Carnival Liberty 8/1/05 - 8/13/05 Review

[suzy671]

Firstly, thank you for your great review.

 

Question: What time did debarkation start?

[BillnBobbi]

Hi BNB,

Did you take your passport with you when you left the ship??

 

Also, it just so happens that the only tour we booked was the one that goes from Florence to Piza. I doubt I can get out of it now, but do you have any suggestions about anyting in Florence?? Would you leave the tour and take off on your own???

Thanks,

Bobbi

 

Do NOT take your passport off the ship. All you need off of the ship is your sign and sail card, and they also recommended a photo ID (driver's license eg). We left the passport in the safe, and actually never needed the photo id. I suppose the latter was in case you got in trouble with the local police or something, or if you rented a car (You have to be NUTS to do that in Italy).

 

The tour we took was "Florence on your own". One of our friends took the one you were on, and had a little time in Pisa and very little time in Florence.

They simply give too little time to that days excursion. They give 12 hours in Cannes so people can run off to St. Moritz and Monaco. Why not just dock in Monaco? I think Carnival needs to rethink the itinerary. The last three days are killers all in a row. We would have liked the final day at sea to have been the day before getting back to Rome, so as to decompress before flying home to jetlag and two weeks of unopened mail.

 

Bill

[LatinaWorldTraveler]

HI Bill!

 

I just want to say that your reviews kept me coming back for more....I only wish they didn't have to come to an end! I'm a bit younger than you..33 :D but I totally got your sarcasm! You had me laughing out loud!

 

OK, now for my questions..some stupid, but hey, momma always said......so my first question is (the stupid one) do they stamp your passport at every port you disembark? Second question, Barcelona, I am a fluent Spanish speaker, in fact it was my first language. I booked the Barcelona highlights and shopping tour, but the way you describe how you were able to do so much, makes it seem easy to navigate, especially since I speak the language. Do you think my time would be better spent doing it on my own?? If the ship gets there at 7 am, what time do you actually get off the ship? My tour is supposed to start at 9am but that would be a complete waste of 2 hours....does it take that long to get everyone off the ship? (I'm a newbie) I am traveling with one Picasso fanantic and one airhead...literally! I love her to death but she really can be a handful. (example: I told her we will be touring Pompeii and she asked me what a Pompeii is...:eek: ) Another cause for concern is I read other reviews saying taxis wouldn't take them back to the dock because of the traffic. Is it walking distance back to the ship from the Columbus monument??

Unfortunately I am booked on the Florence/Pisa tour also....argh! My husband wants me to buy him a leather jacket....guess that's out of the question....

Well, thanks in advance for your response!

 

<3 Liz

[Gale Gwinn]

To Bill

 

I printed out everything to share with my husband. I told him he has a big reading assignment ahead!

 

Regarding ship tours:

 

Did you hear anything about the Tuscany tours?

 

Did you hear anything about the Costa Brava beach tour in Barcelona?

 

What about the Nice and Eze tour in Cannes?

 

Sounds like we can do a lot on our own too. Thanks!

[DebNJoe]

Hi BNB,

Did you take your passport with you when you left the ship??

 

Also, it just so happens that the only tour we booked was the one that goes from Florence to Piza. I doubt I can get out of it now, but do you have any suggestions about anyting in Florence?? Would you leave the tour and take off on your own???

Thanks,

Bobbi

 

If you are booked on a ship tour, I believe that you may cancel for a full refund, prior to sailing. Not sure of the exact number of days prior. If you are considering that, check with Carnival regarding their cancellation policy.

[bobbi3]

BnB, do you know if there is a curfew to get back on the ship in Venice?

[BillnBobbi]

HI Bill!

 

I just want to say that your reviews kept me coming back for more....I only wish they didn't have to come to an end!

 

[ Hey we wish the cruise didn't have to come to an end. It took about three days to get over jet lag ]

 

 

I'm a bit younger than you..33 :D but I totally got your sarcasm! You had me laughing out loud!

 

OK, now for my questions..some stupid, but hey, momma always said......so my first question is (the stupid one) do they stamp your passport at every port you disembark?

 

[ No, because you DON'T TAKE YOUR PASSPORT OFF THE SHIP. LEAVE YOUR PASSPORT ON THE SHIP. I ALREADY SAID THAT. The ship clears customs for everyone, you don't have to clear while you are on the ship. ]

 

 

 

Second question, Barcelona, I am a fluent Spanish speaker, in fact it was my first language. I booked the Barcelona highlights and shopping tour, but the way you describe how you were able to do so much, makes it seem easy to navigate, especially since I speak the language. Do you think my time would be better spent doing it on my own??

