Just off the Liberty - Review - Long Read

[dedel963]

Well, here I am, back at work and trying to figure out how I can go on another cruise . . . like next week!!

 

So, as you can tell, Mike and I really enjoyed the cruise. Being my first, I had no idea what to expect except what I had read and learned on this board.

 

Things I brought that we didn't use:

Bungee Cord (didn't prop door open)

Power Strip (didn't have more than one thing to plug in at any time)

Nalgeon Bottle

Thermal Coffee Cup

 

Things that were very handy:

Clothespins (wet bathing suits on "clothseline" in bathroom)

Sticky Notes

Snowman Decoration for Door (didn't have to worry about finding the room)

Backpack for port days . . . carried everything from towels to passports and stuff we bought

Softside folding cooler . . . great for soda brought on board and purchased in port

Binoculars . . . great for seeing the other ships on the sea and ports we were pulling into . . . also great for sightseeing

Old credit card that I don't use anymore for safe

Lanyards for S&S cards

 

 

We started with our flight from New Enlgland being cancelled and having to take a later flight. Being a first time cruiser, this caused a little anxiety on my part, but we made it fine. As we were board the bus to for the pier, it started to pour in FLL. But only for a few minutes.

 

Embarkation:

 

Not as bad as I expected considering everything that is said on this board. I look at it this way, they had 3000 people to get through all the paperwork, pictures, luggage, etc. and we were on the ship within about 45 minutes of arriving at the port. This isn't that bad!! Besides I was so excited about being there that it seemed like 5 minutes! I do have to say, if you have all your paperwork in order . . . Bahamas Form, Passports, Fun Pass, etc., it goes very smoothly and quickly once you get to the counter. While we were in line, we were constantly moving and didn't have to wait long.

 

On the Ship:

 

Once we were on the ship (and after I picked my chin up off the floor!), we went to our stateroom, dumped our carry-on stuff and went up to the Lido Deck for a Pina Colada and the "pulling out of port" party. It was quite impressive to see the other ships there and to realize that I was on one too!! And yes, be careful of those waiters who approach you with a tray of drinks. They are offering them . . . for a price . . . and it will get charged to your S&S. But, as long as you know that, its a great way to get underway on your adventure.

 

After we were underway, we went to the dining room to change our dinner seating. We were scheduled for the 5:45 seating and this would interfere with Mike's Sushi time . . . so we changed our dining assingment to 8:00. The Maitre'd asked if we wanted a private table which at first I wasn't sure, but it turned out really nice. We ate breakfast and lunch at group tables and had a table for two for dinner. Since this was our first vacation together, it was nice to dine alone in the evenings.

 

Now that our assignment was changed and we could eat later, we headed off to the sushi bar. Mike's favorite!! I don't eat sushi but it was fun to sit there on the Promenade and watch people and water go by. At dinner time, we went back to the dining room to meet Reynoldo and Miro, our waiters . . .they were awesome!!!! We really enjoyed getting to know them and since we were at a table alone, we could talk to them more. Now, the food . . . I feel as if I shouldn't eat for a month after the food that I ate. It was all good. There were times when the beef was a little tough, but the flavors were always great and the abundance of food was incredible. It was a nice variety and I tried lots of things I wouldn't normally order at a restaurant where I was paying. Some I liked, some I didn't, but mainly because I just didn't like that particular thing. Reynoldo was great at making recommendations and everything he recommended was really good.

 

After Dinner we went to our stateroom to see if our luggage had arrived and it was there. We met Manny, our steward who was so wonderful! He had a great personality, was very helpful in every way and called us by name always. We had the first of our "towel animals", a dog, on our bed along with chocolates. A girl could get used to that.

 

This evening we went to the theater to see the Welcome Aboard show and then watch the comedian who was on afterwards. Since the comedian was on at 10:30 it was the "family friendly" version. We thought he was a little geeky and really not terribly funny. However, he also did an "adult only" show on Sunday (the next night) at midnight and he was hysterical!

 

We had a balcony room and after the show, went to bed. The room was very comfortable, we had plenty of space for everything we had with us and we didn't leave the balcony door open at night.

 

First Sea Day:

 

This day was a very lazy day but also a bouncy day. Evidently we were in the middle of a tropical storm at some points although most of us didn't know it. We just hung out and enjoyed the scenery for the most part. At Breakfast met some great people from Seattle who were on the second leg of back to back cruises. Met CC people at lunch and had a great time getting to know everyone. Again, food in dining room for breakfast and lunch were really good. Nice variety of choices and the service was super.

