Review: Carnival liberty – september 20, 2015 – southern itinerary out of san juan,

[jb1677]

Thank you so much! Yes, I just looked under the "properties" of a few of the pictures and I do have that information. I used the pictures of Liberty in San Juan, after dark, since I had pictures from both the phone & DSLR and there are differences. Phone: f/1.9; Exposure time 1/10 sec.; ISO 400. DSLR: f/3.8 (or 9); Exposure time 1/10 sec. and ISO - 1600. When I finish with the review, I am going to try to make myself a "cheat sheet" with that information from the phone pictures so I can use it and try the manual settings on the DSLR and practice some low light pictures.

 

I do appreciate any tips I can get. I am not a professional but do love taking pictures and always want to improve. I'm also thinking about taking a class in the future. :)

 

So what this tells us is that both had the same shutter speec, you mobile used a very large aperture (it let lots of light in) while your DSLR user a smaller aperture letting less light in (like a pupil in your eye). To compensate for this the DSLR decided to use a high ISO basically making it more sensitive to the limited light coming in. High ISO can lead to grainy pictures.

 

In your case it sounds like you prefer the result from the mobile so try mimicking the settings on your DSLR. I will say that if you have a kit lens odds are you can not get your aperture that low, you may need an aftermarket lens to achieve that.

 

Either way, great picutres and excellent review! We sail the Liberty in February, your review is helping me pass the days!

[pghsteelerfan]

The flyer that came with today's "Fun Times" (both sides)

 

 

 

The Fun Finds in St. Lucia that we received when getting off Liberty in St. Lucia (4 pages, 1 - 4, below)

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

So what this tells us is that both had the same shutter speec, you mobile used a very large aperture (it let lots of light in) while your DSLR user a smaller aperture letting less light in (like a pupil in your eye). To compensate for this the DSLR decided to use a high ISO basically making it more sensitive to the limited light coming in. High ISO can lead to grainy pictures.

 

In your case it sounds like you prefer the result from the mobile so try mimicking the settings on your DSLR. I will say that if you have a kit lens odds are you can not get your aperture that low, you may need an aftermarket lens to achieve that.

 

Either way, great picutres and excellent review! We sail the Liberty in February, your review is helping me pass the days!

 

Again, thank you very much for the free tips. :D When I finish my review, I will be going through the pictures that I have with both the phone and the DSLR. The two pictures I compared, of Liberty in San Juan after dark, were similar, but the colors with the phone were more vivid and more what it actually looked like.

 

I'm glad you're enjoying the review and pictures and I sure hope you have as good a time on Liberty that we did. This is definitely our favorite itinerary.

[pghsteelerfan]

My alarm went off at 5:30am and I immediately got out of bed, grabbed the cameras and went to the balcony. Again, I wanted to let the cameras adjust to the humidity because of “fogged lens syndrome”. I just made that up, I don’t know if there’s an actual term for it. It was just like our Valor cruise but not as light out. I could see St. Lucia, or at least the dark shadows of it against the sky that was just beginning to brighten and I could see St. Lucia’s famed Pitons, just as I could the last time. Once the cameras adjusted, I was able to get some pictures.

 

***Another poster had asked earlier if there was a reason we preferred the starboard (right) side balcony. This is one of the reasons I really enjoy a starboard (right side of ship) balcony on this itinerary. When coming from Barbados to St. Lucia, we go around the southern part of St. Lucia and pass the Pitons early in the morning. For anyone doing this itinerary wanting pictures in the morning or just wanting to know which side of the ship has better views, on St. Lucia day, hands down, the starboard (right) side. If you don't have a starboard cabin and you don't mind going for an early morning walk to the ship's outer decks, you can still see this.***

I spent several minutes out there then decided I had the pictures I needed but didn’t want to go back to bed. We had a tour planned and we were to meet for our tour between 8:15 and 8:30am and I did not want to chance missing it because I overslept.

