TechHoney

I'd be more concerned with something that involves and air transport out, that can run $100,000 depending what's all involved. I just paid $230 a few weeks ago for a cruise we just returned from and it would have covered everything for us for trip interruption to medivac to lost baggage (which we ended up using). I wouldn't just get trip cancellation coverage. Think of the medical side of things.

We arrived around 10:30, there were a lot of people but it wasn't super crowded. It took us about 10 minutes to find chairs in the shade on the beach. If you get there at 0900 (when they let people in) or 0930 you'll have an easier time. We just got off the boat late because there was an 80% chance of rain that day and the skies looked ominous originally.

Check my recent review of the Liberty, it has a link to a Google drive folder with all MDR menus, and some food reviews for the steakhouse, pizza, guy's burgers, blue iguana cantina, and the buffet (recommendation: avoid the buffet): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2628834&highlight=liberty

You’re welcome. It’s a beautiful resort. You can use their towels so save space in your bags and don’t bring ship towels. They have a Starbucks there and you get a free drink with your day pass. I did iced tea since it was hot. There’s a bar outside for alcohol too.

www.bookatourcaribbean.com

And take the bus. It’s a short 5 Blick walk to the busses, bus 10, it’s $1.50 each and a 15 Minute ride. A taxi driver will charge you $20-40 for the same ride.

We did the day pass at Melia, reserved online, and it was beautiful. I’d recommend it. Three huge pools. Ocean. Paddle boarding, snorkeling, and more. Towels included. Bar on the beach.

Or pay $1.50 and hop on the number 10 bus.

I would recommend the Dolphin Encounter at Freeport. My husband and I did it just this past Monday and it was fantastic.

You start at the port and take a 40 min bus ride to the docks. Then a 20-30 min slow boat ride to the dolphins (it’s in man made canals so it has to be slow).

Then you spend time learning about the dolphins (they have 12 there) before you go near the water. You are taught what to do and what not to do and why. Then you change into your water clothes and head to the docks. You sit on the docks for most of the time but the dolphin comes by and does things around you and getan you wet. Each group of people then get to be in the water with the dolphin for 10-15 minutes and get to pet it and be up close. They’ll give you kisses and hugs and will take photos. Once it’s done you’ll shower off and head back (the ocean way back is ROUGH but fast). Tip the boat driver and the trainer and bird man at the dolphin place.

You’ll purchase photos at the docks. They are reasonable around $11.50 each.

This dolphin rescue is amazing the dolphins all get free reign to go out to the ocean whenever they want. They aren’t cooped up. They are very humanely treated and it shows in that they come back willingly. They have the dolphins from the movie Cocoon. It’s really awesome and worth it.

https://unexso.com/tours/dolphin-close-encounter-2/

Funtimes: http://goo.gl/rLnbkQ

MDR: http://goo.gl/gd5iEw

I had one on the Liberty a few days ago and it was a handmade patty, not commercial, took about 15 mins and was incredible. Totally worth it.

Thank you for taking the time to do a review. I’m taking a couple friends on the Liberty for their first cruise, and I hope they feel differently than your husband did at the end! :( I’m sorry he didn’t enjoy himself. I will say that 4 and 5 day cruises are soooo different to me than 7 day cruises.

 

You guys are a beautiful couple! Congratulations on your newest little one!

Thank you :) he enjoyed it but enjoyed the ports most. He has a hard time being in the same place for a long time due to his PTSD. A ship is a very constricted place even if it’s big. He needs to be able to “escape” in his mind if the enemy knows where he is. That’s partly why I think a ship like the oasis may be a bit better due to its size and layout.

We did enjoy the things we did. The food left a bit to be desired. I’d just avoid the buffet and go to the specialty restaurants and do room service if necessary.

Which ones did you choose?

The first one is the one we had made into a canvas.

Keep in mind I’m 4 mo pregnant and wearing 5.5” heels!

And the unexpected black and white one from Freeport.

I was thinking about getting this package. I would only pay $90 if I use the AARP gift card and get 10% off. How many pictures did you have taken? Which ones did you choose? I'm sure I'll have a hard time picking only 5, but I don't want to pay a lot for only a 4 day cruise. I'm also undecided about the canvas. I'll probably never get it framed so is it even worth it even if it comes with the package?

We used an AARP gift card for ours and it was worth it. The canvas is very nice and is super easy and inexpensive to frame yourself. There are $20 canvas stretch bars you can order on line. I’m an artist and stretch canvas often and as long as you can use a staple gun you can do it.

