Is the Carnival Liberty that bad?

[beachbum53]

I have read numerous recent member reviews concerning the Carnival Liberty and I am concerned about my upcoming cruise on July 14th. Most of the review are very negative concerning service and the quality of the food in the MDR.

 

Are there any members who have recently cruised on board the Liberty with different opinions?

 

I think you'll be hard-pressed to find any ship in any fleet that get's nothing but praise 100% of the time. With that being said, overall, we really like the Liberty. Sure, there are a few things that I could complain about, but they would be based on my own observations, and not necessarily someone else's complaint. Your best bet is to board the ship with as few preconceived notions as possible, and don't set your expectations unreasonably high. Go with the attitude that you're going to have a great vacation, and don't let minor things annoy you. We recently cruised on the Liberty (May 5-12), and our experience in the MDR was very good. Service was excellent, and the food was very good. As for the buffet, your best bet is to get there early (if possible) before the long lines form, and get your food when it first comes out of the kitchen while it's still relatively hot. And if you find yourself in a long line at the buffet, be patient. Or, if you don't want to wait in line, the lines at Guy's Burgers or the Fish & Chips aren't usually very long. One thing I would suggest is, if there is still a show in the theater called "Carnival Legends", SKIP IT! It's comprised of some of your fellow passengers that have auditioned for it. On our cruise, the show was really awful. Now I know what the judges on "American Idol" feel like when they have to sit and listen to people that can't sing. I wish someone had forewarned me about this show. Otherwise, beautiful ship, great crew, good food. Can't wait to go again (we've already booked the Liberty for next May).:)

[beckls]

I loved the decor of the ship and the MDR and food were both GREAT! I would just advise to be prepared to wait in line all over the ship and avoid a cabin on deck 7 aft/mid.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[bitemyfly]

sailed on her twice.., very nice ship.. if you have sailed carnival you know the product you are getting.

go have fun and ignor the drama

I remember when the dream came out and people were blasting it... the smell ! i was starting to think i was going to sail on a giant fart

been on her three times as it now my fav class ship//

[gusandgidgetsmom]

Normally the Liberty is one of the ships that makes the Carnival consumer liked ship each month. I am surprised it has that many negative reviews. I think each cruise is different for eevryone. I loved the Liberty-in fact my favorite ship--but had a less enjoyable time on the spirit to Alaska--my least favorite cruise and you hear rave reviews about Alaska. So I think it is all in the eyes of the beholder! Have a great time. Even if the food is not perfect--You are on a cruise!!!!

[beachbum53]

I loved the decor of the ship and the MDR and food were both GREAT! I would just advise to be prepared to wait in line all over the ship and avoid a cabin on deck 7 aft/mid.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Why? What's wrong with the cabins on Deck 7 aft? We have a cabin booked on Deck 7, Port side, in the aft section for our next cruise on the Liberty. What cabin did you have, and what problems did you have?

[Mumsykat]

DH and I absolutely love the Liberty! We sailed on her last December and are eagerly anticipating going again this December. Our MDR staff was super, and the food was always delicious and hot.

[ahwahoo2006]

Just got off the Liberty on Saturday and really enjoyed it. I thought the food in the MDR, while certainly not 5-star fare, was good (and certainly better than anything I can make). Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers were great. The Alchemy Bar was beyond fantastic. All my issues with the cruise were with other guests, for the most part.

[green eyed lady]

I loved the decor of the ship and the MDR and food were both GREAT! I would just advise to be prepared to wait in line all over the ship and avoid a cabin on deck 7 aft/mid.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

What's wrong with deck 7? We have 3 mid-ships booked for July :eek:

[sail2day]

Just got off the Liberty on Saturday and really enjoyed it. I thought the food in the MDR, while certainly not 5-star fare, was good (and certainly better than anything I can make). Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers were great. The Alchemy Bar was beyond fantastic. All my issues with the cruise were with other guests, for the most part.

 

 

Great to hear that you had a good time!

 

I am really looking forward to the cruise.

[rtw68]

I don't get too worked up about negative reviews.

 

I read reviews of both Fantasy and Dream before we went, and the majority were good. You have to go on your own and formulate your own opinion.

 

Nothing is perfect, but it truly is what you make of it. We are very excited to go on Liberty and have our first aft-wrap. :D

[dcreech1966]

I loved the decor of the ship and the MDR and food were both GREAT! I would just advise to be prepared to wait in line all over the ship and avoid a cabin on deck 7 aft/mid.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Why avoid a cabin on deck 7 aft/mid?

[suchaclassylady]

We also have mid-ship suites booked on the July 21st sailing...what IS wrong with Deck 7?

[StingRaysfan]

What's wrong with deck 7? We have 3 mid-ships booked for July :eek:

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Deck 7 mid or aft. I will say the one negative thing of an aft cabin (we had an aft wrap on the Valor) is the long walk down to the front of the ship to get off and on at the ports. Other than that, aft is a perfect location for the lido deck food as well as the main dining room.

