Liberty review - Western, Feb. 7 - with photos

[depplep]

Keep the review coming, I love it.

[ArkieCruisin]

I am really enjoying your wonderful review and great pictures. Keep em coming :)

[debshomespun]

Badlands, We were on this sailing with you! Great review! We also enjoyed the Liberty. She is a beautiful ship.

 

We enjoyed MTD. We sailed w/DH brother & wife also. We sat at the same table 5 nights out of 7. We found if you went to MTD early say 6:30 or 7:00 it wasn't busy. The later times around 8:30 was always a line even with the reservations. We loved the fish/shrimp dinner on the last night. Thought it was very good. Food is always so subjective. Overall, their food is very tasty, and their triple chocolate chip cookies from the Promenade Cafe are delicious!

 

The live musicians that RC has is always a treat to listen to. My favorite part of the day is lounging up on deck 12 beside the ocean rails looking out over the beautiful ocean, and listening to the live caribbean music! What a way to relax and unwind.

 

Definitely agree the ice show is one of the best shows at sea! We had spent 10 nights on the Navigator right before we got on the Liberty, and I actually went to see their ice show twice.

 

Our stop in Costa Maya was our first time there. We went to town, and enjoyed the beach for the day. It was such a beautiful day, with blue skies. DH and I walked the walkway quite a few times, and I didn't have any problems telling them "no thankyou". Yes, they do badger you for sales, their living conditions are so different from ours. Maybe that is why they are so desperate to try to make sales. Probably not the best way to go about it, but it is probably they only way they know. I did buy several items from them. We enjoyed this stop, and will try to find itineraries that go there.

 

Here is a link to my album at webshots from our Liberty cruise if anyone would like to take a peek: http://travel.webshots.com/album/576770230OJNFHB

 

Sorry but I don't have the Compasses. I have kept so many in the past, I don't keep them anymore. Not enough room in the luggage!

 

If anyone has any quetions, I would be glad to offer my opinion too!

[Badlands99]

This is as good as it gets for me. I'm not sure why, but I LOVE those stingrays. They're just cool.

 

I booked an excursion to go to stingray city on a Sea Doo! Neither of us had ever been on a jet ski or Sea Doo or anything like that. I enjoy riding a motorcycle and assumed it would be fun. It was a BLAST.

 

After arriving late to the pick-up point (we took the first tender, but still didn't make it, ugh) we took a taxi to the Grand Caymanian Resort, where I assumed we would meet 15 or 20 people who would be angry with us for holding everything up. We were delighted to find out that we were the only ones who booked this excursion that day! It was just me and my wife on one Sea Doo and our guide on another. That was a treat.

 

As far as actually riding the Sea Doo... it is the most fun I've ever had while simultaneously being beaten and pummeled by a large motorized device. And it was even rougher on my poor wife, who had only me to hold onto. The sea was relatively calm, but that machine doesn't forgive a single ripple on the water. Every small wave was hammered into us without mercy and we were grinning the whole time.

 

We went out to the sandbar and fondled the rays and took a couple photos and oohed and aahed. I think one of the reasons I love stingray city is that the rays are not in an enclosure. They come and go as they please. We are on their turf. Of course they're practically lap dogs, but still. It looks and feels like you're out in the ocean. You can see the shore, but it's a mile or two away. Stingray City is awesome.

 

After playing with the rays, we battered and bruised ourselves over to Rum Point and had a drink and poked around a bit. Then we hammered and beat ourselves back to the resort and we were done.

 

If I could pick any of the ports we've visited on any cruise and stay there for a month, it would be Grand Cayman. No contest. I still haven't seen the turtle farm or Hell, because if I only have a few hours there, I'm going to play with the rays.

 

This is the night we didn't make it to dinner. We felt like we'd been mugged and just didn't have what it takes to shower and dress ourselves. Don't cry too much for us, though. The sandwiches from the cafe are great. And so is the marble cake. I forgot to mention the marble cake earlier when I was talking about food. That's good cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Badlands99]

Well it's after 11am now and I have yet to do any work today. I'm self employed so no one's yelling at me, but if I don't get busy I'll be doing the yelling later.

 

Thanks to those who've commented. I'll come back later and respond to those and I also have some more to add to the review.

 

[seaofwonder]

Well it's after 11am now and I have yet to do any work today. I'm self employed so no one's yelling at me, but if I don't get busy I'll be doing the yelling later.

