Carnival Legend vs Emerald Princess

[hunter33]

My wife & I went on our first cruise last October. (Emerald Princess/Eastern Caribbean) We had a great time and are thinking about cruising again this Fall (some time when school is in session and rates are low), this time with good friends who were supposed to go with us before but couldn't due to work scheduling. Princess was largely what we expected and everything was great, but we do want to gradually try other lines and see the differences in style/service. There is a 7 day Fall cruise on Carnival Legend/Western Carribean itinerary we are interested in, and we have targeted it.

 

As far as Princess likes and dislikes -

 

Likes:

* Quiet - The theatre, piazza, buffets, and daytime pool areas were the only parts of the ship that felt crowded or loud. Hardly any announcements the entire week, numerous quiet and uncrowded areas around the ship.

* kids - We cruised in mid October and there was hardly a kid on the ship. We love kids and have 4 of them, but most don't seem as well behaved as ours :(

* food - very good and a wide selection. We especially liked the International Cafe and Wheelhouse Pub

* staff - polite, helpful, accessible, our room steward was fantastic

* entertainment quality - the theatre & various shows & bands were very good

* formal nights - I don't normally like dressing up but wife does. I wore a tux both formal nights and we enjoyed ourselves and didn't feel overdressed. Princess does a good job with formal nights.

* Passenger mix - We're in our 30's and seemed to be among the youngest people on the ship. Most of the passengers seemed to be older than us and from the Northeast. We were initially surprised that there were so few Southerners and so few people around our age, but everyone was very well mannered and nice to be around and we enjoyed meeting and spending time with lots of other people.

* alcohol policy - We don't drink much but Princess didn't have any problem with us carrying on 4 bottles of wine from our local winery. I understand the policies may be a lot tighter with other lines.

 

Dislikes:

* ship movement - We felt it a lot any time the ship was in motion. It didn't mess up the cruise for us but there was so much movement we actually fell into the walls a couple times. Maybe it was just the time of year.

* theatre, buffet rooms, pool area seating - they were crowded most of the time and it was hard to find a seat

* ship decor - Everything was very nice but it might have been a bit too understated & bland for our tastes

* fitness center - It was very crowded all the time and I gave up on trying to get in a workout during the week

 

The stateroom on Emerald Princess was very small but it didn't bother us especially because of the balcony. The Carnival Legend seems to be roughly the same size ship as Emerald Princess and I like the Greek mythology theme. We realize Carnival might be a little louder and a bit younger crowd. We have several family & friends that have cruised Carnival and they tell us that the "feel" of a Carnival cruise is highly variable based on length & itinerary. We have good friends that did Carnival Glory/Western Caribbean a few months ago and they loved it. In light of some of the likes and dislikes noted above, anyone have opinions or ideas on how this cruise might work out for us?

[Beachgirl 2]

The Emerald Princess is a gorgeous ships, having been on the Crown and the Carribean Princess out of NY. Carnival is definitely a step down from Princess in service and food preparation (meat was tough), very bland food. However, on the brighter side of Carnival, the staff sings to you almost evrry night at dinner, and gets everyone up to dance the Conga around the table one night! It's a fun and not staid environment. Some of the decor is just plain ugly on the one Carnival ship we have been on-the Miracle You never see your room steward at all, unless you call for them to ask for something. Carnival had the same mix in the summertime as Princes with much less dressing up! You could have worn the same clothes 24/7, and not a person on that ship would have noticed or cared. Try it, it's OK, we expected nothing from Carnival and got a little more than that!!

[SkyMaster]

We too have done both "Princess" and "Carnival", including several cruises aboard "Legend". I don't agree that the food is a "step down", and in fact, enjoy the food aboard Carnival a bit more than the Princess food. Yes, the beef has been tough in the past, but the last two cruises aboard Carnival, the beef was EXCELLENT! Don't know if they've changed suppliers or what, but it is a happy change. Entertainment aboard the two lines is very much the same, both very good. Cabins are very much the same IMO. Yes, the decor aboard Carnival is a bit "over the top", but that certainly doesn't make, or break the cruise for me. Crowding and lines aboard the two are on a par as well. Don't let the crowding in the buffet area on boarding day scare you. No one can get into their cabins until 1:30 on embarkation day, so EVERYONE is at the buffet. Bottom line, don't be afraid to book Carnival, and especially "Legend". You'll have a GREAT cruise!

