Liberty to Bahamas

Reviews submitted by user:

Embarkation was super quick. It only took 30 minutes from checking in to boarding the ship.

Once we boarded the ship, we checked out our cabins. We booked ocean view connecting rooms. We were on the riviera deck. We found a letter that they left for the passengers that were in there before us that they gave them a $25 shipboard credit for a complaint about noise. We didn't encounter any noise or disturbances.

We then headed for the Lido Deck for lunch. The food was absolutely delicious. They now have a station for Thai food in addition to the oriental one that they already have. They also have a pasta station in which you choose which type of pasta you want along with the sauce and they make it right in front of you. The Lifeboat Drill was superfast.

The sail away party was a lot of fun, but they only played 2 songs and that was it. The only complaint that I have is that they did not have many activities for the guests. They neglected us because there were so many Carnival employees on board. They only had a trivia game one day and karaoke on both nights. The shows were excellent.

We never made it to the dining room because my brothers were at the Casino the whole time and we were super late for dinner. They made a large contribution to the Casino. They cannot wait until next time. We had dinner on the Lido Deck.

My Nephew loved the arcade and eating pizza and ice cream.

In Nassau we went to the Atlantis resort. We were going to do the dolphin encounter, but my nephew had a bad cold. He loved the aquarium at Atlantis Resort.

Debarkation was another story it took super long, but it didn't bother me at all because I was on a cruise and I didn't want to get off.

This ship is absolutely beautiful. I would definitely sail on it again.

Sensation Cruise

Embarkation
We arrived at the Port of Tampa (Pier 2) the next day at approximately 11:15 am. A little early, but a security guard told us the night before that the earlier the better. His logic was that it gets really crowded at 12:00pm. After a short wait in line for the porters we dropped our bags, and parked the car. While dropping our bags we found out that DW and I were assigned cabin M89. Since we were an O/V guarantee we were certainly happy with the upgrade. Joe (cousin) and his wife were pre assigned to cabin E-76. They were also happy with their assignment. The parking at the port is $10.00 per day and prepaid. The garage was clean, safe and had security both times I was in it. This made me feel comfortable. After our check in (maybe 20 minutes) we were told to sit in what I call the bullpen area. We were in group two and should have boarded the ship very quickly. Unfortunately, the ship had some problems (unknown) clearing customs on this day and did not start boarding until 1:00 p.m. Nevertheless, the wait was kind of fun as we were doing quite a bit of people watching. It always amazes me how diverse a cruise ship is on a given voyage. There were definitely people there from all walks of life.

The Sensation
What else can I say about the Sensation except that she is purple. I guess, a lot. I like the Sensation better than any Fantasy Class ship that I have been on. It seems to me that she is cleaner that the Ecstasy, Imagination, and Fascination and doesn't have as much wear and tear. I like the new atrium bar and didn't make it past there to order my first drink. When we boarded the ship, the violinist was playing soft music with an accompanying piano player. This ship is old, but I was never disappointed in the cleanliness. There is always someone working on something to keep the ship in tip-top shape. The cabins are all the same on the Fantasy Class ships, but the Sensation, with her recent renovation has new down comforters and life vests. The beds on the Sensation are extremely comfortable and there is certainly ample room for all luggage. My wife and I over pack for each cruise we go on. We hang everything up and have no problems finding room for our stuff. In the bathroom there was a basket filled with goodies. We found the rolaids and the toothpaste very useful but did not need the shampoo and conditioner they provided. Also in the basket were dental floss, nightime pills, and a few other things. Carnival didnt used to provide this basket of goodies, but I like it. If I forget something, I know I can get it from the basket. Walking around in the public areas was nice. We especially liked the fitness area, and the spa there. There are rarely a lot of people in that area of the ship, and never kids. Speaking of children, this cruise was during the Easter Break (for many schools) and we had our fair share of kids. While I am not opposed to kids on a cruise, there was a group that was near us that did not have enough chaperones. Later in the cruise we paid for that dearly because several kids in a cabin got really drunk. They wrestled, fought, cursed, and threw up. After that, they went to sleep and must have vowed not to drink anymore, because we didnt hear from them again. The Piano Bar is a popular spot for us as well. Darin was the talent there and does a great job. Another musician that I liked was a guy that used to call his group curveball. While they split up, this soloist still plays classic rock tunes on the Promenade deck. he was really great.

Food and Entertainment
The food on the Sensation was good, but not great. Being a vet of the short cruise market I know the food quality. I have had better and I have definitely had worse. The portions were pretty good and I never left the table hungry. As for me, I had the Beef the first night, the Lobster on Formal night, and the Pasta on the final night. We did not eat on the ship while in Cozumel. The only complaint I had about the food, was that on the second night, the shrimp cocktail was warm instead of cold. Not a big complaint but it was kind of yucky when I ate it. Other than that, the food was good. Of course, the Desserts were very good. We had a bottle of wine with each dinner and had great table mates. With the four of us was another group of four from Tampa. We always had conversation and ended up meeting some good people. Word to the wise. If you order Pinot Grigio by the glass it is cheaper than having a bottle. This kind of annoyed my cousin since he had ordered several bottles of it and then found out it was cheaper by the glass. Oh well. As far as entertainment, we only saw one show and it was about what I expect from Carnival. The music and dance was pretty good. We also went to the adult comedy show. It was funny as usual. We were all disappointed in the Newlywed (Not so Newlywed) Game. When we sat down for the show, Jorge (Cruise Director) began speaking and had already pre selected the three couples for the show. he later told me that he did not pre select the couples but we were not convinced. he was also a bit defensive when posed with what Carnival terms an "opportunity for improvement". It took away from the comedy and seemed that they had time to think about their answers which looked bad. Perception is reality and we perceived that the game and answers were rigged.

Cozumel
In Cozumel, we went on the Fiesta Party Boat tour. We had a good time. Having been on this one before, we knew the game. We sat upstairs and enjoyed the ride there with a few cocktails. Before we boarded the Catamaran we went to the Fat Tuesday's and had a 190 octane. These drinks will throw you for a loop. Watch out. After we spent about 2 hours on Playa Sol, we headed back. Being that there were many children on board the hosts of the party boat were somewhat subdued. Nevertheless, it was fun. We got to enjoy some tequila drinking and watched the kids try to break open the pinata (SIC). When we got back to the pier (Puerta Maya) we immediately took a cab over to Carlos and Charlies. The cab ride was fun and only costs $10.00 with tip. At Carlos and Charlies, we had dinner (four people, about $70.00 American). We each had a single Dos XX with dinner and then went to the bar for some fun. This was a good time, but again there were some young people at the restaurant. This must have been where the young HS students got drunk, because I guess the drinking age must be 18 in Mexico. After lots and lots of beer, we headed back to the ship. I was tucked into bed by 10:00 pm that night. I guess I just can't hang like I used to.

Disembarkation
This was a piece of cake. We were carrying our luggage off and got to wait with the people who were taking early flights. At about 9:30 am we were off the ship and on our way back to reality. All in all it was a great time and I (as usual) hated getting off the ship. Cant wait for my next cruise. Any specific questions, please feel free to email me. Glad to help.

Mexican Riviera on Carnival Pride

Boarding was easy - about an hour start to finish. We did the early check-in in the morning on the Queen Mary, checked out of our room around 11, parked the car, dropped off the luggage and wandered around the shops.

We got an upgrade - one we did not want. From the main deck we had chosen - we had been moved to the panorama deck - right under the lido buffet. We said thanks but no thanks. They tried to tell us we had to take it - because they sold our cabin to someone else. We said to move them to deck 8 - we figured they had been upgraded to our cabin, then up four more floors - figured they would be pretty happy lol. Our luggage went to them , theirs came to ours but it all got sorted out very quickly - and we were on our way.

Service all over the ship was great - all the staff seemed happy - smiles all around. We had a great dining room team as well - but once again we were at a table all alone - for the whole week. Gotta check my deodorant :o)! There were actually several empty tables in the dining room - even though the ship was full to capacity.

We did the Jungle Tour in Puerta Vallarta - saw some pretty secenery and had lunch in the mountains. Then we had a chance to shop in town - but we waited to buy anything until we got back to the dock - the prices were much better. At dinner that evening we were entertained by local musicians strolling through the diningroom - serenading us. It was lovely.

In Mazatlan we rode with Randy's Happy Horses - another one of the things we have always wanted to do - it was great riding on the beach and Randy is very professional We had a great lunch at Victors right on the beach at Stone Island. And the jewelry - we bought right at our table as the vendors came by -beautiful silver pieces. Randy keeps them at bay until we want to see them.

In Cabo we did the whale watching tour - we actually saw only one but the tour was nice anyway - it is a very pretty spot. Drinks were included - as much as you wanted - with or without alcohol and the fellow that did the talking for the tour was really quite funny. I had not been to Cabo since the 1980's and it had really changed - I think for the better. There are some incredible hotels on the beach now. They have some great shops as well - right off the tender dock. The bargaining is fun - it's just hard to get away sometimes!

We really enjoyed the sea days - especially the tea in the afternoon - complete with little sandwiches and pastries - yum. We ate in the ding room every evening but visited the buffet during the day - the food was surprisingly good -especially breakfast - omeletes made to order and tons of bacon. Don't think I will get my cholesterol levels checked for a while.

The entertainment was also very enjoyable - especially the comedians. The production shows were very well done as well - but then I think we are pretty easy to please, Vegas style suits us just fine. We bought lots of photos - we never seem to get any of us together - we are always taking the pictures - so they are nice momentos.

The ship itself is very well laid out - easy to navigate around and I loved the art work. It was impressively clean everywhere we went. The cabing itself was very roomy - especially with the balcony. I was outside every morning we pulled into port - my favourtie time of the day.

Even the casino was good to us - I came away with at least four hundred dollars of their money - just an added bonus.

All around a great trip - second cruise - both on Canival and the third will be as well. Hey - if it ain't broke - don't fix it. It is laid back enough to suit us and glitzly enough to warrent going on a cruise.

The only thing I would change is that they be more persistent with their dress code in the dining room - I'm not a formal person, but like to get dressed up in something fancy every now and then - but jeans in the dining room on formal night - crappy faded jeans at that - they have to have some sort of enforcement.

I would give it a nine out of ten!

Western Caribbean on Fascination

You get what you paid for. Let?s begin with the long lines just to get on the ship. I think you have to go thru 4 different check ins. Just be sure when you get at the port you have your birth certificate, I.D. ready. I can't believe all the trouble you have to go thru just to get on the ships!

First day: We arrived around noon, on a Greyhound that was included in our package thru AAA...after staying a night in Miami. If you choose to stay the night before, go to Bayside and eat at Bubba Gump?s!! Great food and ask for a 'to go' cup, and you will get a souvenir cup to carry the rest of your drink in. Anyway, the day you arrive at the port, be sure you have plenty of One dollar bills for the bus drivers and the guys that load your suitcases onto the boat. For each suitcase or bag expect to pay 1:00. Just take about 30 ? 40 one dollar bills. And they ask for it too!!! The first day on the boat, we had to find our own cabin. It was kind of weird as we had no idea where to go! We found our room. This was ocean view and was very nice. Enough room for 2 people! We then decided to walk around. Went to the area that has information and got a map of the ship and checked it out on our own. Very nice but it was hard finding yourself around. Wish they had a more detailed map. Showed what floor you were on, but not how to get around to the front of the ship or the back of the ship...what doors to take to get where you wanted to go. First day we ate lunch at the outdoor pool bar and grill, not knowing we could have went thru some sliding glass doors and eaten inside the air-conditioned dining room.

The "Welcome Aboard" show was good. The dancers were good, the singers were so-so. The comedy, Mark Macy, was great. We also saw his "adult" version Tuesday night which was hilarious! "Wee Jimmy" the cruise director was very funny and we enjoyed his talks on the tours and the shows in the evenings. We really enjoyed the ?adult shows?!! They were funny.

We left the dock about 15-20 minutes late and we decided to enjoy the scenery. Right before we left, around 3:30 everyone was advised to take to life boat drill and we did that. I felt like I had on a neck brace when we learned how to put the life jackets on?it was funny! Then we proceeded to go to the ?muster station?. We were outside, in the rain while it was storming?lightening flashing?.very scary.

After the drill, we went and watched the ship leave dock. That was exciting. Cruising in the rain!!! Anyway, if you decide to watch the boat leave, go to the front?its exciting. Oh yea, don?t worry too much about getting sea sick. This is a boat that you can?t feel the rocking as some people say you do. I took my motion sickness pill before loading, but didn?t need it after that. We ate and then we went to the first show. It was a show the included people from the audience. My boyfriend was one that pick!! Funny!

Day 2, we woke up to find us docked in Key West, Florida. We went and ate and decided the day before to take the Pirate tour and just look around. We enjoyed our time there. That evening we went and got our formal pictures taken and then to the ?meet the captain? party, reception. It was great, but watch how many free drinks you get. They catch up with you later. We went to eat at the formal dinner and met our new friends, which later went to the Broadway show with us. The dinner tonight was Caribbean and I had lobster. It was ok. After the show we went out side and enjoyed the fresh air and watching the big ship cruise down the ocean on its way to Cozemel, Mexico. After that we went to the Adult Comedy show. That was the funniest show! After that we went to bed.