 

 

 

Zoomed in view of the Pitons

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Since I wasn't going to go back to bed, that leaves the question “What do I do?” I had an idea. I haven’t done my “ship tour” for pictures of the bars, lounges, restaurants, cafés, and other interior areas and even though I have those pictures from Liberty last year, I don’t have pictures of those places empty. I quietly got ready for the day so I wouldn’t wake up DH, then grabbed my DSLR, and was getting ready to leave the cabin when I thought it might be a good idea to let DH know where I was going and let him sleep. I walked to the aft (back) elevators and took them down to Atlantic Deck 4 and started there.

My first stop was the Cabinet Bar.

 

 

 

Then I went into the Silver Olympian Dining Room. Only adding one picture here since this was the dining room where we had late seating and I've added several other pictures and there will be more to come.

 

 

 

From there, I headed toward the front, but I had to go down the stairs to Lobby Deck 3 because I couldn’t get through since the Golden Olympian Dining Room is there and that’s where you either have to go up or down. When I got down to the Lobby Deck, I was right by the doorway that led to the outside part of the deck, so I stepped out for a picture. Not much to see there.

 

 

 

 

 

I went back in and took the stairs up to Atlantic Deck 4, again starting in the back (aft) of Liberty and got a picture of the Conservatory Atrium from the area by the stairs & elevators.

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I then proceeded up to Promenade Deck 5 and started with the Victoria Lounge. Couldn’t get in, doors closed and locked. Same with the Stage Bar, port (left) side and the Piano Man Piano Bar, starboard (right) side. While I was back there, I totally forgot about getting a picture of the Alchemy Bar, which is not behind closed doors. I was standing right smack in front of it to get a few pictures of the chandeliers that change colors reflecting off the always polished floor of the Promenade.

 

 

Even though I wasn't able to get some of these pictures this time, I did get them when on Liberty last year (April 2014) and will insert the pictures I got from that cruise. These places still look the same.

 

 

Victoria Lounge (from last year, not the best quality)

 

 

Stage Bar

 

 

Piano Man Piano Bar

 

 

 

Alchemy Bar

 

 

This picture of the Promenade (Deck 5) was from this Liberty cruise

[pghsteelerfan]

I then tried getting into the Hot & Cool Nightclub. That was also locked. But, you're in luck...again, a few pictures from our Liberty 2014 cruise

 

Hot & Cool Nightclub

 

 

 

 

Next stop was the Video Arcade. That was open, so I walked through there for pictures.

 

 

 

Video Arcade

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

One more of the Video Arcade

 

The Taste Bar, which is open into the Promenade, is located right between the Video Arcade and Batteries Not Included, which is Club 02 (the teen club). Got a picture of the Taste Bar and then a picture of the Promenade and chandeliers looking back toward the Alchemy Bar and one of the view out the windows, which I thought was really cool since there was a nice view of the Pitons.

 

The Taste Bar

 

 

The Promenade (looking from the Taste Bar back toward the Alchemy Bar)

 

I love how the lights change color...here's another

 

The booth/tables and windows along the Promenade...with a view of the Pitons

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I then went into Batteries Not Included/Club 02 to get pictures. I love the super-size teddy bear.

 

Batteries Not Included/Club 02

 

 

 

Jardin Café was right after that and across from it was a Kiosk Desk.

 

Jardin Café

 

 

Kiosk Desk

 

 

 

From there was the section of the Promenade along the outside of the casino. This is the area where live music is played most nights, but we’ve never come down for that.

 

Area of the Promenade outside the casino (live music was being played here in the evenings)

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Next stop was the Casino, or Promenade Bar. This is one of the bars that allows smoking, but only on one side, the right side if facing the bar. The left side, closest to the Promenade is non-smoking.

 

 

 

The Casino/Promenade Bar (from the left side, which is non-smoking)

 

 

 

View in front and looking directly at the Casino/Promenade Bar (left side is non-smoking and right side is smoking)

 

The Casino/Promenade Bar (from the right side, which is smoking)

 

 

 

 

***Around the corner of the right side (smoking side) of the bar are the stairs/elevators that go up to the Upper Deck 6, which are mostly passenger cabins. Our cabin last year, #6389, which was a few cabins down from the stairs/elevators, in this section and we could smell smoke in the hallway. It wasn’t as bad as the casino and area around the bar, but you could smell it. If cigarette smoke bothers you, then a cabin right near the stairs/elevators here may not be a good choice.***

 

 

Now back to the “tour”. Since I was right in front of the casino bar, the casino was right behind me. I know you’re not supposed to, but no one was around, so I did it…got a picture over toward the casino. Shhh, please don’t tell. Heheheh. These are the only two pictures, I didn’t want to push my luck.

 

 

 

The casino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I continued over to the main stairs leading down to the lower Decks and got pictures of the Garden Atrium and the stairs.

 

 

Garden Atrium from the top of the stairs

[pghsteelerfan]

View down the stairs leading into the Atrium

 

The Cherry On Top candy store was right there, so I took a few pictures of that.

 

 

Cherry On Top

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walked to the shopping area on the starboard (right) side of Liberty and got a picture of the Promenade area in front of them.

 

 

 

Then around to the port (left) side where the Fun Shops are and got a picture there.

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I stopped by the Garden Atrium and got a couple pictures there.

 

 

 

 

I continued to the forward (front) of Liberty and the Venetian Palace was open. I got a picture of the stairwell there then went into the Venetian Palace and got a picture.

 

 

 

 

Venetian Palace

 

 

More of the Venetian Palace from Liberty 2014

 

 

The light in the Venetian Palace

 

[pghsteelerfan]

More of the Venetian Palace from our Liberty 2014 cruise

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

After getting a picture in the Venetian Palace, I went down the stairs there to Lobby Deck 3. First stop was the Shore Excursions Desk. It is located in right beside the Garden Atrium on the port (left) side of Liberty.

Shore Excursions Desk

 

 

I walked through the Garden Atrium and got a picture of the Flowers Lobby Bar, which is also were we entered Liberty when we embarked in San Juan.

 

Flowers Lobby Bar

 

 

From there I went outside to the outer deck on the starboard (right) side to see how close we were to entering port in St. Lucia. We were still pretty far out, but I got a picture. The water was again pretty calm.

 

 

 

 

 

I went back inside and got a picture of the Guest Services Desk, also on Lobby Deck 3, right beside the Garden Atrium on the starboard (right) side of Liberty.

 

 

Guest Services Desk

 

 

 

 

From there I went into the Garden Atrium and got several pictures. I love this Atrium and love how the colors flow together well and love the wrought iron décor.

 

The Garden Atrium, elevators, and more of the Flowers Lobby Bar

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

More of the Garden Atrium area

 

 

 

 

 

Another from this angle (again, love the changing lights)

From there I took the main elevators up to Lido Deck 9, the ones that look out over the Atrium. I also took several pictures here.

 

[pghsteelerfan]

From the atrium elevator area on Lido Deck 9

 

 

 

From there I went outside where I stopped for a picture.

I then went up to the Serenity Area, on Sun Deck 12. I got pictures of St. Lucia then walked around and got a few pictures of the Serenity Area, including the hot tubs. From there, I noticed that it was so clear that I could also see Martinique, St. Lucia’s next-door neighbor to the north.

 

St. Lucia

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Serenity Hot Tubs

 

This is Martinique, another island we stopped at on our first cruise (honeymoon cruise). Martinique is a beautiful island and I'd love to get back again someday.

 

More of Liberty's Serenity area

Here are a few pictures of Liberty’s “tail” (funnel), before heading back down to Panorama Deck 10, where I spent some time getting pictures of St. Lucia from the starboard (right side).

 

 

 

On my way back over to the starboard (right) side

[pghsteelerfan]

Another of Martinique before going to the St. Lucia side

 

Now we were heading directly toward St. Lucia and approaching the entrance to the harbor of Castries, St. Lucia, where Liberty would be docking. I was back and forth between the starboard (right) and port (left) sides of Liberty as we entered the port area. Even though we were just here two years ago and I got pictures then, I was getting more pictures now.

 

Sailing into St. Lucia

 

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing into St. Lucia continued...

 

 

 

Back over to the port (left) side for those views

 

Martinique again...loved that it was clear enough during this cruise to see the other islands

 

 

Back over to the starboard (right) side

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing into St. Lucia continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing into St. Lucia continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing into St. Lucia continued...

