Just off the Liberty

[lcyccruiser]

We returned yesterday. I must say that the Liberty of the Seas is a beautiful ship. Staff couldn't be better. Dining room service was outstanding, as well as the food. Shows, well what can I say about the shows; Saturday Night Fever, In the Air, Encore Ice Show, again, outstanding. Saturday Night Fever was worth going on the cruise alone. Be sure to make your reservations and get to the theatre early, as the seats do fill up fast.

 

We made a reservation on airportparkinginc.com and parked at the Renaissance Hotel. This company was there to pick us up and were at the port in no time, which was good because embarkation was kaiotic as there was 8 ships in port, and the traffic was terrible. This company is outstanding and will have more on this at the end of this blog.

 

We loved our balcony cabin (7408), with one exception: we were told that we could not have more than 2 chairs on the balcony, which makes no sense at all, considering that we had 3 in our cabin. We asked our room steward to get us more chairs, and he said his supervisor told him no. So I talked with a rep at guest relations and was told the same. I was told it was policy, due to safety reasons. Needless to say, we were not happy campers. Especially after we pulled in to Cozumel next to the Mariner of the Seas, and saw that each and every aft balcony had at least 2 chairs and 2 loungers, plus a table, even the smaller aft corners on decks 9 and 10. So: if you have any of the balconies on the aft, and you are told that you cannot have more than 2 chairs, I would suggest that you go up to the pool area, or down to deck 4, which is the outside deck (which is the way you get to the heliport area), and get your own loungers, after dark of course! But all in all, I would not hesitate to get this cabin again. Like I said, we had 3 in the cabin and didn't feel crowded at all, due to the size of the balcony. Also, we were given little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and the like, which was a surprise. The hair dryer was sufficient, but I would probably bring my own next cruise.

 

We took our own sodas and water and had no problem getting it through.

 

Pizza on deck 5 good. We had it a couple of days instead of going to the Windjammer. Sandwiches in the Promenade Cafe good as well. Didn't do any of the restaurants.

 

The night you are in Cozumel is White Dress Night. So take something white to wear to the dining room and to the buffet on Deck 11 late night.

 

We went with a group and found that the best place to sit at night (so you could hear each other talk) was the Champagne Bar. We sat there, sometimes until 2:00 a.m. There is constant music in the bars each night until late. It is live in the Oliver or Twist and Boleros, and DJ in Catacombs.

 

Everything goes on sale your last sea day in the Promenade. We found that if you are looking to buy anything, wait until after noon, until the crowd winds down. Also, if you are looking to purchase anything from the liquor store, wait until the last sea day, as you are able to buy it and take it to your room, thereby eliminating the need to retrieve it the day you are disembarking.

 

Now, back to Airport Parking Inc. My husband left our camera in the shuttle and didn't realize it until we were on Rt. 84, heading back to the freeway. I was able to contact the dispatcher of the company, who in turn, contacted the driver, who told us he had it in his shuttle. We did have to wait until he returned from his trip to Miami, which was about an hour, but our camera was returned to us. I would recommend airportparkinginc. to anyone not wanting to park at the port.

 

If you have any questions, please ask.

[rab1974]

So White Dress Night is everyone wearing white in the MDR? How was terminal? Were there any big problems getting on or getting off (i.e. long lines and other problems?) If you have a Cruise Compass, that would be great to look at. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We'll be on Liberty 10 Dec. Can't wait.

[lcyccruiser]

So White Dress Night is everyone wearing white in the MDR? How was terminal? Were there any big problems getting on or getting off (i.e. long lines and other problems?) If you have a Cruise Compass, that would be great to look at. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We'll be on Liberty 10 Dec. Can't wait.

 

There were many people wearing white, but it wasn't a requirement. I would suspect this was because they had cruised the ship before. Had I known earlier, I would have brought a dress. So I just bought one in Cozumel. We got on the ship pretty quickly, although the line was all the way around the front of the terminal. Getting off was a zoo. There was a rumor that there had been a theft on the ship and we were all held about 45 minutes before the first group was scheduled to disembark.

 

Be sure to get make reservations for the shows (especially for Saturday Night Fever) and get in line about about 1/2 hour early so you can get a good seat. Not so early for In the air, or Encore. But you still would want to see these as the performers are great.

