Kermarkim

23 days before we board he Liberty

I think its all how you look at it. If you haven't kept up with television, Lip Synching is the latest craze. Several shows featuring lip synching with even celebrities joining in. Then your local hot spots and bars have now Karaoke and/or lip synching featured. A lot of folks enjoy these activities and get pretty creative with it. It becomes very enjoyable to participate and view. It may indeed be a way for Carnival to save money, but I do believe it is an activity that if done correctly can be very enjoyable. When Carnival introduced Dive-In Movies, I at first said who is paying money to take a cruise to watch a previously run movie. Every Carnival cruise I have been on since they introduced Dive-In movies, the lounge chairs are completely full, the popcorn line is long and even on the colder nights people will lay up with a towel or blanket and enjoy the movie. I myself try to work the movies into my schedule as well. Yes I enjoy the shows with the dancers and singers, but if you have been cruising for awhile you realize even these can become a little cheesy or overly familiar. Now bringing folks like Tim McGraw and Kerry Underwood, Jay Leno and the likes is definitely an added bonus. I have yet to be able to participate because every cruise I book with the professional stars has been sold out. Yet everyone tells me it is amazing. So in my opinion, I say variety is the spice of life and don't let a change in activity ruin what could still potentially be a lovely experience especially when you see the ridiculously low prices you get for a Carnival Cruise. I mean really, I am a world traveler with recently flying to Japan, Italy and Dubai and let me tell you a Carnival cruise is a drop in the bucket. During Spring Break in April, we flew to Florida, rented a car, booked a hotel and purchased a three day pass to Universal Studios. Let me tell you for a family of 3, without even getting in any food, our three day amusement park ticket was $215 per person. That's just to walk in the door of the park. Parking each day at the park was $20. We still haven't even had a soda, popcorn or lunch. We have to purchase on top of that 3 meals a day, hotel, rental car, etc. You get my point. For a measely few hundred dollars, Carnival is giving you transportation on the ocean to various islands and countries that you can visit without paying extra if you just choose to walk around or taxi it to the beach, hotel room, unlimited dining experiences at multiple places on board, entertainment throughout the day where guest can get involved or just watch, dive-in movies, broadway type shows and all of this is inclusive in the price. If you then want to go above and beyond the menial price of the cruise, you can pay for spa treatment, liquor, casino, Upscale dining lite the Steak Houses on board, etc., etc. I mean really, I went to Cozumel and Key West for $179 for 5 days and 4 nights. I went to Nassau and Freeport for 4 days/3nights for $249. I went to Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Grand Cayman for $569 6 days/5 nights. I went to Ensenada, Mexico for $80 on Carnival Imagination (no lies) 3 days/2 nights. I could go on and on about my 11 cruises with the most expensive one being $569 per person. I'm about to take my son on the Liberty 4 days/3 nights with a nice cabin on Lido deck for $329 per person. So I say cheer up, when people say you get what you pay for, that is not true with a cruise. You get so much more than you pay for. Please tell me where I can pay $329 on a land vacation and get everything included, hotel, unlimited food and entertainment for 3 full days. Unheard of. Just to get into Disney is $100 before you do anything else. So don't let the new lip synch showcase get you down. I am so hoping it is on the Liberty next month.

 

 

Thursday: Ghostbusters and Sing

Friday: Jason Bourne and Fantastic Beasts

Saturday: Trolls and Moana

 

They could be different in two weeks, but this was valid for ours on 4/20-4/23

 

Thanks so much. It sounds like something we can work with.

EMBARKATION DAY CONT.:

Can you review with us what Dive In Movies were shown on this cruise. I'm going in 2 weeks with my 14 year old son and would love to have an idea as this is one of our favorite things to do is lay in a lounger in the evening and catch a movie. thanks.

Have only sailed on the Lido once before. Will be sailing on the Lido again next month. I would sail Lido every cruise if I could. I have a teenage son and we spend a lot of time on the Lido deck and I love the proximity to the pool and buffet. I feel its faster to the fun.

According to Carnival's website, there is no Dive In Movies on this ship.

