Another 3 Generations report: 8 day Eastern Liberty, Sept 13-21, 2014

[2 cruzen]

Thank you for this wonderful review. We were on Liberty in April and will be on Glory this upcoming February. I'm glad to see Creme Brûlée back, although I had special requested it on Liberty. Loved seeing Anna and the "tall kid" from Alchemy. I really liked him and he made me a not so spicy chipotle pineapple drink. So yummy.

 

I just found this review, so lucky for me, no problem with the pictures. I am bookmarking this review in case the two newbie cruisers want to drool over the food porn, haha.

Edited November 23, 2014 by 2 cruzen

[CruzinScotty]

Excellent review! Thank you for the time and effort you have taken with this. It's great to see a multigenerational family having a great time together. We will be in St. Maarten on Christmas Day on the Regal Princess. Do you recall how much the island tour cost? Thank you

 

I'm glad you're enjoying the ride! It's fun re-living the fun we had. I believe the tour we took was $25 per person. But, that was for a full van. They had prices set by the amount of people, IE 2-3 people = X; 4-5 people = Y. The more people, the lower the price. My suggestion: if you don't already have a large group planning to tour with you - try to make some new friends on the trip. If that fails -when you get to the hut; try to find people that want the same tour. It makes no sense to me for a group of 3 and a group of 5 to pay more per person than a group of 8. So, you can be "long lost relatives" for the day and save a few bucks. :)

 

I live on the Prairies of western Canada and rhubarb grows almost wild here! It's a pretty hardy plant, so can tolerate our climate. Rhubarb-strawberry pies/jams/etc are very popular here and many people in the rural areas will have rhubarb growing somewhere on their property.

 

OK, you said it - rhubarb is wild, therefore it is a weed. ;) It sounds like mixing it with strawberry seems to be the key to making it edible. You didn't mention though if "you" enjoy these rhubarb-strawberry pies/jams, etc. LOL

 

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[CruzinScotty]

2 Cruzen - I'm having trouble pulling your comment into this post.

 

We had "the tall kid" as our waiter both times we were at The Alchemy. I love pineapple, but was afraid the chipotle would be too much. I should have known they would customize things for you. Two years ago, we asked them to make something completely off of the menu and it was great.

 

I also glad the Creme Brulee is back on the menu. We've also special ordered it twice now on an extra night. We've been lucky.

[CruzinScotty]

Today is the first of TWO sea days and it’s: International Talk like a Pirate Day.

I be do sum pirate speak back yonder; that ain’t be happ’nin’ agin. ARGH! ;)

I can’t remember if I mentioned this before; but it’s worth repeating. One of the things I LOVE about a cruise that goes to Sint Maarten is that there are TWO sea days heading back to Florida. One full day to unwind and relax before you have that last day where you try to relax but that dreaded “the trips ending/you gotta pack/they’re kicking us off the ship” feeling sets in.

So, who watches “The Morning Show” that the Cruise Director does? Do most of them have a couple of times during the week where you can go and be part of the audience? Well, Cory does and today was such a day. I decided we needed to go, you know – try something new. With an ulterior motive, of course. ;)

You see, you can fill out Special Requests to be read during The Morning Show. Anniversaries, etc. So, last night, my trip to Guest Services was to fill out such a request celebrating Pop’s 90th birthday.

We got there early, that’s where this Cory “Jolly Rogers” photo-bombed selfie came from:

 

 

There were, of course, other people in attendance as well. I think there might have been some other people that showed up protesting that there was no Harry Potter Trivia? I mean, where else and WHY else, would you come dressed as a unicorn:

Yeah, you definitely don’t see that every day – not even on a cruise ship!

Next, a salute to ALL Veteran’s

[CruzinScotty]

So, we’re still at The Morning Show. I had to step out for a minute and had asked Cory to wait until I returned to read the letter. I think this is when I had to go buy that last set of camera batteries and the gift shop didn’t open on time. Anyways, to show how great Cory is, he obliged and remembered me and my Pop from earlier in the week.