 

"SKY"

[paper1122]

You won't have to worry about "understated" decor on Carnival ships.

 

Having only ever been on RCCL and Carnival and can't speak to Princess. I do know that DW and I are slightly younger than you and we wouldn't have wanted any older of a crowd on the boat, you want a little bit of a party atmosphere for a good vacation. I did find that when I wanted it quiet, it usually was.

[dclark]

It is a fact that the CCL food is a step down when compared to Princess.

Are the crab legs better on CCL? No, they don't serve them!

How's the prime rib on the lido deck on CCL? Oh, that's right, they don't serve it there at all. My last princess cruise served it three times there in addition to the MDR. CCL rather serve roast beef or ham in the lido deck because it is cheaper.

Want bread? Princess gives you a basket with around four different breads that are different each day. CCL gives you the same four breads each night (they haven't changed in decades!).

How do the MDR prepared desserts (cherries jubilee, bananas foster) on CCL compare to Princess? Oops, they don't do it, they have melting chocolate cake, melting chocolate cake,...

Want a waffle? On ccl, they make them hours ahead of time, so you get it cold and chewey. On Princess, they have a station where they make them fresh to order.

Want a cookie? On CCL, they are on the lido deck, sometimes stale. On Princess, go to the international cafe and you can often get one that is hot, fresh out of the oven.

Pizza? Princess makes pizza with cheese, CCL makes pizza with fake cheese.

My point here is that Princess serves more costly food items and spends more $ on preperation (like the cost of manning a waffle station). If you are the kind of person who doesn't eat seafood at all, but likes hamburgers, i can see where you'd prefer CCL. But that is a preference only.

[pcrum]

We are partial to Carnival and just tried our first Princess cruise on the Emerald Princess on 3/28/10. I did a long, detailed review with lots of photos if you want to read it (link is in my signature). Spirit class ships are our favorite, so the Legend is a good choice. We like the spirit class better than the Conquest class.

 

Here are a few thoughts off the top of my head:

 

My review covers what I thought what were the main differences, but basically we found the MDR food on Princess not as good as on Carnival. The buffet setup on the Lido deck was also a bit crowded and not laid out as well as on Carnival. The International Cafe on Princess for pastries and the pub lunch offered on sea days was a big plus. Loved both of those. Also, they wheel around fresh, hot out of the oven, cookies and milk by the pool deck in late afternoon.

 

The Sanctuary area on Princess looked nice if you want a guaranteed deck chair (photos are in my review). But, since you cannot book ahead, you either need to book for the week the first day of the cruise or line up at 7:30 am the morning you want to book. I don't think we'd use it enough to book for a week and did not want it badly enough to line up at 7:30 am. But, for those who do, it looked very nice and $10 for half a day or $20 for a day was not a bad price.

 

As for entertainment, we only saw one production show on Princess, but thought it inferior to Carnival. The setup of the Princess theater is like movie theater seating...no place to put a drink other than a little table that folds out from the arm rest, kind of like in a high school auditorium.

 

The big plus, IMHO, is there was no bingo going on before the shows...we hate when they do bingo in the show theater. I know Princess did bingo, but they kept it separate from the show theater, which is what all lines should do IMHO!

 

The cabin was a bit smaller, but the large closet was a plus (photos are in my review). The shower was also a bit smaller, but not enough to matter. No towel animals the entire week. I have since read that Princess doesn't do them, so if that is important to you, stick to Carnival!

 

I feel the pool layout on Princess was better than on Carnival and utilized the space better.

 

As for ship decor, I felt like Princess was somewhat generic and that the atrium area could have been in any large, convention hotel. There is a lot of discussion and debate about Carnival's decor, but we like the "wow" factor, even if the decor is not something we'd ever put in our own home.

