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Carnival Legend vs Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
The Carnival Legend was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2024. It's 11 years newer than the Paradise, which was built in 1991 and renovated in 2018. The Paradise previously sailed under two different names, the Costa Classica and Grand Classica, before being purchased by Margaritaville to launch their new cruise line.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Legend is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 963 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, the Legend is 67% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Legend holds 63% more passengers than the Paradise based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Legend has more space per person compared to the Paradise. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Carnival Legend | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Classica |
| Gross Tonnage | 88,500 | 52,926 |
| Length | 963 | 722 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 102 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,134 | 1,308 |
| Crew | 930 | 620 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 40 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Legend has sixteen different dining options like David's Steakhouse, Carnival Deli, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Paradise has nine fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Fins Dining, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, and JWB Prime Steakhouse. five of these restaurants are complementary and the other two have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Legend might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Paradise.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Legend | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 16 | 7 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 5 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 4 | 2 |
| % of Included Options | 75% | 71% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Legend has 4 more bars than the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. The Legend has 11 bars like Alchemy Bar, Firebird Lounge and Legends' Cafe. On Legend, you can grab a drink at 7 different bars such as 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill, Euphoria and License to Chill Bar.
| Carnival Legend | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • Billie's Piano Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Dream Team Sports Bar • Firebird Lounge • Legends' Cafe • Medusa's Lair Dance Club • Odyssey Lounge • RedFrog Pub | •12 Volt Bar • 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill • Euphoria • Hemisphere Nightclub • Keys on the Water • License to Chill Bar • Stars on the Water Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Legend serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Paradise serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Legend and the Paradise below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Legend has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has fewer pools than the Legend and fewer hot tubs.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Legend.| Carnival Legend | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Legend, 69% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Paradise, only 56% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Legend | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Margaritaville at Sea are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Legend will likely be more expensive than on Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Legend | Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $2.95 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $8.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | 64.99 |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $17.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
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