Legend of the Seas profile and review

We have added a new section to Beyondships on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas.

Legend of the Seas is one of six ships that comprise Royal Caribbean's Vision class. In fact, Legend was the first one that they built.

I had been looking to sail on Legend for some time. Each of the Vision class ships is somewhat different - - four were built in France and two in Finland - - and so you find different layouts and different nautical characteristics. I've enjoyed cruising on the other Vision class ships that I have sailed on (Vision of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas) so I was looking forward to exploring Legend.

Catching up with Legend wasn't that easy. Royal Caribbean uses her to develop new markets and for the last five years she was sailing out of Singapore, which is quite far from my home base. Last summer they brought her closer - - the Mediterranean - - but this winter she did a season of Caribbean cruises, which is almost down the street from me.

The cruise experience on Legend followed the classic model. Although new dining and entertainment options have been added to enhance the experience, it is very much the way cruising used to be - - relaxing and comfortable. We wandered lazily through the islands of the Southern and Eastern Caribbean, well-fed and entertained. The crew seemed happy and eager to please.

Of course, Legend is nearly 20 years old. Last year, Royal Caribbean did a multi-million dollar revitalization of the ship. They added new specialty restaurants and entertainment offerings such as a giant LED screen over the main pool. They also redid the passenger cabins. This did not and was not intended to magically transform Legend into a new ship. She retains the character of the ships of the time in which she was first built.

While I like the new ships that are coming out of the shipyards these days, there is clearly a place for more classic ships. Ships like Legend are more intimate and less flashy than the new ships. The recent changes to the ship do make the cruise experience more interesting but Royal Caribbean is to be commended for not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. They supplement rather than detract from the ship's overall ambiance.

Legend was built at a time when the cruise lines were still interested in building fast ships and so she can tool around at 25 knots. Citing the high cost of fuel, she only uses her speed in cases of emergency. However, it is comforting to know it is there.

Along the same lines, the ship has good stability. A dick tail was added to the stern of the ship in 2013 to make the ship even more stable in rough seas and during high speed turns.

The home page for our profile of Legend of the Seas is at http://beyondships.com/RCI-LGOS-Profile.html The photo tour of the interior and public areas of the ship begins at http://beyondships.com/RCI-LGOS-Tour-1.html We also have a page of daily programs (Cruise Compass) http://www.beyondships2.com/legend-of-the-seas-daily-programs.html and a page of menus from the main dining room and the specialty restaurants http://www.beyondships2.com/legend-of-the-seas-menus.html.

We spoke with Captain Kjell Nordmo http://www.beyondships2.com/legend-of-the-seas-captain.html and Hotel Director Silvio Ghigo http://www.beyondships2.com/legend-of-the-seas-hotel-director.html to get their insights as to what Legend of the Seas is all about. Then we have reviews of the new Izumi specialty restaurant http://www.beyondships2.com/legend-of-the-seas-izumi.html and of the Chef's Table dining experience http://www.beyondships2.com/legend-of-the-seas-chefs-table.html on Legend of the Seas.