will easy going NCL loyalists be happy on the Legend in Alaska?

[trish1c]

We have sailed 

 

Royal Caribbean --  over priced 

 

Princess -- boring; they practically rolled up the bars & the hallways at 10 p.m. 

 

NCL -- just right . . . relaxed, fun, good value (although lately I am questioning our loyalty, especially since the prices seem to have skyrocketed). 

 

Carnival Legend is sailing out of Seattle to Alaska leaving on a Tuesday which fits beautifully with a California thing we finish up late on a Sunday.   We can fly up from LAX to SEA-TAC on Monday & then sail.   Alaska is way more about the ports then the ship so we don't need much.  Looking for clean cabin, reasonable fun ship mates, a few drinks, edible food (neither of us expects Michelin stars on a ship)  & great views.  

 

This Legend itinerary sounds like it works.  But if anybody can give us a comparative low down that would be awesome. It's a port intensive itinerary which I think is good.  I hate sea days.   On this board, I'm sure you all love Carnival & like is subjective but insight would be appreciated.  If it's too party hearty that won't work.  If it's too deadly dull that won't work either. If the ship itself is more of a cruise ship then a cruise liner designed for rougher waters, let us know that. 

 

Thanks in advance.  

 

Edited February 21, 2019 by trish1c

[bingomamma19]

39 minutes ago, trish1c said:

We have sailed 

 

Royal Caribbean --  over priced 

 

Princess -- boring; they practically rolled up the bars & the hallways at 10 p.m. 

 

NCL -- just right . . . relaxed, fun, good value (although lately I am questioning our loyalty, especially since the prices seem to have skyrocketed). 

 

Carnival Legend is sailing out of Seattle to Alaska leaving on a Tuesday which fits beautifully with a California thing we finish up late on a Sunday.   We can fly up from LAX to SEA-TAC on Monday & then sail.   Alaska is way more about the ports then the ship so we don't need much.  Looking for clean cabin, reasonable fun ship mates, a few drinks, edible food (neither of us expects Michelin stars on a ship)  & great views.  

 

This Legend itinerary sounds like it works.  But if anybody can give us a comparative low down that would be awesome. It's a port intensive itinerary which I think is good.  I hate sea days.   On this board, I'm sure you all love Carnival & like is subjective but insight would be appreciated.  If it's too party hearty that won't work.  If it's too deadly dull that won't work either. If the ship itself is more of a cruise ship then a cruise liner designed for rougher waters, let us know that. 

 

Thanks in advance.  

 

We just did the Legend to Alaska in August.   I have never sailed on NCL, but I loved the Legend.   

 

The food was great..no lines to speak of.   I loved the entertainment and performers on board.   The ship has 2 pool areas on the Lido that are back to back...one has a roof cover to make it comfortable in the cold.

 

Entertainment goes until about midnight, then its pretty dead...a lot more of an older crowd than the Caribbean, but we got in a lot of fun.

 

The ship was a perfect size..the only thing I did miss was a large screen on the Lido...so no movies under the stars on the Legend.

 

I highly recommend the Legend, in fact I have booked it for april 2020 when it will be in Tampa at that point.

[pittypat]

We too, are easy going cruisers and sailed Norwegian Pearl last year to Alaska. It was our first cruise on Norwegian and probably our last. The cruise was fine but I just prefer food, room, and entertainment on Carnival. As far as the parting that is totally up to you on what you want to be involved with. That isn’t our thing so we don’t participate. I think it’s truly what you want and the choices you make on a Carnival ship regarding the partying.  I am platinum on Carnival and our Norwegian Cruise was our first to try another line. After the Norwegian Pearl we felt we will stick with Carnival.  Booked the Carnival Legend  for July 2019 to Alaska. 

 

IMHO You should be happy with your choice of the Legend.

 

pittypat

Edited February 21, 2019 by pittypat

[WifeynMe]

We've sailed the NCL Jewel to Mexico and the  Carnival Legend to Alaska. Jewel was ok, loved the Legend. Like the food better and enjoyed the comedy club. We were never bored. Liked the ship enough to book it to the Caribbean this year.

