Just a few questions about the Liberty

I booked cruise on the Liberty this week for 9/13 - 0/21/14. 8 day going to Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maartan. Just have a few questions.

Does anyone know who our cruise director will be?

What are some must does at these ports?

We are in cabin 2230 - Anyone been in this room? good/bad? Which bed sleeps better for 3rd/4th person - couch or top bunk?

Best time to get to port if we don't have fttf?

Best and cheapest place to park at PC? (Daughter has handicap pass but no special equipment on vehicle if that makes a difference)

That's all for now but sure I will be back with more latter:):D

The cruise director schedule is here:

http://johnhealdsblog.com/etc/cdschedule_201308-201408.pdf

If you scroll down it shows that it only goes to August 2014. It is not 100% accurate as there are some changes that have not been updated, but John Heald's blog is the best place to watch for future updates.

We zip lined in San Juan, but we also took the time to see one of the forts and toured it ourselves. The forts are worth seeing. In Grand Turk we did the stingrays which I would highly recommend. St. Thomas we just walked to and up the 99 steps, saw toured some old residences and shopped around the port, but would recommend an actual tour instead. Haven't been to the 4th port.

Don't know anything about your stateroom, but we were on the same deck and it was quiet and comfortable.

Thanks for your reply.

A few more questions:

Are all the ports safe to go out on your on if you don't book an excursion?

Does anyone have funtimes for this itinerary?

we have gone on our own in all the ports you will be visiting and felt very safe....

Marsha

You'll have a blast.

Grand Turk- I went out to the little kiosk out at the plaza area as soon as you saunter off the boat. There I got a $20 tour of the island on a bus. Used my sail and sign card to pay. They squish everyone on a bus and drive you around the very small island. You see the salt mines, the light house, the horses/donkeys/goats, the public and historical buildings, the little town just north (?) of the pier, they stop at Governor's Beach. This is where I got off. I spent the bulk of the day there floating in the pristine clear water with the sandy bottom. If you go closer to the boat, the beach can be very rocky in spots.

San Juan- immediately when you get off the boat, there will be a whole host busses to the left. Don't follow the first guy you see. Watch to see who is getting the most customers. They won't take off until they get a full bus. ( not as full as Grand Turk) they took us to all the major sites and it was a very informative tour with stops at the big tourist stops. I got off at the fort and walked around myself. You can jump on the trolley that runs around town just about anyplace. I'd recommend loading the map on your phone so you can find the stops. The stops are nearly all within easy walking distance of one another. I a walked down the hill from the fort through Old Town checking out some other tourist sites. Then caught the trolley at stop #1 by the Sheraton and rode around to see what else there was to see. Got off at the Sheraton where I met a family member who took me to her condo in a nearby town and we went to lunch at a cool seaside open air pub.

St. Thomas- My cousin talked me into taking the Carnival excursion to Megens Bay. I thought it was great at the time because it wAs the first stop on our cruise. The driver was great and we stopped overlooking the bay. He also stopped on the way back in a parking lot where some vendors were set up and we got good buys on some gifts. I was disappointed with the water at Megens Bay after Grand Turk. If its the first place you stop, you'll be impressed. If you stop at Grand Turk first, you'll be disappointed. If I were to return to St. Thomas I'd research my own excursion instead of doing a Carnival excursions. When you get off the boat, there are a lot of busses and vans there, so I'm sure you could get the same type of $20 island tour that you can get other placed. St. Thomas is a fairly big island so you won't be able to see it all in one day. A little time management will help you see a lot though.

Sorry I haven't been to St. Maarten. It's on the agenda for my November cruise though.

Happy Cruising

Carnival Destiny jan 2010

Carnival Liberty 9/28/13

Carnival Victory 10/5/13

Carnival Sensation 3/9/14

Carnival Sensation 3/13/14

Carnival Splendor 11/1/14

Been to St Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. At St Thomas, we went to Secret Harbour beach, which is really nice and not too busy. There is also a pretty decent restaurant and a dive shop at the beach. I think the taxi cost about $10 per person each way. In San Juan, I really enjoyed seeing the forts and just walking around the old city, plus it's inexpensive. In Grand Turk, if I could go back, I would just go to the beach right near the pier (but a ways down from the busy margaritaville) and enjoy the sand and sun. Very nice, and also inexpensive. The Liberty is a great ship, I'm sure whatever you decide to do you will have a good time.

Thanks for the replies. Taking notes on what everybody enjoyed. $20 town tours sounds really good. We really don't care a lot about paying a big price for the carnival tours if the port is safe enough to explore on our on.

Keep the ideas coming.

After I thought about it I guess I will have to wait til after April to get a copy of the fun times as the Liberty is in Miami now and won't be in Port Canaveral till after that.:(

In st. Thomas you should book the sunny Liston tour. ask to be in sunny's bus. Must buy the banana daquarie at the top of the mountain. Kids will also love this tour. Singing and bouncing around in the bus!

I booked cruise on the Liberty this week for 9/13 - 0/21/14. 8 day going to Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maartan. Just have a few questions.

Does anyone know who our cruise director will be?

 

What are some must does at these ports?

 

We are in cabin 2230 - Anyone been in this room? good/bad? Which bed sleeps better for 3rd/4th person - couch or top bunk?

 

Best time to get to port if we don't have fttf?

 

Best and cheapest place to park at PC? (Daughter has handicap pass but no special equipment on vehicle if that makes a difference)

 

 

 

 

St Marteen definitely the Rhino Riders . I always pick a upper lower instead of sofa which gives you more room. PC parking park and ride at the Country Inn and Suites cruise pkg

 

any other questions I have been on Liberty 3x email me danceboots2@yahoo.com

 

That's all for now but sure I will be back with more latter:):D

Thanks Jen

I love the Liberty! I will be sailing her for the third time next week :D

As far as what time to get to port.....I always like to get to the port early. 10:00/10:30. Personally, I would rather hang around at the port waiting to board than anywhere else. I have always met great people while waiting, some whom I hung out with throughout the cruise and am still in contact with many years later. I am Platinum and I still like to arrive early because of the people I meet.

PC is a great port! Although I haven't sailed from PC lately It was one of my favorite ports. Very smooth operation when I sailed from PC. Cant speak about parking because I live in the Northeast and fly

As far as the ports....

I think this really depends on what you want out of a vacation. All of these ports offer a variety of activities. In my opinion these are all ports that are quite safe and you can easily book tours through private companies or do something on the fly when you arrive. There are some ports where I will book directly with Carnival only due to traffic, location, etc but all the ports you are visiting have great, reputable tour companies. You can find a plethora of information on the Ports of Call Boards here at cruise critic and there are many opportunities to do a variety of things depending on your personal preference.

As for the beds....I have always slept in one of the "regular" beds so I can't really offer a personal opinion but my 23 yo DD has slept on the couch/bed and did not complain

We have been to all of these ports before, St. Thomas is one of our favorites. My wife and I like to go to Blackbeard's Castle, because there is a cool little bar just as you start down the stairs from the castle. I think it is called the Salty Dog, and it has a very nice view overlooking the town/port. We like to sit there and relax and enjoy the atmosphere and view. The first time we went there was on the tail end of a Magen's bay excursion. The last time we rode a shuttle bus to town and walked up the stairs (by the amber waterfall) to get there. The bartenders name was Wade (from NY if I remember right). When we ordered a Pina Colada and Miami Vice, he asked us if we wanted states pour or island pour. Not really knowing what he meant, we said island pour. Man, were they strong! It was a good time though, we will go back the next time we are in St. Thomas.

I would have to say that the Liberty is my favorite ship, so far.

how was the room 2230??