Just back from our Cruise on Liberty/Western Itinerary.....Any Questions???

[ohiowilly]

My wife and I, along with our 3 "children," ages 15, 18, and 20, returned today from a wonderful cruise on the Liberty's Western Caribbean Itinerary. We're not what you'd call veteran cruisers, but if anyone has any questions regarding our experiences with the ship, staff, ports of call, or any other aspect of our cruise, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

 

We had a GREAT week!!

[KenMo]

Which nights were Elegant?

 

How was the food?

 

Did you see any shows and if so, did you enjoy them?

 

What did they have for entertainment in the evening besides the main shows on Elegant Night? Any comics, hypnotists, etc?

 

What did you do in port?

 

Do you have the Capers and if so, can you post them?

 

Are you going to post any pictures?

 

Heck....you might as well write a review!

[tracey980]

What islands did you stop at? What excursions, if any did you do?

I will be going to Key West, Cozumel and Belize in a few weeks.

[reno3]

Glad you had a great time.

Booked the Liberty for April 2010 last week!

How was the big screen on the lido?

I have heard that it is too loud, how is it at night with the movies?

I was on the Legend in April and LOVED it.

Didn't make Grand Cayman, rough seas:(

So we figure Grand Cayman, Cozumel (again) and Jamaica on the Liberty!

[valancy1]

This is our first cruise and we're so excited! Glad you had a good time!

 

What (if anything) did you do in Jamaica? How was it--was it as bad as many say?

 

What time did you get to board the ship?

 

How was disembarkation?

 

 

Waiting for the other answers from others' questions, too. Thanks so much for offering! When is your next cruise scheduled? LOL.

[sdirector77]

If I may I will chime in on Jamacia. Dunns River Falls is a must for first time visitors to the Island. You can book a tour or do it on your own. Just remember when approached keep walking and say no thank you. This island is inviting and the culture is what it is. We have enjoyed several visits and are going again in the fall, not sure what we are going to do yet but we have never had problems just remember to stay within the tourist areas.

[bennettx7]

We're taking this cruise next week, 6/21/08!!! We're taking 3 kids also, 15,17,19!! Can't wait!!!

What movies were playing on the big screen?

What are the hours of the Sushi restaurant?

What did you do at Cozumel?

[ohiowilly]

 

Which nights were Elegant? Sunday night and Thursday night

 

How was the food?

We were all extremely pleased and satisfied with the food in the Dining Room, and I cannot say enough good things about our Dining experience at Harry's Supper Club. We're not what I would call sophisticated, fine dining connoisseurs, but the quality of the food in the Silver Olympian Dining Room, and the incredible total dining experience at Harry's really, really impressed us. If you have the opportunity to experience Harry's Supper Club at least once, by all means do so. The modest additional charge is a bargain, based on the quality of food served, and the level of service provided.

 

The food at Emile's (buffet) was above average, but had its' high points and average points. I have no complaints regarding any of the food at Emile's, but the Dining room food spoiled us! There are numerous options and types of food available in/around Emile's. The Deli station and Mexican station both provided excellent alternatives to the buffet fare, as did the Fish and Chips, located above the aft section of Emile's dining area. The is also a grille for burgers and such, located just outside Emile's on the Lido/pool deck. The Mongolian Grill, which doubled as an omelet station during breakfast, was an extremely popular destination. My only knock on the Emile's dining "complex" was traffic flow/congestion, and slow moving lines. Given all of the various stations available, I would have thought that there could have been a better way to route and expedite the progress of lines throughout the Emile's complex. My only other suggestion to CCL would be to enforce a requirement for shirts/bathing cover-ups in Emile's.

 

We also made use of room service a couple times when we had early shore excursions, and did not have the time or desire for a full breakfast. Room service was very prompt for us; on one occasion, one of our adult children placed an order that was apparently sent to the wrong room, and had to be re-ordered. Not a big problem, by any means!

Did you see any shows and if so, did you enjoy them?

