Carnival Liberty B2B Eastern then Western Review

[CruisinfromRI]

Paul- I have been following this for the last few days.. I simply cannot wait to read the rest- especially your western half!!! looking forward to more of this. this is by far the best review I have read on these boards!

[gypsyrose]

Paul, as always you do not disappoint w/ your picture reviews. Love, love, love them. Looking forward to the rest.

[CruisinCutsie]

I totally enjoyed looking at all your Half Moon Key pics! It makes me want to be there right now:D I'm so glad I managed to weave myself into the boards and come across your great posts. Thanks!

[pamelab]

We are going on the Fascination in October. I can't wait to go to HMC. I am planning on getting onboard ASAP to rent the cabana. How much did it cost? I know it's around $200 - 250; did you pay for the 5th person? Our 5th person will be 3 years old - can't see paying an extra $45 for her.

 

Loved the pictures - it looks like paradise. We're hoping for good weather and good health!

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Can't wait to keep reading about you and your family. Our boys are 13 and 15. I keep bringing them to the computer to show them pics. BTW, keep the food pics coming!!

 

Wishing you and your fam good weather and good health,

Pam

[cruisin_rn]

Thanks Paul for this great review! I am anxiously awaiting the rest of the review including the Western leg of the B2B. We are leaving November 8th on the Liberty (Cozumel,Caymen on Jamaica) and I can't wait to hear your experiences. We have been to these ports before but your reviews are really getting me excited! Thanks again for the pics and your reviews!

 

P.S. Hey Seafun glad to hear you are heading to the Caribean once again. The 4 of us were with you on the Glory last year. I will never forget the loud crying child in the dining room! :eek: Have a great time.

 

Paula

[Handsome58]

of this great review!!!!!!!! keep it up......I go on the Liberty in mid-August!!

[Cruising Dreamer]

Love this review. I've printed copies for my friends to see that are going with me. Can't wait for more!!!

[PaulMedik]

Paul - your review is awesome! We leave in just 19 days!!! Regarding HMC -- are there hammocks for everyone or just with the cabanas? Is there food (snacks) available throughout the day for those passengers that do not have a cabana? I'm happy to hear you loved St. Johns (that's what we plan on doing). I look forward to reading the rest of your review!

 

Debbiepof,

 

Thank you.

 

As far as I know, the hamocks are simply near the cabanas and are available for anyone to use. I don't recall seeing anyone use them other than my family.

 

Yes, food is available throughout the day back at the buffet area.

 

St John is great! You'll love it too, I'm sure.

 

Thanks for the great review!! Beautiful pics and a beautiful family!!

 

I have a question.....

 

How did you get the loungers on your balcony? When I had a wrap, I asked the steward if I could have a lounger and he said no :confused: .

 

KenMo,

 

The loungers were there when we arrived. If they hadn't been and my stewardess couldn't arrange them, I'd have procurred them myself from the Lido area.

 

I have 2 questions about the Cabana at HMC. Does the cost of the Cabana include the buffet and is there a locker inside the cabana for valuables?

 

Really enjoying your review!!!!

 

Diane

 

Diane,

 

The buffet is provided for everyone compliments of Carnival.

 

I don't recall a locker, but there are three unused cabinets beneath the counter to place things out of site. We left our personal items out on the table. It's not that I trust everyone, it's just that I don't mind an occasional lost item if someone wants it enough to steal it.

 

 

Molly BPOE,

 

Yes did feel safe, but we naturally avoided areas with questionable looking characters hanging around. We passed an occasional rowdy looking neighborhood bar along the way and were never approached nor threatened in any manner.

 

The only semi aggressive vendors we encoutered were near the pier and their efforts were wasted on us; we never buy anything from anyone that approaches us. 'Semi aggressive' is an overstatement for their actual sales tactics; they were quite docile, but then again we have been to Jamaica before and were there again the next week, so our experiences are tempered by Jamaica.

 

 

SandyToes1978,

 

Kodak Z1285. I also carry two extra Kodak rechargeable batteries, but it can use two AA batteries as well. The pictures are 12 Mega Pixel so the actual pictures you see here are much larger than the thumbnails displayed on Cruise Critic.

 

 

Susan,

 

You're welcome and we hope to meet you and your family again some day on the open seas!

 

 

JamsN4,

 

Yes, we'd definately stay at the Yankee Clipper again. We didn't get to spend enough time to really check out all they have to offer, but we'll be staying there again some day for sure.

