erby2283

So sorry I got you concerned about your cabin choice. We were in 6425 (2 doors down) on Glory two years ago and Glory and Liberty have the same layout since they are both Conquest class ships. We had no noise when we were in that cabin. I just looked up Carnival Liberty's deck plans to be sure. Same location. Those cabins are actually right above the Promenade hallway area and I am almost positive that they are above the booths along the windows in the hallway. Cabins 6445 and the few cabins back from it may experience noise from the piano bar but I don't know how noisy that gets. The night club generates noise and even though your cabin is near it, it's not directly above it. You may hear some noise but it should be more of a muffled noise since you won't be directly above it. Again, we were in 6425 on our Glory cruise and never had a problem with noise. I hope this helps some. As for the cabins on the other side of the ship...I think they're the ones that get the noise. When we booked, that's where most of the available balcony cabins were located. No thanks. I hope you enjoy your cruise. :)

Thank you so much for responding. Because I am obsessive and check 8 billion times a day, Carnival seemed to open up a "boat load" (ha ha) of cabins yesterday and we were able to switch to one at the rear of the ship right next door to the rest of our group. I know it's over the comedy club and I actually stayed in the L-shaped cabin on her sister ship, the Victory, and did hear some bass from the karaoke club when we sailed a few years ago but I'll know to bring ear plugs this time!

Also, thank you for you review. I know how much time it consumes and your pictures are very beautiful!

You're not the only one who's obsessive! I changed rooms 3x yesterday b/c Carnival kept releasing more balconies and one happened to open up right next to the group I am sailing with! So now we have 4 cabins in a row and the balcony was $50 cheaper than the one we were in! I must have checked Carnival's site it 10 times and when I text my TA to see if he could snag the room, (my TA is also a great friend that I met while cruising) he kept saying that what was showing on their end was slightly delayed than what Carnival had. But they're awesome TA's and he texted me while I was driving home and said he was able to get me in the room I wanted! But throughout the day, more and more cabins were released so like you said, it does pay to check several times a day and be obsessive about it!:D

From everything I have read, it is not worth it. Though many people will now come and chime in as to why it IS worth it to them.

 

Why I am not choosing to do it:

1: early boarding....not worth it. If you get there around 12:00-12:30pm you walk right onto the ship

2: get suitcases early.....I have read a LOT of reports where that is just not happening

3: able to drop off carry-on in cabin....ok, if that is worth $50 to you, maybe? Then again, if you board at Noon, you can do that anyway.

4: early off the ship.....you can ask for a group 1 tag anyway.

5: short line for CS. I never got here, so no biggie for me.

 

$50 buys me quite a few drinks. :D

I've gotten it twice and think it's worth it - depends on you and YOUR situation. In response to the above.

1) On my last cruise, embarkation was delayed b/c they were setting up Christmas decorations and the line was around the block in Tampa. I was literally escorted to the next available agent and on board in 5 minutes once I got inside the terminal. Others have also written about similar situations where embarkation was delayed so I'm sure it was helpful for them as well.

2)If your suitcases aren't there early, as promised, others have complained and gotten their $50 FTTF reimbursed. We had one of our bags delayed but I didn't complain. Must have just gotten mixed up.

3)When you're carrying 2 12-packs of soda, or may have small children, it's nice to be able to drop off your carry-on or get the kids settled in the room and possibly put down for a nap before the afternoon festivities begin.

4)You cannot always ask for group 1 tags. We asked for group 1 on the last cruise and we HAD FTTF and we were denied b/c they had so many other Platinum and others needed to get off the ship. We had a noon flight out of Orlando and would have liked group 1 but understood and stayed with zone 4.

5)About 80% of the time I have needed guest services there has been a line.

So again, it's just a personal opinion. I don't drink - so to me, it's well worth $50 since I don't spend this money on drinks - not even the virgin kind. :D Some might spend money on the steakhouse but since I don't eat salad, or seafood, "I" would consider that a waste of money (no appetizers I would eat and limited choice of main course) so it's really all in the eye of the beholder.

We made our way up to Upper Deck 6 where our cabin was located. We were in cabin #6389, which is a balcony cabin on the starboard (right) side of the ship and located in the middle of the ship, or “mid-ship”. This is the first time, recently, that our cabin has been ready and we were able to get right in, but this was also the latest that we’ve gotten on a ship. It was 1:45PM. I took a few pictures of our cabin, the bathroom and then we went to the balcony.