 

For dinner on the first sea day, we had our first of two formal nights. It was cool to dress up and see everyone else dressed up. We had a coctail party with complimentary drinks at 7:00 and dinner at 8:00. I have to admit it was tough drinking and walking in heels while this ship was bouncing through the storm. We had our portraits taken tonight and they came out really nice. We ended up buying two sets of portraits, one from each formal night, both sets were taken by the same photographer and she was really good. Expensive, but worth it. After changing back into relaxing clothes, we went to the theater and watched the comedy show which tonight was really funny!

 

More to come!

[dedel963]

Our First port was San Juan, PR and we were arriving there at 5:00 in the evening. So, spent the day, just hanging out. Wrote out some Christmas cards to send from San Juan to my friends and family (Wish you were here!) When we arrived in port, it was pretty cool to see the other ships. We hadn't booked any excursions so we just got off the ship and went shopping. Our Shopping Specialist had done a seminar during the day on "where to shop" and "how to negotiate" which came in very handy. I've never seen so many jewelry stores . . . and I was looking forward to haggling. We pretty much stayed away from the stores that weren't on "the Carnival list" because I wanted to be sure that we were shopping in reputable places and not buying junk. In addition to jewelry, there was store after store with the souvenier stuff too. Just as we were leaving our last store it started to pour!! And we got wet . . . and my backpack got wet and my shoes were soaked!! So, we ran back to the ship for the night.

 

As we were getting underway at midnight, the entertainment for the evening was another comedian. He was really good and while he was on stage the ship started rocking . . . and rocking!! It was a pretty bad night and there were lots of people on the ship that night who were sick from the rocking.

 

When we woke up in the morning, we were in our second port, St. Thomas. We rented a scooter (not recommended by Carnival because of the possibility of accidents) but we wanted to explore on our own. Be careful though, they drive on the LEFT side of the road. A little scary at times, but overall, a fun way to explore the island. We went to Coki Beach where Mike went Scuba diving and I hung out on the beach. Doing this on your own is cheaper than doing the excursions from Carnival. The Scuba dive was $70 for about an hour of diving. If Mike had remembered to bring his certification card, it would have been cheaper. After we turned the scooter back in, we went shopping in Haversight Mall which is right off the pier. There is everything you could imagine there so you really don't have to venture far from the pier if you choose not to.

 

Our third port was Antigua which was beautiful. We booked the Barefoot Catamaran Sail & Snorkel for this port. The excursion started at 9:00 and we were on the cat at 9:00, sharp! The water was so blue and they took us out to some reefs where we could snorkel. Unfortunately the water was rough so for me (the very inexperienced snorkeler) it was scary so I spent very little time in the water. Mike was first in and last out! He loved it. I enjoyed watching him and all the others, but just couldn't handle the waves. So, I enjoyed the rum punch instead!! :) After everyone was done snorkeling, we went to a beach for a short time where the local "vendors" came out to show us their wares. After about 30 minutes on the beach, we went back to the pier. After showering, we went shopping. Again, stores were all right there, so no need to go too far.

 

Our next port was Tortola and this was our favorite! From the port, all you can see is mountains. We rented a scooter here too and went to explore. I wasn't keen about going up over the mountains, but that's the only way to get around. They have some of the most gorgeous beaches and the views from the top of the mountains are spectacular. We went up to Sage Mountain National park and looked out over the water. Breathtaking!! And there was the neatest little gift shop up there with the best prices we had seen anywhere. On our way back down (on a different road) a local man stopped us to tell us that there was a really steep incline and we should probably go a different way. You bet we did!!

We stopped at the Dolphin Discovery place on the way back and it was really cool to watch the Dolphin Swim and Encounter. Both of us decided that will be on the list of things to do next trip.

 

Our last port was Nassau, Bahamas and we opted to take a water taxi on our own over to Atlantis. We explored all day and didn't see everything. It is an awesome place to explore and one that would be really cool to stay at if you can afford it!! We left the Bahamas at night and set sail for home. This was a sad night because we knew our journey was almost over.

 

More to come!

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Awesome review thus far!! Reading it gets me more and more excited to go! Only 16 more days!!:D

[kylescoolmom]

Awesome review thus far!! Reading it gets me more and more excited to go! Only 16 more days!!:D

 

 

I did the same exact cruise and loved every minute of it. You sure are bringing back some great memories.