[cruisecrazy82]

There have been tons of positive threads, why do people concentrate on the few negative threads and ignore all the rest?

 

All ships have both their fans and critics and some people have issues that have nothing to do with the ship that turns them off.

 

You are not going to find any ship that only has positive reviews .. I know I have read lots of people lately who loved 2.0.

 

Very well said and I couldn't agree more!!!! Go and form your OWN opinion. No one can ruin your vacation but yourself! The Liberty was our first cruise with CCL and we LOVED her, and that was BEFORE all the awesome upgrades!!! Go and have a blast!!!!!!!!

[jerrymac]

Interesting. Many of the reviews I have read, including my own experience, have been very positive. Nothing is perfect. A vacation is what you make of it :)

 

We'll be sailing on the Liberty again in December - and we are very much looking forward to it!

 

Happy cruising!

 

Soccersharon, come join our roll call!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1537015

 

Also, I was on the Liberty Nov 2011 & Dec 2011 and it is my favorite ship!

[sail2day]

Haven't heard from you or Richie since you all got back!! Hope you didn't kiss me too much on the 2nd part of the B2B when I had to get off the ship and you guys didn't LOL

 

Anyways, we were just on the Liberty and liked it also. It's a sister shop to the Valor and I do think the Valor seemed cleaner in the public areas. Something was wrong with the original CD so we were stuck with Cheerio Christian over the speakers for 7 days. Ughh lol. But, Guys Burgers were excellent and we did talk about cruising on her again just for those and HMC!!

The food on the MDR seemed dry all the time and the warm chocolate melting cake was either way too liquidy or cooked so well done it was like regular cake. All of the service was phenomenal though so I'd give them an A for that.

I think you will have a great time and love it all-in-all!!

Alchemy is RAVED about by everyone I talked to!! I don't drink martinis but it looks like so much fun and sounds like they taste so good I'll definitely go there next time!!

 

Well I'll try to keep an open mind and not set high expectations. I have never had a bad Carnival Cruise, but I understand the menu has changed and food quality might not be what it once was. Carnival always exceeded Royal Caribbean and the other mainstream cruise lines.

 

Look forward to 2.0 enhancements.

 

Thanks to all for the comments.

[sail2day]

One other question is the embarkation as bad as I have heard on the boards?

[shannonpb2]

Embarkation is a concern for me too.

[Shaded Lady]

Well I'll try to keep an open mind and not set high expectations.

 

I feel you should set your expectations high for every cruise, but keep it realistic! If you go into it thinking that everything is going to be perfect, you'll be disappointed. But if you go in with the atittude that it's gonna be great and I'm not going to let the little things bother me, you're sure to have a terrific cruise!

[riclop]

There have been tons of positive threads, why do people concentrate on the few negative threads and ignore all the rest?

 

All ships have both their fans and critics and some people have issues that have nothing to do with the ship that turns them off.

 

You are not going to find any ship that only has positive reviews .. I know I have read lots of people lately who loved 2.0.

Very well said firefly333!!!!

[halos]

I long ago stopped putting much credence in reviews written by others. I prefer to live my own life and form my own opinions.

 

I must have a brain tumor. I'm in agreement with you again :p

[sail2day]

I feel you should set your expectations high for every cruise, but keep it realistic! If you go into it thinking that everything is going to be perfect, you'll be disappointed. But if you go in with the atittude that it's gonna be great and I'm not going to let the little things bother me, you're sure to have a terrific cruise!

 

I agree with you. The only concern I have is that if things do go well I will be disappointed and my feedback will not be great.

[sail2day]

Embarkation is a concern for me too.

 

Any feedback on embarkation non-VIP.

[CruzinScotty]

Like many have said - the cruise is what you make of it.

 

Been on the Liberty twice. LOVED it both times. Stay on Deck 7 both times - once mid, once towards the aft. No problems either time.

 

Embarkation - 4 years ago, after final check-in; had to wait in the terminal while waiting for our embarkation number. Had some problem with people using the chairs as "luggage holders"; but otherwise, no problem. A week ago, by the time we finished check-in - they had called for general boarding. We had a little longer wait in the security line, but it moved continually.

 

Each non-VIP boarding experience will be different depending on when you arrive and how the process is going that day. We arrived back in port 30 minutes later than expected. By the time we got off; it was running an hour late. I'd be willing to bet that may have delayed embarkation for those on the Liberty Western this week. In hindsight - it's all good. :D

[Halya50]

I have read numerous recent member reviews concerning the Carnival Liberty and I am concerned about my upcoming cruise on July 14th. Most of the review are very negative concerning service and the quality of the food in the MDR.

 

Are there any members who have recently cruised on board the Liberty with different opinions?

 

We had the pleasure of doing a B2B on the Liberty in Feb. I would sail on her in a heartbeat.

 

14 days of wonderful service, food, Chef's Table and Steakhouse. Amazing ship!!!