Liberty “Funship-Two-Point-'WHOA'!” Review; Eastern Caribbean; 31 March 2012; Pics

[babyblue78]

Loving this review! We are cruising this itinerary on the Liberty in 3 weeks and are very excited! :)

[Catrin]

Loving your review!!

 

We are heading on this itinerary on the Liberty in November!

 

We once stayed in the same cabin, but on the Triumph... great location and I loved being right near the laundry!!

 

Catrin

[skittl1321]

We complained bitterly about egg salad or baloney sandwich picnics in cemeterys with my Dad on our road trips, wishing we could go to McDonald's instead - but now we joke about them ... and MY kids think that sounds like fun ...

We never stopped at cemeteries, but we had a lot of pepperoni with mustard sandwiches in the van or at rest stops. I remember one in Vicksburg where we wouldn't stand on the curb while my Dad tried to park (not sure why we had to get out of the car, maybe it was a tight fit) and my parents were screaming at us, and we were trying to explain why we were disobeying, but they wouldn't hear it. My sister and I finally stood on the curb, and each got bit by hundreds of fire ants... OUCH!

 

 

 

To the OP: Really enjoying the review! Thanks for so much detail.

[BenjiRodney]

Enjoying the review so far, thanks for sharing.

[ladyj3641]

I can't wait to read more!!

[cruzlovr75]

Great review so far, can't wait to read more about HMC. :)

[17andacruiseaddict]

Loving the review so far! Wish we would have met earlier on the cruise! You were a great bar buddy. Can't wait for more!

[boaterette]

I'm really enjoying your review so far! Thanks for taking the time to do such a detailed review - and I love the kitchy roadside stops - they do break up the drive and you're making great memories for your boys --- they may complain now, but years from now, they'll tell their kids about the goofy road trips they took with their Dads and I bet they won't be complaining -

 

We complained bitterly about egg salad or baloney sandwich picnics in cemeterys with my Dad on our road trips, wishing we could go to McDonald's instead - but now we joke about them ... and MY kids think that sounds like fun ... I prefer a park over a cemetery, but Dad had a good point - cemeterys are quiet, free of charge, and usually there is plenty of room to move around and stretch those road-weary lege. Plus, we did see some pretty cool headstones.

 

Hate to hijack but that just sounds totally awesome. I love cemetery's. OP keep up the good work on the review.

[pcrum]

A wonderful review on one of my all time favorite ships.

 

Looking forward to the rest!

[RTRMom]

Great review! I have really enjoyed it so far.

[tattoos]

When you finish your great review, would you please comment on where you did end up parking. We are considering an off-site parking lot near the Port of Miami for our cruise next month but can't find anyone on these boards who has parked there.

 

Thanks so much for taking time to post your review and great photos. Guy's burgers look great...fattening but great. Did you try the Thirsty Frog Red beer? If so, did you like it?

[lax mom]

Loving the review so far. The picture of the giant peanut with your boys made me chuckle. I really appreciate all your recommendations. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

 

We actually chose the Liberty for our B2B next year after reading the reviews by Froufrie & Anung Un Rama. Reading yours is just reinforcing that we made the right choice!

[vivavegas]

Great review and photos! Can't wait to hear more:). I like the Liberty iteniary (sp) thinking about booking in 2013....

[TriciaEMTB]

You have so made me late for work, mister.

 

This is why I cant read cc in the morning.

 

I love your review, I love your "voice" and great attitude!

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[cer10lee]

great review, can't wait to read more! I am not a fan of Guy Fieri, but those burgers really do look good. Must try one on my December Dream cruise, if the dream has Guy's!

[crewsweeper]

Great start on the review Mister Mom! (BTW, you don't look like Micheal Keaton, and you're certainly NOT Teri Garr:D)

 

We always seem to HAVE to stop at Paynes Prairie Rest Stop when we travel I-75. But never took the time to go to the overlook. Thanks for sharing that. Maybe we'll take a walk after going "down the hall" and check it out on Friday!:cool: Thanks for the tip on the tips and on parking( I hope your car wasn't one of the ones broken into last week:mad:) and when to get to the port! We're at La Quinta but using the handicap privileges for parking at the port.

[cobianlover]

Great review!!! Waiting patiently for the next installment......:)

[gelo7]

Great start...

[OceanDreams]

What a refreshing review .... I'm loving your writing technique. Can't wait to read the rest of your adventure.

OceanDreams

[cruise_crazy68]

Hi Mister Mom, loving your review! We just booked yesterday for the Liberty B2B Oct 2013. Can't wait to hear all your stories! Thank you for taking the time.

 

Can you tell more about where you parked at some point. We are driving in from Texas and have read horror stories about parking in Miami, either its expensive at the port or people are saying some parking places are unsafe to leave your vehicle. I am not sure which ones are good or bad would love to hear more of your experience upon your return.

 

Have a great cruise!!

[MisterMom]

Finally, it is beach day at Half Moon Cay. This was the day I had put most of my research and planning into. We had been to HMC before but picked the wrong area to set up and were surrounded by smokers and folks playing music too loudly. I was bound and determined not to repeat this. Was I successful? You be the judge….

