Review: Carnival liberty – september 20, 2015 – southern itinerary out of san juan,

[pghsteelerfan]

As soon as we got out to the parking lot, if you can call it that, there were two of the open air safari type vans/trucks looking for passengers to take back to the pier. We told the one guy that we had a taxi driver who’d be coming back to pick us up at 2:00pm. He asked if we had more people with us and we let him know it was just the two of us. He said they don’t always make a special trip all the way back out to Sapphire for just two people because they can make more money in town by filling cabs with more than two people. We let him know that we’d wait for our driver but if he didn’t show, we’d definitely need a ride back and would go with them. He appreciated that we were being “loyal” and said hopefully our driver would be loyal to us. At least there were two of the open air vehicles, just in case.

We were there about 10 minutes before our arranged time, but we noticed those two vehicles, although they can hold a lot of people (probably around 20 – 25), were filling up quick. One eventually filled and he was getting ready to leave. The driver of the other that was still filling up, but now almost full said they’d make room and stuck around for a few minutes.

We finally saw a white van turning off the road and coming down the hill toward the parking lot and when he got closer, we saw the “613”. That’s our guy! We got in and were on our way back.

We had a nice conversation with our driver and he told us about his family (we asked if he had kids), we talked about the weather and he was telling us about Liberty being stuck in St. Thomas after the engine fire. We half-jokingly and said we hope there wasn’t another engine fire today but he said there appeared to be no problems today.

He was very nice and we also felt very safe riding with him. He was not a typical crazy taxi driver. We were behind a construction truck and going well below the speed limit going up hills, but this truck could move going downhill. In one area where we were going uphill, other drivers were passing him on blind turns. Our driver would just shake his head and say “that’s crazy” and how dangerous it was. One of those vehicles that passed was another taxi our driver said that he was putting others at risk.

We arrived back at Havensight about 25 minutes later, we paid him and I gave DH a $5.00 bill to give him in addition to the $2.00 DH was going to give him. I did this after realizing he could have made more in fares but stuck to his word and came back for us. I’m now kicking myself for not seeing if he had a business card or even getting his name. If any of you will be in St. Thomas and see taxi “613”, he is nice, safe, and reliable.

Once we got back, we didn’t have any shopping to do since we’ve been here before. My large purchase was a Virgin Islands hook bracelet. I know they have them in St. John but found through others, several here on CC, that the ones on St. Thomas are mostly “knock offs” and not hand made. Since I knew we wouldn’t be getting to St. John this time, I checked a few website that others had provided and also the website for the originals from Sonya in St. Croix. All of them have the option to order on-line and have them shipped. After comparing the bracelets themselves and the pricing, I chose one from Sonya’s and ordered about three weeks before our cruise, and I had it three days after ordering it. I brought it with me on the cruise, but decided I would not wear it until after St. Thomas. The one I bought was the basic “Hook Bracelet”, silver. I’m not big into jewelry, but I do like certain things and this bracelet is very simple, but beautiful. Next time we get to St. Thomas on a cruise, we will go to St. John for the day and I will probably get another hook bracelet, in another style but still basic.

[pghsteelerfan]

There was a bit of a line at the gate to get back to the actual pier area (it’s fenced in) to get back on Liberty. This is where you’ll need both your Sail & Sign card and your photo ID. You’ll hear them saying “be sure to have your photo ID out”.

 

Before reaching the line, I got my token pictures of the ship (Liberty this time) docked for size comparison...

 

 

...and while I was at it, another Liberty "tail" picture.

 

We got at the back of the line to show our Sail & Sign cards and photo ID to get through the gate. It was almost 2:30pm.

As we were waiting in that line, we noticed a group of people with check-in sized suitcases and all were speaking with security. We’re guessing they either missed the ship or had their luggage lost by the airline and it had just gotten to St. Thomas. Maybe we weren’t the only ones with lost luggage. If that was the case with these folks, I feel really bad for them but at least they finally have it. At least we all got ours back before leaving San Juan.

 

When we got to the front of the line, we showed them our Sail & Sign cards and passports and were waved on through. There was a bit of a line to get back on Liberty but not much. I can’t remember if both gangways were open for passengers getting back on board or not, but later in the day both were being used. Once back on board, the lines for elevators were really bad and it was a madhouse. We decided to take the stairs, from Deck 0 all the way up to Deck 8. We made it but I told DH I hoped we didn’t have to do that again.

We stopped by the cabin to drop off our stuff then went up to the Lido deck and to Guy’s Burger Joint for our first Guy Burgers of the cruise. Yessss!!! These are definitely a favorite of ours. They have two lines, one from each direction and the lines usually move fast. The only time I’ve seen long, unmoving lines are when they are waiting on the next batch of burgers.

 

They can make quite a few at a time. We got our burgers then went over to the toppings area. They have the usual, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sautéed onions, pickles, then they have bacon, sautéed mushrooms and there are more but I can’t recall what they were. There is also ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and a variety of different sauces. After getting the toppings we wanted, we went over and got an outside table on Lido.

Our first Guy's Burger Joint Burgers, what we affectionately refer to as "Guy Burgers"

 

 

They had bar waiters making the rounds and we noticed they had a lot more this time compared to last year’s cruise on Liberty. We each got a drink but I can’t remember if this was one of the days I had a beer or a Bahama Mama. This was about 3:00pm, so we still had time before we sailed away. A few minutes after we started eating, “L” and her family stopped by. They love the Blue Iguana burritos but wanted to try Guy’s Burgers. We asked if they’d like to join us and they did.

 

We ate our lunches and visited, talking about our days. They had gone, on their own, to Trunk Bay in St. John via taxi to Red Hook to get the ferry over then another taxi to Trunk Bay. I think they said they were there at around 9:30 – 10:00am and stayed for a few hours before returning. “L” showed me the picture she got on her phone…just spectacular. I sure hope she has a spot on the wall of their home for that one. We were there in 2010 and I swear, next time we get back to St. Thomas, we’re going back to St. John. I had to experience the Sky Ride, Paradise Point, and a Bushwacker at least once though.

 

When we’d finished eating and visiting for a while, we went our separate ways. DH wanted to go back to the cabin for a nap and asked me to wake him up when it was time to go up for sail away. I asked if he’d want awakened earlier, to watch possible pier runners. He said if I heard names being paged to get him up.

 

While he took a nap, I sat out on the balcony, getting a few pictures here and there.

Paradise Point as seen from our balcony

 

If you're taking the Sky Ride to Paradise Point, you need to look for this building...very easy to find.

 

 

The Havensight shopping area

 

As it got closer to 4:30pm, the back on board time, went inside to be able to hear names being called on Liberty’s PA system and reviewed some of the pictures on my camera’s display. Within a few minutes of going back into the cabin, I heard some names being called over Liberty’s PA system. A good sign that there will be pier runners. I woke DH up and we went to the balcony.

 

When 4:30pm arrived, there they were, but they weren’t running. These folks were taking their good, old, sweet time. Of course, the gangways were still down, so I guess they felt that there was no hurry. I got pictures and those pictures have the time if I bring the picture up on the computer, right click on the mouse, and click on “properties”. Only one guy seemed to be making his way from Senior Frogs, but he was in no hurry. I really thought there would be more. I was disappointed. The others had all been in Havensight. The last ones that I saw were arriving at that gate at the fence at 4:35pm. They didn’t seem to be in any hurry. I’d be hauling ***!!!

 

I forgot to mention earlier in the post. Since Liberty pulled straight ahead into St. Thomas with the pier on the starboard (right) side, it depends on what you want in a view. I'd love to be facing the harbor and the mountains above Charlotte Amalie that the port (left) side had, but the majority of this cruise/itinerary, I still thought that the starboard (right) side was better for what we wanted over all. Just wait and see.

