Trying Carnaval

[Decpl]

Hello all

Wife and friends are trying Carnival Liberty out of San Juan in March.

How does the Liberty compare to Princess and Celebrity. We are platinum

on Princess and have 3 Celebrity's under our belt. We are in 50-60 age range.

Are concerned about lots of kids and food. We enjoy the shows a lot also.

Is the Liberty a good ship?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Kand J

[singbluesilver1]

Never seen a single show on any cruise line so can't comment on that. Kids shouldn't be too much of an issue unless it's spring break

[seannyice81]

Its kind of hard for me to compare as I have not sailed either.

 

BUT

 

My impression from all the reading I've done would tell me you'll be disappointed in the shows if you're comparing them to Celebrity. The food might be comparable to Princess if not a little less on offer. Carnival will likely have more active passengers than either of those lines.

[cccer]

We just got off the Liberty and I thought that there were very few kids compared to other cruises that I have taken in the summer out of FL or TX.

I would think that there would be even less in March.

[Beach_gal]

We recently switched to Carnival and have been really happy. We are elite on Princess and find the nightlife is so much better on Carnival (no, we are not swinging from the chandeliers partiers!! ;-). We love the comedy shows and piano bars. We can sit in that piano bar singing along for hours!

 

I also think the food is equal if not a tad bit better on Carnival. But boy do we miss the International Cafe and that wonderful Princess room service. Carnival's room service is horrible.

 

I am a high school counselor so can only cruise on holiday breaks or during summer so I have no choice but to travel when kids are out of school and haven't noticed any more kids on Carnival than on Princess during those time periods.

 

And as for the Liberty - she's gorgeous! Very classy ship. My husband says it reminded him of the Ruby :-)

Edited August 18, 2015 by Beach_gal

[OCruisers]

Hello all

Wife and friends are trying Carnival Liberty out of San Juan in March.

How does the Liberty compare to Princess and Celebrity. We are platinum

on Princess and have 3 Celebrity's under our belt. We are in 50-60 age range.

Are concerned about lots of kids and food. We enjoy the shows a lot also.

Is the Liberty a good ship?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Kand J

 

We mostly cruise Princess (Elite if that's important) and have also cruised some (7) Celebrity cruises ... and, yes, even a few on Carnival.

 

If you keep an open mind and don't expect Carnival Liberty to be what you've experienced on your Princess and Celebrity cruises, you can still have an enjoyable cruise. :)

 

LuLu

[Vitamin_Sea]

Hello all

Wife and friends are trying Carnival Liberty out of San Juan in March.

How does the Liberty compare to Princess and Celebrity. We are platinum

on Princess and have 3 Celebrity's under our belt. We are in 50-60 age range.

Are concerned about lots of kids and food. We enjoy the shows a lot also.

Is the Liberty a good ship?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Kand J

 

Which ship are you comparing to? Never said which one.

 

Liberty is a nicely equipped ship. Shes got the 2.0 upgrades

[evandbob]

Hello all

Wife and friends are trying Carnival Liberty out of San Juan in March.

How does the Liberty compare to Princess and Celebrity. We are platinum

on Princess and have 3 Celebrity's under our belt. We are in 50-60 age range.

Are concerned about lots of kids and food. We enjoy the shows a lot also.

Is the Liberty a good ship?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Kand J

 

Did you not like the replies to the 1st thread you started this morning on the same subject?

Edited August 18, 2015 by evandbob

[ready2cruzagain]

Did you not like the replies to the 1st thread you started this morning on the same subject?

I was wondering the same thing.

[Tiraspol1992]

Last time we went on a cruise, was 2010. I remember that we bought some whisky and cognac in duty free shop and brought with us in the cabin. On other islands we couldn't do it.

Is it the same now? can we bring it on board, or they will store it till the end of our cruise?

One more question. I know that I will be able to use my Verizon phone in San Juan. What other Islands? What about WiFI on a ship?

Will appreciate any inputs!!!

[seannyice81]

Last time we went on a cruise, was 2010. I remember that we bought some whisky and cognac in duty free shop and brought with us in the cabin. On other islands we couldn't do it.

Is it the same now? can we bring it on board, or they will store it till the end of our cruise?

One more question. I know that I will be able to use my Verizon phone in San Juan. What other Islands? What about WiFI on a ship?

Will appreciate any inputs!!!

 

You can bring one regular (750ml) bottle of wine, per person, onboard at the beginning of the cruise. If you bring ANY liquor through security at any of the ports after the start of the cruise, you must have it taken and stored. You get it back early the morning of debarkation.

 

Verizon will work in Puerto Rico, but the coverage depends on your plan. You will need to contact them.

 

Wifi coverage on ships, depends on the ship with most now featuring faster internet. By "faster", I'm still talking about sea-based web which will still be slower than back home.

[skidawg79]

We mostly cruise Princess (Elite if that's important) and have also cruised some (7) Celebrity cruises ... and, yes, even a few on Carnival.

 

If you keep an open mind and don't expect Carnival Liberty to be what you've experienced on your Princess and Celebrity cruises, you can still have an enjoyable cruise. :)

 

LuLu

 

LuLu-

 

I respectfully disagree, and it's probably just a difference in taste. I was on the Caribbean Proncess and the Carnival Valor and found my experience to be better overall on Carnival. Ship seemed less full (both cruises were filled to capacity), food is very comparable. As for the shows, I thought Carnivals were actually better. (Did these cruises a few years apart). Now don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time on both. But I don't think they have to go in with lower standards to have a good time.

 

Maybe the singing/dancing in the dining hall will be different. But I think you will find more similarities than differences. Hope you have a wonderful cruise as that is an awesome itinerary you are going on.

[PAPERBKWRITER]

IMO you won't be disappointed but Carnival is a cut under both Celebrity and Princess. No pasta bar or real ice cream and deli cookies at lunch like Celibrity has. Entertainment is not as good as the others but not bad. No show band anymore and they use DJ's instead of live bands in most of the lounges. the live band is in the casino and they are usually outstanding The standard cabins are larger on Carnival and the crew just as nice. IMO more like RCCL if you've cruised them.

[golfb4cruzing]

I'm thinking not so many kids leaving from PR at that time of year. Food I'm going with Princess as Carnival really has no 24 hr eatery. I don't consider pizza and room service on same level as the IC. The shows might have changed since last we were on Carnival. I find Princess to be much more relaxing. Some say boring, I say relaxing and upscale and pools are fresh water and hot tubs are hot.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Spring Break :eek:

 

You'll probably ok sailing out of San Juan, otherwise booze cruise. I believe Celebrity is a slightly better product, but usually you pay for that. At the same time, Carnival is excellent bang per buck, and fun. If you go into it with the glass is half full mindset, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. Carnival is for the young and young at heart, best determination in my opinion.

[sirfuller]

Just treat Carnival as its own experience and you should be fine. The Liberty is a decent ship with a nice layout. I enjoyed the adult pool. The food in the MDR is fine but buffet options can leave a little to be desired. Carnival's comedians are usually pretty good but their shows in the theater are a little weak. This is such a port intensive cruise that the entertainment options won't matter as much since you'll be on the go so much.