Liberty 3/18 review - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

[berryberry]

This was our 7th cruise but first on Carnival. Previously had been on HAL, Disney, NCL and the Big Red Boat. Family of 3 and I tell it like it is - so as I used to say on the HAL boards, cheerleaders beware

 

Anyway, let me make this clear up front - we choose a cruise based on the itenary and the porst are very important to us. cruising is a means to an end. I realize for some folks, the ship is the destination but not for us. I respect the views of those who cruise solely for the ship, the drinks, the casino, etc so I hope you respect the my views who cruises primarily for the ports

 

With that said, we chose this cruise because we wanted to take a trip thru the Panama Canal, visit Costa Rica and enjoy some beach time in Mexico. 3 ports in 8 days is a bit sparse for our taste but this was the best option.

 

The Good:

 

1. The ship is not yet a year old and very impressive

2. The food was excellent and the portions quite good (and I am a big eater). A couple nights at dinner our waiter coaxed me into ordering 2 dinners (like Lobster and prime rib). Ok, he didn't have to twist my arm - but this was the first waiter we had who actually suggested this on his own.

3. Our waiters were excellent

4. The lido food was also very good, from pizza to burgers to the deli to the fish and chips to omelets in the morning - well you get the picture

5. Music Society band was excellent

6. The production shows were good

7. Al Ernst, the one comedian was excellent

8. Camp Carnival evening activities for 12-14 year olds were good according to my daughter

 

The Bad:

 

1. The chair hogs were out in full force all week.

2. The activities during the day were quite lacking (unless you wanted to be in the casino, or sucking up drinks on deck, there really wasn't a whole lot going on)

3. The big screen was underutilized IMO - especially during the day. I am sure people would have enjoyed seeing a concert (shown at night) or even the NCAA tourney (since games were taking place many days of our trip) instead of waterfalls and fish constantly

4. The band on deck was poor

5. Three nights the entertainment consisted of audience participation - which while somewhat entertaining, was too much

 

The Ugly:

 

1. The other comedian / juggler - Howard Mincone just plain sucked

2. Missing Costa Maya and not providing a reasonable alternative. I understand weather can impact a port - but Costa Maya is frequently missed due to its port not being protected - so to not have a good alternatvie (Belize, a 2nd day in Costa Rica, etc) was very poor planning on Carnival's part especially for an 8 day cruise already light on ports

3. A 3 hour power blackout where the ship was adrift

4. Getting in late to Panama - causing several hundred people to miss thier boat trip excursion thru the canal. This one in my mind was completely inexcusable and ruined the trip for us. What made it even more galling is the way Carnival handed it (completely unorganized in refunding and rebooking tours that AM) and the fact that in leaving Panama, the captain covered the same distance from Costa Rica to Panama in about 6 hours - but he couldn't get to port in time with over 12 hours to get there

 

That about sums it up. I don't think I would recommend Carnival to others after this experience as compared to our others. Just my honest opinion - and while I am sure some will take umbrage with it, I hope other finds it beneficial.

 

If you are the type of cruiser who doesn't care about ports, and enjoys simply being on a ship at the pool or casino - then the Liberty is for you - as in that regard, it stacks up quite well. But if you are looking for lots of daily activities and getting to the ports as advertised, there are better alternatives IMO

[da1425]

Thanks for a great, well-balanced review. I'm sure everyone on here can sympathize with the fact that you missed Costa Maya and had your Panama canal exursion cancelled...it really must put a damper on your trip, but it's good to see you still did enjoy your time as best you could.

 

I hope you have better luck next time!

[LouLou921]

Thanks for the review. I am taking this same cruise in January of 2007.

I am getting worried about the Costa Maya port. Maybe it's time to replace that stop with something else. I enjoy being on the ship, but don't know if I could handle another day at sea.

[TennisLover]

I also took this Liberty itinerary -- I was on in February. My review is also mixed.

 

Ship was nice and new. I've been on Valor and Conquest, so this didn't seem different at all.

 

Food was ok; our waiter wasn't so good; the asst waiter was great (she was the hardest worker in the dining room).

 

Cabins were fine, steward gets kudos too.

 

Music Society was great (but too much for every night); piano bar sing-along was awful - I would find out who the piano player is before I book another cruise with Carnival. If it's Duane, forget it.

 

I also wondered why there wasn't more shown on the big screen by the pool. We were on board during the olympics, at which time even curling beat watching fish swim around.

 

We made it to all our ports, and I'm sorry the original poster missed the Panama Canal excursion. That was the highlight of the week. Wouldn't have minded skipping Costa Maya (maybe I didn't plan right -- I didn't find CC until after I got back).

 

Even though I love sea days, an 8 day cruise with only 3 ports isn't really enough for me. It's not like we were cruising from LA to Hawaii, which requires more sea time.

 

I still had a great vacation, but not like my previous trips. My lesson for next time: figure out the most important thing to me (and my family) -- whether it is the ports, the entertainment, etc. -- then do a better job researching ahead of time. Wd definitely need a change of scenery next trip - so we've booked Royal Caribean. We'll see how we like that.