Edited November 5, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

DH and I didn’t want to miss sail away, so we went up to Panorama Deck 10. The last time we were in St. Thomas, it had just rained, heavy, and was still sprinkling when we left. The time before was on Carnival Glory, on an eastern Caribbean cruise. We were scheduled to arrive in St. Thomas at 9:00am, but do to a medevac the previous night, we wouldn’t be arriving until 11:00am. Because of the two hour late arrival, we were given two extra hour in St. Thomas, so we left at 7:00pm instead of the scheduled 5:00pm. We were able to watch the sunset and when we sailed out of St. Thomas, it was dark, which was cool. I'm attaching a few pictures I got just before we sailed away, two hours late, while on Carnival Glory

 

2010 Glory cruise - St. Thomas sunset

 

2010 Glory cruise - St. Thomas as it got dark, just before we sailed away

 

 

 

The last time we sailed out of St. Thomas when the sun was out was in 1992 on our first cruise, our honeymoon. Digital cameras weren’t around then and I had a film camera, so only a couple pictures and not the greatest quality.

We both wanted pictures and video this time around.

Edited November 5, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

Right at the scheduled sail away time, Liberty was moving out away from the pier, backed up, spun around and we were on our way.

 

 

 

***When leaving St. Thomas, the aft (back) of the ship is the best spot for pictures and views. You can see Charlotte Amalie and the mountains behind you while still being able to see the scenery of St. Thomas on the port (left) and starboard (right) sides.***

For this portion, I will let the pictures of our sail away from St. Thomas tell the story.

 

Just before sail away, we saw this little plane

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Sail away from St. Thomas continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Sail away from St. Thomas continued...

 

 

 

The Marriott's Frenchman's Cove (colorful buildings) and Frenchman's Reef Resort

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Sail away from St. Thomas continued...

 

This is Marriott's Frenchman's Reef

 

 

 

This is the view to the west after sailing out of the harbor and past the other islands

 

 

The tiny little island is Sail Rock, the one I got pictures of when sailing into St. Thomas

[pghsteelerfan]

Sail away from St. Thomas continued...

 

 

 

 

This is Buck Island (National Wildlife Refuge)

 

 

St. John USVI

[Emperor Norton]

Awesome quote feature:rolleyes:

 

Besides trying different ISO settings opening the lens up (going to the lowest aperture number) is your best friend in low light settings.

[pghsteelerfan]

Sail away from St. Thomas continued...

 

Buck Island, St. John, and I think that's Jost Van Dyke in the distance behind St. John

 

 

I had to look this little island up on Google Maps to see if it has a name. It does, it's called Frenchcap. Thanks Google Maps!

 

Another rainbow...at least this one came out in the picture

 

I'm pretty sure that this is the Puerto Rican island of Culebra in the distance

 

Another of the rainbow

[pghsteelerfan]

Awesome quote feature:rolleyes:

 

Besides trying different ISO settings opening the lens up (going to the lowest aperture number) is your best friend in low light settings.

 

You're having trouble with it too? Sometimes it works for me and other times it doesn't. Others commented that they've had the same issue with the quotes. But it did work for me this time.

 

Thank you for the tips on going to the lowest aperture number. I need all the tips I can get as I always want to improve on my photo skills. :)

[pghsteelerfan]

We stayed up on Panorama Deck 10 a little while longer so we could see the sunset this evening.

 

 

 

After staying out there till just past sunset, we went down to Red Frog, where we got drinks from Antonio. We started to get to know the two other guys who always seemed to be working. Joseph and Winston. We also really liked them too.

 

When we finished the drinks at Red Frog, we each got a drink to go and have in the cabin while getting ready for dinner. When DH was in the shower, I went out to the balcony because we were passing St. Croix, so I tried to get pictures.

 

Not very clear, but at least you can see it. I sure wish I had the tip to use the lowest number aperture but I'll remember that next time.

 

Confirmation that this was St. Croix we were passing. It wasn't labeled then, but I know that's St. Croix.

St. Croix is where my hook bracelet came from and I would be wearing it, for the first time, tonight. We still had time once we finished getting ready, so we went down to the Fun Shops where I make my traditional purchases. The Liberty cruise ship model, the Liberty cruise ship ornament, and a lanyard for my Sail & Sign card. I know those are provided for free in the casino but I didn’t know what they looked like yet and I didn’t want to get my Sail & Sign card “hole punched” since we keep those as keepsakes after the cruise. I know I already have the Liberty ship model and ornament, but I’m getting them to represent each cruise we’ve been on. We’ve only been on seven now, so the ship models don’t take up much space. After I paid using my Sail & Sign card, we took the purchases back up to the cabin. We still had time to wait, so we just went out to the balcony.

