QUick Liberty info 7/20 cruise Day one

I probably will do this in bits and pieces around work and laundry, etc. So here goes:

1. The ship is pretty much like the Glory, beautiful open spaces, light and airy, huge Lido area, and that "cant get there from here" 3rd,4th,5th floor plan. Neverless this was a dream cruise.

2. Boarding was a cinch. We landed at 8:55 AM from Atlanta and our AIRPORTCONNECTION.com driver was waiting for us after immigration. It took apporx 1 hr to get to the port. We had a smooth ride in and brought our luggage to the waiting handlers. There were quite a few and it was well organized. We BREEZED through check-in (no Disneyland lines here) and were on the ship in 30 minutes!!! Naturally our rooms were not ready this early, so we were invited to go to LIDO for brunch and to wait until approx 12:30 for the rooms. Again, well planned and executed.

2. No show the first night and come-as-you-are dress as MANY people were without luggage( we were told as high as 40%), so bring a change of clothes in your carryon! You never know. We were on a direct flight and put our luggage on and took it off so no problem. We were told that main problems were through London and with American Airlines but this was NEVER confirmed.

The Silver and Gold diningrooms were beautiful, no garish "mushroom" lights, but beautiful Murano glass Chandeliers. We enjoyed our dinner, but it was very unorganized (first cruise I suppose). We met with a few couples through the cruise and found that many had requested the late dining but were bumped to early. I guess the Europeans on board are used to later dining and when we North Americans asked for late dining, too-- well it was way too full. This was a bit of a problem with port days, as many had to rush back from sighseeing to dine.

3. We went to the gift shops- a big surprise- NO postcards, only a standard issue LIBERY card at the check out in the childrens area (ask for them as they are free). No stamps at pursers until 4 days out. Make sure you bring DOLLARS to get them, and get as many as you will need at once as they sell out fast. We asked about getting stamps for Spain and France, but were told that the Italian stamp with air mail was sufficient to send cards to US and Europe and all they were going to stock.

4. A word about the beds-- HEAVENLY!!! Beautiful, comfortable mattresses, high thread count sheets and comforter cover, 2 NICE pillows each. A wonderful experience. Other than that the cabin is about the same as Glory. Nice hairdryer, 110/220 volt plugs, balcony was the same size, but the furniture was new aluminum and mesh type, a little big for the space as you had to move either the table or chairs to get in and out.

5. Planning for Amalfi Coast next day-- We brought Euros and KUNAS from American EXpress office. They did exchange onboard ( contrary to notice with tickets), but you will get a much better rate at ATM almost anywhere.

We used Drive Amalfi and were astounded with the tour and guide- Adriano. A few people we talked to that took Carnival tours did not see ANYTHING like what we saw, ate and expeienced, and paid more. Capri was hit or miss from what we heard. Big groups got no direction once on the island, small groups had a fabulous time.

More Later, CIAO!

Can't wait for the rest of the review...

:)

yes,thanks for your quick review. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for the review, sounds great so far!

Thanks for the review....can't wait for the next installment.

My dd is dying to know how much the coke cards for this cruise are. She will be 13 yr. when we sail so I don't know if that is a kid or not.

THanks for the wonderful review so far. Can't wait to hear more.

Jody

What time did you get off the ship?

Looking forward to the rest of your review. If I could I'd come do your laundry and work for you. thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks for posting. Those of uis on furture Liberty Med. sailings have been on pins and needles waiting for reviews.

I'd like to know how many ships were in port the day you debarked. On our sailing next May 19th there are 5 ships in port the day we debark, wondering how bad of a zoo it is and how early everyone got off the ship.

Thank you for the quick posting! Does the Liberty have wireless available in the cabins? How was the 12 day dinning menu? Anything you regretted not bring with you?

C'mon spill it. How is the food, the shows, the ports, the big tv

I'm very interested to hear about the excursions. My trip is on the 6th. I'm running out of time to book !! :)

Im so excited! The beds soundheavenly!! I can catch up on all the sleep I've missed by working two jobs to pay for the Transatlantic cruise! CANT WAIT!!!

Tell us more!

Thanks for the info. Sounds like its going to be a great first cruise...

We just got off the plane. Liberty was awesome! I will answer any questions you have. I noticed someone asked how much the coke card was, it's way too much. It was $75. Cans are only $1.50, so see what it's worth to you. We drank alot of tea and water. We took a shore excursion at every port, so I can answer any questions about that too. I noticed a question about the big screen by the pool. That was a definite perk! The dining room meals were my favorite, We ate there every breakfast and dinner. we ate the lido or off the boat for lunches. I love the fish and chips counter on deck 10. We had eleven people in our group ages range from two to fifty -five, and we all felt like it was the vacation of a lifetime! I wish I was still there.:p

Hi Usedtogotowork,

Thanks for the review. :) Tell me more about the Kids program..Ages 3, 5 &7.

Also, did you use the laundromat?

Any suggestions for Messina?

How early/late can you debark the ship?

Many thanks.

What time did you get off the ship?

Did any of you attend the past guest party? What day and time?

Thanks,

We did go to the laundry mat twice, they are on the odd side of the decks every floor with cabins. The washer and dryer are both two dollars and the soap is one dollar. Go on the days at port when you return from excursions, because days at sea the line was long. The kids program is heads above the Pride ship we last sailed. We had a kid in the 2 year, the 8 year, and the 12 year. The 8 year old had the most fun. We couldn't pull her out. My 12 year old came and went as he pleased, he mostly liked the scavenger hunts and playstation time. The toddler had a good time, though he got a little sad for mom to leave the room. The staff was very nice. My daughter's favorite counselor was Charolette from the Phillipenes.As for Messina excursion we did Taormina and the greek theatre. The streets were hot and crowded, but our guide was well versed and we had fun. The ice cream or gelatti was the best here of all the ports! As for embark and debark, we got on about 11:30 and we were off by 9 am. This definitely wen't alot smoother than the last cruise as well. I'll keep checking for more questions I love to share!:o

USetogotowork,

In your opinion do you think about getting around the cities on your own to see sites? We only booked the florence/pisa tour. Do you think it was fairly easy to get around say in Cannes, Barcelona, and Dubrovnik? We'd like to catch a cab or take public transportation to the sites just to avoid the high excursion rates.

Thanks,

Bobbi

September 6 Voyage,

First time cruiser

Thanks all for the info regarding the Liberty. We sail in about 10 months with our good friends from NJ that we have taken 3 cruises with to date: two upcoming in Oct., 05 and June, 06. Best advice: Purchase the cruise insurance. I was hospitalized in Bermuda. You have to pay ships doctor bills and overseas hospital out of pocket. The cruise insurance reimbursed me for all costs that my primary health provider didn't pay as well as both my wife and I having missed a day.

Rich M

USetogotowork,

In your opinion do you think about getting around the cities on your own to see sites? We only booked the florence/pisa tour. Do you think it was fairly easy to get around say in Cannes, Barcelona, and Dubrovnik? We'd like to catch a cab or take public transportation to the sites just to avoid the high excursion rates.

Thanks,

Bobbi

 

September 6 Voyage,

First time cruiser

Bobbi,

In Cannes you can definitely do it on your own. We took the coach tour and our guide did not speak English well. You can get a taxi or just walk there it's not far to beaches or shops. As for Barcelona, we had a good guide in the coach for the highlights, but the shopping that the excursion listed was not what we expected. We only got thirty minutes and everything was outrageously expensive. As far as the cabs go there were lots of people stuck in traffic and we were late leaving the port that night due to most of the carnival employees that were in the traffic.As for Dubrovnik we took the best of tour and it was wonderful. A few in our group went kayaking and they loved that too. If you decide to go on your own there is public transport that we took because we stayed downtown after the tour, you need to buy a ticket before you get on the bus. Thedriver doesn't except cash. Make sure you are clear on how to get back to the ship because the bus stops at the bus station and it is very confusing to get to the port. We walked up and down the road looking at the boat, but we couldn't find a way to get to it. The croatians had a good laugh at us I think. We did make it back in time, but we were soaked from an afternoon rain. We also went to the Florence and Pisa tour and that was my very favorite day! I loved it. Some people on our coach did report some things missing like cameras and wallets, so be careful.:eek: No one in our group of eleven had any problems in any ports as far as theft or even fear, except for the crazy drivers while walking. I know you didn't ask about Naples or Venice, but I thought I might mention that we went to Mount Vesuius and Pompeii and that was my second favorite excursion, (worth the cost). Venice was beautiful, but you can definitely do that on your own. We docked a few bridges away from the square. We did the highlights tour and the gondola ride through Carnival, but we found out that it is only one hundred dollars a gondola for six people and we had to pay one hundred per person. So we paid eleven hundred dollars for a ride that shoud have cost us two hundred, We live and learn I guess.All the other tours we did except Cannes and Venice I feel were worth the money and the security of getting back to the ship on time. I hope this helps a little.

Happy planning.:) Kellie

:D Hi Everyone - My name is Karen and I'm travelling with hubby, Kos and good friends, Rich and Jane (See RMan post). We are sailing in June of 2006 so we have plenty of time to learn about the ship, ports, sightseeing, etc. We plan to arrive in Rome 4 days prior to sailing and are pretty well confused about where to stay without spending too much $$$ :confused: . We've purchased "Rome - For Dummies" :p which is excellent, but the only concrete information we have so far is to stay away from the area around the main train station. The AAA book describes the area as "unwholesome". Oh boy. Has anyone stayed in Rome? I have heard some stores about professional thieves, who have actually taken a woman's diamond earring right out of her ear so fast that she didn't know what happened. Advise is to not wear any jewelry and keep your valuables very secure. These pros work as teams and can snatch a wallet or purse in a flash. I'm sure we'll manage fine on our tours, but if we're venturing out on our own, we need to be extra vigilant. I spoke to a good friend last night who reminded me someone stole her pocketbook while she was boarding a train in Rome. We have never been to Europe, so this trip is really exciting for us. Especially going on the beautiful Liberty with Rich and Jane. The ship sounds fantastic and I'm looking forward to the movie screen at the pool. How cool is that? :p Friends of ours recently returned from a cruise to the Mediteranean late May and had a fantastic time, but said they were exhausted every day. Tried to see everything. They took ship tours at each port and felt they were always being shuttled from one place to the next with no time to really see the sights. Anyone have any tips! Thanks for all the info. It is really appreciated. Karen

Thanks for the info Kellie!

I really appreciate it.