Carnival Libery Eastern Caribbean- Cruising with kids!

[apey9995]

San Juan was probably our least favorite port, but ironically this had been one of the port’s I was most excited about leading up to the cruise. My original plan was to visit the forts, which I was really looking forward to, and I thought the boys would enjoy it as well. I also planned to find some good local food and had set my sights on Punto de Vista (I really wanted to try mofongo). Well, the day didn’t exactly to plan.

 

Our cruise took place during the US Government shutdown (actually it ended the day after we were at San Juan, go figure), so the forts were closed since they are considered national parks. Based on what I had read, I expected the trolleys to be really easy to find, and we would have a nice ride around San Juan regardless and see some of the sites. I also had thought about a horse and carriage ride, but we never found the spot to purchase rides, although I did see people riding them later in the day. While we saw many nice areas in San Juan, I must say the area around the cruise terminal is really nasty and run down. We saw several homeless people, pigeons and trash everywhere, and were haggled to death by a swarm of people selling tours and taxi rides. One man jumped out into the street to “hold” the traffic for us to cross the street (how nice, right?), and then followed us for a block asking for a tip. We walked a few blocks looking for the famous trolley sign and finally found it, but after waiting about 15 minutes with two impatient pigeon-chasing kids, we turned back to try to find an easy tour for the day. We found one guy who offered to give us a tour in a shuttle bus with AC (it was very hot, which was another reason why we got frustrated quickly with walking and trying to find things). Another taxi driver (not a tour operator) came up and got into a bidding war with the guy we were trying to purchase from and get our business. We stuck with our original guy, who turned out to be very nice and a great tour guide. (I think his name was Anthony?).

 

 

 

 

He gave us a good tour of San Juan and stopped several times for us to take pictures. We saw many government buildings, a park with a really pretty fountain, and two areas of beach. Sorry, I didn’t pay attention very well to the names of those places, but they were beautiful, especially the one park overlooking the ocean. This area of San Juan was very nice, different from the first impression of cruise port area.

 

 

 

[apey9995]

 

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

 

 

 

 

The ceiling of one of the government buildings we stopped at. Very pretty!

[apey9995]

He ended our tour at the downtown shopping area, and offered to drive us back to the ship if we didn’t want to stay and shop. The boys weren’t really into sightseeing, and were asking to go to Camp Carnival, so we decided to head back. We stopped at the CVS near the terminal to pick up a few items, some snacks for the kids, a snorkeling set for Logan, and extra baby wipes. We found where Punto de Vista was located, and Bryan and I decided to come back for lunch after we got the kids settled at camp.

 

We took the kids to grab some lunch back on board, and then they went to camp carnival. We decided to get off the boat for a little while to explore on our own (I was worried about leaving them at first, but we took the ship-issued cell phone with us and didn’t wander very far from the ship). I will say though, it was nice to have some adult time off the ship, and it was great knowing that the kids were doing what they wanted to do and having fun onboard.

 

We walked back to Punto de Vista, but they were closed! :( We couldn’t find a sign anywhere that said what time they opened, and we didn’t know how long we had off the ship before the kids would want to be picked up, so we decided to look for another local place. I remembered reading about Raices somewhere, so we found it on our map and began walking.

 

OK… let me just say: AWFUL. Stay far, far away.

 

Raices was TERRIBLE. The drinks and salads were served in aluminum cups/bowls, and all I could taste was metal, especially the drink (I ordered a mojito). I couldn’t drink it because I couldn’t get over the metal taste. Bryan just ordered a Pepsi, but there was a random toothpick floating in it? The salads were nothing special, it tasted like the bagged salad mixes you buy at the grocery store. Bryan asked for a recommendation from the waiter, and he suggested some type of pork chop and said it was really good and big. I ordered the mofongo with chicken. The monfongo wasn’t bad, but very dry and kind of bland. I’ve never had it anywhere else so I don’t know if that’s how it’s supposed to taste or not. Not terrible, but not great. Bryan’s pork chop was just one HUGE bone… about three bites of meat on it total, and just cooked? Not seasoned or anything, so I don’t know what was supposed to be so great about it. And our total was $50 plus tip, and we both left hungry and grossed out.

