Liberty of the Seas or stick with Carnival?

SomeImaginationHuh

SomeImaginationHuh

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Hello! We are currently booked on the Carnival Freedom for a cruise but I'm starting to second-guess my decision :(

I'm thinking about changing to the same dates on the liberty of the seas with Royal Caribbean. Looking for opinions, as I will lose my deposit if I switch. It's me, my 16-year-old daughter, and my two sons, ages seven and two.

Specifically curious about kids activities (shows, pools, etc.), and other things we can do as a family, as I don't antic that we will use the kids club much. Also looking for the more "family friendly" atmosphere.

I know neither are Disney, but a Spring Break cruise on DCL wasn't in the budget!

Is there anything about switching that justifies the loss of deposit PLUS about $500 more in cruise cost???

Thanks!!!
 
gumbypee said:
Why are you second guessing?
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Mainly because I'm reading lots of reviews about Carnival ships being a party atmosphere, and less family like. I'm not super over-protective, but I'm seeing stuff about adults puking in pools, grinding in pools, loud cursing, etc. It's just not what I want my kids around.

Royal Caribbean may be the same type of atmosphere, I'm not sure.

And after researching more about the ships, I see the lack of Freedom's kids water play area, and the lack of kid friendly shows.

Maybe I'm wrong? And admittedly, I should have done more research. I just panicked when I realized we didn't have solid plans, and the price seemed good.
 
Well, Liberty is a newly renovated ship and a Freedom class ship at that. It looks like it would be a great option for your kids' ages. We sail on the Freedom next week, so I've done enough research to know that there's tons of activities for all ages.
The Freedom was also renovated and apparently is part of Carnival's attempt to become more family friendly. We've sailed Carnival twice and never encountered anything too inappropriate. There was a hairy chest contest, but we just avoided it. And we are very conservative about music and television with our kids, yet there was nothing that I had to censor during the daytime. Shows are another matter, but we don't do shows. The kids clubs are wonderful, too, fwiw.
Personally, I would hate to lose the deposit you've already paid. Especially if what you're most worried about is the party crowd. If there's going to be partying, it will be as likely on Royal as on Carnival. I would miss the water park, for sure. But I wouldn't miss it $500 worth. That said, we couldn't afford to take the $500 hit. Maybe you could ask to apply the deposit to another cruise on a bigger ship (like the Breeze or Vista) for next year? I don't know if that would even work, but I just hate the idea of losing all that money!
 


we are sailing on Liberty soon. If you are losing money by switching, I'd say stick with carnival. there is no guarantee that rowdy guests arent on Liberty also. All it takes is a small handful of crazies to leave a bad impression. For all you know, your carnival sailing could be filled with nice families.
 
We just got off Liberty on Sunday and really enjoyed our cruise. We don't have kids, so it's just us 2 adults but the first thing I thought when we had been around the ship was that there was so much to do if you had older kids. Our friends with an 11 year old and 9 year old were constantly on my mind. The pool is much larger, there are two water slides, Tidal Wave water slide, FlowRider surfing, rock wall climbing and an ice skating rink. We only went to the Saturday Night Fever show and it was good, although probably not age appropriate for your younger two. We haven't sailed Carnival so I can't compare for you, but I don't think that I would pay more money to switch. We have friends that sailed on the Freedom in early May this year with their 6 year old and they had a great time. Their little girl loved the kids club and all of the Dr. Seuss things on board. They have booked to go again with extended family next year, so that says a lot to me. I'd stick with your Carnival cruise as planned and see what you think of it.
 
ukintheus said:
We just got off Liberty on Sunday and really enjoyed our cruise. We don't have kids, so it's just us 2 adults but the first thing I thought when we had been around the ship was that there was so much to do if you had older kids. Our friends with an 11 year old and 9 year old were constantly on my mind. The pool is much larger, there are two water slides, Tidal Wave water slide, FlowRider surfing, rock wall climbing and an ice skating rink. We only went to the Saturday Night Fever show and it was good, although probably not age appropriate for your younger two. We haven't sailed Carnival so I can't compare for you, but I don't think that I would pay more money to switch. We have friends that sailed on the Freedom in early May this year with their 6 year old and they had a great time. Their little girl loved the kids club and all of the Dr. Seuss things on board. They have booked to go again with extended family next year, so that says a lot to me. I'd stick with your Carnival cruise as planned and see what you think of it.
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off topic but can you tell me how the crowds were at the pool, slides, etc?
we are boarding Liberty very soon and would love to hear feedback from recent guests.
 


CesD said:
off topic but can you tell me how the crowds were at the pool, slides, etc?
we are boarding Liberty very soon and would love to hear feedback from recent guests.
Click to expand...

I am going to try and start a trip report tomorrow or this weekend in this forum - try being the operative word! LOL :crazy2: They closed Tidal Wave for the remainder of the cruise on our 4th day as they were painting it so that may have made a small difference to the lines but I'm not sure. The pools were busy on at sea days especially our first at sea day when the weather was nice. The chair savers were out in full force. The slides had lines, I would say about half way down the stairs leading to each of them on at sea days in the morning and we didn't go back there in the afternoons. The ship was fairly empty on the days we were in port. We stayed on in Cozumel and there were very few people at the pool and my guess is the slide areas were very quiet too.
 
thanks. are there Coke Freestyle machines?
i am on the fence about getting the soda package.
 
