Liberty of the Seas - In depth review of our Mediterranean Cruise!!

[prekteacher]

This was the first Med review I've read. Great job! I really enjoyed reading about your adventures and the pics were beautiful. So glad you had a wonderful time minus the few problems you encountered.

 

Barb

[chasinraynbowz]

I hope my roll call picks up earlier than 30 days out as were are traveling from Australia and touring Great Britain, Paris and a self drive tour of France the three weeks before we board. Tough, I know but someone's gotta do it!;)

 

 

Wow, I feel so sorry for you..... haha!!!

 

I am sure it will pick up! Keep posting on it, about once a week. That's what I did... lol.

[chasinraynbowz]

Great review! Can you tell me how Saturday Night Fever was? We will be traveling with our kids 10 & 7 in December and am wondering if it would be an appropriate show for them. Thanks very much.

 

 

We loved Saturday Night Fever. It pretty much follows the movie's story line. A couple of the dance moves might be "questionable" but other than that, it would be ok for your kids. (i.e. bumping and grinding of hips)

 

Enjoy!!!

[chasinraynbowz]

This was the first Med review I've read. Great job! I really enjoyed reading about your adventures and the pics were beautiful. So glad you had a wonderful time minus the few problems you encountered.

 

Barb

 

 

Thanks so much Barb!! The good times certainly outweighed the bad and we were lucky the problems happened at the end of the trip!!! LOL!!

[kellyco]

We loved Saturday Night Fever. It pretty much follows the movie's story line. A couple of the dance moves might be "questionable" but other than that, it would be ok for your kids. (i.e. bumping and grinding of hips)

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

Thanks very much. It can't be any worse than some moves on Dancing with the Stars!

[chasinraynbowz]

Thanks very much. It can't be any worse than some moves on Dancing with the Stars!

 

 

LOL, nope not any worse than DWTS!!! haha

[sidari]

Pam ... Strange thing about the food! ... when we were on the Brilliance, Vision and the Oasis it was very good yet on the Mariner it was very similar to how you found it! ... :confused: maybe it is something to do with that size of ship lol ? mind you we were not overkeen on the Mariner either so i guess that did not help.

[chasinraynbowz]

Pam ... Strange thing about the food! ... when we were on the Brilliance, Vision and the Oasis it was very good yet on the Mariner it was very similar to how you found it! ... :confused: maybe it is something to do with that size of ship lol ? mind you we were not overkeen on the Mariner either so i guess that did not help.

 

 

Yeah, none of our group liked the food much. Neither did several from our roll call. Like I said earlier, it was hit or miss. Greg says he won't go on a RC ship again, but I suspect if the right one came along I could talk him into it... lol!

[adamsfly]

Hi Pam, just came across your review and loved it! Pictures were great too!

[chasinraynbowz]

Hi Pam, just came across your review and loved it! Pictures were great too!

 

 

Thanks so much!!!

[Loonbeam]

I've found it to have more to do with the Exec Chef than anything else and they move around...

 

Pam ... Strange thing about the food! ... when we were on the Brilliance, Vision and the Oasis it was very good yet on the Mariner it was very similar to how you found it! ... :confused: maybe it is something to do with that size of ship lol ? mind you we were not overkeen on the Mariner either so i guess that did not help.

[chasinraynbowz]

I've found it to have more to do with the Exec Chef than anything else and they move around...

 

 

Ahh so it would vary ship to ship then. Interesting. You would think it would all pretty much be the same fleet wide.

[louthebowler]

you probably spent as much time telling us about your trip as you did actually on it for which we are very grateful. its funny, the med is close by but i'm always dreaming about the caribbean, mind you england is so full of old historic buildings its so easy to take for granted, but it can be soooo wet and miserable here that you just cant help dreaming about getting some warmth on your body ( i dont mean lying in the sun all day- couple of hours and bored sick). i loved the food on liberty and unlike you put on a few pounds , whether its our different palates or just look of the draw who knows. we cant all like the same things and a couple of the trips you did are'nt my cup of tea but i still loved reading about them.

by the way i agree about jfk, when we passed through there october 2010 we had to wait there for 4 hours to fly to miami to join our cruise on liberty- what an airport-wouldnt want to go that way again!

thanks again- you did good!

[chasinraynbowz]

you probably spent as much time telling us about your trip as you did actually on it for which we are very grateful. its funny, the med is close by but i'm always dreaming about the caribbean, mind you england is so full of old historic buildings its so easy to take for granted, but it can be soooo wet and miserable here that you just cant help dreaming about getting some warmth on your body ( i dont mean lying in the sun all day- couple of hours and bored sick). i loved the food on liberty and unlike you put on a few pounds , whether its our different palates or just look of the draw who knows. we cant all like the same things and a couple of the trips you did are'nt my cup of tea but i still loved reading about them.

by the way i agree about jfk, when we passed through there october 2010 we had to wait there for 4 hours to fly to miami to join our cruise on liberty- what an airport-wouldnt want to go that way again!

thanks again- you did good!

 

 

Thanks Lou!! And you're right... we all can't like the same things. Think how boring life would be!!

[Loonbeam]

The ingredients and menu may be standardized, but a good, engaged chef can do a lot more with them then one who just follows a recipe. For example, I make a pretty good hummus dip. My secret? I buy Sabra hummus at the store and add seasoning. The proper use of salt alone can elevate a pedestrian dish to a great one, and of course the improper use of salt can kill a dish as well.

 

In addition, HOW they run their kitchen can mean a lot to food quality, for example a simple matter of making sure hot items are stirred properly and rotated can make a huge difference. But if the EC doesn't emphasize that then neither will the staff in most cases.

 

The Princess cruise we were just on brought this home to me. We had sailed prior on Princess as well, same class of ship, 2 different exec chefs, similar menus. The food on our 2009 trip was fine, but nothing special. I met the exec chef that trip and was not impressed. 2011 - Although not everything was perfect (I did think a few soups were too salty), the food this time was vastly better. Since the kitchens are exactly the same and if anything the lines are reducing food costs, the difference had to be the EC and staff. I met this one as well and you could see the difference in how he engaged with his staff (best way I can describe it was that he worked with them as opposed to lording over them)

 

Ingredients, recipes and sourcing do matter, but a good culinary team can adapt to those. It doesn't work the other way around.

 

 

Ahh so it would vary ship to ship then. Interesting. You would think it would all pretty much be the same fleet wide.

[chasinraynbowz]

You have a good point, Loon. I have a killer lasagna recipe, but no one makes it quite like me... lol.... recipe or not!

[maggieq]

Hi Pam,

 

Your review and pictures are just what I am looking for. Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

 

I just got back from a short Tuscany and Amalfi Coast cruise...first outside of the caribbean and I am hooked. I was looking at Celebrity med cruises for next year but I really can't get that kind of time off. I started looking at the Liberty 7 night cruise. I thought we could arrive on a Thursday, have 2 days in Barcelona and then go on the Liberty. We have been on the ship 3 times so very familiar. The itin is what is interesting to me.

 

We have never been to Barcelona so looking for any transfer tips, hotel tips. I have read good reviews on the W hotel? Also, are the pickpockets really as bad as reported? I didn't feel uncomfortable while in Rome or any stops on the cruise. The only stop we were warned about was Naples.

 

Thanks!

[Poorplaya]

Great review, amazing pictures, glad you guys had a great time.

[chasinraynbowz]

Hi Pam,

 

Your review and pictures are just what I am looking for. Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

 

I just got back from a short Tuscany and Amalfi Coast cruise...first outside of the caribbean and I am hooked. I was looking at Celebrity med cruises for next year but I really can't get that kind of time off. I started looking at the Liberty 7 night cruise. I thought we could arrive on a Thursday, have 2 days in Barcelona and then go on the Liberty. We have been on the ship 3 times so very familiar. The itin is what is interesting to me.

 

We have never been to Barcelona so looking for any transfer tips, hotel tips. I have read good reviews on the W hotel? Also, are the pickpockets really as bad as reported? I didn't feel uncomfortable while in Rome or any stops on the cruise. The only stop we were warned about was Naples.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Maggie,

 

If you are comfortable in Rome, you will be fine in Barcelona. Just be aware of your surroundings. We had no problems at all.

