My Family Went on Cheap 7-Day Cruise, Not Worth It — Carnival Legend

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

We paid just under $3,500 for our five-person, seven-day trip. Of course, that price doesn’t include gratuities or extras.

We did purchase two family-shore excursions, which cost extra and accounted for $494 of the total, but didn’t buy any special restaurant meals or drink packages that weren’t covered by our all-inclusive package.

The safety regulations changed between the time I booked in April and boarded in November.

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

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

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

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

The ship left from the Port of Baltimore and seemed to attract primarily local passengers seeking a quick and easy holiday vacation.

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

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 stayed in our own room on vacation, so we enjoyed a little taste of privacy in our adults-only space.

My kids were in a room that was right across the hall from us.

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

Our TV had two channels showing various movies.

Carnival Legend didn’t have a giant movie screen outside as some other cruise ships do, but our in-room TV featured a selection of movies that played on two channels throughout the day.

The highlight of our vacation was Thanksgiving Day.

We spent Thanksgiving at Princess Cays in the Bahamas. It’s a private resort on the island of Eleuthera, and Carnival provided an on-shore lunch and a lot of activities during the day.

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

Guests could also go swimming in the crystal-clear water, rent boats and gear, or just lie on the warm, sandy beach.

The Thanksgiving feast was in the same place where we had all our dinners: Truffles Restaurant, the ship’s main dining room.

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

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

My family members aren’t super picky eaters, so we ate breakfast and lunch on the lido deck during most of the sailing days.

The lido deck featured a deli counter, a salad bar, a station serving Asian-inspired cuisine, a pizza place, 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 memorable bites without any out-of-pocket costs.

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

One family pool was outside and located in the mid-ship area. The other one had a retractable dome that made it possible to swim on cold or rainy days. When we left Baltimore, it was 30 degrees Fahrenheit, so we definitely got some icy weather on this trip.

The ship also had a Carnival Waterworks area with two waterslides. The large yellow slide was more traditional and twisty. My kids loved it. The green slide was a fast-paced drop slide. My kids refused to try it, but my husband went down it once, which was enough for him.

The Legend had Serenity, an adults-only area, which had an additional pool and seemed like a relaxing kid-free space.

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

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

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 them, so we didn’t even try on this trip.

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

There were more than 100 activities per day posted on the Carnival HUB app. One day, we watched an ice-carving demonstration. We also did a towel-folding class with our cruise director.

Our rooms were also near the Follies Main Lounge, making it easy to pop in for nightly shows with or without the kids.

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

There were a lot of things to love about this vacation. We went from 30-degree Fahrenheit sweater weather to 80-degree beach weather — not a bad way to spend a week in late November.

Though the price was reasonable at roughly $100 per person per day, I didn’t think the cruise had enough unique amenities and ports of call to make it worth repeating the trip.

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