Cruisin Carnival Liberty 8/15 - Review E. Caribbean

[Hawaii697]

Wow, hard to believe my cruise is over. I had a good time. I hope my review gives you some insight on the Carnival Liberty. :cool:

Some of my group and I flew out of BWI (Air Tran) on the Friday prior to cruising. Air Tran was offering First Class upgrades for $69pp. Flight was right on time. We stayed at the Embassy Suites hotel near the airport. The group loved it. We plan to stay there again on our next cruise. I was able to get a discounted room for $109 for the night. The hotel offered from 5:30 to 7:30 the free Manager’s Cocktail hour. I know you are thinking watered down drinks. Far from it. They offered drink specials or you could ask for your drink of choice. At this cocktail hour, I had my group’s Meet & Greet. Our group consisted of persons from Atlanta, Boston, DC Metro, and New York, New York. This was a great way for all to meet. We wore our favorite sports t-shirt or jersey to represent. There were prizes and a gift from the agency to hand out.

The next morning there was a free full breakfast. Omelets included. I had a shuttle arranged for the group ($10.00 pp thru hotel) to leave the hotel at 10:45. We arrived at the pier around 11:00. Although my husband and I had VIP check-in, embarkation was a breeze for all. As we waiting in the VIP check-in, my husband recognized one of our cruise critic roll call buddies standing behind us (hey Robyn, hey Kay)!!

We are on the ship around 11:45 and head straight to our room to dump off our bags. Since our room was literally around the corner from the Lido deck entrance, they had not locked this area. We had the first room at the entrance so we easily ducked in, tossed our carryon luggage in the closets and under the bed, out of the way of the room steward and off to our first drink of the day and lunch.

Met with the CC Roll Call group. Nice to meet ya, Robyn, Bruce, Tina, Joy, and David. Unfortunately, the sail away party was rained out, but my crazy family made the best of it!!! I have them on film dancing in the rain. We had late seating for dinner in the Silver Dining room.

Next day, Half Moon Cay. Absolutely beautiful. The best port on the trip. The group rented two cabanas #9 and #10. It was perfect. Cabanas had water, veggie platters, chips and dips. The water was crystal clear. This place was heaven. We were one of the last off the island.

Next day, Sea day. Just relaxed, played a bit of bingo, had tea with my sister. Filmed my nephew in the Mixology contest. He came in third. . . first formal night!!!

St. Thomas. Walked over to K-Mart to get a few items forgotten at home and also picked up a couple of bottles of liquor. Later, we hangout at Sapphire Beach for a couple of hours. Very nice! Wear water shoes as when you first get into the water, there are a lot of rocks. Husband and I got a ride to Duffy’s Love Shack to get some conch fritters. I was disappointed. They were very salty! The drinks we had while were waiting were good. Went to the club and partied hard this night. We almost had a pole dancing thing going on (you had to be there).

San Juan. This was my favorite shopping port, first stop . . . Coach Outlet. Armed with coupon in hand, I got a nice signature page for $95.00. Off to Tommy Hilfiger, spent $11.50 on two pair of shorts, and lastly, went to Marshalls. Great buys and lots of different clothes you would not find at your local Marshalls.

Once back at the pier, there was a small, duty free shop opened in the lobby area. They did not have any of the normal liquor you would purchase, it was more of a discounted lets get rid of stuff. I bought a couple of $1.00 bottles of rum. A while back, I posted the question regarding the Carnival duty free shop being open while in San Juan during the day. I was told, most definitely not. Well, I was walking in front of my friends and accidently got on the escalator (we got off the ship on the ground level). I told friends hold up and just come right back down. Low and behold when I got upstairs (this is where you check-in if you cruise out of San Juan), the duty free shop is open. I saw my other sister making purchases just as I got to the top. I went and purchased two bottles and headed back to my cabin.

Now remember, I purchase liquor in St. Thomas and San Juan. Both times, I was able to take the bottles to my cabin . . . they were not confiscated, even though they told me to take it to some table around the corner once I boarded. I just walked up the stairs with my purchases and put into my closet. My husband and I had already brought in our checked luggage a bottle, each that lasted the entire cruise. We did not open any of the bottles we brought on board. One of my sisters, who had to drive from VA to Miami was kind enough to take our purchases home with her. Her boyfriend does not fly!!!

