Legend of the Seas vs Freedom of the Seas

[Ocean_Waves]

Any insight on the comparison between the Legend and the Freedom of the Seas? What are the pro / cons of each ship? Thanks in advance!:D

[Oasis Of The Seas Expert]

I personally much prefer bigger ships, because there is much more to do. I also particularly like Flowriders, which are on Freedom, but not on Legend. The service is the same on any ship, and the food is good on both. I tend to get board easily, so I never sail anything smaller than Voyager class. Generally, the bigger ships are more expensive than smaller ones also.

 

Basicly, you should look at whats onboard, and decide for yourself. Also keep in mind the destinations you visit.

 

Legend: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipClassCode=VI&shipCode=LG&br=R

 

Freedom: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipClassCode=FR&shipCode=FR&br=R

[Ocean_Waves]

Thanks! I would prefer the bigger ships, but we have been to all the ports in the past! It stinks there aren't more places Oasis/allure etc can go here in the Caribbean :(.

 

I would like to experience the bigger ships and just go to the same ports again, but DW is pretty set on trying new ports.....decisions, decisions

 

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[papaflamingo]

Yes. We have cruised Freedom 3 times. Last time was New Years. It was a great cruise. Did Legend, 11 night. Got home last week. It was a FANTASTIC cruise.

So, we are in our 60's and have cruised 24 times, 18 with RCI. We are D+ and have Concierge privileges, so that may factor in.

I love Freedom. Big ship, lot's to do. Has the Pub, Promenade, Flow Rider, etc. I loved Legend. It is the smallest ship in the fleet. But it has been renovated and is beautiful.

So, now the comparison. I found that the service on Legend was spectacular. It had a fantastic itinerary, and one of the best cruises ever. I found the service on Freedom ok. Great waiter, efficient but not overly Cabin Attendant. Bar service was a bit lacking, but that may be due to an "overfull" ship. New Years is a very crowded ship. They had 17 in the Royal Suite! So every cabin was at near capacity. Plus I felt the crew was a bit "down." I chocked it up to being the holidays. Afterall, we were having fun with out families and they were away from them, at a very "family" time of the year.

More to do on Freedom. More night life, Pub, Schooner Bar, better shows, etc. Legend has the R Bar, Schooner Bar, and decent shows. The Centrum has become a focal point on Legend with a band every night (quite nice) for dancing. Schooner was fun and fairly popular. As it was an 11 night cruise, it was a more older crowd. But the Crew was the BEST! From the Captain down, everyone was friendly, many learned our names, and they couldn't do enough to help. As it's only 2000 passengers, you saw people over and over and got to really know many. Not so much on Freedom (4500 passengers). Big ship, less intimate.

So it kind of comes down to what kind of cruiser you are. If you're looking for a more lively night life, Flow riders, numerous pools, etc. You'll probably like Freedom better. If you are looking for more of the "old days" of cruising, no flow rider (they both have rock climbing and miniature golf), more limited night life, etc. then you'll love Legend.

I like relaxing at sea. Sitting on my balcony, going to the art auction, laying around the pool. The intimacy and friendliness of Legend was top notch.

Both ships have Chops and Izumi. Freedom has Portofinos, so a bit more dining options.

The Concierge and Diamond lounges on Legend are beautiful. They are uniquely situated at the end of the pool deck and have beautiful floor to ceiling windows. If you have those privileges, you'll love those lounges. Freedom's Concierge lounge is interior only. Nice, but nothing spectacular. The Diamond lounge is in the Viking Crown area. It's nice, but Legend's is much nicer.

So, to sum it up, if you really want a lot of activities, better shows, more night life, then go on Freedom. If you want relaxation, a good night life, good shows, and a quieter more intimate cruise, give Legend a try.

But for me, I will do both. We are booked on Freedom in Nov. and cant' wait to do Legend again. But the Legend itinerary was wonderful. Southern Caribbean. Aruba, Bonair, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, Labadee. FANTASTIC! Go with itinerary vs. desired experience.

Hope this helps. Any questions?

[Yurita]

Thanks! I would prefer the bigger ships, but we have been to all the ports in the past! It stinks there aren't more places Oasis/allure etc can go here in the Caribbean :(.

 

I would like to experience the bigger ships and just go to the same ports again, but DW is pretty set on trying new ports.....decisions, decisions

 

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

Check out the Explorer of the seas coming to Port canaveral for a few months this year and the beginning of 2015. The itinerary is amazing (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao & Labadee) 9 days, big ship.

 

I am also very tired of the same old western/eastern caribbean; so we booked the explorer in a heartbeat! good luck!!!!

[cruzn13]

we too like the larger ships, but with the upgrades on the smaller ones they are nice. we where on the rhapsody in september and had a great time. also going on ledgend next month.:)

[Clarea]

Legend has a covered Solarium and Park Cafe, neither of which Freedom has.

[sbowen]

We have sailed on both, Freedom several times and Legend once. We love them both, but for different reasons. There is more to do on Freedom, but Legend has a much more intimate feeling. While the staff is wonderful on both, on Legend they seemed to be more friendlier.

 

If I were comparing the two ships, for me it would come down to ports visited. There are FABULOUS aspects of both ships.

 

I just realized we sailed on Legend in Dec and our next cruise in May is on Freedom. Funny.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[copi2boys]

Great topic - thanks for the comparison. We did Freedom in January, we will be sailing Legend next year on the 10 Day. Was worried about the difference in size but after reading the above posts, CAN'T WAIT!!! We did choose this because of the itinerary. Was getting tired of the same ports, although realize with the larger ships (Oasis and Allure) the ships are part of the destination :D. Either way, we'll be on a cruise!!!

[LMaxwell]

I just posted a mini-review after 10 days on the Legend (following Allure) with some comparisons. I am booked for Freedom later this year. Immensely enjoyed the smaller ship. Still plenty to do. Met many nice people (that you will run into a lot due to ship size). Booked Legend for a unique itinerary and was not disappointed.