Carnival Liberty 11/24!! Diary and Review

Hello Everyone..... We have been home for almost a month now.. and I am so late writing this review. Coming home on December 1st.. and back to work in the middle of the Christmas Season is not easy! So.. finally... I am taking advantage of a snow storm in the Northeast to start my review. This review will be a day to day diary of our trip... I do this for very selfish reasons, as it is fun to read years later!!! Please be patient, as it may take a few days for me to complete.

My husband, Steve and I (Cathy), sailed on the Carnival Liberty on November 24th. This was our 20th Anniversary Cruise. It was our 13th cruise, all on Carnival... our first being our Honeymoon 20 years ago on the Ecstasy! This was our first cruise since 2005 without our kids! We were looking forward to doing... well... NOTHING on this cruise! It was a week to unwind, relax, sleep, chill out and to avoid Camp Carnival at all costs!

Booking...

We booked this Cruise last November, more than a year out. This was the LONGEST we have ever waited to cruise! The reason why we booked so early is that Steve really wanted to have a Corner Aft Balcony room. This was one of our special treats to ourselves (and boy was it!). We booked Early Saver and originally booked Deck 6, as the two cabins on Deck 7 were booked. We chose the Liberty because of the itinerary... we really wanted to go to Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk, two places we had never been in our 12 previous cruises. We had been on the Liberty once before, in 2008 - and it had been a favorite ship. The Conquest class is my favorite class of ships - tons to do, but not as crowded as the Dream, which we went on in 2011.

Planning....and making new friends...

Booking so early, I immediately joined the already established roll call. This roll call,quiet at first.. really took a life of its own early in 2012. Many of the members ventured over to the "Social Media Website that shall not be named". Here, we were able to chat daily and people started making plans for meet and greets, etc. I found getting excited for our trip with a bunch of strangers was fun!

Early Saver....

The price of our cruise kept going UP AND UP all year... until 3 weeks before our trip. Then, little by little, we saw drops. Others kept on commenting on terrific On Board Credit deals.. and eventually our Corner Aft room saw some reductions as well.... the last one with only a week to sail. It was not much, but we were able to board with $100 from Future Cruise Certificate and $110 for a Cabin Price Reduction. If you know exactly when you are cruising and are set on that date.. Early Saver is the only way to go!!

So.. that is our background!!

Hang tight flights, hotel in FLL and DAY ONE!!

IMG_1477 by catrin0917, on Flickr

Catrin

I hope we have the same luck as you with early saver. The Liberty is the first ship we've ever been booked on that we haven't gotten price drops with early saver. The prices have gone up so much!

Looking forward to your review!

Can't wait to hear more! It's almost our time to go!:D

Just curious, we are booked in an aft wrap as well for September 2013. We are ES but all our category is sold out, is there another category I should be watching for price drops? Thanks

Carnival Liberty Itinerary - Miami - Half Moon Cay - Day at Sea - St. Thomas - San Juan - Grand Turk - Day at Sea - Miami

Friday - November 23rd

How did I begin this day?? The Day after Thanksgiving? Yes... I went Black Friday Shopping! A yearly tradition with my girlfriend, we started at 3am and I was home early.. by 9am! Steve finished packing and preparing my house for my Mom and Sister in Law, who were staying with my 3 kids (ages 17,14 and 7). We had a 2:30 flight out of Providence via Southwest - the flight stopped in Orlando (without us getting off) then arrived in FLL at 7:00. Southwest is our airline of choice out of Providence. The flight went off without a hitch and we arrived on time!!

When planning this trip, we had to decide whether to go Directly to Miami that night, or to go stay in FLL and go to Miami on Saturday Morning. Steve was able to get a hotel deal through work and they had a room at the Hampton Inn on Stirling Rd, near the FLL Airport for almost FREE - so we decided to stay there. We caught the hotel shuttle and arrived there by 8pm. We ate at Chipolte, across the street. Then we ventured to the Plaza next to the hotel, where we bought 3 6-packs of 16oz Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper bottles to bring on the ship with us.

The Hampton Inn was just fine. Nothing fancy, but for the price, you could not beat it. Most of the clientele were cruise passengers going out of FLL the next day. We would stay here again if we were arriving in FLL after 7pm, or if we were sailing out of FLL.

