Liberty 3-day review with pictures and Fun Times

[CruisinCrow]

We got off Liberty a week ago (November 8th cruise) and I finally finished and posted my review.  Here is the link: https://susancrow.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-suite-life-on-carnival-liberty.html

 

I also posted the Fun Times here: https://susancrow.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

 

This was our second cruise on Liberty and overall, we had a really good time. I have more pictures that weren't included in the link which I will add in a bit.  I'll also write up some general comments about embarkation, food, entertainment, etc.

 

I hope you enjoy reading along.  I'll be glad to answer any questions that I can.

[CruisinCrow]

More pictures of our cabin

 

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

Food Stuff

 

Guy's Burgers

 

 

These girls in the Lido buffet were so cute (the cakes looked pretty good too)

 

Tacos from Blue Iguana Cantina

 

Braised rabbit appetizer

 

Seared tuna appetizer

[CruisinCrow]

Serenity area

 

 

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

Around the ship

 

Atrium

 

Casino

 

Alchemy Bar

 

Skybox Bar

 

Theater

 

 

[OSUcruiser]

We leave in January!  Thanks for the review!   You mentioned that some were dressed up for elegant night.  Did you see casual in the dining room too?   For just a 3 day get-a-way, we were hoping to limit the packing a bit.  Our last 3 day on NCL was casual.

 

Thanks!

[CruisinCrow]

2 hours ago, OSUcruiser said:

We leave in January!  Thanks for the review!   You mentioned that some were dressed up for elegant night.  Did you see casual in the dining room too?   For just a 3 day get-a-way, we were hoping to limit the packing a bit.  Our last 3 day on NCL was casual.

 

Thanks!

 

It depends on what you mean by casual.  I don't think I saw any shorts in the dining room, everyone was following the dress code.  But there's a wide range.  I felt comfortable with what I was wearing, neither over or under dressed.  Our last 3-day was on NCL too and there were more cocktail dresses on Carnival, but I mostly noticed it later in the evening and around the Promenade area where the photographers were.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

Edited November 19, 2018 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

Here are some final comments/observations about the cruise.

 

Embarkation - They used the new check-in process where the staff scans your passport and takes your picture with an iPad-type device.  There was some problem getting my picture taken and the staff had to try three times before they got a photo. Really, I didn't look that bad!  Once on board, we used our boarding pass to charge for things until the cabins were available at 1:30.  Our keys were waiting for us in an envelope in our cabin mailbox.  I thought the new process was fine although it was a bit inconvenient to have to carry around the boarding passes.  Also, I think it confused a lot of people.  When we were at Guest Services adding our gift cards to our account, I heard 5 or 6 people ask how they could charge things without their Sea Pass card. I already knew about the new process from Cruise Critic but a little more explanation at check-in would probably be helpful.

 

Cabin - Our luggage was waiting in front of our cabin at 1:30 so we could unpack right away, which was nice.  Our cabin steward Hery and his assistant Ni did a great job.  We saw both of them several times and they always left plenty of towels and ice.  We had towels animals each day.  I loved the suite.

 

Dining - We had Your Time Dining, which was held in the Golden Olympian dining room. As I mentioned in the review, I'm not a big fan of the new menus.  On the bright side, the food was always the right temperature and came out quickly so we weren't waiting long between courses. The first two nights we went to dinner early and the dining room wasn't full yet. But the last night we didn't get to the dining room until around 7 and there was a half-hour wait. They gave us a pager to let us know when the table was ready.  The tacos at Blue Iguana Cantina were great.  We only ate at the buffet for breakfast.  Lines could get long due to the buffet layout but there was enough seating.  We liked the outdoor tables around the aft pool.

 

Cheers - We didn't get the Cheers package. We would have if we could have gotten it just for my husband but I don't drink enough to make it worthwhile for both of us.  The package would have cost $358.45 (if we'd purchased it in advance).  After the cruise, I totaled our drinks charges including my husband's soda package and they came to $241.85.  So we saved over $100 by paying by the drink. Your mileage may vary.

 

Bar Service - Slow. The bartenders tried hard but they couldn't keep up. Also, I was disappointed with the Alchemy Bar.  I loved the Alchemy Bar on Victory so I was really looking forward to it.  But when we went there, I told the bartender what I wanted (a chocolate martini with a little bit of spicy vodka, which I'd had on Victory) and first he looked at me like it was disgusting. Then he told me, "we don't have that."  That was it. The point of the Alchemy Bar is for the mixologists to come up with drinks based on your likes. This guy didn't even try to offer an alternative. We came back the next night when there were two women bartenders and they were much better but I just stuck with the menu.

 

Cruise Director - I usually don't pay much attention to the cruise director but I guess I noticed her this time because I was expecting Donkey to be the CD.  I thought Kyndall was very good. She had a lot of energy and we saw her everywhere, including saying goodbye at debarkation.

 

Debarkation - We did the Express Debarkation, which started around 7:15 and went very smoothly. 

 

Grade - B+  I mentioned some complaints but overall, it was a very nice cruise.  We especially loved the comedy shows, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

 

If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer if I can.

[Salem615]

We stayed in the suite on our cruise in October. I am afraid it was a bad idea as now that is the only way I want to cruise! I loved the room and the extra space and the shower/tub combo was great. 

 

We do not do the cheers package either. Neither of us are big drinkers. We do not drink specialty coffees and my husband usually likes a few beers or the drink of the day. I usually have a couple of cocktails and I'm set. 

 

[CruisinCrow]

20 minutes ago, Salem615 said:

We stayed in the suite on our cruise in October. I am afraid it was a bad idea as now that is the only way I want to cruise! I loved the room and the extra space and the shower/tub combo was great. 

 

Yes, I'm afraid I'm spoiled now.   I'm trying to figure out if we can swing it for our Bermuda cruise next year.  We didn't really need the space in the main area for such a short trip, but the big bathroom and vanity was great.

[laststop]

Is that the new cake area that I've seen people talking about? Is it just part of the buffet area?

[CruisinCrow]

16 minutes ago, laststop said:

Is that the new cake area that I've seen people talking about? Is it just part of the buffet area?

 

That's just part of the buffet.

[CruisinCrow]

I just uploaded my review of our Bites of Nassau tour.  Here's a link: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/2018/11/bites-of-nassau-experiencing-bahamas.html

 

It's a great tour for people who have never been to Nassau before because it gives you a nice overview of the history and architecture of the area.  And it's a great tour for people who have been to Nassau two dozen times, like us, because it's something different than the usual beaches and day passes.  Plus the food is delicious. 

[dmtiern]

Thank you for the insightful review & pics! Trying to talk my sister into the Bites of Nassau tour for our December cruise... think your pics & detailed description will help! 🙂

[CruisinCrow]

10 minutes ago, dmtiern said:

Thank you for the insightful review & pics! Trying to talk my sister into the Bites of Nassau tour for our December cruise... think your pics & detailed description will help! 🙂

 

Thanks!  We really enjoyed the tour.  After you book, they contact you to see if you have any special allergies or food you don't eat, then they can substitute dishes for you, if needed.  We did the 11:30 tour so it would coincide with lunchtime.  I thought for the length of the tour and the amount of food, it was well worth it. 

 

We'll have to try their other tour (the food and cocktail tour) another time.

[kelbell]

That was a fabulous review, Thank you!!  We will be on her Dce 9th, first time!!

Do you have any pictures of the room service menu by chance?

[CruisinCrow]

5 minutes ago, kelbell said:

That was a fabulous review, Thank you!!  We will be on her Dce 9th, first time!!

Do you have any pictures of the room service menu by chance?

 

No, sorry I don't.  But someone posted them on this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2600514-liberty-4-day-menus/?tab=comments#comment-56091710  Scroll down towards the bottom.

 

[kelbell]

Thank you, I loved your web page! Very informative.

[CruisinCrow]

3 minutes ago, kelbell said:

Thank you, I loved your web page! Very informative.

 

Thank you!  I have fun with it.