We did see several of the shows during the week, and we enjoyed them a great deal. The Venetian Palace Theater/Showroom is an exceptional facility that has features that I simply did not expect to find on any cruise vessel. I won't spoil anyone surprises by detailing these elements, but the Venetian Palace is impressive, to say the least!

 

We missed the Welcome Aboard Show with Cruise Director Steve, the first night. We were in awe of the ship, and spent much of the first night just exploring and finding our way around the Liberty. Our "kids," however, attended, and enjoyed Steve, the orchestra and dancers, along with guest comedian Carl Rimi. We did, however, catch his midnight "adult" comedy show the following night. He's a funny, funny man - just make sure that your children miss his late show!

 

We also saw Gerry Goodspeed's comedy/ventriloquism show Monday evening after departing Cozumel. He was talented, funny, and an accomplished ventriloquist. We laughed and enjoyed his routine; it was the type of show that you just don't see very often any more. We enjoyed his show. It added to the variety of showroom entertainment offered to Liberty guests.

 

We also saw the following night's show, which I believe was called "Rockin down Broadway," focusing on a selection of Broadway shows, highlighting the popular songs associated with them, and allowing the Liberty Singers and Dancers to really showcase their dancing and vocal talents. The numerous sets and effects used during this show really added to our enjoyment of the overall production. It was probably my favorite production-show of the week. It was very well done. I recommend it highly!

 

Wednesday night show was touted as Comedy Hypnosis by Asad Meci. I'll make my disclaimer up-front that I'm not real sure whether I am a firm believer of hypnosis in the entertainment setting. Asad, however, added comedy and humor to his performance, which included roughly 20 audience participants initially, which was reduced to maybe 12, by the end of the show. While I remain skeptical of some of what I saw on stage, the show was entertaining, and at times, very comical. In the past , I had always thought that stage Hypnotists used plants or shills to make their shows more believable. It wasn't until late in the show that my son pointed out that one of the *stars* of Asad's show was one of our on-board neighbors.

Maybe it is for real! We did not make it to Asad's adult-themed midnight show the following evening, so I can't comment on it.

 

Friday night brought "Carnival Legends" to the stage. This was a musical review of popular singer/entertainers from a variety of musical eras - portrayed by our fellow passengers! I'm not sure whether the passenger/performers volunteered for their roles, were "discovered" in the karaoke lounge, or how they were selected, but my hat is off to each one who stepped on stage and portrayed a famous vocal artist. Some showed more polish than others, but with the addition of the orchestra, and the assistance of the Liberty Dancers and Singers, the show was great. I wish I had the courage to get on-stage in front of a full theater, in-costume, and sing my favorite songs. Kudos to each and every performer!

 

What did they have for entertainment in the evening besides the main shows on Elegant Night? Any comics, hypnotists, etc?

 

Evening entertainment was available in more venues on-board than I can possibly remember. I've already mentioned the headliner acts/shows above; there was also an assortment of bands, musicians, singers nightly throughout the ship. Their musical offerings ranged from classical to jazz to blues to acoustic folk to pop/top 40 and karaoke. During the first elegant evening, we tried to visit as many different clubs as we could to enjoy the variety of entertainment that was available in the lounges and public spaces.

 

We enjoyed some more than others; The classical trio played very beautiful, soothing music, primarily before dinner, in the 3rd deck lobby. Early in the cruise, there was a singer/guitarist just outside the casino in the Deck 5 promenade that was very good; I enjoyed listening to him, but never saw him after the first couple evenings.

 

We also enjoyed the Piano Bar sing-a-longs. The design of the lounge and piano bar was very unique; it definitely caught your eye. The "Piano Man," Wally, according the our Capers (although I never heard him introduce himself either night we visited), was a truly gifted pianist, and it was almost impossible to stump him when requesting songs. We visited the lounge fairly early in the evening, both times we stopped in. I have no doubt that the Piano Bar was a popular late-night entertainment destination.

