Carnival Liberty - Western Caribbean

[VacationFanatic]

My wife, our kids and I are planning a Summer 2008 Western Caribbean Cruise and one of the possible choices is the Carnival Liberty.

 

However my wife is concerned becasue she believes Carnival cruises are party cruises.

 

We enjoy dancing and good food and having fun, but we do not drink alcohol. I know we are different than most people.

 

So the bottom line is, would any of you that have been on the Carival Liberty recommend it, is the environment more laid back, similar to RCI or Princess cruises, or is it younger an wilder as the Carnival cruises used to be famous for.

 

Your input is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Cruiser from MS]

I highly recommend this ship. My husband and I were on this ship this past January. It is beautiful, the staff is great. I really don't see how you can go wrong. Your kids will love the big screen on the lido deck. :)

[KAWS]

We sailed Carnival (Miracle) this last March during March Break and we observed no problems whatsoever. Drinking is not a prerequisite to having fun on Carnival.

 

We don't drink that much and my son (21) doesn't drink at all. He told us after he had a great time! There's definitely something for everyone. The ships decor is fun and there's a lot of family type events there like family feud, belly flop contest (we're bringing a ringer for our next cruise!!), fear factor, karaoke, etc. There's always two types of shows too - the family one and then later (11 or later) adult show that do NOT allow children there so there's no need to worry on that score either.

 

Carnival is made for families. They are the most affordable and the rooms are the largest and really comfy! Have a great time. We're sailing on the Liberty March 2008 with some friends. I can't wait to get sailing again!

 

Kim

[hubofhockey]

I just got off the very same cruise you are contemplating. My wife and I have two kids (9 and 7). There are all kinds of people on the Carnival Liberty. One thing I found interesting is that bartenders on the Lido (pool deck) were not doing hard sells as much as they were on my RCCL Enchantment of the Seas cruise last year. However, the atmosphere, on the whole, is very similar to that you'll find on Royal Caribbean. I think there is something for everyone on the Liberty. The entertainment and shows are great too. Take the cruise and enjoy Costa Maya while it is still not developed too much.

[janewtb]

My huband, myself and our two teenagers are booked on the Liberty for Christmas this year. This will be our second cruise on Liberty, the first being Europe in 2005. We have also cruised Celebrity, HAL, and RCCL and did not find that Carnival was much rowdier than any other line.

 

Jane from Spokane

[cruisinbuddy]

The only people who'll think that you're wierd for not drinking alcohol will be the servers:eek: , they won't get any sales from you. Who cares, go dance and have a great cruise. The Liberty is a fantastic ship.

[ews]

My DH and I are going on our 2nd Liberty cruise in August and our 6th cruise all together. We do not drink either and had a wonderful time on all the ships. We can have laughs and fun and hang out with others that do drink and not feel left out at all. Go and enjoy yourselves.

[PINEVIEW01]

My wife, our kids and I are planning a Summer 2008 Western Caribbean Cruise and one of the possible choices is the Carnival Liberty.

 

However my wife is concerned becasue she believes Carnival cruises are party cruises.

 

We enjoy dancing and good food and having fun, but we do not drink alcohol. I know we are different than most people.

 

So the bottom line is, would any of you that have been on the Carival Liberty recommend it, is the environment more laid back, similar to RCI or Princess cruises, or is it younger an wilder as the Carnival cruises used to be famous for.

 

Your input is very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

Good ship! Very nice!

[vacruizer]

We had the same concern before our first cruise last year. We are not big drinkers (our total bar tab for the week was less than $50 including a bottle of wine at dinner one night!) and we had heard the party line rumors. We were more than pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere on the ship. Average age on our sailing was probably 45-60, although this was a fall cruise with very few kids onboard. Food and service were fantastic and there was truly something for everyone onboard to do.

 

We have not sailed the Liberty yet but have two booked on her and are looking forward to them both!

[PaulMedik]

My wife, our kids and I are planning a Summer 2008 Western Caribbean Cruise and one of the possible choices is the Carnival Liberty.

 

However my wife is concerned becasue she believes Carnival cruises are party cruises.

 

We enjoy dancing and good food and having fun, but we do not drink alcohol. I know we are different than most people.

 

So the bottom line is, would any of you that have been on the Carival Liberty recommend it, is the environment more laid back, similar to RCI or Princess cruises, or is it younger an wilder as the Carnival cruises used to be famous for.

 

Your input is very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

 

VacationFanatic,

 

Myself and my DW and three sons (12, 10, & 6) have cruised Carnival Liberty and several other Carnival ships and have not encountered the rumored 'party boat' atmosphere. We have encountered the 'Fun Ship' atmosphere exactly as Carnival advertises.

 

We're also booked again on Carnival Liberty for Summer 2008 and we're planning to make it a B2B cruise. I'd describe the environment as laid back, relaxed, easy going and I can't imagine anyone not having a good time. :)

[Radical Ruth]

My husband and I just sailed on the Liberty and had heard that the Carnival cruises were party cruises. We didn't find that to be true at all! I think the median age group was 45-60. You and your family will have a wonderful time! It's a beautiful ship with many fun things to do that don't include drinking.

 

Ruth

[hubofhockey]

My family (with 9 & 7 year olds) were just on the Liberty 4-22 Western Caribbean cruise. It was not a wild crowd at all. In fact, I just booked the Liberty for the 4-26-08 Eastern Caribbean cruise. There is something for everyone on the ship. I have cruised Royal Caribbean before and didn't notice any difference in the type of people on the ship.

[shipshapegal]

our family did this cruise in december. here is a link to the video we had done by jason at gatorclaw. it will show you the ship and the fun and the ports. the first segment is only the real carnival commercial so you can skip that one if you want. the next segment is just everyone getting here. then the third segment starts the actual ship. it was wonderful. there were eleven of us in five rooms. have a blast!!! we certainly did!!!

 

smiles, bonnie

 

http://www.gatorclaw.com/bonniecruise

[clgcrusier]

The Liberty is a beautiful ship-we were just on her in February and had no problem whatsoever. Most of the party problems occur on the olderships with short itineraries, during spring break. At least that's what I've understood on these boards. I've not had a problem yet. Certainly the ship is big enough to head somewhere else if there is something annoying going on. I don't think you'll be sorry if you choose this ship.:)