 

 

Fancy_Goods,

 

More to come shortly. I promise.

 

 

trock,

 

Thank you.

 

Yes, the cabanas are limited and tend to sell out quickly on the first day.

 

No bathrooms in the cabanas, but they aren't far off.

 

 

S&S16,

 

Thank you.

 

We brought the boys tuxes with us. Carnival does have a selection of tuxes available on board for rental at the Formalities shop, and you can order them at Carnival.com prior in kids sizes too.......I think.

 

 

seafun,

 

Thank you.

 

Our next trip there will be a year and three months from now......can't wait!

 

 

 

TanIslandGirl,

 

I have a price list somewhere that I plan to scan in and upload to webshots. I think the private oasis price is also listed.

 

 

CruisinfromRI, gypsyrose, CruisinCutsie, pamelab, cruisin_rn, Handsome58, Cruising Dreamer, SCFCRUISER, As You Wish, cruzin4our10th

 

Thank you.

 

 

poptart,

 

Yes, I went back to work. Six nights of twelve hour shifts is extra rough when I've been off for a month!

 

 

earlethepearl,

 

I had so many coworkers call in sick this past week that they'd have sent an ambulance to bring me to work sick or not.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the delay in posting. I work night shift 7P - 7A and have an hour drive to and from work so I pretty much go to bed when I get home and then go to work when I wake up. Some days I am able to read posts on Cruise Critic, but those days are few and far between.

 

The boys are clamoring for me to play with them now, but I promise to continue the review today. :)

[brnsnbrws]

Thanks for answering my questions. I check this thread several times a day looking for the rest of your review. I am(as many others are also) looking forward for the rest. I have looked at all your pictures on webshots and they are absolutely amazing!

 

Diane

[PaulMedik]

Thanks for answering my questions. I check this thread several times a day looking for the rest of your review. I am(as many others are also) looking forward for the rest. I have looked at all your pictures on webshots and they are absolutely amazing!

 

Diane

 

 

Diane,

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

Grand Turk

 

 

Our day in Grand Turk began with a hearty breakfast a little of everything (well not everything, but quite a bit more than any human should eat at one setting). Even without date stamps I could tell this pic was from week one, because I didn't pig out quite as much the second week. It wasn't so much that I was trying to eat less, it was that my clothing was shrinking with the ocean air;

 

 

 

Karen and I were out and about the ship after breakfast trying to walk out way in to our clothes. Along the way we checked out the view from the funnel deck;

 

 

And checked out the funnel deck shower (I'm sure this shower would spray the volleyball court if we turned it on);

 

 

No chair hogs;

 

 

I'm an avid deer hunter, and I can't help but say that Carnival needs to find a better taxidermist;

 

 

Want to make a donation to the casino? This is where I made many contributions and enjoyed a few hours of fun;

 

[PaulMedik]

After our stroll of the ship, it was time to wake the boys up and get them fed and prepared for the day in Grand Turk;

 

 

 

Our approach to Grand Turk was straight in paralell to the pier;

 

 

As we drew closer to the pier, the aft started to drift off course a little;

 

 

At this point, I switched to video mode (and I haven't uploaded that video yet) because the aft thrusters kicked in and corrected the drift waaaay too much. The aft thrusters were at full throttle and the aft was swinging hard to port (port direction, not actual port) and this movement caused the front of the ship to swing hard starbaord (starboard direction, but port or pier as the case was). The reactions by the bridge crew and by the tie off crews on the pier indicated the sound and vibration we felt was exactly what I suspected; We had hit the pier and were scraping along the side of the ship!

 

After the ship had finally been brought under control and back parallel with the pier, the tie off went quickly and we headed down to deck 0 for our meeting with the Carnival photogs;

 

 

After exiting the gangway we checked out the damage from the pier impact;

 

 

The damage was very minor given the angle of impact. It was fortunate that we were coming in slow or I suspect we may have had an overnight stop in Grand Turk for repairs;

 

[PaulMedik]

That blue scrape mark made for a very loud screaching noise as it occured;

 

 

If my deck plan memory is correct, the two sets of port holes above the impact zone are 1A port hole cabins on Riviera Deck. I bet they had a rude awakening if they were sleeping in;

 

 

 

The damaged area caught the attention of many passengers as they exited the ship, but just as many or more walked by without even glancing at the damaged area;

 

 

What was most amusing about watching people was the ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) that they displayed as they paused to inspect the damage. They would stop and look, then they'd be distracted and wander on. Perhaps their ADD was justified, because here's what distracted them;

 

 

Passengers walking by us thought we had stopped for pictures of ourselves so they offered to take pics for us;

 

[vacruizer]

So glad you are back, Paul! :) I'm going to want to stay up all night reading the rest of this. :eek: Seeing the ship again is like seeing home after our fall cruise on her and it's great to see these ports that we will visit for the first time soon. Thanks again for all your hard work on this.

