This past week I had the opportunity to attend CLIA cruise3sixty, the industry’s largest yearly conference. One of the highlights is the ability to do a ship inspection and I had the opportunity to do five while in Florida. One of the ships I was able to visit was Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Liberty.
Built in Italy, Carnival Liberty entered service in 2005. With 13 decks and a capacity of 2,974 passengers and 1,160 crew, she is not a small ship by any means. The Carnival Liberty is the fourth ship in the Conquest class from Carnival Cruises. She was the first Carnival ship to feature Carnival‘s Seaside Theater, a 12-foot high by 22-foot wide LED screen with a 70,000-watt sound system. The theater is located on the Lido deck by the midship pool and is used to show movies, sporting events, concerts, etc.
We entered through the Lobby deck and immediately came up on the Flowers Lobby. With casual seating, in this area and a bar, you could get a drink and relax while others in your party visited the shore excursion desk or guest services.
From the second I arrived on the ship, I knew this would not be the kind of ship that would appeal to everyone. Having said that, if you are a Carnival fan, you’ll love this ship. This is why using a travel agent is so important! What I like, what your friends like is irrelevant – it’s what you like that counts. Some people absolutely love the fun, over the top design style of Carnival and don’t like the muted colors and traditional style of the other cruise lines. It’s best to know what you like before you get on board because you’re going to be there for a while.
Looking up you can see the colorful lights and style that epitomize Carnival. However, nowhere did I find anything to correlate with the ship’s name of Liberty. Perhaps Carnival was taking liberty with decorating in a way that didn’t apply to the ship’s name? I’m sure most don’t care what the ship’s name is and how the artwork does or doesn’t connect.
One set of elevators is also in this atrium area. There are three sets in total with six elevators forward, 4 elevators midship, and 4 elevators aft. The forward set of elevators are the only ones that will take you all the way to the Spa deck, but no elevators go all the up to either the Sun or Sky deck, but stairs are always available. I used the stairs to go up and down and skipped the elevators altogether. When you are on a cruise, try taking the stairs as it is great exercise, especially if you are worried you might be overeating or maybe overdrinking?
Here is a view of the Lobby deck and atrium area looking down from the Atlantic deck. Yes, that’s a piano on the right so I expect that there is a lot of singing along after a few drinks in this area. The comfortable seating makes it seem like a nice little place to hang out for a short while, like on the way to another destination or even for a few hours.
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| Czar’s Palace Casino |
For a little entertainment on your own, you can always check out Czar’s Palace Casino on the Promenade deck. With slots, blackjack, roulette, craps, and other games, too. I was surprised by the location of the casino as it is in close proximity to Club O2!, where the teens are allowed to spend time. After speaking to a few other guests, they said that they had used sites like judi online to brush up on their skills so that they can play well in this casino! I took a few hints and tips off them and they did in fact work! I guess all that practice paid off!
There is absolutely no shortage of bars or lounges on the Carnival Liberty with nine to choose from on any given day. This is Hot & Cool, a disco with a tattoo theme, which again will appeal to certain people. Other lower key options include Gloves Bar, a sports themed bar or Cabinet, a cigar bar and jazz venue among others.
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| Paparazzi |
In the mood for a drink in a place where you can watch everyone walking by? Try Paparazzi, the ship’s wine bar situated in a hallway on the way to other places and opposite Hot & Cool. With images of celebrities on the wall and a camera theme, you won’t feel the slightest bit self conscious as you ogle everyone on their way to dinner. I do have to admit I liked the shutter stools!
Carnival Liberty alternates Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. For the Western Caribbean itinerary, she sails from Miami to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios with 3 days at sea. Fares start at only $549 per person for an inside cabin all the way up to the Captain’s suite on the 8/27/11 cruise. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary departs from Miami and sails to Half Moon Cay, the cruise line’s private island, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Grand Turk with two days at sea. Fares start at only $519 per person for an inside cabin all the way up to the Captain’s suite on the 9/17/11 cruise.Next time we’ll take a peek at some of the cabins and have lunch. Make sure you bring your appetite!