Legend or Dream for Western Caribbean

[Stacey779]

Hi everyone,

 

We're having trouble deciding between the Legend and the Dream for a Western Caribbean cruise in March. We've been on a Spirit class ship before (Pride), so we know we like those ships, but we've never been on a Dream class ship. DH loves water slides, I'd like to try a cove balcony, and we both like the idea of the extra food venues on the Dream. However, the Legend seems to get consistently good reviews (whereas Dream reviews are hit or miss) and we know we like the Spirit class ships. I'm wondering if the "extras" we'd experience on the Dream are worth taking the chance, or if we should just play it safe and go with a ship we know we'll like.

 

So my question is... based solely on the ship, which one would you choose?

[TakeMeAway1001]

I have cruised on both and if I had to choose again I would choose the Legend, both DH and had a much more enjoyable time on her.

[beckyjohns]

We've been on the Legend and are scheduled for the Dream in October (both Western routes).

 

I LOVED the Legend. It seemed much easier to navigate and I never, ever felt crowded anywhere on the ship. That said, my husband didn't really like the "empty" feeling of the Legend. Not that he likes lines, but it seemed like every lounge/bar we went to was pretty much empty.

 

I can't speak for the Dream yet, but can when I get back in October!

[Irishlinny]

I love the Legend...never sailed the Dream. One thing to keep in mind is that the Dream sometimes misses Roatan (which is our favorite port) if the conditions aren't just right. Due to its size, if the winds are off, it makes it too difficult to navigate the channel into the port. That alone would make me pick Legend, and the crowds would be the other thing. But I'm sure the Dream has some plusses as well. I just prefer smaller and less crowds...

[bguppies]

I love the Legend...never sailed the Dream. One thing to keep in mind is that the Dream sometimes misses Roatan (which is our favorite port) if the conditions aren't just right. Due to its size, if the winds are off, it makes it too difficult to navigate the channel into the port. That alone would make me pick Legend, and the crowds would be the other thing. But I'm sure the Dream has some plusses as well. I just prefer smaller and less crowds...

 

Excellent point.

 

I would have never thought of it like that, but the Dream does seem to miss Roatan at least once a month or so. (which would be at least 25% of the time)

 

Can't wait to board the Legend this Sunday.

 

Bill

[breenw]

We've sailed on both ships. I would try the Dream as there are definitely some venues on that ship that you wouldn't see on the Legend. We've sailed the Dream twice and the Legend once.

[Stacey779]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I hadn't thought about the Roatan issue, but that's really good to know. We've never been to Roatan so I'd hate to miss it. At this point I'm leaning towards the Legend, but I know we'll have an awesome time no matter what we choose. :)

[rdevine10]

We were just having a similar discussion at our house. I would love to try the Dream, but determined I would only do so on an Eastern route. The Dream reviews seem to be hit or miss, and crowds seems to be very present during high peak travel times (when we are going). So, I think we are going to try the Legend, which consistantly gets great reviews and seems more often to be less crowded.

 

I mentioned the Eastern route as I too keep reading about missing Roatan, which would be a real bummer to me. That being said, I also prefer the Legends ports better.

 

But back to the ships, we have been on the Disney Dream (similar in size to the Carnival Dream) and the pools were MOBBED, so much so I was afraid someone was going to get seroiusly hurt and made my DD get out. We still had a great cruise though, but I would prefer a little less crowding! HTH!

[doublek2]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I hadn't thought about the Roatan issue, but that's really good to know. We've never been to Roatan so I'd hate to miss it. At this point I'm leaning towards the Legend, but I know we'll have an awesome time no matter what we choose. :)

 

I could be mistaken but earlier this year they switched the days for Belize and Roatan and I believe this was done because there is not another ship at Coxen Hole on that date (Tuesday). Coxen Hole is a little easier to get into than Mahogany Bay and the Dream has docked there before on windy days. I remember this because I was very concerned about this issue as well. Someone please correct me if i am wrong.

 

btw I did both the Dream and the Legend western carribean and enjoyed both very much.

[MegRose1107]

I love the Legend...never sailed the Dream. One thing to keep in mind is that the Dream sometimes misses Roatan (which is our favorite port) if the conditions aren't just right. Due to its size, if the winds are off, it makes it too difficult to navigate the channel into the port. That alone would make me pick Legend, and the crowds would be the other thing. But I'm sure the Dream has some plusses as well. I just prefer smaller and less crowds...

 

I would have to say, the chance of missing Roatan would be the only reason why I would think twice about going on the Dream. Roatan is one of my favorite ports- it's GORGEOUS! I was on the Legend last month and loved it! It was beautiful ship and I had nothing short of a great time. BUT the Dream is AMAZING! I was on the Dream last October with my Boyfriend who has been on 15 cruises, and let me say, it took him about a week to get his jaw off the floor! The Dream exceed my everyone of my expectations. Everything from the food to decor to service was just amazing. I have read some of the reviews of people saying they didn't like the Dream because of crowds and what not, but I feel like you kind of know going on a cruise there are going to be crowds of some sort. You have thousands of people on a ship, they are bound to be out and about. I would say go for the Dream. My BF and I love going to the ports, but the ship is what we go for. The Dream on the western route ( I prefer the western route) would be the perfect cruise for me! I think if you go on the Dream, you will not be disappointed!