 

We like both lines and would sail Princess again if the price was right.

 

The ports are very similar on both lines. Princess did get to Grand Turk later in the day than the Carnival Glory, so by the time Princess docked, the area around Margaritaville was a zoo. Also, Princess docks in Crown Bay in St. Thomas which does not have as much to do within walking distance as Havensight, where Carnival docks. We prefer the Havensight dock because there is a much wider variety of shops and the Paradise Point tram is within walking distance.

[pcrum]

It is a fact that the CCL food is a step down when compared to Princess.

 

Pizza? Princess makes pizza with cheese, CCL makes pizza with fake cheese.

.

 

I do have to say that the Princess pizza was much better than Carnival's. Princess was like real NY pizza.

 

Also, the soft serve ice cream is not self serve on Princess. They have someone to make your cone and they were even making milk shakes on our 3/28/10 sailing on the Emerald Princess.

[mississauga]

It is a fact that the CCL food is a step down when compared to Princess.

Are the crab legs better on CCL? No, they don't serve them!

How's the prime rib on the lido deck on CCL? Oh, that's right, they don't serve it there at all. My last princess cruise served it three times there in addition to the MDR. CCL rather serve roast beef or ham in the lido deck because it is cheaper.

Want bread? Princess gives you a basket with around four different breads that are different each day. CCL gives you the same four breads each night (they haven't changed in decades!).

How do the MDR prepared desserts (cherries jubilee, bananas foster) on CCL compare to Princess? Oops, they don't do it, they have melting chocolate cake, melting chocolate cake,...

Want a waffle? On ccl, they make them hours ahead of time, so you get it cold and chewey. On Princess, they have a station where they make them fresh to order.

Want a cookie? On CCL, they are on the lido deck, sometimes stale. On Princess, go to the international cafe and you can often get one that is hot, fresh out of the oven.

Pizza? Princess makes pizza with cheese, CCL makes pizza with fake cheese.

My point here is that Princess serves more costly food items and spends more $ on preperation (like the cost of manning a waffle station). If you are the kind of person who doesn't eat seafood at all, but likes hamburgers, i can see where you'd prefer CCL. But that is a preference only.

 

 

How long ago has it been since you were on a Princess or Carnival cruise?

On all 3 of my Carnival cruises last year, I had Cherries Jubilee and on my last Princess in 2008, I did have crab legs but in reading the reviews on the Princess board, they no longer serve crab legs. I had many different seafood dishes for dinner on Carnival most of the time. Carnival has many made to order stations in the buffet areas....Mongolian Bar, Deli, Burrito Bar and on the Dream, a Pasta Bar. You choose your ingredients and it is made right in front of you and in the case of the Pasta Bar, it is brought to you by waitstaff after you have chosen the sauce, the pasta and the meat or seafood of your choose.

 

I don't understand your statement about it being a fact that CCL is a step down from Princess. :confused: Carnival has certainly stepped it up as far as their food is concerned. Food is very subjective so while you may prefer Princess, as you can see from other comments, others prefer Carnival.

[mississauga]

I have been on the Emerald ( 6 Princess cruises ) and agree that it is a beautiful ship and really enjoyed my cruise on her. While I have been on 9 Carnival cruises, I have not been on the Legend so will compare based on the ships I have been on.

 

 

My wife & I went on our first cruise last October. (Emerald Princess/Eastern Caribbean) We had a great time and are thinking about cruising again this Fall (some time when school is in session and rates are low), this time with good friends who were supposed to go with us before but couldn't due to work scheduling. Princess was largely what we expected and everything was great, but we do want to gradually try other lines and see the differences in style/service. There is a 7 day Fall cruise on Carnival Legend/Western Carribean itinerary we are interested in, and we have targeted it.

 

As far as Princess likes and dislikes -

 

Likes:

* Quiet - The theatre, piazza, buffets, and daytime pool areas were the only parts of the ship that felt crowded or loud. Hardly any announcements the entire week, numerous quiet and uncrowded areas around the ship.

