Carnival Liberty / Southern Route Questions

[cruisexlife]

Hello, Merry Christmas! :D

 

So on our cruises, the question has always come up, especially after we all fell in love with San Juan, "Why don't we try the cruise from San Juan?" So, the main present to ourselves was the cruise the week before Easter (Love cruising on holidays) on the Carnival Liberty from San Juan!

 

So I have 3 groups of questions, "Carnival Liberty", "Southern Route" and Miscellaneous". If you have any information on anything, please feel free to share opinions, stories, pictures, outside and YouTube links, etc.

 

Thanks in advance!! :D

 

Carnival Liberty

 

- I have cruised onboard the Pride, Glory and Freedom. Is it identical to the Glory and Freedom (Didn't go on it as 2.0), or it is anything different?

 

- Is it hard to find a chair? On Freedom the crew began opening new chairs over the public decks around 2:00 PM, all passengers onboarrd at 3:30 PM in Key West, because they wanted to make sure there were enough chairs out for the sea day. Glory, not so much.

 

- Anything important / helpful to know about Liberty/ I always hang out in the ship atrium, so can anyone please describe it?

 

 

Southern Route

 

-St.Thomas: REALLY enjoyed St.John on my last visit, but I don't want to only spend 2 hours there for $75 a person. I wouldn't mind taking a public ferry over to Cruz Bay, and then a cab from Cruz Bay to St.John. Is this a good plan or ??

 

-Barbados: Don't know much about this island, what are the must-do's?

 

-St.Lucia: How are the reefs here? Considering making this our snorkel destination. Any good Carnival excursions,m particularly involving water and sight of the Pitons, that will make a memorable day?

 

-St.Kitts: Again, don't know much about this place. Suggestions?

 

-St.Maarten: I've always expressed interest in St.Maarten. How is the beach with the airplanes? Which side has more culture, French or Dutch? I find one of the coolest aspects of a cruise interacting with local people and occasionally wildlife :p) is one of the longest lasting feelings.

 

-San Juan: Okay, so when I talked to the Carnival rep, he told me a flight that lands in San Juan at 5:00 PM is okay, and that I will even be able to make early dinging. I'm on a direct from BWI to SJU. Does Carnival operate shuttle services? How much are cabs? Which are quicker? If we stay in dinner from 6:15-7:30, or even skip dinner and exit the ship around 6:30, is it even worth getting off to go get some ice cream or something, or go catch some ship pics? Will they even let me off? Once I return, will there be any cabs/buses there by the ship entrance? On Glory last time in Miami we took a chance and everything went fine.

 

Miscellaneous

 

-I remember I was in Nassau in 2011 the day the Magic came into Nassau for the first time, and they had a band playing, and i don't know if it was the fact that there were 6 ships, or that Magic was there, but prices seemed lower that usual. Will they have any special recognition in Barbados, St.Lucia or St.Kitts for the Liberty? Or a better question, will things be a mess onboard/in port since it's Liberty's fist cruise from San Juan? I was on the Freedom's last cruise before drydock and while it wasn't as hectic as I thought, I surely noticed the difference in usual business.

 

-Please send pictures from any of the places or ship if you can!

 

THANKS GUYS!!! :D:D:D

Edited December 26, 2014 by cruisexlife

[pirate4me2]

You will love Liberty, she is a great ship. Her layout should be about the same as Glory and Freedom as they are in the same class of ships. Her atrium is GORGEOUS with lots of wrought iron and a color changing chandelier. I think that Liberty is by far the classiest of the ships I've sailed on so far.

I did have a difficult time finding a free chair around the pools, but if you don't mind to be away from the pool area you shouldn't have a problem. Have a great trip!!

[Relayer]

Sailed out of San Juan on the Victorty a few years ago. Island heavy itinerary was awesome! Love the Conquest Class in general. Have not sailed on the Liberty in a few years.

 

St Thomas - Long trip to Trunk can't speak about Cruz Bay.

Barbados - Accra beach was lovely. Also known as Shockley

St Lucia - If you have time...Water taxi to Anse Chasnet. Awesome beach and great snorkling. At the foot of Jade Mountain Resort. Our alll time favorite place to be.

St Kitts - Always Cockleshell Beach. Stunning drive down the ridge of the island. Nice views of Nevis.

St Maarten - We enjoy Pinel Island just off of Orient Beach via short ferry ride. Ferry opens at 9:00

San Juan - We arrived day before and stayed in the Condado area. Flights in probably all good. Flights out can be painful.

 

Have a great trip to some of the best islands in the Caribbean!

[AZmike480]

The liberty is a great ship. We cruised on her last year in December and didn't have any issues finding chairs around the pool. We spent quite a bit of time in main atrium. Its very nice and the live music was excellent.

