REVIEW: Carnival Liberty - Western Caribbean - 4/5/14 thru 4/12/14

[pghsteelerfan]

Last Day – Saturday, April 12, 2014 (Miami, FL)

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

This is the "Good To Know" flier that we received a few days earlier for the Luggage Express program:

 

 

Good To Know - Luggage Express (Page 1):

 

Good To Know - Luggage Express (Page 2):

 

Last evening we received the "Debarkation Information" page instead of the "Fun Times".

 

Debarkation Information page (Side 1):

 

Debarkation Information page (Side 2):

 

OK, this seems to be working now. Had to have some assistance from DH and the problem with me posting may be Internet Express. We switched to the "Firefox" and that seems to be working. Hopefully no more problems so I can get this done.

[pghsteelerfan]

Beep, beep, beep… It’s 4:30AM and that’s the sound of my travel alarm clock waking me up. Since we were doing “Self Assist” Debarkation, we knew we’d be one of the first groups to leave Carnival Liberty, our home for the week. We thought that “Self Assist” could be called any time after 7:00AM, wanted to make sure we had everything packed and ready to go, in addition to breakfast. When we were on Carnival Glory in May 2010 (also out of Miami), we could see all the lights along the Miami coastline at 5:00AM and were sailing past Miami Beach (South Beach) at around 5:30AM. When I first got up this morning, I went on the balcony to see how close to Miami we were and I could see the lights of the buildings in Miami and along Miami Beach way in the distance, so we were pretty close to being on the same schedule this time around. I took my turn getting ready first and let DH sleep a little longer since I wanted to try and get some pictures as we sailed into Miami. The ones I got when we were on Glory didn’t come out the best, so I figured I’d give it another try this time. Miami is a very beautiful city to sail into in the pre-dawn hours. When I finished getting ready and before I went out on the balcony, I made sure that DH was awake and I wanted to make sure he got up before I went out on the balcony. It was now right around 5:00AM. DH asked if I had been on the balcony yet and if I was able to see the FL coastline. I let him know that yes, I had been on the balcony, and that we should be very close to coming into Miami now. He got out of bed and went out onto the balcony with me, grabbing his camera and video camera on his way out. When we got out there, we were definitely much closer. If we had been a little farther out, I’d have gone up for coffee first but I didn’t have time, the coffee can wait.

 

I my cameras, “Old Reliable” and “Rebel”, both of which I really need some practice with and probably a tripod, to get decent pictures with. I’m not hauling a tripod on vacation but I thought if I played around some with the settings, as I did on our first night for the moon over the water pictures, I might get lucky. It will also hard for me to get nice, crisp and clear pictures because the ship is moving and I haven’t figured out how to adjust for that yet. “Old Reliable” has a “sports” or “action” setting but I can’t even get decent pictures of our cats using that, I still get a “blur”. Like I did when I got the moon pictures, I would be using the balcony railing to steady “Old Reliable” and “Rebel”, again making sure that the straps were wrapped around my wrist so I wouldn’t drop them in the water. I started taking pictures while we were still a little ways out, alternating between cameras.

As we started getting very close, we noticed that the dredging equipment was still there and was all lit up. At this time, we couldn’t see if there was anyone else in front of us (other ships) or not. Our balcony was also on the starboard (right) side as we came in, so I couldn’t tell if there were any others docked. As we came in past Miami Beach (South Beach), I got several pictures. Right now it was about 5:20AM and it was still dark out so it’s hard to make out the beach, but it’s there. The buildings showed up, but they looked like shadows against the city light brightened sky behind them, except for a few lights that were on in the buildings themselves. We also couldn’t see the downtown part of Miami yet, since the best views for that were also on the other side of the ship (port, or left). We could see some lights on Star and Palm Islands and the streetlights that line MacArthur Causeway. I got pictures of the marina that’s on the bayside of Miami Beach, the same one I got pictures of when we were sailing out a week before. Some of the dredging equipment was in the channel right near the marina, so I got pictures of that too. We noticed there was another ship coming behind us, one with a “Whale Tail” funnel…another Carnival ship. Well, we did sail out with Carnival Victory so I thought maybe this was her following us back in but she was still too far out. I used the zoom lens for a couple pictures but they didn’t come out the best and I still couldn’t tell if it was Victory or not. This ship was still a good distance out and wasn’t even in the channel yet. Not long after we passed the marina I got another view of her and got more pictures. I thought it was cool seeing the buildings and the dredging equipment with this big ship in the distance. After getting pictures of the other Carnival ship, I took some of the area along MacArthur Causeway and Star Island, well, what could be seen of Star Island this early in the morning.

 

 

 

 

This is the first picture I got while we were still a little ways out. I didn't notice that morning (lack of coffee???) but when I went to review the pictures, I noticed that Celebrity Reflection had just gone into the channel and can be seen in this picture:

 

 

 

Getting closer:

 

 

 

Getting ready to enter the channel:

 

 

 

 

 

Views of Miami Beach (South Beach) as we sailed back in:

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2014 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

More sailing into Miami:

 

 

 

The dredging equipment:

 

 

The marina:

 

 

 

Carnival Breeze coming in behind us:

[pghsteelerfan]

Picture of Carnival Breeze with the zoom:

 

 

A little more zoom:

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

As we slowly continued further up the channel, I noticed that the other Carnival ship was now in the channel. This could not be Carnival Victory. We saw Carnival Victory last week sailing out and she was very similar in size to Carnival Liberty. This ship was much larger. Then it finally dawned on me, it was Carnival Breeze!!! When researching the port/ship schedules on the internet before our cruise, I knew that Breeze was going to be in Miami on of the days we were there. I’ve read many Breeze reviews in the past and am currently following along on one really good review now. I haven’t been on Breeze, but I LOVE this ship and someday we plan to sail on her. Well her and others too. I tried to get as many pictures as I could of Breeze following us up the channel and into the cruise terminal. I used the zoom for most since she was still a ways back. Right after getting pictures of Breeze, I noticed we were approaching the bridge that goes from MacArthur Causeway over to Star Island and got pictures of that too. When we passed Star Island, I got several pictures looking back toward the buildings in Miami Beach. By this time, I had a pretty good view, even though it was still a distance away, of where MacArthur causeway goes up over Watson Island (between the Miami mainland and Palm Island) and the tall buildings in that area. I also got a few pictures with the bridge from MacArthur Causeway that leads over to Palm Island but got too involved in getting pictures of that area where the causeway goes over Watson Island that I forgot to get pictures of that bridge.

 

Here comes Carnival Breeze up the channel:

 

 

 

The bridge that leads from MacArthur Causeway to Star Island:

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

More sailing into Miami - view back toward the high rise buildings in Miami Beach and MacArthur Causeway:

 

 

 

 

 

Views toward part of downtown Miami and where MacArthur Causeway goes over Watson Island:

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Right when we passed Palm Island, Liberty moved in closer to the dock. When we were on Glory four years ago, we continued past this point and turned around right in front of the American Airlines Arena then back down the channel and into the cruise terminal with the front (forward) of the ship pointing out toward the ocean. When we got on Liberty last week, the front of the ship was facing the ocean but today the ship would be docked facing Miami. As we moved in closer to the dock, I saw another ship that had just turned around in front of the Arena and was starting to move back toward us. This was Celebrity Reflection. I got a few pictures but they didn’t really come out. Two moving ships in low light conditions aren’t a good combination for crisp and clear pictures. When we got closer to the dock, we were able to see another ship. We did not know who this was at the time I took the pictures but later found out it was MSC Divina, the ship we were sailing alongside yesterday but couldn’t tell who she was at that time, only that she was MSC and the one we referred to as the “MSC ship”. Now at this point, I think Liberty is docked since I can’t tell if we are still moving or not and it’s now 6:20AM. But…here comes the Breeze so I not done taking pictures here yet. I got a lot more of Breeze as she came in.

