Carnival Liberty: Two years later (Including FunTimes and such)

[APDMOM]

I finally have a little time on my own by the computer. First off, if you requested the Fun Times via e-mail, I am sending two out now. If you do not receive them by 9 p.m., check your spam :)

 

On to Embarkation:

 

We decided to purchase Faster to the Fun since it worked out really well on our previous cruise. Our son has special needs (nothing major, but can be challenging with stress), so we prefer to get him settled in a quiet place early. As mentioned, we took the Radisson Shuttle, which left right at 10:30. At the port, they unloaded our luggage while we waited in the air conditioned shuttle. By the time we got off the shuttle, our luggage was tagged with an extra, bright FTTF sticker, and on the trolley to be taken onto the ship.

 

 

We got off the shuttle at about 10:50 a.m. and went straight through check-in and onto the ship - no waiting! We were on our balcony by 11:10! It was definitely the easiest embarkation ever - we did not even have to give our luggage to the porters.

 

TIP: I take pictures of our suitcases before we leave home. That way, if they get lost, I can show the picture to guest services. People have lost luggage on 2 cruises we have been on, including this past one. So, I figure it may be handy to have a picture of your luggage - especially if your luggage is unique.

 

Port Canaveral from our balcony:

 

 

Apparently, Carnival forgot that we made "gold" on our previous cruise, so we got new pins again (unless this is the new standard?). Well, we have 6 pins among the three of us :D

[APDMOM]

Once we got settled into the cabin, we tried to wash hands to go to lunch. Oops! No water in the cabin :eek: There was just a small stream trickling out of the sink. So, wet wipes and hand sanitizer had to do the job. We found that there was no running water in the buffet either - all the drinks were basically syrup. At least there was hot water for tea. We also found some waiters with pitchers of water. The water issue was fixed by the time we sailed off. The water in our cabin got turned off one more time during the cruise due to maintenance - a minor inconvenience. However, in addition to other issues we experienced on the ship, it may be time for a dry dock?

 

More about that later - I definitely do not want to put a damper on anyone's excitement for those who will be cruising Liberty soon. All the things were minor to us, but for some it may not be acceptable.

 

On to the good stuff!

 

Tip: We found seats upstairs by Fish and Chips. Emile's was packed, but there was only one table taken upstairs when we got there. It was so nice and quiet. We ended up eating here a lot during the week - just carrying our meals up the stairs. There are plenty of booths and most people do not discover this area until later in the week. We enjoyed deli sandwiches (Rueben & Pastrami on rye). DS had baked chicken, which was very tough.

 

After lunch, we went to the Golden Olympian to see if our e-mail request was honored. Sure enough, we were assigned a table for three - surprisingly in the Golden Olympian, even though we did not have my time dining. More about our great dining experience later...

 

The muster drill was pretty painless and standard. They dismiss one side of the ship at a time to avoid crowds. Fortunately, we were on the side that was dismissed first.

 

Time to leave our land legs behind!

 

Sailaway was spent on the balcony. We first watched Sunshine sail away, followed by Disney Fantasy

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Here is a pic of the port side of the sail away. Unfortunately, we were not on the side of the webcam or Fishlips. We did see the Submarine area - no sub today...

 

Our dinner was very good. We had excellent service. It may have helped that we were right by the server station. We missed all the entertainment from previous cruises! It seems they either did not offer this in the Golden Olympian, or maybe we just left a bit too early to see it. We only saw the dancing and singing on the last night.

 

If you happen to get this team, you have got it made :) Houston was one of the best head waiters we had. Unfortunately, Carnival is making it extremely difficult for the waiters to do their job with the new American Table menu. Someone on our roll call found out that the waiters may only carry 12 plates at a time. Now that they have main dishes and sides to carry separately to the tables, they have to make at least double to three times the trips to the galley to bring the food out. It is really a mess. American Table is not well planned out. Despite this, our waiters did an excellent job and never complained. We did have to wait longer for water refills, but this was to no fault of the waiters - it is a management issue.

 

I hope Houston becomes a Maitre' D some day!

 

We called it a night after dinner, since we did not care to stay up late for the Welcome Aboard show. We enjoyed our balcony for a while, and were greeted by this character, left there by our very capable room stewards, Dedang (DD) and Artu.

[babyclaytonmom]

Thanks so much for posting the Fun Times! We leave in 1 month and 1 day. Went on Liberty last summer but looks like the Fun Times have changed a bit. Could you email me them also? My email is my username on here plus @aol.com I'd really appreciate it :)

 

Did you play Clue by chance?

[APDMOM]

Thanks so much for posting the Fun Times! We leave in 1 month and 1 day. Went on Liberty last summer but looks like the Fun Times have changed a bit. Could you email me them also? My email is my username on here plus @aol.com I'd really appreciate it :)

 

Did you play Clue by chance?

 

I sent them to the address, as requested :) Enjoy planning your cruise!

