It has been three years since our last Carnival cruise, and after 12 years of cruising we decided it was time to take a cruise that included New Years Eve. We drove to Miami, parked at the port, and embarkation was quick, easy and efficient. Kudos to Carnival for that.

What a fantastic time we had on the Carnival Liberty. We are so glad we chose this ship. No cruise line or cruise ship is perfect, but this cruise came very close to being perfect. We never had a bad meal the entire week. Our favorites were the new things that Carnival has added - Guy Fieri's Burger Joint,(best burgers, fries, onion rings & condiments anywhere) the pool deck Mexican cantina, the Comedy Brunch, Fish & Chips, Alchemy Bar, and the Taste Bar. All fantastic. Even though my husband won't go to it, I really love to go to the elegant afternoon teas that are held on sea days. It's also wonderful that they offer delicious gluten free bread, and their special multi grain bread called Norlander. Both were delicious. I wished they would have had a lunch available in one of the dining rooms, but they only did breakfast, and the comedy brunch on the two sea days.

Quite a few children on this sailing, but not as bad as the Christmas week cruise we did three years ago. There were a few occasions of out of control children we saw in the evenings whose parents let them run wild, but it didn't happen very often. We especially loved the Serenity Deck, and the adults only section of the Lido Deck with it's adults only area which included a pool, hot tubs, bar, and snack bar. The Serenity Deck was very popular, and I wish it was larger and had more seating. This ship does not have an outdoor walking/jogging deck that goes the entire way around the ship. Walked around in the early mornings on two of the decks, and supplemented with a few minutes on an elliptical machine. If you use the stairs you can have plenty of exercise. Read more