 

After we left, we did a little souvenir shopping (there are lots of great handmade items in the shops there). I got some earrings, a cute magnet, a carved elephant for my mom, and some homemade soaps from the little outdoor market. We also passed by a couple that were selling pictures with parrots. My husband hates birds with a passion, so he kept his distance, but I just had to do it! The parrots were so pretty, and they were talking and doing tricks. I believe it was $10 for a 4x6 picture in a frame, not bad. They take the picture and have a little portable printer on a cart so they print them on the spot.

 

 

On the way back to the ship, we had to walk back by Punto de Vista, and guess what? They had opened! I was so upset! People were sitting outside at tables and their food looked (and smelled) DELICIOUS! We were kicking ourselves for not waiting around for them to open.

 

All in all, it ended up being a nice day, and Bryan and I did get some alone time, but I probably wouldn't choose San Juan as a port I’d like to visit again.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[apey9995]

Can I just give you a big ol hug? We are cruising with a 7 month old and a 3 year old in Feb and I didn't even THINK to bring the plastic throw away cups! When my son was a baby ( 7 months as well ) we went on a cruise with him and my daughter ( she'll be 8 in March so won't really need them ) and didn't need them! It would've been a pain to have him drinking out of those water glasses in the dining room! Thanks!

 

Haha, glad I could help! We were really glad we brought them. I can't imagine how many spills we would've had if he had tried to drink out of the wine glasses. Hope you have a great family cruise!!

[apey9995]

When we got back to the ship, Brody had fallen asleep in camp (they had several of the kids laying down with blankets napping), so we decided to just let him stay until he woke up from his nap, rather then trying to move him to the room and risk waking him. We went to the older kid's room to pick Logan up and he begged to stay longer! Um, okay. Haha... and here we felt guilty for leaving them!

 

(By the way I forgot to mention- they were in two separate age groups for Camp Carnival. Brody was in the 2-5 age group and Logan was in the 6-8 group. The two rooms were side by side with a connecting door, and one day Brody was upset about something and asking for his brother, so they let Logan come over for a little while and keep him company - and don't worry they called and told me he was upset and that Logan was cheering him up, otherwise I would've came and picked him up. I really liked that they did this, and I've seen several parents on here concerned about their kids being separated, but in our experience it wasn't a problem and the staff was very understanding.)

 

Ok, sorry got sidetracked...anyways, since Logan didn't want to leave and Brody was sleeping, Bryan and I went to the pool for a little while and tried to participate in one of the trivia games (we sucked). Around 3:00 they called to tell us Brody was awake, so we went to pick the kids up and get ready for dinner. Logan *still* didn't want to leave, so we let him stay until the dinner pick-up time. Then we walked around trying to waste some time before dinner with Brody. We stopped and took a few pictures and looked in the gift shops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(he loved riding on those glass elevators)

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[apey9995]

The boys ordered off the kids menu again (Brody also had a caesar salad, which he did several nights... I've never seen a kid that likes salad like he does!), and Bryan and I both had the flat iron steak. I tried the potato soup for an appetizer, which I really liked, and we had tiarmisu for dessert.

 

Camp Carnival was having an "owl jams" party that night, and the kids wanted to participate. There was a fee, but I can't remember how much it was. While they were at their party, Bryan and I visited the casino (so smoky, I woke up the next day with a sore throat because of it), and the "love and marriage" show. We went to the Blue Iguana deck party for a little while, but it wasn't really for us. To be honest, by the end of the cruise, I was hoping I'd never hear the "wobble" song ever again. They really wore it out.

