pearl or carnival legend

[panz]

Me and the mrs are thinking about taking cruise in late nov. to west caribeann which ship would you recommend ncl pearl (we were on the dawn or carnival legend (never on carnival0 were on rcl freedom last year?

[faithpath]

Carnival Legend for sure! ;)

[Vol fan]

Me and the mrs are thinking about taking cruise in late nov. to west caribeann which ship would you recommend ncl pearl (we were on the dawn or carnival legend (never on carnival0 were on rcl freedom last year?

 

We were on the Pearl in February 2007 with stops in Barbados, Tortolla, St. Lucia and Dominica. Best cruise ever as far as the islands go. The Pearl is a beautiful ship and we got great service everywhere.

I have never been on Carnival-kind of scared off by the wild party, young crowd reputation they have. I know it is supposed to have changed since that reputation was gained, but still shy away from it.

[mom2girls]

I would definitely go on the Legend. I went in June, (There's a link to my review with pictures in my signature. A few of the beginning pictures are gone, but they were mostly of Tampa.). I'm considering booking her again. Out of my 10 cruises this one was the best!

[ce2000]

I believe that you will have a great time on the Legend. Carnival is a LOT of fun. I much prefer Carnival over NCL.

[Host Kewlguy]

I've been on the Carnival Legend and found it to be the ugliest ship I've ever been on. By far our worst cruise experience. It's not a coincidence Carnival is called the Walmart of the cruise industry. We never cruised with Carnival again after that cruise. We would highly recommend any of the newer NCL ships over Carnival. That would be the Gem, Pearl or Jewel.

[dancemom50]

We sailed on the Pearl early Dec. last year. It is a beautiful ship and we very much enjoyed the cruise and the anytime dining. I have not sailed with Carnival so I can not compare but I think you would enjoy the Western Carribean on the Pearl.

[45014]

Definitly, The Legend!! One of the best ships in the Carnival fleet.

[GottaLuvCruising]

We've sailed on the Pearl twice (Caribbean and Alaska) plus two other NCL cruises. We've sailed on the Legend (Caribbean) and her sister Spirit (Hawaii) as well as ten other Carnival cruises.

 

Itinerary would be a factor for me. If the Pearl cruise is longer, I would lean toward it. If there is a big fare difference, that would also be a consideration. But generally, if all other things are equal, I would absolutly choose Carnival over NCL.

 

My frustration with NCL is that there is nothing "free" about "Freestyle Dining". We found that we had to book the reservations-only dining in order to enjoy dinner when we wanted; and we experienced long waits for the regular restaurants. We were extremely disappointed with NCL's entertainment.

 

Carnival, for us, is a great casual, upbeat, fun atmosphere. The nay-sayers, in large part, have never even sailed Carnival, so their opinions simply are not valid. We find it to be a great value with something for everyone.

[boereseun]

hi there we sailed on the pearl feb 08 must admit was a bit concerened about freestyle dining after reading reports on these boards prior to sailing, decided to give it a try as a previous poster mentioned we booked because of the ports it was a 9 night so that swayed us. turned out the dining was not an issue always found seating whenever we arrived at dining or free restaurants, maybe we were just fortunate. we had a mini suite which had all the comforts and plenty of room to move around the bathrooms are seperated into three stalls i.e. toilet with a sliding door.

balcony big enough for sundowners. the only no no to my mind is the choice of colors of carpet and bedding BRIGHT SHINY PINK covers, but then taste is debatble. as for the rest newish ship, food great all through the cruise, pool area small and crowded not my scene so no problem, great lounge up front with loungers and floor to ceiling windows to relax in ( except when the bingo starts ) crew very obliging, mixed ages, and nationalities. all in all were pleaesd that we booked, new to cruising so want to try out the liners that appeal and according to the ports of call. went on the JOS and that got us started, now booked on solstice and cant wait for nov. as for carnival dont know so no comparison.

[DAGVBSB]

 

My frustration with NCL is that there is nothing "free" about "Freestyle Dining". We found that we had to book the reservations-only dining in order to enjoy dinner when we wanted; and we experienced long waits for the regular restaurants.

 

I am always curious about this comment when it appears. I am not one who like to pay for the extra dining choices (I have been to three pay restaurants in my 5 NCL cruises) so I usually eat in the main dining rooms. In all my evenings on NCL, I have NEVER had to wait more than 5-10 minutes to be seated in the main dining rooms. That ranges from groups of 4-8. (and most of that time was simply waiting in the line to get to the hostess stand as they were seating people as quickly as they could.)

 

Of course, we have always tried to be seated before 6:30 p.m..