SUMMARY: Overall, our cruise to the Western Caribbean on Carnival Liberty was a truly wonderful experience. We're in our 20's & 30's and this was an engagement cruise. This was my second cruise. After having booked an oceanview window the first time around, we booked a balcony guarantee - ended up being upgraded to Lido deck and this proved to be very nice as we were so close to the food, pools, elevators and entertainment.

BEFORE THE CRUISE: We flew in on AirTran on Saturday afternoon because I wanted to relax without having a flight and cruise departure on the same day. Again, this proved to be an excellent and very relaxing choice. As far as Airtran, my overall experience with them has been good and their prices very low. This time was no exception. Having booked online for $49 per person each way, we made the flight with only 20 other passengers - so relaxing with no crying babies, etc. and we were allowed to sit wherever we wanted. Great start to our vacation! After arriving at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale, we picked up our luggage immediately, used the courtesy phone to call our hotel (Airport Hilton/Ft Lauderdale) and the free shuttle was there for us within 3 minutes. The hotel itself was wonderful - quick and easy check-in (booked a king bed room on hotels.com for less than $80/night). This hotel is only a couple miles from the cruise terminal and is right next to the airport, yet no noise - great room, comfy bed, nice outdoor pool & hot tub and even a Starbucks in the lobby. I highly recommend this hotel - it's really a diamond in the rough.

EMBARKATION: On Sunday morning, we got a shuttle to Port Everglades ($8 p/p) and were in line a little before 11am. The port is very busy and not very scenic, but it's a shipping port, not a vacation destination. Around 11:30, the line started moving and we were onboard by noon. I found check-in at this time to be very easy. Sure, there were a few lines and some minor delays here and there, but that's to be expected. We were even able to get the Sail & Sign cards done right then and there, despite what I'd read about having to do them onboard instead. I asked the woman about that, and she said it all depends on how crowded it is. I highly recommend getting there around 10:30-11am like we did. We were onboard sunning and drinking on the Lido deck in no time and with no aggravation. We were immediately hounded by waiters wanting to give us Fun Ship drinks (this would last for several hours), but these little buggers have a $9 price tag so be cautious - they're certainly not free as you might think. A bunch of us from the Cruise Critic "Roll Call" board planned to meet at the Versailles pool bar on Lido deck wearing beads at 3:00, and upon arrival and announcing my screen name, we were greeted very warmly. This was wonderful, as it seemed like we had a dozen friends on the ship already! The doors to the hallways where the cabins were located were locked until shortly after 1:00pm. We were given a flyer upon boarding that said our rooms will be available at 1:30, but we were able to get in a little early. A balcony room certainly makes all the difference. Our stateroom stewart, Imade, came and introduced himself and asked if we had any special requests, dietary restrictions, what the best times would be for him to come by and clean the room, etc. Very considerate. He did a great job and always addressed me by name, although we really didn't see him very often. Read more