How's Liberty??

[hawkeye93]

Hey Guys. We've been on the Magic and RC Navigator. Liked them both! I'm really wanting an eastern or southern caribbean itinerary and like the ports for Liberty. Will it feel like a "step down" (not trying to sound snobby) for me? It's with 3 teenagers so activities are important for them. I really want allure or oasis but for the times we can go (holidays) it's just too $.

 

Any feedback?

[pghsteelerfan]

I'll try to help as best I can to put your mind at ease about Liberty. Liberty is a Conquest class ship and we've been on Valor and Glory, also Conquest class, then finally got to go on Liberty in April 2014. The layout is the same but Liberty was our favorite in decor and also has the 2.0 upgrades. Liberty is also one of the favorites among the Carnival ships.

 

If you'd like to pictures of Liberty, interior and exterior, I did a review after our cruise last year. The review link is in my signature (Liberty, 2014 Western Caribbean). We have a "tradition" on our first Sea Day...after lunch we grab our cameras and take a tour of the ship. The pictures from our "tour" are on pages 6 - 8. When we were going through the ship that day, we couldn't get into a few of the places since they were busy: the Venetian Palace (theater), there was some kind of practice for one of the shows; "Hot and Cool Nightclub" (art show); and the Atrium (my favorite of any ship we've been on) was busy with trivia. We went back through later in the cruise to get pictures of those areas. Those pictures are on pages 19 and 20.

 

Liberty will have plenty of activities for three teens. When we went last year, it was spring break (early April) and there were a lot of kids on the ship. They all seemed to be having a good time. In addition to the teens clubs, there is also the arcade, mini golf, basketball, and volleyball. A lot of the kids seemed to be happy hanging out at the pool. Liberty has the older waterslide and no Waterworks. We don't have kids so I don't have any more specifics but I'm sure someone else can fill you in on that.

 

Hope this helps.

[nicjoel0114]

I was just on the liberty last week. We made it a good time but it was the worst cruise I had been on. It was my 6th on carnival and 9th total. We missed Honduras because of the wind, I get that. But the dinning room was bad and food all around was just ok. I don't think I would do it again by would give carnival one more shot. The price is great but maybe you get what you pay for.

[k9_Cop]

My wife and I have been on the liberty 4 times and it is by far our favorite ship. We have never had any issues, food has always been good, crew has been great. You can't control the weather, it has most of the 2.0 upgrades, lay out of the ship is easy. Overall it's a great ship.

[mrpayroll]

I have to say , that yes it is a step down from both the Magic and Navigator of the Seas. Still a nice ship.

[micheecruise]

My family and I went on the Liberty, and it was the favorite so far of our family cruises. We are pretty easy going and don't let the little things bring us down.

 

We thought the MDR as well as Lido deck food was good....we loved Guy's Burgers!!! The Blue Iguana was also yummy!

 

From talking with friends who have sailed all three RC, Carnival, and NCL, they seem to be more similar then they are different.

[grobbins]

Also consider that the southern itinerary has only one sea day. We've done this itinerary several times on Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival.

I think the ship is slightly less important on the port intensive southern route.

[Terab85]

I was just on the liberty last week. We made it a good time but it was the worst cruise I had been on. It was my 6th on carnival and 9th total. We missed Honduras because of the wind, I get that. But the dinning room was bad and food all around was just ok. I don't think I would do it again by would give carnival one more shot. The price is great but maybe you get what you pay for.

 

 

 

We were on the Liberty last month and it was the same for us. Missed Mahogany Bay because of the wind and experienced the same thing with the food. Ended up only eating in the dining room 3 times out of the week. This was our first Carnival cruise and DH was not impressed. We're trying a different ship for our second cruise with Carnival.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Terab85

[Buffettfan 225]

Also consider that the southern itinerary has only one sea day. We've done this itinerary several times on Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival.

I think the ship is slightly less important on the port intensive southern route.

Agree with the poster - this is all about the itinerary. The ship is great, the 2.0 options of Guys Burgers is enjoyable. I like the decor a lot of the chandeliers changing colors. And wrought iron work. Personally with all the time off ship, we barely had time to spend on it, and exhausted at night for daytime activities. The American Table menu is being adjusted and I am sure there is always something to eat you'd like. The option of 24 hr. pizza,ice cream and free room service too. It may take a day or so remembering layout of deck 3&4 do not allow for walking all the way end/end due to galley. So must use deck five across and stairs/ elevator up or down.

[SFNC cruising]

I was just on the liberty last week. We made it a good time but it was the worst cruise I had been on. It was my 6th on carnival and 9th total. We missed Honduras because of the wind, I get that. But the dinning room was bad and food all around was just ok. I don't think I would do it again by would give carnival one more shot. The price is great but maybe you get what you pay for.

 

Love Carnival, never sailed another cruise line BUT the Liberty cruise just wasnt one of the best. Not sure that it was the ship, but more the crew. Just not very organized. When we missed Honduras worthless CD stated "once I get my shoes on I will send out an updated FT with more activities for the day". I guess he never got around to putting on his shoes.

 

I would expect Carnival to know the conditions and be prepared for an alternate day prior to the 8am "attempt" at making port.:mad: Why even waste our time if you know the current conditions are not going to allow you to port.

[Crusin Karen]

Sailed on a B2B on Liberty 2 months ago. LOVED the ship. Not too much a fan of the new American table, but that's just me. LOVED Guys Burgers. I am very particular about my burgers and these were, IMO, perfection! Not a fan of the spices on the fries. I like mine plain. I would go up to Fish and Chips and get a basket of their AWESOME fries, then get my burger and I was in HEAVEN! :D I thought the crew were phenomenal. Being on her for 16 days we got to meet a lot of them and they were great. pghsteelerfan, I just saw your review in your signature and I have been reading it all afternoon. I am about 1/2 way thru and totally enjoying it. Pictures are amazing and brings me back! A question: how do you figure out where you are when you take pictures from the airplane?

OP, have never been on Navigator or Magic and don't know about teen activities, so can't help you as far as activities, but the ship gets a thumbs up from me! :)

[Tns-Atlanta]

First time to cruise, first time to post here on Cruise Critic. I can't find where to "roll call" for the cruise I am taking. By reading some of the reviews I ahve been able to find, it sounds like I have made a mistake by choosing this ship and cruise. Can someone who knows how to use this site a little better that I please tell me if I have and how to find out more about my cruise? Thanks -t

[Crusin Karen]

First time to cruise, first time to post here on Cruise Critic. I can't find where to "roll call" for the cruise I am taking. By reading some of the reviews I ahve been able to find, it sounds like I have made a mistake by choosing this ship and cruise. Can someone who knows how to use this site a little better that I please tell me if I have and how to find out more about my cruise? Thanks -t

You did NOT make a mistake. LOVE LOVE LOVE the Liberty. Look at my sig and see how many cruises I have been on and Liberty ranks way up at the top!!! There is a roll call "board" on here. Scroll down a bit. Pick CCL roll calls, then Liberty then find the date of your sailing. You will have a BLAST. It is a beautiful ship. BON VOYAGE!

[pghsteelerfan]

Sailed on a B2B on Liberty 2 months ago. LOVED the ship. Not too much a fan of the new American table, but that's just me. LOVED Guys Burgers. I am very particular about my burgers and these were, IMO, perfection! Not a fan of the spices on the fries. I like mine plain. I would go up to Fish and Chips and get a basket of their AWESOME fries, then get my burger and I was in HEAVEN! :D I thought the crew were phenomenal. Being on her for 16 days we got to meet a lot of them and they were great. pghsteelerfan, I just saw your review in your signature and I have been reading it all afternoon. I am about 1/2 way thru and totally enjoying it. Pictures are amazing and brings me back! A question: how do you figure out where you are when you take pictures from the airplane?

OP, have never been on Navigator or Magic and don't know about teen activities, so can't help you as far as activities, but the ship gets a thumbs up from me! :)

 

I was able to figure that out from our flight pattern after we actually flew just east of Washington DC. We were able to figure out it was Washington DC from the air due to the "mall" between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. I took so many pictures and only posted the best. It was hard to tell what I'd get from the plane, so I took a lot. When we flew back inland over FL, we knew it was Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades because we could see the cruise ships. From that, I was able to get a general idea of our flight pattern and then I used Google Maps to figure out where we were from landmarks in the pictures. It took a little while but not too much time and was kind of fun.

 

So sad to see some of the negative comments about Liberty. I know we loved her and even though we didn't have the best weather and missed getting to Grand Cayman (high winds, heavy surf), we made the best of it and didn't let it ruin our cruise. We were on a cruise after all, so we couldn't complain. Ports are missed frequently and that has nothing to do with the cruise line or the ship and is part of cruising. It wasn't perfect, no vacation is, but that was mainly little things. The crew we had seemed rushed at times, especially at dinner, but we could all see that they were hustling and doing the best they can and all of them were very nice. We don't have another cruise booked...yet...but I can't wait until the next time we can. I'm currently in the process of "arm twisting" DH to take another cruise, on Liberty, out of San Juan to the southern itinerary this fall. I wouldn't be wasting my time doing that if I had a negative experience on Liberty - we LOVED her & we LOVE that itinerary! :)

Edited March 16, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[kjunea]

First time to cruise, first time to post here on Cruise Critic. I can't find where to "roll call" for the cruise I am taking. By reading some of the reviews I ahve been able to find, it sounds like I have made a mistake by choosing this ship and cruise. Can someone who knows how to use this site a little better that I please tell me if I have and how to find out more about my cruise? Thanks -t

 

On the main forum page, there is a section for Roll calls. Click on Carnival, click on your ship, then scroll down until you see your sailing date. Click on it and join in talking!

[jennerpoo14]

I was just on the Liberty 2 weeks ago. While it was my first cruise I had no idea what to expect, it was extremely rough. To the point where I paid money to walk into the walls! We missed Grand Turk because of the wind but they did refund our port costs I think for a total of $30-$40. The decor was ok, but they were always doing maintenance by the pool so hot tubs would close randomly throughout the day, they would close stairs so you had to walk all the way around. They were always cleaning the ship though which I thought was amazing. I did have to take my daughter the doctor she vomited once and they had a rule if you vomited you had 12 hours to be checked out. Fortunately it was just her being seasick. But they do not take sickness and germs lightly. Which was very comforting. I loved the pictures that you could have taken, and they would have photographers everywhere so at the end of your cruise it was a very awesome selection of photos to purchase! I loved sitting on the promenade deck and just watching people walk, and just conversating. I learned that cruising is the one vacation you can take that forces you to put your phone away and communicate with people! The cruise director was awesome, he did a great job even when we had an extra day at sea. The food was ehh... Honestly, I have had better food at Chilis or Applebees. Our server was awesome (Guillermo). Activities were fun, my daughter loved the kids club. Diamond Steakhouse was probably the best food I have ever put in my mouth (if I could have afforded it I would have gone there every night!) The shows were good. My brother is crew on the ship he runs all the lighting, pyro, and sounds for all the shows so we got a backstage pass to somethings.

 

Overall if it was not so rocky I would do it again...I am terrified of going on another cruise if it is going to be that rough. Even though I am booked on Oasis of Seas in October. I mean we literally walked into walls, housekeeping carts, tripped down stairs. At one point we were in the elevator and you could feel it swinging on the cables...Crazy. I would give it a 6 out of 10!

[BrotherCraig]

We loved the Liberty. We sailed out of Miami a couple years ago and did the Western Caribbean. Thought the layout of the ship was great, the rooms were good, and we really liked the food on this one. Had a great time on that ship and looking forward to it moving to Galveston so we can sail on her again.

[ray98]

I was just on the Liberty and do not share some of the experiences above. The food, especially the new American menu, was great and the staff was wonderful as usual. I thought the ship was in great shape and the 2.0 options were fabulous.