Just Off The Liberty (Long)

[fourcruisin]

We sailed on the Liberty 3/3/07 - 3/11/07 and had a great time.

Our group of 6 adults between mid 40's and mid 50's.

Here are some of my random personal thoughts.

 

Arrived at Port Everglades at apprx 10:40 a.m. and we were on the ship by 11:30 a.m. Quickest process I've seen.

 

Had balcony cabin 7351. For this itenierary (sp) I would have preferred port side.

 

Liberty is a magnificient ship. Very clean and well decorated. Honestly had the best cabin steward (Aubrey and team) out of 5 cruises. He was fast and did a great job keeping our cabin immaculate.

 

We were told there were over 500 kids on board but Camp Carnival did a good job because we did not really see them. Some spring breakers but not much of a problem. Some people were a little inconsiderate in the hallways late at night but that can happen. Decks were very, very crowded on sea days and the chair hogs were out in full force.

 

Table 116 in Golden Olympian diningroom. 6:15 seating. Margherita and Deyan were our servers. Again, very good and worried about me because I ate steak most nights. We had linked our reservations together so we would be seated at the same table. Once again, 2 couples were seated together and dh and I were at a different seating and table completely. A quick trip to the maitre d after we boarded and all was well.

 

Maitre d was very funny. Liked him a lot. Food was ok, not really my taste and I've had better. Buffets were just that....buffet food. I ate most of my lunches at the Lido grill and stuck with the burgers which were very good. Warm chocolate melting cake.....enough said!!

 

Harry's was ok. We always do the supper club one night. Had filet mignon but it was a little overcooked. Each member of our party felt that their steaks were overcooked also.

 

Entertainment was great. I didn't attend a lot of the shows but Marcus Anthony was fabulous. Brought the house down. Heard that the comedian, Happy Cole was hysterical. Rest of our party saw him and are still talking about the show. Carnival Legends show starring passengers was great. Some great talent amongst the passengers.

 

Decor of the ship is very nice. Not as outrageous as the decor on the Miracle.

 

It really screwed most of us up that that put the diningroom so that you can't traverse the ship on decks 3 and 4. It was one of those "can't get there from here" issues. Very confusing.

 

CD Todd was great. Very funny and a nice guy.

 

They did not annouce when you could debark in the ports which was annoying so if you want to get off right away, pay attention or line up early.

 

Ports of call.

 

San Juan. Walked around the pier area. Not much to see there. 4 of our group hopped in a van for a 1 hr tour of old and new San Juan. I think it was $10 pp and although the guide was great, it was too dark to really see the highlights.

 

Took ship excursion to St. John to see Trunk Bay. Absolutely amazing place but not enough time there. Wish we could have stayed longer.

 

Antigua. We booked privately with Sean Beazer at Scenic Tours Antiqua. I highly recommend him. He is a wonderful man and will take great care of you. He has a beautiful 30 passenger coach and is so proud of his island. We purchased a day pass at Pineapple Beach Resort and he brought us on the scenic route to the resort while giving us the history of Antiqua. He picked us up promptly and took us on a side trip to Devil's Bridge (amazing) as an extra without any charge. I would really look into booking a tour with him if you plan on visiting Antiqua. He is a wonderful man.

 

Tortola. Took a ship excursion to Virgin Gorda for The Baths. The ferry ride was very choppy. Our party was fine but one lady did get sea sick on the ride over. We were delayed leaving the ferry dock and it cut into our time on Virgin Gorda. The walk down the path to the first beach is longer than I thought. I am very of of shape and I did it but be prepared for a rocky walk.

We decided to stay a the first beach while 4 others went through the rocks. All did well but there were a couple of places my bil had to crawl because he could not "duck walk" because of hip replacement surgery. The water on the first side was very rough and we chose not to swim there. Some people did but they were tossed around quite a bit.

 

The 4 members of our group that went through the baths swam at the other beach although 1 member to the group got washed ashore like a fish from what I've been told. (Sorry Deb) I think she is still finding sand in places it shouldn't be!!!!

 

The hike up the first path to the top was hot and slow. I was glad to see the bar/restaurant. Bring lots of water with you for the hike! I was told the other path was not as rough but it was hot also.

 

The view from the top is amazing. Worth the visit alone even if you don't walk down to the baths.

 

Debarkation was smooth and easy. Carnival has really improved on this since our last cruise. Not as helter skelter as before.

 

We stayed 2 nights pre-cruise in Ft. Lauderdale. One night at Holiday Inn on the Beach and one night at the Renaissance. Ok, no comparison here at all. My dsis got both on hotwire. Paid $100 for the Holiday Inn but it was literally last minute as we left on Thursday instead of Friday because of an impending storm. The hotel is ok for one night but it really, really needs a complete renovation. It has not been touched since apprx 1973 and it shows. The location is iffy but we did not feel unsafe but we did have a rental car and could come and go as we needed to. The Renaissance is unbelievable! If you can afford it or get it on hotwire, go for it. My dsis got it for $129/nite on hotwire. It is a 4* hotel at $379 nite. I cannot say enough about this hotel.

 

Car rental. What a nightmare. I booked Budget ahead of time. Don't bother. The line was literally over 150 people long. They had 2 agents handling the general line and 3 for the fast break line. I had a fast break # but because I didn't have my card/number they would not handle my reservation the in the fast break line. They had no one in the fast break line but none of the agents from that area would service the general line. We went to Continental Car Rental after 45 minutes. We had a car within 20 minutes and it was $50 cheaper for a brand new mini van. I will never book with Budget again. Very poor service and ridiculous rates!!

 

Don't worry if you forget to pack something....there is a Walgreen's on every corner in Ft. Lauderdale!!! We toured most of them.

 

I've posted most of what I can think of. Let me know if you have any questions and I will post again if I remember anything else.

[TJ172]

Thanks for the review. I am looking to book Liberty for September, and was wondering, is the Golden Olympian dining room the aft dining room, or mid-ship? Thanks again for the review :)

[fourcruisin]

Thanks for the review. I am looking to book Liberty for September, and was wondering, is the Golden Olympian dining room the aft dining room, or mid-ship? Thanks again for the review :)

 

The Golden is the mid-ship diningroom.

[clgcrusier]

I was on the sailing the week prior to yours-pretty much conccur with everything you said! Western itinerary, though.

 

I had the same problem with overcooked food. They just can't seem to figure out "medium well." If I order it medium it comes raw-blech. But there was certainly enough to eat. I also stuck with the deli and grill and was perfectly content. No fish or seafood for this Wisconsin gal! But the desserts-yummy!:)

 

I loved the decor on the Liberty. Was more of an Italian garden theme throughout, I think, which I love. And the wonderful dining staff in the Silver Olympian restaurant was tops! The only thing that really sucked was the itinerary. Freeport had very little to offer, Grand Cayman is getting old (and very crowded-7 ships in port!) and missed Costa Maya for the 2nd year in a row! That wasn't a major issue to me, but some people got really ugly about it-I even saw some man screaming at the poor towel guy on the Lido deck!

 

My friend and I agreed, although the staff was superb, there seemed to be an underlying current of unhappiness among the staff. I think they work them much too hard-some of the staff seem a bit fearful of saying anything out of line to the passengers, too. One fella said they sometimes work 18 hours a day. I believe this, because you frequently saw the same people working different areas of the ship at all hours, even the dancers. And they are at sea for about 8 months at a time. I don't really know how they can be expected to function at 100% all the time under those circumstances. I always try to let them know how much I appreciate their efforts.

[TJ172]

The Golden is the mid-ship diningroom.

 

I appreciate the help!! :D

[Sandi149]

We are also doing the ship sponsored tour to the Baths. Can you tell me approximately how long it takes to get down to the beach and how long to get back up? Also, about how long were you actually at The Baths and how long is the ferry ride over to Virgin Gorda?

 

Thanks. :)

[fourcruisin]

I was on the sailing the week prior to yours-pretty much conccur with everything you said! Western itinerary, though.

 

I had the same problem with overcooked food. They just can't seem to figure out "medium well." If I order it medium it comes raw-blech. But there was certainly enough to eat. I also stuck with the deli and grill and was perfectly content. No fish or seafood for this Wisconsin gal! But the desserts-yummy!:)

 

I loved the decor on the Liberty. Was more of an Italian garden theme throughout, I think, which I love. And the wonderful dining staff in the Silver Olympian restaurant was tops! The only thing that really sucked was the itinerary. Freeport had very little to offer, Grand Cayman is getting old (and very crowded-7 ships in port!) and missed Costa Maya for the 2nd year in a row! That wasn't a major issue to me, but some people got really ugly about it-I even saw some man screaming at the poor towel guy on the Lido deck!