 

AZmike480

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for all the help!

[cruisexlife]

Will the 5PM incoming flight work since he ship leaves at 10? The Carnival VP I spoke to said it will be fine but I am still a bit concerned. On all my other cruises, the ship at least dropped lines by 5, let alone just landing in the departure port.

[talkorpi]

I personally don't care for the Liberty, but I've never been on her so I can't speak for that. Always wanted to go on a southern loop! DEFINITELY go to Maho Beach in Sint Maarten, I've heard the airport and plane experience is unbelieveable. Have a wonderful cruise and can't wait to see photos! :D :D :D

[stargate fan]

So on our cruises, the question has always come up, especially after we all fell in love with San Juan, "Why don't we try the cruise from San Juan?" So, the main present to ourselves was the cruise the week before Easter (Love cruising on holidays) on the Carnival Liberty from San Juan!

 

So I have 3 groups of questions, "Carnival Liberty", "Southern Route" and Miscellaneous". If you have any information on anything, please feel free to share opinions, stories, pictures, outside and YouTube links, etc.

 

Thanks in advance!! :D

 

Carnival Liberty

 

- I have cruised onboard the Pride, Glory and Freedom. Is it identical to the Glory and Freedom (Didn't go on it as 2.0), or it is anything different?

 

Liberty is a sister ship to Freedom.

 

- Is it hard to find a chair? On Freedom the crew began opening new chairs over the public decks around 2:00 PM, all passengers onboarrd at 3:30 PM in Key West, because they wanted to make sure there were enough chairs out for the sea day. Glory, not so much.

 

As you found out from the two mentioned cruises, it can vary from sailing to sailing, depending on how many passengers want to sit out and when they want to do so.

 

- Anything important / helpful to know about Liberty/ I always hang out in the ship atrium, so can anyone please describe it?

 

Nope, go and be mesmerized and surprised.

 

 

Southern Route

 

-St.Thomas: REALLY enjoyed St.John on my last visit, but I don't want to only spend 2 hours there for $75 a person. I wouldn't mind taking a public ferry over to Cruz Bay, and then a cab from Cruz Bay to St.John. Is this a good plan or ??

 

$75 for two hours? :eek: Did you book through the cruise line? We LOVE Trunk Bay. We went on our own for $30.00 pp and spent over five hours at the beach. It was very east to get to Trunk Bay. If you want more info on going it alone, I'm happy to tell you what we did.

 

-Barbados: Don't know much about this island, what are the must-do's?

 

One port we haven't visited yet.

 

-St.Lucia: How are the reefs here? Considering making this our snorkel destination. Any good Carnival excursions,m particularly involving water and sight of the Pitons, that will make a memorable day?

 

Can't help with a Carnival excursion as we rarely book them. When we sailed to St, Lucia, we booked a private tour. I was tossed between two companies, and sadly, we picked the wrong one. The other tour company that people raved about was Cosol Tours. Check out TripAdvisor.

 

-St.Kitts: Again, don't know much about this place. Suggestions?

 

St. Kitt's is where we want to retire. It's a beautiful island!

 

-St.Maarten: I've always expressed interest in St.Maarten. How is the beach with the airplanes? Which side has more culture, French or Dutch? I find one of the coolest aspects of a cruise interacting with local people and occasionally wildlife :p) is one of the longest lasting feelings.

 

Have not visited Maho Beach. We did take a wonderful tour with Joyce Prince. She took us to places that buses can't go. We were the only four people in her tour. Google her.

 

-San Juan: Okay, so when I talked to the Carnival rep, he told me a flight that lands in San Juan at 5:00 PM is okay, and that I will even be able to make early dinging. I'm on a direct from BWI to SJU. Does Carnival operate shuttle services? How much are cabs? Which are quicker? If we stay in dinner from 6:15-7:30, or even skip dinner and exit the ship around 6:30, is it even worth getting off to go get some ice cream or something, or go catch some ship pics? Will they even let me off? Once I return, will there be any cabs/buses there by the ship entrance? On Glory last time in Miami we took a chance and everything went fine.

 

5:00 P.M. the day of the cruise? Ooh, what if there is a plane malfunction? Is flying in that late worth the risk?

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

-I remember I was in Nassau in 2011 the day the Magic came into Nassau for the first time, and they had a band playing, and i don't know if it was the fact that there were 6 ships, or that Magic was there, but prices seemed lower that usual. Will they have any special recognition in Barbados, St.Lucia or St.Kitts for the Liberty? Or a better question, will things be a mess onboard/in port since it's Liberty's fist cruise from San Juan? I was on the Freedom's last cruise before drydock and while it wasn't as hectic as I thought, I surely noticed the difference in usual business.

 

-Please send pictures from any of the places or ship if you can!

 

THANKS GUYS!!! :D:D:D

 

Have a great cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

-San Juan: Okay, so when I talked to the Carnival rep, he told me a flight that lands in San Juan at 5:00 PM is okay, and that I will even be able to make early dinging. I'm on a direct from BWI to SJU. Does Carnival operate shuttle services? How much are cabs? Which are quicker? If we stay in dinner from 6:15-7:30, or even skip dinner and exit the ship around 6:30, is it even worth getting off to go get some ice cream or something, or go catch some ship pics? Will they even let me off? Once I return, will there be any cabs/buses there by the ship entrance? On Glory last time in Miami we took a chance and everything went fine.

 

Miscellaneous

 

-I remember I was in Nassau in 2011 the day the Magic came into Nassau for the first time, and they had a band playing, and i don't know if it was the fact that there were 6 ships, or that Magic was there, but prices seemed lower that usual. Will they have any special recognition in Barbados, St.Lucia or St.Kitts for the Liberty? Or a better question, will things be a mess onboard/in port since it's Liberty's fist cruise from San Juan? I was on the Freedom's last cruise before drydock and while it wasn't as hectic as I thought, I surely noticed the difference in usual business.

 

THANKS GUYS!!! :D:D:D

 

I think you're going to really like this cruise and its itinerary. I know I did.

 

For more details on each of the ports, check out the Caribbean ports of call thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

For my first trip on the Valor (which did this route), I got into San Juan around 5. Everything was fine, since they didn't depart until 10. Lots of bad things can happen to your flight, so your mileage may vary. The Carnival shuttles run for flights scheduled until 6:30, so you're OK there. The shuttle, by the way, is $15 per person. Taxis are about $25 each, so if you're traveling with two or more, that's the way to go. Taxis are always faster than shuttles. And there will be taxis waiting for you when you return.

 

Dinner will probably be open seating the first night, meaning you disregard whatever is on your card and can go to any of the MDRs anytime between 5:30 and 8:30, be seated wherever there's space, and eat. Once you check in, you can leave any time, but be sure to return by 9. You have to be checked in by 8:30.

 

I've never been on a maiden sailing into a port, but I have noticed the plaques in the showcases on both the Valor and the Conquest. There might indeed be some kind of ceremony at each of the new stops. That would be something interesting to see. Be sure to take pictures and share.

 

Otherwise, don't expect anything special. Barbados had a steel drum band when we arrived, but I don't think it was official or anything like that (official bands tend not to have tip jars :D).

 

Things could be... interesting on the Liberty since this will be its first official cruise on this route. But you'll find out more about it in three months. Have fun! And be sure to post a report!!

[Reverage]

I personally don't care for the Liberty, but I've never been on her so I can't speak for that. :D

 

Then don't

[KatPem]

Hello, Merry Christmas! :D

 

 

 

So on our cruises, the question has always come up, especially after we all fell in love with San Juan, "Why don't we try the cruise from San Juan?" So, the main present to ourselves was the cruise the week before Easter (Love cruising on holidays) on the Carnival Liberty from San Juan!

 

 

 

So I have 3 groups of questions, "Carnival Liberty", "Southern Route" and Miscellaneous". If you have any information on anything, please feel free to share opinions, stories, pictures, outside and YouTube links, etc.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!! :D

 

 

 

Carnival Liberty

 

 

 

- I have cruised onboard the Pride, Glory and Freedom. Is it identical to the Glory and Freedom (Didn't go on it as 2.0), or it is anything different?

 

 

 

- Is it hard to find a chair? On Freedom the crew began opening new chairs over the public decks around 2:00 PM, all passengers onboarrd at 3:30 PM in Key West, because they wanted to make sure there were enough chairs out for the sea day. Glory, not so much.

 

 

........We were on the liberty two years ago...we had trouble finding chairs by the pool but always could find them upstairs aft, a couple of times we had to ask a worker to set them out from a stack.....

 

-Anything important / helpful to know about Liberty/ I always hang out in the ship atrium, so can anyone please describe it?

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Route

 

 

 

-St.Thomas: REALLY enjoyed St.John on my last visit, but I don't want to only spend 2 hours there for $75 a person. I wouldn't mind taking a public ferry over to Cruz Bay, and then a cab from Cruz Bay to St.John. Is this a good plan or ??

 

 

.....we have only taken the ferry to St. John's....just be prepared to pay, cabs are by person $10pp to red hook ferry, $12pp for ferry, and another $7pp to get to beach and same to get back! We had them drop us at a trailhead instead of the beach and we hiked 1.2 miles to the beach (cinnamon). Cabs are very easy to find!

 

-Barbados: Don't know much about this island, what are the must-do's?

 

 

 

....swimming with the sea turtles is very cool. We went on a catamaran thru silver moon. They limited it to 12 people which was very nice...

 

St.Lucia: How are the reefs here? Considering making this our snorkel destination. Any good Carnival excursions,m particularly involving water and sight of the Pitons, that will make a memorable day?

 

 

 

-St.Kitts: Again, don't know much about this place. Suggestions?

 

 

 

.....we went to carambola beach club. $30 for two heavy duty padded lounge chairs and an umbrella for the day. Nice beach club with bathrooms right there. Lots of snorkeling off the beach, a reef runs parallel to the beach for quite a ways...

 

St.Maarten: I've always expressed interest in St.Maarten. How is the beach with the airplanes? Which side has more culture, French or Dutch? I find one of the coolest aspects of a cruise interacting with local people and occasionally wildlife :p) is one of the longest lasting feelings.

 

 

 

-San Juan: Okay, so when I talked to the Carnival rep, he told me a flight that lands in San Juan at 5:00 PM is okay, and that I will even be able to make early dinging. I'm on a direct from BWI to SJU. Does Carnival operate shuttle services? How much are cabs? Which are quicker? If we stay in dinner from 6:15-7:30, or even skip dinner and exit the ship around 6:30, is it even worth getting off to go get some ice cream or something, or go catch some ship pics? Will they even let me off? Once I return, will there be any cabs/buses there by the ship entrance? On Glory last time in Miami we took a chance and everything went fine.

 

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

 

-I remember I was in Nassau in 2011 the day the Magic came into Nassau for the first time, and they had a band playing, and i don't know if it was the fact that there were 6 ships, or that Magic was there, but prices seemed lower that usual. Will they have any special recognition in Barbados, St.Lucia or St.Kitts for the Liberty? Or a better question, will things be a mess onboard/in port since it's Liberty's fist cruise from San Juan? I was on the Freedom's last cruise before drydock and while it wasn't as hectic as I thought, I surely noticed the difference in usual business.

 

 

 

-Please send pictures from any of the places or ship if you can!

 

 

 

THANKS GUYS!!! :D:D:D

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy-Central Indiana

Mom to four (2girls-17&13), (2boys-14&11)

Carnival Liberty (Southern) 4/2015)

Carnival Conquest (11/13) Repositioning

Carnival Liberty (4/13) Eastern

Carnival Destiny (6/04) Southern

[fbe2228]

My brief answers to a few questions:

 

We did Liberty last December and really enjoyed the ship. The 2.0 additions were great.

 

St John. Take taxi to Red Hook. Ferry to St. John. and Taxi to whatever beach you're interested in. Plenty of time. Just don't cut it TOO close since the traffic back into the port can be heavy at times. We've done it this way several times.

 

Barbados: Turtle snorkeling? Either with a excursion or take a taxi to the beach and swim out. The taxi drivers know where to take you.

 

St. Lucia: We did Spencer Ambrose's tour that took us by boat to Jalosie Beach (beneath the Pitons) for snorkeling and lunch. Definitely worth it.

 

St. Kitts: Shipwreck bar at South Friar's Beach. Good drinks, good food and decent snorkeling. (do you see a theme here?????)

 

 

San Juan arrival: Should be fine. We've flew in the day of the cruise and arrived around that time before. Since you're flying in the spring, weather shouldn't be an issue. After a disaster of a closed airport and storms, we always fly into San Juan the day before, but then again, we fly from Cleveland in the winter.

 

Hope this helps. If you need more specific info, let me know. I can write a book for you!!

 

Paul

[fbe2228]

Cruisexlife:

Also, let me put it this way. We liked Liberty and our past Southern ports so much that we are planning to do this cruise in December of next year. Your posting caught my attention because of this. We're just working out our schedules to find the best week. You'll love it.

 

Paul

[uprivermama]

We did this cruise last February--really great itinerary! Your mileage may vary, but...

 

St Thomas: No input here. We did a very short Eagle Boat ride right at the port last time, and Sapphire Beach the time before that. Wouldn't especially recommend either, but we had fun. I would love to see St John next time, and I think the "on-your-own" option is the way to go if the time constraints allow.

 

Barbados: We went to The Boatyard, and had one of the best days ever! It was $15 per person and includes your return to the port and a drink at the bar. Lovely beach with all kinds of fun (trampoline, rope swing, swimming, etc), food/bar right there, water sports rentals (we rented jet skis--sorry, can't remember cost, but lots of guys will approach you on the beach and you can attempt to haggle a little) and swimming with turtles ($20 and shout out to Neville--GAPearl recommended and we strongly second the recommendation! Other "vendors" were not nearly as professional and respectful as he was. It gets kind of busy with boats and snorkelers out at the snorkel sites, and Neville was a classy and professional guide).

