Carnival's motto is "choose fun" on their Fun ships, sailing in every major cruise market. While Carnival may not be as well-known in the UK market, they are actually the largest cruise line in the world and own British cruise lines Cunard and P&O Cruises.
Despite having their home port in Britain, Carnival has been quietly operating both Carnival Legend and Carnival Miracle from Dover to destinations like Norway, the UK, Northern Europe, and Iceland. They rarely market themselves to the local audience, with the majority of passengers flying in from the US and transferring to Dover from Heathrow the same day. This is no surprise, as from our short visit the onboard experience authentically all American!
We had no preconceptions of Carnival other than knowing they call their vessels 'fun ships'. They aim to bring cruising to the mass market and we wanted to love this ship... As you know we've always said that "there's a cruise for everyone", we just dont think Carnival Legend is the one for us.
The ship is just back from an update or dry dock, but she is still showing her age. At the moment, she is twenty-two years old, but that doesn't have to mean she has to appear old and dated. After all, Celebrity Millennium is Twenty Four and Norwegian Spirit is Twenty Six. Both these ships have had considerable investment to ensure the ships feel as fresh and new as their newer sisters. Sadly she does feel a bit like a Vegas hotel stuck in the 1990s.
She's a fun, no question about it! Her interior design is influenced by European myths, including Medusa, Neptune, Unicorns, Colossus, and Camelot. She features multiple bars(to get the party going), three pools, a theatre, show lounge, nightclub, and a mini water park at the stern; there's endless entertainment on board. The iconic whale tail funnel in red, white, and blue adds a touch of fun too! She's loud and she's unashamedly brash.
Whilst out of the water in dry dock, It wasn't just her shiny new Mardi Gras style paint job she received; The night club got a new look and was reduced from two decks to one. 'Chefs Table', an intimate dining experience was installed alongside the 'Tributes Bar', which is being rolled out to all ships. The cloud 9 spa also got a full renovation; its so good you feel like you're transported to another ship when you enter!
Unfortunately, aside from that, we need to address the issue of being outdated; the rest of the ship looks like it hasn't been updated since 2002. The ship has a quirky charm, so we wouldn't expect a complete overhaul, but some new furniture, upholstery, carpets, and curtains could really freshen up the spaces.
Outside she's a different story, we loved her open decks! At the bow and stern they've installed sun lounger pods for two. She boasts a wide promenade deck, a feature we really miss from newer ships, which wraps right round the back. You get the choice of an outdoor, indoor and an adults only pool in the serenity deck on the aft decks, again another feature we loved. There's some great family activities on deck too in the form of mini golf and WaterWorks - the onboard mini water park and splash deck.
Legend does fast and comfort foods really well too - Guy's Burger Joint and the burritos from BlueIguana are some of the best we've had at sea - and best yet, they're made to order, just how you like them. The sandwich station in the Lido cafe looked good too! On this quick visit we didn't get to sample the other restaurants, but we'd love to give Chef's table a go. We did notice our favourite wine 'Cherry Pie' was on the menu, so we may be won over yet!
Carnival might be late to the party, but they're also due to welcome guests to their first private island 'Celebration Key' in 2025. When Carnival Legend transfers across the Atlantic she'll be making stops here and from what we've seen we'd love to check it out!
In conclusion, we dont think Carnival Legend is for us, but she clearly floats some peoples boat, as she was sailing at full capacity.We didn't really like the indoor spaces; if you're on the same wavelength as us, just remember she sails in a lot of cold destinations whilst she home ports in Dover...
Would we give Carnival Cruise Line a go? Absolutely, just not this class of ship. We'd both love to try Mardi Gras, Celebration or Jubilee; especially to ride bolt or even sample their previous flag ship's; such as Carnival Panorama.
Stay tuned - we might 'Choose Fun' again soon and we'd love to take you along with us!