Thanksgiving on Glory- Eastern Caribbean- My First Review

[cruisexlife]

What's Next: So, on the day of the Valor and Liberty swap, my mom happened to call me. I explained the situation in a small-talk way. She and I both have always wanted to do the new Liberty route, and she knew it.

 

So time went by as I waited for this cruise. It passed, and then it was my birthday, and then Christmas with my family. Want to know what her present was? :D

 

She booked it that nght while the prices were dirt cheap. They still are. She knew I'd want it's first cruise from SJU. That was seriously the best present anyone ever gave me. Flights and cruise, 4J on Deck 9 :D. She had to tell everyone on Glory not to mention it at all, as it was a present for me. So on March 29th, I'll be boardinf the Carnival Liberty on a cruise with 4 new ports! Gahhh!!!

 

Closing: So I just want to thank everyone who read this review, whether it was in segments, or the entire thing. I took a lot of time to write it, and I'm really glad things turned out okay. I will try to be more on top of my game next time with faster replies and better pictures. I will also take a journal to remmeber key details, as I feel I forgot many. I will also ask before the cruise what you all want me to look out for and take pictures of. But please, DON'T BE SHY! If you hated the review, LET ME KNOW, so I know what to fix for my next one. If you loved it, TELL ME WHY! I really value your opinions, as it was written for you guys ;)

 

I had such a fun time writing this review, and I want to thank everyone again. I hope I helped plan port days and allowed you the opportunity to cruise vicariously through my adventures. I really hope you enjoyed this read, be out for the next one!

 

Happy Cruising to You All! :D

Edited February 6, 2015 by cruisexlife

[Taylor95]

Thanks for the review! We are booked for the Glory in October for our first Carnival cruise. Three of the ports will be new for us, so I enjoyed reading about your excursions & viewing the pics. Oh, we also are lucky and was able to book the grand scenic view room you mentioned - really excited about that!

 

 

 

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[RobertL88]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review! Really like your style of writing and the pictures!

I will be on the Glory in only 197 days...

[Jenny in TX]

Thanks for taking the time to do this review! I have never done a review, but I can only imagine the time it takes on top of a job and life. We will be on the Glory in April and all these ports will be new to us. Looking forward to the review of your Liberty cruise.

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for the review! We are booked for the Glory in October for our first Carnival cruise. Three of the ports will be new for us, so I enjoyed reading about your excursions & viewing the pics. Oh, we also are lucky and was able to book the grand scenic view room you mentioned - really excited about that!

 

 

 

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I'm excited for you! lol. You're going to have so much fun! :D

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review! Really like your style of writing and the pictures!

I will be on the Glory in only 197 days...

 

Wow! I want to try a B2B one day! You'll have a great time!

 

I see you're from the Netherlands, that's so cool. Amsterdam is in my Top 5 favorite cities that I'Ve visited, with Sydney, Shanghai, New York and San Juan. Glad to see my review reached all the way out to Europe! ;)

[Taylor95]

I was wondering what your port times were in St. Thomas? I'm having a hard time deciding on what excursion I want to do there. I would love to visit St. John and do the same excursion you did, but wish there was more time allowed. Did you have much time to do anything else close to the port when you returned? Thanks!

 

 

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[cruisexlife]

I was wondering what your port times were in St. Thomas? I'm having a hard time deciding on what excursion I want to do there. I would love to visit St. John and do the same excursion you did, but wish there was more time allowed. Did you have much time to do anything else close to the port when you returned? Thanks!

 

 

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11AM-7PM, onboard by 6:30.

 

Yes and No. No, there is no time to head up the SkyRide or go into the town or go to another beach or anything, but yes, there is time for shopping at the port area.

[gapearl]

Great first review!

 

Next time you're in Grand Turk, walk down to the right about 5 minutes. Half way between the ship and Jack's Shack, you can find some pretty quiet areas to hang out. I don't think I knew they have stand up paddle boarding here. I've been wanting to try that for the longest! Good thing you realized you left your phone before it was too late. :eek:

 

I loved all your San Juan pictures. That's one of my favorite places EVER! I took a quickie trip there 3 weeks ago because I was tired of all the cold weather. I'm thinking about buying a condo in San Juan next year and living down there part time if I'm still single. I'm already researching real estate prices, just in case. :cool:

 

Hopefully you'll get to take a solo cruise one day. I'll be looking for your next review soon. Have fun on Liberty next month! :D

[cruisexlife]

Great first review!

