DenaInWyo

Wow..these are awesome pictures and thank you for posting them! I really enjoy seeing multiple ships in port. On the Liberty last month, I could see the lido decks of three Carnival ships at the same time..my own, plus the Valor and the Breeze as well.

Very cool, thank you again!

I wouldn't want to cruise without my own insulated drink mug. I even dump the bar drinks into it. I hate when my ice melts really fast and used it even with having Cheers on my last cruise. I picked up that tip before my first cruise and it definitely stuck!

I am also looking at goportcanaveral.com for our January cruise. It just looks like the most convenient package deal for those flying in.

Thanks for all this info! My cruise is excruciatingly far away, but I'm already obsessed and all these little details were just great. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your cruise to post.

2393 for us

2401 for friends

 

No complaints of noise from either :)

Thank you for the response! Not close to where we will be, but good to know you didn't have noise problems either.

There isn't enough popcorn in the world for this post :)

Personally, not only do I really like chatting with new cruisers to see how their trip is going and enjoy that excitement and wonder, but I'm also a little jealous of them. Nothing will ever compare to that first step into the atrium on your first ship.

I wouldn't want to be on a cruise without the newbs :)

Maybe you could consider buying your own yacht?

LOVED your review, and as I've said before, it almost makes me wish the Conquest would have won out when choosing between it and the Magic. My luck though, by January Josh would probably be moved to another ship.

I really liked your pictures of San Juan. I think that's the port I am most looking forward to on our next cruise, just because it's so different than any other port I've been to. We don't have an excursion planned there either. We plan to check out the fort and then shop our way back to the ship about like you guys did. I just love the looks of that place and can't wait to see it myself.

Your description of the veteran's meet up brought tears to my eyes, with your dad getting a standing ovation. How awesome is that? And how well deserved. We don't have a lot of those guys left. Please tell your dad thank you from me. I did 4 years in the Navy myself, during Desert Storm. I think it's great to see Carnival taking the time to honor vets. I LOVED the pictures..both the group one and the one of the Pops with the Captain. I was a little irritated to hear they couldn't produce a wheelchair for him on disembarkation. Come on. Really? We will be sailing out of Port Canaveral for our Magic cruise and glad to hear you like this port better.

And, once again, that Blue Iguana :D Glad to hear I'm not the only one who likes that so much. Fish tacos rock! We did not like the breakfast burritos, but now thanks to you I know they serve stuff other than that so I will be trying it out for breakfast again.

Anyway..THANK YOU so much for the great review! I really enjoyed it.

Really enjoying your review! Not letting the plumbing problem ruin your cruise is admirable :) I would have been upset with it too, but going bonkers isn't going to help anything either.

Marking my spot so I can follow the rest of it!

Our last cruise was a lot about relaxing, and on our upcoming cruise I think we might even be more invested in it. We'll have a cove balcony and plan to make good use of it, and in two of the ports I am thinking we'll be giving ourselves an extra mostly sea day with a bit of a land view.

I saw another review recently with the spa card given to them. I booked a massage on my first cruise and was so irritated with the hard sell afterward, combined with the outrageous prices, I highly doubt I'll ever do it again. Maybe that's starting to catch up with them?

Agree with you on the pork tacos at Blue Iguana. In fact, ANY of the tacos there, including the fish, were really good on the Liberty as well and I had them more than once. Wish I'd tried the watermelon salsa now. I went for the habanero instead. Yowza!

Saba is indeed inhabited. It's part of the Dutch Antilles and has resorts/touristy things to visit.

I'm really loving your review! You're doing a fabulous job of making me feel like I'm there! Sigh..if only. Carry on soon!

Looking forward to the rest, and a great start! We were on this cruise 2 weeks ago and I'm still lingering over it and wishing I were there.

Sorry to hear about your dining room experience. Wow..what the heck happened? I would be so bummed to not eat in the dining room for at least most of the cruise.

I've been to the spa once in my three cruises and had the same experience with the hardcore sales pitch. Not my cup of tea. I'll save my massages for port days or here at home. It's a real buzz kill after you're all noodled out from your massage.

We've been to Progresso a few times and we usually take the free shuttle to the market downtown. Then walk the two or three blocks to the free beach. There you will be constantly approached by massagers and hair braiders and others of some kind. Not harrased, just bothered constantly. Just an FYI.

I'm really glad we booked an excursion for Progreso, and tbh, if we ever go there again it might very well be either an additional sea day for us, or a get off the ship and sniff the breeze then get back on kind of day.

First, I want to say a Great BIG Thank You for your post, I read every single word! It was amazing!!! You did say, if anyone is interested about where, how or when to vamp? I'm very interested. Please post about that. Again, Thank You so much! :D

Vaping is allowed anywhere you can smoke. You are not supposed to vape in your cabin, but I will say (and I'm sure some will be frowning at me here) if you should happen to break the rules, just don't blow clouds in the direction of the smoke alarm ;) It's not smoke, but if it's the type of alarm that detects changes in the air by sensor, you will set it off ;) We have these kind in my work bathrooms, and trust me, it is possible to set them off. Don't ask me how I know :D We had no issues though, but we are not sub ohm cloud chasers either.

Other areas of the ship, such as the outside bars, were very tolerant as well so long as we weren't being obnoxious or bothering others (we never were so I don't know if they would ever have said anything). Keep in mind, my sister and I are very low key about it. Most of the time you could be sitting right by us and never even notice.

Yep, I realize some of this is blatant rule breaking. If anyone would have looked the slightest bit bothered by us, or if we would have done any kind of harm to our cabin whatsoever, I would have immediately behaved myself.

I just wish they'd make the casino vaping only :p

If anything it was overcooked. I enjoy fresh rabbit and if you know fresh rabbit this was not.

I'm actually quite familiar with fresh rabbit. We had it as kids at our grandparent's ranch quite a bit growing up, either fried like chicken or cooked into a meat pie. Yeah, it sounds like you got a bad batch unfortunately.

I agree with others here about the $20 upcharge meals. Both times I had steak or the beef tenderloin on the regular menu on my recent Liberty cruise, it had a very odd flavor to me. Have you ever had a steak that had a kind of liver taste to it? That's how these were. The steak on the upcharge menu was very nice though! Must just be higher quality meat or something. Definitely worth springing for at least once on a cruise, and I may be doing it more often than that next time. The lobster was very nice as well and cooked perfectly.

You ladies sound like a fun bunch :) Thank you for your review. I know I have a long way to go but I'm already planning and dreaming of my Magic cruise in January.

Would you mind sharing your cabin number? If you already did I must have missed it. We are doing cove balcony 2254 and though I *think* I've got us in a good spot, any backup opinions would be great!

Marking my spot, very interested in post upgrade Magic reviews/info :) Thanks for taking the time to post here while on your cruise!

Sure seems silly and kind of like a waste of space to only have the Guy's BBQ open for such a short amount of time on the cruise. They should at least make the hours longer on the sea days. Oh well, maybe by the time we cruise they will.

Hope you're having an amazing time!

Following along and thank you for posting!

While I enjoy pictures, I like a good narrative even more :)

Our upcoming cruise was between the Conquest with a similar itinerary and the Magic with a cove balcony. The Magic won out this time, but now I'm almost regretting it! I wish all the CDs would do neat lectures like that..I would LOVE to be at some of those!

Looking forward to the next installment.

The ground rabbit in a miniature puff pastry is an appetizer and it is dry and has no taste, don't bother.

Wow..you must have just gotten one that wasn't cooked well. I had this and thought it was really nice.

I got all caught up in reminiscing and didn't answer your question :D

I don't pack until the day before we leave. That would freak a lot of people out, but there's a method to my madness.

I'm not physically packing prior, but mentally packing. I keep a notepad by my computer with my packing list on it and add to it as I think of things. By the time I pack, the list is complete and I go by it for putting things in the suitcase.

If I try to pack too early, I end up thinking I packed something when in reality, I just thought I did.

The physical chore of putting it all in the bags doesn't take more than an hour. It's the mental preparation that takes time. This is a more organized way for me to accomplish the task.

I overpacked SO much on my first cruise. Chances are, you will spend a lot of time wearing a swimsuit and coverup during the day. We went nuts on the elegant night too. That is just personal preference though.

One thing I do recommend, though it might seem silly: Bring something that will make your room smell nice. I brought a yankee candle plug in on my first cruise. When I open the little box I keep as a souvenir from that cruise, the plug in is still in there and I can close my eyes and am instantly back on that cruise. Scent memory is a powerful thing! The past two cruises it's been a particular perfume or body spray that I've sprayed on my pillow so I don't have to use up the single plug in the room.

Make sure the shoes you are wearing the first night are well broken in. On my first cruise, by the time I sat down in the dining room for my first dinner, I was in near meltdown mode. We were trying to find the kid's club on the Splendor, my shoes were wearing holes in my feet, and just to add a plot twist, we were under very rough seas. I don't get seasick, and now I actually kind of like the swaying of the ship in rough seas, but at the time the combination was just overwhelming. We sat down to dinner and my oldest made some snide remark and he's lucky he was out of arm's reach because I'd have dusted him. The whole thing the first night is just ..hard to describe but the best word I can come up with is overwhelming.

You'll settle in fine after that, and if you're like me, you'll find that being on a ship to travel somewhere is one of the greatest joys in life :)

OH..bring a 32 oz insulated mug, even if you have cheers. You can fill it up with lemonade, or fill it halfway with ice then pour your bar drink in it and have it stay cold and unmelted way longer than if you just had a bar glass.

Have an amazing time! Jealous of reliving that first moment walking onto the ship and seeing the atrium for the first time going WOW!

Congratulations on your marriage! What a wonderful way to celebrate and I'm glad to hear you had such a great time :)

I was wondering if you ever saw or visited the Tandoor food station? According to Carnival this is on this ship, but I know from past experience it's only on some days. We sailed 6 years ago on the Splendor and just loved this. Did you see or sample it?

Again, thank you for doing a review of your cruise on Liberty and I'm still laughing about what you left for the cabin steward. :D We've been on Liberty twice and love her and hope to sail on her again. So sorry you missed the call for a free cruise though! I'm not positive but I would guess it would just be a free cabin with option to upgrade for a fee and the rest may be at your expense, at least the travel to the ship. I'm curious to see if someone who knows for sure will comment. A couple years ago there were a lot of people who got free cabins with Carnival and think I saw on here it was some random drawing but I never knew the reason. Those that just took the free cabin without upgrading didn't get VIFP points since it was considered "non revenue". Those who did earn points mentioned upgrading the cabin for the extra cost. Congrats on the big win! I stay out of the casino because I'll I've ever done is donate. LOL!!!

 

I love your avatar picture - we have two all black cats and they are the best!

My little old lady black cat is a bit of a grouchy jerk :D She doesn't like very many people besides me. I've had her for about 12 years now.

I know I should probably not find out because it'll probably just make me sad, but I'm kind of curious what the deal was on the free cruise too.

See, aren't you glad your joke turned into laughs for so many people? Now go tell your husband what a good deed you did :D

Thanks to all for the kind words, and I'm so happy this was helpful to those of you who are cruising soon. Hope everyone has a blast!

YMMV, but I always consider the Lido buffet a last resort. The food isn't bad exactly but it's always better somewhere else.

Jeans would be just fine on all but elegant nights and you will see plenty of them so you won't be standing out at all. You could probably get away with them on elegant night but that's beyond my personal comfort level so I don't know.

Could you maybe do the MDR for all but those two nights and then do the buffet or some of the alternate dining options for those two nights?

Best remedy for the post cruise sads: I just booked the next one. The Magic's cove won out over the Conquest's 8 days. Really excited for the ports on this one too!

Woot!

Yes that machine was awesome. My husband was like "We need one of those." But I did totally feel bad for the guys that had to load the machine. 10 hours of standing there loading sheets....that seems like the worst job ever.

Agreed..I'd lose my mind!

Aww..it's okay :D I'm really betting you would still have to pay air, port fees and taxes, your sail and sign, and gratuities.

I'll only REALLY be sad if someone gets on here and tells me that was all included :D

If it wasn't though, I'm not sure how I could have done that cruise and our one in January, and my mom is probably not going to be totally out of the repair shop by that time.

We are center, and our lady tablemates are between you and your hubby and us. Thanks for posting!

Some areas I did not cover in the review but want to mention:

Smoking in the casino: The smell was there but wasn't overwhelming. I quit smoking (by vaping) nearly three years ago and I can be pretty sensitive to it now. I was never put off enough by it that I felt I needed to avoid the place.

The muster drill: It was long. It was hot. It made a 40 something year old woman whine like a little kid with "Can we be done now??" It is what it is. There was nothing different about this one than the other two cruises I've been on. Just get your butt up there and get it over with.

The Deli: My sister tried this and I had a bite or two and it was very yummy! There is just only so much food you can pack in, and I didn't eat there other than that.

The Pizza: I had this one late night, and my sister had it more than that. It was yummy. In fact, all of the alternate food venues were really great on this cruise. We ate at the actual lido buffet a total of three times and two of them were for breakfast. I never tried any of the buffet desserts, though the chocolate buffet looked interesting as I walked by (probably headed to the casino)

The Photographers: We did pose for some photos on the elegant night, but did not end up purchasing any. We just didn't end up liking any of them enough to buy them. I really wish Carnival would get with the times and make this a more digital process. It seems like such a terrible waste to print all of those, and it's so crowded when you're trying to find your pictures.

Vendors in Mexico: Granted we did excursions and then our shopping was limited to the port area, but we were never really harassed by merchants. I was kind of prepared for this but it never happened and even those that approached backed off with a polite "no thank you."

We purchased two cases of water and used every single bottle. WELL worth the 3.99 a case and (shhhh!) I'd probably pay more than that to not have to haul it on the ship myself.

The Cheers program was well worth what we spend on it. Now, we did do some <cough> living it up on this cruise, but even if we'd been more temperate, I think we would have gotten our money's worth. You can't look at it as a day by day thing but an overall expense. Did we use it as much on port days? Probably not, but we more than made up for that on the sea days. Jenny made good use of the coffee bar as well. The lines for that always seemed slow and long to me and I didn't use it as much.

If you're thinking about trying the ol' recorking the wine bottle trick for smuggling, I'd think again. We brought our two bottles on and were sent to a separate table where they were very carefully examined to make sure they were legit.

That's all folks! We had a great time and cruising remains my favorite way to vacation. We will be sailing again in January, this time with mom and my youngest with us as well. I think we finally have it narrowed down to the Magic, 1/28/17. Let the countdown begin!

Thanks for reading :)