Carnival Liberty Photo Review- April 2017

Greetings!

It’s only been 5 months since I wrote my last review but I have already forgotten the technical demands that this entails, which makes me think that this will take more time than I originally anticipated. Also, I work in the world of education and school is out for us in 17 days (WOO-HOO!) so I still have a lot of things on my plate to take care of. I’ll definitely try my best to keep it timely- nothing’s worse than not being able to finish reading a review before you sail yourself.

Who We Are:

My fiancé and I are originally from the Chicago area but are living life out in Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!). We’re both in our mid 20s, this was my 8th cruise and his 4th. It was terribly unfortunate that I caught the cruising bug early in life, because now my fiancé has it, and as we all know, the only cure is more cruises. I had taken 4 Carnival cruises as a teenager with my parents, but hadn’t experienced it as an adult. When my fiancé and I started looking for a cruise to book, I suggested Carnival and was met with a little resistance from my other half. We had tried Royal and NCL, and he had preconceptions about Carnival being aimed at children/families. After a little persuading, he decided to give Carnival a try (spoiler: he had a great time!)

The Cruise:

Flashback to Spring 2016 when we had a cruise booked for November 2016 and our honeymoon cruise booked for 2017, and life was good. Until my fiancé makes a comment to the effect of: “A year between cruises seems like a long time, what if we booked a short cruise to hold us over until the honeymoon?” And just like that, we booked the Carnival Valor sailing out of Port Canaveral on April 20th, 2017!

Fast forward to Fall 2016 when we received an e-mail saying that the Valor and the Liberty would be switching spots due to the Liberty’s propulsion issue. I was a little upset since I had already sailed the Liberty in 2012 and since we were getting a “broken” ship, but there was nothing we could do so we switched efforts into reading Liberty reviews instead.

This specific 3-Night sailing was from Thursday 4/20 - Sunday 4/23, and visited Nassau on Friday and had a Sea Day on Saturday.

This Review:

This review will cover our pre-cruise experience and the cruise and ship itself, including menus, Fun Times, and lots of photos. Of course opinions will be peppered throughout but I think that I’m fair enough that the negative opinions get outweighed by the positive experiences. I don’t want to tell you “how it is,” but only give insight and explanations of the things we encountered, struggled with, and loved. We know vacations are all about what you make them, and ours was relaxing, fun, and very enjoyable.

Taken by my sneaky fiancé of me stepping on a Florida beach near our hotel:

UP NEXT: Wednesday, the pre-cruise day full of adventure

Thanks for sharing.

Nice start! Following.

Following. Sailing on Liberty in 3 days!

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Thanks for sharing.

Following. Sailing on the Liberty in November.

Following...sailing on Liberty in October!

Thanks to everyone following along! Unfortunately for Kyndal93 I won't be able to finish before Thursday, but I can certainly guarantee things will be done before those sailing in October/November!

Wednesday, April 19th:

We previously drove from Iowa to Illinois (Chicago area) the day before to drop off our dog with family and get a few hours of sleep before the flight out of Midway to Orlando. We had a 6am flight which made for a VERY early morning. Very, very early. We were up by 3:05am and out of my parents’ house (where we stayed the night) by 3:20am. We drove 30+ minutes to Midway Park Saver, which was a parking lot that I found after doing some research on airport websites. It’s directly across the street from Midway, and I had a reservation that I booked online, which saved us a few bucks per day. The lot is probably a mile long (multiple city blocks) but we were lucky to find a parking spot near the front of the lot. We parked and walked across the street to the airport, which didn’t take that long since it was 4am and there was hardly any traffic to compete with. There is a shuttle that will take you from the lot to the airport, but it was faster for us to walk and we didn't have that many bags.

TSA and security check-in went quickly at 4:30 am since we weren’t checking any bags, and we had enough time to grab some breakfast before boarding started at 5:30am. Quick shout-out to Southwest: I will always recommend this company due to good prices, good service, and good snacks. The flight was quick and uneventful, and we were excited to finally be on vacation.