 

 

 

 

 

Liberty pulled into the harbor and then did her spin around turn to get into position to dock and started moving closer to the dock. I had the pictures I wanted at this point, so I went back to the Lido Deck and went in and grabbed a mug of coffee since I didn’t have my tumbler with me, then took the stairs down a floor our cabin.

 

I didn’t have to wake DH, he was already up and had finished getting a shower and was just about ready to go up to go look for me to grab breakfast. He didn’t need an alarm, the next door neighbors had been out and, you guessed it, let the door slam over and over. He said it drove him nuts and wondered how they never noticed how loud it was, but then again, some people only think of themselves and just don't seem to be aware of others.

 

Just before heading up for breakfast, we both went to the balcony and got some pictures of the Duty Free shopping area in the Point Seraphine cruise center.

 

The main entrance of the Seraphine cruise center

 

Some of the shops at the Seraphine cruise center

[pghsteelerfan]

Balcony pictures of Pointe Seraphine cruise center and immediate area...

 

View towards downtown Castries

 

 

 

 

Martinique is still visible in the distance

 

Edited November 10, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

Since I couldn’t hear the balcony door next door slamming, so we assumed the neighbors had already left their cabin. I chugged that mug of coffee and was ready to go for breakfast when DH was done.

 

This morning we just went to the Lido breakfast buffet line and I just got a bowl, a box of cereal and a carton of milk. I knew that we’d be having a nice lunch today and there would be a lot more than I normally eat, so I wanted to save room. DH got the usual scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and two pastries. I did get one of the little cinnamon pastries. We went to one of the little tables on the outdoor area of Liberty along the window. Today we were in that section with the built in tables with bench style seating near Guy’s Burger Joint.

We ate pretty quickly then went back to the cabin to get what we’d need for the day. I got my beach bag ready the night before and we were ready to head out. As we were making our way down the hall, we saw Snezana and talked to her for a few minutes before we continued down toward the front (forward) of Liberty. Kendrick and I-Ketut were just coming out of another cabin and we said good morning to them. I kidded around with them letting them know I’m still waiting (for them to get me back) and he knew exactly what I meant. He said they wanted to get me good and they were planning something and Snezana was even in on this, but it wouldn’t be today because they wanted it to be good and they were still trying to come up with an idea. I let them know I was looking forward to it.

 

***Liberty was docked with the pier on the starboard (right) side and the gangplanks would again be on that side. Today we’d be using the forward (front) elevators to Deck 0 to get off Liberty***

 

When we got down there, there wasn’t much of a line yet and we were immediately off Liberty. Since it was only around 8:05am and we didn’t have to meet until between 8:15 and 8:30am, we got a few pictures first, then walked inside the cruise terminal in the spot we were to meet for our tour today.

 

 

 

 

Our meeting area for our tour...we were a little early

 

***For anyone cruising to St. Lucia for the first time: this one port where I recommend booking some kind of an excursion, whether one that Carnival has to offer or through a private tour company. St. Lucia has several private tour companies that are highly rated and choosing will come down to what you would like to do. Want to see St. Lucia’s famed Pitons? Since the drive is a good distance from port, and I’ve seen it posted that it would take about an hour and a half’s drive, each way, on windy roads, the cost for a cab would be very expensive, more so than booking a tour where you can get more of a tour and see more of St. Lucia instead of just getting to a certain destination and back. On the other islands on this itinerary, it’s possible to “wing it” and do something on your own, even though many tours are available (through Carnival and local tour companies). St. Lucia is not one of them unless you want to go to a nearby beach. St. Lucia is also a beautiful island with so many beautiful sights, most of them being a good distance from port and an expensive cab ride, so I definitely recommend a tour here.

 

Before proceeding any further, I’ll kind of get a little off subject here. We’ve done tours but we normally prefer to find a nice beach or book a “Beach Break” type of tour where snorkeling and beach are included. Those are fairly set and basic. When doing any tour that includes multiple stops, whether it’s a Carnival excursion or a private vendor tour, passenger cooperation can play a large part in how that tour will go. We have been on other tours, Carnival tours included, that didn’t turn out to be our best experiences. BUT, in all honesty, that was not the fault of the tour itself or the tour guides, it was other passengers on the tours. In Grand Cayman one year on our Miracle cruise, too many others were talking loud and shouting with their groups and it was hard to hear the different tours being announced when they were called. We couldn’t hear it, actually didn’t hear it called, and almost missed it. Another tour operator told us they just left when we asked him and had to make a mad dash to catch the group. Another couple was right behind us running. We never heard the tour called because they were unable to hear over the noise from the large group of fellow passengers. On another tour we ended up missing out on something we wanted to do and on another, a very short time at the beach. Again, not the tour operator (both were Carnival excursions). It was because they had set meeting times to keep the tour on schedule, but on each occasion, other passengers were on their “own” time (wandering off for pictures, shopping, etc.) and holding things up, causing the tour to run behind. So if you are choosing a tour that has a lot of stops then some beach time at the end, there is that possibility that one of those stops could be missed or beach time cut back or eliminated to keep the schedule.

 

When deciding on what to do in the different ports, I do a lot of research on what all there is to see and do. The Cruise Critic “Ports of Call” section has been a valuable resource, as have other CC member reviews. Once the decision is made on what we want to see and do, we look at the different options and research actual tours (Carnival and non-Carnival) that will get us there by checking ratings and actual reviews of those tours. If a tour gets constant poor ratings, we’ll avoid it. If it’s a tour where others mention that they see some of these things, but they are only pointed out through a bus window as the bus slows, we avoid it. We will also avoid tours if reviews state that stops were missed or beach time cut or eliminated. There are many tours, Carnival and non-Carnival, that get mostly high ratings. With those high ratings will always be some very low ratings and to me, some of those low ratings seem to be very nitpicky, so I take those with a grain of salt, so to speak. So picking a tour and getting the most bang for your buck does take some research. If you choose a non-Carnival (or other cruise line) tour, you want to choose a tour that has been reliable in getting passengers back to the ship on time. A cruise ship will be held for excursions running late if the excursion is through the cruise line, but a ship will not wait for a local tour company that runs late. These are just our personal thoughts and experiences. On choosing an excursion, there is no right way or wrong way, this is just how we do our choosing. Anytime you book an excursion from an outside tour company, taking your passport, or a copy of it, would be a good idea just in case. Now, back to the review.

Edited November 10, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

Today we would be doing a tour with Spencer Ambrose called “Spencer’s Land, Sea & Beach Adventure”. On our Valor cruise in May 2013 on this same itinerary, we had also done a tour with Spencer Ambrose called “Jalousie/Sugar Beach Break”. We had always done excursions through Carnival, so that was the first time doing a tour on our own and not through Carnival. When I was doing my pre-cruise research, Spencer Ambrose tours had a large percentage of highly favorable reviews and were very reliable in getting passengers back to the cruise ships on time, so we felt very comfortable in booking.

 

We were very happy with our choice and had a great time, our tour was just as described and with set times, we were back at our ship, Valor then, about 45 minutes to an hour before we had to be back on the ship. While there, we felt like we were among friends spending a day at a beautiful beach. Spencer and those who work for him actually stayed with us and interacted with all of us. That day ended up being so much fun and we really enjoyed our tour and DH and I both agreed it was the best experience we’ve ever had on a tour.

 

Right after booking our Liberty cruise in July, I went ahead and booked Spencer’s Land, Sea, & Beach Adventure. They have a very nice website that is also very informative and easy to use and book through. We loved the “Jalousie Beach Break” tour, but this time we wanted to see more of St. Lucia but also wanted to get back to Jalousie Beach, so that’s why we chose the Land, Sea & Beach Adventure this time. On their website, I looked over the tour to make sure that is the one we wanted to do. Once I decided on it, I booked. I was glad that the tour wasn’t booked yet, seeing as how we booked this cruise pretty late. Spencer’s (and some of the other tour companies in St. Lucia) are very popular and do get booked up, especially if it’s a busy day in port with more than one cruise ship, so book early if you can. Both times, Valor in 2013 and this cruise on Liberty, we were the only cruise ship in St. Lucia. That definitely worked in our favor this cruise.