Lots of quiet areas too and the areas you mention as being loud or crowded are probably so on Carnival. Can't be avoided, I guess

* kids - We cruised in mid October and there was hardly a kid on the ship. We love kids and have 4 of them, but most don't seem as well behaved as ours :(

Most of the time when we cruise, there are not a lot either. The Camps do a fantastic job so sometimes even when there are lots on the ship, you don't see them as they are kept busy and entertained.

* food - very good and a wide selection. We especially liked the International Cafe and Wheelhouse Pub

Food is very subjective but I really like the food on Carnival as well as on Princess. I had seafood dishes for dinner most evenings on Carnival. Carnival has many made to order stations in the buffet areas....Mongolian Bar, Deli, Burrito Bar and on the Dream, a Pasta Bar. You choose your ingredients and it is made right in front of you and in the case of the Pasta Bar, it is brought to you by waitstaff after you have chosen the sauce, the pasta and the meat or seafood of your chose. I did love the IC on the Emerald and I don't believe that Carnival has anything comparable.

* staff - polite, helpful, accessible, our room steward was fantastic

Also very good. In 22 cruises, cannot say we have ever encountered any rude ones. You smile and are polite and get the same back. Some excellent, some average:)

* entertainment quality - the theatre & various shows & bands were very good

Personally prefer Carnival's overall but of course, there are always exceptions. If you cruise a lot, you see the same shows on most of the Princess ships. On our last 3 Carnival cruises, 2 happened to be on their newest ships. New shows tend to premiere on the new ships so we saw more variety.

* formal nights - I don't normally like dressing up but wife does. I wore a tux both formal nights and we enjoyed ourselves and didn't feel overdressed. Princess does a good job with formal nights.

Carnival tends to be less formal. They are now called Elegant Nights so the expectations for dressing up are less on Carnival. However, you will still see tuxes and evening gowns..more of suits or dress shirts with ties.

* Passenger mix - We're in our 30's and seemed to be among the youngest people on the ship. Most of the passengers seemed to be older than us and from the Northeast. We were initially surprised that there were so few Southerners and so few people around our age, but everyone was very well mannered and nice to be around and we enjoyed meeting and spending time with lots of other people.

Younger mix on Carnival I think. Maybe more you will have in common with.

* alcohol policy - We don't drink much but Princess didn't have any problem with us carrying on 4 bottles of wine from our local winery. I understand the policies may be a lot tighter with other lines.

Carnival allows you to bring 1 bottle of wine in your carry-on. They have recently tightened up on their alcohol policy but was same as Princess until this year.

 

Dislikes:

* ship movement - We felt it a lot any time the ship was in motion. It didn't mess up the cruise for us but there was so much movement we actually fell into the walls a couple times. Maybe it was just the time of year.

Doesn't bother me at all. Have felt it on cruises but can't really recall which ones lol

* theatre, buffet rooms, pool area seating - they were crowded most of the time and it was hard to find a seat

Easier in Carnival theaters. On Emerald, never had a problem in Cafe Caribe ... DH and I always arranged to meet there and never had problems. On the Carnival ships that have an upper level in the buffets, they were never busy or crowded as people either didn't know about it or didn't want to walk up the stairs.

* ship decor - Everything was very nice but it might have been a bit too understated & bland for our tastes

Carnival ships are a little more colorful so maybe more to your taste

* fitness center - It was very crowded all the time and I gave up on trying to get in a workout during the week

Don't go so can't comment

 

The stateroom on Emerald Princess was very small but it didn't bother us especially because of the balcony. The Carnival Legend seems to be roughly the same size ship as Emerald Princess and I like the Greek mythology theme. We realize Carnival might be a little louder and a bit younger crowd. We have several family & friends that have cruised Carnival and they tell us that the "feel" of a Carnival cruise is highly variable based on length & itinerary. We have good friends that did Carnival Glory/Western Caribbean a few months ago and they loved it. In light of some of the likes and dislikes noted above, anyone have opinions or ideas on how this cruise might work out for us?

 

I agree with your friends and family. The longer cruises tend to have an older mix of ages and less children but then again it depends on the time of year you cruise. I have heard and read that the 3 or 4 day cruises have more of a party atmosphere but can't comment as I have never been on one on Carnival.

 

The cruise lines are more similar than they are different. If you enjoyed your Emerald cruise and it sounds like you did, you will probably enjoy a Carnival one. It's a good idea to try different lines to find the one for you but then again, after 22, we still like to try them all.:D

 

Enjoy whichever one you choose!

[dclark]

How long ago has it been since you were on a Princess or Carnival cruise?

On all 3 of my Carnival cruises last year, I had Cherries Jubilee and on my last Princess in 2008, I did have crab legs but in reading the reviews on the Princess board, they no longer serve crab legs. I had many different seafood dishes for dinner on Carnival most of the time. Carnival has many made to order stations in the buffet areas....Mongolian Bar, Deli, Burrito Bar and on the Dream, a Pasta Bar. You choose your ingredients and it is made right in front of you and in the case of the Pasta Bar, it is brought to you by waitstaff after you have chosen the sauce, the pasta and the meat or seafood of your choose.

 

I don't understand your statement about it being a fact that CCL is a step down from Princess. :confused: Carnival has certainly stepped it up as far as their food is concerned. Food is very subjective so while you may prefer Princess, as you can see from other comments, others prefer Carnival.

Princess- was on the Golden Princess on 7/4/09

 

CCL- Was on the Spirit 12/21/2009. I am platinum on CCL and have seen a big drop in food food quality in the last two years, like: fake cheese on pizza, elimination of filet mignon, etc. Mongolian stirfy , imho, is mediocre. I have been to a lot of stir fry places and CCL is the worst. If you have never been to a good one, I can see how CCL would seem good.At any ratel CCL has been stepping down, getting rid of steak sandwiches at the aft deck, getting rid of real corn beef ( check it out)

CCL cherries jubillee? I don't remember when I last had it, but do remember that it was cold, prepared way in advance in the kitchen. I still have a video of the cherries jubilie parade in the MDR. with flames . That ended like ten years ago. On Princess (last June) they were still preparing it hot in the MDR (saw it myself).I don't understand why you think CCL has "stepped up". How is getting rid of the filet mignon a step up?CCL got rid of onion rings- is that a step up? How is replacing the real cheese with fake cheese for pizza a step up?How is replacing pressed and formed corned beef for real corn beef a step up?Also, on my last Princess cruise last July, had jumbo sized scallops, something never seen on CCL, and more jumbo shrimp, on CCL, seen only on Panko/sweet and sour shrimp nights.

These are specifics! Do you think pizza quality improves when you use fake cheese? Do you think that you can ake a beter corn beef sandwich by usings pressed and formed meat instead of real corned beef? Do you think that a sirloin steak is better than a filet mignon?If you answered yest to any above, explain why, otherwise, admit that CCL food is going down the crapper.

 

Getting back to deserts, Princess always has had several nights where they had soufffles. CCL only has their orange Grand marnier souffle- yuck!

Really, the quality stuff is seen more often on Princess, the term "subjective" is the surrender flag for those lacking specifics. The last time I saw prime rib on the lido deck on CCL was on the Elation , '99.Now, I'll admit that I don't cruise as often as some ( ( I cruise about 4 times a year), I have a CCL cruise and a Princess booked in June and will report back on them. I am platinum on CCL and the last two years have seen a down spiral in food quality. In fact, ever since they got that new CEO, food quality has taken a down spiral. Even though we are plat with all the goodies, we much rather sail Princess. This June's CCL cruise may be our last CCL for a long time!

[stevenr597]

We have travelled extensively on both of these cruise lines. Here are our thoughts in comparing both lines:

 

Princess:

1) Some of the most beautiful ships at sea

2) Sophisticated level of service in the dining rooms, but can be rather slow at times

3) More upscale travellers as compared to Carnival

4) Overall more sophisticated level of service

5) Rooms are smaller than carnival

6) The ships have more space/passenger as compared to Carnival, less crowded

7) Less rowdy behiavior, especially at the pool

8) The main theatre is smaller, difficulty at times finding seats, especially for the big shows

9) Entertainment dies down late night.

 

Carnival

1) Lower level of sophistication and service (still very good)

2) Less, and quicker, level of service in the dining room

3) Ships are more Las Vegas in style, not as sophisticated, more flashy. Some people (including myself and my wife) actually like this better

4) Food is excellent on both lines

5) Dining area on the Lido Deck has more variety, better layed out

6) Theatre is bigger, easier finding seats

7) Rooms are bigger

8) Ships are more crowded

9) More diverse group of people. More of a "party" crowd.

10) It is a more of a "24" hours environment. Somethin, in the form of entertainment, is always going on.

11) Best "value for the money" in any Cruise line.

 

Overall, both cruise lines are excellent. My wife and I feel that whatever of the two you pick, you will have a great cruise

 

Hope you enjoy

[Islandbuoy]

Do you perhaps tend to eat a lot?

[matj2000]

Princess used the Carnival business model on the Emerald, Ruby, & Crown, by stuffing as many cabins in a ship as possible.

They took the Grand Princess and added a new full passenger deck with no extra public space. All the complaints of crowds and limited seating seem to be the general theme on the Princess reviews.

[serene56]

I loved our Princess cruises- But are carnival junkies.

We were booked on the Ruby Princess for February 2011 but when I priced out the Carnival Pride the same week I saved OVER 50% for the same amount of days--- and no airfare.

 

My cruises dictate by budget.

 

whats the price difference of the two ships?

[JeffHatfield]

The Emerald Princess is a gorgeous ships, having been on the Crown and the Carribean Princess out of NY. Carnival is definitely a step down from Princess in service and food preparation (meat was tough), very bland food. However, on the brighter side of Carnival, the staff sings to you almost evrry night at dinner, and gets everyone up to dance the Conga around the table one night! It's a fun and not staid environment. Some of the decor is just plain ugly on the one Carnival ship we have been on-the Miracle You never see your room steward at all, unless you call for them to ask for something. Carnival had the same mix in the summertime as Princes with much less dressing up! You could have worn the same clothes 24/7, and not a person on that ship would have noticed or cared. Try it, it's OK, we expected nothing from Carnival and got a little more than that!!

 

I can only speak of our experience, but Carnival's service is not as step down, in fact it is a major step up from Princess. As far as the food, both are comperable, but Princess had more seafood if that is what you like.

[mississauga]

How long ago has it been since you were on a Princess or Carnival cruise?

On all 3 of my Carnival cruises last year, I had Cherries Jubilee and on my last Princess in 2008, I did have crab legs but in reading the reviews on the Princess board, they no longer serve crab legs. I had many different seafood dishes for dinner on Carnival most of the time. Carnival has many made to order stations in the buffet areas....Mongolian Bar, Deli, Burrito Bar and on the Dream, a Pasta Bar. You choose your ingredients and it is made right in front of you and in the case of the Pasta Bar, it is brought to you by waitstaff after you have chosen the sauce, the pasta and the meat or seafood of your choose.

 

I don't understand your statement about it being a fact that CCL is a step down from Princess. :confused: Carnival has certainly stepped it up as far as their food is concerned. Food is very subjective so while you may prefer Princess, as you can see from other comments, others prefer Carnival.

 

 

 

Princess- was on the Golden Princess on 7/4/09

 

CCL- Was on the Spirit 12/21/2009. I am platinum on CCL and have seen a big drop in food food quality in the last two years, like: fake cheese on pizza, elimination of filet mignon, etc. Mongolian stirfy , imho, is mediocre. I have been to a lot of stir fry places and CCL is the worst. If you have never been to a good one, I can see how CCL would seem good.At any ratel CCL has been stepping down, getting rid of steak sandwiches at the aft deck, getting rid of real corn beef ( check it out)

CCL cherries jubillee? I don't remember when I last had it, but do remember that it was cold, prepared way in advance in the kitchen. I still have a video of the cherries jubilie parade in the MDR. with flames . That ended like ten years ago. On Princess (last June) they were still preparing it hot in the MDR (saw it myself).I don't understand why you think CCL has "stepped up". How is getting rid of the filet mignon a step up?CCL got rid of onion rings- is that a step up? How is replacing the real cheese with fake cheese for pizza a step up?How is replacing pressed and formed corned beef for real corn beef a step up?Also, on my last Princess cruise last July, had jumbo sized scallops, something never seen on CCL, and more jumbo shrimp, on CCL, seen only on Panko/sweet and sour shrimp nights.