We made it to MCO Orlando Airport and took the fun tram from one part of the airport to the other. Once there, we called 888 Transportation as instructed by our Comfort Inn Cocoa Beach “Fly, Snooze, and Cruise” package. We were told via the e-mail that listed all of the details that it could take up to 1 hour for the shuttle to arrive to the airport. We were super fortunate and glad that it only took 10 minutes for the transportation to show up. We had an awesome driver named Dave who had some great stories to share with us and even nicknamed us “Iowa.” The drive from the airport to the hotel was 50 minutes, but it went quickly and we didn’t encounter any traffic. When we got in the neighborhood of the Comfort Inn Cocoa Beach, Dave the driver started showing us the area, pointing out restaurants to try and places to shop if we needed any last-minute items. We showed up at the hotel and were excited to hear that we could check in right away, even at 10:30am! We had great service at the check-in counter and I’d have no problem recommending this hotel; we'd definitely consider it for our next cruise out of Port Canaveral.

On our walk to the room we passed a refreshment area, a small fish pond/water feature, the pool, game room, on-site bar, volleyball court, and shuffleboard court. There's definitely a lot to do at this hotel, but some of the things could use repairing/updating. Example: The shuffleboard courts were missing several discs and the paint wasn't looking the best. The game room had a pool table that had really poor quality pool cues and the balls were atypical/textured oddly.

Living room area with couch, table/chairs, and TV. In the back of the photo you can see a part of the bedroom, which had two double beds, a large TV, and a desk/chair:

Kitchen area in between the living room and sleeping area with a sink, cutting board and utensils, fridge, microwave, and coffee maker:

The balcony for our room overlooking the pool area. We had no noise complaints at night, and it was a great place to sit in the afternoon for a quick drink break:

UP NEXT: Wednesday continued, exploring Cocoa Beach

Nice start to your review. Looking forward to the next installment.

So glad you reviewed this hotel and are continuing with the Cocoa Beach area. We are considering booking here the day/night before our cruise but have never been there before.

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So glad you reviewed this hotel and are continuing with the Cocoa Beach area. We are considering booking here the day/night before our cruise but have never been there before.

 

 

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I'm glad this review could be helpful for you! We had previously stayed in the Cocoa Beach area once before but this was our first stay at Comfort Inn. Our honest feedback is probably 95% positive there; it's not a 5-star luxury hotel with the newest and fanciest accommodations, but we found ourselves pleasantly surprised at many things, including the service/friendliness of the staff, the amount of amenities, the size of the room, and others I'm sure. A few walls could benefit from new paint and an external hallway needed a light bulb changed/turned on, but these were just minor things we noticed and certainly didn't change our opinion of the hotel.

I'm looking forward to writing the next piece about Cocoa Beach hopefully today!

Awesome review so far! Sailing on the Liberty next month.

I'm glad this review could be helpful for you! We had previously stayed in the Cocoa Beach area once before but this was our first stay at Comfort Inn. Our honest feedback is probably 95% positive there; it's not a 5-star luxury hotel with the newest and fanciest accommodations, but we found ourselves pleasantly surprised at many things, including the service/friendliness of the staff, the amount of amenities, the size of the room, and others I'm sure. A few walls could benefit from new paint and an external hallway needed a light bulb changed/turned on, but these were just minor things we noticed and certainly didn't change our opinion of the hotel.

 

I'm looking forward to writing the next piece about Cocoa Beach hopefully today!

I look for clean, closeness and friendliness! Thank you for the review!

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WEDNESDAY, April 19th, Continued:

After we got settled in the room and took a quick breather, we walked to Walgreens down the street for pop and wine to carry onboard. It was a few blocks away from Comfort Inn and very easily within walking distance for mobile people. After we picked up our supplies and dropped it in the room, we headed to the beach in search of Sandbar Sports Grill which was recommended by Dave the driver. After a nice little stroll on the beach, we found Sandbar, which is totally the type of place I’d work if I lived in Florida- on the beach, open air, tropical, and fun. The food was pretty alright and the prices were higher than I’d like for lunch/am used to being from Iowa, however the nachos I ordered were monstrous, like seriously absolutely ginormous. My fiancé just gave me input that he “had the fish tacos and they were equally as monstrous” and that he enjoyed them. It was really nice to eat lunch on the beach and feel the nice breeze. After we finished we walked around the beach a bit before heading to the hotel.

