Funship 2.0 (Liberty) Review w/Lots of Pictures

[Texarribean Chick]

Thanks for taking the time to put down your thoughts and photos. Failed to mention - the Liberty's decor is my favorite of all of CCL's ships. I love the venetian lightning!

 

Chick.

Edited January 4, 2012 by Texarribean Chick

[crewsweeper]

Great start. Nice pictures. Waiting for the rest of it, as we're on the Liberty after Easter.

[pyroguy]

...Red Frog Rum Bar...

 

 

...Frogs have more fun...

 

...Red’s Specials...

 

...Sushi Bar...

[pyroguy]

...the new HD Big Screen...

 

...Lido Deck...

 

One note about the big screen. We didn’t watch a movie out there, but at times we walked out on Lido and passed through. More than once I thought the sound was very difficult to hear. Seemed like the speakers couldn’t handle the power. Kind of clipped and noisy. I did notice the staff had given out blankets to those in attendance because it was quite chilly most nights out on the open deck...and the popcorn smelled great.

 

...yes, the Liberty still has a Deli...

 

...burrito bar...

 

...salsa bar...

 

...Blue Iguana Cantina...

[pyroguy]

...The Venecian Palace...

 

...part of the chandelier in the Venecian Palace - these were all over the ship...

 

I think this glass sculpture might be a Chihuly glass sculputre - and the only reason I think that is because I worked for an art museum in college and it was a big deal to have him come make a large sculpture for the foyer there. This looks very much like what he did for us then.

 

...just a random picture that I took because it thought it looked interesting...

 

...glad I’m not walking...

 

...Available cold cereal at Emilies...

 

...Ice Sculpture...

[pyroguy]

...Flying Fish - saw them all over throughout the trip, but they were tiny and hard to catch on camera...

 

...Outside Deck 3...

 

[jjtimes6]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review! Really beautiful pictures, and a great balance between pictures and story telling. Can't wait to read the rest!

[pyroguy]

The next day was St. Thomas. It was also Taren’s Birthday and the Chef’s Table. Wow, packing a lot into 1 day! Here’s a few pictures of pulling into St. Thomas

 

 

 

Taren wanted to shop and we wanted to see the island. We decided to just rent a car for the day. We rented from Budget - their terminal is right across the street from where the Liberty docked at Havensight. We got a mid-size for about $50 per day. Since we were paying with a Debit card (not a CC), the insurance was mandatory. No big deal...the total for our rental for the day was about $80.

 

We had our Garmin GPS and it did a pretty good job of taking us to where we wanted to go in St. Thomas.

 

***Side Note*** the cars for rent in St. Thomas have the driver on the left as in the states...but you drive on the left also. It’s not too tough when you’re going down a straight road, but when they throw in one-ways and wierd 5 angled intersections, it does get a little confusing. Taren decided she didn’t want any part of trying to drive there, so she had me take care of it. When we got to the Budget rental terminal, there was a car outside that was completely smashed, it barely looked driveable. When we got inside, I nervously asked the attendant - "is that a rental out there that got smashed?" she said "no, it's mine." goodness.

 

We decided to check out some of the more popular beaches and seeing the island before we went shopping. We traveled to Megan’s bay, but didn’t get to see much as you have to pay before entering. We then went to Coki Bay and got our feet wet...but there was a little shark of some kind swimming around the kids and kind of freaked everyone out. I doubt it would do much harm, but there's a stigma about sharks and it makes people nervous enough to get the kids out of the water. Thought about going to the Coral World Marine Park while at Coki bay, but oh my...the cost was pretty high. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but it didn’t seem worth it. Granted, we didn’t go in, but it just seemed pretty expensive from the outside. From there, we went to Saphire Beach and took some more pictures.

 

...some ducks at Saphire Beach...

 

...a panorama from Saphire beach...

 

After visiting the beaches, we decided to go to Paradise point - so we drove to the top. It was a little hairy and the entrance to the road to get there is a little difficult to find (looks like a parking lot entrance), but it was nice. Taren got a Bushwacker - supposedly a famous St. Thomas drink - basically a Bailey’s and Kahlua frozen drink. She said it was good, but not something she thought was spectacular.

 

 

...Taren at the top of Paradise point...

 

...the Liberty from PP...

[pe4all]

Hi Pyroguy. You had posted on my rollcall (12/24 sailing) and I had posted a reply to you. Don't know if you checked back at the roll call, but here is what I wrote on 12/25:

 

PYROGUY - checked at Guest Services - they said they sent everything they have to main CCL office in Miami. I really pressured them - they really tried to help, but said everything is sent over when they dock, after each sailing. Try calling main CCL office - I tried for you, but they are closed Saturdays, and will be closed Monday. Good luck, and don't give up. They said it may take a month or 2 for them to log it into their system, and send it back to you!

 

Loving your review, and so glad you got the card back! I tried!!:)

Edited January 4, 2012 by pe4all

[pyroguy]

Hi Pyroguy. You had posted on my rollcall (12/24 sailing) and I had posted a reply to you. Don't know if you checked back at the roll call, but here is what I wrote on 12/25:

 

PYROGUY - checked at Guest Services - they said they sent everything they have to main CCL office in Miami. I really pressured them - they really tried to help, but said everything is sent over when they dock, after each sailing. Try calling main CCL office - I tried for you, but they are closed Saturdays, and will be closed Monday. Good luck, and don't give up. They said it may take a month or 2 for them to log it into their system, and send it back to you!

 

Loving your review, and so glad you got the card back! I tried!!:)

 

Wow! Thanks for trying. Actually, yesterday I had decided I was giving up because the lady we talked to last week said they went through everything and they were sorry but it was gone. Then yesterday it showed up in the mail.

 

Thanks for trying! I hope you didn't spend too much time on it!

[pyroguy]

After that, we decided to go shopping in Havensight. There are only 748 jewelry stores (ok, I *might* be exaggerating here, but it’s literally every store as you walk down the street), and Taren was looking for a watch for her birthday, so we went to some. She found one, so I bought her a watch that she liked. I also bought a circular polarizing filter for my lens, so maybe the pictures from here on out will look better ;-).

 

After shopping for a while and getting shirts and trinkets for the kids, we were pretty hungry. There was this little bar that looked like it was in the middle of the street over by the shopping area called MoJo’s. We stopped in for a drink. They have these cool little swings that you sit in when you are at the bar, and they have AWESOME jerk chicken. This place is definitely worth the stop. Pretty reasonable prices and great food and service.

 

...MoJos...

 

...Taren relaxing at the bar...

 

...and, yes, Taren got the camera from me for a minute to take my picture too...

 

We had a little bit of time before we headed to the Chef’s table, so I took some more pictures of St. Thomas.

 

...Panorama from the ship...

 

...started raining over the mountain and we had a rainbow go over the Liberty...

 

...Rainbow looking up to Paradise Point...

 

We decided to head back to the ship to get ready for the Chef’s Table that night. When we got our reminder letter in our stateroom, they said that no cameras would be allowed in the galley, so I didn’t take my camera at all. In actuality, others brought thiers and took some pictures of the food in the galley, and I really wish I had brought it to take pictures of the food at the Chef’s Table. I learned my lesson. Bring the camera everywhere. Period.

[pyroguy]

A little bit about the Chef’s Table. Wow. Best thing I ever did on the ship. It ended up being almost 4 hours and there were 4 couples total in our group. We had 9 courses (the courses we had are the new Funship 2.0 courses). Now, I’m a little fuzzy on it, but I would estimate I had a full bottle of champagne and about 2 bottles of wine in that 4 hours. I know that sounds like a lot, and I’m not someone who normally drinks at all...but I would imagine everyone in our group had about the same amount. They just kept filling the glasses and it was a great experience. The food was incredible. We were able to ask specific questions of the head chef about some of the new Funship 2.0 restuarants (like Guys going through 1200 5oz burgers per day) to how you can order your WCMC however you like it (rare, medium or well-done), because they make it purposefully multiple ways as passengers have different preferences. This was a great experience and I would recommend it in a heartbeat. And, since it was Taren’s Birthday, they made her a cake.

 

...Taren’s Chef’s Table Cake...

 

...And a night time picture of St. Thomas before we left...

[pyroguy]

The next day was San Juan. We had reservations to do the Segway Tour and Sheila and Joe from our Roll Call and Chef’s Table were on it too. We met up with them and headed down. It’s a short walk from the pier to the one (I think 2 piers over) to the Segway place, so it was pretty nice.

 

***Side Note***

Careful of the tour vendors in San Juan right outside the pier. They were pretty aggressive, asking where we were going, then telling us “Oh, that’s right here, that’s me”...then taking me by the arm and trying to make me go with them. What a bunch of crooks.

 

We waited for a bit for the Segway office to open. Soon after, Manuel (our tour guide/instructor) showed up and started us in on the safety and operation of the segways).

 

...Manuel...

 

...Taren was first...

 

The Segways are really fun. He took us outside one by one, taking us around turns and up and down a small hill nearby to get us acclimated to using the machine. He was a great instructor and a really nice guy.

 

Soon we headed off for our Old Town San Juan tour. Note...I’m a big guy, a little over the 260lb weight limit for the Segway, but they have a larger one that used to be a police one. I used that one for the tour, and it was MUCH easier than the smaller ones that we practiced on.

 

He stopped in several places along the way to show us history on San Juan.

...A US flag flying in San Juan...

 

 

...some local boats along the ocean walk...

 

 

...Narrow Streets (HDR)...

 

...view of the coast from the Fort San Cristobal (HDR)...

[pyroguy]

...Picture of Fort San Cristobal (HDR)...

 

...thought this little decorative crest on the fort was neat (HDR)...

 

...sentry tower right on the coast at the fort (HDR)...

 

...Canon inside the fort (HDR)...

 

...Taren and I outside the fort (see, I got the big Segway)...

 

The only thing I will say about the Segway tour is that I really wish we had more time at the fort. I really wanted to take some more pictures (HDR works really well with these old rock and limestone structures), but it was only a 2 hour tour so we only went to the top level. The tour was very informative and a lot of fun, but I just wish we had some “free time” at the fort to explore. It was a really neat place with lots to see.

 

We bought some local Rum (not Bacardi) for some Christmas gifts, some more trinkets for the kiddos from street vendors and headed back to the Ship.

[pyroguy]

...looking at Old Town from the Liberty as we sailed away (HDR)...

 

...Fort San Cristobal as we sailed away (HDR)...

 

I took these pictures from the "Secret Deck" forward as Taren, Sheila and Joe went to the Past Guest party. I finally headed down there, buy my oh my...what a circus. Rather than fight for "free" drinks, I think I would rather just go buy one that I want.

 

***SIDE NOTE*** I had a hard time distinguishing between the Venecian Palace (forward) and the Victorian Lounge (aft). Both started with a V, and both had many events in them. More than once I would head to one, find it empty or not what I was looking for, and realized I had to go to the other one. Others we talked to had the same problem. Probably something that Carnival should think about when they name rooms on future ships - similar names on the same ship becomes somewhat confusing.

 

 

Now that Sheila and Joe knew which room we were in, they decorated it for us. We came to our room and looked all over, double checked the number. Yes, it was our room. Then we figured out Sheila did this for us. Cool!

 

[skipnpeanut]

We'll be on the Liberty in two weeks, can't wait. Your pictures are amazing, keep 'em coming!

[pyroguy]

The next day was Grand Turk. We ate in the dining room again, pretty good breakfast.

 

...blueberry pancakes and bacon..

 

...pulling into Grand Turk...Sue and Ed (above) talking to Sheila and Joe (below)...

 

...a look at Jack’s Shack from the ship...

 

...the island from the ship...

 

There was another ship “Azura” in port when we were. Interesting to pull up along side of them and see people on their balconies. Many were European, so I think they weren’t as shy as I would have been by what they were (or weren’t) wearing as we cruised by. I’ll not post those pictures ;)

 

...both ships docked...

[pyroguy]

We really didn’t have any plans for Grand Turk except going to Jack’s Shack. Sheila and Joe had rented a golf cart and so they invited us with them. Sounded like fun, so we tagged along with them for the day.

 

...Riding in the golf cart...

 

We finally found the lighthouse at the north end of the island.

 

...Lighthouse (HDR)...

 

...Another one of the Lighthouse (HDR)...

 

 

...Taren looking out over the water...

 

...Cactus on the Beach...

 

There was a stray puppy there at the lighthouse and it was clearly hungry and thirsty. Joe and Sheila share some water with him.