 

Thanks to those who've commented. I'll come back later and respond to those and I also have some more to add to the review.

 

 

Thank you for the review!!!!!

 

Can you provide the info for the Grand Cayman excursion you booked? We want to see sting rays and jet ski, so this would be a perfect combo for us (and save us the money of jet skiing at Labadee)!!

[ucfknight07]

The flat TV on the articulating bracket is a nice feature, but one complaint I have about the TV is the unnecessarily loud noises it makes every time you turn it on or off. I was watching one of the documentaries on a dry-dock while my wife was sleeping. I had the volume way down so she wouldn't wake up. Then when I turned off the TV, it emitted this BEEDLE-DE-beetee-BOOOP!! that is impossible to sleep through. If I wake during the night, I like to turn on the "map" channel to see where we are, what the wind and stuff is doing, etc., but I just can't do that with a TV this obnoxious.

 

Just so you know for next time... The sound you're talking about that the TV makes when you turn it on is a Samsung thing... My TV does the same thing. I turned it off of my TV because I thought the sound was unnecessary... There's a way to go into the menu settings to turn on the start up and turn off sound on or off should you choose. I'm not sure if RCI disables the ability to go into the TV's menu settings, but if not, check on that next time.

 

Thanks for the great review! I really appreciate all the great pictures that go along with it. It makes me wish more and more that it would just be August already!If you happen to have any additional pictures of your stateroom and balcony, I would love to see them. We wanted to be on the hump, but were considering upgrading to a D1 should the price come closer to that of an E2, but I'm not sure if it's really worth the additional cost or worth potentially giving up the hump location...

[TPCRUISER2]

Thanks soo much! Going on liberty in 2 weeks. Yes first time on freedom class my self!

[sunandsnow]

Great review! Thanks for all the info. We're sailing on the Liberty 3/21. Thanks for the flow rider info. My 16 yr old twins are looking forward to this and the times help us plan.

[PAcruiser116]

Thanks so much for the review and pictures! We are sailing on the Liberty with the same itinerary in April...I can't wait! I'm a little nervous about MTD now, though...it's just two of us, so hopefully if we eat around 7 we will be ok!

 

You said you were late getting off the tender and into Grand Cayman...how long did it take you?

 

We booked Nachi Cocom too...I am so excited looking at your pictures.

 

Thanks again!

[Badlands99]

Being a fellow photography buff (I can tell you are!), just want to say great photos! What camera/lenses do you use? I can't wait to just wander Liberty and take photos of her.

 

Thank you for the kind words. I'm actually a photographer by trade. Not a GOOD one, mind you, but I do earn a living taking pictures.

 

My "pro" camera is a Canon 5D Mark II, but I didn't take that on the cruise. I missed it dearly at times, it's a great camera. For the cruise, I took my backup camera, which is an original 5D, two lenses (70-200L, and a 24-105L), and a flash (550EX). Most of the photos you are seeing here, though, were shot with my P&S, which is a Canon G9. The photos of stingrays and sea doos, etc., on Grand Cayman were all shot with a disposable underwater camera from WalMart.

 

 

This was shot with the G9...

[Badlands99]

Did you go into 100% Agave? We're planning on stopping there for some food/drinks after our excursion.

 

Yes, that's where the good narcotics are sold.

Just kidding.

 

We did stop in there for a drink, but we didn't eat. We were there very early and the guy that was working didn't speak any English. I know very little Spanish, but was able to stumble my way into a Corona and a Coke before we moved on ($3US). I've read here at CC that they have good food at low prices. If it had been a little later in the day, we probably would have eaten there.

[Badlands99]

Badlands, We were on this sailing with you! Great review! We also enjoyed the Liberty. She is a beautiful ship.

 

<SNIP>

 

Definitely agree the ice show is one of the best shows at sea! We had spent 10 nights on the Navigator right before we got on the Liberty, and I actually went to see their ice show twice.

 

TEN NIGHTS ON NAVIGATOR? Then seven on Liberty?!

I'm so jealous. That must have been fun.

 

I looked at some of your photos, those are great. I'll go back and see the rest when I get caught up (here on this review and with some real work).

 

I totally forgot to mention the parades. We didn't go to any of them, but I should have included them in my review. Oh, well. I'm offering cash-back refunds to anyone who's not 100% satisfied.