 

St Lucia: Sadly, we cannot recommend Spencer Ambrose's tour (Jalousie Beach Break). It was a cluster from the moment we got to the meeting place outside the port building. Not enough boats, took forever to actually begin, seating was very squished. Loved the view from the boat along the way, and being right at the base of the Pitons was so neat. The beach was pretty "meh", and since we were very late in arriving, we were relegated to sitting on our towels, rather than on of the few, sad loungers that were available. Not a big deal. We experienced a downpour on the boat ride there (OUCH--no cover where we were sitting; still, kind of fun) so I think that may have contributed to the not great snorkeling at the beach. The approach is very rocky and a little tricky in the snorkeling area, so that was kind of a challenge too. Overall, just not our favorite excursion.

 

St Kitts: We did the catamaran to Nevis through Carnival, and we loved this trip. Great snorkeling at a couple sites on the way. The beach at Nevis--aahhh, I still feel that silky smooth sand in my toes! No amenities or anything, but we brought a little football and played catch in the waves, did some pseudo-body surfing, and I collected a few seashells. Drinks and dancing on the way back. Really a fun day.

 

St Maarten: We took a taxi on our own to Maho to watch planes. The beach was small and very crowded. When we were there, the waves were too strong to enjoy. We stood along the rock wall and watched planes for awhile (which is very cool to see) and then taxi'd back to port. Shopped a little and re-boarded. I would like to see more of the island next time, but being the last port, hubby was "done" by that time.

 

As for your flight to San Juan, that's just cutting it too close for my personal comfort, but if all goes well you <should> be fine. Not much time to explore San Juan, though :(

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[lcgvol]

We did this itinerary last year and it is our favorite so far. I have to agree with uprivermama about Spencer Ambrose's tour. I could not recommend them based on the experience we had. We made the best of it and had a good day, but it was far from ideal.

Barbados was amazing. I highly recommend a company called Calypso Cruises for a day on a catamaran with snorkeling with sea turtles, shipwrecks and the best food and drink on any excursion we've ever been on. For $100 per person, you are treated like royalty by Nick and his crew. He only takes up to 12 people so it isn't crowded at all. You'll love this cruise!

[pghsteelerfan]

We did the southern itinerary out of San Juan on Valor in May 2013 and a western Caribbean itinerary on Liberty in April 2014, so I can try to answer the best I can.

 

Liberty is identical to Glory and Freedom since they are all Conquest Class ships. The others are Valor and Conquest, of course. They all have the same layout and the main differences are in the decor.

 

When we were on Liberty in April, it was hard to find a chair, but by the time we slept in a little, had breakfast, then got ready for the day, we weren't seeking loungers until 10:00AM. As someone else mentioned, finding a lounger can vary from cruise to cruise.

 

Liberty's atrium...hands down our favorite of the Carnival ships we've been on. I LOVED it!

 

As for the itinerary, as someone else recommended, check out the Port of Call boards. There is so much specific information on each of the islands that has been very helpful to us in planning our last three cruises. There is so much to do on each island that can appeal to anyone. It all depends on what you like to do. A few specifics to answer some of your questions though:

 

St. Lucia and the snorkeling: That is what we wanted to do and we also wanted to go to Jalousie Beach, the beach between the Pitons. We didn't want a short tour stop of an hour and a half for beach and snorkel, so we did a private tour with Spencer Ambrose. He was the only one who offered a Jalousie Beach tour. To sum it up, we met at the set meeting time, took a speedboat to Jalousie Beach with a few stops for photo ops and brief explanations of what we saw. We also had some island history on the way. We were the first group at Jalousie Beach and had about five hours there - plenty of time to enjoy the beach and snorkel. Some of the best snorkeling I've seen (snorkeled Cozumel; Trunk Bay, St. John USVI; Sapphire Beach, St. Thomas; Pinel Island, St. Martin). On that specific tour, I recommend snorkeling early before the rest of the tour groups arrive. Once they arrive, it stirs up sand and visibility is not as good. I have seen complaints about that. With Spencer's "Jalousie Beach Break", we had four and a half to five hours for the beach and snorkel. Lunch and drinks are provided. Return trip is also by speedboat but closer to shore with more stops for explanation and photo ops. We really enjoyed it and would do it again.

 

St. Kitts: When we were there, it rained most of the day. We just went to a beach for several hours but are kicking ourselves for not doing an island tour. We were in port till 6PM and the island is small, so there is plenty of time to do an island tour and have beach time. I've seen pictures in reviews by others who did island tours and we're kind of kicking ourselves, although with the low clouds and rain the day we were there, we may not have been able to see much.