 

Thank you :)

[pacerzfan]

Thanks for the Review

[dfmeeks]

You mentioned a sail away party. I was under the impression that they were a thing of the past. What did your party consist of? We're on the 3/15 voyage & I'm getting really excited as I read your wonderful review.

[Charming01]

Great review so far and I will try to wait patiently for the rest.:D :o

[cathyoo]

Hello, my name is Cathy and I've been a cruise addict since Jan 04. Welcome to my world... Great review..

[dedel963]

Well, let me first answer the question of the "sail away party" . . . it mostly was just everyone on the Lido Deck and above having lots of frozen drinks and enjoying that we were finally at sea!! They had music on the Lido and lots of fun going on. Mike and I didn't stay up there long because we wanted to explore the ship. Even after 8 days of being on the ship and exploring almost every day, we still know there are things we didn't see. The last night, we went for a walk topside and found the Basketball Court that we didn't know was there!!

 

Okay, so more review!

 

The Staff!!

 

I can't say enough great things about the staff on board. The Cruise Director recently changed from Karl with a "K" to Steve Knisely. Steve is just full of energy, a smart alek at times that were appropriate and very helpful and informative when we needed him to be. We really enjoyed his antics when he was on stage in the Venetian or listening to his announcements daily.

 

Our Room Steward - Manny - Wow, he Rocks!!! This was his first contract with Carnival and we would have never known without having an opportunity to talk to him. I've talked with others who have been on cruises with other lines and they said they never saw their steward. We saw Manny all the time, he always asked if we needed anything. He kept our cooler full of ice, we always had fresh towels, our towel animals were great and we had one each night. When I get my pictures up, there is a picture of Mike and Manny standing in front of our door. Thank you Manny for making our stay on the Liberty a memorable and comfortable one!!

 

Our Waiters - Reynoldo and Miro - Both wonderful!! Always had a smile, were welcoming and great service. We really looked forward to dinner every night and were "almost sorry" that we had made reservations for Harry's on Thursday night. (But I'll write about that in a few!) Rey and Miro get 5 stars from Mike and I for service with a smile. And Joke and laugh and a handshake and everything else rolled into one week! If you are lucky enough to get these two for your waiters (Silver Dining Room, Table 361) you'll really enjoy your meal time!!

 

Entertainment Staff - The dancers and singers were phenomenal!! The number of dance routines they had to know was crazy and the singers were really good. At one point, Mike thought they were lip syncing becasue they sounded so good, but they weren't!! There were several different shows with them throughout the week and we went to every one!

 

The Comedians were really good and very funny! We enjoyed all the shows, family and adult only ones!

 

The Motown Night was great too. The singer was excellent and had the crowd singing along with him. I can't remember his name and I left the capers at home today. Yes, I saved all the capers for my scrapbook!! If anyone wants to see one, you can e-mail me at dedel963@comcast.net and I'll e-mail one to you.

 

The Purser's Desk and Excursion Desk - We didn't use them much, but they were always helpful and informative.

 

Harry's Supper Club - This I have to say was so worth the $30 per person. At first, Mike and I kept saying "Why did we bother" when we saw how good the dining room was. BUT!!! . . . we kept our reservation for Thursday night and we were so glad we did!! I had the best Filet I've had in years and the bernaise sauce was out of this world! When we arrived, it was apparent that we were going to be spoiled! It was very quiet when we arrived and we were seated. The adorable little waitress came to our table to ask what we wanted to drink. I had Iced Tea and he had soda. Then she came back with a tray of meats to explain what they were, how they were cooked and what they were served with. Everything sounded delicious and we had a tough time deciding. I finally decided to have the Crab Cake appetizer, the Ceasar Salad and the Filet for my entree. Mike had the Sushi plate, Ceasar Salad and the Surf & Turf which was a filet and lobster tail. The crab cake was by far, the best I've had and I live on the shore in New England with an abundance of seafood restaurants. Mike really enjoyed the Sushi (obviously!). The Ceasar salad was prepared tableside which was really neat. Mike was really pleased to see that the lobster tail was from New England - There is a difference in color! The desserts were wonderful too! We both ordered the citrus cheesecake and it was wonderful!! At the beginning of the meal they brought out "bites" that were compliments of the chef which consisted of some type of caviar (I gave mine to Mike) and another thing that Mike said was "ice cream like". At the end of the meal they brought out a small plate of truffles that were also compliments of the chef. Mike said they were awesome but I couldn't even attempt to try them as I felt like I was going to burst!!! If you have the opportunity to go to Harry's, definitely do it and don't balk at the price. It was worth far more the $30 per person!! The only place I've had a meal like that was in NY and we paid $200 for two of us!!

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Thanks for the Harry's review! I made reservations there on our Anniversary. :D

[dedel963]

Photographers . . . yes, they are everywhere!! And sometimes you just want to say "Enough Already!", but . . . they took some great pictures!! We had one in particular that we went to on both formal nights (each formal night we had our pics taken by at least 5 different photographers). Both nights, the best pics were taken by the same girl. And we bought them all that she took! Yes, they are expensive, but they came out so good and if you ever get to know Mike, you don't see him without a hat much unless he's in scuba gear! I wanted the ones she took of him. He looked like Daddy Warbucks and was so handsome!! So, make sure when you get on ship, you take advantage of the photographers. Be choosy about what pictures you buy but definitely get some, they are worth it. And now I'm waiting for my release to have copies made. They do give you that if you ask via e-mail.

 

Lastly, I have to say that until now, I never thought I could afford a cruise. Carnival is affordable, as Mike puts it "The Big Bang for the Buck" and we got more than our money's worth!

 

People complain about the automatic tipping . . . try going on vacation and keep track of how much you tip for service for just food and lodging throughout a week! It will be much more than what they charge for the auto tipping. Mainly because in a traditional restaurant we tip based on cost, correct!? Try ordering two appetizers, two entree's and dessert (per person) while out one night and see how much your bill comes to and what you should tip based on that!! I don't know when I've tipped less than $10 for dinner anywhere and that's just one meal. These guys served us three meals a day, 8 day straight with no days off. And we we got off the ship at 10:00 Sunday morning, they were setting the tables for dinner for the next group to get on the ship! Mike and I felt that our servers were excellent and we gave them each (along with our steward) an additional tip on the last day!

 

Since Sunday, we have mentioned at least once a day (and actually a lot more) "How can we do this again in the near future!" If it weren't for our families and the responsibility of having three kids in college, we'd be on another ship tomorrow!!

 

Well, I guess that's it for now.

 

I'm attempting to upload my pics onto Webshots and when they are uploaded, I will post the link!

 

Have a great day everyone, have an awesome Christmas and Happy Cruising!!!!!!

[Charming01]

Great review! I'm glad you had a great cruise.:D

[LHP]

Sounds like a wonderful time!!!

 

Get those kids out of college and get back on a ship!! :)

[skylock]

I enjoyed your review. I love to hear about first cruises. I sometimes wish I could get that feeling back.

 

I found it funny that you only shopped at the "recommended" stores, but then you rented scooters. I will shop anywhere, but nothing would get me on a scooter.

 

I have witnessed more than one scooter accident with my own eyes resulting in different degrees of injury from scrapped up to head injury. I saw two accidents in one day sitting on my balcony at a hotel in Cozumel. (land vacation) Both of them were people from the cruise ships.

[SunnieD]

Great Review. Where there is a will, there is a way. First, you chose a great time to cruise because, the rates are cheaper that time of year. Just watch the prices and you'll find another fit and get to go again soon. Short cruises can be fun too!:D

[CinWin]

Thanks for the review. Looks like you covered everything and really had a good time. Now you are hooked on cruising like the rest of us. :D

Cindy

[dedel963]

Absolutely hooked and yes, we'll find a way . . . as soon as possible.

 

And as promised, here is the link to the pictures. I got tired of doing titles but I think you can get the gist of the good times we had on our trip!

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561843887wXwfig

 

I hope this works and if not, let me know and I'll insert the URL instead.

[dedel963]

Oh, and about riding the scooter . . . we ride motorcycle on a regular basis at home. The only difference was that they drive on the other side of the road so that made me a little anxious at times (I rode shotgun on the back), but other than that, it was a good way to get around. As for the shopping in "recommended" stores, that was mainly jewelry stores. Other than that, I shopped everywhere. I intended to buy jewelry and wanted to be sure that I was getting the best value and genuine gems. Not to mention, Carnival stands behind anything purchased at the recommended stores. I'd hate to get home and have something wrong with a piece of jewelry I spent a ton on and no recourse. Same with Mike, he bought a camera and made sure he got it in one of the recommended stores too.