I've never been on the Elation, but just got off the Liberty yesterday. This is my 6th Carnival cruise and although I just took this 4 day/3 night cruise with one of my girlfriends as a last minute getaway for us (no husbands and no kids). I could honestly say it was probably my best experience. I had taken the longer trip Thanksgiving week on the Magic and although it was a bigger and new ship there were a few mishaps but still had a lovely time. This past weekend on the Liberty, everything was perfect. Our checkin was effortless and was in our cabin within 20 minutes of arriving at the port at around 1 p.m. Our cabin steward steward serviced our room twice a day and came immediately when I needed more ice and an additional customs form. He was always present in the hallways and very nice and accommodating. We gave him an additional tip at the end for his service. We ate at Diamonds Steakhouse one night for the additional $35 and it was incredible. Way too much food. But delicious and the service was impeccable. Only ate at the main dining room the first night and did anytime dining. Service was excellent. I tried to eat at all the specialty dining but couldn't do it on a 3 day cruise. I ate at Barbecue place-superb. I had a Guy's burger everyday-delicious. I had the Seafood Shack Seafood Platter for $12-very tasty. Had a late night snack of the terribly thin pizza and who knew it would be so delicious. I don't know how they get it that thin but it tasted so good. I did room service, they arrived in under 30 minutes-shocking. Comedians were good, the Rock and Roll show was great. Tim McGraw did a concert which was sold out so we didn't attend, but everyone we spoke to said it was excellent. I could go on and on, but my vote is definitely for the Liberty. Oh lastly debarkation was smooth and fairly quick. I was on the Empress deck and we were the first deck called if you hadn't checked your bags. I am planning to return this summer with my 14 year old and his buddy.

I just got off the Liberty yesterday. The adult pool area was never crowded. This particular cruise was sold out but hardly no kids. I think spring break starts next week in different areas of the country and you will begin to see more younger folks as well as children out of school. None of the pools were crowded or the hot tubs like it is in summer months or holiday and school breaks when there are more children on the ship. I will say that the dates you have listed is Thanksgiving week. I generally take a cruise every thanksgiving because my son is out of school and I will tell you the pools are always crowded and it has been difficult for Carnival to keep the children out of the adult pools. They tend to sneak in and eventually are asked to leave, but it is a challenge. I still enjoy myself but the pools and hot tubs are generally to full capacity during Thanksgiving. Just try to have fun anyway and relax.

Please also keep in mind if everyone else is eating in the MDR, your friend can order a custom made burger not listed on the menu. I have always found that on any Carnival ship, they have allowed my kids to order off menu basic items like a Bacon Cheeseburger and fries even though it wasn't on the menu. She will be fine.

If your kids really want to see the monkeys, then I say go ahead and enjoy it. Its all about the kids. But I will say, do not waste your money paying for a formal excursion to any of the beaches. Amber Cove's port has several activities right at the port already mentioned. You can have a blast without spending more money. You can even go back and forth to the ship for your free food and then return to the activities right at the port. If you really want to spend a day at the beach, do not buy an excursion. Walk past the local recruiters and head to the taxi stand. I believe we paid $20 a person to have our taxi driver drive us to one of the beaches about 20 minutes out and he stayed with us the entire time. They have free cabanas to lounge on and people come around from the local restaurants and sell you food and drinks. You also have the locals walking around offering massages, hair braiding and pictures with the parrots for really cheap prices. Or you can patronize the formal restaurants and massage spas. A little more costly but nothing compared to the formal excursions that are sold at the port or by the cruise line. We really enjoyed our beach day. We got burgers and fries right on the beach, pina coladas, coconuts and some other island snacks.

