Carnival Liberty Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Our second cruise and first on Carnival. Liberty is in perfect condition with all the options we could ask for as a couple. Short lines to everything but the Mongolian Wok. Zipped through embarkation (we arrived at 4 pm) and all port days were just as efficient.
Activities start around 8 pm and so we would recommend to go for early dining as there is nothing going on between 6 and 8 pm - unless you need more drinks. The amount of activities was however limited.
We had the late dining option and staff was very polite and friendly. Water in the restaurant is heavily chlorinated while the buffet on Lido has much better water. We ended up ordering bottled water. Dinner service takes 75 min. and does feel a bit rushed. Menu was inventive except for desserts which had 4 standards and different takes on creme brûlée. On first day people had flip-flops on and even on "cruise elegant" guests wore jeans. Perhaps Carnival should just drop the cruise elegant and allow us to pack less. Lido buffet was great incl. the freshly brewed coffee made from real beans. Only exception was the scrambled eggs that must have been made from egg powder with artificial coloring.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Spacious with no noise from propeller, engine, or Lido deck. The room can't be joined and so it doesn't have a door to the next room. This makes it perfect for couples. Located above the bridge. Suitcases can be stowed under the bed. Flat screen TV. We would choose the same room next time.
Port Reviews
San Juan
Use the two free tourist trains/buses to see the city or go to the castle. Just ask the driver. We went to Casa Bacardí by using the ferry in the harbor. On the other side shared taxis will bring you the final stretch - very easy and a total of $19 incl. ferry, taxi, and entrance but not a must. The forts are impressive and must-see. Plenty of sandwich bars with WiFi. You can leave your luggage with a café just across from the pier.
St. Thomas
Went to Magens Bay. There are plenty of shared taxis on the pier and on return. Walk to the left for 5-10 min to get away from the crowds. Access to the beach is an extra $5. On the way back you can get dropped off in Charlotte Amalie.
Charlotte Amalie is nothing but the usual diamond shops and very little is left from the colonial times - except for street names in Danish. The post office stood out with the interesting colonial architecture. Walk around and take a taxi to the ship or walk (15 min).
Barbados
We took a shared taxi to the city centre (now $2). This island has real shops and local people. Went to the museum (walked but we won't recommend this - they do accept VISA and USD) and back - a total of 11 miles. The synagogue in the city centre is small but interesting and easy to find. Prices all around are rather high. We used the Google Maps app with offline maps to find our way around. It worked great.
St. Lucia
We were around 50 people split in busses with 10 in each. So much fun and highly recommended. Make sure you have breakfast on the ship and use the restrooms before departing from the beach. Don't expect to return before 3:30 - 4:00 as this is a full day trip. Really worth doing. You see St. Lucia and have a fun time while doing so.
St. Maarten
This is just a bunch of diamond selling shops on a pier. Take the ferry and you end up in the main town with the same shops. You won't find a single ordinary shop or any locals, and we walked there for 45 min. Instead people start drinking cheap liquor from 9 am. So disappointing.
The French part should be better but as we arrived on a Sunday and it seems everything is closed on Sundays in the French part. Wouldn't go there again.