Just off the Liberty Yesterday! Review!

[CarnyMan]

We cruised Carnival Liberty to Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk

This was our 7th Carnival cruise and 12th cruise overall.

So, how was it? Well, it was pretty darn good!

Here goes the review:

Drove down from north Alabama on Friday and spent night in Orlando at the Doubletree downtown. Slept late and got to the cruise terminal at about 1:30.

 

We whizzed through check in since pretty much everyone else was already on board the ship.

 

I stepped through the ship's entrance into what is the most beautiful ship lobby I have ever seen! If I could figure out how to put pictures in this review I would.

Love the decor of this ship. It is so fresh and classy. I reminds me of a Italian villa on steroids! LOL

So we head up to the Lido for some lunch. Emile's is the buffet dining option and it is also classicaly elegant, at least for a buffet.

I had the fish and chips and it was the only time that I ate the greasy mess. It was not very good at all. The calamari fritters were good and I even ate the octopus which was just so-so.

Still hungry so I went to get a burger at Guy's. They remind me alot of Five Guys burgers. 7 out of 10. Pretty good.

We went to our room and it was a standard inside room. My FIL had a balcony across from ours and it was the room at the back of the ship that has a triple size balcony. NICE!

Toured the ship til dinner time. Everywhere I went I was impressed with the beauty of this Carnival ship.

 

We had a table for 10 on second level at early seating in Silver Olympian DR.

There were 5 of us and we met 5 very nice people from Ohio at the table.

Here is what I ate: Strawberry bisque, shrimp cocktail, mahi mahi and nutella tiramisu. It was all very very good. The tiramisu was DIVINE! Try it, oh, please try it!

 

The service in the DR was EXTREMELY slow but got a little quicker as the week progressed.

I really believe that Carnival assigns more tables to their servers now. They were doing the best they could.

 

The service was so slow that we missed the show that night so we ended up watching the movie on the BIG screen at the swimming pool. Movie was Thor: The Dark World. And YES, they have popcorn!

 

THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT OF THE CRUISE: Our room never got cool the entire cruise. It was hot! Two calls on separate days to guest services and they came and said they fixed it but it never got cool. By the time I asked for a fan I was told they were all gone so that tells me that other people were having temperature problems also.

 

We slept late and went to the brunch in the dining room. It is served from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Frankly, I don't like this whole brunch thing. Not enough breakfast or lunch food to really make it either one. Just kind of weird. I had eggs benedict which was ok.

And the dining room was freezing cold.

 

Let me make my comments about the food in general. It was better than the last two Carnival cruises we have taken. Yes, there are fewer choices on the American Table and American Feast but what you get is of good quality and presented very well.

We had tablecloths at every meal. Most of my favorite standard dishes are still served like lobster, the strawberry soup, creme brulee, etc. I had almost decided to change from Carnival because of the lower food quality on our last cruises but this one impressed me enough to stay with them.

 

Well, gotta go for now. I will finish review later today.

If you can tell me how to post pictures on here I will try.

 

ANY QUESTIONS? PLEASE ASK THEM!!!

[Sthrncrusr]

Great review so far. Look forward to pictures! Can you tell me more about the American Table/Feast MDR menus? We are looking to take our first big Carnival cruise next summer. I've heard some ships have this and others don't. Is it just an updated menu?! Thanks!

[CarnyMan]

The new menus have basically fewer choices than before. There are maybe 2 or 3 appetizers and a soup and a couple of salads.

For entree there is a fish, a pasta, a beef and maybe a chicken choice along with a vegetarian choice.

Then there is an appetizer and an entree that is complimentary to the port for that day.

 

Desserts are usually three choices with one being the melting cake, another one and then a low sugar choice.

Ice cream is on the menu also.

 

You can order off the grill every meal the flat iron steak, grilled chicken or salmon fillet with sides like baked potato or broccolli.

My FIL had the flat iron steak every night except one when he got the filet mignon.

[Sthrncrusr]

Thank you!