 

 

 

We had late seating, which starts at 8:15pm, which is our choosing. We choose late seating because we enjoy being able to kick back when we get back from a port without having to rush for dinner and we enjoy being able being out on the Lido or Panorama Deck 10 before having to get ready for dinner. We’ve heard good things about “Your Time Dining” (sometimes referred to as “Anytime Dining”), but I have seen reports of wait times and we also prefer to have the same wait staff every night. We normally don’t eat until after 8:00pm at home due to DH’s long commute from work. So for us, this works.

 

When it was about 8:20pm, we went down to dinner. On the first night especially, we prefer to arrive 5 or 10 minutes late since there always seems to be a long line to get into the dining room. This is because most people won’t know where in the dining room their table is actually located yet. New to cruising? Your table number will be on your Sail & Sign card if you have Early or Late Dining.

 

We were in the Silver Olympian Dining Room, which is the dining room at the very aft (back) of the ship. Here’s the problem we had on our first Conquest Class ship, which was Glory and did it again on Valor. The Conquest Class ships are Liberty, Conquest, Glory, Valor, and Freedom: it’s not possible to walk the whole length of the ship on Lobby Deck 3 or Atlantic Deck 4. The Golden Olympian Dining room is mid-ship, so on those two decks, it’s not possible to get to the Silver Olympian Dining Room by going down to Deck 3 or 4 on the mid-ship elevators and walk back. It’s because the Golden Olympian Dining Room is blocking the way. After going down the mid-ship elevators to deck 3 or 4 and getting to the mid-ship dining room and not being able to get any further, then having to ride the elevator (or take the stairs) back up to Deck 5 to walk the rest of the way back, we finally figured it out. Here’s what we do now: When exiting our cabin, we walk the whole way to the set of stairs/elevators at the aft (back) of the ship then go down. This will also work for the other decks, except Decks 1 and 2, you’ll need to go up instead of down.

 

This time, and this is a first, we had a table on Atlantic Deck 4. We’ve always been on Deck 3. What was nice about Deck 4 was that there was a line to get in, but not much of one. The lines to get into the Deck 3 dining room were still winding around up the stairways for a floor or two. When we got to the front of the line, we let the host know our table number and he escorted us back.

We were at a table for four, a booth table, that overlooked the Deck 3 section of the dining room and we had a good view of the table for 10 that we were seated at when on Liberty last year.

 

 

View from our table down into the lower level of the Silver Olympian Dining room

 

Our table mates hadn’t arrived yet but were there shortly. We all introduced ourselves and got to know a little about each other. Carnival does pretty well with matching you with dinner mates. We’ve usually been seated with others who are around our age.

Since this is American Table (regular dining) night, one of the changes Carnival has made was no more table cloths. There was a group of four, two couples, behind us that seemed to be together that was pretty loud, at least the guys were. But we definitely noticed a lot of the echoing and extra noise with the table cloths being gone. I have seen this complaint from others and I think there is more noise without the tablecloths.

Our wait staff came by and introduced themselves. Jorge was our head waiter and his main assistant was Marko. The other assistant also has a name, but I forget what it is. I was hoping I’d be able to see his name tag in the picture I took of the three of them a few nights later, but I couldn’t see it. They filled our water glasses and delivered the bread basket and told us they’d be back in a few minutes after we had time to decide what we wanted for dinner.

When our meals were delivered, we ate and conversed. Tonight I had the Mushroom Cream Soup for an appetizer (rate that an A), Baked Ziti with Ham & Cheese (rate that a B) and for the side I had Fragrant Bismanti Pilaf, which is a rice dish, (rate that an A). Sorry, no pictures tonight since I didn’t want to embarrass DH in front of our table mates. If they had been taking pictures, I would have too. We visited with them until our meals were delivered. Again, it may have been the lack of table cloths or the table behind us, or both, but it was hard to hear each other but we managed.

Once we were finished, the table was cleared and we were giving the desert menu. I’m not a fan of desserts. It’s not that Carnival’s are bad, I’ve just never been into sweet, rich desserts. I ordered the Sherbet. Marko asked if I’d like the “rainbow”, which was orange, lime, and pineapple. That sounded good, so that’s what I had. DH had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (WCMC).

Right around that time, Yoki, the bar waiter I met the previous night who I got the shots of “Fireball” from, came around with a tray of, you guessed it, the after dinner shots. He would also be our bar waiter, or “shot guy”, during dinner. I forget what tonight’s shot was, but one of our other table mates and I each ordered one. They come in souvenir shot glasses and they have four colors. Tonight’s color was green. They cost $8.50 and that includes the shot glass, which you keep, and the liquor that comes in it. The colors are green, blue, amber (yellow) and clear. I still think Carnival needs to add a ruby, red one. Our desserts were delivered shortly after that and we enjoyed the company of our table mates until we were all finished and we left shortly after that. By this time, it was almost 10:00pm and the dining room was clearing.

 

 

 

We went to our cabin first, to get changed and once inside, we noticed our bed had been turned down and our towel animal, an elephant, and the next day’s edition of the Fun Times were also on the bed waiting for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

After getting changed, we took the stairs back up to the Lido Deck and out to Red Frog. Joseph and Winston were working and there was another bartender helping them. They really seemed to do a great job of keeping the bars staffed well. Last year, there were usually two bartenders working and it would get crowded and that meant long waits. Not this time. Antonio usually ended his shift at Red Frog in the early evening and worked as a bar waiter in the main show lounge, the Venetian Palace, which is at the very front (or forward) of Liberty and was on Decks 3 – 5.

 

We ordered Captain Morgan Rum and Cokes and took them and walked around Liberty. I wanted to go to the outside section of Deck 3 for pictures. When we were on Glory in 2010, Deck 3 had blue lighting, which looked really cool, especially with it being lit up with blue fluorescent lighting. Once out there, we saw that Liberty just has the regular lighting. Liberty and Glory have both had the 2.0 upgrades, so I this may have been one of the changes while they were in dry dock for the upgrades, but I don’t know for certain. I got pictures anyway.

 

Outside Lobby Deck 3, Starboard (right) side (was hoping for the blue fluorescent lighting that Glory has or had when when we were on her in 2010)

 

After getting those, we went back inside and I got pictures of Liberty’s atrium chandelier and the elevator walls.

 

 

The chandelier in Liberty's atrium - it changes colors

 

 

 

 

 

The atrium walls

 

[pghsteelerfan]

Tonight we wanted to see at least one of the comedy shows. These are held in the Victoria Lounge, Deck 5 all the way in the aft (back) of Liberty. There are two comedians during the first have of the cruise that are swapped out with to new ones for the second half. There are two “PG” shows, one at 7:30pm and the next at 8:30pm. Each PG show will feature a different comedian. Starting at 9:15pm are normally three “R” shows, adult only. The times are 9:15pm, 11:15pm, and 12:00am. These are also alternated between the two comedians, with the 12:00am show being a repeat of the 11:15pm show.

 

Tonight’s comedians are Diane Ford and Al Romero. On past cruises we’ve learned to get there early if you want a seat. There is plenty of seating, but these shows are popular and fill up fast. At about 10:45pm, we headed down to the Victoria Lounge and were able to get a decent seat right away, in the middle but not up front. We certainly don’t feel like being the butt of a comedian’s jokes. We still had the Captain & cokes, but you’re allowed to take them in there. There are bar waiters in there as well and there is even a special “Punchliner” drink menu.

 

I know I posted this earlier in the review, but here it is again so you don't have to go all the way back to it.

 

 

 

 

Service can be a little slow in here but it’s only because there are only a few bar waiters and they are getting drinks out as fast as they can. The Victoria Lounge (now called the “Punchliner Comedy Club”) was now full but some people were still coming in. Just before the show started, we finished the Captain & cokes we had and each ordered another.