After booking, there is always excellent communication from Spencer after you book. When booking, there is a $10.00, refundable deposit due at the time you book. If for some reason the ship were to miss port, the deposit will be refunded. That’s one thing I checked into before booking the last time and it hadn’t changed this time. When reserving, make sure to go to the option “book a cruise ship tour” and there you will be asked to provide the information, including the cruise ship you will be on and the day and times you’ll be in port. The website is very user friendly and also very informative. There is a “FAQs” page, which answers a lot of the most commonly asked questions. In their reply for confirmation of booking will be specific instructions on where and when to meet and to look for the “Spencer Ambrose Tours” sign.

 

When we got inside the terminal to meet, we were still early but Spencer was already there. We recognized him and when he saw us, he came right over and gave me a hug. He remembered us!!! He said he is always very happy to welcome returning guests. They were getting ready to get their sign out for the meeting spot for Spencer’s tours that day.

 

 

 

Our meeting spot was just inside the cruise center in a large room that you go through before you get out to the shopping areas. It's that area where the picture in the previous post was taken. I'm not positive, but I believe that is the area where other tour groups meet as well.

 

 

Once you get to the sign, you will be directed on where to go. On both times, it was just around the corner to an outside area. Spencer was there with a clipboard that had a list of everyone on his tours that day, the number of people in their party, and the tour they will be doing. When he calls your name (will be the name of person who booked the tour), is when you pay him. Payment is in cash, US dollars only. Once you pay him, he verifies the tour that you’re signed up for. Since there are several tours, there is an assigned spot for each of the different tours and you will be directed to that spot.

 

 

 

Once everyone arrives, pays for their tours, and is with the rest of their tours, the day will begin. On both occasions, this has been very organized. Everyone showed up on time and this time, we were all there early. The reason for being directed into the different groups is to keep everyone on each tour together so when it’s time for the tours to begin, there no confusion.

 

 

 

On the Land, Sea and Beach Adventure, you take a speedboat directly to the town of Soufriere, St. Lucia, a coastal town right near the Pitons. There is a small dock behind the cruise center and that is where you’ll get on Spencer’s boats. It’s not hard to get in, since you step down from the dock onto the seats and from the seats into the boat. They will assist everyone, including the men, in getting into the boat. If you are carrying a beach bag, they will have you hand that to them too, but they give it right back as soon as you’re in the boat. There was a gentleman with us that could walk, but had some mobility issues and walked at a slower pace (knees???). Anyway they took their time helping him in and he had no problem. Oh, before getting into the boat, we are to take our shoes off at the dock and they collect them all and keep them together. We didn’t have to wear life preservers, but they are there and there are enough for everyone. There was plenty of seating and the seats are comfortable and padded. We had a full tour that day but we weren’t packed in like sardines.

 

 

Once we were all in and situated, it was time for our tour to leave and it was now 8:30am. Again, that was because everyone was not only on time, but all were early, like at least 10 minutes early. We had a great group, this was going to be a good tour. We had Spencer and his daughter, Shequana, and Shaggy with us. We also met Shequana on our visit in May 2013 as well, and she also remembered us and gave us both a hug. Spencer drove the boat. When leaving the harbor in Castries, they have to go slow. As we passed Liberty, I was able to get a few good pictures of her. Once we out of the harbor, full speed ahead. The water was calm that day, so the ride wasn’t as bumpy. I have seen reviews in the past where others have had a bumpy ride. It does get windy, so removing or hanging onto hats is recommended. We slowed down at a few spots so either Spencer or Shequana could point them out and tell us about them. It’s a beautiful ride along St. Lucia’s coast and I got as many pictures as I could from the boat along the way.

 

Letting pictures take it from here

 

 

Pictures of Liberty peeking above the cruise center I got while we were in our assigned tour group

 

 

Picture from Spencer's Boat of some of the other boats being brought in for passenger pick up. I don't know if any of these are Spencer's boats or not though

 

We're on our way! This is a picture of Liberty.

 

The lighthouse on the hill above the Castries Harbor