Fast & Dirty Review of Carnival Liberty 4/6/13

[ThisFemmeKat]

Hello Again... This is my quick and easy review on my recent trip on the Carnival Liberty. This was a 7 day sailing to Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman.

 

I had purchased FTTF for this sailing due to all I had heard about the tendering in 2 of the ports. This was absolutely worth EVERY PENNY of $50. From my airport shuttle to my cabin was 10 minutes! security and all and I arrived at peak time. The line was out the door of the terminal and its still took me 10 minutes total.

 

Ship:

The ship was awesome! I say this because, the decor on the ship is much lighter colored.. the walls and marble are all light colored. This makes the ship's interior lounges and atrium so much brighter and sunnier. You never get that Cave dark feeling. I never noticed how different it could be until I stepped onto the Liberty.. :) Ship was always clean. Never really had any issues with lines or anything.

 

Staff:

All of the staff was helpful and in great spirits. I never encountered one moody crew member at all on this sailing.

The CD was Troy Linton. Let me start this by saying that, CD opinions totally depend on the person.. humor is a very big spectrum of feelings and opinions... that being said. I really enjoyed Troy and his team (Graham, Adam ASM, Ilena, Emilio, Nathan,Pauly D, Melissa KJ, and Estee KJ). I play all the cheesy cruise trivia and gameshows, and love karaoke. So I spend plenty of time with this team. The whole team was great.. a couple of standouts for me were Graham who was so awesome and every girls best good friend.... and Ilena was great at all the music trivia and fun games.. Along with the usual standard games and activities, Troy added the Carnival Quest game. This is an adults only game.. I have never been on a sailing with it yet and was so glad I finally experienced it. IT WAS HILARIOUS! I LAUGHED TIL I CRIED!!! My ribs hurt when it was done.. I didnt even play.. just watched.. and still awesome! I wish more CDs did this game.

 

Food:

Food was great.. I ate in the MDR for dinner every night this trip. The service was the absolute fastest I have experienced in 8 cruises. Food was cooked well, always hot, and on time. Our Head Waiter Jeffrey @ table 309 was awesome. I ordered steak and chicken and shrimp and ... all different things and each time they were all perfectly cooked. Our table of 8 total, never sent back one item for recooking..

For lunch we ate on Lido, Guys Burgers were very very good.. I did not find thm too greasy as I have heard from others.. But I eat my burgers with cheese and plain.. Maybe some of the toppings cause the grease?? I do wish they would get some goo american cheese for the burgers.. but they are still great.. and those steak fries are AMAZING! My wife liked the Blue Iguana Burrito but liked the burgers more. Again, lines were never very long at all..

One thing that bothered us both regarding food.. The "Late Night Snacks" on Lido.. used to be burgers, hotdogs, chicken fingers, nachos, etc. Now.. just Hotdogs, not so good cold "grilled" ham and cheese, and buffalo chicken sandwiches that also didnt look good.. thats it! No real meat of any kind.. we really really missed our burger after the nights shows and events..

 

Ports:

This particular itinerary is lower in cost and many people have told me that belize and roatan are crap ports.. I BEG TO DIFFER!!! I loved them both..

 

The Mahoghany Bay port created in Roatan was gorgeous.. Great day at the beach. and I love the Sky Lift ride to the beach.. so peacful and great view for pics.. We have our own snorkel gear and I will say that the off the beach snorkeling was not great.. there isnt much to see but sea grass and sporadic coral. But soft sand and nice beach day made up for it. A friend invited us to join her in a cabana she rented from carnival. This was very worth it as the beach and ocean by the cabanas was not at all crowded or noisy. the other part of the beach did get a bit crowded.. Never thought I would pay 200 for a cabana.. but now that I tried it.. I definitely would at this port.. split with 4 friends its a good value and worth the peace and views.

 

We had a fantastic adventure in Belize. The ship arrives in Belize City... Nothing to see here at all.. or at least, nothing you want to see. We booked a CaveTubing Tour with Vitalino Reyes at Cavetubing.BZ. The ".BZ" part is important!!! My review of this excursion is here.. http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1828707

Obviously we loved it.. and its easily my wife's favorite excursion ever!! And what a value! holy crap I love a deal! :)

 

Cozumel & Grand Cayman have some of the best water in all the ports we have gone to..

In Cozumel, we took a taxi to Playa de Uvas. Then paid 12 bucks to use the resort there. They had a snorkeling tour guide at no charge. and they give you gear if you need it. we all swam right from shore to the reef and he fed some fish so we were surrounded by them the whole time.. it was great!

