I just played two games of Carcassonne with the Expansion at the Brettspielwelt. I won the first game and came second in the second. Nice.
But these games made me agree with some comments I’ve heard: the expansion tiles are good and bring welcome variety to the game, but throw away the cathedral tiles. Both of the games were won pretty much because of the cathedrals (in the first game, I was the only one to farm and those points would’ve secured the victory for me without the city; the second game was a combination of farmers — I was tied there, cloisters — which I had none and the big, 54-point city).
The cathedrals add to the significance of the cities too much. They cause huge swings in the scores, which adds more significance on the luck aspect of the game. Carcassonne is a light and lucky game by nature, I’m not denying that, I’m just saying before the cathedrals game, it was a bit less lucky and I preferred it that way. So, if I’m ever going to buy the Expansion (unlikely), first thing I’ll do is to hide away the cathedral tiles.
And besides, these days I prefer Africa when a lighter game is desired.