[tonit964]

2 hours ago, trish1c said:

We have sailed 

 

Royal Caribbean --  over priced 

 

Princess -- boring; they practically rolled up the bars & the hallways at 10 p.m. 

 

NCL -- just right . . . relaxed, fun, good value (although lately I am questioning our loyalty, especially since the prices seem to have skyrocketed). 

 

Carnival Legend is sailing out of Seattle to Alaska leaving on a Tuesday which fits beautifully with a California thing we finish up late on a Sunday.   We can fly up from LAX to SEA-TAC on Monday & then sail.   Alaska is way more about the ports then the ship so we don't need much.  Looking for clean cabin, reasonable fun ship mates, a few drinks, edible food (neither of us expects Michelin stars on a ship)  & great views.  

 

This Legend itinerary sounds like it works.  But if anybody can give us a comparative low down that would be awesome. It's a port intensive itinerary which I think is good.  I hate sea days.   On this board, I'm sure you all love Carnival & like is subjective but insight would be appreciated.  If it's too party hearty that won't work.  If it's too deadly dull that won't work either. If the ship itself is more of a cruise ship then a cruise liner designed for rougher waters, let us know that. 

 

Thanks in advance.  

 

You'll never know until you try. 

It's not too party hardy, and it's not too deadly dull either.  It's not a huge ship, it's 88, 500 GT so you will feel some movement.

I've sailed on the Spirit class ships quite a few times and the Legend to Alaska in 2016, It's my favorite class ship. YMMV.

[Amyracecar]

I don't know what itinerary they're doing these days but the Carnival Legend one was great for us when we went a few years back. Friends of ours who cruised on another line hated Alaska because they didn't get enough time on land, but on this one some stops didn't sail until evening/night, so we were able to have a romantic dinner on land, something we've rarely been able to do on cruises. 

(Skagway was our absolute favourite stop, like going back in time) 

 

Will always be something to do on the Legend if by a miracle you get bored of the scenery, and the naturalist they had on board was brilliant. 

 

First day sailing was really choppy before they got to the more scenic sailing, so take sickness pills just in case. Not everyone feels it obviously but this was one of the worst seas we've had in years of cruising. May have been a one-off. (Everywhere else had little movement at all) 

[trippingpara]

We will be doing our first NCL cruise next year to the Baltic so I can't give you a good comparison, but we just completed a cruise to Alaska on the Legend in August.  Those sailing to Alaska on cruise ships do tend to be a bit of an older crowd then you will find on Caribbean sailings.  Some say it's partly due to cost and partly due to the itinerary.  Whatever the reason, the crowd is definitely a bit older than you will find on other Carnival ships.  Due to this, there is a bit of a reduction in the level of partying that you may find on other cruises on Carnival.  I was surprised on our first night there how early the bars seemed to close down.  However, that was only on the first night.  All of the other nights, we were able to easily find places to drink, relax, dance, laugh, and basically just enjoy ourselves.  Overall, we had a great time on the Legend and it's itinerary to Alaska.  Like some others have said, you never know until you try it and of course, it's all what you make of it.  I've found that the more I open my own mind and accept differences, the more I end up enjoying the experience.

[trish1c]

It sounds like it will be a good fit.  Honestly I think the quality on NCL has gone down & we don't like the big ships (Getaway, Epic, Bliss etc) so the size of the ship seems ideal.   We're not looking to party because we want to be up & not hungover to explore the ports.  I just don't want to be made to feel like we have to turn in early like on Princess.  10 p.m. bar closings seemed ridiculous to us, especially when the venue was packed.  

 

The biggest draw is the Tuesday departure. 

 

We're middle aged so it sounds like the demographic will be a good fit too. 

 

Thank you all for your insights. 

 

For those of you who have done the Alaska trip, is it warm enough . .  . generally speaking because weather is so unpredictable . . . to use the pool etc on that 1st sea day?  We have sailed to the Caribbean from NYC in winter several times & always feel stuck inside on the 1st & last sea day because it's too cold.  