Monster Nachos at Sandbar Sports Grill:

On the beach near our hotel:

We noticed that there is a mini golf course across the street, so we went to check it out. It’s called Light House Cove and has two 18-hole courses. We were offered if we wanted to buy one or both, and we opted for one. Unfortunately it’s pretty pricey at $10.25 per person, but maybe everything is just more expensive in Florida. We had a great time and really enjoyed the course. They also sold adult beverages as well as had an ice cream store inside the main building. Not sure if we’d go back only because it is so expensive, but worth checking out if you’re a mini-golf lover!

Light House Cove and my handsome fiancé:

Mini-golf course fish tank:

Mini-golf cave:

After mini-golf, we went to the hotel’s bar to redeem a coupon I had for two free drinks. The bartender was nice and made our drinks strong, like we like them! After sitting on our balcony, sipping our drinks, and reading and chatting, we decided it was time to get ready for dinner and head out. A quick backstory- we stayed in Cocoa Beach two years prior and were told by that hotel that they had a free shuttle that would take us to a place called Coconuts on the Beach, a restaurant/bar that is open air on the beach, but also has an enclosed eating section as well. We tried it out in 2015, loved it, and were so excited to eat there again on this trip. Skip to 2017, I had also read that there is a free shuttle that the restaurant has in which you call and tell them where to pick you up. We made two separate phone calls but they never showed up, so we ordered a Lyft to the hotel. The trip from the hotel to Coconuts on the Beach was about $10 each way, we had very nice drivers and had good conversations. Of course, trying to save money, I was a little upset that the free shuttle didn’t work out, but oh well I suppose. There were bursts of rain on the drive to the restaurant but everything cleared up when we arrived. The Lyft driver and our server at the restaurant were both telling us that Florida is weird in that it will downpour for 5 minutes and be suddenly done, or that it’ll rain on one side of the street and be sunny on the other side. Here in Iowa, we get rain for a few hours at a time and it’s certainly not spotty. Once again we had a great time at Coconuts on the Beach and I’d totally come back next time we’re in the area for a cruise. Their Happy Hour deals are great and the atmosphere is fun and relaxing.

Representing the Iowa Hawkeyes on a Florida beach!:

After dinner we walked on the beach and watched the Carnival Pride leaving Port Canaveral after a day-long port stop on their trip. We ordered another Lyft to take us to the hotel where we played pool and shuffleboard and relaxed before preparing for the next day.

UP NEXT: Thursday, Embarkation!!

Keep it coming!

Great start! We are sailing Liberty in August. Looking forward to the rest of your review

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Enjoying your review & looking forward to reading about how you liked the ship. We have sailed the Liberty, but it's been awhile. Will be on her in July, taking our grandchildren on their first cruise!

Very nice start to your review!

Im enjoying your review a lot. Im cruising on the Liberty in October and cant wait to see your review and pictures of her

I'm also cruising the Liberty in October. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your review.

Great review! Liberty will be my first cruise next May. :)

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017- EMBARKATION:

Thursday morning we woke up ready for our true cruise adventure! We packed up all of our stuff and headed down to breakfast at the hotel. We were told to bring our breakfast tickets because someone would be checking at the door- they weren’t. Which didn’t bother us at all but if they advertise to have a process to keep breakfast for patrons only, they clearly weren’t enforcing it that day. Breakfast was typical waffles, yogurts, cereal, fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs, etc. Nothing fancy but it was good and it was included in the price, so I was happy. We checked out of the hotel and waited in the lobby for the shuttle to pick us up. We had a scheduled check-in time at the port for 11am, so when we were told the shuttle would pick us up at 9:45, I was a little concerned we would get turned away at the port. So the shuttle comes and loads 20+ people and their luggage on, and off we go. The first corner the shuttle turned, the AC unit dripped a very large puddle on me, which was not fun.

We get to the port at 10:15 and weren’t turned away! I know there’s mixed review about enforcing check in times, but let me tell you that based on our personal experience, we were able to walk up a ramp, inside the pier terminal and start the check in process at 10:15. There were no lines and security was a breeze. As a side note, they didn’t look at our pop/wine/red bull cans in our carry-ons, but I know sometimes they do inspect those drinks. We did receive our Sign & Sail Cards at check in, so they’re not putting them at the doors like some people had said. Also the card were pre hole-punched, which I’m not really sure what that meant or if it’s just because so many people ask for the hole punch to put their lanyard on. They took my fiancé’s passport to scan the photo of at check-in but not mine. Turns out, Carnival used my photo from when I sailed last in 2012, which I wasn’t too thrilled about. We got zone 2 for boarding and sat right near the front of the boarding area by 10:35, which means that from entering the building to finishing the actual check-in took only 20 minutes. We heard a staff member tell another passenger that boarding would start at 11:30, which I thought seemed sort of early, but I’m not complaining!!

The boarding process did begin at 11:30 as previously mentioned, and we were on the Carnival Liberty by 11:45, and had a drink in our hands from the Red Frog Rum Bar by 12. So excited to finally be on the ship, especially since it was earlier than we expected. We walked around the pool decks, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and headed up to the Serenity deck to try out a pod/cuddle clam. It was such a quiet area and a great place to hang out, we definitely knew we’d be hanging out here more. We walked around different parts of the ship to take photos and explore what there was to offer inside. After hiking up a hungry stomach, we headed to the BBQ station in the upper part of the Lido restaurant. The mac and cheese was really great, the baked beans were a little spicy for me, the pork was very tender and authentic, and the chicken was pretty good too. There weren’t a lot of people up there for lunch, which I had read on CruiseCritic reviews before, so we’re glad we tried it out before other people discovered it.

First Boat Drinks!:

Lunch Options for Embarkation Day:

My fiancé in the cuddle clamshell thing:

UP NEXT: Embarkation Day Continued, Room Photos, Ship Photos

Thx for the review. we are taking our youngest GDs on this ship in late June.

EMBARKATION DAY CONT.:

We headed to our room at 1:30 as the announcement was being made that they were ready. Now when we had booked our cruise a year prior, we decided on an inside room (which would’ve been new to us) but we wanted to save money. A few weeks after booking, the price of the room dropped $30, so I called and got the lower rate. About 6 weeks before the sailing I received an e-mail to upgrade to an ocean view room for only $30. In my mind it was a no-brainer; for the same price as we originally booked an inside for, we’d now have an ocean view. I kept the secret from my fiancé, who was fully convinced that we still had our interior room. He was a little confused why I was filming our walk down the hallway or why the door to our room wasn’t where he thought it would be, but upon opening our door and seeing the window, he was very excited. YAY!

We had room 2483, an aft oceanview with a really fun view of the water. Overall the room was fine, with the exception of the vibrations we could feel as well as the swaying of the whole boat. Not sure if it’s because the Liberty is smaller than the last ship we were on or if it’s due to the propulsion issue that the ship has, but the vibrations in our room were pretty strong. It didn’t keep us up or wake us up, but it’s definitely noticeable and something to consider when considering the room. The bed was comfortable, the room easily had enough space for the two of us, and the hallway was pretty quiet at nights. It was a somewhat longer walk since it was all the way aft.

Looking in from the hallway:

The bed and window:

The couch/vanity/closet area:

The view from our tilted window while moving:

We very quickly realized that our sink was clogged, so we called guest services and they said they’d send over a plumber. For those keeping track of the upcoming clogged sink saga, again that was 1:30pm on Thursday. (Yes, there is a small saga and drama about the sink. No, I won’t let it ruin my review or opinion of the ship/staff/Carnival. What happened was pretty annoying, but a sink sure isn’t going to ruin my cruise). We met our room steward Sheila as we exited our room around 1:50pm, and she introduced herself and asked if we wanted morning or afternoon cleanings. We selected afternoon. I know there’s also been a lot of back and forth about cleaning schedules on the CC boards, so I was expecting to be asked my time slot preference and it wasn’t a huge deal. We also asked Sheila for a corkscrew and she said she’d bring us one. We mentioned the clogged sink and that a plumber was coming, just to give her a heads up. As we said goodbye to Sheila and walked down the hallway, I pointed out to my fiance at how awesome it is that Carnival still makes it a priority to meet their guests and that I really love that about their service. Having sailed on RCL and NCL after cruising Carnival as a teen, I haven’t had the same level of friendliness and connection with RCL/NCL room stewards like I have on Carnival.

UP NEXT: Ship photos, Embarkation day continued