Better Late Than Never Review: Carnival Liberty, May 10-17, 2015

[agp_mzk]

 

 

 

 

 

This next part was not my proudest moment. We are a smart group of people. Three of the five of us have advanced degrees, and, as I said before, one is an aerospace engineer. We know how to read. We even made fun of the people hanging on to the fence and being blasted by the jets on take-off. However, our engineer/husband friend's presence gave us a false sense of security. He assured us that if we stood across the street from the airport fence, on the beach, we'd be safe from the jet blast. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG.

 

I have a 30-second video that I wish I could share here that shows the aftermath. The funniest part is that, in my video, you can see our dear engineer/husband friend completely abandoning the womenfolk and bailing before any of the rest of us did. We gave him grief about that for days! We made a break for the water as people and personal items went flying all around us. I was laughing so hard that I could barely see where I was going. We joked, after we were safely away from the blast, that we had gotten a free skin resurfacing on our trip. Word to the wise: Never trust anyone else's opinion of how close is "too close" to the jet blast at Maho Beach!

 

Here's my post-jet blast sand-exfoliation selfie.

 

[agp_mzk]

At this point, I was content to hold down the chairs with our sun-sensitive friend and watch some of the larger planes come in. I had gotten more than my fill of adventure for the day.

 

 

 

 

Our friendly second cab driver picked us up right on schedule and carried us back to the ship. He was a cheerful tour guide. We headed back to the ship, tired and in need of thorough showers to remove sand from places where sand should NEVER be.

 

 

Luckily, they had a trivia activity just for us this day, so we won our second ship on a stick of the week! We didn't mention that I teach Equine Science at the university level, but I was wearing an Equestrian Team t-shirt, so I'm pretty sure they knew we were ringers.

 

Edited June 26, 2015 by agp_mzk

[agp_mzk]

This was the day of the Preakness Stakes (the second "jewel" of the Triple Crown, for those who aren't familiar with horse racing), so we headed up to the sports bar to watch the race. I got a kick out of their drink special. Apparently someone at Carnival doesn't understand that the Kentucky Derby is a once-a-year thing.

 

 

American Pharoah won in a romp, despite the slop. We were a very happy bunch! Just a few weeks later, I watched him win the Belmont Stakes and become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. :eek: We celebrated the Preakness win with a bottle of wine I had purchased in Puerto Rico just for the occasion. For a $5 bottle of wine, it wasn't all that bad.

 

 

After dinner, we headed over to the Alchemy Bar to say goodbye to the staff, especially Annamaria. All of us wrote emails to Carnival customer service and mentioned her in our post-cruise surveys. I hope she is rewarded for her excellent service.

 

 

We visited the comedy club again that night. The next day was disembarkation, the saddest day on any cruise.

[agp_mzk]

On disembarkation day, I woke up with a horribly sore throat. The other girls said I'd been talking a lot in my sleep the night before, so I chalked it up to having my mouth open for much of the night and didn't think much of it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. By the time we were able to get off the ship, take a taxi to the hotel, and walk over to Cafe del Angel for lunch, I felt terrible. I boxed up my lunch and went to the hotel to try to take a nap while the rest of the bunch continued exploring the Condado area. We had originally planned to rent a car and head out to Arecibo Observatory, but I'm glad we scrapped that plan. I was not in any condition to enjoy another excursion.

 

My "nap" bled into the evening. I slept for about 18 hours, off and on, before we had to get up and head to the airport. The husband of the group was starting to feel pretty rough, too, at that point. I was miserable. I found some highly overpriced Tylenol Sinus (the ONE medication I didn't pack in my "just in case" bag, of course), which didn't help at all. I felt like my head was going to explode. During our layover in Ft. Lauderdale, I tried to eat lunch, but I just couldn't do it. Our late flight back to Nashville ended up being a blessing in disguise because there were so few people on board that there was enough room for everyone to have their own row of seats. I stretched out and tried to nap a little. When we arrived in Nashville, neither the husband or I could hear ANYTHING due to the congestion in our ears. I've never felt so miserable in my life, it was 10 pm central time, and I still had a 3.5 hour drive and a time change ahead of me. I crawled into my bed in Knoxville at around 4 am, feeling like death. That was not how I wanted my vacation to end!

 

I don't know what kind of virus we picked up or where it came from, but all five of us ended up getting sick, although I got the worst case by far. The cold/sinus symptoms lasted about two weeks, but I'M STILL COUGHING. I've gone through three doctor's visits, two courses of antibiotics, a chest x-ray, and all kinds of blood work. No one seems to know why I can't kick the cough. Ugh.

 

Other than our tropical plague, we had a great trip. The cabin location on the Lido deck was great for navigating around the ship. Yes, there was some noise in the hallway at night, but it only kept me up for brief periods of time, and I'm an extraordinarily light sleeper. We did have a problem with our shower for the first four nights of the cruise. It drained extremely slowly, which meant that we ended up flooding the bathroom every evening when we were getting ready for dinner. I guess the room steward finally got tired of dealing with piles of soaked towels after we cleaned up the mess, and someone finally fixed the shower one day while we were out.

 

The married couple in our group opted for the Cheers package. The "girls" did not, because our "youngster" is a very light drinker. In the end, I would have just broken even with Cheers, so it was a wash. I will probably buy the Cheers package in the future on less port-intensive itineraries.

 

I've never been a big Sea Day person, but this itinerary wiped me out. I'm glad we did it, because we had a great time, but I don't think I'd want to do 6 ports in 7 days again.

 

I also think that I prefer to do most of my future traveling as a solo. I love my friends, and we had a blast, but I felt the need to play travel agent all week, since I was the most experienced traveler of the group. I'd rather not have to worry about what 5 other people want to do when planning future trips.

 

So, that was our experience in a nutshell. I'd be happy to answer any questions as best I can. It's been a while since the trip, but I still remember most of the important details.

Edited June 26, 2015 by agp_mzk

[agp_mzk]

Oh, I almost forgot the conclusion of the contraband knife saga. The night before debarkation, my friend received a note in the cabin that told her to go to Guest Services in the morning to reclaim her knife. When we arrived at Guest Services, they had no idea where the knife was and sent her to the nightclub, where people were picking up their smuggled alcohol, irons, and other contraband. No knife. The staff at the night club told her to check with port security after we disembarked. Luckily, the knife was actually waiting for her with a security officer as we "dinged" out on the gangway. All's well that ends well, but the whole event was an unorganized mess.

[sweenbean21]

I have really enjoyed reading your review..you have confirmed things that we are wanting to do when we set sail in November, i.e. Sapphire Beach and not taking a boat trip to see the turtles in Barbados.

 

Look forward to reading about the rest of your trip!!:)

[crucero]

Thanks for the great review! I hope you get over your cough soon! We will be going on this cruise in January, and I will probably need a vacation when we get home. Ha!

[pghsteelerfan]

I started reading your review and just now finished up. I really enjoyed it and your pictures. We did the same itinerary out of San Juan on Valor in May 2013 and this is definitely my favorite itinerary - just so pretty. We were also on Liberty last year in April on a western Caribbean cruise and just loved her. On our Valor cruise, we also went to Sapphire Beach when in St. Thomas and we just thought it was so pretty and we also loved the snorkeling there. We were hoping to get to go up the Skyride to Paradise Point after Sapphire but two weeks before our sail date the Skyride was temporarily closed down for a road widening project and Paradise Point was undergoing renovations. :( I definitely want to do the same itinerary again and am determined to get up there next time. :D I loved your pictures of St. Kitts and the mountains and countryside are so pretty. We'd gone to a beach for part of the day and had no tour when we were there since we splurged on private tours in St. Lucia and St. Maarten. It wouldn't have mattered though because that was our rainy day. The clouds were so low and thick that we couldn't really even see the mountains. I'd love to see Brimestone Fortress and do an island tour of some kind next time around. I was cracking up at your St. Maarten section about getting sand blasted at Maho Bay - too funny. Also good to know because I'd love to go there next time. Sorry to hear you all ended up getting, what we affectionately call "the crud". It's been going around up here and has gone through the whole family of good friends of ours and theirs lasted almost 3 weeks, some members even catching "round 2". Knock on wood...we've managed to escape it. No, none of the group has been on a recent cruise.

 

Thank you for taking the time to do a review and share pictures...I really enjoyed it.

[agp_mzk]

Thanks for all of your kind words.

 

This may not have been the best cruise I've ever been on, but it was a good time. I'm already planning the next one!

[DavyJoneses]

Some nice photos there...thanks.

[lcgvol]

We did this same cruise two years ago on the Valor. My husband also got very sick after the cruise with those same symptoms. He hadn't been that sick in the 25 years we had been married. First time in 25 plus years he had to take antibiotics.

[agp_mzk]

We did this same cruise two years ago on the Valor. My husband also got very sick after the cruise with those same symptoms. He hadn't been that sick in the 25 years we had been married. First time in 25 plus years he had to take antibiotics.

 

Puerto Rico must harbor some serious cold germs! I can't remember the last time I took any kind of antibiotic, and I've had two heavy-duty courses since this trip. Crazy!

[iheartmarshall]

Thanks for the review! I enjoyed reading it, especially St. Maarten. We will be there in December and want to do something similar to your DIY excursion so I appreciate the information!

[DopeyRN1]

I really enjoyed your review and sense of humor. Thanks for taking the time!

 

I am reading several reviewers who are decades younger than me say how this itinerary kicked their butts! I'm a bit concerned as we have 3 days of sightseeing before and after in Puerto Rico scheduled. Plus big plans for every port, like zip lining in St Kitts and a 3 hour scavenger hunt in the streets of St Maarten. :eek: I may need to talk to my group and think this through again.

[agp_mzk]

I am reading several reviewers who are decades younger than me say how this itinerary kicked their butts! I'm a bit concerned as we have 3 days of sightseeing before and after in Puerto Rico scheduled. Plus big plans for every port, like zip lining in St Kitts and a 3 hour scavenger hunt in the streets of St Maarten. :eek: I may need to talk to my group and think this through again.

 

It really wiped me out, and I'm used to going 90 mph all day, every day. But, by the time the end of the trip rolled around, I was REALLY sick. I might have felt differently about the port-intensive cruise had that not happened. :confused:

 

Either way, it is a beautiful itinerary, and I'm glad I got the chance to take it. My next cruise will have more sea days, though!

[cruiseapril]

Very interesting review- with great photos. Good info on excursions.

[agp_mzk]

Thank you! It was a great trip, if a little tiring.

[ScrapbookJ]

Thanks for the review, I didn't know about the "Do you speak English guy"!!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Texas Moomba]

Hi AGP,

Really enjoyed your review. Loved the pics and description. Question, how was the Sangria at Orozco's? I don't like to book excursions through Carnival, I don't like the big crowds, but I'm 68 YOA, so I'm not as social as you are. We book through Trip Advisor and we booked a catamaran excursion to snorkel with turtles. The company is Silver Moon Catamaran. A little pricey, but they only take 12 people max and provide lunch, all the drinks you want, snacks and a cold mint scented towel at the end of the excursion. It is 5 hours long, but for me well worth it.

Anyway thanks for the review. We've been on the cruise you took, a couple of years ago, and you showed us some things we didn't know about.

Thanks again,

Jim & Pam

[loubetti]

 

This next part was not my proudest moment. We are a smart group of people. Three of the five of us have advanced degrees, and, as I said before, one is an aerospace engineer. We know how to read. We even made fun of the people hanging on to the fence and being blasted by the jets on take-off. However, our engineer/husband friend's presence gave us a false sense of security. He assured us that if we stood across the street from the airport fence, on the beach, we'd be safe from the jet blast. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG.

 

I have a 30-second video that I wish I could share here that shows the aftermath. The funniest part is that, in my video, you can see our dear engineer/husband friend completely abandoning the womenfolk and bailing before any of the rest of us did. We gave him grief about that for days! We made a break for the water as people and personal items went flying all around us. I was laughing so hard that I could barely see where I was going. We joked, after we were safely away from the blast, that we had gotten a free skin resurfacing on our trip. Word to the wise: Never trust anyone else's opinion of how close is "too close" to the jet blast at Maho Beach!

 

Here's my post-jet blast sand-exfoliation selfie.

 

 

Your engineer friend no be too smart! :rolleyes:

 

Does he have any idea of the thrust those engine put out at takeoff?

 

The warning sign is there for a reason.

 

A 747 will put out over 200,000 pounds of thrust, and a smaller jet, perhaps 50,000. That's serious stuff and people really need to heed those warnings. There are enough youtube videos to show this.

 

For those who want to "ride the fence", expect force 5+ hurricane winds, close your eyes, hang on tight, and hope to survive. The pilots of those departing aircraft don't care a s--t about who is acting stupid, they have a short runway and mountains to clear after takeoff.

 

For those on the beach; well I think think you got the idea of that!

 

This comes from a pilot, BTW. :cool:

[loubetti]

Oh, forgot to add, a very nice review! :)

[agp_mzk]

Texas Moomba, the sangria and food at Orozco's were both absolutely amazing.

 

Loubetti, he actually did/does know those things but I think he overestimated the distance between where we were standing at the edge of the beach and the departing aircraft. I think he also had a bit of a "kid in the candy store" moment. That is NOT a mistake I will make again, for sure! Lol.

Edited May 23, 2016 by agp_mzk

[loubetti]

Texas Moomba, the sangria and food at Orozco's were both absolutely amazing.

 

Loubetti, he actually did/does know those things but I think he overestimated the distance between where we were standing at the edge of the beach and the departing aircraft. I think he also had a bit of a "kid in the candy store" moment. That is NOT a mistake I will make again, for sure! Lol.

 

Glad you won't! ;)

 

Does he also know that the temperature of the exhaust gas can range between 600° to 900° Fahrenheit? Of course, over distance it does cool, that's why you see the condensate trails behind jets at high altitude.

 

Anyway, hope the facial is to your liking! ;)

 

Just saying this for those, not you, who might think this is just another cruise ship amusement on shore.

 

One can be killed or severely injured by jet blast. Best to watch from the side lines, and watch people run / get blown into the water, or get blown off the fence across the street!:eek:

 

Here's what happened with just an Airbus A320:

 

 

NOT PRETTY!

 

Now, why they don't put up a blast barrier is beyond me!

 

Watch from the side lines folks. :cool:

Edited May 23, 2016 by loubetti