[Terre]

Thank you for the review. I agree with you about the cabins being too hot. We learned several years ago to take a small fan with us, but don't put it in your checked bag...it will get confiscated. We had to go a whole cruise without it one year - on the Liberty as a MOF! - because they found it when my bag went through the X-ray.

 

I have noticed, too, that the service has gotten slower since they changed to the American Table menu and I don't think the food is as good, but that's my opinion. They just put the crème brulee back on the menu, it wasn't on it in January, but was for our June cruise.

 

I love the Liberty and love her décor. Glad you enjoyed the ship and your cruise.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Terre

[Lovefuninthesun]

Looking forward to being on Liberty in October, so very interested in your review.

Interested in your opinion of the Americna Table menues -- it looks to me as if my choices will be much more limited than before since I am allergic to all seafood. We will see! ;)

Agree with you regarding the "brunch" -- meh.

Did you use the Serenity area?

Thanks for posting your review!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[CarnyMan]

I won't have a detailed review for each day because I got distracted with other things like ports!

But I will give you all I can remember.

My wife had the chocolate chip pancakes at brunch and said they were awesome.

My daughter had huevos rancheros and she loved them.

 

Our room steward was Lloyd and he was absolutely awesome. Went above and beyond the call of duty to make us happy.

 

After brunch we went to the Scattergories challenge which was fun. It was in the Atrium Lobby as was most all of the trivia games.

 

AND BOY WAS THERE A LOT OF TRIVIA! If you enjoy trivia you will have a ball! We went to about 4 or 5 but every day there is trivia all day long.

 

We then decided to go lay out in a lounger. Yes, the chair hogs were in abundance. No lounger near the pool to be found but we found plenty one level up on the side of the ship.

I listened to my audio book and got a nice shade of crimson on my white legs. LOL

 

Then it was time for lunch. Tried a shrimp burrito at the Blue Iguana. Make it your way. This is a very good dining option. You can also get tacos. The salsa bar is great and my burrito was excellent.

 

Note of embarrassment! I set down in the lido buffet to eat with my family and the chair fell backwards with me in it! I hit my head on the floor but it was carpet so no damage done. I'm not sure how it happened but from then on I sat on the benches instead of the chairs. The Carnival crew were VERY quick to respond and urged me to go to medical but I felt fine so I declined the offer. The supervisor came and did a report anyway.

 

But I digress!

After lunch we went to ultimate mind trivia and name that tune british invasion version.

 

Then it was time for a nap til dinner.

It is Cruise Elegant night but I didn't wear a suit. Just a nice button up dress shirt and dress slacks. Most people were dressed very nicely. I didn't see any shorts in the MDR but did see a few jeans. Some ladies had long gowns but most were in shorter cocktail dresses.

 

PET PEEVE RANT---Ladies, yes, you have an awesome body but wearing a dress that is 3 sizes too small that you must keep pulling down and up only makes you look fat even if you aren't! I don't know why this style is so popular but it is awful, very much like a 'streetwalker'. And please, if you are over 35, wear something more age appropriate than a tight mini skirt! RANT OVER

 

Anyway, I had the lobster/shrimp combo and creme brulee. My wife had the prime rib which tasted good but was barely warm??

 

We then went to the family comedy show one deck above the dining room. The man's name is Jim Brick and he was super funny. This show began at 8:00 and we got there at like 7:55 because of slow dining service. It was over about 8:40.

 

We then had to rush to the other end of the ship for the theater show "Just Rock" that started at 9:00. It was a good show but I am really tired of music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Please, Carnival, update your music!!

There was an excellent female singer but the male singer was a little weak compared to her.

 

Only 2 male dancers and 8 female dancers. We talked to Corey, the CD, after the show and he said there were 2 male dancers out because of injuries.

 

The live band was very, very good.

 

The Serenity area is wonderful except don't sit in the big, cushioned sofas on the lower level. You are right next to a door that has a lot of traffic and you can hear the loud music near the pool.

