NauticalNeophyte

24 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

What didn’t you like about him?

For starters, every time he’d talk to someone in the audience, he’d end up saying “I talked to you the other night didn’t I?”  He basically was telling the same jokes about the same people.  Hut that was the leas t of our concerns.  

I just don’t think it’s funny to make fun of people’s religions, ethnicities, disabilities, etc. He actually told jokes mocking cruisers from Turkey by imitating what speaking Turkish sounded like to him(just making a lit of utterances and sounds).  That’s not funny, it’s offensive.  He jokes about a disabled cruiser on another sailing with one leg,  he kept referring to the Hispanic cruisers as thieves, he called one girl who slipped her shoes off a hillbilly, joking that she should be home watching the trailer, and he tried to pacify the black cruisers with some Obama jokes, but it was probably just because he took a quick count of who was in the room.  He also made jokes about Hispanic immigrants and the wall where I see nothing funny about children in cages.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some snowflake who takes things too seriously. I grew up on “In Living Color” so I know anyone can get it.  But it’s how you say things.  The entire routine was negative stereotypes and racist tropes,  and it was more mean spirited than funny. There were some laughs but when it was over everyone immediately got up and left. I didn’t see that with the other comic or in the shows last year.  

He did make a few  funny jokes about uppity Royal Caribbean and their rock climbing walls though.  Had he kept that type of snarky but harmless tone, it would have been a much better show.  

We’ve booked the original MoBay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel itinerary and are probably going to change to your new itinerary due to scheduling conflicts.  Do report back after the cruise and let us know how you liked it.  We’ll be on the Freedom, but I’m curious about those ports.  

We were on the Liberty last month and LOVED it. It was only the second cruise for the adults, and the first for the kids,  it everyone enjoyed it.  I was too lazy to write a review when we returned, but I’ll shoot through some highs and lows.  

The Good:

1.The ship was incredibly clean and in good shape. The buffet was well attended, the waiters cleaned the tables quickly, and staff constantly cleaned public areas. 

2. Cookie was an awesome cruise director.  I don’t know if he’ll still be there, but he was awesome.  I get why people have their preferences now.

3. The crew just seemed happy, and they were very friendly.  

4. Guest services staff was very helpful. 

5. The first comedian, Mr. Bertrand I believe was hilarious.

6. DJ Tropic was pretty good. 

7.We enjoyed Nassau and Freeport.

8. Bed were comfortable (as long as you added the featherbed to the sofa bed).

9. The bar staff were all fast and friendly.

10. MDR entrees were pretty good. All the cuts of meat were very tender. 

11. Seafood Shack and the deli were delicious.

12. Venice Trio was fantastic.

13. The Punchliner was probably one of the best alcoholic drinks I ever had. And man did it pack a wallop.  

14. Karaoke was hilarious. The ship had a really good fun squad.

15. Our funs squad member who led the GOT trivia was English, and it sounded so authentic hearing her say the names.  It didn’t matter to most people, but I appreciated it. 

16.  The sail away party was on and poppin’!  There were a lot of fun people on my sailing.  

17.  The mega deck party was really fun.

18. The kids enjoyed Club O2. Michael the counselor was very friendly, and the area had a nice set up. 

The Bad:

1. The Russian guy on deck 5 taking pics was a rude butthole, but it didn’t ruin my vacation. 

2. The comedian Michale Macy was racist, offensive and just not funny.  Carnival

got a long email about him. 

3.  The sofa bed was too firm without the featherbed, but I didn’t find it until day 3. 

4. The lunch buffet was mediocre to me, but there were plenty of tasty options elsewhere. 

5. The pizza wasn’t as good as last year on the Triumph when they baked on order, but that may be all ships. It was still good though.

6. There was another band in the atrium that was just ok. Lead singer wasn’t that great. 

7. The smoke from the casino was awful.  You really couldn’t enjoy the seating on deck 5 outside the casino for all the smoke wafting out.  

No opinion:

1. Didn’t see any shows except the port show of whatever it’s called. Cookie made that very entertaining.  No Playlist productions.

2. Didn’t try the steakhouse, but I heard a couple people say the steak was good but not the sides.  Or maybe the sides were good but not the steak.  

