wings34

I really like the Blue's blue margarita, but I think they only have it on ships that have the Blue Iguana Tequila bar

We are leaving on a Carnival cruise next Sunday out of Galveston and may be interested in booking an Alaskan cruise while we on board. Does Carnival have Alaskan cruises, what is the best port to leave from since we will have to fly, and what cruise would be best - inside or outside passage? One more question, what are the months for Alaskan cruises? I know this is a lot of questions but thanks for any help. I am just so confused but really want to do an Alaskan cruise.:)

I'm not sure about 2015, as the details for that season are not out yet, but for this year, the Carnival Miracle is doing Alaska cruises from Seattle until September (Normal season is May-September, with the earlier months being more cold and wet). This is the only Alaska option Carnival has right now. Most of the cruises until the end of the season are 7 days leaving on a tuesday with this itinerary: Tues: Embark @ Seattle; Wed: At sea; Thurs: Tracy Arm Fjord; Fri: Skagway; Sat: Juneau; Sun: At Sea (this used to be Ketchikan, but they had to remove this port because the ship has an issue where it can not reach top speed); Mon: Victoria, Canada; Tues: Seattle. The ones at the end of the season are a bit different, I'm not sure exactly what they are, though I know that some may visit glacier bay instead of the fjord, and leave from or end in Vancouver. Hope this helps!

Here are a few:

Splendor and Spirit with the Statendam photobombing with its aft...

Spirit

Spirit

Liberty and Princess something

Liberty

I think I would choose the Legend. 1) It is going to Australia soon, so its sort of the last chance to cruise the Legend. 2) Extra day. 3) It was recently updated during a drydock so has some new amenities. 4) I really like the Spirit class, it never felt crowded, though I haven't been on Breeze so I can't really compare. 5) If the ports are more interesting on the Legend, that is also something to consider.

there is also one on deck 6 mid, starboard side

This is just a thought, so don't quote me on it, but it seems like this might be a likely possibility: The Miracle will be relocated from California to Tampa. The West Coast will receive a new ship, possibly one of the Conquest class or similar to sail year round from California, since by 2015 the new, wider lane of the Panama Canal will be operational and capable of accommodating larger ships, and no longer required to travel all the way around South America. This would make sense as it seems that the Mexican Riviera itineraries are recovering, so a larger ship would be practical. Also, since smaller ships are ideal for the summer Alaska sailings, the Legend, which will be in Australia only seasonally for the Southern summer, will relocate during the Northern Hemisphere summer for Alaska sailings, and alternate between the two.

Actually, when I was on the Liberty in January, our first formal night was on Sunday. Though we went to Nassau instead of HMC, I don't know if that would make a difference.

'cause it's awesome! :)

Yes, they are basically the same. The only difference is that the Liberty is slightly longer.

I voted for the Liberty. The ship is great in nearly every way. I may be biased a bit because I have only been on two different ships, but I really enjoyed my time on the Liberty, and many other people say that it is one of the best in the fleet. With that being said, Legend was just refurbished and had many new features added. Though I haven't been on the Legend, I have been on its sister ship, Spirit, and I would actually say I prefer the size and design of that a bit better. It seemed a little less crowded, slightly calmer, and was easier to get around on. If it were up to me, I would choose one of these two.

I'm hoping California's, Nevada's and Arizona's economies can get better in the coming year for Carnival to reinstate the weekly Sunday to Sunday cruise to the Mexican Riviera.:)

Luckily, they actually still do that on a regular basis, it's just the Miracle now. 7 days from Long Beach visiting Cabo for 2 days and Puerto Vallarta.

Oh, and what they could do is do the Cabo runs in the winter, say from the end of October to end of April, and then California coastals in the summer months, visiting Ensenada, Catalina, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and San Francisco or something, maybe 6-7 days or so.

YES PLEASE!! It would be really nice to have that option again. Or if they put one of those ships in San Diego to spread things out a bit. To me, 3 or 4 days is just too short, and 7 is often too expensive to do. Plus, I would much rather go to Cabo than Ensenada, especially in the winter. I still don't understand why they brought Imagination over to run the exact same 3 and 4 day trips...

Thanks for the Review.

 

A question. On your sea days did you find places to lay out and relax? I keep seeing the pool areas just packed and I doubt it is relaxing. So curious if you found places to relax since you had a oceanview room. If you did spend time topside that is.

I am planning a cruise to the Caribbean next year and wondering if I should get a balcony just to have a place to relax. I am fine with an inside or oceanview but a main part of this trip is to relax and not sit around a pool watching a hairy chest contest.

Hi, like you mentioned, it is true the main pool area is quite busy and rowdy. I never had much of a problem finding a place to relax elsewhere. The aft pool is much more tranquil. It seems that many people do not even know about it, and it's not the center of activities. Chairs were easier to find there, and that pool has the retractable roof as well, which was normally open in nice weather. Also, chairs were pretty easy to find on deck 10, and it was quiet up there as well; though it can get fairly windy in certain parts while at sea. Some other places that might be a good choice are the serenity area, along deck 3; or ALL the way forward on decks 6, 7, 9 or 10 (these ones are windy at sea and only have wooden benches, but are normally deserted). Hope this helps!