[amybeth4]

I LOVED your review and your humor and your pictures. I couldn't find the right setting for my camera in the ice show so my pictures are all blurry. Yours are fabulous.

 

And you guys looked GREAT in that picture for just coming off the Flowrider!!! :)

[Badlands99]

Thank you for the review!!!!!

 

Can you provide the info for the Grand Cayman excursion you booked? We want to see sting rays and jet ski, so this would be a perfect combo for us (and save us the money of jet skiing at Labadee)!!

 

I booked it through Island Marketing on their Cayman site...

http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/

 

However, if I had to do it again, I might just try to contact the company directly. They are based at the Grand Caymanian Resort, which is now a Radisson brand. You could try to call there and see if you can book directly with them. You might save a few dollars that way.

 

It was $70 each for the two of us to share one Sea Doo. I think it would have been $90 for us to each have our own. I wouldn't share one unless you have to, because it's a rough ride for the passenger.

 

Have fun!

 

 

[Badlands99]

Just so you know for next time... The sound you're talking about that the TV makes when you turn it on is a Samsung thing... My TV does the same thing. I turned it off of my TV because I thought the sound was unnecessary... There's a way to go into the menu settings to turn on the start up and turn off sound on or off should you choose. I'm not sure if RCI disables the ability to go into the TV's menu settings, but if not, check on that next time.

 

Thanks for the great review! I really appreciate all the great pictures that go along with it. It makes me wish more and more that it would just be August already!If you happen to have any additional pictures of your stateroom and balcony, I would love to see them. We wanted to be on the hump, but were considering upgrading to a D1 should the price come closer to that of an E2, but I'm not sure if it's really worth the additional cost or worth potentially giving up the hump location...

 

 

The problem is with the remote. The rooms have "special" remotes that do not allow you to access any of the menus. I was going to hook up my camera to review some photos, since there are inputs on the TV, but there's no way to switch video sources since you can't access any menus.

 

Thanks for the compliments. If I find any more photos of the cabin, I'll be sure to post them. Did you look through that gallery I linked to in the first post to see if there were any?

[Badlands99]

Thanks so much for the review and pictures! We are sailing on the Liberty with the same itinerary in April...I can't wait! I'm a little nervous about MTD now, though...it's just two of us, so hopefully if we eat around 7 we will be ok!

 

You said you were late getting off the tender and into Grand Cayman...how long did it take you?

 

We booked Nachi Cocom too...I am so excited looking at your pictures.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

With MTD, if you don't mind sharing a large table with others, there's nothing to worry about. It's only when you want a table for two that it get's a little tricky.

 

As far as the chicken tender at GC, we were supposed to be at a pick-up point at 10:30, and even taking the first tender, we were there around 10:45. Not bad, and it was my fault for booking it so tight like that. The scheduled arrival time was 10am, the first tender launched about 10:20 or so. There were other tenders just for RCCL excursions, which we couldn't take. Maybe those were a little faster, but I'm not sure. They were on the other side of the ship I think.

 

Nochi Cocum was great. I'm sure you'll love it. I'm jealous that your trip is ahead of you and mine is behind :-(

[Badlands99]

I LOVED your review and your humor and your pictures. I couldn't find the right setting for my camera in the ice show so my pictures are all blurry. Yours are fabulous.

 

And you guys looked GREAT in that picture for just coming off the Flowrider!!! :)

 

Amybeth4! You are my Liberty review HERO!

I absorbed every word of your review and I swear I thought of you when I heard the piano in the lounge and wanted so much to hear you sing "The Rose."

 

And yes, it's tricky to photograph that ice show. I had to bust out the big gun for that one and actually pay attention to what I was doing in order to get a few almost-not-blurry shots.

 

Many thanks for the compliments, but if there was a pageant for cruise reviews, yours would be wearing the tiara for sure.

[jlovely]

Thank you for the kind words. I'm actually a photographer by trade. Not a GOOD one, mind you, but I do earn a living taking pictures.

 

My "pro" camera is a Canon 5D Mark II, but I didn't take that on the cruise. I missed it dearly at times, it's a great camera. For the cruise, I took my backup camera, which is an original 5D, two lenses (70-200L, and a 24-105L), and a flash (550EX). Most of the photos you are seeing here, though, were shot with my P&S, which is a Canon G9. The photos of stingrays and sea doos, etc., on Grand Cayman were all shot with a disposable underwater camera from WalMart.

