Liberty in the Med Review

[California25]

Thank you SO much for your great review of your Liberty Med trip. We are sailing July 30 and were thrilled to read your positive account. Your photos are spectactular -- thank you ever so much for taking the time to share it all with us.

 

Valerie & Glenn

[kaleighsgram]

Luvz,

 

Thanks for the review. It's nice when people take the time to share ideas, etc. Know that many appreciate the time you put into this.

[SanFranBayCruiser]

You took me back to July, 2005. I was one of lucky few to be on the Maiden Voyage of Liberty :D Thank you for helping me recall and remember that wonderful trip... My review can be found at in Reviews section and it's as positive and glowing as yours! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it as much as we did!

[Zoë's Girl]

Thanks Julie for your amazing travel review. We are taking our first cruise on the Liberty on July 30th. I've actually used two of your links to hopefully book Salvatore and Jean Marc at Naples and Cannes. We're travelling with our teenaged sons. Do you (or does anyone) know how to advance book the museum (I think it's the Accademia - where David is) in Florence and skip up the line. I've booked the Carnival "Florence on your own"....so we'll get there and then I wanted to make sure we weren't dealing with a 3 hour line-up. Thanks again....I'm getting so ready for this trip....

[kruzin']

:) great post , it is helping us plan for our 9/28 cruise..could you please tell me in Venice how long did the Secret Itineriers of Doges Plalace last and how long would you say your pre-arranged St Marks tour took we too are planning on doing them back to back..thanks again:)

Should probably have mentioned this in the first part of the review, but here’s a little background on who we are. My husband and I are both in our 40’s, open to new experiences and love to travel. He had been to several of the ports of call before this cruise but this was my first trip to Europe. I am a librarian and love to research so I was the trip planner for our cruise. We’re “go with the flow” people about a lot of things, but like to have a plan for the big stuff.

 

 

Day 1 – Civitavecchia, Italy

We flew Delta from San Diego to Atlanta and then non-stop Atlanta to Rome. We arrived in Rome at 9:00am (wow those are long flights). Since we were getting in so early and knew we probably wouldn’t be able to board the ship until afternoon we had decided to take the Carnival Rome at a Glance tour/transfer from the airport to the ship. Our thought was that it would provide the needed transportation from the airport to the ship, keep us awake for awhile, and provide a quick look at Rome so we’d feel like we were on vacation. We were planning to spend three days in Rome after the tour, so we really weren’t looking for anything with too much depth.

 

Once we found our luggage we were able to turn it over to CCL reps. right in the baggage claim area. They loaded all the bags into large trucks and it magically appeared in our cabin shortly after we boarded.

 

We then proceeded to the tour check-in area. It was fairly chaotic but several planes had arrived with minutes of each other. It didn’t matter whether you had pre-reserved your tour or not, everyone had to wait in line. After you filled out the necessary paperwork you were directed to an area where you could wait for your specific tour. We met several people from our roll call while we were waiting and before long we were off to the bus. I think we were on the bus pulling away from the airport less than 90 minutes after our plane landed. In that time we cleared customs, found our bags, checked them with the CCL rep, did our tour paperwork and waited for a busload of people to gather for our tour.

 

The tour took us to St. Paul’s church where we had time to get out and look around. Then we drove past most of the major sites in Rome (that would be the at a glance portion of the tour). It was fun to see the places that we would be coming back to explore in more detail after the cruise. When we left Rome and headed toward the port the bus made an additional stop at what I would call a traveler’s center. It had bathrooms, a little market and several food counters selling pizza, sandwiches, etc. We were starving and the pizza was good.

 

The bus got to the ship about 2:00 and there were several busses waiting in front of us. The controlled the line somewhat by keeping people on the busses until your bus reached the front of the line. We were completely through the boarding process and in our cabin by 2:45. All in all, it went smoothly.

 

We met up with some new friends from our roll call at 4:00 so people could meet their tour buddies for Naples. Then came the lifeboat drill, an exploration of the ship, dinner and then bed. We were exhausted and had no trouble falling asleep.

 

Day 2 – Naples

We joined a family of four from our roll call for a tour with Salvatore from Drive Amalfi (*****) . What a great day! He was waiting for us at the dock and we headed for Pompeii. We arrived just as it was opening. We agreed as a group to spend just 2 hours there so we could spend more time at other places during the day. Pompeii is the kind of place that you could spend the entire day, but 2 hours was plenty and we had so many other things we wanted to see and do. The drive along the Amalfi Coast was beautiful. We stopped in several small towns as well as Amalfi. I would recommend Salvatore to anyone looking for a guide in Naples.

 

Since none of us had a restaurant in mind for lunch we had Salvatore suggest one for us. What a treat! He took us to a little restaurant at the top of a winding street. They had an ala carte menu and a sampler type menu that was served family style. Two of the people in our group got pizza and rest of us decided to have the sampler menu. I have never seen so much food in my life and it was all delicious. They brought us pitchers of wine and then lemoncello with dessert.

 

Day 3 – Fun day at Sea

Just so you know, on this cruise they aren’t fun days …..they are rest days. This is a very port intensive cruise and you need those days just to catch up. Most people spent today trying to kick the jetlag and napping. There were the typical sea day type of activities, nothing really extra special.

 

This was the first formal night.

 

Day 4- Dubrovnik, Croatia

We (ok I) really wanted to get out into the Croatian countryside and see what it was like. We also wanted to have time to walk the wall and explore the old city of Dubrovnik. CCL offered a Best of Dubrovnik tour that seemed to be the easiest way to accomplish everything we wanted to do. We were on the bus pulling away from the ship at 8:00am. We drove out into the Konavle countryside and went to a traditional family restaurant. We were given traditional food and wine and had time to sit by the river and eat and walk along the river. We then went to the seaside village of Cavtat. It was a beautiful little village and we had time on our own to explore.

 

The bus then took us to the walled city of Dubrovnik. That was the end of the organized tour. Our guide gave everyone a shuttle ticket for a return trip to the ship to be used when we were ready to go back. Our guide was great and gave us a lot of history and background about the area. She was a college professor and very well educated.

 

We ate a traditional seafood lunch, complete with the fish heads. Then we found the Pile Gate which is one of the points you can purchase admission to walk the walls. The cost was around 5 euros per person and well worth it. The view is incredible. After that we explored some of the churches, wandered the alley ways, checked out the shops and found a great bar for people watching. It is near one of the squares and they have these big comfie chairs with thick pads and ottomans. You can sit in the shade, have a drink and just watch all the people walk by.

 

In the late afternoon we hopped on the shuttle and headed back to the ship. There was a line, but the wait was only about 10 minutes. It was a great day and a good blend of structured and unstructured time. We learned a lot of things from the guide that we would have never found out on our own.

 

Day 5 – Venice

What an incredible day, what an incredible city! We pulled into Venice to the sounds of a Pavarotti concert playing on the big screen. The ship sailed down the grand canal to get to our dock. Everyone was out on deck watching and taking photos, it was breathtaking.

 

We purchased the shuttle bus tickets to get to the Plaza Roma vaparetto station. They were 5 euros for a round trip. We purchased a 24 hour vaparetto ticket and we were on our way. We had decided to attempt a walking tour route in one of our guide books that would take us from the Rialto Bridge to St. Mark’s Square. They say the best way to see Venice is to walk around and get lost, no problem there for us. The route was sketchy at best but we had a blast. We wandered, had wine at a sidewalk café, watched some boys place soccer in a piazza, visited some beautiful churches, ate gelato, went in some shops, and eventually found ourselves at St. Marks’s Square.

 

After a look around we decided to get some dinner. We ate at a charming little restaurant along side one of the canals. The food was great and we were treated to serenades from the gondolas going past during our dinner. After we ate we took a gondola ride (80 euros for an hour). The city is beautiful at night. We had planned to go back to St. Mark’s Square for drinks after the gondola ride but it was raining and since it was already very late we decided to just head back to the ship.

 

Day 6 – Venice

This was the day we had planned as our sightseeing day. We had reservations for the Secret Itinerary Tour at Doge’s Palace (phone number from the US is 011 39 041 520 9070). This was a great tour but make sure to allow yourself time before or after your tour to view the public areas of the Palace as they are not covered on the tour.

 

We also had a time certain admission to St. Mark’s Basilica.. I highly recommend you make an advance reservation to visit the Basilica. The line was several hours long when we were there and we talked to several people on our ship who were not able to visit. We simply took our reservation e-mail to the guard at the group line and he opened the chain and let us walk right in. The best part of all is that it’s FREE! (http://www.alata.it/eng/BOOKING/sanmarco.asp)

 

Since we were in full-on tourist mode we also went to the top of the Campanile and got some wonderful photos. We could even see the ship from up there and got a great shot of the Liberty amid the rooftops of Venice. We followed this up with Bellini’s at Harry’s Bar. Just a note if you’re planning to go there, they do not allow shorts (men or women) in the bar.

 

At this point we jumped on the vaparetto and headed back to the Rialto Bridge. I had fallen in love with a necklace the previous day but didn’t buy it because we were sure they would have some like it near St. Mark’s Square. WRONG! Fortunately I remembered where I had seen it and led my DH right to it. We even had time for some more gelato before we hopped on the vaparetto and headed back to the ship.

 

Day 7 – Fun Day at Sea

Nothing special to report, just the typical shipboard activities.

 

I’ll finish up tomorrow….I have to get up early and run in the morning.

[QM2 Cruiser]

This is a tad off topic. Do Carnival ships have a lead-in to the public address system when announcements are made? If so, is it the traditional [duh-nuh-nuh] of cunard, the tasteful [ding-ding-ding] chime of Princess, the sophistocated [duh-nuh] of celebrity, or the fast paced [duh-duh-duh] of Royal Caribbean? Thanks.

[luvz2run2000]

:) great post ' date=' it is helping us plan for our 9/28 cruise..could you please tell me in Venice how long did the Secret Itineriers of Doges Plalace last and how long would you say your pre-arranged St Marks tour took we too are planning on doing them back to back..thanks again:)[/quote']

 

The Secret Itineraries tour lasts about 90 minutes. Allow yourself 30-45 minutes before or after your tour to see the public areas. They are not convered in the tour.

 

According to the website you are allowed to stay in St. Mark's Basilica for 5-10 minutes but no one threw you out if you stayed longer. We went right in the group entrance with our printed reservation. They basically allow a group from the public line in about every 5 minutes and you just move (like cattle) along a marked path. It was worth it with the time-certain admission but I don't think I would have been happy if I'd stood in line for an hour (or even longer).

[luvz2run2000]

This is a tad off topic. Do Carnival ships have a lead-in to the public address system when announcements are made? If so, is it the traditional [duh-nuh-nuh] of cunard, the tasteful [ding-ding-ding] chime of Princess, the sophistocated [duh-nuh] of celebrity, or the fast paced [duh-duh-duh] of Royal Caribbean? Thanks.

 

I honestly don't remember hearing anything before the actual announcements but that doesn't mean there wasn't a tone of some sort. I work in an elementary school and therefore have the ability to tune out anything that might annoy me:)

[luvz2run2000]

Thanks Julie for your amazing travel review. We are taking our first cruise on the Liberty on July 30th. I've actually used two of your links to hopefully book Salvatore and Jean Marc at Naples and Cannes. We're travelling with our teenaged sons. Do you (or does anyone) know how to advance book the museum (I think it's the Accademia - where David is) in Florence and skip up the line. I've booked the Carnival "Florence on your own"....so we'll get there and then I wanted to make sure we weren't dealing with a 3 hour line-up. Thanks again....I'm getting so ready for this trip....

 

Our driver made the reservations for us. There are several agencies that will prearrange reservations (for a fee). You could try http://www.weekendafirenze.com/ or www.goporta.com . The museum also has a website that may provide the information you're looking for. I can't get it to load right now but it has worked in the past. It is

http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/accademia/

[Zoë's Girl]

Our driver made the reservations for us. There are several agencies that will prearrange reservations (for a fee). You could try http://www.weekendafirenze.com/ or www.goporta.com . The museum also has a website that may provide the information you're looking for. I can't get it to load right now but it has worked in the past. It is

http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/accademia/

 

 

Thanks again Julie....What a great help you are! I've written the museum...let's see if that works.:p

 

Now... I've been in touch with drive amalfi the private tour company you mentioned for the Naples stop and with Dream Tours for the Cannes stop....only thing is, it would be much cheaper if we could find another 4 people to join us for our tours. What is the best way to find others? We're going on Liberty on July 30/06....that's just a little over 2 weeks away...can you tell I'm excited!

 

Thanks for helping a new cruiser Julie.

 

Andrea

[luvz2run2000]

Delete - triple post. Computer burped, checked and it appeared gone....obviously just drifting in cyberspace waiting for me to repost.

[luvz2run2000]

Delete - triple post. Computer burped, checked and it appeared gone....obviously just drifting in cyberspace waiting for me to repost.

[luvz2run2000]

Now... I've been in touch with drive amalfi the private tour company you mentioned for the Naples stop and with Dream Tours for the Cannes stop....only thing is' date=' it would be much cheaper if we could find another 4 people to join us for our tours. What is the best way to find others? We're going on Liberty on July 30/06....that's just a little over 2 weeks away...can you tell I'm excited!

