails, the Odyssey and Atlantis lounges offer quiet, intimate venues with live music and the same Greek neoclassical design elements found in the atrium. Club Merlin Casino, the medieval-themed gaming area, has a castle-like atmosphere complete with a suit of armor standing sentinel at the bar, shields bearing crossed swords, and a knight's helmet mounted on the walls. Catch one of two original productions created especially for Carnival Legend in Follies, the main show lounge on Promenade Deck. Recalling the days of the magnificent movie houses of the 1920s, Follies evokes the feeling of an open courtyard in a Mediterranean villa. Arches, turrets, and stained-glass chandeliers create an opulent, expansive space while providing excellent sightlines. Satchmo's Club is a great place to unwind with soft dance music. Named after legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the club is decorated to resemble an old New Orleans bar with exposed brick, wrought-iron details, ceiling fans, café, curtains, and a false skylight recreating the ambiance of the Big Easy. Adorning the walls are black-and-white photos of Armstrong at different stages of his career. Next door, the Dream Team bar offers plush, overstuffed sofas and comfortable bar stools to provide the perfect vantage points to quaff a brew and catch up on the latest sporting events. Billie's piano bar is an intimate, art deco-styled club where the piano player is the center of attention and everyone is a crooner. A stylish tribute to blues singer Billie Holiday, the centerpiece of the room is the stainless-steel musical bar lined with notes. Faux 1930s-era oversized microphones decorate the tables. Late-night comedy acts appear in the Firebird Lounge. Taking its theme from the old Russian folktale of a talented seamstress from a small village who is turned into a bird by an evil sorcerer, the Firebird is decorated with replica hand-painted Russian lacquered boxes, accented by lamps with frosted glass globes painted on the inside to create a soft glow. Don't let the giant 3.5-foot-high Medusa heads—complete with strands of snake-like hair, capped with a snake's head with lighted eyes—keep you out of the rocking Medusa's Lair dance club. The wall of closed-circuit televisions flash images from the dance floor mixed with videos and special effects, while the sound system plays the latest dance music and a sophisticated light system makes the Medusa heads appear to move and change expression. Fitness & Recreation The Fountain of Youth Spa, the 14,500-square-foot, two-level health center encompassing the forward area of Lido Deck 9 and Sun Deck 10, provides ocean views to exercisers. The gym is well-equipped with stationary bicycles, treadmills, rowing machines, stair climbers, and Keiser pneumatic progressive resistance machines, as well as free weights and dumbbells. Adjacent to the workout area is a mirrored aerobics room, used especially for a series of exercise classes, including low- and high-impact aerobics, yoga, spinning, stretching, and relaxation sessions. Some of these classes have an additional fee per person so check prior to sign-up. The Steiner-operated spa offers a variety of "European-style" treatments, including "aroma stone therapy," full body and scalp massages, seaweed wraps, mudpacks, and various slimming and toning therapies. Also housed within the spa are 10 private treatment/massage rooms, complete locker facilities, sauna and steam rooms, and a full-service beauty salon. The ship features four swimming pools and four whirlpools (one available in the spa itself; the other three on Lido Deck 9), as well as a padded jogging track encircling Sports Deck 11. During the day, Lido Deck provides a medieval theme in the Avalon Bar, located mid-ship and serving a variety of frothy, tropical concoctions. Corresponding to the theme are statues of a medieval castle at the Camelot Pool, an armored knight at the Avalon Pool, and the figure of the mythological horned horse at the aft Unicorn Pool. Camelot Pool has a retractable domed ceiling used during inclement weather. Fellow Passengers A broad crisscross of (mostly) middle America. According to Carnival, 30 percent of its passengers are under 35, 40 percent are 35–55, and 30 percent are over 55. Tipping Carnival recommends $3.50 per person, per day to your waiter; $2 pp/pd to your assistant waiter; and $3.50 pp/pd to your cabin steward. A 15 percent gratuity is added to bar bills. Clothing Suggested attire for a one-week cruise includes two "formal" evenings (most men opt for jackets and ties, but a large number wear tuxedos) and "resort casual" for the rest of the evenings.
Send this page to a friend
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Expedia, Inc. is not responsible for content on external Web sites. ©2008 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. | ||
Onboard amenities