 

We laid in one of the hammocks on the serenity area for a long time and enjoyed a strong ocean breeze which gently rocked us. It was HEAVEN. I could have stayed there all night and watched the sun come up.

 

The movie that night on the big screen was "Ride Along". It had way too much cursing for our taste. YES, WE ARE PRUDES!

 

LOL

 

Went back to our room ordered milk and cookies. took forever and then they forgot the milk. had to wait for it.

 

Day 3 coming up!

more to follow

[babyclaytonmom]

Loving the review. We leave on Liberty in less than 2 weeks!

[FloridaMommyof3]

I read that on this cruise a passenger was busted for smuggling cocaine on the ship.

[EpcotBill]

I read that on this cruise a passenger was busted for smuggling cocaine on the ship.

That was the June 20th cruise. He was arrested when we returned to Port Canaveral on the 28th.

[DylsDad]

We are enjoying your review. We leave soon for a cruise on the Liberty and appreciate you taking the time to write about your experiences. You mentioned that the room was hot. What deck were you on? Did the temperature problem seem to be isolated to certain decks or was it all over?

[sjcruiser]

Enjoyed the review, thanks for posting!!

[golfadj]

we got off as you got on. Was surprised to see tablecloths on Liberty after none on the Glory.

 

They have improved the new menu with some extra choics added back in.

[CarnyMan]

We are enjoying your review. We leave soon for a cruise on the Liberty and appreciate you taking the time to write about your experiences. You mentioned that the room was hot. What deck were you on? Did the temperature problem seem to be isolated to certain decks or was it all over?

 

We were on deck 6 (Upper Deck) on the aft of the ship. My FIL's room was across the hall from ours and his was hot also. His was a balcony and ours was inside.

 

All of the public rooms were very cold including the dining room, theater, lounges, etc.

[CarnyMan]

Day 3:

Yes, another sea day.

Yes, another trivia day.

Yes, another brunch day.

I had a pork chop for brunch at about 10:00. I really would rather have an earlier breakfast and then lunch in the DR.

 

We went to Fairy Tale trivia and then Disney trivia.

The bartender in the atrium lobby said there are 1200 kids on this sailing!

 

I really could not tell it. For the most part the kids were well behaved. I did see a group of them in one of the glass elevators sitting down and riding up and down for quite a while. I was tempted to report them but figured Hey, it's not their fault, it's their parent's fault.

 

So then it was time to add to my already sunburned legs. Went to the same place we had laid out before and found plenty of loungers.

 

Time for lunch and I decided to get a fish taco at The Blue Iguana.

The flavor was real good but the little tortillas were too small to really put much toppings on them. The fish was fried, not grilled like I prefer.

Was still hungry so I went for my second burger at Guy's. The fries are not crispy but flavorful.

 

I must say that some of Carnival's desserts at the buffet are terrible. The tiramisu cheesecake was totally tasteless. No flavor at all and had the consistency of jello.

As always the chocolate chip cookies are great but the cake pops are just not my thing. I have tried them in different places and they are always too dense.

 

NOTE: There are crew cleaning all the time all over this ship. The ship looks great and clean everywhere. I did notice a regular sewer smell in the hall on Upper deck.

 

NOTE: All personnel we met were smiling and seemed happy and cheerful to be on this ship. Carnival employees were always cordial and greeted us no matter where we went.

 

Since we weren't interested in anymore trivia we decided to take a nap.

 

YOu may have noticed by now that we just don't do the whole pool party thing or watch the pool games and contests and we don't gamble so that leaves out the casino.

We used to go to the art sales but since we have plenty of art it seems a waste of time.

We like a relaxed cruise with some activities.

I did notice that there seemed to be fewer activities than before.

 

Dinner time and the menu is not good (for me).

I ended up eating four appetizers: Shrimp cocktail, spring roll, braised rabbit and flat bread with bacon, apple and parmesan.

I have eaten fried rabbit but not braised. It had a very strong flavor but when paired with the sauce on the plate with it then it was quite tasty.

All other appetizers were excellent.

 

The DR service is getting quicker. We made it to the family comedy at 8:00 with plenty of time to spare. Comedian was Dan Chopin, funny but not as funny as the first one.

 

Show at 9:00 was a ventriloquist... At first I didn't think he was really very good because I could see his lips moving and we were seated in the back half of the lower level.

 

But the last bit he did with three people from the audience was hilarious and well worth the wait. Don't leave his show before his last bit. You will LOVE it!

 

NOTE: There are a lot fewer bar servers take drink orders in the show theater than used to be. Maybe one or two for the whole lower level. Carnival cutbacks I think.

 

Time for bed after the show.

[audcc77]

If you can tell me how to post pictures on here I will try.

 

 

Carnyman, thanks for taking time to post. We leave in a few weeks for the Liberty.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1489481

 

See post #10 by Mach

 

 

... and here's the testing page to see if it works the way you want (to check size):

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=225

[CarnyMan]

Carnyman, thanks for taking time to post. We leave in a few weeks for the Liberty.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1489481

 

See post #10 by Mach

 

 

... and here's the testing page to see if it works the way you want (to check size):

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=225

 

thanks so much. I will try it.

[jabrahim]

Hi,

 

Thanks so much for the review, it is awesome; very detailed and I like your honesty!

 

 

Day 3:

 

Yes, another sea day.

 

Yes, another trivia day.

 

Yes, another brunch day.

 

I had a pork chop for brunch at about 10:00. I really would rather have an earlier breakfast and then lunch in the DR.

 

 

 

We went to Fairy Tale trivia and then Disney trivia.

 

The bartender in the atrium lobby said there are 1200 kids on this sailing!

 

 

 

I really could not tell it. For the most part the kids were well behaved. I did see a group of them in one of the glass elevators sitting down and riding up and down for quite a while. I was tempted to report them but figured Hey, it's not their fault, it's their parent's fault.

 

 

 

So then it was time to add to my already sunburned legs. Went to the same place we had laid out before and found plenty of loungers.

 

 

 

Time for lunch and I decided to get a fish taco at The Blue Iguana.

 

The flavor was real good but the little tortillas were too small to really put much toppings on them. The fish was fried, not grilled like I prefer.

 

Was still hungry so I went for my second burger at Guy's. The fries are not crispy but flavorful.

 

 

 

I must say that some of Carnival's desserts at the buffet are terrible. The tiramisu cheesecake was totally tasteless. No flavor at all and had the consistency of jello.

 

As always the chocolate chip cookies are great but the cake pops are just not my thing. I have tried them in different places and they are always too dense.

 

 

 

NOTE: There are crew cleaning all the time all over this ship. The ship looks great and clean everywhere. I did notice a regular sewer smell in the hall on Upper deck.

 

 

 

NOTE: All personnel we met were smiling and seemed happy and cheerful to be on this ship. Carnival employees were always cordial and greeted us no matter where we went.

 

 

 

Since we weren't interested in anymore trivia we decided to take a nap.

 

 

 

YOu may have noticed by now that we just don't do the whole pool party thing or watch the pool games and contests and we don't gamble so that leaves out the casino.

 

We used to go to the art sales but since we have plenty of art it seems a waste of time.

 

We like a relaxed cruise with some activities.

 

I did notice that there seemed to be fewer activities than before.

 

 

 

Dinner time and the menu is not good (for me).

 

I ended up eating four appetizers: Shrimp cocktail, spring roll, braised rabbit and flat bread with bacon, apple and parmesan.

 

I have eaten fried rabbit but not braised. It had a very strong flavor but when paired with the sauce on the plate with it then it was quite tasty.

 

All other appetizers were excellent.

 

 

 

The DR service is getting quicker. We made it to the family comedy at 8:00 with plenty of time to spare. Comedian was Dan Chopin, funny but not as funny as the first one.

 

 

 

Show at 9:00 was a ventriloquist... At first I didn't think he was really very good because I could see his lips moving and we were seated in the back half of the lower level.

 

 

 

But the last bit he did with three people from the audience was hilarious and well worth the wait. Don't leave his show before his last bit. You will LOVE it!

 

 

 

NOTE: There are a lot fewer bar servers take drink orders in the show theater than used to be. Maybe one or two for the whole lower level. Carnival cutbacks I think.

 

 

 

Time for bed after the show.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[erewhon]

Enjoying your review.

[CarnyMan]

Thanks for all of your kind comments.

I will finish review today after a doctor appointment.

[AmberTeka]

I was on that same cruise. I grew up in Muscle Shoals. We played Lee High School in Huntsville in Football back then. I was a cheerleader ( the worst in the world) and remember the bus trip there very well. And of course Huntsville was 'wet' while Colbert and Lauderdale counties were dry as a bone. While I am too a prude & drink very little, those who did had a choice of the Tennessee Line or Huntsville with a good chance of getting your car impounded if your car was stopped and searched. Small World.

 

We were on the Empress Deck in cabin 7273. When we turned the Air Conditioning nob to cold...........it was artic. We were called mid ship , but were really just a few cabins before getting to the forward elevators. The temperature thing could be location? I agree totally about the Brunch. And we never got to use our drink coupon. Not on this cruise or the last one on the Dream. I wish those coupons could be used in any bar at any meal. I would use mine for a latte or such, but DH would enjoy a martini. We do play Trivia. We especially enjoyed Super Trivia. Liz, the activities staff person doing the Trivia...was enough no nonsense and a lot of fun...to make it work. We met a great family from South Carolina that we played with all week, and then met other people who joined our team for a day or so. I enjoy that part. Getting to know other passengers from other places.

 

We did not lay out or sun. We had ATD. We found the tables over by 116..that area to have the fastest service of any area we dined in...and the wait staff everywhere was nice. But they seemed to be quicker or got the food first. We were in and out when we were able to get a table anywhere in that area.

 

Buffet. Pizza. I really liked it. Chocolate cookies. really liked them. I had the Key Lime Cake and liked that. The Chocolate Buffet is on the last sea day. Get there quick or a lot of things are gone. it is well you avoided the casino. It was never full and I suspect the reason is that no one seems to win. At least on the slots. I know they do. But not anyone I talked too. I did not go much, but I might have well just handed the money to them. It was put the money in...watch it evaporate....leave. So I brought some money home. It is all good.

 

I am enjoying your review. We already have a cruise booked on Celebrity, but I too was so impressed with the Liberty.........we will probably sail her again in March when My Daughter and her family go with us. I thought Corey was an excellent Cruise Director. He was out and about a lot. he had the getting on the ship and the getting off................down right. Excellent planning. Smoothest emptying of the ship......I have ever seen. Even if we did have to shuttle to another terminal. to get our car from the Parking Garage. But even that went smoothly.

 

"A+" to Corey.&.Liz, the Activities lady with the patience of Job, and to Danny, our cabin Steward who is in the Philippines with his family for the next 2 months. He was the best cabin steward ever. totally.

[Terre]

Note of embarrassment! I set down in the lido buffet to eat with my family and the chair fell backwards with me in it! I hit my head on the floor but it was carpet so no damage done. I'm not sure how it happened but from then on I sat on the benches instead of the chairs. The Carnival crew were VERY quick to respond and urged me to go to medical but I felt fine so I declined the offer. The supervisor came and did a report anyway. LOL!! Sorry, these things make me laugh and I had a great visual.

 

PET PEEVE RANT---Ladies, yes, you have an awesome body but wearing a dress that is 3 sizes too small that you must keep pulling down and up only makes you look fat even if you aren't! I don't know why this style is so popular but it is awful, very much like a 'streetwalker'. And please, if you are over 35, wear something more age appropriate than a tight mini skirt! RANT OVER Amen! Preach it!

 

You make me laugh! My comments are in red above...keep it coming.