 

I've played with the G9 and it's a great P&S. Maybe one of these days I'll own the 5D Mark II but since it's just a hobby of mine, I'm ok right now with my Rebel xTi... thinking about upgrading to the 7D though. I'm having fun adding to my glass collection though. I've played with my friends 5D Mark II and I definitely still dream about it :)

 

One of my best purchases is my waterproof P&S Pentax...I take that thing everywhere! It takes semi-decent indoor photos but it takes GREAT outdoor and underwater photos.

[molly361]

We were on the same cruise as you and loved it. We were on it last May and are considering cancelling our Oasis November cruise and going again in October. We also had MTD and discovered that putting the make up room sign in when we leave for pre dinner cocktails worked well!!

[ucfknight07]

The problem is with the remote. The rooms have "special" remotes that do not allow you to access any of the menus. I was going to hook up my camera to review some photos, since there are inputs on the TV, but there's no way to switch video sources since you can't access any menus.

 

Thanks for the compliments. If I find any more photos of the cabin, I'll be sure to post them. Did you look through that gallery I linked to in the first post to see if there were any?

 

That's too bad about the TV... oh well. A minor inconvenience in the grand scheme I suppose, but it would be nice if they'd program them without the sound. If memory serves from my experience with my TV though, if it's unplugged or if it loses power for whatever reason, you have to turn the sound off again (could be wrong though...)

 

I did browse through the album (after I replied) and saw a couple additional pics. I'm sure we'll be fine in the E2. The difference between a D and an E seems to be minimal, and I don't think we'd really appreciate the extra square footage unless we bumped up to a JS. This is our honeymoon, so we'd like to splurge for the nicest room that we are comfortable with the price. Right now, unfortunately, a JS is just way too much.... it would be something like a 700 dollar difference per person... just not worth that...

 

Thanks again for your review and sharing your pictures!

[wolfcathorse]

Badlands99 - whow as the captain? Capt Charles or Capt Kjetil?

[Badlands99]

I've played with the G9 and it's a great P&S. Maybe one of these days I'll own the 5D Mark II but since it's just a hobby of mine, I'm ok right now with my Rebel xTi... thinking about upgrading to the 7D though. I'm having fun adding to my glass collection though. I've played with my friends 5D Mark II and I definitely still dream about it :)

 

One of my best purchases is my waterproof P&S Pentax...I take that thing everywhere! It takes semi-decent indoor photos but it takes GREAT outdoor and underwater photos.

 

Oh man, I'm covetous of your Pentax waterproof camera. I wanted a waterproof P&S badly before this cruise, but couldn't justify the expense. I ALMOST put my G9 in one of those bag-type waterproof enclosures, but I chickened out and threw in the towel with that disposable.

 

I also have a Rebel xTi and LOVE it. Don't tell any of my clients, but I've shot more than a few jobs with that camera. It's a fantastic camera with many great features. With good lenses, there's no stopping that thing. It has great image quality, especially from raw files. However, you won't catch me trying to talk you out of that 7D either :-> That's a beast.

[Badlands99]

Badlands99 - whow as the captain? Capt Charles or Capt Kjetil?

 

I'm not positive, but I think it was Charles something. I would know for sure, but apparently RCCL no longer offers the Q&A sessions with the captain, director, hospitality guy, etc. I looked for that in the compasses and it never appeared :-(

 

I didn't make it to any of his other appearances. (Who wants to hang out with the help? :-> )

 

Maybe it'll be in the Compass?

I plan on posting those this weekend some time.

[Otis1230]

We are going for the first time on royal = we always do princess cruises. I love the flexible dining but after reading your reviews- it seems you may still be eating with strangers. Were on princess flexible dining means eating when, ever and not not with others are your same table. How do you get a table for 2. Our cruise is western but its their island, ocho, gc, and cozmel in april. We were only going to get off the ship in cozmel, gc, and maybe haiti.

what do you recommend ? Also, did you find it hard to see shows- did you have to book in advance, did you eat at the specialty restaurants (Did you book before the cruise), The wait for the flow rider and rock wall? Any other tips would be great... great review!!

Also, days at sea how hard to get pool chairs- is their adults only side too