 

Next time you're in Grand Turk, walk down to the right about 5 minutes. Half way between the ship and Jack's Shack, you can find some pretty quiet areas to hang out. I don't think I knew they have stand up paddle boarding here. I've been wanting to try that for the longest! Good thing you realized you left your phone before it was too late.

 

I loved all your San Juan pictures. That's one of my favorite places EVER! I took a quickie trip there 3 weeks ago because I was tired of all the cold weather. I'm thinking about buying a condo in San Juan next year and living down there part time if I'm still single. I'm already researching real estate prices, just in case.

 

Hopefully you'll get to take a solo cruise one day. I'll be looking for your next review soon. Have fun on Liberty next month! :D

 

Wow! You don't know how excited I was to see that you read my review!! You're one of the best on the boards, and I'm so glad I got your input!! :D

 

I too am glad that I got my phone. Learned my lesson ;).

 

You work for an airline, Delta right? That explains the constant flying. My friends were Delta pilots and they are constantly going everywhere :D I love to flying, and weekend trips are great. I should utilize the 2 free bags and direct flights on Southwest from Baltimore to San Juan, I'm glad you enoyed your trip.

 

Thanks for the info. I hope the next time I'm in Grand Turk there is still only on ship. It was rather packed with one, I can't imagine 2 :eek:. But yes that's exactly what I wanted to knoe, where do the experienced board memebers go.

 

Thanks so much!! :D

Edited February 7, 2015 by cruisexlife

[gapearl]

Wow! You don't know how excited I was to see that you read my review!! You're one of the best on the boards, and I'm so glad I got your input!! :D

 

I too am glad that I got my phone. Learned my lesson.

 

You work for an airline, Delta right? That explains the constant flying. My friends were Delta pilots and they are constantly going everywhere :D I love to flying, and weekend trips are great. I should utilize the 2 free bags and direct flights on Southwest from Baltimore to San Juan, I'm glad you enoyed your trip.

 

Thanks for the info. I hope the next time I'm in Grand Turk there is still only on ship. It was rather packed with one, I can't imagine 2 :eek:. But yes that's exactly what I wanted to knoe, where do the experienced board memebers go.

 

Thanks so much!!

 

I love reading reviews as much as I love writing them. I was restless last night and was like let me go read a review before I go to bed and came across yours. :) Yes I do work for an airline, but I'm not naming my company's name on CC and I'm not confirming or denying it's the one you mentioned. Never have and never will say which one, but it's fun to watch people speculate. LOL I always say you'll know which one when you see me on the plane, and it has happened! :p

 

You've got to have just one picture of you and your mom that you can post, right? Or will you remain one of the anonymous reviewers? :)

[Trnkk]

Great first review!

 

Next time you're in Grand Turk, walk down to the right about 5 minutes. Half way between the ship and Jack's Shack, you can find some pretty quiet areas to hang out. :D

 

Gapearl,

 

I think you meant to say walk down to the left?

Cause' you need to turn left to go to Jack's Shack.

 

BTW. off topic there is a new promo yesterday called Pack and Pay very great deal..check your VIFP.

[cruisexlife]

I love reading reviews as much as I love writing them. I was restless last night and was like let me go read a review before I go to bed and came across yours. :) Yes I do work for an airline, but I'm not naming my company's name on CC and I'm not confirming or denying it's the one you mentioned. Never have and never will say which one, but it's fun to watch people speculate. LOL I always say you'll know which one when you see me on the plane, and it has happened! :p

 

You've got to have just one picture of you and your mom that you can post, right? Or will you remain one of the anonymous reviewers? :)

 

Well your location says "Atlanta Area", and in one of your reviews, you mentioned something about flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson, as well as working there, so I can only make an educated guess :D

 

But yes, I'd prefer to remain anonymous. I want my review to be more about the places and expereinces, not my family affairs. But some reviews do focus on that more and come out just great. My favorites are actually yours, more destination oriented, as well as Jamman54's, including himself and his family. I enjoy writing about the ports more.