 

We picked up the kids around 11:00. Brody's whole face was painted green, I think at one point it was supposed to be a monster (they had a "monster" theme party with crafts and cookies and I think they watched Monsters Inc. or something), but he had fallen asleep and rubbed the paint all over his shirt. I was kind of annoyed at first thinking his shirt was ruined, but I gotta give it to the Camp Carnival staff, they're on top of things because whatever kind of paint they used, it washed right out! (load of laundry #2).

 

Logan was mad at us for coming to get him "so early" (really?! :rolleyes:). He had won a ship-on-a-stick trophy for the air hockey tournament. He was pretty proud of himself!

 

 

By the way, I forgot to mention that the San Juan sightseeing tour was only $20 for the four of us (I think it was probably about a 2-hour tour all together, which was plenty long enough for us). A great price, especially compared to the sightseeing tour excursions that carnival sells.

 

Next up, Grand Turk!

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[jtcbreeze]

I really appreciate your review with tips for kids. My husband, parents, and 3 kids (ages 9, 6, and 6) will be cruising on the Liberty at the end of March. It is our kids first cruise, too. We have the same stops and San Juan is the one stop I am not sure what to do that will be interesting for the kids. Thank you for the tips on what to pack, info. about the kids club etc. Keep it coming!

 

P.S. Beautiful family - I am really enjoying the pics

[Perfect Stranger]

Your boys are cute and Brody looks more like 3 than 2.

 

Really nice review and photos!

[Hommiette]

Thank u so much for sharing your review. We will be doing the exact trip in March. I was wondering who took that first family photo of your beautiful family" I would like to get a photo of our family in the Caribbean as well!

[cruisinsly]

Great review. Love, LoVe, LOVE the family pictures in St. Thomas!!

[mmrudnick]

Your "Brody" reminds me so much of my "Brady" when he was 3.

Mine is 5 now. We'll be sailing in April.

 

 

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[apey9995]

I'm so far behind in finishing this review! I actually completely forgot about it until I got back on cruise critic a couple weeks ago after booking a cruise for this fall! Then I realized that I forgot to finish the last couple days of the cruise. Whoops! oh well, here goes...

[apey9995]

Cruise Day 6: Grand Turk

 

I had purchased the Gibbs Cay Stingray Encounter for Bryan & Logan for the afternoon. We figured this would give us some time to hang out at Grand Turk a little in the morning as a family, and then Brody and I could head back to the ship for a nap while they went on the excursion that afternoon (minimum age was 5 I think). Logan has been obsessed with stingrays for a while, and during my pre-cruise planning he saw a video of this excursion, and asked if he could do this on our cruise. I told him that the rays might be kind of scary in person, and that they’re really big but he said he was fine with that, and really wanted to go. I wanted to plan at least one excursion for him to do with Bryan, even though all of us wouldn't be able to participate.

 

When our excursion tickets were delivered during the cruise, I noticed they had an earlier time on them, instead of for the afternoon like we planned. The staff at the shore excursion desk told me that there weren’t enough participants for the excursion, so they had to combine it into one morning excursion instead. Which was fine, just changed our plans a little.

 

The Victory was also in port that day, so we could tell Grand Turk would get crowded really fast. We were some of the first people off the boat, and we split up so that Bryan and Logan could go on the excursion, and Brody and I headed towards the beach. I was hoping to rent a clam shell for the two of us, but unfortunately I didn’t think to bring cash off the ship with me, and the rental hut didn’t take credit cards. I asked if there was an ATM nearby, and they told me I would have to get a taxi and drive into the town area about 5 miles to find the closest one! Yikes! So no clamshell for us.

So instead, we found some chairs in the shade which worked fine at first. Brody had a blast building castles and playing in the water, but at his age he doesn’t stick with one thing very long so he wore me out running between the chairs, the sand, and the water. (We were about three rows back so that we’d be in the shade, but this also meant I had to squeeze around other people’s chairs to walk back and forth to the water- by the time I realized I hadn’t made the best seating choice, there weren’t any empty beach chairs left).

