Carnival Liberty

[ilovhywd]

Hi! I have never visited the Carnival board, but I have a question and would like some of your opinions. I have already read some of the recent trip reports on the Liberty, and it sounds very nice!

 

We usually cruise with Princess, HAL, or Celebrity, but now we have a wonderful opportunity to cruise on the Carnival Liberty in the Caribbean.

 

How does this ship compare with the cruise lines I mentioned? Would the cruise experience be similar? In the past, Carnival was known to attract a young crowd (20's, 30's). Has it become more multi-generational in recent years?

 

Thanks for your comments!

[Froufie]

Definitley more family oriented - I too had a fear of the 'party ship' reputation so for many years avoided Carnival - I have since taken 4 cruises on Carnival (about to take my 5th) and honestly there isn't much difference!

 

Camp Carnival is great for the little ones - and there is usually something going on for all ages. I choose to avoid the busy Lido pool and the Hairy Chest contest - preferring the upper aft decks for the view - so it's 'to each their own'.

 

I don't think you will be disappointed - and I do find Carnival is a good value in any case!

 

Froufie

[criuisingurl079]

If you are used to those ships, I would rethink the CCL Liberty, as you can see from my signature I did the same and tried the Liberty and thought it was terrible. Maybe you'll enjoy ice cold food, smokers everywhere including the pools and kids running amuck- but we didn't! Not to mention that every night was completely dead- no fun ship for us!

[Cruiser from MS]

I have not cruised other cruise lines but I have been on the Liberty. I loved this ship it is very nice, the food was very good and the staff was wonderful. We never had cold food and did not have a lot of smokers on our cruise. I think it really depends on what time of year you cruise and if it is an 8 day cruise you will have an older group. I personally love the Liberty.

[criuisingurl079]

cruise other lines, and you'll see the difference!

[ilovhywd]

Now that we've read your comments and the most recent review, we have decided to skip this opportunity to cruise with Carnival. If we have one pet peeve about cruises, it is the abundance of smoking, and your review was the clincher. Hopefully, someone from Carnival reads this message board and enforces stricter smoking regulations!

 

I am a firm believer in "Even if you can't stay at the Four Seasons, you can have a great time at the Holiday Inn," but after that review, we're not willing to take the chance. Thanks for writing.

[Leebo]

I've been on Celebrity Galaxy and I've been on the Carnival Liberty. I didn't find any of the food on the Liberty icy cold, nor did I have any troubles with smokers or drunk people (I found smoking on the ships about equal, but I think the Galaxy has a better air circulation system that is better then Carnivals). Just as a side note, both myself, my wife and my parents are really sensitive to smoke, and none of us ever really noticed smoking on our Liberty cruise, but again, it all depends on who is on the cruise with you. I'll list out some pros and cons about either ship. And again, I've only been on one Celebrity cruise so take it with a grain of salt.

 

Celebrity Galaxy Pros:

- REALLY good service from ALL staff (it was good on Carnival, but on my Galaxy cruise it was REALLY good).

- Nice, quiet atmosphere

- They had some cool classes to attend during the day

- The ship is smaller, which I prefer

 

Celebrity Galaxy Cons:

- Some of the passengers I found a bit...stuck up. Not all, but quiet a few

- Their shows sucked. And I mean bad.

- The food was mediocre

 

Carnival Liberty Pros:

- Good food (specifically on the Lido deck...the deli RULED! I loved the reubens)

- People are friendly

- Shows are great

- Fun atmosphere

- Big screen on the Lido. That was really cool. My dad and I went up to watch Superman one night and it was really an enjoyable night, just me and my dad shooting the breeze out in the nice warm night while watching a movie. One of my favorite memories about that cruise

- The atmosphere is very casual and relaxed. Everyone's just having a good time

 

Carnival Liberty Cons:

- Ship is too big and has an overcrowded feeling to it. The lines at the buffet were long, although you didn't have to wait that long

- I'm not ultra fond of the stuff they do on the Lido deck, like the hairy chest contest and all of that, but I'm usually napping in my cabin anyway :D

 

Really, I liked both ships regardless of the Cons that I wrote down. I would cruise on either line anytime. I have enjoyed all three cruises that I have been on emensly and I am sure I will love my next one just as much.

 

I hope this helps.