3. Didn’t play in the casino, but the staff I encountered were friendly.

4. Didn’t use the spa, Alchemy, or the piano bar.  

We met a lot of nice people from all over the country and world. The kids made great friends.  I’m not sailing Liberty next year because I want a different itinerary, but it was a nice ship and a good time.  Granted, I went in with the mindset that I was going to enjoy myself.  Cookie told us we worked hard and paid for that vacation, so we should enjoy and we did just that!

THE TL:DR version of all this is it was clean, fun, had great food and nice people.  Stop reading CC reviews, or at least take them with a grain of salt.  Most of them are negative, but that can’t be everyone’s experience or the ships would be empty.

ETA: the kids were very satisfied with room service.

Another Wildra review!  My boring afternoons just got a lot brighter!

I‘m curious about what impact it will have on Carnival sailings.  I see that it is aiming for a hip, fun vibe, but I wonder who it will really attract.  Will it be the new “fun” ship, or will it take on a snooty, pretentious, we’re too sophisticated for that type of thing vibe?  I can see it going either way.  

I’m also interested  to see how this 18+ thing works out after a few sailings. People complain about the drinking on CCL and NCL, but it seems like an 18+ Virgin cruise could get wild really quickly.

I’m youngish with no kids but it’s not my crowd. I’m glad to see another option for cruisers though. Maybe this will shake up the industry enough to make some changes in decor (looking at you Carnival), dining options and entertainment.

FYI...my waiter put my napkin in my lap each night on the Liberty three weeks ago. 

Thanks! Well I’m glad your family found your cruise groove.  

1 hour ago, 3smithboys said:

 

We've been on Disney, RC, and one NCL ( it was our first cruise and it was horrible

 

May I ask what was so bad about it?  I’m curious about trying them while the Breakaway is sailing from New Orleans. 

About those cakes on the lunch buffet, the  cakes and filing between the layers was good.  The outside of the cakes are iced with whipped icing 🤢Personally I hate whipped cream so that was a nasty surprise. Just an FYI for anyone looking to try them. 

OAN the eggs on the Liberty were great.  I thought the lunch and dinner buffets were mediocre, but everything else was tasty.  Especially the Cubanos at the deli.

Favorite buffet item is probably the French toast.  

I know a lot of people don’t like Freeport, we really enjoyed our time there.  We went to Taino Beach and had a great time. It was beautiful, clean and affordable. There were water activities included, free wifi, and the bartenders were very generous with the alcohol.  The drive wasn’t bad, and gave us a chance to see the area.  

We just did this last week on the Liberty.  Cabin 1 was sister and two nephews. Cabin 2 was me and oldest nephew and youngest niece.  Cabin 3 was mom and two middle nieces.  We changed it to Cabin 1 was youngest niece and nephew, Cabin 2 was me, mom and sister, and cabin 3 was two middle nieces and nephew.  Oldest nephew was a no show. 

It was a relatively easy process at guest services.  Cabins 1 and 2 had one original occupant staying after the change so new cards were made for the people that moved.  We tried calling Carnival beforehand to have it done, and the first lady was a complete ***** about it.  We hung up in her face. Thanks to HUCB the second lady was helpful and recommended doing it on the ship as that is the easiest way to do so.  It took less than 10 minutes to do.  FYI...If there are any minors in your party, or anyone not paying their own gratuities, you may want to the sort that out before you move.  

I slept on the sofa bed this past week on the Liberty, and I found the sofa bed too hard also.  It wasn’t until the third night that I found the extra featherbed under the soda. That made it a lot more comfortable.

We’re doing this itinerary next May on the Freedom, so I’m following along. Enjoying your review. 

Here’s the embarkation day fun times.  Sorry for the shadow; I forgot to do this earlier.  I’ll scan the remainder tomorrow. 

If anyone has questions ask away.

Just got

off the Liberty on Friday.  I haven’t sailed the other ships, but the Liberty was great! Good music, good food, and a good time!  

As promised, I’ve begun packing using the cubes.  In my medium  cube, I’m able to pack the following: 12 prs of underwear (good grief my panties are on the Internet 🙄), 2 bras, 2 prs pajamas, 2 Spanx, 1 pr socks, 2 swimsuits and 1 cover up.  

I put a pic of the packed cube next to the Roku remote for reference.  I’m thinking my 27-inch suitcase will be big enough. 

