SWEET LIBERTY! The cruise that almost wasn't! Sept 20-27, 2015 review

[valentinebaby1]

15 minutes just wasn't enough time. We were barely able to get the daiquiri, but we didn't have time to do any shopping in the huge store. I would have liked to have a few more minutes at this stop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2015 by valentinebaby1

[valentinebaby1]

We continued on to the botanical gardens. The place was lovely, but it just didn't seem like there was much point to the stop. It was pretty to see the gardens, and there was free rum punch at the stop, but I would have rather had that time to spend at the Mountaintop.

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we had all chosen to stop at Magen's Bay for our beach stop. By the time we got there and paid the $4 per person to get in, we had about an hour and 45 min to spend there. Of course the day had been extremely hot and we were totally ready to get cooled off, but of course that was the time the sky became a little overcast and you could see it was raining not to far off in the distance, and things cooled off considerably.

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

The water was clear and the beach was clean, but honestly it just didn't "wow" me as I was expecting. I've seen pictures of others at this beach where the water was so clear and a perfect turquoise blue but maybe with it now being just a little overcast it just seemed that the water wasn't as pretty. But it was calm and we had a nice afternoon enjoying the water. We saw a couple turtles, pelicans, a little crab and a conch, plus a few fish. It's not really the place for snorkeling but hubby did for a little while. He mostly swam after the turtles.

 

 

 

 

The reflection in this photo is stunning! The water was very calm!

 

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

 

After our time was up at Magen's Bay, we boarded the bus again and headed out. Our driver had to make a stop at Coki Beach, which kind of confused everyone. Our whole group had stayed at Magen's Bay so we weren't sure why we were going to Coki Beach, but I guess he had to pick up someone there or drop off someone there to meet up with another Godfrey driver or something. Several people on our tour started to kind of panic that we weren't going to get back to the ship on time and we saw that there was some traffic starting to really build up for rush hour. I really wasn't concerned because I knew that normally this tour stopped at both beaches, and I also knew that the tour company wouldn't risk losing their reputation by letting anyone miss the ship. But there were a couple people on the tour who were starting to get upset thinking we weren't going to make it back in time.

 

The driver knew the way around and how to avoid the heavy traffic and got us back to the port around 4:15. Back on board time was 4:30 and sail away was at 5, so it was a little close, but still fine.

 

 

 

Once we were back on board, we headed to Guys to get a pre dinner snack (really a late lunch because we didn't eat at the beach). I don't remember specifically what we did, but I'm guessing I probably took a short nap, as this was pretty much my routine after a port day! Hubby probably wandered around the ship, hung out on the lido deck and made friends with everyone, which was his routine.

 

 

We went to dinner and if I can remember correctly, we ordered:

shrimp cocktail

vegi spring rolls (I love these!)

I ordered the lamb shank and I think hubby ordered the shrimp curry.

I don't think there was anything on the dessert menu that we were excited about. The chocolate melting cake is far to rich for me. I think this one one of the nights that we ordered banana splits from the childrens menu.

 

After dinner, we wandered around for a little while. If I remember correctly this was the night we stopped in the casino for just a few minutes. We are not gamblers, but we played a few bucks in penny slots and made a couple attempts at the money cube game but of course left as losers.

 

Our first towel animal was waiting for us when we got back to our cabin:

 

 

 

[BcIcemen]

doing this cruise 11/1 cant wait

[valentinebaby1]

doing this cruise 11/1 cant wait

 

Have an awesome cruise!

[valentinebaby1]

Day 7; September 22, 2015 Tuesday

SEA DAY

 

We had been up early every day of this trip so far, so I decided I was sleeping in today. Hubby on the other hand was wide awake and out of the cabin very early. So I at least put him to work by sending him out to get breakfast for me. He brought me back a Blue Iguana Cantina burrito. I ate, and decided it was still far to early to be out of bed so I went back to sleep.

 

Hubby wandered around the ship and took pictures, talked to people, had ice cream for breakfast, etc.

 

It was definitely a sea day!

 

 

This photo of the lido deck was taken around 9:30am so you can see there were still chairs available. That would change very soon though!

 

 

 

 

 

Again, around 9:30am there were still open loungers in the Serenity area:

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

 

The sea was calm and it was a perfect day at sea. We saw on the webcams that the week before was a rather gloomy sea day so we were happy the weather was cooperating for us, even if it was especially warm!

 

We were able to see the islands off in the distance as we passed them by:

 

 

 

We did see plenty of this on the trip. In fact we could see if from the airplane all over the Caribbean. From the air it almost looked like oil on the water, but it's the sargassum seaweed.

