I am going on a cruise next week on the Carnival Legend and was wondering if anyone has any tips?

Question

Can anyone who has been on a cruise before please give me some tips on what to do and how to make the best of the cruise.

I am going to the Western Carribean, Cozumel, Belize, Cayman, and Costa Maya. It's a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Legend.

Answer 1

I was also on the 5/6 Cruise and had a good time. Although the Legend wasn't my favorite ship in the Carnival Line we had a great time. If you can, book your excursions online, that way they are already paid for and you get a better choice.We went to Tulum in Cozumel which was awsome but have also taken the 4X4 trip on other trips there.

Belize we snorkeled but were picked up at the ship and returned directly to the ship. We went to Goff;s Cay and although it was beautiful we all felt a little like sardines on the way to the spot. The boat was cramped and dirty and the people leading the tour were bored with the whole thing.After 3 hours of snorkeling you were offered a bag of water and returned to the ship.

Costa Maya we didn't book any excursions, just shopped but our table mates at dinner went to the beach and had a fantastic time.

On the Caymans we took the pirate ship and my daughter had an awsome time swabbing the decks.

Make sure you wear flip flops or sandals when around the pools, the ground gets really hot and slippery and we saw many people fall. including my daughter. Thank Goodness no one was hurt.Have  a great time

Answer 2

I worked on a cruise ship that did that run for 5 months! Depending on what you want to do (do you want to see a lot of sights, get smashed, relax??) There are so many fun party places in Cozumel..Fat Tuesdays, Carlos N' Charlies, or you can do a 4 wheel drive tour to one of the nearby beaches or snorkel. In Belize there are some awesome ancient ruins you can see. Bring BUG REPELLENT! Costa Maya has some wonderful ruins too. You don't need a LOT of $$$... Just don't waste money on the tourist traps. The closer you are to the port dock..the more expensive the souvenirs.. So go inward to places that don't look so touristy to get the best deals. And Haggle!

have fun!

Answer 3

Just LOVE it. Enjoy and LOVE IT!

Also go to the pursers desk when you get on and tell them to take off gratuities and tell them u will pay them youself.

Answer 4

Let me just tell you - Grand Cayman is the BEST! Its like everywhere you go, the scenery is GREAT! When I went, I didnt realize that they have a town called 'h**l'. When we were in the gift shop, this man came up to the cashier & said, "Excuse me, can you tell me where the h**l t-shirts are?" I turned around like, 'how rude' but then I realized that they have an area called h**l - sorry, just thought Id share that little story LOL. Anyway, Cozumel is good shopping also, especially for leather goods & jewelry. When in Cozumel, go to Carlos & Charlies. Its good food & good fun. They do hilarious antics & if you like to drink, they will come around with a tequila bottle (or some kind of mix) & tilt your head back, pour it into your mouth but you cant swallow it. Then they take your head & roll it & shake it around until you cant stand it anymore, then they let you swallow it. They have all kinds of antics that are really fun. As far as the ship itself goes, my first tip would be to set aside some money before you do ANYTHING. Set aside anywhere close to $100 or maybe more, depending on how much you plan to spend on ship paraphernalia, for your Sign & Sail card - its a "cruise ship credit card" basically. You use this card for drinks & souvenirs & whatever else (except casino chips, spa, etc) & you pay the balance at the end of the cruise. I would actually take care of this bill the NIGHT BEFORE you come back to port to avoid terrible lines. Take advantage of the free ice cream & the 24-hr pizza. The midnight buffet is awesome, the ice sculptures, the food, everything is great. I would get there as early as possible though. If you are a souvenir buyer....like LOTS of souvenirs....I would do one of two things: ONE - buy an oversized bag at one of the ports-of-call or from the ship to carry them in, ESPECIALLY if they're fragile items or TWO - pack lighter than normal (if possible), that way you have room for souvenirs in your suitcase without smashing anything or stuffing it to the brim. Also, make sure, make absoLUTEly sure, that you are back on that ship ON TIME. They WILL leave you! Then its on you to get off that island & meet up with the ship. Also be aware of liquor laws/duties if you plan to buy alcohol as a souvenir...if you drink, that is. If not, good for you :-) The rooms are going to be a bit tight but think about how much time you'd actually be spending IN the room - not much, mostly to sleep & shower...and maybe other things but I wont go there :-), so its really not that big a deal. Check out the nightly entertainment, usually the night of the formal dinner. Since you're going on a 7-dayer, you'll have a Captains dinner & another formal night, I do believe. The entertainment is kind of "Vegas-y" but its still nice to catch, if you can. We had a comedy show as well, which was pretty funny. Be aware that people can drink as much as they want on board the ship so there WILL be some drunks running around. Just steer clear of them because some of them CAN be trouble. If you like the pool, Id take advantage either while the ship is docked or EARLY on the days-at-sea. If you wait until the afternoon on your days-at-sea, the pool will be so crowded, you wont be able to see the water IN the pool! One of the things that I loved was that you dont have to lift a finger if you want a frozen daiquiri poolside! Another thing Id at least think about is prepaid gratuities. It helps that way you dont have to figure out who gets what %, etc. Plus even if you prepay, if you got exceptional service you can drop them some more money. Just be reminded that the gratuities dont apply to your frozen daiquiri man :-) You tip him/her as they bring your drinks. The spa & salon facilities, you have to pay for. Those arent included in the cruise fee. Im not sure if you can put these services on your Sign & Sail (or is it Sail & Sign? lol) card though; Im almost sure its a cash deal but I dont know. The little figures that your room attendant will make with the towels are cute & creative. You almost hate to mess them up. You can order movies in your room for a slight fee. Oh yeah, you can also check your balance of your S&S card on the tv as well so Id do that from time to time just to keep track of what you're spending. Other than that, I think thats about all I can think of for right now. I think Ive typed enough lol. You have me wanting to take another cruise now! :-)

Bring lots of batteries for your digital camera of course.

