Tuesday 20th August

We got up fairly early on the morning of August 20th, then, after a shower and breakfast, it was time for us to repack our overnight bag and check and double check that we had everything we needed. We said our goodbyes then John drove us to Dover where, as we approached the cruise terminal, we came in sight of our home for the next twelve days, The Carnival Legend (above).

We were allowed to drive all the way along the quay to the luggage check in area where our tagged suitcases were taken away by porters to be security checked then transferred on-board the ship to our cabin.

In the mean time, David and I made our way very quickly through check-in and security and soon found ourselves in the Welcome Atrium.

We had heard, through several of our friends who had been on cruises before, that alcohol was very expensive on board cruise liners but that most of them did deals or packages whilst on board.
We had been told by the booking agent that there was a similar deal on our liner called the “Cheers” package and, although the cost was more than we had anticipated, we decided to go ahead and signed up for the deal.

Before we could change our minds, we ordered two beers. These were followed by another beer for David and the first of a few cocktails for me.
This one was called “The Cruiser” and consisted of a blend of Sky vodka, Malibu coconut rum and peach schnapps, mixed with pineapple, cranberry and orange juice. Each of their cocktails were prepared with a double shot of each liqueur! The cocktails I had after the first one were not that size thank goodness! That was just a welcome gesture.

Later on in the cruise, I also very much enjoyed what was called “The Ultimate Margarita” which consisted of a blend of 1800 Reposado, 100% blue agave tequila, Cointreau and lime juice. Like “The Cruiser” it was delicious and also slightly less alcoholic.
This is a picture of “The Cruiser” by the way, “The Ultimate Margarita” is to follow!

We had been told that our luggage would be outside our door at 13.30 and we duly made our way to our cabin around that time to find 3 of our 4 items there. Whilst we were unpacking, our smaller overnight case also arrived.
Our cabin steward, we found out later, was called Ryan and was very helpful indeed as were nearly all the staff on board the ship – the waiters, in particular could not do enough for you – so much so that I nicknamed one of them Uriah Heep! We came to look forward to going back to our cabin for the night to find out which animal shape Ryan had created out of one of our clean bathroom towels whilst turning our bed down.

On that very first day, having unpacked, we then proceeded to walk around the liner and familiarise ourselves with our “home” for the next 11/12 days. We also attended the obligatory safety briefing in our allocated area (Deck 3, Station A).
Our wanderings eventually took us to the Serenity area on Deck 9 at the rear of the ship where we ordered another drink and sat on sunbeds to enjoy our departure from Dover (the so-called Serenity Deck is a 21+ years only area with a bar, a pool and a Jacuzzi).

We watched the ship leave Dover and its famous white cliffs then, as we got further out at sea and the wind began to pick up, we walked back inside and proceeded to have a couple more drinks before heading to the restaurant on Deck 3 called Truffles where we enjoyed the first of many superb meals -superb even according to David’s fussy standards!



Eventually, feeling very tired but very excited at the prospect of the rest of our cruise, we retired to our cabin for the night.