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Our Carnival Liberty Experience 3/29-4/5/14

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS 8am-6pm (Tuesday April 1) - Godfrey Tours

 

 

 

I had booked Godfrey Tours because of all my fellow CCer’s comments & suggestions and again I checked trip advisor. For $30 each we would get picked up at the port and driven downtown to shop (2 hrs.), a tour of the island including Mountain Top & views of Magens Bay, dropped off at Coki Beach (2 hrs.) and then dropped off at the ship, all the while he would supply us with cold water & soda. DH & I had done a tour of the island back in ’10 (with Elvis) but we paid $25 and only got a tour and 10 minutes at Coki with no included drinks. So I thought this would be a better way to spend our time & money. We booked via Godfrey’s website on 5/9/13 and received a confirmation on 5/11/13 that we were all set for 5. Once everyone else booked, I changed it to 9 without any problems. I had scheduled a 10 am pickup as we were in port from 9am – 6pm. With a 10am pickup we should be back at the ship by 4 pm, plenty of time-right? Since we arrived early today (no tender to Half Moon we got there at 8am instead of 9am). They were waiting for us with a sign, they kept calling us the party of 9 (couldn’t have asked for a better tour or guide).

 

Rock in the ocean as we approached St Thomas:

 

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Islands around St Thomas

 

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Taken from my balcony of the shoreline:

 

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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OK, our next stop was Coki Beach. I had been wanting to get back here since DH and I had visited it in 2010 so we were all excited. Snorkel equipment in our bag and DS14 & DH would get to see some fish. Seems I don't read directions well- I put the batteries in the underwater camera backwards, so no pics of the fish but I can tell you if you go towards the rocks near Coral World you will see lots & lots of fish. Also don't let your BFF see the Fruit Loops in your bag you brought as fish bait because she will eat it-LOL!

 

We rented four loungers for the adults & two umbrellas to space out around the area we had. I had a beach blanket we let the kids lounge on when they were not in the water.

 

Also another tip-remove all items from your pockets prior to going in the water. DS17 did not do this- instead he went directly into the salt water with his iPhone- sadly it didn't survive. I had to purchase a new one from the Apple Store once we got home because AT&T wanted way more than I was willing to spend.

 

Anyway- pics of the beach

 

Left



 

DSCN1193.JPG

 

 

Right -see the rocks near the white building-that is where the fish are, the white building is actually Coral World

 

DSCN1194.JPG

 

From my lounger this was my view

 

DSCN1195.JPG

 

 

Toes in the water shot-LOL

 

DSCN1196.JPG

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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Dinner: OK dinner time. They sat us at a 4 & 5 person table again. Apps- calamari for the table but I seem to be the only one eating it (more for me). We ordered from the grill-pork chop (still very good), chicken breast-also good, DH had the salmon fillet, he said it was good just small. I tried the Port of Call selection-Island Chicken Curry was tasty but came with sticky rice again and I am not a fan of the sticky rice. We also had whipped potatoes, which I was told was very tasty. Dessert tonight I believe left a lot to be desired-pie was Pumpkin but it wasn’t that great. (sorry no pics tonight)

 

Entertainment: Went to the Mardi Gras Celebration in the Lobby Atrium-OMG party, party. We had a large church group from Mississippi on our cruise and they came decked out for Mardi Gras but the best was the man (who happen to be across the hall from us) who danced with his cane to win a ship on the stick & bottle of champagne!!!

 

We then hit up Live Latin Music near the casino for a little bit and headed over to the Victoria Lounge to see Live Karaoke- Karen tore it up!!!

 

Picked up some popcorn from the Dive-In Movies (didn’t have any flavor). Got pizza- of course, then headed to the balcony to finally open that bottle of Baileys for a nightcap, life is good!!!

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO (Wednesday April 2) 7am-3:30pm DS#4- 14th Birthday

 

 

OK, so today I had decided since we took the kids out of school for 6 days to do this trip it was going to be an educational day; we would ride the free trolley to go see the Forts, speak Spanish for the most part since everyone had either taken it or was still studying it and walk around-OK- let’s see if we can stick with that plan.

 

Seeing that today is DS#4’s 14th birthday and none

of us have ever been to PR we’re all a little excited to get off the ship and look around. I especially wanted to try a Guava Colada and some authentic Mofungo (mashed plantain with some sort of protein (chicken/beef). I’m not really a foodie- as long as it tastes good (very subjective), I’ll try it but I have limits- it cannot still be alive, be furry or look disgusting, JMO.

 

Breakfast: Lido Deck-Emile’s Buffet (I am seeing a trend here), fruit & an omelet from Elmer.

 

OK…. so all my plans went out the door once we docked. It was hot when we finally made it off the ship-no line, no waiting but hot & humid. Tour guides yelling as we walk out the terminal-they started at $25 in the outside area but still in the terminal, then it goes to $20 a little further down but once outside go to the left- we paid $10 per person, air conditioned bus for a tour of San Juan/Old San Juan. It was a fabulous tour and we got to see a lot we went with SJ Happy Tours (they wear blue shirts).

If you have any questions please ask and I’ll try to answer them.

 

View from balcony

 

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Start of Tour

 

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Beach stop

 

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7leagueboots

7leagueboots

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I made signs for our doors-makes it so much easier to remember which one we are in since they all look alike. “We be cruising”–that was our theme this cruise. I even surprised everyone with t-shirts made by Vistaprint only cost $8.33 each shirt, so it was a bargain.

 

 

Picture of cabin door & t-shirts:



DSCN1141.JPG

 

IMAG0226.jpg

 

What a great idea!

