bigeagle12 Posted July 18, 2014 #1 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Looking for feedback from my RCI friends. Please only respond if you have been on this Carnival class of ship. We favor RCI and Princess but love trying other cruise lines. We are easy to please. Looking for decent food and service. Not particular about entertainment. Found a great deal that is hard to refuse. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuturzMinion Posted July 18, 2014 #2 Share Posted July 18, 2014 DEFINITELY DO IT. The Liberty is recently renovated, so it has all the Funship 2.0 upgrades. Chances are, the itinerary is great. What itinerary are you looking at exactly? That could heighten the experience. If you are easy to please, you will love Carnival. 2.0 entertainment, from what I hear, is good the first time. Food, IMHO, is great, and the service is pretty much always with a smile. The staff gives it 200% to please you. Good luck on your decision, though! :) Sent from my RM-860_nam_usa_100 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigeagle12 Posted July 18, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted July 18, 2014 DEFINITELY DO IT. The Liberty is recently renovated, so it has all the Funship 2.0 upgrades. Chances are, the itinerary is great. What itinerary are you looking at exactly? That could heighten the experience. If you are easy to please, you will love Carnival. 2.0 entertainment, from what I hear, is good the first time. Food, IMHO, is great, and the service is pretty much always with a smile. The staff gives it 200% to please you. Good luck on your decision, though! :) Sent from my RM-860_nam_usa_100 using Tapatalk Thanks for the encouraging info. Looking at a B2B out of Pt Canaveral. One leg to Aruba and Curaco .. and the other to San Juan and St Thomas. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradogirl63 Posted July 18, 2014 #4 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Hello! We have sailed Carnival Liberty and Glory.. We (husband, son and myself) didn't care for either of these ships. Layout is very strange.. We didn't care for Carnivals food.. But that is so subjective... You may really like it.. If you found a great deal it might be a great time to see if you like Carnival.. We have sailed HAL, DCL,NCL,RCL and CCL. We will not sail CCL again, just not for us. For us it wasn't a relaxing cruise line.. Very noisy and crowded. I felt like I spent a week at the mall during Christmas time. Too much chaos! However like I said you may enjoy CCL... Many people do... Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsideCruiser Posted July 19, 2014 #5 Share Posted July 19, 2014 For us it wasn't a relaxing cruise line.. Very noisy and crowded. I felt like I spent a week at the mall during Christmas time. Too much chaos! LOL. We tried Carnival once, wasn't our favorite. But I could never quite articulate what the issue was. I think you nailed it. :D That said, if the price was right we'd sail with them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribsun Posted July 19, 2014 #6 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Food and service is about the same, most cabins on CCL are larger. There is a restaurant in the middle of the ship which confuses some people. Just use the deck above or below to walk freely from front to back. There are adult quiet areas on the Liberty, the main pool area is lively with movies, music and pool games. She's worth a try, have FUN ! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradogirl63 Posted July 19, 2014 #7 Share Posted July 19, 2014 LOL. We tried Carnival once, wasn't our favorite. But I could never quite articulate what the issue was. I think you nailed it. :D That said, if the price was right we'd sail with them again. Lol!!! I thought it was just us.... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteukmcr Posted July 19, 2014 #8 Share Posted July 19, 2014 (edited) Interesting feedback because we're 'jumping ship' in 2015 too and trying Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral visiting Aruba, Curaçao and Grand Turk too. Not an itinerary we can get with RCI from Florida. To be honest looking forward to a change after experiencing the endless cost cutting of RCI. I'm not saying other lines aren't cost cutting, but not having sailed them I won't know what I'm missing will I?:D Trying out Celebrity too next year. Time for a change I feel. Edited July 19, 2014 by peteukmcr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTO-Girl Posted July 19, 2014 #9 Share Posted July 19, 2014 We sailed on the sister ship Glory several times and enjoyed it very much. To us each cruise line has something different to offer. We are booked on the Carnival Liberty in November.......but we will be sailing the Freedom of the Seas......again.......on 8/31. Happy sailing everybody!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradogirl63 Posted July 19, 2014 #10 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Interesting feedback because we're 'jumping ship' in 2015 too and trying Carnival Liberty from Port Canaveral visiting Aruba, Curaçao and Grand Turk too. Not an itinerary we can get with RCI from Florida. To be honest looking forward to a change after experiencing the endless cost cutting of RCI. I'm not saying other lines aren't cost cutting, but not having sailed them I won't know what I'm missing will I?:D Trying out Celebrity too next year. Time for a change I feel. Sounds like a great itinerary!!! Carnival is worth a try... We sailed on Carnival in 2011 and 2012... I know Carnival is considered a budget friendly cruise line.. But for us it just felt cheap...no frills.. I'm willing to spend more to get more...but that's my opinion. Wishing you a great cruise!!:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigeagle12 Posted July 19, 2014 Author #11 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Put it on 24 hour hold ... keep the feedback coming. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTO-Girl Posted July 19, 2014 #12 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Put it on 24 hour hold ... keep the feedback coming. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Its a great itinerary.......go ahead and book it! We are Platinum on Carnival and are very much looking forward to our November cruise on the Liberty!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Shoes2Go Posted July 19, 2014 #13 Share Posted July 19, 2014 We did the five night a couple of weeks ago on the Liberty and enjoyed the trip very much. Booked the eight night for Aug. 9, while on board. It was a super price for OV. Cory, the CD is especially good, as is the crew. The itinerary is very nice, especially for the price. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kymbakitty Posted July 19, 2014 #14 Share Posted July 19, 2014 (edited) We've only been on one Carnival cruise. It was on the new class of ship in 2001. Ours was the Liberty of the Seas. It was a 17 day Panama cruise and we had an aft suite. It was close to $9k, which I remember because I had been expecting Carnival cruises to be less expensive. We've never taken another Carnival cruise. We had such an amazing cruise that we don't want to ruin the memories. The ship was beautiful, the food was awesome, and it was the first time we did the alternate restaurant thing....it was Joe's Crab Shack and we had the best experience. There was a beautiful glass staircase in the middle of the floor. The experience was so awesome we went back two more times. I believe it was $25 per person and worth every penny. They also had a beautiful flower shop. I can still see the dozen peach roses that my hubby got from the room. We've been on over a dozen cruises (never same ship twice, doubt we ever will) and to this day, one of the most beautiful ships we've ever been on. And, the exercise facility was the best one ever too. The second day, there was a note under our door. The cruise line gave us $300 OBC as an apology for the Jacuzzi tub not working. They were waiting for a part. We cracked up laughing because we would have never known. Loved the separate bedroom. Really neat dressing room separating the two rooms. Edited July 19, 2014 by kymbakitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlacat Posted July 19, 2014 #15 Share Posted July 19, 2014 (edited) We were on the Liberty about 10 months ago - and would do it again - but there are couple of things that stood out: 1. Bar staff overwhelmed in the MDR - slow service. I had counted on having at least 2 glasses of wine with dinner each night - but found that the first glass would show up half way through dinner - every single night that we ate their. We loved our waiters and enjoyed the food and service - and the bar staff were lovely - but over worked and under staffed. 2. Entertainment in the venetian room was about a cheesy as cheesy an get. But fun. 3. Don't know if all cruise lines to this - but they had a big sale on cheap crappy watches in one of the gift shops that really brought out the ugly and greedy in people. They were on sale for $19.99 and they were worth $9.99 - run away. We had a balcony room on the Empress Deck and it was lovely. We enjoyed the food and the bar staff. Guy burgers are wonderful. We were not overwhelmed with drunks or kids - most people were nice - most people cleaned up really well for Elegant Night. The steakhouse is suburb. Have fun! Edited July 19, 2014 by darlacat spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EpcotBill Posted July 19, 2014 #16 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I was on the 8-night Aruba/Curacao/Grand Turk cruise last month. It's a good thing you don't care about the entertainment because the shows in the main theatre are awful. If Music Boardwalk is still playing on the promenade stage near the casino make sure you see them. I heard they'll be changing ships in the Fall. Guys burgers and the Blue Iguana Cantina are great. I don't usually eat red meat but these burgers are great. I wish Guys was open later. I think they close by 6pm. The breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana are great. Food in the MDR ranged from ok to very good. It seemed to go down hill later in the week. We had Your Time Dining and that worked out ok. We had a great waitstaff the first night so we asked for them every night. Sometimes we had to get a pager and wait but the lobby bar is very close by and the pagers worked there. Our waitresses name is Nathalie if you want to ask for her. It seemed like there was trivia all day, every day. If you're into that you won't be bored. 24 hour pizza and soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt is nice. The bar by the aft pool was never crowded. I never saw more than 2 people sitting at the bar. The comedy shows are held in a small lounge. If you want to get a seat get there early. Room Service breakfast menu has no hot food unless you count coffee. We booked last minute with a really good rate. It was worth the money but it ain't Royal Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green eyed lady Posted July 19, 2014 #17 Share Posted July 19, 2014 We were on Liberty 2 years ago and booked again for Sept. It was our favorite Carnival cruise out of the 6 we have been on. :D We're Diamond on Royal, but sometimes you just can't beat those Carnival deals! Royal's prices are thru the roof lately...and change is good ;) We like Carnival's food better but the shows in the main theater are pretty bad. The comedy club was great, but as someone else said, make sure you get there early if you want a seat. The line forms outside and gets very long. My DH loves the Guy's burgers...that was enough to convince him to go back on Liberty lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyblue78 Posted July 19, 2014 #18 Share Posted July 19, 2014 (edited) I have not yet cruised Royal, but I have