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Name: Terrence A. Smith
Email: Terrenceas@aol.com
Age: 32
Occupation: Lawyer
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Legend
SailingDate: May 24, 1998
Itinerary: Alaska Inside Passage
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 89
CabinComfort: 100
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 100
CabinAmenities: 100
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 100
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 100
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 80
OverallPortsofCall: 100
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 80
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 90
DiscoNightclubs: 70
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 100
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 100
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Jun 1998
Time: 00:38:14
Remote Name: 152.202.167.159
Remote User:
Comments
Legend of the Seas Review - May 24, 1998
I am an avid cruiser and have sailed with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Dolphin and Chadris.
However, this year my partner (Mark) and I decided to go on a cruse
to Alaska since we were bored with the Caribbean. Furthermore, the dream of going to
Alaska was one of those lifetime trips for us and since we are only in our
thirties and have many dream trips, we figured we should do this now before we both got
too old to really enjoy it.
All of the possible mishaps occurred prior to our trip, which we hoped meant we would have
a great trip. The most notable mishap occurred when we booked our
own flights through Continental. When we got our tickets, we discovered that we were not
booked to Vancouver where our ship was to depart, but to Toronto of
all places. At first, Continental was less than accommodating (they did not want to give
me a refund) until I pulled rank and mentioned that I was a lawyer. When
they heard that I was told that the refund would be credited to my credit card. Hey, you
got to do what you got to do.
Finally, the day arrived for us to depart from our home in Miami. The first sign that this
was to be a trip of a life time came when we arrived at Miami International
Airport. Mark had met this guy who turned out to be supervisor of reservations with
Northwest Airlines, with whom we eventually booked our flight. The short end
of this story is that after speaking with Mark for fifteen minutes, he took our tickets
and returned them to us with boarding passes indicating that we had first
class seats rather than our coach seats that we originally booked. Neither one of us had
ever flown first class so this was definitely a highlight. For those of you
who are Seinfeld fans, you should remember the scene where Jerry flew first class while
Elaine is stuck in coach. Lets just put it this way, first class is definitely all
that it is cracked up to be. What a hoot!!!
We finally arrived late in Vancouver and went through customs. The only thing I can say
about Canadian (and for that matter U.S.) customs and immigration is
RUDE!!! Lighten up guys. If you don=t enjoy your jobs then quit and get off our backs.
After the unfriendly discourse between ourselves and the customs officer, we proceed to
get our luggage and head by taxi (C$25) for the hotel. We stayed at
the Days Inn Downtown, which was fully booked. The only room that they had left was a
suite. Of course we took it and paid the price for the cheaper room. Lady
luck be our guide!!!
The following day we woke up and went for a rather expensive breakfast and then walked
around Canada Place. Canada Place is beautiful with its five white
sails, but unfortunately the Legend does not sail from there. However, we could see our
ship from Canada Place where it was docked at the Ballantyne Pier,
which we heard was in a seedy part of town.
After taking pictures with our camera and camcorder (typical tourists), we headed back to
the hotel to check out and head for the pier (C$10 taxi ride). The taxi
driver took us through Gastown and the so-called seedy part of town enroute to the pier. I
did not think the neighborhood look that bad, especially since the
ones I have seen in Miami are much worst. However, I would not take the risk of walking
around an unfamiliar neighborhood either.
As we crossed over a bridge we could see our ship. All I can say is that my heart was
racing--- not from a heart attack, but share excitement. The Legend is
beautiful and I could not wait to board her.
Embarkation: It was a breeze. Royal Caribbean does this well. They separate first and
second seating and for us second seating was the right choice. First
seating had to check-in downstairs while second checked in upstairs. Lets just put it this
way, the lines are much longer for first seating and they also have to
walk upstairs to get to the gangway leading to the ship.
After checking in we stood in another line to board the ship. We were the sixth couple in
line. Since we arrived about a half hour before boarding, I decided to
return to the first floor to look for our two friends who we had met on our previous
cruise and who were traveling with us this time. They had flown in the night
before from New Jersey. Anyway, when I did not see them I attempted to return to the
second floor, but I was stopped by a RCCL=s security guard who
immediately told me to board the crew elevator and go to the ship. I explained to him that
I had no intention to work on this cruise since I was on vacation and
walked away. I guess it was the RCCL jacket I wore.
Prior to boarding we went through the metal detector where I was stopped and frisked for
the second time that day. The other time was at Miami International. It
must have been the metal in my shoes. After this we took the usual welcome aboard photos
and walked on to the ship via the Promenade Deck (Deck 4) and
were greeted by smiling attendants. Our first impression was that we definitely were not
on the Carnival Sensation (the last ship we cruised upon). No, there was
no glitz or neons that are so bright that even a blind man could see them. Instead, the
atrium, which we understand RCCL pioneered, was nicely done in pastels,
brass, soft wood, and marble. Very nice.
We quickly made our way to our cabin, a superior inside on the Commodore Deck (Deck 7). We
had booked the cheapest cabin and got upgraded to a category
J thanks to our cruise consultant. Although the cabin was a bit smaller than our cabin on
the Sensation, it was still comfortable. There was also a full length sofa.
The room was done in soft pastels. Again very nice. Although the bathroom was a bit small,
it was still usable.
Public Rooms: After we unpacked, we went on our tour of the ship. Magnificent. We
especially liked the solarium which is done in a Roman motif. This area got
very warm under the Alaskan sun because the canopy was never opened, but it was a great
place to have snacks. We loved the burgers, fries and pizza at the
Solarium Café.
We also liked the Schooner Bar and the Champagne Terrace Bar located on the Promenade
Deck. In the Schooner Bar look for Anita from Hungary and Conny
from Bombay in the Champagne Terrace Bar. They are both great examples of the nice staff
that live on the Legend. We always ordered hot chocolate from
Anita who began calling Mark and I and our friends (Chris and Kenny) the "hot
chocolate misters." Chris, who is a woman, did not seem to mind. Conny
impressed us because he remembered our names and would call to us every time he saw us
walking through the atrium.
As for the bars themselves, the Schooner Bar, was perhaps my favorite. It had a old
galleon feel to it. There were even two models of the old tall ships and the
curtains on the windows looked like they were made from old ship masts. The Champagne
Terrace is a simple bar, but it was a great place to people watch or to
listen to the Sharon Lawrence Trio. She was fabulous. Perhaps the best entertainment on
board.
Other public areas include the Viking Crown Lounge high atop the ship, the library and
card room (Deck 7), the Butterfly Court (Deck 8), the casino, the miniature
golf course ($5.00 per game or $30 for the week. We did not pay because we thought it
should have been included) and the Romeo and Juliet Dining Room
(Decks 4 and 5). Of these we especially loved the dining room. Again a very tasteful room.
Unlike Carnival, the dining room is two stories and very spacious.
There are two-story walls of glass on either side which remained open throughout
breakfast, lunch and dinner so we never missed the great scenery.
Food: Again to compare the food with that of Carnival would not be fair given that there
really is no comparison. Unlike Carnival, we never returned any of our
meals. The food on RCCL was exceptional. Mark especially loved the desserts. I loved the
pastas and the meat dishes the best.
Entertainment: The entertainment was definitely geared for an older crowd, which made up
the majority of the guests. This trip there were two celebrity
entertainers: Carol Lawrence and Buddy Greco. I had heard of Carol Lawrence, who sang and
tapped her little legs and feet for one hour. Her son, Michael
Goulet (Robert Goulet's son) also joined her on stage for a solo and a duet number. As for
Buddy Greco we thought he was a comedian (showing our youth), but
left when we saw that he was not. Our favorite show was the farewell show put on by the
staff. The "If I were not on the Sea" number was hilarious.
Staff: Great. Every one was attentive, especially Stephen (our cabin Steward), Amir (our
waiter) and Emilia (our assistant server and one of maybe three women
working in the dining room --- a first for us and a plus for feminist) and Joe (our head
waiter). These people definitely worked hard to make this a dream vacation
for all of us.
Itinerary: Because the Legend can travel up to 24 knots, she was able to take us to four
ports and two national parks in seven days. We went to Glacier Bay,
Skagway, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan and Misty Fjords. We had nothing but blue skies after
we entered Glacier Bay on Day 3 which made the trip better than we
could have ever imagined. In fact, it got so warm that we were peeling off our clothes. At
one point it got up to 80 degrees in some places.
Our impressions of each place:
Glacier Bay: Truly a place to be closer to God. Skagway: Old west feel. Do the White Pass
and Yukon Train Excursion. Haines: Quaint town, but heavily populated
by large mosquitoes, the alleged state bird. We were told that there is a lady in Haines
who catches mosquitoes, drugs them and makes paper weights. I
wouldn’t have believed it if I did not see the paperweight in a store. Juneau:
Interesting State capital. Very tourist oriented. Do the Wildlife Cruise Excursion.
Although it was pricey, they guarantee you will see wildlife or they will give you half
your money back. We saw humpbacks, sea lions, seals and bald eagles. We
also got great views of the glaciers and the surrounding scenery. Ketchikan: Great town,
especially Creek Street. We loved the totem poles. Misty Fjords: When
we thought we had seen enough mountains, then came the fjords. This place was pristine. We
were told that the Legend and the Rhapsody are one of the few
large ships that can maneuver in the Fjords. The most amazing feat was watching our ship
being turned around in a narrow cove.
As for Vancouver, all we can say is what a beautiful place. The people are great as well.
We decided that since we had an extra day after the cruise, we would
take a highlights bus tour. We chose West Coast Sightseeing because they offered smaller
buses (25 seats). This would allow us to get to know our driver and
the our guests onboard. Paul, our driver, was very knowledgeable and funny. He took us to
Stanley Park, around the downtown area, Queen Elizabeth Park,
Granville Island, China Town and Gastown. We definitely plan to return and spend more time
in the city.
Final Comments: This was a fabulous trip even if our return trip home was in coach. This
was when we realized that our dream trip was over. However, we
definitely had a great time and wonderful memories thanks to RCCL, the staff of the
Legend, and the wonder people of Alaska and Vancouver.
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