Then, there’s Sean. He is an Asst. Cruise Director and Cory’s side-kick at the morning show. He’s British and feels he gets no respect. Sean is the red-jacketed photo-bomber in my last post. I reminded him I took a picture with him in it. He said, but it wasn't just him. So, I took one of him and told him I'd post it here. Unfortunately, the "photobucket gods" say "that's a no-go". Sorry Sean.... Anyway, he’s wanting hot chocolate and has no one to get it for him. He asks the audience on the Lido for someone to bring him some hot chocolate. A few minutes later, someone shows up. He’s thrilled and feeling loved again. :)

Sean is the person that read the letter about Pop’s birthday and his service in World War II. Pop had his hat on and we made a point of showing it to Cory and Sean. Sean went out of his way to thank my Pop for his service and they asked to borrow his hat to show on the screen. I couldn’t see from where I was sitting. But, here’s a pic of my Pop’s hat I’ve mentioned so much about:

So, next it’s time to head to the Veteran’s Meet.

WOW

This is a Meet I believe they have every cruise. We’ve attended the last two years, but we’ve never seen a turnout this large. It was just great. And, there were over a dozen World War II vets in attendance. My Pop had previously been the only one from this war to attend. The veterans took turns going around the room telling who they were, when they served (war-time or in peace) and a little about themselves.

To hear so much about these wonderful brave men was such an honor.

I WANT TO SALUTE ALL OF OUR VETERANS!

If you are a Veteran and didn’t know about these meets; please look for them on your next cruise. You won’t regret it.

Bye for now everybody!

Edited November 23, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[2 cruzen]

2 Cruzen - I'm having trouble pulling your comment into this post.

 

We had "the tall kid" as our waiter both times we were at The Alchemy. I love pineapple, but was afraid the chipotle would be too much. I should have known they would customize things for you. Two years ago, we asked them to make something completely off of the menu and it was great.

 

I also glad the Creme Brulee is back on the menu. We've also special ordered it twice now on an extra night. We've been lucky.

 

Well, now you have another item to put on your "next time" list! :D

[CruzinScotty]

After the Veteran’s meet, we headed to the Sea Day Brunch and Carnival again EXCEEDED our expectations. Word has gotten out since this is the 2nd sea day and it’s a little more crowded. They don’t have a table for 11, will we sit a 2 tables? We’d prefer not to. Well, they do have a 12 top just inside the dining room that they don’t use because when the dining room is not full, they try to have people sit towards the back of the room. They said we could have this table, but they don’t have wait staff assigned right now; so our service would be slow. We said we weren’t in a big hurry. In addition, we’re used to slow service in the MDR for breakfast or the Brunch.

Well, they must have assigned someone new. We had the BEST service I’ve seen in the last 3 years we’ve done any breakfast in the MDR. Bravo! We made a point to let the hostess and the Maitre D know about our great service.

Here’s a repeat of the wonder Steak and Eggs and Caramel Cheesecake:

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we split up for a bit. Some of the ladies went to something called the “Ladies Pamper Party”. The discussion later was that they had a lot of fun and there was lots of laughter. So, I don’t know if they were making towel animals out of diapers, or getting free facials. J I think it might have been the later. They said it was also nice because there was NOT a big push to buy the products; a refreshing change.

I wandered around for a bit. We missed the Star Wars Trivia, but I showed up in the time to get a photo:

 

So, I guess Cory is a guy of “many hats” and “many robes”.

Also during my soloe time, I walked a mile on the joggin track.Today is the first day I looked at the sign that showed how many laps it is to make a mile. I think it's nine?

 

Also, more pool and hot tub time; meeting and talking to lots of nice folks. It’s such a small world, there were two couples in the hot tub that had just met that were from Jacksonville. They were discussing that they wanted to get off the ship as early as possible on Sunday to get back home for the NFL Jaguars game. I asked them what time the game was and was I going to be stuck in traffic? They said it was a 1PM start, as long as you’re not downtown an hour before or after start time; I should be fine.

