Liberty “Funship-Two-Point-'WHOA'!” Review; Eastern Caribbean; 31 March 2012; Pics

[MisterMom]

Cam headed back to the ship while Derrell and I soaked up more sun.

 

 

We pulled the loungers up to the tree line under some shade. This was our view for a while. Ahhhh…..

 

 

Recommendation: If you’re going to walk into the tree line, not on a path, say, because you have to urgently use the rest room, WEAR SHOES! I walked barefoot into the tree line and got stabbed by several barbs in my feet. OUCH!

 

Derrell and I decided it was time to pack up but not before some more exploring. We checked out the new Pirate Ship bar.

 

 

 

This “ship” is called the Emma Louise from Cardiff, Wales.

 

 

I got a little “artistic” with some of my shots….

 

 

[MisterMom]

A view from the top of the “Emma Louise”

 

 

The line to the tenders was BACKED UP so Derrell and I grabbed a shady table in the plaza by the vendors. I grabbed a Miami Vice from a waiter. We ended up napping here for about an hour waiting for the line to go down. I HATE waiting in lines, especially on vacation. We like a nap now and then and we were in the shade so no worries.

 

When it was finally time to board, it appeared that SEVERAL folks had a good time….

 

 

 

The tender ride back to the Liberty is a bit “fuzzy” (Miami Vice? Freddy’s beverage?) so that was our day at HMC! Overall, we picked our spot well so I consider our time on HMC a big success.

[Mumsykat]

What a great shot! And a great review so far. We'll be back onboard the Liberty in December, and seeing all your wonderful photos is making me homesick!

[cruzegurl104]

We loved he Liberty & this itinerary was great! Nice review, can't wait to see Half Moon Cay again in a "few" days:)

[L_K]

Your waiter was Peter from Jamaica ?

 

We had him last january, great service.

[ElvisAndretti]

Booked a couple months ago via travel agent. Cabin 7341 balcony mid-ships. I prefer cabins with cabins above and below to limit noise from Lido above or clubs below. Researched heavily using Froufie’s and Anung Un Rama’s reviews referenced above.

 

Even though it’s a 12-hour car trip, we prefer travelling this way as we can over pack as much and as sloppily as we want without incurring airline baggage fees. Freddy wonders below, why do 3 people need so much cr…, I mean, stuff for a week?!?

 

 

We said goodbye to Malik as he left for his band trip and we were on our way.

 

This leg of the trip was odd for us because we seemed to encounter unhappy people when we stopped. At one gas station, it was a crabby man who needed phone cards loaded. He was “shut down” by the station manager. For lunch, we stopped at McDonald’s which was overcrowded with Spring Break travelers like ourselves and contained some crabby folks. We skipped McD’s and went to Wendy’s where a family was begging for food or money because their car broke down. When we got to Miami (I skip ahead), a lady was complaining about not having an ash tray in her room. Another man complained that his reservation was messed up. Was all this displeasure a sign of things to come on our trip? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out!

 

On our road trips, I have a little family travel tradition (that annoys the bejeezus out of Derrell and our kids). If you’re travelling by car, I recommend visiting the site roadsideamerica.com (if the link doesn’t work, that’s roadside America (one word) dot com).

 

Three years ago, we visited the “World’s Largest Peanut.”

 

 

A couple years ago, we visited the “Confederate Nuclear Missile” in Cordele, GA.

 

I LOVE roadside america! They have an iPhone app too, so wherever your are you can find the nearest muffler man or giant sno-cone (found that somewhere in NC on my way to bike week...) or whatever, great fun.

 

Thanks for the review.

[Anung Un Rama]

Have to stop at page 1 right now cuz I have a meeting at 10:30 but absolutely loving the review so far. You're bringing back some great memories :D

[Anung Un Rama]

Have to stop at page 1 right now cuz I have a meeting at 10:30 but absolutely loving the review so far. You're bringing back some great memories :D

 

We loved this ship so much we booked this itinerary for next April so I look forward to hearing about those ports.

[bwg03]

Excellent Review. Will be on the Liberty in September. Can't wait

[cruiserNC]

Great Review!!!

[buellblaster]

Cam headed back to the ship while Derrell and I soaked up more sun.

 

 

We pulled the loungers up to the tree line under some shade. This was our view for a while. Ahhhh…..

 

 

Recommendation: If you’re going to walk into the tree line, not on a path, say, because you have to urgently use the rest room, WEAR SHOES! I walked barefoot into the tree line and got stabbed by several barbs in my feet. OUCH!

 

Derrell and I decided it was time to pack up but not before some more exploring. We checked out the new Pirate Ship bar.

 

 

 

This “ship” is called the Emma Louise from Cardiff, Wales.

 

 

I got a little “artistic” with some of my shots….

 

 

Great camera shots!!

[Frenchsnowhite]

Very nice trip report! I just love HMC!!!!! Please don't stop writing!!!;)

[pcrum]

Loving the review. It's wonderful to take separate trips with your kids. I have 17 year old boy/girl twins and have cruised with each of them separately due to the busy schedules they maintain. I find that the kids and I really appreciate that one on one time together. Sometimes at home with everything in a rush, you just don't get that special time together and it is so important, especially in the teen years!! You are making wonderful memories for your sons!!

[hayesktrm]

Your pictures are wonderful! Cam has such a beautiful smile that makes me smile! Can't wait for more. 89 days and we'll be sailing:) Great review. Thanks for taking the time.

[h_blond2]

We used to take a lot of road trips when I was younger and I always complained about all the 'stupid' places my parents would stop at, but now I love those memories! When mom and I drive to get on the ship, we always find a little side trip to take...it breaks the day up! I'm loving your review so far and your pictures are great!

[msshawn]

I'm loving this review:)

[LibraByTheSea]

This is my first time posting a review of one of our cruises, the Carnival Liberty sailing the Eastern Caribbean on 31 March 2012. I’m a huge cruise fanatic and really appreciate the detailed reviews so maybe it’s my turn to return the favor. Props to Froufie, Chris (Anung Un Rama) and Cassie (ardnassac79) for their EXCELLENT, recent Liberty reviews. Please bear (bare?) with me as I like the idea of sharing our experiences with you as well as keeping memories of our fantastic family vacation.

 

We are a non-traditional family of four – two dads, Dan (me) & Derrell, and two boys, Cameron & Malik. (You won’t see Malik in most of our pictures as he flaked on us this year and went on a high school band trip to Disney World instead. He was missed!) By the way, my screen name is “Mister Mom” as that is the name of our boat. It fits our family!

 

Cameron with the Mister Mom….

 

 

You’ll also meet our travel companion, Funship Freddy! While we are not strict Carnival cruisers (sailed the Oasis OTS last year), Freddy sails with us and keeps us out of trouble (and vice versa).

 

 

Freddy was a gift to us from 2 couples who sailed the Carnival Dream with us in 2010. That’s me on the left and Derrell on the right.

 

 

We all raced the “Amazing Cozumel Race,” which we won! Freddy sports the winning gold medal.

 

 

My planned outline (which may change as I compose this!) –

1. Pre-cruise planning and travel from Atlanta to Miami, with a “special” family tradition stop

2. 3/31 Embarkation Day in Miami

3. 4/1 Day 1 – Half Moon Cay (HMC)

4. 4/2 Day 2 – Fun Day at Sea (FDAS) 1 (Ship and cabin highlights)

5. 4/3 Day 3 – St Thomas, USVI (Paradise Point Tramway and Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel)

6. 4/4 Day 4 – San Juan, Puerto Rico (Zip Line Canopy Tour and Forts)

7. 4/5 Day 5 – Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos (Margaritaville, Flowrider and Jack’s Shack)

8. 4/6 Day 6 – FDAS 2 (Alchemy Bar Mixology Class!)

9. 4/7 Day 7 – Debarkation in Miami and travel back to Atlanta (with a “wrench” thrown in)

10. Closing and/or Random Thoughts

 

Overall, we had a great time but there will be a couple “rants” thrown in – some issues we had. I’ll label them so you can skip over those if you wish. If I have a recommendation, I’ll label them as well. There will also be several food and ship shots for those that need/want them!

 

Also, I’m using Photobucket to upload these photos on a free account. If you see a square that says, “look who’s popular,” that means I’ve exceeded the number of views per month. This’ll reset each month. Blech.

 

We weren’t able to do everything on the ship as we were “wore out” by the end of each day. However, I can try to answer what questions you have but may wait to answer until I complete the review. Please enjoy!

 

 

OMG Thats the boat I lost in my divorce...Montarey right? Great Boat...I livei n Ft Myers and it a great boat to cut through the seas...and a cruise on my favorite ship...I am SOOOO Jealous:cool:

 

I Miss that boat! Mine was named "Floridaze"

[Missjamis3]

So ready to read more. We are on the same cruise May 26. I can't stop reading all about peoples cruises.

[acireta]

Great thread! I was on the ship with you, but I don't think we ever crossed paths. Loving your review so far, can't wait to read more!

[b4cruze]

Great review so far! Loving the pictures! Thanks for sharing! :)

[adferg]

I love a good review with pictures!! I keep hitting my refreshed button in hopes of a new post from you!! :)

[MisterMom]

Hi all:

 

 

Thanks so much for the kind words! A family issue has unexpectedly taken me away from home and from finishing my review. I have extensive notes and 1000+ pics, so I shouldn't have to work from memory too much to finish the review. Thanks for your patience as I really want my first review to be useful and a good memory of our trip.

 

By the way, since a few folks have asked, we used Premiere Parking and had no problems. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it and will detail more later, but for the cost, it wasn't too bad.

 

D

[TriciaEMTB]

Hi all:

 

 

Thanks so much for the kind words! A family issue has unexpectedly taken me away from home and from finishing my review. I have extensive notes and 1000+ pics, so I shouldn't have to work from memory too much to finish the review. Thanks for your patience as I really want my first review to be useful and a good memory of our trip.

 

By the way, since a few folks have asked, we used Premiere Parking and had no problems. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it and will detail more later, but for the cost, it wasn't too bad.

 

D

 

I hope everything works out for you.

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[momonthego17]

Hi Mister Mom,

 

Hope all works out well for you and your family!

[Halftocruz]

Hey Dan (Mister Mom)

 

Love your review!! My 1st cruise was on the Liberty so it has a special place in my heart :). I want to take this exact cruise you did so thank you for your review.

 

We were on the Dream in December and we WON the Amazing Race in Cozumel also!! That was a great excursion. Probably our favorite so far! Hard though, I was exhausted.

 

Good luck on your family issue and can't wait for more of this review!

 

Kellie