Day 3- Cozemel Mexico. It was nice and HOT. It?s sad seeing what Hurricane Emily has done to these people. The city was nice and you could tell that there was damage. The top of the huts were blown away, and there was debris on the beach. They were fixing it back up though. We couldn?t even go see the Maya Ruins for what she did. We didn?t have an excursion until 2:30, and since we arrived early to Mexico, we went into town by taxi that cost 6:00 for 4 people, with our new friends we had dinner with and ate at Carlo?s and Charlie?s. It was so great!! Food was great and you get these big Margaritas in these huge glasses. Strawberry was the best! A lot of entertainment there. There was a guy that made everyone balloon hats, which after we left, we gave to kids. They know how to have fun. After that we got another taxi and went back to the boat to get ready to go on our excursion on the Catamaran. Now that was fun!! We left from right around where the boat was docked. We arrived kinda late and had a lot of people in front of us and were wondering if they were going to put all of us on one boat. But it was all good, here came another boat. The man on our boat was so great!! We had all the beer, pop, water we wanted on our way out to sea to snorkel. I had never snorkeled so I was kind of leery about doing this. As soon as you get on you get a snorkel mask, life jacket and the flipper shows. The tour director explained how to fix your mask etc and then we stopped and you could either jump from the boat into the water or take the ?chicken steps? as he called it?..the steps that go right into the water. I chose to jump, but before I jumped I told the director that I had never done this before, he helped me with my fear and in I went. That was the best time I have had in a long long time. Very interesting of what you see below. We even had our picture taken looking at the fish.

For about 45 minutes we were in the water, and then we got back on the cat marine and went to a private beach about 30 minutes later. The sand was very hot, so if you have any water shoes, take them. The beach itself was rough on your feet. We could have eaten there for 8.00 but chose not to?.it didn?t look to good. The flies were terrible though. We asked why they were so bad and the director said it was from Emily and the horses that were taking people for rides. After this we were back at the dock around 5:30 and tipped the crew with 5.00 and also bought all the pictures they took of us?.3 plus a free one of the fish in the sea, for 33.00. After we arrived at the dock we went and took a shower, and headed out to meet with our new friends to eat at Ponchos. We then went to the show next to Poncho?s and purchased shirts that were 2 for 20.00 and some necklaces for our girls for 3. 95 each. We then headed to the boat around 9:00 for out departure at 10:00. Our cruise director told us that when the boat was ready to leave, go watch and you will see someone running to the boat about to miss it. Sure enough?.there was one person!! Guess he drank too much at Fat Tuesdays, right on the dock. We enjoyed this evening outside watching the stars and enjoying the ride. Seems like the front or the back of the ship were ever really over crowded.

Day 4 Fun day at sea. Well, let?s see we woke up and decided to go our own ways. We took walkie talkies for this reason. They worked fine and we didn?t bother anyone. I decided today was a pool day for me and he decided on the Casino. The pool is crowded on this day so beware. Although I got there around noon, I found a great spot and layed out for a couple of hours. They had a Caribbean style band playing. In the afternoon they had a hairy chest contest that was funny, and ice sculpting. The pool was very crowded.

And it?s not very big anyway. The hot tub had a bunch of kids in it when it is clearly stated as adults only. There was always someone coming around offering you the daily drink. I never bought one myself, as I saw 6.25 to much. Oh and by the way, if you want to sneak in some alcohol just empty out a bottle of Listerine, add the clear liquid, vodka is what we used, add 8 drops of yellow food coloring and it will go thru the check in line. That was cool. Then all you got to do is get some lemonade or punch from the drink stations and take it back to your room and add the vodka and there ya have it. If you are smart take your own travel mug. Makes it ever better. Anyway, after our time away from one another, we chose to go to the last formal dinner. Before dinner they were serving sushi around the stars lounge, which the line was long with only one person working it. The dinner tonight was American, which wasn?t very good. I had the filet mignon and it tasted like roast. After dinner we went and played some slots, went out on the back deck with a bottle of champagne and drank and then went to bed.

We ported about 7am on Friday and we chose to have the early departure meaning you took your own luggage at 7am to the Palace lounge, and they showed you the way to debark along with your luggage. This way is a lot faster than having to stand around and wait on the entire luggage to be dropped off. Plus we got the first bus out to the airport.

All in this entire cruise was ok. I mean the food was ok, the entertainment was ok, and the activities were boring. I enjoyed just being on the cruise myself. If you don?t want to spend a lot of money and you want to go to be left alone go on this cruise. I?ve heard that other cruise lines are a lot better so next time we will go with another cruise line.

3 Days Bahamas Cruise

I wish I had kept a journal to remember everything. Our family consists of myself and husband (both 49 years of age) and our two teen-aged sons (17 years and 14 years). We took this cruise on the first weekend (Friday-Monday) of our school's spring vacation.

We got to the port at around 11:30. The ship was visible from the road we were on. I was surprised at the size of the Miracle. There is one two-lane road to the pier so the traffic was slow going. We dropped off the luggage while my husband parked the van. We waited several minutes while workers were loading other people's luggage onto trolleys. The boys and I walked over to where the luggage was going, and an employee told us we could bring our luggage in and drop it off. Then we walked into the building. Not knowing what to expect or what to do, we happened to get in the correct line. We got our sail and sign cards and were directed to a line to board. This line was not well planned out (we intersected with another line of people trying to check in). The whole process took about 40 minutes, so I didn't think that was too bad.

We got on board. The difference between outside and inside was amazing. One minute we were in the bright Florida sunshine, then the next minute we were in the dim lighting on the Metropolis lobby. It seemed like we were in a different city as soon as we walked on board. We went to the elevators which seemed to be moving slowly (or maybe it was because there were many people trying to go up to the Lido deck to eat). We got up to the Lido deck to eat lunch. The guys got in the first line they saw, which was Italian. I walked around the corner and got in the a line that had roast beef and chicken. Other than a breakfast one morning, that was the last time I ate at Horatio's on the Lido deck. It was a tasty lunch. I was surprised at how good it was as I imagined something like school cafeteria-type food. Our boys ate at the pizzeria a few times and said it was good.

We checked out our cabins. We were on the Empress deck, two inside cabins. We put the boys in one and we were in the other. The travel agent sent a bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne to each cabin. We met out room attendant (is he called a steward?). He asked if we wanted to mini-bar unlocked. I asked if we could keep the wine in there, and he replied that he would get an ice bucket. So, we kept the mini-bar locked. The cabins were larger than I expected. There were two large fluffy bathrobes in one of three closets. There was plenty of drawer space. A hair dryer was in one of the drawers. The cord was a little short, but it had sufficient power. The bathroom had a large counter and several glass shelves. We had plenty of room for all of our toiletries. We didn't spend much time in our staterooms, so I thought they were large enough.

There was so much to do that we missed much of it (like the Captain's Cocktail Party). The ship was easy to get around. There were many places to sit and enjoy a quiet moment. There were plenty of chairs outside. The ones by the pool were usually taken, but on upper decks, there were stacks of unused chairs. "Total Eclipse" was the Calypso band out by the pool. Our 17-year old son said the jazz band ("Gavin Ahearn Trio" in the Gotham lounge) was good. We went to a karaoke session with KJ Foxx." KJ ended up singing several songs to fill in for the lack of passenger-singers. The ones who did perform were very good.

My husband spent some time in the casino. Slot machines were in ample supply and if one wanted to play the slots, there was always one available. There were a few blackjack tables, but they were $10 minimum. There was one $5 minimum blackjack table, but that was usually full. We wished there had been some $2 minimum tables to make our money last longer. There was one craps table and I believe one roulette table. There were also some tables that we thought we blackjack tables, but they played various poker type games. I didn't look at those close enough to be able to figure out the game. The only show (other than the non-judged talent show) that we went to was the last show - a tribute to the Beatles. It was very good. We spent a lot of time just walking around the ship, looking at all of the lounges and rooms. We got sunburnt on Saturday in Freeport, so we spent most of our time on board inside or in the shade. That was disappointing, as I had planned to read on deck in the sunshine on Sunday - our "Day at Sea."

Everything was gleaming as one would expect on a new ship. The amount of granite on counters and floors surprised me. We ate our meals in the Bacchus Restaurant, which is as bad as you've seen in pictures. The food was wonderful and varied. I don't eat pork or beef and I was surprised that I had several choices of entrees every evening. We took a bottle of wine to our first dinner, and our waiter (Roland) told us since the cruise was so short, he would not charge us the corkage fee. So we gave it to him as an additional tip.

Our 14-year old son (freshman in high school) said the activities planned for him were too young. The dance he attended (12-18 years of age) was mainly full of 12 year olds. He tried to attend the "disco" with his older brother, but it was for 16+ and he was carded. He spent a lot of time in his cabin watching college basketball.

The end of the cruise came too soon. We decided to carry our luggage off so we wouldn't have to interupt any activities to go and pack. Our deck was the first to be called off, so we were the first group to leave. We're already thinking of taking another cruise. I have a feeling that we have been spoiled by the Miracle.