Western Caribbean Family Cruise - Carnival Liberty Posted on : 2009-07-12 by uCruiser
Cruise Line :
Carnival Cruise Lines
Cruise Ship :
Carnival Liberty
Cruise Region :
Caribbean Western
Cabin Number :
2424
, 2426
, 8229
Ports :
Grand Cayman
, Ochos Rios
, Roatan
Days :
7
Departure Date :
05/29/2009
Avg. Price per Pax :
630
Tags :
western caribbean Carnival liberty roatan jamaica grans cayman
Our 3rd western Caribbean cruise and our 2nd conquest class cruise
How did I book?:
We booked our cruise on Carnivals website
Did I get a good price?:
We feel we got a good price when we booked and we had it adjusted 3 times before the final payment.
How was my trip to the port?:
A 3 hours ride
Embarkation/Debarkation:
This was our first departure from Miami and everything went smoothly.
The ship:
We don’t like the stadium seating on the lido deck. It makes the lido deck seem small and crowded. Other than that, the ship is clean all over, beautiful and modern.
Cabin:
We had originally booked one balcony and to inside cabins. Because of Carnivals price changes we were able to upgrade the two inside to outside cabins for only a few extra bucks. We all liked our cabins. The balcony cabin on the Verandah deck was in close proximity to the lido deck.
Dining:
We had late seating in the main dining room. A variety of dishes are offered which changes daily. The food was excellent and our personal waiters Edwin and Sirikanya “Shakira” provided us with excellent service.
Breakfast and lunch are available in the main dining room as well as the buffet area. We chose to have our breakfast and lunch in the buffet area for the variety of foods available as well as the convenience. Fish and chips, burrito bar, deli and a 24hr pizzeria are also available for free.
We had bought soda cards for the kids and they pointed out that not at any time during the cruise were they approached by a waiter to offer them a soda, while my wife and I constantly were approached by waiters offering us drinks. Coffee, hot chocolate and juice are available throughout the day in the buffet area.
Soda is only available for purchase. If you drink a lot of soda, you may prefer to purchase a soda fountain card for $6 per person per day. Alcoholic beverages are only available for purchase, and the price ranges from $3.75 for canned beer to $8 for mixed drinks plus gratuity. Entertainment:
The entertainment in the main dining room was lacking compared to our previous Carnival cruises.
Liberty offered a wider variety of main shows compared to our previous cruises, but not as flashy. Entertainment throughout the ship was fine and comparable to previous cruises.
The complimentary drinks and hordeuvers was continuously flowing at the Captains gala and past guest party. Ports & Excursions:
Our port of call itinerary was Ocho Rios Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel which was re-routed to Roatan Honduras due to the swine flu outbreak.
In Ochos Rios, Jamaica we walked to Dunn’s Falls from the ship, although we were constantly told by the Jamaican people that it was impossible. The walk was just under an hour all the way to the hilltop where the falls are located. There were a few areas along the road where the sidewalks was overgrown with vegetation so we were forced to walk in the road. If traveling with children, keep this in mind. To get into the actual park, you have to walk up a steep incline, but it can be done.
Wether you walk the falls or not, there is an entrance fee into the park. I believe it was $25 per person. Food and beverages are available for purchase along with souvenirs. Be sure to bring water shoes if you plan to climb the falls or they are available for purchase.
Be aware of the souvenir vendors. They will hassle you into purchasing their goods to a point where it’s a total turn off.
After the falls we walked back to Margarita Ville near the port area. Food and drinks was very expensive. There is a beach area behind the restaurant if you wish to lay out or go swimming.
Grand Cayman is comparable to Nassau Bahamas in my opinion. Many shops and restaurants. Our plans for this port was to sit back, relax, and eat a turtle burger. We found only one restaurant serving turtle burgers. I believe it was called the Paradise Beach grill. It’s on the right hand side when you walk out of the port area, overlooking the water.
In Isla Roatan, Honduras, we had previously taken a Victor Bodden island tour and saw everything there was to see. Therefore before this cruise we again booked online a Victor Bodden Tours driver, to take us to Bananarama Dive and Beach Resort on West Bay Beach next to Tabyana Beach. Victor Bodden Tours also has their own stand within the port area when leaving the ship. The cost for this tour was $25 per person plus tipping the driver and tour guide.
At the resort food and beverages are available for purchase. $3 for beers and $1 for fountain sodas. The bathroom facilities are clean and free to use although only one ladies and one men’s bathroom is available. There are water sports crafts and lounge chairs available for rent.
The beach although a bit crowded, was clean and the water clear and beautiful. Again, beware of the souvenir vendors. Children are used to sell souvenirs and ask for donations, such as my wife’s sneakers. They were very happy to receive a deck of playing cards.
We were snorkeling in the water around the reef area, not far from the beach. The reef and colorful fish were beautiful to see.
Our family rented a ride on a banana tube pulled by a speed boat. We all wore life jackets since it was easy to fall off, which we did several times. It was a blast! The water was warm…
Since we booked a Victor Bodden Tour driver, they remained in the beach area until we were ready to leave. Afterwards we drove around a bit, viewing the country side and then stopped at a souvenir area before going back to the ship. Overall Experience:
We enjoyed this cruise, as we have enjoyed all past cruises with Carnival. Three sea days made the itinerary perfect. It’s nice to have some off time on the ship between ports.
The cruise director Butch Begovich was very outgoing and energetic and kept the party going. We love cruising and are already working on our next cruise!
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