 

[pyroguy]

On the way to the lighthouse, we passed an abandoned resort - looked as if it had begun construction then was abandoned. Sheila mentioned she heard that the beach there was a great place to pick up Conch shells. We ventured in and sure enough, we found a BUNCH! We all got some shells to bring back to the kids.

 

...Conch Shells on the beach...

 

***SIDE NOTE***

We almost ran out of gas in the golf cart. Evidently the people we rented from (just outside the pier area) don’t put much in them. Be sure to check before you leave. We got more gas to last us the rest of the day before heading further.

 

Sheila heard about a local joint called Barbies with good food. We decided to head over there for some “conch fritters”. They were pretty good. Think Hushpuppies.

 

...“Conch Fritters” at Barbies...

 

...Jamacian Patty” at Barbies (not that great - like an old dry bean burrito)...

[navybaby1113]

Loving your review!

[pyroguy]

After lunch at Barbies, we headed over to Jack’s Shack. Most of our Roll call had been there before us and left, but we still had a great time. Jack was cool, the place was nice...food was great (except they ran out of Jerk Chicken) and Tofer is awesome!

 

...Jack’s Shack...

 

...Taren drinking her Sandy V***** (you can fill in the name)...

 

...Jack...

 

...Taren getting her free shot of spiced rum (sign up online for yours)...

 

 

...Joe, Sheila, Taren and I at Jack’s Shack in Grand Turk...

[pyroguy]

...Tofer, Jack’s Dog waiting for his cheeseburger - his daily routine...

 

...wait for it...

 

...I watched this guy pull in there to pull a boat out of the water. Being from rural Kansas and owning a boat, I knew this wasn’t going to end well...

 

 

We did some shopping in the area around the Margaritaville (we didn’t go there though) and got some jewelry and I got a T-Shirt. Nice little area but pricy. To be expected though for where it was.

 

...Taren and Sheila heading back to the boat...

 

 

...leaving Grand Turk (took forever to get this picture without people on the walk)...

 

...Panorama of Grand Turk...

[pyroguy]

...after several hours, just as we were leaving, the guy with the stuck truck got a backhoe to get him unstuck...

[remharri]

...looking at Old Town from the Liberty as we sailed away (HDR)...

 

...Fort San Cristobal as we sailed away (HDR)...

 

I took these pictures from the "Secret Deck" forward as Taren, Sheila and Joe went to the Past Guest party. I finally headed down there, buy my oh my...what a circus. Rather than fight for "free" drinks, I think I would rather just go buy one that I want.

 

***SIDE NOTE*** I had a hard time distinguishing between the Venecian Palace (forward) and the Victorian Lounge (aft). Both started with a V, and both had many events in them. More than once I would head to one, find it empty or not what I was looking for, and realized I had to go to the other one. Others we talked to had the same problem. Probably something that Carnival should think about when they name rooms on future ships - similar names on the same ship becomes somewhat confusing.

 

 

Now that Sheila and Joe knew which room we were in, they decorated it for us. We came to our room and looked all over, double checked the number. Yes, it was our room. Then we figured out Sheila did this for us. Cool!

 

 

 

LOVE your HDR shots! Beautiful!

[pyroguy]

Tonight was steakhouse night. I did bring my camera. We also met Monica (the Liberty Steakhouse Manager) - whom I now refer to as an ANGEL for what she did for us on (and after) this trip. First, she remembered we were celebrating my wife’s birthday, so she made sure that we did the Chef’s Table on her birthday and not the Steakhouse - which I thought was very nice of her. Then, after the trip, I accidentally left my SD Card (with these pictures on it) in the safe in our room. I contacted Monica and she was directly responsible for sending someone to the room personally, asking the guests there to open the safe and check, and they FOUND my SD card. She’s awesome. I can’t say enough good about her.

 

The steakhouse dinner was very good. The atmosphere was excellent and the food did not disappoint.

 

...Pea Soup Compliments of the Chef...

 

...some little potato thing Compliments of the Chef...

 

...Crab Cake Appetizer (sorry I took a bite before taking the picture)...

 

 

...Taren’s Salad Wedge...

 

...My spinach w/blue cheese and bacon salad (very good)...

 

 

...Taren had the Surf & Turf...