 

 

Celebrity Reflection making the turn before docking:

 

 

 

Celebrity Reflection pulling in behind MSC Divina:

 

 

 

Carnival Breeze:

[pghsteelerfan]

More of Carnival Breeze coming in:

 

Looks like she's moving toward the dock:

 

 

Now that we’re docked and all of the fun and excitement are over, I decide it’s time to go and get coffee while DH was getting ready. Before I went up to Lido Deck 9, I thought that I should probably grab a camera but I had just put them both away. I debated for about a minute then decided to take a camera and see if I can get pictures from Panorama Deck 10. I also decided to go ahead and take “Rebel”. I was pleased with the moon pictures from the first night. They weren’t spectacular but they were the best I’ve been able to get of the moon over the ocean. I am really going to need to learn to use this camera and the only way I’m going to learn is to practice. I knew I was taking a gamble, but I decided to try my luck.

 

I went straight up to Panorama Deck 10 first and walked to the port (left) side of the ship to see the views on that side. The city was pretty well lit up even though it was still dark. Like I did for the moon pictures, I adjusted the “ISO” to a higher number and used Liberty’s railing for support to keep the camera as still as possible. I had to change the “ISO” a couple of times before the pictures came out the way I wanted. I took several from up there and was very pleased with how they looked in the camera’s picture review, but the real test would be how they looked on our computer when we got home. I got several pictures from that side because I loved the color in the buildings. There were a couple with green lighting and one was actually all a bright pink color. That looked really cool. I didn’t get to see this on our Glory cruise because it was getting light by the time we sailed in that morning because it was May then and this is still April. I walked over to the other side to get more pictures of that area from Panorama Deck 10. I also walked around the decks to get pictures of Carnival Liberty all lit up. I wasn’t happy with the nighttime pictures I had taken earlier in the week and wanted some nicer ones. There were other people up who were talking their last walks around Liberty’s outer decks and enjoying the scenery of pre-dawn Miami. As it started getting light, I took even more pictures. Even though it’s the same scenery, it looks very different as it’s getting lighter out. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful morning. I also walked to the back of Liberty to get more pictures of Breeze, who was now docked. I was only able to get the front of her and I could not see her funnel. Breeze is a larger ship than Liberty and also has a shorter “whale tail” funnel, so I wasn’t even able to see it from here. I got a few more pictures with views of Miami from the port (left) side again and thought I’d better check the time. It was 6:40AM so I need to get a move on.

 

View of downtown Miami and the Port of Miami parking and building:

 

 

 

View of Liberty's Lido Deck 9 pool area from Panorama Deck 10:

[pghsteelerfan]

View of Carnival Liberty's aft (back of ship) from just above the seating area in the Seaside Theater:

 

 

 

 

We all know what this is by now...I just can't resist:

 

More of downtown Miami:

 

[pghsteelerfan]

More of Carnival Liberty's outer decks:

 

 

 

More of downtown Miami. I took a lot of pictures but wasn't sure if they'd come out or not and it was just so pretty. I loved the colors of the buildings:

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

More of Carnival Liberty:

 

 

 

Liberty's waterslide:

 

I don't know if it rained during the night or not, but my guess was some deck cleaning:

 

More of Miami:

 

[pghsteelerfan]

More of Miami:

 

 

Here I go again with Liberty's funnel:

 

Panorama Deck 10, starboard (right) side, under the lights:

 

 

 

Carnival Breeze - she's so large that I can't even see her funnel and check out the hot tubs in the front (wonder if they are for crew only):

Edited June 1, 2014 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

Well good morning Carnival Breeze...I think I want to sail on you next time:

 

 

 

More of Miami:

 

 

Gotta get one from the other, blue, side:

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Looks like I'm not the only one out here anymore:

 

 

The cruise terminal that Breezes passengers will be going through and it looks like there are already buses waiting. This is where we'll get our transfer bus to the airport. The one we will be going through is just about the same:

