Carnival Liberty - Family trip, Aug 27th-Sept 1

[ABQrobin]

My first trip report..... so here goes!

Carnival Liberty..... 5-day out of Galveston

 

A little about us. Me (60) and DH (52), just started cruising 2 years ago. We have traveled quite a bit, my hubby is retired AF, so we lived in many states, overseas, and love love love to travel. We are both scuba divers, water lovers, and foodies. This was our son's first cruise, he is 28 and an EMS in Houston. It took us forever to convince him to go.... more on that later.

 

Day 1, Saturday: Embarkation

 

We flew into Houston Hobby airport and arrived at 9:50am, grabbed the first Carnival shuttle bus, and off we were to Galveston. We had picked the 11-noon checkin time and arrived just before noon. We only had to wait in line for 15 minutes before we were checked in. The ship was already being boarded by the Priority groups, so we were soon to follow. Onboard the ship, we climbed the stairs up to Lido for lunch.

 

This ship is basically the same as our two previous cruises on the Freedom and Glory. They all had the 2.0 upgrades of Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana Burrito bar, and the Fish N'Chips upstairs from the buffets. We all grabbed lunch, either Guy's or Mongollian Wok, and lines were getting crazy. After eating, we grabbed our carryons and went down to deck 7 to see if our rooms might be ready. It was 1pm, and we saw that the room stewards were working down the hall, so we ducked into our rooms. Yeah, ready! We dropped our carry on bags, and off we went to explore the ship before the mandatory Muster drill.

 

As I said, this ship is same class as the Freedom and Glory.... but the decor of each ship is different. The Freedom decor drove me crazy, it was a paisley swirl purple and green nightmare from the 60s, like an acid trip gone bad. The Glory was very light and Nautical theme with sailboat and ship ropes and anchors everywhere. This ship, the Liberty, is now my favorite. It is top to bottom decorated like a European garden... lattices and green leaf designs, stonework like castles, glasswork like Murano glass in a mosaic of colors. I absolutely love it, and couldn't quit looking up and around every corner, every table, every wall. Just lovely. The Theater was of special note -- if you have every been to Venice, you will be dazzled! It was Venetian masks and spirals and glass chandaliers of multicolors. Wow. Nice job, Carnival.

 

After yet again, a horrible Muster Drill... why can't people just go and get it done in 20 minutes rather than forcing everyone to wait on them? Uggh. The Sailaway began, and we headed down to our rooms to freshen up for dinner. We were assigned to the Golden Dining Room, Your-Time-Dining. Dinner was fantastic and we had the BEST serving team ever. More about those guys later. After dinner we went to check out the music around the ship. This was a HUGE improvement over the crap entertainment in Alaska on the Legend. We had a Country girl duo, two different guys playing acoustic guitar, a rock band, a funk bank, and a latino duo, as well as the steeldrum pool band. Wow, it was going to be a great 5 days of music!

[ABQrobin]

Continued.....

 

 

photos

at the dock in Galveston

 

Lobby

 

 

Pool

 

more to come...

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

 

 

The Itinerary...

DAy 1: Sea Day

Day 2: Cozumel

Day 3: Progreso

Day 4: Sea Day

Day 5: return to Galveston

 

WE picked this itinerary for a few reasons:

1. Our son lives in Houston, so it was easy for him, and as I said, getting him to go was a chore

2. He could only take 5 days off work in a row

3. We all are Mayan junkies... and Progreso gave us a chance to see Uxmal

4. When our son was younger, we all used to go to Cozumel to scuba dive every year, he was 12 when he got certified. He hasn't been back there since he turned 17 and decided traveling with the parents was boring. He misses Cozumel now and wanted to go back and at least snorkel.

 

We picked for excursions:

The Fury Catamaran Snorkel and Beach Party in Cozumel

Uxmal Ruins tour in Progreso

 

to be continued....

[ABQrobin]

Day 2, Sunday: Sea Day

 

Relax....... Relax.............Relax

 

Since this was the DS first cruise, we weren't sure if he would enjoy it. He is not the most social butterfly. BUT to our surprise, he loved the ship and thought it was interesting.

 

When we got up this morning, we found him up on Deck 10 smoking area, sitting in a chair staring out at the ocean. He said he was in love. The fresh air, the sea, the quiet .... heck, it was 6:30am. Yeah, we are all early risers and love to get up early every day, even when on vacation. We all grabbed cups of coffee, and enjoyed a half hour sitting there in the quiet... then we headed down to the buffet for breakfast.

 

Note; I am a big tea drinker and always loved that brown box of teas set out on the table next to the coffee machines. Gone! No more teas. All they have now is Green Tea and Lipton. Uggghhh. I asked, they said no more. Bummer. I should have brought some good stuff, like Earl Grey or Darjeeling, or French Blend...

 

After breakfast, we all decided to walk around and relax. It was a Sea Day afterall. We spent time at the pool area, and also down in the lounges listening to music. Lunch was good again, can't even remember what we ate but we were all satisfied.

 

Dinner.... YTD, there early again and our wait team from the night before were standing in line at the door waving to us. Pointing at their section. Wow. Never had this happen before...waiters who loved us, and wanted us again.

 

After dinner we did go to the Theater to see the show by the Liberty Performers. Wow... that was bad. The bad accompaning them was good, Dave and the Funk Factory, but that is where the talent ended. It was a painfully bad hour show. What's worse, but the time the show ended we had to run to the opposite end of the ship for the first Comedy show, and arrived just as the last seat was taken. We won't make that mistake again! Oh well. We instead went back out to the Lobby to see the Those Girlz, Country duo, perform, and then the Hispanola latin duo. Both were fantastic.

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

Dinner on the first Sea Day was Cruise Elegant. American Feast.

 

On the 5-day cruises now, no lobster on the Main menu.. but you could order lobster tail on the Steakhouse selection for $20. We all enjoyed our food though. Of note to me was my appetizer - the seared scallops with risotto. Wow, that was delicious. Me and son both got the glazed duck as our entree, and it was good. DH got the grilled shrimp and was a bit disappointed with the amount of shrimp. He said it could have used twice as many.

 

I have some food photos but haven't gotten to them yet. I will add them on when I do.

[ABQrobin]

continued.....

 

 

First port, Cozumel.

 

We have been to Cozumel for 15+ years on weeklong vacations, it is a favorite destination for us. Diving brought us there the first time, but even on a cruise we enjoy the island. It is lovely and the people are so warm.

 

We had booked the Fury Catamaran excursion through Carnival. It fit our needs this time. Our DS wanted to snorkel, and we all wanted to relax on a beach. Perfect.

 

ship arrived on time, we were off and met at the end of the pier.

 

from there the group was show the way to the boat, which was waiting for us.

 

 

it is a huge catamaran, with a sunny deck area, and a covered seating area. Plenty of shade for people like me. Tables and seats, great for holding our drinks which were served immediately as we signed in on the roster. Sodas and water flowed all the way to the snorkel spot.

 

 

to be continued...

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

After the safety briefing, everyone was encouraged to get in, either from jumping off the side, or by the stairs.

 

People who were new to snorkeling or nervous, were given an additional float to hold onto, in addition to the mandatory snorkel vests provided.

 

 

some went off the side, like my crazy DH and DS.

most went down the stairs... like me.

 

a guide pulled a large white bouy for everyone to follow. Other staff were in the water to help snorkelers and point out things. A photographer was also there getting great shots of everyone.

[ABQrobin]

 

I only snorkeled about 20 minutes, it was really good, but my knee was bothering me (injury that hasn't healed completely). I got onboard and started shooting photos and video of everyone.

 

 

The boat had the propellers turning at all times, since Cozumel has current, and everyone was drifting wth it. That way the boat can move with the group, and is never far away.

 

After about 40 minutes, people started returning to the boat.

 

 

 

Masks and fins were very good quality and new. The snorkels were just the simple tube.

 

After everyone was onboard.... we motored down to the Fury private beach.... and the bar opened. The staff were pouring beers and margaritas and walking around handing them out. No kidding, you had to take a cup! They had sodas and water up at the counter also. As soon as you finished one cup, someone was next to you handing you another. All the way to the beach....

[ABQrobin]

and then.... we were there. Fury Beach.

 

 

We were to be at the beach for 90 minutes... all beach toys included in the price, all hammocks and chairs included in the price. And all BAR items included. The only thing not included was the burger ($11) or a massage.

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

 

And here is the funny thing.... my hubby said he thought the beach might be boring. LOL He was an animal and had to get on every beach toy! He only came out of the water long enough to grab a beer twice, then right back in.

 

I was shocked...

 

 

 

a member of the Fury staff sat in a chair, by the waterfront to watch for safety.

another guy was in a kayak out in the water watching everyone.

I was impressed.

 

 

and there he goes..... again

[ABQrobin]

continued..... about half the people were in the water, on the toys. The other half sat in the shade.

 

 

 

lots of tables, chairs, hammocks, and beds!

 

 

uuhhh.... and there he goes again....

[ABQrobin]

The bar....there is a tip jar, but sodas, water, beer, and more margaritas are all free.

 

 

 

FOOD

there is a grill, burgers, toppings, pasta salad, salad... $11

 

 

 

And then my DH even tried the standup paddle board. He said he would never do that.... LOL

 

 

after 90 minutes, we were all herded back to the boat.

[ABQrobin]

Burgers were huge, so me and DS split one.

 

 

 

 

the cruise back to the Liberty included loud music, dancing... and more booze. Or sodas and water. And dancing.

 

 

 

MY VIDEO:

[JaniceB]

Great review, sounds like a great time.

 

Looking for a Cozumel excursion, I may have to try the Fury.

[ABQrobin]

Great review, sounds like a great time.

 

Looking for a Cozumel excursion, I may have to try the Fury.

 

No kidding.... all we heard onboard the boat on the way back to the Liberty was how much everyone LOVED the excursion. Several people we talked to, all age groups, said they had been to Cozumel multiple times and this was their favorite. One couple said they would never do another excursion in Cozumel again, this was their go-to excursion from now on, and they do this itinerary multiple times a year.

 

We thought the price was a bit high before we did this, but honestly, we all agreed it was well worth the price. The snorkeling, the boat ride, the beach, the beach toys and unlimited drinks all add up if you are doing it on your own. I can't see how you could really do it for that price. And FUN. The CREW was the best. Everyone was 100% attentive to everyone's needs, from the little kid to the older guests, those afraid of the water, to those waterbabies and beach babies. Great crew.

[Clarea]

Very nice photos, thanks!

[ly26]

Did you book both excursions through Carnival or private tours?

Thanks!

[ABQrobin]

Did you book both excursions through Carnival or private tours?

Thanks!

 

We booked both through Carnival. There were similar options with private companies but not exactly. These worked best for us.

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

 

We got back to the pier before 2pm, so we went back onboard the ship to change to dry clothes and grab money for shopping. In less than 30 minutes we were back out at the Puerta Maya shopping area. It was hot, but it wasn't crowded yet with those returning from excursions. We shopped for about an hour, our DS found a few gifts for friends, and we were back onboard in plenty of time.

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued...

[ABQrobin]

continued....

 

 

We were back onboard, and watching all the pier runners from my balcony at time to depart. Of course, there were a few dozen stragglers that had to be run out of the shopping area by staff so they could go home. Sheesh.

 

Dinner tonight... Good food, of note was the Lamb shank which my DS said was the best lamb he has every had anywhere. We were all quite exhausted so after dinner we spent just a little while in Lobby listening to music then off to bed.

 

Tomorrow..... UXMAL ruins!!!!!!

[ABQrobin]

As we left Cozumel.... the thunder and lightning started. Rain and wind and the ship actually got tossed around a bit. The Captain announced that we had a storm to go through for a while to stay off the outdoor walkways.

 

 

And we were treated to a spectacular sunset as we passed Cancun to our west.

 

[hott_michelle2001]

Great review so far! There just aren't enough recent reviews on the liberty out of Galveston for this itinerary. We're cruising in 60 days and can't wait

[ABQrobin]

Great review so far! There just aren't enough recent reviews on the liberty out of Galveston for this itinerary. We're cruising in 60 days and can't wait

 

We LOVED the ship. We hadn't seen that many photos of it so weren't sure what to expect. It was beautiful.

 

The staff was the best of any ship we have been on so far (our 5th cruise).

 

The itinerary.... great excursions. Uxmal has been a goal for us for years, and we thought we would have to do a land-based vacation to see it. Then we found this cruise and it was just what we wanted. We might even do it again next year.

[EZcruiserfamily]

What a beautiful sunset! Its great to read that people still have fun on their cruises :D Thanks for sharing!!

[ABQrobin]

Tuesday:

 

One of the reasons we picked this cruise was the fact that it went to Progreso, a tiny fishing town on the western tip of the Yucatan. This meant that excursions to various Mayan ruins were available to us, and we were dying to go to Uxmal. We had been to Chichen Itza several years ago while vacationing in Cozumel, so Uxmal was our choice of excursion.

 

The ship docked right on time, and we headed down to the gangway with another 2000+ people. It only took 10 minutes to get off the ship and our excursion sign was right next to the gangway. We lined up, and they head counted over and over until everyone was there. Then they walked us through the shopping mall area right to a bus. It was a gorgeous bus, big and new, and had A/C. Yeah. We were all handed a water bottle and a bag lunch as we got on. The bag had a banana, a small cheese and ham sandwich and a package of cookies. No biggie, just a snack on the way to the ruins.

 

The bus then proceeded down the long pier which is really more of a road for 4+ miles, through the town, and off to the highway. Uxmal is one hour and 45 minutes south of the cruise dock.

 

Here is a map showing the area, I drew the line from the port, Progreso up top, down to the Uxmal area.

 

 

Words and photos really can't do this place justice! Uxmal is huge and we covered at least a mile walking.

 

Here is my video:

 

 

more photos to follow....