Fast & Dirty Review of Carnival Liberty 4/6/13

[Midwestgal]

Sailing Liberty in December, nice to hear such a good review!

[so_excited_to_cruise]

Hello Again... This is my quick and easy review on my recent trip on the Carnival Liberty. This was a 7 day sailing to Belize, Roatan, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman.

 

I had purchased FTTF for this sailing due to all I had heard about the tendering in 2 of the ports. This was absolutely worth EVERY PENNY of $50. From my airport shuttle to my cabin was 10 minutes! security and all and I arrived at peak time. The line was out the door of the terminal and its still took me 10 minutes total.

 

Ship:

The ship was awesome! I say this because, the decor on the ship is much lighter colored.. the walls and marble are all light colored. This makes the ship's interior lounges and atrium so much brighter and sunnier. You never get that Cave dark feeling. I never noticed how different it could be until I stepped onto the Liberty.. :) Ship was always clean. Never really had any issues with lines or anything.

 

Staff:

All of the staff was helpful and in great spirits. I never encountered one moody crew member at all on this sailing.

The CD was Troy Linton. Let me start this by saying that, CD opinions totally depend on the person.. humor is a very big spectrum of feelings and opinions... that being said. I really enjoyed Troy and his team (Graham, Adam ASM, Ilena, Emilio, Nathan,Pauly D, Melissa KJ, and Estee KJ). I play all the cheesy cruise trivia and gameshows, and love karaoke. So I spend plenty of time with this team. The whole team was great.. a couple of standouts for me were Graham who was so awesome and every girls best good friend.... and Ilena was great at all the music trivia and fun games.. Along with the usual standard games and activities, Troy added the Carnival Quest game. This is an adults only game.. I have never been on a sailing with it yet and was so glad I finally experienced it. IT WAS HILARIOUS! I LAUGHED TIL I CRIED!!! My ribs hurt when it was done.. I didnt even play.. just watched.. and still awesome! I wish more CDs did this game.

 

Food:

Food was great.. I ate in the MDR for dinner every night this trip. The service was the absolute fastest I have experienced in 8 cruises. Food was cooked well, always hot, and on time. Our Head Waiter Jeffrey @ table 309 was awesome. I ordered steak and chicken and shrimp and ... all different things and each time they were all perfectly cooked. Our table of 8 total, never sent back one item for recooking..

For lunch we ate on Lido, Guys Burgers were very very good.. I did not find thm too greasy as I have heard from others.. But I eat my burgers with cheese and plain.. Maybe some of the toppings cause the grease?? I do wish they would get some goo american cheese for the burgers.. but they are still great.. and those steak fries are AMAZING! My wife liked the Blue Iguana Burrito but liked the burgers more. Again, lines were never very long at all..

One thing that bothered us both regarding food.. The "Late Night Snacks" on Lido.. used to be burgers, hotdogs, chicken fingers, nachos, etc. Now.. just Hotdogs, not so good cold "grilled" ham and cheese, and buffalo chicken sandwiches that also didnt look good.. thats it! No real meat of any kind.. we really really missed our burger after the nights shows and events..

 

Ports:

This particular itinerary is lower in cost and many people have told me that belize and roatan are crap ports.. I BEG TO DIFFER!!! I loved them both..

 

The Mahoghany Bay port created in Roatan was gorgeous.. Great day at the beach. and I love the Sky Lift ride to the beach.. so peacful and great view for pics.. We have our own snorkel gear and I will say that the off the beach snorkeling was not great.. there isnt much to see but sea grass and sporadic coral. But soft sand and nice beach day made up for it. A friend invited us to join her in a cabana she rented from carnival. This was very worth it as the beach and ocean by the cabanas was not at all crowded or noisy. the other part of the beach did get a bit crowded.. Never thought I would pay 200 for a cabana.. but now that I tried it.. I definitely would at this port.. split with 4 friends its a good value and worth the peace and views.