I went back down to Lido Deck 9 and got a cup of coffee to take back down to the balcony. I used one of the mugs that’s provided this time since the Red Frog and Blue Iguana Tervis tumblers were already washed out and packed away. I took the coffee down to the cabin and DH was done getting ready but was making sure he had everything together and in his luggage. I took my coffee and my camera out to the balcony so I could finish my coffee out there. I got a few more pictures of MacArthur Causeway where it crosses over Watson Island with the views of the tall buildings behind that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

DH came out to join me and we could tell that sunrise wouldn’t be much longer. I was just thinking that exactly a week ago from this moment, we were at the check-in counter at the airport for our flight down to Miami and Carnival Liberty. That did not seem like very long ago at all, was that really a whole week?!?! They say time flies when you’re having fun, well, time flies a lot faster than that for us when we’re on a cruise. Soon enough the sun was rising, at 7:15AM, so we got even more pictures and spent about 15 minutes out there taking pictures. It was a beautiful sunrise and it looked like it was going to be a nice day in Miami. On our Debarkation Information page that was delivered to our cabin, the debarkation schedule had the first “Self Assist” debarkation time as 6:45AM, and ours, being on Deck 6, was 7:05AM. It was 7:30AM and there had been no announcements and the debarkation process hadn’t even begun.

 

Sunrise over Miami - the reflection on the water looked like a cross:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

We went back inside and made sure that everything was packed and ready to go and made sure we had all of it together and in one place. Since they hadn’t even started the debarkation process yet, we decided to go up to Lido Deck 9 one last time for breakfast. It was crowded but not as bad as we thought. We went through the regular buffet line and it moved fairly quickly. We had the usual eggs, potatoes, bacon (and sausage for DH) and went over for the pastries. I got another cinnamon one and DH had two. We were able to find a table, which surprised us both. On our last morning on Valor last year, there were no empty tables…anywhere. We took our breakfast back down to the cabin and ate there. Not this morning, there were still tables available so we took one and DH went up and got orange juice for both of us. We didn’t want to dilly dally because we knew they could start the debarkation process at any moment.

When we finished up with our breakfast, which was getting pretty close to 8:00AM, we went back to the cabin and packed a few last things and did a check around the cabin, in the closets, bathroom, and all the drawers and under the bed, just in case. We had everything. DH had his suitcase and a small and a small duffle bag carry-on. I had my suitcase, carry-on, and my camera bag. We had our passports and Sail & Sign cards where we could get to them very easily. We had our Customs Declaration form (One per family) filled out already and DH had that with his passport. Then we waited, and waited, and waited. We were both surprised that there had been no announcements. We thought for sure there would have been some by now. As we were waiting, our cabin steward, Eduardo, came by. They were already cleaning the cabins. We told him that we were ready to leave but were waiting for debarkation to be announced. Eduardo told us to take our time and we talked to him for about a minute. He was busy and we knew it and didn’t want to hold him up. He said that they’d probably be announcing it at any minute. We were debating on whether to go down and just wait. On the debarkation information sheet were instructions not to wait or crowd stairways and the lobby. The “relaxation areas” were the Seaside Theater on Lido Deck 9 or the Venetian Palace on Lobby Deck 3. I’m pretty sure that “relaxation areas” mean areas of the ship were passengers can wait to debark. We just decided to go wait up on Lido Deck 9 so we wouldn’t hold up Eduardo.

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as we decided to go up to Lido Deck 9 to wait, we heard the “announcement chimes” and it was our cruise director announcing the debarkation process by calling the first “Self Assist” groups. When making the announcements she also stressed the “no crowding of stairways” and not to wait in the lobby. She said the waiting areas are the Seaside Theater on Lido Deck 9 and the Venetian Palace on Lobby Deck 3, so that’s probably what “relaxation areas” on the Debarkation Information sheet are, areas where passengers can wait to disembark. We said good bye to our cabin and rolled our luggage down the hall to the elevators. Surprise, surprise…no one was there yet. I hit the button to go up to Lido Deck 9 and DH said we should just go down now since they’d be calling “Self Assist” for Deck 6 very soon. We went down to Lobby Deck 3 and got in line to exit Carnival Liberty. I took on last, good look at the Garden Atrium from the lobby as we followed the line to the exit. Before we knew it, it was our turn to leave. DH was first, “Ding”, then it was my turn “Ding”. Good bye Carnival Liberty. Sob, sob.