 

We do have the compasses and I'll try to download them later.

 

We took my husband's 93 year old mother with us and we had a ball. So just enjoy the Liberty. She's a grand lady!

[TexCruise371]

7408 is a great cabin and location...loved it! Glad you had a great cruise!

[gelo7]

Nice review.

[mefromfl]

what movies were they playing? anything new like happy feet 2 or just puss and boots?

[tomko2]

Thanks for the review. We love the Liberty (lots of photos in the link below) and set sail this coming Monday on that beautiful ship.

 

Awesome that you took your 93 year old Mother.

 

Very glad you got the camera back.

 

Kathy:)

[will773]

Thanks for your review. Glad to hear you had a great trip.

[LBumb]

good job

[lionessence]

How was the weather during the cruise? What time did you board the ship? My flight arrives pretty early and I'm worried we will be sitting for hours waiting to board.

[cello56]

How was embarkation? I have been reading posts with nightmare waits for boarding at Fort Lauderdale. We sailed Oasis in October and it could not have been any easier.

 

What time did you arrive? We plan on arriving by 10:30 so hopefully we will be at the front of the line.

[betsyl]

We also just got back yesterday from our Liberty cruise. We stayed at the Hyatt Pier 66 the night before (beautiful hotel) and caught a cab from there about 10:45 a.m. It was kind of chaotic checking in, mainly because the cab driver was forced to drop us off waaay past where the check-in are was, and the area where you gave your bags to the porters wasn't clearly marked. So we got in line, and then learned where the porters were, left the line, dropped off our bags (which were too heavy to haul all over the ship), got back in line and after that, it went pretty quickly. However, since it was still just about 11:15 a.m. when we got all checked in, we had to sit in a waiting area for about 30 minutes before they started letting people on board. No big deal. We did notice while going up the escalator that the crowds were huge in the check-in area by that time. Glad we went early. It was still another 30 minutes before we could get to our cabins. So we said "let the drinking and eating begin" and headed for the Windjammer!

 

Someone asked about movies. They actually had pretty good movies showing, although I had seen them all and didn't attend any of them. Source Code, Limitless, The Help, Pirates of the Caribbean, Puss N Boots, a couple of other kids movies.

 

The tender-situation in Belize was pretty much a nightmare. The tenders were on deck 1 aft, but you couldn't go to deck 1 - you had to start on deck 3, then wind around and around, then back up to deck 4, then around and around, and back down to deck 3 - ha. Then finally, after about 45 minutes going in circles, one of the RC reps came out and said "who has a RC booked shore excursion" and we and about 25% of the others raised our hands and we were escorted to the forward part of the ship, down to 1 and off the ship to the tenders -- they probably finally wised up and saw that they were going to have to be refunding a lot of money for all those tour tickets. But once we were on the tender, all was quickly forgiven (by us, anyway). Some of the excursions were cancelled because it was very windy while in Belize. Our excursion (Rum Runner River Tour and Rum Tasting) went without a hitch and was fun, except there was limited wild life on the river boat -- we have egrets in Texas and have seen iguanas in other ports - we did spot one small crocodile ...

 

In Cozumel, we did the Salsa, Salsa and Margaritas tour. It was so much fun. I recommend it for those that aren't into snorkeling or beach related tours.

 

We were very pleased with the debarkation on the final day. I had read horror stories and had an 11 a.m. flight and was prepared to be stressed. But we were off by about 8:45 a.m. and at the airport by 9:30 a.m. We were the only ship in port, which probably accounted for the smooth process.

[cruzin76]

Thanks for sharing. WE are in 7710 on Dec. 15th. Was that two chairs total? We had a similar cabin to yours on the Navigator and had two chairs, one table and one lounge chair. Thanks

[Puffinater]

The aft corners deck 10/9 on Voyager Class ships are not smaller balconies. Funny shape and plenty of room. Thanks for your review.

[jimp1266]

Thanks for your review, we are sailing on Liberty this Monday.

[molly361]

We were very pleased with the debarkation on the final day. I had read horror stories and had an 11 a.m. flight and was prepared to be stressed. But we were off by about 8:45 a.m. and at the airport by 9:30 a.m. We were the only ship in port, which probably accounted for the smooth process.