Saturday November 24th

Finally!!!!

The day that we waited for .. for over a year.. finally arrived!!

We slept just fine and ventured downstairs to have Breakfast at the Hotel. Your basic Hampton Inn Breakfast with Belgian Waffles, Pastry, Coffee, etc. I have stayed at many Hampton Inn Hotels with my job and the breakfast offerings here were minimal compared to other hotels. Not Impressed.. but... did I knew I would have 7 days of fantastic breakfasts ahead of me!!

Arranging transportation from FLL to Miami was one of those things that we tossed many options for .. for a long time. We could have rented a car, we could have taken a taxi, or we could have booked a shuttle. The one time we booked SAS, in 2009, they never showed up. So, then .. we decided on another option... we called Limos of Miami - who we rented a Limo from in 2003 and 2007. Would they have a car available? It was a bit more expensive than the shuttle.. but we liked the idea that they would pick us up when we wanted .. and since we had a very early flight home, they would pick us up as early as we wanted in Miami next Saturday.

We received a surprise phone call when we were at the Hampton Friday night. Limos of Miami wanted to know if it was ok for us to receive a free upgrade, because they had to get a Limo to the Port of Miami.. and instead of having two cars on the road, they would pick us up first and take the Limo to the Port to pick up the party getting off the ship!! Were we going to say NO to that?? I don't think so!!

So.. Saturday Morning, we get a call from our Driver.. the Limo is here!!

We go downstairs to check out.. and I peeked out... and gasped... this was no Limo.... this was a MONSTER LIMO!!!

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We rode in Style for our 25 minute trip to the Port of Miami!! We were picked up at 9am and arrived at the Port at 9:30. Very very early.. but we did not care.. we were there!!

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Just curious, we are booked in an aft wrap as well for September 2013. We are ES but all our category is sold out, is there another category I should be watching for price drops? Thanks

Our category was not sold out until right before we sailed. There was always one cabin open.. for that we were lucky. But we also kept our eyes open on Category 11 - just in case that dropped lower as well (which it dropped to the same as Category 9).

Keep looking daily.. you never know if they offer someone in Cat 9 and upgrade and a cabin opens!

Catrin

Loving your review! The Liberty is my all time favorite Carnival ship. My mom and I sailed on her in 2009. I will look forward to the rest of your review. Love the limo!:)

That limo was bigger than our wedding limo!!!! Can't wait to read more Cathy!!! Ready to do it again!!!

We did this itinerary on Liberty last January. Loved it....Looking forward to the rest of your review.

That limo was bigger than our wedding limo!!!! Can't wait to read more Cathy!!! Ready to do it again!!!

It was really hysterical, and actually pretty silly. I felt like I was in an episode of Jersey Shore!!

I wish I knew we were getting it... would have offered to share a ride with others!

Holeee snap I didnt realize you got MONSTER - LIMO! Its gorgeous! Gosh I wished we could have gotten that for our previous cruise there were like 6 people and 12 pieces of luggage sitting in a stretch car. We sat with our legs on the luggage! Limos of Miami is the way to go for us from now on!

Ok Cat keep up the awesome amazing review!

Holeee snap I didnt realize you got MONSTER - LIMO! Its gorgeous! Gosh I wished we could have gotten that for our previous cruise there were like 6 people and 12 pieces of luggage sitting in a stretch car. We sat with our legs on the luggage! Limos of Miami is the way to go for us from now on!

 

Ok Cat keep up the awesome amazing review!

This was a splurge for us.. to do it this way. But when we have the kids, and we are looking for transportation for 5, renting a Limo actually turns out to be only a few dollars more than a shuttle! I have used this company three times now, over 9 years. Each time, the communication is excellent and they have been on time as promised.. or in this case....more than promised!! Not to jump ahead, but we had a SUV take us from Miami to the FLL Airport.. perfect for the two of us.

Slacker :p, thanks for the review!

Great start. BTW, you were so lucky to have such a lovely monster of a limo. What a way to start your vacation. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Checking In - Port of Miami

Since this is our 13th Carnival Cruise.. we had VIP Check In. We were so early to arrive, but we were able to go to the check in desk right away and then through security. They took a very quick peek at our soda bottles and we were through in about 10 minutes.