We had photos taken at five separate locations and I’ll see if I can upload the ones we chose. We ended up with two against a gold sequin background and three with the piano. We also got a really nice black and white port plank photo that I wasn’t expecting. It’s actually my favorite.

You're welcome. :)

I forgot that we tried to do dinner in the MDR the third night but the sea was rocking so badly that I could only eat a bit of a caprese salad that I requested. My husband had the lasagna and said that it was okay. He had the shrimp cocktail appetizer and the shrimp were teeny. I also had a baked potato and he brought my left over salad and the potato to the room and they sent just the potato, no toppings. So that was boring. We didn't go back to the MDR and he didn't stay for dessert.

WEDNESDAY - SEA DAY - DAY 4

This was our sea day. The seas were mostly calm but a bit rough later on.

We wandered around the ship and did breakfast upstairs, it was okay. I forgot that we ordered continental breakfast for Monday morning and it was fine. We did the buffet on sea day and it was okay. But not great.

We did the 10:00 AM mystery $1,000 bingo game (the woman in front of us won $250, she had to pick from 10 envelopes), we had never played bingo before, it was $40 for three cards and an extra purple card 3 strip and some cash tear things. We won $5 on the cash tear and left it in the safe for the steward or next guests. We then went for a little walk and checked our pixels pictures and chose the five we wanted (5 8x10s and a 16x20 canvas). They said to pick up the canvas that night at 10:30 PM.

We went and bought tickets for the $5,000 bingo (two sheets worth so $80). We didn't win, but a newlywed couple won $750, no one won the $5,000 (blackout your card in 49 numbers or fewer). We were 1 number away!

After that we went to eat then I had my spa redo appointment. I finished that up at 3:00 PM and headed to meet my husband at bingo. He tried to get to a hot tub while I was gone but they were full of drunk 20 somethings.

We enjoyed bingo for a while then chilled in the room until the comedy show. We headed to see Michael Macy again, who was awesome, then went back to the room to pack after grabbing some pizza, fruit, and dessert.

We packed up and that was the end of day 4. We were up at 0530 the next morning, showered, and went to the Lido for breakfast, which was horrendous. We barely ate. Then hopped off the ship early. Headed to our shuttle (we recommend a porter to get through customs, it was worth the $15 tip). Then got on the shuttle back to the airport.

Overall it was a good trip. My husband said it's his first and last cruise. Likely my last too if he won't be going. I really would like to do the Oasis though. But we had a good time, we might just stick with a land resort next time to avoid the motion sickness!

See the first post for MDR menu link.

TUESDAY - DAY 3 - NASSAU

We had another excursion today but one I booked, a day pass at the Melia Resort. We had breakfast in the MDR and it wasn't great, we were seated with other people despite asking to be seated alone. Hubby had a hangover breakfast of dry toast and scrambled eggs and I had some hashbrowns and an omelet (where they didn't put anything in it despite asking for mushrooms, onions, and cheese). Breakfast wasn't good but we ate then headed off the ship.

The skies looked ominous but it cleared up and ended up being 90 F during the day.

We got off the ship and we were docked with the Disney Dream, the Carnival Sunshine, and the Enchantment of the Seas (my first cruise ship!).

We talked with a Taxi guy and he said a trip to Melia would be $20 each and I said NOPE. I said it was only a 15 minute ride and he said that it wasn't. I went by the excursion directions, we walked about 4 blocks away to the bus stop, hopped on the bus, and it was indeed a 15 minute ride to the resort and we paid $2.50 each for the bus (actual price was $1.50 I believe).

We headed in and got our beverages at Starbucks then hunted down a shaded spot and stayed there for about three hours. Cost is $45 per person. It was VERY crowded. We didn't go in the ocean or the pools. It was too hot to do much, so we stayed for a few hours then headed back to the ship.

This was the view from our balcony.

And the Fun Times for day 3.

We got back on board about 2 PM and received a spa flyer. We had already agreed that my husband would use the $50 spa gift certificate for a pedicure (badly needed, his first ever). So I decided to take advantage of a "Tip to Toe" package that would include 75 minutes of treatment including a full body massage, foot and ankle massage, scalp massage, and dry fully body exfoliation. Yeah ... I don't recommend it. Before that we went and had a bite. I had fruit and he had a Guy's Burger and said it was fantastic.

The discounted price of the spa package was $169 plus the mandatory $26 tip . What ended up happening is that my appointment was at 2:15 so I went in and had to fill out paperwork, then was finally taken back to the room where the masseuse talked to me for 20 minutes explaining massage. I told her I used to be a masseuse so I knew all of this and get massages regularly. She continued to explain massage to me. It was finally 2:45 by the time I laid on the bed. She brushed a tiny bit of each arm and leg with a dry brush (this was the exfoliation). And then started the massage. Her pressure was fine but there was a minimal 1 minute scalp massage and about 5 mins total on feet. Around 3:25 she stopped, went and washed her hands for a while, then came back and dinged a bell. I was surprised as it was so quick. I checked my watch and sure enough it was only 40 minutes of actual massage time. She left for 10 minutes for me to dress and then came back in and tried to sell me products and get me to sign the receipt and I told her no. I wouldn't sign it because I wasn't happy I only got 40 minutes. I asked to speak to her manager and she said she would have them call me.

Now, even though I didn't sign the slip they STILL added it to my account and took their $200.

I don't think that's right at all. I didn't sign anything yet they took the full price and the tip.

I finally got a call the next day from the manager and I explained the situation and she said that I could pay $129 instead for what I received and I said no, that was ridiculous, why would I ever pay $129 for 40 minutes? I said I would pay the discounted price off of that though just like the original package was discounted 50% and she said instead they would give me the entire service over again. I did go back and the second service was better BUT, was positioned directly under a kids' club so there was constant banging, screaming, thumping, running around, dropping of heavy objects. Not at all relaxing. But I did get 75 minutes worth.

After the initial spa treatment I was pissed about the service and my husband headed for his.

My husband's manicure and pedicure was fine for him and he quite enjoyed it.

I was going to go eat but ended up checking out our Pixel photos then relaxing for a while until he got back.

There really wasn't anything interesting happening that night so we grabbed Guy's burgers for dinner (I had the veggie burger, which was awesome but they don't call you back for it so pester them). And then we chilled in the room the rest of the night.

Here's our towel creation we came back to the second night. It was our belated honeymoon. Rowena left us a $12 pixels gift card and a $50 spa gift card as a gift.

Before we got ready for the Military Appreciation we grabbed a quick bite at the Deli, the falafel wrap was SO spicy I couldn't eat it but the truffle fries were delicious. I had fruit as well. My husband had a chili dog and said it was quite tasty.

After the Military Appreciation event on Day 2 (Monday) we had some photos taken then went back to our room to change and we weren't hungry so we didn't head to the MDR. I'll post those menus on a separate thread.

We went and enjoyed the 7:30 show with Michael Macy at the Victoria Lounge and he was hilarious! It was a PG show but was great, worth getting there about 30 minutes early. We stuck around for Al Ernst at 8:30 and he was very funny as well, definitely more PG.

We wandered around for a bit and chilled in our room then headed back for the adult comedy show at 10:00 PM with Michael Macy, and it too was hilarious. He's very good and worth seeing. He interacts with the audience a lot, which is nice.

After that I was read to head back to the room, my husband stayed out and had a few drinks (the hub app is great for seeing where someone is if you have no way to communicate with them). I ordered room service, a quesadilla and fries. The fries were awesome and the ketchup was really sweet but good. The quesadilla had chicken (my bad for not emphasizing to omit it) so I left it for my husband to eat when he got back around 12:30. We headed to bed for our next day's events.

Note that it called for rain and thunderstorms everyday and while we had VERY rough seas the first night on Sunday, every other day was fine with little sprinkles and that's it.

Room service menus.

Rowena left us this.

Here's our towel animal from the first night.

MONDAY - DAY 2 - FREEPORT (funtimes at the end)

Today we were headed on an excursion to the Dolphin Encounter. It's $155 through Carnival each or $85 through the company directly. There is PLENTY of time to get back to the ship so I recommend booking this on your own and save a lot of money (you'll still have to pay for transportation to the company's dock). You'll have about a 40 minute drive on a bus to their dock, then a 20 minute slow boat ride through the channel to the dolphin enclosure.

This is the actual excursion at Carnival's site: https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/freeport/dolphin-close-encounter-416001

You'll get a talk about how to interact with the dolphin you'll be meeting, then you'll get down to whatever you want to get wet in, then head to the dock. You sit on the side throughout until it's your time in the water with the dolphin you meet. They have 12 dolphins here and they are a very humane facility. The dolphins have free reign to go out to the ocean whenever they want, which is virtually unheard of. We met with 21 year old Coral. There were five groups of people total in our group (11 people) and each group go to spend about 10-15 minutes in the water with Coral for photos and to pet her. We learned a lot about dolphins and our trainer was awesome. The photos were pretty great, we purchased all three 8x10s for $35.

We got back to the ship about 3 and headed to get showered and dressed for the military appreciation event (my husband is a disabled, retired Army veteran).

