Pre-Cruise blog and Review of the Liberty -- June 20-28

[spacespud]

We will be on the same cruise with our graduate, Andrew. Go Class of 2014! My son loved Club O2 also & is a little concerned about being in that odd 18-20 group. Maybe we'll see you guys around.

 

 

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[AK Wife]

June 2

We're now in the "teens" of days!!!!!

DS and friend got their cabin assignment. They are in Interior 8206. They were across the hall from us until I changed their booking and saved so much money. They are now 1 floor up from us and at the opposite end of the ship. We're aft and they are forward. I'm an easy going parent, so I won't worry. They are easy going kids, too.

18 more days.....

 

So can we do the "teens" dance?! It's like the "single digit" dance but not as happy! :p

We're in 8228 balcony just down the hall from the your DS & friend! Can't wait! We leave Alaska in 15 days! :D

[billys5764]

June 10

 

It's June 20 with 10 days to go!!!! I'm at freshman orientation with DS for 2 days. We were walking on a sidewalk at his future college this morning and I broke into a dance. After the initial "Dad stop, you're embarrassing me," he asked why I did that. My first response was "to embarrass you" but the main reason was "I'm practicing the single digit happy dance."

 

IT'S SINGLE DIGIT EVE!!!!!!!

 

The countdown has begun. When I get back tonight I'll start my to-do list. The list will be long!

 

10 days to go......!!!!!!

 

 

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[billys5764]

June 11

 

SINGLE DIGITS!!!!!!!!!!

 

Things left to do:

 

Get car AC fixed. DW hit a deer the other night and it somehow knocked out the AC (among other things). The adjuster is outside right now doing his estimate to fix everything. Can't drive to FL with no AC!

 

Get consent form signed and notarized by DS's friend's mother to allow him to come with us.

 

Put all documents in a folder and safely stored in my computer bag.

 

Pack.

 

Go!

 

9 more days...!

[billys5764]

June 14

 

DW finished her job yesterday. She's a lunch lady at a middle school. I've been out since mid May (I love teaching college). VACATION HAS STARTED.

 

We went shopping today. I bought shirts and shorts. DW got shoes and a new purse.

 

The suitcases are out and ready to be filled. Since we're staying in Daytona for 5 nights after the cruise we have to pack clothes for the beach in a separate bag. This will cut down on laundry after the cruise.

 

The A/C is out in the car so it's going to the shop on Monday. No way would I drive to FL with no A/C.

 

I called the Radisson at Port Canaveral and booked our shuttle time. We got the earliest time at 10:30. I'm sure we will get the email from Carnival telling us not to show up until 1:00. I'll ignore that email!

 

I'm ready for tropical breezes and tropical drinks!

 

6 days to go...

 

 

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[KrusII]

Great start of your review, it is so well done. Happy days and nights with your family. Love the Radisson and cruising out of Port Canaveral.

[Shaded Lady]

enjoying this- sure I'll love the review!

[billys5764]

June 17

 

It's almost here!!!!

 

DS had his high school graduation last night. MAGNA CUM LAUDE! We're very proud of him. This trip is for him, well, it is for us too. He thinks he's grown now. He got in at 5 this morning. The school had a party so we were fine with him being out that late. But I still had trouble sleeping until he got in.

 

We're about half finished with packing -- DS hasn't started. A couple more loads of laundry and last instructions for DD and her sitter is all that is left. (DD is mildly autistic so we don't like to leave her alone at night. I have a student of mine that is staying with her until she flies down to meet us in Daytona for a few days after the cruise.) I also have to help my dad move mom from an extended care facility back to their house. She's been there for 20 days. She has Alzheimer's but he can still care for her. He does have someone come in M-F for 3 hours a day. She is mobile with help and is content to sit and watch TV during the day, although she thinks the people on TV are in the room with her. It's a tough disease. She does not know who I am, nor my kids who were the love of her life. She's 95 and dad is 93.

 

 

I've done the online check-in. All that is left to do is attach the luggage tags and pack the car. At the present we have 7 bags, including just one suitcase for shoes! OMG. I tell DW and DS that Imelda Marcos would be jealous. Every year we say "Next year we're not packing as much." That never happens!