 

 

 

This was the lido deck around 10:15 am:

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

Hubby was out on the lido deck to see the mixology competition and the ice carving demonstration:

 

 

 

 

We had talked about it before the cruise and hubby made a point of telling me that he was not going to enter the hairy chest competition this time around. If you recall from my first review, he entered and came in 3rd place and won a medal (and later won a trophy from another silly lido deck competition). I wanted to come home with a trophy from this cruise as well, but hubby made it perfectly clear it would not be from the hairy chest competition.

 

So I was very surprised when hubby came in to wake me up...around noon...to tell me that he decided he wanted to enter the hairy chest competition! He decided it might be the only chance for us to come home with a trophy. I arose from my slumber to throw myself together and made it out to the lido deck just in time.

 

 

After recruiting enough volunteers, the 7 men lined up and the competition began. Hubby might not have been the hairiest of the competitors, but he was certainly the most handsome! It was fun to share him for a little bit. I happened to stumble upon a lounger right in the front row but I took more video than photos.

 

He was eliminated in the first batch, so no trophy for him :( But he at least got a medal to add to his collection from the last cruise.

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

After our fun afternoon on the lido deck, I headed back to the cabin to cool off for a bit and to get a soda. I walked in to find this:

 

 

Remember when I said that we had talked to John Heald about bitter and blanc? He had asked us to send him our cabin number before sailing...and this was why! He sent us chocolate covered strawberries, a bottle of champagne and a ship on a stick! I was so excited and couldn't wait for hubby to get back to the cabin to see our surprise! When he didn't show up, I wandered back out to find him and drag him back to the cabin to show him. He was pretty happy about it too, especially after not winning a trophy from the hairy chest competition!

 

After our exciting afternoon we decided to switch gears and do something totally different. We headed to the Silver Olympian for tea time! We got there a little late, but that didn't seem to be a concern. We were seated at a large table right at the aft of the ship so we had a gorgeous view, some great company and delicious desserts and tea. It was actually very relaxing and a lot of fun, probably something we'll try to do again on our next cruise. We had far too many desserts...there was chocolate cake, fruit tarts, macaroons (the French kind, not the coconut kind), lemon cake etc. After tea time was over and we were heading out, I asked if I could take a couple macaroons with me, and our waiter happily grabbed a small plate and just loaded it up with cookies to take back to our cabin :)

 

We decided to take an afternoon swim and headed back to the lido deck. The first 2 pools were super crowded and there were rowdy obnoxious kids everywhere it seemed, so we headed back to the aft pool and found it to be much quieter. We cooled off there for a little while. It was getting close to sunset time and we could see St Lucia in the distance. We took some lovely sunset photos before dinner:

 

 

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

 

 

 

 

We got dressed for dinner, which was our first elegant cruise night and headed down to the dining room. Most night we were there around 7 and never had to wait for a table, although this night it was just the 2 of us. My sister and brother in law are big Blue Jays fans so they opted to have dinner earlier so they could watch a game in the EA sports bar that evening. With it just being the 2 of us, they asked if we wanted to wait for a table for 2 or if we would want to be seated with other people. We opted to sit with others. We were seated at a table for 8 and met 3 other lovely couples. It was fun to talk to them and it was sort of a new experience. On several other occasions we sat near other couples and close enough that we talked, but I think this was the first time we were actually seated at the same table with others.

 

While it was fun sitting with other people, it also changed things for us a bit. Hubby had intended to eat lobster all night long or until it ran out, whichever came first but now we had to consider that the others didn't want to wait on dessert while he ate his 27th lobster. Ok just kidding, but after 3 I think they were ready for dessert even though he wasn't. He made a point of telling our server to not wait on dessert, and that he'd simply have lobster for dessert...so that's exactly what they did. I think he had 5 lobster total. I had 2 and prime rib, but I don't think we had any appetizers. We had creme brulee for dessert.

 

 

After dinner, we went to one of the earlier comedy shows. I don't recall the comedian's name but he was pretty funny. After the show was over, we headed back to the cabin to call it a night.

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

Here are a couple random photos taken during the evening:

 

 

[Stinger-pr]

Awesome review. You got me hooked!! Beautiful sunset pics. Keep 'em coming!

[valentinebaby1]

Day 8; September 23, 2015 Wednesday

BARBADOS

 

I didn't wake for the sunrise this morning; I decided sleep was more important, and I knew the island of Barbados isn't as dramatic coming in to port. It's rather industrious looking and the island itself is very flat. But we were still excited for our day in Barbados! Hubby of course wouldn't waste cruise time in bed, so he was out and about early:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the last photo, the Liberty was docked on the outside dock, which was quite a walk around to land. There was a bus that took us off the dock (for a tip). We ended up doing this a couple times at a couple ports and it was worth the couple bucks for it!

[valentinebaby1]

We had debated what to do this day. We were torn between another trip with Calabaza, which we did on our 2013 cruise, or just spending a day at the beach at the Boatyard. We opted for the Boatyard, just to do something different, and also because we already did a catamaran snorkel trip while in Puerto Rico. I would still highly recommend Calabaza though!

 

We wanted to get to The Boatyard early enough to be sure to get loungers and umbrellas so we headed off the ship around 8:30 to catch a cab. The cab was $5 per person and we were loaded into a van and then sat and waited for several minutes waiting for the van to completely fill. It seemed like we waited about 10-15 minutes and it was rather warm in the van. But soon we were off.

 

The Boatyard was only about a 5 minute ride and we piled out and paid the entrance fee of $15 per person, which included a shared umbrella, lounger and a drink, plus the cab ride back to port.

 

 

 

 

We headed straight to the loungers and someone was there to help us get chairs and cushions set up. Hubby was already wandering off taking pictures, and I was slightly distracted getting something situated in my bag and then realized that the man helping us was looking for a tip. I guess I didn't think about this, because he was wearing a Boatyard shirt and we paid for the umbrellas and chairs with our entrance fee, but my brother in law gave him a $5 tip (which was for their 2 chairs). I don't know what he was expecting but he literally looked at it and snorted his disapproval.

 

It all happened so fast and I hadn't dug out my money to give him a tip, but after his bad attitude towards the tip he got from my sis/bil, I didn't even want to give him one at all. He ended up leaving so fast I decided not to even bother anyway but I think hubby ended up tracking him down and giving him $5 from us at some point.

 

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

 

 

 

 

 

It was really bright and sunny when we first got there, but later in the day it became a little overcast.

 

[valentinebaby1]

We wanted to go snorkel with the turtles, and although you can walk about 15 minutes down the beach and swim out on your own to do it for free, we had decided we would rather pay for a tour. We had read on several reviews about "Snorkel Wid Nevil" and decided we wanted to find him and tour with him.

 

It didn't take long at all once we got settled into our loungers before we were approached by several turtle tours but once we saw Nevil's sign we approached him to set up our tour. Hubby didn't waste any time to say "It's $20 per person, right?" and there was no negotiation...easy peasy!

 

They spent a few minutes trying to find others to take out, but it was still very early and there weren't a lot of people there yet. After a few minutes, they said we could go even though it was just the 4 of us. Since my BIL doesn't snorkel he just stayed on the boat but Nevil's boat has a glass bottom so he was able to see.

 

Nevil pulled the boat up as close to shore as he could and his assistant carried our bags to the boat keeping them high and dry. We left our shoes on our loungers though to hold our spots.

 

 

We got in the boat, which wasn't the easiest of tasks given my size, but we managed just fine. The boat ride out to the turtle area was short and soon we were in the water. Nevil got into the water and had food for the turtles and we were soon greeted by a couple!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

 

 

 

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

We were just about to get back onto the boat to head to the shipwreck stop, when a larger Hawksbill turtle came by. They are critically endangered so this was quite a treat! The first turtles we saw are the Green Sea turtles, which are also endangered, but not at the critical level. You can tell the difference by their "beak" which is sharper and more curved on the Hawksbill compared to the Green Sea turtles.

 

 

 

After spending a few extra minutes with the Hawksbill, we got back onto the boat and headed the short distance to the shipwreck. There were lots of fish at the shipwreck, but no turtles (there usually aren't). There were swarms of Sergeant Majors fish and several other varietys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Miamichile77]

The water was clear and the beach was clean, but honestly it just didn't "wow" me as I was expecting. I've seen pictures of others at this beach where the water was so clear and a perfect turquoise blue but maybe with it now being just a little overcast it just seemed that the water wasn't as pretty. But it was calm and we had a nice afternoon enjoying the water. We saw a couple turtles, pelicans, a little crab and a conch, plus a few fish. It's not really the place for snorkeling but hubby did for a little while. He mostly swam after the turtles.

 

 

OMG, we eat conch here all the time, but I've never seen it in the shell; amazing! Thanks for that.

[moniquet]

Loving the photos, thank you:)

[valentinebaby1]

OMG, we eat conch here all the time, but I've never seen it in the shell; amazing! Thanks for that.

 

He was actually kind of cute! We called him Gary.

[valentinebaby1]

Loving the photos, thank you:)

 

Thank you, and thanks for reading!

[valentinebaby1]

After we finished with snorkeling, Nevil gave us some of the best rum punch we've ever had! It had been frozen so it was still slushy and the perfect refreshment. Who cares that it was technically still morning!

 

We were out snorkeling "wid" Nevil for a total of about 2 hours. We didn't feel rushed at all and truthfully, I think our turtle experience was better than it was on our last visit to Barbados. It could be that we got out to the turtles earlier than on our trip with Calabaza, and the fact that there were only 4 of us on the trip so we didn't have to fight our way through crowds to see them. There was another boat or 2 out there at the same time we were in that area but they were finishing up as we got there so the timing was perfect. I would recommend getting out there earlier in the day before the turtles are full from being fed all afternoon!

 

Nevil was a character! We loved our time with him and he shared his secret to his rum punch with us. Our couple hours with him was absolutely wonderful and we'd do it again in a heartbeat!

 

Once our tour was over, we ended up tipping him very well, considering he took us out with just the 4 of us. It was well worth the cost!

 

The water had started to get a little rougher when we came back to the Boatyard. They attempted to bring the boat in close to shore for us to get off, but couldn't get in that close and we were worried how to get our bags to shore without getting them wet. So he pulled back out and went around to the other side of the dock and tried it again and this time was able to get a little closer to shore. Nevil's helper on the shore came out to the boat to get our bags and carry them across held over his head and he kept them all dry for us. We tipped him for his help too :)

 

After our turtle tour, we spent the afternoon lounging on our chairs, swimming and hubby even used the rope swing off the dock a few times. We ordered lunch which was delicious! Hubby and I each ordered the flying fish sandwich with fries. We had a couple drinks and had a round of free shots at the bar. It was a great afternoon!

 

We decided to head back to port around 2:30, so we'd have a little time to shop. We got into a waiting cab/van and this time didn't have to wait since it was already mostly full.

 

 

 

 

We had plenty of time to shop in the port mall. Hubby bought a couple bottles of rum and found some gifts for family back home. At some point we got separated from my sis/bil and we wandered around the mall trying to find them. We weren't sure if they went back to the ship without us, but finally gave up looking for them and we headed back to the ship. Turns out they caught the bus back around the dock to the ship and were already back on it while we were looking for them.

 

 

So we boarded the Liberty once again. I was ready for my afternoon nap and hubby hung out on the Lido deck.

 

 

[valentinebaby1]

 

 

 

After a little while, while I was apparently sound asleep, the clouds that had been building over the afternoon just opened up and took everyone on the lido deck by surprise!

 

 

 

The rain didn't last long though and soon we left Barbados. We got dressed for dinner and it was just the 2 of us. If I remember correctly, we had:

 

beef carpaccio (which I didn't care for but hubby liked)

mixed greens salad

shrimp escabeche

bajan chicken

lasagna

 

Our service this evening was probably the worst of our cruise. We were seated alone, but there was a couple next to us and they were...um...interesting.

 

He was wearing a baseball cap all through dinner, which I thought was rather rude. But on top of that he was just obnoxious. He was rude to his wife and contracted everything she said, cut her off every time she spoke. He was complaining about everything...rude to the wait staff etc. We felt it was no wonder that our service wasn't great...they were probably annoyed by him!

 

Regardless, we made the best of it and enjoyed our dinner. When it came time for dessert, we were intrigued by the "Buttered Popcorn Pot de Creme" which was listed has having something blueberry with it. Hubby wasn't interested in anything on the menu, so I ordered the buttered popcorn one. After a bit, they finally brought out the dessert and set it in front of me. I looked at it odd because it didn't look the least bit buttery or popcorny. It was clearly chocolate. I tasted it. Very clearly chocolate.

 

After being confused for a minute, when we saw our waiter nearby we asked him if this was the buttered popcorn dish. He said no, it was the chocolate panna cotta. No wonder we were so confused!

 

I didn't really care for the chocolate panna cotta so hubby ate it and they brought me the buttered popcorn dish. It was very interesting!

 

The blueberry was basically just a smear on the plate. It wasn't part of the actual dessert. It was kind of just a buttery flavored pudding and it was pretty good! I didn't finish it though but hubby did.

 

I can't recall for sure if we went to the stage show that night or the next night, but I think it was Wednesday night. It was called "Wonderful World" and it was pretty good. On the night of muster drill, the young lady working our little section of the drill was named Lauren. She was from the UK and just as sweet as could be! We saw her during the day in Barbados at the Boatyard, enjoying a day off, but she said remembered us from muster drill and talked to us a bit. Turns out she was the star of the show! She is a wonderful singer and entertainer and I think we enjoyed the show even more after having met her and talking to her beforehand. The show was a pretty big production, great costumes and props. (Although for a younger audience, there were a few cheeky moments, if you know what I mean).

 

After the show we retired for the night and had lovely dreams of our day at our favorite island; St Lucia.