 

My friend and I agreed, although the staff was superb, there seemed to be an underlying current of unhappiness among the staff. I think they work them much too hard-some of the staff seem a bit fearful of saying anything out of line to the passengers, too. One fella said they sometimes work 18 hours a day. I believe this, because you frequently saw the same people working different areas of the ship at all hours, even the dancers. And they are at sea for about 8 months at a time. I don't really know how they can be expected to function at 100% all the time under those circumstances. I always try to let them know how much I appreciate their efforts.

 

I learned that a smile and hello or thank you goes a long way. The staff works very hard and like you said, very long hours. The way some people treat them is horrible. We always tip above and beyond the suggested amounts because I feel that they are over worked and very underpaid.

 

I made mention to several superiors about the wonderful service we received and also noted their names on my comment card at the end of the cruise.

 

I will say that the photo lab needs to be overhauled and retrained. We ordered reprints of a formal photo and they lost them. Took 4 trips to the photo desk and some serious discussions to get the issue resolved. Then, low and behold, the same thing happened to us 2 days later. One female photo lab worker needs to be retrained in customer relations or changed to a position where she does not interact with customers. I made note of that on my comment card as well.

 

We met some cruisers at the Renaissance from your cruise. They were less than pleased with their cruise and the fact that you missed ports. It does happen but the cruise line can't be blamed for that. I'm glad you had a good trip in spite of the missed ports. A day on the ship is still better than a day at work!!!!!!!

[fourcruisin]

We are also doing the ship sponsored tour to the Baths. Can you tell me approximately how long it takes to get down to the beach and how long to get back up? Also, about how long were you actually at The Baths and how long is the ferry ride over to Virgin Gorda?

 

Thanks. :)

 

From the time you actually start the walk down to the first beach it takes apprx 10 - 15 minutes depending on how crowded the path is.

 

Coming back up, we left a little before the crowds so that we wouldn't feel rushed and it took about 15-17 minutes. That included pausing twice for a minute to let others coming down the path go past us.

 

The ferry ride is about 35-40 minutes and then the taxi/bus is about 10 minutes from the ferry to the actual top of the baths. (The ship used Smith's Ferry service) We only had about 1 hour and 45 to 50 minutes from start to finish at the area of the baths. As I said though, we were delayed at the beginning of the excursion because they would not let people debark the ship while the Norweigian Cruise ship docked beside us at the same pier. We were delayed about 45 minutes on the ferry waiting for the rest of our excursion members.

[Sandi149]

From the time you actually start the walk down to the first beach it takes apprx 10 - 15 minutes depending on how crowded the path is.

 

Coming back up, we left a little before the crowds so that we wouldn't feel rushed and it took about 15-17 minutes. That included pausing twice for a minute to let others coming down the path go past us.

 

The ferry ride is about 35-40 minutes and then the taxi/bus is about 10 minutes from the ferry to the actual top of the baths. (The ship used Smith's Ferry service) We only had about 1 hour and 45 to 50 minutes from start to finish at the area of the baths. As I said though, we were delayed at the beginning of the excursion because they would not let people debark the ship while the Norweigian Cruise ship docked beside us at the same pier. We were delayed about 45 minutes on the ferry waiting for the rest of our excursion members.

 

Thanks. :)

[Cruiser from MS]

Glad you had a good cruise we were on the Liberty in January in cabin 7355. Sounds like you had the same room stewards we had, they were wonderful. I met their supervisor and personally told him what a good job they were doing for us. They even made me a special towel animal one day after that...

 

We learned on this cruise on this class ship go to deck 5, you can go all the way forward or all the way to the back of the ship on that deck. When I finally learned that it made it a lot easier for me to get to where I wanted to go.

[fourcruisin]

Glad you had a good cruise we were on the Liberty in January in cabin 7355. Sounds like you had the same room stewards we had, they were wonderful. I met their supervisor and personally told him what a good job they were doing for us. They even made me a special towel animal one day after that...

 

We learned on this cruise on this class ship go to deck 5, you can go all the way forward or all the way to the back of the ship on that deck. When I finally learned that it made it a lot easier for me to get to where I wanted to go.

 

 

My dsis and dbil were in 7355 also. The stewards were awesome.

 

I finally figured out on Wednesday to go to deck 5 and navigate from the Casino to wherever I wanted to go. It was pretty confusing until then though.

 

The ship was very clean and well maintained. We saw members cleaning constantly and washing down all sufaces daily. I didn't hear of anyone with noro although my bil heard that one person got very sick at the beginning of the cruise and ended up being taken off to a hospital in St. Thomas to be treated and flown home. Not sure what was wrong though.

[clgcrusier]

I learned that a smile and hello or thank you goes a long way. The staff works very hard and like you said, very long hours. The way some people treat them is horrible. We always tip above and beyond the suggested amounts because I feel that they are over worked and very underpaid.

 

I made mention to several superiors about the wonderful service we received and also noted their names on my comment card at the end of the cruise.

 

I will say that the photo lab needs to be overhauled and retrained. We ordered reprints of a formal photo and they lost them. Took 4 trips to the photo desk and some serious discussions to get the issue resolved. Then, low and behold, the same thing happened to us 2 days later. One female photo lab worker needs to be retrained in customer relations or changed to a position where she does not interact with customers. I made note of that on my comment card as well.

 

We met some cruisers at the Renaissance from your cruise. They were less than pleased with their cruise and the fact that you missed ports. It does happen but the cruise line can't be blamed for that. I'm glad you had a good trip in spite of the missed ports. A day on the ship is still better than a day at work!!!!!!!

 

 

We chose this itinerary more because we got a great deal on a balcony, and wanted to try it out. I knew from past experience that Costa Maya gets missed quite often because of wind and weather-it didn't even seem that bad that day, but must have been, as they tried to see if we could stop in Cozumel or Calica, but they were closed too. Some guy was bellowing that it was the Captain's obligation to get us there-WRONG! It's his obligation to keep a boatload of thousands of people safe. I wonder what that idiot thinks the Captain could have done if the ports were closed? That is the decision of the port authority, not the Captain. And everyone was refunded the $25 port fee.

 

IMHO, however, I feel that these ships should drop this port from their itinerary if it gets missed that often. BUT-people need to research these things BEFORE they book a cruise!

[Lib0007]

Hi Fourcruisin, and thanks for the great review! I have one question . . .I will be on the Liberty in 3 weeks, same itinerary . . . if you stay on the ship while in San Juan, is there a show to see, is the casino open, anything going on in the lounges, etc.?

 

Oh, (sorry one more) I know you mentioned the dining room menu was only so-so for you, but is there a particular night that would be good to miss to go to Harry's . . . when the menu wasn't that great? Maybe the San Juan night would be good for us.

 

Glad you and your friends had a wonderful cruise. I'm counting the minutes until mine . . .

[june1300]

FourCrusin....thanx for your review, we will be on the same iten for june 23....it currently states that we are in tortola till 3 ish and then stop at Nassau the next day.....I heard rumors that they were goign to give us loner in tortola and not stop in nassau.....is this what occurred on your cruise???

thanx

[fourcruisin]

Hi Fourcruisin, and thanks for the great review! I have one question . . .I will be on the Liberty in 3 weeks, same itinerary . . . if you stay on the ship while in San Juan, is there a show to see, is the casino open, anything going on in the lounges, etc.?

 

Oh, (sorry one more) I know you mentioned the dining room menu was only so-so for you, but is there a particular night that would be good to miss to go to Harry's . . . when the menu wasn't that great? Maybe the San Juan night would be good for us.

 

Glad you and your friends had a wonderful cruise. I'm counting the minutes until mine . . .

 

Hi Libby,

 

I can't remember what activities were on for San Juan. I believe I have all the capers at home so I will check tonight and let you know.

 

For me, Wednesday would have been a good night for Harry's but they were booked up within an hour of us boarding the ship. We ended up going Thursday night but the diningroom had filet mignon and turkey that night both of which I like. If you go to webshots and search under carnival menus, there should be photo shots of the evening menus.

[fourcruisin]

FourCrusin....thanx for your review, we will be on the same iten for june 23....it currently states that we are in tortola till 3 ish and then stop at Nassau the next day.....I heard rumors that they were goign to give us loner in tortola and not stop in nassau.....is this what occurred on your cruise???

thanx

 

 

Yes, we were in Tortola until 6 pm and did not stop in Nassau which we knew about well in advance. I have no use for Nassau so I was not disappointed.

 

Our sea days were Sunday and Monday til 5 pm and then Friday and Saturday.

