Carnival Liberty 09/23/07 review (LONG)

[AllyCat81]

First of all, like I said when I posted. 2-6 minutes is not usually a big deal to wait at all but when the lines to get in are so backed up that you can not get off the elevators or down the stairs, they should open the doors.

 

And as far as the rude comments that some people have made, I expected that on here, it happens alot.

 

We did a test to see if we wanted to continue with Carnival because we had read a few horror stories. We have enjoyed our Princess cruises, disney cruises, and even Royal Caribbean. I know I will be flagged for this but the carnival cruises are usually alot cheaper and I feel like the quality of this cruise reflected that.

 

And if you notice, one person on this board agreed with me for the most part, so I must not be crazy nor am I making this up.

 

As yes I did research before I took her, but how would I know by looking online and in books just how disgustingly smoky a casino would be , nor could I tell how bad the food would be without tasting it.

 

As far as the dining room table and time being on my card, it was , but it did not indicate if it was for a 2 person table or a 20 person table. My husband and I have been stuck with crappy table mates before and wanted to avoid that. On other cruise lines, when you ask for a 2 topper, you actually get it with out having to stand in a long line.

 

I was just giving my review so people would see another opinion besides from a GIVE ME CARNIVAL OR LET ME DIE opinion. My first carnival cruise was very nice , but like I said , IMO things have gone down hill fast.

 

Yep I agree with you. We loved our Legend cruise, but the Liberty was a little too much ship for us. We looked at the layout before we left, but it's hard to tell from just looking at pictures what the ship would actually be like. Now we know, and we'll stick to the smaller ships.

We purposly didn't go to dinner right on time to avoid the cattle herd we experience the first two nights. We weren't really late, maybe like 10 minutes, but that made a big difference. We were frustrated with our dining room issues, amidst other things that I'm not going to bother bringing up cause I'll get flamed left and right... but we didn't let it ruin our vacation. You live and learn, and the only way you'll know if you don't like something is if you try it first.

We enjoy Carnival cause it's affordable, but I think after this trip (or maybe the next one) we're going to try different lines as well because we weren't too thrilled with the service this time around. It could've been an off week for the staff though... I don't know, but we're willing to try again! Hopefully your next cruise is better. I say GIVE ME A CRUISE OR GIVE ME DEATH! ;)

[Kurbanfan]

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) Cruise director made way to many lengthy announcements during the cruise, could never rest because they were so constant.

 

 

I nominate this for silliest complaint of the week:rolleyes:

[gtalum]

I'm sorry you had a bad cruise. Clearly, Carnival is not for you. I certainly hope you find better experience elsewhere! :)

 

That said, why do so many people wait in line to get into the dining rooms? This gets me on every cruise. Just go have a drink somewhere, relax, and stroll in 10 minutes after the scheduled opening. You'll waltz right in every time. :)

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Because we have this silly idea that if we put in our dinner requests first, we will more than likely get what we want.

[PaddleAddict]

I was just giving my review so people would see another opinion besides from a GIVE ME CARNIVAL OR LET ME DIE opinion. My first carnival cruise was very nice , but like I said , IMO things have gone down hill fast.

 

Sorry, it just seems like you allowed a bunch of very minor things "ruin" your entire cruise.

 

I am more of a glass is half full person. There would have to be some pretty serious situations in order to "ruin" my cruise.

 

Some people demand perfection. For those people, it's probably best to sail on a high-end line.

[2boysforme]

I was worried when I started to read this since we are leaving this weekend for our much anticipated vacation but I'm not going to worry now. The issues you discussed are not something that would ruin a vacation for me. Everyone has their own satifaction level and obviously yours wasn't met. A horrible cruise for me would be so much more and I'm praying your complaints are the worst of what could happen when we cruise.

[AllyCat81]

I was worried when I started to read this since we are leaving this weekend for our much anticipated vacation but I'm not going to worry now. The issues you discussed are not something that would ruin a vacation for me. Everyone has their own satifaction level and obviously yours wasn't met. A horrible cruise for me would be so much more and I'm praying your complaints are the worst of what could happen when we cruise.

I wouldn't worry!! The Liberty is a great ship. Are you doing the 6 day or the 8 day? Either way you'll have a fantastic time! A cruise is a cruise :D

[SheriNtexas]

I was worried when I started to read this since we are leaving this weekend for our much anticipated vacation but I'm not going to worry now. The issues you discussed are not something that would ruin a vacation for me. Everyone has their own satifaction level and obviously yours wasn't met. A horrible cruise for me would be so much more and I'm praying your complaints are the worst of what could happen when we cruise.

