Carnival Liberty Review 1/7/12 - 1/14/12

[kmilanes]

As I lay in my bathroom jacuzzi wishing it was the jacuzzi on the serenity deck, I have decided to write a full and as detailed review as possible because I dearly miss the Liberty and all she had to offer.

 

Details:

Group of 6 people aging from 20-25. (4 males and 2 females)

2 Inside Cabins. (1310 and 1314) If you was next to us on either side I am deeply sorry for party rocking until 4am.

Myself previous cruiser as the rest were all 1st time cruisers.

 

Arrival:

We had taken the 9:40pm Jet Blue flight out of Newark International Liberty Airport Newark, NJ. Jet Blue is by far my favorite airline to fly with; they just need to get free wifi on the plane. We flew into Fort Lauderdale, FL because of the unbelievable price that we were able to get. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 12:37am.

 

We took a general vote in not to get a hotel and party all night. It was a great idea at the time. So we grabbed our rental car at E-Z Car rental and headed to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. What a great place to visit. It is open into 4am and they have a bunch of little bars, restaurants, and stores and lets not forget the casino.

 

At the Hard Rock we spent the night drinking and partying away at Wet Willies and several other bars that became a blur throughout the night. Once 4am hit we went to go sober up at Johnny Rockets.

 

5:30am we loaded up and went to Fort Lauderdale By the Beach,Sea,Ocean or something like that, parked and watched the sun raise on the beach. Well 2 out of 6 us watched the sun raise as the rest were snoring and cuddling with the soft sand.

 

 

 

We left the beach to only have our stomachs begin to have conversations with each other and went to a local spanish breakfast spot called La Carreta. Their toasted homemade cuban bread with butter is out of this world. After breakfast we needed to hit a few pit stops from Walgreens and Wal-Mart to Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and the Liquor store.

 

We returned the rental car and took SAS shuttle to the port from Ft. Lauderdale airport. Really good service.

[kmilanes]

Embarkation:

 

Considering we arrived around 2:30pm and completely missed our Roll Call MTG at the aft bar, sorry guys. We had no lines during embarkation and it went by with a breeze, considering there was about 3 other ships at port that day.

 

The new kiosk, well new to me, were also a pretty neat touch as they didnt have these in Puerto Rico when we sailed the Victory and made things a lot easier. Only thing I like at the Puerto Rican embarkation is that last stop for wines and spirits before boarding the ship compared to Miami which is just a port but nothing to big considering we already made a liquor stop at Crown's Wine and Spirits, prices are ok not the best but it did the job.

 

All the staff was extremely friendly and was happy for us to board the ship and start our vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

[mrpayroll]

Will be on Liberty Jan.21st. Please finish your review.......:)

[kmilanes]

So let me tell you the Liberty new additions are amazing.

 

The Blue Iguana Cantina:

The burritos and tacos are amazing. I had at least 2 of them each a day. They also serve breakfast burritos in the morning along side arepas and huevos ranchero which is amazing.

 

The Blue Iguana Bar:

Amazing margaritas! They have specials every day and every margarita is just as good as the next.

 

The Guy Burgers:

I had maybe 2 burgers throughout the cruise. They are pretty good don't get me wrong, but just something didnt taste right for me. The meat patties kind of reminded me of the local White Diamond burgers which is not that meaty to me. The chilius maximus was amazing in my opinion.

 

EA Sports Bar:

This is just a all around guys hang out. Considering football is still going and it was the playoffs the bar was packed. They do give you free hotdogs, but they also have other snacks such as pretzels and nuts that they do charge for which was about 1.46$ after gratuity. Reason I was given why they charge is because they are made on the spot. In my opinion, lame reason but I guess they need to make money. Also if your looking to play any of the EA Sports games on the XBOX you are not allowed to play on the first 2 sea days. Why? I dont know. I asked and he just said sorry you cant play until Tuesday. Only reason why it bothered me was because its sea days you would want to play some games.

 

Red Frog Rum Bar:

Didn't spend much time here unless I wanted a Red Frog Beer which is amazing. It has like a hit of caramel in my opinion which is why I enjoyed it so much. The Red Frog Beer is also available at the EA Sports Bar.