Answer 5

I just went on this ship on 5/6/07 and had a completely awesome time!  First tip: when you get on immediately book your shore excursions if you are using the cruise company(i dont anymore...read on... but if you do this is my advice) because they fill up fast. Have money for the casino if you like that stuff and set limits on yourself or you will wind up gambling every night because its a lot of fun. If you are a slot machine person, enter the slot tournament because your money goes a lot further! See all the midnight comedy shows on board-absolutely hilarious top notch comics. Get a massage if you can afford it-it was the best massage i ever had-2 full hours with seaweed scrub-i think the massage therapist was named Lorraine. Grand Cayman was boring so pick a good excursion-we picked the reef and wreck snorkel tour and it really sucked-they took us like two feet off shore and we saw nothing. go into the jungel or something there. Cozumel was beautiful for a day at the beach on Channacaab park. Dont pay for a shore excusion there. Take a taxi to the park for 10$. $16 to get in park but well worth it. Can snorkel freely and there is this cool huge underwater statue. In addition the dolphin excusrion is right there so you can watch dolphins from the shore that are within 50 feet of you. Dont pay for the Dolphin excursion-it is very commercialized and robotic. Everything they did was just to get your picture because they want to sell you an expeensive video and pics at the end. They tell you that for 99$ you will swim with the dolphins and snorkel but it is basically a  step by step weird experience where they set up the dolphins near you and you have to smile at the camera. Not what i expected at all! Belize was phenomenal if you are willing to venture out on your own. We heard horror stories about not going beyond the gates but if you arange the right independent trip it will be the best day of your life. My hubby and i pd 200$ for the day through discoveringbelize.com and took a cab with steve from the deck and he protected us-it is rough beyond the gates but you just have to get past the few blocks surrounding the dock and then it is gorgeous. We took a little 6 seater plane out to san pedro and snorkeled on the largest living barrier reef in the world. We saw more fish then we have ever seen with Lil Alphonso's tours. After this trip I dont think i will ever take a cruise excursion. This was the most fun we have had in our lives-it was aaaaaamazing to say the least. sharks, sting rays, eels and tond of other species. Costa Maya is very commercialized at the dock. We took a short cab ride out to the real local town and walked down the dirt path by the ocean. There are cabana's and you can rent waverunners and stuff, plus the shops are inexprensive unlike the ones at the dock. Very relaxing. Any other questions feel free to email me at [e-mail]. Oh, and take the later seating dinner so you have time to relax and shower etc when you get back from long days out in the water and sun. Have fun!

Answer 6

Go to cruisecritic.com and click on any ship or destination you like for questions or advice. You can even go to Roll Call for Carnival and search for Legend and your date and get in contact with someone with similar interests on your specific cruise. Bon Voyage!

Answer 7

Take lots of $$$$$$! Have fun !

Answer 8

First let me tell you some general info for first time cruisers.  Your cabin will have two beds which can be made into a queen, a bathroom with a shower stall, a closet and some drawer space, a TV and telephone, a safe for valuables, and a life jacket for each passenger.  Some cabins that are built to accommodate 3 or 4 people will have a pull down bed and/or a sofa bed.

When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) they will set up a "tab" charge account for each passenger and you will receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will have you insert your key card into a scanner and then will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card.  Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship.

Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. There may be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.

Ships have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.

There are always pools. Some ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course.

There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf.  Ships have internet cafes and some offer WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent).  There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music.  Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave.  On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party .      

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take swim wear, shorts, sandals, beach shoes, your snorkel equipment if you have it, sun glasses and sun screen, lotions, a cap or big hat for the sun, a book if you are a reader, your music player, sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, your camera, and other personal toiletries.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

Most 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women. Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up. (we usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway).

Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage. Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and and your clothes that you sleep in.

-Join the cruise club so that the cruise line will send you their specials and so that you can get discounts on future cruises with them. The discount will typically be $50 to $100 per person. If you will be celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday during the cruise, be sure to tell them, they will do special stuff for that.

- Cruise lines charge a lot for the photos they take so take your own photos around the ship when you get the chance, especially on the formal nights. Ask other passengers to take photos for you, they generally are very willing.

-Review the listing of tours offered on your cruise and decide whether you want to pay for a tour or go on your own. On most Caribbean islands you can get a taxi or tour in port for much less than the cruise ship tours. HOWEVER, the one big advantage of going on ship sponsored tours is THE SHIP WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU if your ship sponsored tour is late getting back to the ship. If you will be in a port for 12 to 16 hours you are probably safe to go on your own for most anything. But if you are only there for six to eight hours you may want to stay close to the ship or go on the ship tours.

- Take a 6-pack of water and/or soft drinks in your carry on for your cabin.

- take a cup or mug with a lid for cold drinks when you are around the pool, most plastic glasses on cruise ships are small.