We were then shown the VIP lounge.. our first time in this Lounge in Miami. It was great!! There are really no great amenities here, except for comfortable couches and chairs and some water and lemonade. In NYC, we had pastries, which was a nice touch, since we would be waiting almost two hours.

We were able to go the VIP desk, where we received our Platinum Sail and Sign Cards. We were told to relax and someone would escort us on the ship as soon as they received clearance, around 11:30am.

Within five minutes... we had company! Dawn, Mark, Elizabeth and Tim from CC and "That social media site that shall not be named" recognized Steve and I and came over! (Hi Guys!) They had been on the Breeze two day and had booked suites on the Liberty. It was nice meeting them and hearing about their two day adventure on the Brand New Breeze.

IMG_1417 by catrin0917, on Flickr

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A few notes about the VIP Lounge. There are NO PLUGS. We had hoped, as well as Dawn and Elizabeth to charge our Ipads, Phones, etc. No such luck. I actually think Carnival is pretty smart here, all the plugs would indeed be taken!!

The lounge got pretty crowded as the time passed. As it is available for all Platinum and Suite Cruisers, they should really consider making this space larger.

We had a nice time waiting and at one point us girls went exploring the main lounge area for others who were on our roll call. We found Dawn and the entire TIG clan and Sally and Jack!

Now.. here is one of my only real criticisms on this cruise.... a very small one actually. It has to do with FTTF cruisers vs. VIP cruisers. The VIP lounge is quite a distance away from the entry way to the ship. We were told that as soon as the ship was cleared, the VIP group would be escorted first, followed by those who had FTTF (Faster to the Fun) passes. Well, that did not happen. As they announced the VIP group, those who had FTTF also got in line ... and they actually called the FTTF group before the VIP group got to the entrance way. The FTTF group .. many of our new friends... were SMART and stationed themselves close to the entrance. Many from the FTTF group actually were able to board the ship earlier than the Platinum and other VIP members. Did this ruin our morning?? No Way! But, I just think that they could have handled it in a more orderly fashion. Making sure all those in the lounge had entered before allowing the second group in.

I actually think FTTF is a great option, and if we were not already Platinum, we would certainly take advantage of this!! It is not a VIP vs FTTF argument.. it is just how Carnival says one thing and then does another.

Did five minutes make a difference? NO WAY!! We were FINALLY on the Liberty!!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8221/8322757595_b1febe05ba.jpg' alt='8322757595_b1febe05ba.jpg'> IMG_1420 by catrin0917, on Flickr[/img]

Great start~ we too love PVD, it's our favorite airport. Can't wait to read the rest, taking DH on the Liberty this coming May :)

Exploring the Liberty

Once we got inside the Liberty, we instantly remembered why we loved this ship. The lobby is beautiful. We love the energy of everyone that first day.. from the music playing, to the friendly welcomes we receive from the staff. We had a great feeling about this cruise!!

We immediately went to the shore excursion desk to confirm our Half Moon Cay Cabana assignment. Many on our roll call had booked Cabanas and months ago, there was a posting that you could call Carnival and reserve your cabana. Shortly after this time, Carnival announced you could no longer do that! So, we wanted to see if we needed to reserve again. Well, we were lucky! They had us down for our first choice. We filled out the soda request and we were done!!

One great perk is that as a VIP or FTTF you can go immediately to your room and drop off your carry ons. We were ready to check out our Cabin! Our cabin was 7440, a corner aft balcony. Steve was really looking forward to this location... while I thought it would be nice, I would have been just as happy in any balcony. Well.. I was WRONG. This room was the most amazing room ever!!! From the minute we walked in, I was in love. The room was just the right size for two people, with plenty of windows. Here are some pictures..

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The bathroom was in a strange location.. near the Balcony door. A few times at first, I found myself walking towards the cabin door! The bathroom was the typical Carnival Bathroom.....

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Many people ask about the amenities basket in the bathroom... we had tons of Fructis Shampoo, a disposable razor, and some toothpaste.

Although we wanted to spend all week here.. there was one thing that was calling me from two decks up.... lunch and GUYS BURGERS!!