[k2excursion]

For me, I would certainly pick the Dream. I love waterslides, and Dream's 2 waterslides are so awesome! Legend has one great waterslide, but it's tucked away in the back of the ship, away from all the action. Having been on one of Legend's sister ships, Miracle, I can say that I far prefer the Dream to a Spirit class ship. Dream is very appealing to the young and the young at heart, while an older demographic tends to love Spirit class ships. And it seems to me that most young cruisers are not on cruisecritic. They're on facebook. (Not all, but it does seem to be the tendency. That was not a universal statement. Not a universal statement. Not a universal statement. I'll likely be flamed anyway.:rolleyes:)

 

Just for me, I found the Dream much easier to navigate. The dreaded kitchen in the middle of deck 3 doesn't bother me one bit. Dream is more crowded than Legend, but it doesn't seem overly crowded. But of course, I go to amusement parks, waterparks, ballgames, & the Grand Canyon. Compared to those, Dream feels empty. I felt the same as the one poster in regards to the lounges at night on the Miracle: seemed dead and almost empty. The whole ship felt kind of dead. We still made our own fun and had a great cruise. We always do. But the Dream's atmosphere was more our style, much more lively and involved.

[kujobie]

I'll let you know in a couple weeks. We're sailing Dream next Saturday for the first time. Legend/Spirit class is by far our favorites. Dream has big shoes to fill. We shall see.

[vivAtornado]

out of curiosity, why does everyone say the legend is less crowded than the dream? ive only started researching ships the past few months.

 

ya'all are making me glad i picked legend (even if it was based purely on route and date)

[kujobie]

out of curiosity, why does everyone say the legend is less crowded than the dream? ive only started researching ships the past few months.

 

ya'all are making me glad i picked legend (even if it was based purely on route and date)

 

The Legend has a greater passenger to public space ratio. There's more room. It's less crowded.

[h0mbr3]

Been on the Dream twice and Legend once. Loved both boats, loved the cove balcony. I would go with the Dream, and if you miss Roatan.....that gives you an excuse to go ahead and book the Legend to go see it!!!

[Hogladyrider]

We have sailed on both and we are booked to sail on both in 2012.

 

Love BOTH class of ships. Legend has more pools.

 

If money were not an issue, then I'd opt for Dream. Why....cove balcony and the Serenity area is amazing....and easy access to the water slides from the Serenity area....plus the Pasta eatery.

 

We never felt Dream crowded but then we cruise when school is in session. Yes the main pool gets crowded but if you pick and chose when you hang out there we had no problems. We would sit and watch the big screen when most people were in the dining room.

 

Dream you can walk the entire permiter of the ship - outside - great after dinner or early morning walk.

 

Dream cons, in my opinion, some balcony rooms have no privacy at all, and I would not book them for that reason alone. We spend a lot of time on our balcony and there is NOTHING like a cove balcony.

 

Whatever ship you choose I am sure you will have a great cruise!

Susan

[skrufy]

Never have sailed a Dream class ship, Choosing from the others DW and I have sailed we would both select the Legend. We both like the smaller ships, the large ones give the feeling you are on anything but a cruise ship. One day we will venture to one of those giants just to say we sailed all Carnivals ship classes.

 

2004 Fantasy

2005 Glory

2006 Glory

2007 Elation

2008 Spirit

2009 Glory

2010 Legend

[SiteC_er]

Our first and only cruise (so far) was on the Legend -Western Caribbean. We really really enjoyed our cruise and are scheduled to go on the Dream this coming summer- Eastern Caribbean. I would have not problems going on Legend again, but we wanted to do the Eastern route and try another ship. Enjoy! PS: we too loved Roatan

[Stacey779]

Thanks again everyone! Your replies are really helpful and give me a lot to think about. DH and I do spend a lot of time on the balcony, so that's why we're so intrigued by the cove balconies on the Dream. So much to think about... at least we have some time to figure it out. :cool:

[SiteC_er]

We had a balcony on Legend (deck 7) and can't imagine not having one. We reserved a cove balcony on the Dream for next summer!

[Catrin]

We have been on both.

 

While we LOVED the Legend - and the Spirit class layout... our new favorite is the Dream.

 

Although HUGE - we were amazed how roomy the ship was and it only felt crowded at lunch on the At Sea days. And this was in August with over 1200 kids onboard. Great layout with plenty of quiet areas.. Serenity, Out of the Way Kids areas, Terrific water slides, Variety of public areas, Lanai, and efficient staffing.

 

We DID make it to Roatan, and what a nice place Mohagany Bay is.

 

Either way, you cannot lose!

Catrin

[PCalabrese]

We've been on both and we love the Spirit class ships. Go with the Legend! Great layout, great food. Dream is too crowded and the pools are practically non-existent. Cove balcony's on the Dream however are awesome.

[marshhawk]

Legend-I'm not into huge, screens showing TV all day, and loud noises. I want to hear the ocean, enjoy a pool, and while on the Legend-really only saw kids one day. I love the Legend so much and the ports, we are on her again next year, Sail happy what ever you chose.:D

[mystone99]

DW and I have sailed both, and although we liked some of the bells and whistles of the Dream, the Legend has been our favorite ship.

Dream pros - we had a Cove Balcony on the Dream which was great, the water slides are fun, the adult serenity area is great and the punchliner comedy club was well set up.

Dream cons - long lines all the time for everything, worst MDR experience we've had, no space at the pool and the large screen TV was more annoying than entertaining.

Legend pros - Easy to get around, great MDR, fewer people, cheaper fares than Dream.

Legend cons - I can't think of any.

Either way, hope you have a good time.

[tandemcruzr]

We've cruised the Legend twice, Miracle (same class) once and the Dream once. (Also the Glory, Fantasy, Fascination)

 

We have a Dream cruise this coming November because we scored a Cove at a great price and we love Costa Maya. Our Legend cruise is in January. Got our favorite balcony also at a great price.

 

What many people have said is true. The Legend has a better ratio of passengers to public space so it doesn't feel as crowded. On the Dream, we were able to manage our times so we avoided the crowds.

 

Since you've sailed the Legend, give the Dream a try and let us all know what your experiences were. :D