I’m interested in what cutbacks you witnessed too since we sail on the Liberty Monday. Will you be on that sailing @PhillyFan33579?

I’d be the person planning and executing the menu for the buffet because I love to cook and feed people, working the excursions desk, or booking future cruises in Guest Services.  I’d make a good plain-clothes security too because nosy and observant, but mostly nosy. 

Thanks @Mara!

Not to beat a dead horse but I’ll say this on thing for the packing cubes. I personally think they take up less room but it does depend on how you pack.  Last year, I was able to get the following items into 3 packing cubes:

14 prs of underwear (you can never have enough)

6 prs of shorts

6 shirts

4 maxi dresses

3 prs of pajamas

5 bras

2 light sweaters

1 dress for elegant nite

Undies went in the smallest cube, shirts and pajamas in the medium, and everything else in the large.  It left more room in the suitcase for shoes, etc.  

I know they won’t make sense for some, but they might work for others.  People who share a suitcase, etc. might benefit from the organization.  Since they guys are only bringing duffles and no carry ons, they can throw everything they need the first nite into a cube in my carry on until the luggage arrives.  

My cruise is next week 😁 and I need to go through my packing list.  I’ll try to remember to take some pics of how much I’m packing and how it fits into the cubes in case anyone wants to see what it looks like when you don’t plan to repeat clothing.  

The best thing about this thread is that every tip helps someone out there! 

ETA: I’m one of those wacky people that likes a packing challenge. Can I get it all in there? It’s like real life Tetris. 

12 minutes ago, welshy74 said:

In 3 weeks I fly from London UK to NOLA and this is my first time on Carnival Glory, in fact my first time on Carnival!  Usually sail RCL and figured it will be similar, being an American brand.  Is it? 

Nearly every review I read is negative so getting a bit worried..  how garish is it? 

Oh and I honestly don’t care about a Mongolian Wok so that’s one less thing to worry about.  

Still... very excited and keeping my expectations low.. so it can only get better, right? 

 

I’ve never been on the Glory.  I’ve only been on one ship, but I will say take the reviews with a grain of salt. If the reviews were an accurate account of all Carnival cruises they would have gone belly up years ago. Some complaints are valid, but there are a lot of people out there with completely unrealistic expectations who complain about everything.  NOLA is a fun place, so you’ll have lots of friendly folks on the ship looking for a good time.  

As for the decor, yeah it’s bright and “different” than what I’d choose, but it’s not that noticeable to me. I refuse to let tacky decor make or break my vacation.  Most hotels had butt ugly bedspreads for years, yet we still stayed in them.  Some people will complain about Carnival’s decor and how bothersome it is, but then comment on how much time they spent in the casino.  What’s tackier and cheesier than casino decor?  Yet they still played.  

You may find that you like RCI better, or Carnival may surprise you.  Have a good trip and try to get to Cafe du Monde while you’re in NOLA. 

10 hours ago, brendapap said:

 

If you wouldn't mind maybe you could post the fun times, thank you.

Will do. If I can’t do it on the ship I will post as soon as I get back.  

I’ll be on the Liberty in 14 days!  I probably won’t do a full review, but will try to post some general info when I return. 

8 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I want to like them, but I'd hate to buy them if they don't work for me the way they work for so many others. So are you saying 9-10 T-shirts in a packing cube will take up less space than 9-10 T-shirts in the suitcase on their own?

Here’s the video that convinced me to try them.

 I never found this exact toiletry bag, but I did get a good one on Amazon.  The combo of the two has made all the difference. I like how no matter how much my luggage gets tossed, everything stays folded. I can leave my undies in the cube in the drawer, organize my suitcase better and group things together.  I’m sure some people won’t find them useful, but I think they’re great.  I even got my sister hooked on them.  

Amen to the packing cubes! I can fit my whole cruise wardrobe in a large weekender bag with them.  

We’ll be driving from Baton Rouge to Port Canaveral.  It’s a pretty long ride, but a lot shorter than out last trip up north.  Getting there really is half the fun, and it’s too many of us to be able to afford to fly, so I-10 here we come.  We’re driving in the night before though.  I was okay driving into New Orleans the day of because it’s so close and I know alternate routes, but I wouldn’t chance it any further than Mobile.  

People do what works for their family and their budget.  If car rides don’t bother you, I say go for it. It beats the hell out if staying home.