We've cruised Carnival twice with our kids and never saw any inappropriate behavior. I'm sure it happens, but it wasn't so pervasive that it was unavoidable. We were out more than once late in the evening in the pool area and mostly just saw kids out playing. No drunken adults. Any given cruise could be different obviously, but in our experience there was no problem on Carnival.
 
SomeImaginationHuh said:
Mainly because I'm reading lots of reviews about Carnival ships being a party atmosphere, and less family like. I'm not super over-protective, but I'm seeing stuff about adults puking in pools, grinding in pools, loud cursing, etc. It's just not what I want my kids around.

Royal Caribbean may be the same type of atmosphere, I'm not sure.

And after researching more about the ships, I see the lack of Freedom's kids water play area, and the lack of kid friendly shows.

Maybe I'm wrong? And admittedly, I should have done more research. I just panicked when I realized we didn't have solid plans, and the price seemed good.
Click to expand...
This is an often-repeated myth; you won't have that experience - you just won't. BUT, and this is BIG BUT...Liberty of the Seas would blow away Carnival (any ship, anywhere, anytime) for a family cruise. If the price is even close, cancel Carnival now and book the LOTS.

There's just so much more for kids to do, including the DreamWorks Experience which I actually found to be extremely well done and very on-par with the dance parties, parades, character breakfasts and interactions we've had at Disney. Evening entertainment is a major reason we've given up Carnival; their "big" thing is the stand-up comedy club and it's pretty filthy. They do have an all-ages version every night but frankly, without swearing and joking about sex, none of the acts are very funny. The headliners (which Carnival doesn't have at all), musical revues and secondary-acts on RCCL are light-years better.

ETA: We have actually sailed several Carnival ships and several RCCL ships including Liberty of the Seas.
 
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If you would not lose your deposit, or if the loss of deposit + the price of Liberty was less than your current fare, I would recommend switching. We just got off RCL Liberty last week and it was great. My 14 yr old DS had a great time meeting new friends and using the facilities.

If you cannot switch without it costing you more, I do not think you should let yourself stress about it. We have never been on the Carnival Freedom (only Carnival ships Liberty, Ecstasy, Paradise) so I cannot comment on its facilities etc, but I know you will have a great time no matter what ship you are on!
 
Canadian Disney Mom said:
If you would not lose your deposit, or if the loss of deposit + the price of Liberty was less than your current fare, I would recommend switching. We just got off RCL Liberty last week and it was great. My 14 yr old DS had a great time meeting new friends and using the facilities.

If you cannot switch without it costing you more, I do not think you should let yourself stress about it. We have never been on the Carnival Freedom (only Carnival ships Liberty, Ecstasy, Paradise) so I cannot comment on its facilities etc, but I know you will have a great time no matter what ship you are on!
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Agree and I wouldn't eat a non-refundable deposit either but if that's the case, why ask? Now's not the time for the OP to be changing her mind. For next time though, OP - Liberty of the Seas (or similar) hands down. :sail:
 
We are getting ready to sail on the Carnival Vista. I will be writing a review when we get back. I've read great things about the Vista from other DCL fans that have sailed on it. Can you pay the 50.00 pp penalty and switch to a newer Carnival ship? I wouldn't base my decision on someone else's opinion. A lot of people love Carnival some people hate it. You just have to find out for yourself.
 
Is the Dreamorks experience available on all cruises on Liberty or just specific ones?

QUOTE="ronandannette, post: 56436925, member: 114787"]This is an often-repeated myth; you won't have that experience - you just won't. BUT, and this is BIG BUT...Liberty of the Seas would blow away Carnival (any ship, anywhere, anytime) for a family cruise. If the price is even close, cancel Carnival now and book the LOTS.

There's just so much more for kids to do, including the DreamWorks Experience which I actually found to be extremely well done and very on-par with the dance parties, parades, character breakfasts and interactions we've had at Disney. Evening entertainment is a major reason we've given up Carnival; their "big" thing is the stand-up comedy club and it's pretty filthy. They do have an all-ages version every night but frankly, without swearing and joking about sex, none of the acts are very funny. The headliners (which Carnival doesn't have at all), musical revues and secondary-acts on RCCL are light-years better.

ETA: We have actually sailed several Carnival ships and several RCCL ships including Liberty of the Seas.[/QUOTE]
 
GusGus77 said:
Is the Dreamorks experience available on all cruises on Liberty or just specific ones?

QUOTE="ronandannette, post: 56436925, member: 114787"]This is an often-repeated myth; you won't have that experience - you just won't. BUT, and this is BIG BUT...Liberty of the Seas would blow away Carnival (any ship, anywhere, anytime) for a family cruise. If the price is even close, cancel Carnival now and book the LOTS.

There's just so much more for kids to do, including the DreamWorks Experience which I actually found to be extremely well done and very on-par with the dance parties, parades, character breakfasts and interactions we've had at Disney. Evening entertainment is a major reason we've given up Carnival; their "big" thing is the stand-up comedy club and it's pretty filthy. They do have an all-ages version every night but frankly, without swearing and joking about sex, none of the acts are very funny. The headliners (which Carnival doesn't have at all), musical revues and secondary-acts on RCCL are light-years better.

ETA: We have actually sailed several Carnival ships and several RCCL ships including Liberty of the Seas.
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]
Yes, all Liberty sailings have the Dreamworks Experience. It's also on all sailings of the Anthem, Quantum, Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Voyager, Mariner, Harmony and Ovation.
 
We went on our first Cruise April on Liberty of the seas [kids are teens]. We loved it. The kids especially loved it. They made tons of friends and still keep in touch with a few.
 
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