Next, a light snack and exploring a new part of the ship

Edited November 24, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

Since it’s a sea day; now it’s time for DSIL’s Tea Time Meet, there are six of us today. It’s OK to repeat a few more food pictures, isn’t it?

 

Yummy Chocolate Macarrons:

 

On our way out, we got a very quick “behind the scenes” sneak peak. Next to the Dining Room entrance on Deck 4 is a set of swinging doors behind which, the crew uses to bring food up from the Galley on Deck 3. The door was propped open and we could see the escalator they use to move the food upstairs.

Afterwards, EC2 and I go exploring a little bit. Tea Time is on Deck 4 in the Golden Dining Room. On the other side of the elevators is The Cabinet, where the girls had attended the Pamper Party.

Gosh, I’ve never been in this room. We look around and I realize – I have been here. I just came in from the other direction. If you’re on Deck 5 and you go down the stairs to get to the Internet Café, you go thru The Cabinet to get there. One of the crew came into the Cabinet and said you can actually walk all the way thru Deck 4 from the Golden Dining Room to the Silver Dining Room. Who knew? This is my 3rd time on the Liberty and I’m still finding new things. So, instead of heading up the stairs to Deck 5; we see the hallway that continues heading forward on Deck 4.

I guess I knew the Liberty had a Wedding Chapel; I’m always hearing about weddings on embarkation day and the fact the wedding parties get on even before the Diamond/Platinum. But, I never knew or thought about where the Wedding Chapel is.

We found it! And, as fate would have it – there was a wedding going on right then. How cool. We didn’t want to interrupt, so we just kept moving on; but it was a fun find. We continued on to the back entrance to Deck 4 of the Silver Dining Room.

We went up the middle set of elevators to get ready for our evening of food, fun, merriment, and of course, more food. :D

[CruzinScotty]

So, tonight we did our 2nd Alchemy meet where the Remedy was the popular choice. I had it once and I’d have it again. Of course, now I have to try a “not so spicy” version of the chipotle pineapple drink as well. So many drinks, so little time…..

This was our 2nd Formal Dinner. Here is a repeat picture and a reminder that on cruises with two Formal Nights: they have Prime Rib twice. Don't feel you have to order it on Lobster night - you can save it for later in the trip:

 

 

This is also the night we had made our request the night before to have eight servings of Crème Brulee. Only 7 of us had wanted it; I ordered an extra – just in case. It didn’t go to waste, that’s for sure!

Tonight was a night of Comedy for us. We’ve got new comedians and attended 3 of the 5 shows. We headed to the lido deck for a late night snack. I can’t believe I haven’t had any pizza this trip. I had the mushroom and buffalo mozzarella; it was quite good. I’m OK with the thin crust. It doesn’t fill you up as much. :)

Though the ice cream is good, a few of us were kind of waiting for the late night snack bar to open so we could grab a few chocolate chip cookies. It was getting a little late, so we headed to our cabins. But…..

I decided to call Room Service, because…well, because I could! I ordered 3 cookies; they brought me six! I ate two of them before I remembered by food porn duties:

Nothing like enjoying a late nite snack on the balcony before bed.

Next, our last full day. Boo hiss. ;)

Edited November 25, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

Did you catch my mistake in the last post?

 

I was correct in the information that on longer cruises, they usually have Prime Rib twice. But, the 2nd time it was served was on the last night; NOT the 2nd Formal Night.

 

I re-posted the correct picture of the main beef dish: Filet Mignon - just got my info mixed up.

Edited November 25, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

I slept in a little this morning; I need to learn a little more about relaxing on a cruise thing. :) We did breakfast on the Lido.

Then, I met Cory and Sean in the Venetian before they started The Morning Show. Today is the day you show Cory your selfie picture to get your prize, which was a Carnival medallion. It was really different for me to have spent so much time interacting with the Cruise Director.

Next, I headed to the rear Lido Deck for one last visit to the pool and hot tub, while visiting with the family as well. For lunch, DSIL and I planned ahead again and decided to split some favorites of the week: an order of Calamari Fritters and a Ringer from Guys Burgers. We had to save room for the Chocolate Extravaganza, of course.

Next, some of us headed to the Atrium Lobby for the Harry Potter Trivia.

Say what?

So, I told you there was no Harry Potter Trivia. Yeah, but that was yesterday. Well, today, there is. With the Liberty rotating from 5 to 7 and 8 day cruises, I think we can forgive Cory for not remembering when every single event is on every single cruise. It was a nice surprise for us when we saw the Fun Times for today.

Super Trivia was in the Atrium Lobby before Harry Potter, it was quite crowded when we arrived. We found room to sit way over in the corner where you could barely see. Enough people left we are able to get seats right up front. See, maybe they SHOULD try not emptying the room between the Comedy shows. ;)

The trivia starts; and a few people start making comments to Cory, “hey – you’re giving out answers”. LOL If you paid attention closely, you could get the answer to say question #4 when you heard question 7. He mentioned that’s the way it went; please listen closely.

So, during this trivia, someone asked Cory if he had gotten his clothes at Universal, he replied, “yes”. DB, being the proud papa he is; mentioned to Cory that Thing 1 or 2 (which ever one it was that was here) was an employee at Universal Studios. Cory was quite intrigued by this and asked a few questions. Despite her love of the Harry Potter books and movies, she doesn’t work at “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”, she really has no advantage in the game. Her name here - Thing 1 or 2 – and it’s association with the Dr. Seuss world also located at Universal; was just another fortunate coincidence when trying to decide what to call her in this report – other than DN1 or DN2 (darling niece).

We had lots of fun at the trivia; Thing 1 or 2 did really well, getting 27 out of 30 points. But, there was a two way tie for first with 29 points. No ship-on-a-stick today.

And, I had to get a final Cory picture in his Hogwarts attire:

Soooooo, three Sea Days mean Three DSIL Tea Time Meets. It’s time to head to the Golden Dining Room. We’re down to four of us today. Since we had a small group, we sat at a large table with some new folks. We met a nice woman from Charlotte, NC.

I really enjoy meeting new people. It was surprising how many people knew the town I live in. When asked where I was from, I would usually say the largest nearby city (Charleston) and would share more if they knew the area. During the week, I spoke to a guy that used to live in my town and the woman at tea today has a cousin that lives 2 miles from me. After returning from the trip; DW was talking to a neighbor who had another friend in my town that was on this cruise as well. Small world.

Coming up: Free Alcohol and Family Feud Part II

Edited November 26, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

So, I’ve been slowly packing things all day long and it’s time to finish before heading to dinner.

But, before dinner is the Past Guest Party. DB and DSIL have finally qualified for this fun, albeit crowded, event! Even getting there early; we were very lucky to get seats together in the far front corner of the Venetian. There were so many people they had to overflow up to the balcony. They show a short video and have everyone cheer for the Carnival Ships you’ve been on. For me, That was the Carnivale, Celebration, Dream and of course, the Liberty. :D

They also have hor dourves, which were much better than I remembered. One was a delicious tuna appetizer. And they give out free drinks as well. The Rum punch was the first thing coming around. It was good; but the 2nd round consisted of Rum Runners. These were much better. As you can tell, you can get other drinks, such as wine:

Next, on to dinner. Let’s get the picture and the story right. It’s the last night, so since we’re on a longer cruise, they do have prime rib a second time. Here’s a nice rare piece:

An here’s a repeat of the wonderful banana-white chocolate bread pudding:

So, what to do tonight, it IS our last night at sea.

There’s the Carnival Legends talent show. There’s also the casino and lots of other live entertainment. But remember, we love comedy and have new comedians on board. We even liked these guys better than the first two.

So, what could draw us away from all of this fun?