 

We did not play the Clue game. We solved the Clue Cryptograms without knowing that it was for the Murder Mystery... I thought it was just a fun brain teaser. LOL! :D

[APDMOM]

June 8: Sea day

I woke up with the sun already shining on our balcony at 6:20. We put out the room service card the night before, requesting delivery times between 7:00 and 7:30. Our order arrived just after 7:30. I was surprised that we did not get a phone call to let us know the room service was on the way, but I guess that is just a Royal Caribbean thing.

 

Breakfast Room Service (The coffee was terrible, and I am not very picky about coffee :o ) :

 

We spent the day relaxing some on our balcony, taking a quick swim, and playing mini-golf. I tried to spend some time laying out at the pool, but the DJ music was so loud, I could not even listen to my iPod. Even with my iPod volume set louder than I like, I could still hear every word of the songs the DJ played. I did not like the style of music either. So, after about 20 minutes of hearing only 1 of 6 songs I even knew, I gave up. I must be getting too old for Carnival :D (LOL!). Some people must have complained about the volume, because this improved greatly over the week.

 

In the afternoon, I enjoyed our Meet and Greet that was set up by one of our roll call members. We each paid $21 to get unlimited drinks for one hour, while visiting with CC friends. The price included extra tip. I had fun getting to know some of our roll call members.

 

This was also formal night. I really enjoyed the dinner. The mushroom soup was excellent. If I had room for more, I would have gone up to the Lido for another bowl later in the evening! DH had the Lobster, which he really enjoyed. I had the bass (something I do not usually order), which was delicious!

 

This was the only night we saw Funship Freddy

 

Time to say good night...

[Amber14]

We are sailing on the Liberty on July 11. Thanks so much for writing a review with pics. It is getting me so excited about going. Did you find a good place to lounge away from the music? That's what we will be looking for...a place in the sun to hang out, read, drink, people watch, sea watch, etc without the loud DJ music.

[APDMOM]

We are sailing on the Liberty on July 11. Thanks so much for writing a review with pics. It is getting me so excited about going. Did you find a good place to lounge away from the music? That's what we will be looking for...a place in the sun to hang out, read, drink, people watch, sea watch, etc without the loud DJ music.

 

You are welcome! If you have no kids, you have two options: The aft pool or Serenity. Liberty was poorly planned with Serenity because it is far from the pools. However, those are two nice options for adults. The aft pool area is not adults only, just the pools and hot tubs. Kids can go back there to get pizza and ice cream. Enjoy your cruise! :)

[APDMOM]

Continuing... I hope to post about two cruise days per day this week, so that this can be done by Sunday :)

 

June 9: Grand Turk

 

We were really looking forward to Grand Turk. We were supposed to visit here last year on Freedom, but it was during the time when they had water issues, so we were re-routed to Falmouth. I am really glad that we got to stop here this time. It is a beautiful area! It is too bad the stop is so short!

 

We first walked to the NASA exhibit, since that is a high interest for DS and DH. After memorizing a few dates, we spent most of the morning at the Margaritaville pool. I explored with my new underwater camera, and enjoyed a Pina Colada. It was a bit pricey at $10 for about 10 ounces, but it was a welcome splurge on such a beautiful island. Here are some pics of the area:

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

The plants are beautiful - I love Frangipani!

 

 

 

 

Margaritaville - a view from the ship:

 

Underwater fun:

 

TIP: When we got back to the ship, we saw there is free wifi if you just walk a bit past Margaritaville:

[APDMOM]

Way too soon, it was time to smile and wave to Grand Turk. We would love to return some day...and I will be doing this:

 

 

Time to board:

 

 

This night's dinner was the highlight of my cruise. DH had the rabbit, which was very good. It was baked in a phyllo dough with a wine sauce. For the main course, DH ordered the everyday steak, which was fair. I ordered the Tilapia and gave him a taste - he ended up ordering it as a second main course, it was so delicious!

 

After dinner, we headed to the juggling show. It was really good - mainly thanks to "Erwin" from the Netherlands, a passenger that gave the juggler a run for his money. I belly-laughed until it hurt! It would have just been okay without Erwin. I think Carnival owes him a free cruise for the entertainment :D

 

Time to call it a day - Grand Turk will be missed!

 

Edited June 19, 2014 by APDMOM
clarify

[APDMOM]

June 10: St. Thomas

 

We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast in the main dining room. I used DS's free drink coupon to order a cappuccino. He does not like any soda or drinks, other than water and juice, so he gladly gives me the free drink coupon. The cappuccino was very good!

 

We have been to St. Thomas several times in the past. The last time we came, we took an island tour through Royal Caribbean. So, this time we decided to just hang out at the port. I went to explore on my own to find some free wifi. I went to the newer marina shopping center, and found a coffee shop with free wifi for customers. After purchasing a smoothie, I caught up with family at home and made sure there was nothing urgent. We typically avoid the internet on trips, so no Facebook for me.

 

Tip: We have a gmail account JUST for family and close friends to contact us while we travel. We turn off our other e-mail accounts so that we only get important e-mails on trips. That way no work can interrupt our fun.

