My family took a cheap 7 day cruise that wasn’t worth it – Carnival Legend

The trip was fairly budget-friendly, ending up costing less than $3,500.

We paid just under $3,500 for our seven-day trip with five people. Of course, this price does not include tips or extras.

We purchased two family shore excursions, which cost extra and accounted for $494 of the total, but did not purchase any special restaurant meals or beverage packages that were not covered by our all-inclusive package.

Security regulations changed between my booking in April and boarding in November.

When I made our cruise reservations in April, Carnival required guests to provide proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test prior to sailing.

Then, in late October, I received an email from Carnival stating that “Vaccinations, vaccination records and testing are no longer required for unvaccinated guests on cruises of 15 nights or less.”

I wasn’t thrilled with this update but hoped most of my fellow travelers were fully vaccinated like us.

Carnival recommended wearing masks indoors on the ship, but they weren’t required, and few people wore them. However, hand sanitizer dispensers were set up all around the boat which we used frequently.

The ship departed from Baltimore Harbor and seemed to attract mostly local passengers looking for a quick and easy vacation.

Our family drove about five and a half hours from Cleveland, Ohio to board in Baltimore, Maryland, so we fell into that category as well.

Our family of five wouldn’t fit in one cabin so I reserved two rooms.

Believe it or not, my husband and I have never slept in our own room on vacation, so we enjoyed some privacy in our adults-only section.

My kids stayed in a room directly across from us.

The children – aged 14, 11 and 8 – were close enough to reach if they needed my husband or me.

Our TV had two channels with different movies.

The Carnival Legend didn’t have a huge outdoor cinema screen like some other cruise lines, but our in-room TV showed a selection of films running on two channels throughout the day.

The highlight of our vacation was Thanksgiving Day.

We spent Thanksgiving in Princess Cays in the Bahamas. It’s a private resort on the island of Eleuthera, and Carnival offered lunch ashore and lots of activities during the day.

We did our shore excursion in the morning and ate an all inclusive BBQ meal on the beach in the afternoon.

Guests can also swim in the crystal clear waters, rent boats and equipment, or just lie on the warm sandy beach.

Thanksgiving was held at the same place we ate all of our dinners: Truffles Restaurant, the ship’s main dining room.

Initially we were put into a late dining spot at 7:45pm every night, but guest services moved us to 5:30pm so our kids wouldn’t have to eat that late.

One of my favorite things about cruising is trying unique foods. During this trip I had snails, alligator donuts and frog legs. I’ve tried all of these before, but this time I got the kids to try them too.

My family members are not particularly picky eaters so we ate breakfast and lunch on the lido deck most sailing days.

The Lido deck featured a deli counter, a salad bar, an Asian-inspired station, a pizzeria, and a classic lunch buffet.

There were also two specialty restaurants on the Lido deck. Guy’s Burger Joint serves burgers and fries, and BlueIguana Cantina specializes in tacos and burritos. Both places delivered unforgettable bites at no extra cost.

The Legend had two family pools, two water slides, and an adults-only area.

A family pool was outside and located in the middle of the ship. The other had a retractable dome that made it possible to swim on cold or rainy days. It was 30 degrees Fahrenheit when we left Baltimore, so we definitely got freezing weather on this trip.

The ship also had a Carnival Waterworks area with two water slides. The big yellow slide was more traditional and curvy. My kids loved it. The green slide was a rapid fall slide. My kids refused to try it but my husband went down once which was enough for him.

The Legend had Serenity, an adult-only section that had an additional pool and felt like a relaxing kid-free space.

My husband and I viewed this as a family day out so we didn’t spend much time at the ship’s bars, clubs and adult events.

This trip was about family, so without our kids, my husband and I didn’t spend much time drinking or engaging in adult activities.

Carnival offered a free babysitting service called Camp Ocean, but my kids wanted nothing to do with it. On a cruise we took a few years ago, they cried every time we left, so we didn’t even try that trip.

Our family took advantage of the onboard activities posted on the Carnival HUB app.

More than 100 activities per day have been published in the Carnival HUB app. One day we saw an ice carving demonstration. We also did a towel folding class with our cruise director.

Our rooms were also close to the Follies Main Lounge which made it easy to drop by for evening shows with or without the kids.

We had a good time, but I wouldn’t book another ride on Carnival Legend.

There were many things to love about this holiday. We went from 30 degree Fahrenheit sweater weather to 80 degree beach weather – not a bad way to spend a week at the end of November.

While the price was reasonable at around $100 per person per day, I didn’t think the cruise had enough unique amenities and ports of call to make the voyage repeatable.

Still, Carnival Legend had a lot to offer for those near the Port of Baltimore looking for an easy, budget-friendly getaway.