Cant decide on birthday Cruise, Jewel or Liberty?

[will773]

Not yet set in stone, but I have tentatively decided on the Liberty and I contacted a couple of TA's today about the December 3rd Labadee/Falmouth Sailing.

 

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

Wow, I didnt expect such a one sided endorsement of the Liberty! You guys definitely have me interested in going that route now, and I wasnt even considering it until two days ago.

 

Any suggestions for a Falmouth excursion?

 

You made a great choice! Loved this cruise! As for excursions, I did the Zip Line both times in Labadee and loved it! My first time in Falmouth, we did the Chukka Beach Break with lunch, the second time we did Inner Tubing and Dunns River Falls. That excursion was by far the highlight of our Allure trip! Wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Have a great cruise!

[ksuds]

I'm a Radiance Class fan. So I vote the Jewel. I also like the itinerary a little more.

 

You still have Chops and Portifino's on the ship. I am not sure what the entertainment difference is. But we did a B2B in December on JOS and had a great time.

 

I am also partial to Tampa since that is where we live. Going under the Skyway Bridge is amazing.

 

Whatever you choose is a win- win.

[Cruise_Kitten]

Voting across the pond for Liberty. We are having a family celebration on her for a 50th birthday in September. We are in love with the Freedom Class ships. My OH has sailed on the Jewel, he loved it but prefers the freedom ships because there is a lot more going on and it feels like a small town.

 

CK x

[luvs_2_cruise]

I just got off Liberty and loved her. The entertainment is FABULOUS

I just won a cruise on the Liberty, in a slot tourney! I have been reading some reviews from other sites and many stated they had trouble with long lines, both getting on and off the ship. Did you find this to be true also?

[jewelmick]

We are doing the Liberty for Spring break this April...my Daughter can't wait to try to Flowrider.

 

It's the Belize itinerary.....i have the Cave tubing booked for Belize and the Nochi Cocum for Cozumel.

[critterchick]

I noticed someone just mentioned how they enjoyed eating at the Windjammer by the windows & watching the wake below on the Jewel of the Seas. Well, all the Freedom Class ships have that same feature. My hubby & I loved that as well. All the windows surrounding the Windjammer, looking down below at the ocean at the very back of the ship. It was one of our favorite things to do. Also, the Royal Promenade is ahhhmazing! To be honest, I'd be fine if I didn't even get off that ship to even hit the islands. lol! It's that awesome.

 

Radiance class ships have outdoor seating aft of the Windjammer, which Freedom class ships do not.:)

 

If it were me (about twice your age), I would say Jewel - she's my favorite RCI ship. But Liberty has a lot to offer, as others have already said, in the entertainment arena. For 5 nights you'll be on the go to get it all in, though, so if lots relaxing is on your agenda (doesn't seem like it is), I'd say go for Jewel, and save the Freedom class for a longer cruise.

 

The good news is that you can't go wrong either way.

 

As far as embarkation/debarkationg goes, it's a crapshoot - we had a terrible time boarding Liberty in November, but it was right after her transatlantic crossing, so there were extra inspections that held things up. Debarkation was a mess, as we had to get down to Deck 1. It would have been helpful to know that the night before - I'll bet more people would have set their bags out rather than drag them down 4-5 flights of stairs. I think I read that they've since changed to a Deck 4 debarkation, which would be a lot easier. But it also will depend on how many Customs & Immigration officials are working - RCI has no control over that.

[PINEVIEW01]

Not yet set in stone, but I have tentatively decided on the Liberty and I contacted a couple of TA's today about the December 3rd Labadee/Falmouth Sailing.

 

Thanks everyone for your input!

I wouldn't wait to long. The prices have gone way up just since I booked in December. My cat is already gone.

[PINEVIEW01]

I just won a cruise on the Liberty, in a slot tourney! I have been reading some reviews from other sites and many stated they had trouble with long lines, both getting on and off the ship. Did you find this to be true also?

Check the dates. I'm sure that was just the first cruise back in the States. By the time I went in December it wasn't bad at all.

 

As far as embarkation/debarkationg goes, it's a crapshoot - we had a terrible time boarding Liberty in November, but it was right after her transatlantic crossing, so there were extra inspections that held things up. Debarkation was a mess, as we had to get down to Deck 1. It would have been helpful to know that the night before - I'll bet more people would have set their bags out rather than drag them down 4-5 flights of stairs. I think I read that they've since changed to a Deck 4 debarkation, which would be a lot easier. But it also will depend on how many Customs & Immigration officials are working - RCI has no control over that.

[luvs_2_cruise]

Check the dates. I'm sure that was just the first cruise back in the States. By the time I went in December it wasn't bad at all.

thanks! the cruise is Dec. 3, so hopefully it wont be too bad.

[bajathree]

Wow, I didnt expect such a one sided endorsement of the Liberty! You guys definitely have me interested in going that route now, and I wasnt even considering it until two days ago.

 

Any suggestions for a Falmouth excursion?

 

I did the Chukka River Tubing Safari and had a great time http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439487&highlight=chukka+tubing

[indie]

Got a great quote today from a TA, talked it over with the wife and we are booking the Liberty tomorrow for December 3rd!

 

Thanks so much everyone!

[Daghis]

Great choice! It's a bit late to add my two cents, but I concur with the others here and would have suggested Liberty as well.

 

The Liberty of the Seas was our first "real" sailing on Royal Caribbean (not counting the Viking Serenade cruise we had done previously), and that cruise on her convinced us to stay "loyal to Royal" from then on.

[RCcruisinfamily]

I had Jewel out of Tampa and Liberty of out Ft. L. I picked Jewel because it was cheaper and closer. To my good luck, they even had the same itinerary. Before the final payment was due, I switched to Liberty. I moved to a better cabin and still payed less. We loved the ship. The shows were great. We had a great time. I am sure you will enjoy whichever you pick. Love the ability to change your mind before final payment.

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

Kelly

[Karma5]

If you like smaller ships, more intimate, Jewel is an excellent choce.