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Carnival Liberty November 10, 2012 Review


famoffour1970

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Saturday, November 10

Embarkation

 

Our shuttle picked us up at Comfort Suites in Miami Springs at 9:30. We waited until almost 10:00 for everyone to get on board and then we were off! We arrived at POM about 10:15. We gave our luggage to the porter and he put our bags in a separate FTTF area. We walked in to the terminal and there was no line. Security was a breeze. They did ask to open one piece of our carry-on luggage as it had two 12 packs of soda. He opened both ends of each 12 pack and also punched the handles on top of them to check out the cans. Up the escalator we went.

 

 

There was a small line when we arrived, but they took us right to the front. We had our two daughters with us (19 and 10). My 10 year old had her picture taken for security reasons and we had our keys. Total time from luggage drop off to sitting in the waiting area – less than 10 minutes.

 

 

They didn’t open the ship up for boarding until 11:30 so we had a bit of a wait, but we were okay with that. Once they called boarding, I think we were about fifth on. They were still setting up the cameras for pictures, so we breezed right by them. :D

 

We went straight to our room, which was ready. No luggage, but I didn’t expect it as we had dropped it off only an hour or so earlier.

 

 

We grabbed some lunch. The boat was pretty empty and quiet. A few passengers milling around and the crew finishing up last minute things. My oldest daughter and I went to the Mongolian Wok. It was delicious! My husband and youngest went to Guy’s Burgers.

 

 

After lunch we went back to our room and our bags were there! We unpacked and were sitting on our balcony enjoying a drink watching the hustle and bustle. What a great start to our vacation!

 

We had a balcony room on the Lido deck. This was our first balcony and I do think, will always be the case going forward. I loved being able to sit out there and enjoy the ocean and although I was on vacation, I was up every morning by 5:30 so room service coffee was great out there!

 

 

All four of us stayed in the same room. I’m not going to lie, it was cozy, but it certainly was very doable. Our youngest had the drop down out of the ceiling bed and our oldest was on the couch bed. I did bring an over the door shoe holder and put it on the inside of the closet. Whoever thought about doing that is a genius! For two people I don’t know if it’s needed, but for the four of us it was great. The bathroom was kept clutter free.

 

Being on the ship so early, we were able to walk around and get the lay of the land, so to speak. Being the first cruise for both of the girls, I wanted to make sure they knew where things were.

 

There were about 40 of us in our group. Once everyone arrived, we gathered on the Lido and relaxed.

 

We went to dinner in the MDR. The girls loved being waited on and being able to order the different courses.

 

A little rocky once we got out to sea, but its vacation so it’s all good!!

 

Sunday, November 11

Nassau, Bahamas

 

Saturday night we received word that our excursion to para-sail was cancelled. I’m guessing due to the winds. The girls were very disappointed. Hubby, not so much! He’s not in to heights at all, so he was thrilled it was cancelled! Since we didn’t have an excursion, we decided to sleep in a little and get off the ship and just explore. I, of course ‘slept in’ until 5:30 but everyone else slept until 8 or so. We got up and ready and off to breakfast. Had the buffet. It was a buffet. Nothing to complain about at all.

 

 

Off to explore we went. We walked through the shops and decided to head off the port a bit. There were several people standing on the corners putting bracelets and necklaces on us for “free” although they then said for a donation for the kids who made the jewelry (which I don’t think was true). I didn’t mind paying for them at all, but the donation was $5.00 per piece of jewelry and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. We were approached by different people about four times. I didn’t want to be rude, but they were obnoxious.

 

 

 

Once you get out of the port, the town is pretty dirty. There was garbage on the side of the roads and we did see a couple of good sized rats as well.

We wanted to find a beach so started walking. I’m not sure of the name of the beach that we found, and while it looked beautiful from a distance, once we got there, there was broken glass all over the beach and more garbage. We got in the water for a bit and still enjoyed ourselves.