These are specifics! Do you think pizza quality improves when you use fake cheese? Do you think that you can ake a beter corn beef sandwich by usings pressed and formed meat instead of real corned beef? Do you think that a sirloin steak is better than a filet mignon?If you answered yest to any above, explain why, otherwise, admit that CCL food is going down the crapper.

 

Getting back to deserts, Princess always has had several nights where they had soufffles. CCL only has their orange Grand marnier souffle- yuck!

Really, the quality stuff is seen more often on Princess, the term "subjective" is the surrender flag for those lacking specifics. The last time I saw prime rib on the lido deck on CCL was on the Elation , '99.Now, I'll admit that I don't cruise as often as some ( ( I cruise about 4 times a year), I have a CCL cruise and a Princess booked in June and will report back on them. I am platinum on CCL and the last two years have seen a down spiral in food quality. In fact, ever since they got that new CEO, food quality has taken a down spiral. Even though we are plat with all the goodies, we much rather sail Princess. This June's CCL cruise may be our last CCL for a long time!

 

As far as Cherries Jubilee and Baked Alaska, I agree with you that I also miss the parades they used to have but since we always do the Anytime on Princess, we have not ever seen it on Princess. We order them and get them cold just like on Carnival. You only get to see the parade if you are Traditional on Princess.

 

I eat a lot of steaks and beef at home but on cruise tend to eat more seafood and find that there are seafood dishes to be had every night on Carnival and the shrimps are very large. Therefore cannot speak to the quality of beef on CCL. Carnival has Escargots on the menu and on some of the Princess ships, you only get it if you ask. Princess has the very large seafood spreads in the buffet twice a week on some ships but do not have a seafood choice every night in the MDR and we prefer to eat in the MDR for dinner. Somehow we always tend to miss all the seafood in the buffet as the best seafood spread they put out is on the 2nd formal night when we also had seafood in the MDR. Maybe now that Princess does not have crab legs anymore, we can check out the seafood in the buffet.:)

 

Also, I don't eat pizza%

[PROCRUISE]

My wife & I went on our first cruise last October. (Emerald Princess/Eastern Caribbean) We had a great time and are thinking about cruising again this Fall (some time when school is in session and rates are low), this time with good friends who were supposed to go with us before but couldn't due to work scheduling. Princess was largely what we expected and everything was great, but we do want to gradually try other lines and see the differences in style/service. There is a 7 day Fall cruise on Carnival Legend/Western Carribean itinerary we are interested in, and we have targeted it.

 

As far as Princess likes and dislikes -

 

Likes:

* Quiet - The theatre, piazza, buffets, and daytime pool areas were the only parts of the ship that felt crowded or loud. Hardly any announcements the entire week, numerous quiet and uncrowded areas around the ship.

* kids - We cruised in mid October and there was hardly a kid on the ship. We love kids and have 4 of them, but most don't seem as well behaved as ours :(

* food - very good and a wide selection. We especially liked the International Cafe and Wheelhouse Pub

* staff - polite, helpful, accessible, our room steward was fantastic

* entertainment quality - the theatre & various shows & bands were very good

* formal nights - I don't normally like dressing up but wife does. I wore a tux both formal nights and we enjoyed ourselves and didn't feel overdressed. Princess does a good job with formal nights.

* Passenger mix - We're in our 30's and seemed to be among the youngest people on the ship. Most of the passengers seemed to be older than us and from the Northeast. We were initially surprised that there were so few Southerners and so few people around our age, but everyone was very well mannered and nice to be around and we enjoyed meeting and spending time with lots of other people.

