A First-timers Review: Carnival Liberty 5-2-2009 (with photos and capers)!

[Hollybelle]

[B]Day 8, Saturday, May 9: Debarkation[/B]

We woke up early on debarkation day and headed out to watch the Liberty dock in Miami before breakfast. There were hardly any people out there, other than the crew working diligently to scrub everything down and flip the ship for the next cruisers. Oh… so sad. We were all such sorry blobs of woe that morning. I wasn’t kidding when I said debarkation day should really be called “It’s All Over but the Crying Day:”

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And of course we took some last minute pictures of the ship.

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[Hollybelle]

Our flight was scheduled for 1:10 pm out of Ft. Lauderdale so we decided to self-debark. We were told if we needed to get off the ship due to an early flight (and were self-debarking) we could make our way down to the Venetian Palace sometime before 7:15 am. We only had one suitcase and small carry-on apiece, so we didn’t expect it to be too difficult. And considering we’d been hauling our butts up and down the stairwells to and from deck 10 all week… an elevator ride with some suitcases surely had nothing on us!

View of the empty lobby area from the Panorama Deck (taken early on debarkation day):

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We got down to the Venetian Palace right at 7:15 am and they had already emptied the lounge, so we filed our way through the lobby and right off the ship. It took about 15-20 minutes to get through customs, where the officer looked askance at me; he had troubled believing that I, a female passenger, had only purchased two items in port :eek:[FONT=Verdana]. What can I say? I much prefer spending my money on experiences![/FONT]

Once through customs we called Steve with SAS Transportation and he was there to pick us up within 10 minutes. I would definitely recommend his shuttle service from FLL to the port of Miami. It was only $15 pp and he was extremely courteous and efficient.

Waiting for our shuttle:

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We were in the airport before 9 am! So, all told, it took us about 1 ½ hours to get from our cabin on Deck 10 to the airport in Ft. Lauderdale using self-debarkation. It was an extremely smooth transition.

Unfortunately though, because I have no return trip airport drama to share, I can’t stretch this review out any longer :([FONT=Verdana]! Although I must say, writing it has certainly helped with those post-cruise blues. [/FONT]

[Hollybelle]

[B]Reflections:[/B]

After my first cruise, I’m definitely hooked. Having my parents there to introduce us to the cruising lifestyle was really helpful, as well, and I can’t wait to cruise with them again. I really enjoyed all the opportunities a cruise has to offer; they really take the best of all these different worlds and roll it up into one vacation… LOVE IT! Also, I was impressed with Carnival right from the beginning. The crew was amazing and everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful.

I found that I enjoyed port days more so than sea days, although this isn’t a shock because Brett and I are the type of people who like to get out and do things. For our next 7-day cruise I’ll be looking for an itinerary that offers 4 ports of call and 2 sea days because I think that would be the perfect balance. Speaking of our next cruise… my mom and I are already trying to nab one for later this summer if we can find a good deal!! One thing that works out nicely for us is our location. We can easily drive to many of the ports (Port Canaveral, Tampa, Jacksonville, Mobile), so if we find a good last minute deal we might just jump right on another ship!!

Lastly, I knew I was going to write a journal/trip report for this cruise but I hesitated on whether or not to post it online because I couldn’t post on my usual forum. I’m so glad I decided to join cruisecritic and post it here. Best idea, ever!! Everyone has given me such a warm welcome and I want to thank you for all the positive responses (and patience) as I got this monster of a review posted! Hopefully, I’ll be back with another one before the year is up!!!

Next step is to start working on my digital scrapbook pages... wonder how long that will take :rolleyes:?

And because no post is complete without at least one picture... let's all say goodbye to Panchito Beakman:

[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%20May%202009/P5060291copy.jpg?t=1244814510[/IMG]

[Dpeeps]

WOW!! What a great review!! I just read the whole thing and enjoyed it so much! It got my attention because I was looking to cruise somewhere next year for our 20th anniversary....but have never cruised on Carnnial....so I wanted to read your review! We have only cruised RCCL....but was checking out some for next year....aren't taking the kids along....and the prices seem better for the number of days you get...may have to try Carnival!! Is the Liberty one of Carnival's bigger ships?

[Amerikaner83]

Wow... Once again a great review...

You should have made some airport drama yourself so this could last longer!! Lol you guys are lucky being relatively close to those ports you can just drive a few hours to get there... Grr...

Happy cruising in the future!

[recyclelady]

It's been great getting to know about you and your family thru your review and photos! I'll think of you folks when we board the Liberty in February!

[jerseyjjs]

Very nice review!!! I was just on the Liberty 5/30-6/6. Your pics gave me a very recent memory collage. Looks as if you enjoyed your trip as much as we did. Let us know if you all find another summer cruise. We've been scouring the websites ourselves.:D

[Doug910]

[quote name='Hollybelle'][B]Reflections:[/B]

After my first cruise, I’m definitely hooked. [/QUOTE]

...Absolutely brilliant review. Your mix of personal commentary along with interesting facts and photos gave this review a life of its own. It's absolutely fantastic to read a review through the eyes of a first time Carnival cruiser! But... watch out!

...Do you know what you're in for?? You've just found out that cruising is truly an addiction! Even after as many cruises as our family has been on, I still get the exact same feeling boarding the ship and standing in the atruim. Looking up through the atrium, witnessing the sunlight beaming through the glass ceiling, it's hard not to think to yourself "Ah, I've made it. How lucky we really are to be able to experience this."

...Again, super review! Best of luck handling your new addiction!

[Bernie388]

Hollybelle, Even though I have been on 8 Carnival cruises you have made reading this and seeing all the pics very exciting. A nice precursor for our cruise in Sept on the Liberty. My girlfriend who has never been on a cruise has loved your review and she is addicted to your pics, you have made her feel like a cruiser already. Thanks again! Scott

[recyclelady]

Hollybelle,
I wanted to add that I liked your unhappy-because-the-cruise-is-over photos! We always take similar photos when we are in the airport waiting for our flight to board!

[charotarguy]

Holly,

Great review, one of the best reviews of cruising I have read, and this is one of the few I have followed till the end. Keep up the good work.

Charotarguy

[jmk171]

I so enjoyed this review. I am embarking on my first cruise in November and couldn't be more excited. Thanks for sharing the great pics and details with us.

I used vacationstogo dot com to book my cruise - it's such a great site - shows 90-day departure discounts and is easy to use. Because you're in a position to leave from many ports in Florida, this is a good option because you don't have to worry about last minute airfare.

Thanks again :)
Jennifer

[idjaffe]

[quote name='Hollybelle']Say hello to CruiseCheers... aka Kim or Mom!![/QUOTE]

Hi Mom!

[mosweet]

Hi Holly, thanks for that great review! I am really ready to go now and I can't wait. Please let me know if you ever need help finding last minute deals because I'm a TA and this is my favorite thing to do is cruise :D. I'll be on my 10th cruise with Carnival on our upcoming sailing. I'm looking forward to another review.

[happylady]

Hollybelle -- thanks for the great review.

[OV8]

Thanks for letting us be part of your family.

:)

[OV8]

Holly - do u have any pics of the main dining room on the Liberty?

I've heard Carnival's are very flamboyant.

[Cruise_Q]

What a wonderful review...

if there is such a thing as 1st place in reviewing...you get it...:D

put that in your siggy...

You have really been a source of information and excitement...

love LOVE this review!!!

[Cruisin G-Mom]

OMG your pictures are awesome!!!:eek:

I am suposed to be working and I had to stop and look at the pictures and comments.

 

Thank you This is my first time being in the message board and I just love it.

 

OMG!!! Great

[Cruisin G-Mom]

Is that a KC Royals hat I see!!!!

 

I live in KC

[wonderfullife]

This was a fantastic review. Thank you so much for posting. We will be on the Liberty in August and have been on that ship once before. Seeing your pictures was like seeing it with new eyes.

 

Question about Jamaica for you. We have not been there in several years so I can't remember a lot about it. Where was the Marguaritaville located? Is there anything that is right at the port so that we can get off the ship but not go far? We took excurisons the other times we have been there and it has been a while. Things change so fast.

 

Thanks again.

 

Aleece

[stefyo]

Thank you once again for this great review and for sending me the capers!!!

 

I cant wait for our cruise! Your review has made me and my family so much more excited!!!

[miniwheat]

Thank you so much for letting us live threw you and your family, it was great.:D

[J2K66]

Question about Jamaica for you. We have not been there in several years so I can't remember a lot about it. Where was the Marguaritaville located? Is there anything that is right at the port so that we can get off the ship but not go far? We took excurisons the other times we have been there and it has been a while. Things change so fast.

 

Thanks again.

 

Aleece

 

The Margaritaville is right in the port area, along with 2 different shopping villages.

[Hollybelle]

WOW!! What a great review!! I just read the whole thing and enjoyed it so much! It got my attention because I was looking to cruise somewhere next year for our 20th anniversary....but have never cruised on Carnnial....so I wanted to read your review! We have only cruised RCCL....but was checking out some for next year....aren't taking the kids along....and the prices seem better for the number of days you get...may have to try Carnival!! Is the Liberty one of Carnival's bigger ships?

 

Thanks, Dpeeps!! My parents have cruised Carnival for all 4 of their sailings and while we aren't opposed to other lines and look into them when booking, they've always found that Carnival provides the best value. And they've yet to have a bad experience, so I would definitely recommend it. As for the size of the Liberty, I think it is in one of the larger class of ships. Maybe one of the experts around here can be of more assistance with the ship info :D.

 

Wow... Once again a great review...

 

You should have made some airport drama yourself so this could last longer!! Lol you guys are lucky being relatively close to those ports you can just drive a few hours to get there... Grr...

 

Happy cruising in the future!

 

Thanks, Amerikaner. And you're right, we're very lucky to be within driving distance of many of the ports. Regarding the airport drama... I've definitely had my fill :rolleyes:.

 

Very nice review!!! I was just on the Liberty 5/30-6/6. Your pics gave me a very recent memory collage. Looks as if you enjoyed your trip as much as we did. Let us know if you all find another summer cruise. We've been scouring the websites ourselves.:D

 

Thanks, jerseyjjs. We're still looking for a great summer deal, however, we've started talking about maybe going over Christmas instead. This way we'll have a little more time to plan.