 

 

We decided to head back to the ship and this is where I realized I hadn’t been paying attention to the announcements or the FunTimes. I thought our last cruise had our pictures on the back of our Sail and Sign card, so we didn’t bring a photo ID. You need your Sail and Sign AND photo ID to get back to the ship. I was a bit panicked. Thankfully my husband had his wallet and ID, so they let all of us through. Oops – glad they were nice about it, although I think there were a lot of people who had only brought their Sail and Sign.

 

 

Back on the ship for a late lunch. Guy’s Burgers for all of us. YUM!

 

We set sail and it was another rocky night. The oldest was not feeling good at all and I think there were a few passengers suffering.

 

We went to the MDR and had another wonderful meal and great staff!

 

Monday, November 12

Sea Day

 

It was a rough sea day. A lot of sick passengers, my oldest being one of them. A relaxing day as far as activities and another MDR dinner.

 

Tuesday, November 13

St. Thomas

 

What a beautiful place!!! It was raining when we got to port, but it didn’t last long. St. Thomas was the stop our friends were getting married at so we didn’t do excursions or explore any of the island. They were married at Magens Bay. It’s hard to describe how beautiful this beach is. It’s on the list of world’s most beautiful beaches and they weren’t kidding. Absolutely breathtaking! The wedding was right on the beach under two palm trees. A perfect ceremony!

 

We stayed at the beach for most of the day enjoying the water and sun. Our 10 year old daughter taught herself to body surf and our 19 year old attempted to paddle board!

 

This was the first formal night (I believe – my brain is a little fuzzy on the dates). I thought everyone in the dining room looked great! The waiters danced for everyone and pulled guests up to dance with them. So fun!

 

Wednesday, November 14

San Juan

 

Another day with no excursion planned. We really just wanted to explore on our time. It rained on and off for most of the morning. Nothing heavy, just a bit of a nuisense. We stopped on the pier and the girls got their pictures taken with some birds and we hit a couple of the tables along the way.

 

We decided to walk to the other side of the island, as it’s not very wide and went to one of the forts. I’m not must of a history person but the hubby is and he loved it. It was pretty interesting to learn about the island and the reason the forts were build.

 

Once the rain stopped it was humid! We went to a few more shops and tables. It was nice to just relax and not have to be anywhere.

 

MDR for dinner and this night they did the conga line with the passengers. Our youngest jumped right in and had a blast. One of the waiters, Mr. K. made all of the girls in our group napkin hats and took pictures with them. It was so cute!

 

Thursday, November 15

Grand Turk

 

It was a beautiful morning and we weren’t supposed to get to Grand Turk until 11:00 so I thought I’d head to the deck and catch some rays. About 10:30 or so there were a lot of people on the deck staring over the side so I got up to see what was going on. We had arrived in Grand Turk a bit early and the view took my breath away! You know those pictures you see of white sands and beautiful blue water with the sail boats scattered throughout and you are sure it’s not a real picture. It’s real and it’s Grand Turk!!!

 

We had signed up for Power Snorkeling on the island. I am the only one who has snorkeled before so I thought this would be a good beginner snorkel. We loaded in to a bus and headed to the other side of the island. Maybe 10 minutes. We walked through a bar (I think it was a bar) and on the other side our guides were waiting for us. We put all of our belongings in the shed and we got our machine instruction, got fitted for fins and got our vests and masks. We loaded into a boat for about a one minute ride and everyone got into the water and they threw our machines out to us. They weigh about 35 pounds but are weightless and float in the water. I think we were in about 25 feet of water. The only ‘rule’ was we had to stay behind the front guide. We tootled around for a bit getting used to the machines and then we were off to the 7,000 foot drop off. Yes, I said 7,000 feet!!! Now remember I am the only one in my family who has snorkeled….both of my daughters took off to the drop. NO WAY was I going out there and neither was my hubby, who has a tremendous fear of sharks. We live in Iowa where I am pretty sure there are no sharks, but none the less he’s terrified of them! We had three barracuda join us and they stuck with us pretty much the entire time. I’m not sure how long we snorkeled but I feel like it was an adequate amount of time. We actually snorkeled back to the beach, so anyone who has a hard time getting back in to the boat, this excursion is for you! The machine literally does all of the work for you, all you have to do is hold on. Our guide called it Lazy Man’s Snorkel.