[Irishvisions]

I just called Carnival and they stated that there are some dates where the iteneraries have been changed that do not include Nassau. I can only tell you that the Liberty cruise for Aug. 18-26 does include Nassau. To be sure your cruise is not effected, I suggest you call them directly.

[stlrboo]

Some guy was bellowing that it was the Captain's obligation to get us there-WRONG! It's his obligation to keep a boatload of thousands of people safe. I wonder what that idiot thinks the Captain could have done if the ports were closed? That is the decision of the port authority, not the Captain. And everyone was refunded the $25 port fee.

 

IMHO, however, I feel that these ships should drop this port from their itinerary if it gets missed that often. BUT-people need to research these things BEFORE they book a cruise!

We've been to Costa Maya twice, and hope to be there again this April! One of the reasons we booked this particular cruise.:) Our sailing was originally sceduled for Cozumel, but the pier there is not complete after the recent storms..

 

Most itineraries do either Cozumel or Costa Maya because of their proximity to one another, but high winds, etc, can have a bad affect on docking possibilities. We docked aft in in Costa Maya, both trips! This can be quite a feat in rough waters :eek:

 

Our one trip in Costa Maya, at the pier, we saw the Grandeur after it had hit the pier upon docking.. Took three days to repair it, so the ship could return home.. I'd glady take an additional day at sea during rough weather, to prevent another mishap like that!!:D

[caribbean dreams]

I just called Carnival and they stated that there are some dates where the iteneraries have been changed that do not include Nassau. I can only tell you that the Liberty cruise for Aug. 18-26 does include Nassau. To be sure your cruise is not effected, I suggest you call them directly.

 

We are on the July 21st sailing and still will be stopping in Nassau also.

 

The Carnival site is showing the sailings that will and will not be stopping in Nassau, it looks like all the summer sailings will still be stopping but we all know, this could change at anytime.

 

How far in advance did you know of the change??

[SheilaS]

There were 12 of us on this cruise. We had a great time. Our food was wonderful. Medium was medium. The food was warm. The desserts were heavenly. I had the chocolate melting cake every night and it was always good. Some nights it was a little too done-not quite gooey enough for me- but still very good.

 

All of the staff on the ship went out of their way to for us. We only had one incident with a drink person on deck and we never saw her again, so no big deal.

 

The only real complaint I had, and reported to Carnival, was that the shops are way to small for that size ship. I hated how they would put stuff out, but you couldn't buy it until the next day. In such a small area, the things they were selling had such a crowd around them, who wanted to shop?? I saved money on this cruise for sure!!:)

 

The itinerary was great! I loved that we skipped Nassau and was able to stay in Tortola all day. It is a beautiful island. Some of the prettiest views I have seen since Martinique! (We did not go to Virgin Gorda)

 

We took an Antigua tour with Premier Antigua Tours. Carl was our driver and he did a good job. The van was plenty roomy, but he did forget our cooler of drinks he was suppose to supply.

 

If you go to Turner's Beach, try the goat or the Caribbean Lobster. They were the best out of the 12 different meals we all ordered. :p

 

When we got home, of course, depression set in. I booked next year's cruise today!!

Yippee!!!!!

 

Sheila

[cruisinjerseygirl]

We are leaving for this cruise in 19 days and I am so happy that you posted this as it makes me feel wonderful about our upcoming cruise and I am getting more and more excited! Thank you so much for the information as it is a huge help!

[cruisinbuddy]

We did the same cruise in January and had a great time too.

[BBiles]

Hi Fourcruisin, and thanks for the great review! I have one question . . .I will be on the Liberty in 3 weeks, same itinerary . . . if you stay on the ship while in San Juan, is there a show to see, is the casino open, anything going on in the lounges, etc.?

 

 

The casino is closed while in the ports of call. However, in San Juan you can walk to the Sheraton Hotel which has a casino on site (Drinks are free). It is a very short 5 minute walk once off the ship to the hotel. Can see it from the ship. Senor Frogs is directly behind/beside the hotel also.

 

Also, in Antigua, there is another casino just off the ship. Kings Casino. Not even a 5 minute walk there. Drinks are free here also.

[kapcruiser]

Is there a beach at the sheraton hotel that we can go on?

[BBiles]

Is there a beach at the sheraton hotel that we can go on?

 

No beach that I recall. The Sheraton is across the street from the waters but no sandy beaches. Its basically a port on one side and then businesses on the other with the Sheraton thrown in there. That was as far as I made it in San Juan.