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

[Wags67]

I don't know if there will be that many to surprise, I think you, Jim, and a few others are the only ones reading this. Same with "K's" review. At least we can relive the memories of a great cruise. :D

 

It was a crazy week, but a fun week, and I may not have showed that one to you. It might have been the night picture of Liberty from San Juan that I was thinking of. I do remember you showing me the one you got at Trunk Bay. We're definitely going there on our next trip to St. Thomas.

 

Again, so glad to have you following along. Hope all of you are having a great weekend! ((Hugs))

 

Oh, people are definitely reading your review, Holly. Almost 28,000 views!

Reading, just not commenting.

Carry on, girl...this is an amazing review :)

 

We're heading back to St. Thomas again in 2016. Since we took a ferry over to St. John the last two visits, I think we're going to hang out in St. Thomas. Just not sure what we want to do yet.

[pghsteelerfan]

I went into the water for a few minutes then settled into the lounger to enjoy a day of leisure and a beautiful beach. After a while I got up to walk around and get some pictures. I had taken a few when we first got there but I thought it would be nice to have pictures of more of the area then just the beach or I’d probably kick myself later for it. As beach guests for the day, we are free to use the beach, restaurant, bar, and restrooms (very nice and clean). But everything else on the resort was for guests. They had some “water toys” you could rent, so we could have done that if we wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Oh, people are definitely reading your review, Holly. Almost 28,000 views!

Reading, just not commenting.

Carry on, girl...this is an amazing review :)

 

We're heading back to St. Thomas again in 2016. Since we took a ferry over to St. John the last two visits, I think we're going to hang out in St. Thomas. Just not sure what we want to do yet.

 

Hey there! :)

 

I account for a lot of those views every time I get in to update. Oh, Dave is also reading this. :eek: I seriously almost gave it up this time but decided to carry it on as a remembrance for me and the rest of our roll call so we can relive it. Still planning on getting the pictures into Shutterfly to post on our "roll call". I think I have some for you guys too. "J" sent us the link to the video that "K" got of the men's hairy chest contest...LOL!!! I don't think Dave has seen that yet. I have it saved onto a flash drive, just in case. :D

 

I love the itinerary you guys will be doing on Magic. I'd love to see the Dominica Republic since we've never been. We've been to the others and love them all. We did a similar itinerary on Glory in 2010, but it was HMC instead of the DR. No cruises for us next year, family vacation resumes in May and we may go to Myrtle Beach with our friends in August, but only if Dave has enough vacation days. That will be a lot of fun if we can do that.

[pghsteelerfan]

Divi Little Bay continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Divi Little Bay continued...

 

 

 

 

 

After getting pictures I thought I’d try to snorkel. The water is a very pretty blue, but it wasn’t clear. I’ve heard the term “milky” applied to water that had sand stirred up. It was in the Bahamas while hurricane was hitting Bermuda. Even though the water looked calm in that area, we were told it was currently “milky” but that would probably settle in a few days. That’s what this water looked like. Not dirty, just “milky” from stirred up sand. I tried snorkeling but that lasted less than a minute. As soon as I went under, I realized I couldn't see much, so I gave up on that.

 

After a while, DH went up to the bar to get us each a drink and he came back with two Rum Punch drinks. I asked him what the cost was and he told me it was $17.00 for both. He said it’s about the same price as the drinks on cruise ships. These drinks were very good and they didn’t skimp on the rum.

[pghsteelerfan]

We spent the rest of the afternoon between the water and the loungers. I had pulled my lounger out from under the umbrella to try to get a little sun. I had taken my DSLR out into the water to get some pictures from the water looking back toward the beach. That probably wasn’t a smart move. There were some waves, nothing rough and nothing you could body surf/boogie board in, but there were waves. There were some jet skiers out in the water there and I think the little waves we had were from those.

I was in water that was just above my waist getting the pictures when I heard some guy say “oh ****”. I turned to look what he was “oh ****ing” about and saw a wave, just in time to hold my camera above my head. He noticed I had looked back and apologized for the curse but I thanked him, telling him there was no need to apologize because he probably just saved my camera. I told him if he hadn't said that, I wouldn't have turned around and that wave would have put my whole camera under water. I have enough pictures at this point so time to get this camera on dry land.

 

Now for those pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

When we had about a half hour left, we ended up talking to the people in the loungers that were next to us (we were spaced apart). They had just arrived on the beach not long before that. They were staying at the resort and had just gotten in the night before and are from England. They asked if we were also staying at the resort and we let them know we were on a cruise ship for the day and they asked about our cruise and we ended up talking about different vacation areas. They were very nice. Right when it was getting to be time for us to start getting ready to leave, they were heading out into the water and we let them know we were getting ready to leave and if they wanted to use our loungers, they were free too. They ended up having trouble with their umbrella because they tried moving it. The noticed when we were getting ready to leave and waved to us and we waved back. We headed out but took turns using the facilities before getting a taxi.

 

 

There are plenty of taxi’s out there waiting over by the parking area, but I’m sure someone at the front desk at the resort could call one if not. They were very nice there and I don’t think that would be a problem. We got a taxi right away and asked if he could drop us off in downtown Philipsburg so we could do a little shopping first. DH asked how much a cab ride back to the cruise center would be and he told us that would be $4.00. We went with him and were on our way back to downtown Philipsburg.

 

 

Picture I got of Liberty from the cab window on our return trip

[pghsteelerfan]

One more of Liberty

Once we got into Philipsburg, our driver dropped us off at a vendor tent shopping area that was about two blocks from the beach and boardwalk. At this point I knew I needed some kind of tote bag. I knew there would be “overflow” of purchases that would put my suitcase over the weight limit (the suitcase itself weighs 15 pounds), but would not fit in my carry-on. The tote with the purchase overflow could be used as my personal item. I wasn’t looking for a large tote bag, just something about the size of a large purse. There was a little older lady selling them for $10.00 (the $10.00 was right on her sign in front of the totes). What I liked about these were that they were embroidered and had “St. Maarten” on them, but could also be zippered shut, so nothing falls out and $10.00 isn’t a bad price, at least I don’t think it is. This little lady was just so sweet that she told me she’d sell it to me for $7.00 because I seemed nice. I slipped her a $10.00 and told her I wanted her to keep the change.

 

After I got the little tote bag, I wanted to stop in a regular souvenir shop to get post cards. I found the post cards and I also found a T-shirt I liked, so I got that too. There was one more thing that I wanted. I collect currency from the port we visit. The last time in St. Maaten/St. Martin, I was able to trade for some Euros (a bill and some coins) while we were in Pinel Island. When we got back to the cruise center in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, no one had any. One cashier told me that it had been a “popular request” that day and she was out. They use US dollars in the cruise center, so I’m guessing the cashiers trade with their own money. Anyway, I wasn’t able to get any. This time I wanted to try but thought I’d have better luck in downtown Philipsburg’s shopping area.

At the store I got my post cards and T-shirt from, I asked if they had any to trade. They didn’t but they did have a selection of coins in little baggies for sale. I forget how much it was, but it wasn’t expensive, so I ended up buying that. I still wanted a bill, and DH was ready to crown me, but all the one gal had was a $25.00 bill that she could trade for a USD $20.00. She said the exchange was about $35.00 guilder for a USD $20.00 but the $25.00 was all she had. I wanted it, so I traded. DH just looked at me and said I was nuts. I let him know that my personal spending was well under budget and any type of St. Maarten bill was one that I did not have. I don’t regret it.

 

The $25.00 St. Maarten Gulden bill and coins (front)

 

 

Reverse sides

 

 

 

 

When we left the stores, DH wanted to get a taxi and there were plenty around. I asked him if we could take the water taxi back to the cruise center instead of a regular taxi, even though it was more expensive. I wanted to go on the water taxi since we’d never done it and he agreed to that. I got a few pictures of downtown Philipsburg as we made our way down to where we’d get on the water taxi.

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I noticed that the Police station was right there, so I got a picture. What I didn’t notice until I got home and viewed my pictures on our computer was that they had a picture of an officer with “In Memory of Officer Gamali Kwasi Benjamin”. I remembered reading right here on CC about an officer who was shot and killed in St. Maarten not long before our cruise. I did an internet search after viewing my picture to see if the officer in the picture was him and it was. He was shot when responding to an armed robbery, becoming the first St. Maarten Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty. That happened in early August. Just a shame and very sad.

 

 

 

 

Just so senseless...RIP Officer Benjamin. :(

 

We eventually got to the pier where we’d get the water taxi. There was about a 15 minute wait until the next one would be leaving. While we waited, we walked down to Great Bay for some pictures, then back up to the boardwalk area for more.

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Great Bay and the boardwalk - Philipsburg continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Great Bay and the boardwalk - Philipsburg continued...

 

 

This is where we'd be getting on the water taxi

 

After getting a few pictures around the boardwalk area, we walked back over to the water taxi area. One had just arrived and was unloading passengers. Once we were allowed to start getting on, we boarded and found seats. Once the water taxi was loaded, we headed out toward the cruise center. During the ride, we got a lot of pictures as we left Philipsburg.

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Cruisin' on the water taxi ride continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Cruisin' on the water taxi ride continued...

 

 

 

 

When we arrived at the cruise center and got off the water taxi is when we paid. I’m pretty sure it was $7.00 per person. From there we walked into the cruise center.

 

There is a short walk from where we got off the water taxi back to the cruise center

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

We didn’t need to buy anything there except a Guavaberry Rum slushie. When we got to their little shop, we saw “K” and “J” from “that other” roll call. They had told us about the Guavaberry Rum slushies and how good they were. There were samples of the Guavaberry Rum slushies on the counter to try, so we each tried one and it IS very good. “J” and “K” were ordering and once their order was taken, we ordered ours. They came in a pink, plastic souvenir cup that we get to keep. I was so thirsty, so this was hitting the spot. I took it slow because I didn’t want “brain freeze”.

 

This is right outside the tent/kiosk where we got our Guavaberry Rum Slushies

 

The four of us walked over to the “Welcome to St. Maarten” sign and took turns getting pictures. Another couple stopped by and the guy asked if we’d like a picture of the four of us, we accepted, and he took several so we’d be sure to get a good one. I think “J” returned the favor for them. We knew we probably couldn’t take our drinks back on Liberty, so we just hung out there and talked until we finished them.

 

 

DH, me, "J" and "K" ("J" sent this to me and gave me his permission to use in my review)

 

“K” and “J” headed back to the ship since theirs were about finished. We still had a little more left than they did, so we let them know we’d catch up later. When we got the drinks down to a certain point, we took the rest with us and finished as we walked up the pier.

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

There were two gangplanks open that we could use with a bit of a line at each one, but they kept the lines moving quickly. They did have two gangplanks open in a few of the other ports, Barbados being one, but other than that I can’t remember. I guess it depends on how much of a line there is.

 

As we got back on, we were again allowed to “ding” our own Sail & Sign cards. We had been able to a few times on this cruise now. So, we get up to the front and I “dinged” my card (“ding”), put my beach bag, purchases, and camera through security, and walked through the metal detector. DH was right behind me. This would be our last “ding” of the Sail & Sign cards to board Liberty. Tomorrow we’d be back in San Juan, where we’d have to get off.

 

Always that feeling of sadness getting back on at the last port...where DID this week go? We saw and did a lot, much more so on this cruise than any other, but that time just flew! Exactly a week ago, we were on the beach at the Courtyard in Isla Verde, San Juan, anticipating our cruise like little kids on Christmas Eve. I'm sure that there was someone else, at that very moment, who would be on the September 27th Liberty sailing, staying at the Courtyard and enjoying the beach anticipating their cruise just as we had one week ago. Now our cruise is almost over. But, we still had one whole evening left on Liberty and we were determined to enjoy it.

We took the elevators to our cabin, where we were going to have the joyful task of packing, but first things first. DH went in first, jumped, and busted out laughing. When I got into the cabin, I could see the reason for his reaction. Kendrick had been at it again. The pictures will be explanation enough.

 

Now, how cool is this?!?!

 

Guess he needs a watch

 

A few pictures from our balcony while we were in the cabin

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

A couple more from our balcony - what a view

 

 

And one more of this guy..."Don't go anywhere, we'll be back"

 

We dropped our belongings off in the cabin, got a few pictures from our balcony, and headed straight up to the Lido Deck. DH was very hungry but me, not so much. I’d pass on a Guy Burger today. I was thirsty, so I ordered a beer from one of the bar waiters who came around to the table while DH was in line. When he returned, I got up and got an ice cream cone. I’d lost track of how many I self-serve ice cream cones I had, but who was counting? I sure as heck wasn’t, I’m on vacation.

 

Finally thought to take a picture

DH couldn’t believe I didn’t want a Guy Burger. I just wasn’t that hungry, even though I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I do believe the omelets are three eggs, but not positive, but it was a good sized omelet and was filling. I was also thirsty. We had water at the beach with us, but my throat was still dry. DH was making cracks about ice cream and beer and how appetizing it sounded. To mess with him a little (and gross him out), I'd eat some of the ice cream then wash it down with a nice, big sip of beer. While waiting for DH to eat his burger, I got a few pictures from the table we were at.

 

 

One of the lines for Guy's Burgers (it moves pretty fast)

[pghsteelerfan]

The other line at Guy's Burgers (there are two lines)

 

The Toppings Bar for Guy's Burgers

 

 

When DH was finished with his burger, we went over to the Red Frog to get a drink. I still had some beer, but was almost finished. Our favorite trio of bartenders were all there, Antonio, Joseph, and Winston. Antonio came over right away to take our order. DH told Antonio that since we started the cruise with “Funship Specials”, and that he would like to finish the cruise with “Funship Specials”. Even though they aren’t on special, they will make you one. Antonio told DH that yes, we could get “Funship Specials” and went to make them for us.

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I got a few pictures of the Red Frog and then asked if I could get a picture of the three of them. Antonio, Joseph, and Winston were happy to and each grabbed one of the “101 oz. Tubes” and post. The picture came out great. We really, really, really liked these guys. I also got a picture of our “Funship Specials”.

 

In both pictures, Antonio is on the left, Joseph in the middle, and Winston on the right. Great guys!

 

 

The final "Funship Specials" made by Antonio

 

Since it was getting very close to sail away time, we told the guys we’d see them later and got up to leave. Antonio called us back over and told us he just remembered something then asked DH if he was missing a lens cap to his camera. DH had lost it, somewhere, either the previous day or the day before. It’s a cover that just pops on and off the lens and is not attached by a little string. Antonio showed the cover to DH and it was his. DH asked him how he knew and Antonio explained that he’s seen it on the floor by the bar stools and held onto it. When he saw DH’s camera, he thought it might be DH’s and asked. He also told DH how he could get a little hole in it and attach a string so he wouldn’t lose it in the future. Great idea. We were both very appreciative.

 

We went up to Panorama Deck 10 and took the drinks with us. I finished the beer and then started on the “Funship Special”…whoa!!!! This is a STRONG one!!!

 

A few pictures right before we sailed out of St. Maarten

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Liberty sounded her horn and was moving away from the pier, right on schedule. I definitely wanted some pictures sailing out of St. Maarten this time. On our Valor cruise I had taken a lot of pictures during sail away from St. Maarten, only to get home and discover that the camera lens was dirty and there were smudges that pretty much ruined the pictures. This time I made sure the lens was clean and clear. We went to the back of Liberty for pictures. Once we sailed out far enough, we were able to see St. Barth’s. From the port (left) side, we could still see Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Kitts, although St. Kitts was half covered in clouds at this time. We found out from "J" afterwards that he had seen dolphins on the port (left) side of the ship when we were sailing out of St. Maarten. Unfortunately, we did not see them.

 

***When sailing out of St. Maarten, we found the best views were from the aft (back) of Liberty. From there you get a direct view of St. Maarten when leaving, but it is also convenient to go between the starboard (right) and port (left) side for pictures. The other islands can be seen from the port (left) side of the ship when leaving, although St. Barth’s can be clearly seen from the back, that is, if it’s clear***

 

Letting the pictures of our sail away from St. Maarten take over for a while...

 

Saba

 

St. Eustatius

 

St. Kitts in the distance

 

Yep, another one.

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing away from St. Maarten continued...

 

...and another one

 

 

Saba (right), St. Eustatius (middle) and St. Kitts (left)

 

Once we got out a little ways, we could finally see St. Barth's

 

This is the Divi Little Bay Resort where we had spent the day at the beach

 

Liberty's wake and St. Barth's

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing away from St. Maarten continued...

 

Divi Little Bay again

 

 

 

This is Divi Little Bay straight ahead and Great Bay over on the right, so we were pretty close to port

 

 

[SenatorsFan]

Hi Holly, I've just caught up with your beautiful red sunset and St. Maarten beach pictures. I would love to spend some time at that same resort enjoying that view everyday and watching the cruise ships. :) I do have a question for you: where you got your Guavaberry slushies do you remember if there was also a little stand serving coconut smoothies? That's one of the highlights of our last trip to St. Maarten. We had been to Maho and were hot and thirsty so we tried these non-alcoholic smoothies made from fresh coconuts, so refreshing and delicious. When we got back on board and told our oldest DS, who was 16 and hadn't come with us, about them, he decided he should go and have one (or two). :D I never see anyone on here mention them, so I wondered if they were still there? My DH and I say often when we're next in St. Maarten we will have one.

Thanks, Heather

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailing away from St. Maarten continued...

 

 

 

 

I'd love to visit here one day

 

 

Now that's a wake

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Hi Holly, I've just caught up with your beautiful red sunset and St. Maarten beach pictures. I would love to spend some time at that same resort enjoying that view everyday and watching the cruise ships. :) I do have a question for you: where you got your Guavaberry slushies do you remember if there was also a little stand serving coconut smoothies? That's one of the highlights of our last trip to St. Maarten. We had been to Maho and were hot and thirsty so we tried these non-alcoholic smoothies made from fresh coconuts, so refreshing and delicious. When we got back on board and told our oldest DS, who was 16 and hadn't come with us, about them, he decided he should go and have one (or two). :D I never see anyone on here mention them, so I wondered if they were still there? My DH and I say often when we're next in St. Maarten we will have one.

Thanks, Heather

 

Hi Heather,

 

I wish I could answer that but I'm not sure if they are still there or not. They really do sound good though. I didn't even look to see what else was there since we had our minds on the Guavaberry Rum slushies. There are a few other stands in that area and I just went through the rest of the St. Maarten pictures (the ones that I didn't add in the review) to see if I got any pictures of those little stands to see if I can make out if it was there, (and also attach for you), but I don't. One of the things that I forgot to get a picture of. I'll post the question in the next post though. The others that were on "that other" roll call with us are following and one of them may know. I have never seen anyone else mention those either.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing about the resort at Divi Little Bay when we were sailing out that it would be a great place to stay and watch the cruise ships coming in and leaving. I was wondering if the people we were talking to that were actually staying there were still on the beach and watching us leave. :)

 

Thank you again for following along and glad you're enjoying it. :)

 

Holly

Edited November 15, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

I just had a question that I'm not able to answer and need some help with. "J", "K", "L"...anyone else. At the cruise center in St. Maarten near where the Guavaberry Rum stand is, does anyone else know if there is still a place that sells Coconut Smoothies or even have a picture of the stands? Please feel free to answer or even post a picture. It would really be appreciated. Thanks!

[jb1677]

Thank you SOOOOO much for this wonderful review, I check in a few times a day to see your updates. The pictures are bringing back memories of cruises past and getting me more and more psyched for an upcoming cruise on Liberty!