It had been about five years since we cruised Carnival and it probably will be awhile again. Nothing really bad about the cruise, but nothing really good either. I guess we've been spoiled by several cruises a year on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara. Carnival just doesn't compare, despite a very attractive price. Cheap isn't everything. You get what you pay for and after awhile you begin to expect a standard of service, decor, cuisine and ambiance that simply wasn't there on the Carnival Liberty on this trip.

Two things stood out as constant reminders that we were on the wrong ship. The incredible gaudiness of the Carnival Liberty's decor is a perfect example of why Carnival dumped their interior designer for decades a few years ago. The ship is literally hard to look at inside. I've sailed many times on Fantasy class ships and several other Carnival ships. The Liberty is, by far, the worst decorated. And its design/layout is confusing, with lots of wasted space, dead ends and dark areas. The other disappointing symbol of Carnival's apparent pursuit of the downmarket segment was the total lack of any standards of dress in the main dining room. I'm not a fan of formal nights...I don't even pack a suit or tie anymore on a cruise, usually just a sport jacket and slacks. But I feel the main dining room is no place for sweaty tee shirts, cut offs, faded jeans, sweat pants or men's sleeveless tops. I saw them all on the Liberty. Obviously, people don't care how they look, and apparently Carnival doesn't either.

I recalled Carnival's food as being pretty good. But on this trip, it was merely comparable to Chili's or Applebee's. Again, a real step down from many experiences on Carnival from 1992 thru 2009. No complaints on the service. It was consistent, if somewhat mechanical and impersonal. Read more