We sailed the Carnival Liberty 12/17 - 12/23 and had a fantastic time. The Carnival crew from first meeting at the airport to final exit from the pier was first class, friendly, helpful and very professional. We lacked for nothing -- our rooms were always clean, the food was terrific, the shows were entertaining and there was always something for everyone. If you didn't have a good time then it was by choice.
My only downside comments have to do with Fort Lauderdale and the 7 hour Mayan ruins shore excursion. The wait at the airport was unberably long, as too many ships arrived back in port on the 23rd. Though this is not a direct reflection on Carnival I would expect all the cruise lines to work together just a bit so you didn't spend the last hours of the much enjoyed cruise sitting in an airport check-in line. It puts a damper on the whole experience and this alone could keep me away in the future.
We went on a Mayan ruins tour billed as a seven hour tour. It was really less than three. We spent more than four hours traveling to/from the site. If I had realized up front how much time was spent on th road I would have selected a different shore excursion.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food on the Lido deck was superb and the evening dining was very good. The food choices for evening dining could have been a little better. We chose the late evening (8:30 PM) dinner. On our next cruise we'll go with the early dinner schedule so we can enjoy all the ship has to offer in the evening.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The entertainment for the most part was first rate -- really enjoyed the shows. The "Newly Wed not so Newly Wed Game" was HYSTERICAL! The ventriloquist act -- funny as could be. The staff put on a great Christmas show. We had one comedian perform an over 18 show that was fair. I'm no prude, but profanity in comedy for the sake of having it is not that funny.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Superb - just superb!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was absolutely beautiful. My cabin was always clean as was the rest of the ship. I envision the crew is well trained and they take great pride in their ship. While we wer in port and at sea I saw crewmembers spot painting!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Again, the room was always clean and fresh. Our steward was top shelf.
My daughter was in better shape -- we went to the beach and had a blast! You can jet ski, parasail, snorkel or kayak while visiting seven mile beach. I can't give this "The Best" simply because the cruise doesn't do a great job of getting you on the transportation from the port to the beach that you paid for when you purchased this excursion -- you are on your own. We went to 7 mile beach with 10-12 other folks and we all ended up paying for the transportation to/from the beach - an extra $8 per person.
Again we did the Mayans ruin tour. It was billed a a 7 hour event, but 4+ of those hours were spent on a bus. It was a great tour, but over 60% of the time at Costa Maya was spent on a bus.
We did the glass bottom boat tour and it was good. It was not our preferred event, but we chose this because our daughter was nursing an injury. If you really like this type of event it is wonderful. Next time we will do a beach visit, or jeep tour.
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