Andrea[/quote']

 

Andrea - Have you been on the roll call for your cruise? We got all of our tour buddies from our roll call. We joined some tours that others had arranged and we invited people to join tours that we had arranged. You can also try to meet people on board and ask them to join you but that's risky, especially for Naples.

 

Our roll call had two "official" get togethers on board the Liberty. It was fun to have friends when we got there. We were always bumping into someone that we knew. It was nice to have someone to sit with (if you wanted to) at the pool, buffet or in the lounge. I still keep in contact with one of the friends I made and we'll cruise together again someday.

[Zoë's Girl]

Andrea - Have you been on the roll call for your cruise? We got all of our tour buddies from our roll call. We joined some tours that others had arranged and we invited people to join tours that we had arranged. You can also try to meet people on board and ask them to join you but that's risky, especially for Naples.

 

Our roll call had two "official" get togethers on board the Liberty. It was fun to have friends when we got there. We were always bumping into someone that we knew. It was nice to have someone to sit with (if you wanted to) at the pool, buffet or in the lounge. I still keep in contact with one of the friends I made and we'll cruise together again someday.

 

Thanks, I've found that now....and yes I've posted there....I guess I'll just keep involved in the roll call and see if we can find someone. Thanks very much for your help.

 

Andrea

[karmavacations]

Thank you for such a detailed review! My family(6 people) is going on the Carnival Freedom July 24th. We are celebrating my daughter's graduation from Columbia University. I have cruised Carnival before, but I was alittle worried about doing Europe with them. Thanks to you I know that I have made the correct choice. Thanks!!!!!!:)

[skuttduck]

This is a tad off topic. Do Carnival ships have a lead-in to the public address system when announcements are made? If so, is it the traditional [duh-nuh-nuh] of cunard, the tasteful [ding-ding-ding] chime of Princess, the sophistocated [duh-nuh] of celebrity, or the fast paced [duh-duh-duh] of Royal Caribbean? Thanks.

 

Wierd I just happened to be looking at this thread, and I saw the making of the QM2 of Cunard, and the tones that were played on the TV show were the same as Carnival. Those tones brought back memories of the Liberty that is for sure.

[DqALEX]

Thank You for your review. I need to try a Med cruise. I need about 10 years because of work, I cant get away that time of the year

[luvz2run2000]

Thank you for such a detailed review! My family(6 people) is going on the Carnival Freedom July 24th. We are celebrating my daughter's graduation from Columbia University. I have cruised Carnival before, but I was alittle worried about doing Europe with them. Thanks to you I know that I have made the correct choice. Thanks!!!!!!:)

 

You will love it. We are already planning a return trip to Europe for 2008.

[Sandyweena]

Hello. I am crusing Europe in June 2007 on Carnival Freedom. How far in advance should I book the secret itineraries tour and St.Mark's Basilica tour??

[luvz2run2000]

For the St. Marks tour keep checking back on their website, it seems like they open up in chunks of time but it is about 60 days in advance. The Secret Itineraries tour was the same, it is either 45 or 60 days in advance. You're a little early now, but make sure to put reminders on your calendar so you don't forget when it gets closer.

 

You are going to have so much fun.

[Jayne315]

Luv2...great pictures & review....we are doing the Freedom in May....did you book the Mozart Hotel thur Carnival or on your own? We want to fly in a day early to Rome and stay over night. But we will need transfers from airport to hotel then from hotel to ship along with a hotel. Did Carnival set all this up for you? Thanks....any advise please send our way. Did the Mozart Hotel have a hair dryer?

[luvz2run2000]

Luv2...great pictures & review....we are doing the Freedom in May....did you book the Mozart Hotel thur Carnival or on your own? We want to fly in a day early to Rome and stay over night. But we will need transfers from airport to hotel then from hotel to ship along with a hotel. Did Carnival set all this up for you? Thanks....any advise please send our way. Did the Mozart Hotel have a hair dryer?

 

We booked the hotel on our own, through their website. I believe CCL uses the hotels that are near the airport. We stayed there after our cruise and arranged for a driver to pickup us up at the ship take us to our hotel and the Vatican and then to pick us up a few days later and take us from our hotel to the airport for our return flight. I can give you the e-mail address of the company we used if you'd like it.

 

The hotel will also make arrangements for a driver to pick you up from the airport if you'd like. The price was competitive with the rates we were quoted by other companies but we really liked the guy who picked up us from the ship so we stuck with them.

 

The hotel had a hair dryer and an electric tea/coffee pot in the room. We really like the hotel and the location and will stay there again if we make it back to Rome. I'd be happy to answer any other questions that you might have.

[EggDropErin]

What a nice review! Glad to hear you had such a good time. :)