Carnival Liberty 3/11-17

[colette_and_ron]

Wow! What a trip!

Arrived Saturday night at midnight. Carnival put us up at the Sheraton Airport Fort Lauderdale. Fast transfer, fast registration. Nice room.

 

Declined the transfer to the port(even though we already paid) and took an executive car instead to get there before the lines. The transfer bus wasn't leaving until around 1:00pm. Correct me if I'm wrong for anyone who took it. Also, the Carnival rep told us they wouldn't even start boarding until 1:30. Our car picked us up at 11:30 and took us to the liquor store to buy beer and wine. Please note: in Fort Lauderdale, you cannot buy alcohol before 12 noon on Sunday! Make your plans accordingly.

 

We got to the port before noon (with alcohol, long story). No line! Fun pass was completed as was Bahamas form. Even with photos we were up on the Lido deck around 12:15.

 

Got to our rooms at 2:00. First balcony cabin! Another wow!

 

Dinner at 8:00 in the Silver Olympian each night. Great service, delicious food. Go with your waiter's recommendation and you can't go wrong. Never went to the Supper Club as the menu was so good and we didn't want to miss anything.

 

All the ports were great.

Freeport, just shopped and went to the beach.

Grand Cayman, rented a scooter and toured around. So much fun!

Costa Maya, went to the fishing village and relaxed on the beach. $10 for 6 Corona, free nachos and tequila shots.

 

Past guest party and captain's party were great.

 

Absolutely no complaints on this cruise. Spring Breakers were well behaved. Only one person tossed off (or so we heard). One medical emergency turned us back to Grand Cayman, so we were a little late for Costa Maya, but all in all wonderful.

 

Off the ship by 9:00 Saturday morning and at the Miami airport by 10:15.

Any questions, please ask!

[kiffrig]

What room were you in? You said it was your first balcony....My hubby and I are doing our first balcony on the Liberty in June. Looking for advice! Thanks!

[colette_and_ron]

We were in 7338. Perfect location. Mid ship, near the elevators. 2 flights up to the Lido, 2 flights down to the Promenade and an extra flight down to dinner as we were on the Upper Level.

We did use a bungee cord to keep our balcony open.

[Travel Angel]

Interesting how opinions differ.... we felt the exact opposite of your cruise experience......we had many issues with the Spring Breakers outside our stateroom with all the noises late at night, not including the many signs of vomit in the hallway, their overall attitude was that they ruled the ship. One comedy show there was a drunk spring breaker heckling the comedian with foul language (this was at the NON "R" rated show wher children were allowed to attend) and asked to leave with only his bathing suit on and beer in hand !

 

Our service in the dining room was the worst I have ever had when trying to order a bottle of wine that supposedly did not exsist... but was later found available at any bar throughout the ship ! The meals were served luke warm and to get a water glass refilled was an act of congress as well.

 

Cabin Steward was the best ever had and was tipped over and above the norm......Bartenders were good in general except for at the casino bar where the spring breakers dominated after being asked to leave from another bar we were at......

 

Ports of call..... Well they could leave Freeport of the list of stops in my eyes and so many others felt we spoke with. Grand Caymen.... so many ships and approx. 20,000 visitors in port that it made for an overcrowded day.

 

The highlight of the cruise was Costa Maya.... very relaxing and the Spring Breakers stayed up near Tequilla Beach ( I assume for the all inclusive drinking they could continue to enjoy), than goodness.

 

I have sailed at spring break many other times and have never seen such an unruley group of college kids as I did on this cruise.

 

Just my 2 cents and an intersting comparison to the OP.

[stlrboo]

To the OP! What was the long, alcohol story??! Curious if you 'openly' carried beer onto the ship, or ... :o :p

 

Luckily, 'Spring Break' is over in three + weeks... :D I hope! :rolleyes:

[jaddld]

We were also on this cruise. This was our 1st cruise & I agree completely with the OP, it was a fantastic time. Dining room service was superb & in a very friendly environment. The buffet food at times did seem a little cool but I found that stirring the food before I scooped it out solved that problem.

