The central theme of the third in Carnival's "Spirit-class," ships is great legends of the world. The "Legend" theme carries throughout Carnival Legend's 12 passenger decks, 16 lounges, bars and nightspots, four swimming pools, a corkscrew water slide, an Internet cafe, a 14,500-square-foot health spa and salon, indoor and outdoor promenades, a nine-deck-high atrium, an on-board golf program, a duty-free shopping mall, wedding chapel, a video arcade, and an 1,800-square-foot children's play area.

Eighty percent of the Carnival Legend's staterooms offer an ocean view with 80 percent of those featuring private balconies. Carnival Cruise Lines currently has five new ships on order or under construction, including a fourth "Spirit-class" ship, Carnival Miracle, and four 110,000-ton "Conquest-class" ships - Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor and an as-yet-unnamed vessel.


Three restaurants, including an expansive poolside eatery featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner alternatives and a 24-hour pizzeria, a two-level 1,250-seat full-service dining room with extensive menus and wine lists, and an intimate "steakhouse-style" supper club offering U.S.D.A. prime aged beef, along with crab claws from Miami Beach's world famous Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant, are available, as well.


Eighty percent of the cabins are outside and 80 percent of those staterooms have private balconies. Interesting to note that inside cabins measure the same 185 square feet as outsides without verandahs.

Balcony cabins increase to 225 square feet, including the verandah. There are 58 suites in three categories starting at 360 feet and going up to 465 square feet (including a wrap around terrace).

All staterooms and suites are tastefully furnished with twin beds that convert to a queen, large closets, plenty of drawer space, televisions and refrigerators, plus the usual amenities found on new vessels (telephones, private safes, tub and shower or shower only, depending on category). Suites (Categories 11 and 12) include separate dressing and sitting areas, refrigerators, double sinks and bathtubs, as well as showers, and large balconies. Good design and soft lighting add to a feeling of spaciousness in interior staterooms (Category 4). Category 5 staterooms are outside and have French doors that open but views are obstructed.

Carnival Legend offers 16 lounges and bars with a variety of themes to fit any mood or taste. As you enter the ship, you are greeted by the bar in the nine-deck-high Colossus Atrium, which is dominated by a towering mural of the Colossus of Rhodes. Popular for pre-dinner cocktails, the Odyssey and Atlantis lounges offer quiet, intimate venues with live music and the same Greek neoclassical design elements found in the atrium. Club Merlin Casino, the medieval-themed gaming area has a castle-like atmosphere complete with a suit of armor standing sentinel at the bar and shields bearing crossed swords and a knight's helmet mounted on the walls.

Catch one of two original productions created especially for Carnival Legend in Follies, the main show lounge on Promenade Deck. Recalling the days of the magnificent movie houses of the 1920s, Follies evokes the feeling of an open courtyard in a Mediterranean villa. Arches, turrets and stained-glass chandeliers create an opulent, expansive space while providing excellent sightlines.

Satchmo's Club is a great place to unwind with some soft dance music. Named after legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the club is decorated to resemble an old New Orleans bar with exposed brick, wrought-iron details, ceiling fans, cafe curtains and a false skylight recreating the ambiance of the Big Easy. Adorning the walls are black-and-white photos of Armstrong at different stages of his career. Next door, the Dream Team bar offers plush, overstuffed sofas and comfortable bar stools to provide the perfect vantage points to quaff a brew and catch up on the latest sporting events.

Billie's piano bar is an intimate, art deco-styled club where the piano player is the center of attention and everybody is a crooner. A stylish tribute to blues singer Billie Holiday, the centerpiece of the room is the stainless-steel musical bar lined with notes and a faux 1930s-era oversized microphone decorates each table.

Late-night comedy acts appear in the Firebird Lounge, taking its theme from the old Russian folktale of a talented seamstress from a small village who is turned into a bird by an evil sorcerer, the Firebird is decorated with replica hand-painted Russian lacquered boxes, accented by lamps with frosted glass globes painted on the inside to create a soft glow.

Don't let the giant three-and-a-half foot-high Medusa heads with strands of snake-like hair capped with a snake's head with lighted eyes keep you out of the rocking Medusa's Lair dance club. The wall of closed-circuit televisions flash images from the dance floor mixed with videos and special effects, while the sound system plays the latest dance music and a sophisticated light system makes the Medusa heads appear to move and change expression.


The Fountain of Youth Spa, the 14,500-square-foot two-level health center encompassing the forward area of Lido Deck 9 and Sun Deck 10, providing ocean views to exercisers. The gym is well-equipped with stationary bicycles, treadmills, and rowing, stair-climbing and Keiser pneumatic progressive resistance machines, as well as free weights and dumbbells.

Adjacent to the workout area is a mirrored aerobics room, used especially for a series of exercise classes, including low-and high-impact aerobics, yoga, spinning, and stretching and relaxation sessions, some of these classes have an additional fee per person so check prior to sign-up. The Steiner-operated spa offers a variety of "European-style" treatments, including "aroma stone therapy," full body and scalp massages, seaweed wraps, mudpacks, and various slimming and toning therapies. Also housed within the spa are 10 private treatment/massage rooms, complete locker facilities, sauna and steam rooms, and a full-service beauty salon.

The ship features four swimming pools and four whirlpools -- one available in the spa itself and three others on Lido Deck 9 - as well as a padded jogging track encircling Sports Deck 11. During the day, Lido Deck provides a medieval theme in the Avalon Bar, located mid-ship and serving a variety of frothy, tropical concoctions. Corresponding to the theme are statues of a medieval castle at the Camelot Pool, an armored knight at the Avalon Pool and the figure of the mythological horned horse at the aft Unicorn Pool. Camelot Pool has a retractable domed ceiling in the event of inclement weather.


Camp Carnival is centered on a 2,400-square foot enclosed play area on Deck 5, away from adult activities. The Fun House is headquarters to a supervised program, divided by age groups, offering children's activities for ages 2 to 15. with a bottom of the sea theme. Three areas are connected by tunnels: one area for crafts, a second one for computer games and a third one for games and a video wall for movies and cartoons.

One deck below is an arcade with both virtual-reality and video games. An outdoor play area offers mini-basketball, jungle gyms and other playground equipment. A children's wading pool and a corkscrew water slide are also available for fun at sea. Teenagers had overnight slumber parties among their menu of activities. Carnival offers a Fountain Fun card, good for unlimited soft drinks during a one-week voyage for $19.95. Baby-sitting for children ages 2 and over from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at the Fun House ($5 for the first child and $3 for each additional child in the same family).


A broad crisscross of (mostly) middle America; according to Carnival, 30% of its passengers are under 35, 40% are between 35-55 and 30% are over 55.


Suggested attire for a one week cruise is two "formal" evenings. Most men opt for jackets and ties but a large number wear tuxedos. "Resort casual" is suggested for the rest of the evenings.


Carnival recommends $3.50 per person, per day to the waiter; $2 per person per day to the assistant waiter; $3.50 per person, per day to the cabin steward. A 15 percent gratuity is added to bar bills.