 

We had a fantastic adventure in Belize. The ship arrives in Belize City... Nothing to see here at all.. or at least, nothing you want to see. We booked a CaveTubing Tour with Vitalino Reyes at Cavetubing.BZ. The ".BZ" part is important!!! My review of this excursion is here.. http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1828707

Obviously we loved it.. and its easily my wife's favorite excursion ever!! And what a value! holy crap I love a deal! :)

 

Cozumel & Grand Cayman have some of the best water in all the ports we have gone to..

In Cozumel, we took a taxi to Playa de Uvas. Then paid 12 bucks to use the resort there. They had a snorkeling tour guide at no charge. and they give you gear if you need it. we all swam right from shore to the reef and he fed some fish so we were surrounded by them the whole time.. it was great!

In Grand Cayman, we booked a wave runner tour to the stingray sand bar and Rum Point. It wasnt horrible, but we would not book it again. The seas were very choppy (which isnt a deal breaker) but the guide wasnt informative and it was just meh... The Sting rays at the sandbar were way cool.. and HUGE!!!!

 

The shows were all good.. And Edge the Juggler!!! GREAT! So funny.. I never see the juggler.. i alway skip and this time we went because I didnt realize it was the juggling show.. thought the name of the show was EDGE. lol But Im glad for the mix up because he was great! The Liberty is still operating with a full 10 piece showband and large troupe of dancers! I love that.. Still havent seen the smaller bands and shows of the new changes.. but im sure I will still enjoy them.

 

I feel like I am missing about a million things.. so ask away and I will answer what I can.. :) Thanks for reading.

 

Great review. We are headed for the same itinerary in June. Question on the FTTF.... if you do not book an excursion through Carnival do you still get to leave the ship early?

[ThisFemmeKat]

Great review. We are headed for the same itinerary in June. Question on the FTTF.... if you do not book an excursion through Carnival do you still get to leave the ship early?

 

yes.. I booked my excursions outside of carnival on my own.. and I still got the priority tenders.

[Anzac]

How was debarkation? Any delays getting off the ship?

 

I was on this cruise also and had FTTF and was off the ship by 7:15am, Another 15 mins to get luggage and customs..

[ThisFemmeKat]

I was on this cruise also and had FTTF and was off the ship by 7:15am, Another 15 mins to get luggage and customs..

 

 

I really loved the FTTF.. so worth the money to me.. I will get it on my next cruise as well.. but after that.. IM PLATINUM!

[crewsweeper]

Thanks for the alternate view on BC.. Its good to have all the info from all sides.. I appreciate you adding to my thread..

 

Were there any places near the port that you would recommend someone to visit or do? for those who rather not book excursions..

 

IMO, a nice walking tour: Try to go out the furtherest north gate (#1?) on the other side of the Wet Lizard, to minimize contact with the tour hawkers outside the gates. Turn left and walk up Front Street to Queen Street (you'll pass the water taxi station and the post office and a coupel of wifi/internet cafes). Turn left on Queen Street and cross the swing bridge (nice picture stop) and bear left and continue down Albert Street. If you stay on the right sidewalk, you'll pass Brody's, Belize City's "department store". It's a great store to wander through as it's more of a general store than what we consider department stores here. This is a good stop (going out or coming back) to pick up some Marie Sharp's hot sauce. They carry a wide variety of sauces, more than I've seen at the Toruism Village-tender pier-and I think at a slightly lower priceas they are catering to locals not cruisers. Continue on down Albert about a 1/2 mile or so, mostly office building s and businesses along this stretch, until you get to the Anglican Church, on your left. This is one of the oldest Anglican churchs this side of the Atlantic. It has some interesting gravestone and they've refurbished the interior a bit. Then head across Regent Street to the Cultural Musuem. This is the old British Colonial Governor's mansion. You can see its two cannons and an old motor yacht fromt he tender on your way in. The grounds have nice gardens. Inside (small token fee) you'll see lots of artifacts from colonial times (up into the 1960s) and some native cultural and art exhibits.

Leaving the musuem, turn right and head up Regent Street back toward the swing bridge. Not a lot along this stretch but some harbor views down the side streets. And if you're going back to Brody's, just turn left on Bishop and go up one block to Albert then turn right and go back the way you came down. When you recross the swing bridge, there's a couple of great little restaurants that serves truly Belizean dishes, not the conk fritters and meat pies like Wet Lizard( and these are a must have on any visit:))nor the chicken-rice-beans you get on excursions. Anna's Lunchbox is near the water taxis and Nerries is a little further down Queen Street at Daly Street. After eating, continue on down Queen Street, it narrows and is a somewhat busy street fro a few blocks, until you reach The US Embassy/Consulate and the Catholic School, circle around to you right and head down Hutson to the promenade along the coast line to the small light house that you see on the way in on the tender. If you turn left at the compound, you can go to the Belize Musuem, housed in an old prison complex, different than the Cultural Musuem. This area is primarily residential and there are several embassys/consulates, besides the US one, and higher end hotels and a couple of higher end restaurants here (I don't necessarily recommend stopping at any of these as they have higher prices, smaller portions than other places and the food is jsut so-so). Stop at the lighthouse with its "romanitic name" for some interesting Belizean colonial history. The continue on around the promendade back to the Tourist Village. You'll be coming from a different direction and not in the line of sight for most hawkers. You can then enter the TV through Gate #3, vertually undetected. But I suggest you cross the street before getting to the TV and stay on the opposite side and walk through the flea market crafts market there. Native goods similar to what you'll see inside the TV but at much lower prices and some items are much better quality and the people are friendly, not pushy. Then head back across the street to the TV( Gate #2?) . Now treat yourself to a cold Belikan beer on the dock or upstairs at Wet Lizard. Then catch your tender back to the ship.

As you can see, you are in the main business districts and upper end residental area of North Belize the entire walk.

[Jeafl]

IMO, a nice walking tour: Try to go out the furtherest north gate (#1?) on the other side of the Wet Lizard, to minimize contact with the tour hawkers outside the gates. Turn left and walk up Front Street to Queen Street (you'll pass the water taxi station and the post office and a coupel of wifi/internet cafes). Turn left on Queen Street and cross the swing bridge (nice picture stop) and bear left and continue down Albert Street. If you stay on the right sidewalk, you'll pass Brody's, Belize City's "department store". It's a great store to wander through as it's more of a general store than what we consider department stores here. This is a good stop (going out or coming back) to pick up some Marie Sharp's hot sauce. They carry a wide variety of sauces, more than I've seen at the Toruism Village-tender pier-and I think at a slightly lower priceas they are catering to locals not cruisers. Continue on down Albert about a 1/2 mile or so, mostly office building s and businesses along this stretch, until you get to the Anglican Church, on your left. This is one of the oldest Anglican churchs this side of the Atlantic. It has some interesting gravestone and they've refurbished the interior a bit. Then head across Regent Street to the Cultural Musuem. This is the old British Colonial Governor's mansion. You can see its two cannons and an old motor yacht fromt he tender on your way in. The grounds have nice gardens. Inside (small token fee) you'll see lots of artifacts from colonial times (up into the 1960s) and some native cultural and art exhibits.

Leaving the musuem, turn right and head up Regent Street back toward the swing bridge. Not a lot along this stretch but some harbor views down the side streets. And if you're going back to Brody's, just turn left on Bishop and go up one block to Albert then turn right and go back the way you came down. When you recross the swing bridge, there's a couple of great little restaurants that serves truly Belizean dishes, not the conk fritters and meat pies like Wet Lizard( and these are a must have on any visit:))nor the chicken-rice-beans you get on excursions. Anna's Lunchbox is near the water taxis and Nerries is a little further down Queen Street at Daly Street. After eating, continue on down Queen Street, it narrows and is a somewhat busy street fro a few blocks, until you reach The US Embassy/Consulate and the Catholic School, circle around to you right and head down Hutson to the promenade along the coast line to the small light house that you see on the way in on the tender. If you turn left at the compound, you can go to the Belize Musuem, housed in an old prison complex, different than the Cultural Musuem. This area is primarily residential and there are several embassys/consulates, besides the US one, and higher end hotels and a couple of higher end restaurants here (I don't necessarily recommend stopping at any of these as they have higher prices, smaller portions than other places and the food is jsut so-so). Stop at the lighthouse with its "romanitic name" for some interesting Belizean colonial history. The continue on around the promendade back to the Tourist Village. You'll be coming from a different direction and not in the line of sight for most hawkers. You can then enter the TV through Gate #3, vertually undetected. But I suggest you cross the street before getting to the TV and stay on the opposite side and walk through the flea market crafts market there. Native goods similar to what you'll see inside the TV but at much lower prices and some items are much better quality and the people are friendly, not pushy. Then head back across the street to the TV( Gate #2?) . Now treat yourself to a cold Belikan beer on the dock or upstairs at Wet Lizard. Then catch your tender back to the ship.