 

Also, I did notice one morning vomit in a room garbage can that was left out in the hallway & did hear some late night hollering & running in the hallways - it was just in passing & did not go on all night. I did not feel that the ship was overran by the spring breakers. I cannot speak as to their behavior in the bar areas but I know that there did seem to be a well blended crowd of young & old.

[jaymay36]

Interesting how opinions differ.... we felt the exact opposite of your cruise experience......we had many issues with the Spring Breakers outside our stateroom with all the noises late at night, not including the many signs of vomit in the hallway, their overall attitude was that they ruled the ship. One comedy show there was a drunk spring breaker heckling the comedian with foul language (this was at the NON "R" rated show wher children were allowed to attend) and asked to leave with only his bathing suit on and beer in hand !

 

Our service in the dining room was the worst I have ever had when trying to order a bottle of wine that supposedly did not exsist... but was later found available at any bar throughout the ship ! The meals were served luke warm and to get a water glass refilled was an act of congress as well.

 

Cabin Steward was the best ever had and was tipped over and above the norm......Bartenders were good in general except for at the casino bar where the spring breakers dominated after being asked to leave from another bar we were at......

 

Ports of call..... Well they could leave Freeport of the list of stops in my eyes and so many others felt we spoke with. Grand Caymen.... so many ships and approx. 20,000 visitors in port that it made for an overcrowded day.

 

The highlight of the cruise was Costa Maya.... very relaxing and the Spring Breakers stayed up near Tequilla Beach ( I assume for the all inclusive drinking they could continue to enjoy), than goodness.

 

I have sailed at spring break many other times and have never seen such an unruley group of college kids as I did on this cruise.

 

Just my 2 cents and an intersting comparison to the OP.

 

Well it seems from what i read , you did actually enjoy your cruise , and aside from restaurant service , it was great. You mentioned spring breakers were rude this time and it was your third sb cruise , but you know there's always a chance that they'll be rowdy , and it's really not carnival's fault how they are , because they don't pre - screen everyone.

So i'm guessing your crusie was a good one

[Anatresia]

To the OP- so glad to hear that location is good- we're actually staying in 7250. :)

 

Sounds great- I'm more excited than ever for mine!

[colette_and_ron]

Our alcohol story is this. We got to a liquor store at 11:30 as even our driver thought this was reasonable. It did not open until 12 noon. Should have realized then, that it might be a problem. Had our driver take us to a grocery store where we quickly picked up 36 beer and 3 bottles of wine. We brought it to the self scan so that we could be as quick as possible. As I was scanning it, one of the employees told me that I would not be able to complete my purchase as it was before noon. We asked if it was possible to purchase any alcohol anywhere before noon and were told no, not in this county. The manager overheard and reiterated this. My husband started to leave and told me it would be okay, but of course, I tried again. I had planned a long time in advance for our cruise and felt that not bringing our own wine to enjoy on our balcony would be a major disappointment. The manager saw tears in my eyes, which were not purposeful, but just feeling sorry for myself that in my planning I had not researched the liquor selling hours. He came up with a compromise. If I gave him the exact amount for the beer and wine, he would cancel the purchase and resubmit it for 12 noon. That way we would have our alcohol and he would formally sell it at the appropriate time.

I know there will be people who will judge us for bringing on our own beer, but please don't judge the manager who helped us. I think he was only trying to stop me from crying and of course, we will shop there again.

We put our beer in our hard-sided suitcase and carried our wine on. Our room steward kept our beer on ice at all times and was compensated for doing so.

 

As for Spring Breakers, our floor was quiet. We met people who had cabins on the Riviera deck and it was noisy. We also had friends on the 6th deck and they heard noises from the bars. Our tablemates had noise on their side of the ship also. I still think it was our best cruise yet and this is after five during Spring Break. As teachers from Ontario, we cannot choose our holidays. We did see one young man wearing a blue thong at different times during the cruise, which of course was somewhat humourous but once we moved to the aft pool area it was much quieter and hardly any kids at all.

 

Enjoy the Liberty future cruisers! Ask any questions and I will try to answer.