 

Edited June 1, 2014 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

We followed the others through the walkway and into the cruise terminal, then down the escalators into the baggage claim and customs area.

***For anyone new cruising with Carnival, I’ll briefly explain the “Relaxed” debarkation process. Along with the Debarkation Information sheet, you’ll received blue Zone Luggage Tags with zone numbers on them. You’ll need to remove the used Carnival luggage tags and attach the blue Zone Luggage Tags, tearing off a section as a reference. That section will also have the zone number on it, for easy reference. Those doing the “Relaxed” debarkation are instructed to put their luggage outside their cabin doors the previous night between 6:00PM and 11:00PM. The morning of Debarkation, they will first call “Self Assist”. After the “Self Assist” is done being called, they will start calling Zone numbers. Once they call your zone number, you’ll follow the same instructions for exiting the ship. Once you exit the ship, you’ll go to the baggage claim area and they have the luggage sorted by zone number. Once you get your luggage, just proceed to customs***

Customs…it could vary from port to port, but in Miami they had two customs sections: one for United States Citizens and another for all others. There were a couple of lines in each of the sections to keep things moving smoothly. We didn’t have to wait very long in line, maybe about five minutes. When we got to the Customs person (we had a guy), DH handed him our Customs Declaration form and we each showed him our passports, which he checked and looked at us to be sure it was us, and then let us through. I’m sure they randomly pull some people aside for further screening.

From there we made our way over to the airport transfer busses. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, we purchased the airport transfer through Carnival. I forgot to mention at the beginning of the review, but the Transfer Service through Carnival from Port of Miami to Miami International Airport is $16.00 per person, each way. For two of us, round trip, the total cost was $64.00. Before our trip, we printed our reservation from home and had it handy to show before boarding our transfer bus. Once we got to the airport transfers, there were two different spots in the same area. One going to Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale International Airport and the other going to Miami International Airport. They’ll usually have signs and the drivers also ask you which airport you’re going to. We went to the Miami International Airport transfer and were told to put the luggage outside the bus. This time, it was loaded by airlines instead of which ship (Liberty or Victory). I’m not positive on the airlines, but I’m pretty sure the luggage for those flying American and US Airways would be the first stop at the airport and all others would be the second stop. Since our flight was United Airlines, we would be the second stop at the airport. We dropped off our luggage and boarded the bus. There were only a few others on so we got in the second row of seats. We probably waited about 15 minutes before the bus was full and all luggage loaded. Our driver was really nice, very cheerful and asked how everybody was this morning and all he got was some mumbling and half-hearted responses. He said we certainly didn’t seem very cheery for a group that was just on vacation on a cruise ship. I didn’t say this loud, only to DH, but I guess loud enough the people in the seat in front of us to hear that “It’s because we all just got kicked off a cruise ship.” One of the ladies in front of us laughed and repeated it to the driver. Our driver laughed and played right along. I definitely give him credit for trying. The drive to the airport was only about 15 to 20 minutes long and some of that was due to traffic lights. When we got to the airport, we dropped the first group of passengers off. Just like when we arrived at the Port of Miami cruise terminal, we were to remain seated and no one could get off the bus until our driver had luggage unloaded. Once he was done unloading the luggage for the first group, he got back on and let them know they could get off the bus. Miami International Airport is a large airport, unlike Washington Dulles International. The second stop was on the other side of the airport and seemed like another five minutes. Once we got to our drop off area, we waited on the bus until all luggage was unloaded. When our driver told us we could get off the bus, he let us know where we had to go to get to the check-in counters once we got in the airport, which were upstairs on the second level. We got off, thanked our driver and gave him a tip, and headed into Miami International Airport.