As you can see, you are in the main business districts and upper end residental area of North Belize the entire walk.

Thanks for typing all that out! We had planned to just stay on the ship because we didn't enjoy the touristy area last time, but this walk sounds easy enough (and safe enogh!). I think we'll give it a try. :)

[crewsweeper]

Thanks for typing all that out! We had planned to just stay on the ship because we didn't enjoy the touristy area last time, but this walk sounds easy enough (and safe enogh!). I think we'll give it a try. :)

Not to hijack this thread into a Belize thread, but there are a number of printable maps of Belize City on line. I suggest you find one that fits your needs best and then mark the streets and places mentioned so you'll have a reference point during your walk. I don't think you'll really get lost, but in a strange place it's nice to have a reference and you can use it to ask locals (who speak English btw) where something is if you miss it.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Now back to ThisFemmeKat's nice review.:)

[katcruiser1]

You had me at Fast and Dirty..:D

 

Loved the review...Nov. cant get here fast enough.

[ThisFemmeKat]

You had me at Fast and Dirty..:D

 

Loved the review...Nov. cant get here fast enough.

 

 

LMAO!! Im glad so many people are enjoying it.. I will definitely be doing more of these..

[funinthesun1964]

We did this same ship and itinerary at the end of February. We loved it, and also we did the cavetubing in Belize with Vitalino Reyes. What a great time. We did paradise beach in Cozumel, and had a great time there, too. If anyone wants to go through my review (pics there of the ports and excursions) click on the link below.

 

Think I would like to do this trip again sometime! OP, glad you also enjoyed it. Please do reviews for all your trips in the future!!:)

[ThisFemmeKat]

We did this same ship and itinerary at the end of February. We loved it, and also we did the cavetubing in Belize with Vitalino Reyes. What a great time. We did paradise beach in Cozumel, and had a great time there, too. If anyone wants to go through my review (pics there of the ports and excursions) click on the link below.

 

Think I would like to do this trip again sometime! OP, glad you also enjoyed it. Please do reviews for all your trips in the future!!:)

 

 

We will also defionitely be sailing the Liberty again and probably on this same itin.. LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!

[wodyer]

Is there a 24 hour pizza bar on the liberty?

[GAMOM4]

This is probably a crazy question ... but when you are cave tubing are there bats in the caves? (I had heard that and wasn't sure if it was true)

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

Is there a 24 hour pizza bar on the liberty?

 

Yes, from what I have read on the boards & carnival's website Pirates Pizza is 24 hours located Aft (near the Adult pool).

 

Happy Sailing!!!

[ThisFemmeKat]

This is probably a crazy question ... but when you are cave tubing are there bats in the caves? (I had heard that and wasn't sure if it was true)

 

Not a crazy question.. The guides pointed out bats sleeping on the ceiling. They are nocturnal and we're lot flying around. I freak at critters and never had a problem at all.

 

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[ThisFemmeKat]

Is there a 24 hour pizza bar on the liberty?

 

Yes the pizza is cooking around the clock.. My wife had it every night at about midnight or so.

 

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[Magico]

I went on your Facebook and saw your great pictures. Now I really want to go on the Liberty. I am looking forward to seeing your wedding review.

[ThisFemmeKat]

I went on your Facebook and saw your great pictures. Now I really want to go on the Liberty. I am looking forward to seeing your wedding review.

 

Wow thanks for checking it out.. We loved the liberty and will definitely be doing the same trip again in the future.. 100 days til my wedding cruise.. So excited..

 

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