[piratemom]

Hey OP :)

 

Can you tell me the name of the place you hung out at in Costa Maya? I am assuming in was in Majuhual, but what was the name of the bar/area? Was there a charge there for chairs/tables/umbrellas?

 

Also, what is the "bahamas form"? If we need to have it filled out ahead of time, when/where do we get it?

 

Thanks!

[shawnboy]

hey colette, me and two of my buddies are going on the exact cruise this sun. got a couple questions actually. did you do anything special to sneak the beer on?(tipped the person who grabbed the luggage at port? etc) when speaking of the spring breakers that you saw, were they just mostly highschoolers or were there actually college kids around? don't really want to be around 15-18 year olds who are having their first drunk experience. and any other tips for some of the younger crowd? thanks!

[Travel Angel]

Well it seems from what i read , you did actually enjoy your cruise , and aside from restaurant service , it was great. You mentioned spring breakers were rude this time and it was your third sb cruise , but you know there's always a chance that they'll be rowdy , and it's really not carnival's fault how they are , because they don't pre - screen everyone.

So i'm guessing your crusie was a good one

 

 

Don't recall saying it was my 3d sb cruise, but if thats what you assume OK..... The ship overall was wonderful, the dining room service was below what I have experienced with Carnival in the past and when I see College students playing drinking games with cups and Ping Pong balls on the Lido deck dining tables to see who has to do shots until they are totally wasted or being in the elevator areas filming others doing Beer Bongs, or taking a baseball bat and going around and round till they are dizzy then trying to hit an empty beer can.... I think that is way off base as this was not a frat party they were attending, it was a cruise.

 

Flame away if you like, but it is what I actually saw and had to see and experience on a daily basis during the cruise. I usually will rate my Carnival cruises an 8+, but because of the issues I was subject to, I can only give the overall CRUISE EXPERIENCE a 6 at best !

 

I did not say it was Carnival's fault as I am well aware they cannot prescreen passengers, but they could have avoided some of the excessive partying in public areas if security was not turning their backs on several issues occuring that I saw occur by some college students antics. For the most part the college students were very well mannered, but there were some groups that took partying to the extreme.

 

Will I sail Carnival again... you bet, but not at spring break time in future cruises !

[Travel Angel]

Hey OP :)

 

Can you tell me the name of the place you hung out at in Costa Maya? I am assuming in was in Majuhual, but what was the name of the bar/area? Was there a charge there for chairs/tables/umbrellas?

 

Also, what is the "bahamas form"? If we need to have it filled out ahead of time, when/where do we get it?

 

Thanks!

 

Go the the Cats Meow for a wonderful time... great food and great drinks... ask for Jorge' and say Hi to Barbara the owner. They will take great care of you while you enjoy the neach and fun of Costa Maya. If you make a purchase they will allow you to use their chairs, etc..... Ask for the Coconut Shrimp... AWESOME !!!

 

Bahamas forms should be with your cruise documents.... have it filled out before you check in to speed up the process.

[colette_and_ron]

We did not go to the Cat's Meow as there were a lot of Spring Breakers and by that I mean College students. We went to the one maybe two down as there was a bigger mix.

We did not do anything special with our suitcase. The beer was the only thing in it. It was locked and we tipped $2 a bag, I think. The porter was busy talking to my husband about his Bears hat so I don't even think he noticed the tip.

I am sorry to hear that other people saw drinking games and what not. We did not witness anything like that. I guess we were on deck around 8 or 9 most mornings and stayed out until 4 or 5. We then went inside for a drink or two and then had a siesta or got ready for our late dinner. The only real drinking mess we witnessed were by two ladies who were at least my age who were sick in the hallways at 7:00 the morning after formal night. (I am in my mid-thirties)

I thought the SB'ers were much better than they were last year on the Triumph or two years ago on the Inspiration.

The biggest crowds we saw were in the Sports Bar watching March Madness.

[gypsyrose]

I am looking at booking the Libery for next year but.....I always cruise the end of April after Easter and spring break. Don't really care to be around a bunch of college kids, makes me feel and LOOK too old:eek: