Carnival Legend Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I booked this 12 day cruise at short notice. The fare was heavily discounted and I've always wanted to go to Denarau, Fiji. This was my first time with Carnival and I liked it.
When I booked this cruise, I was concerned about the ship's security, after seeing video footage of unruly behaviour of some passengers and some security guards last February. The sight of some large security guards pinning an unruly passenger to the floor while other large security guards were kicking him was not a good look. What made things worse was the video footage of other security guards trying to grab the phone and cameras of onlookers who were recording the assaults. If Carnival security acts like this in front of witnesses, how do they act when there are no witnesses? Fortunately on my cruise, I didn't see this type of behaviour.
Most of my breakfasts were in the main dining room (MDR). There was plenty of choice. My favourite was the eggs benedict. Occasionally, the egg yolks were hard. I just sent them back and the waiter happily exchanged them. I had dinner in the MDR for all 12 nights. There was an extensive menu. Steak every night, if you wanted it. Each night there was a section of the menu called "something different". This included meals such as escargot and frogs legs. Sometimes I had 2 starters and 2 mains. On the rare occasion I didn't like something, the waitress happily replaced it with something different.This was the typical attitude of all the waiters. They wanted to make me happy. The standard coffee was good. The mid-meal entertainment performed by the MDR staff was something that had to be seen to be believed.
Cabin Review
Extended Balcony
The cabin size is 17 sq metres and the balcony, 3.7 sq metres. The room was neat and tidy. There was a 2 seat sofa, coffee table and a desk fixed to the wall. The balconies were divided by a petition with no gaps, providing privacy from your neighbours.
The cabin is located under the Lido deck, near the spa. Dragging deck chairs and running could be heard in the early hours, on occassions.
Port Reviews
Sydney (Australia)
So much to see and do and the public transport is great. Unfortunately, there are still some taxi drivers in Sydney that "forget" to turn on the meter.
Noumea
Ship diverted to Port Vila due to the Independence Referendum in New Caledonia. I prefer Port Vila to Noumea.
Port Denarau
I walked from the marina and had a look around the resort hotels on the beach. The beaches are small and nobody was swimming in the sea. Everyone were using the hotel pools. The locals can't afford to live in the area. Port Denauru is very much a place for the rich.
Mystery Island
Great for snorkelling close to the shore. The locals were selling beers cheaper than ship prices.
Isle of Pines (New Caledonia)
A lot of barbed wire has been installed around buildings since my last visit. This was done prior to the Independence Referendum held in November. The beach next to the resort at Kanumera Bay has recently been fenced off. This is a pretty beach next to the resort cafe/bar. It was a perfect place to have a swim and/or a beer, but now closed to the general public and cruise ship passengers.