Just Back From The Carnival Legend

[4cruisin]

Hi All,

Just a quick note to say that we had a great time on the Legend. The food was much better than DCL but the entertainment/activities did not compare at all. DCL is much better in that department. We had a private balcony cabin on deck 6 and it was very nice. We did not really miss the split bath as the bath was large and spacious. Plenty of closet space in the cabin. Ports of call were Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. All very nice. The ship decor is very nice...more glitzy than DCL. Compares to a Las Vegas hotel.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer.

Nancy

 

[MarkRG]

I keep hearing that statement about 'the food is better', and I don't understand how. The one thing I've always been impressed with on DCL is the entire food presentation, from the fact it is not in huge quantities per serving, a rare thing nowadays, to the actual plate presentation. I also like the fact that none the dinners are fast food type dinners but all gourmet, the fine dining experience is really a good thing to me.


Please, be as descriptive as possible in what ways the food is better, I really am curious having not sailed on any other lines yet.

 

[4cruisin]

Mark,

The food on Carnival was of much better quality than DCL. There was a larger selection on the buffets. The food had a much "fresher" taste as opposed to processed and frozen on DCL (just my and dh's opinions). The food presentation on Carnival was just as appealing and decorative as DCL. We dined at the Golden Fleece one evening (DCL Palo) and the presentation was magnificient. Very imaginative and appealing. I am a red meat lover and the meats on CCL were very tender and tasty. I had steak several nights and found the quality very good. DCL meats always tasted frozen to me. The deserts were good...although a couple of nights I really could not find anything that appealed to me. CCL does not stuff you with portions. They serve medium size meals but after having bread, and appetizer, salad and your main meal, you are full enough.

On DCL, there did not appear to be a large selection of food types at either the buffet or dinner. On CCL, there was a larger variety of choices at all meals. We never ventured into the dining room for lunch as the buffets were more than we could want. Even the hamburgers and hot dogs at the Lido grill seemed to be of better quality meat than on DCL

I am sure that everyone has a different opinion of food on each cruise. Both my dh and I preferred the food on CCL than DCL but you may prefer the food on DCL.

 

[Gupsmom]

Please, be as descriptive

I've sailed Carnival and Disney. The ONLY category I gave a nod to Carnival on, was food. The DCL food was very good, so I'm not complaining. Carnival's dining room's put on more of a show every night (with the staff). The food is just fancier, both in meal choices and presentation. Also, they have a midnight buffet everynight. Their Grand Gala buffet (with food cut into different structures and ice sculptures) is amazing.

Again, I'm not complaining about the DCL food. We enjoyed it. I just found it noteworthy because I think Disney outdid Carnival in every other category.

Jess

 

[SandraLee]

I have never been impressed with the food on DCL. I think the buffet at Topsiders is too basic. And, COLD. And, the cook-to-order line goes on forever.

In the dining rooms, the food is OK. Presentation is excellent, but I have to agree about 'frozen' feeling. And, again, the plates arrive to the table warm.

Palo was excellent! I love the variety and specialities offered there.

Food would NOT be the reason I return 3 times to DCL.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Did you use the kids clubs on Carnival at all? How do they compare? I always thought (but have never sailed on Carnival) that it was more of a young adult party atmosphere. Did you think so, or would a family enjoy it?

 

[chrisn]

while we had no complaints in the food department on our DCL cruise. RCCL knocked our socks off every night at dinner in presentation and taste (YUMMY!) and the buffets were enormous with many more offerings. We had a midnight buffet one night that was quite a sight with numerous carvings of ice, cheese, fruits and vegi's, animals made of bread and an entire buffet just of things that were chocolate! And the alternative restaurant Portofino in a word decadant (sp)?! I wouldn't have believed if I had not seen and tasted for myself. It was fabulous!

 

[bbump]

We cruised the Carnival Paradise 2-15 thru 2-22-04. There were many children on board, due to Winter Break in the New England States.... we are from MN, so I was not expecting so many kids! However, we brought our 7 yo daughter on the cruise with us, and she had an absolute BLAST on Carnival (just as much fun as Disney for her) Camp Carnival was lots of fun...there were late-night parties (which involved an extra fee) Kids formal nights, slumber parties, Harry Potter Parties, cookie decorating, a kids dance in the disco...and more fun stuff. Camp Carnival provided a schedule for the whole week, vs day by day schedules from Disney. There were times when Camp Carnival was closed to prepare for Dinner. The Disney Magic was our first Cruise, and It will always be our favorite but Carnival was an affordable option for us and we wanted to see different ports of call. I missed the friendly staff of the Disney Magic, the activities were more organized on Disney, plus there were MORE deck parties on Disney!!!! There were a few times on Carnival, where we were walking arround trying to find something to do, and I actually enjoyed Disney's food BETTER than Carnival. (The buffet's on our ship were so so... We had late seating, so we never had an appetite to check out the midnight buffets) I hope this helps a bit!