Grand Turk. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in this stop. The ship did arrive early. However, there are very few cabs. We waited about a ½ hour to get a taxi/bus to Bohio Resort (Pillsbury Beach I think its called). It is considered Zone 4 and cost pp is $7.00. The resort want to charge us $10 pp for beach chairs, however, I had an email that stated they would be $7.00. Food was very expensive and the island itself, was pretty poor. I thought it would be a bit more like Aruba. The beach itself was nice. You could swim out pretty far. Some folks in our group stayed at Margaretville, had a good time but mentioned it was pretty rocky. We bought a few souvenirs at one of the pier stores, but I swear it was not meant for me to purchase anything at the main terminal. The computers kept crashing. I tried two different registers and the same thing kept happening. This was also second formal night, which hubby and I did not attend.

Day at sea, relaxing again. No luck at the casino or bingo. Did a bit of last minute shopping on board and packed.

Disembarkation, again a breeze. Carnival offers what they call “Express Luggage”. I read about it on Wednesday and did not think much of it until I woke up on Thursday morning. Was told by someone in the group I had to have my form in by Wednesday at 10:59 pm. I took a chance and went to Guest Services around 10:00 am. Armed with my VIP card I explained to an assistant what I would like to do and no problem, she told me to fill out form, bring it down as soon as I could and hopefully the airline would approve. They approved. Once at the airport, you go directly to your gate and wait. Our luggage was one of the first pieces off the plane when we landed.

While this was not my best cruise, I still had a good time. I’m thinking its because my husband got sick with a cold and it was also harder for his mom to walk long distances. So, she did not enjoy some of the outings we did.

Chocolate melting cake, fish and chips and the lobster improved on this trip. Our room steward was a sweetie. . .we had cabin 9294 and I am sorry I do not remember her name. First day at sea was rocky because Hurricane Bill was somewhere in the area. The Liberty itself is a very nice ship. I am not one to care about the décor, however, this ship is nicely decorated.

Formal nights are first day at sea and Grand Turk (Thursday).

 

If you have any specific questions, post and be happy to answer.

[mississauga]

Thanks for taking the time out to do a review. Glad you had a good time.

 

You mentioned good shopping in San Juan. Were these stores near the pier or did you have to take a cab or other transportation to go there?

[Hawaii697]

Thanks for taking the time out to do a review. Glad you had a good time.

 

You mentioned good shopping in San Juan. Were these stores near the pier or did you have to take a cab or other transportation to go there?

 

Thank you. All stores were within walking distance. When you get off the ship, bear left until you come to a square. Once at the square, walk up hill one block, turn left again and walk about 4-5 short blocks. Turn right and you will see Coach, Guess, Ralph Lauren & Tommy all within the same block. You will pass Marshall's prior to getting to the designer outlets. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water. It is about a 10-15 minute walk. Happy shopping.

[luv2cruise777l]

Thanks for the review! Glad you had a great time!:)

 

I have a question about the Embassy Suites. I assume you were staying at the one in Miami? If so, since they don't have any resturants other then the one at the hotel near by, did you eat there or did you get shuttled somewhere else? We were told they will take you to one of 3 different resturants via their shuttle driver. I have stayed here before and was very leary about staying here again because of the fact of "being trapped" because we don't have a car but the included breakfast and cocktail hour in a BIG plus!;):)

[MzOhioLady]

Hello and Thanks for taking the time to write your review! I'm going on the same cruise and ship as yourself. I have a question. Is there a game at night in one of the lounges, called Quest? If so what night is that played? Thank You!

[DTC]

Hi,

Taking the same cruise in February. Just wondering about Grand Turk.

We weren't sure what to do there, you mentioned Margaritaville, is that close

to port or would we need to take a taxi. What other resorts can you visit there? Any other recommendations as to what to do there?? I would like to take a catamarin and snorkle, but figured we could do that in St Thomas.

 

Also, did you go up to the excursion desk as soon as you got on board to reserve the cabanas?? And would you recommend #9 & 10? We have a group of 9 and we'd like to rent cabanas. Thanks for your advice and any other info you'd like to share!!

Tami

[mizLORInj]

Thanks for the info.

I agree HMC is the most AWESOME place, and Grand Turk not so much.

[1 Cruise Fan]

:) Thanks for your reveiw....enjoyed reading it.....A few questions:

1.What terminal is the Liberty D or E?

2.Did you go to the Supper Club & if so what night?

3.Our cabin is on Lido as well,how is it to have a cabin on this deck?

Thanks In Advance,

Stacie

Is it Cruise Time Yet?

