Is Liberty worth the extra money?

There are some good deals out there now for shorter cruises and I found some great prices to the Bahamas on the Sensation. But there's a 5 night on the Liberty that comes out to about $300 more. That's a big "per night" jump, and yet I've never been on any of Carnival's bigger/newer ships and would like to try it out.

I've read nice things about the ship on here, but what, specifically, could I expect?

But there's a 5 night on the Liberty that comes out to about $300 more. That's a big "per night" jump

Lets just say that the Liberty is my favorite Carnival ship and the Sensation is my least favorite ship. IMHO, the Liberty is worth an upcharge, and I would gladly pay it before I set foot on the Sensation again.

What's the "per diem" difference?

Lets just say that the Liberty is my favorite Carnival ship and the Sensation is my least favorite ship. IMHO, the Liberty is worth an upcharge, and I would gladly pay it before I set foot on the Sensation again.

 

What's the "per diem" difference?

About $75/night. I guess it's not huge. I'm not even sure I compared similar cabins.

I haven't been on the Sensation. I was on the Ecstasy last year (I called it the "Kaleidoscope").

Thanks for your input.

To answer your question "Is Liberty worth the extra money?", in a word, Yes! The Sensation is an older, smaller ship, and doesn't have most of the amenities that the Liberty has. The Liberty is (currently) our favorite ship. Think of it this way. If you were to rent a car for a week while on vacation, which would you pick? A Ford Focus, or a Mercury Grand Marquis? Now, I'm not comparing these cars to the ships in question, but I think you get the idea.

Yes! We were going to do a 5 night our of JAX but for about a $200 difference we can do the Liberty for 7 nights-Western. Debated for about ten seconds. Decided that we could miss a day of school for that. We sailed her before the 2.0 upgrades and we can't wait to see what its like now. We loved the upgrades on the Sunshine.

Yes - Love the Liberty - just off it - wish I was back there

The Liberty has excellent reviews and from our sailing on her, I would agree with them. I love the 2.0 upgrades and the crew is wonderful.

I would sail on her in a heartbeat. The only negative for me is that the casino and casino bar is very very smoky. I don't usually hang out in a bar, but the band that played when we were on Liberty in September, Music Mix, was probably one of the best we've ever heard on a ship. We spent a lot of time in there listening to their music. If the band were not in the casino area with all the smoke, it would be perfect.

By the way, I am not complaining about the smoking as I know the areas to smoke are limited, I am complaining that Carnival doesn't have a good ventilation system on Liberty.

Lets just say that the Liberty is my favorite Carnival ship and the Sensation is my least favorite ship. IMHO, the Liberty is worth an upcharge, and I would gladly pay it before I set foot on the Sensation again.

 

What's the "per diem" difference?

:) Sensation was my first Carnival ship way back in 2000, when she did 7 day cruises (was a 7 day from Tampa, visiting Grand Cayman, Cozumel and New Orleans), it was my first Carnival cruise, but not my first cruise (previously one on NCL and one on Celebrity).

Still it was the Sensation cruise that got me hooked on Carnival, since I have not been back to either since previous cruises. Not to say I wont go back to the other cruiselines, just I am very motivated by Carnival prices since I am not "floating in funds".

Saying all that, I must say that Liberty, my fourth Carnival cruise was my favorite, both because it was a treasured rare cruise with my Mom, and because I loved just about everything about that ship, including the "décor":eek: Yes a ship who's décor actually impacted my cruise enjoyment! I could watch those changing color lights in the atrium all day.

We had at least one hiccup on that cruise, but we only remember the good things, which was 99pc positive.:)

What was it about the Sensation you did not like? just wondering, but no big deal. Each and every sailing regardless of ship can be good, bad or not good at all for many reasons, so I am just curious. I would be happy to sail on Sensation again, just would want to have at least 5 day sailing, and they don't do those.

Is Liberty worth the extra money? IMO yes!

The sensation seemed old when I was on in in the mid 90s I am really surprised it is still in service honestly.

i'd pay $300 more for liberty vs. sensation any day without a second thought.

Absolutely! We have sailed both ships and Liberty is our absolute favorite. It has all the 2.0 upgrades except the ropes courses (I believe). Liberty has also been a "test" ship for programs like the Cheers rollout as well as the American Table/feast menus. We love Guys, the red frog and the blue iguana. Comedy shows are much better too. Last, the cruise director, Cory Rogers, creates memorable experiences. Splurge, you won't regret it.