 

[DARWIN91]

What was the clientele on the ship? Was it mixed? Mostly young, mostly families?? I want to try the Carnival Legend because it goes out of NY which would be convenient and I like the itinerary that they are offering, but I always heard Carnival to be more of a "Party atmosphere". Don't get me wrong, this girl loves a good party but I like it to be with more "aged" partiers that now have children. No sleeping outside on lounge chairs - haha.

 

[wildcatwmn]

Ha ha ha...I am with you Darwin. I was looking at the 4 night out of NYC this summer to Canada, but you afraid it would be a party cruise and not a romantic weekend getaway.

I agree with the statements about the food on DCL. I have sailed on Princess and the food was excellent. I am a big seafood eater and was surprised there was not a larger seafood selection on DCL. I opted for the meat most nights, and it was so so. The one night it was excellent was the medallions of beef with the peppercorn sauce. The desserts on DCL were good, but nothing blew me away. On the Princess, I felt less rushed and for dinner and it was not as noisy in the dining rooms, but then I think there fewer families nad more couples.

 

[markmyboy]

We have been on DCL, Carnival & Norwegian & have found the food to be comparable on all three lines. The buffets on Carnival & Norwegian definitely had a LOT more to choose from, but essentially was the same food as on DCL. We also just enjoyed the atmosphere of the DCL dining rooms much more & EVERYONE there is just great with the kids, on the other lines it was hit or miss!!

My son also found camp carnival & norwegians kid's clubs just as enjoyable as those on DCL, though the hours are not as extensive! He was extremely excited when we told him we were returning to DCL!! There were also no facilities on board either of those ships for our now 2 year old daughter!!

We did not find Carnival to be too much of a party ship, the activities were definitely more focused on the late night clubs & discos, but we did not partake, so it was pretty much a nice family cruise for us & there were definitely a lot of other families. And the shows on Carnival were not at all geared towards kids, very Vegas showgirl type shows, good, but not for the kids!! We spent our two rolls of quarters in the casino, but pretty much just enjoyed the ports of call and relaxing on the ship, never bothered by any of the late night revelers.

We really enjoy trying out all the other cruise lines, but I think DCL will always be our "home"!!

 

[4cruisin]

Hi All,
I tried to post a reply yesterday, but kept getting an error message.

OK, we do not have children so I cannot answer about the children's center on CCL. I did have one little boy come up to me as part of a scavenger hunt and I thought that was a cute idea. As far as a "party atmosphere", I will say that there seems to be a more "boozy" attitude on CCL than DCL. DCL had more of a "family" attitude. Neither my dh or I drink. We had an open bar card and we each had 1 alcoholic drink during the 8 days. I don't have an issue with people drinking but I do have an issue with people becoming obnoxious while drinking way too much. Fortunately, we only saw this once at a hot tub when a bunch (about 13 or 14 people) of 30 somethings decided to crowd in on people and proceeded to sit there and drink non-stop for several hours. I will say that security monitored them all afternoon and seemed to keep them somewhat in check. We happened to be sitting by the a pool and watched them get more and more intoxicated all the while becoming louder and louder. A couple of the women were also dancing with each other in rather lewd manner while there were several children nearby. I am not a prude, but had I had children there, we would have moved to another area for sure. I personally do not think children should be subjected to intoxicated people as it sends the wrong message...jmho(stepping off my soapbox now.) There was not a lot of entertainment/activities on CCL so therefore, people really crowded around the pools. One issue I have with CCL is that children are allowed at all pools and hot tubs. I love children but in all honesty, I don't want a baby/toddler in a swim diaper beside me in the pool, nor do I want an 8 yo cannon-balling into the pool beside me. My dh and I usually waited until about 3 pm to use the pool as it seemd to clear out about that time. I love the fact that there are separate adult areas on DCL. It is great for parents to have adult time while the kids are off doing their own activities.

I will reiterate that the entertainment lacked on CCL. There was no comparison to DCL's deck parties etc. There was 1 "carribbean band" that played in the pool area on CCL. Bless them, but they only knew 5 songs and played them repeatedly day in and day out. Needless to say, I never want to hear them again!

As far as the age bracket on CCL, I would say it falls into the following unscientific categories: 20% = 18-29 yo, 40% = 30-41 yo, 20% = 42-53 yo, 15% =54 & up and 5% = children. There were more older people on board than I expected. Dh and I are early 40's.

I think CCL is a decent value. I honestly would not have chosen CCL on my own because of it's reputation, but this was a gift from my boss. I would cruise on CCL again if the itinerary was interesting enough for me. The little bonus' on CCL for us were the casino and the food. The crew was great also. Very friendly and responsive to the guests. The cabin was very comparable to DCL. It actually seemed to have more closet space and the bathroom seemed larger because it was not a split bath. The cabin interior was not as formally decorated as DCL, but was very comfortable and worked fine for us.

Nancy