Freedom 7 day Western vs. Liberty 7 Southern

[bkcoogler]

Just wanted some opinions from those that have sailed her before...

 

I'm currently booked on a 7 day Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay), leaving from Galveston with an aft balcony.

 

With Carnival's 24 hour sale today, I could book a 7 day Southern Caribbean (St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St Maarten), leaving from San Juan with an guarantee inside state room.

 

Galveston is my closest port with only a 3 hour drive. The Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the Liberty is $800 cheaper (huge change from aft balcony to inside guarantee) but would require airfare.

 

Any opinions on the Southern Caribbean itinerary? (I've sailed the Western Caribbean itinerary from Galveston/Houston 4 times now). Is it worth it considering the change in room type?

[BcIcemen]

My opinion is that the Liberty Southern is the best itinerary that Carnival has to offer. The 24 hour sale has guarenteed balconys for 1124.00

[mrpayroll]

We did the Southern back in May and thought it was the best cruise we have taken out of 15. ( outside of Alaska )...:)

[ajtaylor29]

I've done both, but just got off the Liberty this past Sunday and I think it was the best cruise yet! Awesome itinerary, awesome ship!!

[singbluesilver1]

I say the south I go for the ports not the cabin

[Miller_KC]

I really like the Southern itinerary from PR, but you are looking at a 4.5-7 hour flight each way and around $800 per person for the airline tickets instead of a 3 hour drive each way. If the price difference makes the Southern itinerary affordable for you I would recommend doing it at least once.

[pghsteelerfan]

I'd say Liberty on the southern route. We did that one on Valor 2 years ago and I personally feel that it is the most scenic and is also our favorite itinerary...so much so that we're booked again this September.

[Singer4Him]

We did a southern last year aboard the Freedom and absolutely LOVED it! We visited St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan and Grand Turk. I would love to do it again sometime.

[Jeafl]

I've done, and enjoyed, both cruises, but I say the Liberty, hands down.

[LadyGal4]

Western Caribbean has been my least favorite cruise, and if you've already done it multiple times...go See something new! And with 5 ports, you won't be spending a lot of time in the cabin anyways.

 

 

First Cruise - Carnival Dream 2011, 7 nights

Eastern Carribean

Carnival Fantasy - 10th Anniversary Cruise to

Nassau/Freeport, 5 nights

Carnival Liberty - 7 nights with the whole family. Western Caribbean

 

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[ctkathchick]

Us too LOL we have done both itineraries and we are doing the southern again in November. We are not thrilled with the pricing on flights but the itinerary is well worth it. 107 days till we leave. By the way we always fly in early and spend a night in San Juan to get vacation started a little earlier. Either way you can't go wrong on a cruise. Enjoy

[bkcoogler]

Thank you all for your feedback, I went ahead and made the switch and ate the admin fees. I am incredibly excited about this itinerary.

 

Right now, flights are about $400 round trip each and I'll just keep an eye out, as I've flown to San Juan previously for about $300. So all in all... the trip will cost us about the same. (unless I bite the bullet again and upgrade us back up to a balcony).

 

So for those of you that have done this sailing, any recommendations on excursions? Are there any islands you would just get off the boat and go to the beach? Also, it says this sailing departs at 10p??? I've never done something like this, so do you just hang out on the ship all day before it leaves?

[aztekpm]

We just did this sailing in May. We all loved sailing out of PR, the Liberty and the itinerary.

 

Embarkation is a breeze, not crowded at all, due I believe, to the late departure time, it seems much more spread out. We boarded just before noon and some of us stayed on, while others went back into SJU, did more exploring, plus grabbed a few more bottles of wine at the CVS just down the street from the pier.

 

We all booked inside on this cruise, due to the port intensive schedule and the flights @ $400 each. Didn't miss the balcony, as the ship never seemed crowded and were always able to find rail space, seats or loungers inside or out. Do recommend getting to the comedy shows about 15 mins prior, but other than that, we found no long waits.

[Martini Mom]

Just wanted some opinions from those that have sailed her before...

 

I'm currently booked on a 7 day Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay), leaving from Galveston with an aft balcony.

 

With Carnival's 24 hour sale today, I could book a 7 day Southern Caribbean (St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St Maarten), leaving from San Juan with an guarantee inside state room.

 

Galveston is my closest port with only a 3 hour drive. The Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the Liberty is $800 cheaper (huge change from aft balcony to inside guarantee) but would require airfare.

