CruiseXLife Takes Liberty- Maiden San Juan to Southern Caribbean Photo Review

[cruisexlife]

Please do not question anything you are doing great with the pictures and I love the stories. Please continue to post I am living thru you until August 23, 2015. :D:D:D

 

Thanks cruisin*tigger. I thought so but wasn't sure without my glasses on. I will not forget them before I cruise thats for sure. :-)

 

 

Why thank you! I will certainly have it done before then, with plenty of time to spare. You're really going to enjoy this cruise!

[PurdueChefAmber]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review! I can't wait to read the rest!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cruisexlife]

Dinner on the San Juan night is different from most cruises. It is open seating, the first night only. So, you would pick either restaurant, and go and wait like a regular restaurant on land. While I did want to try this, Mom and I opted to watch the sun set over San Juan while eating some salad and chicken breast from Lido, which was very good.

 

If you read my Glory review, you would know that I am a Taste Bar FANATIC! Tonight we stopped by and had my favorite, the Blue Iguana Cantina selection. I really love the Roast Pork and Chicken, Avocado, Lime Tortilla Soup :D

 

 

 

Mom loves shopping, what woman doesn't? So she really wanted to attend the 7PM St.Thomas shopping show. So I said okay. I had plans to get off the boat, but I could wait an hour. I just wanted night pictures of the ship, I didn't have any activities planned. So we split. I took these night shots of the lido deck and San Juan at night

 

 

[cruisexlife]

Mom is a serious shopper. She's always cutting coupons, checking deals, and looking into multiple stores to make sure she's getting a good deal. She is no different when we're in the islands. Since we planned to go into Charlotte Amalie while in St. Thomas, she wanted to see the FunFinds Shopping Show. We split. At 8, I was going to meet her down there with her passport and whatnot, and we'd get off the ship and go take some night pictures of the ship, and get back on.

 

I did a ship tour in this time, so I have lots of pictures of the ship, but I'm going to save them for our unexpected sea day, as I took no pictures that day!! But here is the elevator lobby, really loved the floral theme.

 

 

I was down in the aft lounge at 7:55, ready to get off. 9PM was the onboard time. The show finished, and my mom was talking to Bruce, the shopping expert. He was great, very knowledgeable on everything, jewelry, souvenirs, watches, etc. He is switching to Princess, don't know the ship name, but I know that it is running the Whittier - Vancouver and reverse route. So if you happen to be doing that cruise, make sure you see Bruce!

 

By the time Mom was done, it was 8:10, and we were in the Deck 3 atrium lobby, ready to get off. Well, the latest you could get off was 8. Mom felt very bad, as she knew hoe much I wanted a night picture of the ship, and this was my only chance, but I told her not to sweat it. Speaking of sweat, she went up to the gym to run for a bit, and I went to catch the Adventure's departure. It will be with us tomorrow in St.Thomas!

 

 

 

(Sorry for quality)

 

After being stuck in the back row on our last cruise, we agreed to leave around 9:18-9:20 so we could be towards the front. When I returned to the room after some ship exploration, mom was showering. They started making the announcements at 9:10, yes, with an S. They are in both English and Spanish. I thought "wow, there must be a large Spanish-speaking population onboard this week, cool!" My favorite part of any trip is the cultural immersion. So I was very happy to hear that. I'll get more into this later on, as there were some unsettling things that happened onboard I think I should share.

 

The rang the bells. We lally-gagged for a few. We walked down, and yes! First row! Awesome!

 

 

The only did the one muster drill announcement, in English. Took no longer than any other muster drill. Once it was over, we headed back to the room, and then to our secret deck for pushback.

 

 

Then, we headed up to deck 14 for the party!!

 

[blueshine]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. We are looking forward to this trip in November. I would specifically like to know what you thought of cabin 9201 as we are booked in the same one. Thanks!!

[cmecruise1962]

I LOVE your review!! Please, keep it coming...the pictures make me feel like I am on board with you!!

[Cruzinbabe06]

Loving it!:p

[JKirkN]

After being stuck in the back row on our last cruise, we agreed to leave around 9:18-9:20 so we could be towards the front. When I returned to the room after some ship exploration, mom was showering. They started making the announcements at 9:10, yes, with an S. They are in both English and Spanish. I thought "wow, there must be a large Spanish-speaking population onboard this week, cool!" My favorite part of any trip is the cultural immersion. So I was very happy to hear that. I'll get more into this later on, as there were some unsettling things that happened onboard I think I should share.

