Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Wayne & Tommie Dobrowski
Email: luv2cruz@pacbell.net
Age: 49 & 52
Occupation: Data Processing
NumberOfCruises: 28
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Legend
SailingDate: Feb 26 - Mar 14, 2001
Itinerary: Sydney to Singapore Royal Journey
Cabin: 8002 - Category A (Owner's Suite)
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 75
DiningRoomService: 1100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 100
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 
CasinoStaff: 
PrivateIsland: 
GoodForFamilies: 
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 
BeautySalonStaff: 
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess: 
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 
AirSeaProgram: 
MedicalFacilities: 
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Apr 2001
Time: 12:20:35
Remote Name: ws-207-214-53-19.cityofinglewood.org
Remote User: 

Comments

Cruise Report By Wayne & Tommie Dobrowski (luv2cruz@pacbell.net) Of Royal Caribbean International
Legend of the Seas 16-Night Royal Journey: Sydney to Singapore February 26 - March 14, 2000 

Itinerary 

Sydney, Sea Day, Brisbane, 2 Sea Days, Cairns (1½ days), 2½ Sea Days, Darwin (1½ days), 1½ Sea
Days, Bali (2 days), 2 Sea Days, Singapore 

Ship's Personnel 

Several posters on a few cruise bulletin boards have suggested that reports include the names of key ship
personnel if possible to assist others who may be interested in finding specific people or tracing their
movements from ship to ship. So here are the pertinent individuals from this sailing of the Legend of the
Seas: 

Master - Captain Thomas Wildung Staff Captain - Hakan Lindegren Chief Engineer - Roger Jensen Hotel
Director - Fred De Cosse Cruise Director - Kirk Detweiler Chief Purser - Karin Luppes Chief Housekeeper -
Desmond Downer Food & Beverage Manager - Gerald Kugler Dining Room Manager - Nibu Sayed
Executive Chef - John Mascarenhas (India) 

Background 

My wife Tommie and I are in our late 40's and early 50's, reside in Southern California, and both work full
time at fairly stressful jobs. Thus we prefer relaxing vacations and have found cruising to be the most
enjoyable and worry free form of travel. We are both fortunate enough to have 5 weeks of annual vacation
and typically take 2 or 3 cruises each year, varying in length from 10 to 16+ days. This was our 28th cruise
in 12 years and our 4th with Royal Caribbean, although it has been more than 5 years since our last cruise
with this company. We have previously sailed on 8 different cruise lines (RCL, NCL, HAL, Princess,
Carnival, Renaissance, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity) in ships as small as 112 passengers (Renaissance V)
and as large as 2600 (Grand Princess), and over the years have experienced cabins varying from lowest
category outside to balcony staterooms, and finally suites. It's amazing just how much larger
accommodations with amenities such as butler service and priority treatment can enhance the overall
cruise experience! We have also had the good fortune to visit–and revisit–many parts of the world in our
travels, and this was our 4th cruise in the southern hemisphere, but our 1st visit to all the ports on this
itinerary except Sydney. Thus we feel reasonably experienced enough to make comparisons where
applicable, and offer opinions and comments. 

The Ship & Public Areas 

The Legend of the Seas, at just over 70,000 tons and carrying 1800 guests (double occupancy), is a
gorgeous ship inside and out. Although in service for 6 years, the Legend has been extremely well
maintained and bears no evidence of its age. There are numerous areas to sit and relax, and we never had
trouble finding vacant seats no matter the time of day. And with 6 bars and lounges scattered throughout
the ship, a refreshing cocktail was always close at hand. The 7 deck high central atrium was also
spectacular. With glass skylights on Deck 10 providing abundant light during the day, glass and metal
sculptures spanning the decks, dual glass elevators, and cascading water pools & Champagne Terrace on
Deck 4, this was a very popular place day and night. The ship has no dead end hallways and the forward
and midship stairways–and associated elevators–go from top to bottom, so it was very easy to find our way
around after the first day. However, ONLY the midship atrium (glass) elevators go all the way up to the
Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 11, and there are NO elevators at the stern of the ship so aft passengers
must walk amidship to go up or down (the rear stairways ONLY traverse Decks 6,7& 8). Let's take a quick
tour of the Legend of the Seas passenger areas starting from the lowest deck and heading up. 

Deck 1 ("C" Deck) contains the Medical facilities. 

Deck 2 ("B" Deck) contains only passenger staterooms, and is where the tenders are boarded when in a
tender port. We had one tender port (Bali) and have included information about the tender service under
the Bali port description near the end of this report. 

Deck 3 ("A" Deck) contains passenger staterooms, and the Conference Center which was also where the
Bank was located. It was open a great deal and bought and sold all the currencies for the numerous
countries we visited at a somewhat favorable exchange rate with no commission. 

Decks 4 (Promenade) and 5 (Main) represented the heart of the ship inasmuch as dining, drinking,
shopping, and entertainment are concerned. Deck 4 has the exterior promenade area, but for those who
like walking be advised that this promenade DOES NOT wrap all around the ship. If you want to walk laps
for exercise, as Tommie & I do, Deck 10 is the only choice. 

On Deck 4 the Romeo & Juliet Dining Room occupies the stern of the vessel and is the elegant two deck
main dining room with an interior grand staircase connecting the two levels (you can also enter each level
on its respective deck). The room features beautiful lighting and lighting effects, two deck high glass
windows on both sides, and an area at the bottom of the staircase where musicians play during the evening
dining hours for about 45 minutes. Breakfast and lunch were always open seating, and the hours for
breakfast were 7:30-9:30 when at sea and as early as 6:00AM depending on the port of call. Lunch was
consistently served from 11:30AM-1:30PM. Main seating dinner commenced at 6:15PM, while Late seating
started at 8:30PM. More about the Romeo & Juliet Dining Room can be found in our section on Dining. 

The That's Entertainment Theater occupies the bow of the vessel on Deck 4 and is the attractive single
deck main entertainment area for all the ship's production shows and other entertainers. The sight lines
were excellent from virtually anywhere in this theater, and we never had trouble getting good seats no
matter what time we arrived. There is NO separate Cinema on the Legend and this locale doubles as the
movie theater during the day. However, since rehearsals and other events were occasionally scheduled
here, movies were only offered about ½ of the days during the cruise. 

Between the That's Entertainment Theater and Romeo & Juliet Dining Room on Deck 4–starting forward
and walking aft–one first finds the Casino. Neither Tommie nor I gamble, but every time we passed through
this area when it was open (there is no way to go around!) it was quite crowded. Next we encounter the
Schooner Bar on the port side of the vessel. Although a very nice lounge, it was poorly ventilated and
therefore the only place on the ship where we always found it to be too smokey to enjoy. As we continue
our way aft we finally we reach the bottom level of the beautiful Atrium and the Champagne Bar. This was
our favorite place on the Legend and we spent many an evening sipping champagne cocktails, dancing to
the nightly musicians, and people watching. 

Now on Deck 5, starting at the upper level of the Romeo & Juliet Dining Room and walking forward, one first
encounters the upper level of the Champagne Terrace followed by the Purser's Desk (starboard) and
Shore Excursion area (port). The Purser's Desk always seemed to be well staffed and we never had to wait
long for service. The shore excursion area was a large alcove with supplemental seating, but since we
booked our excursions in advance, we did not avail ourselves of their services. Continuing forward we
reach The Boutiques where the typical jewelry, watch, fragrance, clothing, and notions/liquor stores could
be found. Note that liquor could be purchased (at great duty free prices) and taken to your cabin for
personal consumption. At the very front of this deck is the Anchor's Away lounge, which had terrific glass
sculptures and etched mirrors. This too was a good place to come dancing during the evening, and it was
also the main meeting place for all the shore excursions and tender boats tickets. 

Decks 6 (Mariner), 7 (Commodore), and 8 (Bridge) contain essentially only suites and staterooms, but
adjacent to the Atrium on each deck were public areas. The Photo Gallery occupied both the port &
starboard sides of the Atrium area on Deck 6, and on Deck 7 the two sides contained the Library and Card
Room. The Internet Café was on Deck 8 port, and the rate was 50 cents per minute. We never used this
facility, so cannot attest to its availability or reliability. On the starboard side of this deck was the Crown &
Anchor study, where the future cruise consultant could be found during ‘at sea' days. 

Deck 9 (Sun Deck) was perhaps the most popular deck because it contained the Windjammer Café, main
outdoor pool area, Solarium, and health & beauty areas. The Windjammer Café was the place for morning
and lunch buffets, and evening alternative dining. In our opinion it was not well designed and the buffet
sections on each side of the ship ended in narrow single person walkways that were always congested.
There was also a center food station between the two buffet areas that served made-to-order eggs in the
morning and specialty sandwiches at lunch. We will talk about the food served here in the Dining section
later in this report. We also felt that the dining area was too small for the size of the ship. Every time we
went up to the buffet for lunch (between 12:00-12:30PM) there were no vacant tables, so we ended up
taking our trays of food back to our cabin and eating on the balcony. Evening alternative dining did not
require reservations, and consisted of a cooked-to-order entrée with everything else buffet style. We never
tried this venue at night, but friends on board said that it was quite good. 

The Outdoor Pool was quite attractive but always crowded. It contained a large pool with both deep and
shallow sections, and 2 whirlpool tubs. Towels were always readily available. The pool and whirlpools were
typically open until 9:00PM. Lounge chairs in the immediate vicinity of the pool were limited, but more were
available on Deck 10 above. 

The Solarium area housed an indoor pool, bar, and grill kitchen where hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries,
and pizza were served every day (usually from 10:00AM-7:00PM). Ice cream was also available almost
every afternoon. The glass enclosed solarium was kept surprisingly comfortable and was not hot as one
would expect with the sun beating down all day. Here we could always find lounge chairs. 

At the very back of this deck was the gymnasium, saunas, beauty salon, and massage/therapy rooms. The
gym was very well equipped but periodically crowded. There was a small sun deck with lounge chairs
accessed through the spa complex. 

Deck 10 (Compass Deck) contained the jogging/walking track (4 laps = 1 mile) as well as plenty of
supplemental lounge chairs overlooking the pool area below. At the very back of the ship on this deck was
the miniature golf course called Legend of the Links. It was a lot of fun and very popular. Tournaments
were a frequent daily activity. At the very front of this deck was an arcade filled with interactive games, and
the children's area called Club Ocean. There was also an adjacent area for teens with a television room,
billiard table, dance floor, and music booth. There were separate daily programs available for several age
groups, but we cannot attest to how well attended nor how well organized these programs were. There were
not too many children on board. 

Deck 11 (Viking Crown Deck) contained the RCI trademark Viking Crown Lounge. This is a great lounge
with a fairly large dance floor and stage, plus multiple levels of seating. This is a multi-purpose lounge that
serves as a primary viewing area for surrounding scenery and the deck below, as well as a place for
pre-dinner dancing and cocktails, and finally it becomes the late night disco. 

Accommodations & Stateroom Service 

Tommie & I enjoyed the luxury of an Owner's Suite on Deck 8 (#8002), a complimentary upgrade from the
Category C we originally booked. This 540 sq ft stateroom was the largest we have ever had on a cruise
ship and it was outstanding. It had a huge living room and dining room section that was separated from the
sleeping area by french windows. The dining room contained a table with 2 chairs, small refrigerator (but
NOT a stocked mini-bar as on some ships), bar with a supply of glasses sufficient for entertaining a large
party, and cabinets with dishes and cutlery. The living room had two sofas (one was a sofa bed), 2 side
chairs with foot stools, coffee table, large screen TV, VCR, 5-disc CD changer, and component stereo
system with surround sound. From the living room were large floor-to-ceiling sliding doors to the private
balcony, where we found 2 reclining lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs, a dining table, and a cocktail table. Yet
there was still ample room to lounge around, and the glass balcony railing gave beautiful views of the
ocean. The bedroom section contained a king size bed with writing desk opposite, innumerable drawers
and shelves (the first time we were NOT able to fill all our storage space!), and 2nd large screen TV &
VCR. Adjacent to the bedroom was the suite entrance alcove, with 3 clothes closets and a chest of
drawers. From there one accessed the gorgeous marble bath with it's Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, toilet,
bidet, and double sink vanity with more cupboards and behind-the-mirror shelves. 

The suite was quite incredible, but it did suffer from a few annoyances. Although we could hear NO noises
from adjacent cabins, we did hear some sounds (dishwasher, slamming trays, etc.) from the kitchen area of
the Windjammer Café one deck above. Fortunately this was typically during the late morning and early
afternoon hours–so it never prevented us from getting a good night's sleep–but we were awakened a bit
earlier than desired on a few mornings. Also, despite the wonderful amenities included in the suite, there
was no collection of videos or CD's onboard to enjoy with the comprehensive electronic equipment. Our
butler was good enough to let us use several CD's from her own collection during the cruise. 

This brings us to the topic of the butler. The Royal Journeys on the Legend are the ONLY itineraries where
butlers are provided for the suite categories. If you call Royal Caribbean about amenities provided by the
butlers, 9 out of 10 booking agents will tell you emphatically that RCI does not provide butler service (we
even have an email to that effect). When you then point out the place in their own brochures that speak of
the butlers, and finally find that 1 in 10 person who will acknowledge the amenity, they will NOT be able to
tell you what services they provide. So for those who may be fortunate enough to enjoy this indulgence on
a future cruise, let us say that the butler service provided on the Legend is excellent: not quite on par with
Celebrity (but a close 2nd), and certainly better than used to be provided on Princess. For the record, the
butlers offer the following services: 

- Arranging cocktail parties in stateroom, and setup for special functions - Packing and unpacking of
luggage, folding & packing of clothes and shoes - Shoeshine service - Pressing clothes and providing
laundry service - Serving Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner (off the dining room menu) in stateroom - Serving
coffee, tea or snacks in stateroom, freshly squeezed orange juice on request - Picking up & delivering
messages 

Our butler, Christina, was very efficient and could be reached via pager on request. She also delivered
evening hors d'oeuvres almost every night of the cruise. 

Our stateroom attendant was also very proficient and we rarely saw him throughout the cruise. Unlike our
last cruise on Celebrity's Millennium where the room steward was very intrusive, failed to clean the cabin
properly, and often forgot to deliver requested items (ice), this time the service was as good as it gets. Our
steward even left ‘towel animals' for our amusement several nights throughout the cruise. 

Dining & Dining Service 

Windjammer Café 

The food in the Windjammer Café was okay, but was just the typical buffet fare. Everyday for lunch there
was usually a choice of some fish, meat, potatoes, and vegetables plus soup and salad and a freshly
carved roast of some kind (beef, pork, ham, etc.). Between the port & starboard buffet stations was a
counter where made-to-order eggs were served during breakfast, and fresh made sandwiches could be
obtained during lunch. Lunch barbeques were also available numerous times throughout the cruise, and
they were prepared on deck outside the Windjammer and served on buffet tables by the pool. Tommie & I
only ate breakfast here once because we preferred to have it in our cabin (room service for suites includes
a FULL breakfast, not just the traditional continental fare), so we cannot really comment on how the food
was for breakfast. As we mentioned earlier, this place was always crowded and we could rarely find a table
when we went here to eat. Waiters were present but they never carried trays for women, nor helped people
find a place to dine. After the 4th day of the cruise, we got so frustrated with the lack of space in the
Windjammer that we went to the dining room for lunch for the rest of the trip. 

Solarium Grill 

Here grill items were available everyday for the longest period of time we have ever seen on any cruise
(usually 10:00AM-7:00PM). These included hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, and various pizzas that
were quite good. During morning and afternoon hours an ice cream wagon also served a variety of
wonderful ice creams, with an incredible assortment of sauces, nuts, and other toppings. 

Romeo & Juliet Dining Room 

Royal Caribbean is NOT renowned for their food, and this was certainly true on this cruise. The selection,
presentation, and quality of food are definitely inferior to Celebrity, Princess, and Holland America. Yet
people we met on board, who had been on the Legend only a year earlier, said the food was very much
improved since their previous experience. Nonetheless, dinner usually offered only 3 entrée choices: 1
beef, 1 alternating chicken or fish, and 1 vegetarian. Several nights throughout the cruise a regional menu
was added, and this provided one additional entrée choice. However the beef was usually a bit tough and
the chicken was frequently dry, but the fish and regional specials were usually good (but NOT excellent).
Fortunately the appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts were outstanding and salvaged what would have
otherwise been mediocre meals. 

On the other hand, lunch in the dining room was a radical departure from dinner. There were usually 6-9
entrée choices, offering a wide variety of regional and traditional foods that were almost always delicious
and nicely presented. Soups and salads were also available and these were wonderful as well. We often
wondered if there was a different chef for lunch and dinner, because it was hard to believe that the same
person could be ultimately responsible for such dramatically different dining experiences. 

But let's put the quality and presentation of the food aside for a minute, for there was something at which
the Legend absolutely excelled. SERVICE! The service in the dining room by ALL our wait staff (waiter,
assistant waiter, wine steward & assistant Maître D') was outstanding. This fact alone made what could
easily have been a disappointing dining experience into a very pleasurable one. Everyone was very
personable, friendly, helpful, and extremely efficient. Our waiter was well aware of the menu deficiencies
and made a point of always recommending the ‘best' item on the menu, and telling us if a particular entrée
wasn't too good. When we realized this, the menu inadequacies became a minor issue. Our waiter also
checked back frequently to make sure that the foods were cooked to our liking, warm, and satisfactory.
Otherwise he would have been quick to make the necessary substitutions. Our busboy was similarly
attentive, and always ready with a joke or humorous anecdote. Even our Assistant Maître D' was more
attentive than we have ever experienced on any prior cruise. If you read our last review of a September
2000 Celebrity Millennium cruise, we relate a story where the waiter serving tables adjacent to ours was
injured midway through a meal one evening, and not able to return to the dining room. Neither the Head
Waiter nor Assistant Maître D' so much as lifted a finger to help the assistant waiter for the rest of the meal,
and he was saddled with both his own duties as well as those of the injured waiter. On the Legend, our
Assistant Maître D' Ayan routinely helped out anyone, whether needed or not. During the evening he could
be seen taking orders, opening and pouring wine, and even clearing soiled dishes if he happened to be
passing a table where diners had just finished eating. And you only had to mention something in casual
conversation and it magically appeared soon thereafter. One evening we just happened to mention how
much we enjoy Crepes Suzette, and the next night he was preparing them by our table side. This is the kind
of service that makes a cruise memorable, and makes one want to come back to a particular cruise line. It
also makes one appreciate traditional seating–where you get to enjoy the same wait staff every day and
they get to know your tastes and dining habits–rather than the open seating concept which is starting to
gain a foothold in the cruise industry. And we should add that service in the bars and lounges was equally
attentive. We just cannot convey enough accolades about the service on the Legend of the Seas - it was
ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. 

Spa Facilities 

Although we walked through the spa and health club facilities on many occasions, we did not avail
ourselves of any of their services on this particular cruise. Thus we cannot offer any comments about how
the prices, hours, or services compared with other cruise lines we have taken. 

Entertainment & Activities 

There was a great variety of entertainment during the 16-day cruise, and overall we would have to say that
it was all very good. The musicians that alternated between the various venues aboard (Champagne
Terrace, Schooners Bar, Viking Crown, etc.) each specialized in a different style of music, so you could be
assured of ballroom, country western, Latin, or easy listening somewhere on board everyday. We only went
to one production show and considered it okay, but when you cruise as much as we do they get to seem a
bit repetitive. So our opinion might be a bit jaded (off the mark) here. Most of the other entertainers were
okay, but The Australian Three Tenors were especially enjoyable. And pianist Michael would unobtrusively
introduce himself to diners in the dining room and then play their favorite melodies during dinner on
subsequent nights. 