 

 

Excellent attitude! With an attitude like that, you will have a great time!! One time on here someone complained about worn carpet in their cabin, and I replied that if given a choice, i would rather go on a cruise with worn carpet than stay home and look at MY worn carpet!:D ;)

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Amen to that! lol

[2boysforme]

I wouldn't worry!! The Liberty is a great ship. Are you doing the 6 day or the 8 day? Either way you'll have a fantastic time! A cruise is a cruise :D

 

We're going on the 6 day and we're so excited!

[Sue L]

As far as the dining room table and time being on my card, it was , but it did not indicate if it was for a 2 person table or a 20 person table. My husband and I have been stuck with crappy table mates before and wanted to avoid that. On other cruise lines, when you ask for a 2 topper, you actually get it with out having to stand in a long line.

 

I was just giving my review so people would see another opinion besides from a GIVE ME CARNIVAL OR LET ME DIE opinion. My first carnival cruise was very nice , but like I said , IMO things have gone down hill fast.

 

 

I am curious why you stood on line for 40 minutes, why didn't you just walk through the dining room and find your table to check what kind it was, whether it was for 2 or not. Every cruise we had been on the table numbers are right on the table and all you have to do is match it to the one on your card. Very easy and no waiting, if there was a problem when you actually found your table then you can wait in line.

[nobuns9]

We went on the Miracle last year and it was great. This year we were on the Valor and it was very nice but i have bad lungs and this ship was too big. So i think this might be the problem . The bigger new ships are for the younger people .The crew on the Valor looked and said they were tired.:)

[AllyCat81]

We went on the Miracle last year and it was great. This year we were on the Valor and it was very nice but i have bad lungs and this ship was too big. So i think this might be the problem . The bigger new ships are for the younger people .The crew on the Valor looked and said they were tired.:)

My bf and I are in our 20's and we're staying away from the big ships lol I guess we're old before our time... :o

[AllyCat81]

I am curious why you stood on line for 40 minutes, why didn't you just walk through the dining room and find your table to check what kind it was, whether it was for 2 or not. Every cruise we had been on the table numbers are right on the table and all you have to do is match it to the one on your card. Very easy and no waiting, if there was a problem when you actually found your table then you can wait in line.

When we went to the dining room before it was "open" there were no table number cards on the table. We actually took one of the seating charts from the waiters stand to find our table! lol

I'm assuming the table cards didn't get put up until right before dinner.

[Soccerfan]

We're going on the 6 day and we're so excited!

Hi everyone,

 

Felt that just had to respond to this post as we were on the 6 day Liberty cruise on August 26th 07 with no complaints about the ship.

 

I just don't want people who are going on this trip to be concerned about what they've read here.

 

I have cut and pasted my review from our November 4th 07 Roll Call because we are doing the same trip all over again!

 

Here's my review, hope you don't get bored!

 

PRE CRUISE

- We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale after our Delta flight had been changed (for the 4th time since booking) - We stayed at the Hampton Inn Airport North which was a nice hotel, pick up was speedy at the airport, the rooms were nice and breakfast was fine. Because there was such a big group going to the Liberty the next morning we jumped into a taxi, cost us $15.

Good thing about the hotel is that it's next to a small plaza where you can pick up your alcohol (don't forget no alcohol can be sold before noon on a Sunday) you can pick up toiletries really cheap at a store that seems to be a cross between a supermarket and a dollar store, there's a McDonalds, Subway, and Thai food restaurant next to the hotel.

For anyone interested I believe there are still rooms available under my name, Sharon, Carnival Liberty for a group rate of $99 night for up to 4 people, incudes pick up at airport, breakfast and drop off at the port. Shuttle will take you within a few miles of the hotel for free also.

 

Next morning we arrived at the Port at 10.30am. This was great because there was few people there. By 11.30am things were getting much busier.

I didn't like this port, very commercial and the waiting room and port was not as nice as what we have had in Tampa or Port Canaveral. By 12.00 we were on board and the food and drinks were ready for us as usual.

 

ON BOARD

The ship was full including 800 kids on board but the thing I love about the Liberty is that you can always find a quiet place to sit as long as you don't need to be by the pool. Our favourite was the Spa Deck where we could always find available chairs. You can be as busy or as laid back as you want on this ship. I think it's a ship for all ages and taste :)

 

I found some signs of wear and tear since we were on the Liberty last year in the Med and a few housekeeping issues but considering that we were a full ship there was nothing too noticeable to be concerned about. Our Steward kept the room very clean. No problems there.

 

Food, Food and more Food!!! I am always amazed when I read comments about people being unhappy with the food. There are many different choices, Buffet, Dining room, Deli, Grill, Pizza, Chinese food, Fish and Chips and room service. I bet there are at least 100 different dishes served at one time thoughout the ship. We have found the food to be wonderful. The best Pizza ever and don't forget to go to Harry's, a not to be missed supper club. Definately worth the $30, even just to listen to the entertainment! (When you get on board go toward the Purser's desk and there will be someone there to take your reservation). I loved the salad bar at lunch time at the buffet. Try breakfast in the dining room on a sea day, nice to be waited on. Food was great.

