SurfCat

I had been checking 2 to 3 times daily for our December 28, 2019 cruise and it was not listed.  Just checked for the second time today and it was there.  Bought it for all three cabins!

19 hours ago, Girlsvacation said:

Thank you for your positive review.  I have been a little worried after many of the negative reviews I have seen.  First time on Liberty is in two weeks.  I have a question about dining rooms.  We have set dining at 6:00 pm but what dining room will that be in? I'm sure my sail card will say, but is there a way to find out advance?  

Thank you

You may be able to email the maitre d' in advance and find out. Wouldn't hurt to try. 

We were in the late seating at the Golden Olympian.  I loved our table.  It was on the second floor at the aft most table next to what is labeled as the band stand.  It was right next to the server's station and it seemed like they were always there tending to us.

Each year I buy my family (wife, three boys ages 27, 22 and 18, and 27 year old's fiance') a cruise for Christmas.  This was our sixth year.  I used to get three suites, but over the years I found that there is really no additional value to the suites as we get FTTF for all three cabins.  The balcony rooms are more than sufficient.

We sailed out of Port Canaveral and with FTTF embarkation was really easy.  We arrived at the port around 10:45 and parked on the second floor of the parking garage.  We then grabbed our luggage which was all on rollers.  Apparently, you're supposed to go down to the first floor of the garage to drop your luggage off which we did not do.  We carried our luggage with us over the connector to the port and by the time we realized that we were supposed to drop our luggage off, we were on the boat.  The only issue was carrying heavy suitcases up to the 7th floor, but that wasn't too bad and we didn't have to wait for it to be delivered to the room, which was nice.  Our rooms were ready when we got on the boat and we were able to start our vacation immediately.  I think that we had our first drinks and Guy's Burgers before noon.

We always get the Cheers Program and find that it is well worth it for us.  I think that we would probably drink a lot less if they did not put the 15 drink maximum on it.  As it is, we find it a challenge to ensure that we don't leave anything on the table at the end of the night.

This year we got three balcony rooms on deck 7.  Mine was room 7434. It is all the way to the aft of the ship near the corner.  Because of the configuration, that room had a larger than usual balcony which was nice.  All of the balcony rooms were plenty big.  Being all the way to the back of the ship was quite a haul from everything.  Although we enjoyed the exercise, its not something that I'll do again.  I've already booked our 2019 cruise on the Sunshine and have booked three spa balcony rooms on deck 12.  Any input on that would be appreciated.  I digress.

The thing that stuck out most on this cruise was the food.  I was absolutely blown away by the quality in the main dining room.  Every meal was absolutely delicious and of US restaurant quality.  We ate in the steakhouse on New Years eve.  It was wonderful, but as good as the food was in the MDR, I'm not sure that it was worth the extra money.  Also, the service at the Steakhouse wasn't nearly as good as in the MDR.

This was our second NYE on a carnival cruise.  It was great having my whole family together to bring in the New Year.  They had a band above the Lido deck and passed out champagne and party favors.  At midnight, the horns blew and everybody had a really good time.

As I am required to have access to internet for my business, I purchased the most expensive internet package.  Huge waste of money.  I never really was able to get on to the net and even checking emails was a challenge.  Would recommend against that.

Our ports were Nassau and Freeport.  We've had these same ports on a majority of our cruises and we always find something fun to do despite the limitations.  In Nassau, we always walk down to Junkanoo Beach and rent some chairs.  I have gotten to know the owner of one of the food/drink huts on the beach and he always works out a deal where he prepares a large sampler food platter and all the drinks we can drink for a moderately reasonable price.  

In Freeport this year, I found an older gentleman who had an old Cadillac that he used for his cab.  We got him to give us a tour of the island.  We rode around for several hours stopping periodically for food/beverages/bathroom.  Really nice guy and it was alot of fun.

The service on the ship was spectacular in all facets.  From the room stewards, to the bartenders to the waiters at the MDR, everyone went out of their way to make our vacation the best that it could possibly be.  Can't say enough about that.

All in all, I would say that the food and service were the best we've had on a Carnival ship.  In the past there have been times within a day or two of getting on the boat where I couldn't wait to get off because I couldn't eat another bite of their food.  Much like a Golden Corral.  That was not the case this year.  The food was spectacular.

I'll be glad to answer any questions that anyone may have.

In the past FTTF has always been on the first page of the shore excursions for our cruise.  Is this always the case?

We are booked for a late December cruise and they haven't listed FTTF in the excursions yet.  I check it every day, but only check the first page.  Has anyone ever seen it on a second or later page within the shore excursions?

2 hours ago, pe4all said:

We have gone from our family wearing tuxedos and cocktail dresses on our first 10 or so Carnival cruises, to wearing dress shirt/slacks for dh and dressy tops and pants for the females in our family. We would always go back to our cabin after dinner and change back to casual clothing anyway, and it became too much of a hassle to pack all those clothes/shoes once the 50 lb limit went into effect on the airlines. (though my luggage for this upcoming cruise just weighed in at 32 lbs, with my toiletries bag weighing 5 of that 32, so I have gotten better at packing what I really need!)

We're sorta doing the opposite.  In the past, my three boys and I have worn Charleston tuxes ( Navy blazer, white button down shirt, khakis, loafers and striped tie) and my wife has worn a cocktail dress.  This year we've (I've) decided that we're going to wear tuxes and formal gown.  We overpack anyway so one more set of clothes isn't going to be that big of a deal.

We don't concern ourselves with what others wear, .  We do this for us and it won't affect me one way or another if the table next to us has on shorts and tank tops.

Over the course of eight years, we've seen the full gamut of clothing on elegent night.  While the folks who don't dress up don't upset me, I do love seeing those who put forth the effort.

The reubens that are served through room service have too much sauce and not enough meat, cheese and sauercraut.  I order two reubens and combine the meat, chees ans sauercraut to make one good sandwich.

We also bring a small bottle of Woolite to take care of emergency washes in the sink.

As posted below, zip locks come in handy for a multitude of uses.  I bring several of each size.  They don't take up much room.

Great thread, when its on point.  Lots of wasted bandwidth on nonsense though.

Loving the review.  We have given our kids a cruise for Christmas for the last six years and just booked a seventh for December 28.  The kids (three boys, 18, 22 and 27) have loved it. I always say its for them, but its really a selfish ploy of mine to get them corralled for five days so that we can all spend time together.

For the last three years we've been over New Years, and have absolutely loved it.

Thanks for taking the time out for this great report.

Thank you.  I hate standing in line worse than going to the dentist.  We have FTTF and have a villa but don't necessarily want to be out there really early.  Sounds like we'll be fine.

Is there a separate line for Diamond/Plat/FTTF for later tenders or is the only perk being priority on one of the first boats?

We will be traveling on the Liberty out of Port Canaveral on New Years Eve. There are two families traveling with a total of 10 people. The parents of the other family will not be arriving at the port until after 1:00, but we plan to be there as soon as they open.

We are discussing the possibility of two children (17 and 19 years old) from the other family riding with us so that they can get on the boat earlier, but are concerned that they won't be able to check in without their parents. Does anyone know if we would be able to check them in?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you. I'll be able to find it from that.

Thanks for the report. Where did you find the sushi?

Was just offered a free cruise from Carnival. Four day ocean view room on the Fascination out of Jax. Unfortunately it is for tomorrow's cruise and I have to perform a wedding this Saturday. Ugh!!!!

I order two Reubens and take the meat from one and add it to the other. Makes a pretty good sandwich when you're hungry.

It shouldn't be any problem. Each year I book 3 rooms for my 4 kids, myself and my wife. Only one of the kids is old enough to have a non-adjoining room himself so we have to book the oldest in one, my wife in one, and myself in another.

Once on board we just head to guest services and have the room keys switched around to meet our needs. This is one of the reasons that I always get FTTF.

Thanks for the review - glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise.

 

One tip for the eggs benedict - if you're in the dining room, ask for the hollandaise sauce on the side. It means you get fresh and not the ones that have been sitting under a heat lamp.

 

On the buffet, you can also ask for just poached eggs and they will get them for you from the back.

Brilliant!!

There is also a Fantasy class ship built in 1998 on the site. Which one would that be?

We are leaving tomorrow morning on a 4 day. I'll try to get those for you.

Just heard from the owner of Billy Joe's in Freeport. She tells me that they are now open and serving food and drinks from a temporary structure.

We will be there on January 2. I'll post again upon our return.

it was delayed due to the dry dock and repositioning (switching Valor out and bringing Liberty in) - we were scheduled for embarkation starting at 6pm - we were supposed to sail at 10...Muster took about an hour we sailed a little after 11. So, our 3 day cruise was literally 2 days and a couple hours. If I could have cancelled I would have but this was THE ONLY weekend we could cruise between College Fall Term and College Spring Term for our kids. Very upset with Carnival and the poor job that was done with this cruise.

Thank you. Sounds like you got a raw deal. Hope your next vacation is much better.

Why was embarkation so late? Is this typical for Liberty, or just a snafu post drydock?

I suggest that you get an agreed upon price before they begin. We did not, and it was much more expensive than we had anticipated.

We rented a car and drove around various parts of the island. The highlight was going to Lucayan National Park (not Lucayan resort). The beaches there are very pristine, and free of tourists; we had the beach to ourselves. The underwater caves are not to be missed.

That is a great idea. Any recommendations on who to rent from. There is a local company at the port and Avis at the airport that will pick you up.

Also need to come up with an itinerary as we will only have about 5-6 hours to play with.

Taking our first real cruise in June and Freeport is one of our stops. This was a bummer of a thread title to read.

While the options in Freeport aren't what they are in some other ports, we have been to Freeport three times and had a blast on each one. Granted, we are beach people and enjoy beach bars, snorkling and the like.

I think alot of it is what you make of it.

Honeymoon cruise, July 1989. Hate to see her go.