 

The beach area was a little rocky in spots, but very nice and clean. Brody had a lot of fun playing in the water, and made some “friends”. (Brody will strike up a conversation with anyone he meets. He had lots of conversations with strangers in the elevators and hallways all week, haha. He’d tell ladies in the elevator “You have pretty shoes”, or “we’re going to eat dinner now”. When we walked down the beach he’d wave and say “HI!” to everyone we passed.)

 

I had read about the “conch shell graveyard” and how you could just follow the beach to the area to the right of the pier and find it. We tried to do this but there were people guarding the area under the pier and saying that you couldn’t walk under it. Well, I didn’t want to make Brody keep walking, so we just gave up. We spent a couple hours or so playing on the beach.

 

Then something that happened that really made me mad… while we were walking along the beach, a husband and wife couple with a clam shell were getting ready to leave and asked us if we would like their clamshell since they weren’t going to be using it anymore. Um, yes! I thanked them and had a canvas tote bag with me, so I laid it on one of the chairs inside to save our spot. Brody and I then ran back up the beach to get the rest of our stuff. Well, I went back to where I thought our clamshell was (there are several rows of chairs and clamshells, so they all look the same after awhile), and couldn’t find it. I kept looking for the empty one with a tote bag and couldn’t find it anywhere. Brody was tired of walking back and forth by this time and screaming for me to hold him, but I couldn’t because I was carrying all of our stuff and the beach toys. We walked up and down the same area of beach several times looking for my bag and the clamshell & chairs. Finally I stop and think “I’m positive this is where it was?”…and I notice two men and a lady in a wheelchair sitting in the one that I thought was ours. Well what do you know, but when I looked closer I see my tote bag was thrown on the ground in the back corner of the clamshell where they were sitting. I was furious. They said “well it was empty”, (even though my tote bag was there?), they just assumed that no one was using it. Also, we were literally gone maybe 2 minutes or less to grab our stuff and come back. WHY they would think it was available for them to use, I have no idea, but I wasn’t going to stand there and argue with a handicapped person with my hands full and my child screaming, so we just decided to return to the ship. This was probably the only bad point of the whole trip. I should’ve stood my ground, but Brody was ready to go anyways. Plus, since someone else paid for the clamshell and not me, there wasn’t but so much I could say. But some people are just so inconsiderate. Never once did they apologize for throwing my stuff on the ground or “misunderstanding” that it was already taken.

 

Brody and I hit up Blue Iguana for some more tacos and then he went to take a nap while I read my book on the balcony. The boys came back from their excursion not long after that, and I got off the ship by myself for a little while to look around at the shops and take a few pictures. I bought a really pretty handmade conch shell necklace (using little pieces of the pink part of the shell) from one of the little shops.

 

On the Gibbs Cay Stingray Excursion: They LOVED it. They got to see and touch several large stingrays, and do a lot of snorkeling. They saw a lobster and a large starfish and several fish. We had a disposable waterproof camera, but those pictures didn’t turn out great. They purchased the stingray picture for $10, and it came with a CD of the one picture they chose. They also found an empty discarded conch shell while they were snorkeling, and dove down to get it and we ended up bringing it home. So I ended up getting a conch shell anyways! :)

 

 

Here are some of the pictures I took while looking around. The beach area to the right of the pier (if you’re facing the island), seems more private and less crowded than the Margaritaville-side. I think if we return we’ll probably spend the day on this area of beach next time. This was a really nice port, it’s just hard to sometimes see everything with small children. We’d definitely like to visit Grand Turk again at some point.

 

 

 

(the area to the right of the pier- much less crowded).

 

 

 

(The infamous clam shells)... this is the area to the left of the pier, in front of margaritaville and the shops- much more crowded than the other side.

[apey9995]

A few pictures as we were sailing away from Grand Turk...

 

 

 

The Victory leaving ahead of us...

 

The sunset was so pretty this night...

 

 

Brody's little bed all made with all his stuffed animals and "blankie"... (I love the extra little touches from the room staff)

 

 

And our towel animal...

 

[my1stcruise]

Yay! I'm glad you came back! Your pics are gorgeous. I would love the photographers info. Can you pm it to me?

 

 

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[cbsmama]

Thanks for the review! I can't believe I missed it until now, so I'm glad you bumped it up again!

 

We're going on the Conquest on the same itinerary in 13 days! We will be travelling with our 4-yr-old DD, so love having the small kid perspective!

[sunrise2]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review. We just recently got off the Sunshine and both my husband and I felt we will not be returning on that ship unless the price was too good to pass up. We are both retired, live in FL, and cruise a lot since the ports are so close. Since we prefer to cruise out of PC and know that the Liberty will be moving to that port I was very excited to see your review. Also, about the Cabana....We prefer the Dream over the Sunshine, but the Dream has its new home in New Orleans. Sadly after sailing the Sunshine I so will miss the Dream. We sailed on the Destiny so that is why we tried the Sunshine to see the changes...I so miss the Destiny....but I would not tell anyone not to sail on the Sunshine, we just know that it would not be our first choice. Thanks again for the review since we will be trying the Liberty in the near future. You have a beautiful family and I am glad you enjoyed your family vacation.....:)

[apey9995]

Yay! I'm glad you came back! Your pics are gorgeous. I would love the photographers info. Can you pm it to me?

 

 

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Thanks! Yes, I will be glad to send it to you!

[apey9995]

Thanks for the review! I can't believe I missed it until now, so I'm glad you bumped it up again!

 

We're going on the Conquest on the same itinerary in 13 days! We will be travelling with our 4-yr-old DD, so love having the small kid perspective!

 

Thank you - I hope you and your family have a wonderful cruise! I'm sure your daughter will have a blast!! :)

[apey9995]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your review. We just recently got off the Sunshine and both my husband and I felt we will not be returning on that ship unless the price was too good to pass up. We are both retired, live in FL, and cruise a lot since the ports are so close. Since we prefer to cruise out of PC and know that the Liberty will be moving to that port I was very excited to see your review. Also, about the Cabana....We prefer the Dream over the Sunshine, but the Dream has its new home in New Orleans. Sadly after sailing the Sunshine I so will miss the Dream. We sailed on the Destiny so that is why we tried the Sunshine to see the changes...I so miss the Destiny....but I would not tell anyone not to sail on the Sunshine, we just know that it would not be our first choice. Thanks again for the review since we will be trying the Liberty in the near future. You have a beautiful family and I am glad you enjoyed your family vacation.....:)

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your last cruise-- do you mind sharing what it was about the Sunshine you didn't like? I'm curious... I have heard others say that the layout was not good at all. Very chopped up and hard to get around? Hopefully you will enjoy your next cruise much more! We loved the Liberty... we have also thought about maybe trying the Western out of PC for 2015.

[apey9995]

I'm glad you're finishing this review. I'm sorry you didn't like San Juan. I'm really looking forward to that stop and now I'm wondering if I will be disappointed.

 

 

Thanks for reading! I think my experience at San Juan might have been slightly different if our day had went more according to plan! I was really disappointed in the restaurant mishap, and that the forts were closed. The port area was a really bad first impression, but once you got downtown into the "old town" it was nicer. I will say that we did enjoy the outdoor market that they had, there were alot of unique souvenirs.. Hopefully your day there will turn out great! I've read other people's reviews that seemed to love San Juan and have alot of fun there, so I guess its up to each person's perspective.

[Ciardasully]

Thanks for writing this review. We are expecting our first child and we plan to cruise with our child so your review gave me some valuable knowledge. :)

[shipshape3]

Loved your review ! Your family pictures are just Beautiful & your boys are so cute! I loved the Liberty and this cruise was my favorite so far , would do this one again in a heartbeat!!

[my1stcruise]

Thanks! Yes, I will be glad to send it to you!

 

 

Thank you so much! I thought I had our day in St. Thomas planned but now I want to do this instead!

 

 

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