 

For transfers, we used Barcelona Day Tours. Someone met us at the airport and was just on the other side of immigration (if I remember correctly) and took us to our hotel. I also arranged for them to pick us up at our hotel and take us to the port. They were there right on time and we had no problems at all. They offer tours also, but as you read, we did the HoHo bus... which was fine and met our needs.

 

The W Hotel is right there at the port and I understand it is wonderful. We stayed at the Hotel Fira Palace which is a very short walk from the Magic Fountains (same street, about a block away) and very close to the Metro and the HoHo bus.

 

We had heard about Naples too, so opted to go to Sorento and Pompeii. I don't regret it at all!!!

 

Thanks for reading and I will be glad to any other questions you might have!!

[maggieq]

Thanks Pam!

 

We are thinking of going over labor day weekend so we can get an extra day.

 

In Sorrento we took the hydrofoil over to Capri and it was absolutely beautiful. The following day we docked in Amalfi and took a boat to the emerald grotto and then docked in Positano....both days were the best experiences yet.

 

Looking at the dinner times...wondering which would work best. We would like to go to the shows....did you keep the compasses? Wondering what times they were and your thoughts on them.

 

Thanks!

[chasinraynbowz]

Thanks Pam!

 

We are thinking of going over labor day weekend so we can get an extra day.

 

In Sorrento we took the hydrofoil over to Capri and it was absolutely beautiful. The following day we docked in Amalfi and took a boat to the emerald grotto and then docked in Positano....both days were the best experiences yet.

 

Looking at the dinner times...wondering which would work best. We would like to go to the shows....did you keep the compasses? Wondering what times they were and your thoughts on them.

 

Thanks!

 

 

We did early dinner (630pm). I think the only day we might have run into a problem was the day we were in Rome, but our private tour got us back to the ship by 5 so it ended up not being a problem. But as you probably read, we weren't "thrilled" with the MDR food.

 

The early dinner worked great for us and the shows. We had time after dinner to go to the casino, our cabin or whatnot before the show began. If I remember correctly, the shows started about 9 or 915. I do have all of the compasses and will pull them out this afternoon and double check.

[chasinraynbowz]

Great review, amazing pictures, glad you guys had a great time.

 

 

We really did!! Thanks for reading!

[chasinraynbowz]

I found my Compasses. Here are the daily shows and times. Not sure if it will be the same for the Caribbean cruises.

 

Dining Times:

 

Main Seating:

630pm - Michelangelo and Botticelli

700pm - Rembrandt

 

Second Seating:

900pm - Michelangelo and Botticelli

930pm - Rembrandt

 

My Time Dining:

530pm - 930pm

 

 

Day 1

8pm - Welcome Aboard Show

 

Day 2 - In The Air

915pm (Main Seating) and 1115pm (Second Seating)

 

Day 3 - The East Coast Boys

730pm (Second Seating guests) and 915pm (Main Seating)

 

Day 4 - Encore (an Ice Spectacular)

745pm (Second Seating guests) and 10pm (Main Seating)

 

Day 5 -

International Comedy of ZeidwiG 8pm - All Guests and

Encore (an Ice Spectacular) 915pm

 

Day 6 -

 

Encore (an Ice Spectacular) - 745pm and

Saturday Night Fever - 915pm

 

Day 7 -

 

Saturday Night Fever - 330pm

Farewell Show - 8pm

 

 

Hope that helps!!

[crafty sue]

The Barcelona dock is not far - you can take the RC shuttle bus which takes you to the World Trade Building, and you can walk in about 10 min to the Ramblas - also at the shuttle stop is the HOHO bus. I think the local port run a shuttle too, which is much cheaper. I think we were on the shuttle bus about 5 to 10 minutes !

[Jerwan]

Really enjoyed all your posts, Pam, but didn't see anything about the weather on the Mediterranean. How were the waves and sea conditions? We are hoping to go sometime between August and September but am struggling finding any information about sea conditions. Thanks.