A Cork in the Ocean - A Review of a Cruise
May 9, 2023 14:11:42 GMT
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Post by kds on May 9, 2023 14:11:42 GMT
So, I was out of town last week. My father had been pushing for a big family trip for a little while now, but with a five year old with autism, I was hesitant to fly. So, my sister suggested a cruise. Since Carnival departs from Baltimore, we wouldn't have to fly.
Now, I've always been somewhat hesitant about cruises because of so many stories about them being floating petri dishes (and this was pre COVID), but I know it's for my father, who's getting up in years. So, we went.
So, here's my brief review of a week aboard the Carnival Legend.
Pros
- The port days were easily the highlight of the trip. We had port days in Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay, each featuring wonderful Caribbean beaches. Those were really nice. There was also a stop in Freeport, but that's more of an industrial town, so we stayed on board the ship and just had a pool day.
- There's a lot of food, and it was pretty good. Up on the Lido Deck, you have access to food from pretty much sunrise to midnight.
Cons
- There's a lot of food. I'm usually pretty disciplined. But, man, when it's there, and available, it's hard to resist. I definitely put on a few pounds.
- Seasickness. Despite taking medication to combat motion sickness, the voyage from Maryland to the Caribbean had some rough waters. We all got seasick on our first full sea day.
- Add-Ons - My God, it's a money pit. Alcoholic beverages are stadium prices. They do offer drink packages, but they're so expensive, you pretty much have to binge drink every single day for it to be worth it. The Carnival photographers got pretty intrusive after a little while. They go around taking pictures and you have the option to buy them later.
- Not a great option if you have a little kid. This particular ship did not really offer a ton of entertainment for kids. When we were in warmer climates, we had the beaches and the pool on board. But, on the sea days where we were closer to home, and the weather was cooler, we were very limited. Luckily, we had other family on board, so my father sat in our cabin for a night or two after we put my son down so my wife and I could explore the ship after dark.
So, if I were to rate the experience, it would probably be a three out of five. The scenery and everything was great. But, with a small child, options were limited for two of the seven days. Honestly, it's probably not something we'd do again.
Now, I've always been somewhat hesitant about cruises because of so many stories about them being floating petri dishes (and this was pre COVID), but I know it's for my father, who's getting up in years. So, we went.
So, here's my brief review of a week aboard the Carnival Legend.
Pros
- The port days were easily the highlight of the trip. We had port days in Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay, each featuring wonderful Caribbean beaches. Those were really nice. There was also a stop in Freeport, but that's more of an industrial town, so we stayed on board the ship and just had a pool day.
- There's a lot of food, and it was pretty good. Up on the Lido Deck, you have access to food from pretty much sunrise to midnight.
Cons
- There's a lot of food. I'm usually pretty disciplined. But, man, when it's there, and available, it's hard to resist. I definitely put on a few pounds.
- Seasickness. Despite taking medication to combat motion sickness, the voyage from Maryland to the Caribbean had some rough waters. We all got seasick on our first full sea day.
- Add-Ons - My God, it's a money pit. Alcoholic beverages are stadium prices. They do offer drink packages, but they're so expensive, you pretty much have to binge drink every single day for it to be worth it. The Carnival photographers got pretty intrusive after a little while. They go around taking pictures and you have the option to buy them later.
- Not a great option if you have a little kid. This particular ship did not really offer a ton of entertainment for kids. When we were in warmer climates, we had the beaches and the pool on board. But, on the sea days where we were closer to home, and the weather was cooler, we were very limited. Luckily, we had other family on board, so my father sat in our cabin for a night or two after we put my son down so my wife and I could explore the ship after dark.
So, if I were to rate the experience, it would probably be a three out of five. The scenery and everything was great. But, with a small child, options were limited for two of the seven days. Honestly, it's probably not something we'd do again.