Well, how about a party at Scotty’s room? It’s time to play, “The Family Feud” – Part II. Well, part II on the ship. It’s a yearly rivalry at home, though this is the first time we’ve been able to watch this event together. What am I talking about? Why it’s College Football – Clemson vs Florida State.

If you know anything about college football; you know Florida State is still undefeated and in the hunt for the national championship again this year. If you didn’t watch the game; it was a game in which Clemson lead most of the way. It was a game that Clemson should have won. It was a game they let get away from them. Congrats to Florida State, the great teams find a way to win. But, for Clemson, to paraphrase a famous line from “A League of Their Own”, “there’s no moral victories in football.” :mad:

So, I still have one more food picture I have posted yet. It’s not something you’ll see often. I had a Special Delivery waiting for me after dinner when we got to the cabin. Because I had written a letter to “The Morning Show”, Cory sent a plate of wonderful goodies:

Now, it is always the thought that counts and it was greatly appreciated. But, since this is a FOOD PORN heavy report with honest reviews of the food; I must admit that the chocolate pieces weren’t good. They look like fudge, but they were spongy and tasteless. Now, those light brown what-ever-they-were thingies - those babies were completely luscious and worth every bite!

So, it’s one last night to relax on the balcony as we’ll be docking in the morning.

We still have debarkation to go. I’ll finish things up after the holiday.

Bye for now everybody!

Edited November 26, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[blarko]

Evening entertainment after leaving St. Thomas

After our Rhubarb Pie fun, I headed out to catch the last part of “Cory’s 80’s Music Trivia Party”. I had missed the trivia question part; but the answer portion was a sing-along. Being an 80’s fan, I enjoyed hearing: Jesse’s Girl, Take On Me, Footloose and Don’t Stop Believin’. I can assure you, no one heard ME singing. :eek:

Today is the first day I saw info in the Fun Times about Cory’s “Selfie Challenge” in the Atrium Lobby. I had just started taking selfies during my morning walk – for no particular reason. Now, I had a reason. At the end, I caught Cory to get my selfie with him in his 80’s garb complete with long black hair. Sorry, no pic. I said Cory wears “many hats”; you’ll just have to use your imagination.

Next, I met a few of our gang in the Venetian for this evening’s show, “Swingin’ with the Big Band starring Christopher Alan Graves. From the 80’s to Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in a matter of a vew steps.

There were still a few of us up to giving the “Open Mike” a try for the first time. I think this might be a “once and done” thing for me. It was only OK. There were a few good jokes from some of the passengers. But, overall, the funniest part of the entire show was having every single passengers comment, “Gosh, the lights are bright up here”. J

Then for me, it’s rinse and repeat time for me: see who my towel animal roommate is, journaling and enjoying the balcony before bed.

Next, it’s time to re-visit St. Maarten

Bye for now everybody.

 

I have a picture of Cory in the 80's outfit, but I can't figure out how to post a picture on here. Any suggestions?

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

[CruzinScotty]

I have a picture of Cory in the 80's outfit, but I can't figure out how to post a picture on here. Any suggestions?

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

 

That would be great!

 

On the Cruise Critic Boards, look under the Digital Photography section, then Photo and Camera Discussions. There is a thread called, "How to post pictures". Follow that and test posting on that thread. Then, come back and post on this one.

[CruzinScotty]

I must make a confession. When Photobucket went bonkers on me, I rushed through the rest of this report. I said early on that I had used Duct Tape on this cruise. But, I didn't tell you what REALLY happened.

Now that I’m back to finish reporting on this wonderful cruise, you get to hear the full story. And, it’s a doozy. :D

Soooooooooooooo, you know when you have a day where things just don’t go right? Where it seems that every turn brings a new problem? Yet, you know that when all is done – someday – you’ll be able to look back and laugh at what a horrible day you had?

You know those kinds of days, right? :)

Well…… this was our departure day. :eek:

Coming up: Our rush to get off the ship and the “ REAL story of the DUCT TAPE”

Edited November 27, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

Before we look back fondly on our “Murphy’s Law” departure; I must share something of importance that brought about most of the chain of events for the rest of the day.

A member of my family had a medical event the morning we returned to Port Canaveral. I’m not going to saw who or what. But I want to assure you that everyone is doing just fine. I would not be sharing “the rest of the story”, and we wouldn’t be looking back on this fondly; if we aren’t all well and healthy. With all of our toes and fingers accounted for. :)

So, now; let’s look at our day as the mayhem ensues. :)

[CruzinScotty]

When you stay in a hotel, or on a cruise ship, and the phone rings at 5:51am and you didn’t ask for a wakeup call; it’s not a good start to your day. I’m not a doctor, but I work in a hospital, so I’m the go-to medical person.

I was being called to check on a family member.

After a quick visit, I called the 911 Medical Emergency number located on your phone. I spoke to the nurse. She was very knowledgeable and helpful with our situation. We were less than an hour from docking. She was going to contact Guest Services who would be in touch.

When we docked; an ambulance…… and a fire truck…… were waiting. So, if you were on our cruise and you saw these vehicles in Port Canaveral and wondered what had happened – it was us – we happened. :D

One extra family member was allowed to ride in the ambulance.

So, if you’re still keeping track, DSIL had to go back to the car at the last minute before we left Port Canaveral. She was the NEXT to LAST person boarding/reboarding the ship. And NOW – we have the first TWO people getting off of the ship.Was it DB and DSIL – was she involved – both times? You’ll never know…. :) All of this in our little group of 11. WOW – the odds must be astronomical for something like this.

Two down, nine of us to go – as far as getting off the ship. Since we were all FTTF or platinum, we all had early debarkation which helped. Most of us had time to get a quick breakfast. We were able to google the nearest hospital so we’d know where to go; we decided to caravan to the hospital.

The last two years, we had not done self-assist debarkation. We decided to give it a try this time; we thought we could manage everything. This did help up get off of the ship quicker. But now we had less people to handle the same amount of luggage.

This is where the real DUCT TAPE story begins.

So you see, we have 3 extra pieces of luggage to spread out amongst us; keeping in mind we have some elders in our group. We needed two medium size suitcases to go on top of my large one. One of these had no wheels; but had a nice handle to go over the handle of mine. But the other medium sized one – the one with wheels; well, I really did break the handle……

But, the broken handle didn’t affect the fact that this piece didn’t have a “side” handle to properly place it on my luggage. I did not use duct tape to put the handle on; it wouldn’t have helped. It’s just one more “Murphy’s Law” thing that happened……

So, I had to duct tape the two medium size pieces of luggage together so I could use the handle of one to attach both of them to my large one.

I duct taped the bejesus out of them so they’d not fall apart on our journey off the ship! Next, two other pieces of luggage were also duct taped together (in a pretty mangled fashion) so we could handle it all.

Soooooooooooooooo, if you were on our cruise and you saw the large group of people with ALL that luggage duct taped together and wondered (while shaking you're heads, I’m sure!) : “WHY in the world did they not just send their luggage thru the regular way”; now you know.

Guest services offered to take some of the luggage off for us, but not “with us". We weren’t sure how quickly they would have it in a place we could find it and thought it best to keep us and our every growing luggage all together.

The carnival staff was WONDERFUL in helping us get off the ship as quickly as possible so we could get to the hospital. I tried to get everyone’s name; but it really was all a sweaty, messy blur.

You remember “Home Alone”, right? Picture “The McAllister Family” when they are all running through the airport trying to catch the plane. Add duct tape and that’s us. LOL

Then, there was Torrie; our angel in waiting. She stood where you got in line to take the elevator or escalator. We had to go the elevator route. There’s no way we could handle that much luggage on an escalator. Torrie said when we got to the 1st floor she’d walk us thru customs.

Sooooooooooo, on the first floor, if you saw the large group - the ones with all that SILLY, CRAZY DUCT TAPED luggage all being escorted past everyone in line (like we’re all THAT ;) ) and to Customs agents that had not yet even opened: now YOU know why as well.