 

 

Wow this is the first good thing we have heard about disembarkation. I assume thought since you say you were off at 8:45 that you did not use self disembarkation?? Havge heard horrible things about that since the ship has moved to Lauderdale.

[betsyl]

We didn't use self debarkation. That was supposed to start at 7:30-ish, but it was about 8 a.m. before that announcement was made. Our luggage tag said we were due to debark at 8:15 a.m., but it was 8:45 a.m. Not too bad.

[PINEVIEW01]

We didn't use self debarkation. That was supposed to start at 7:30-ish, but it was about 8 a.m. before that announcement was made. Our luggage tag said we were due to debark at 8:15 a.m., but it was 8:45 a.m. ot too bad.

So, you had a Thursday debark? Is there anyway to see how many ships would be in on a Monday? I have a early flight too and am trying to figure if I should take a checked bag as FLL requires a 45 min check in for air tran.

[lcyccruiser]

Thanks for sharing. WE are in 7710 on Dec. 15th. Was that two chairs total? We had a similar cabin to yours on the Navigator and had two chairs, one table and one lounge chair. Thanks

 

Yes, 2 chairs total. We had to take the chair from our vanity and the one in our friends' cabin and use it as well. So I would suggest just taking a couple of lounge chairs from deck 4 as it a pretty isolated deck. It was a bummer, though.

[lcyccruiser]

How was the weather during the cruise? What time did you board the ship? My flight arrives pretty early and I'm worried we will be sitting for hours waiting to board.

 

We had clouds and wind. Maybe up to 10 foot waves during a couple of the nights, but not bad. It rained a little on 2 nights.

 

We drove so we got there about 12:10pm and by the time we got on the ship it was 1:00pm. It was pretty hectic due to the people still waiting for rides on the curb and the passengers trying to get on the ship.

[lcyccruiser]

The aft corners deck 10/9 on Voyager Class ships are not smaller balconies. Funny shape and plenty of room. Thanks for your review.

 

I didn't mean to imply that the decks were small....just a little smaller than the deck 7 corners. I had originally considered the upper corner decks until the one on 7 became available. Sorry.

[tomko2]

Thanks for your review, we are sailing on Liberty this Monday.

 

We are on the same cruise. Here is the link to our Roll Call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1355260

 

Many of the folks are now in transit arriving today or tomorrow.

 

Looking forward to Monday.

Kathy:)

[tomko2]

So, you had a Thursday debark? Is there anyway to see how many ships would be in on a Monday? I have a early flight too and am trying to figure if I should take a checked bag as FLL requires a 45 min check in for air tran.

 

 

There appear to only be two cruise ships at Port Everglades this Monday.

 

http://www.porteverglades.net/about-us/weather/ This is the link to the Port. Just click on Ship Schedule. It lists all types of ships by date and it also shows arrival plus departures so each ship is there twice on a given day.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kathy

[jimp1266]

We are on the same cruise. Here is the link to our Roll Call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1355260

 

Many of the folks are now in transit arriving today or tomorrow.

 

Looking forward to Monday.

Kathy:)

 

Hi Kathy,

 

We live slightly north of you in Lee County. We are driving across tomorrow and staying in Fort Lauderdale. We normally just drive over on the day of the cruise but got a little freaked out by the pictures of the embarkation lines. There is probably little value in posting on the Roll Call as most have started their journey to the ship (the slot pull sounds fun).

 

Sorry for my brief hijacking of this thread and thanks again for the reviews of Liberty.

 

1.5 days to go!!

[Erex]

About chairs. We had the same issue on out TA crossing in April 2011. We had a HC JS suit and there were more than enough room for more than two chairs.

On other ships we have normally had a sunbed in addition to the chairs. When we asken for this, we were told that we could not have it due to safety issues. I argued that we have had no problem on other ships and that one of the reasons to have a HC JS cabin was so we could have a sunbed so my wife can have other places then the bed to stay in when she has a bad day. I also promised to always place it so it was out of the way when we were not using it. And that even with a bed, there are more than enough space for the wheelchair.

The day after we had a sunbed on our balkony.

 

Cheers,Erex