Loyal RCI Guest goes Carnival Liberty

[trishalee]

I am the most computer illiterate person I know. If you're interested, I posted this review on Carnival's board but have no idea how to get it over here without re-typing the whole thing over. I'd love you all to read it though. Can't wait for the Jewel in April. WOO-HOO!:D

[Tenbyman]

Highlight~~~Copy~~~Paste:)

[Barefoot_Pirate]

We can also just click on your name, and link to everything you have written...ain't no secrets here.

 

Oh, thanks for the info. I've been looking at doing a Carnival Cruise, and just have not...but their single occupant pricing is typically better than RCCL, and since I get a lot more vacation than my DW I sometimes sneak away on a cruise solo...

[Bonnie Voyager]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=286459

[Bonnie Voyager]

trishalee, you wrote a very nice review! Good job! Having sailed on many Carnival cruises myself, I think you gave a very fair representation! I have enjoyed every Carnival cruise I've been on, and while I still prefer the elegance of Royal Caribbean, I think Carnival offers an excellent alternative. They really do know how to have fun! And I mean good, clean, family-type fun!

 

Here's trishalee's review cut-n-pasted from the Carnival boards...

 

Well, here we go! Where do I srtart? Let's try the beginning...

 

Embarkation

 

Arrived at Port Everglades about 11:20 AM and were on the ship at 12:10. We waited outside the terminal for about 15 minutes, but once they opened the doors, we were moving continually until we were on the ship. After the nightmare stories we had heard, this was a GREAT beginning!

 

Ship

 

Decor in the public areas of the ship was horrendous! It was like they ran a contest to see who could come up with the most clashing colors and mix of patterns possible! Being used to the pure elegance of RCI ships, this was rather shocking, but having read about the "glitz" I was somewhat prepared (although I wouldn't describe it as "glitz"). Our balcony cabin(6387) was very comfortable and the beds were WONDERFUL! We were across from the Self Service Laundry and never heard a sound. I never even saw anyone come to use it. Cabin size comparable to Category D-1 on RCI for HALF the price - that's why we tried Carnival this time. Times for In Cabin movies never posted anywhere - thought this was odd as we were never able to get in on the beginning of any of them.

 

The ship was VERY unstable even in the relatively calm Caribbean waters. We decided it was possibly because, while the ship is very long, it is also extremely narrow. Movement doesn't really bother us but staggering back to the cabin after dinner (unfortunately NOT because of alcohol, LOL) was kind of dangerous for my 80 year DH. We still laughed about it, though.

 

I never noticed a restroom closed or a stall Out of Order. This was common on RCI most cruises. Also never noticed that slight sewage odor which has been common in the past. Possibly because of it's a new ship?

 

Everything on this ship always clean and in good working order.

 

FOOD

 

My least favorite food was at dinner in the Silver Olympian Dining Room. Partly this was because there was SO much movement (vibration, rocking, thudding). I must say that the meat servings were the largest I've ever seen on a ship - prime rib and filet mignon were HUGE! Every night, I was saying "Wow" as I was served. However, the "sides" were miniscule: one night, 2 tablespoons of au gratin potatoes and 2 tablespoons of creamed peas. Our table mates remarked a few times about the serving of green beans - four beans. We did have the 4 beans 3 times this cruise.

 

Food on the Lido was spectacular! Those Shanghai chicken spring rolls were KILLER! Enjoyed all the oriental food I tried. DH was especially impressed with the steak sandwiches and cheeseburgers from the grill. Buffet items were always hot and fresh. Deli sandwiches very good also. Did not try the fish place. Never saw any used dishes on a table for more than a few minutes - someone always on patrol.

 

Service

 

This was always great. We didn't meet our steward until the third day. Left sticky notes asking for ice in our cooler, but didn't get any until we ran into him in the corridor, asked if he was our steward and asked for the ice. He always brought it twice daily afterward. All others on the ship were always smiling and offering help with everything.

 

Fellow Passengers

 

I was very surprised at the great mix! I would say that the median age was 45 to 50. Almost no children, and those who were on this cruise were very well behaved. We complimented their parents. I saw absolutely NO instances of any drunk or unruly passengers. These were folks who knew how to have a good time pleasantly!

 

Ports

 

In Freeport, we took a cab to the Sheraton Our Lucayan Beach Hotel. This has a great, flowing pool and lots of great areas on the beach, bars and food. This was the best weather day of the cruise. Walked through the straw market before returning to the ship.

 

At least we did get to go into Grand Cayman - last 2 cruises waters were too rough. However, more bad weather was coming so we had to be back on board by 2:00 instead of 5:00, and since we didn't get off until around noon, it was no beaches for us (boo-hoo).

 

Costa Maya was a total loss. No sooner than they were letting people off (I'd say maybe a couple of hundred had debarked) we were told we had to sail as quickly as possible because the ship was in physical danger from high seas washing over the pier. It was kinda fun watching the captain maneuvering the ship to keep it far enough away from the pier to prevent damage and keeping it close enough to the pier for the gangways to be useable for returning passengers. Wish we could have gone in but them's the breaks. We received a $25/person credit on our Sail & Sign, as opposed to a shipboard credit - we were pleased with this as they didn't have to do anything. On RCI we never had any missed port charges refunded - a free hour of Screwdrivers or Bloody Mary's for one hour when missing Jamaica and Grand Cayman ports a few years ago.

 

Debarkation

 

Went very smoothly. After our color was called, we waited about 40 minutes and went down to get off - our color was almost gone and the next had not been called as yet. Saw our Luggage right away, a porter was waiting, loaded into a cab and off to the airport. We were there by 10:30.

 

To Sum Up

 

We were very leery of a Carnival cruise - RCI passengers seem to be the most opinionated. That's why I'm posting this. We had a wonderful time on the Liberty. I won't say we had a blast 'cause at my age an actual "blast" might kill me. Every one of my expectations was FAR exceeded. I didn't expect alot, and even searched for negative comparisons but failed to find anything significant. Sure, RCI gives you bottled water to take into port and Carnival SELLS you the water, but this type of thing is totally minor. Thanks, Carnival,:D for the wonderful cruise! I'll be delighted to answer any questions, so fire away!:D

[trishalee]

Glad you all enjoyed my review - I did really try to be fair all the way around. I forgot to mention one thing I addressed on my comment card. The audio on the Lido deck is SO LOUD that conversation had to be stopped, especially when the singer with the steel drum band begins. On the one hand, it is great having music way more often than RCI does on the pool deck, but we honestly just "folded our tent" and went back to our balcony so we could hear ourselves think and even talk to each other once she started.:eek: