Choose One

[ToniV]

My hubs (80) & I (60) have nearly 40 cruises to date. He's Sicilian & loves the Med. We are in a hopeful mood. We are looking at two Med cruises & need help deciding. We will be taking along another couple, in their 60s; neither has cruised the Med before. Carnival Legend on Sep 5 to/from Rome, 10 nts, & Royal's Odyssey on Aug 15, 7 nts. Wdyt?

[Aplmac]

Carnival Legend.... definitely! if only for the ten nights!

 

[Essiesmom]

Totally agree.  For a first cruise, Odyssey will have far too many bells & whistles that an older couple will not need, especially on a port intensive cruise such as the Med.  EM

[Ashland]

I would always choose RCI over CCL but not this time !! Enjoy !!

[Aplmac]

Our first few cruises were all Southern Caribbean cruises,

out of Barbados where we live.....

Rum Punch and babes in beachwear were kinda standard

(both dress and assoc. behaviours!) - lots of fun P.Ricans on board!

 

Then we did two Canada cruises on Carnival Glory, out of Manhattan.
Geez, what a difference! So many White People! lol!

 

Suddenly Carnival was a stodgy cruise with old fat ppl on scooters!

This was a completely different Carnival Cruise line,

compared to what we assoc with Carnival previously! lol

Slightly up-market even. Slightly.

 

The takeaway is

that the character of any cruise very much depends on

the itinerary, the temperatures involved ..the cultures involved.

 

 

That street scene is Saint John, New Brunswick.

 

 

[cb at sea]

You are SO right....even if you take a "back to back", the 2nd leg can feel totally different from the first.....a lot has to do with your fellow passengers!

 

[marco]

For this cruise, I'd choose based on the ports that interest you the most, rather than the ship.

[Cruzaholic41]

I’m going against the grain here. I think RCI is a far better product, and Odyssey will be a brand new ship. I’ve cruised both ship classes several times and there is nothing wrong with Odyssey as a first cruise. You may not use all the bells and whistles, but the specialty dining and entertainment are far better than on Legend. I’d pick Odyssey by a loooong shot. 

[George C]

While I definitely prefer rccl over carnival, Europe is different since you spend so much time on shore excursions ship isn’t that important. 

[neverbeenhere]

Longer is almost always better. 

[pris993]

I have done Mediterranean cruises on a wide variety of main stream lines:  Princess, Celebrity, HAL, Cunard and NCL.  Given this I agree:

line, ship does not matter, all cruises are port intensive - new or old ship you will not spend much time on it daily; 

I would suggest taking a longer vs shorter cruise only because times change adjustments and you may need time to adjust;

pick the cruise with the ports of most interest to you; 

not matter what you select prepare to be amazed... wonderful ports and lots to see, I never tire of going to the Mediterranean. 

[Roz]

I happen to love the Spirit class ships, especially for an itinerary like the Med.  I did a 13-day Panama Canal cruise in January on the Carnival Miracle.  The passengers were mostly in their 60s and 70s, but it was still a fun atmosphere without being crazy.  

 

I would definitely lean towards the Legend.