[lyttleone1977]

Now that we've read your comments and the most recent review, we have decided to skip this opportunity to cruise with Carnival. If we have one pet peeve about cruises, it is the abundance of smoking, and your review was the clincher. Hopefully, someone from Carnival reads this message board and enforces stricter smoking regulations!

 

I am a firm believer in "Even if you can't stay at the Four Seasons, you can have a great time at the Holiday Inn," but after that review, we're not willing to take the chance. Thanks for writing.

 

Im sorry that you feel that way. We just returned from the Liberty Halloween cruise, and I experienced none of those things. The food was always hot and excellent, we do not remember any smoke, and I was with a smoker, there were not a ton of kids around, even though the CD Karl said we had a lot, but I never saw that many and I had kids in Camp Carnival. It also did not feel crowded, which surprised me since we were close to being completely booked. The lines were never that bad (my mother would say differently) in the buffet, but I also watched what time I went. We many big groups on board, and it never felt overran. If I was you, I wouldn't sail on a short sailing, or during a time when kids are on vacation. Most of the people we met were older then we are (30), and we had a blast.

[Tbay-eh]

Hi! I have never visited the Carnival board, but I have a question and would like some of your opinions. I have already read some of the recent trip reports on the Liberty, and it sounds very nice!

 

We usually cruise with Princess, HAL, or Celebrity, but now we have a wonderful opportunity to cruise on the Carnival Liberty in the Caribbean.

 

How does this ship compare with the cruise lines I mentioned? Would the cruise experience be similar? In the past, Carnival was known to attract a young crowd (20's, 30's). Has it become more multi-generational in recent years?

 

Thanks for your comments!

 

I am slated to go on the Liberty on Feb 16th - this is 4th cruise with Carnival - I love it but can't compare to others. I chose Carnival because of the price, because of the excellent food, larger cabins and the restaurants - ask anyone, Nick and Nora's - Harry's etc are to die for. They cost you an extra $30.00 per head, but don't miss it. I passed it up the first couple of times, then thought what the hell. Oh my God - the food and service is absolutely over the top - I have already booked Harry's and we don't sail for another 68 days (but who is counting.) Cindy

[xcarebearxoxo]

we were just on the liberty and it is a beautiful ship. it is a mixed crowd and they do a good job with the kids in making sure they dont run the ship we had about 400 kids on ours (even though most should have been in school) but we never saw them. i was preggers on the cruise and i never had to deal with smoke and i dont smoke. it wasnt even bad at the casino. the food was the best and so was the staff. its a shame the op wont try the liberty i think they are missing out

[vuildog]

I have to question why after only three replies the OP made a decision? Anyone else smell a TROLL?

[Dave85]

The OP is entitled to make up his/her mind whenever he/she see's fit and however he/she see's fit.

 

I just wanted to comment on the night life. It is so variable (on both Carnival and RCI) on when and where you sail. Things are more likely to be active during typical vacation weeks (lots of people off from work, families, 20-somethings, etc.), and on Caribbean sailings. The most dead cruise I was ever on in terms of night life was Brilliance of the Seas in Europe, despite the fact that it was during the summer. My most quiet Carnival cruise was Carnival Destiny to Canada back in the day...

 

If you're looking for hopping/active night life cruise the Caribbean during the summer or over a holiday.

[ilovhywd]

I'm the OP again. Can you please explain the troll question? I know that a troll is a cute Norwegian folklore character, but I have never heard the term used in connection with a cruise (unless it's a Norwegian ship)!!

 

To answer your question, I had to make a quick decision today because the cruise we were looking at is only 19 days away! In addition, a few other couples we know were interested in joining us. I didn't want to recommend this cruise and then have our friends be unhappy with smoke, unruly children, and mediocre food. I am sure there is good and bad with ANY cruise, but I didn't want to take the chance this time and disappoint our friends. If it was just us, I might have been willing to give it a try.

 

I agree with the poster who suggested not cruising during holiday periods when children are out of school!

 

Thank you all for your input!

[Dave85]

I'm the OP again. Can you please explain the troll question? I know that a troll is a cute Norwegian folklore character, but I have never heard the term used in connection with a cruise (unless it's a Norwegian ship)!!

 

LOL. Disregard the "troll" comments... some people on this board get worked up if anybody dares to criticize or say so much as a bad word about Carnival. Great response though. ;)