 

[ Absolutely. You do not need to be led around like a little child in Barcelona. Most of the people in the central area in the shops speak English as a second or third language. Of course they would prefer if you used Spanish first, which we tried to do as much as possible. Many Barcelonans speak Catalan as a first language which I understand is close to Spanish but not quite the same. If you are fluent in Spanish or Catalan you should have absolutely no problem. It is a modern sophisticated city. There are clear markings for all streets as well as the subway routes which are posted at each metro station just like in Neuva York. :-) ]

 

 

 

If the ship gets there at 7 am, what time do you actually get off the ship?

 

[ As soon as they put down the gangplank. We walked off at 7:15, got in a cab at 7:20 and were at La Sagrada Familia by 7:35am ]

 

 

My tour is supposed to start at 9am but that would be a complete waste of 2 hours....does it take that long to get everyone off the ship?

 

[ No, not if you are docked in the port. It only takes a long time if you have to tender in from out in the harbor as you have to do in Cannes. Don't waste the time, and do it on your own. The ship ports in Barcelona on a work day and it is already rush hour traffic time just like any other cosmopolitan place. ]

 

 

(I'm a newbie) I am traveling with one Picasso fanantic and one airhead...literally! I love her to death but she really can be a handful. (example: I told her we will be touring Pompeii and she asked me what a Pompeii is...:eek: )

 

[ That's a hairdo from the 50s. A lot of rock and roll stars had pompeiis like Little Richard eg. The Picasso museum is very interesting but there aren't those many works by him there. The 4 Cats exhibit was fascinating though.

If your fanatic friend wants to see the premier Picasso museum then he or she needs to go to Madrid. That person is probably aware that the Museum of Modern Art in NYC had The Guernica for decades and it was returned to Spain a few years ago. I believe it is now in that same museum in Madrid.

The Dali museum was a trip though, and they allow photos inside. See my second set of pictures which I posted it has a few of the works posted.

 

Tell your friend if she decorates her pompeii with camarones she'll look really hot. ]

 

 

Another cause for concern is I read other reviews saying taxis wouldn't take them back to the dock because of the traffic. Is it walking distance back to the ship from the Columbus monument??

 

 

[ Yes, we did it. The rule of thumb was if you can see the ship you can get to the ship. It was about a mile and a half back from the monument. It was very hot and humid in the high 90s but if we could do it, so can you. We're in our upper 50s. Walking uphill over the bridge is a bit daunting but it's down hill once you get to the midway point. :-) We saw a lot of people walking back. ]

 

Unfortunately I am booked on the Florence/Pisa tour also....argh! My husband wants me to buy him a leather jacket....guess that's out of the question....

 

 

[ Ooo Ooo we saw this great leather jacket, I forget which designer, Fendi?,

in the designers own store on the Passeig de Gracia right after the Cassa Battlo. It was black leather, butter soft, bomber style design. They wanted about 1300 euros. Who buys a leather jacket when its 90 degrees?

Would look great in NYC in Autumn though. They had men and women's versions. Check it out. ]

 

Well, thanks in advance for your response!

 

<3 Liz

 

Enjoy the cruise. On this cruise you should attempt to do as much as you can independently, esp. if you are familiar with the native languages.

The only places where I'd suggest tours are Sicily for the Mt. Etna volcano and Taormina. Go to Capri on your own and then take the tour boat which hires at the dock to go to The Blue Grotto. That's the one thing we are very sorry we missed and thought it was on the ships tour. Instead they took us shopping.

 

Bill

[BillnBobbi]

To Bill

 

I printed out everything to share with my husband. I told him he has a big reading assignment ahead!

 

Regarding ship tours:

 

Did you hear anything about the Tuscany tours?

 

Did you hear anything about the Costa Brava beach tour in Barcelona?

 

What about the Nice and Eze tour in Cannes?

 

Sounds like we can do a lot on our own too. Thanks!

 

Hey Sheryl Crazeecat!! Are you lurking? Cheryl Crazeecat. I believe took the tour of Tuscany. I recall that she liked it a lot, so perhaps she can answer you. I know you're reading me Sheryl...

 

I don't know about Barcelona. We did the central city. Did the beach in Cannes the next day. You see one beach on the Med coast you've seen them all. :-)

 

Someone said that Nice was nice, and another person went for parfums in Eze and came back with a bunch. If you have the strength by that time of the trip, and don't want to sit on the beach all day, you may as well take some kind of tour at Cannes because there ain't nothing to do in Cannes.

Unless of course you are looking for some $25,000 watches. Thing is they have those watches in Grand Cayman for a lot less. Don't you think that $17,500 is a good markdown on an Audemars Piguet? I know I do. I'll take two of them.

 

Bill

[Musicmom]

Hi all- Bill, great report - brings back soooo many memories. For those considering this bus tour to Monoco and Monte Carlo- think twice. When we arrived at Monte Carlo the casino was only open on the first floor. Nice but nothing like Las Vegas. Blackjack didn't start until 4:00 PM and we were long gone on the bus by then. Not at all what I expected! Forget getting into the Hotel across the street. Unless you are staying there - you do not get in. Across the street is another casino. Not much except slots. Again table games start after 4:00pm. Regarding entry into VENICE - I have been there three times now and this was the most impressive entry yet. They had Pavaroni singing Italian on the Big Screen with orchestra. With the Liberty SO huge you could see all over Venice and the surrounding islands. Also on the ship - TEA TIME is in the Cabinet at 3:00 P.M. - It's free! Nicely served. The chocolate mousse is "to die for". Want free champagne - Go to the art show - at least to look. Private drivers with others you meet on cruise critic is a great way to tour instead of bus. Highly recommend it! DH and I spent 3 days prior to the cruise in Rome. Nice way to start the trip before cruising.

On the way back, stayed 2 more days due to airline "overbooking". Now we have travel vouchers for 2 more trips. Where to go next????????

[Guest Crazeecat5]

Hi there,

Ok, you caught me! We didn't take a Tuscany tour, we had a private driver take us to Lucca and Pisa. Lucca is a lovely medieval town but just like so many other medieval towns, there is not much more than churches and stores. We did enjoy our time there but not much to do. Now, if you can take a tour or better yet, a private driver to Tuscany that would be great. It's a beautiful area. Robert and I were there in 1999.

Robert and I have been to Florence twice and we loved it. We are art lovers too, and cherished our time in the Uffizi. David was magnificient. I guess this is a perfect example of "to each his own" and "different strokes for different folks!"

Sheryl

[BillnBobbi]

BnB, do you know if there is a curfew to get back on the ship in Venice?

 

 

Why? Are you a minor? You may stay out all night for all the ship cares. Get a hotel room by St. Marks. Sleep with the rat birds. Share a drink with street person.

 

The only requirement is that you get back on the next day before the ship leave.

 

Bill

[BillnBobbi]

Firstly, thank you for your great review.

 

Question: What time did debarkation start?

 

 

Debarkation? - You mean to go home? Well they asked about two days before who had early flight connections and made arrangements for those folks to get off as early as about 6am.

 

The ship embarked from Civitavecchia at 7pm for the first leg of the cruise.

You can get on the ship by about 1 or 2 pm which gives half the day to explore the ship on the first day, have lunch and cocktails and dinner. As soon as the ship is in international waters, the casino opens, and so do the stores.

 

Bill

[suezcruise]

Hello BillnBobbi:

 

Loved reading your review! Witty and informative, sorry it came to an end.

Now I'll have to go back to watching Cash Peters. Or maybe the Travel Channel will pick up a "Critic Critic" show!

 

We are booked on the Liberty for next June. It will be interesting to see if they tweek the itinerary! We are planning to do a lot on our own. Had hoped to do Florence/and a wine tour. After reading your review, we're leaning toward Tuscany only.

 

Thanks again for posting such an enjoyable read, and the beautiful pictures too!

 

Sue Z.

[bobbi3]

Why? Are you a minor? You may stay out all night for all the ship cares. Get a hotel room by St. Marks. Sleep with the rat birds. Share a drink with street person.

 

The only requirement is that you get back on the next day before the ship leave.

 

Bill

 

 

Ha! No I'm not a minor (29) but I realize now how the question sounded. However, it is my first trip in Europe. I wondered if there was some kind of security issue.

I hope the night life in venice is hoppin!

[howian]

Part 1 Carnival Liberty Europe

 

We just completed the Carnival Liberty cruise and had a wonderful time. We enjoyed the ship, the ports, and everything else- it was the trip of a lifetime for use. Some specifics:

 

1. Preparation

 

The currency in Europe is Eurodollars. US money, travellers, checks are not as good and need to be converted. With an exchange rate of 5-4, you simply do not want to spend your money getting money. My son found that you cannot get money or did many things with the visa check card.

 

The ship is great. Many of the travellers were families and my 24 years and 15 year old boys readily found friends.

 

2. Try to plan as many things beforehand. Getting good guides will generally be better than the ship tours. Many peopld did tours on their own, with 99% having few problems. The ship makes money arranging destinations so they will emphasize the negative aspects of taking other than their tours-

Take your own tour if you will, but please do not miss the ship, every trip someone missed the ship coming off a tour. Do at least some of the tours on your own but give yourself an hour's grace time.

 

3. Food was great for lunch and in the dining room for dinner. Quality, service, etc. impressive. The dinner buffet though was unimpressive though we only did that one night. Lunches though had multiple stations, chinese, deli, buffet, a wonderful assortment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[howian]

I took a cab ride to Taomina and it worked out fine. Cost was I think 120 Euro. If you have two people the tours make sense; at four, sometimes not.

 

Thanks for continuing this great review.

 

Do remember the cost of your Taormina tour?

 

Thanks for the tip on the Barcelona market. One thing my hubby and I love to do wherever we go is visit the local outdoor market.

[CruiseCentric]

Great Review thanks!

[Arizona Travelers]

I am speechless! What a fantastic review and wonderful pictures. I only hope mine are half as good! We leave Sunday for the August 25th sailing.

 

Thank you so much for all of the terrific information!

 

Cayce

[rustybaby]

I wouldent say venice nightlife was hoppin? not at $10 a beer. wish the 'over-nighter' had been in Barcelona. Barca IS hoppin!

[BillnBobbi]

Hello BillnBobbi:

 

Loved reading your review! Witty and informative, sorry it came to an end.

Now I'll have to go back to watching Cash Peters. Or maybe the Travel Channel will pick up a "Critic Critic" show!

 

We are booked on the Liberty for next June. It will be interesting to see if they tweek the itinerary! We are planning to do a lot on our own. Had hoped to do Florence/and a wine tour. After reading your review, we're leaning toward Tuscany only.

 

Thanks again for posting such an enjoyable read, and the beautiful pictures too!

 

Sue Z.

 

Thanks for the complement. Your mentioning of the Travel Channel reminded me of something. The ship has in cabin TVs and although most of the stations are something to do with life on the ship; they also carry BBC world news and Travel Channel UK.

The TC UK is not like the TC in the US where apparently the only things worthy of being shown are Las Vegas and Disneyworld. The TC UK had shows on Madagascar, New Guinea, New Zealand and other exotic places.

Sometimes it was real "Mondo Cane", as the time when a show had a woman on from New Guinea who wore the dessicated foot of her deceased husband around her neck as a memento.

I'm sure there are other women out there who would like to wear other-dessicated body parts of their deceased DHs around their necks too. :-)

Any way it was a great and sometimes weird form of entertainment at siesta time, and often in the evenings when the shows weren't up to par.

 

Bill

[BillnBobbi]

Here are some pictures of the ship.

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/426437203dfEZFV

 

 

Enjoy.

 

Bill

[Flip2cruise]

Here are some pictures of the ship.

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/426437203dfEZFV

 

 

Enjoy.

 

Bill

 

Great Pics!!! Love the artwork on the ship and the jewels in Harry's. Quite impressive.

[rustybaby]

Nice pics Bill, but where the hell are all he people? it looks like a ghost ship. they dont really compare to my memories of the hustle & bustle, the sounds & smells, that garth brooks song, ching ching ching from the casino, & just general people everywhere having fun?

[BillnBobbi]

Nice pics Bill, but where the hell are all he people? it looks like a ghost ship. they dont really compare to my memories of the hustle & bustle, the sounds & smells, that garth brooks song, ching ching ching from the casino, & just general people everywhere having fun?

 

Look at the time on the clock in the stairwell. It was 5:30am.

I didn't want people spoiling the pictures. I wanted pictures of THE ship, not things going on, on the ship.

 

What garth brooks song?

 

BTW how come you never showed up to meet anyone? Someone actually bought you a shirt that you had requested.

[Longlegscruiser]

BillynBobbi

Thank you for the great pics! I cruise the Liberty in November and have been waiting for some good pics of the ship.

 

Thanks again