Guests booked on Carnival Legend‘s next sailings can look forward to some upgrades and additions to the 22-year-old vessel when she completes her dry dock update. The ship is now out of service for the next month, and Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald has announced what updates are coming to the vessel.
Several spaces will be removed while new spaces will be added to the 88,500-gross-ton, Spirit-class ship, and both public areas and guest staterooms are scheduled for extensive work.
First, the ship’s nightclub, Medusa’s Lair Dance Club, currently portside on Decks 1 and 2, will be transformed from two levels to just one level, with new ADA-accessible cabins added in the removed space. Prior to the refit, Carnival Legend only had 17 accessible staterooms.
Additional work to further enhance Carnival Legend‘s accessibility will also be completed, particularly to add more ADA-compliant spaces to various bars and other public areas.
Also coming to Carnival Legend are several brand new spaces, including a dedicated Chef’s Table venue. The exclusive dining experience is wildly popular, and the new space may give more guests the opportunity to enjoy the unique menu and entertaining interaction with the ship’s culinary staff.
A new Heroes Tribute Bar and Lounge will also debut on Carnival Legend after her month-long dry dock. The patriotically-themed venue was first featured on Carnival Panorama when that ship joined the fleet in 2019, and has proven so popular that it is being added to older ships as they are renovated.
The ship’s casino is also being completely redone and new slot machines will be added to offer guests updated gameplay. The biggest announcement for public spaces is a welcome new addition to Carnival Legend, one that guests of all ages will be able to enjoy.
“On this particular ship we will add a Seaside Theater dive-in movie big screen as well,” Heald confirmed.
The big screen is a popular feature on other Carnival ships, offering regular first-run movies, sporting events, and visual enhancement to pool deck activities and events such as the Sail Away party, other deck parties, and sea day contests.
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Other aspects of the ship’s public areas will also be redone, as is standard during dry dock renovations. All new carpeting, updated lighting, decking replacement, upholstery refreshing, painting, and other maintenance will all be completed to ensure Carnival Legend looks her very best when she welcomes guests again. It isn’t just the ship’s public areas that will be updated during her weeks in dry dock, however.
“All the balconies will be completely redone and looked after and repainted and look brand new with the glass all shiny and fabulous,” Heald said.
Carnival Legend features 632 balcony staterooms, as well as 50 different suites that also have balconies. Balcony staterooms are often the most popular for travelers to book, offering not only amazing ocean views, but also a private space to enjoy when public decks may seem a bit crowded.
Including balcony, oceanview, and interior staterooms, Carnival Legend can welcome 2,124 guests at double occupancy before her refit.
Setting Sail on the New Carnival Legend
Carnival Legend will remain in dry dock until approximately May 29, at which time she will move to Barcelona to welcome her first post-refurbishment guests on Thursday, May 30 to begin the ship’s European summer season. That first sailing is an 9-night roundtrip journey from Barcelona, visiting Malta, Sicily, Naples, Rome, Pisa, and Toulon before the ship returns to Barcelona on June 7.
The next Barcelona departure will move the ship to Dover, where she will offer a selection of 9- and 12-night itineraries calling on ports around the British Isles and Iceland, depending on the departure date.
In mid-August, Carnival Legend will reposition to Rome to spend the remainder of the summer and early fall offering eastern Mediterranean cruises to the Greek Isles, Turkey, and top ports in Italy.
On October 26, the ship will sail a transatlantic cruise to Tampa, where she will spend the winter months offering Caribbean itineraries and the occasional Panama Canal cruise. In 2025, Carnival Legend will move to homeport first in San Francisco and later to Galveston.
With so many homeports and a diverse array of itineraries planned for Carnival Legend, travelers will have plenty of amazing opportunities to experience all the new enhancements on the popular ship, no matter where or when they want to set sail.
