Liberty review - Western, Feb. 7 - with photos

[Badlands99]

I think the captain may have had a couple of "drinks of the day" because, as you can see, we skidded sideways and nearly smacked into Cuba...

 

 

 

I love this channel. At one point on the last sea day, this graphic indicated a relative wind speed of 56 MPH. They should have kites on hand for days like that.

[jrmama496]

Great review!! I'l be on the Liberty on April 4th and am so excited when I get such a detailed review with great picturesto look at while I wait. I hope you are able to post the compasses! I'm a big planner and I really would love to start figuring out what I am going to be doing on board. This will be our first time trying MTD. Hopefully I won't regret it :)

[Badlands99]

I had read in some reviews that smoke was an issue for some folks on Liberty, so I thought I'd mention my observations on that.

 

It was a non issue for us, and we are both non smokers. We were around smokers and strolled through smoking areas without noticing anything. We did not linger in bars or lounges, though, so that may have made a big difference.

 

I spent a couple of hours in the casino on each of four different nights and that was the smokiest environment I was in, and even then it did not bother me. They must have smoke eating filters in there or something.

 

The only thing that bothered me was my drink became contaminated one night. The craps table has a shelf for drinks and a guy at a nearby poker table was keeping his cig in an ashtray on "my" shelf, right next to my drink. I noticed after a while that my drink began to stink. It was my own smuggled soft drink and not a seven dollar cocktail, so it was no big deal. Of course I stabbed the guy in the neck anyway, on general principle.

 

Our balcony was never visited by any smoke at all that we could detect. Of course your mileage may vary on that count.

 

Overall, I could not find any valid reason for even a smoke-free tee totaller to avoid this ship. There's plenty of room for everyone and it's no trouble to find clean air to breath.

[judie43]

Badlands...you are one funny guy...I even laughed at the picture of your contraband wine and iron !! Thanks for the extemely well written review. You may have missed your calling. I usually skim though reviews but I read every single word.

Even more excited about our upcoming Liberty cruise.

[mdrobtx]

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?

You should be able to access the menus with the buttons on the side of the TV. I have 4 Samsung LCD HD's of different models and all are accessible in this way. I was telling my wife I'd bring one of the remotes to enable the HDMI port but they obviously buy these TV's in bulk and have the manufacturer disable inputs there.

I maybe wrong. Anyone ever gotten around this?

[mdrobtx]

Anyways, that was one of the best freakin reviews I've read. I was laughing my ass off. Great humor.

Amybeth4 and Badlands99, thanks.

We're going on Liberty on Memorial Day weekend for my 50th B-day. You both have already made the wait even more exciting. Thanks.

Michael.........

[Badlands99]

I enjoy craps. It's the only game I know enough about to play with any confidence. Plus it's really fun.

 

I'm the biggest low-roller on the ship and my only goal is to maximize my time at the table with my limited bankroll. On my first gambling session I started with $100, played for a couple of hours, and left with $201 after tipping the dealers. I DOUBLED my money! I got to walk around with TWO black chips in my pocket! WOOT! Winner winner chicken dinner!

 

Now, anyone with a hint of intelligence would steer clear of the casino after doubling their money like that, but I could not summon the energy required to stay away for five more days and insisted on returning my winnings to the table. I played a total of four sessions and at the end of the week I ended up making a total deposit in the amount of $56. Not bad for 6 or 8 hours of gaming.

 

The dealers at the craps table appeared to be knowledgeable and sharp. I didn't notice any mistakes or delays caused by the dealers. What I DID notice a few times was pax THINKING that the dealers were making a mistake and speaking out about it.

 

People need to understand that wagers are paid in a specific order and that dealers are not only keeping track of your bets and the bets of several others, but they are watching the dice and making sure that their chips and hands and money do not interfere with the dice.

 

If you have two different bets on the table, do not expect them to be paid one-after-the-other. They pay all the pass line bets, then they pay all the place bets, and so on. Some folks will squawk when one bet gets paid then they pay the next guys bet. They have a system they follow. Give them a chance. If they stop moving chips and you haven't been paid, THEN speak up.

 

On a couple of occasions the stick man was a little quick to push the dice to the shooter and the dealers had not finished paying out winnings. The dealer had to go "hands high" and wait to pay out one bet. He told the player "six dollars coming to you" but the guy was still whining a little bit about it.

 

I just think the dealers are better than what they get credit for sometimes. And if people would actually tip them properly they might have an appreciative ally at the table with them. Which is what I try to achieve.

 

Overall, I had a great time in the casino.

 

A suggestion for RCCL: I think it would be fun to have two or more half-size, or "tub" craps tables, instead of the one big one. The one available craps table fills up sometimes. When I saw the craps table with no room, I looked around and saw at least two deserted roulette tables. Surely a couple of small craps tables would make more sense at times.

[jlovely]

Do you remember what the minimum was normally on the craps table? did it get higher later on in the night?

[mdrobtx]

You play like I do. I usually buy in at $100-$200 and make it last. I'm a verbal player. Like to engage the peeps around the table to include giving them nicknames encouraged by their appearance, verbal assaults or bets. I do it in a calm way and within a few minutes the other players usually pick up on the theme and we have a lot of fun jacking with each other.

After a few nights we kinda know each other and the losses don't seem as bad, maybe.............:rolleyes:

[srafnel]

Great review!

 

I'm part of the crowd going with mdrobtx in May (Hi Michael!).

 

Good idea on the contraband wine. Might have to try that in May :)

[thxmom]

Badlands...this has to be one of the best reviews I've read! Thanks for the taking the time to post and your pictures are gorgeous. Thanks also for recognizing the WWII veteran and his wife...that touched my heart.

[amyphil]

Thank you for the great review!!!! My husband and I are going on our first cruise in July. From reading you review I feel so much more relaxed about the ship. My husband is also a music lover and was very happy to hear about the "live" music....too much recorded stuff.

Can't wait to read the compass. If you'd rather e-mail instead of posting, just let us know. I'll be happy to supply my e-mail address.

Again,thanks

Amy:):)

[Badlands99]

Do you remember what the minimum was normally on the craps table? did it get higher later on in the night?

 

The minimum pass line bet was $5 every day, with single odds. On one night they had 2x odds. The minimum on hard ways and field bets was $1. As far as I could tell, the minimums never changed.

 

I wish I had some photos from the casino. I had a camera in my pocket while I was playing, but when I see dice and chips my brain goes limp.

[Badlands99]

I love being on a ship. One of my favorite things to do is stroll around deck 4 and see what I can see.

 

 

 

That's Cuba on the horizon...

 

After studying this contraption and reading the accompanying instructions, I feel fully qualified to launch one of these life rafts...

 

 

 

 

 

I am dying for some behind-the-scenes action. If RCCL would offer such a thing, I would rather have a nice tour of the ship than almost any other excursion. Another cruise line does have such an option. I think it's Princess, maybe. It's about $150 for an extensive tour of several areas of the ship.

 

I'd also gladly pay to participate in a life boat drill. I just want to see more of the ship and it's workings.

 

Take a hint RCCL!

[Badlands99]

 

 

 

I'm just sayin'

[Badlands99]

A few more shots of the ship...

 

This is probably my favorite shot from the trip:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Badlands99]

Dear Royal Caribbean:

This thing is stupid...

 

 

This is the location of the biggest logjam in pax traffic on the entire ship. The door functions perfectly, but it's just too fascinating to children. Little boys want to play with it, and that slows down the flow of traffic and before you know it, there are three dozen people waiting to get through here.

 

Also, even when there are no children around to clog things up, we, as a group, lack the intelligence necessary to move through this thing with any efficiency. If a crowd begins to form while waiting to pass through, people tend to pack into it in larger groups. This appears to make the door revolve very slowly, which compounds the crowding problem.

 

Naturally, I have nothing to offer in the way of a solution. I only point out the suckage. Like my mother always said: I bring nothing to the table.

[gcphil]

Great pics and review. We will be on this ship with this itinerary in April. You are making me wish I was there right now! Quick question regarding times in port. We are scheduled to be docked in Cozumel from 7AM to 4PM. Was that also your schedule? If so was that local time or Miami time? What time did you have to be back on the ship? Additionally we are scheduled to be tendering in Grand Cayman from 10AM to 6PM. Sames questions. I am trying to book private excursions in those two ports and I am really concerned about the times. Thanks.

[Badlands99]

This is going to mess up the formatting on this page and force us to side scroll, but I can't think of a better way to make these things readable without sending you all to an outside link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SecretSK]

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.

 

Have you looked into the waterproof cases for your Canon? My husband has purchased cases for both of our Canon cameras and they really work well. They're not exactly cheap, but they allow full functionality of the camera and the pictures turn out very clear.

 

Dear Royal Caribbean:

This thing is stupid...

 

 

 

Ha! We sailed Liberty last March and then just sailed Voyager last week. The ships are laid out so similarly, I kept stopping where this revolving door should be, looking for the door. I actually missed it on Voyager. :o

 

Thanks for the great review and pictures!! We just booked another cruise on Liberty for this August. I am already checking out the place you suggested for a Grand Cayman tour.

[depplep]

Badlands99,

Can you go on another cruise soon so that we can have more pictures and another review? I'm thinking Hawaii or Europe. Your call.

[Badlands99]

 

 

 

 

 

[keplerd]

Badlands,

You are cracking me up! That revolving door was so annoying........It slowed me down and caused major traffic jams like you said.

 

My husband and I went to Starfish Alley in CocoCay on seadoos and had the same experience--got beat to death.......It was still a beautiful ride though and we got to stop and wade around in a couple of sand bars in the middle of the ocean. Totally cool..........

 

........We did the Western on Liberty back in September. Also went to Nachi Cocum and Sting Ray City and loved both. Going on the Liberty 3 nighter in October. A rare short cruise for this ship! It's hard to get away........

[Badlands99]

 

[Badlands99]

Hey WolfCatHorse, I think I found your answer...