Next, remember, we were one of the Liberty cruises that left from one cruise Terminal, but returns to a different one. Now, we get to catch a bus to the cars. YEE HAW!

It was quite comical watching them load the luggage on the bus. The three pieces all stuck together; “here, let’s take the top two off – it’s OK – see - they’re duct taped together. They won’t come apart if you TRY!” Then our other duct taped “mess” was “oooooh……just put it in there sideways – there’s no breakables – really, it’s OK”. LOL I think this was a Carnival employee instead of a regular porter. He would not accept the tip I tried to give him.

At the parking garage; luckily they did have a porter to continue helping our group. When we got to our cars, he wanted to help load them; but we had him just leave them all in one mangled mess. The duct taped ones all went in different cars; we didn’t want anyone’s undies heading up to South Carolina that didn’t belong there. :eek:

Next, Murphy ain’t done with us yet!

Edited November 28, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[CruzinScotty]

So…….Now, we have less people than we started with, but plenty of cars. But we’re not familiar with driving one of them.

Do you think this car would start? Murphy’s hangin’ around; you only get one guess!

Nope. It didn’t start, no matter who tried, and several of us did.

We also couldn’t figure out how the heck you get the hood up. Four of us tried and couldn’t do it. Yes, I said FOUR! It’s been that kind of day, remember? ;) A quick call to the car owner and we felt like fools.

I drove my car, because it DOES start and I DO know how to get the hood up. :) I went down to talk to the parking attendant about the situation. He said they have a repair guy that’s based at the port on embarkation/debarkation days just for this purpose. YES, finally a break.

But, the guy doesn’t stay long and was helping someone out at another parking garage. We needed to stay and wait for him instead of going to the hospital and hoping he’d be there later.

When he came; he had trouble getting the hood up as well. ;) HA!

Luckily, it just needed a battery charge. YEAH! Murphy – be gone!

The mechanic said to run it for an hour to recharge the battery. So I drove “the dead battery car” through the cruise “parking lot mess”. With that intersection of cars/buses coming and going: mess really is the right word! Then, onward to the hospital. With an extra driver now in the dead battery car, we drove around for a while, picking up my car back at the cruise terminal along the way. With the day we’re having; we ran it for 90 minutes; just to be sure.

So, during this time, it was apparent our patient was doing great! The gang started slowly heading their separate ways. I stayed the longest to make sure things continued on track. Plus, I have a nagging feeling we weren’t done yet.

I asked for the car keys to move “the dead battery car” from the sun into the shaded parking garage. I secretly had another mission. Would the car start again?

You know what I’m going to say.

You just have to know.

NOOOOOOO, of course it wouldn’t!!!!

The battery is dead again after just 15 minutes. Did I mention today is Sunday? Where ya gonna get a new battery….

Hospital security was great giving us another jump and directions to the Auto Zone. We passed an open Firestone station on the way.

One last check in at the hospital, and it’s time to being the 6+ hour drive home.

So, remember I mentioned meeting folks from Jacksonville? The ones that planned on leaving the ship as early as possible so they could get to the NFL Jaguars game? With the delay in my departure; it looks like I’m heading for a late afternoon “Traffic Jammin’ in Jacksonville”. Thankfully, Murphy decided he was done with me for the day. Someone called to tell me the Colts were blowing the Jags out (sorry Jags fans), and the stadium was already almost empty an hour before I’d hit Jacksonville.

After all that, the rest of the trip home was thankfully uneventful!

WHEW!!! What…a….day

I need a cruise after just re-telling that story. :)

Coming up: final thoughts

[CruzinScotty]

Final Thoughts

Multi-generational vacations: I think cruises are a GREAT way for families to get together. Even if you just meet for meals, it’s a great time to catch up on things and spend time together. As you can tell, we spent a lot more than just meals together!