 

12 days and counting...... :D

[PaulMedik]

Carnival photogs were also set up at the half way point on the pier;

 

 

 

There's a duty free shopping store at the end of the pier that we had to walk through. It reminded us of the old International Pier in Cozumel;

 

 

The boys each stopped as we walked through the store and said; 'Are you sure we haven't been here before?' After exiting the duty free shop, they realized we weren't in Cozumel;

 

 

Grand Turk's beach by the pier was very serene, but the flowrider provided plenty of wave action;

 

 

While Karen and I found a nice lounging area by the pool, the boys started a game of water baseball and soon had two teams competing against each other;

 

[PaulMedik]

As we layed by the pool, we discussed the similarities between Grand Turk's pier area and Costa Maya (prior to the hurricane). Other than the Flowrider, the two ports are very similar;

 

 

 

But Costa Maya didn't have a beach area where you could swim out this close to the ship;

 

 

Grand Turk was the first port I ever laid on my back and floated by our ship;

 

 

As Karen and I left the beach area and headed back to the port's pool area, Princess' Cruisline's Caribbean Princess was approaching the pier;

 

 

We also checked out the Cabanas at Grand Turk's cruise complex. We never inquired as to the cost or what all was included, because our cabana at Half Moon Cay was still fresh in our minds and we knew the cabanas at Grand Turk, though nice enough and perhaps well appointed, could never compare with our Half Moon Cay cabana;

 

 

After the Princess passengers began arriving at the pool area, it became a little crowded and less 'kid friendly' with adult chicken fights in the pool with multiple exposed buttocks and more.......

 

The first arriving Princess passengers also encountered a live porno show right by the pool entrance by a couple of inebriated fellow Carnival passengers. I saw the passengers in question a few times during the week and I don't think they needed alcohol to loose their inhibitions. I suspect the dogs barking on debarkation day was all in their honor as well, but I don't know for sure. I am sure that many bags were searched as they were unloaded because the dogs were hitting on them pretty hard.

 

Anyhow, we posed for a couple of pics as we took the boys back to the ship;

 

[PaulMedik]

After the boys were securely back on board, Karen and I checked out the shops by the pier and picked up a few small items. On our way back to the ship, we snapped a couple of pics of each other;

 

 

 

 

And we discovered what happens to a Carnival towel when it's dropped off the pier by an idiot;

 

 

Carnival towels float!;

 

 

In the gentle current alongside the pier in Grand Turk, Carnival towels eventually drift back up onto the beach;

 

 

Where good samaritans interupt their sunbathing to toss towels back up to the idiot that dropped them;

 

[Catrin]

Welcome Back Paul!!

 

Out of all the pics you have posted, I love the one with your family in the adorondak chairs the best.

 

Just hangin with the Family after a great relaxing day... isn't that what Cruisin' is all about??

 

Catrin

[PaulMedik]

Here's a pic of the idiot wring the water out of the towel;

 

 

Clumsy idiot and his towel are reunited at last (all of this was observed by the Carnival bridge officers who were pleased to see they wouldn't have to charge the idiot for his $22 Carnival towel);

 

 

I was happy to provide them with some entertainment and perhaps distract them from their own clumsiness earlier in the day. I had a soaked towel to show for my clumsiness, they had a freshly painted ship hull;

 

 

 

Other than the dented area, you couldn't tell they had slid into the pier as opposed to gently nudging up to it;

 

 

As we walked along the valley between our ship and the Caribbean Princess, I couldn't help but think they'd really be wondering about Carnival cruisers and crew if they'd have been at dock when we came in;

 

 

The first arriving Princess cruisers I'm sure had a very negative impression of Carnival cruisers based on the displays they witnessed, but can you imagine how much they'd be talking if they'd have also got to see us try and wipe out the pier?

[PaulMedik]

Welcome Back Paul!!

 

Out of all the pics you have posted, I love the one with your family in the adorondak chairs the best.

 

Just hangin with the Family after a great relaxing day... isn't that what Cruisin' is all about??

