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

[ABQrobin]

I think my video captures a bit of the glory of Uxmal...

 

At the beginning, when you hear us clap... that is because the temple was built with that odd opening in it. There is an ECHO that comes back out which sounds like the quetzal bird, the sacred bird of the Mayans. Listen carefully.

 

 

As I said, the ruins area is huge. It was a large city and central to this region which has numerous ruins as well as a sacred road that runs between them, all leading to Uxmal.

 

We hiked across a long field area with dozens of structures all around us.

 

 

Here is where the group climbed one of the pyramids.

 

 

Not all the structures are intact... many are still buried under the jungle, and some blocks have been uncovered and lay in piles all over the grounds.

 

One of the most intersting things about Uxmal is all the ornametation on the structures which is intact. It was quite intricate!

 

to be continued.....

[ABQrobin]

And of course.... there were iguanas of all sizes and colors everywhere!

 

 

[ABQrobin]

Then the group came back down and our guide told us to meet back at the bus at 3pm. Yeah, we had over an hour to explore on our own. Then... it happened... the skies opened up and rain came down. Hard.

 

The weather report had said there would be thunderstorms today, and we had heard thunder rumbling the whole tour. Now, we got to see the showers. Wow, did it RAIN! People were dashing off under trees and inside some structures. We tried to do the same, but we were so drenched it really didn't matter. We found a restroom about halfway back to the entry area, so we stopped there for a few minutes to use the facilities. The rain continued... We eventually made our way back to the shopping area as others followed us. Some went into the restaurant. We decided to shop as we knew we would have very little time back at the port. One small shop had a great selection of wooden carvings. Jackpot! We collect them and this is what we intended to buy. Our DS bought one too as he has started his own Mayan art collection. Prices were 1/4 of what they ask for the same type of thing in Cozumel! After making our purchases we went out to the walkway to sit and wait for 3pm, have a drink, and chat with others. Soon enough it was time to leave. Our bus pulled out at 3pm on the dot. The ride back went fast and soon we were parking right at the shopping area on the pier.

 

It was everything we had hoped for! And it was NOT crowded like Chichen Itza, we were the only 2 tour buses there, and maybe a dozen people who were there on their own. It was glorious. If you haven't been there, you must go. Wow wow wow! I shot still and video and Ron shot still photos.

 

more to come....

Edited September 6, 2016 by ABQrobin

[ABQrobin]

After returning to the ship, we all changed for dinner and headed down to the Golden YTD room. Dinner was decent, the Ports of Call were the best thing on the menu. DH got that and the chile relleno was HUGE and very good. He was pleased. Me and DS both thought our food was overcooked and dry.

 

After dinner we had decided to hit the main theatre show - "Motown with the Funk Factory". We weren't sure if this mean the whole show was the band, or if the dance/singers were joining them, but we were willing to give it a shot. DS wanted to stop at the Alchemy bar first for a drink to take with us. He was very impressed with the Alchemy staff and their knowledge.

 

The show --- Yeah, no dancers or awkward show. Dave and the Funk Factory were set up on the stage, and their lead singer, a real star in her own right but I can't remember her name. She announced that they were getting off the ship at our port so I am sorry that the rest of you will miss them. They were GOOD. Anyhow, the show consisted of songs from Motown, lots of good ones, the audience was singing along for every song... then they decided to do a Gladys Knight song but they needed "Pips" from the audience. Three men volunteered and came up. One guy turns out is a bit of a karoike addict and very very good. He knew all the songs, and got the other two men doing the dance. It was hysterical and he stole the whole show. The audience was up clapping for him as much as the band's singer. After that, they called up 3 women to do backup for an Aretha song. Nope, not good. So after that song was done... they called that guy back up and he and the lead singer did duets of several songs. They gave him a mike, and off he went. It was FANTASTIC.

That was by FAR the best show of the week in the main Theatre.

[ABQrobin]

After that show, we were off to the lobby to hang out and watch the Country girl duo, Those Girlz. They are very good, doing everything from old country western to modern songs, and both ladies can sing!

 

Tomorrow..... Sea Day!

 

Wednesday, we knew would be a rocky day. That tropical storm, soon to be a hurricane, was still churning out there and throwing thunderstorms and winds our way. The ship did rock a bit, and we had some intermittent showers, but it was mostly sunny and people were out on the Lido deck all day. They had the ice carving out there with no problems.

 

Lunch was typical, Guys was insanely busy, as was the Blue Iguana burrito and Mongollian Wok. Even the buffet had super long lines... because one whole buffet side was set up for the Chocolate Extravaganza. I must admit, I did endulge, and paid for it. I got 2 different cake slices and got hit with a sugar hangover from hell. I felt like crap the rest of the afternoon and ended up back at the room for a long nap.

 

Dinner... well, good but not great again. DH and DS both wanted steak and both said they were just okay, a bit tough and a bit overcooked. Both had the mussels for appetizer and said they were good. I got the Ports of Call appetizer of Pepper Pot soup and it was delicious. For dinner I went for the salmon again... yes, I had it twice during a 5-day cruise. I love salmon and don't get it often enough at home, so I endulge on a cruise. Desserts... we were all pretty burned out after the Chocolate buffet, so we each went for the fruit plate. Boring, I know.

 

We decided to give the Main Theatre Singer/Dancer show a shot again since the Fun Times said it was a Rock show. We decided if it was bad, we would cut out early and head to the Comedy Show to make sure we got seats for the show there. It was really bad.... and I hate to be mean but it really was BAD. The costumes were bad, goofy looking wigs that looked more like Halloween cheap junk, and dancers who didn't even know the steps. The guy singer was trying to do Elvis songs (is that really Rock?) and we got up and left. Bad, just all around bad.

 

The Comedy club was just wrapping up the previous show and I grabbed us a great table right in the middle. The Comedy Show started about the time our waiter delivered our drinks at 9:30pm sharp. Perfect. After the warning for anyone to get out if easily offended, the show started. Johnny Millwater was the comedian and he was great, IMHO. He was totally into it, and boy did he hit every ethnic group, every sexual preference, every religion. It was very funny but I am sure some of the audience was offended. Oh well, they were warned. I watched a couple at the table next to us and only saw them laugh once... just once. I felt a little bad for them. We liked the show. We had thought about staying for the next show, but knew we needed to finish packing.

[ABQrobin]

Debark day.... we did Self-Assist with our luggage and were off the ship and in the parking lot in 30 minutes max. It was smooth. We took the first bus back to Hobby airport and were home by 2pm. Easy and stress free.

 

 

Just some notes:

 

Cruise Director and Entertainment onboard.

 

Frankie was Not the best CD we have had on our past 4 cruises, but not bad. He is just not as High Energy as I would like. He was okay, got the job done, but a little boring. I understand he is new, and maybe he will grow into the part. Not a bad guy, just a bit low energy. His staff was around, a girl from England and a guy from Australia, I think. Both were funny and ran all the Trivia contests all over the ship. There was Trivia every day of the cruise, if you are into that. And the questions were tough! We have watched on other cruises and the questions were pretty easy, not these! I am sure there were other members of the staff, but we really didn't see them much. The whole CD crew seemed to be a bit low key. Maybe it is because this is just a 4-Day or 5-Day itinerary, so they feel people don't need it. Not sure. Either way..... if you LOVE Bingo, LOVE Trivia, Love live acoustic guitar and singers, Love sitting by the pool.... the Liberty is perfect for you.

 

Shows:

The Main Stage Entertainment -- where to begin. We normally love all the shows. This time we were disappointed. The show consists on one Male singer and one Female singer, with backup dancers. There is a live band, for our week it was Dave and the Funk Factory. The band was awesome, the rest were not. The dancers, 8 female and 4 male, struggled. They struggled with the choreography and staying in sync with each other. Some were tall, some were short, some were think, some were not. It just looked like a high school production. Costumes were horrible and cheap looking. The Male singer did good on some songs, and struggled with others. The female singer was very good but very stiff and awkward when trying to dance. It was really a hot mess. The choreography ranged from song to song - very good to very weak. And as I had mentioned, there were dancers who just could not perform some of the moves so they stuck out like sore thumbs. It just made you feel uncomfortable to watch them. I hate being so critical, but Carnival really dropped the ball with this show theme.

 

They did two shows, "A Wonderful World" and "Just Rock". Wow... both could have been great, but they weren't. One night the stage was taken over by the Live Band Funk Factory and their lead singer with a "Motown" show. THAT was very good. They pulled people out of the audience to do backup singing and dancing. One guy stole the show, so they let him stay up on the stage and sign a duet with the show singer. It was fantastic. This was great for one night, but would not work every night. Carnival needs to come up with better entertainment. We weren't the only ones dissappointed.

 

Comedy: We did catch the Comedian one night, Johnny Millwater, and he was hilarious! He did go R-rated, and very current with topics. I am sure some people in the audience were very offended, but they warn you at the beginning of the show. I think the Carnival Comedy Shows are fantastic.

 

Bars:

 

DS fell in love with the Alchemy Bar. He had worked as a bartender during college and so he knew the job. He said the staff there were fantastic and loved watching them make the drinks as well as chat with them about it. They made him one special concoction that he wants to make his signature drink at home.

 

The Jazz bar is located right across from the Alchemy and it was dead every night. It was pretty inside, but just not a happening place. I hope at the Liberty dry dock in December they put in a Red Frog Pub in that spot. It would work well with this crowd (most people on the ship are from Texas). A Jazz bar, with guitar music every night didn't work for this crowd.

 

Lobby bar; Always crowded, seats always full watching the entertainment. Lots of dancing on the dance floor, too. Those Girlz was there most nights, lots of two-stepping. Two other guys did guitar music there also, and they were both very good... once more country, one more classic rock.

 

Overall assessment of the Carnival Liberty 5-Day cruise

 

We had a BLAST. The only hiccup in the whole operation start to finish was that stage show disaster. The crew was fantastic, our room steward was fantastic, our waitstaff was fantastic, and our Captain kept us safe from the storm! Live music - Country, Acoustic, Bands - all Fantastic! Shore excursions - Fantastic! Would we do this ship and itinerary again - ABSOLUTELY!

 

 

[CruzerDeb]

Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. I definitely need to add Progresso to my list of ports to visit!

[ABQrobin]

Glad you are enjoying the report!

 

Uxmal is definitely worth visiting!

 

MY hubby finally finished downloading his photos of Uxmal. He climbed the big pyramid at the back, just before the rain hit. Here are a few of his photos:

 

 

looking up

 

 

looking out over the site from the top

 

 

the ball court, looking through the ring

 

some of the intricate designs at the top of that pyramid he climbed

 

continued....

[ILCruzr]

Great review! We sail on the Liberty Thanksgiving weekend and I can't wait. I like the conquest class of ships....and after sailing on the Valor last year (wont even mention the Royal Caribbean cruise), Im craving blue iguana!

[JaniceB]

Great review!

[chezelle95]

Great Review! Thank you!

[shallow1]

Thank you for the review and great pics!!! Looks like you all had a great cruise!!! We always book Mr. Sancho's but my DH was wanting to do a boat cruise and this seems like a good one!!!!

[easyboy]

Very nice review. Love the photos!