cruised on Carnival Liberty. Been on several of their ships (Dream, Liberty, Freedom, and Fantasy) and Liberty was probably our favorite. We cruised the itinerary to San Juan, St Thomas, Half Moon Cay, and Grand Turk. I second the Guys burgers (great fries!) and the Blue Iguana Cantina. Serenity Deck was nice. I personally really like the Conquest-line ships, I like the tiered Lido layout. Too bad they don't have the awesome cove balconies you can get on the Dream. Go and try it! Edited July 19, 2014 by babyblue78 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules815 Posted July 19, 2014 #19 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Even though I have stated here on CC that I would never sail with Carnival again, if I were you, I would probably book this. (We were on Dream in 2012 and had horrible service in the MDR the entire week. I had been warned about it here on CC prior to our cruise, and chose not to believe it. It was really bad. And, we had chain smokers on the balconies next to ours, all-day, every-day. Plus, add sailing in hurricane Sandy, and a few days with noro, it was just a bad week all around.) That said, I've read nothing but positive reviews about Liberty, both ship and crew, over on the Carnival board, especially after all the 2.0 upgrades. And, on top of that, you have to admit that Carnival has some really nice itineraries sailing from Florida. If the ship is clean, the service good, and you like the ports of call, and you can get a good deal, go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTO-Girl Posted July 19, 2014 #20 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Even though I have stated here on CC that I would never sail with Carnival again, if I were you, I would probably book this. (We were on Dream in 2012 and had horrible service in the MDR the entire week. I had been warned about it here on CC prior to our cruise, and chose not to believe it. It was really bad. And, we had chain smokers on the balconies next to ours, all-day, every-day. Plus, add sailing in hurricane Sandy, and a few days with noro, it was just a bad week all around.) That said, I've read nothing but positive reviews about Liberty, both ship and crew, over on the Carnival board, especially after all the 2.0 upgrades. And, on top of that, you have to admit that Carnival has some really nice itineraries sailing from Florida. If the ship is clean, the service good, and you like the ports of call, and you can get a good deal, go for it. We were on the Hurricane Sandy cruise with you....:eek: Now that was a ride!!!!!! But even before our excellent adventure started I agree the bad service on the Dream made us not want to sail her again. Looking forward to our Carnival Liberty cruise!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanblue33 Posted July 19, 2014 #21 Share Posted July 19, 2014 (edited) We've been on a couple of Carnival cruises. Both were real nice times love their burgers the best. If I had to choose between RC and Carnival would favor RC. Better food and entertainment I thought. Oh almost forgot their slide spent an hour on it. What kind I say were all kids at heart. Edited July 19, 2014 by oceanblue33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigeagle12 Posted July 21, 2014 Author #22 Share Posted July 21, 2014 WOO HOO !!! I did it .. booked first B2B :):eek::) And while I was at it booked the Enchantment for October.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Terre Posted July 22, 2014 #23 Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) Have been on both the Liberty and some RCI ships. I love the Liberty, pretty ship. I don't like the American Table menu they began in January. A great band to watch is Music Broadway. Be sue to try the Fish and Chips; it's upstairs in the buffet. I have pictures below or our most recent Liberty cruise. Edited July 22, 2014 by Terre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigeagle12 Posted July 22, 2014 Author #24 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Is there a charge for Serenity? Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tapi Posted July 22, 2014 #25 Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) Is there a charge for Serenity? No charge for Serenity, and because of that, some of the best spots tend to be taken early and never let go of, so plan accordingly. Nothing on Carnival will compare to Royal, but if I recommended a Carnival ship to someone trying it for the first time, it would be the Liberty. She's our favorite Carnival ship and some of our most memorable Carnival cruises are sailing on her. :) As you may know, each Carnival ship has a different theme, and except for the newest ship in the fleet (the Breeze), they were all designed by "on an acid trip" Joe Farcus. That means crazy and sometimes outrageous use of colors, neon, and decoration. The older ships are truly an eyesore. But IMHO, they got it right with the Liberty. It's still a Carnival ship, but it's one of the most toned down and elegant (by Carnival's standards) ships in the fleet. The theme is European artists, and there's generous use of rich woods, wrought iron, and Murano light fixtures, including the chandelier in the main theater. Also, the art murals displayed on staircases (created by a local Miami artist) are original and commissioned specifically for the Liberty. Just go knowing that it's not Royal and you'll have a very enjoyable time. Yes, it's a bit more budget minded experience, but the itinerary makes up for it! Oh and about your sailing on the Enchantment, we just returned a few weeks ago. I was very skeptical about sailing on an older and comparatively smaller ship, but the experience was wonderful. Even better than what we've encountered on bigger, newer ships. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Edited July 22, 2014 by Tapi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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