The Liberty: she’s a great ship. I’m glad I’ve been on her three times; I’d go again in a heartbeat. I hate that she’s heading to San Juan so quickly after arriving in Port Canaveral.

The ports - Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten: I LOVE this new 8 day Eastern itinerary. You have enough commercial stuff for those (like my family) that don’t need to wander far from the ship. Yet, you have enough ports to get an authentic taste of those islands if that is your choosing. I’d rather have chosen Phillipsburg for our day in St. Maarten; but that’s what next times are for, right?

American Table/Feast and food in general:

- The food choices I tried were wonderful. I wish there was a larger duck dish, though the pot stickers were really GREAT. I missed the Chateaubriand the most. I LOVED the $20 Steakhouse option. It allows you to enjoy a higher quality of meat while not forcing your entire party to join you at the Steakhouse.

- The food overall on the ship was better prepared than I remember the last 2 years (Liberty and Dream)

- There was a noticeable improvement in the dessert choices, particularly at lunch.

- Carnival IS still listening on the new menus. The chilled soups and crème brulee are back; and they moved the ribs to a casual night.

- I’m a pretty fair-minded guy. I like Carnival; but I’m not afraid to call them out when I see things out of line. I had fewer items that didn’t meet my standards than the last 2 years.

I hope you enjoyed this report. I tried to make you feel like you were along with me. Did you notice I often ended a post with “Bye for now everybody”? You might have thought that was my way of saying “see ya later”. But, if you’ve cruised with Cory Rogers before – you might have caught on to the fact that when he does his on-air announcements; he almost always ends the announcement with “Bye for now, everybody”. Just another sly way I was giving you a feel of the trip. ;)

This was a strange trip report; kind of like our debarkation day. :) It started out great; then Photobucket got me off track. The middle of the report focused primarily on food. Then, I got my pictures back and off we went exploring the ports and the ship later. Thanks for sticking around…..and coming back!

Now, it’s time for me to go and catch back up on some other great trip reports.

If you haven’t done it before; don’t be afraid to do a report of your own. They don’t have to be this long winded! There are lots of them out there that are just a few paragraphs long. Some may be a bit longer with just a few pictures. It can be what YOU want it to be. It is a WONDERFUL way to re-live your memories. And, we all like to come along for the ride – no matter how long or short you decide the journey is.

Happy cruising!

Edited November 28, 2014 by CruzinScotty

[lcgvol]

"You see, I was born in Florida during this time. The space shots can be seen for hundreds of miles. I was born the day of one of the space shots. I’m not telling you which one – you’ll see the dates in just a second. LOL

 

 

My parents decided to name me after one of the 7 Mercury Astronauts. You only get ONE guess which one!"

 

CruzinScotty,

My husband was born on Feb 23, 1962, three days after John Glenn was the first American in orbit. He was named Glenn. I wonder how many men were named after those astronauts?

[CruzinScotty]

lcgvol - thanks so much for sharing. I bet there are quite a few of "us" out there.

[Fire_Kitten]

This was my favorite desert last year when my Hubbie and I cruised... I asked for "mickey mouse" so our waiter gave us the chocolate cake and 2 "ears" of ice cream :)

 

 

It's never too early to see this:

 

 

:D

Edited December 7, 2014 by Fire_Kitten
forgot the quote :)

[Fire_Kitten]

Hello. Since you are freshly off of the cruise I was hoping for a few ideas :)

Our family is doing this itinerary Sept 2015. (My husband, myself, our 2 boys ages 12 and 8) Our 12 year old is in a wheelchair but can be piggy-backed if needed. We dont want our 8 year old to miss out on the fun and all the experiences just because of limitations... What excursions do you recommend? Maybe ones that introduce kids to animals (they can only endure so many historical landmarks) We can do w/o our sons wheelchair if we load onto an atv or something like that... Just no hiking lol :) Do you have any thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[sail-a-bration]

I really enjoyed the story and pictures. I am excited to cruise the Liberty and your review really gave me some insight. I like that everyone waited until the end to post questions so that I could see and read about your trip.