 

This is one itinerary I'd love to do again. This is just my opinion, but this is the most spectacular itinerary we've been on. We enjoyed the views early in the morning as we sailed into these beautiful islands/afternoons sailing away just as much as we enjoyed our time there.

 

I didn't notice any special recognition in any of the ports on our cruise but when we went in early May, we were the only ship in each of the ports we stopped at and we never even saw another ship the whole cruise.

 

As for pictures, I did reviews of our Valor cruise (Southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan) and Liberty (Western Caribbean) and I included loads of pictures. In the Liberty review, I have pictures of the atrium on page 20. I've also included a lot of pictures of the interior and exterior of Liberty throughout the review. In the Valor review I included a lot of pictures from all of the islands on the southern itinerary out of San Juan. The links to the reviews are in my signature.

 

I have to admit I'm a little envious, I really wish I was in the planning stages of another cruise on that itinerary and am currently in the "twisting of DH's arms" stage to book another cruise out of San Juan. You'll love it!

[SugarStar00]

We did this itinerary on the victory a few years ago, if you're interested there's a review with pics in my signature below. We will be new to the Liberty as well so can't help you there.

 

Have fun, let me know if you have an questions about the review!!

Jen

[trvldog]

We have been on the Liberty twice and plan to take her again for this Southern route Jan 2016. We love this ship. Last April we have the Aft Balcony which we plan to do again.

When we went in April it was a sold out ship but we still had no problems finding chairs on sea days. We do not have kids so I will probably never cruise in March/April again, just to many kids running around.

 

We just normally taxi to beaches, or find a day rate at all inclusive hotel. We hardly do any excursions anymore.

 

St Thomas ~ we were married there 21 years ago and just LOVE this island. So many things to due, great shopping island, beaches like Magens Bay, or Coki Beach. We have done the St Johns ferry which is great day excursion you can do on your own. For a Snorkeling excursion we have done the Castaway Girls. Our friends have also shore dive from Coki Beach.

When we first started cruising we took more excursions now we just go to relax on a beach :)

This will be my first stop at St Kitts so will probably do an island tour.

 

We always fly into San Juan the day before since this is a Sunday cruise, we will take a red eye Friday night to arrive Saturday. That way we can explore San Juan. We enjoy hiking around the historical sites, great photo ops and fun. Carnival does offer Shuttle but we have always took a cab its about the same coast since transfers are about 30.00 per person and taxi is about 30.00 each way so 2 people kinds equals out but least with taxi you do not have the wait of the Carnival transfer.

[pghsteelerfan]

We have been on the Liberty twice and plan to take her again for this Southern route Jan 2016. We love this ship. Last April we have the Aft Balcony which we plan to do again.

When we went in April it was a sold out ship but we still had no problems finding chairs on sea days. We do not have kids so I will probably never cruise in March/April again, just to many kids running around.

 

We just normally taxi to beaches, or find a day rate at all inclusive hotel. We hardly do any excursions anymore.

 

St Thomas ~ we were married there 21 years ago and just LOVE this island. So many things to due, great shopping island, beaches like Magens Bay, or Coki Beach. We have done the St Johns ferry which is great day excursion you can do on your own. For a Snorkeling excursion we have done the Castaway Girls. Our friends have also shore dive from Coki Beach.

When we first started cruising we took more excursions now we just go to relax on a beach :)

This will be my first stop at St Kitts so will probably do an island tour.

 

We always fly into San Juan the day before since this is a Sunday cruise, we will take a red eye Friday night to arrive Saturday. That way we can explore San Juan. We enjoy hiking around the historical sites, great photo ops and fun. Carnival does offer Shuttle but we have always took a cab its about the same coast since transfers are about 30.00 per person and taxi is about 30.00 each way so 2 people kinds equals out but least with taxi you do not have the wait of the Carnival transfer.

 

trvldog, we were also on Liberty last April! We were on the April 5th sailing to the Western Caribbean out of Miami, were you on the same cruise? We didn't have the best weather but really loved Liberty. We'd love to do the southern out of San Juan on her.

[tlaffin]

Hello, Merry Christmas! :D

 

So on our cruises, the question has always come up, especially after we all fell in love with San Juan, "Why don't we try the cruise from San Juan?" So, the main present to ourselves was the cruise the week before Easter (Love cruising on holidays) on the Carnival Liberty from San Juan!

 

So I have 3 groups of questions, "Carnival Liberty", "Southern Route" and Miscellaneous". If you have any information on anything, please feel free to share opinions, stories, pictures, outside and YouTube links, etc.

 

Thanks in advance!! :D

 

Carnival Liberty

 

- I have cruised onboard the Pride, Glory and Freedom. Is it identical to the Glory and Freedom (Didn't go on it as 2.0), or it is anything different?

