Dr Dave

Thank you for doing this. I don't think I've seen this asked before, but is the Serenity area packed? Have chair hogs been an issue?

Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your trip!

Follow up--I just asked my husband who spent a lot of time in there and he said no NBC Sports :(

 

 

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Shoot. I'll definitely have to DVR the race then. Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks, everyone!

Water served at the bars/buffet/MDR and in the ice makers has been filtered additional times, and has no taste.

 

Water in bathroom taps, including cabins, still has a trace of chlorine, which keeps germs down, but adds a slight taste. Sodium chlorine breaks down quickly to salt water, so it is perfectly safe, just a little more tasty. (That's why it is safe to use bleach on food surfaces)

 

For me, as long as it's COLD, I don't taste a thing.

Not to be nit picky, but bleach is actually sodium hypochlorite. While it is a generally safe disinfectant, it does not break down into salt water. Salt water is formed from sodium chloride bonded with water. Sodium chloride and sodium hypochlorite are similar, but not the same thing. (I've spent way too many years studying chemistry

As for the swelling that a lot of people have mentioned, it's likely a physiological response to the heat. The superficial blood vessels expand slightly to try to cool the body. For example, I have always noticed that in the summer, my watch is slightly tighter than it is in the winter. This swelling has nothing to do with the quality of the water on board the ship, however, it is likely exacerbated by the amount of alcohol consumption (which is a diuretic) and by the fact that most of us overeat (and most of the food has higher than normal amounts of salt). I do not mean to dissuade anyone from buying bottled water (I can see its convenience while lying in the sun), but rather, I wish to point out that it's extremely unlikely that intermittent swelling is instigated (or even effected) by the tap water on a cruise ship.

Hi folks,

I have a couple of quick questions about the Sports Bar on the Liberty. I am a big IndyCar fan, and for the rest of the season, the races are broadcast on NBC Sports. Naturally, there is a race a few days into my upcoming cruise. While I don't expect to catch the race in the cabin, I wanted to see if there was a chance to see the race in the sports bar. My questions are:

1. Is it likely that the ship would get NBC Sports?

2. Would it be likely that they would be able to put this on on one of the TVs?

It wouldn't kill me to miss the race, but the season has been great!

Hi folks,

I'm headed out on the Liberty in a few weeks and have a question about the disembarkation process at Port Canaveral. After the cruise, I'm planning to rent a car and head to Universal Studios for the day (I fly out the next day). In order to maximize the amount of time at Universal, I'd kinda like to be one of the folks off the ship a little earlier (hopefully miss the wave of traffic back to Orlando). Now, I know that every cruise and every homeport is different, but generally what have people's experiences been like at PC, is self assist the zoo that it always looks like, what do you recommend?

Does anyone know anything about Milburn Dumas? Headed out on the Liberty soon, and it looks like he's our man.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

Hi everyone,

I'm headed to San Juan next month on the Carnival Liberty with my brother. Were both in our late 20s and not disinclined to a bit of walking. My question is what would be the recommended way to see the forts in San Juan? Is this something that you could walk to/take a cab from the pier? Is it best to do this through one of the ship's excursions? I'm pretty sure that an air conditioned bus would be appealing, but we are both history buffs, and would not be crazy about being rushed by an excursion tour guide. Thoughts?

Out of curiosity, if you are doing a B2B, does that mean that your custom allowances are doubled?

While I was on the Paradise in January 2014, I got a piece of pastrami seasoning stuck up between my gum and tooth. I tried floss and mouthwash and it just would not budge. I went to the infirmary and was told by the nurse that in order to see the doctor it would cost me $150 but that it would be a "waste of my money because we are not equipped to do anything dental related."

 

I was a bit surprised at that answer and at the nurses suggestion to "go and get some toothpicks from the dining room."

 

My brothers dentist ending up removing the debris after our return to Tampa.

As a dentist, I can tell you that most physicians have absolutely no knowledge of the mouth or it's associated structures. Trust me, this is far better advice than letting someone who isn't familiar with these structures go digging around where they shouldn't be.

I can not evaluate the emergency equipment on a Carnival ship (or any cruise ship, for that matter), as I have had no need to report to the ships infirmary on any cruise I've been on. However, since most of these ships have to traverse an ocean at some point (and therefore be away from close medical assistance, and since an inability to respond to a medical emergency would open the door to litigation... Which no major corporation would want), I would assume that they are properly equipped to deal with the most common medical emergencies. In this day and age, food allergies (such as peanut allergies) are fairly common. I have no doubt that the ship's medical personal would be prepared to deal with an emergency such as this, as well as any sequalae that may arise. There are many circumstances where I urge caution when dealing with foreign trained medical personal. An emergency situation such as an anaphylactic reaction (especially on a crusie ship with a large percentage of Americans as passengers) would not be one of them. If you would leave your child with a daycare/church group/family members, they should be fine on a cruise ship.

Hi everyone!

Over the last several Carnival cruises we've been on, the protocol for the muster drill has varied. On one ship, we assembled in the muster station, and then proceeded to the lifeboat loading areas. On another, we were directed to proceed to the specific lifeboat loading area. Finally, on the most recent cruise, we just went to the muster station. Is the drill ship specific in terms of what protocol it utilizes, is is departure port specific, or does Carnival vary the protocols?

Thanks everyone, I think it's going to be the Liberty!

If I recall correctly (and I could be completely wrong with the dates), didn't they stop offering these tours around the time when norovirus outbreaks became more wide spread? Think about it, if you have a nasty little bug who has a favored vector with food transmission, do you want to expose the ships primary food supply to someone who is potentially ill and might not be aware of an errant sneeze? Not everything has to be related to "cutbacks."

Hi folks,

I need a little help picking an itinerary for the summer (early August). I'm a 30 year old dentist who will be traveling with my little brother, who will be on break from college. I am in the middle of buying a practice, and I am planning on having some remodeling on the building I will be leasing from. Honestly, the remodeling is likely to be a bit of a mess, which I'm happy to avoid (and I am willing to trust several people out here to oversee the changes). I believe that a cruise is a great way to clear my head and allow me to hit the ground running once I get back.

So, that being said, I could use a little advice picking an itinerary. 5 itineraries have caught my eye. One is an 8 day on the Liberty (with calls in Grand Turks, St Thomas, San Juan and St Marteen). I have heard great things about the Spirit class and am looking at both the Pride 7 day (Grand Turks, Half Moon Cay, Freeport) and the Legend 7 day (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and the Caymans). Finally, I am looking at the Dream 7 day (Roatan, Belize, Cozumel) and the Magic 7 day (Cozumel, Belize and Roatan).

We've traveled the western routes several times, so I'm not really crazy about the itineraries. We've been to most of these ports before. Mostly were looking to relax and recharge. Is there anything special about any of these ships that can't be missed?

In case you were wondering, my brother couldn't care less. We've been on a couple of cruises where I wasn't sure he knew what ship we were currently sailing!

Any thoughts?

I went on the Breeze last year and had a great time on the ship. I'm looking for itineraries for this upcoming summer, and I seem to keep coming back to the Liberty. Does she have a Red Frog Pub, or serve the Thirsty Frog Red?

Thanks!

Paul,

I came across this review as I was preparing for my upcoming Breeze cruise. Thank you for posting this, the photos are fantastic! I also have to say that this review brought back some wonderful memories. Growing up, my parents took my two younger brothers and I on several cruises. Your boys will have some great memories in the future of these trips.