BTW, the Sensation was our first cruise as well and it created the bug that has us cruising twice a year. Good introduction to cruising but we enjoy the newer ships a bit more. 😄

I've never been on the sensation, but we loved the liberty. I would pay the extra money you won't regret it.

I must say that Liberty.....was my favorite.....a ship who's décor actually impacted my cruise enjoyment!

 

What was it about the Sensation you did not like? just wondering, but no big deal!

That's one of the things that I like about the Liberty; the decor. It's one of the few Joe Farcus-era ships that are tastefully done. The use of toned down colors, rich woods, wrought iron, art by local artists specifically commissioned for the ship, and Murano light fixtures and chandeliers, make it one of the most eye pleasing Carnival ships.

About the Sensation, the experience was just bad. We sailed on a weekend cruise from Port Canaveral, and the clientele was, by far, one of the worst behaved I've ever seen on a cruise ship. I mean, it was the first (and only) time I've ever witnessed a racially motivated fist fight right in the middle of the atrium, with glasses flying, and people screaming. The crew just seemed overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the rowdy and poorly behaved crowd. Somebody vomited right in front of the stairs leading to the main theater. A crew member marked the spot with a yellow cone. We walked by the same spot a few hours later and the cone was still there, with the vomit now dry and crusted to the carpet. The theme of a lack of cleanliness and service just kept repeating itself throughout the ship, with dirty dishes and glasses piling up near elevators and along hallways. The icing on the cake is that the ship is just gawdy, with its purple, 90's decor. I'm sure that at one point it may have looked modern and innovative, but now it just looks run down and outdated. IMHO, early Joe Farcus designs don't age well.

So that's it in a nutshell. Considering that the Sensation is relegated to these short, cheap cruises for the foreseeable future, and I don't see Carnival updating this ship anytime soon, I think it will be awhile before I sail on her again. Although I should NEVER say never again!

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The Liberty is our least favorite Carnival ship. It was also the most crowded ship we have sailed on.

It depends on what you want in your cruise. The liberty does have the seaside theatre. The Sensation has water works and the Liberty does not.

You’re paying more for a longer cruise. That is only reason I would sail on the Liberty again.

The Liberty is our least favorite Carnival ship. It was also the most crowded ship we have sailed on.

It depends on what you want in your cruise. The liberty does have the seaside theatre. The Sensation has water works and the Liberty does not.

You’re paying more for a longer cruise. That is only reason I would sail on the Liberty again.

Wow, someone besides me doesn't like Liberty;) I just didn't like it, disliked stadium seating, DR service was poor while the waiter gushed over a table near us, just couldn't feel comfortable on it.

That's one of the things that I like about the Liberty; the decor. It's one of the few Joe Farcus-era ships that are tastefully done. The use of toned down colors, rich woods, wrought iron, art by local artists specifically commissioned for the ship, and Murano light fixtures and chandeliers, make it one of the most eye pleasing Carnival ships.

 

About the Sensation, the experience was just bad. We sailed on a weekend cruise from Port Canaveral, and the clientele was, by far, one of the worst behaved I've ever seen on a cruise ship. I mean, it was the first (and only) time I've ever witnessed a racially motivated fist fight right in the middle of the atrium, with glasses flying, and people screaming. The crew just seemed overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the rowdy and poorly behaved crowd. Somebody vomited right in front of the stairs leading to the main theater. A crew member marked the spot with a yellow cone. We walked by the same spot a few hours later and the cone was still there, with the vomit now dry and crusted to the carpet. The theme of a lack of cleanliness and service just kept repeating itself throughout the ship, with dirty dishes and glasses piling up near elevators and along hallways. The icing on the cake is that the ship is just gawdy, with its purple, 90's decor. I'm sure that at one point it may have looked modern and innovative, but now it just looks run down and outdated. IMHO, early Joe Farcus designs don't age well.

 

So that's it in a nutshell. Considering that the Sensation is relegated to these short, cheap cruises for the foreseeable future, and I don't see Carnival updating this ship anytime soon, I think it will be awhile before I sail on her again. Although I should NEVER say never again!

 

 

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Thanks for the response. Yes that would definitely put a damper on my opinion of a ship. While I do remember all that purple in the atrium, I dont remember much else about the decor, probably because it was 14 years ago.

Your experience was a pretty bad one, and Im glad it didnt stop you from cruising completely.