Ample daily activities, typical of any cruise, were readily available. These of course included Bingo, fitness
& exercise, dance lessons, napkin folding, culinary demonstrations, wine tasting, various competitions
(miniature golf, putting, etc.), and the now inevitable art auctions. 

Several sail away parties were scheduled in a few ports and these were all very, very good. Of course the
absolutely perfect weather we enjoyed for the whole cruise made everything seem more enjoyable. There
was also a ‘Crossing the Equator' ceremony one afternoon by/in the pool, and this was hilarious and
extremely entertaining as well (certificates commemorating the event were delivered to our cabins that
evening). 

All-in-all we have to say that the entertainment and activities during this cruise were above average. 

Miscellaneous 

The daily menus for lunch and dinner are shown on a channel on your stateroom TV, typically starting early
in the morning. 

The stateroom TV's DO NOT provide any interactive facilities such as reviewing your shipboard account or
booking shore excursions, etc. 

Wine may be taken into the dining room, but is subject to a $8.00 corkage fee (if it isn't a wine that is on
their wine list). 

Gentlemen are able to rent tuxedos onboard for formal nights. 

We were permitted to purchase liquor in one of the Boutique shops and bring it back to the cabin. 

Although the daily program stated that "All duty free liquor or cigarettes purchased ashore will be collected
at the gangway and delivered to your stateroom during the evening prior to the day of disembarkation,"
none of our bags was ever searched nor were we ever questioned when re-boarding the ship in any port. 

Legend of the Seas: Sydney to Singapore (Part 2 of 3) 

The Voyage & Ports of Call 

Before we describe the cruise itself and the various ports of call, we want to say that Royal Caribbean was
NOT our first choice for this cruise. We had planned to do this itinerary on the Regal Princess (Princess is
our favorite overall cruise line), but decided to switch to RCI because the Legend's itinerary was 2 days
longer (16 days as opposed to 14), and offered overnight stays in several ports rather than the typical
8AM-6PM stops scheduled by Princess. We had grave misgivings about trying Royal Caribbean again,
because our last experience with them many years ago was far from satisfying. But as many comments
earlier in this review convey–and others to follow will reiterate–RCI greatly exceeded our expectations
(maybe they should take that slogan over from Celebrity). This ended up being one of our most enjoyable
and memorable cruises EVER, and we liked the itinerary SO MUCH that we tried to book it again for March
2002. But more about that later on.... 

We did a lot of port research over the internet prior to the cruise, and arranged for numerous excursions
(as well as our air arrangements) in this fashion. We have included the names of the companies with whom
we booked our excursions under the port being described, and provided a list of their web site links at the
end of this report. This is the 2nd cruise on which we have done this (although ONLY in English speaking
ports), and it is proving to be the best way to see many of the sights. No more caravans of tour busses,
impatient people pushing to get on/off the bus first, tardy passengers who never make it back to the bus at
the scheduled time, etc. Of course, the fact that these private tours are also a fraction the cost of the cruise
line shore excursions doesn't hurt either! As a result, we only did 3 actual Royal Caribbean shore
excursions (1 in Darwin & 2 in Bali), and so have just listed the various shore excursions offered by Royal
Caribbean under each port. 

Prior to this cruise we also ‘met' numerous people on various cruise web sites (Cruise Mates, Cruise
Addicts, Cruise Critic, and others) who were scheduled for the same cruise. By sailing time our ‘Net
Buddies' group had grown to 5 couples: 1 each from England, Australia, Seattle, Kansas (this couple had
done the same itinerary in 2000 and liked it so much they repeated in 2001), and ourselves from California.
We ended up meeting for pre-cruise cocktails in a hotel in Sydney, and enjoyed another cocktail party in
our cabin the 2nd day aboard. 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Pre-Cruise (almost 2 days) & Embarkation 

Over the years we've learned never to trust airlines to ‘get you to the ship on time,' and this is even more
applicable today with the rash of delays, strikes, and other airline related problems that plague the industry.
Thus we always plan a pre-cruise stay of a day or more at our embarkation location. We flew into Sydney
one day early and stayed at the Inter-Continental, a pre-cruise hotel package offered by Royal Caribbean.
We flew Quantas Airlines (coach) on a 14½ hour red-eye flight that left Los Angeles at 10:30PM and
arrived in Sydney 2 days later (International Date Line) on schedule at 8:00AM. This gave us almost 2 full
days before the cruise, as the ship did not sail until 10:00PM the following day. The flight was quite
comfortable, had good food, lots of conveniences (in seat view screens, etc.), and afforded us several
hours of uninterrupted sleep. Taxis at the Sydney airport were plentiful and the 20 minute ride to the
downtown hotel cost only AUD$27.50 (about US$15); a far cry from the US$20 per person RCI was
charging for the bus transfer. Once at the hotel we checked in at the RCI hospitality desk/room, but had to
wait about 2 hours before our room was ready (during which time we enjoyed a slow brunch). The room
was great and had a wonderful view of the Harbor Bridge and parts of the Sydney harbor. As it turned out
this was a terrific hotel, at a convenient location to numerous sights and attractions, as well as the main
ferry quay. 

We got cleaned up after the long flight and then relaxed until 2:30, at which time we headed to the hotel
lounge for our planned pre-cruise meeting with the other couples we met on the internet. After a bit of
difficulty finding each other (we had never met nor exchanged photos), we enjoyed a wonderful couple
hours introducing ourselves and getting psyched up for the cruise. Tommie & I have friends in Sydney and
they showed up at the hotel at 4:30 for another pre-planned outing. We walked the short distance to the
Circular Quay and boarded a boat for a Sunset Dinner Harbor Cruise that we had arranged over the
internet with Captain Cook Cruises (AUD$69 per person, about US$36). The meal and scenery were
spectacular, and the dinner very elegant. We were greeted with champagne and then enjoyed a 2 course
meal consisting of a choice of entrées and desserts. Wine was also complimentary, and we ended up
consuming 5 half bottles during the 2 hour cruise. It was a pleasure to spend time with old friends, who also
described most of the sights we were passing as there was no other commentary on the boat. There was a
later dinner cruise that was 1 hour longer and offered a 3 course meal plus entertainment, but we knew that
we would probably fade pretty fast after our 2 day trip from Los Angeles and called it a night before 10PM. 

The next morning we enjoyed an excellent breakfast (part of the hotel package), left our luggage outside
the room per the cruise line, and waited at the front of the hotel for a short while until we were picked up by
the tour company Sydney Day Tours, with whom we had pre-arranged over the internet an all day tour.
Since we had visited Sydney on a former cruise and seen all the local sights (Opera House, Harbor Bridge,
Bondi Beach, etc.), we elected to take a trip to the Blue Mountains, which turned out to be a marvelous
excursion. It started with a ride on the Rivercat Ferry boat which took us up the Parramatta river for about
20 minutes. Since this was basically part of the Sydney Ferries system there was no commentary, but the
scenery was great. After that we boarded a small bus for a short drive to the Koala Park Sanctuary, where
we spent a fascinating hour petting koala's, wombats, kangaroos, and a dingo, and walking among
wallabies and other native Australian wildlife. At 11:00 we got back on the bus and drove for 2 hours,
visiting the towns of Windsor and Richmond and making our way up into the Blue Mountains. The name
apparently comes from the color of the mist that is generated by evaporation from the Eucalyptus & Gum
trees. We made one stop at the Hawksebury lookout and saw the lakes where the Olympic rowing events
took place, and a 2nd stop at Echo Point where magnificent views of the ‘Long Valley' and 3 Sister's rock
formations could be seen. This area of the Blue Mountains is referred to as Australia's Grand Canyon and
does have deep canyons, but is tree covered. After the stop at Echo Point we made our way to Katoomba
where we disembarked until 3:00PM. During that time Tommie & I enjoyed lunch and then took a thrilling
ride down a very steep inclined railway (they played music from Indiana Jones) to almost the valley floor.
From there we walked a short distance to view the Katoomba Falls and then back-tracked past an old coal
mine on our way to the aerial tram. We ascended using the tram rather than the inclined railway to get a
different view of the scenery. At the top we re-boarded the bus and viewed different sights on the way back
to Sydney, and spent about 20 minutes driving around the site of the Olympic games last September. The
bus subsequently dropped us off right at the ship just after 6:00PM. It was a wonderful excursion, and
perhaps the best part was that there was only 22 people on the tour with us! 

At this time of day there were no delays boarding the ship and we were in our cabin by 6:30, where we
found our luggage waiting, as well as 2 bottles of champagne and all sorts of food (cookies, chocolate
covered strawberries, etc.) and gifts. We unpacked, met our room steward & butler, arranged for
tomorrow's cocktail party for our ‘internet buddies,' and enjoyed a cocktail before heading down to dinner.
We had a magnificent table for 2 on the 2nd level of the dining room, at the top of the stairs. Our service
was exceptional and at times during the evening we had 2 waiters and 2 assistant waiters, plus our wine
steward (I joked with Tommie that this better not continue because we didn't bring enough money to tip this
many people!). The food was not quite as good as on Celebrity or Princess, but delicious nonetheless.
Clocks turned back one hour tonight. 

DAY AT SEA (Formal Dress) 

This was a warm, calm, relaxing day at sea. We enjoyed our first room service breakfast out on the balcony
and then spent a good deal of time touring (familiarizing ourselves with) this beautiful ship. When we went
to the Windjammer Café for lunch at 12:30 there were no tables available anywhere, so we brought our
food back to the cabin and once again ate out on the balcony. Our butler started setting up for the cocktail
party around 2:30 and soon our dining room table was covered with numerous platters of hors d'oeuvres,
vegetables, shrimp, and fruit (including more chocolate covered strawberries). We arranged for several
bottles of wine, but Royal Caribbean provided neither a mini-bar nor portable bar cart, as many other
cruise lines do. Thus our poor butler had to make a trip to the nearest bar whenever someone desired a
mixed drink. Our internet friends started arriving at 3:00 and we spent a memorable afternoon getting to
know each other better, and sharing past cruise experiences. Afterwards we went our separate ways (some
had early seating while others had late), got ready for formal night, and went to the Captain's Welcome
Aboard reception, followed by dinner (where we savored chocolate souffle for dessert). 

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (Casual Dress) 

Shore excursions offered by Royal Caribbean: Brisbane Without Walking - 3 hrs, $34 Brisbane Sights &
Woolshed - 4 hrs, $54 Queensland's Wilderness by 4WD - 9 hrs, $135, tea & BBQ lunch O'Reilly's
Mountain Retreat - 9 hrs, $135 

We arrived on time at 7:00AM and it was another hot (low 90's) and sunny day. Brisbane is located a ways
inland up the Brisbane River, and it was most enjoyable eating breakfast out on the balcony as we
traversed this scenic waterway. The ship docked a long way from the city, but within about a 15 minute walk
(1 kilometer) to the nearest river ferry terminal (NO shuttle service of any sort was available at the ship).
None of the RCI shore excursions appealed to us, so we headed ashore to see some of Brisbane on our
own. Australia is one of the strictest countries in the world for restricting imported fruits & vegetables, and
there was a dog at the bottom of the gangway sniffing passengers' bags for quarantined items being
removed from the ship. There was an information booth on the wharf and they provided us with maps,
literature, sights to see, and the water ferry service schedule (called the City Cat). This proved to be an
excellent way to get around the region and see all the sights. You could pay for each segment of the ferry
separately, but there was an all-day option for only AUD$8.00 (about US$4.50) that provided unlimited use
of the ferries and connecting busses within the city. We walked to the ferry terminal (taxis were also
available at the ship) and caught the City Cat shortly thereafter, arriving in downtown Brisbane 20 minutes
later. We then walked around and thru the City Botanical Gardens but were a bit disappointed because
virtually nothing was in bloom. From there we walked up to the central pedestrian mall and did some
shopping, stopping for a while to listen to an open air band. Afterwards, we walked down to the nearest
ferry dock and caught the next City Cat boat, which took us to the very end of the line at the University of
Queensland before turning around and bringing us back to our starting point (at the other end of the line)
near the ship. We arrived back onboard just after 1:30PM, both tired and somewhat exhausted from the
intense heat of the day. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the ship, enjoying lunch in the Windjammer Café (due to the later
hour we were able to find a table), sunning on our balcony, and watching a movie on TV. Once again our
service in the dining room for dinner was outstanding, but we sure miss the quality and selection of food
from Celebrity and Princess. After dinner at 10:15 we headed up to the pool area for the sailing away party.
The weather was about as perfect as anyone could hope for, and we danced and enjoyed ourselves
immensely until the band took a break at 11:30 and the crowds started to dissipate. 

DAY AT SEA (Casual Dress) 

Another warm, calm, relaxing day. For lunch we tried hamburgers, pizza, and french fries from the Solarium
grill. The pizza had huge thick pieces of pepperoni and was extremely spicy, but the hamburger & fries
really hit the spot. Afterwards we just relaxed and read until it was time to leave for the 3:15PM wine tasting.
On our way out the door we were pleasantly surprised to find an invitation to dine with the Captain this
evening. The wine tasting ($9.95 per person) was very informative, and we got to sample 4 white wines, 3
red wines, and a sparkling wine. The chief wine steward gave very humorous commentary and the hour
went by in no time. 

This was supposed to be a casual night but the dress code for dining with the Captain was semi-formal. We
met in the library at 8:15 and were led by the Social Hostess Tracey to the Captain's cabin. There the 10 of
us chatted and drank champagne until almost 9:00PM. In addition to Tracey and ourselves there was the
Captain and his wife, a couple from Milan who had been on the ship for 4 months (since it began its Royal
Journeys in the Mediterranean!), the Godmother of the Legend of the Seas who christened her back in
1995, and another couple from Chicago. After cocktails we paraded through the dining room to the
Captain's table, where a group photo was first taken. Service was outstanding–as should be expected–and
we enjoyed a choice of caviar or crabmeat appetizer, vegetable or consomme soup, salad, and lobster tail,
blackened salmon, or turkey entrée. For dessert we were served a delicious pastry shell filled with fresh
berries, and cappuccino coffee. Dinner did not end until after 11:00PM when we were presented with the
signed menu, place names, and souvenir photo. All in all it was a most delightful experience. 

DAY AT SEA (Smart Casual Dress) 

Another warm, calm, relaxing day at sea viewing the magnificent scenery as we started to sail along the
Great Barrier Reef and among the islands that dot it's length. Flying fish are prevalent, but we have not
seen any other sea life. Today there was a barbeque lunch by the pool (ribs, chicken & shrimp, as well as
salads), but nothing was all that great - mostly overcooked and dry. We got ready for semi-formal night and
headed to the dining room right at 8:30PM. Unfortunately the food is not as good as the service and we
often DON'T find anything really appealing on the menu, as there are only 2 appetizers, 2 soups (one
chilled), and 3 entrées to choose from. 

CAIRNS (pronounced CANS), AUSTRALIA: Day 1 - (Casual Dress) 

Shore excursions offered by Royal Caribbean: The Great Barrier Reef - 5½ hrs, $145, tea & refreshments
Cairns City Tour - 3½ hrs, $66 Cairns Rainforest Habitat - 4 hrs, $53 Cairns Without Walking - 2½ hrs, $34
Scenic Train and Army Ducks - 4¼ hrs, $89, champagne & treats Rainforest Adventure By 4WD - 8 hrs,
$174, tea & BBQ lunch 

We arrived on time at 7:00AM, and Tommie & I were already enjoying breakfast on our balcony as the ship
moored and a band played wonderful music on the wharf below (we are on the port side of the vessel &
once again facing the pier and all the action). This was one port where we definitely wanted to avoid the
crowded ship excursions and ensure that we got to see all that we wanted to see, so for today we
pre-arranged an all-day Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour over the internet with a company called Great
Adventures, and a hot-air balloon trip for tomorrow morning with a company called Hot Air (the ship is due
to sail at 1:00PM tomorrow afternoon). 

We disembarked the ship at 7:45 and walked the short distance to the Great Adventures terminal, where
we paid for the 9 hour excursion (AUD$143 per person, or about US$84 - a far cry from the US$145 per
person being charged by RCI for just a 5½ hour tour), and boarded the catamaran. The boat left at 8:40
and arrived at Green Island around 9:30. We spent about 1½ hours touring the tiny resort island, walking
along the beaches, through the rainforest, and among the resort shops. It was extremely hot & humid, but
an interesting place to see nonetheless. There was also a Marine Land on the island, but we elected to
forgo that attraction. We then re-boarded the catamaran for another 1½ hour ride to the company's
pontoon at Norman Reef, arriving at 12:30PM. The pontoon is huge and has a separate sunning deck,
buffet court, dining section with ample tables, underwater viewing area, submersible, snorkel & scuba
equipment section, and large roped off areas for snorkeling and scuba diving. We immediately obtained
snorkel equipment and spent more than an hour snorkeling on the reef. It was really quite spectacular: not
quite as colorful as Bora Bora, but with much more varied coral formations and terrain, and lots of multi
colored fish. At 1:45 we came in to enjoy a lunch of Oriental food (steamed rice, curry beef, chicken
oriental) and some salads. We had to pay for sodas, but the food was pretty good. At 2:15 we went
snorkeling for another ½ hour and then walked around the various parts of the pontoon. It really was a very
interesting place, and a great way to see the reef. The catamaran left the pontoon at 3:00 and, after
another quick stop at Green Island to drop off some people, arrived back at the port at 5:30PM. This was
an outstanding excursion, and definitely a MUST DO when in Cairns. 

Later at dinner, service was once again very good and the food much better than usual. Our wine steward
was busy when we first arrived in the restaurant so our assistant Maître D' opened and poured our wine
and brought our dinner menus. The dining room staff really appears to work as a team on this ship and it
shows in the wonderful service. We returned directly to our cabin after dinner and went straight to bed at
10:30 as we have to awake at 3:45AM (ouch) for the early morning hot air balloon adventure. What an
outstanding day this was in every regard, and a truly exceptional port of call! 

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA: Day 2 - (Casual Dress) 

Awoke at 3:45AM, dressed quickly, and packed the few things we would need for the excursion. Arrived at
the meeting place on the pier right at the scheduled 4:15 meeting time and found 5 others (Legend crew
members) already waiting there. The bus didn't arrive until 10 minutes later and then stopped at 4 more
places to pick up passengers on it's way to Mareeba. When everyone was onboard we were all given a
book of the rules to read for the balloon ride. Most interesting was the fact that the basket will bounce a few
times when landing, so don't be alarmed. Unfortunately ½ way through the Kuranda rainforest it started to
rain quite heavily, and by the time we reached Mareeba at 5:50 it was announced that the excursion had to
be canceled due to inclement weather. Apparently this only happens 15-20 times per year and it was our
misfortune to be one of those 15-20. Our first disappointment of the trip! However, it was on the return ride
to the ship that Tommie & I decided to come back and do this itinerary again next year. 

We returned to the ship around 7:00AM–where it was now raining as well–dropped our things off in the
room, and headed for our first (and only) breakfast in the Windjammer Café. After breakfast it was no
longer raining, so we settled out on our balcony and relaxed for most of the morning. At 11:00 a terrific duet
started playing music out on the pier and they played until we sailed at 1:20 (20 minutes late). During this
time Tommie & I decided to go to the dining room for lunch (our 1st time) and enjoyed it immensely. There
are 3 times more entrée choices than at dinner, and the food was very tasty. Later, when we sailed, there
were quite a few people lining the pier and wharfs along the way, all waving, cheering (hooting), and
wishing us a safe journey. Cairns was definitely one of the best ports we have ever visited in our 28
cruises, and we know we will be back in the not too distant future. We tried the Champagne Bar for the 1st
time tonight, and savored delicious champagne cocktails while listening to a wonderful Latin duet called
Island. At 8:30 we went to dinner, where the food was once again pretty good and the service exceptional
as usual (we're getting spoiled). 

