Have You Sailed on Both Legend AND Independence Since the Refits?

[mlbcruiser]

If you have cruised on both the Legend of the Seas (recently, since their refits) and the Independence, OTS, what did you like/dislike about each of them? Which would you be willing to cruise on again? Was there anything you really missed on one that the other one had?

 

We have sailed on every class of ship in the RCI fleet except the Freedom class, and liked ALL of them, but it's been years since we have been on a ship as "small" (:rolleyes:) as 70,000 tons like the Legend. Having trouble choosing which cruise to take as we've been to all of the islands on both itineraries many times - all except one, that is. Not sure if we'll miss some of the things the larger ships offer or not? Did you?

 

Thanks for any input!

[hairymelon]

If you have cruised on both the Legend of the Seas (recently, since their refits) and the Independence, OTS, what did you like/dislike about each of them? Which would you be willing to cruise on again? Was there anything you really missed on one that the other one had?

 

We have sailed on every class of ship in the RCI fleet except the Freedom class, and liked ALL of them, but it's been years since we have been on a ship as "small" (:rolleyes:) as 70,000 tons like the Legend. Having trouble choosing which cruise to take as we've been to all of the islands on both itineraries many times - all except one, that is. Not sure if we'll miss some of the things the larger ships offer or not? Did you?

 

Thanks for any input!

 

I can only comment on Indy which I sailed on in June. Having sailed last November on Allure I did wonder how I would view Indy as I had never sailed on a Freedom class before. All I can say is I loved her, she was fantastic, loved the facilities, the only thing I missed was the Central Park café but otherwise absolutely loved the ship and will be sailing on her again next May. I feel she is a good compromised between the very big ships of the Oasis class and the smaller ships. The staff were great and can't wait for the next cruise. :)

[Clarea]

Haven't sailed on Legend yet, but we have sailed on other ships without a Promenade, and we do miss that feature. Not enough to skip a cruise on the smaller ship however.

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks for the input. I keep thinking back to all the cruises we took on the ships in the same class as the Legend back 15 yrs. (and +) ago, and those were great - then. I am still hoping there is someone out there who will see this who has cruised on BOTH ships, though other input is welcome as each post seems to add another perspective. Thanks again for your replies.

[LMaxwell]

Curious which two itineraries you are choosing between. I was choosing between Legend and Independence, the Legend being a longer and more unique itinerary for me, the Independence being shorter but less expensive, both in March 2014.

 

Then I started reading some not so great reviews of the Independence around spring break time and it being advertised as a booze cruise (I Google'd, and indeed it was). I ended up choosing Legend in hopes that a longer itinerary and higher overall cost will keep spring breakers away.

 

I too am a bit worried about being satisfied with the size of the ship (I am going on Allure before Legend) but from what I have seen the revitalization is first rate and I haven't seen any indication that people think it's a pig with lipstick. Hoping that once Legend gets back into this region we will see more reviews and photos here on CC.

 

So....that's not really helpful to you at all :D

[mlbcruiser]

Hey, you have hit on the same points I have considered- totally. We are looking at late Feb. to EARLY March. Have LOTS of experience w/spring break as we cruised 3rd or so wk. of March for years when our youngest dd and our neighbors and their dds went along. No problem for us except harder to find a lounge chair and longer buffet lines! Kids didn't bother us. And the kids and college breakers who did inbibe usually had their own areas. Although there are a few breaks in early March, we found most are 2nd wk. on. Also, on longer cruises we have found fewer students of all ages. Time and money limit them. We wanted to sail from San Juan, but the sea days are too few though a couple of good itineraries. I guess it bugs me that we will be paying what for us is a hefty price for the an older ship and I fear I will miss a few things: Bolero lounge; promenade, and Johnny Rockets (though we only go there maybe once). Also no REALl promos currently as RCI hiked the lower categories saying you are getting upgraded to the higher ones - yeah, at extra cost. This booking will be w/no diamond discount (onbd credits are very small or nonexistant except w/a well known for perks agency that charges $100 pp if you cancel at any time after booking!) and we'll be in a lower cabin category. No problem there, though, really - IF price was better. I know we will like the outdoor eating area aft on Legend and the Viking Crown Lounge - assuming the changes w/the add on fee restaurants didn't eat most of the space. Just wish I could tell if there would be future super perk or decent price break or not anytime soon. That would help!

[LMaxwell]

I don't want to derail your thread because you are really asking about differences between the ships, but when I booked I SKIPPED the free upgrade and ended up with a price reduction. I never got a clear explanation of how exactly that worked.

 

Anyways, I invite you to reach out to me if you have questions on the booking itself so that I don't take your thread even further offcourse.

 

lainemaxwell @ gmail dot com