[jakesnana]

4 hours ago, trish1c said:

It sounds like it will be a good fit.  Honestly I think the quality on NCL has gone down & we don't like the big ships (Getaway, Epic, Bliss etc) so the size of the ship seems ideal.   We're not looking to party because we want to be up & not hungover to explore the ports.  I just don't want to be made to feel like we have to turn in early like on Princess.  10 p.m. bar closings seemed ridiculous to us, especially when the venue was packed.  

 

The biggest draw is the Tuesday departure. 

 

We're middle aged so it sounds like the demographic will be a good fit too. 

 

Thank you all for your insights. 

 

For those of you who have done the Alaska trip, is it warm enough . .  . generally speaking because weather is so unpredictable . . . to use the pool etc on that 1st sea day?  We have sailed to the Caribbean from NYC in winter several times & always feel stuck inside on the 1st & last sea day because it's too cold.  

 

It will depend on what time of year your sailing is. If it's the first sailing in May I would say probably not, if it's during July than probably. We did the Legend on an 11 night Hawaii repo to Vancouver and had a great time. I LOVE the size of the Sprit class ships. Having done NCL quite a few times (we are Platinum on both CCL and NCL) I would choose CCL now, simply because I think the quality has declined on NCL (food and service) and I HATE having to pay "gratuities" on FREE perks :(

[darwinsrule]

Three NCL cruises under our belt.  Two on Getaway. Would happily sail Getaway again and again.  Just cancelled Jewel on a Southbound for this summer.  Booked a repo on Disney Wonder for February 2020, and another Alaska and a Disney trip just wasn't in the cards.  Booked Carnival Magic as a replacement for August earlier today however as a replacement.

 

We did Legend to Alaska in August 2017.  Part of the reason was price, part that it hit Glacier Bay.  The ship layout is wonderful, the decor reminded us of the old downtown Vegas casinos.  Love Vegas, but that isn't a compliment. If you get the intinerary you want at the price you want go for it. 

[LPut714]

We did Carnival Legend to Alaska about 2 years ago-smaller ship (we love RC Oasis class but like our perks better with Carnival) Definitely was in need of some TLC. I understand was going to get 2.0 upgrades (Guys Burger/Blue Iguana) so will welcome that as we are doing a 15 day Panama Canal transit on the Legend Oct 2019. Love the comedy shows with Carnival. At Least 2-4 different comediennes within the week. Was just on the Miracle (sister ship to Legend) food type and temp has improved-hopefully response to all the comments. Enjoy your trip Alaska is beautiful. 

[quickrate]

I have sailed the Legend a couple of times and was on NCL Star last April for a TA. They are comparable in size. I love the Legend and all of the Spirit class ships. I think you will be happy with your choice.

Pat

[whitneypb85]

We have never done NCL but just finished a cruise on the Legend in August to Alaska.  We are accustomed to the larger class ships on RCL and Carnival, however, we thoroughly enjoyed sailing on the Legend.  We never ran out of things to do and the ship did not ever feel crowded.  My son who was afraid he would be bored never was either.  In fact, we are going back on the Legend next year to Europe!  I think you will have a great time!

[mexicobob]

We enjoyed our trip to Alaska on The Legend.  There was as much entertainment as we wanted but do not think we stayed out beyond midnight, so not sure about late hours.

We sailed first week of June and getting in a pool was out of the question.  For us at least.

The first night, into the next morning out of Seattle, can have very  large swells.  The Pacific meets currents coming from the mainland and creates situations that can cause sea sickness for even veteran sailors.  Not really rocky, but the ship may be rolling slowly.  A good time to take Bonine or something.

 

Very highly recommend combining a cruise with a land tour.  Carnival does not do this but other lines do.  Maybe your next trip.

[ElCrappyTan]

I don’t know. 

[NYcruzzer]

I am Platinum on Carnival and Platinum Plus on NCL .. I'm quite happy with both cruiselines. NCL prices are skyrocketing since they started offering all those  multiple "free" perks like the drink package dining, WiFi and shore excursions. Of course the drink package really isn't completely free. NCL charges 20% service charge which approximately $20.00  P/P per day.  Both lines are more similar than they are different. Only in the area of on board entertainment do I give NCL a slight nod.