 

Entertainment was good with the Director Todd, a very nice guy. Piano bar busy as usual. Noticed the night life was a lot busier on this cruise than when we were in the Med. Casino was busy and lots of people just mingling around. The entertainers near the pursers desk in the lobby were very popular.

Keep in mind the duet that sings in Harry's. You can go in to Harry's for a drink without eating a meal. Nice change for a quieter night out.

 

KEY WEST

1st stop was Key West. A very quaint area to walk around. Went to Kino's factory and bought 4 pair of really comfy sandals ($11). Kino's is also a great spot to buy your water shoes ($9) if you plan to go up Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica as they are mandatory. Went to the Blonde Giraffe for Key Lime Pie, very tasty. Spent quite a bit of money at the Coach Outlet!

I had read a lot about the restaurant "Whalers Wharf" here so decided to seek it out for lunch. I have to say we were disappointed. My Rum Punch (drink of the day) was served in a small plastic cup ($6.50) DH beer was $3.50, again in a small plastic cup. We had coupons for 2nd drink free but when the bill came my Rum Punch was not the 2nd drink, rather the 2 beers. The fish we wanted was not available. Food was served on paper plates with plastic knives and forks. I did not feel that this was a good place for value for money. Our bill for 2 adults and 3 kids for lunch was over $100. A 20% Tip was automatically added, I thought this was a bit steep for what we had. The singer was good. I would recommend going for a "bottle" of beer to hear the singer and eating elsewhere. There are lots of eating options nearby.

Don't miss the "Pepper" shop here. A store that sells lots of different types of sauces. Run by 2 very friendly people that love to talk and to offer you samples.

Lots of Bars in Key West that are really busy throughout the day.

To me, Key West was a shopping and drinking port.

 

I'm going to sign off and back on to continue as I don't want to lose this post like I did before :eek:

 

Continued.........

 

Sea Day

Again this was a day that could be as busy or as laid back as you want. You can stay by the pools in the middle of it all with competitions going on to entertain people or you can take a book and relax in an area where there are only a handful of people.

 

The big screen overlooking the pool showed some really good movies late afternoon and evenings. The picture and audio was very good. There was always an audience for the shows.

 

Tuesday is also Formal night, most people were dressed formally and there were long line up's at the photographer's prior to dinner.

 

Regular dinner nights saw a number of people in Jeans.

 

Grand Cayman

This was our second stop here as we visited last year.

Last year we took the Captain Bryan's Sting Ray tour. Spent the day on the Catermeran and swimming. This had to be the most beautiful clear warm water we had swam in and the Sting Rays were a must do.

 

This year we went with Native Ways tour. This included a visit to the Turtle Farm, Hell and a rum cake shop in addition to the Sting Rays. This was a good tour but I would go back with the Capt'n Bryan's tour again as it suited what we wanted to do with our day, relax and soak up the sun and swim. If you want to cram a lot into half a day then go with Native ways ($45) but if you want to really take it easy the I would recommend the other tour. ($35 I believe)

The time changes here and the ship goes on Island time so be aware so you don't end up missing the boat!

We don't Scuba dive but I know people love this island for this.

When you get off the ship there are lots of people offering tours, I found the best tips through the Cruise Critic ports of call board.

 

Jamaica

This is the one port that I was not very keen on visiting. At first we were just going to stay on board after reading a lot of negative stuff about this port on the boards. We gave into pressure from our kids (age 17 and 20) they wanted to go and see things.

Lots of vendors at the port area when you leave the ship offering tours.

We booked with Peat Taylor on the advice of other CC member's. He was very pleasant and met the group at the port. We went to Dunns River Falls where we were escorted by 2 "guides" up the falls. This was not an easy excursion as the water can be fast moving in areas and the rocks very slippery. Pretty area but something I will do once only. They sell water shoes at the falls but you are better picking them up at Kino's in Key West.

I'm sure that a lot of people have a had a great time in Jamaica but I just felt myself feeling wary when we were there. I'm glad we got to experience our morning at the falls as the kid's really enjoyed it but it seemed like a lot of people stayed on board this day. We may do that when we go in November or maybe go to an all inclusive resort.

 

 

The day before we docked there was a sale on a lot of the Carnival stuff. The crowds and pushing were quite ridiculous. I wouldn't care if they were giving the stuff away I wouldn't wade into that chaos.

 

Cigarettes were $38 for 2 cartons of 200. I bought them home for friends who smoke because they were so cheap. Alcohol was also very cheap but it was delivered to your cabin the night before the ship docks.

 

If you run out of luggage room I found that the Carnival bags that they sell in the gift shop for $14.99 great. They fold into a pocket of the bag itself when not in use but holds a great load of stuff.

 

Getting off the ship has been made a lot easier than before. Self Disembark is between 7.30am to 8.30am and it's not a free for all. You are called by Deck numbers to keep things more orderly. This is a great option for people who have early flights and don't mind carrying their luggage off the ship.

 

No more having to go to the Victoria Lounge at 6am if your not a US Citizen. All people onboard are now given a zone number so that you will have an idea what time you will be called to get off. I found this to be a big improvement over the colour tag system.

 

We got off quickly but the Customs inside the port was very slow. It took us over an hour and a half waiting in line.

 

Beware of your transport getting back to the airport. The Airport is only about a 10 minute drive from the port,if that. There are lots of taxi's that do not have a meter and many people are way overcharged. One group of 7 people on our sailing took a minvan taxi. Charged them $10 PP. That's $70 for a few miles. I insisted on a taxi with a meter, seemed he went the long way round yet the meter still only went to $12 or $15. Taxi driver was not happy to have a fare going only to the airport, pretty miserable.

 

Ft. Lauderdale check in counter for Delta was hectic and confusing with very short tempered staff.

 

So, Our cruise was great, no faults on the ship however if I had a choice about where to leave from I would not chose Ft. Lauderdale.

 

I'm sure there's things I have forgotten, if you have any questions please let me know :)

[PaddleAddict]

Thanks for posting your review.

 

How was the Hampton? We are staying there and I am hoping it's not a dump! If so, oh well, it's only one night...

[Donjamoni]

for not being a complainer, you sure do have it down (complaining) pretty good. :eek: ..... That was just a joke:) I am sorry you had a bad time really, just cant say those things will affect me when I am on the Liberty in 10 days. As long as my workplace does not happen to reincarnate itself on the ship, and as long as they dont call me and tell me that the cruise is cancelled, then I am going to have a blast! :cool:

[AllyCat81]

Oh what a great review! I kinda wish we could go back and do the trip all over again. We didn't really get to relax at all till the very last day (which was our own fault) and there's a few things I would've done differently. I agree about Ocho Rios. We did the falls, and that's about the only thing I went there for. I wouldn't go back. If we do it'll def. be a ship day ;)

The new debarkation system is great!! We were #34 so we were one of the last few off. No problem getting through customs or getting our bags.

The piano bar was closed the first few nights, so we never got to go :( but the couple that was singing at the bar in the lobby were excellent!

Everyone with a cruise coming up: ENJOY IT!! It goes by in the blink of an eye. I feel like I didn't even go away cause it came and went too fast!

[justcrzn]

To bad your cruise wasnt what you expected, but the things your complaining about, I'm not sure you could be pleased with anything. Thanks for leaving Carnival, that makes more room for all of us that really enjoy Carnival.:) :) :)

[Soccerfan]

Thanks for posting your review.

 

How was the Hampton? We are staying there and I am hoping it's not a dump! If so, oh well, it's only one night...

 

Hi,

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Airport North, it was fine. Not on the scale of the Venetian or Ceasars Palace mind you, but it was perfect for what we needed. It was clean and the rooms were nice. We are staying there again in November and plan to return for our cruise next November 08. I would compare it to a Holiday Inn level of hotel. We found it to be great value and was excellent for a pre cruise night for all the extras you get. I don't think you'll have any problems at all with it. :)

[dres40]

C'mon, folks. If someone takes the time to come here and write a review, why can't we just read it and comment without ripping into them?

 

It was their cruise. It was their review. Is finding fault with the review or reviewer any better than the cruiser finding fault with the cruise?

 

:confused:

 

Are a review not allowed until they thought the cruise was perfect?

 

 

I agree.... I don't post much , but love to come and read. I see many posters being very rude.

[loungelizard]

Hmmmm...it must be nice to go on a cruise just to "test" the cruiseline. Obviously you were spending quite a bit of time and effort looking specifically for flaws. I have been on the Liberty and the Miracle and totally enjoyed both cruises. Were they perfect? ...no, but I never expected them to be and I never let the little problems overshadow the fun I had.

[Boogie Board]

The left side of the Liberty is NON SMOKING! I should know...I was on it and I smoke!

[trock]

Waiting 2-6 minutes for dinner on a cruise ship that holds how many people??????????

 

And you guys thought my complaints about the victory were crazy!!!

[Sandi149]

Waiting 2-6 minutes for dinner on a cruise ship that holds how many people??????????

 

And you guys thought my complaints about the victory were crazy!!!

 

Hey Toni.....haven't seen you in a while...how have you been?

 

Yeah waiting 2-6 mins for dinner is nothing.

 

Ohhh did you see my thread about "All Things Miracle"? Why don't you go and take a look. It's either at the bottom of this page or the top of the 2nd.