Jehaams

In have not cruise don Liberty but just returned last weekend from a week on Vision and I would say that with the exception of the anti pasta selections in the Windjammer you aren't missing anything by going to the MDR or elsewhere. 

Getting  ready for our 15th cruise on Saturday. Have taken our hydro flasks on every one of them 

Hello!  New to MSC and setting sail tomorrow. I've been on other cruise lines and on some ship time never changes from the port of embarkation time zone while others change to their time to match the ports of call. I thought I had read that MSC operates on port of call time. Can anyone verify this?  I want to make sure I've given accurate info to the tour vendors I have booked for our family thanks so much!  Super excited!  

Acmcfun - were the vouchers in your stateroom when you boarded or did you have to pick them up somewhere?  

Thanks so much for posting!  We set sail on the Seaside in 2 days!  

I received the email as well. I've never sailed MSC before and am not a Voyager Club member so it looks like something that goes out to everyone sailing. 

Completely agree about guys bbq place on the ship being a disappointment. I'm used to outstanding bbq joints here at home and it didn't even come close. I ate at tandoor every sea day for lunch. It was even better than I remembered.

Last week my husband and I hired a driver named Kevin who we met just outside the gate. He drove us around the island, made stops where requested and took us to west bay beach. He recommended paradise beach resort. They charge $10 pp for a lounge chair and access to a nice pool and very clean restrooms. They also had a restaurant and bar. Kevin waited for us and checked in to see how long we wanted to stay etc. he charged us $20 pp. we were a little nervous hiring someone outside the gates but he was super friendly and accommodating. If you are interested he waits outside the gate wearing a Chicago bulls cap.

We will be boarding tomorrow afternoon as well! Have cruised on the Dream previously. Looking forward to seeing her post dry dock.

Definitely don't stay on the ship in either of these ports. They are both great. I've only been to costA maya once and did maya chan. It was a wonderful day. Some of the best service and food I've ever had at a day resort. For Montego Bay I've been there twice. Both times we booked a private custom tour with uton tours. I emailed them and told them what we we wanted to do and our guide, Palmer, put together great days at reasonable prices. Both trips were unique experiences. I'm someone who cruises for the ports, not the ship (usually first one off the ship and last one back on in each port) and these are 2 that I would go back and visit again.

We decided what we wanted to do then contacted David at Poinciana tours to see if he could provide us with a driver for the day worked out great and price was reasonable. We did a tour of the city then out into the countryside stopped at some sites and scenic overlooks already mentioned here. Visited Romany manor and the batik factory. Spent the afternoon at Carambola Beach. It was a nice day.

We did the chefs table on the conquest in May. My daughter is a vegan. I emailed ahead of time and asked if she could be accommodated and it was no problem at all. It was a really enjoyable experience. The chef visited her after each course was served and described to the rest of the group to provide her with a description of the dishes she was served. she was very pleased with it and really liked the majority of the courses.

I'm a big fan of mr. Sanchos in cozumel. We have been elsewhere and always end up going back there. Service is great. You can do an all inclusive or pay as you go, depending upon your preferences. We've done both and enjoyed ourselves. The facilities are nice, water and beach are lovely. Certainly as others have suggested go over to the port of call boards and research the various options that would seem to work best for your group. Have a great time!

Haven't sailed out of NOLA this year but did so several times previously. We always had an orderly and efficient embarkation no matter what time we arrived. That being said, I'm a fan of boarding later at this port simply because there is so much to do and see in the Quarter. I'd recommend hanging out there for the morning, getting a late checkout from your hotel then boarding later in the afternoon.

We booked it as a package directly through Iguana Mama.

We paid $70 per person. Our lunch was chicken, beans and rice with a salad. All was delicious and no one experienced any adverse affects from the food. We all carry hydro flasks so we had filled them with ice water before leaving the ship that morning and the tour provided bottled water and sodas as well. They also provided packaged chips for a snack. Some of us did order piña coladas from a vendor on the beach. Once again, no adverse affects at all to the beverage, fruit (it was in a pineapple and had quite a bit of pineapple mixed in with it) or the ice in that beverage.

Although the sunshine is my favorite ship I'd go with the southern route since it is 4 ports you haven't visited. It also helps that those are all great ports. In amber cove I recommend getting away from the port. We were there last week and went to sosua beach and had a great time. As another poster stated San Juan is a wonderful sightseeing day. Go to the forts, tour the city and buy some ice cream from the street vendors. I don't think you can go wrong with any beach in st thomas. In grand Turk move down the beach to jacks shack, have some jerk chicken and hang out away from the crowds. You probably can't go wrong with either itinerary but for me the more ports the better.

We met our driver Alvarro at the meeting point. It was just the 6 people in our group. Had a nice, clean van to ourselves that had free wifi. Took a 45 minute ride to Sosua where we were handed off to our guide Miguel from Aqua Adventures for the day. Miguel took us out on a beautiful boat for snorkeling. Once again had the boat to ourselves and Miguel managed to take us to some nice snorkeling spots that were devoid of all but a few other divers and other people snorkeling. One member of our party became ill from the rocking boat so Miguel called for a smaller boat to come pick her up. They returned her to the beach and provided her with a lounge chair to relax until she felt better. We finished up our snorkeling then returned to a lovely traditional Dominican lunch set up in a shady spot on the beach. The food was delicious. Vendors on the beach were friendly and not aggressive. The shop owners were quick to negotiate on prices. Miguel called our driver when we were ready to retun to port and Alvarro arrived promptly. We were back to port in plenty of time to comfortably board the ship for sail away. We loved this day in port and would absolutely use iguana mama and aqua adventures again.

I'll be on this sailing for an annual girls trip. We are also staying at the hilton marina the night prior to the cruise. Here's hoping for an awesome trip! I'll look forward to reading your comments on the trip when we return.

I've cruised them both in the past year or so and found them to be very similar in size and layout. I thought the service was better on the liberty though. Overall enjoyed them both.

I always carry on wine but just request a cork screw from our cabin steward as well as a bucket of ice to chill the wine. These have both been provided promptly.

I've done ncl jewel (cozumel, belize, Roatan and costa maya) and carnival triumph, conquest, sunshine and dream (progreso, cozumel, belize, Roatan, Montego Bay and grand cayman) from NOLA. NOLA is my favorite port to sail from. I didn't love the ncl jewel. Loved the ports, especially having 4 port days but I found the ship to be really boring at night. Other than the main theater show, karaoke and the casino there was nothing to do. There was a band that played in the lobby but it was kind of old school and rolled up the carpet and went home at midnight. I was also really disappointed in the MDR on this cruise. Service wasn't good and the food was terrible (and I am not generally picky about food). I will say though that the regular buffet offerings on ncl were far superior to carnival though.

I have loved all of the carnival ships I've sailed on. Lots of stuff going on at night including comedy shows, piano bar, dive in movies etc. we have generally had good to great service in the MDR and enjoyed our meals there. I don't usually eat at the regular buffet but frequent the other options such as the deli, pasta Bella and Mongolian wok to name a few. I haven't ever visited a port I didn't like but having been to all of them that you are considering I would definitely choose a western caribbean itinerary. While I always have a good time on port days Nassau and Freeport don't compare to Roatan and belize.

I did this exact ship and itinerary a year ago. Had a great time. I've been on 3 of the conquest class ships and they are some of my favorites. I recommend going upstairs to deck 10 for lunch. Fish and chips is up there if you are in to that. There is also plenty of seating and tends to be quiet and free of crowds. Just take the stairs behind the dessert spot up from the lido deck buffet area.

As far as the ports go, I've never been to a port I didn't like and these are no exception. Key west is great for walking around and going it on your own. Turtle Krals at the marina has good food and drinks. In Nassau I recommend a trip out to the fish fry for lunch. A lot of locals hang out here and the food is delicious. We ate at oh andros when we were there. You can walk there or take a city bus. We walked out and took the bus back to the port area. There is also Atlantis which we've done a couple of times. I also enjoy just walking around the downtown area shopping, site seeing (visited the pirate museum once), and people watching. Some good restaurants in this area too. Look for the ones where locals are having lunch as those tend to be best. Finally in freeport I recommend a day pass to the grand lucayan. Lovely beach, nice facilities and easy to get a taxi back and forth.

Enjoy your trip!

I agree with another poster about San Juan. Just do a walking tour yourself. There are maps every few blocks so it's easy to tell that you are on the right track. There's also a free trolley but I have no experience with that.

For st kitts I recommend the batik factory at romney manor for shopping. The grounds are lovely there as well. Carambola is a nice beach resort. No charge to get in just chair rental and food/beverages costs. There was no pressure to spend any $when wee were there. We actually had to track someone done to pay for a chair.

For st maarten I highly recommend a trip to Pinel island. Gorgeous little island of the coast of the french side. We kayaked out there but you can take a ferry. There are some resorts on Pinel but we just went it on our own and hiked around to some very secluded beaches and did some great snorkeling.

Have a great trip.

Last time I was in Freeport we did a day pass at the Grand Lucayan. Beach and water were gorgeous. Nice pool area. There is also a casino on site if you are in to that. We had a wide array of ages in our group and there was something for everyone. You do have to take a taxi from the port and back but there are many going back and forth all day.