Try to plan some activities together ahead of time perhaps each evening when you get together at dinner. But if you choose not to do this, then don't waste time that day trying to find other folks you haven't made an appointment with. You will waste time trying to figure out where folks are and what they are interested in doing. Just go your own way, take your tours, go to the beaches and maybe you will run into other there. Otherwise, you will get back to the dinner table that evening without accomplishing anything because you wasted time looking for folks you didn't make plans with. I went on a group cruise with 30 once and half of us had a blast at each port and others wasted time trying to get with others and not doing anything. This past winter, I went with a group of 11 and we planned each evening what we would do the next day. In some cases we hung out together and did some excursions together and in other cases we all agreed we would just go on our own. This way, everyone was satisfied. We also planned at dinner if we would do Karaoke that night together or one of the shows or comedy or even the bars and clubs. Where there is no discussion, there is kaos and a waste of what could be a fabulous experience.

I agree with an earlier comment, nothing really to see in Freeport if you don't pay for one of the excursions. This is definitely a good day to hang out on the ship with less crowds. I have been to Nassau plenty of times and no longer book excursions. We generally walk to Junkanoo Public beach, rent a chair and chill out at the beach. They have group games especially for the kids. They sell snacks and drinks for really cheap. You can spend a few hours here and have a lovely time. On the walk back you can stop in at some of the local merchants and buy reasonable souvenirs as well as liquor. I also agree with stopping by the Pirate Museum which would be fun for both adults and kids.

I would definitely start with one of Carnival's 3 or 4 day cruises like to the Bahamas. You want to start out light so if the person loves cruising, you have something to build on. If you start with a more expensive 7 day cruise, they may not like cruising or being off land for so long and that would kill the entire experience. You don't know if they will be sea sick or even enjoy being out to sea. My husband is an international traveler and gets bored very easy on anything longer than 5 or 6 days out to sea. He appreciates being on land for a longer duration so he can really get to know the culture of the island or country we are visiting. Stopping in ports for just a few hours is very frustrating for him because just when he feels like we are getting in the local groove it is time to head back to the ship. So my advice is to start off small and if they love it, then future cruises will only get better and better.

Thanks for sharing this review on the Liberty. Myself and one of my best friends will be taking this cruise next Thursday, March 2nd for the 3 nights. I'm glad to know that I can ignore most of the negative reviews. I've always had a blast on Carnival despite the naysayers. So we are so looking forward to the Liberty next week. I'm bursting at the seams.

Please do as many xcursions as possible. My favorite was Nice and Monaco and Monte Carlo. It's about $120 pp and lasts bout 8-10 hours. It was so worth it to get a good feel of French Riviera and its rich culture. You get to see the palace that Grace Kelly lived in and the changing of the guards and so much more. I loved that cruise. In Rome we did the Vatican, colleseumand forum. Unbelievable vacation.

Ok thanks we just did a reservation for the steakhouse. I hooe we enjoy it as much as you did.:p

A couple of years ago I was on NCL Epic on a Mediterranean cruise (Italy, France & Spain). We flew from Atlanta to Rome to take this cruise. As you could imagine, we were expecting something much more than what we had experienced on several of our Carnival cruises. I can honestly say that there were certain things that I enjoyed more than Carnival and it was a different experience because there were so many other international travelers from literally all over the world. However, the overall experience was much the same. Long lines to get to buffet, crowded pools. The one thing I could say is that it was definitely more costly to enjoy the activities. We had to pay for bowling, we also paid for one of the broadway type shows. They did not have as many activities as Carnival throughout the day. While in port, similar to Carnival it got boring on the first day, so we made sure we did excursions in all of the other ports. We had an amazing time, in Florence, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Palma Mallorca and Barcelona. The excursions were exciting as we love museums, castles, forts and learning about different cultures. The ship had 19 restaurants, only 9 were free. So no main dining room as on Carnival, you pick where you want to eat each evening (either pay or free). I found our room much smaller than Carnival if that could even be possible. In addition, the bathroom set up leaves no room for privacy as the show is enclosed in glass outside of the main toilet closet. So if you have anyone other than your spouse, it is a little awkward. It was 3 of us in the room (husband and 12 year old son). Very weird. We managed. Overall, I wouldn't say better or not better, but I just enjoy Carnival more. I seem to never run out of things to do. I can occasionally separate from my family and we each do things we like and then come back together again. Not sure I would do NCL again, but will definitely do Carnival as I have been back 3 times since NCL. We also met an older gentlemen who told me he had been on over 80 cruises and been on every cruiseline including what I recall him saying a 7 star cruiseship. He said he and his wife who is an ex professional opera singer, just love cruising. They cruise several times of years and want different experiences. Sometimes he just wants to cruise with other rich folks and enjoy the black tie elegant dinners with food you can't pronounce. But whenever he just wants to have fun, he returns to Carnival at least once a year. So there you have it.