[floridaboyz]

Thanks for the review! With every new review I read I get more excited to go. I - - WE (DW and I) need this cruise badly. . . .

[Hawaii697]

Thanks for the review! Glad you had a great time!:)

 

I have a question about the Embassy Suites. I assume you were staying at the one in Miami? If so, since they don't have any resturants other then the one at the hotel near by, did you eat there or did you get shuttled somewhere else? We were told they will take you to one of 3 different resturants via their shuttle driver. I have stayed here before and was very leary about staying here again because of the fact of "being trapped" because we don't have a car but the included breakfast and cocktail hour in a BIG plus!;):)

 

Yes, it was the Embassy Suites at Miami airport. We took two taxi's to Bayside. The cost of the taxi from Embassy Suites to Bayside was approximate $20 each way. There were 9 of us. We also went to the Dolphin Mall which is $5.00 per person each way. We didn't use their shuttle but I asked just in case someone in the group wanted to take it. My sister had driven so we took her car. It's about 15 minutes from the hotel. The cocktail hour and breakfast make it worth the stay. ;)

 

Hello and Thanks for taking the time to write your review! I'm going on the same cruise and ship as yourself. I have a question. Is there a game at night in one of the lounges, called Quest? If so what night is that played? Thank You!

 

Ahh, Quest. I had plans to play until I found out it was played at midnight prior to our stop at San Juan (Tuesday night). Since our stay in SJ was short, I wanted to be one of the first off the ship to enjoy! :)

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[PineappleGal]

What where the movies they were running on the Big Screen?

 

Leave on Saturday, same itinerary as you.

[Hawaii697]

Hi,

Taking the same cruise in February. Just wondering about Grand Turk.

We weren't sure what to do there, you mentioned Margaritaville, is that close

to port or would we need to take a taxi. What other resorts can you visit there? Any other recommendations as to what to do there?? I would like to take a catamarin and snorkle, but figured we could do that in St Thomas.

 

Also, did you go up to the excursion desk as soon as you got on board to reserve the cabanas?? And would you recommend #9 & 10? We have a group of 9 and we'd like to rent cabanas. Thanks for your advice and any other info you'd like to share!!

Tami

 

My suggestion for Grand Turk is to go through Margaritaville which is right at the pier. Walk down as far as you can and swim in that area. We had already made plans to go to Bohio, but if I had it to do all over, I would have stayed at the pier.

 

I did go to the excursion desk as soon as I boarded. Three cabanas had already been booked. If you want to be with the crowd and the happenings on HMC I would rent the cabana's closest to the entrance #1-5. Cabana's 9 & 10 where perfect. Not crowded and not a problem to rent with a group of nine. There is no one there to watch how many are in the cabana. I forgot to mentioned they give you a choice of 8 cans of soda for each cabana along with bottled water. The BBQ lunch is very good. No ribs, but they had jerk chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, cookies and brownies.

 

If you decide to book a catamaran ride, I would do it in St. Thomas, Grand Turk was a bit pricer.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Hawaii697]

:) Thanks for your reveiw....enjoyed reading it.....A few questions:

1.What terminal is the Liberty D or E?

Not sure of the terminal letter, it is definitely the terminal at the very end.

 

2.Did you go to the Supper Club & if so what night?

I did not go to the Supper Club but someone in my group won a dinner there. She absolutely loved it and mentioned the food was delicious and service was pretty much perfect.

 

3.Our cabin is on Lido as well,how is it to have a cabin on this deck?

If you plan to spend a lot of time out on the Lido deck, its' the best place to be. Check out our cabin on Carnival's website, click on ships/Liberty/deck plans and scroll down to Lido to find your cabin. Our cabin was 9294. I will request that cabin for every cruise going forward. The night of the deck party, we could hear the party from our cabin, however we only went to our cabin during the party because we forgot our camera ;).

 

Thanks In Advance,

Stacie

Is it Cruise Time Yet?

[Hawaii697]

What where the movies they were running on the Big Screen?

 

Leave on Saturday, same itinerary as you.

 

High School Musical 3

The Express

007 Quantum of Solance

Bolt

Express

[Hawaii697]

Just found my capers . . . Quest is played on Tuesday night at 11:00 pm in the Cabinet Room, Deck 4. Have fun and let me know how it turns out!;)

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Nice review! I loved the Liberty and you brought back memories!!! I really love HMC and can;t wait to go again next year on the Pride.