[Grothj]

We were a family of 5 on this same cruise. Our review can be summarized pretty quickly.

 

Worse cruise ever. To be fair, this was our first Carnival cruise and it will be our last. We knew Carnival had a reputation as a party boat but had asked on this board about families and got several comments that their family loved Carnival.

 

Our 7 year old grandson was not impressed at all with Camp Carnival. At his age group, it is nothing more than organized baby sitting and even then he said their was a lot of kids with very little supervision. He never went back.

 

The most disappointing part was the lack of a pool where you felt your kids were safe. There is not a single pool on the Liberty that is kids only. Of the 3 pools, the one of the aft was adults only. The other two on the lido deck with all the deck chairs were not restricted. If he went early (and he was always accompanied by parents or grandparents), he could enjoy the pool until about 11:00am. After that the pools became unbearably crowded with adults and their drinks. This is definitely not a family friendly area. After 4:30 or so, he could again enjoy the pool without the "adults". The music is turned up from about 11:00am until about 5:00pm.

 

The other area we found to be awful was the good. We went to MDR several times and not once was our order correct. Every time one waiter or another would argue with us about whether or not our meat was correctly cooked. The buffet food was what we would describe as "bad school cafeteria".

 

I would never recommend a carnival cruise to a family with children of any age. Probably just fine for adults.

[CarnyMan]

I was on that same cruise. I grew up in Muscle Shoals. We played Lee High School in Huntsville in Football back then. I was a cheerleader ( the worst in the world) and remember the bus trip there very well. And of course Huntsville was 'wet' while Colbert and Lauderdale counties were dry as a bone. While I am too a prude & drink very little, those who did had a choice of the Tennessee Line or Huntsville with a good chance of getting your car impounded if your car was stopped and searched. Small World.

 

We were on the Empress Deck in cabin 7273. When we turned the Air Conditioning nob to cold...........it was artic. We were called mid ship , but were really just a few cabins before getting to the forward elevators. The temperature thing could be location? I agree totally about the Brunch. And we never got to use our drink coupon. Not on this cruise or the last one on the Dream. I wish those coupons could be used in any bar at any meal. I would use mine for a latte or such, but DH would enjoy a martini. We do play Trivia. We especially enjoyed Super Trivia. Liz, the activities staff person doing the Trivia...was enough no nonsense and a lot of fun...to make it work. We met a great family from South Carolina that we played with all week, and then met other people who joined our team for a day or so. I enjoy that part. Getting to know other passengers from other places.

 

We did not lay out or sun. We had ATD. We found the tables over by 116..that area to have the fastest service of any area we dined in...and the wait staff everywhere was nice. But they seemed to be quicker or got the food first. We were in and out when we were able to get a table anywhere in that area.

 

Buffet. Pizza. I really liked it. Chocolate cookies. really liked them. I had the Key Lime Cake and liked that. The Chocolate Buffet is on the last sea day. Get there quick or a lot of things are gone. it is well you avoided the casino. It was never full and I suspect the reason is that no one seems to win. At least on the slots. I know they do. But not anyone I talked too. I did not go much, but I might have well just handed the money to them. It was put the money in...watch it evaporate....leave. So I brought some money home. It is all good.

 

I am enjoying your review. We already have a cruise booked on Celebrity, but I too was so impressed with the Liberty.........we will probably sail her again in March when My Daughter and her family go with us. I thought Corey was an excellent Cruise Director. He was out and about a lot. he had the getting on the ship and the getting off................down right. Excellent planning. Smoothest emptying of the ship......I have ever seen. Even if we did have to shuttle to another terminal. to get our car from the Parking Garage. But even that went smoothly.

 

"A+" to Corey.&.Liz, the Activities lady with the patience of Job, and to Danny, our cabin Steward who is in the Philippines with his family for the next 2 months. He was the best cabin steward ever. totally.

 

Wow! It is a small world isn't it? I was beginning to think everyone else on the ship was from North Carolina!