* alcohol policy - We don't drink much but Princess didn't have any problem with us carrying on 4 bottles of wine from our local winery. I understand the policies may be a lot tighter with other lines.

 

Dislikes:

* ship movement - We felt it a lot any time the ship was in motion. It didn't mess up the cruise for us but there was so much movement we actually fell into the walls a couple times. Maybe it was just the time of year.

* theatre, buffet rooms, pool area seating - they were crowded most of the time and it was hard to find a seat

* ship decor - Everything was very nice but it might have been a bit too understated & bland for our tastes

* fitness center - It was very crowded all the time and I gave up on trying to get in a workout during the week

 

The stateroom on Emerald Princess was very small but it didn't bother us especially because of the balcony. The Carnival Legend seems to be roughly the same size ship as Emerald Princess and I like the Greek mythology theme. We realize Carnival might be a little louder and a bit younger crowd. We have several family & friends that have cruised Carnival and they tell us that the "feel" of a Carnival cruise is highly variable based on length & itinerary. We have good friends that did Carnival Glory/Western Caribbean a few months ago and they loved it. In light of some of the likes and dislikes noted above, anyone have opinions or ideas on how this cruise might work out for us?

 

Just try The Legend, our favorite ship so far, and then you can tell us what you think! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[mississauga]

As far as Cherries Jubilee and Baked Alaska, I agree with you that I also miss the parades they used to have but since we always do the Anytime on Princess, we have not ever seen it on Princess. We order them and get them cold just like on Carnival. You only get to see the parade if you are Traditional on Princess.

 

I eat a lot of steaks and beef at home but on cruise tend to eat more seafood and find that there are seafood dishes to be had every night on Carnival and the shrimps are very large. Therefore cannot speak to the quality of beef on CCL. Carnival has Escargots on the menu and on some of the Princess ships, you only get it if you ask. Princess has the very large seafood spreads in the buffet twice a week on some ships but do not have a seafood choice every night in the MDR and we prefer to eat in the MDR for dinner. Somehow we always tend to miss all the seafood in the buffet as the best seafood spread they put out is on the 2nd formal night when we also had seafood in the MDR. Maybe now that Princess does not have crab legs anymore, we can check out the seafood in the buffet.:)

 

Also, I don't eat pizza%

 

 

Don't know what happened to the rest of my post when I edit. Guess I should have followed up after editing.

 

I was saying I don't eat pizza on cruises so can't comment on your claim of fake cheese.

 

I guess it all depends on what one's choices are as food is concerned and one's likes and dislikes. Princess does some better and Carnival does others better. Food is very subjective so I guess we just need to agree to disagree.:)

 

I personally have enjoyed all my food on both Princess and Carnival:D:D

[FAD]

The food, itinerary, pool, room, formal night etc are important but these differences between the lines aren't deal breakers. What is the determining fact for me is the entertainment. I love the laughter; I even enoy the laugher of the people in the audience.

 

The Carnival Legend we just went on had comedians, variety acts and games that were hilarious. The Crown Princess I went on in Jan. 2008 had too many production shows (lovely and enjoyable the first night but not fun) and the theater was too small so the few nights they had comedians you couldn’t get a seat unless you where there an hour ahead of time.

[Kurbanfan]

I'm platinum on Carnival and have sailed Princess and RCCL.......and I agree that Princess is a step above Carnival.......

Don't nit pick and compare........just enjoy each one of them......

[Nunu]

I'm platinum on Carnival and have sailed Princess and RCCL.......and I agree that Princess is a step above Carnival.......

Don't nit pick and compare........just enjoy each one of them......

 

I agree!

[hunter33]

Well, we're booked for the Legend on Oct 17th :D

 

Thanks for all the helpful info. I subscribed to the thread but never received any email notifications, then came back to it by accident tonight and saw all the responses. :)

[DanishDonut]

Well, we're booked for the Legend on Oct 17th :D

 

Thanks for all the helpful info. I subscribed to the thread but never received any email notifications, then came back to it by accident tonight and saw all the responses. :)

 

Congratulations!

 

Hopefully you'll follow up and post a review (with pictures of course), you're going to love the Legend.