 

The Beer Tubes:

This is a great addition considering that they give you buckets of bottled or canned beers. I did see some people get buckets of draft beers but half of it would spill in the bucket as the waiter would bring it to you. The Beer Tubes are amazing and are about 2 or 3$ off as if you would get single beers. Each beer tube of Red Frog was about 30$ with gratuity and they would ring a bell as they bring it to you.

 

The Serenity Deck:

Amazing!! The biggest serenity deck I have seen on any cruise ship I have been on. They had little huts, hammocks, tons of sun chairs, and etc. It is 2 levels from what I saw. They only thing I didnt see was a serenity bar as I saw on the Victory, but it didnt matter much.

 

The DJs:

Eh. Coming from the New Jersey/New York area the DJs were just eh. Played pretty old music and sometimes music that did not belong in the disco. There was 1 good DJ who would play at the deck parties that made the deck parties give justice to its name.

 

The Comedians:

The first 2 comedians, Percy Cruise II and Smiley Joe Whily, were amazing they would make you cry and laugh until you couldnt anymore. The 2nd set of comedians, Allyn Ball and Tony Esposito, were ok nothing crazy. I had seen Allyn Ball on the Dream about 2 years ago and he still uses the same material which is pretty upsetting considering its been 2 years you should at least come up with something new. Tony Esposito had his funnies at times but just wasnt as good as the first.

 

The entertainment crew:

In my opinion was dry. Butch was ok. Amy 6'3 was ok. Andy Shower is just eh. A lot of their tournaments in the EA Sports Bar were unorganized and some of the pool entertainment was ok until the last sea day which picked up. How can you pick contestants for the hairy chest competition that didnt even have hair on their chest.

 

Our Cabin:

 

Our group:

 

 

If you saw us and we ruined your cruise sorry live a little and enjoy life because you only have one to live by. If you saw us and partied with us on a excursion or on the ship, thanks for making our vacation that much better and youre welcome if we put a smile on your face and said "ITS JERSEY" really loud.

 

Hennessy before dinner:

[RunsWithFlyingDolphins]

Great review so far. I can't help but laugh though. My sons (about the same age ange as your group) just went on a cruise and I can't help but think they did the exact thing that you did. lol.

[gelo7]

Nice start...

[jimbug]

I feel like this is "Jersey Shore at Sea". :D Great review, can't wait to read the rest!

[kmilanes]

Day 1 and 2 at Sea:

 

They are pretty much relaxed for us. We had 2 sea days because they removed HMC from our itinerary for whatever reason that they are allowed to do so.

 

Day 1 our alarm clock was a very very scary moment for my 1st time cruisers friends as it was said the ship had tilted on a 40 degree angle for which was never explained why. Butch got on the emergency system and apologized but never gave a reason. We just had a floor full of ice and spilled left over drinks. I feel bad for our poor room steward it looked like we had a rave that morning because of the tilt, but he was pretty good about it every day.

 

Our room steward was: JB Joey from the Philippines. Awesome guy!

 

This is how relaxed we got

 

 

The disco was pretty empty every night. There wasnt much of a young crowd but it didnt matter because we werent there to mate but just to have fun and relax. As mentioned previously, the first set of comedians were awesome and thats were we spent most of our nights.

 

The piano bar was ok. Just wasnt our thing. The Latin live band that played was pretty good but once again pretty empty.

 

There is no longer a live band outside on the lido deck or at least the times I was there. There is always a DJ outside now playing music. On the Victory they would switch up with a live band and DJ, but I guess this is one of the changes they made.

 

Chair hoggers are up at 6am reserving chairs that they forgot they reserved and go throughout the day with the Carnival towels just hanging out tanning without a body on them. We told several staff about the unoccupied chairs, but they really wouldnt do anything about it. So we took matters into our own hands. We would time accordingly and gave the benefit of the doubt and after a hour we will just use their towel to tan and when done we would just leave and thank the towel for saving us a spot that wasnt ours to begin with. Also, those scared of getting charged for a towel just go to the lido deck and pick one of your choice because they just stay there all day until about 5-6pm that a staff comes and collects them. I guess there is a price to pay for chair hogging $22.00. :p

 

This night was also Elegant night. So we all dressed up and all went to dinner.

 

 

After went to the comedy show

 

 

Then went to relax at the serenity deck.

 

 

Day 2 was more of the same except without the tilt and some rain that had people running like cockroaches it didnt bother us much as we were doing more of this.

 

 

 

The breakfast and lunch on the lido deck was pretty amazing considering previous cruises. They actually switched the breakfast around daily adding something new every day or switching it out. There were days they would have fresh carved ham that tasted like the ham on easter dinner. The french toast and waffles felt like they would put out every other day. The sticky buns were only put out on 2 days which I would grab 3 or 4 of but the 2nd time around were a little to buttery.

 

The lunch was something different every day which was amazing. They have fish and chips on the 10th floor which a lot of people are not aware of. The pizza and deli are awesome as it is on every cruise.

 

The deserts are pretty good too they had these strawberry chocolate lollipop things that were so addicting on the embarkation day.

 

The main dinning room food was ok. It was a lot better on the Liberty than it was on the Victory. The MDR food on the Victory was very bland, but on the Liberty it was very good and had a lot of flavor. I guess it just depends on the chef and prep team.

 

Our waiter was: Ryan from the Philippines. He was pretty awesome over all, but his assistant waiters were very slow at times.

[cruisinbuddy]

Any pictures of this Beer Tube thing that you talked about?

[kmilanes]

Any pictures of this Beer Tube thing that you talked about?

 

 

It holds 101-ounces

[OceanDreams]

......... Must have more!

OceanDreams

[Ykgorbie]

LOVE your review so far. We will be on the Liberty in October, so am enjoying the info !

[funfamilyof6]

Thank you for the great review so far!!!!!

 

Just one question, there should be a separate volleyball court on the sports deck near the basketball court, did you notice many people playing volleyball there or was it mostly empty? Thanks and keep up the great review. :)

[navybaby1113]

Loving your review. We are thinking about the Liberty for our next cruise.

[nae418]

Nice review.

[familycruzr]

I had to laugh when I read the details of your arrival night. That so sounds like something I would have done in my 20's, but would not even consider at 50. Thanks for sharing.

[skipnpeanut]

We will be on the Liberty this coming weekend. The whole tilting thing makes me nervous, especially because of the Costa ship. Your review is great though, waiting for more.

[Jeffy294]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review. We will be leaving on the Liberty Saturday, hoping on sailing to HMC. As you this one of the primary reason for picking this cruise besides a great rate.

[ValentineCruise]

Liberty feb.11th!!!! Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a really good time.

[futureAG]

We are thinking about doing a rental car. Can you tell me approx how much you paid & what kind of car you got? We would only need for a day as well!

 

Sounds like you guys had an awesome trip!! Can't wait to hear more!

[kmilanes]

We are thinking about doing a rental car. Can you tell me approx how much you paid & what kind of car you got? We would only need for a day as well!

 

Sounds like you guys had an awesome trip!! Can't wait to hear more!

 

We did E-Z Car rental on arrival and got the Toyota Sienna for 44$ + 20$ insurance and on the way back we rented from Alamo and got a Dodge Town and Country? for 42$ + 20$ insurance.

[kmilanes]

Thank you for the great review so far!!!!!

 

Just one question, there should be a separate volleyball court on the sports deck near the basketball court, did you notice many people playing volleyball there or was it mostly empty? Thanks and keep up the great review. :)

 

I actually got a a picture of the court. They hold volleyball tournaments every day and they are pretty full. The 1st day when we went to the tournament there was about 6 teams playing.

 

[kmilanes]

Loving your review. We are thinking about the Liberty for our next cruise.

 

Do it!!! You wont regret it!! Its the best ship I have been on by far.

[momonthego17]

Very fun review!! We will be on Liberty Thanksgiving 2012!!

 

Thanks for writing about your cruise!

[kmilanes]

Thank you for the great review so far!!!!!

 

Just one question, there should be a separate volleyball court on the sports deck near the basketball court, did you notice many people playing volleyball there or was it mostly empty? Thanks and keep up the great review. :)

 

Also let me add there is 2 separate courts but nothing separates them, no net, no wall, just bodies waiting to play either volleyball or basketball like they were the fore front of a war separated the courts. So you might have a occasional volleyball fly into the basketball court or vice versa.