 

Now that I found these message boards and all this great information, I have no excuse for next time.

[baandbb]

We were on the same Liberty cruise, and I agree with your opinion. We traveled with six other people and all of us are seasoned cruisers. However this was our first Carnival Cruise. The reason we choose this cruise was the itenary. The Panama Canal was our main objective and would have been the highlight for us. We were on the tour that was cancelled and by the time we found out the ship would not make it into port it was too late to rebook because all the other tours were taken. We wanted the beaches in Costa Maya and never got to see them either.

 

I agree with your review, Good, Bad and Ugly.

 

As I mentioned we traveled with six others and being with them made our cruise enjoyable.

 

We will not cruise with Carnival again. We have sailed with Princess, Celebrity, NCL and Royal Caribbean. We will go back to Celebrity or Princess and leave Carnival for others to experience.

 

baandbb

[craigtompkins]

I thank you for your quality review, but I do have a question. If the ports are the most important thing for you, why did you pick one with only 3 ports? Ports are the most important thing to me as well. We sail on the Liberty Saturday. 8 days with 5 ports and I wish there were more.

[berryberry]

Thanks for a great, well-balanced review. I'm sure everyone on here can sympathize with the fact that you missed Costa Maya and had your Panama canal exursion cancelled...it really must put a damper on your trip, but it's good to see you still did enjoy your time as best you could.

 

I hope you have better luck next time!

 

Thanks - I appreciate comments and that of the others as well

[berryberry]

I thank you for your quality review, but I do have a question. If the ports are the most important thing for you, why did you pick one with only 3 ports? Ports are the most important thing to me as well. We sail on the Liberty Saturday. 8 days with 5 ports and I wish there were more.

 

Thanks - and good question. Part of it was timing - both my daughter and I are off for spring break between 3/18 and 4/1 - so it had to fit that time frame.

 

Plus we have been to many of the typical places in the Eatsern and Western Carribbean - so Panama and Costa Rica really appealed to us. I was a bit leery about 3 ports in 8 days as that is sparse for our taste - and I do wish I could have done your itenerary of 5 ports in 8 days - but alas, the timing was just not right

[sinkers22]

I also took this Liberty itinerary -- I was on in February. My review is also mixed.

 

Ship was nice and new. I've been on Valor and Conquest, so this didn't seem different at all.

 

Food was ok; our waiter wasn't so good; the asst waiter was great (she was the hardest worker in the dining room).

 

Cabins were fine, steward gets kudos too.

 

Music Society was great (but too much for every night); piano bar sing-along was awful - I would find out who the piano player is before I book another cruise with Carnival. If it's Duane, forget it.

 

I also wondered why there wasn't more shown on the big screen by the pool. We were on board during the olympics, at which time even curling beat watching fish swim around.

 

We made it to all our ports, and I'm sorry the original poster missed the Panama Canal excursion. That was the highlight of the week. Wouldn't have minded skipping Costa Maya (maybe I didn't plan right -- I didn't find CC until after I got back).

 

Even though I love sea days, an 8 day cruise with only 3 ports isn't really enough for me. It's not like we were cruising from LA to Hawaii, which requires more sea time.

 

I still had a great vacation, but not like my previous trips. My lesson for next time: figure out the most important thing to me (and my family) -- whether it is the ports, the entertainment, etc. -- then do a better job researching ahead of time. Wd definitely need a change of scenery next trip - so we've booked Royal Caribean. We'll see how we like that.

 

Now that I found these message boards and all this great information, I have no excuse for next time.

 

I guess, to each his own. We had a ball with Duane when he was on the Legend in 2003. I was disappointed to see he was on the Liberty now and hope that the new Piano Player in Billie's Bar is as much fun as he was. We closed the Billie's every night on our last Legend cruise.

[martdm]

Sorry the itinerary changes turned out to be such a disappointment for you - like you the ship is not the destination for us so much as the ports. I can certainly understand the enthusiasm to see Panama Canal, especially after missing Costa Maya.

 

While it would be great for the ship to have found an alternate port to Costa Maya, my understanding is that such arrangements are not always possible on the fly due to conditions such as proximity, quantity of ships in port, etc. Certainly we all know when we book a cruise that any schedules might be altered and any ports might be missed and that is the gamble we all choose to take. In fact, I'm really gambling, given the high rate of inability to dock, that we'll make it to Costa Maya in a few weeks since the tour of the ruins was the primary reason we booked. Hope it pays off but I know and accept the risk.

 

As for the Panama Canal, it seems obvious that the technical problems or residuals of it determined how fast the ship could get to Panama and to say it was an inexcusable act seems to imply that there was some malice intended. Have you considered that going faster might have been a safety issue or might have caused a repeat of the power outage due to a systems overload? Had the ship not proceeded with caution, it's possible it might not have made it to Panama at all. I assume additional work was done while in port to repair/test systems, allowing the ship to regain full speed back to FLL. You don't truly believe it was done just to mess up everyone's plans, do you?

 

Again, I'm very sorry your itinerary ended up so disappointing. I certainly would be frustrated myself if my plans for two ports ended up not coming to fruition for whatever reasons. I'm not a huge fan of sea days and think I would feel the same as you did if I ended up with that many. I hope your next trip is more successful! Thanks for sharing such a balanced account of your trip!

[salty dingo]

It's a real bummer about the late port arrival. I agree it could not be helped, though. Probably, after the power failure, the ship's systems were not up to full power; thus, the slower speed.

 

Good point about the backup plan for Costa Maya being missed. Perhaps when Cozumel is back up to full speed, that can be an option.

 

Every experienced cruiser knows that the cruise line can make no guarantees about reaching the intended ports. I have to feel a little sorry for people who are so gung-ho on the ports where, if the port is missed or late, the cruise experience is ruined. Folks, you are setting yourselves up for disappointment. If the ports are what counts, go there and stay there more time than the few hours a ship allows.

 

That's probably the biggest complaint I see here; where unforeseen and uncontrollable events cause distress for passengers. If these passengers prepared in advance for the possibility of missing the ports, they would either choose another vacation besides a cruise, or just accept their fate with the happiness that just being on a cruise ship brings.

[PaulMedik]

berryberry,

 

 

Thank you for posting your review.

 

I'm more of a 'the ship is my destination' type, but I share your sentiments regarding an alternate port stop if Costa Maya is missed due to weather given that it's the only port stop with a beach visit as an option.

 

Did the late arrival into Panama also affect the Two Oceans by Railroad excursion or are you familiar with that? What did you find to do in Panama after missing your excursion?

[berryberry]

berryberry,

 

 

Thank you for posting your review.

 

I'm more of a 'the ship is my destination' type, but I share your sentiments regarding an alternate port stop if Costa Maya is missed due to weather given that it's the only port stop with a beach visit as an option.

 

Did the late arrival into Panama also affect the Two Oceans by Railroad excursion or are you familiar with that? What did you find to do in Panama after missing your excursion?

 

Paul - thanks. No, the Two Oceans by railroad excursion was not affected by the late arrival. We ended up doing a Panama City Tour with a stop at the Gatun locks on the way home. I really wouldn't recommend it - it was a lot of driving 1 hour 45 minutes each way and we really didn't see a whole lot in Panama City. The stop at Gatun Locks was good - but we could have done that on some other tour. Problem was in having to rebook that morning at the last minute with several hundred others the options were limited. In retrospect, having to switch from the ferry boat thru the canal tour to something else at the last minute - I probably would have been better off opting for a tour of the gatun Locks and something else close by - or if available, the 2 oceans by railroad

[PaulMedik]

Paul - thanks. No, the Two Oceans by railroad excursion was not affected by the late arrival. We ended up doing a Panama City Tour with a stop at the Gatun locks on the way home. I really wouldn't recommend it - it was a lot of driving 1 hour 45 minutes each way and we really didn't see a whole lot in Panama City. The stop at Gatun Locks was good - but we could have done that on some other tour. Problem was in having to rebook that morning at the last minute with several hundred others the options were limited. In retrospect, having to switch from the ferry boat thru the canal tour to something else at the last minute - I probably would have been better off opting for a tour of the gatun Locks and something else close by - or if available, the 2 oceans by railroad

 

 

berryberry,

 

Thanks for the info.

 

We're planning to do the Two Oceans by Railroad excursion and the only other excursion I've read about that sounds enticing is the excursion with Mario. Most of the members from our roll call thread are going with Mario and I hope a late arrival won't impact them; what's the odds of another late arrival due to power failure though? ;) LOL, odds probably just went up since I mentioned it. :D

 

That sure is a lot of travel time. Three and a half hours of riding around is too much just to see Panama City. Now if they could drive the ship over there and the three and a half hours were on board the ship....;)

[TennisLover]

Linda: I am in complete shock over your experience with Duane. We tried SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard to get him to sing fast songs, to play songs where we can do the fun piano bar refrains, etc. but he just didn't know the songs (even the ones on the list that he provided). I even tried to drink too many cosmos one night so that the piano bar would be fun (but, alas, no alcohol in the drinks that night). I figured Duane had to be ok - he said he had been on more than 140 Carnival cruises, but the piano bar was empty the whole week we were there. Even piano bar people I had been with on other cruises... we were all in shock over Duane. I've had a blast with Joe, Cameron and Ron Pass (the best) and will look for them next time I cruse Carnival.

 

Anyway, without the piano bar, we went to more shows and some of them were good. Although I posted previously that we were disappointed John Heald wasn't more "real," he was really entertaining and very funny. If anyone was on the ship with us that week, remember the whole slinky thing? My daughter was the one who gave John the slinky on the night of the Bedtime Story. Don't ask me why she brought a slinky on a cruise.