I'm vegetarian so we did a bit of a strange dinner at the Steakhouse, the chef started us off with a mini slider for my husband and a dish of berries for me.

My husband ordered a 9 oz filet and ordered my lobster tail as his entree as well. He said the steak was amazing but the lobster tail was not good. He got mashed potatoes that he said tasted like they were made with water. He had a shrimp cocktail appetizer and they were HUGE. I had the marinated mushrooms and it was amazing.

I also had a baked potato and a side of mushrooms for my dinner. Then he had the Chocolate Sampler for dessert and I did the apple tart. The Chocolate Sampler was excellent, the Apple Tart was good but tasted like the apples had been soaked in alcohol and that was very off putting.

After dinner we were so stuffed we just went back to the room and relaxed until morning. We did get a couple of Dr Seuss photos taken but didn't buy any of them because they were a bit ridiculous. Think glamour shots poses. Not the best photographer.

Right click on any image and choose View Image to view the larger size.

We had FTTF so we got on the ship about noon and had to check our larger bag, even though it was under the measurements for the xray machine. We headed onto the ship and straight to our room to get settled.

We went up to the Lido to get a snack and had Blue Iguana, hubby had a burrito and I had two tacos. This was probably one of our favorite meals of the trip, fantastic and simple. We headed back to our cabin to clean up before muster. Muster went without a hitch but took about 40 minutes due to people straggling in. After muster we headed back to the cabin to see if our bag had arrived and it still hadn't. We met our Steward Rowena (who was awesome) and let her know about our missing bag. We departed at 4:30 and our bag finally arrived around 5. We had reservations at the steakhouse at 6 so we got ready for that.

I'll do this in a post and several replies with photos of everything. Links to a GDrive folder with funtimes and MDR menus are below.

Funtimes: http://goo.gl/rLnbkQ

MDR: http://goo.gl/gd5iEw

SATURDAY - PRE CRUISE

We booked this cruise almost a year ago as a one year celebration of a surgery I had ... little did we know I'd be pregnant come January and we would have to make a few alterations with our excursions. Everything worked out but I must say that a boat and hypermesis do not mix, even with a lot of Bonine.

We flew into Orlando the night before and stayed at the Hilton Cocoa Beach on the Ocean. It was very windy but we got some time on the beach and walking along gathering shells for our kids back home. We had lunch at the Tiki hut and it was good, but pricey ($45 for a quesadilla, beer, Caesar salad, and hummus). We had dinner at the Salt restaurant and it was not good. They refrigerate their tomatoes so they were grainy and so gross I couldn't eat them, my husband's alligator was so overcooked it was inedible. Strongly recommend against eating there. We did breakfast at Denny's down the road before we headed to the ship since dinner was so bad at the restaurant. We Ubered to a grocery store and did a bit of shopping before heading to the port.

We used Go Port Canaveral for our transportation to the hotel, hotel, and transportation to the port and then back to the airport. They were good overall. The driver had no idea how to drive a bus going to the hotel, took many wrong turns, couldn't back up properly, it was a mess. But we got there. The shuttle to the port was ridiculous. The bus was overpacked and was tiny, so we had people sitting on people's laps it was that bad. We were the only people for the Liberty, everyone else was cruising the Oasis. The drive back to the airport on debarkation day was fine.

Right click on any image and choose View Image to view the larger size.

I updated the folder and renamed the photos to make it easier.

I'll see if I can name the photos better, there were some differences but it was pretty standard, some items (chicken, porkchop, etc. are repeated nightly). We only tried to eat in the MDR for dinner once, I'm a vegetarian and they didn't have many choices that particular night for me but my husband wanted the lasagna -- however I got so sick from the boat rocking that I had to leave and go back to the room part way through a custom caprese salad I ordered. We didn't eat in the MDR again due to the rough seas.

The steakhouse on the other hand was great. My husband ate my entree (ordered 9 oz filet and lobster for him) and I had a wonderful mushroom appetizer salad, mushrooms, and a baked potato for dinner. I have had most of my stomach removed so I don't have much space for much food so it was a lot for me. The apple dessert tasted like it was soaked in alcohol so I barely touched it. My husband had the chocolate sampler and it was fantastic. The little appetizers from the chef were a mini slider for him and a bowl of fresh berries for me. Hubby had a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer (the shrimp were enormous).

I used the hub on our cruise. We just disembarked today. It was up to the minute accurate as I had no idea where my husband was one night and it helped me know he was okay. Drinking but okay.

They asked us questions and did not need to see our paper copies at Port Canaveral on April 22, 2018.