About a year ago, my in-laws surprised us by telling their kids and grandkids that in celebration of their 50th Anniversary, they would be taking all of us on a cruise the summer of 2008. After much discussion, searching and planning, we chose a 7 day western Caribbean cruise on Carnival Liberty. Most of us had been on carnival cruises at least once before and found it to be fun for all ages. The Liberty fit the dates we needed and was a ship none of us had been on. 21 of us cruised, from 5 yrs. old to 80! We had 10 cabins.

Embarkation went smoothly, we had all completed our documents online. Our cabins (all oceanview and balconies) were roomy and nicely decorated. In honor of the anniversary, my in-laws cabin had a bottle of champagne, rose petals on the bed and doves joined like a heart when they entered. They were touched.

We enjoyed the many activities on the ship. The comedic entertainment was not that great and 1 show was not up to their usual talent. Our chief complaint was that the ship was hot. Our rooms never got sufficiently cool enough. The casino was stifling, often forcing us to abandon play as sweat was dripping off our heads. Lounges, theaters etc. were ok. Read more