That's one of the things that I like about the Liberty; the decor. It's one of the few Joe Farcus-era ships that are tastefully done. The use of toned down colors, rich woods, wrought iron, art by local artists specifically commissioned for the ship, and Murano light fixtures and chandeliers, make it one of the most eye pleasing Carnival ships.

 

About the Sensation, the experience was just bad. We sailed on a weekend cruise from Port Canaveral, and the clientele was, by far, one of the worst behaved I've ever seen on a cruise ship. I mean, it was the first (and only) time I've ever witnessed a racially motivated fist fight right in the middle of the atrium, with glasses flying, and people screaming. The crew just seemed overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the rowdy and poorly behaved crowd. Somebody vomited right in front of the stairs leading to the main theater. A crew member marked the spot with a yellow cone. We walked by the same spot a few hours later and the cone was still there, with the vomit now dry and crusted to the carpet. The theme of a lack of cleanliness and service just kept repeating itself throughout the ship, with dirty dishes and glasses piling up near elevators and along hallways. The icing on the cake is that the ship is just gawdy, with its purple, 90's decor. I'm sure that at one point it may have looked modern and innovative, but now it just looks run down and outdated. IMHO, early Joe Farcus designs don't age well.

 

So that's it in a nutshell. Considering that the Sensation is relegated to these short, cheap cruises for the foreseeable future, and I don't see Carnival updating this ship anytime soon, I think it will be awhile before I sail on her again. Although I should NEVER say never again!

 

 

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I usually respect your contributions to CC, but this one upset me. As a very seasoned cruiser, you are fully aware this likely was a one time event, not the common thing on Sensation:mad: But, you are making it sound like it's the norm. I've been on her 4 times now. My last one was in October. So many of us noticed the complete harmony between races, making new friends. Except for a few dishes in the hall, that's all I saw, and they didn't stay long.

No, Sensation isn't the thrill of all Carnival ships, but she is not what you have portrayed here. I'll likely get reamed for my thoughts, but I can express them too.

As a very seasoned cruiser, you are fully aware this likely was a one time event, not the common thing on Sensation:mad: But, you are making it sound like it's the norm.

As soon as I posted that reply, I figured that someone would point out that my experience was an exception an not the norm. And you're right. What I experienced was indeed an exception. I don't expect to find a fight of that nature every time that I sail on the Sensation, but because it happened on my specific sailing, and I had never experienced anything like that before, it created a pretty big impact. I will always recall that experience when I think of that ship.

But my dissatisfaction with the Sensation went beyond the fight. The poor service, dirty dishes, the lack of cleanliness, and it's outdated and gaudy surroundings, all contributed to my opinion about this ship. And about fellow cruisers, the rowdier crowd isn't something specific to the Sensation, but something more commonly found on short, cheap weekend cruises, regardless of ship and cruise line. I had experienced it before, but it reached a crescendo on our Sensation cruise. As I mentioned before, since this ship is permanently scheduled for short cruises, it reduces the likelihood that I will sail on her any time soon.

To summarize, and to clarify, I do agree with you that the fight was a very rare exception.

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Is it worth the $300 more? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!

That's still less than $100 per night. If you can afford the extra, definitely do it. Problem is you will likely not be able to go on a ship without 2.0 improvements after that.

Liberty is our favorite. Very sad it moves to San Juan next year.

I just booked! I'm a solo traveler, so I like to grab good cruise deals when I can find one. I did take an interior cabin, but that's okay. It's midship, and we only have one sea day, so I don't plan to be in it that much. The OV's were a lot more, and were located more towards the pointy ends. I like midship.

So good - now I have something to look forward to - and it's less than 60 days away!

The Liberty is my favorite ship.

Enjoy your cruise :cool:

We have been on several cruises over the past few years. Always try a different one never thinking to do one over again except the Liberty. We did a Halloween cruise in October and

We have been on several cruises over the past few years. Always try a different one never thinking to do one over again except the Liberty. We did a Halloween cruise this year on the Liberty. Definitely would do the Liberty anytime. Great crew, great service and clean. nothing really negative to say other than the heavy smoke smell that was around the casino, casino bar and that part of the promenade. But, I can understand the reason why - limited areas now for those who smoke and everyone has the right to be there, it's just very crowded for a small area. Had friends who were on the Splendor the same time period and they had a great time to and they said the same - too smokey in the casino area. Guess it is the norm on all.