Debunking the Myths - Liberty 6-2-12 Review

[Crusin Karen]

I am another "flipper." Saw the link for this on another post and just spent the past hour reading and TOTALLY enjoying it, even tho I, too, will probably never cruise on this ship. :( Have you ever watched Food Network? For some reason your "style" kind of reminds me of Alton Brown! :p Congrats on your marriage and hope you have many years of cruising to look forward to. :):) Oh, if you have the chance, I too, would love to have your recipe for flourless chocolate cake! ;)

[darcien007]

Well thanks alot for making me late for work tomorrow morning. I have sat here engrossed in this fantastic review all night. I am going to be on the Victory in Sept and am now also rethinking my decison for the chef's table. If it wasn't so expensive I would not have a problem doing it, but those pics...ewww the salmon is the only thing that looked good.

 

Sooooooo, I am wondering how much weight did you and wife gain on this cruise?

[lsbgvaguy]

AWESOME review! We leave for the airport in about 2 hours to head to Miami and board the Liberty tomorrow and I thought I was excited but boy did you help ramp up my excitment to new levels! This is our second cruise and both have been on the Liberty, last September we did Eastern Caribbean and this year it's Western. I HIGHLY recommend the Eastern route to those who haven't done it.

 

I have to say this is the first time I've sat down and read an entire 13 pages at once! Love the way you put it together and made it fun and interesting.

 

And I also have to say that I LOVED the 'It's 2012, dude' line. Simply awesome.

[armywifefisher]

 

 

 

We left to go to muster, and when we came back, I decided to check the OBC account. I was expecting to find a sum from the Carnival Honeymoon Registry,

 

Just wanted to say congrads on getting married!!!!

[kwagmyre]

Oh, if you have the chance, I too, would love to have your recipe for flourless chocolate cake! ;)

 

I think a few others have asked about this as well so I will address it here. We don't have a fully-written recipe per se, as it is actually a mishmash of a few different ones, like most of the ones we do.

 

To start with, we basically use the "base" recipe from Emeril Lagasse, located here:

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mini-flourless-chocolate-cakes-recipe/index.html

 

Now there are a few modifications and a few tweaks. For one, we do NOT use Amaretto, as neither of us are big fans. Instead, we use Tennessee Whisky, and I think we use 2 tbls instead of 3. We use Gentleman Jack, which combined with the chocolate and butter makes this not a cheap recipe, but it's totally worth it. Although just about any Tennnessee whisky or bourbon would probably do the trick.

 

In addition, it is largely a process of trial and error. Since this is, by definition, a flourless cake, the only way it gets structure is from the whipped eggs. That makes this a very temperamental, delicate, and unforgiving recipe. A few things we have found: The water bath is absolutely necessary (although often in other recipes I find that it is not), and the temperature of the water going in is critical. We have found that the water needs to be LUKEWARM, not too cold, and not too hot. We have also found, through trial and error, that we cook around 22-23 minutes (the recipe calls for 20), with the oven on 325 as the recipe specifies. This recipe is a lot like cooking fish - a minute wrong in either direction will either make it or break it.

 

One thing we did after many frustrating failures was to split up the batch - the recipe makes 6 individual servings, so we would cook 2 at 20 minutes, 2 at 22, 2 at 24, etc. With this kind of baking, everything plays a factor - the true temp of your oven, the temp of your water bath, your altitude, the humidity - everything. So, while 22 minutes at 325 with a lukewarm water bath exactly halfway up the ramekins, and use a METAL baking pan, not a glass one works best for us, you may need to adjust for your specific situation.

 

Interestingly, when we did the chef's table and they took us through the WCMC recipe, we noted how they were almost exactly similar, except for our addition of liquor, and their addition of flour of course. Plus different ingredient ratios. The results are quite different though - WCMC is more like a cross between a pudding and a souffle, higher, lighter, and dryer, making it a perfect accompaniment to the ice cream they serve it with. Our flourless choco cake OTOH, is lower, denser, richer, moister, and much more chocolatey-er. It almost demands the tart counterpoint of the raspberry coulis (also included in the recipe link) to offset the insane chocolaty-ness.

 

So after all that, this may sound like an intimidating recipe for those who want to try it, and I will be honest, it is a tough recipe. However, usually when we dine out at places that have it, I will order the flourless choco cake, and I still have not had a better one, anywhere, than the one we now make at home. HTH.

[kwagmyre]

Well thanks alot for making me late for work tomorrow morning.

 

Sorry. ;)

 

Sooooooo, I am wondering how much weight did you and wife gain on this cruise?

 

Nothing. For one, we were pretty active on the cruise - yeah we ate like pigs, but swimming against current in ocean chop over a shipwreck or with dolphins tend to burn the 'ol calories. Plus it's pretty tough to gain weight permanently from only one week of bad eating habits. We went back to our normal intake when getting home. I am sure we came back "up" a few pounds but those tend to be mostly water weight that drops back off in a week or two.

[JaxGuy]

AWESOME REVIEW! Thank you for taking the time to share this with all of us and for your feedback on my thread regarding the Liberty dining option, steakhouse or chef's table.

[dolphiness]

On day 2, I woke up uncharacteristically very early - like, 5 a.m. early. Not sure if it was the motion of the ship or what - there seemed to be vibration everywhere - so much so that, in the middle of dinner in the steakhouse on the previous night, I started saying in my best Scottish brogue "I DON'T THINK SHE CAN ANMARE, CAP'N!!" as we were sitting at dinner. Which reminds me:

 

Myth: Modern cruise ships are an island of stability, in the midst of a turbulent ocean. "Stabilizers" make this possible. Stabilizers make us go.

 

Reality: This ship ROCKS, and I mean that, literally. I don't know what these "stabilizers" are, or what they are supposed to do, but I can tell you that whatever it is, they suck at it. We had, what looked to me, like not super rough seas (save one night - Belize - ugh... more on that later) but this ship had QUITE a bit of motion on the middle nights of the cruise, particularly the rocking, side-to-side motion along its longitudinal axis (that's front-to-back, for the non-pilots), or what pilots call "roll". It was so bad some nights I could watch the horizon dip from about 1/4 of the way up, to 3/4 of the way up, out of the windows in the MDR.

 

So anyway, I was up and about, and snapped a few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side to side...Front to back???? which one!? It's either pitch or roll..can't be both, well in a hurricane maybe! hahah....

[rudechuck]

Great review. I appreciate the effort that went into this. Thank you.

 

I've still got a bit over a year before I see the Liberty firsthand.

[jackdis]

FANTASTIC review!!!!! Thank you!!

[Crusin Karen]

Kwag, hope you got a FCC while on this cruise. :cool: Have you figured out what ship/itinerary for the next time? :p We are really lucky because we live about 20 minutes from our back door to the cruise terminal in Manhattan. We cruise exclusively with CCL now because we get all the "perks" and with ES, military discount, past cruiser rate, it is sure a big difference in price vs. other cruise lines. Plus we don't have to pay for air or hotel or any of the other expenses incurred with flying to a cruise. The DOWNSIDE to that is that we are kind of "stuck" doing the same old same old ON the same old, same old! :( We were on Miracle 3x since she is here and were about to book her for the 4th time, but luckily we are getting a new ship (Splendor) so we can try her. But I would LOVE to cruise on the Liberty or one of the other ships....just doesn't make sense for us. Anyway, thanks again for a great review and happy cooking! :D

[mj]

This is one great review. Thanks for sharing your pictures and the Carnival Liberty is a great ship.

[deborahjo]

Thank you for your review. We sailed her 2007 and will be on her again 2013. You truly made me feel I was right there with you.

 

Again Thank you.....

[GeorgiaPeach51]

What a generous soul to spend so much time to help complete strangers enjoy their cruises more! Not to mention that your review was funny and honest and well-written....can't tell you how much I enjoyed it!

 

And, quite honestly, for those of us who have cruises ahead, it made it all the more exciting to think about and see what is coming. Appreciate your review of the Chef's table...had been thinking of surprising my husband but will do as others said, and visit the steak house (we're on Conquest after the dry dock) twice...We sailed the Conquest probably 10 years ago, but he still dreams of the lobster bisque. For his sake, and mine, I hope it is the exact same...otherwise his foodie heart will be broken!

 

Appreciate you, Kwagmyre!

[okeeg8tor]

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, I think we may be of the minority...

 

I also couldn't agree more. My husband and I have gone off the beaten path everywhere to eat/drink on the local economy and have always had a wonderful time and met some great locals...have not worried yet. i don't shop so getting away from all that and to the "real" parts of the ports is so much more exciting.

[okeeg8tor]

Thank you for a great review. We have been on the Liberty three times and booked on her again next year and still sat here for over an hour reading every page, really enjoyed it!

 

We have not been on her since the 2.0, we were the second to last cruise before drydock last year and had a few issues, but still a great vacation as always. Can't wait to get on her with all the 2.0 upgrades. Will still hit the fish & chips first, a well hidden secret it seems, no lines and great stuff.

 

Congrats on your marriage!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Amazing review - especially the review of the snorkeling/jet-ski tour to the sunken ship.

[bigcartman]

That is awesome about him acknowledging the allergy? Is her peanut allergy severe as mine is and I was wondering was she able to eat at the fish and chips (oil concern) or guys burgers???

[libertyschool]

Beautiful review! Thank you. Your pics are fabulous.

[kwagmyre]

That is awesome about him acknowledging the allergy? Is her peanut allergy severe as mine is and I was wondering was she able to eat at the fish and chips (oil concern) or guys burgers???

 

Wow, surprised this thing is still getting comments. As to your question, I don't know how severe your allergy is, but hers unfortunately seems to be getting worse with age. At this point, if she has something, her throat and voice will get scratchy and sometimes a bit swollen. Hasn't been anything close to life-threatening yet, but we are already considering getting an epi-pen just in case.

 

On the Fish & Chips, we had it several times on the cruise and no problems for her. We are planning on making a beeline for embarkation day lunch again when we return in two weeks. I will let you know if there are any changes, but I'm not anticipating an issue.

[trini_ras]

AWESOME

This must be one of the BEST written reviews EVER!!!

 

Excellent work

 

And prepare yourself to receive commendations for a while yet!!!

 

P.S. Good day Mr. James Patterson :D

[eng4]

Are the fish and chips free?

 

Day 1 - Embarkation continued - Enter The Fish

 

Well, as promised, we are foodies, this is a foodie review. Like any self-respecting gastronome, I had researched all available food options and menus on the ship and planned out virtually every meal in advance. From research, I knew that the Fish & Chips would be sparsely populated, as it is upstairs from the buffet, and not very well-known on the first day... well, unless you're a CruiseCritic member, that is!

 

Lots of ceviche available, including octopus:

 

 

 

Myth: The fish and chips is greasy/tasteless/not very good

 

Reality: Folks, this stuff is the BOMB... Perfectly fried, seasoned, not too greasy, just the right amount of batter to fish...

 

 

That, above, is the fish (sorry, I couldn't hold off tearing into it), plus a calamari/zuchinni fritter (also quite good), and fries, obviously. I didn't get a pic of the tartar sauce, because, who takes a picture of tartar sauce, but it had all kinds of bits of seasoning and spices in it and was delicious. This is some of the best fish and chips I've had, anywhere, and while I'm not a fanatic or anything, I've had it on islands, in seaside restaurants, at British Gastropubs (stateside), and in fast-food joints. This is one of the best.

 

But wait, it gets better. Sooooo much better...............

 

 

 

 

 

 

THAT, my friends, is Alfred from Jamaica. He works at the Red Frog Bar, which serves that wonderful looking libation he is holding, the Thirsty Frog Red beer. He brings us beer. That makes him friend. :D My wife and I fell in LOVE with this stuff at first sip - and, combined with the fish and chips? As the wify would say, "to die for"... sigh... This was the first of many rounds of this stuff that we enjoyed on this cruise. In fact, I think I am going to scan a redacted Sail & Sign bill at the end, just to show a cost breakdown. I like analyzing things. But this was day one, and no analysis needed here... just pure, malty deliciousness...

[Tangocherie]

Fish and chips aren't FREE. They are included in your fare. No extra charge:)

[Cre8tivCruiser]

OR......You are my congressional representative and this is what you do all year long.........

 

I'm really enjoying this review, but this comment just made me laugh out loud.

[DancingKat37]

I have been reading the review of the Liberty that you made a post on and saw where you said you would not do the Chef's Table because of his pics and the review. I just wanted to tell you I did it in Dec 2012 on the Breeze I see you are going on it soon and it was wonderful the food the chef and the atmosphere was amazing the Beef was so delicious I would advise to try it once and it was great On the Breeze you actually eat in the Galley with all that stainless steel great experience just wanted to give you another opinion The food was absolutely wonderful great menu

We had also considered the chef's table, but looking at your pictures and reading the menu, we won't be booking this. The Steakhouse menu is much more appealing to us.