Day 2 on board the Carnival Liberty and it was a day at sea as we made our way to Half Moon Cay, an island in the Bahamas owned by Holland America Line but used by sister company Carnival.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s installment, I came down with a bug that sidelined me for much of the day. Luckily it wasn’t the “two-bucket flu,” but chills and having to maintain close proximity to porcelain was.
I did manage to venture out for about an hour and all I can say is “holy moly.” With it being a sea day, the full population of the ship – all 3,400 of us – made the outside decks and around the pool home for the day. I have to say, in all my years of cruising, I have never encountered this many people on a ship.
Now, I was on the 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas, but the layout and design of the ship did not make it feel like there were that many people on board. However, here on the Carnival Liberty, that is not the case. There are just people everywhere you turn. But… there are still deck chairs available, which means someone planned something right.
Being a person that does not like large crowds, I quickly said enough of this and went to the Fish & Chips shop for a bite to eat. While standing in line waiting to order, a young guy with a southern accent asked me, “what are chips?”
I guess I took it for granted that people know what “chips” are in Fish & Chips. I explained that they were French fries and that somewhere a long time ago in a country known for tea and crumpets and their hatred for the French, they were given the name “chips.”
I also told him to make sure he put malt vinegar on the Fish & Chips.
“Really?” he said.
It was then I politely suggested he may want to go grab a burger instead.
The last time I had Fish & Chips on a ship, was in the Golden Lion Pub onboard the Queen Mary 2. Now those Brits know how to make a good F&C. Here, not so much. I’m pretty sure Arthur Treacher wasn’t behind the line showing the young guy from Peru how to batter, fry, and season.
But hey, I haven’t had Fish & Chips in a while so I gave it a go. My colon thanked me about a half hour later and if it could talk probably would have said something about eating food that binds instead of loosens.
As I ran from the Lido Deck clenching my butt cheeks back to my cabin, I couldn’t help but notice that not one of the clocks in the stairwells from decks 9 to 7 displayed the same time. A small thing, but something that I thought “someone” would notice and fix. After all, if it’s 12:30 on deck 9 it should not be 15:47 on deck 7.
Some other observations:
This is a booze cruise. Yeah, totally. Everywhere you turn alcohol is pushed. And pushed. And pushed. When you ask for a beer, your server says, “a bucket?” No. I just want one beer. But the bucket pushing works as they are everywhere you look. So are plenty of people who have enjoyed the bucket of beer, or super-sugary-get-em-drunk-quick frozen concoction for $19 that comes in a “collectible” plastic glass that will only be thrown away when you get it home. But people are here to enjoy themselves, so if they want to be blasted 24/7 so be it. I just find it odd to see so many drunk people in one place at one time, so early in the day.
Announcements galore. I’ve said it time and time again, a cruise director can be informative and unobtrusive or annoying and aggravating. Ken Rush on Allure of the Seas was perhaps the most annoying cruise director I’ve ever encountered. Cory Rodgers on Carnival Liberty isn’t as annoying but there are announcements for everything. From the once-in-a-lifetime sale in the “Fun Shops” to yet another invitation to show up for the 7pm show, then the 9pm show, then the 10pm comedy show.. it gets old. That’s what the daily program is for, carry it with you so you don’t have to make announcements all the time.
One announcement that’s missing, is the daily noontime briefing from the Capitano. The Carnival Liberty has an Italian captain with a charming voice who I’d like to hear every now and then. “And a-today lady and a gentlemen, we a gonna have a sun, a fun, and a happy time. Come uppa for some pizza on Lido. We jus pass a Cuba and gonna make our way to Bahama tomorrow. Ciao.”
Hand sanitizers. The last thing anyone wants to get on a cruise is sick. How I managed to get a stomach bug on Day 2 I have no idea because I’m freakish about making sure my hands are washed, sanitized, and sterilized when I’m on a ship. I’m terrified of norovirus and have managed to avoid it so far.
On Holland America Line ships hand sanitizers are everywhere and the crew is also everywhere squirting the stuff at every turn. Not so on Carnival. No crew members are out enforcing hand washing at the buffets, no crew is standing on the gangway with Purell squirters, and no announcements are made encouraging you to washey-washey. Buy a bucket of beer instead of washing your hands.
Gross.
Not feeling up to par, I ordered room service for dinner. The in-room dining menu is pretty pathetic. It’s just sandwiches and salads. If you want a burger, too bad. If you’re feeling mal-de-mar and want some chicken broth, you’re out of luck. If you’re in the mood for PB&J or grilled cheese, you just hit the jackpot.
I had an anemic pastrami on rye. Anemic because two slices of pastrami were all I got sandwiched between to pieces of rye bread. I ordered a salad as well, which was fine. I was still hungry, but it was late so I just went to sleep.
The in-room breakfast menu is bad also. Nothing hot, just continental. I always enjoy a hot breakfast on a cruise served en-suite, this time I’m out of luck.
It’s Day 3 and we’re in Half Moon Cay. My bowels have returned to normal and I spent the day on the island which I’ll fill you in on in tomorrow’s installment. It’s time to sail away from Half Moon Cay and my balcony is calling.
Personal Day-By-Day Carnival Liberty Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of the Carnival Liberty:
No vacation would be complete without a ton of photos, right? For this particular cruise, I took a bunch of photos of the ship’s interior, pool areas, the stateroom itself, and more. Photos can be found by in the Carnival Liberty Photo Tour as well as in the day-by-day review of the cruise at the links above.