In Grand Cayman, we booked a wave runner tour to the stingray sand bar and Rum Point. It wasnt horrible, but we would not book it again. The seas were very choppy (which isnt a deal breaker) but the guide wasnt informative and it was just meh... The Sting rays at the sandbar were way cool.. and HUGE!!!!

 

The shows were all good.. And Edge the Juggler!!! GREAT! So funny.. I never see the juggler.. i alway skip and this time we went because I didnt realize it was the juggling show.. thought the name of the show was EDGE. lol But Im glad for the mix up because he was great! The Liberty is still operating with a full 10 piece showband and large troupe of dancers! I love that.. Still havent seen the smaller bands and shows of the new changes.. but im sure I will still enjoy them.

 

I feel like I am missing about a million things.. so ask away and I will answer what I can.. :) Thanks for reading.

[rudechuck]

I'm doing this same itinerary at the end of August. I like the fast and dirty review. You hit all the good points.

 

Don't have too many questions, but I'll try and come up with something:

 

You didn't mention where you went for breakfast. Where'd you go and what'd you have?

 

Did you hit the Alchemy Bar?

 

I'm going to go read your cave tubing review now.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

When u said dirty I got all excited. Thought it was gonna be a Penthouse forum review.

[beachbum53]

We did this same itinerary last year, and it was our first time on the Liberty. I've enjoyed every previous cruise we've had, and liked every ship we've been on (some more than others). But there was something special about the Liberty that just seemed to "click" with me. It probably was a combination of everything you mentioned. Beautiful ship, great staff, and very good food. I'm sure I gained a few pounds eating at Guy's Burgers every day. During "at sea" days, and whenever we had the time during port days, we spent a good bit of time in and around the "Adults only" pool. Can't say that I was "wowed" by the stage shows, but they were okay. However, overall, we had a really great cruise, and loved the ship so much that we booked a return cruise on her (for this May) to do the Eastern itinerary. Can't wait! The Liberty has become my favorite ship. I don't know which I'm looking more forward to, returning to the Liberty, or the itinerary. Since you participated in all of the trivia games, did you win anything, like a ship-on-a-stick? My goal this time is to win one. Any tips or suggestions on how to increase my odds?

[Jeafl]

Great review! It may not be long, but you hit all the high points! It's so nice to read a positive review. :)

 

We are doing this same ship/itinerary next March. i was happy to hear that you liked the beach area at Mahogany Bay. Do they charge you separately for each way on the sky lift thing, or is it round trip? Do you know how far of a walk it is to the beach if you choose not to do the sky lift?

[michelle1836]

Thanks for posting! we are sailing on the Liberty in July with the same ports

[holdon216]

Loved reading your quick review. I was glad you liked the staff. My cousins son is Pauly V.!!! You said D but he will be excited to know the staff was well spoke of. This was his first contract with a cruise ship and he is loving it. We will be on The Liberty in July with him. Can't wait.

[beachbum53]

Great review! It may not be long, but you hit all the high points! It's so nice to read a positive review. :)

 

We are doing this same ship/itinerary next March. i was happy to hear that you liked the beach area at Mahogany Bay. Do they charge you separately for each way on the sky lift thing, or is it round trip? Do you know how far of a walk it is to the beach if you choose not to do the sky lift?

 

The charge for the sky lift is round trip, It's a great view. However, it's really not that far to walk, maybe 200 yds.? This thread is a couple of years old, but the photos are very good: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102969

[Groliv]

Thanks for the quick review! We are sailing the Liberty with this itinerary.

So, we have a couple of questions for you....

 

1) In Cozumel, we are thinking about taking a taxi to Paradise Beach. How far is the beach you went to? Is there a pool? Activities for kids?

 

2) In Belize (we've never been there), sounds like there isn't anything to do at the port? What is in the immediate area?

 

Thanks!!

:D

[Groliv]

I thought of one more question!

Looks like Mohogany Bay, Roatan appears to be a "private beach day". Does Carnival provide lunch there? If not, are there places to have lunch? :) Thanks again!

[CocoaMom]

I'm doing this sailing 4 days! Very excited to yet again see such positive comments regarding the Liberty. My pvp is actually the one who strongly suggested this ship for me ... I have high expectations and honestly am so looking forward to this ship. Thanks for the review!

[workingstiff]

When u said dirty I got all excited. Thought it was gonna be a Penthouse forum review.

 

So I was on a Liberty cruise and there was this girl I met at....and then at band camp....

 

Like that, right?

[larkz]

I'm crazy about Liberty, and glad you had a great time. Looking forward to the same itinerary in December.

[nydney1]

Question about the cabanas. Do they include sodas and snacks like on HMC?

 

Thanks

[DJ56]

THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!! YES, AND A POSITIVE REVIEW!! I enjoyed reading it cause I will board the Liberty this Saturday and I am SO SO SO EXCITED!! Sailed on the Liberty 2 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it then!! So THANKS for sharing your wonderful experience on the Liberty. ;) And I do have one of the cabanas rented at Mahogany Bay so glad to hear positive about them too!! :D

[beachbum53]

I thought of one more question!

Looks like Mohogany Bay, Roatan appears to be a "private beach day". Does Carnival provide lunch there? If not, are there places to have lunch? :) Thanks again!

 

No, Carnival does not provide lunch on the beach. There is a restaurant there, as well as an open air bar and grille type place where you can get drinks, sandwiches, etc. (all for a charge), or go back on the ship to eat.

[VOLEYMOM]

We are going on the Liberty in June and booking our excursions seperate also. Can you tell me if you changed your clocks to local time or did they stay on Miami time? Want to make sure I set up the right time to meet our tour guides. Sounds like a fun cruise. We can't wait and glad to hear you had such a great time! Oh, one more question, did you do anytime dining or a set time?

[cruises42]

How was debarkation? Any delays getting off the ship?

[Jettalinc]

Awesome review! Thanks! Now I am that much more excited about my similar cruise this November! :D

[sunshineonmymind]

Going on her soon and would like to see the fun times.

[Yankeegirl]

Thanks for the review, going on liberty in October and we are beyond excited. This will be our second time going to Belize, I always tell people you either love it or you hate it! :-)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jimmy Geegitz]

So I was on a Liberty cruise and there was this girl I met at....and then at band camp....

 

Like that, right?

 

There u go!!

[TakeMeAway1001]

Thanks for the review :)

[ThisFemmeKat]

I'm doing this same itinerary at the end of August. I like the fast and dirty review. You hit all the good points.

 

Don't have too many questions, but I'll try and come up with something:

 

You didn't mention where you went for breakfast. Where'd you go and what'd you have?

 

Did you hit the Alchemy Bar?

 

I'm going to go read your cave tubing review now.

 

How could I forget breakfast.. we eat breakfast in the MDR each morning except for 2 sea days when it was Punchliner brunch.. OMG I loved it. barely saw or heard the comedians but the menu!!!! YAY! I had the Filet and eggs. (Carne y huevos) So tasty.. I highly recommend going to brunch for the menu alone is worth it.

 

I dont drink but went by the Alchemy Bar anyway to see about it.. everyone seemed to be enjoying it. it always had people at it, unlike the small bar that is usually in this spot before the upgrades. So I would say success..

[ThisFemmeKat]

We did this same itinerary last year, and it was our first time on the Liberty. I've enjoyed every previous cruise we've had, and liked every ship we've been on (some more than others). But there was something special about the Liberty that just seemed to "click" with me. It probably was a combination of everything you mentioned. Beautiful ship, great staff, and very good food. I'm sure I gained a few pounds eating at Guy's Burgers every day. During "at sea" days, and whenever we had the time during port days, we spent a good bit of time in and around the "Adults only" pool. Can't say that I was "wowed" by the stage shows, but they were okay. However, overall, we had a really great cruise, and loved the ship so much that we booked a return cruise on her (for this May) to do the Eastern itinerary. Can't wait! The Liberty has become my favorite ship. I don't know which I'm looking more forward to, returning to the Liberty, or the itinerary. Since you participated in all of the trivia games, did you win anything, like a ship-on-a-stick? My goal this time is to win one. Any tips or suggestions on how to increase my odds?

 

 

I totally agree with the "click" part.. And it was surprising to me since this isnt one of the new and improved ships.. She really impressed me.. and we will sooo be back..

 

Yes I did win some ships on a stick and some medals.. I actually started giving them away.. I only need one from each ship so I usually shared them with friends we made or the second place winners.. anyone really.. The only tip I can give is to play often.. the more you play the more chances you get.. lol one of them was win lose or draw and no one wanted to play except 3 kids and me.. so i teamed up with a girl and we beat the boys badly!! GIRLS RULE! lol