[PineappleGal]

New Terminal or Old Terminal in Miami?

 

Did you see anyone with door decorations?

 

Are they still doing Color Wars?

 

What is the Deck Party Theme?

 

Who is the Cruise Director?

 

How was the weather?

 

Was there Shot Night?

 

Inch of Gold or Silver?

 

How was the food? Favorite Dish?

 

Do you have any pictures?

[Hawaii697]

To answer your questions:

New Terminal or Old Terminal in Miami? - New Terminal

 

Did you see anyone with door decorations? I didn't see any door decorations.

 

Are they still doing Color Wars? - yes :rolleyes:

 

What is the Deck Party Theme? - Mexican, out of San Juan

 

Who is the Cruise Director? Kevin Noonan (next week is his last week) - funny guy!!!

 

How was the weather? - with the exception of sailaway out of Miami (poured the remainder of the day) the weather was awesome. We had rocky seas on after we left HMC, but the beach day was gorgeous! Wait, there was a very brief shower at HMC but believe me, it was brief :D

 

Was there Shot Night? Sure, there was shot night in my cabin every night ;) . . . I didn't notice shot night on the capers

 

Inch of Gold or Silver? Yes, lots of styles to choose from. I did purchase a blue and rhinestone bracelet. They will try to sell you a 21 inch necklace to get the bracelet free. Also, the two watches for $39.00 day was crazy. It was like Filene's basement on the wedding dress day!!! :D

 

How was the food? Favorite Dish? The food was very good in the lido deck & dining room. My favorite was the lobsta. It is just like New England lobster, not the caribbean lobsta they used to serve. Also there was a day they served fried chicken and they ran out of it :eek:. I love fried chicken.

Do you have any pictures? Tons of pictures but it will be a minute before I download. I see you are leaving soon and will try to post prior to you leaving. Enjoy your cruise!

[thesawch]

I got the Embassy Suites hotel at the airport for 68 dollars off hotwire for a friday night before our cruise .

[amistad]

Thanks for posting your review, we leave this Saturday on the Liberty. If you don't mind my asking what was your take on the way people dressed in the MDR? On casual night did you notice if men wore nice shorts and on elegant night did all the men seem to be dressed in suits and tuxes or were some in slacks and button down shirts? I know what the dress code is, but I don't want DH to feel out of place if I pack some of his nice country club type golf shorts. Thank you for expressing you opinion and for the informative review.

[love_2_travel]

Thanks for your review! We leave on Saturday for this cruise as well. I'd love to see some pics when you have time!

[Hawaii697]

Thanks for posting your review, we leave this Saturday on the Liberty. If you don't mind my asking what was your take on the way people dressed in the MDR? On casual night did you notice if men wore nice shorts and on elegant night did all the men seem to be dressed in suits and tuxes or were some in slacks and button down shirts? I know what the dress code is, but I don't want DH to feel out of place if I pack some of his nice country club type golf shorts. Thank you for expressing you opinion and for the informative review.

 

On regular nights of dining, you truly saw various outfits. From women wearing sundress and flipflops to capri outfits and jeans. Men wore shorts, khakis and the occassional flip flop. Elegant night, women definitely dressed. I didn't see any tuxes. My husband wore a nice suit. I noticed some men just wore dress pants shirts and ties. The dress code truly varied! Hope this helped and enjoy your cruise!

[red lobster]

Hawaii697, Thanks for letting us know what your experience was with the MDR. I was not sure what to pack for our upcomming trip on the Liberty since you see such a wide range of opinions on the dress code. I am glad someone that just got off the same ship we are going on posted a review.

[mdorbert]

OP-

You mentioned that AirTran offered $69 upgrade to Business Class... How did you get that offer? Husband & I are leaving from BWI on 9/12 to Miami for Liberty Western... would LOVE to h ave an upgrade!

 

Any insight is apprciated!

 

Thanks for the review

Michelle

[Hawaii697]

OP-

You mentioned that AirTran offered $69 upgrade to Business Class... How did you get that offer? Husband & I are leaving from BWI on 9/12 to Miami for Liberty Western... would LOVE to h ave an upgrade!

 

Any insight is apprciated!

 

Thanks for the review

Michelle

 

Airtran will be offer (if available), the business class upgrade when you go online to choose your seat assignments. It will be $69.00 pp. Remember, you can check-in online 24 hours prior to departure. Good luck and have a great cruise.