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Carnival Liberty Leap Year Review (2/25 - 3/3)

Anung Un Rama

By Anung Un Rama,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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hayesktrm

hayesktrm

Posted
Posted

Can't wait for more! Great review. Your excursion in Roatan sounds wonderful. Was that through Carnival? Do you remember the cost? We are actually going on the Eastern Liberty itinerary, but I loved Roatan and Grand Cayman when we went on the Valor a few years ago.

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pbmsmile

pbmsmile

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It was now around 1pm, and our time time on Maya Key was coming to an end. We went into the main office area to take a look at the professional photos they took, and found some we liked, but were on the fence. The photo guy, Abner Antonio Aguilar told us pictures were $10 each… or he could burn ALL our pictures to a DVD (close to 200 shots!), plus include an extra file that had some stock photos of the island for a grand total of…… $40! I immediately said SOLD.

 

Like I said before, I didn’t mind giving these people some extra money, and I had a great time, so it was worth it to be able to keep all those memories. He said I could do whatever I wanted with the photos, post them online, print them, etc. So we waited about 5 mins for the DVD to burn, the waited for our boat to take us back to the Liberty.

 

Before we boarded, we luckily walked to the end of the pier where the boats do their pick ups/drop offs - and saw this guy!

 

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Here’s some of the excellent stock photos we got that really shows how gorgeous of a location this place is:

 

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This is the shop area:

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And leaving Maya Key wouldn't be complete without one last goodbye to Chris's special friend, Little Man:

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I have really enjoyed your review! We have been to Maya Key twice and it is too bad the weather didn' 't cooperate with you so you could do a little snorkling because it is really good here. Our last visit was marred with a jellyfish attack on my SIL...it was kind of funny though because he didnt know what to do so he just stood there saying ouch ..ouch... and let the little buggers sting him! We had vinegar with us though and they were little ones so after a couple hours he was fine...

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

Posted
Posted

Well I had a really long post typed out and my browser closed for some reason.. all lost. :mad:

 

Anywhoo, I'll be back tomorrow with our last day at sea, and then Chris with our debarkation day and experiences.

 

I have really enjoyed your review! We have been to Maya Key twice and it is too bad the weather didn' 't cooperate with you so you could do a little snorkling because it is really good here. Our last visit was marred with a jellyfish attack on my SIL...it was kind of funny though because he didnt know what to do so he just stood there saying ouch ..ouch... and let the little buggers sting him! We had vinegar with us though and they were little ones so after a couple hours he was fine...

 

Thanks! Yeah, we were bummed that we didn't get a chance to snorkel - we walked down to the end of the pier while it was raining and there were just a couple people in the water, but I was so chilled to the bone I wanted nothing to do with getting in the water!

 

Oh my goodness, that's so scary with the jellyfish! I probably would have done the same thing as him! Lucky you had vinegar, that's not even on our packing list! Perhaps I should add it... :)

 

Can't wait for more! Great review. Your excursion in Roatan sounds wonderful. Was that through Carnival? Do you remember the cost? We are actually going on the Eastern Liberty itinerary, but I loved Roatan and Grand Cayman when we went on the Valor a few years ago.

 

Thank you!! Yep, we booked direct through Carnival - we always book our excursions through their website well before our sailing date to make sure there's still availability for what we want to do. It was $69.99 for adults, $39.99 for children, and included lunch, the guided tour of all the animals (although you can feel free to roam and scope them out on your own) and the animal encounters which are right after the tour. You also have free use of all the beach and pool areas as well. Obviously, we also paid extra for the sea lion encounter (15 pp) and to buy all our pictures, but I felt it was was worth it. They don't pressure you in any way to do this though, so no worries! I would recommend this excursion to anyone going to Isla Roatan, and I can't wait to go back if I have the chance!

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JGetCRUSING

JGetCRUSING

Posted
Posted (edited)

Omg, that burger pic made my mouth water! You review has made me THAT much more excited for october to get here. Thank you both so much for the amazing review and Happy late birthday! I was one day away from a feb 29th bday.