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Terab85

Terab85

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Really enjoying your review. My DH & I are sailing on Liberty and with Carnival for the first time next Feb for our anniversary. Love the pictures of the ship.

 

Your family pictures are great too :D

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Hommiette

Hommiette

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Thank you SO MUCH for the review, I'm reliving my memories through it! My family and I were on the same cruise...my son and hubby even made it in one of your photos you've posted (the little boy laying on the ground at Coki Beach) :D I also remember seeing you at the beach at Grand Turk keeping up with the waves! Glad you and your family had a great time. Thanks again for sharing! Oh yeah, and your sons can sure cut a rug on the dance floor! Enjoyed watching them on the Lido Deck :)

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Lovetwocruz2009

Lovetwocruz2009

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OK, our next stop was Coki Beach. I had been wanting to get back here since DH and I had visited it in 2010 so we were all excited. Snorkel equipment in our bag and DS14 & DH would get to see some fish. Seems I don't read directions well- I put the batteries in the underwater camera backwards, so no pics of the fish but I can tell you if you go towards the rocks near Coral World you will see lots & lots of fish. Also don't let your BFF see the Fruit Loops in your bag you brought as fish bait because she will eat it-LOL!

 

We rented four loungers for the adults & two umbrellas to space out around the area we had. I had a beach blanket we let the kids lounge on when they were not in the water.

 

Also another tip-remove all items from your pockets prior to going in the water. DS17 did not do this- instead he went directly into the salt water with his iPhone- sadly it didn't survive. I had to purchase a new one from the Apple Store once we got home because AT&T wanted way more than I was willing to spend.

 

Anyway- pics of the beach

 

Left

 

DSCN1193.JPG

 

 

Right -see the rocks near the white building-that is where the fish are, the white building is actually Coral World

 

DSCN1194.JPG

 

From my lounger this was my view

 

DSCN1195.JPG

 

 

Toes in the water shot-LOL

 

 

DSCN1196.JPG

 

We love Coki too. Love to snorkel from the beach. The last time we were there, a gentleman was selling fish "food" for a $1.00. I think it was really dog food. The fish loved it.

 

Thanks for the review and photos. DH and I are enjoying it.

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rooster1961

rooster1961

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Enjoying your review. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

Could you tell me if the noise from the Karaoke/Comedy Club could be heard from your party that had interior rooms? We have an interior room near the back of the ship on deck 6 in Aug and am worried about the noise when trying to go to sleep. But maybe you'll hit on that later? :p

 

hey erby, we have a roll call for our/your cruise, just look for departure day and another roll call on the "other" social network

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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I'm loving your review. We are considering Carnival for a cruise next spring with our then 15 year old and 5 year old. I love your font size and pics, thanks so much!

 

Thank you for reading along, more to come.

 

Thank you so much. I am enjoying your review.

 

Thank you, writing this review is letting me enjoy my vacation just a little longer-LOL!

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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Great pictures!!!!!!!

 

Thank you!

 

We love Coki too. Love to snorkel from the beach. The last time we were there, a gentleman was selling fish "food" for a $1.00. I think it was really dog food. The fish loved it. Thanks for the review and photos. DH and I are enjoying it.

 

Coki is great for families, didn't see the gentleman selling the "fish food", but our driver from Godfrey set us up with a nice man who supplied us with our chairs & umbrellas when we arrived, then introduced us to a server for drinks (which we did not partake of this stop).

 

Thanks for taking the time to read along, more to come.

Edited by Buffalofirsttimer4
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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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Thank you SO MUCH for the review, I'm reliving my memories through it! My family and I were on the same cruise...my son and hubby even made it in one of your photos you've posted (the little boy laying on the ground at Coki Beach) :D I also remember seeing you at the beach at Grand Turk keeping up with the waves! Glad you and your family had a great time. Thanks again for sharing! Oh yeah, and your sons can sure cut a rug on the dance floor! Enjoyed watching them on the Lido Deck :)

 

Hi there Hommiette- glad you can relive your memories (love that I got your son 7 hubby in that photo-LOL). Yes Grand Turk & the wobble (shaking my rump on the beach) :eek: but it was fun and I was on vacation. Yes that was my boys on the Lido deck-they get it honestly!!!!

 

Really enjoying your review. My DH & I are sailing on Liberty and with Carnival for the first time next Feb for our anniversary. Love the pictures of the ship. Your family pictures are great too :D

 

Thanks for reading along, you will enjoy Liberty-fun atmosphere, great crew and thanks for the compliment on the family pics. I actually do not like being photographed, so getting all of us in a picture is a great accomplishment.

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Buffalofirsttimer4

Buffalofirsttimer4

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Your sons are very handsome.

 

Did SJ Happy Tours take you to the forts? How long was the tour? Did you eat in San Juan?

 

Thank you. SJ Happy Tours did take us (kind of) to the forts. We drove past El Salvador but stopped at El Morro, he asked if we wanted to actually tour the fort but we opted for just photos outside. He stopped/parked at the entrance by the cemetery. The tour lasted about 1.5- 2hrs with drop off at shopping. I'm planning on continuing today with more pics and commentary about what we did, please stay tuned!

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reerun25

reerun25

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****Disclaimer****

 

The opinions expressed within this review are those of my family, our friends and specifically me on this vacation. They come from our experience on Carnival Liberty. I apologize in advance if I offend and/or cause anxiety from those readers who do not like what I have to say or feel I am taking too long to post and/or finish. If that is the case, please stop reading now, no need to put yourself through any undo dourest.

 

You had me hooked with the disclaimer!! Great review so far, and really looking to reading more!

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