We had a great time, the wife is a first time cruiser who is weary of trying new things but the Liberty and her staff showed us such a great time, she, and I, can't wait to go again!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We opted for an Uber to the port instead of the Carnival shuttle due to the price being slightly cheaper. When we were dropped off we were about an hour early from our scheduled checkin time. When I asked a Carnival/Port staff member what to do, he directed us into the terminal where I thought we were going to wait for our scheduled time, but was actually just the line to start the process. Unfortunately we still had our bags with us and the staff member never mentioned anything about porting them. Carrying a large suitcase around when boarding the ship is a manageable but kind of a hassle. I just with the gentleman we had spoken to directed us to where to porter the luggage before directing us into the terminal to start the boarding procedure. Other than that small issue, everything else was very smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We were very blessed to have our main dining room table seated right by the window, so our group of 5 couples took turns rotating though so we could each have the window seat a night to watch the sunset. The staff is top notch (shoutout to Erik with a K, Teresa, and Sandra!) and the food had quite a variety every night with specific items along with some 'safe choices' that were the same every night if you weren't feeling as adventurous. The only complaint I can think of is that every time I ordered a drink, it was rather heavy on the ice and light on the spirits, which, for over 12$ a pop was a bit disappointing. The knowledge and friendliness of the staff definitely made up for it.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I had forgotten that the pools onboard were salt water, which wasn't the favorite of some in our party so most of the time we spent on deck was lounging, sunbathing, and eating copious amounts of ice cream. I remember being told at some point where the smoking areas were, but I feel like either they weren't clearly labeled or people were flagrantly violating the rule because on multiple occasions we had found a nice quiet place to relax only to be hit with a huge cloud of smoke we managed to be downwind from.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Not sure where you find these gems but the stage performances were AWESOME. Holy cow these kids can sing. Every performance was amazing.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
First off, shout out to the best steward on the ship Jayson! We were near the bow so first in rotation for service and luckily also early risers, so by the time we got back to our room after breakfast everything was arranged, cleaned, new towels, just perfect. I don't think I saw a single staff member who looked like they weren't happy to be there. Every interaction was cheerful and helpful.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The Liberty is one of the older ships in the fleet and if you take the time to stop and look you can see its age. The exterior windows around the lido deck look like they've been stained with rusty water, there are some nooks and crannies that look hard to clean that are starting to pile up dust and dirt, and the overall design is very reminiscent of the mid 2000s. These ships are run basically constantly but it may be time for a refresh for the Liberty.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
There were a few areas internal to the drawers and shelves I had to wipe down before putting our clothes away just to clean up some dust and debris. The portholes and their big heavy doors were very cool to me. The room was near the front of the ship so any time we encountered some wind driven waves you could hear them slap the hull all night. We had brought a sound machine to filter out any other noise so it worked wonders for that as well.
Ship tip
As long as you understand it is one of the older ships and set your expectations appropriately, the staff will absolutely blow you away with their amazing service.
Mahogany bay is right at the port and offers a great variety of activities to do if you complete your off site excursion early. We opted for a glass bottom boat from West Bay in the early AM and were back in time for lunch at the port.
Water taxis. I understand the reason they exist is to protect the reef, but the 20-30 minute ride just to get off the ship and too the port made our 8am excursion (Belize jungle Jeep tour, which was amazing!) a bit stressful since we had to be on the FIRST taxi to shore. This meant for me getting up at 6am to be first in line for the water taxi tickets when they started issuing them at 7am. The port itself had the same standard fare we had seen at Mahogany Bay, so we didn't really do any more shopping, but opted for drinks at the Wet Lizard.
Puerta Maya is a large clean port with immediate access to the pier with lots of areas for shopping and local businesses offering photo opportunities and excursions. We had scheduled our early morning activity for Chankanaab park for snorkling and beach lounging. This port was the shortest with all aboard being at 330pm instead of the normal 430pm.
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