DAY AT SEA (Formal Dress) 

Another warm, calm (but windy), relaxing day at sea viewing the magnificent scenery as we continued to sail
north along the Great Barrier Reef and then rounded the northernmost tip of Australia to began our
westward journey to Darwin. At this point we would like to add a note of caution to those with video
cameras. The temperature and humidity difference between the cabin and outside was so substantial that
the camera dew indicator came on and we couldn't use the camera for more than an hour. Apparently
many people experienced the same problem. From then on we left the camera (in its carrying case) out on
the balcony day and night (on a lounge chair under towels) as the problem did not occur in reverse. 

Enjoyed lunch in the dining room again, and then decided to try a round of miniature golf. However, we only
played about 4 holes and then gave up because it was just too windy (the wind was actually blowing the
balls around!). Spent the afternoon reading and sunning on our balcony and then got dressed for formal
night before heading to the Anchors Away Lounge at 7:45 for the Repeater's Party. It was quite crowded
but we found a table at the back and quickly received a glass of champagne from our wine steward who
happened to be working the event. The Captain appeared around 8:15 and gave an often humorous talk
for 20 minutes, even answering numerous questions from the passengers. He did indicate that it would
probably be raining in Darwin but added that if it wasn't, the humidity would be 120% so what difference did
it make! Arrived in the dining room at 8:40 and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the meal tonight, including
a bottle of champagne. We both savored a wonderful Beef Wellington, followed by an equally good Creme
Brulee. It was a delicious meal and of course the service was again outstanding. Clocks back ½ hour
tonight (yes, ½ hour). 

DAY AT SEA (Casual/Western Dress) 

Another warm, calm, relaxing day at sea. After breakfast we made a trip to the Future Cruise Consultant to
check into booking this same cruise next year. We unfortunately discovered that RCI has altered the Royal
Journeys for next year and would only be doing the reverse Singapore to Sydney trip ONCE in early
December 2001 - the Royal Journeys will not end by reversing itineraries and returning to the
Mediterranean. However, they have added a 16-night Auckland to Honolulu (via Tahiti) itinerary departing
March 31, 2002 that sounded so interesting we booked it instead. Hopefully we will be able to arrange a
pre-cruise trip back to Cairns! It was Italian night in the dining room tonight so lots of Italian meals were
featured. After the entrée all the dining room staff paraded through the dining room and congregated
around our table and down the stairs where they all joined in a rendition of O Solo Mio. All-in-all the dinner,
service, and entertainment were very good. At this point let us add another informational note - Royal
Caribbean does not tell you in advance that there will be a Country theme night, but invites people to dress
in western garb for the evening. Likewise, there was a 50's/60's theme night later in the cruise when it
would have been fun to dress in the corresponding attire. So if you would like to dress for these types of
events, don't forget to bring some appropriate clothes. 

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA: Day 1 (Casual Dress) 

Shore excursions offered by Royal Caribbean: Darwin City Orientation - 3 hrs, $39 Jumping Crocodile
Cruise - 4 hrs, $77 Territory Wildlife Park - 4½ hrs, $54 Litchfield Escape - 9 hrs, $99, BBQ lunch Kakadu
National Park Adventure - 11½ hrs, $189, buffet lunch 

Today we had another private tour (Litchfield National Park), but this time it was arranged by one of our
internet friends, so I don't have the company name. Contrary to the Captain's assertion at the Repeater's
Party that it would be raining in Darwin, the weather was perfectly clear and very hot. We met our friends at
7:30, disembarked, greeted our guide Owen, and walked the short distance to his Toyota Land Cruiser to
begin what was soon to become one of our most enjoyable excursions ever. We drove for about an hour
until we reached the Litchfield National Park. Owen is a terrific guide and seems to know everything about
the wildlife, as well as the flora and fauna. He suddenly brakes and turns around whenever he sights
anything of interest. One such stop was to see a six foot water python which had just been recently killed by
the roadside, while another was to view a ‘fornicautorium,' which was a special nest built by a certain male
bird species to attract females. He made all his stories very interesting and humorous, and before the day
was over had us tasting berries & leaves and eating ants! We then stopped for morning coffee and snacks
at the Banyan Tree roadside inn, which naturally had a huge banyan tree on the grounds. 

After the morning snack we drove through the town of Batchelor, saw the Karlstein Castle (a Czech
immigrant who missed his homeland built a small replica of this castle & was ridiculed by the residents), and
then made our first major stop at the magnificent Florence Falls. We viewed the falls from a lookout, and
then Owen led us down a few steps to view some rock wallabies. On our way back to the car we ran into our
first busload of people from the ship, but Owen managed to successfully avoid them for the rest of the day.
We then drove to the Buley Rockhole for our first swim of the day in the incredible pools formed by the
water cascading down the Table Top Range. We spent a great deal of time here swimming in many of the
wonderful pools, and Owen showed us the best places to experience the force of the waterfalls. The water
temperature was perfect to offset the extreme heat and humidity of the day. After leaving Buley's on the
way to our lunch stop at Wangi Falls & park, we stopped at one of the huge termite mounds where Owen
took everyone's picture (as he did at the swimming holes). However before he could begin his narration
about the mounds, a park ranger truck pulled up and hailed Owen to show us a large (9 foot) crocodile
they had recently trapped and were transporting to a crocodile farm. It was amazing to be able to see &
touch a live crocodile up close & personal! Oddly enough the crocodile was trapped only about 500 meters
from the falls and parks where we were going to have lunch. 

While Owen (and his brother John) were getting lunch ready we viewed the magnificent Wangi Falls and
pool. Unfortunately swimming was temporarily forbidden due to flooding. We also got to see some huge fruit
bats hanging from nearby trees as we walked by the falls. We viewed some artwork (available for purchase)
by an Aboriginal woman and then returned for our lunch. There was a spread of potato salad, fruits and
vegetables, various sliced meats, pieces of chicken, and two kinds of bread. Everything was very tasty and
we enjoyed it all very much. After lunch we headed to yet another swimming hole at Tolmer Falls. We had
to walk a bit to get there, but then had the pools entirely to ourselves. While swimming in the warm water, a
water monitor (family of Kimono Dragon) made its appearance, and the girls quickly nicknamed it Robbie.
The lizard climbed the rocks within inches of everybody and ‘checked us out'. It then crossed the creek and
checked out our clothes on the shore before re-crossing the creek and disappearing in the foliage. What a
great experience. After swimming for a while we made our way back to the major termite mounds where
Owen finished describing all about them. It was so interesting to learn that they are all ‘built' of digested
grasses–yet have the appearance of rock–and are all similar in appearance (narrow & long) to regulate the
temperature within the mound from the ‘movement' of the sun during the day. Then it was the hour drive
back to the ship where we arrived around 5:45. We all thanked Owen profusely for the magnificent day and
paid the extremely reasonable AUD$99 per person (about US$50 - the ship was charging US$99 per
person for a 3 hour shorter tour). It was an exhausting but marvelous day! 

Legend of the Seas: Sydney to Singapore (Part 3 of 3) 

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA: Day 2 (Casual Dress) 

Today we took our first RCI shore excursion, and although there were 3 other busloads of people, we still
had a great time on the Jumping Crocodile Cruise. We got a good seat on the bus and drove through the
new residential suburb of Palmerston, along mango groves, and through wetlands during the 1 hour ride to
the Adelaide River. There we boarded the Adelaide River Queen for the 1½ hour jumping crocodile cruise.
We had hoped to get a seat on the top of the boat, but it was full by the time our bus load of people
boarded. So we ended up on the bottom at a window seat, which turned out to be absolutely perfect for
viewing the crocodiles (we really lucked out this time). This river is infested with an estimated 800 salt water
crocodiles varying in size from 7-20 feet. As the boat sailed up river (we were about 90 kilometers up river
from the mouth) a crocodile would approach and a deck hand on the upper deck would dangle a piece of
meat (basically a large pork chop) on a rope from a pole in front of the crocodile. It would then be slightly
raised to cause the crocodile to ‘jump' out of the water to grab it. This was done strictly with the strength of
their tails and was really quite spectacular. The boat Captain alternates the side of the boat for ‘feedings'
so everyone gets a fascinating view of the scene. It was a most unusual, but interesting, excursion. 

Some of our internet friends greeted us when we returned to the ship and invited us to their cabin for the
sail away at 1:00PM. There we shot off ‘poppers' and noisemakers, drank champagne, and waved to the
well wishers on shore as we left this wonderful country. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then
went to the Champagne Bar before heading to the dining room. Dinner was very good tonight, and after
our entrées the pianist (Michael) stopped by our table to introduce himself and ask if there was any music
we would like to hear tomorrow. He was quite a guy, who related humorous anecdotes of incidents on past
cruises. Clocks back 1 hour tonight. 

DAY AT SEA (Smart Casual Dress) 

Another relaxing day at sea. We decided to take in one of the production shows this evening and went to
the That's Entertainment Theater at 7:00 for the scheduled 7:15 show. We were the 1st ones there, but the
theater started filling up immediately thereafter. However, when the Cruise Director came on stage at 7:15
he announced that the scheduled ‘Jump Jivin' Swing' show (60's night) with the Royal Caribbean Singers &
Dancers was canceled because 3 cast members were sick and another was injured. In its place was a
performance by the Australian Three Tenors, which turned out to be an excellent show. Dinner & service
were again outstanding and we had 2 surprises in store for us this evening. The first came while we were
enjoying our 1st course, when the pianist Michael remembered our request from yesterday and played
Unchained Melody. The 2nd came after dessert. After dining on escargots, french onion soup, filet mignon,
lobster tail, and Grand Marnier souffle for dessert, our waiter brought by a 2nd dessert - Crepes Suzette!
He & our assistant Maître D' remembered that we had mentioned on a previous night how much we enjoyed
Crepes Suzette. This is the kind of service and attention that means so very much, and is one of the main
reasons we will be back on the Legend again next year. Clocks back ½ hour tonight. 

BALI, INDONESIA: Day 1 (Casual Dress) 

Shore excursions offered by Royal Caribbean: Bali ‘As You Please' - 8 hrs, $229 per van, lunch on own
Ancient Bali - 4½ hrs, $49 Sights & Sounds of Bali - 6½ hrs, $39 Bali Bicycle Exploration - 4 hrs, $39 River
Rafting - 6½ hrs, $84, lunch Ubud ‘On Your Own' - 7 hrs, $27, lunch on own Mystical Bali - 5¼ hrs, $84,
Indonesian dinner A Royal Evening - 4½ hrs, $99 Lake Batur & Countryside - 9 hrs, $69, lunch Central Bali
- 9 hrs, $69, lunch Mengwi, Alas Kedaton, Tanah Lot - 9¾ hrs, $64, buffet lunch Golf Ahoy! - 7-9 hrs, $170,
lunch 

This is the only port on the itinerary that we did not enjoy and would not care to re-visit. The Padang Bai
harbor is a long way from most of the major attractions and the island contains only narrow winding roads
with a 60km/h speed limit, so it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. Add to this the poverty of the island, and
people who CONSTANTLY swarm to sell you things (10 times worse than Mexico!)–in your face, tugging at
your sleeves–and you can get some sort of idea what we are talking about. Of course this does not bother
some people, but it is certainly NOT for us. 

This was our only tender port, and we did 2 RCI excursions here (although there were numerous Bali tour
companies on the internet, NONE offered services from the remote Padang Bai harbor). Unfortunately, both
ship excursions were VERY disappointing. The tenders were operated very efficiently throughout the day,
and of course those with excursions met in the Anchors Away lounge to be grouped for a particular tender.
It took 15 minutes to reach the wharf, where we were greeted with Balinese music and dancers, as well as
hordes of people. Our 1st excursion was the morning Bicycle Adventure, and we were met on the pier by
staff who gave us an instructional talk and then led us to our bikes and helmets. Contrary to the shore
excursion brochure description, this was a very strenuous outing that turned out to be 75% uphill! The high
temperature, high humidity, and bright sunshine quickly took it's toll on everybody. The tour made 4 stops
which gave people a bit of time to rest, but it was not enough. The 4 stops included 2 temples, a rice field,
and a Balinese family compound. The latter two were quite interesting but, since Bali has more than 3,000
temples, the 1st 2 temple stops were not all that spectacular in our opinion. Fortunately, the staff had
plenty of water and mints available at all times, as well as fresh fruit during the rice field stop. Nonetheless
the tour was very exhausting, and a great deal of the ride was along narrow public roads that were heavily
traveled, so we had to contend with blaring horns most of the time. The guides also did not keep the group
together and we would be strung out for a mile, with the stragglers missing half of the commentary at each
stop. 

The tour ended back at the pier at noon and we immediately boarded the tender for the trip back to the
ship, where we quickly showered and changed clothes. Then we went to lunch and rested during the
afternoon because our 2nd excursion was the evening Mystical Bali excursion. It started to rain (and
thunder) quite heavily during the late afternoon, but the Purser's Desk said the tour was ‘a go' even though
the brochure said that we eat ‘in an open-air dining area' at the Bali Bird Park. We were supposed to meet
on the pier at 5:30 so Tommie & I went to the tender area at 5:00 and caught a tender that arrived at the
pier at 5:15PM. Even being 15 minutes early, 2 of the 5 busses for the excursion were already full; heaven
only knows how much earlier the rest of the people arrived! The bus left at 5:30 and then drove for 1½
hours to get to the Bali Bird Park (which was only about 30km away!) for dinner. Fortunately the rain did
stop, but the dining area at the bird park was covered so it didn't make any difference. We arrived just after
7:00 and it was already dark, so we didn't get to see the sunset nor the bird park itself. Dinner consisted of
a buffet selection of Indonesian cuisine including sweet & sour chicken, fish, beef, spicy rice (the best),
angel hair noodles, and vegetables, all of which was very good. After the meal we did stroll around what
little of the bird park was lighted, but very little could be seen. At 8:00 we re-boarded the bus for another 15
minute drive to the community center where the Kecak and Fire Dance was to be held. It turned out to be a
bust as the seating was terrible so most people could not see well, the lighting was poor, and it was never
explained to us what the ritual dance and chanting was supposed to symbolize. The only interesting item
was when the center statue of kerosine torches unexpectedly fell over and spilled most of the oil on the
floor. But then it got really dark until they eventually replaced some of the torches. This went on for almost
40 minutes before the long awaited fire dance started. But then the fire dance was not the advertised
walking over hot coals but merely a dancer who very quickly walked into a pile of flaming coconut husks
and then scattered them around the floor (much to the chagrin of the people that had the few front row
seats) and rolled around on them for a few seconds. All-in-all the ‘fire dance' portion of the show lasted
only about 2 minutes, and was a disappointment in our opinion. Then we had to endure another long 1½
hour drive back to the wharf. Fortunately our bus was the 2nd one to leave the dance show at 9:15 so we
were able to fit on the 1st tender waiting at the pier. We arrived back at the ship just before 11:00PM, and
decided not even to go into port again tomorrow; the purported low prices are not worth having to endure
the crowds and peddlers. 

BALI, INDONESIA: Day 2 (Casual Dress) 

Today we basically enjoyed the ship while a majority of the passengers were ashore. We did a lengthy
videotape tour of the ship (something we do on every cruise), played some miniature golf, and relaxed in
the sunshine. 

DAY AT SEA (Formal Dress) 

Another relaxing day at sea, and of course tip envelopes were waiting on our bed after dinner. 

DAY AT SEA (Casual Dress) 

We enjoyed our last room service breakfast of this cruise on our balcony, and exchanged cards as it was
our 6th Wedding Anniversary. At 10:00 we went out for a two mile exercise walk around Deck 10, as we
have done several times during the cruise but failed to mention earlier. We ate lunch in the dining room
and then spent most of the afternoon leisurely packing. At 4:30 we headed up to the pool deck for the 5:00
Crossing the Equator ceremony, and it's a good thing we did because it was already filling up with people.
Fortunately we did get a good spot along the upper deck railing, for only a few minutes later people were 2
and 3 deep and pushing and shoving. The ceremony was quite good with King Neptune passing judgement
on 2 passengers (polywogs) and the Staff Captain, followed by their being ‘tortured' (spaghetti with red
sauce and hot dogs thrown out from behind a drape-covered ‘operating table'), and then thrown into the
pool. After the ceremony we returned to the cabin (some hors d'oeuvres were waiting), did a bit more
packing, watched some TV, and enjoyed several cocktails/wine. At 6:00 we both showered and got dressed
(we decided to dress semi-formal since we were celebrating our anniversary). Just before leaving the cabin
we witnessed a most spectacular sunset (our last on the ship) and watched as the sun dipped completely
into the sea. What a glorious way to end our last day at sea! We had a great meal, and celebrated with a
bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne. After dessert our entire wait staff sang us Happy Anniversary as a
small cake was delivered. Shortly thereafter we distributed the tips and said our good byes. 

SINGAPORE: Disembarkation, 2½ Day Stay & Trip Home 

In Singapore we elected to do the Royal Caribbean 2 night post-cruise stay at the Oriental Hotel. We awoke
at 6:30 as the ship was docking, and decided to try the dining room for breakfast as we feared the
Windjammer Café would be very crowded. Service wasn't that great, but it was certainly better than some
last morning meals we have suffered through on other cruises. After breakfast we gathered belongings
from our cabin and found a spot near the shore excursion desk to wait for our disembarkation color to be
called. We were called at 9:15 (15 minutes earlier than scheduled), and traversed the long distance
through the cruise terminal to our waiting bus. We were then treated to a 3½ hour city tour, which included
stops at the Colonial site, Chinatown, a gem & metals factory, and the Botanical gardens. We also drove up
to Mount Faber, through Little India, past Raffles hotel, and many other places. It was actually a pretty good
intro to Singapore, which is a fascinating city to visit. 

We arrived at the Oriental Hotel at 1:30PM. Our room was not going to be ready until after 2:00 so Tommie
& I dropped off our luggage in a day room provided by RCI (primarily for those with late afternoon flights)
and headed to the adjacent shopping mall for lunch. We returned to the hotel at 2:30 and obtained the
keys to our room, along with a welcome packet from Royal Caribbean. The room is very nice and quite
large, with a balcony and all sorts of amenities. We read through the RCI materials and rested for about ½
hour before venturing out to the mall once again. When we returned to the hotel around 4:45 our luggage
had been delivered, so we unpacked a few things we would need for the next couple days. At 7:20 we left
for dinner and decided to try something totally different. It was a restaurant in the mall complex called the
Seoul Gardens, and was a place where you cooked your own food. The food was presented
all-you-can-eat buffet style, where you filled plates with finely cut up pieces of chicken, lamb, pork, beef,
fish, crab, shrimp, noodles, salads, etc. and took them back to a table where you cooked everything at your
leisure (almost like a fondue). The cooker was a circular recessed tray with a hole in the middle, where a
bowl of hot water was placed. Both were heated by an adjustable flame from below. Basically one placed
various foods around the cooker tray and stir fried them. We placed noodles into the bowl of water to get
them hot, but later noticed that most people (locals) used the center bowl to cook a variety of leafy
vegetables and fishy things to make a soup, which they then scooped into small bowls to eat. After
surreptitiously watching others we discovered that you could also obtain small cups of different sauces
(who knows what they were) which were spooned lightly over the cooking meats to add flavor and
caramelize them. We ate to our hearts (and stomachs) content and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 