Edited by JGetCRUSING
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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

Posted
Posted
Thanks so much for the review. DH and I are doing this exact cruise in little less than a year. Did you tip and Mr.Sancho's, if so how much? We've never stayed up for the deck parties but after your review it a must do on our next cruise.

 

Yes, I did end up tipping when we were leaving - I asked Jersey if they shared all the tips or if it was best to tip indiviudally - he said they shared, so I just gave him a $20. Hopefully it got around to everyone!

 

That was our first deck party too - it was a ball!

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

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Friday, Mar 2nd – Day at Sea

 

Friday morning dawned with another knock on the door from room service, and we checked out the Fun Times to try to figure out our day. We decided since it was the last chance to enjoy the sun, we would get in our swimsuits and take a stab at trying to find a place to lay out. Turns out all the other 2,800 guests on board had the same idea. We did a brief lap around the Serenity areas (no luck).

 

Then we got the brilliant idea to make our way to the “secret” deck on 9 Fwd – also no luck, there were signs posted that the area was closed off due to high winds. So we circled all of deck 10 and we were slowly getting annoyed. Many many chairs were “taken” only by a blue towel plopped on it and folded down. We didn’t despair however, and remembered that we found another area through the basketball area earlier in the week, and headed up there. Success! Only 4 people were up there, and there was plenty of chairs and sunshine. This was the view - we were at the tippy top!

 

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As we were pulling our chairs into position and just settling in, here comes security telling us we needed to leave. Ugh. We were about to protest thinking they were shooing us due to wind, but no – they were evacuating the area in preparation for an incoming helicopter medevac. Well crap. :mad:

 

We gathered up our stuff and shuffled back down to deck 10. We stood around for about 15 minutes, and wondered why they weren’t yet roping off the area – people were still going up to the area we were just told to leave…. and all the while, there were 5 unattended deck chairs just being held by towels. Eventually fed up, I asked a couple that was laying close by how long they had been there, and if they saw anyone in the chairs. They said they had been there for over an hour, and no one had come in all that time (and said they would take them if they were us!) OURS! I carefully laid their towels under the chairs and we happily settled in.

 

After about 15 minutes, someone came up and said “um… I think these were ours”… We merely said “Oh I’m sorry, no one had been here for over an hour, and the Fun Times clearly state you have 30 minutes, so we took them” He mumbled something about thinking his girlfriend was watching them. So he sat down in some of the other ones (there were 5 being taken). Another 30 minutes went by, and his girlfriend and daughter came up – they took the other 2 and seemed happy with it, so I figured the 2 we “took” were for people they didn’t know – in other words, 2 sets of chair hogs, but still room for us. Yay for both of us J

 

All during this time security and staff were finally clearing out the sports decks and deck 10 Fwd and roping it off – tons of people were just wandering around trying to figure out where to cram in for some sunshine.

 

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At this point, it was about 90 minutes since we first sat down, and still no helicopter, or sign of the original people that laid their stuff to “save” the chairs. We knew we had our final round of Super Trivia at 12, so decided it was about time to pack up. As we were getting ready to leave, I was going to put the original people’s stuff on the chairs, and someone swooped in asking if we were saving the seats… I was in the middle of explaining that No, we weren’t but just replacing the original chair hog’s stuff, and if they wanted the chairs to by all means take them, when lo and behold the original chair hogs (now probably 3 hours later) came sauntering up and said “those are our chairs, and that’s our stuff”… for crying out loud people :rolleyes:. Luckily, since Chris and I were leaving anyway, we just walked away. I could tell Chris was just a tad disappointed he didn’t get the chance to tell the original hogs where they could nicely go, but we had other things to do.

 

Down to the Cabinet we went for the final round of Super Trivia, and we each stopped for Cruisers on the way. Nothing like starting early on the last day. They had bottles of champagne laid out for the winners, along with Ships on Sticks, and the Carnival Medals. Our team showed up, but alas we couldn’t win out. Our dice rolls weren’t as lucky as the other teams, and we ended up in 3rd place. However, we did end up getting Ships on Sticks too, so it wasn’t a complete loss J

 

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After Trivia, we were both hungry, so we went up to the Blue Iguana cantina for more tacos – Chris had chicken, and I had a chicken one and a fish one – again, they were both reaaaaaly good. We ran into Mary and she said they too were kicked out of their sunning spot for the medevac, and said it just happened – evidently someone had a compound fracture that couldn’t be treated on board… ow!!