Once we got inside we took the elevator up since we had all of our luggage with us. Once we got upstairs, we were amazed at how large Miami International Airport was. Yes, we were just here last week, but after we got off the plane and went from the gate down to baggage claim then Carnival’s check-in area, we didn’t see much of it. We started looking for the United Airline counters and it looked like an endless walk, longer than Washington/Dulles International airport’s, and we were hoping they were toward the front. We started walking while hauling all of our luggage. I need to remember not to pack as much and I even went light this cruise. As luck would have it, the check-in counters for United Airlines were way down at the other end from where we entered the airport. It seemed like we were walking for about 10 minutes. Fortunately our flight wasn’t scheduled for departure until 1:10PM, so we had plenty of time. After we checked-in and turned over our suitcases, which fortunately were under the 50 pound weight limit, we made our way to security. Security was a short walk from where the United Airlines check-in counters were. There were only a few others in front of us, so we basically had no wait and we got through very quickly. It took us longer putting our shoes back on than it did to go through. Once through security, we were on our way to our gate, which was another long walk. Our gate was G19…all the way at the end, another long walk. It was also the same gate we arrived at the previous week. It was just before 10:00AM, so we had a long wait until we’d start boarding for our flight. Our plane hadn’t even arrived yet. Since we were so early, there were only a few other people waiting so we had plenty of seats to choose from. We took two in the row that faces the windows. I got a few pictures out the window of our gate area where our plane would be once it arrived. It would be a plane coming from Washington/Dulles that was basically the same flight/schedule that we flew down on the previous week with a scheduled arrival time of 11:40AM. I knew that at that moment the plane on the way was probably flying over the state of North Carolina.

 

 

View out the window from our seats at the gate:

 

This is where our plane will be once it arrives:

 

 

 

DH got up to get us each a drink, Mountain Dew for each of us, and picked up a Miami Herald newspaper at “Hudson News”, which is a small gift shop/newsstand that also sells drinks and snack foods. “Hudson News” is located at the mid-way point in Terminal G. When he got back he offered me a section of the paper but I was already going through and looking at the pictures I got while on the cruise through the picture reviews on my cameras. DH told me that Hudson News had Miami, FL, refrigerator magnets, including some unbreakable (kitty proof) ones, so I headed down there while DH watched our belongings. I got my “Miami” refrigerator magnet and a few post cards, paid for them, then went back to my seat at the gate.

We still had plenty of time so I went back to reviewing my pictures and DH was now reading a magazine. A short time later, I looked over at DH and he was dozing off, so I just let him. By this time the seats around us were starting to fill up and from the conversations I heard, some of them had also been on Carnival Liberty. I took a break from viewing pictures and watched planes come and go. A little after 11:00AM, I saw the "Polar Express" come in. It was actually a "Canadian North" jet with a polar bear logo that I liked, so I got a picture of it.

 

Canadian North jet:

 

 

 

 

 

About 20 minutes later, I saw another jet approaching the gates…could this be our plane coming in? When it turned toward the gate we’d be boarding at, I knew that was it and was able to get pictures of it arriving. Several minutes later the passengers started getting off the plane and I wondered how many of them would be going on a cruise and if any would be cruising on Carnival Liberty. She would be doing an Eastern Caribbean sailing this week, going to Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas, USVI; San Juan, PR; and Grand Turk, BWI. We were on an almost identical itinerary on Carnival Glory four years ago, but went to Half Moon Cay instead of Nassau, and really enjoyed it. Even though all of the previous passengers were now off the plane, it would still be close to an hour before we could start boarding, so we continued reading and looking through pictures.

 

Could this be our plane?

 

 

 

Yes it is!

 

 

 

Another plane either being loaded:

 

 

 

 

Our boarding time was at 12:35PM and we were in boarding section three, out of five I think. As 12:30PM approached, people started getting up and getting into their appropriate lines, which are numbered. DH got up to get in line and I told them they didn’t even announce our boarding yet but he said he wanted to get in line then so we’d be able to find space for my carry-on in the overhead bin. We received messages from united before our cruise letting us know that they would be enforcing the size limits of carry-on luggage. We knew both ours were within the limits but I had breakable things in mine that we’d rather have with us and it would fit better in the overhead bin. I’m sure it would fit under the seat but I didn’t want to chance anything getting broken. Soon after we got in line, they announced the boarding for our flight. A woman, who appeared educated, came up to me, very confused, and asked me how we were supposed to know which line to get in. I let her know that it would be on her boarding pass and when she held it up, I showed her where here “boarding group number” was. She was in another boarding group and went over to get in the appropriate line. I do remember they used to call boarding, starting with first class then by seat row numbers. If she hadn’t flown in a while, that could have been why she was confused. I remember the boarding process was this way last year but I forget how it was the last time we flew in 2010.