 

 

Since many people ask about the gift basket in the bathroom, there was one but it only had a bar of soap and a trial sized tube of toothpaste, so I didn’t bother getting a picture. This was also a cabin with an adjoining door to the cabin next door, #6387. We weren’t traveling with anyone else, so we did know our next door neighbors. We just kept that door locked. Since we booked slightly more than a month from our actual sale date, and wanted a balcony, there weren’t many left to choose from. We are aware that balconies on Upper Deck 6 can get a lot of noise at night. Most of the ones that were still available were on Upper Deck 6 with a location right above the “Hot and Cool Nightclub”, which can be a problem with the noise volume for anyone trying to sleep. Thanks again to other comments and reviews on Cruise Critic, we knew to take this into consideration when choosing our cabin. Our cabin was fine at night, for the most part, but the few times we were woken up during the night had nothing to do with Liberty or Liberty’s crew.

We just upgraded from an inside to a balcony for our Aug sailing and had to choose between 6429 and 6439 (nothing available on 7 and the rest of our group has aft cabins on this deck). We choose 6429 but now am worried about the noise and even started a thread asking people which room they thought was better but not many people replied. Do you think we'll be okay in this room or is the noise from the night club really going to be felt in our cabin?

We had it on our last cruise and bags weren't delivered until well after dinner (early dining). They DID have the tags on them, so I have no clue why they weren't delivered earlier.

All but ONE of our bags were delivered immediately in Tampa on our last cruise when we had FTTF. No clue why the last one was delivered at normal time. And of course it had to be the suitcase with all my clothes in it as I like to unpack right away. :p

I am a huge FTTF fan and even i agree to skip it on this trip. The other thing I advise to skip, if applicable, is a soda card! I am a heavy soda drinker and felt it was a huge waste of money bc it was so port intensive, I was rarely on the ship to use it! So if anyone was thinking about it, just lug some on from the CVS down the street!

Happy Sails. I did this itinerary but when the Victory was doing it, not the Valor. It was my favorite cruise to date but boy was I exhausted every night!

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Thank you for the information. I also enjoyed reading your review! I love to get ideas about excursions from other CC member so I can choose the best excursion for my family.

 

 

 

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Oh thanks. I love reading reading reviews too. It gives you a better understanding of what's available and can easy your mind booking a non-cruise ship excursion.

I meant to say the service at Bebo's was hit or miss (not high...don't know where I got that word) but it is really the only place within walking distance to eat. And we did go to the grocery store for snacks too.

Enjoy your cruise!!!!

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I am booked on my 3rd cruise this September on the Freedom. I wanted to purchase a FTTF but they are all sold out. Will they release any more closer to the sailing? Also, if can't get FTTF what is the best time to get to the terminal in order to get on the ship the fastest? Thanks in advance for any info!

We just snatched a FTTF for our 8/30 sailing this week after it had previously been sold out so yes, just keep checking!

Cabin 6439, music from piano Bar is not loud like the thumping dance club. Bring some foam rubber ear plugs just in case. :)

Well we're not over the dance club, it's in the middle of the ship but just slightly closer to this room. I texted my TA's too to see what they thought and they think we'll be okay but thought that some people on here may have sailed in or near those cabins.

Thanks for taking the time to reply! On the valor, had an L-shaped room on deck 6. Loved the room, the bass from the karaoke at midnight...not so much. Ear plugs will be packed!

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We upgraded from an inside to #6429 last night but now am worried about noise from the Hot and Cool Dance Club below. I think we may be up further enough though where it may not be a big issue especially if we were on the other side of the ship. We are over the Promenade.

6439 is still available but it's over the alchemy bar and the piano bar would also be below and a little further down. Which would you choose? I tend to go to bed early on cruises :)

When I first selected the room, I was just trying to get away from the comedy club and karaoke at the back of the ship and didn't notice the club smack dab in the middle of deck 5....duh....

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Not sure but I have read other posts about some sailings not showing up. It may reappear soon enough. :D

Has anyone been able to confirm if this is also true with ATD/YTD as well as assigned dining times? If not, do you think the same is true?

Also just found this info on Carnival's website:

RESIDENT OFFER

Offer is non-transferable and has no cash value. Cruise only rates are in U.S. dollars, per person, double occupancy. Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses are additional for all guests. Offer is capacity controlled and is not applicable with any other discount or promotional offer. Minimum category purchase of 4A is required. Some restrictions (including category/stateroom availability) apply. Offer available to residents of North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois on select Florida 6-8 day sailings between June 2014 – August 2014. Proof of residency required. Rates are subject to change without prior notice and are subject to availability. Request rate code PRI. Offer does not apply to Carnival Australia sailings. Ships’ Registry: Malta, The Bahamas and Panama.

Don't know why it doesn't list California as this is directly off my mock booking: Stateroom 1

Offer is available to CALIFORNIA, ILLINOIS, NORTH CAROLINA, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO and PENNSYLVANIA residents only and proof of residency is required, in order to qualify.

That's awesome! Congrat's!

A friend I am cruising with (there's a group of us) texted me and told me to check my rates tonight bc the price of our cruise dropped. I check every morning when I first get to work and as of today, nothing. But when I get her text and do a mock booking, I find that interior rooms have dropped to $449...but ONLY if you let Carnival pick your room....drats.....I have to keep mine b/c of our proximity to our group and I am not taking a chance of where Carnival would put us.

Then, I said to myself, "in addition to checking for past guest rates, why not check for a resident rate?" And voila.....it was the same price!!!! So guess what, I upgraded to a balcony for $120 more per person?!?!? I have so wanted a balcony for this cruise as I dread sailing in an interior but the price was just so high, I couldn't afford it. A quick call to a good friend and travel agent and I am all set!

It said these rates are good for residents of California, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Good luck!

I was having the same issue! Never getting emails. I just went into my profile on carnival and under "contact settings" the only box checked was to receive offers via snail mail. So I checked the box to also receive offers and news via email.

THANK YOU! The Email box wasn't check marked!

Funny, I have signed up to receive emails from them several times and never get them...not in my spam box, nothing! I wonder if it's b/c I always book my friend who is a TA. :confused:

I even re-entered my email the other day and still nothing.

Just completed a great cruise handed the head waiter a extra tip in an envelope, also gave the 2 assistant waiters envelopes watched them walk over and give them to the head waiter. My question is are they not allowed to receive tips or are they required to give them to the team leader?

Did you have any time dining? If so, this concerns me b/c I always tip extra for any time dining - I ask to be seated in the same section every night and then tip them at the end in addition to leaving the auto-tip in place. If I tip them, I want them to get every penny of what I give them. I give the head waiter the most and then give the assistance waiters different amounts depending on their service.

We stayed here back in 2011 - pictures of the room start in post 10. We did eat at Bebo's and found they room very quiet and comfortable for a post-cruise stay!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1522835

I'm not sure about concourses but I do know that there is a taxi stand where you tell them where you want to go and they hand you a ticket to give to the taxi driver so you could always meet up prior to hitting up that stand area....unless this has changed. It has been a few years since I was last there.

When I did this itinerary, Barbados is the one place I could not find anything I wanted to do! When I got back, I started reading all these reviews about Calabazza/Glory Tours. I even emailed Gina after reading rave reviews about her Macaroni Pie that is so famous in Barbados and she responded right away and emailed the recipe to me. I tried making it but my recreation was just okay - probably b/c I lacked the "bajan" seasoning. :) So I will definitely give them my business next time I head that way! This itinerary has been my favorite to date.

Thank you for your review. I personally know how time consuming it is to upload all the photos and trying to remember all the details!

I became friends with my current TA after cruising with them many years ago and still book through them b/c I trust them. They do it as a personal favor to me as they tend to book fewer and fewer cruises every year but know how much it means to me.

My understanding is that they randomly email people after the cruise for surveys. I've been on 3 CCL cruises and have never received a email. Last time, I just sent John Heald an email b/c I just had to tell him something....lol......

How do you find out how many FTTF's are available for your cruise. For my booking it is available, but I need 3 more for my kids cabins. Before I start booking I'd like to know if we could all get it.

When you click "add to your cart" it will tell you how many are available. And remember, only one per cabin is needed. It will cover everyone in the cabin.

Have used it the last cruises and LOVE it! Just the time it saves me at guest services it worth it! But I like having my room ready and my suitcases delivered quicker - I'm usually unpacked by noon!

After posting this yesterday, I checked for my upcoming cruise and they had added more FTTF with 3 more available so we snatched one! Thanks for the reminder to check OP!!!

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