 

Important documents are already in a folder in my computer bag. These are more important than the American Express Card -- DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM!!!!!

 

We're so ready!!!!

 

 

3 more days......

[michiganredrose]

Hope you have a fantastic time! I'll be waiting to hear how it goes with Club O2. I will be on the Liberty in March with my 15 year old daughter, 17 year old son and his 18 year old best friend. They're all hoping that the 18 year old gets in but if not, the boys will just hang out on the couches outside Club O2. That's what pretty much all of the Club O2 kids did on our Valor cruise, so that's where the 18 year olds stayed so they could hang out with their new friends.

[billys5764]

June 17

 

What a night! DS lost his wallet. We searched high and low and everywhere in the house. We turned furniture over, went through the nasty garbage, etc. I called Carnival and they said he MUST have a valid picture ID. His old driver's license would not work. They did say his school ID would work, but that was in his wallet also. So, the plan was to call Western Carolina University in the morning to get them to make a new one and overnight it to him, or we would drive 4 hours there and 4 hours back to pick it up.

 

After all of this he looked on the computer desk under some papers, and there it was. He then remembered he had sat down at the computer and took his wallet out. I could have beaten him up one side and down the other.

 

Crisis solved, finally.

 

Here's hoping to no more drama!

 

3 days to go....

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Keith1010]

I am glad that you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Keith

[billys5764]

I am glad that you enjoyed your cruise.

 

Keith

 

Thanks. But we don't leave for another 2 days. But I will enjoy it.

[momonthego17]

I'm looking forward to your cruise almost as much as you are, billys5764! Glad to hear your DS found his wallet. Being paranoid, I would probably grab his student id from him (since he doesn't need it like he needs his drivers license) and keep it with my important papers till embarkation. At least he can get on the boat, right?

[dwaterhouse]

Enjoy the cruise... And congrats to the DS on the excellent job at school!

[TxStacey]

Subscribing!! Your excitement is contagious! I am sailing on The Freedom in August..same itinerary as you..I will be anxious to see what you think about the ports. I like the suggestion above that you take your son's college ID (and the friend's too) and put them with your folder..just to be safe;).

[billys5764]

Cruise Eve

 

Travel day has finally arrived! We left home in NC this morning at 5 a.m. DW and I set out in the car. DS and his friend are flying down later today. It was a great day to travel – no rain, but hot! We stopped in Rockingham, NC for a quick breakfast at McDonald’s. Nothing unusual about that. After a gas stop in Florence, SC as we were getting on I-95, we switched drivers. DW drove all the way to Savannah while I slept. It was great.

 

I took over driving past Savannah and drove the rest of the way. We stopped in Brunswick, GA for lunch at Wendy’s. Again, nothing unusual. We were making really good time. We hit the GA line around10:30 and the FL line around 1 pm. We were only going about 5 over the speed limit, no so real speeding.

 

DS and DSF were supposed to fly out of Greensboro at 3:15. I get a text from Allegiant Air that their plane would be delayed at least an hour and a half. No explanation. Knowing this we decided to stop at the outlet stores in St. Augustine to kill some time since we didn’t have to be at the Sanford Airport until after 6. We did some shopping and finally hit the road to head to Sanford.

 

We got to Sanford just as the boys were landing. We picked them up and then headed for Port Canaveral. The toll roads were ridiculous. Every few miles we had to stop and pay a toll. I thought toll roads were no more. Not in FL!

 

We arrived at the Radisson and checked in. Check in was very quick. We went to our suite and lugged in about10 pieces of luggage. Our friends from Tallahassee had already arrived. We called them and agreed to meet at Fishlips for dinner.

 

Fishlips is a bar/restaurant at the port on the water. It was well after 8pm so it was not crowded. We were seated by the water. Really nice! Our friends (Jeff and Linda) and both boys ordered the seafood mac and cheese. DW ordered the pork tenderloin salad, and I had the turkey club sandwich. Everyone enjoyed their meal. The mac and cheese was quite good. I tasted it just to make sure. For DW, DS, DSF, and me our bill with tip was $97. If you are cruising out of Port Canaveral, consider going to Fishlips. It was worth it.