 

Our bus guide picked us up and took us on a sightseeing tour explaining everything about the island. There are wild horses and cows, just hanging out. 6,000 people on the island and he said they have no crime. The hurricane (Ike I think) beat up the island pretty good and there is still a lot of devastation. Everything is imported to the island including water as they have no fresh water on the island. Gas is $6 something a gallon.

 

We had plenty of time after our excursion so we went back to the ship, changed our towels out for fresh and hit the shops. Nothing impressive in my opinion. Your typical island stuff.

 

We went to the beach. This is where I was a little disappointed. The beach is rocky. Rocky to the point that you can’t really walk in the water. I stubbed my toe and almost fell twice. We found a couple of lounge chairs and settled in for some rays. That lasted all of about 10 minutes and it started to rain. And rain. And then pour. Everyone was running back to the ship but we found a little booth that I am guessing used to have souvenirs in it for sale and hung out there until the rain passed. There was a gecko in the window so we spent a few minutes trying to catch him. They are quick little suckers!

 

After the rain stopped we headed back to the ship to shower and get ready for the evening. I think this was our second formal night and we decided to skip it and just do our own thing for dinner.

 

Friday, November 16

Sea Day

 

Our last full day. I was feeling a little depressed. While the week didn’t fly by, I wasn’t ready to head back to reality.

 

We spent the day relaxing by the pool and in the hot tub. I wanted to pack so I wasn’t rushed so I spent a bit of time doing that. I’m not quite sure why the stuff that comes out of your suitcases doesn’t go back the same!!

 

We ate in the MDR one last time and the waiters sang to everyone their good bye song and we danced a little bit. Our waiters were fabulous every single night. A+ is the score I give them!

 

Saturday, November 17

Debarkation

 

Our flight out of FLL wasn’t until 5:30 and I did not want to have to sit in the airport all day, so we rented a car to explore Miami. With our FTTF, we were given #1 tags and I think they called our number a little after 7:30, we went down, our bags were on the turn stiles and we were through customs in about 10 minutes. The shuttle to the rental place was waiting for us and we were off. We had our car and were heading out for the day by 8:15am.

 

The girls had never been to South Beach so we headed there. Even that early in the morning it was hard to find a parking spot but we did, plugged the meter and hit the beach. It’s so pretty. We did a little shell combing on the beach and dipped our toes in one last time.

 

Our shuttle driver who picked us up on Friday from the airport had told us about Wynwood. I believe it’s the arts district of Miami. The neighborhood has graffiti drawings everywhere. Took a little bit to find it, but you definitely know when you get there. They were beautiful. Brightened up the neighborhood a lot as its pretty run down. We drove around and took a ton of pictures and then we were off for more exploring.

 

We found a bar and grill and decided to stop for lunch. After all it had been three hours since our last meal!! HAHA We are from Iowa and the football game was on so we watched that for a bit and reminisced about the week. I wasn’t sure where the rental return was at FLL so I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time. Off to FLL we went.

 

Dropping off the car was a breeze. We got in to the airport, got our bags checked and got in line for security. My 10 year old was randomly picked for additional screening. Since she’s a minor I had to go with her. We got to the screening area and they decided since she was a minor they would swipe my hands. No big deal to me. He wiped my hands with a cloth and put it in some machine. Well low and behold it came back positive for EXPLOSIVES!! He looked at me and said, are you kidding me. I didn’t know what to say, so I just laughed. He laughed too. He said I had to be patted down and called over a female TS worker. There were two of them and my daughter came with. Of course my husband is freaking out and all I can do is laugh. All I could think about was we had stopped at a gas station to fill up on the way back to the airport and I had to use the bathroom and YUCK. It was disgusting. When I walked out I had noticed that there were bars on all of the windows and what looked like a bullet hole in one of them. So maybe I got my explosives there! Anyway, we went into a little cubicle and she did the pat down. She explained what she was doing before she did it and it was no big deal. I didn’t feel violated or anything. I knew I had nothing on me, but I’m okay with them wanting to be sure. After that we were off to our gate. Let the boring wait begin!

