Our very first cruise - just off the Liberty!!

[KathyF.]

First I would like to say thank you for all the advice I got here while planning our vacation.

 

We did enjoy the cruise but are not converted cruise addicts I'm sorry to say. All four members of our family (my husband and I and our two boys - ages 4 and 7) remarked at one point or the other that they would have rather gone to Orlando.

 

Don't get me wrong - we did enjoy the cruise and is likely we will do another one in 2-3 years but it wasn't the best vacation we ever had.

 

Here are some of my thoughts -

 

 

-for preplanning - hated the inflexibility of dates for airfare seat sales

-long embarkation (sp??) procedures with no information given and then having to do the drill with frustrated, hot kids

-food was very repetitive, lack of snacky stuff

-only did the MDR twice as we often weren't hungry at our 6 p.m. seating or still in the pool or the kids were overtired and I did not want our fellow diners to be subjected to them. MDR room staff kept hounding us as why we were not eating there when we did show up making us feel guilty.

- our TA had booked us for a table of 4 which we did not get. But they did find us one after we asked.

-food was very good however and plenty of it. Would just have been nice to have something besides sandwiches at the Cafe or pizza in Sorrento's for an evening snack.

-I called right away to book both the first and second character breakfast and was told it was full. When I was told the 2nd one was full I called and complained to a manager who did find us a seat. The dining room was virtually empty. Why advertise it then disappoint kids by only allowing a handful to attend when the room is empty??? And why does it have to be so early?? We had to be there for 7:45 a.m!! My kids were not too happy about that!

-one night went up to investigate the Family Pool party. Not sure why a "family" party would start at 11 p.m? Little late for many kids. There was a HUGE buffet up there. But we ate nothing as we had already got pizza from Sorrento's. No where on the Compass did it state that there was a late night buffet. Wondering how many others we missed.

-Kids eating ice cream in the pools. Shocked at how many tiny kids had water wings stuck on them and were left unattended in deep water. Parents totally out of view.

-Lots of selling. Felt like we were in a shopping mall with all the "in your face" info about gold and diamonds constantly.

-Very little souvenirs to buy on board. Mostly high end jewelry and booze. Not much for kids or those under 60 at all.

-$10 for one cocktail?? Seriously? We only had one drink each all cruise as too pricey.

-Very little service in the WJ. No one ever took away the dirty plates or filled coffee. All staff very pleasant but not sure what I was tipping for.

-Bunk beds. Did not realize that our beds converted to bunk beds. They were comfy but just not what we expected.

-As someone else has mentioned - big screen tv by pool - would be nice if they ran something besides sports. I didnt' notice any movies on in the evenings put poster mentioned there was one. Have to scan my Compasses and see if I missed them.

 

My kids LOVED the H2O Zone. As couple of the pools were too deep for my little one I spent most of our time supervising him so not totally relaxing for us.

 

Also big hit with our kids - the Dreamworks parade, Dreamwork movies (saw Monsters vs Aliens, Megamind, and How to Train your Dragon) - all you can eat ice cream and pizza - the arcade - the Ever After show.

 

Very impressed with the staff. All very nice and helpful. Ship was so lovely. Most of the food was very good - just lacked variety. Entertainment was great. Very easy to disembark.

 

Beds were SUPER comfy and the rooms were very clean.

[bound4dbeach]

Nice review! What was your itinerary? I am going on Los march 5th. The 8 day cruise.

 

Would you happen to have copies of your cruise compasses?

 

Do you know how much transfers were from the port back to both Miami and ft lauderdale?

 

Did the bathrooms have curtains or shower doors.

 

Lastly - you wouldn't happen to have a copy of your mini golf score card do you... If you played bi am looking forthe par values for each hole

 

 

Thanks.

[KathyF.]

Nice review! What was your itinerary? I am going on Los march 5th. The 8 day cruise.

 

Would you happen to have copies of your cruise compasses?

 

Do you know how much transfers were from the port back to both Miami and ft lauderdale?

 

Did the bathrooms have curtains or shower doors.

 

Lastly - you wouldn't happen to have a copy of your mini golf score card do you... If you played bi am looking forthe par values for each hole

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

We did a 6 night cruise with calls in Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel.

 

Didn't use transfers. On the way there we had a rental which we dropped off near the port and the rental car company had a shuttle to the port. On the way back we just grabbed a taxi to our hotel in South Beach for $20.

 

Bathrooms had sliding glass doors. Very cool layout in the bathroom! Lots of storage space actually.

 

Have all the compasses at home but no score card. I was playing mini golf with a 4 year old. No score kept.

[CP3o]

-I called right away to book both the first and second character breakfast and was told it was full. When I was told the 2nd one was full I called and complained to a manager who did find us a seat. The dining room was virtually empty. Why advertise it then disappoint kids by only allowing a handful to attend when the room is empty??? And why does it have to be so early?? We had to be there for 7:45 a.m!! My kids were not too happy about that!

 

 

This is significant even though it probably doesn't affect me, kids getting too old to get up early. They should offer it more often, maybe at two times on the two sea days so there are 4 chances for it. You are right, they do advertise it and most parents with kids under 8 want to check it out. They shouldn't be shut out.

 

If there were availability issues on a January cruise, I can't imagine Spring Break or summer.

[foxesden1]

Worried about the breakfast.. How long before did you try to book it? I wish they had that option on line.. Also not quite a fan of sports all day.. Ugh..

[KathyF.]

Worried about the breakfast.. How long before did you try to book it? I wish they had that option on line.. Also not quite a fan of sports all day.. Ugh..

 

They leave the Compass in your room in the evening with the list of the next day activities. As soon as we came in and saw the next day's I would peruse it. When I saw the first one I called right away and they said it was full but there would be another one on the last day at sea.

 

I tried to book that one on Wednesday (for Friday morning) and it too was full. That is when I complained.

[Palmetto Pilot]

We did a 6 night cruise with calls in Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel.

What excursions did you choose in each port? I'm taking this itinerary in March.

[KathyF.]

What excursions did you choose in each port? I'm taking this itinerary in March.

 

 

Not many as we were traveling with young kids - 4 and 7.

 

In Belize we took the Train Trolley tour. Totally enjoyed that! Not very expensive and a nice safe way of seeing the city. The boys enjoyed it too.

 

Costa Maya - we just went and looked around the market and swam in the pool on shore.

 

Cozumel - went to Paradise Beach. Very nice place. However my boys found the water toys too big and the water so deep they didn't enjoy it. But they LOVED the pool there.

 

I would choose totally different excursions if the kids were older or if we were traveling without them.

 

Thought of booking the Dolphin Encounter but couldn't bring myself to spend $300 for 45 minutes when I wasn't sure the boys would even participate. Thought I would leave it until they were older.

[Ashland]

Nice review! What was your itinerary? I am going on Los march 5th. The 8 day cruise.

 

Would you happen to have copies of your cruise compasses?

 

Do you know how much transfers were from the port back to both Miami and ft lauderdale?

 

Did the bathrooms have curtains or shower doors.

 

Lastly - you wouldn't happen to have a copy of your mini golf score card do you... If you played bi am looking forthe par values for each hole

 

 

Thanks.

RCI transfers are $29.00pp one way from the port of Miami back to FLL..You can get private transfers (examp) www.ridesas.com for $13-15pp one way depending on how many in your group..Round trip RCI transfers from FLL to port of Miami and back are $58.00pp...

[JKYChildes]

Thanks for the info... I'll be on this itinerary on feb 27th, and I was wondering what time the ship docked and what time passengers were allowed to get off the ship?

[KathyF.]

We were off the ship by 8 a.m. I was surprised at how quickly it was done. Ship docked during the night I do believe.

[JKYChildes]

We were off the ship by 8 a.m. I was surprised at how quickly it was done. Ship docked during the night I do believe.

 

Thats great to hear... I have an 11:30 flight out of FLL and was worried about the recent delays when the Liberty returned from Belize. Thanks again!!

[NordicPrince]

We did enjoy the cruise but are not converted cruise addicts I'm sorry to say. All four members of our family (my husband and I and our two boys - ages 4 and 7) remarked at one point or the other that they would have rather gone to Orlando...

 

Here are some of my thoughts -

 

 

-for preplanning - hated the inflexibility of dates for airfare seat sales...

-long embarkation (sp??) procedures with no information given and then having to do the drill with frustrated, hot kids...

-food was very repetitive, lack of snacky stuff...

- -food was very good however and plenty of it. Would just have been nice to have something besides sandwiches at the Cafe or pizza in Sorrento's for an evening snack...

 

-I called right away to book both the first and second character breakfast and was told it was full. When I was told the 2nd one was full I called and complained to a manager who did find us a seat. The dining room was virtually empty. Why advertise it then disappoint kids by only allowing a handful to attend when the room is empty??? And why does it have to be so early?? We had to be there for 7:45 a.m!! My kids were not too happy about that!...

-one night went up to investigate the Family Pool party. Not sure why a "family" party would start at 11 p.m? Little late for many kids. There was a HUGE buffet up there. But we ate nothing as we had already got pizza from Sorrento's. No where on the Compass did it state that there was a late night buffet. Wondering how many others we missed...

-Kids eating ice cream in the pools. Shocked at how many tiny kids had water wings stuck on them and were left unattended in deep water. Parents totally out of view...

-Lots of selling. Felt like we were in a shopping mall with all the "in your face" info about gold and diamonds constantly...

-Very little souvenirs to buy on board. Mostly high end jewelry and booze. Not much for kids or those under 60 at all...

-$10 for one cocktail?? Seriously? We only had one drink each all cruise as too pricey.

-Very little service in the WJ. No one ever took away the dirty plates or filled coffee. All staff very pleasant but not sure what I was tipping for...

 

 

Having survived several trips to DisneyWorld with my kids starting from age 3 up to 18 and being an experienced RCI cruiser I feel

qualified to offfer this input:

 

1. Maybe you should have considered a Disney Cruise. Oh oh that costs 2x as much as RCI...

2. Airplane planning? For most vacations this is a hassle ( unless you can drive to your destination). This is not limited to cruising.

3. Lack of snacky stuff? When does hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, cookies, soft serve ice cream and pizza not qualify as snacky stuff?

Did you expect to eat potato chips? You could have bought that at the convenience store before boarding. However, other posters have had similar complaints.

4. long embarcation? All I know is that the longest lines known to man are at any Disney park and waiting on line with kids there when it's 95 degrees is no fun.

5. Nothing besides pizza or sandwiches as a late night snack? Ever hear of room service?

6. Parents not minding kids? Is that the cruise line's fault?

7. Lots of selling? My goodness every Disney ride puts you out next to a souvenir shop. Heaven forbid your kid doesn't get Mouse ears and a character signature book and the list goes on and on...

8. We'll give you a pass on no souvenirs for regular folk. Used to be different where you could get a RCI tshirt and cap and little trinkets on

board.

9. $10 cocktails? When you go to Disney the only word they know is "twenty dollars". Hamburger, hotdog, french fries soda = $20 x 4 people

for lunch = $80. The drink of the day is the $10 one with the souvenir glass. So buy 1 regular cocktail and a few sodas and you come out way ahead.

10. Service in the WJ? The WJ is a buffet, you snooze you lose. You want service you go to the MDR.

11. Find it hard to believe the Late Night Buffet was not in Compass. And don't worry that you missed anything that was the only one for the week. But when there's food available 24/7 why do people need extra food at Midnight anyway?

12. When my kids were younger and they knew they had a character breakfast at 7:45 A.M. they would be jumping up and down at 6 A.M.

Why would you think 7:45 is too early?

 

As you can tell I'm not feeling the sympathy here.

 

Sounds like you just got the wrong impression about RCI ahead of time.

 

Lots of RCI posters had pointed out that this sort of thing might happen when they started with the characters on the ships.What are they

trying to be? Tthey can't be all things to all people.

 

A Disney park gets repetitive after a while. So next time try a Disney Cruise, sounds more what you're looking for - if you can afford it.

[Carol4158]

Sorry NordicPrince- but your closing remark is downright personal and nasty! Noting in the OP post was personally offensive so why do you have to be so...?:confused:

[KathyF.]

1. Maybe you should have considered a Disney Cruise. Oh oh that costs 2x as much as RCI...

2. Airplane planning? Most vacations this is a hassle ( unless you can drive to your destination), not limited to cruising.

Easier for me to moves dates according to a seat sale if I'm not working around a cruise. This was our first cruise.

 

3. Lack of snacky stuff? When does hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, cookies, soft serve ice cream and pizza not qualify as snacky stuff?

Did you expect to eat potato chips?

 

Actually yes I was surprised that there wasn't any kind of canteen type area to grab more snacky stuff like potato chips. Not a big deal but when the kids were looking for a bedtime snack at 10 p.m. there just didn't seem to be a ton of choice.

 

4. long embarcation? All I know is that the longest lines known to man are at any Disney park and waiting on line with kids there when it's 95 degrees is no fun.

 

???? My understanding if that there was an issue with the boat coming out of dry dock which impeded check in. Just would have been nice if they had someone informing us in line. We were fine. The kids got out their DSs and found shade. Once the lines opened it was quick. Not sure why you're comparing this to Disney???? By the way I've never waited more than 5 minutes in line at Disney. I use Fast Passes.

 

 

Just at the time as new cruisers we were not aware that this was not typical and due to problems with contractors and customs so it was just a bad first impression.

5. Nothing besides pizza or sandwiches as a late night snack? Ever hear of room service?

 

Yes we used it to order pizza. LOL. Most 4 year olds aren't looking for a chicken sandwich at 10 p.m.

 

6. Parents not minding kids? Is that the cruise line's fault?

 

Never said it was. Just something I noticed. Why did you think it was?

7. Lets of selling? My goodness every Disney ride puts you out next to a souvenir shop. Heaven forbid your kid doesn't get Mouse ears and a character signature book and the list goes on and on...

 

True. I just wasn't expecting it. Again first impressions of new cruiser. Aren't I allowed to state my first impressions. Never said it turned me off cruising. Just I was surprised at all the "sales". I would have bought a t-shirt but there was very little selection. So much more higher end stuff.

8. We'll give you the one on no souvenirs for regular folk. Used to be different where you could get a RCI tshirt and cap and little trinkets on

board.

 

That would have been cool. We left with no RCI merchandise.

9. $10 cocktails? When you go to Disney the only word they know is "twenty dollars". Hamburger, hotdog, french fries soda. $20 x 4 people

for lunch = $80. So buy 1 cocktail you're on vacation and you come out $10 ahead.

 

I have been to WDW the last 3 years and have never spent $80 for lunch. In fact I got free dining. I wasn't comparing the drink prices to WDW, why are you?

 

10. Service in the WJ? The WJ is a buffet, you snooze you lose. The MDR is for service.

 

Then why are their waiters walking around with trays?

 

Sounds like you just got the wrong impression about RCI ahead of time.

Lots of posters had pointed out that this might happen when they started with the characters on the ships.

 

Not sure what you mean by this at all.

 

A Disney park gets repetitive after a while.

Next time try a Disney Cruise, sounds more what you're looking for - if you can afford it.

 

Yes a Disney park get repetitive after a while. That's why we tried something new. And next year we will try something else. And we will also cruise again. Maybe with RCI or with Disney. Whatever takes our fancy.

 

And yes I can afford Disney. Thanks for asking!

[new2cruising72]

Sorry NordicPrince- but your closing remark is downright personal and nasty! Noting in the OP post was personally offensive so why do you have to be so...?:confused:

 

I agree. No need to be nasty on a message board. She was posting her perspective as a first time cruiser. Nothing wrong with that. Not sure why you seemed to be so concerned about her ability to afford Disney cruise either???

[2boyzmom]

Having survived several trips to DisneyWorld with my kids starting from age 3 up to 18 and being an experienced RCI cruiser I feel

qualified to offfer this input:

 

1. Maybe you should have considered a Disney Cruise. Oh oh that costs 2x as much as RCI...

2. Airplane planning? For most vacations this is a hassle ( unless you can drive to your destination). This is not limited to cruising.

3. Lack of snacky stuff? When does hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, cookies, soft serve ice cream and pizza not qualify as snacky stuff?

Did you expect to eat potato chips? You could have bought that at the convenience store before boarding. However, other posters have had similar complaints.

4. long embarcation? All I know is that the longest lines known to man are at any Disney park and waiting on line with kids there when it's 95 degrees is no fun.

5. Nothing besides pizza or sandwiches as a late night snack? Ever hear of room service?

6. Parents not minding kids? Is that the cruise line's fault?

7. Lots of selling? My goodness every Disney ride puts you out next to a souvenir shop. Heaven forbid your kid doesn't get Mouse ears and a character signature book and the list goes on and on...

8. We'll give you a pass on no souvenirs for regular folk. Used to be different where you could get a RCI tshirt and cap and little trinkets on

board.

9. $10 cocktails? When you go to Disney the only word they know is "twenty dollars". Hamburger, hotdog, french fries soda = $20 x 4 people

for lunch = $80. The drink of the day is the $10 one with the souvenir glass. So buy 1 regular cocktail and a few sodas and you come out way ahead.

10. Service in the WJ? The WJ is a buffet, you snooze you lose. You want service you go to the MDR.

11. Find it hard to believe the Late Night Buffet was not in Compass. And don't worry that you missed anything that was the only one for the week. But when there's food available 24/7 why do people need extra food at Midnight anyway?

12. When my kids were younger and they knew they had a character breakfast at 7:45 A.M. they would be jumping up and down at 6 A.M.

Why would you think 7:45 is too early?

 

As you can tell I'm not feeling the sympathy here.

 

Sounds like you just got the wrong impression about RCI ahead of time.

 

Lots of RCI posters had pointed out that this sort of thing might happen when they started with the characters on the ships.What are they

trying to be? Tthey can't be all things to all people.

 

A Disney park gets repetitive after a while. So next time try a Disney Cruise, sounds more what you're looking for - if you can afford it.

 

Hey- everyone's entitled to their opinion. Cruising is not for everyone and if your;e not an experienced cruiser- you can miss out on certain events . We learned through the years to fully investigate the ships, ports, events prior to the cruise but a newbie most likely would not know that...

[39august]

Cruising is not for everyone. And Kathy's remarks mirror her experience. I do have one question. What drinks cost $10? I've been on many RCI cruises and have never seen that price. Most mixed drinks are $5.95 and up. I recently had a martini for $9 on Navigator. I don't think I've ever even seen the drink of the day in the souvenir glass listed for $10. But since I always ask for those in a regular glass, maybe I just missed seeing that price.

[lovemylab]

Hey- everyone's entitled to their opinion. Cruising is not for everyone and if your;e not an experienced cruiser- you can miss out on certain events . We learned through the years to fully investigate the ships, ports, events prior to the cruise but a newbie most likely would not know that...

 

This describes us as well. We do A LOT of research before we leave, and by doing so we tend not to miss out on stuff.

 

Before I went on my first cruise I barely did any research on the ship or activities. Heck, I didn't even know what a cruise compass was until I boarded. Even then, there is A LOT of info in the compass and it's very easy to overlook something.

 

As for the character dining being completely booked - I suspect that the more experienced cruisers went to the Guest Relations Desk on the first day to inquire about the character breakfasts and were able to make the booking ahead of time.

 

OP - There is only one late night buffet so you didn't miss any others. I'm surprised this was advertised as a Family Pool Party though? The ships I've been on have always referred to it as Dancing under the Stars or something similar and it tended to be more of an adult thing due to bars that are set up.

[foxesden1]

Yes I also think NP post was more then a little OTT.

 

I think they have a drink of the day for 6.99

 

Still not happy about the breakfast being full... They have to correct that.

 

T

[12marshall]

Wow Kathy,

it honestly sounds like you forgot that YOU were on vacation too and you forgot to relax.

 

We did not take our children on a cruise when they were younger most likely due to the kind of experience you had... we ended up doing much simpler beach oriented trips until our youngest was 9. With that said our kids absolutely love the ship but you have to try right away to get them involved in the "kid activities".

 

It is not going to be a fun trip for the parents if you think you're going to care for your kids 24/7 on a cruise. Add to that sharing a room and you have a prescription for stress that may be greater than just staying home.

 

Of course hind sight for you now is 20-20 but NOBODY should think they're going to have fun if they plan only for their kids, take no advantage of the programs for kids, and worry about a $10 drink.

 

Like anything else, people should budget for their week and spend accordingly..... X $ for excursions, X $ for trinkets, X $ for extra food/drinks, X $ for tips.

[farnamcoach]

NORDIC are you serious????

[kembo]

 

A Disney park gets repetitive after a while. So next time try a Disney Cruise, sounds more what you're looking for - if you can afford it.

 

I am still in shock over the lengths people will go to defend their favorite cruise line or "home away from home" from these mean posters. We live in America, we are allowed our own opinions. Making an underhanded remark to make it seem the OP is poor so of course her opinion should not count, is pretty low IMO.

 

Guess what, I'm poor by the standards of some people, but am rich by the standards of others. I do not consider my opinion any more or less valuable by the balance in my bank account.

 

Thanks for the info OP. It is nice to hear honest information and not just cheerleader stuff. I am a newbie cruiser but a seasoned traveler, I simply love new experiences.

[farnamcoach]

I am still in shock over the lengths people will go to defend their favorite cruise line or "home away from home" from these mean posters. We live in America, we are allowed our own opinions. Making an underhanded remark to make it seem the OP is poor so of course her opinion should not count, is pretty low IMO.

 

Guess what, I'm poor by the standards of some people, but am rich by the standards of others. I do not consider my opinion any more or less valuable by the balance in my bank account.

 

Thanks for the info OP. It is nice to hear honest information and not just cheerleader stuff. I am a newbie cruiser but a seasoned traveler, I simply love new experiences.

 

Your so right!!

[mariaw8889]

Thank you for your review Kathy. I thought it was very honest and informative.