The ship was decorated for Christmas that morning. The decorations, I felt were classy and understated... although it was very easy to forget this was Christmas season in the Caribbean!!

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Lunch.. Day 1

There was no doubt where I wanted to go to lunch the first afternoon... since I first read about the 2.0 upgrades, I have been craving a Guy's Burger! Now.. I have been on 12 cruises.. in all different states of dieting. I remember our first cruise, where our eyes watered at the sight of all the food! I remember going to the midnight buffet every day (when they had them!). I remember cruising FOR THE FOOD... then that all changed a few years ago. In 2009, cruising for the food became secondary, and I realized it was very possible to eat wonderful healthy foods and make smart decisions. There is fresh fruit, egg white omelets, wonderful salads, SPA selections at dinner and sugar free desserts. I was looking for the balance in this cruise. While I wanted to be careful, I did not want to miss some of my favorites... so I blended good eating, with fun eating and a few visits to the GYM! Yes, it is possible!!

So, back to Guys. 1800 calories of heaven on a plate. I loved the cheeseburger... as good as they say. Was it the best cheeseburger I have ever had? No. But much better than the previous Carnival Cheeseburgers. But nevermind that.... people, it was the Fries. Yes, those Fries. Five Guys Burger Fries on a cruise ship. Ok, it was official.. I was going to gain 100lbs. Guys was followed by a mandatory first day ice cream cone and a promise to eat something healthy at dinner and a gym trip in the morning!!

After lunch, we went back to the room where our luggage had arrived! By 1PM, we had checked in, had lunch and unpacked.... already this was an amazing cruise!! We brought with us a BELKIN charger, to keep my Kindle, Ipad, and other things charged. We also brought an alarm clock.. a must have for any room. Other must pack items are a Mesh Hamper, Thermal Mug, Lanyard and Beach Bag!! The only thing I forgot, that I wish I had was a small over the shoulder bag for my sunglasses and Camera.

At one point, we ventured to the Dining room to check our table assignment. Since it was our first time alone without kids in a LONG time, we were hoping for a table for two. I debated how to ask for this, then finally I messaged John Heald and asked him to help. I was thrilled and thankful that we had a wonderful table in the middle of the first floor of the Silver Dining room.

We found ourselves back on the Lido Deck.. where the crowds had arrived.. and the cruise had begun!! We hung out a bit at the Blue Iguana Bar... and just watched the action and enjoyed the music.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8323814762_82cdc939d5.jpg' alt='8323814762_82cdc939d5.jpg'> IMG_1435 by catrin0917, on Flickr[/img]

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Keep up the good work, Cathy!!! I'm loving re-living it all over again. I think that I ate Guys Burgers 4 times. :D:D:D

Keep up the good work, Cathy!!! I'm loving re-living it all over again. I think that I ate Guys Burgers 4 times. :D:D:D

And just think.. we had not even really met you guys yet!!

I need to find my Fun Times.... I have to remember what we did each night!!

If anyone has any questions, please let me know....

Or.. if you think this is super boring... and want to see a cruise with kids... just check out my very long winded Dream Review with my three kids from last year... (link below signature!).

And no... there are not any pictures of food here. If I whipped out the camera at dinner and started taking pictures of food.. let's just say that our 20th anniversary would have been our last!! ;) Except for ONE picture... coming later. :D

Time to take a break.. I will be back soon!

Catrin

Great review so far---We were on the same cruise-- hard to believe it's already been four weeks since we docked back at Miami.

We too had a cabana on Half Moon Cay--#14. For those that question the cost-- we felt it was well worth it and would do that again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for your review!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Great review so far---We were on the same cruise-- hard to believe it's already been four weeks since we docked back at Miami.

 

We too had a cabana on Half Moon Cay--#14. For those that question the cost-- we felt it was well worth it and would do that again in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks for your review!

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Our Cabana at Half Moon Cay was amazing. We, too, would do it again and I hope someday to bring my kids there. Hopefully I will get to those pictures later tonight or tomorrow!!

Thank you so much for this review! We sail on the Liberty this coming Saturday!! Wheels up in 5 days!! So excited....can't wait to read more!

Cathy, Thanks for the review. Can't wait for more