[travelagentgirl]

Hi Dede,

 

It was great meeting you and Mike on the cruise along with all of our other cc'ers. I have to agree with everything you said.

 

Tristan and I also had a wonderfule time on the cruise. The seas were certainly a little choppy the first couple of days but nothing we couldn't handle. While in St. Thomas going up the skyride to Paradise Point we were in the gondula with some people on the Triumph and they said they had listed enough to make all of the plates and everything go sliding. So I;ll take the rocky seas we had over that.

 

For any of you going that are in the Golden Olympian Dining room it is also gorgeous and is the one that is located midship. Our waitors Gede and Jeffrey were excellent, and in fact Jeffrey won the employee of the month while we were on the ship. Our room steward Issara was also awesome!!

 

Dede we weren't as adventerous as you on the islands with scooters, but as you had mentioned Mike and you are big motocyclers. We mostly did Island tours. This just goes to show how big the Atlantis Resort is as we also spent the whole day in Nassau exploring it, but never ran into you guys once!!

 

I agree with Dede the food was absolutely supurb, and my waistline is paying for it this week.

 

Once again Dede great to meet you and mike and maybe we will meet again on another cruise now that you are hooked!!

 

All the best from Nova Scotia and Happy Holidays to everyone.

[Minn.cruisers]

Great review and slideshow.

We were on the Triumph the same week, saw your ship in San Juan, and St T. (we were at another port near there). Then your itinerary went to GT as we went to HMC and then Nassau.

I still have to get our photos on Webshots, took about 2000, not kidding. Did get quite a few of the Liberty as we traveled together.

Glad you had a great cruise, we did too.

One exciting moment was when we were hit with a 80mph wind gust (Tropical Storm Olga), tipped us a bit, pools emptied, trays flew everywhere, alot of mess. At the time we were seated on barstools at the casino bar. Really felt strange tipping and not going back the other way for about 15 seconds. The staff had it all cleaned up in a few hours. A cruise to remember.

[dedel963]

Wow, glad we didn't tip like that! I think we were heading straight into the waves so we didn't do the sideways tips! It was pretty rocky and I've heard from other cruisers "the worst they have ever been in." And that was from a couple (Waterboy and Barbara) who had been on 20 cruises so I'm not to worried that its the "norm". I'll cruise again anytime! Yes, we saw your ship in a few ports too. Glad everyone had a good time. Started a "change jar" for my next "cruise fund". Every little bit helps!! :)

 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

[pamelajs]

Absolutely hooked and yes, we'll find a way . . . as soon as possible.

 

And as promised, here is the link to the pictures. I got tired of doing titles but I think you can get the gist of the good times we had on our trip!

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561843887wXwfig

 

I hope this works and if not, let me know and I'll insert the URL instead.

Great pictures We are cruising on the Liberty in Feb 08

[NikSmiles]

Thanks for the great review ,we are going on our first cruise on the Liberty in April. I am beyond excited! My question is this: you mentioned a few times that the pictures were pretty expensive....I am trying to budget for our trip and I was wondering if you could give me an idea of how expensive they actually are?

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Thanks for the great review ,we are going on our first cruise on the Liberty in April. I am beyond excited! My question is this: you mentioned a few times that the pictures were pretty expensive....I am trying to budget for our trip and I was wondering if you could give me an idea of how expensive they actually are?

I think I read a few weeks ago the 8X10's were $21. Correct me if I'm wrong.:)

[dedel963]

Yes, 8X10's are 21.99 and you have to buy those in order to be able to get any smaller ones. Word of advice, rather than buy any smaller copies, if you buy the 8X10's, when you get home, request the photo release from Carnival to have copies made and then you can go to any WalMart that has those automatic machines and make copies. I got 8 5X7's and 4 wallet sizes for $15 at WalMart and they came out really nice. I don't remember how much the port pictures were (the ones taken when you get off the boat in port). I believe they were around 8.95 or so for those. And, when you buy the photos, make sure you ask if there are any deals. We got a photo album for a reduced price and two "Carnival" frames.

 

We bought a set of 8X10's from each formal night and probably spent more than we should have on photo's, but I know its the only time I'll ever get professional photo's of Mike without a hat on! He looks awesome in the pics, but he hates his bald head!

 

Have a great time on the Liberty! Its a beautiful ship and lots of fun!