 

We had ordered breakfast via room service the night before. Here’s the menu hanging in the staterooms….

 

 

Breakfast arrived early at 6:45 even though we had requested 7-7:15 but it was good having the early wake-up and time to eat/pack. Cam and I ordered the smoked salmon, a cruise favorite of ours, and I forget what Derrell ordered. (He wasn’t a fan of room service as he was determined to eat in the MDR. He enjoys the menu and table service.)

 

Checked the in-room navigation screen for a location check. We’re almost there!

 

 

 

We needed extra ice for the day so a steward filled up a large Zip-loc bag for us (recommendation: bring large and small sealable baggies. They’re helpful for ice or adding extra leakage insurance for toiletries, sun screen, etc. Also, if you’re looking to save money, grab some free sandwiches from the ship’s café or buffet, stick ‘em in the bags and pack to use for a picnic on shore). Also, we had yet to have the mini fridge unlocked so our steward, Eben, unlocked it for us so we could cool some of our mixers, I mean, soft drinks. ;-)

 

The day was cloudy and threatening – sure to be a damper but we were game anyway.

 

I can see HMC!

 

 

Freddy is ready to go!

 

[MisterMom]

We made our way down to Venetian Palace forward to get our tender assignment. We got the second tender!

 

 

We barely sat down and the first and second tender groups were called!

 

Before we knew it, we were on board heading for HMC.

 

 

I hooked up the telephoto lens to scope out a good beach spot away from the crowds. Since I’m able to magnify pics on my camera, I felt I had identified a good spot.

 

 

 

Pulling away from Liberty once we were all loaded (on the tender, not loaded with alcohol… yet)….

 

[MisterMom]

Cool shot of the new bar built like a ship wreck. More detailed pics of this later….

 

 

Gratuitous Liberty shots….

 

 

 

 

Pulling into the HMC Marina. I couldn’t get the focus correct on this but got a kick out of the No Trespassing sign and the cannon!

 

 

We’re here! We were on the island by 8:35.

 

 

I love these sign posts.

 

[MisterMom]

We made our way to the spot on the beach past the last cabana and got set up. The day was still dreary so we didn’t get quite settled in. Derrell and I decided to make the most of it and took a walk further down the beach.

 

I like this shot of the wedding pavilion that was set up for the day.

 

 

A beach Yoga class. How cool would this have been?

 

 

We got sprinkled on a bit during the walk. Yuck.

 

When you reach the far end of the beach….

 

 

The perspective from the far end of the beach. Are those clouds breaking up?

 

 

Heading back towards our loungers, we noted a sandy path off to the left that appeared to gain some elevation. We decided to take the hike up the hill and were rewarded with some cool views.

 

 

I like this one….

 

 

It turned out this trail is used by the horses. Recommendation: hike this trail for the cool vistas but watch out for horse apples!

[MisterMom]

Here are the horses that followed us down the path back to the horse barn.

 

 

The clouds were finally breaking and the sun was coming out! We headed back to our loungers. Here’s the view we had back towards were we just came from.

 

 

More people had arrived and set up camp around us but it was a peaceful coexistence. Freddy was thirsty so….

 

 

 

This was our set up for the day. Note my Sirius satellite radio with small speaker wired to it. We purposely chose a secluded spot as not to offend others with our Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville music station. If someone set up close to us and heard the music playing, they knew from the beginning we had music playing and they could choose to relocate if they wished.

 

 

It was nearing lunchtime and, as I wasn’t particularly hungry nor fond of the HMC cook out fare, I stayed put and Derrell and Cameron set off to find lunch. They were gone for a while which gave me time to relax and read my book (the 2nd installment of The Hunger Games. More on that later!). Derrell brought me back three pieces of jerk chicken which were surprisingly good!

 

Cam and I went for a swim where we had a good conversation about both of us wishing Malik had come with us. We were still having a good time but would have been good if the whole family were together. Side note: Malik lived with us a couple years before Cameron moved in. Naturally, the three of us had taken trips which we talk about often. Since Cameron wasn’t on those trips, this trip gives Cam the opportunity to have had a trip with just the three of us. So we can talk about the Liberty adventures like we talk about our trip to DC with Malik!

 

Begin rant: About this time, a group of 8 or so folks set up behind us. (they appeared to be crew but that doesn’t matter to me.) What DID matter was that they unpacked a large iPod docking station and cranked up the European dance/trance/club music. Now, I like to get my groove on to dance music but there’s a time and place for it – not on a Caribbean beach. Not only did they crank the music, but several of them LEFT to go play in the water where the music could not be heard despite the volume. I signaled back to the remaining folks to inquire that they turn it down but was given blank stares. Having had some of Freddy’s beverage instilled with “liquid courage,” I went up to the remaining folks to ask that they turn the tunes down. Again, blank stares and a response, “I don’t know how to turn it down.” Who doesn’t know how to work an iPod these days??? Quite confused (and frustrated) by this comment I asked, “Do you want ME to SHOW you how to turn it down?” Response, “Uhhhhh….” At this point, one of the female members of the group gathered her wits about her and turned the music down, which I appreciated and respected her judgment to diffuse a possible difficult situation, especially if these were crew members. Crisis and Rant over.