 

The marina shopping area:

 

To get to the shopping area, walk straight to the end of the pier, exit the fenced area, and turn left. There are large wooden gates/doors to enter the area. You can see the marina on the left of the ship on this picture.

 

There is also a nice grassy area where you can get great pictures of the ship. I even saw 2 iguanas here...

 

 

[APDMOM]

After a bit more shopping at Havensight Mall, including more iguana sightings, I returned to the ship for some family time.

 

 

 

We skipped the main dining room this time, because we wanted to see the sunset and get some night time pictures of the ship. So, we took our pics on and off the ship:

 

 

 

 

 

I can not remember the dinner menu for the rest of the week. I just know the other highlights were pumpkin soup, the mac & cheese side, and the "Bitter 'n' Blanc" dessert.

 

[APDMOM]

A last look at St Thomas:

 

 

The ship at night - a view from the marina:

 

 

We ended the day with the drink special: Mocha Chocolate Getaway

 

Time to say good night... Tomorrow, I will try to cover Tortola and St. Maarten. Thank you for following along!

[bluejay555]

Terrific pictures!!!

[Perfect Stranger]

The pictures are beautiful! Thanks for posting the Fun Times.

[APDMOM]

Terrific pictures!!!

 

The pictures are beautiful! Thanks for posting the Fun Times.

 

Thank you! I will be back tonight to post more about the trip.

[APDMOM]

June 11: Tortola

 

Arriving in Tortola with the Pilot boarding the ship:

 

We have visited Tortola several times in the past, but we never took a tour. Since this is one of the last stops for ships in a while, I decided to take an island tour. The island reminded me a lot of St. Kitts. It was a fun, informative tour. Worth one time, to me. I did the tour of the north shore and Pusser's Landing. Here are some pics and interesting facts:

 

The ship from the island:

 

Narrow roads with lots of mountains:

 

Local art that tells the story of Tortola living:

 

No roof means no taxes, because the house is not considered completed... Sounds like a plan to me :D

[APDMOM]

Driving past some beautiful scenery:

 

 

 

 

 

There were a couple of mountain stops for pictures, but we could not always get out of the shuttle.

 

Our tour was in an open air shuttle like this one. It was very nice, since the weather was fair and we enjoyed the fresh air:

[APDMOM]

Pusser's Landing is a beautiful marina with and shopping center.

 

 

 

 

 

We drove past the Bomba Shack, which is apparently the place to be during full moon. We missed the party by two days...

 

 

[APDMOM]

A few more scenes of Tortola:

 

 

A lookout point and bar where we stopped:

 

Gas station:

 

Our tour guide showing some interesting plants:

 

Rather than "Hurricane evacuation routes" like we have in Florida, they have "Tsunami evacuation routes":

 

It seems the crafts marked that used to be right outside the port has been moved. I assume some of those vendors are now in these buildings - on the other side of the government building. Just walk out the port gates and past the government building on the left. At the light, turn left and you have plenty of shopping to enjoy. (That's a bit of an oxymoron to me: shopping=enjoy??? LOL!)...

[APDMOM]

We got back to the ship after about 3 hours of touring the island. It was worth the money to me - for one time. I like seeing the islands and getting at least a bit of an overview of the history.

 

 

We were not interested in any of the evening entertainment, so we just spent the night enjoying some family time.

 

I just realized I have not loaded the St. Maarten pics to Photobucket yet, so I will have to call it a night. Until tomorrow, here is your towel animal for the night! :)

[AmberTeka]

We sail next week. I really enjoyed reading your review.

[AmberTeka]

You are welcome :) I think I know you from the Fascination in Jacksonville thread? Your name looks familiar. Enjoy planning your cruise!

 

It very well could be. We cruised on the Fascination two years ago in May. We were so ...OH> What have we done? To come on this old ship? After we have sailed only on nice, new BIG ships..........We will just endure the five days and chalk it off as a mistake.

 

 

And of course...The cruise was great. We were blown away by the passengers. Nicest people in the world. Young people. college grads and High schools grads. With and without parents. Never had so many doors opened for me in my life. Two played Trivia with us, and brought their parents around to meet us when we won. Never saw any on them drunk. Mostly the boys stayed around the Vault money machine...24/7 I think. And The staff. wonderful. & the laid back flavor of the entire cruise, was great. No pushing in lines. No crowds. All races , all genders., all ages ............just being nice people. And Key West was the best port ever. We will do it again. Hopefully with my grand daughter and her Mom and Dad next summer.

Edited June 21, 2014 by AmberTeka

[APDMOM]

June 12: St Maarten

 

St Maarten remains one of our 3 favorite Caribbean islands. I love the colorful island with beautiful beaches. I love the convenience of reaching Philipsburg by water taxi - it gives many opportunities for beautiful pictures at different angles. Last year, we did a tour of St. Maarten, visiting Marigot on the French side (St. Martin). This is definitely one island where I feel the tour was over and over worth the dollars. However, if money is tight, you can find a lot to do and see in Philipsburg. The all day water taxi pass is $7, and easy to access. On with some pictures...

 

 

Allure of the Seas was already in port:

 

 

A view of Philipsburg from the port: