Lackluster Liberty Thanksgiving......

Just disembarked Liberty this past Sunday from the Thanksgiving sailing.

I have never written a review, however I wanted to share some issues & observations while still on my mind.

We had a decent time but all the cutbacks have become very noticeable to the point I no longer have any desire to get back on an RC ship for a long time.

I cannot justify spending $6000 for a subpar trip.

Since I have been home, I cancelled 2 future bookings for next year.

- Deck around the main pool is a complete watery mess. Not just poolside but even 30ft away. All the walking areas are flooded, and too the point that it is very slippery and you cannot keep any of your things on the ground or it gets soaked.

- Area around the kid pool/slide has gigantic pools of water on the deck. Making most of the chairs unusable the entire time.

- Poolside activities are almost non-existent. The did do the Belly flop contest but that is all I saw over 4 sea days.

No poolside Cookout/BBQ.

- 3 days I had tell someone to play music at the main pool. They would turn on the audio for ESPN Carib which would blare commercials and sports scores which nobody was watching.

- The music they finally put on was a type of House-Club mix. Not really they genre for the 30-70 age group at the pool, but better than TV audio.

- The single soft serve ice cream machine is a joke and had a constant line of at least 10-15 people along with a mess of spilled cones on the deck around it.

They really need to break down and get at least 2 more yogurt machines to accommodate the amount of people aboard.

- Arcade had many games that were broken or poor working order, but still left on to take peoples money.

- Photography set-ups and merchandise tables really obstructs flow of traffic badly almost every night in the promenade.

- Air conditioning in staterooms no longer get very cold.

- MDR was warm almost every night.

- No background music in MDR 3 nights. dining room mgr shrugged and said it's just the way it is.

- MDR food has been stripped down in selection and quality and many favorites are gone. Looks like they finally "jumped the shark" because it really sucks now.

- Windjammer food selection is also very trimmed down from past trips.

- Cafe Promenade has dwindled down to just a few cheap sandwiches and 3 types of pastries.

- When we missed the Falmouth stop due to weather issues, RC did a poor job coming up with alternative/additional activities for the day. Almost nothing..

- No cocktail service in Platinum theater. Bartender disappeared in the middle of the show with people standing around waiting. I had to call guest services 2x to get him to come back.

- Room service dishes in the hallway 2 days.

- When phoning guest services, I had to sit on hold for at least 3 -10 min each time. This has never happened in the past.

- I have left out other issues that would take to long to explain.

For me the cutbacks are really having a negative effect and for the 1st time I don't feel like I got my money's worth this trip..

Somehow over the last 10 years "Mediocre" became the new "Fabulous"......

Just disembarked Liberty this past Sunday from the Thanksgiving sailing.

 

I have never written a review, however I wanted to share some issues & observations while still on my mind.

 

We had a decent time but all the cutbacks have become very noticeable to the point I no longer have any desire to get back on an RC ship for a long time.

 

I cannot justify spending $6000 for a subpar trip.

 

Since I have been home, I cancelled 2 future bookings for next year.

 

 

- Deck around the main pool is a complete watery mess. Not just poolside but even 30ft away. All the walking areas are flooded, and too the point that it is very slippery and you cannot keep any of your things on the ground or it gets soaked.

 

- Area around the kid pool/slide has gigantic pools of water on the deck. Making most of the chairs unusable the entire time.

 

- Poolside activities are almost non-existent. The did do the Belly flop contest but that is all I saw over 4 sea days.

 

No poolside Cookout/BBQ.

 

- 3 days I had tell someone to play music at the main pool. They would turn on the audio for ESPN Carib which would blare commercials and sports scores which nobody was watching.

 

- The music they finally put on was a type of House-Club mix. Not really they genre for the 30-70 age group at the pool, but better than TV audio.

 

- The single soft serve ice cream machine is a joke and had a constant line of at least 10-15 people along with a mess of spilled cones on the deck around it.

They really need to break down and get at least 2 more yogurt machines to accommodate the amount of people aboard.

 

- Arcade had many games that were broken or poor working order, but still left on to take peoples money.

 

- Photography set-ups and merchandise tables really obstructs flow of traffic badly almost every night in the promenade.

 

- Air conditioning in staterooms no longer get very cold.

 

- MDR was warm almost every night.

 

- No background music in MDR 3 nights. dining room mgr shrugged and said it's just the way it is.

 

- MDR food has been stripped down in selection and quality and many favorites are gone. Looks like they finally "jumped the shark" because it really sucks now.

 

- Windjammer food selection is also very trimmed down from past trips.

 

- Cafe Promenade has dwindled down to just a few cheap sandwiches and 3 types of pastries.

 

- When we missed the Falmouth stop due to weather issues, RC did a poor job coming up with alternative/additional activities for the day. Almost nothing..

 

- No cocktail service in Platinum theater. Bartender disappeared in the middle of the show with people standing around waiting. I had to call guest services 2x to get him to come back.

 

- Room service dishes in the hallway 2 days.

 

- When phoning guest services, I had to sit on hold for at least 3 -10 min each time. This has never happened in the past.

 

- I have left out other issues that would take to long to explain.

 

For me the cutbacks are really having a negative effect and for the 1st time I don't feel like I got my money's worth this trip..

 

Somehow over the last 10 years "Mediocre" became the new "Fabulous"......

If in fact you had a decent cruise (your words from above), what made it decent. It makes sense to tell us, what counter balanced the scale for you to conclude you at least still had a 'decent cruise'.

Just disembarked Liberty this past Sunday from the Thanksgiving sailing.

 

I have never written a review, however I wanted to share some issues & observations while still on my mind.

 

We had a decent time but all the cutbacks have become very noticeable to the point I no longer have any desire to get back on an RC ship for a long time.

 

I cannot justify spending $6000 for a subpar trip.

 

Since I have been home, I cancelled 2 future bookings for next year.

 

 

- Deck around the main pool is a complete watery mess. Not just poolside but even 30ft away. All the walking areas are flooded, and too the point that it is very slippery and you cannot keep any of your things on the ground or it gets soaked.

 

- Area around the kid pool/slide has gigantic pools of water on the deck. Making most of the chairs unusable the entire time.

 

- Poolside activities are almost non-existent. The did do the Belly flop contest but that is all I saw over 4 sea days.

 

No poolside Cookout/BBQ.

 

- 3 days I had tell someone to play music at the main pool. They would turn on the audio for ESPN Carib which would blare commercials and sports scores which nobody was watching.

 

- The music they finally put on was a type of House-Club mix. Not really they genre for the 30-70 age group at the pool, but better than TV audio.

- The single soft serve ice cream machine is a joke and had a constant line of at least 10-15 people along with a mess of spilled cones on the deck around it.

They really need to break down and get at least 2 more yogurt machines to accommodate the amount of people aboard.

 

- Arcade had many games that were broken or poor working order, but still left on to take peoples money.

 

- Photography set-ups and merchandise tables really obstructs flow of traffic badly almost every night in the promenade.

 

- Air conditioning in staterooms no longer get very cold.

 

- MDR was warm almost every night.

 

- No background music in MDR 3 nights. dining room mgr shrugged and said it's just the way it is.

 

- MDR food has been stripped down in selection and quality and many favorites are gone. Looks like they finally "jumped the shark" because it really sucks now.

 

- Windjammer food selection is also very trimmed down from past trips.

 

- Cafe Promenade has dwindled down to just a few cheap sandwiches and 3 types of pastries.

 

- When we missed the Falmouth stop due to weather issues, RC did a poor job coming up with alternative/additional activities for the day. Almost nothing..

 

- No cocktail service in Platinum theater. Bartender disappeared in the middle of the show with standing around waiting. I had to call guest services 2x to get him to come back.

 

- Room service dishes in the hallway 2 days.

 

- When phoning guest services, I had to sit on hold for at least 3 -10 min each time. This has never happened in the past.

 

- I have left out other issues that would take to long to explain.

 

For me the cutbacks are really having a negative effect and for the 1st time I don't feel like I got my money's worth this trip..

Somehow over the last 10 years "Mediocre" became the new "Fabulous"......

You catch a lot of flack on this board but these are valid. Liberty went from our favorite ship in 2009 to very mediocre this year. And many of the reasons were not unique to Liberty.

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

 

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

 

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

We sailed on Empress in August and they had a poolside BBQ one day....and on embarkation day they had a buffet area on the pool deck as well for awhile. Quite nice.

I don't remember any other time having these things on any sailing.

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

 

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

 

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

$6000 for a family on a Holiday or summer sailing is pretty standard for a balcony.

They've done poolside cookouts/BBQ on probably 75% of our recent cruises. Not on Harmony or Liberty, but on Independence, Freedom, Enchantment, Navigator, etc. It's on a sea day.

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

 

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

 

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

Pretty much all of them have a lunch BBQ on a sea day. On Voyager out of NOLA a few years ago they had a crawfish feast at the deck party. It was outstanding!

Thanks Matt. You summed up our September cruise pretty well. It was fun, but not great. And that kids pool/playground thing as you exit on to the pool deck does absolutely soak everything in the entire area.

Independence had food at the pool every sea day last summer.

Just disembarked Liberty this past Sunday from the Thanksgiving sailing.

 

I have never written a review, however I wanted to share some issues & observations while still on my mind.

 

We had a decent time but all the cutbacks have become very noticeable to the point I no longer have any desire to get back on an RC ship for a long time.

 

I cannot justify spending $6000 for a subpar trip.

 

Since I have been home, I cancelled 2 future bookings for next year.

 

 

- Deck around the main pool is a complete watery mess. Not just poolside but even 30ft away. All the walking areas are flooded, and too the point that it is very slippery and you cannot keep any of your things on the ground or it gets soaked.

 

- Area around the kid pool/slide has gigantic pools of water on the deck. Making most of the chairs unusable the entire time.

 

- Poolside activities are almost non-existent. The did do the Belly flop contest but that is all I saw over 4 sea days.

 

No poolside Cookout/BBQ.

 

- 3 days I had tell someone to play music at the main pool. They would turn on the audio for ESPN Carib which would blare commercials and sports scores which nobody was watching.

 

- The music they finally put on was a type of House-Club mix. Not really they genre for the 30-70 age group at the pool, but better than TV audio.

 

- The single soft serve ice cream machine is a joke and had a constant line of at least 10-15 people along with a mess of spilled cones on the deck around it.

They really need to break down and get at least 2 more yogurt machines to accommodate the amount of people aboard.

 

- Arcade had many games that were broken or poor working order, but still left on to take peoples money.

 

- Photography set-ups and merchandise tables really obstructs flow of traffic badly almost every night in the promenade.

 

- Air conditioning in staterooms no longer get very cold.

 

- MDR was warm almost every night.

 

- No background music in MDR 3 nights. dining room mgr shrugged and said it's just the way it is.

 

- MDR food has been stripped down in selection and quality and many favorites are gone. Looks like they finally "jumped the shark" because it really sucks now.

 

- Windjammer food selection is also very trimmed down from past trips.

 

- Cafe Promenade has dwindled down to just a few cheap sandwiches and 3 types of pastries.

 

- When we missed the Falmouth stop due to weather issues, RC did a poor job coming up with alternative/additional activities for the day. Almost nothing..

 

- No cocktail service in Platinum theater. Bartender disappeared in the middle of the show with people standing around waiting. I had to call guest services 2x to get him to come back.

 

- Room service dishes in the hallway 2 days.

 

- When phoning guest services, I had to sit on hold for at least 3 -10 min each time. This has never happened in the past.

 

- I have left out other issues that would take to long to explain.

 

For me the cutbacks are really having a negative effect and for the 1st time I don't feel like I got my money's worth this trip..

 

Somehow over the last 10 years "Mediocre" became the new "Fabulous"......

And there prices keep going up.

Too bad your cruise did not live up to your expectations. Maybe it's time for a new ship or cruise line. Thanks for the feedback.

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

 

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

 

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

We were on the Liberty back in March and they did the poolside cookout. They have done it on every previous trip.

$6000 is the approximate total for everything. We had 2 balcony cabins, liquor packages, plus all the extra stuff, Tips, Arcade, shore expenses, parking, etc.

$6000 for a family on a Holiday or summer sailing is pretty standard for a balcony.

 

They've done poolside cookouts/BBQ on probably 75% of our recent cruises. Not on Harmony or Liberty, but on Independence, Freedom, Enchantment, Navigator, etc. It's on a sea day.

We just cruised on Freedom, 6 day itinerary and paid $1500 for two people in a balcony. I don't know how many people where in his party, nor cabin type nor when they booked. We got a very good price and had a very good time.

I was disappointed that there was no paella on embarkation day nor did they have cheesecake pops in Cafe Promenade. But there were 5-6 different sandwiches to choose from all the time and 4-5 desserts to choose from all the time. Not always my cookie of preference, but that is how it goes sometimes, so I went back later. Life is too short to sweat it. Menu in MDR was fine with enough choices and portions were plentiful. I would have liked shrimp cocktail on the menu every night, but it was on 3 of the 6 nights.

As far as poolside BBQ's, it must depend upon when you cruise. Over Thanksgiving these ships are VERY full. This year Freedom had 4500 passengers, it's max. We sail at Thanksgiving each year -- which would explain why we have not had a BBQ poolside -- just too little space to do it, with the amount of people on board. Last year we did Navigator for the same 6 day cruise and it was at its max, also. Captain at that time said, every berth that could be booked -- WAS.

We were on Oasis over Thanksgiving and some of the issues I noticed (Windjammer not clean, room service dishes in hallways all cruise long, tables not cleaned in a timely manner in various venues ) I chalk up to the staff not being able to keep up with the amount of people and kids on the Holiday sailing. Assume things are back to normal this week!

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And there prices keep going up.

If Royal Caribbean can get the higher prices, they will keep raising them. There is no reason for a company to keep prices low if they are selling the product.

They are not a charity, they are a company. They can charge whatever they want, and then people can decide whether the prices are worth it to them.

I know it's disappointing to have these issues on a highly expected cruise. There is no doubt that RCCL is "dumbing down." I love Royal Caribbean, but do not like the direction it's been going for some time now. I also look at other lines, but if you read CC on each, you see that the same issues apply. So I stay with the known entity. I have considered, and someday hope, to do an "ultra luxury" cruise. But I can get a Sky Loft with full inclusive on RCCL for about the same as the cheapest cabin on many ultra luxury lines. So it'd really have to excel. But one day....

I have found that the smaller ships, Vision class, have been the most attentive and most enjoyable for me. The experience is more intimate, you see crew and passengers frequently and get to know them, and I feel the service is better. Likely because you interact with crew more. That been said, I am booked on a family cruise next year. We will have 3 Crown Lofts on Oasis. I am a bit "nervous" about the experience and cost. We will be in a JS on Oasis in Jan. That will be my "test." If I experience what others have, might cancel the "big" cruise. Guess we'll see. But I am going into this "eyes open." Thanks for all the comments both positive and negative. It sets an "expectation" that I hope is reasonable.

We were on the Liberty back in March and they did the poolside cookout. They have done it on every previous trip.

 

$6000 is the approximate total for everything. We had 2 balcony cabins, liquor packages, plus all the extra stuff, Tips, Arcade, shore expenses, parking, etc.

Again, sorry you were not happy. Thanks for clarifying pricing - quite honestly don't think $6000 is bad for what you had. Ii travel solo and hard to do a balcony cabin for under $2500 with no extras that you listed.

Thanks to everyone for clarification on poolside barbecues. Normally cruise twice yearly - mostly Independence, Allure, Oasis, Serenade in recent years and never had a poolside barbecue on any RC ship. Will be on Navigator in a couple of months and will check.

I was on the November 6th sailing, and the OP was pretty much spot on with his observations. The only thing different was that our room was like an icebox. I guess it is luck of the draw on where your room is in relation to the chillers. But, each person has their own tolerance to what bothers them to the point of true annoyance. Most of the stuff pointed out, in hindsight, was there but didn't really bother us enough to affect our trip. The one thing that bothered me the most, was the smoke I could smell, on the entire fourth deck. The smoke from the casino drifted everywhere, and I could distinctly smell it while sitting in both Boleros and the Schooner bar. Never could sit long in either area, even though I enjoyed the entertainment in both areas.

matj2000- We were on the sailing with you and I agree with about 90% of your comments. "Lackluster" is a great way to describe it. I am the type of person who can have fun anywhere and can make the most of a vacation, but I felt myself digging deep here. The ship seemed understaffed like on my Anthem cruise this summer. In fact, one of the asst. waiters said they were 15 asst. waiters short this cruise. :eek: We are big fans of the new waterpark as we have young children, but the area around it is constantly wet with multiple slippery spots. I found the cruise director's staff to be low energy as well. I could go on, but you have summed it up pretty well.

We are still booked for Thanksgiving next year, but will most likely move to another ship/line after that.

Interesting comments. I agree with previous poster, for the sake of balance, what was decent?

 

You mentioned "no poolside cookout/BBQ" - don't believe any RC ship has ever had this so not a cutback. What RC ship were you on that had this?

 

$6000 is a lot of money - was this because of Thanksgiving? Or were you in a larger suite?

Is that just a random guess? I also thought they all had the BBQ lunch. I know for a fact that the Enchantment Of The Seas in June 2014 did because my husband thought he had to go through the line each time we walked by. He loved it.

Not tearing you down OP, just wanted to toss in my opinion!

I avoid Holiday and peak Vacation weeks as much as I can and it seems to help a ton. A lot less rooms with 4 people in them seems to make things less hectic. But I do understand with kids in school and work, this can be near impossible. I don't have kids yet so no issues for me.

Though I did sail liberty in March for spring break (which is definitely one of these times, lots of kids) and it was great. And I did think I had a very different experience than OP. But the points are valid.

We did have a cookout which was really fun. Would be a bummer to miss it, but wouldn't cancel a booking for it.

The AC in our cabin was in fact so cold i loved it, but we were interior, our friends balcony was warm but they kept it that way. Maybe you had a neighbor who kept their balcony door open?

The platinum theatre bar service was amazing during my cruise. 3 Bartenders at every bar. Maybe they were short on staff that particular week?

For me maybe its just an expectations thing. My expectations are really not all that high and I don't have kids, so sun and a pool make me happy. I loved Liberty and have even tossed around the idea of a solo cruise on her this coming summer or next!

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise OP, hopefully you can find a ship/line that works for you! With the culmination of the things you saw, I would likely feel the same way.

We just cruised on Freedom, 6 day itinerary and paid $1500 for two people in a balcony. I don't know how many people where in his party, nor cabin type nor when they booked. We got a very good price and had a very good time.

 

I was disappointed that there was no paella on embarkation day nor did they have cheesecake pops in Cafe Promenade. But there were 5-6 different sandwiches to choose from all the time and 4-5 desserts to choose from all the time. Not always my cookie of preference, but that is how it goes sometimes, so I went back later. Life is too short to sweat it. Menu in MDR was fine with enough choices and portions were plentiful. I would have liked shrimp cocktail on the menu every night, but it was on 3 of the 6 nights.

 

As far as poolside BBQ's, it must depend upon when you cruise. Over Thanksgiving these ships are VERY full. This year Freedom had 4500 passengers, it's max. We sail at Thanksgiving each year -- which would explain why we have not had a BBQ poolside -- just too little space to do it, with the amount of people on board. Last year we did Navigator for the same 6 day cruise and it was at its max, also. Captain at that time said, every berth that could be booked -- WAS.

As he previously posted, two balconies and four passengers. To be honest, it is irrelevant what you paid for 6 nights on Freedom. 6 nights from Florida isn't really an apples to apples comparison to 7 nights from Texas, is it? Further, it appears that you are discounting his experience because of your experience on another ship. Strange.

In regards to the bolded section at the bottom of your post. Thank you for again pointing out the obvious "that it depends on when you sail".

Capacity is pretty irrelevant to a poolside BBQ. These ships are sailing at or near capacity virtually every week. There is not going to be a significant lack of space on the pool deck adding 200 people to a 4500 passenger ship. Weather and chef preferences, if anything, would likely be the deciding factor on something like a poolside cookout.

We are looking forward to sailing Liberty again in April, but most of us have seen cuts in RCCL over the years, mine is quality of food and music, we now eat most of our dinners in specialty restaurants. Entertainment was better on ships half the size of Liberty 25 years ago and food was so much better

Is that just a random guess? I also thought they all had the BBQ lunch. I know for a fact that the Enchantment Of The Seas in June 2014 did because my husband thought he had to go through the line each time we walked by. He loved it.

No, not a random guess. See my post #16 above. Also numerous posters commented they had poolside barbecues, but wasn't on Serenade a few months ago.

Thanks for the review, I think your observations agree with what I have been observing on our last several Royal cruises. Definitely seems like there are fewer waiters whether it be in the dining rooms or bar service, we've gotten used to getting our own drinks at the bar. While I still like the food for the most part, it definitely is not what it used to be.:D The poolside cookouts have been great and one of my favorite things. I wish Royal ships would have a set up like Celebrity does with it's Mast Grill each day.

We have always loved Royal and have two cruises coming up so we'll see how it goes, but after January our next cruise will be on Celebrity again and I'm considering giving NCL a try.:D

Sherri:)

Pretty much the same observations from Adventure over Thanksgiving with the added drama of the aborted drydock.

I think its time to take a break from RCI for me.