 

- Is it hard to find a chair? On Freedom the crew began opening new chairs over the public decks around 2:00 PM, all passengers onboarrd at 3:30 PM in Key West, because they wanted to make sure there were enough chairs out for the sea day. Glory, not so much.

 

- Anything important / helpful to know about Liberty/ I always hang out in the ship atrium, so can anyone please describe it?

 

 

Southern Route

 

-St.Thomas: REALLY enjoyed St.John on my last visit, but I don't want to only spend 2 hours there for $75 a person. I wouldn't mind taking a public ferry over to Cruz Bay, and then a cab from Cruz Bay to St.John. Is this a good plan or ??

 

-Barbados: Don't know much about this island, what are the must-do's?

 

-St.Lucia: How are the reefs here? Considering making this our snorkel destination. Any good Carnival excursions,m particularly involving water and sight of the Pitons, that will make a memorable day?

 

-St.Kitts: Again, don't know much about this place. Suggestions?

 

-St.Maarten: I've always expressed interest in St.Maarten. How is the beach with the airplanes? Which side has more culture, French or Dutch? I find one of the coolest aspects of a cruise interacting with local people and occasionally wildlife :p) is one of the longest lasting feelings.

 

-San Juan: Okay, so when I talked to the Carnival rep, he told me a flight that lands in San Juan at 5:00 PM is okay, and that I will even be able to make early dinging. I'm on a direct from BWI to SJU. Does Carnival operate shuttle services? How much are cabs? Which are quicker? If we stay in dinner from 6:15-7:30, or even skip dinner and exit the ship around 6:30, is it even worth getting off to go get some ice cream or something, or go catch some ship pics? Will they even let me off? Once I return, will there be any cabs/buses there by the ship entrance? On Glory last time in Miami we took a chance and everything went fine.

 

Miscellaneous

 

-I remember I was in Nassau in 2011 the day the Magic came into Nassau for the first time, and they had a band playing, and i don't know if it was the fact that there were 6 ships, or that Magic was there, but prices seemed lower that usual. Will they have any special recognition in Barbados, St.Lucia or St.Kitts for the Liberty? Or a better question, will things be a mess onboard/in port since it's Liberty's fist cruise from San Juan? I was on the Freedom's last cruise before drydock and while it wasn't as hectic as I thought, I surely noticed the difference in usual business.

 

-Please send pictures from any of the places or ship if you can!

 

THANKS GUYS!!! :D:D:D

 

We REALLY enjoyed the Liberty when we sailed two years ago, just on a different itinerary. Beautiful ship and tons of fun.

 

We're actually doing this sailing in June, too!

 

St. Thomas - went to Coki Beach there. Absolutely beauitful - I've never seen such clear water. Great snorkeling.

 

Barbados - did an AMAZING catamaran cruise with Calypso Cruises with snorkeling and swimming with sea turtles. Probably my most favorite excursion ever of our six cruises.

 

St. Lucia - Cosol tours - we have done this tour twice and would do it again in a heartbeat. An incredible 6 hour tour and you feel like you get to see everything on the island! Pitons, Sulphur Springs, taste local foods, banana plantation (and sample bananas right off the tree!), the list goes on!

 

St. Kitts - haven't been there yet!

 

St. Maarten - Pinel Island - a true slice of heaven on earth. The food is incredible, too.

 

Enjoy!

[trippingpara]

We did this cruise on the Victory and are booked for it again in May on the Liberty. Can't wait. I have a pretty detailed review of this cruise in my signature that will discuss all of the ports of call with plenty of photos. I hope this helps. Have fun!!

[trvldog]

trvldog, we were also on Liberty last April! We were on the April 5th sailing to the Western Caribbean out of Miami, were you on the same cruise? We didn't have the best weather but really loved Liberty. We'd love to do the southern out of San Juan on her.

 

Yes , we were on same sailing, didn't stop at Grand Cayman because of weather and pit stop in Keys for medical evack. But hey that is part of cruising ;) I remember laughing so hard at some teenager says on the phone to her friends "OMG we are stopping in Cuba for a medical emergency!" That girl needed to be back in school not on a ship if she thought the Keys were Cuba!! LOL I'd have stayed on the ship if it was me risking my health with ship doctor over Cuba hospital! Just cracked us up!

 

DH and I decided on Jan 2016 to take Liberty for this Southern sailing. Hawaii & New Orleans this next year so no cruising. :) (Oh and hopefully another trip to the Superbowl :) :) ) Least I am only 30 minutes away this year!

