Carnival Liberty Review
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We are a family of four, my wife and I have two daughters ages 9 and 7 that cruised with us. We've taken several cruises prior to having children on several different cruise lines. This was our second with the children, the first being two years ago on another Carnival cruise. Part of the reason we chose this cruise and date was the reasonable cost - Orlando is a reasonably priced flight destination and Carnival offered a fair deal for a family of four. This cruise was the week before Christmas and served as all of our Christmas present - we've come to appreciate family experiences over things.
We flew in from Minnesota to Orlando. For ease, we opted for the carnival provided transfer. Once we got our baggage, we checked in with the transfer agency and after about 15 minutes were on a nice bus and on our way. It was about a 45 minutes bus ride to the port, where we then went to board. Boarding took about 45 minutes of waiting in lines and checking in. Once on-board, we went to our cabin where the girls put on swimsuits, we then go some great burgers at Guy's burger joint, the girls took a quick swim and then we walked the ship a bit before returning to our cabin to find our waiting luggage. Before leaving port, the ship had it's mandatory evacuation drill which required everyone to go to their lifeboat area. This was a pain, but I'm not sure there is a way around it.
Dining on the ship was always fantastic for us. We really enjoyed Guys Burger joint, the taco/burrito bar, the 24 hour pizza and my girls (and wife) especially enjoyed the 24 hour ice cream machines! The buffet's were good (for the price), normal all you can eat type food. We especially enjoyed the chocolate lovers buffet they had one afternoon. We went to the dining room every evening but one and the food was always good. We did wish, however, that their burgers were improved to be more like Guys - our girls ended up having a lot of chicken tenders, but they did also try some new dishes as well. On past cruises the lobster has been just so-so, but on this cruise it was surprisingly good, best I've had outside of Maine/Boston. The steaks served were good (not great), but I'd say they were as expected. We didn't feel the need to try the steak restaurant which had the premium stuff, along with the extra cost. We felt there was always something good to eat somewhere - folks that complain about the food need to consider what they are paying. If gourmet food is important to you, you will need to go to another cruise line and pay gourmet prices.
Cabin Review
Balcony
We initially booked an interior cabin on a lower level, but Carnival emailed us an offer to upgrade to this cabin on the Spa deck with a balcony for a reasonable amount, so we took it. We had two single beds put together into one large one for the adults. Our children essentially had bunk beds - one drops from the ceiling and the other is converted from a seating area. The room was small, but large enough for us all to dress and do what we had to do during the short time we spent in the room. We enjoyed the balcony and having it's light and constant view available to enjoy and relax on at anytime. Our room steward was awesome - he kept it clean, was friendly and available and did a great job making the fun towel animals for us every night. We really enjoyed this cabin location as well - it was very close to the Spa/gym, and the main pool /buffet / ice cream area. As my girls were getting ready in the cabin for a fancy dinner, I was able to hit the gym, grab a shower and get dressed right next door by the Spa. My only complaint was that on the last day everyone must have been showering about the same time because we did find ourselves without hot water. Otherwise, the cabin itself was perfect for us on this trip.