 

So, that’s about it. As I can’t remember anything in my advancing age of 42, I didn’t put everything in here, but I think I hit the highlights. We did play bingo a few times, which was fun and hit the casino a couple of times. The EA Sports Bar was nice and we watched a bit of the NFL game on Thursday. We didn't get to see the R-rated comedians but did go to the family friendly one and it was good.

 

 

My youngest did sign up for Camp Carnival and she loved it. I have read mixed reviews about it, but for her it was great. She couldn't stop talking about it. They have video games, movies, board games, charades, build a bear, scavenger hunts - you name it.

 

 

Here is the low down (my opinion) on the food:

 

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Buffet: Nothing special, but the food was good and there never was a huge line. If you hit it at peaks times there was a bit of a wait, but very manageable.

 

Omelet Station: I didn’t eat here but they looked great. This is a made to order station so it is a little slow.

 

Breakfast Burrito Station: Another made to order station, but they are pretty quick. The breakfast burritos are huge!

 

Guy’s Burgers: They had I think six different burgers and then you could add other stuff at the bar next to it – bacon, mushrooms, etc. I thought the burgers were great. They are greasy spoon type burgers and they were always busy but we never waited more than a couple of minutes and that was usually for fries.

 

Fish ‘n Chips Station: Hubby ate here and said it was great. It’s tucked upstairs and I think people forget about it so no lines.

 

Burrito and Taco Stations: Again made to order, but they are quick. The burritos are huge and the tacos were yummy!

 

Mongolian Wok Station: Another made to order and it does take about five to six minutes per person, but again, I didn’t think that was too bad. It was delicious!

 

The Chocolate Station: They had this one day, last sea day I believe. Chocolate cake, chocolate covered donuts, chocolate covered pineapple, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

 

Ice Cream / Frozen Yogurt Stations: Open 24 hours and always a good snack!

 

Pizza: Open 24 hours. It’s thin crust and maybe four or five different kinds. I love thin crust so I thought it was great. The line would get pretty long before the buffet and MDR would open up as the only other thing open was Guys. They can make whole pizzas in five minutes, so not too long.

 

Deli Sandwich Station: I didn’t have one of these but they looked delicious. Another made to order station but they are quick.

 

MDR: We only ate there for dinner but I thought the food was good. It wasn’t five star by any means, but that’s not what I was looking for. It was hot and tasty and there was plenty to choose from. My oldest ordered mango chilled soup one night and hated it and Mario came right over, took it from her and brought her something else. On our last cruise I remember the portions being small enough that you could order two entrees and eat them without being stuffed. The portions are either bigger or my stomach has shrunk ;) because I ordered a couple of entrees one night as I wanted them both and I was overly stuffed.

 

I got the warm chocolate melting cake more than once. I had forgotten how rich it was. Oh yes, I ate the entire thing!!

 

My girls both tried something they had never had before each night and have discovered there is more to life than pepperoni pizza and cereal!

 

 

I saw our cabin steward maybe once a day briefly, but our room was always clean and we had plenty of ice and towels.

 

 

The bar staff was always friendly and I thought pretty quick.

 

 

 

I am constantly amazed that everyone I encountered on the ship knew my name and my folio number on our second meeting. I can't remember what I had for lunch today! The staff was friendly and smiling and seemed to enjoy their jobs.

 

 

I think vacations are what you make of them. Getting away from work and cell phones and emails and the 'real' world for a week was what we wanted and that's what we got. Everything else was a just a bonus!

 

 

 

All in all we had a great time and I would sail on the Liberty again in a heartbeat!

 

If anyone has any questions, fire away. :)

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We were on your cruise. I was getting ready to write a review but you beat me to it. It was great reliving our cruise through someone else's eyes. However, I also had the chilled mango soup in the MDR one night and LOVED it. Opinions about food are so subjective.

 

j

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Thanks so much for the review! Will be on the Liberty this sat:D Can you tell me, round about, what the temperature was in each port, please. Thanks in advance!

 

I'd say low 80's each day. Water was cool when you first got in but no problem being in it after that! Have a great time!!

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We're aboard the beautiful Liberty for the 3rd time, in 25 days...yipee!

 

Thanks so much for posting your review...always great to hear that the Liberty is still awesome!

 

Sharon,

 

Have a great time! We will definitely cruise on her again. I'm trying to talk the hubby into booking another cruise!! :)))

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Sharon,

 

Have a great time! We will definitely cruise on her again. I'm trying to talk the hubby into booking another cruise!! :)))

 

 

Thanks! Everything always just seems to point to the Liberty for us!

 

Let hubby miss the experience a little. In the meantime, start scouting for your next trip;)

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We were on your cruise. I was getting ready to write a review but you beat me to it. It was great reliving our cruise through someone else's eyes. However, I also had the chilled mango soup in the MDR one night and LOVED it. Opinions about food are so subjective.

 

j

 

I thought the mango soup was good too. My oldest has to be the pickiest person on the planet!! I was just glad she at least tried things that were out of her comfort zone.:)

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I was on the Liberty for the Western leg the week before and we had a little rain only 1 day, but I couldn't agree more with you on your review. Spot on for the Staff of the Liberty. My Room Steward was "Chai" from Thailand, a tall man father of a 4 yr old daughter at home in Thailand. I don't know how they do it! I don't know if you went to the "Legends" Show the last night put on by the dancers and members from the ranks of the people on the cruise, but it was a hoot! One of our group portrayed Elvis and did a great job. There was Elton John, Madonna and Frank Sinatra and Cindy Lauper. The Dance duo from the Carnival dancers of Sonny & Cher was a howl. I hope your kids partook in activities for them as Club 02 and Camp Carnival had age appropriate activities for all ( from info I got from friends)

 

Guys burgers are to die for and the warm chocolate melting cake as well. Good food not five star but presented well and you could order TWO appetizers or even entres ( the lobsters were small) if you wanted!

 

As you can see by my CC nickname I am from Des Moines IA but now am retired in North Fort Myers FL. Quite a bummer for the Hawks this year, but then again i am originally from Chicago and a diehard fan of the Cubs. Wait till next year! GO Hawks

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We booked the same place in Feb, were you happy with it? Was there places to walk to for pop, water, and wine, and grab bite to eat?

 

Everything is so close! We walked out of our cabin, through the first set of glass doors, to the second set and to the left was the Rum Bar and to the right was the Tequila Bar. Guys Burgers and the taco/burrito stations are right there. Water, tea and lemonade are just past the next glass doors along with the buffet.

 

If we can, we will book Lido on every cruise we go on from now on!!! Have a great cruise!

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I was on the Liberty for the Western leg the week before and we had a little rain only 1 day, but I couldn't agree more with you on your review. Spot on for the Staff of the Liberty. My Room Steward was "Chai" from Thailand, a tall man father of a 4 yr old daughter at home in Thailand. I don't know how they do it! I don't know if you went to the "Legends" Show the last night put on by the dancers and members from the ranks of the people on the cruise, but it was a hoot! One of our group portrayed Elvis and did a great job. There was Elton John, Madonna and Frank Sinatra and Cindy Lauper. The Dance duo from the Carnival dancers of Sonny & Cher was a howl. I hope your kids partook in activities for them as Club 02 and Camp Carnival had age appropriate activities for all ( from info I got from friends)

 

Guys burgers are to die for and the warm chocolate melting cake as well. Good food not five star but presented well and you could order TWO appetizers or even entres ( the lobsters were small) if you wanted!

 

As you can see by my CC nickname I am from Des Moines IA but now am retired in North Fort Myers FL. Quite a bummer for the Hawks this year, but then again i am originally from Chicago and a diehard fan of the Cubs. Wait till next year! GO Hawks

 

We did see a bit of the Legends. We got there late and it was packed and standing room only. What I saw was great!! For my daughter Camp Carnival was fabulous! When we got off the ship she said that we have to go on another carnival so she can do camp again!

 

We got to be pretty friendly with a couple of the Lido deck servers and they both have small children at home and are doing this to make 'serious' money so they can support their families. I admire them for sacrificing family time in order to support them down the road. Talking to them about their life back home really made me appreciate what we have here.

 

I am so envious that you live in FL now. We are putting serious thought in to moving south as these winters are no fun. I think it's just an off year for the football team, but it has been a little hard to watch. We are big Iowa Wrestling fans and the season is just getting under way. We have a great team this year and I think will be back in contention for the National Title!!

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"I’m not quite sure why the stuff that comes out of your suitcases doesn’t go back the same!!"

 

Ugh! I always have the same issue!!

 

Great review! I will be on the Liberty in what seems like an eternity from now!

 

I think I need to bring an extra suitcase next time to repack everything!! Have fun on your cruise, even though it's a little down the road. My next cruise is just a pipe dream right now....:(

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We did see a bit of the Legends. We got there late and it was packed and standing room only. What I saw was great!! For my daughter Camp Carnival was fabulous! When we got off the ship she said that we have to go on another carnival so she can do camp again!

 

We got to be pretty friendly with a couple of the Lido deck servers and they both have small children at home and are doing this to make 'serious' money so they can support their families. I admire them for sacrificing family time in order to support them down the road. Talking to them about their life back home really made me appreciate what we have here.

 

I am so envious that you live in FL now. We are putting serious thought in to moving south as these winters are no fun. I think it's just an off year for the football team, but it has been a little hard to watch. We are big Iowa Wrestling fans and the season is just getting under way. We have a great team this year and I think will be back in contention for the National Title!!

 

Yes Wrestling has always been Iowas forte and you may be right about this being a rebuilding year, but why hasn't KF played the back-up QB at all? Look what Iowa State did with a QB that wasn't even on the depth chart vs Kansas.

 

Well moving south is one answer but the job market isn't that good depending on your job situation. Houses are plentiful and you can get a good deal if you rent first and explore the market here in SW FL. Whatever you decide make sure your kids buy in as my dad moved me in the middle of my HS years 9Bummer). Finally where in Iowa? Ken

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Yes Wrestling has always been Iowas forte and you may be right about this being a rebuilding year, but why hasn't KF played the back-up QB at all? Look what Iowa State did with a QB that wasn't even on the depth chart vs Kansas.

 

Well moving south is one answer but the job market isn't that good depending on your job situation. Houses are plentiful and you can get a good deal if you rent first and explore the market here in SW FL. Whatever you decide make sure your kids buy in as my dad moved me in the middle of my HS years 9Bummer). Finally where in Iowa? Ken

 

Ken,

 

I agree with your whole hardheartedly about putting in the back up QB. Vandenburg just isn't that good, period. My husband went to ISU and likes to point out that they run two QBs. Smart move I think. Ferentz needs to do something...

 

We have just started to do a little job searching and I have noticed the housing market is pretty good. We have a daughter in college and one in fourth grade. If we move, I want it to be before the youngest gets too much older. We live in good ole CR! Supposed to possibly snow on Monday. :(

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Hi, Me again, I was asking about comfort suites we booked a room their before our Liberty cruise in Feb. We well be on the Lido deck also. Can't wait! Loved your review!

 

The Comfort Suites is beautiful! They have free breakfast in the morning. No food for dinner, but they have menus of restaurants near by that deliver. We ordered pizza and it was there in about 30 minutes and was very good!

 

Free shuttle to the port, but make sure you sign up at the front desk as soon as you check in. If you want to get to the port early, those spots fill up quick. Our shuttle ride took less than 10 minutes!

 

Have a great time!!!

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