[pghsteelerfan]

The boarding lines moved fairly quickly and soon we were at our seats and I put my carry-on in the overhead bin, where there was still plenty of room. We took our seats and I put my camera bag under the seat in front of me and DH put his under the seat in front of him. They have a TV screen in the seats that we could watch or listen to music, but I just left mine off because there is a charge once the plane leaves and I didn’t want to get involved in something for ten minutes then have it turned off since we didn’t want to pay. I had a window seat on the right side of the plane and I enjoy looking out the window, so that’s good enough to keep me entertained during the flight. I was really hoping that the takeoff pattern would be over Port of Miami so I could get one last look at Carnival Liberty and hopefully some pictures. Once everyone was on board, the TV screens went to the pre-flight safety information and instructions while the flight attendants went through their motions for visual instruction. Soon we were backing out of the gate, on time, and the plane stopped once again while the pilots did their pre-check. When they finished, we continued onto the main runway and soon it was our turn for takeoff.

 

 

View back toward our gate...Goodbye Miami International airport:

We took off toward the east, which I was hoping for. I got a picture toward the south right after takeoff and about a minute after takeoff I could see downtown Miami and right after that, the Port of Miami.

 

View of Miami area right after taking off:

 

 

 

 

 

 

There she was, along with four other ships, our Carnival Liberty. I was so happy to see her from the air like that and was able to get several pictures. In addition to Carnival Liberty and Carnival Breeze, the other ships were Celebrity Reflection and MSC Divina, which we saw that morning but Norwegian Getaway as also there. We did not see her that morning and she was docked behind Carnival Breeze.

 

 

 

Views of the Port of Miami and (left to right) Norwegian Getaway; Carnival Breeze; Carnival Liberty; MSC Divina; and Celebrity Reflection:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I zoomed in for this one of our beautiful Carnival Liberty: Goodbye beautiful Liberty, we sure loved having the opportunity to sail on you and hope we see you (or even sail on you) again soon!

 

 

 

I was also able to get pictures of Palm and Star Islands, in addition to the other islands in the bay. Right after getting those pictures, we flew out over the ocean and I was able to get a few pictures of Miami (South) Beach and the channel where the ship exit and enter. The pictures came out clear and I was using “Rebel” for these but the plane window really needed cleaned. The pictures came out with a weird bluish tint, and even a rainbow color tint in some, but I’m just happy I was able to get pictures of the Port of Miami and Carnival Liberty.

 

Palm, Star, and the other islands on the other side MacArthur Causeway, across from the Port of Miami:

 

 

Miami Beach (South Beach):

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Now we were out over the ocean and I remember we flew over one of the Bahama Islands (I think Grand Bahama Island) after our Carnival Glory cruise when we flew out of Fort Lauderdale. I didn’t know if we’d fly over the Bahamas this time or not but was hoping to. About 10 minutes later, I saw an island with what looked to be a port area where ships could dock. I could barely make out another ship but it was too far away to see if it was a Carnival ship or not. Skipping ahead: when we got home and started going through pictures from the plane, I consulted “Google Maps”. This island was Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas, and it was a port we saw. It was Freeport. I checked a website with ship/port schedules and Carnival Fantasy was the only ship in Freeport that day. I wish we’d have flown a little closer so I could get a good look at Carnival Fantasy and better pictures but it was cool flying close enough to see and know she was the ship we saw. Not long after that, we were flying over West End, Grand Bahama Island.