 

Perhaps our favorite choice in terms of lounge entertainment was a band we found in the Victoria Lounge on the first elegant evening. Reviewing my Capers, I can only presume that this group was "Music Boardwalk," which was composed of three Oriental musicians. Their repertoire was extensive, (50's - 80's/90's) and they were very rarely off-beat or off-pitch. In my opinion, they at very least had a recorded back-up track playing with them, and I'm not so sure that some of the vocals weren't also pre-recorded, as well. Even if the group had some electronic assistance, they were extremely entertaining, and the audience loved every note of every song. They were a big hit; I just don't know how they did it!

 

We're not much into Karaoke, but we ventured in to "The Stage" very briefly before finding another lounge that fit our musical tastes better.

In summary, if you cannot find entertainment on-board that suits your tastes, you haven't searched far enough!

 

What did you do in port?

 

This was our first Western Caribbean cruise (only our second overall), and I was probably conservative in my selections of shore excursions and activities.

 

Our "children" have only been to an ocean beach once before, so I thought that a beach day at a club in Cozumel would be a nice starter for our shore excursions throughout the week. I was torn between the all-inclusive options offered both by Carnival and Island Marketing, Chankannab Park and Paradise Beach, which is very popular on these boards. Based largely on the advice of fellow CC members, we elected to visit Paradise Beach. I guess I should say up-front that I have no affiliation or allegiance to this beach or any other tour that we enjoyed during this vacation.

 

We shopped and wandered for a couple hours in the downtown area near Punta Langosta, and then took a somewhat wild cab ride out to Paradise Beach. Cab Fares from Downtown near Punta Langosta are conveniently posted on a prominent sign-board at the taxi dispatch site. We arrived at Paradise Beach in 10-15 minutes, at most and were very pleased with what we found. Everything about Paradise Beach was clean - the bathrooms, changing rooms, the Beach, itself - everything. The beach was covered with what appeared to be very finely ground shells, which was fluffier than most sand beaches that I have visited. One of our waiters stopped by to introduce himself, and to offer to sell us the $10 wristbands that provide access to the variety of non-motorized water-toys that the Beach offers. Two of my sons wanted the wrist bands, and they headed off to the water trampolines, the iceberg, and the kayaks that were available for use. The service staff was not pushy at all, but they seemed to know when we needed another drink or snack. A quick pop-up rain shower arrived just as we ordered la late lunch, so we moved from the comfortable beach lounge chairs/umbrellas to the main shelter near the bar. We truly enjoyed our lunch, and were amazed at the size of the portions that we were given. The food was excellent, and the prices were very reasonable, in my opinion.

 

Wednesday was our somewhat brief visit to Grand Cayman Island. Steve, our Cruise Director, held a briefing/show on the processes related to leaving and returning to the ship on shore excursions. This included an explanation of the tendering process between the ship and Grand Cayman Island. Our tour, which was a snorkeling tour and visit to Stingray City, was scheduled to begin one hour after we arrived in port. As such, I thought we should get an early start to make sure that we caught an early tender to Grand Cayman before the lines got too long. I didn't want to miss our tour. The tendering process in the earlier part of the morning was a breeze. In our briefing, we had been told that we'd be issued tender tickets, and that our ticket numbers would be called when it was our turn to go to shore. It turned out that we had chosen a time (just past 8 a.m) when the ticketing process was not needed, and we were able to get on a tender boat almost immediately. We arrived on the island just as most of the shops were opening. We checked in with our tour operator, and discovered that our trip was leaving 30 minutes later than we originally had been told. We set out to explore the shops, took some photos, and returned just in time for our tour. We took a bus ride out to the yacht club, where we boarded the boat that would take us snorkeling and for our visit to Stingray City. The tour staff was extremely helpful, and explained some of the island history, as well as the history surrounding Stingray City. The boat ride out to our first stop for snorkeling took 20-30 minutes. The crew of the boat helped everyone with their snorkel gear, particularly those of us who are not experienced snorkelers. The water was absolutely beautiful, warm, clear, and shallow enough that we did not fear for our safety. Some of the more experienced snorkelers on the tour swam past the reef slightly into deeper water. I wasn't ready for that challenge, but enjoyed the beauty of the coral, fish, rays, and other natural sites that the ocean offered. The snorkeling portion of our trip lasted 45 minutes to an hour, which to me, seemed to be about perfect. Those with more experience may have preferred to stay longer, but our family was more than satisfied with that part of the tour. We then headed toward the sandbars that make up Stingray City. The crew prepared us for our visit to the sandbar, and the visit of the Stingrays that followed. I had seen signs in town that encouraged tourists not to feed the stingrays, and I had also read some of the controversy surrounding some tour operators that are perceived to not respect the Stingrays or their environment. I was pleased to see that our tour operator and the boat crew clearly respected these beautiful creatures and their environment. We were actually discouraged from feeding the rays while we were at the sandbar. The experience in the water with the Stingrays was like nothing that I had ever experienced. It was a bit intimidating at first, but it was incredible to watch these graceful rays of various size swim right up along side us, expressing no fear of us and no aggression toward us. Our boat's crew had explained the unfounded fear of Stingrays that stemmed from Steve Irwin's tragic accident, and quickly put to rest any fears of anything similar happening to us. It was a wonderful experience, and again, we spent what I thought was sufficient time in the water with the Stingrays before we headed back in to the island for more shopping before catching our tender back to the ship. We had a Great Day on Grand Cayman Island.

 

The following day, Thursday, we visited Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We were scheduled to visit and climb Dunn's River Falls, take a bus tour of the Ocho Rios area, and visit Fern Gully before returning to the port area for shopping and returning to the ship. I will admit that I was concerned and maybe a bit worried about our stop in this port, based on the mixed opinions and experiences posted on these boards. We were directed to meet our tour operator by ship/port staff members after leaving the pier. Once all of our group was assembled, we boarded a bus that took a quick tour of the area immediately surrounding the port area. The tour operator made a point of taking us past the local jail, and reminded us that we did not, under any circumstance, want to find ourselves in that particular facility! After the brief tour of the port area/downtown area, we made our way to Dunn's River Falls, which was probably 10 minutes from the port. Throughout the day and tour, our tour operator tried to teach us about Jamaican history, culture, customs, along with daily struggles of the Jamaican citizens.

The climb up Dunn's River Falls (DRF) from beach level to the exit point at the top exceeded our expectations, in many ways. First off, it's a long way up the falls, and the combination of water that at times moves very swiftly, the steep grade of the natural rock "steps," and some blind and semi-slick footing made the climb somewhat more challenging than I had expected. It was not overwhelmingly difficult, but we certainly had to use caution and pay attention to the instructions of our climbing guides, who directed us through some of the more challenging stretches of the climb. I read somewhere in town, or during the cruise that DRF could well be the 8th wonder of the world. It was certainly an absolutely gorgeous setting, and in my life, there have been very few occasions where I've been able to get close to, actually touch, and be a part of something that is so naturally beautiful. It just struck me that throughout most of our visit to DRF, it was raining rather hard - "liquid sunshine," as the guides called it, but between the flow of the falls and the natural beauty of the setting, we stopped noticing the rain. The climb was exhilarating and challenging but great fun. I can't wait until we get the film back from our waterproof disposable cameras. We exited the actual falls, and dried off a bit. At the top of the falls, we were "encouraged" to follow the path leading toward the craft/vendor market. I had read enough posts here on CC that I did not want to run the gauntlet through the craft market. I remembered a path to the left that took us back to the parking area where our bus waited for us. Despite taking this alternate path, wandering "vendors" attempted to sell drugs to one of my sons twice between the end of the falls climb, and our return to our bus. Our tour bus was quite secure while we climbed the falls. I believe that I would feel much more comfortable leaving belongings in the tour bus rather than in the rental lockers that are available before walking down to enter the falls. Surf shoes, old tennis shoes, or similar footwear that protects you feet while providing some traction are an absolute must for use in climbing the falls. We bought ours at a discount store before boarding the ship; rental shoes are also available at DRF before the climb begins.

 

After our DRF experience, we left by bus to explore more of the Ocho Rios area. Some of the members of our group chose to go tubing down a shallow, lazy river after the falls climb. We had chosen to skip that part of the tour, and instead, our tour operator and driver took us to see some of the area that a lot of tourists never get to see. This portion of the tour was priceless; I was glad that we had not taken the river tubing tour. Our tour operator spoke candidly and passionately about life in Jamaica, by the end of the tour, I had gained a new level of respect for Jamaica, and the vast majority of Jamaica's people. I had arrived on the island thinking that it was simply a vacation destination that had gotten a bit out of control. I left the island with as much of an understanding of and respect for Jamaican history, culture, and the Jamaican citizens. It was both an exciting and humbling shore excursion.

Do you have the Capers and if so, can you post them?

 

I do have the Capers, although I'm struggling to find the Capers for Tuesday, our 2nd Sea Day. Until I can scan them, I'd be happy to answer any other questions related to the Capers for this cruise.

 

Are you going to post any pictures?

 

Between the 5 of us, we shot a ton of digital photos, as well as 80 or so pictures with waterproof disposables. I've never posted photos to a site such as webshot, etc., so it may be a while before I get any photos posted.

 

Heck....you might as well write a review!

 

Well, after reading my ramblings above, you practically have a review from me, already!

 

In closing, I had read some "horror stories" regarding debarkation in Miami. I must say that debarkation was very well organized, and other than a few people in line that did not have their documents and identification in order when they made it to the US Customs desk, I can't imagine the debarkation process going much smoother. It went quickly, our luggage came quickly, and we were cleared through Customs without much delay.

 

"ohiowilly"

 

[ohiowilly]

Glad you had a great time.

Booked the Liberty for April 2010 last week!

How was the big screen on the lido?

I have heard that it is too loud, how is it at night with the movies?

I was on the Legend in April and LOVED it.

Didn't make Grand Cayman, rough seas:(

So we figure Grand Cayman, Cozumel (again) and Jamaica on the Liberty!

The big screen on the Lido was very cool. The picture quality was very good, although not quite of the HD quality that is so popular today. The music videos were only loud during what could be considered party hours on the Lido Deck.

 

We went out one evening and watched a movie on the Big Screen. One of the Jason Bourne movies was playing that evening. I'm not sure of the movie rotation. It was fun, and popcorn was available on deck.

[ohiowilly]

We're taking this cruise next week, 6/21/08!!! We're taking 3 kids also, 15,17,19!! Can't wait!!!

What movies were playing on the big screen?

What are the hours of the Sushi restaurant?

What did you do at Cozumel?

My sons visited the Sushi Bar twice. According to the Capers, the Sushi Bar is open from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

[KenMo]

Thanks for all the detail, ohiowilly!!

 

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise!

[deanbrew]

I was on the same Liberty cruise and also just got back yesterday. I agree with almost everything ohiowilly just posted. I was very impressed with the ship, the cleaning staff, the food staff, the entertainment and just about everything, in fact. The food was good, but I will stop short of calling it great. We ate in the dining room most of the time for breakfast, some of the time for lunch and every evening for dinner, since my wife and I both dislike buffets. The dining room food ranged from OK to very good, and there was a nice variety to choose from at each meal. For those days when we didn't get to the dining room during lunch hours, or when it was closed (on port days), the pizzeria, deli, fish and chips station and mexican station all provided very good non-buffet options. The deli sandwiches were especially noteworthy. We didn't try the sushi, although it looked good. I can't say what hours it was open. We did use the breakfast buffet one port morning, and the wait in line was horrible.

 

The big screen TV had OK picture quality, and was indeed very loud during the daytime. It was quieter (appropriately loud) at night during movie time. I would rather not have the big screen and loud music videos, but some people seemed to enjoy it.

 

The ports we stopped at cozumel, grand cayman and jamaica. We did a tour in Ocho Rios that I would recommend, particularly if you are hesitant to go off on your own (which is understandable). We used markstours.com, owned by mark morris. We actually didn't have mark as our guide, but he did make a point of meeting us at the dock and introducing himself and our bus driver and guide. We did the Ocho Rios Highlight tour, which went to Dunns River Falls and then on a sightseeing tour through Fern Gully and back to town. The sightseeing tour was fun and informative. The bus was new, the guides friendly and informative and the price was reasonable. I wholeheartedly can recommend markstours.

 

In Grand Cayman, we did a tour with Moby Dick, going to Stingray City and snorkeling. I can also recommend this tour, which was much better than the Carnival-sponsored tour. We had half the people on our boat, twice as many crew hosts, and it cost half as much. Feeding and touching the stingrays was amazing, and my kids say it is one of the best things they've ever done.

 

We didn't do anything in cozumel, other than walk around town for a bit. That was plenty. Cozumel was hot, smelly and dirty. I'll leave it at that. We didn't go to any beaches or eat at any restaurants, so I can't comment on those activities.

 

Where I'll disagree with ohiowilly is about disembarkation. It took much longer than I expected. Our disembarkation "zone" was supposed to be in the middle, and we didn't get off the ship until about 10:45, after rushing to be out of our cabin and eat breakfast hours earlier. Then, it took another long wait to get through customs. Then, traffic was at a standstill on I-95, and it took us an hour to get to FLL. It's a good thing our flight wasn't any earlier than it was (2PM), or we might not have made it. I will tell anyone not to book a flight much before 2pm to fly away after a cruise. I understand that customs and highway traffic aren't under Carnival's control, but it all added up to a frustrating final day.

 

We had two boys with us, ages 13 and 15. They had a terrific time on teh cruise, and both loved the kids/teens activities. Both made a bunch of new friends and ate all day and night long.

[Guest Mary49]

Perhaps our favorite choice in terms of lounge entertainment was a band we found in the Victoria Lounge on the first elegant evening. Reviewing my Capers, I can only presume that this group was "Music Boardwalk," which was composed of three Oriental musicians. Their repertoire was extensive, (50's - 80's/90's) and they were very rarely off-beat or off-pitch. In my opinion, they at very least had a recorded back-up track playing with them, and I'm not so sure that some of the vocals weren't also pre-recorded, as well. Even if the group had some electronic assistance, they were extremely entertaining, and the audience loved every note of every song. They were a big hit; I just don't know how they did it!

 

Hi Ohiowilly, I'm soo glad somebody has mentioned this group. I've seen them 3 times on different cruises and totally a big fan. I plan to track them down next year. Music Boardwalk are simply amazing artists. I'm sure you have heard them play "Free Bird", "The Wall", "Stairway to Heaven" etc. Did you get a chance to talk to any of them? Nice guys. I don't know how they do the songs extremely well and like you said they are hardly never off key. In fact, I always thought they almost sounded better than the original. They just seem to love what they do and it certainly comes across well. I sometimes think that would do great over here in the U.S. if they ever got the chance. Thanks soo much for your review. Mary49

[BettyPC]

thanks for the info Ohiowilly & all. Sounded like you all had a pretty good time:D

[stargate fan]

We sail Liberty in 20 short days. Your notes make the wait so worth it. I want time to go by faster yet, at the same time, I want time to slow down a bit.

[wildjazz68]

Thanks do much for the info... What tour company did you use in Ocho Rios?

 

 

Mel

[ohiowilly]

Thanks do much for the info... What tour company did you use in Ocho Rios?

 

 

Mel

We used Phil Lafayette tours in Ocho Rios. Phil's daughter Tammy was our guide for the day. She was a great guide, and I'd definitely recommend their service.

[kids1stcruise]

we are booked with peat taylor tours--sounds reputable and the price was right:D