 

After a trip to Walgreens, we went back to the hotel to sleep!!!!!

 

Big day tomorrow!!!!!

 

1 more day!!!!!!!!

[billys5764]

OK, I just spent at least 45 minutes writing up the first cruise day with pics. I hit submit and it disappeared. I'm not happy:mad:

[billys5764]

Trying again!

 

Friday, June 20

 

Day 1

 

We slept longer than planned. DW and I didn’t get up until 7:30. We threw on some clothes and headed to the nearest Starbucks (inside the Cocoa Beach Sheraton) to get DW her morning coffee. She HAS to have Starbucks. She buys Starbucks beans to make her own at home. We then stop at Dunkin Donuts to get me some “real” coffee. Dunkin is so much better – usually. This one was so weak you could read a newspaper through it. I got donuts for DSF and me. Then a trip through the McDonalds drive thru to get DW and DS their breakfast. We took it back to the room and ate quickly.

 

I had originally thought I would drive DS and DSF to the terminal to save the $12 each way for them. They didn’t want to do it. So, they asked if they paid half would I consider. I did. I’m glad I did. It would have been a big hassle.

 

DW and DFs waiting for the shuttle at the Radisson

 

DS and DSF

 

 

We checked out of the Radisson and took our luggage to the front to wait for the shuttle. I think half of the passengers on the Liberty were out there! We had booked the 10:30 shuttle but they started loading up around 10:15. It was like a Who concert. Such pushing and shoving. One man was very belligerent toward one of the drivers. We all just looked at him really hard. I thought “boy, he’s going to be fun to be around on the cruise.”

 

We got on the shuttle and took the 5 minute ride to the port. We were there around 10:45. It was nearly empty. We got our luggage taken care of (I did not have to remind them to put orange tags on ours for FTTF). The security line for Priority and Regular were both very short. Our friends did not get FTTF. They got through check in as quickly as we did, but they did have to wait for their zone to be called.

 

We went through check in like a breeze. We had our documents handy, so no problems. We had our boarding picture taken and then proceeded to get our individual pictures taken for security. From the time we left the Radisson to the time we got on the ship was less then 45 minutes.

 

When we got on a CCL rep told us our rooms would not be ready until 12:30 (it was now 11:15). We went to our room anyway and found that it was ready and put our stuff down. DS, DFS, and friends put their carry ons in our room too. Off to the Lido Deck!

 

We got up to the Lido Deck and got our first Guy’s Burgers. They were good. I will definitely have more this week. We all got the Plain Jane and dressed it up.

 

After this we retired to our cabins. Our luggage was waiting for us when we got there about 1:30. We unpacked everything and took a nap! I really needed that.

 

DW and I went to the Red Frog to a meet and greet from Cruise Critic. We had a nice time meeting up with folks I’ve “talked” to on the thread. Finally, at 3:30 we had to go to muster. We were station G. We did have to line up along the wall outside by the life boats. It was hot and no breeze. Fortunately, this only took about 20 minutes. Time to head upstairs for the sail away.

 

We get there and it was sprinkling. It did not last long. It had been raining off and on all day. We stayed up on deck 11 aft. We had to wait for the Something of the Seas to leave. Once she was underway, we began to leave. I always love to be on deck for the sail away. I guess it is the anticipation of the cruise finally beginning that is what I like.

[billys5764]

Day 1 - Part 2

 

Clouds rolling in

 

Port Canaveral

 

Liberty Whale Tail

 

Port

 

Something of the Seas at Port Canaveral

 

Rain the distance

[billys5764]

Day 1 Part 3

 

People waiting for Sailaway!

 

DW day dreaming about a great cruise

 

Wet Decks

 

Fishlips Restaurant in the Port

[billys5764]

Day 1 Part 4

 

 

By now it was 5 and we had to go the Premier Casino get together. We all crammed in the Victoria Lounge. There were at least 300 of us fellow gamblers and companions. I had already booked when I got the mailing about the Premier Casino Cruises. I was thrilled when I saw that this cruise was one of them. I called and switched over. I saved several hundred dollars, got $300 casino cash, and free drinks for DW and I in the casino.

 

In the Victoria Lounge we had free appetizers and free drinks! I got my second screwdriver of the day (I had to pay for the first one) and DW got her second Chardonnay of the day (she had to pay for the first one). We sat with a lovely “older than us” couple from The Villages in FL. This was their 9th Premier Casino Cruise. They love them! They filled us in on what to expect this week. The Casino manager and assistants went up on stage and welcomed us. They also explained about things. One of the things that would happen would be drawings all week long. They had their first one in here.

 

This was kind of like “Let’s Make a Deal.” There were 5 gift boxes on a table on the stage. They drew a name and called that person up. They offered her $40 to trade the box. She refused. Same thing for the second person called up. They drew the third name and IT WAS ME!!!!!! I, too, refused the $40. I thought there must be more than that in the boxes. All 5 of us refused the $40. We each picked our box and then opened them. Inside was a “slot machine.” It was very nice. It was “gold” when “jewels” on it. I thought it would make a nice paper weight on my desk. I was happy with it.

 

They told us to put it back in the boxes. They then asked if anyone wanted to trade their slot machine for $100. The lady next to me jumped at the offer. They told us to open our boxes again and closely examine our slot machines. I did and noticed that there was a small hinge on the side. I opened it up and found $250 inside!!!! The casino had not even opened and I was already up $250!!!

 

After this we rushed back to our cabin to change for dinner. I failed to mention earlier that we were in cabin 7435 - balcony and DS and DSF were in 8206 - interior.

 

We were early seating in the Golden Dining Room, table 641. Our head waiter was Jose, his assistant was Ruebin, and his assistant was Saracer. They were all three very friendly and very attentive.

 

On the Liberty we had the new menus. I agree that the actual menu was a bit large and unwieldy but we managed. Many of the soups, hot and chilled, were back on the menu along with some other things that were taken off. We did have tablecloths.

 

For dinner, I had Corn chowder, Caesar salad, beef brisket, baked potato, apple pie a la mode with vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

 

DW had chilled strawberry soup, salmon, broccoli, and nutella tiramisu. She normally doesn’t like tiramisu but said this was great.

 

DS had shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, brisket, French Fries, Mac and cheese, and melting cake with 2 Ice Creams.

 

DSF tried gator fritters, twice! He really liked them. He also had the Caesar salad, vegetable lasagna (twice), and melting cake with 2 Ice Creams.

 

Jeff had corn chowder, Caesar salad, pork loin, and tiramisu.

 

Linda had corn chowder, heart of lettuce salad, pork loin, and apple pie a la mode.

 

Everyone enjoyed their dinner. It did take longer than usual. We didn’t get out until after 8:00. But it was OK. We were not in a hurry and enjoyed taking out time and being waited on.

 

After dinner I went back to the room to change clothes. I don’t like to wear my good clothes in the casino because of the smoke. I took my Casino Cash certificate to the cashier’s cage and traded it in for $300 cash. I had not gambled one cent and was up $550! I love Premier Casino Cruises!

 

I then proceeded to lose $100. I drank my free screwdrivers for the night and DW had her free chardonnays for the night. I love free drinks!!!!!! She hung out and listed to Boardwalk, the Asian band at the Casino. They are very good!

 

She turned in and I stayed in the Casino for a while and finally went up to our cabin. I sat on the balcony for a while and then went to bed, lulled by the gentle rocking of the ship.

[billys5764]

Day 1 -- Part 5

 

We were FTTF for the first time. I thought it was worth the cost, just to put our stuff in our room when we got on board. Here is the sheet explaining FTTF that was in our room.

 

 

We also turned Gold on this trip. My gold pin was attached to this card.

 

 

Here is the "Good to Know" sheet. On the backside was the room service menu.

 

 

 

We were booked on the Premier Package. Here is the schedule of events that we had to participate in.

 

 

Late each day we received a nice card telling us what was happening the next day (or in this case, this very evening).

[billys5764]

Day 1 -- Part 6

 

Nearly every day we received a gift delivered to our room, thanks to the Players Club. When we got to our cabin the first day we were greeted by a couple of travel mugs.

 

[billys5764]

Day 1 -- Part 7

 

And here is the Fun Times for Embarkation Day.