 

Grand Bahama Island/Freeport, Bahamas and the cruise docks:

 

 

 

 

West End, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas:

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Beautiful water and clouds near the Bahamas:

 

As the flight continued over the water, I just buried my nose in the “Air Mall” magazine again since I didn’t get through all of it on the flight down. After a while the flight attendants were making their way down the aisle with the drink cart. When the attendant got to us, we each had coke again. This time they weren’t as generous with the drinks as they were on the flight down. We each got those plastic cups that aren’t much bigger than a shot glass. They were filled to the top with ice and she poured the coke over that, but that was all we would get this time. At least we still had our Mt. Dew’s. I finally finished going through the Air Mall magazine and put it back in the pouch in the back of the seat in front of me and looked out the window. We were already over North Carolina but I could see the coast behind me. I think we came in very close over the same spot we flew out over on the trip down, which was New River Inlet area near Jacksonville, NC. A few minutes later DH spotted another plane that we were flying parallel to but the other plane was a little lower than we were. It was hard for me to spot at first because there were a lot of “cotton ball” clouds and the plane itself looked so tiny. There was a little trail behind it, like a vapor trail, that formed a very faint, dark line. I tried my luck with pictures and the other plane actually showed up, but still almost as hard to see.

 

Over North Carolina and view (if you can see it) of the other plane. It's under the engine on the plane's wing:

 

 

The other plane and the darker vapor trail are a little easier to spot in this picture and are just under the engine on the plane's wing:

 

 

About 10 minutes after that we were flying over a smaller city and I got pictures of that. It turned out to be Roanoke Rapids, NC, which is right off I-95 and about 10 minutes from the North Carolina/Virginia state line. I can't count the number of times we've filled up the gas tank at the BP Gas station and eaten at a McDonald's right off the I-95 exit when returning to Virgina from vacations in South Carolina.

 

 

Roanoke Rapids, NC, which is right off Interstate 95 and about 10 miles south of the VA/NC state line. We always stop for gas at a BP station and lunch at a McDonalds here when coming back from vacations in South Carolina. It was so nice to see it from the air:

 

 

 

 

 

 

About 10 minutes after that I noticed a larger city and I was guessing it was Richmond, VA, and I was right. We were even able to see Richmond International Speedway, where we had a great time at our first NASCAR race with friends last September. We could tell the plane was descending right after this point and were looking for familiar areas.

 

Richmond, VA (our state capital):

 

 

This is Richmond International Speedway (to the left of the picture) where two NASCAR races are held each year, one in the spring and the other in the fall. We were here with a large group of friends for the race last September.

 

[pghsteelerfan]

View of Richmond, VA, and the Richmond International Speedway (upper left):

 

 

Close-up view of Richmond, VA:

 

 

 

About 10 minutes after flying over Richmond we were flying over Turner Field Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico. We don’t live far from Quantico and here their “testing” quite frequently. It sounds like thunder but continues through the day. Sometimes we can even feel it. I don’t mind because it’s the “sounds of freedom” as many locals refer to it, including us. Try explaining that to a cat who gets spooked very easily. Many others complain but they should have done some research before buying a house near it. This doesn’t go on day in and day out but it is rather frequent.

 

 

Turner Field Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico:

 

Possum Point (Quantico); Quantico Creek & Potomac River:

 

 

For anyone reading who is from or familiar with the northern Virginia area, you may really appreciate these pictures: Burke Lake; Fairfax County Parkway (highway below lake); and Burke Lake Golf Course. This is due east from our house and we'd have been able to see our neighborhood if we were on the other side of the plane. If the winds were from the north that day, the landing pattern would have been just west of our neighborhood and we have seen it (and our house) and have been able to get pictures on previous flights, including the flight home from our Carnival Valor cruise last year. I think I included that picture in that review:

 

 

 

About a minute later we could see Washington, DC, in the distance (the Washington Monument gave it away).

 

 

 

Again, anyone familiar with the area: Washington, DC, in the distance and the Oakton, VA (near Vienna) area; James Madison High School (where football field is near the water tower); and where the I-66/Capitol Beltway (I-495) interchange is (group of large buildings in lower right of picture):