 

Any opinions on the Southern Caribbean itinerary? (I've sailed the Western Caribbean itinerary from Galveston/Houston 4 times now). Is it worth it considering the change in room type?

 

I would switch in a heartbeat!!!

[islandatsea]

Thank you all for your feedback, I went ahead and made the switch and ate the admin fees. I am incredibly excited about this itinerary.

 

Right now, flights are about $400 round trip each and I'll just keep an eye out, as I've flown to San Juan previously for about $300. So all in all... the trip will cost us about the same. (unless I bite the bullet again and upgrade us back up to a balcony).

 

So for those of you that have done this sailing, any recommendations on excursions? Are there any islands you would just get off the boat and go to the beach? Also, it says this sailing departs at 10p??? I've never done something like this, so do you just hang out on the ship all day before it leaves?

 

Excellent choice! Enjoy visiting all the different islands on your cruise!

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you all for your feedback, I went ahead and made the switch and ate the admin fees. I am incredibly excited about this itinerary.

 

Right now, flights are about $400 round trip each and I'll just keep an eye out, as I've flown to San Juan previously for about $300. So all in all... the trip will cost us about the same. (unless I bite the bullet again and upgrade us back up to a balcony).

 

So for those of you that have done this sailing, any recommendations on excursions? Are there any islands you would just get off the boat and go to the beach? Also, it says this sailing departs at 10p??? I've never done something like this, so do you just hang out on the ship all day before it leaves?

 

I think you'll be very happy with your decision to switch to the Liberty sailing out of San Juan. The scenery is just indescribable.

 

Instead of recommending excursions since there are so many available, both though Carnival and private local vendors, I will suggest booking something in St. Lucia. There is a cruise center with shopping where the ships dock but to visit the sights would be a costly cab ride since the main sights of St. Lucia aren't right in the vicinity of the cruise center. We did book a private tour through Spencer Ambrose when on our cruise in 2013 on Valor (again, same itinerary out of San Juan) and enjoyed it so much we are doing a different tour that they offer when on our Liberty cruise this coming September.

 

None of the islands really have a beach where the ship docks but many have nice beaches a cab ride away. St. Maarten may have the closest beach, Great Bay, which is walkable from where Liberty docks. There is also a round trip ferry to and from the ship that can get you there quicker than walking for a small cost but don't know of hand what it is. I'm thinking about $7.00. On all the islands (St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados), some of the nicer beaches may take 20 minutes to a half hour to get to. In Barbados you also have the option of Carlisle Bay. It's a public beach that is about a 10 minute cab ride away. There are also vendors on the Carlisle Beach who offer tours out on their boats to swim with the turtles at a reasonable cost. Again, Carnival has excursions for each of these islands and there are many highly recommended local vendors. As for San Juan and Liberty leaving at 10PM, no, you don't have to stay on the ship. On our last cruise, we flew in a day before and took a cab to the cruise port on boarding day, arrived at noon and were on the ship with DOD's in hand at 12:45PM. After cabins were available, we dropped off our carry-on luggage and got back off and went to the forts. We'll be doing the same this time as well.

 

I did a review of that cruise (Valor, May 2013) and there's a link to that review in my signature. There are many other reviews of Liberty (and Valor and Victory who both did this itinerary before Liberty) for the southern itinerary out of San Juan that include lots of pictures and information that I highly recommend. Several of those reviews are where I got ideas of things to do and places to see. I've also found the CC Ports of Call section very helpful in planning as well. Hope this helps.

Edited August 1, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[bkcoogler]

I think you'll be very happy with your decision to switch to the Liberty sailing out of San Juan. The scenery is just indescribable.

 

Instead of recommending excursions since there are so many available, both though Carnival and private local vendors, I will suggest booking something in St. Lucia. There is a cruise center with shopping where the ships dock but to visit the sights would be a costly cab ride since the main sights of St. Lucia aren't right in the vicinity of the cruise center. We did book a private tour through Spencer Ambrose when on our cruise in 2013 on Valor (again, same itinerary out of San Juan) and enjoyed it so much we are doing a different tour that they offer when on our Liberty cruise this coming September.

 

None of the islands really have a beach where the ship docks but many have nice beaches a cab ride away. St. Maarten may have the closest beach, Great Bay, which is walkable from where Liberty docks. There is also a round trip ferry to and from the ship for a small cost but don't know of hand what it is. I'm thinking about $7.00. On all the islands (St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados), some of the nicer beaches may take 20 minutes to a half hour to get to. In Barbados you also have the option of Carlisle Bay. It's a public beach that is about a 10 minute cab ride away. There are also vendors on the Carlisle Beach who offer tours out on their boats to swim with the turtles at a reasonable cost.

