Carnival Liberty Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,580 reviews

At Liberty to have fun at all times!

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Liberty
User Avatar
GinDon
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2009

TRAVEL: Living in Maine, we always face a long day of air travel to reach either the Florida ports of departure, or the West, for a Mexican Riviera cruise. We always fly in the day before, so there is no chance of airline delays and missing the ship. This trip went smoothly, no delays. We left Portland, Me at 6 a.m. and it was spitting snow as we taxied down the runway. We arrived on time in Miami around noon, to 94 degree weather. PRE-CRUISE HOTEL: We had made a reservation at the Intercontinental Hotel, downtown, in Miami. Got a really good price for this 4 star hotel on one of the on-line booking agencies. I had researched the hotel, and was expecting something special. It didn't disappoint! A beautiful, classy hotel, much nicer than what we are used to. The front desk personnel were extremely friendly, and were able to get us into a room right away, even though it was only around 1 p.m. We requested to be up high, and they put us on the 26th floor. Great view from the big picture windows in the room. The room was large, spotlessly clean, the beds very comfy, with nice plumpy pillows. We enjoyed the pool in the afternoon, it's outside on a 5th floor rooftop area. Very pretty pool area. We had heard that their in-hotel restaurants were very pricey, so we didn't eat in the hotel itself. The Intercontinental is about a five minute walk to the Bayside Marketplace. Bayside is a lovely complex right on the water, full of shops and restaurants. We spent the evening there. Had a great supper at the Mambo Cafe, outside, right on the waterfront. There was live entertainment in the evening, a band playing "oldies" type rock music. We had to tear ourselves away, at about 9:30. We picked up some muffins, which we ate for breakfast the next morning in our room, along with the complimentary coffee. EMBARKATION: A quick $10 cab ride over the Biscayne Bay, and we were at the port. There were 4 ships in port that day. We went early, around 10:45, our bag was immediately claimed by a porter, and we went in the terminal to check in. Everything went so quickly, before we knew it, we were on board and heading for the Lido and our first taste of the buffet. We find that if you go early, you avoid some of the hectic crush of passengers, all trying to get on board at the same time. STATEROOM: We had an oceanview, on the Riviera Deck. The window was larger than we had expected, and since we were on the lowest deck, we were close to the water. The view from the window was much better than we expected, and it stayed clean for most of the cruise. The bathroom had plenty of shelves for our toiletries, etc. and there was a nice bowl of complimentary samples for our use. Shower water was plenty hot. The room itself was pretty standard, but there is more storage space than you will ever use. We were surprised to see we had robes, even though we hadn't requested them. We couldn't use the remote to work the TV, and that issue never got fixed, but it was no big deal. Carnival has the most comfortable beds, pillows, and OH!, those duvets! Heaven, after a long day of having fun. Our Steward was very nice, made the cutest towel animals, and kept one step ahead of us all week, in keeping the room clean. THE SHIP: She is a very attractive ship, we liked the decor. The atrium seemed small, but it was pretty. The theater was well set up, and big enough that there was always room for everyone at the shows. One thing that pleased me, was that the interior portions of the ship were cool, but not that frigid temperature that some ships keep. The 5th deck is the only one that you can walk all the way through, from front to back. We spent a lot of time going up a floor, or down a floor, to get where we were going. My husband was disappointed that you can't walk all around the ship on any deck. That messed up his walking routine. The pool areas are nice, the aft pool is away from the action, and is a nice, peaceful place to relax. We always took our buffet food out there, to eat in the fresh air. Loungers around the pool were mostly taken, but the upper decks have tons of them, and it's more quiet up there. DINING ROOM: Even though I tried not to, I gained weight. We had Your Choice Dining, and it worked very well for us. Your Choice Dining is in the Golden Olympian Dining Room, the upper level. We never had to wait for a table for two. We always requested a table by the railing, so we could look down and see the Waiter Shows (which, by the way, always happen between 7:15-7:30.) The Waiters in the upper level don't participate, I'm not sure why. We felt a little left out of the fun! We always went before 6:30........later than that, and you might have a short wait. Service was prompt, friendly, no complaints. Food was very good. Good choices every night, I can't believe that some people complain about the food. Prime Rib............oh, my! BUFFET: There are actually two areas for the buffet, and there are some different choices between the two. We always found the food good. Well.........one exception........the scrambled eggs at breakfast were loose and runny........yucky. AND.........people remark that the orange juice is watered down. That's an understatement. You aren't supposed to be able to see through orange juice! But, everything else was good, we always had plates piled high, there was so much to choose from. On the last day, there was a special chocolate and dessert bar at the buffet. It's listed in the Capers. Try it! All kinds of tasty little desserts. THAT's where I gained my weight! Service was good in the buffet areas, tables always cleaned right away. ACTIVITIES: There was no shortage of fun activities all week. The usuals, hairy chest, ice sculpture, etc. The Marriage Game and Battle of the Sexes are always a riot. The big screen TV is nice, we watched The Pink Panther 2 under the stars one evening. There was plenty of on-deck parties that went late into the evening. You will find yourself having to make a daily schedule, to squeeze in as many activities as you want. There was an afternoon High Tea which I never made it to. Next time. The Lido Deck music was really good. There were two bands, a Caribbean one, and a Latino one. Both had people up and dancing around. The cruise director was Butch Begovich. He was peppy, to put it mildly, but a lot of fun. I don't usually even notice cruise directors, but I even remembered his name, so that says something good about him. ENTERTAINMENT: Here is where I think the Liberty was at it's best. The nightly shows were top notch. My favorite show was The Village Idiots, a duo comedy/juggling act. They were just too funny. (later in the week they had a juggling seminar in the Lobby that a lot of people went to, it was fun). Don't miss this show. Another production show we really enjoyed was called Around the World, I think. It had the most amazing costumes and scenery changes. There was a hypnotist one night, this was our least favorite show. It took him about twenty minutes to get his contestants "under", and the audience was starting to chatter and get restless. I've seen funnier performances by hypnotists. The Legends show was very good, the audience loved it. Let me say again how well done the shows are, with their special effects, laser lights, scenery, costumes. Very impressive! Hard to believe they pull these things off on a moving ship. FAREWELL PARTY: We skipped the Captains Welcome Party, but attended the Past Guest Party and the Farewell Party. Both were well attended. The free drinks were flowing very freely at both. Carnival may have changed it's free drink policy for the Captain's Party, but made up for it with these other two parties. PORTS: Our first day was to be Half Moon Cay, but the Captain announced that there was a tropical disturbance out there, and we wouldn't be able to tender in. So, instead of giving us an extra sea day, he took us to Nassau. There was a lot of grumbling by people who don't like Nassau, but we had never been there before, so we were fine with it. Other Ports were St. Thomas, one of my favorite islands, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Grand Turk. I will address these ports in the Ports Review section. DEBARKATION:  Debarkation seemed to be going smoothly, as far as we could see.  We were up on deck early to watch our return to POM.  Had an early breakfast at the buffet.  We  booked a post-cruise tour of Miami, since we didn't fly out until 3 o'clock, so we were herded off the ship early.  We did the Miami/South Beach Experience. It gave us a tour of the Art Deco area, then dropped us off On Ocean Drive for free time wandering, shopping, and walking on South Beach.  Luggage stays locked up on the bus.  Then we were dropped off at the airport.  We enjoyed this last tour, as it gave us a look at the famous areas of Miami.SUMMARY:  We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise.  The ship was really nice, everybody was always smiling and friendly.  We have done 5 cruises, 2 of them on Carnival, and have already decided that we like Carnival best.  They really are, the FUN ships!  Fellow passengers for the most part were laid back, friendly, considerate, and fun loving.  There is a lot of participation in the activities, and wild cheers of appreciation for all the contestants.  The crew works super hard to make everything wonderful for theweek.  We booked a "future cruise" deposit of $100 on board (you have 5 years to use it).  We're already looking at the Freedom for next year!

Cabin Review

Cabin 6 B

Nice window, plenty of storage space, love the bedding

previous reviewnext review

Find a Carnival Liberty Cruise from $234

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.