 

Catrin

 

 

Catrin,

 

Thank you.

 

I noticed in the chair pic that I forgot to remove my flotation ring.....and the thing is still wrapped around me now! I have got to get rid of that!

 

Hangin with the family is most definately what cruising is all about to us.

 

 

 

After we got ready for dinner, I took a pic of myself on board the Caribbean Princess;

 

 

The boys were out on their deck as getting ready for dinner as we left the port;

 

 

Bye Bye Caribbean Princess;

 

 

After we were all dressed for dinner, Eka our stewardess came and took a pic of us on the balcony;

 

 

And shortly thereafter Britt had Nirmala doting over his dinner order;

 

 

If you go to dinner on the first night and see Nirmala is your head waitress, be prepared to not skip any meals because you'll be looking forward to her conversation, prompt service and smiling face. We did miss a couple, but boy did we hear about it from Britt when we did;

 

[PaulMedik]

A few food pics;

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner we returned to another towel animal invasion of our cabin;

 

 

Britt returned later that night with more than a few indications that he'd just been to Camp Carnival;

 

 

Our day in Grand Turk started off with a leisurely breakfast, a nice stroll around the ship, our ship running into the pier, then a very relaxing day by the pool / beach, swimming by the ship, adult entertainment / porn, then becoming part of a different kind of entertainment. All in all it was a very memorable day at port.

 

Karen and I will be returning to Grand Turk for our twentieth anniversary on board Carnival Destiny for a five day cruise and hope to provide NO entertainment of any kind for our fellow passengers. (As in no live porn nor towel retrieval sessions)

[PaulMedik]

So glad you are back, Paul! :) I'm going to want to stay up all night reading the rest of this. :eek: Seeing the ship again is like seeing home after our fall cruise on her and it's great to see these ports that we will visit for the first time soon. Thanks again for all your hard work on this.

 

12 days and counting...... :D

 

 

vacruizer,

 

Thank you and you're welcome. I wish we only had twelve days and counting!

 

 

 

 

I now have to figure out which album I put the last sea day pictures in....

[Hurricane Girl]

I am glad that you guys had a good time!!! I love reading your reviews and seeing all of the pics. Especially of Britt, I know he had such a good time!!! Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[g35]

Thanks for the great review Paul! Quick question- which ship is bigger the Caribbean Princess or the Liberty?

 

I'm looking to book a CCL cruise next year and I am not that familiar with CCL. I was on the CB last year and just want to get an idea of some of the similiarities

[genngee]

Paul, you by any chance save the excusrsions list for San Juan? everything listed on the carnival site is for ships originating in San Juan or evening stops. We do not want to tour OSJ or the Forts, been there done that

[PaulMedik]

I am glad that you guys had a good time!!! I love reading your reviews and seeing all of the pics. Especially of Britt, I know he had such a good time!!! Thank you for taking the time to do this.

 

 

Hurricane Girl,

 

Thank you. Yes, Britt definately had a good time.

 

 

Thanks for the great review Paul! Quick question- which ship is bigger the Caribbean Princess or the Liberty?

 

I'm looking to book a CCL cruise next year and I am not that familiar with CCL. I was on the CB last year and just want to get an idea of some of the similiarities

 

g35,

 

You're welcome.

 

Caribbean Princess is larger at 113,000 tons vs 110,000 tons for Carnival Liberty. The passenger mix seemed older on Caribbean Princess based on the three times we've been in port with them in the past. Based soley on our observations of the passengers as we come and go from ports, I'd say the Caribbean Princess passengers are as lively as Carnival.

 

 

 

 

Our final day at sea on the Eastern leg began with an early morning escort to Camp Carnival for Britt, then Karen and I layed out on the deck and later browsed the shops for last day sales. We passed Britt and Camp Carnival a few times in the hallways marching and searching for FunShip Freddy. After we picked him up, it looked like Freddy had adopted him;

 

 

We had stopped by the lobby bar for a quick drink and ran into a Carnival employee that I'm sure many of you will recognize;

 

 

Tommy's normal bar is the aft wine bar Poparazzi (sp?), but he works the lobby bar on many mornings of the week. Tommy is known as the singing bartender and will delight you with his tales and his tunes. Tommy also makes EXCELLENT drinks.

 

Our last day at sea was most memorable for the glass smooth waters we glided across;

 

 

 

This picture doesn't quite capture the perfect reflection of the clouds in the water;

 

 

The only waves visible from our ship to the horizon were ripples made by our ship;