The next day we decided to venture out on our own and visit Sentosa Island. Numerous tour companies
had been found on the internet before the cruise, but Singapore is an easy place to get around on your
own. We slept in late and went down to the Café des Artistes at 9:30 for a terrific breakfast, which was
included in the hotel package. At 10:40 we caught a cab outside the hotel and headed for the World Trade
Center, where we could catch the cable car to Sentosa Island. We had a great taxi driver who suggested
we make a slight detour to a good shopping area. We quickly found ourselves at a silk shop, jewelry store,
and watch & leather goods boutique. Half an hour later, with our shopping needs satisfied, it was time to
carry on to our original destination (our taxi driver was waiting nearby). We arrived at the Cable Car Tower
at 11:30 (taxi S$5.50, about US$3.25) & purchased tickets for the cable car (S$6.90pp, about US$4),
admission to Sentosa (S$6.00pp, about US$3.50), and entrance to the Volcanoland attraction (S$12.00pp,
about US$7). We then ascended the elevator to the 15th level and boarded a cable car bound for Mount
Faber. From there we had magnificent views of the city, harbor, and Sentosa Island. After viewing the
sights we re-boarded the cable car for the ride to Sentosa. The Legend of the Seas was still in port and we
rode right over her - what a great sight! Once on Sentosa we began touring the sights. We walked among
the flower gardens and the Merlion walk, marveling at the colorful fountains. Walking past the Merlion itself
(13 storey ½ lion, ½ fish), we made our way to the Volcanoland attraction which turned out to be a real
bust. By now it was almost 2:30, so we walked to the Food Court and treated ourselves to yet more Oriental
food. Boy did the food ever taste good! The heat was now starting to get to us both so we decided to take
the monorail around the island and see if there was anything else we wanted to see. The circle trip took
more than ½ hour. We elected to forgo Underwater World (we've seen Sea World) and Butterfly World
(we've seen the one in Victoria, British Columbia), but did enjoy riding past the most southern point on the
Asian continent which is only 160km from the equator. After the monorail we walked a bit more around the
park, and then caught the cable car back to the World Trade Center where we had to wait in a line (oops,
queue) about 10 minutes for a taxi. We arrived back at the hotel at exactly 5:00PM, showered and rested
for a while, and then went out to a different restaurant in the mall for an uninspired dinner. Afterwards we
took a short walk along the marina promenade but couldn't go as far as we wanted because of
construction. We returned to the hotel and called it a night. 

After a good nights sleep we enjoyed our last breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then re-packed most of
our luggage. At 11:45 we called for a porter to pick up our luggage, and subsequently checked out of the
hotel. We caught a taxi at noon and arrived at the Changi Airport just 20 minutes later (S$11.30, about
US$6.50). We can imagine what a nightmare this place must be when it is busy because there is NOT a
single check-in line where the 1st person in line goes to the next available agent. Rather, a separate line
forms behind each agent so if a particularly troublesome client takes an inordinate amount of time, that line
would wait and wait while other lines are moving. Fortunately the lines at the Singapore Air check-in
counters were short and we had our boarding passes 10 minutes later. Aside from the potential check-in
problems, this is a lovely airport with vast amounts of space, plenty of shops and stores (at normal prices),
an Orchid Garden, and several food courts. We're amazed how such a vast airport survives because the
number of departing flights could be listed on just 2 television monitors. We entered this area through
Immigration at 12:30 and spent the next 2 hours shopping, eating lunch and then waiting for our 5:30 flight.
The flight left 15 minutes late, but Singapore Air–even in coach–was a terrific airline - the food and
amenities onboard were excellent. We both spent a good deal of the flight watching the onboard
entertainment on our personal video screens. A small control device could be removed from the armrest
allowing us to choose from 12 different movies, 10 different short features, a multitude of musical programs,
and 60 different video games. The device also doubled as a telephone. With the great food &
entertainment, the long flight home passed in no time. 

Summary 

Well we think you can appreciate from the above report that this was an OUTSTANDING cruise in virtually
every regard. The itinerary was one of the best we have ever done; so much so that we will be returning
next year. The ship was beautiful, and the service, facilities & amenities absolutely top notch. There could
have been a better selection of food, but we still managed to put on almost 10 pounds each! The weather
was terrific, and the people were so friendly everywhere we went (except Bali). This cruise came about as
close to being the perfect cruise, as one could ever hope to experience. Royal Caribbean has certainly
moved up in our ranking of cruise lines! We would highly recommend the Legend of the Seas and the
Royal Journeys (called Exotic Journeys next year) to anyone seeking more exotic destinations (Cairns &
Darwin were exceptional) and a truly memorable cruise experience. 

We hope that some of the information contained in this report will be of assistance to those who might be
contemplating a cruise on Legend of the Seas, and would welcome any questions or comments at the email
address shown at the beginning of the report. 

Web Site Links 

Sydney Day Tours ( http://www.sydneydaytours.com.au/ ) 

Captain Cook Harbor Cruises ( http://www.captcookcrus.com.au/sydney/index.html ) 

Great Adventures ( http://www.greatadventures.com.au/ ) 

Hot Air ( http://www.hotair.com.au/ ) 

Darwin Tours ( http://www.aussieadventure.com.au/ ) 

Northern Territory Tours ( http://www.nttc.com.au/ ) 

Bali Tours ( http://www.bali-paradise.com/touroperator.html ) 

Singapore Tours ( http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~jmc/zakilist.htm ) 

Name: warren massey
Email: repmassey@aol.com
Age: 52
Occupation: government
NumberOfCruises: 12
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Legend
SailingDate: 12/19/99 
Itinerary: millenium cruise/sydney to auckland
Cabin: 6091
FoodDiningRoom: 82
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService: 89
CruiseStaff: 60
CabinAmenities: 75
FoodLidoDeck: 86
DiningRoomService: 90
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 0
CabinSteward: 75
ShoreExcVariety: 5
FoodVariety: 75
DeckService: na
ShoreExcValue: 5
GoodForHoneymoon: 70
CasinoStaff: 76
PrivateIsland: na
GoodForFamilies: 60
LoungeService: 86
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 88
EntertainmentLounges: 88
WheelchairAccess: na
ExerciseFacilities: 88
EntertShowLounge: 89
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: na
EntertainmentPoolside: na
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 25
MedicalFacilities: na
ShipCleanliness: 89
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs: 88
DeckSpace: 78
Stabilization: 87
ShopsOnBoard: na
SpaceRatio: 87
OverallCruiseValue: 50
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 17 Aug 2000
Time: 00:56:00
Remote Name: spider-tf031.proxy.aol.com
Remote User: 

Comments

First of all, I am/was a platinum cruiser with royal caribean. I will probably never sail with them again
after this disasterous experience. I bought my own air and precruise in sydney, australia, because I
was able to save $900 per person over the cruise offer. The first thing I found out upon leaving
port was that there were NO midnight buffets, even though they were in the brochure. The pursor
actually tried to make me believe that the reason for no buffets was that the customers ( that's you
and me ) had complained about the wasted food when there were so many starving children in the
world. ( no kidding- this was the story ) the only food after dinner was by the pool (frozen pizza, hot
dogs, hamburgers) NOTHING to drink-not even water. I finally emailed Miami and got late beverage
service, but that only lasted about 3 days ( 21 day cruise ) we had 7 at sea days while the ports
were open. we were in port on 4 national holidays and none of the shops were open. ghost towns.
some planning, huh. they offered a fairy penguin tour for over $200. us. six of us rented a van and
driver and did the same tour for $70. for all of us. I took a fishing trip advertised as Lake Rotorua
fishing. ( Lake Rotorua is ranked #2 in the world for lake trout. We drove two hours and passed
Lake Rotorua to end up at some no name volcano lake with few fish according to the guide and 4
fishing rods for 22 anglers. We got a refund ( but lost a day of vacation in New Zealand, what is
that worth? Nothing, according to RCCL. 

The double new years celebration on the date line was great, but not thanks to the ships crew. I
have never had so much trouble getting help from the stewards. They were absolutely not
interested in customer service until you stood there and demanded to see the captain. Then when
they were convinced you were not going to leave, they would finally help a little, but with an
attitude. 

With all the fresh food available in Australia and New Zealand, the cruise line still brought their food
from Miami. Freshness was problem as was real variety. The staff in the dining room really tried
hard to make up for the other problems. 

I have never filled out one of these before, but having cruised 7 times with Royal Caribean, I felt
like they would respond to my complaint letter. They did not. They obviously believe there are
enough new cruisers available to ignore regular patrons. I only hope one of their staff reads this. I
would be looking if it was my business. I have booked a new cruis with another line for 14 days in
europe. I hope it is better. I had a similar experience with Royal Caribean in Asia on the Sun Viking.
They did not respond to that letter either. I think maybe they should stick to what they do best and
that is the caribean for which they are named. Outside of oversight of Miami, they are a pitiful
bunch of folks. Beware.

Name: Libby Child
Email: lchild@steelcase.com
Age: 50
Occupation: Human Resource Manager
NumberOfCruises: 20
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Legend
SailingDate: September 9, 2000
Itinerary: 12 Night W. Mediterranean
Cabin: 7068
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 100
GoodForHoneymoon: 
CasinoStaff: 100
PrivateIsland: 
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 100
TenderService: 100
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 
EntertainmentLounges: 100
WheelchairAccess: 
ExerciseFacilities: 
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon: 
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 100
AirSeaProgram: 
MedicalFacilities: 
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Oct 2000
Time: 04:48:24
Remote Name: steelcase-cp.steelcase.com
Remote User: 

Comments

RCCL Legend of the Seas September 9, 2000 12 night W. Mediterranean 

My husband and I are cruise enthusiasts, and felt we had taken the perfect cruise when we were on the
Legend of the Seas for her Mediterranean itinerary in the fall of 1999. However, we decided to repeat the
itinerary this year because there was so much we missed seeing the first time, as each port of call offers so
many options of places to see and things to do. Also, we’d been in the Caribbean several times since being
in the Mediterranean, and we wanted our 20th cruise to be special. We both agreed on the flight to
Barcelona that though are expectations were high – we might feel a bit of a letdown since our first
experience had been so wonderful. I’m delighted to report the second time was even better than the first! 

First, and I believe foremost, RCCL had the concept of excellent customer service, attentiveness and
courtesy prevalent throughout our cruise experience. They certainly understand that their best asset is the
respect and loyalty of their passengers – and treated us (and everyone) accordingly. I believe their goal is
to assure a vacation on their ship(s) is like no other on earth – and for us, the goal was exceeded. 

The Barcelona embarkation experience was great – it took us less than 20 minutes to ‘check in’ and be in
our cabin. We enjoyed an extra day in Barcelona before boarding – which I highly recommend. It’s a
beautiful city, and along with enjoying the sights, you also get a good night’s sleep to overcome the jet lag. I
definitely recommend this approach, and also, not to miss a stroll down Las Ramblas: quite ‘the’ attraction in
Barcelona. 

The 12 night Western Mediterranean history included stops in Marseilles, Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Naples,
a restful day at sea, 2 days in Venice, a day a sea, Messina, Sicily, Civitavaecchia (Rome), Ville Franche
(Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo), one last restful day at sea, and back in to Barcelona for disembarkation –
another process that went well. As we experienced last year – the culture, history, art, religious significance
and sheer beauty we saw are things that cannot be replicated in a book or taught in a class. The museums
and cafes in Florence, the experience of seeing the history of Rome by horse and buggy, the architectural
ruins near Messina and the beautiful scenic view from the top of Capri, the hillsides of Eze (near Nice) and
the sheer thrill and beauty of Venice are awesome. Going down the Grand Canal in Venice reminded me of
the popular American song of ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’, because as we were departing Venice – I
knew I’d left part of my heart there. 

Now – on to some of the particulars of the good service, attentiveness and courtesy that I mentioned earlier.
Our entire dining experience was made extremely enjoyable by the very fine service provided by our waiter,
Ugur Ercan, our assistant waiter, Rhoit Arora and assistant maitre de, Deniz Mehmet. Though their
demeanor was always highly professional, they were also fun and congenial, making our meals one of the
highlights of each day. 

With some luggage being lost along the way, the purser staff was extraordinary in handling all of my
concerns and questions – and yes! located and got my luggage to me by the third day at sea. Doug
MacLennan, Maru Andrade and Paulo Santos couldn’t have been kinder and friendlier during the entire
cruise – even after ‘the disaster’ had been resolved. They performed a number of special favors for me,
and their friendliness and concern will always be remembered. 

The dining and purser staff certainly reflected the cordial, professional and service oriented demeanor
exhibited by our hotel director, Fred DeCosse. We had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Mr.
DeCosse several times throughout the cruise, and his many kindnesses and cordiality will be remembered
as being very special. 

As we believe the critical difference in getting and maintaining repeat business will be in customer service
and satisfaction – I need to mention what a difference Captain Thomas Wildung, Master of the Legend of
the Seas, made for us. This is the third time we’ve cruised with him, and he went out of his way to make us
feel special, valued and VIP passengers. His pride in his profession, ship and employer is reflected
throughout the Legend of the Seas cruise experience. We feel it’s truly an honor and a privilege when we
have the opportunity to cruise with him on his beautiful ship. 

After reading our review, it will probably not come as a surprise to the reader that we have already booked
cruises number 21 and 22 on RCI ships, and we’re working on cruise number 23 to be back on the Legend
of the Seas while it’s doing a delightful itinerary through Scandinavia and Russia next summer. 

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any specific questions. Libby Lchild@steelcase.com 

Name: Barbara Thatcher
Email: barbara.thatcher3@virgin.net
Age: 50
Occupation: Secretarial services
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Legend
SailingDate: 22 July 2000
Itinerary: Western Med
Cabin: Cabin with balcony
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService: 
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 00
FoodMidnightBuffets: 
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 88
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon: 
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 
GoodForFamilies: 99
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 
GoodForSeniors: 
BeautySalonStaff: 85
EntertainmentLounges: 
WheelchairAccess: 
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram: 95
MedicalFacilities: 90
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 80
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 03 Nov 2000
Time: 15:41:55
Remote Name: p11-redstart-gui.tch.virgin.net
Remote User: 

Comments

This was our first cruise and we were a little apprehensive but it exceeded all our expectations. Our
two teenagers (boy of 14, girl of 16) were of an age when they wanted to do their own thing, while we
like to tour around and see lots of places. We were all delighted - Holly and Mike met lots of kids their
own age and we hardly saw them on ship days and we also made friends and had some great trips
ashore. Our favourite was the Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii trip but the jetfoil trip between Naples and
Capri was pretty awful - even though the sea was calm many people were sick. The crew insisted on
keeping the main doors closed because of the air conditioning but what people wanted was fresh air!
There was a small upper deck space and we found it thank goodness. 

Best things about the cruise were the food and restaurant service in Romeo and Juliets - we didn't use
the Windjammer because we loved being spoiled by the waiters. The cabin staff were great too. The
stewards in our section were mostly from the Caribbean and could charm the birds off the trees. 

Name: Arthur Snyder
Email: arthur@snyder.prserv.net
Age: 56
Occupation: Software Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Legend
SailingDate: October 27, 2000
Itinerary: Mediterranian
Cabin: 3727
FoodDiningRoom: 93
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService: 
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 89
FoodLidoDeck: 83
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets: 
CabinSteward: 92
ShoreExcVariety: 85
FoodVariety: 87
DeckService: 78
ShoreExcValue: 75
GoodForHoneymoon: 
CasinoStaff: 
PrivateIsland: 
GoodForFamilies: 
LoungeService: 87
TenderService: 
GoodForSeniors: 
BeautySalonStaff: 
EntertainmentLounges: 82
WheelchairAccess: 
ExerciseFacilities: 
EntertShowLounge: 72
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon: 
EntertainmentPoolside: 
CruiseActivities: 82
Casino: 
AirSeaProgram: 
MedicalFacilities: 
ShipCleanliness: 83
EmbarkDisembark: 92
DiscoNightclubs: 83
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 80
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 92
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Jan 2001
Time: 00:01:47
Remote Name: slip-32-100-32-197.mn.us.prserv.net
Remote User: 

Comments

In October we took a twelve day eastern Mediterranean cruise on the Legend of the Seas. This was our fourth
cruise but the first cruise longer than seven days. The best thing about a longer cruise was the opportunity to
get to know people (fellow passengers and cruise staff) better. I felt we developed more of a personal
relationship with people than on shorter cruises. 

We enjoyed the Legend of the Seas. It was a beautiful ship. By that I mean the public rooms were very
attractive. The atrium went up five or six decks and had a lovely staircase up the first two decks and glass
elevator that went from the Champagne Terrace on deck 4 up to the Viking Crown Lounge on deck 11. The
Showtime Lounge was very comfortable, seemed to easily seat everyone, and very open; I don't think there
was an obstructive view in the place. The main dinning room was on two decks with windows that went up
though both decks giving it a very open, roomy feel. Another outstanding area was the Solarium which had
the atmosphere of perhaps a greek or roman bath. 

Our cabin (inside on deck 3) was certainly adequate. There was enough closet/drawer space for what we
brought (one large suitcase each). Space was used very efficiently. The room had two beds that could be
pushed together, a small dresser with vanity/mirror, a night table with a couple of drawers, and a small sofa. If
I were to complain about anything, it would be that the shower was too small. 

Our cabin steward was very pleasant and accommodating. He was always in the hallway in the morning before
breakfast and afternoon before supper. He always seemed to have time to participate in a brief conversation.
He always made up our room promptly; twice a day (usually while we were at breakfast or supper). And he
satisfied our every request (which were only a couple on arrangement of the room). 

The rest of the staff was also very pleasant. After a few days we had picked out some of the bar staff that we
particularly liked and looked for. One was very helpful in making suggestions while ashore. Our dinning room
waiter was particularly nice and friendly; eager to satisfy our requests. He was from Hungary, a trained chef,
and made very good recommendations on what was good on the menu. Of our four cruises (all with good
waiters), I think this one was my favorite. 

The entertainment in the Showtime Lounge was somewhat mediocre. It was good, but not as outstanding as
the rest of the experiences on this cruise. The song and dance numbers weren't particularly interesting. They
did have a couple of guest comedians (that came on board to give a one night show) that were good. And
there were a couple of small (two/three piece bands) that alternated playing in the Champagne Terrace that
provided relaxing, pleasant entertainment. 

The food was good; I didn't have anything that I did not like. I was especially pleased with the quality of food in
the Windjammer Cafe; which was much better than other cruises we have been on. It was still a buffet and not
as good as the dinning room; but it was good, which meant we could eat there whenever we were short of time
in the morning before leaving the ship or late getting back. Besides the main dinning room and the
Windjammer Cafe, there was a snack bar in the Solarium that served pizza, burgers, and hotdogs. I think this
was opened all night. They also had an ice cream bar in the Solarium serving cones and sundaes. 

The ship sailed out of Barcelona to Marseilles, Florence, Naples, Venice, Sicily, and Rome. Our favorite stop
was Venice; we were there two days. Florence was way too crowded with tourist and the lines too long to get
into some of the museums we would have liked to visit. We were suppose to stop at Nice/Monaco but the seas
were too rough that day so the ship went on to Barcelona a day early. The shore excursions were a little
pricey and some were hard to avoid (you almost had to take an excursion to get into Florence and into
Rome). Mostly, we took the on-your-own tour which would drop us in town and give us several hours to tour
on our own. In Naples we took the Amalfi Drive tour which was lovely (but overcast). In Venice, we primarily
used the water bus and toured completely on our own. We enjoyed all of the sites and shot several rolls of
film. 

This was a great cruise an I would recommend it to anyone looking to see some of southern Europe.

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