Carnival Libery Eastern Caribbean- Cruising with kids!

[apey9995]

Well I had good intentions of writing this review as soon as we got back, but I got a little side tracked with the holidays and everything else. Decided I'd try to sit down and finish up where I left off....wrapping up our day at Half Moon Cay.

 

We were back on board around 2:30, just in time for naptime. After Brody woke up, we found some of our pictures from the day before, and did a little shopping in the candy store. Of course we had to stop by the arcade too!

For dinner, Bryan and I both had the flat iron steak, Logan had a hot dog from the kid’s menu, and Brody had the mac and cheese again. I had cheesecake for dessert and Bryan had the melting cake again. The boys had three scoops of ice cream. Yum!

 

The boys went to Camp Carnival after dinner for a little while, while Bryan and I visited the casino. We also saw a show with Max Winfrey (magician/comedian). He was very funny! We picked the boys up from camp, and Brody had gotten his face painted. So cute! Both boys made crafts and Logan played a lot of air hockey.

 

I was planning on summarizing camp carnival at the end, but I’ll go ahead and say- it’s great! We had an awesome experience with all the staff. They knew the boys by name right away, and they both had a great time. Brody was hesitant to go sometimes and didn’t want me to leave so I would hang out around the corner just to make sure he didn’t cry long. As soon as I was out of his sight, he was having a blast (faker). The staff did a great job with him. I left diapers and wipes in a little container, which they marked with his name. They issued us a cell phone during orientation, that they could use to contact us, or vice-versa. I was able to use the cell phone to call and check up on them every once in awhile. Another thing I really liked is that both kids had to wash their hands with soap & water before they could go into camp. I’m glad that they do this. Also, it was so much more than just a babysitting service- I loved that they played games, did crafts, and had a wide variety of activities. Logan got to make a volcano during the week, that they “erupted” on the last day. He loved that!

 

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

Cruise Day 3: Day at Sea

 

Our day at sea started off with Bryan and Brody waking up early and getting breakfast at the buffet.

 

*A quick tip for those with small kids who love MILK like mine do—get extra little cartons of milk in the mornings to keep in the fridge. Breakfast is the only time they have them out at the buffet. So we stocked up each morning.

 

When Logan finally woke up, (he turns into a sleepyhead when he’s on vacation!), we decided to go to the brunch in the dining room. I ordered the steak and eggs (delicious!) and he had pancakes. He was excited to spot Cookie from across the dining room, and when she came over to talk to him he turned bright red all over again. Haha! So cute. They had a bread basket that was very good, there was some type of coffee-flavored muffin that was delicious. I used my Past Guest free drink coupon to get a mimosa.

 

The rest of the day was very relaxed. We spent some more time in the arcade with the kids, and then they went to camp for a little while. Bryan played Bingo and I did scattegories. We picked the kids up for lunch, and we had a combination of Guys Burgers, Pizza, and Blue Iguana tacos for me (they were my favorite!). After lunch was naptime, and then we all went to the “beary cuddly” workshop (their version of build-a-bear) in camp carnival.

 

 

(Logan also made a tshirt in camp carnival. The kids were supposed to sign each others shirts, but Logan said he didn't want anyone else writing on his shirt, so he just signed his own name. Haha!)

 

The boys each made a bear, I think it was $30 each. A little pricey, but they had fun making them, and it’s something they can keep to remember the cruise for a long time. The bears come with carnival tshirts, but you can also purchase little outfits for around $7.

 

[apey9995]

This was the first formal night. The lines for pictures were really long, and Brody kept untucking his shirt and taking his shoes off, and refusing to take pictures. :)

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

 

 

Dinner was very good- we all had different things, and of course lobster and prime rib, but some of our other favorites were the spaghetti carbonara app, and the apple puff pastry dessert. That was my favorite dessert of the week, I hope it makes an appearance on the new Carnival menu!

 

(Oh, and I lied, I did get a couple of food pictures!)

 

 

 

 

Brody fell asleep after dinner, and Logan and I went to the arcade and to see the show “World of Wonder”, which we both enjoyed. It was a dance show with dances/music representing different countries- Logan had fun guessing what countries they were representing. We went back to the room, and then Bryan was able to head out for some adult time at the casino and some late night pizza.

 

[soccersharon]

Awesome review :) Our first family cruise was in March 2012. We loved the ship and itinerary. HMC is paradise on earth.

 

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[apey9995]

Cruise Day 4: St. Thomas

 

One of the things that we had planned to do on this cruise was to have family pictures taken in St. Thomas. One of my co-workers had gotten married on a cruise a couple of years ago, and had hired a local photographer in St. Thomas. Her pictures were SO gorgeous, that I asked her for the photographers contact info to see if she would do family pictures as well. Luckily, everything worked out, and we made the arrangements to get photographs taken first thing when we arrived in St. Thomas. I was so excited about this, because you can’t beat those gorgeous blue waters, and I knew this would be a great way to capture our vacation memories.

 

After breakfast we got ready and donned our picture outfits. We got off the ship as soon as we could, and went to locate a taxi. The taxi area is just a short walk from the ship, pretty much just a straight shot. Before we got our taxi, we stopped in a few of the jewelry stores there to collect the “freebies”. (We had attended the shopping seminar the day before, and got the coupon book). We were worried that they would try to sell us something and not want to give us the goods (ha!), but I guess they are used to it, because they just handed over the free gifts, no strings attached. I think we got a free drawstring backpack, and couple gemstones (what do you do with these? they’re tiny), and a really pretty “diamond” heart necklace that I’ve worn several times. Not too sure about the "diamond" part, but its pretty and it was free!

 

We quickly found a taxi (open air van) to take us to our location. We were getting our pictures taken at Limetree beach, and were meeting the photographer there. The taxi driver dropped us off and gave us a phone number to call later for pick up.

 

Our picture session was very nice, the photographer was great. I’m not sure how she would feel about me putting her info on cruise critic (or if that’s even allowed), but if anyone is interested, please message me privately and I’ll be happy to share her website. About 5 pictures in, the boys jumped in the water before I could stop them, and were soaking wet for the rest of the session. And they were so distracted by the awesome beach that it was near impossible to get them both to look at the camera at the same time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

 

 

 

[apey9995]

I’m SO glad we decided to do this, and really happy to have pictures documenting our wonderful vacation, but I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of St. Thomas. I’m still kicking myself for not taking bathing suits and a change of clothes with us, because Limetree beach was beautiful, and the boys had a blast playing in the water (fully clothed), so it would’ve been a nice place to just relax and enjoy the beach after pictures. It’s part of a hotel (sorry, can't remember the name... something "beach club"), but the beach is free to use (just not the pools and other private areas for hotel guests). There was also a wedding taking place the day we were there.

 

A few pictures of Limetree and the area around the hotel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

We called the number that the taxi service left us, and waited… and waited. And waited. We were wet and the boys had sand in certain areas that was really uncomfortable so they were starting to get pretty cranky. We were ready to get back to the ship and get changed ASAP.

 

Finally, a tricked-out hummer with tinted windows and a rosary around the rear-view rolls up, and a very large, intimidating man walks out. He said “You need a ride to ship? I take you, get in!” We were … a little skeptical, and a little freaked out. I whispered to Bryan “Ok, my research of St. Thomas told me to only ride in MARKED taxis. This is so sketch!”. Bryan asked the man a few questions… turns out, he owned that particular taxi business, and they were really backed up that day, so he came to pick us up himself. He showed us his business card, and told us we were welcome to wait for a regular taxi but it would be a long wait, so finally we climbed in. He turned out to be awesome, and SO nice, and gave us some great stories about St. Thomas on the way back to the port. He was actually on his way to the airport later that day to pick up (wait for it…) Barbara Streisand! Apparently he uses the hummer for VIP clients. (The rest of us get the buses and vans!). He told us lots of interesting stories about celebrities who live/visit St. Thomas, and how he and his family moved to the island from New York, and the cost of living there (crazy! $8 for a gallon of milk, and the electric and utility prices are really expensive).

 

After we got back on the ship and got changed, we grabbed a quick lunch at Guys and Blue Iguana. Did I mention that I LOVED those tacos… just as much as Bryan loved Guy’s Burgers! We decided that we really wanted to try to make the most of our time in St. Thomas so we ventured out again to explore a little. We visited a lot of shops, and decided to visit Senor Frogs and get some new tshirts. They boys had some virgin daiquiris which they loved, and the staff made them some balloon hats. They fit right in! haha. We got our tshirts and headed back to the ship around 3:30, with plenty of time to spare. We really loved St. Thomas, and would like to go back sometime and be able to see more.