Well, if I could choose any cruise, a few options I would consider first: Alaska, 8 day southern or eastern Caribbean on the Breeze or Liberty (the Freedom might do something like that too). Also, maybe the 7 day Mex. Riviera, since that would mean no flying (for me at least), and a completely free vacation. It seems like everyone raves about Alaska, I'm sure I'll see why soon enough :), plus its just uber expensive. The southern and eastern 8 day itineraries sound really nice to me, and I would like to go on the Breeze too, since it is new and has so much to offer. I would also recommend the Liberty, it's a very nice ship, and the Freedom is very similar. Just my opinions though.

Thank you for the great review and pics. How was the noise level around cabin #6203?

Hi, for the most part, our room was very quiet. Sometimes though, there would be a sort of slamming noise coming from below. I'm not sure if it was a crew area where they move a bunch of heavy stuff around, or if it is just the sound of the waves crashing against the hull. Also I think some people might be worried that there might be a lot of noise from the theater, but I heard nothing of the sort.

I think nice jeans and a nice shirt are acceptable most nights. On elegant night, formal/semi formal wear is required

Stopped in Nassau a few weeks ago during our cruise on the Liberty. They made announcements and it was posted in the funtimes that there had been a travel warning issued for the island, and to use caution while off the ship.

Hi, what are the options for going to a beach near the pier in Puerto Vallarta? Is there anything within walking distance (a mile or less) that is also free/cheap to go to and has a restaurant near by? Also, are the beaches in Mexico public, even if there is a resort nearby? Thanks!

Last cruise, I had the crab cake and lobster bisque for starters (forget the salad!), the filet with broccoli (eh...) and wasabi mashed potatoes, and finished up with the decadent chocolate sampler. I was still full the next morning haha. I wish I knew how to make that lobster bisque though, that was my favorite

Been to St Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. At St Thomas, we went to Secret Harbour beach, which is really nice and not too busy. There is also a pretty decent restaurant and a dive shop at the beach. I think the taxi cost about $10 per person each way. In San Juan, I really enjoyed seeing the forts and just walking around the old city, plus it's inexpensive. In Grand Turk, if I could go back, I would just go to the beach right near the pier (but a ways down from the busy margaritaville) and enjoy the sand and sun. Very nice, and also inexpensive. The Liberty is a great ship, I'm sure whatever you decide to do you will have a good time.

Really enjoyed your review as this will be our 1st cruise ever on the Liberty the end of March. Just curious, our itinerary includes Half Moon Cay, yours seemed to include Nassus, was this planned or substituted.

Thank you

Hi, Nassau was planned for our cruise from the beginning. I think they like to have only one ship at HMC at a time, so since another ship was scheduled to be there, we ended up with Nassau. We wish we could have gone to Half Moon Cay though, it looks so nice!

Interested in Diving. Having never done this before is this doable for us.?

Have this crazy notion to Knock Stuff Off My Bucket List. :p

Hi, normally you have to be a certified diver to do something like I did, but I do know that many places offer introductory scuba trips, though I don't know how much they actually do. Another option you may want to consider is SNUBA, its like scuba, but the tank is floating on the surface and has a long hose down to you. For this, you do not have to be certified, and it seems to be fairly common.

Still have over 2 months before our cruise on Miss Liberty, but getting excited.

 

Thanks for the review and pictures. I have a question about OSJ. When the ship arrives so early, are the trolleys already going? I read the forts don't open until 9:00.

Hi, although the ship arrives into San Juan at 7 am, Puerto Rico is actually an hour ahead, so it is really 8am when the ship arrives. I think we got off the ship around 30 minutes after we docked, and were able to find a trolley at that time. By the time we got to the fort, it was already 9am and they were open.

Sea Day

Again, I don’t remember many specifics from this sea day. My brother and I participated in the digital scavenger hunt, and we won a ship on a stick for the first time ever! We also participated in some other activities, listened to the musicians, and did our best to stuff our faces before leaving the ship the next day. That’s about all I have for the sea day, so I will just mention a few other things.

Ship on a stick!

The Liberty still has the old shows. I ended up seeing Singin’ with the Big Band and the Legends show. Both were alright, but not my favorite. I heard from others that the other show, Wonderful World, was excellent. The comedians were not the best I’ve seen on a ship before either, although I missed one of them, who I also heard from others was much better than the others. I guess I just missed the good ones this time. We also saw a ventriloquist act, and he started off pretty rough. At the beginning, he seemed like a rip off of Jeff Dunham, but as the act went on, he became much more original and funny. In the end, I really enjoyed this show and I’m glad I didn’t walk out half way through.

We really enjoyed our cruise and did not want to come home. I really like the Liberty, it is clean, kept, beautiful, and has an awesome crew. Though I think it is time to mix things up and go on a new ship. But for anyone considering the Liberty, it is a great ship and it is clear why it is consistently rated one of the best in the fleet; I would definitely recommend it. I think that is it, so if anyone has any questions about the ship or ports (including the western itinerary), feel free to ask. I’ll do my best to answer them for you. Thanks for reading and happy cruising!