So this is not our first rodeo, but wanted to get recommendations. What should I do on the Liberty, where should I eat on the ship, what have you had that you can recommend that I should not pass up. We are thinking about doing the Steakhouse one evening. We are on the Empress Deck Aft area Cabin 7428 (any thoughts there). Does the Empress deck really have some of the more experienced crew members as I've read in the past? Let me have it all. Any tips for Nassau? Any places to eat to get some authentic Bahamian food not too costly. We just want to hang out on the beach as we've been to the Bahamas and did the expensive formal excursions in the past. This time, I'd really like to experience some local flavor without the bells and whistles of the costly excursions where we are isolated from the locals. I am so excited and can't wait. Countdown begins. Bring it on (that is your comments). :cool:

From my experience, you hear back within 24-48 hours. On my upcoming trip on the Liberty, I went on Carnival's site and tried to book Chef's Table and I received a response within 1 hour that it was already sold out and that I would be waitlisted. I then immediately booked the Steakhouse and within about 30 minutes, received a confirmation of my reservation. If I were you, I would try booking directly on their site or calling Carnival to book before all of the reservations are gone.

where did you find this list of movies and how do we know which ones are shown on the 3 night Bahamas Liberty cruise. Thanks.

My first cruise was on the Big Red Boat in 1994. My first Carnival cruise was Imagination.

I've been on several cruise lines that are generally more expensive than carnival and the entertainment is only slightly better or at a significant additional cost. I once paid $70 pp to see a show on Norwegian. We had so many more options on the Norwegian Epic ship, such as bowling, ice bar, broadway style shows, etc. However, everything was at an additional cost. I think Carnival does a fair job for the prices that you pay and everything is included. I think it balances out. You can get the best prices on Carnival especially if you have a family of 4 or more. It is the best option. You have to really try out everything from the excursions, to game shows, to sports decks, to spas, theatre shows, paid dining, line dancing, piano bars, karaoke, dance clubs, art auctions, tea in the library, comedy clubs, exercise classes, trivia games, and the arcade. I think there is enough to keep me coming back yearly and I haven't gotten fed up yet with the entertainment provided. I do think there is always room for improvement, but I always have a lovely time on Carnival and never get to do everything I want to do. It is indeed the "Fun Ship". I think maybe they can do a wider variety on movies. for example in the day time show the children's movies and then in the later evening show adult movies. I am looking at a Liberty fun times for February and on one day, they show Trolls and then Secret Life of pets. Where is the adult entertainment. More variety of movies would be great. I love Carnival.

Last time I flew into LAX, I used Primetime Shuttle to take me to the Long Beach Carnival Port. $16 each way. They also make stops at hotels.

sorry about that. I usually get debarkation mixed up with embarkation. Anyway, I just got off of a cruise in November and what I can tell you from all of my cruises is that the Lido deck was open. Not sure for how long, but I did get there at about 9 am and had breakfast right before we got off the ship. I hope that helps a little.

There's really nothing to understand. Some of us like to plan ahead and others like to wing it. I've been on enough Carnival Cruises to know that in 15 years nothing much has changed with the routine. Hairy Chest Contest, Trivia games, deck parties, art auctions, bingo, etc., etc., etc. Its just good to see it in advance on how it is laid out and scheduled especially when traveling with a family of all different ages to kind of determine when the kids will go to camp and when we will do things as a family. Same with the food. menus haven't changed much but the rotation. So to kind of see it in advance will help me to determine is it the Lido deck, MDR or specialty dining room. No big deal. Some of us just like to see it.