 

 

 

[apey9995]

A little out of order, but here are some pictures of us pulling into St. Thomas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

Once we were back on board, Bryan took Logan to the pool while Brody and I watched a movie (no nap today). Because he didn't take a nap, he was extra cranky that evening, so we decided to skip the dining room and order room service instead. He didn't want to go to camp so he just hung out with us for the evening, but Logan of course couldn't wait to go back!

 

I did a load of laundry that evening. The laundry room wasn't very far from our room, which was nice. I think it was $3/load to wash and $3 to dry. They sold powdered laundry detergent also, but we brought our own from home. If you go to the Guest Services desk, you can get change for the machines ($10 in quarters). I ended up doing two loads of laundry while on the cruise, which is really helpful with the kids. We went home with alot less dirty laundry that we would've had otherwise!!

 

Well, that's all for tonight. Next up is San Juan!

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[apey9995]

Awesome review :) Our first family cruise was in March 2012. We loved the ship and itinerary. HMC is paradise on earth.

 

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Thanks! I'm enjoying re-living the cruise as I write the review! HMC is definitely paradise, like the sign says "I could stay there forever!" :)

[*Cassie*]

Thanks for continuing the review! We're taking our little girl on her first cruise next month, so this is helpful. Looking forward to reading more. And I have to say, those family pictures you had taken are amazing! You have a beautiful family!

Edited January 4, 2014 by *Cassie*

[wrigley80]

Very nice review. I love your family pictures in St. Thomas. They are beautiful. We are looking at this same itinerary for April. We also love Half Moon Cay

 

 

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[Quueen124]

Great review! We will be sailing on Liberty in two weeks with dd 3. Your pictures turned out fabulous!

[Rena921]

Great review and beautiful family. The pictures in St. Thomas are absolutely gorgeous.

[siestakeys04]

Really enjoying your review. Your family photos are beautiful.

 

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[Buffalofirsttimer4]

What a beautiful family!!!

 

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[apey9995]

Thanks for continuing the review! We're taking our little girl on her first cruise next month, so this is helpful. Looking forward to reading more. And I have to say, those family pictures you had taken are amazing! You have a beautiful family!

 

Thank you! I hope your little girl has fun on her first cruise! :) I'm checking out your Triumph review now!

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[apey9995]

Very nice review. I love your family pictures in St. Thomas. They are beautiful. We are looking at this same itinerary for April. We also love Half Moon Cay

 

 

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Thanks for reading! With the exception of San Juan, we really liked the ports on this cruise, I wouldn't mind doing this same itinerary again and trying new things (especially St. Thomas). Have fun on your cruise!

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[apey9995]

Really enjoying your review. Your family photos are beautiful.

 

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What a beautiful family!!!

 

Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2

 

Great review! We will be sailing on Liberty in two weeks with dd 3. Your pictures turned out fabulous!

 

Thanks everyone!

[apey9995]

Cruise Day 5: San Juan

 

The morning of San Juan, we had breakfast together on the Lido deck, and watched the arrival from the balcony. The ship arrived in San Juan at 7:00am, but we waited until around 8:30am to get off the ship. Here are some pictures we took from our balcony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

 

 

(Playing around with different camera settings)

 

 

 

 

[apey9995]

 

The long yellow building you see is the cruise terminal, which you walk through to get off the ship. There are a few stores inside, and some little booths set up with people giving away free drink samples in little ramekin cups. I don't know what they were but one was a frozen apple- something, and it was delicious!

 

I noticed when we got home that even though this wasn't our favorite port, I have the most pictures from this day. I think I realized that morning that the cruise was over 1/2 way through and (oh, crap!), I haven't been taking enough pictures! haha

 

Edited January 4, 2014 by apey9995

[purplemusik]

Can I just give you a big ol hug? We are cruising with a 7 month old and a 3 year old in Feb and I didn't even THINK to bring the plastic throw away cups! When my son was a baby ( 7 months as well ) we went on a cruise with him and my daughter ( she'll be 8 in March so won't really need them ) and didn't need them! It would've been a pain to have him drinking out of those water glasses in the dining room! Thanks!