 

Before the actual show, the assistant cruise director, whose name I forget, comes out and gives a funny little speech before introduced Al Romero. Shortly after the show started, our drinks were delivered. The topic of tonight’s routine was “Things I don’t understand”. This had potential but certain things seemed to drag on a little too long and the next thing I knew was DH was nudging me to “wake up”. Yes, I fell asleep. I don’t think it was out of total boredom, I think the lack of sleep was starting to get to me.

 

I managed to stay awake for all of, maybe five minutes, and then DH was waking me up again since the show was getting ready to end. Luckily for me they dim the lights, so hopefully no one else noticed. We took what was left of our drinks with us and made our way up to the cabin. On the way I asked DH what he thought of tonight’s comedian since I missed most of the show. He let me know that I didn’t miss much and although some of it was funny, most of it was exactly my thoughts. We have seen better comedians. Normally, we’d have stayed for the 12:00am show, but we just decided to go to bed. That show was Diane Ford, the other comedian. She was doing a repeat of one of her earlier shows but we hadn’t seen it yet, so it would have been new to us.

One thing I’ve noticed with this cruise is that they didn’t make people leave the comedy club after a show and we could have actually stayed in our seats. On our last two cruises, the comedy was so popular that during a show, there’d already be a long line to get into the next show and finding seating would be a problem since the comedy club was already full, and with people standing. So when a show ended, they cleared it out and if you wanted to see the next one, you’d have to go and get in line and hopefully be able to find a seat. Comedy shows are what my DH loves and looks forward to on a cruise, so that’s what we do.

We’re back in our cabin, take the drinks to the balcony and watch the ocean and the stars until the drinks were finished. We took turns getting ready for bed and called it a night. I remembered to turn the alarm off on my little clock because I was going to sleep in some since tomorrow is our sea day.

*******************************************************

 

 

This is a good spot for me to wrap this up tonight. Next up is our Fun Day at Sea. This one would be a little (or very) unusual for us as we have never spent a Sea Day like we did on this cruise.

 

 

[SmudgeCat]

Still love, love, love your review!! I have a silly question about the Tervis tumblers; are they the 16oz or 24oz size? Thank you so much for spending so much time and putting so much thought (and thoughtfulness) into each of your posts, whether sharing your adventure or responding to a query. :-). It's very much appreciated!

[pghsteelerfan]

Still love, love, love your review!! I have a silly question about the Tervis tumblers; are they the 16oz or 24oz size? Thank you so much for spending so much time and putting so much thought (and thoughtfulness) into each of your posts, whether sharing your adventure or responding to a query. :-). It's very much appreciated!

 

Thank you again and I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying it. It gets even better. LOL!!! I am always happy to answer any questions as I've had questions on others' reviews and they have been helpful to me in getting the most out of our cruises.

 

The Tervis tumblers. They are 16oz. I'd love it if they had the 24oz.

[oceanlvr1016]

Sapphire Beach - yes those are sea grape trees. I was on this beach in 2006. I kept my lounger in the "shade" of the sea grape trees. The leafs are large but sparse. I got the strangest sun burn!! You are correct about it being a smooth sandy beach in the past. I was shocked to see your pictures of all the rocks.

[Stinger-pr]

When we got to the front of the line, we showed them our Sail & Sign cards and passports and were waved on through. There was a bit of a line to get back on Liberty but not much. I can’t remember if both gangways were open for passengers getting back on board or not, but later in the day both were being used. Once back on board, the lines for elevators were really bad and it was a madhouse. We decided to take the stairs, from Deck 0 all the way up to Deck 8. We made it but I told DH I hoped we didn’t have to do that again.

I figured this out on my Valor sailing after enduring some of these elevator lines. Last trip on the Liberty my cabin was on deck 7 mid-ship, 3/4 of the way to the aft elevators so what we did was take the stairs up to deck 1, walk to either the mid or aft elevators and go to deck 7 from there. By doing this we dodge the lines all the time since basically nobody was riding those elevators going up.

[Stinger-pr]

Now this is interesting…. I notice from this picture that, like you said, the table cloths are gone!!! When we sailed just 7 weeks before you guys, we had table cloths every single night. My daughter and I were seated at the table for two at the center left where there is a bald gentleman with a grey shirt looking to his side. This picture brings back great memories!! I also had the Cream of Mushroom soup and it was one of the food items I was most looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint.

[Crusin Karen]

Have never had "no tablecloths" but have read some threads about this and I have to say I don't think I would ever be a fan. :eek: That being said, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor from the pictures you just posted of your sailaway. I just hope you have a VERY BIG WALL to hang those pictures on at home! ;) Just totally amazing! :):)

[trippingpara]

 

View from our table down into the lower level of the Silver Olympian Dining room

 

 

Since this is American Table (regular dining) night, one of the changes Carnival has made was no more table cloths. There was a group of four, two couples, behind us that seemed to be together that was pretty loud, at least the guys were. But we definitely noticed a lot of the echoing and extra noise with the table cloths being gone. I have seen this complaint from others and I think there is more noise without the tablecloths.

 

Hmm, I wonder when they changed the table clothes on Liberty? They were there when we dined in May/June and we had the American Menu. Here's a shot from one of our dinners in the MDR and you can see the table cloth.

 

Cheese Plate

 

.

[trippingpara]

By the way, great review as always!! Your photos are amazing! Looks like I now have to step up my game to compete! I might need to break down and actually take a photography class for our upcoming inaugural Vista cruise. And thank you for the kind words of my reviews!

[DeDe63]

All of your pictures are so very good, but I especially love the night shots

of the Liberty in San Juan and sail away from San Juan!!!

[pghsteelerfan]

Sapphire Beach - yes those are sea grape trees. I was on this beach in 2006. I kept my lounger in the "shade" of the sea grape trees. The leafs are large but sparse. I got the strangest sun burn!! You are correct about it being a smooth sandy beach in the past. I was shocked to see your pictures of all the rocks.

 

Thank you for confirming that for me. I thought they were but wasn't sure. We were under the same area of trees in 2013, but they looked like this:

 

 

 

That was on our Valor trip, which we took in May. I'm not positive but I think it was one of Wrigley80's reviews where either she or someone else commenting let her know that you'll see the "grapes" in the fall. This was the only time we've ever cruised in the fall. The trees above must have been flowering at that point. The sunburn you got while under those trees must have been a sight, I can only imagine. Spotted, right? :)

 

That is such a shame about the beach erosion they've had. I don't know if you are reading Valentinebaby1's Liberty review (same sailing we were on), but they'd also taken a cruise on Valor in 2013. She mentioned and posted comparison pictures of other beaches they'd been to in St. Kitts and St. Maarten on the 2013 and pictures from this cruise. I'm pretty sure it was St. Kitts and St. Maarten (Maho Bay). Both have been affected by erosion, so it wasn't just Sapphire Beach.

[pghsteelerfan]

I figured this out on my Valor sailing after enduring some of these elevator lines. Last trip on the Liberty my cabin was on deck 7 mid-ship, 3/4 of the way to the aft elevators so what we did was take the stairs up to deck 1, walk to either the mid or aft elevators and go to deck 7 from there. By doing this we dodge the lines all the time since basically nobody was riding those elevators going up.

 

Thank you for that tip to use in the future. I wanted to take the stairs up to Deck 2 or 3, but DH reminded me that the elevators would be full coming back up.

 

I tried to quote your other comment too (tablecloths) but it doesn't seem to work. ??? I've been having issues with that throughout this review and others mentioned they have too. But yes, this was the first time we've seen this. I heard that they were doing it but we had the American Table/American Feast on Liberty in April 2014 and there were still table cloths. I had seen posts before that about no table cloths, but Liberty did then. And you and Trippingpara have mentioned that you both had them on your recent Liberty cruises.

 

I did see the table for two that you and your daughter had. The table that the guy at the table you had was looking back to? That was our table when we were on Liberty last year. We were paired with another couple and a family of three and had a great time at that table. And the cream of mushroom soup...I could go for some of that now, I loved it.

 

I forgot to mention in your review, I LOVED the T-shirt your daughter got!