 

After lunch, we wandered around the ship – went to the shops to make sure there were no last minute souvenirs we needed, and I wanted Chris to take a shot of our scores from the EA Sports challenges they had – outside the bar they have a running tally of everyone’s scores through the week – we were both on the board!

 

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Then we made our way to the casino, they were having another Slot Tournament, and I decided to enter. On one of our last cruises I made it to the finals, which was really exciting, but alas this time I had a measly score. No placing for me, but one of our new friends from the Friendly Beaver campground in New England made it, so we stuck around to cheer him on in the finals. Unfortunately he didn’t win, but it was fun to watch.

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

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Posted

I kept checking the time, because earlier in the week I had signed up for a mixology class at the Alchemy Bar (with some persuading from Mary and Hailey). It was at 3:30 and I had been on the fence all day if I was going to do it (you don’t pay till the time of the class – it’s $15 pp plus extra tip if you’re so inclined). But I decided what the hell, it’s the last day of vacation! So Chris went to play some Let it Ride in the casino and I met Mary and Hailey for our class.

 

There were little glasses laid out, and the beginning was fun, we got to know the bartender Adri much better, and she some quiz questions for us and gave out little Martini Glass charms for participation.

 

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Then we got to the good stuff. We mixed our own Caramel Apple Martinis. These were AWESOME. Green apple sour pucker, Van Gogh Caramel Vodka, and caramel syrup in the glass. Oh Yeah.

 

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She showed us the proper way to stick the shaker on top of a pint glass to shake, and then to proper way to "unstick" them. I must really be a wimp because I couldn't get them unstuck for the life of me... and ended up with a bruise on the side of my hand. Go Figure. Then she showed us how the Pineapple Chipotle martini was made (and of course we got to drink all these concoctions!).

 

She then pointed out a large container behind her that had strawberries floating in it. She poured us all a little shot from the container, and explained this was their strawberry infused vodka. They scoop out the strawberries at the end of each cruise and put new ones in, but the liquid keeps getting more and more saturated. She also said they keep the “scooped out” strawberries, and hey lucky us, we were going to try one!

 

So here they came, and she said the only way to eat them was all at once – no nibbling allowed. Oh god these things were heavy, I was amazed they stayed on the skewer.

 

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I took a deep breath and ate it…. Oh my god these things are NASTY. Complete vodka – not tasty at all. But the point of this exercise was to then try the shot she poured for us – wow! Soo much better. Lesson learned, the old soggy strawberries are nasty, but the infusion is pretty darn good.

 

Finally we learned how to make Peach Cosmopolitans which were all lighted on fire. We all got an individual lesson on how to do it, and I failed miserably.

 

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Hailey did it right though! I got video of us both trying it:

 

- Me failing

 

- Hailey Success!

 

At the end, Adri said that also included in our class was a full size drink of our choosing! Sweet! She had already told us that she had entered the Bacardi Mixology contest and was one of 5 finalists in the country! We asked what was in her drink, and all I remember is it had champagne in it… I think she called it a Queen Elizabeth? I asked if that could be my drink, and she said of course! Hailey and I each got one, and they were delicious!

 

Awesome Adri and her hopefully 1st place drink!

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Mary got another drink that wasn’t advertised on the menu – Adri called it a Skittles Martini – they had some kind of infusion concoctions going in the back, and this was one of them – it really tasted just like the candy Skittles (with alcohol of course)…

 

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

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It was now getting close to 5pm, and Chris came wandering over – no doubt worried to find 3 sauced ladies – and yeah, we were feeling pretty good by this point! We decided we needed to get Chris up to speed and whisked him off to the Fun Farewell party. This is one of those “non-advertised” activities that Carnival keeps hush hush – it’s on the Fun Times, but only in teeny tiny print… because they give out free drinks!! Seriously there was no one in here.

Empty!

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We all got a table and enjoyed it – I think Chris had a line of about 5 Rum Punches in front of him at one point. Karl with a K was there, and he and Chris had like a 10 minute conversation – Chris kept trying to offer him drinks, and he kept having to refuse, lol.

After the party was over, the four of us decided it was time to get some food so we went to the MDR and got another table together. The last sea day has Chris and I’s favorite dish – the Bacon Mac and Cheese over chicken (BMC). YUM! I ordered a crab cake for an appetizer and Chris had the Chips and Guacamole. We forgot to get pictures of the apps, but remembered for the BMC.

YUM!

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None of us were feeling dessert, and in fact we were all fading pretty fast. Knowing we had to pack up and have our luggage ready by 10:30pm, we all said our farewells and headed to our cabins. Chris and I made one last stop at the casino to cash in our chips and close out our slot accounts as well.

Finally, we went back up to the cabin to pack up and call it a night. Another great vacation sadly coming to an end.

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

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Awesome information & pics! Sounds like such a wonderful trip.

A couple of questions- Is the Chocolate Extravaganza free?

In your opinion was the Mixology class worth the cost? Thanks!

 

Thanks! Yep, the chocolate extravaganza is free across the fleet - always in the Buffet area of the Lido Deck, and I've always seen it on the last sea day.

 

If you like mixed drinks, I would definitely recommend the class - I know they had if going on at different times throughout the day, but you had to sign up in the days prior to.

 

Cass - do you know if they have that mixology class on the Pride? Would love to do that.

 

Did you try the skittle infused vodka drink at Jack's Shack in September? YUMMO!

 

Hi Jen!! I don't think they do, unfortunately. I think it's just for the ships that get the new Alchemy Bar as part of the 2.0 upgrades.

 

I didn't try that, didn't even know they had it! I will definitely keep it in mind when we stop there in November!

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Crazy4Koko

Crazy4Koko

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ok, so for $15 you got to mix a bunch of drinks, did you get to drink them, too?

 

Then you get a 'special' drink as part of the class?

 

 

 

And taste shots as well?

 

 

Count me in!! I am totally loving your review..for obvious reasons!

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

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ok, so for $15 you got to mix a bunch of drinks, did you get to drink them, too?

 

Then you get a 'special' drink as part of the class?

 

And taste shots as well?

 

Count me in!! I am totally loving your review..for obvious reasons!

 

Yep, we mixed 3 different drinks which we got to sample - they were smaller glasses, but Adri didn't skimp on the alcohol. Then the strawberry-infused vodka drink, then you could get whatever full size drink you wanted off the Alchemy Bar menu... instead of that we asked Adri if we could try her entry into the Bacardi Contest. But yep, that was full size. Let's just say I felt like I got my money's worth and then some. I gave a nice tip too :)

 

I hope people don't think we are like complete lushes! I guess we just like to celebrate when we're on vacation :p

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Crazy4Koko

Crazy4Koko

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Posted
Yep, we mixed 3 different drinks which we got to sample - they were smaller glasses, but Adri didn't skimp on the alcohol. Then the strawberry-infused vodka drink, then you could get whatever full size drink you wanted off the Alchemy Bar menu... instead of that we asked Adri if we could try her entry into the Bacardi Contest. But yep, that was full size. Let's just say I felt like I got my money's worth and then some. I gave a nice tip too :)

 

I hope people don't think we are like complete lushes! I guess we just like to celebrate when we're on vacation :p

 

LOL!! It's your vacation and you should be able to do what you want! No lushing here, but the class does sound like fun.. Hubs and I are constantly trying to come up with new and fun 'cruise reminders' for home..this sounds like just the thing!

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ardnassac79

ardnassac79

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Posted
I was read on your review with picture is great on the Liberty!!! I love that newest 2.0 funship!! I'm will try it!!

 

Thanks Taylor!

 

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here's a good site for making skittles vodka! and yeah YUMMO is a good description!

http://hollyshelpings.com/2011/12/28/skittles-vodka-party-favors/

 

Wow, they look awesome, and surprisingly easy.... hmmmm methinks I need to try it :p

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