Our B2B Cruises on the Liberty & the Reflection; Two Cruise Lines, Two Great Cruises

[Sailfish]

We cruised the Eastern Caribbean on the Reflection Nov 23-30 and the Western Caribbean the week of Nov 30-Dec 7th on the Liberty. We have been home for nearly a week now, so I thought I would post my opinion of Liberty (as this is the Carnival Board) and answer any questions you might have. We are scuba divers, so we loved the itinerary, and we got lucky in that we had perfect weather week 2.

 

My husband and I cruise all the time, and the itinerary usually dictates where we go, not so much the cruise line. Price is important so we aren't usually picky about the cruise line, though we have our favorites. This cruise on the Liberty was part of a 2 week cruise vacation that included a week on the Celebrity Reflection (Eastern Itinerary) during Thanksgiving, and a week on the Carnival Liberty. We have Elite status with Celebrity and Platinum status (our 25th cruise) with Carnival. In short, we had a wonderful vacation and would not hesitate to cruise on these ships again. We knew what to expect from both cruises, so there were no significant surprises. The ships are very different, as are the passengers who cruise on them. The old adage "you get what you pay for" holds true. We paid exactly double (a deeply discounted rate with lots of "extras") for our concierge balcony stateroom on the Reflection. We had an upgraded standard outside cabin (for an inside price) with a window on the Liberty. We knew we would miss our balcony and joked about it as we walked over to the Liberty in Miami. However, we are used to inside cabins, and felt lucky we ended up with a window!

 

Our stateroom on the Liberty had more storage areas than that on the Reflection; however, we felt the Reflection was a nicer ship, had better amenities with better food. We thought the service (our room steward, dining room wait staff, bar, etc.) was much better on the Liberty. Overall, we felt Carnival's seas days emphasize laying out on the deck all day too much, whereas Celebrity tends to have more going on. We didn't like the loud and obnoxious DJ blasting out music in the main pool area on the Liberty - this was new - but we really liked the sports bar. The Reflection was built to bring the outside in, so public spaces were bright with lovely quiet observations areas during the day where you could enjoy the view of the ocean. Contrast that to the dark inside areas around the Promenade Deck, where you have some windows, but no indoor space (except in the buffet and one dining room) overlooking the ocean. We also loved the adult-only deck areas on the Liberty.

 

Of the two ships we liked the Reflection more; however, we also had a great time on the Liberty. There were things we liked about both ships, and things we didn't. This is the case with every cruise we take. Cruising has changed, so we have embraced the changes and accept them for what they are. We still find cruises the least expensive way to get to the islands where we go diving. For us, in a way, it's become a mode of transportation. I know I am in the minority, but for us its all about the ports of call - not the ship.

 

As past guest programs go, Celebrity trumps Carnival, in my opinion. But both programs are changing and neither are what they were in the past. If you aren't a frequent cruiser, this isn't of importance to you. Both Carnival and Celebrity cater to different clientele; we like the variety so we don't simply cruise one line all the time. Never have. Carnival's pricing often comes in lower, but not always. Had we wanted an inside cabin on the Reflection, it would actually have been less than what we would have paid for the same week on the Liberty! So it pays to shop around. That's my #1 advice to anyone looking to book a cruise.

 

I am happy to answer any questions you might have. Good Luck.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

Edited December 13, 2013 by Sailfish

[JustCruiseMe]

Suzi, nice review. Thanks. Nice to see a honest comparison and not all one sided. We are new to cruising and have only sailed CCL but we aren't going to stick with just one. We'd like to try others when time and finances permit (price is a factor). For our upcoming cruise we found one on RC that was basically the same price but we decided to go back with CCL this time bc we had such a good time.

[kcwingwalker]

Thanks for a fair and balance review(s) and Happy Holidays:)

[BubMunkeyBles]

Thanks for your quick review. I've mostly cruised Carnival (with a random Louis and HAL cruise). Sailing on Celebrity Summit followed by the Carnival Glory so was nice to hear the differences. :)

[fbe2228]

Suzi,

We were on Liberty with you last week. How were your dives? I ended up doing a 2 tank dive with Scuba Tony in Cozumel and had a great time. The other places, we snorkeled.

 

Paul

[Sailfish]

Suzi,

We were on Liberty with you last week. How were your dives? I ended up doing a 2 tank dive with Scuba Tony in Cozumel and had a great time. The other places, we snorkeled.

 

Paul

 

Since our dives in Cozumel and Roatan were comped, we dove with the cruise line's contracted dive operators. We were somwhat disappointed with Sanddollar in Cozumel, since they took us to a shallow dive site at Chankanaab on the first dive and to Paradise Reef for the second one. No wall dives this year - though I totally understand why - they lost a diver off of a cruise ship last year. The dive operator in Roatan - AKR (Anthony's Key) took us 5min out to their house reef and to a nice wall dive - no complaints here. Visibility at both was exceptional - only place we experienced any current was in Grand Cayman, off the west end wall, which we dove on our own from shore.

 

We expected our dives with the cruise line to be more conservative, so no surprises there - and since they were comped, I have no right to complain (I lead dive groups on cruises and do a lot with Carnival). Sanddollar isn't alone in losing divers in Cozumel, and they are an excellent dive operation. They had to agree to NOT take any divers from a cruise ship to the wall in order for them to renew their contracts.

 

We are not your typical "cruise line" divers, but so many are infrequent divers or new to the sport. We are into underwater photography and have good bottom time so normally when we dive with our group, we contract with a local dive operator who will take us to requested dive sites. It sounds like you had a great time.

 

Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2013 by Sailfish

[Engineerstar]

Sailfish,

Thanks for the great comparison. What cabin# did you have on the Liberty? Was it quiet around it?

[Hawkwynd]

 

(I lead dive groups on cruises and do a lot with Carnival).

 

 

So you are a dive master or an instructor?

 

And, since you obviously dive a lot, you have your own equipment, do you bring it with you on each of the cruises or do you rent?

 

I have been diving a long time (but only ever got certified to rescue... well and NITROX) but hesitate to bring all my gear on a cruise where you get such little space to start with.

 

How do you handle it?

[wantocruisemore]

Beautiful pics! What kind of camera?

 

Thanks for the comparison review. We loved the Liberty Western in Sept. Heading again this May but will stop in costa maya instead of grand cayman.

 

We've never cruised Celebrity but hope to one day. Problem is I can always find a carnival or RCCL cruise same place that's cheaper. We have to cruise with a balcony.

 

Never tried scuba but love to snorkel. How was Belize for snorkeling?

[cruise47]

Nice review on both ships.

[Engineerstar]

Hope to hear from you.

[riclop]

Thanks for your observations.

[Sailfish]

So you are a dive master or an instructor?

 

And, since you obviously dive a lot, you have your own equipment, do you bring it with you on each of the cruises or do you rent?

 

I have been diving a long time (but only ever got certified to rescue... well and NITROX) but hesitate to bring all my gear on a cruise where you get such little space to start with.

 

How do you handle it?

 

We frequently fly on Southwest, so we get two checked bags free. We always take our own gear. Always carry on bcd's and regs but pack in luggage fins, etc. A cabin with a balcony will allow you to dry wet dive gear. We store dive gear under the bed in empty luggage. Not really a big deal.

 

We never rent equipment.