 

As for San Juan and Liberty leaving at 10PM, no, you don't have to stay on the ship. On our last cruise, we flew in a day before and took a cab to the cruise port on boarding day, arrived at noon and were on the ship with DOD's in hand at 12:45PM. After cabins were available, we dropped off our carry-on luggage and got back off and went to the forts. We'll be doing the same this time as well.

 

I did a review of that cruise (Valor, May 2013) and there's a link to that review in my signature. There are many other reviews of Liberty (and Valor and Victory who both did this itinerary before Liberty) for the southern itinerary out of San Juan that include lots of pictures and information that I highly recommend. Several of those reviews are where I got ideas of things to do and places to see. I've also found the CC Ports of Call section very helpful in planning as well. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm really excited for all the research and planning ahead... I enjoy it about as much as taking the cruise itself. You can bet I'll be reading your review and any other that I can find.

 

I found a reasonable flight coming in the day before embarkation and leaving the day after disembarkation so it will give us some time in San Juan.

 

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[cruzininga]

The Boatyard Yard, Barbados

[bkcoogler]

The Boatyard Yard, Barbados

That's gorgeous. Would you say this is the best option for a "relax and enjoy the beach" day on this itinerary?

 

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[aztekpm]

Yes, that's exactly what the Boatyard is and for us the only thing we wanted to do in Barbados. The 'kids', LOL I use that lightly, they're in their 20's now, did a catamaran / swim with the turtles and enjoyed that immensely as well.

[glentally]

We did the Southern back in May and thought it was the best cruise we have taken out of 15. ( outside of Alaska )...:)

 

I'm going on the Liberty in December. I anticipating being the best cruise I have been on except Hawaiian. ( never did Alaskan yet)

[bkcoogler]

I'm going on the Liberty in December. I anticipating being the best cruise I have been on except Hawaiian. ( never did Alaskan yet)

 

A Hawaii cruise sounds incredible! I'll have to remember to touch base with you after your Liberty cruise and see how it went. I'm in die hard planning mode now that I've made the change... SO MANY PORTS!!!

[Jay Sam]

I would choose the one from San Juan. Have been to the W CRB enough times to not have to go back there soon anyway.

 

Air fare is a consideration. Check expedia.com and also southwest.com.

[Mr2Scents]

We did the Southern out of San Juan back in 2012 on the Victory and just booked the Liberty yesterday for early December. We got great rates, great airfare from Cleveland with great times. I wasn't planning on a vacation as I was just surfing prices wishing. The stare aligned and everything fell perfectly into place so we booked it. It was a definite impulse buy.

 

I love the southern islands more than the western itineraries. I like that we can "cruise" from port to port at about 9 knots instead of blasting through 20 ft swells at 25 knots to get from Mexico back to Miami or Canaveral. I did actually enjoy that part though to be honest. We will go light on excursions since we were heavy on excursions the first time. You'll love the southern islands and the leisurely pace to get from island to island. Leaving OSJ at 10:00PM is a neat experience too.

[NCTribeFan]

Good choice. I was going to book the 11/1 Liberty (along with a bunch of people who sailed both the 11/16/13 Conquest repo and 11/1/14 Splendor repo) but came across the Sunshine Journeys on 11/28 (11 nights, 8 ports, Port Canaveral to San Juan). That was too good to pass up.

 

Try to find a cheaper flight (I like SW) and go a day early. San Juan is a destination in it's own right. I absolutely love it there. Plenty of info on the San Juan POC board. I've stayed in OSJ (usually have a 2-night minimum there) but have also stayed in the Condado area. Great thread on that board for bidding for a hotel which can save you lots of money (hotels are not cheap in San Juan).

 

Hang out in Condado after you arrive, go to Oroczo's for some authentic PR food, pick up your carry-on wine, spend the evening in the hotel pool or the casino. Next morning, head to the port early, check in and drop your bags in your cabin, grab lunch, then head back out for an afternoon of sightseeing. I've done both the forts more than once, but either is great. So is just wandering around. Find Hotel Milano and go up to Punto de Vista for some mofongo and their delicious 2-for-1 mojitos. Also a good night for the steakhouse since you get a bottle of wine, and first night is open seating anyway (due to the late sailing).