 

The rang the bells. We lally-gagged for a few. We walked down, and yes! First row! Awesome!

 

You do realize that the predominant language in Puerto Rico is actually Spanish right? ;) LOL.

 

Since this is a San Juan port, you will ALWAYS get a very large amount of locals on this cruise.

 

We took this itinerary in 2013 and they gave ALL the announcements in both English and Spanish! Sometimes it was fun...but most of the time it just took forever to get them out! LOL.

 

But for anyone taking this cruise... COUNT ON THE SPANISH! (Unless your cruise director doesn't speak Spanish...) (Felipe is the usual CD, but he goes on vacation from time to time)

[cruisexlife]

You do realize that the predominant language in Puerto Rico is actually Spanish right? ;) LOL.

 

Since this is a San Juan port, you will ALWAYS get a very large amount of locals on this cruise.

 

We took this itinerary in 2013 and they gave ALL the announcements in both English and Spanish! Sometimes it was fun...but most of the time it just took forever to get them out! LOL.

 

But for anyone taking this cruise... COUNT ON THE SPANISH! (Unless your cruise director doesn't speak Spanish...) (Felipe is the usual CD, but he goes on vacation from time to time)

 

Felipe is the CD, has done this route for 5 years. But I would assume that the substitute CD would speak Spanish, too many onboard relied on those announcements.

 

I expected Spanish onboard. To be honest, there were many from Argentina, Mexico, and Spain, not just Puerto Rico. What I wanted to address was the reaction from some crew and passengers towards Spanish-Speaking guests. Because it wasn't favorable.

[cruisexlife]

Loving it!:p

 

Thank you, feel free to ask any questions! :D

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review. We are looking forward to this trip in November. I would specifically like to know what you thought of cabin 9201 as we are booked in the same one. Thanks!!

 

That's great! It is a square. Yep, a square. You walk in, and to the right, is the bathroom. To the left, the vanity is along the wall. The beds can be pushed together towards the far left, or be single, like we had them. They, there is a 4 foot by 4 foot area between the end of the far bed and the closets. Lot's of space. But there isn't much space between the end of the bed and the bathroom, the little area you have to walk past to get to the closets and bed. The window is in the big area. I felt a lot of space in this room, and I would get it again!

 

As for the cruise, you're going to love it! :D

[cruisexlife]

I LOVE your review!! Please, keep it coming...the pictures make me feel like I am on board with you!!

 

I will, thank you! Glad that you're enjoying!

[cruisexlife]

We were up by the waterslide for sailaway. I like being on top of the party, but not having a speaker in my ear. The thing that is different about this cruise is that the Blue Iguana Party is on the first night. Usually, they are throughout the cruise, and there is just a generic sailaway party, but due to the late departure, they have the Blue Iguana party on the first night.

 

Here is a (blurry) shot of the dock that I got.

 

 

Someone was setting off fireworks in the distance!

 

 

This is one of the forts near El Morro. I'd love to visit it someday, does anyone know the name? Thank you!

 

 

A night skyline photo of the city of San Juan. Lovely place.

 

 

If you have not been, you are really missing out. San Juan is also a great place for land vacations, and I would totally recommend it to anyone. Even though there wasn't much that I did in San Juan, I can help you with anything from my past experiences, just ask away!

 

After leaving the open decks, mom and I went and got some ice cream and watched the small lights slowly fade from a table by the aft pool. After that, we went to the Fun Shops. I got this picture for anyone who is a model collector!

 

 

I did not buy the model, but I did buy a postcard for one of my close friends, who lives in Norway. We send each other postcards when we travel, and I knew I would forget to get one. He loves postcards with the ships on it! But other than San Juan and St.Thomas, they didn't have any postcards for our other ports. Just letting you guys know in case you buy them onboard. It was the ship's first cruise to these ports so I'll give Carnival a little slack.

 

After some shopping, we were pretty worn out. We wanted to be up early the next morning, so we headed back to our room, showered, and turned in for the night.

 

Next: St.Thomas, USVI

[Brown815]

Yay!! Very much appreciative of this review... We're doing this itinerary on August 2nd.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Brown815

[JKirkN]

Felipe is the CD, has done this route for 5 years. But I would assume that the substitute CD would speak Spanish, too many onboard relied on those announcements.

 

I expected Spanish onboard. To be honest, there were many from Argentina, Mexico, and Spain, not just Puerto Rico. What I wanted to address was the reaction from some crew and passengers towards Spanish-Speaking guests. Because it wasn't favorable.

 

One of the other reviews said there was a CD named Calvyn that never did the announcements in Spanish... but, yes, I'd think they would almost have to.

 

I'm surprised to hear that people weren't receptive. On our cruise most reactions that I saw or heard we very favorable. I guess it just depends on who's on board :( I always loved hearing the Spanish and tried to learn some. It was wonderful when a huge group of Puerto Rican guests all got together and did a Spanish Conga line... Yes, it was loud and obnoxious, but it was fun to watch and they had a great time... That's what cruising i about! :)

 

 

I hope I didn't come across as judgmental in that first post... I didn't mean it that way :)

 

I really appreciate you doing this review. I especially look forward to any pictures you might have of the nightly menus and the ship. We're taking this itinerary in Sept. and I love reading the reviews ahead of time!

 

Thanks again and I can't wait for your next update! :)

Edited April 26, 2015 by JKirkN

[Dirkgun]

Great start to the review. Love this itinerary (we have done it 2 times on the Victory and once on the Valor) I wish I could do it on the Liberty but it sounds like she is only there for a little while. Definitely subscribing and following along. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[cruisexlife]

Yay!! Very much appreciative of this review... We're doing this itinerary on August 2nd.

 

 

You'll have a great time!! :D

[cruisexlife]

One of the other reviews said there was a CD named Calvyn that never did the announcements in Spanish... but, yes, I'd think they would almost have to.

 

I'm surprised to hear that people weren't receptive. On our cruise most reactions that I saw or heard we very favorable. I guess it just depends on who's on board :( I always loved hearing the Spanish and tried to learn some. It was wonderful when a huge group of Puerto Rican guests all got together and did a Spanish Conga line... Yes, it was loud and obnoxious, but it was fun to watch and they had a great time... That's what cruising i about! :)

 

 

I hope I didn't come across as judgmental in that first post... I didn't mean it that way :)

 

I really appreciate you doing this review. I especially look forward to any pictures you might have of the nightly menus and the ship. We're taking this itinerary in Sept. and I love reading the reviews ahead of time!

 

Thanks again and I can't wait for your next update! :)

 

 

Yes, it was a good brush up on my Spanish. I was fluent, stopped using it, and became semi-fluent, and after returning from the cruise I began learning again. It's such a cool language to know.

 

And no you're fine!!!

 

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it, I'll make sure I keep updating as fast as I can.

 

Thanks for the kind words! :D

[cruisexlife]

Great start to the review. Love this itinerary (we have done it 2 times on the Victory and once on the Valor) I wish I could do it on the Liberty but it sounds like she is only there for a little while. Definitely subscribing and following along. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

 

 

Wow, I most certainly have plans to do this cruise again, I am in love with the Southern Caribbean. If I were you I would seriously try to get on while the Liberty is still there, she is by far Carnival's best ship (it is in good competition with Breeze). Beautiful boat.

 

Thanks for following along and I'll try my best to make it a great one :D

[sjn911]

So great to have the review to enjoy..thanks so much...I have a thing about getting on the Breeze, the Liberty, and the Miracle, Legend or Pride...any will do..lol..but these are top on list, as is these exotic ports...sarah

[cruisexlife]

I woke around 6:50AM to the wake-up call I had set the night before. We wanted to be off of the ship by 8. We had coffee, yogurt, and bread delivered to our room this morning. At first I thought that they had the wrong cabin, but then I realized that Mom had put the card outside of the door while I was showering. We each poured cups and went outside to our secret deck to take in this view.

 

 

The secret deck on 9 is very small and only faces the front of the ship. I would always walk out onto 9, and then up the small steps to 10. 10 had the bridge wing. I looked over the bridge wing to see that the Adventure was pulling in behind us.

 

 

Since it left 2 hours before us, I was actually alarmed that we were pulled in the furthest, as we were the first ones in port. Oh well.

 

I took some more shots of the scenery in St.Thomas, such a pretty place to dock.

 

 

Charlotte Amalie, I'm coming for you!

 

 

 

Paradise Point, I'm coming for you! :D

 

We headed back to the room and got our clothes on, some sunblock, and some walking shoes on. Then, we headed to breakfast at lido. We had the regular buffet lunch. Today, I had Cheerios with Strawberries, Raspberry Yogurt, a waffle with syrup, an apple, and some lemonade. Can't remember what Mom got but she was happy with it. We talked about our plans for the island, as we had no excursion. We couldn't get enough of the views!

 

After enjoying our breakfast, we headed to the forward elevators and plummeted down to Deck 0 to begin our day in Saint Thomas, 7:58, sharp! Stay tuned!

[cruisexlife]

So great to have the review to enjoy..thanks so much...I have a thing about getting on the Breeze, the Liberty, and the Miracle, Legend or Pride...any will do..lol..but these are top on list, as is these exotic ports...sarah

 

Love all of those ships. I have only been on the Pride and Liberty out of that list but the many photo reviews I have read have shown their splendor.

 

Enjoy the review! Feel free to ask questions as I progress :)

[cruisexlife]

We got off the ship, took the picture, and made our way out into the shopping area to catch an organized cab.

 

 

We were asked where we wanted to go, we said Downtown, and we were put into a cab, and waited. We waited 5 minutes, we waited 10 minutes. By 15 mom wasn't having it. She went up to the man who was suppose to be driving our cab, who was waiting for more people to get on. She politely asked "Sir, we have been waiting for about 15 minutes to go Downtown, when are we leaving?" and he said "When I can get more people on." So we waited another 10 minutes. Then she was angry. "Sir, I understand that you want to make the most of your gas but we need to go downtown!" Then, he looked at her, walked her back to the cab, and looked at me, and began talking to me. "I said we have to wait, I need the money, I'm not driving two people". Okay, while I understand the need for money, I did not appreciate the sexism. It happens all over the Caribbean (more stories from Barbados) and I just don't like it. Her urge to go was just as big as mine, and she had a right to be answered. So without saying anything, we got off of the cab, and went outside to the supervisor. Mom explained what had happened, and she put us on a cab who was just leaving, who ironically had 2 seats left. This issue isn't so big that I plan to start a St.Thomas Organized Cab Boycott, but I do feel like it should be address.

 

We started our ride to Downtown. Our driver was very nice and gave us a little history lesson. Wish the hospitality was across the board. Here's a picture I shot of the 2 other ships we were with, the Adventure of the Seas and the Celebrity Equinox.

 

 

We made it to Downtown in 10 minutes. The cab dropped us off in front of a building that I think was a church. Loved the scenery!

 

 

We walked to the make-shift mall right by where we were dropped off. They had local crafts, as well as all the tourist favorites. We didn't buy anything, but it was fun browsing.

 

[cruisexlife]

After browsing the little market for a few minutes, we headed to Mom's favorite, Diamond's International. We stop here in every port we visit, because, as my mom says "Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but if the Caribbean sun isn't reflecting off of them, what's the point?" :D She loves her Caribbean jewelry shopping, and is actually moving to Saint Thomas in a few years to work at the hospital in Charlotte Amalie. She really enjoys the islands.

 

Anyways, Bruce, the shopping expert, gave everyone this Scavenger Hunt thing, where you had to visit 5 stores, pick up their free gifts, get an employee's initials, and bring it back to him. DI was the first store. We both got our papers signed, and Mom waned to browse. While I am in the market for a new watch, I decided to take some pictures of the surrounding areas.

 

 

 

I don't know where I took this, I don't know why I took this, but all I know is that I love it!

 

 

We began to head towards Main Street for more shopping. While walking, we saw some school children on a field trip, getting off of a bus. How cute!

 

 

Shot this of a license plate. If you have not read a review of mine before, you are unaware of my love for international license plates! I really do like St.Thomas's.

 

 

Next: More Shopping in Downtown Charlotte Amalie!!!

[Jamman54]

Really enjoying your review!! The Liberty is one of my favorite ships. :)