Edited December 30, 2014 by trvldog

[nator555]

Last year we did this cruise on Valor...it was by far my favorite cruise ever. In fact we are going again in a few months. Here is what I learned:

 

St. Thomas - we taxied to Red Hook and took the ferry over to Cruz Bay then taxied to Trunk Bay and it was absolutely breathtaking (my favorite beach ever). The beach is similar to Half Moon and Gold Rock. The hassle of getting from point A to point B was well worth it! Once we were there we only spent $20 on burgers etc. I would recommend bringing a float.

 

Barbados - we took a short taxi ride to Harbor Lights right next to the Boatyard. It was more relaxing and almost no kids. For $15 we could use the chairs and umbrellas. The waiters would bring us drinks to our chairs. Bring small bills for tips. The water was picture perfect. However a few locals were annoying as they were trying to sell stuff especially the aloe guy. After a couple of hours of lounging we spotted Nevin and waved him down. We waded into water chest deep with our belonging on our head lol and climbed into his little boat. He took us to snorkle with the turtles for $20 each. This was the highlight of the entire trip for me. I had tears in my eyes. Nevin threw food in the water and the turtles showed up a min later. The turtles were bumping into me and swimming right under my stomach. I touched lots of them. I was speechless. Afterwards we snorkled at a nearby shipwreck then Nevin returned us to the beach. We ate lunch at Harbor Lights then left. The food was decent and averaged priced.

 

St. Lucia - we did a island tour and I can't remember the specifics because we were not that impressed. The beaches were just ok. Definitely not turquoise water. My daughter vomited in the van since the roads are narrow, bumpy and very twisty.

 

St. Kitts - we hired a taxi driver for $100 to spend the day with us and drive us around. We loved the batik shops, peninsula, black rocks, lunch with monkeys walking around but our favorite thing was Brimstone Fortress. This was my second favorite thing on the trip. I can't even put the view into words. I can't wait to go again.

 

St. Marteen - we took a taxi to Mullet Bay and the beach is absolutely stunning. We rented chairs and relaxed UNTIL the topless women showed up. I was pissed because I did my research and thought this was the place to go. My daughter was so confused by this that it took away from her day. It's one thing if you want to do your thing over to the side and to be tactful. But when you strut around over and over again in front of little kids that was annoying to me. The beach was huge and I could of went to the other end however there was no bathroom or snack bars on that end so it wasn't convienent. We chose to leave. On the way back the taxi drive said since it was Saturday he wasn't surprised. I got the impression the beach is monitored during the week but the locals use their beach (which I completely understand) on weekends hence the toplessness. None of this would of been a issue if the females were tactful. This is just my opinion.

 

After the cruise we stayed at the Embassy suites in PR for 2 nights. The hotel was great! The breakfast was wonderful as was the free happy hour drinks. While in PR we toured both of their forts and really enjoyed them. In Old San Juan we took a $40 carriage ride around town which was neat. The little ice cream stands on the corners were a nice treat too.

[pghsteelerfan]

Yes , we were on same sailing, didn't stop at Grand Cayman because of weather and pit stop in Keys for medical evack. But hey that is part of cruising ;) I remember laughing so hard at some teenager says on the phone to her friends "OMG we are stopping in Cuba for a medical emergency!" That girl needed to be back in school not on a ship if she thought the Keys were Cuba!! LOL I'd have stayed on the ship if it was me risking my health with ship doctor over Cuba hospital! Just cracked us up!

 

DH and I decided on Jan 2016 to take Liberty for this Southern sailing. Hawaii & New Orleans this next year so no cruising. :) (Oh and hopefully another trip to the Superbowl :) :) ) Least I am only 30 minutes away this year!

 

Yes, that's the one! :D Missing ports, medical evacks are part of cruising, although this was our first time missing a port but we've had medical evacks before, two on the same cruise on Glory in 2010. Missing GC was for the best, with our cameras' zoom lenses we saw the waves, large waves, crashing into the area we'd be getting off the tenders...no thanks. :) If I heard the teenage girl mistaking Key West for Cuba, I'd have been laughing pretty hard too.

 

I hope another Superbowl trip will happen (Steelers) and that just depends on which Steelers show up during the playoff games, this has been a wild ride this year. When they are on, they are very good but when they aren't, well... If they do make it, we'll just have to settle for watching the game on TV. I hope you get to see the Superbowl in person.

 

You are just going to LOVE the Liberty Southern sailing, we did that itinerary on Valor in May 2013 and it was, in our opinion, the best itinerary and the most scenic. I'm trying to do some arm twisting on DH to book that itinerary again next year but it wouldn't be until September at the earliest since he started a new job last August. I hope you enjoy that itinerary as much as we did - it was probably our favorite cruise.

[mosaic_mom]

If you are into island tours, try the train excursion in St. Kitts. The train takes you all around the island. We really enjoyed it.