We began cruising in 2002 and were immediately hooked. As we began on Royal Caribbean we stayed with them to build up loyalty points which has led to us reaching diamond status with them last year.An unplanned opportunity to cruise arose for us in May and we found that the only Royal Caribbean cruise available for our time slot was one we had already booked for the fall so we decided to give Carnival a try. We have some cruising friends that highly recommended the Legend, especially raving about the port of call, Roatan.So we booked this cruise with great anticipation of sampling life on "that other cruise line."Our first reminder that we were not on RCCL was that we had to go through check-in without any priority status but this was relatively painless and not too slow.First stop...Lido deck to eat (with every other person onboard). Pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of the offering. We ended up eating here every breakfast and most lunches and were never disappointed.Checked into the stateroom, deck seven amid-ship, and were again pleasantly surprised by the spacious closets, shower that appeared roomier than some we had seen on RCCL, easy to access balcony, and generally roomy feel. Checked out the main areas of the ship and must agree that the decor was a little much but everything seemed well laid out and convenient to get to. Our cabin was right at the mid-ship elevators which made it easy to go anywhere.Dining room also in the category of somewhat dated look but we found the food very good and the service excellent. Our first two nights we ate alone at our table but after that another couple joined us and we enjoyed their company the rest of the cruise.We don't stay up late at night so the evening shows are not high on our list. However the first night we went to the welcome aboard show and this appears to be one of the biggest differences with RCCL. This was by no means a lavish stage show but then again, that is not what I come onboard for. We did make it to the R-rated comedians one night and thoroughly enjoyed that show. Those shows are in smaller, more intimate venues which adds to that type of program.We thoroughly enjoyed catching some the musicians at different areas around the ship although having them play behind the bar in the casino was not very enjoyable.We did shore excursions in every port and found all of them worth the money. My wife is not usually very adventurous but on this cruise she kissed the stingrays, held small turtles, danced with children in Roatan village, danced with wait staff in the dining room, all indications of being on a fun cruise.Leaving the ship was another reminder that we had no priority status with Carnival but once our area was cleared, going through customs and getting our bags was extremely quick and easy.So what is our evaluation of Carnival? Loved it and are ready to go again with them, especially with lower fares for many of the same itineraries. I guess there is a little "Walmart" in many of us and you just might find more real people on these funships.In closing I must also mention our stay with Holiday Inn, Rocky Point. They have a cruise package that includes shuttle service to and from hotel/cruise terminal and free parking at their hotel. They really provided great service.