 

But yes they are just as fun to read as they are to write.

[gapearl]

Gapearl,

 

I think you meant to say walk down to the left?

Cause' you need to turn left to go to Jack's Shack.

 

BTW. off topic there is a new promo yesterday called Pack and Pay very great deal..check your VIFP.

 

Doh! Yes, that's what I meant. :o Unfortunately I didn't have any VIFP offers. Hopefully I'll get something one of these days.

 

Well your location says "Atlanta Area", and in one of your reviews, you mentioned something about flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson, as well as working there, so I can only make an educated guess :D

 

But yes, I'd prefer to remain anonymous. I want my review to be more about the places and expereinces, not my family affairs. But some reviews do focus on that more and come out just great. My favorites are actually yours, more destination oriented, as well as Jamman54's, including himself and his family. I enjoy writing about the ports more.

 

But yes they are just as fun to read as they are to write.

 

Fair assumption. However keep in mind that a very large percentage of flight crew members don't necessarily live in the same city as their base (as airlines recruit from all over the country), so living in a city with a major airport isn't necessarily a clear indicator. ;)

 

I've been on CC now for 5 years and there are some awesome writers on the Carnival board! Some are still around like Jamman and Wrigley, but some haven't been around in a while like Italian Femmy, Mike & Tracy and Chrisandra. Their reviews and others will still get bumped up from time to time. I love reading reviews from other solo travelers like myself to compare solo cruise experiences, but I also like reading reviews from families with kids or people of vastly different ages so I can experience a cruise in a totally different way than what I'd have right now. So welcome to the review writing club! I bet it took much longer to put together than you thought it would, didn't it? LOL Hopefully you'll post another review when you're back from the Liberty. :)

Edited February 9, 2015 by gapearl

[cruisexlife]

Doh! Yes, that's what I meant. :o Unfortunately I didn't have any VIFP offers. Hopefully I'll get something one of these days.

 

 

 

Fair assumption. However keep in mind that a very large percentage of flight crew members don't necessarily live in the same city as their base (as airlines recruit from all over the country), so living in a city with a major airport isn't necessarily a clear indicator. ;)

 

I've been on CC now for 5 years and there are some awesome writers on the Carnival board! Some are still around like Jamman and Wrigley, but some haven't been around in a while like Italian Femmy, Mike & Tracy and Chrisandra. Their reviews and others will still get bumped up from time to time. I love reading reviews from other solo travelers like myself to compare solo cruise experiences, but I also like reading reviews from families with kids or people of vastly different ages so I can experience a cruise in a totally different way than what I'd have right now. So welcome to the review writing club! I bet it took much longer to put together than you thought it would, didn't it? LOL Hopefully you'll post another review when you're back from the Liberty. :)

 

 

oh yes, my goal was 3 weeks max, it ended up going over a month. let alone the time it took to get the photos ready before-hand, it took a month to write the review start to finish. But it was worth it. and I most certainly will be writing a review! I'm going to bring a while new memory card because there are 4 new ports for me. (:

[EpcotBill]

I can't see any of your pictures. It looks like you exceeded your photobucket bandwidth.

[cruisexlife]

I can't see any of your pictures. It looks like you exceeded your photobucket bandwidth.

 

I tired to address this problem last night, but I have to wait until my account renews on Saturday.

 

Will they just come back like nothing ever happened? I'm super sorry.

[cruisexlife]

I can't see any of your pictures. It looks like you exceeded your photobucket bandwidth.

 

They're now available. Sorry for making you wait, I didn't know I had a limited bandwidth. They are all good now, feel free to quote a picture or ask a question, I'll be sure to respond! :D

[EpcotBill]

They're now available. Sorry for making you wait, I didn't know I had a limited bandwidth. They are all good now, feel free to quote a picture or ask a question, I'll be sure to respond! :D

Thanks. There's no need to apologize, it wasn't your fault.

Photobucket does this all the time. I was able to click where the pics should have been to view them directly on your photobucket page.

[cruisexlife]

Thanks. There's no need to apologize, it wasn't your fault.

 

Photobucket does this all the time. I was able to click where the pics should have been to view them directly on your photobucket page.

 

 

Oh that's great, I'm glad you still enjoyed it.

 

The computer I used to write my review now has a virus. Every time I used photobucket, a separate window opened up about some sweepstakes that I knew was fake, so I closed it. But one day, every time I turned my computer on, 6-8 windows were open, all explaining how my documents were "lost". it opened up in Photo display, Notepad, Paint, Internet Explorer, etc. I didn't believe it until I went to open a document last night and it said it was corrupted. All of my documents are now corrupted. I hope that they can get rid of the virus and get my stuff back, but I'm pretty sure it was from Photobucket. sigh.

[SMSACE6]

I loved your review! My best cruise ever (they have all been great) but it was the one I took with my mother back in 2009 on the Liberty. We had a blast, and since then have not been able to vacation together because my Dad cannot be left alone anymore. So....Great first review and I look forward to many many more of your cruise reviews here on CC. I am with you about Nassau. I just dont get why so many diss this place, but as I often say "to each their own". I like also the way you dealt with the misinformed dropoff by the bus driver, you made lemonade out of lemons. I also really enjoyed my time in Old San Juan last November, so enjoyed your photos of San Juan.

 

Thanks for your review, and hope you have another cruise in your near future. I will look forward to another great review from you.

Edited February 14, 2015 by SMSACE6

[cruisexlife]

I loved your review! My best cruise ever (they have all been great) but it was the one I took with my mother back in 2009 on the Liberty. We had a blast, and since then have not been able to vacation together because my Dad cannot be left alone anymore. So....Great first review and I look forward to many many more of your cruise reviews here on CC. I am with you about Nassau. I just dont get why so many diss this place, but as I often say "to each their own". I like also the way you dealt with the misinformed dropoff by the bus driver, you made lemonade out of lemons. I also really enjoyed my time in Old San Juan last November, so enjoyed your photos of San Juan.

 

Thanks for your review, and hope you have another cruise in your near future. I will look forward to another great review from you.

 

 

In 6 weeks this Sunday I have Liberty's first cruise from San Juan, coming back Easter Sunday, again with Mom (: I'm also looking a quick 3/4 day trip with my aunt in Georgia as she's never cruised, and of course my cruise Thanksgiving week. Also a few land trips, including 3 weeks in Italy and Greece! 2015 is going to be my most travelled year (:

 

Thanks so much for reading my review, I really appreciate it. So much time goes into them and I love hearing what you guys have to say. I'm glad to hear about your great time with your mom.

 

Nassau is great to be completely honest with you. With a 7 hour stop, you cannot see the full place, no matter how much you try! After 4-6 visits, then maybe you have, but there are so many beaches and hotels with day passes, that Nassau can be the kick-back day of the cruise where you can plop right down on the beach! Next time, since we have the information for the Bob Marley Resort, mom has already stated that she wants to go. So I know what our next day in Nassau will consist of. :D But I always try to keep positive. You don't pay so much money, get time off of work, pack your things, fly down, plan so many fun activities, etc to let a cab driver in the Bahamas ruin one whole day of your entire vacation. We ended up enjoying it. :)

 

Thanks so much for tuning it, and expect another photo-heavy review with lots of stories from the Liberty! 5 ports, 4 of them being new!

 

Have a good time on your next cruise as well ! (can't see, I'm on my phone) :D

[ncbeachteacher]

Enjoyed reading your review! Thanks for taking the time!:D

[cruisexlife]

Enjoyed reading your review! Thanks for taking the time!:D

 

You're welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read it!

[MisterMom]

As a fellow reviewer and one who's taken this similar itinerary (on Liberty), I thoroughly enjoyed your review. I also leave for Glory in under three weeks so this review is helping me bide my time.

 

I may have to read it again! Great job.